A FEW DELICIOUS DESSERTS

 

                                                 SOUR CHERRY CAKE

For the cake:

150 g butter

200 g sugar

250 ml (1 cup) milk

2 tbsp cocoa

 4 eggs, whipped

200 g self-raising flour

2 tbsp baking powder

 

Filling:

6 cups cream

1 cup sour cherry spoon sweet

 

Garnish whipped cream and a little sour cherry spoon sweet

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). and butter a round cake tin.

 

Whip butter and sugar until pale and creamy.  Add the whipped eggs and dilute the cocoa into the milk and pour into the mixture and stir to combine.  Sift the flour with the baking powder over the batter and mix well together.

 

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, remove from m the oven and allow to cool.

 

Cut the cake into 3 equal slices.  Whip the cream until stiff and refrigerate for 10 minutes.   Keep ¼ of the whipped cream for garnishing and mix the remaining with the sour cherry spoon sweet.

 

Spread one slice of cake with the cream and sour cherry sweet mixture, cover with second  slice and proceed in the same way until all the slices are spread. 

 

Pipe the remaining whipped cream over the cake and garnish with a few sour cherry spoon sweet pieces.   

 

 

                                                           BROWNIES

200 g chocolate, cut into small pieces

120 g butter

175 g sugar

2 eggs

1 vanilla

120 g plain flour

½ cup chopped walnuts

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and butter a Pyrex dish

Melt chocolate and butter remove from the heat.  Stir in the sugar and add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well each time before adding the next.  Stir in the vanilla, flour and mix well until a thick elastic batter is formed.

 

Finally, fold in the chopped walnuts  and spoon into the Pyrex dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden.

 

Serve, warm, cut into serving pieces with vanilla ice cream.

 

 

                                                   COFFEE MOUSSE

2 cups sugar

5 eggs, separated

2 tbsp METAXA brandy

2 tbsp instant coffee

4 gelatine sheets

6 tbsp hot water

250 ml (1 cup) cream

 

Extra cream whipped with icing sugar

 

Whip the egg yolks with the sugar until light and creamy.  Dissolve the gelatine into the hot water and stir in the brandy and then add the coffee and stir until well combined.   Pour into the egg and sugar mixture and ice until it thickens slightly. 

 

Whip the egg whites until stiff also whip the cream to the soft peak stage and fold both into the coffee mixture.  Divide between bowls and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

 

Serve with whipped Chantilly cream and raspberries if you wish

 

 

 

                    TARTS WITH POMEGRANATE CUSTARD AND MERINGUE

Pastry:

300 g plain flour

50 g sugar

Pinch of salt

200 g butter cubed

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp vinegar

60 ml (2 fl oz) cold water

(Mix all the ingredients well together until a soft pliable dough is formed, over and ice for 30 minutes at least)

 

Chocolate ganache:

100 g chocolate cut into small pieces

100 ml cream

30 g (1 oz) butter, softened

(Mix all the ingredients together until a glossy sauce is formed)

 

Pomegranate custard:

200 ml pomegranate juice

90 g sugar

3 sheets of gelatine soaked in cold water for 6 minutes and squeezed dry

5 egg yolks

Pinch of salt

100 g pomegranate seeds

 

Meringue:

100 g egg whites

80 g sugar

1 vanilla

 

For the custard, heat the pomegranate juice with the sugar stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Add the soaked gelatine sheets and stir until well combined. Whip the egg yolks with the salt and pour into the saucepan and simmer very gently until a custard is formed. Fold in the pomegranate seeds.

 

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).  Roll out the pastry and line a round buttered dish cutting off the excess. Cover with baking parchment and weights and bake until the sides are crisp. Discard the parchment and weights bake for 10 minutes more until crisp and golden.

 

Spoon in the filling and level the surface.  Beat the egg whites with the sugar and vanilla until stiff and bake for two minutes until slightly coloured.  

Here is a recipe for fantastic biscuits

 

                                BISCUITS WITH BROWN SUGAR AND NUTS

3 eggs

170 g brown sugar

250 butter, melted

1 vanilla

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp warm water

250 g almonds, hazelnut and walnut, chopped

200 g plain flour

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

 

Preheat oven tom 180 C (350 F) and whip the eggs with the sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add the melted butter, in doses, vanilla and the baking soda diluted in the warm water and whip a few minutes more.

 

In a bowl, mix the nuts with the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and stir well into the egg mixture.  Allow to rest for 30 minutes and then place spoonfuls of the batter on a tin lined with parchment and bake for about 9 minutes until crisp and golden brown.  Allow them to rest for 10 minutes and serve.

 

 

                                                     MOJITO

                        

 

20 g sugar

5 mint leaves, finely chopped

The juice of ½ a lime

50 ml white rum

Crushed ice cubes

Soda water

Whole mint leaves and sliced lemon for garnish

 

In a large glass, mix all the ingredients except the soda water, whole mint leaves and lemon slices.  Pour in enough soda water to almost fill the glass and garnish with mint leaves and a slice of lemon.   "A tu salud!"