Tiramisu Recipe

I will not, by any means, call this recipe my own. I think it's a Renate original, of which I've made minor changes here and there. Anyhoodles, I am very proud of myself because it turned out heaps better than I expected! And it was the first time I'd made tiramisu with whipped egg whites. Another delightful thing about this recipe is the nutty, textured addition of chopped almonds. Woo-hah! (Got you all in check..)



Ingredients

4 egg whites
4 egg yolks
7/8 cup icing sugar
500 g mascarpone
30-40 ladyfingers
5-6 shots of espresso
1/8 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/8 cup amaretto
1/8 cup cocoa powder
1 deep (glass) baking dish

Instructions

Using a mixer, whip the egg whites vigorously until they form stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, whip the egg yolks and icing sugar until frothy. Gradually fold the mascarpone into the egg yolk and icing sugar mix. Afterward, gradually fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mix. Set aside.

When the espresso has cooled down to room temperature, one by one, quickly dip each ladyfinger into the espresso and place it into the dish. Create a layer of dipped ladyfingers in the dish. Using a pastry brush, spread some amaretto over the ladyfingers. Then, cover the layer with some chopped almonds. Finally, cover the layer with 1/3 of the mascarpone mix.

Repeat this process twice to create 2 more layers of ladyfingers so that mascarpone ends up being your topmost layer. Using a sifter, sprinkle a thin layer of cocoa powder over this topmost layer. Wrap the dish in saran wrap and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Then, hear your guests oou and ahh when they finally get the chance to dig into your homemade tiramisu the following day. Showstopper!!!

*SPOTTED! Maple Pecan Danish (Pekannusstasche mit Ahornsirup)

EEEEEEGADS, PEOPLE! I took an absolute FLIP when I saw these at a local supermarket not one week ago. You wouldn't believe how long I've longed for the maple pecan danish at Timmies (Anh, I'm pointing at YOU). I haven't had one in years and I'd been craving one sooooo badly recently and can you imagine how I excited I was to find an imitation version here?! German bakeries have awesome pastries to choose from, but this rather Canadian one just ain't common to see. How lucky am I that Edeka offers it during the holidays?! Naturally, I had to buy two for 1,69 € rather than one for 0,99 €.



The danish was definitely worth trying. At least now I know that I won't be buying it again. Why, you ask? Because you can't call it a maple PECAN danish with a measly 1.5 pecans in it! In total, (as you can see in the photo), a few small pieces of pecans are sprinkled on top. I was expecting to at least find some pecans inside the pastry, but NO. Can someone say... stingemeisters? Ja ja it was nice and flaky and some maple syrup flave was definitely there, but it ain't NOTHIN' compared to my beloved maple pecan danish from Timmies. END OF STORY. Only 3 more months... ...

Hazelnut Cake Recipe / Haselnusskuchen Rezept

By golly, we have an oven!!!!!!!!! Much love to Theresa for the generous donation. I'd been itching to bake for weeks and upon this inheritance, decided to get downright nutty. Haselnusskuchen is a classic cake that one can purchase pre-packaged in any supermarket here in Germany. But why opt for those overly sweet versions when you can make one at home that suits your sweet tooth to a T?



Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup hazelnuts, ground
icing sugar (for dusting)

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 175°F. Whisk the butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs together until no lumps exist. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and ground hazelnuts together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.

Butter a baking pan and put the raw cake batter inside it. Throw the cake in the oven and bake it for 40-50 minutes (or until a wooden chopstick inserted comes out clean). When the cake has finished baking, let it rest for 30 mins before flipping it over (only if you happen to be using a bundt cake baking pan like I've used). Use a strainer to evenly dust icing sugar over the cake. BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorted.



It's that easy, folks! Bestest. Cake. Ever. I'll have to warn you though, it's super nutty. But if you happen to fancy that crunchy-ish, nutty texture like I do, you'll love this recipe. Slather a slice with Nutella, pair it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries, drizzle it with honey or maple syrup for that matter... or be extra sinful and coat the entire cake with melted chocolate! Just go on and get outta here and make it already and tell me what you come up with.

Salt & Vinegar Almonds ― Kakulas Brothers

I should probably inquire over at Kakulas Brothers as to whom they source their Salt & Vinegar Almonds from, but frankly, I could care less. The fact of the matter is, these are the best damn almonds you will ever try. In your life. Period. Better watch out!!! 'Cuz they're hiiiiiiighly addictive. Here's what makes them off the hizz-ay: A delicate balance exists between the almonds' toothsome sourness and their dry saltiness. Would love to see these almonds duel it out with Lay's Salt & Vinegar Chips one day, word.

Freshly-Picked Almondfruit ― New Zealand

Ever wonder what almonds freshly picked from an almond tree look like? I never did, until I came across a lovely almond tree at Almond Court Motel in Alexandra, New Zealand not two weeks ago. Check out the pic above. A fuzzy-wuzzy, green-ish exterior (called the hull) surrounds the almond + the almond shell. Inside the hull, a "hard woody shell" lovingly cradles the edible nut. (Be careful when breaking the hull part from the shell part! 3 earwigs crawled outta one of the almond fruits when I opened it, true story!) The almond nut itself, in its 100% natural, un-roasted, un-salted state, is far from crunchy and rather soft when bitten into. Nothin' like freshly-picked Kiwi almonds in small-town Kiwiland.