Gotta love being able to make pretty shapes out of pasta.
While browsing Foodblogs, I ran into a blog about aprons. Really really cute aprons. And an apron giveaway. Now I don’t wear aprons even remotely often enough. This generally leaves me with way too much laundry, as all my clothes get flour or sauce stained when I’m baking or making a big dinner.
The thing is, most aprons I find in the stores, are just plain boring. Boring or ugly. Which makes me not want to wear them. So I won’t buy them.
Yes I do realize that not so cute aprons keep my clothes clean too, but for some reason I just prefer cute ones. Can’t help it. Really I can’t. It kinda feels like buying useable but non-cute shoes. I dread doing that, it just feels soooo wrong, even though it’s necessary.
So I found this post, clicked, and saw some pictures of really really really cute aprons. Really cute. Awesome really. Okay, yeah, they cost a little more than the ugly ones I find at the grocery or department store, but who cares??? Ugly shoes generally are cheaper than cute shoes too, right? And you won’t catch yourself only buying butt-ugly shoes, right?
The post doesn’t only show you the awesome awesome pictures of Annie G’s aprons, Sweet Kat is also hosting a giveaway of these aprons. And the only thing better than really cute aprons, is a really cute apron you got for free.
So go check out Annie G’s aprons (my 5 favorites are shown here, but there are many more styles), and if you want one, check out Sweet Kat’s giveaway.
You won’t be sorry!!!!
I have to tell you. Despite the fact that I came up with this recipe myself. And despite the fact that I’ve never made this cake before. And despite the fact that I haven’t cut it yet. I have to tell you, this cake is awesome!!! It looks rustic, and screams ‘eat me, eat me now’. It really does. It’s calling my name. It wants to be eaten SO badly. I know I have to be patient, but I really, truly, don’t want to be!
So in the last post I told you, my faithful readers (all 3 of you, or are there more?) that I baked the cake. I proceeded to let it cool while getting my groceries. Stuff I needed for the tiramisu-cream for the filling. I actually managed to cut the 2 layers perfectly, so that was good.
I transferred the cake halves to two separate plates and drizzled coffee and amaretto over them. I made the tiramisu cream and then used my newfangled pastry bags and decorative tips and filled the cake.
Now I surely didn’t need a decorative tip to fill it. Heck, I didn’t even really need the pastry bag, but I’d just gotten them, so I wanted to try them out.
I also forgot to mention that I got my ‘beater blade‘ as well, which works wonders with the already wonderful Anne-Sophie. Love it.
So back to the cake. After filling it, it was time to put the top half of the cake on again. And here’s where my inexperience with cake building comes in. I had sprinkled the coffee over the top half already, so it was nice and soggy and thus broke while trying to put it on the bottom layer. I cursed. And then looked very sad. Then cursed some more while looking sad and trying to salvage the cake. L was very helpful in not teasing me and even holding on to some stuff for me. (Instead of – for instance – filming me or taking pictures of my mess.)
I did manage to mostly salvage the cake and I figured, for doing this for the first time, it isn’t all bad. And since I had to cut a tiny little bit off to make it fit, I already know it tastes amazing! Can’t wait to have a BIG slice tomorrow. Yummm!
[print_this]Tiramisu cake
- 200 grams self raising flour
- 200 grams unsalted butter
- 185 grams castor sugar + 15 grams home-made vanilla sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 very strong espresso + a little pour of Amaretto.
- about 80 grams of dark chocolate, grated
- 1 amount tiramisu cream
- 2 more espresso’s plus a generous pour of Amaretto.
Cream sugar and butter until fully blended, add the eggs and the first coffee and amaretto, mix well. Add the self raising flour bit by bit while you keep mixing at the slowest possible setting.
Coat a spring form or other cake form with butter and flour. Place a flower nail (if you have one) in the middle of the pan to prevent a hump from forming in the middle of your cake. Bake it on a low-ish heat (150 – 175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of your pan (the thickness of the cake). Test for doneness with a skewer. When done, remove from pan and let it cool.
While the cake is cooling off, prepare the tiramisu cream. When the cake is cooled off, slice the cake in two. Move to separate plates. Sprinkle the bottom half with half of the second amaretto/coffee mixture. Then sprinkle some grated chocolate over it. Spread slightly more than a third of the tiramisu cream over the bottom half and sprinkle some more chocolate over it.
Place the top half of the cake over the bottom. Sprinkle the rest of the coffee/amaretto mixture over the cake. Sprinkle some chocolate over the cake. Spread the rest of the tiramisu cream over the cake (don’t forget the sides) and sprinkle the rest of the chocolate over the cake. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight (the taste gets better the longer it sits). Enjoy!!!![/print_this]
I should’ve used a smaller cake mold. I have no idea why I took such a big one, which causes the cake to be thin, which will be delicious, but soooo much harder to assemble!
So heres a whole list of reasons to make this cake.
First off, my dad came over from the US this week and brought me a big pile of baking stuff I’d ordered. So it had to be tested.
Second, cake is good. Always, always,always.
Third, we’re meeting up with my dad tomorrow and it’s father’s day and he doesn’t like cake, but he likes coffee. And tiramisu has a lot of coffee and everyone else we’re meeting with loves tiramisu and cake, so I figured I’d go with it.
Had I mentioned my dad is a little nutso for not liking cake?? Who doesn’t like cake. Okay, see, I don’t eat fruit, allergic/toxic reactions to everything but lime and lemon, so I don’t eat that much cake because everybody and their dog always insist cakes need some sort of fruit concoction in them or over them. But leave out the fruit, add nuts, or spices, or just plain old buttercream, or coffee or whatever (or nothing, just plain cake) and I’ll love it.
Buy my dad is not a big cake, or pie, fan, though I’m pretty sure he diggs tiramisu. Sortof.
I made a cake with coffee and amaretto in the batter.
I baked it in an oversized pan.
I will drizzle coffee and amaretto over the cake later on, and fill it with a mascarpone/egg/sugar mixture, add a little shaved chocolate. Just like regular tiramisu. I’ll frost it with the same mixture. Possibly give frilly frosting a try. And it will be delicious. It will! Definitely, no questions asked.
And my dad will just have to like it. It’s father’s day after all (tomorrow) and he deserves some cake. And because it’s father’s day, if he really won’t like or eat it. I’ll eat it for him.
That’s just how I roll.
I just love to help him.
By finishing off his cake for him. (Isn’t that the best gift I could give him???)
Having a problem with FBA (Food Blog Addiction) I run into recipes I like quite often. Now when L isn’t looking, that generally means I’ll take my laptop into the kitchen, where it’s full of liquids and powders and things that can completely ruin your computer. L doesn’t like this. L likes computers, so he doesn’t want me to ruin mine.
I like that he cares, but at the same time I don’t want to keep running back and forth between computer and kitchen. That’s just not useful.
So whenever I’m making a recipe that’s especially messy (or when L is looking and frowning) I will write said recipe down. Instead of keeping a nice recipe book, it usually end up on the closest scrap of paper I can find.
I really should find a better system, as this has caused me to lose my favorite salad recipe (or ingredient list if you will) due to me thinking if was a scrap and tossing it out with the paper.
So who recognizes this?
Am I the only one who ‘recycles’ bank-statement-envelopes?
Networks
