Cake #112 - Finnish Winter Cats

Thursday Cat Theme Cake - Finnish Winter Cats.

A funny cake made with reasonably little effort. Sometimes it is the idea that counts! 

The sponge is made using a basic recipe. For the filling I spread some raspberry jam and on top 500 ml whipped cream. The tails and ears are made of brown and black sugar paste. The whiskers are made of black spaghetti (if you  are very allergic to seafood, do not use it as it is coloured with squid ink) and the rest is sprinkles - silver balls, pink hearts and black sugar.

PS If you happen to see these cats, please let them in. They hate the cold and snow even more than we humans!

Cake #111 - Apple and Blueberry Cake

Wednesday Natural Ingredient / Healthy Cake - Apple and Blueberry Cake.

The recipe for this cake is from here. I added 2 tsp cinnamon to the batter as I felt like making it more Christmassy. - Very yummy and gooey cake indeed!

Cake #110 - If Santa Was Irish

Tuesday Humour Cake - If Santa Was Irish.

With his red beard (and nose), holding a pint of stout and wearing a few shamrocks as accessories he would definitely be a funny guy bringing loads of pressies to you and yours!

Personally, I still believe the one and only Santa comes from Lapland, Finland.

Cake #109 - Sticky Ginger Cake

Monday Mood Cake - Sticky Ginger Cake.

Looking for Christmas mood with a fierce pain in my tooth - so I wanted to bake a cake with some fierce ginger in it!

You can find the recipe for this cake here. After baking I garnished the cake with some fresh ginger, dark syrup and icing sugar.

A very rich cake and easy to make. Definitely one must-bake-again cake!!

Cake #108 - Licorice Toffee Cake

Sunday Classic Cake - Licorice Toffee Cake.

To be exact, the cake may not be a classic one but the Hopeatoffee Licorice Toffee it is made of, is a classic in Finland, since the 1960's.

Licorice Toffee Cake

Sponge
100 g Hopeatoffee or other licorice toffee sweets
200 g butter
4 eggs
200 ml granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar
400 ml plain flour
100 ml cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
100 ml milk

Icing
100 g Hopeatoffee or other licorice toffee sweets
150 ml fresh cream
300 ml icing sugar

1. Melt the toffee sweets and butter in a pan on low heat and mix well.
2. Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.
3. Mix together all dry ingredients and fold them into the egg and sugar mix together with licorice and butter and cold milk.
4. Grease and flour a Ø 24 cm cake pan and pour the batter in it.
5. Bake in 175 C / 350 F about 45-50 minutes.
6. Let cool.
7. For the icing, place the toffee sweets and cream into a pan. Mix on low heat until the sweets melt. Let cool and then sieve in icing sugar.
8. Spread icing on the cake and let the cake set for a couple of hours in a cool place. Garnish with licorice toffee pieces.

Cake #107 - Smoked Salmon Cake

Savoury Saturday Cake - Smoked Salmon Cake with Mozzarella, Olives and Cherry Tomatoes.

Smoked Salmon Cake with Mozzarella, Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

Base
150 g butter
300 ml plain flour
2 tbsp water

Filling
150 g smoked salmon, chopped
10-15 black olives, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, chopped into half
150 g fresh Mozzarella, chopped
3 eggs
200 g creme fraiche
½ tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano

Fresh basil to garnish

1. Mix butter and flour until course crumbs.
2. Add water gradually until batter is soft but not too 'wet'.
3. Spread batter onto the base and sides of a Ø 20 cm spring form pan.
4. Mix all ingredients together for the filling and pour on the cake base.
5. Bake in 175 C / 350 F for 35-40 minutes.
6. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Cake #106 - Finlandia

Finlandia to celebrate Finland's 97th Independence Day on 6 December, 2014.

In Finland, one of the most important Independence Day traditions is the President's reception. Every year he invites there about 2000 people - not only politicians or diplomats but celebrities (ice hockey players, poets, musicians...) and ordinary people from all over Finland, too, whom he has met during the past year. Those not invited can watch the reception on TV - yes, watching the President and his wife shaking hands for a couple of hours, and then finally dancing in the crowded hall in the presidential palace.

As an expat Finn, I did watch the whole spectacle. While enjoying my Independence day cake and trying to spot celebrities.

Only in the after-party sang one of my favourite Finnish artists Jarkko Ahola this beautiful Finlandia Hymn in Finnish. Beautiful.

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My Independence Day cake was another Ombre Cake. No blueberries in this one either. I filled it with mashed cranberries and caramel sauce - a wonderful sour and sweet combination.