Hawaiian chocolate cake

This is my obsession. Since I have made it, and ate it, I think about this cake at least few times a day. It is so rich, moist, warming, quite and simple. One of the best cakes I have ever tried, better even than Sacher torte, but this may be individual choice. It doesn't matter that it is not quite a dobosh cake. For in Hawaii, the rich chocolate cake, for which there are many recipes, simple and more elaborate ones, is originating from the Hungarian version but the method of cooking has been much simplified. For our pleasure!

The recipe I have used comes from Taste of the Pacific by Susan Parkinson, Peggy Stacy and Adrian Mattinson. I have modified it a bit. Try out the book, it is full of useful hints and really exotic and simple food for every occasion!

Hawaiian chocolate cake

0,5 cup cocoa powder

125 ml water

1,5 tsp baking soda

130 g butter

1,5 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 package of vanilla sugar

2 cups flour

0,5 cup potato starch

dash of salt

1 cup (400 g) kefir

1. Place cocoa powder, water and baking soda in a small pot and heat slowly. Mix until you get a smooth paste and cool down.

2. Sieve flour, starch and salt together.

3. Beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs, beating, and then the cooled chocolate mixture. 

4. Gradually add flour and kefir, beating well. 

5. Grease well two 23-cm cake tins, divide the batter.

6. Bake at 180 degrees for 35 minutes (no longer - it is meant to be that moist). The cake likes to rise as a dome so I cut out both tops and made the third layer of it, of course on cooling down.

7. Cool down for few minutes, then loose from the tins and cool on wire rack.

Easy chocolate frosting to finish:

2 cups icing sugar

0,5 cup cocoa powder

80 g butter

1 egg (optional)

60 ml milk

few drops of rum essence (optional)

Again, all you have to do, is to mix well all the ingredients in the above order and decorate the cake! And then you can enjoy the silence created by the table when you serve everyone his or her piece of Hawaii.

Next week I am serving this cake in Krakow for free. Drop in!

Korean seaweed soup

It is so amazing how many times Korean food has inspired me! I am devoted lover of the Korean pancakes among others. Although Gosia has inspired me more frequently, to be true. Last time I got a nice package of the dried seaweed that I love. As I felt that the cold is attacking me, I decide to prepare some warming soup.

 Korean inspired seaweed soup

(2 portions)

4-6 pieces od dried seaweed

2 drops chilli sauce

1 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp rice vinegar

1/2 carrot

1 small onion

1 garlic clove

cooked rice

1. Soak dried seaweed in cold water until soft. Drain and cut into smaller pieces

2. Cut carrot into julienne stripes and onion into fine slices.

3. Place together in a pot seaweeds, carrots, onions, 500 ml water, dark soy sauce, chilli sauce and fish sauce. Bring to the boil, boil for few minutes. Season with vinegar and salt if necessary.

4. Place cooked rice in a bowl, pour in the soup, sprinkle with the finely chopped garlic clove.

Simple but nourishing. And it helps my brain, they say. I guess I may like Korea. 

And what is your favourite recipe for seaweeds? Krakow visitor's pack for the best proposition! You have a week for entries, starting from now on till 14th of January. Please place your proposals in comments. Happy cooking!

Paris, Paris, Paris

Tomorrow I’m flying to Paris. It is my first time in the world capital of cuisine. I want to visit several places related to my culinary passion. I will also see the most popular tourist attractions.

Paris is sweet.



In childhood I associated Paris with sweets and French sticks. My aunt who lives in France sent me sweets at Christmas. When she visited my family, she taught my grandma how to make croissants. In high school I ate French sticks with jam on lunch - it was my diet. In cookery school I learned about La opera cake, éclair, macaroons and many more traditional French sweets.

Ilona familiarised me with Poilâne bakery and I want to see that special place .
I think that I’ll visit bakeries and confectionery kiosks many times during my trip.




Café life in Paris



My passion is also the 19th and 20th century painting. I have read biographies of many artists from that period and for me French artistic life means café life. At that time many Polish artists studied in Paris and afterwards they moved Paris lifestyle to Krakow.
So I’m familiar with café life very well.
In Paris I particularly want to visit Café du Dôme. This restaurant was visited by many famous artists like Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso and others. And I‘ll go to the café “The Two Windmills” which is famous for the “Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain” movie. Also I’ll look for other artistic cafés on Montmartre.




Paris is fashion



My godmother always told me that Paris means fashion. When she went to Paris, she came back with additional suitcases full of dresses, sweets, wines. In my wardrobe I have two dresses from her trips. They are twenty years old and still are in fashion.
But probably I’ll focus on groceries because I don’t like shopping for clothes.
I want to find a good wine shop, as well as the Fauchon and Lanotre shops.



Next week I’ll tell you about my Paris discoveries.

New Year in the French style

I started New Year in the French style. I savoured La Opera cake and Champagne. It was not accidental because next week I’ll fly to Paris. I’m very excited about this travel. It will be my first time in Paris, I have a lot of plans and ideas what to do in world capital of fashion and cuisine. One of them is to see the building of Paris Opera and try La Opera cake. Today I’m eating my version of this cake. I will write soon about my trip.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!



• 125 g non bleached powdered almonds
• 125 g sugar
• 30 g flour
• 4 egg yolks
• 25 g butter
• 4 egg whites
• 20 g sugar

Chocolate ganache
• 5 g instant coffee
• 200 g bittersweet couverture chocolate
• 150 g 35% cream

Coffee buttercream
• 15 g instant coffee
• 200 g sugar
• 70 g water
• 2 eggs yolks
• 200 g unsalted butter

Glazing
• 80 g bittersweet couverture
• 80 g 35% cream



Almond biscuit: Whip together the almonds, sugar, flour and egg yolks for approximately 15 minutes. Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff. Gently blend in the egg whites to the rest of the preparation using a spatula. Melt the butter, let cool down and add to the mixture. Spread the preparation on parchment paper. Cook at 220 ºC 10 minutes. Remove the biscuit from the plaque as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Coffee buttercream: Cook the sugar in 70 g of water until rise to a thick syrup. In bowl whipped whole eggs yolks and still whip eggs add the sugar mixture. Whip the mixture until it cools down. Gradually add previously softened butter and continue whipping. The mixture should double in volume and whiten. Add 15 g of coffee dissolved in a small amount of water.
Chocolate ganache: Bring the cream to a boil with the remaining coffee. Blend in the chopped chocolate. Allow to cool.

Combination: Cut biscuit to 3 or 4 squares. Spread the ganache on a first layer of biscuts. Cover with the next layer, garnishing with the coffee buttercream. Cover with the last layer. Cool down in fringe. Chop up the topping chocolate and mix with the cream. Bring to a boil. Glaze the cake. Cool down in fringe.
Serve with champagne.

Enjoy!



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Happy New Year

Here are our Wishes for You...

Hours of happy times with friends and family
Abundant time for relaxation
Prosperity
Plenty of love when you need it the most
Youthful excitement at lifes simple pleasures

Nights of restful slumber
Everything you need
Wishing you love and light

Years and years of good health
Enjoyment and mirth
A angels to watch over you
Rembrances of a happy years!

Gosia and Ilona

Christmas reminiscences

A little quiz game: what is that?? Some strange pink coloured coconut?

 A pork skin from a ham!!

Happy New Year and many culinary adventures to everyone!

Ila

Polish Potato Pancakes (Placki ziemniaczane)

In Poland everybody knows how to make potato pancakes. Some like it with sour cream on top or with sauce, some like it with jam or sugar. I like potato pancakes plain.

When I was a child my mum made the top of potato pancakes for me and my friends. In high school we made them in hostels during mountain trips. When we made potato pancakes in college in campus kitchen sometimes it turned into a spontaneous party for everybody. Currently I make them when I miss Poland or I’m in bad mood. I love these small golden rounds. I know they aren’t healthy and have lots of calories but who tries pancakes for the first time they will love them forever.


For 4

1 med. Onions, grated
half kg potatoes, grated
1 egg
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Ground pepper, to taste
1- 2 tbsp. sunflower oli
2 tbsp butter

Peel and grate potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Add salt, pepper, flour, egg and mix well. (Potatoes turn brown as they stand, which is natural.)
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil in large heavy skillet. Drop potato mixture by spoonfuls into hot fat, and make 10 cm in diameter pancakes. Potato pancakes fry about 3 minutes or more on each side to become crisp and golden. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

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