Pumpkin Tea Cake

Pumpkin Tea Cake

Fall is here, and that mean pumpkins everywhere. Denmark does not have a big pumpkin tradition. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving or Halloween in Denmark. Well we are embracing Halloween more and more. And nowadays Tivoli Gardens is open a week in the fall with displays of pumpkins and Halloween decorations.  

For me, pumpkins had been something my mom pickled with sugar - and I wasn't fond of it. Living in the US I learned to love Pumpkin spice Latte and Pumpkin bread. So When I got the cookbook 'Tartine', I had to try their pumpkin tea cake. 

I added some walnuts to give this moist cake some texture, and it turned out great. It won't be the last time I'll make this.. 

Makes 1 large loaf 6-8 servings. 

Ingredients: 

• 225 g All-purpose flour
• 1,5 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 17 g ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 255 g pumpkin purée
• 1 cup (250 ml) vegetable oil
• 270 g sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar for topping
• a handful walnuts for texture. 

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan

This recipe is easily mixed by stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment or by hand with a whisk. sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into a mixing bowl and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, beat  together the pumpkin purée, oil, sugar and salt on medium sleet until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well before adding the next egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium speed for 5-10 seconds to make a smooth batter. The batter should have at consistency of a thick purée. Fold in the nuts.

Transfer the batter to loaf pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake  until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, for about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, and them invert onto the rack, turn right side up, and let cool completely. serve the cake at room temperature.  

It keeps, well wrapped, at room temperature for 4 days or in refrigerator for about a week. 

Det Danish version: 

Græskarkage

Ingredienser: 

• 225 g hvedemel
• 1,5 tsk  bagepulver
• 1/2 tsk natron
• 17 g stødt kanel 
• 2 tsk  muskatnød (frisk revet)
• 1/4 tsk stødt nellike 
• 255 g grækarpuré
• 2,5 dl olie
• 270 g sukker
• 3/4 tsk salt
• 3 store æg
• 2 spsk sukker til drys på toppen
• 1 håndfuld valnødder

Tænd for ovnen på 165°C. Smør en sandkageform med smør. 

Denne dej laves lettest på en røremaskine med piskeris. Sigt mel, bagepulver, natron , kanel, muskatnød og nelliker sammen i en skål og sæt det til side . 

I en anden skål, pisk græskarpuré, olie, sukker og salt sammen på medium hastighed, indtil godt blandet . Tilsæt æggene et ad gangen, bland godt imellem æggene. Skrab siderne af skålen med en dejskraber. Tilsæt melblandingen og rør kun indtil lige indtil dejen er sammenhængende. Skrab siderne af skålen og rør i yderligere 5-10 sekunder for at få en glat dej. Dejen skal have konsistens som en tyk puré. Fold forsigtigt nødderne i. 

Kom dejen i formen og glat overfladen. Drys sukker. Kage bages i omkring en time, indtil en nål kommer ren ud, når den stikkes i kagen. Afkøl kagen i formen de første 20 minutter, hvorefter den vendes ud på en bagerist.

Server kagen ved stuetemperatur. Kagen holder sig godt ved stuetemperatur i 4 dage eller i en uge i køleskabet. 

Old-fashioned Danish Apple Cake with a twist.

Old-Fashioned Danish Apple cake.

This is not a pie, its a no-bake cake.

This is the kind of cake or dessert, you’ll get at your grandmother after a heavy dinner with potatoes and gravy. Or you’ll get it at afternoon coffee, just a couple of hours before dinner.

Normally it’s made with applesauce and caramelized breadcrumbs and whipped cream on top. 

In my family, my dad wanted the “cake” to sit a while before serving, but I loved the heat and crispyness of the caramelizating. My poor mom couldn’t please us both.

I had this cake made with with French praline, at my friends house. The cake get the crunch and texture I longed for in my moms soaky cake. I have to accredit the danish Pastry Chef Mette Blomsterberg for this lovely cake.

Serves 5-6 people. 

Ingredients:

Apple Sauce:

• 6-8 apples (Pink Lady)
• 100 g sugar (depending on how sweet you want the Apple Sauce)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 dl water

French Praline:

• 50 g sugar
• 100 g almonds/hazelnuts 

Topping:

• heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Apple Sauce:

Peel and core the apples and cut them in small pieces. Cook the apples with the sugar, water and vanilla paste, until they are very soft. Cool the Apple sauce in the refrigerator.

Praline:

Using Almonds you have to blanch them. Boil the almonds for a minute or two. Strain the almonds and rinse with cold water. Rub the skin of the almonds and the are ready for use.

Using Hazelnuts: roast the nuts in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Cool the nuts. Rub the nuts in your hand or with a clean towel to release the skin from the nuts.

Melt the sugar in a sauté pan until it's golden brown. Add the nuts to the melted sugar and roast them for a few minutes.

Hazelnut Praline.

Pour the caramel into some parchment paper and let it cool. Try not to taste it - it's sooooo goooood. 

Blend the cold and roughly chopped caramel/praline in a food processor, or chop it really fine by hand. 

Whip the heavy whipping cream (do not ad any sugar)

Assembly:

Layer the apple sauce and the praline in small martini glass. Put in several layers. Put whipped cream on top.

English tea cake

English tea cake

My mom found the recipe for this english tea cake in a magazine in Denmark, and it became a family staple on special occasions. The spices and the crispy bottom is what makes this cake. 

Ingredients:

• 300 g brown sugar 
• 125 g butter (cold)
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 250 g sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 75-100 g chopped hazelnuts

Directions:

Crumble the butter in the flour and brown sugar, until it looks like bread crumbs

Crumble done.

Pour half of the mixture in a springform pan, and press it lightly.

Mix the other half of the mixture with the rest of the ingredients, and pour it in the pan.

Sprinkle the nuts on top, and bake for about 40 minutes at 356°F.

Cool cake completely on a rack before serving. 

Strawberry Tart

Strawberry Tart

For me Strawberries is the epitome of summer. Normally the first strawberries would ripen in time for my birthday in the end of june, making my strawberry filled birthday cake a perfect start on summer.

This Strawberry Tart has all the goodness you could imagine. A flaky crust, a sweet marzipan filling, a rich vanilla custard, dark chocolate, strawberries and whipped cream. Paired with a good cup of coffee and good friends, it's a perfect Sunday. 

Making 1 x 9-inch tart.

Ingredients:

Crust: 

• 150 g butter (salted and cold) 
• 75 g almonds (blanched and finely chopped in a food processor) 
• 190 g all-purpose flour
• 1½  tablespoons sugar
• 1½ egg yolks
• 1 - 1½ tablespoons water

Marzipan filling: 

• 50 g butter (salted)
• 50 g marzipan (almond paste) 
• 50 g sugar
• 2 eggs

Custard: 

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 250 ml milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

Miscellaneous: 

• dark chocolate
• chopped pistachios or almond slivers
• whipped cream (homemade) 
• strawberries

Directions: 

Marzipan filling:

Mix all the ingredients and set aside.

Crust: 

Cut the cold butter in small pieces and rub it in the sugar, flour and almond flour, until the mixture resembles dry crumbs/shredded cheese.  

Make a hollow in the middle and add the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of the water. Gather the dough with a knife or a dough scraper. Ad more water if it's necessary. When the dough is a slightly sticky, form a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for minimum  30 minutes. Don't kneed the dough, it will make it shrink in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Flour your work surface generally place the cold dough un top and flour the dough. 

Press the dough lightly with a rolling pin from the center and out. Roll it a few times in one direction, lift it up and rotate it a quarter-turn. Every time make sure to re-flour the surface. Continue to do so until it will cover the whole pie pan. You are looking for a 12 inch in diameter. 

Transfer the dough to the pie pan cut of the overhanging dough for the crust to fit perfect in the pan. 

If the dough sticks, use at bench scraper or a spatula to get it of your work surface. 

If the dough get to soft, put it into the freezer for a few minutes. 

Add the marzipan filling and bake the pie for 20-30 minutes at 400°F/200℃. Let cool on a rack.

Custard: 

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale in color. Whisk in the cornstarch and vanilla paste.

Heat the milk to a slow boil, set aside. 

While whisking vigorously drizzle the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture, just a tiny bit at a time at first. Once you’ve added about 1/4 of the milk, you can add the rest in a thin stream, whisking constantly.

Pour the mixture back in the saucepan and reheat it over medium heat. Whisk constantly until it thickens. Remove from heat an chill the custard in a bowl in the refrigerator. Sprinkle with sugar or press a film of plastic wrap against each custard in the fridge so it doesn’t form a pudding skin.

When the custard is cold, whip the heavy whipping cream. Fold the whipped cream in the custard a little at a time till you get the desired taste and texture. 

Assembling the pie: 

Chop the chocolate roughly. Melt 2/3 of the chocolate in a double boiler. Take the chocolate of the heat, and ad the rest of the chocolate. Stir until melted. Spread a thin layer of chocolate on the inside of the pie crust. 

Clean the strawberries and cut them in half.When the chocolate has set, add a good amount of custard. Put on the strawberries in a decorative manner. Decorate with whipped cream and nuts.

Enjoy!