Impress family and friends with this popular French dessert. Combine almonds and peaches to make one of the most iconic summer treats. This tart is perfect when fruits are seasonal and tasty.
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry:
100g / 1 stick butter, cut into cubes
225g plain flour
25g icing sugar, sieved
1 egg, beaten
For the filling:
150g soft butter
150g caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
150g ground almonds
30g plain flour
1tsp almond extract
Canned or Fresh peaches, peeled and sliced.
For decoration:
Runny honey or peach jam, melted and sieved, for glaze
25g untoasted almonds, peeled, flaked or halved
PREPARATION
In a processor, combine butter cubes, flour and icing sugar and process shortly like few pulses only. Pour in the beaten egg and pulse again until the dough starts to form a ball.
Wrap with cling film and chill. Sometimes the dough is immediately manageable, pending on the temperature of the butter or the room and you can skip the chilling part.
To make the filling in the same processor, cream the butter and sugar together, then gradually add the beaten eggs.
Add the ground almonds, flour and almond extract. Process for a few seconds until well combined. Place the mixture in the fridge, while you prepare the base.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough to fill in a 25cm tart mold. Use the rolling pin to level the edges. Spoon the filling over the base and decorate with halved peaches.
Imagine friendship as a thoughtfully crafted recipe. There are moments when I want to sprinkle in extra spices to infuse excitement, and other times, a dash of sugar to sweeten the bond. For depth, a pinch of salt is added, and for nourishment, a touch of aroma is introduced. I’d prepare it on high heat for a profound connection or simmer it slowly for a more leisurely pace. Casual friendship resembles a comforting cup of tea on chilly days, providing warmth and solace, while long-lasting friendships are akin to a glass of wine on challenging days, offering both tranquility and a touch of sparkle.
I am not only blessed with the most amazing family, but I am also surrounded by numerous friends whom I love and trust, whether it’s a day of joy or a day of difficulty. I know you are many, and you know who you are. Let’s continue to enrich our friendship, making it enduring and meaningful.
Back to the kitchen where baking lifts my spirits when I’m in a good mood, and even when I’m not, it has a way of brightening my day. Yesterday’s choice landed on carrot cake, a household favorite, possibly inspired by the fall season or the Halloween decorations adorning my house.
There are different variations, but I’ve been loyal to this recipe for years now. I wonder why I never thought of posting it before. It contains shreds of carrots, walnuts and raisins for added texture and flavor. The use of carrots in cake recipes can be traced back to a time when sweeteners like sugar were scarce or expensive. Carrots provided natural sweetness and moisture to cakes. However, the carrot cake we know today, can be quite high in sugar and calories, particularly with the cream cheese frosting.
This cake is appreciated for its sweet, moist, and subtly spiced flavor. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 ¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 can / 227g crushed pineapple in juice
¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts
½ cup raisins
Preparation:
Grease and flour a 13x9x2-inch baking pan (or a 7-inch/18cm round pan).
In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Add shreds of carrots and coconut and beat until combined.
In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Stir into the egg mixture. Stir in pineapple chunks with the juice, chopped walnuts, and raisins.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 180°C / 350°F for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
Let it cool in the pan on a rack.
If desired, you can spread cream cheese frosting on the top, and this is how you make it:
Ingredients: • 227g / 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature • 2 tbsp butter, at room temperature • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 2 cups icing sugar, sifted • A pinch of salt
Preparation: Whisk together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat on medium-high speed until well combined.
Hello, Salut, Marhaba! So, I’m totally into learning languages and geeking out on the origin of words. Currently, I am fluent in three languages (English, French, Arabic), can engage in conversational Italian, and navigate my way around Thailand, speaking their language, while shopping.
During the Covid lockdown, I crushed all the levels on Duolingo for Spanish, but let’s be real—I still feel hesitant to claim fluency. To achieve that, I believe I need to spend at least three months in a Spanish-speaking country.
Now, check this out: one of the MVPs in my personal dictionary is “NO.” I heard somewhere that in Irish Gaelic, they don’t even have a direct translation for it. What’s up with that? As a no-nonsense kind of person, I’m all about straightforward answers. “YES” means yes, and “NO” means no. No beating around the bush, you know?
But let’s get real about people. Why do they sometimes dance around the truth, leaving you to play detective? Sure, sparing feelings is cool, but there are those everyday situations where you’re just too nice to say NO to pizza when you’re totally gluten-intolerant or nod along to plans at a place your friend picked, and you secretly hate it.
Anyway, I was supposed to be chatting about chocoflan, but man, this whole avoiding a straight-up YES or NO just gets on my nerves.
Okay, back to the good stuff—the chocoflan! This dessert is next-level awesome. It’s fancy, it’s tasty, and guess what? It’s a breeze to make. Pour that flan mix over the cake batter, stick it in the oven, and bam! Like magic, it comes out with chocolate at the bottom and flan chilling on the top. Seriously, the first time I tried it, I felt like I had David Copperfield on speed dial. I never expected it to work so flawlessly on the first try. The sense of pride and accomplishment was overwhelming; I felt like a baking genius. I encourage you to try this recipe, hoping you’ll share in the joy and satisfaction I experienced.
Ingredients
12 cup Bundt cake
For base:
Butter, softened or Butter Coating Spray
1/4 cup caramel sauce
For the flan:
354ml can evaporated milk
397ml can condensed milk
120g cream cheese, room temperature
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
For the cake:
150g butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of Salt
1 cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
For garnish:
Chocolate sprinkles
Preparation:
Coat a 12-cup Bundt cake with butter or use the butter spray. Then drizzle caramel sauce and place the whole Bundt in a large oven dish or roasting pan that will be used for a water bath (bain-marie) during baking.
For the cake: Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, vanilla, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
Pour yogurt gradually while mixing and scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.
Pour the batter into the cake pan.
For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla. Blend on high for 40 seconds.
Pour the flan mixture evenly over the cake batter.
Add about 1 inch of hot water to the roasting pan and place it gently into the oven.
Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
When the cake is done, remove it from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.
Chill in the refrigerator and invert the cake onto a large serving dish just before serving. Garnish with chocolate sprinkles and serve!
