There are quite a few nut cake recipes; but this one, which my mother-in-law is preparing is a little different. With that easy walnut cake, you can really taste the taste of nuts thanks to the small pieces that crunch under your teeth!
Easy Walnut Cake
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 220 g sugar
- 100 ml milk
- 90 ml olive oil
- 200 g sifted flour
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 300 g walnuts
- 40 g butter
- Some confectioner’s sugar
- Few walnuts halves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Grease and flour a round cake pan or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- Using a mixer, beat eggs with sugar.
- Add milk, olive oil, flour, and baking powder. Mix well.
- Place the walnuts in the zip-lock and cruch them using a pastry pin.
- Pour the batter in the cake pan (mould). Lay walnuts halves on top of the cake.
- Bake for 20 minutes. The cake should be well raised with a thin crust but not fully baked. Place the pieces of butter on top of the cake.
- Continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, allow to cool before removing it from the mold.
- Dust it with powdered sugar before serving.
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This post was posted in Desserts
Golden Baked Мashed Potatoes
If you find yourself with more left over potatoes than you can deal with, this recipe is for you!
Golden Baked Мashed Potatoes
While you can just simply reheat mashed potatoes, or make pancakes, my favorite way to serve leftover mashed potatoes is this Fluffy Baked Mashed Potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1,2 kg potatoes
- 90 g butter
- 100 ml heavy cream or milk (warm)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes. Chop the potatoes into cubes. Place them in a medium pot. Add salt to the water and cook for 15-20 minutes. When they are fork tender, strain the potatoes.
- Add butter and mash until smooth and creamy.
- Next, pour the warm heavy cream or milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Coat a baking dish with butter. Transfer potatoes to the prepared dish. You can make some shapes on the top.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes until the top is golden.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This post was posted in Main Dish
Walnut Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Once baked, the walnuts get that gooey-caramel and crunchy coating. Your guests will love that Walnut Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.
Walnut Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
- 7 rings pineapple slices drained
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour sifted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-10 inch round cake pan. Place pineapple slices on the bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla on high speed for about 8 min. Slowly add flour. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
- Add chopped walnuts.
- Carefully spoon mixture into a pan cake.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool for at list 10 minutes, then turn the pan over onto a serving plate. Wait 30 seconds then lift the pan off.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This post was posted in Desserts
Russian Apple Cake Sharlotka
Apple Sharlotka cake is one of the most popular desserts that each Russian kid will remember from their childhood. The recipe is so simple that you don’t even need to write it down. It will be very easy to remember once you’ve made it: 3 apples, 3 eggs, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of flour. That’s it, enjoy!
Russian Apple Cake Sharlotka
If the apples are too sweet, sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Ingredients
- 3 big apples (sour)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp confectioner’s sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Grease and flour a round cake pan or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- Wash, peel and dice apples into 1-inch pieces. Lay out the diced apples on the bottom of the pan.
- Using a mixer beat eggs with sugar, until its two times in volume. Using a spatula carefully fold in sifted flour. Pour the batter over the apples.
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until а toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once the cake cools off a little, transfer to plate.
- Dust it with powdered sugar before serving.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This post was posted in Desserts
Easy Puff Pastry Cheese Sticks
These crispy, flaky, cheesy sticks require just a few ingredients and 15 minutes of your time. Very easy to put together with absolutely no experience needed. They go with dips, salads, soups, beer and yet, kids favorite crunchy snack.
More recipes with puff pastry on my cooking blog.
Easy Puff Pastry Cheese Sticks
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 g shredded cheese
- Some Herbes de Provence or any herbs of your choice
- freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a parchment paper roll out the puff pastry.
- Whisk the egg yolk and spread evenly over the puff pastry.
- Sprinkle cheese, herbs and pepper on top of the yolk mixture. Slice with a pizza cutter into 1 cm strips.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This post was posted in Appetizers, Puff Pastry
Easy Madeleines
Very light, fluffy and tasty French cookies. Classic small sponge cakes shaped like seashell, usually made with lemon zest. I love lemon, but I decided not to add any to my madeleines. I just like them plain.
You can find molds for mini-madeleines. That’s really nice and you can savor them for a cafe gourmand.
French Madeleines
To make an authentic madeleine, you will need a madeleine pan. But you can use a muffin pan or any cake pan.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 200 g sugar
- 120 ml milk
- 200 g all purpose flour sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 120 g unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine eggs and sugar. Whip until light. Add milk and mix well.
- Carefully fold in the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt.
- Add melted butter and mix throughly until smooth. Let the batter rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter madeleine pan. My pan makes 12 cookies at a time. From this receipe you’ll make 24 cookies.
- Spoon batter into the prepared molds, filling 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden and the tops spring back. Remove the madeleines from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes.
- With a knife or fork carefully loosen the madeleines from the pan and then tip the whole pan out to a prepared plate.
- If you want to make it in a loaf pan, it will take much longer, about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake come out clean.
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This post was posted in Cafe gourmand, Desserts
Turkey Potato Casserole
“Without the potato, the balance of European power might never tilted north”. (Michael Pollan)
Turkey Potato Casserole is very personal, everyone makes theirs differently. I make my Turkey Potato Casserole with shredded potato.
Turkey Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 1 1/2 pound lean ground turkey
- 6 medium russet potatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Dice onion as finely as you can.
- Mix together ground turkey with onion, add salt ant pepper to taste.
- Place the turkey mix in an even layer on the bottom of a 9×13 inches baking dish.
- Peel and shred potatoes.
- Spread the shredded potatoes evenly over turkey.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs and water. Add 1/2 tsp of salt.
- Evenly pour the egg mixture over casserole and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Serve it hot with sour cream and cilantro.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This post was posted in Main Dish
Chocolate King Cake (Galette des Rois)
King Cake is a very popular French pie that celebrates the Epiphany, in early January. My children love this cake as well as chocolate so the Chocolate King Cake makes them twice as happy!
Chocolate King Cake (Galette des Rois)
Ingredients
- 100 ml heavy whipping cream
- 100 g dark chocolate (60-70% cacao)
- 50 g softened butter
- 50 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 50 g almond flour
- 2 sheets ready-to-use puff pastry
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Bring the heavy whipping cream to a boil. Pour it on the chocolate, wait a few seconds then mix well until the mixture is homogeneous.
- Beat the softened butter and sugar together.
- Beat in the egg. Mix.
- Then, add the almond flour and mix well.
- Add the melted chocolate to the almond preparation and mix well. If this preparation is too thin (because it is still hot), leave to cool in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
- Roll out one sheet of puff pastry. Spread the chocolate-almond filling over the center of the dough, leaving a 1 inch (1.2 cm) exposed border. If you wish, place a little porcelain figurine “fève” in the filling.
- Brush the edges of the pastry with water and cover with another circle of dough on top and press down to seal the edges.
- If you want, with a knife or just with your fingers, decorate the edges.
- Brush with beaten yolk. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 390F (190C).
- Brush with yolk one more time. Using a knife, create a design on top of your galette. Poke 3-5 holes, to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
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This post was posted in Desserts, Puff Pastry
Juicy French Style Pork Tenderloin
I lived in France more than 10 years. My husband is French but neither he or his parents have heard of this dish. The French don’t even suspect that this dish is called French style meat, but Russians eat this meat and know that it truly is “French style meat”.
Juicy French Style Pork Tenderloin
The main ingredients in this dish are meat, mayonnaise, cheese and onion, lots of onion.
Ingredients
- 6 pork tenderloin chops
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1-2 onion
- 200 g cheese shredded
- 5-6 Tbsp mayonnaise
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Line medium baking dish with aluminum foil.
- Place each piece of meat between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with the flat side of meat tenderizer until about 1/4 inch thick. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Lay the meat out on the baking dish. Peel and cut the onion (half-moon). Arrange the onion on top of the pork. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Spread mayonnaise all over the meat.
- Bake for about 40 minutes until golden brown.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This post was posted in Main Dish
Chocolate Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)
Chocolate Yule Log (Bûche de Noël) is the French roll cake very popular during the Holiday season. This is a delicious version of Yule Log you can make at home using very simple ingredients you can find in every store.
Chocolate Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)
Ingredients
Sugar syrup
- 150 g sugar
- 300 ml water
Chocolate ganache
- 200 ml heavy whipping cream ( 35%)
- 200 g dark chocolate (60-70% cacao)
- 15 g unsalted butter
Biscuit
- 4 eggs (at room temperature)
- 120 g sugar
- 120 g all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
Chantilly cream
- 250 ml heavy whipping cream ( 35%) very cold
- 45 g mascarpone cheese
- 1.25 Tbsp sugar
Decoration
- Few meringues, pieces of chocolat
Instructions
Sugar syrup
- In a small pot, bring cold water and sugar to the boil. Keep boiling for a few minutes, stir constantly until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool down. When the syrup is cold, you may add vanilla or the Triple Sec liqueur (optional).
Biscuit
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until the mixture becomes thick, fluffy, and triples in volume.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in flour and cocoa powder.
- Spread the batter evenly in thin layer into the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in center of biscuit comes out clean.
- Turn upside down onto clean kitchen towel and carefully remove parchment paper. Let cool down.
Chocolate ganache
- Boil the heavy whipping cream. Pour the boiling cream over the dark chocolate. Wait for one minute.
- Then mix it until the mixture is smooth.
- Add butter and mix until this is fully dissolved.
- Let cool the ganache for about 30 minutes in the fridge. Mix and check frequently: the ganache is ready when it’s not anymore liquid and has a spreadable texture.
Chantilly cream
- Beat together very cold heavy cream and cold mascarpone cheese until this is whipped. Keep gradually adding sugar.
Assemblage
- Paint the biscuit with sugar syrup.
- Spread the chantilly cream evenly over the biscuit.
- Roll up firmly.
- Tightly cover with plastic wrap, and keep in the fridge until chocolate ganache is ready.
- Remove the plastic wrap. Spread the ganache over the cake. Using a fork make lines to look like a log. Transfer the cake to a serving platter and let stand in the fridge for a night or at least 3 hours.
- Before serving, dust with cacao cocoa powder and decorate with meringues or pieces of chocolate.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This post was posted in Desserts