Happy Food for a Happy Christmas!!

Gingerbread house

a nice recipe here: 

http://www.mydiversekitchen.com/2009/12/magic-of-gingerbread-house-daring.html

Orangy Sponge Cake - Photo Recipe!

click each photo to view large

Ingredients:

1 lemon , 1 orange , 3 clementines, 8 eggs, 500gr sugar, 300 gr flour (or you can make half recipe)

The secret for this cake is weighting the eggs = weight of sugar and 1/2 of that weight of flour - you will need a scale for that

8 XL eggs = 500 gr sugar = 250 gr flour (+ 50 gr in case you add some orange juice)

4 XL eggs = 250 gr sugar = 125 gr flour (+25 gr if you add juice)

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven - 150o/180o C

Wash the lemon, the orange and clementines and zest them. In a large bowl mix the sugar with the zests, 4 eggs, 4 yolks and mix.

Reserve the other 4 egg whites and beat them with a mixer untill they are fluffy. Keep them in the fridge while you mix the eggs+sugar+zest.

When the batter is nice and bubbly, then it's time to add 1 clementine juice (or 2 if they're small). Mix well. Now add the flour and mix.

Time to add the egg whites, gently folding... watch the video

Take 2 baking pans (or just 1 if you make 1/2 recipe), grease them and cover them with baking paper and pour the mix.

Cook each cake for about 25 minutes. You may test it with a toothpick - if the cake is done the toothpick will be nice and clean!

Take the cake out of the heat and turn the baking pan upside down on a "sugar bed" and let the cake cool down. Once it's cooled you may cut it into little squares. Enjoy!

Fada Moranga's Carnival Surprise Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

300gr Chocolate, 150gr Butter, 150gr Sugar, 5 Eggs, 50gr self raising Flour

For the frosting: 100ml double Cream, 100gr dark chocolate

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 150ºC. Line a 30 cm cake pan with greaseproof or other non-stick paper (or grease a 30cm round ceramic container). Melt the chocolate and the butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat and, in a bowl, combine the sugar, the egg yolks (one at a time, mix well between each egg) and the flour. Beat the egg whites and add them to the chocolate mixture. Bake at 150ºC for about 45 minutes. The top must be crunchy and the interior should stay moisty. Leave it to cool. For the frosting - Heat the cream. Then remove it from heat and add the chocolate. Mix it well. Let it cool and spread over the cake.

Another option – Chocolate custard icing

1 full tablespoon of flour Maizena or other corn starch
1 full tablespoon of butter
1 teaspoon (or 1 sachet) of coffee powder other coffee flavoured cereal mix
1 full tablespoon of sugar
100gr chocolate
3dl milk

Combine the milk and the corn starch in a saucepan. Warm gently but do not let the liquid boil, stirring constantly . Add butter and the coffee powder. When it thickens, add the sugar and stir. Finally add the chocolate and stir until creamy. Let it cool a bit and spread it over the cake while it is still warm. You can make swirls in the icing with a fork.

Just before serving you may add some M&Ms for colour... :-)))

Note: the cake will be better off the fridge.