MINI RED VELVET CAKES WITH SOFT MIDDLE

     This time of the year has come again. A time to plan out the next few months ahead, before the snow starts to melt and flowers begin to flourish. It is almost the end of winter, by months at least, and I already start thinking about where to go for summer. Some of my co-students in University and I are thinking of doing a cruise trip in Greek islands this year. It would be a perfect opportunity for them to visit Greece with a local and for me to be a tour guide. I always love showing people around my favourite places.

     Before all this fun time, however, I am in the middle of writing my thesis for the Graduate program I follow at University of Luzern and I have so much work to do. Without trying to complain about it, it was a very fun experience, with lots of good friends in the way. I still can't believe almost two years have passed since I came to Switzerland. To me it still feels like yesterday I was packing my things and my two best friends surprised me with a photo-video of the three of us. Time passes by so, so quickly...

      

     Since it's February and some of you (us) are in love, no better reason exists to enjoy a warm and creamy red velvet cake with our other half. Red Velvet is a classic for Valentine's Day and I remember last year I didn't make something relevant, instead I made a chocolate smoothie. But this year, I wanted to make something different and experiment with the sweetness of chocolate and the sour taste of cream cheese. Initial thoughts were to create a lava cake with a runny middle and a warm exterior. However, things didn't go as well as planned and I ended up with a marvellous soft cake with a soft and creamy middle. Which was perfect after all!

     This recipe is quite easy and there is no need for you to master your skills in frosting and layering a cake. The recipe calls for all the ingredients you would normally find in a Red Velvet Cake in the form of a smaller cake that resembles a muffin. 

Mini Red Velvet Cakes with soft middle

ingredient (for 6 cakes)

1 cup flour (shifted)

1/2 cup butter melted

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon cacao (shifted)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon apple cider (optionally)

2 tablespoons food colouring (if liquid, otherwise according to instuctions)

1/2 cup cream cheese (room temperature)

1/4 heavy cream

1/2 cup icing sugar

How do I make it?

1. First step is to prepare the soft middle of the cakes. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, heavy cream and icing sugar until smooth. If the mixture is runny, add a little more icing sugar. Cover the surface of a small pan with baking paper and with a spoon form small bites in the form of ball on the parchment paper, keeping them apart from each other. Place the pan in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. The bites need to be firm.

2. In the meanwhile, start preparing the cake batter. In a bigger bowl mix together all the dry ingredients, such as flour, sugar, cacao, baking soda and salt. Then pour inside the melted butter, the buttermilk, the egg yolk, vanilla extract, food colouring and apple cider. Start mixing really well with an electric mixer until you have a good and smooth batter. 

3. When the cream cheese bites are ready, start preheating the oven at 200 C. Then, take a muffin pan. Start filling 6 muffin cases with a full tablespoon of batter. Take a cream cheese bite and put it in the middle, by pushing it a little bit so that it sinks into the batter. With the remaining batter cover the top of all the 6 cakes.

4. Bake the cakes for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool a little bit. 

5. To serve, place a flat pan on top of the muffin pan, keep the sides firmly and try to reverse the muffin pan onto the flat pan to get the cakes. Place the cakes onto a plate or plates and cover with some icing sugar! Enjoy with your loved one...

CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND BUTTER SHAKE WITH CACAO NIBS AND FROZEN RASPBERRIES

     Some years ago when I was still a bachelor student living in Athens, I always dreamt of going to Erasmus programs and studying somewhere else abroad. It was almost like a fantasy I had to meet other people from different cultures. But what I wanted the most was to get to know their different cuisines, what kind of spices or vegetables were used in their homes and be able to share those small recipes which were passed on from generations. In my mind, we would gather all once a week and cook traditional dishes from various areas in Europe, Asia, America, Australia or anywhere else in the world. 

     This small dream became quite real the other day, when a good friend of mine from Hungary told me to get together a few girls from University and cook something from her country. We made some hungarian crepes stuffed with cooked meat in stew and some sour cream with sweet paprika sauce on top. It was so delicious and the best part of it is we all got together, talked about almost anything and there was food in the middle, which I believe always connects people. You can learn so many things about someone's culture just by the food they eat. We gave a promise to do it again in the future with a different type of cuisine. Maybe Mexican next time? 

     As food going and connection with other people, all you lovebirds know that Valentine's Day is approaching. I am not a very girly, bubbly, lovey person when it comes to this fest and as I am all about creative and simple gifts, I would love for a sweet something made out of chocolate. I have a few other recipes in mind for you guys, but I decided to start with this simple, everyone-can-do-it recipe of chocolate with almond butter shake you can make for your significant other. It is creamy, sweet, orgasmic and a bit on the healthy side. 

     Perfect as a breakfast smoothie or a finishing shake of a delicious meal. Whenever you choose to do it depends on your schedule to be honest. This recipe was inspired by Candince Kumai's recipe of Chocolate Peanut Butter shake. Candice is so amazing and inspiring. I love it when she puts her thoughts into words and how she talks about how difficult it was for her to make it in the field of cooking and wellness. She is a professional chef and ex-model (just have a look at her body) who focuses on plant-based recipes and smoothies, while bringing out her Japanese inheritance. 

     My recipe includes almond butter as I had made two jars of it and was eating it like crazy. I know that peanut butter may go better with chocolate, but give almond butter a chance. I find this smoothie to be on the sweet side, but without it being too sweet. It contains good fat and protein to keep you full. Plus I topped it with some frozen raspberries and that really made this smoothie a treat.

Chocolate and almond butter shake with frozen raspberries and cacao nibs

ingredients (for two)

1 frozen banana

1 apple, core removed

1/2 avocado

1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or regular)

2 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons cocoa 

1 tablespoon maca powder (optional)

4 ice cubes

to serve

frozen raspberries, cacao nibs

How do I make it?

1. Mix all of the ingredients for the shake in a blender (putting last the milk) and pulse in medium to high speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Check with a spoon if everything is smooth or else pulse again for some seconds.

2. Pour into two glasses and top with some frozen raspberries and cacao nibs if you have them.

MINI RED VELVET CHEESECAKES

   Μια φορά το χρόνο κάθε χρόνο έρχεται εκείνη η στιγμή που είτε λατρεύεις είτε απεχθάνεσαι. Όμως πολλές φορές μπορεί να συμβαίνουν και τα δύο. Όλοι μας έχουμε περάσει από τη μία άκρη στην άλλη, να περιμένουμε πως και πως να γιορτάσουμε με τον αγαπημένο/η μας και από την άλλη να σιχαινόμαστε την ημέρα εκείνη και να κανονίζουμε ότι πιο single πράγμα μπορούμε να κάνουμε, αρκεί να μην είμαστε μόνοι μας. Προσωπικά, ανήκω σε μια μέτρια κατάσταση όπου ναι μεν εάν είμαι σε σχέση μου αρέσει να χαρίζω δώρα και να κάνω γλυκανάλατα ρομαντικά πράγματα, από την άλλη αν δεν είμαι σε σχέση για μένα είναι μια ακόμα ημέρα που πέρασε.

     Το θέμα όμως είναι να βλέπουμε πάντα το θετικό κομμάτι μιας κατάστασης και στη συγκεκριμένη το θετικό κομμάτι είναι... ένα κομμάτι τζιζκέικ. Χεχεχε! Με άφθονη κρέμα τυριού, τραγανή βάση μπισκότου και θεσπέσιο κόκκινο χρώμα ώστε να μας φτιάξει τη διάθεση. Το red velvet cheesecake σε μικρογραφία, μπορεί να δώσει χαρά στα αγαπημένα μας πρόσωπα και κυρίως σε εμάς τους ίδιους, μόλις το καταβροχθήσουμε. Γι αυτό λοιπόν, αφήστε τις μιζέριες εάν δεν γιορτάζετε ή αν γιορτάζετε κάντε κάτι πρωτότυπο και φτιάξτε αυτό το θεσπέσιο σε όψη και γεύση red velvet cheesecake.

Mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes

υλικά (για 4 μερίδες)

160γρ μπισκότα σοκολάτας (τύπου πτι μπερ ή biscotti)

50γρ βούτυρο λιωμένο

200γρ / 1 πακέτο τυρί κρέμα (τύπου φιλαδέλφεια)

1/2 κούπα ζάχαρη

1/2 κούπα κρέμα γάλακτος

λίγο χρώμα ζαχαροπλαστικής

πώς θα το φτιάξω;

1. Θριμματίστε τα μπισκότα σας καλά μέχρι να γίνουν σκόνη. Έπειτα, ανακατέψτε τα μαζί με το λιωμένο βούτυρο σε ένα μπολ. Τοποθετήστε τις βάσεις που θα έχετε για τα μίνι τζιζκέικς σε ένα ταψί με χαρτί ψησίματος, προσθέστε λίγη ποσότητα (περίπου 2 κουταλιές) από το μείγμα της βάσης μπισκότου και πιέστε το ελαφρά ώστε να σχηματιστεί μια λεία επιφάνεια της στρώσης του μπισκότου.

2. Σε ένα άλλο μπολ μαλακώστε το τυρί κρέμα χτυπώντας το με μίξερ για 1 λεπτό περίπου. Έπειτα, προσθέστε τη ζάχαρη σιγά σιγά και ανακατέψτε πάλι. Τέλος, προσθέστε την κρέμα γάλακτος και ανακατέψτε πολύ καλά για περίπου 5 λεπτά μέχρι να σφίξει το μείγμα. Αφού σφίξει προσθέστε και το χρώμα ζαχαροπλαστικής (όσο χρειάζεται για να έχει το επιθυμητό κόκκινο) και συνεχίστε το ανακάτετεμα.

3. Περιχύστε το μείγμα πάνω από τις βάσεις μπισκότου προσεχτικά και όμοια σε όλες τις βάσεις. Καλύψτε την επιφάνεια με ένα χαρτί ψησίματος και τοποθετήστε στο ψυγείο για λίγες ώρες ή ιδανικά όλο το βράδυ.

4. Σερβίρετε παγωμένο με λίγη σαντιγύ για έξτρα γεύση!