LITTLE SOPHIA

                                            

                                A baby is cuddles
                                And tickles on toes
                                The sweet scent of powder
                                A kiss on the nose ................

On the 16^th October 2014, in Copenhagen, our grandson Alex and his lovely wife Tina had their second daughter, Sophia, a tiny, loving sister for two-year-old Janna.    Our very best wishes and deep affection to the jubilant parents, the “big” sister and the extremely proud grandparents!

                             

                               Tina and Alex:                              

                               

                               They are little bits of sunshine

                               They are smiles to light your days

                               They will steal your heart and keep it

                               In their warm, endearing ways

                               They’re your precious little daughters

                               With a sweetness from above

                               They will fill your years with laughter

                               And your lives, with lots of love.

Let us celebrate!

                                       

                                                     CHOCOLATE DESSERT

                                          Little Janna loves this dessert





You can prepare this delicious dessert, drenched with a chocolate cream sauce, garnished with strawberries or any other fruit of your choice.   You can, also serve it as a cake, dusted with icing sugar.

200 g (6 2/3 oz) good quality dark chocolate cut in small pieces

200 g (6 2/3 oz) butter

300 g sugar, halved

6 eggs, separated, whites stiffly beaten with a pinch of salt and half the amount

                                                                       of sugar, a teaspoon at a time 

1 scant tsp vanilla

100 g (3 1/3 oz)) self-raising flour mixed with

1 tsp baking powder

Chocolate Cream Sauce:

100 g (about 3 1/3 oz) dark chocolate, cut into small pieces

100 g (about 3 1/3 oz) cream

1 tsp honey

Melt the chocolate and butter over simmering water and stir until thoroughly mixed.   Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, pour in the cool chocolate/butter mixture and stir.   Sift in the flour and baking powder, and stir the batter lightly, until well combined.  Carefully fold in the whipped egg whites and pour in a buttered cake tin, lined with baking parchment.

  

 Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 40-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean.  Remove from the oven.  With a flexible knife detach the sides of the cake from the baking tin.   Reverse the cake on a dish, discarding the baking parchment, and set it aside to cool.

For the sauce, place the chocolate pieces in a bowl.  Heat the cream just below boiling point and pour over the chocolate, add the honey and stir very well together until the sauce is cold, smooth and glossy.

     

Place the cake on a platter, spread the chocolate sauce evenly over the top, and garnish, either, with fresh strawberries dipped in melted chocolate or marrons deguises, or chocolate curls or nuts.

(8-10 servings)

                                              
                                                   CHOCOLATE CUP-CAKES

Cup cakes are trendy and very popular with both children and parents alike. 

210 g (7 oz) self-raising flour, sifted with

1 tsp baking powder

33 g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder

Pinch of salt
210 g (7 oz) icing sugar

100 g (½ cup – 1 tbsp) butter, at room temperature

3 eggs

150 ml (an ample ½ cup) milk

Vanilla

1 tbsp yogurt

Icing:

100 g (1 ½ cup – 1 tbsp) butter

180 g (6 oz) icing sugar

25 g (2 tbsp) cocoa

Vanilla

A suspicion of salt

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).

Place the sifted flour/cocoa/sugar mixture in a large bowl, add the butter and rub gently with your fingers until the mixture resembles crumbs.

In another bowl beat the eggs, milk, vanilla and yogurt until well combined.  Gently mix the liquids into the dry ingredients and stir well, until the batter is smooth and shiny.

Line a 12 socket cup-cake with paper cups.   Fill each paper cup half full with the cake batter, bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.   Remove from the oven and allow to cool.   Then remove the cupcakes, in their paper cups, from the tin.

Meanwhile prepare the icing.   Whip the butter with the icing sugar, cocoa salt and vanilla until smooth and glossy, and garnish the cupcakes.

You could, alternatively, add about 150 g (5 oz) chopped white chocolate into the batter before baking.  Serve without icing.