Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This cake was love at first sight and that love was confirmed with the first bite. I have always been indifferent to zucchini, didnt pay them any attention. As a matter of fact I always thought they were a bit boring. So what initially drew me to this cake was the deep, dark chocolate look and then I read on and discovered it contained zucchini, and I was intrigued. I had to taste this for myself.

The result was amazing and the cake left me speechlesswell almost speechless The cake is moist with a delicious intense chocolate flavor and I still cant believe that it has zucchini in it. I was a bit unsure when I first made this cake if I should simply just let the shredded zucchini sit in the sieve and drip off while I prepared the other ingredients. I seemed to me that it should at least get squeezed a little to get rid of some more liquid. But I decided to trust the instructions and just let it sit quietly and drip off and it turned out perfectly. As you can probably tell I am a little excited about this cake and it will definitely not be the last time that I make it.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake (makes 1 loaf)

Ingredients:

2 cups zucchini (1 large), shredded

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

6 tablespoons butter (3 oz.), melted

1 large egg

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Rinse and dry zucchini. Leaving the peel on, grate the zucchini using the small holes on the grater. Place shredded zucchini in a sieve over a bowl and allow the excess liquid to drain while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a loaf pan and set aside.

In a bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice, set aside.

Over low heat melt butter and set aside to cool a little.

In your stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a handheld mixer) beat egg and sugar until creamy and smooth. While continuing to mix, add vanilla extract and butter. Using a spatula, fold in the shredded zucchini. Then fold in the dry ingredients until combined, do this in three increments. Add chocolate chips and mix until combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan. Enjoy!

Source: adapted from Sweet Peas Kitchen

Happy Labor Day

Summer has finally come to an end and I must say that it has been one of the hottest summers I have ever experienced. Personally I am longing for Fall. I love the cooler temperatures, crisp air, magnificent Fall colors, pumpkins and a promise of the inevitable Christmas and Winter. But all of that is still a while off yet. So in the meantime lets cook one last hot dog or hamburger on the grill and enjoy it with an ice-cold beer. Skl and Cheers! Happy Labor Day!

Sincerely, MyDanishKitchen

Smrrebrd med Sild (with Marinated Herring)

Smrrebrd med Sild

Its been a while since Ive made a piece of traditional Danish Smrrebrd. This is marinated Herring which is not only super delicious but also high in Omega-3 fatty acids and therefor good for you. Herring is immensely popular in Scandinavia and it can always be found on a festive luncheon menu. You can buy Herring in different marinates such as mustard, cream, curry, wine or spiced sauces. For this particular Smrrebrd I used Herring in a wine sauce, which I adore, and I paired it with onions, capers and some wonderful fresh dill.

Smrrebrd med Sild

Ingredients:

1 slice Rugbrd (dark Rye bread)

butter for bread, optional

Boston lettuce

marinated herring in wine sauce

red onion, diced

dill

capers

Directions:

Finely dice red onion, set aside. Butter bread if desired. Place lettuce on bread and top with marinated herring. Arrange red onions, dill and capers in a decorative fashion. Smrrebrd is enjoyed with a cold beer and Akvavit snaps. Enjoy!

Source: My Danish Kitchen

Krleksmums aka Love Yummies A Swedish Cake

Karleksmum aka Love Yummie

This is a Swedish cake called Krleksmums aka Love Yummies and I can totally see why it got the cute name. Its also sometimes referred to as Snoddas or Mocha Squaresdear child has many names. This wonderful cake is light and fluffy with a mild, sweet cocoa flavor which goes perfectly with the coconut topping. When I first made Krleksmums I had some doubt about the frosting. It appeared very grainy when I mixed it together but when I applied it to the warm cake it got completely smooth. The coconut I used is an unsweetened finely shredded coconut which I found in my local grocery stores Organic section. It is similar to what they always use in Europe so you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled onto it. If you decide to make this cake I know that youll love these little yummie pieces of cake.

Krleksmums (15-18 servings)

Ingredients:

150 grams butter (5.3 oz. or 10 tablespoons)

2 eggs

300 ml sugar (10 ounces)

2 teaspoon vanilla sugar

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa, sifted

450 ml flour (15 oz.)

2 teaspoon baking soda

150 ml milk (5 oz.)

Frosting:

75 grams butter (2.5 oz. or 5 tablespoons)

2 teaspoon cold coffee

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa, sifted

2 teaspoon vanilla sugar

350 ml confectioners sugar (11.8 oz.)

Topping:

unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (340 degrees F). Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with baking spray and set aside.

Melt butter and set aside to cool. Beat eggs and sugar until pale yellow and thick. Add dry ingredients alternating with the milk and butter. Pour batter into baking pan and bake in the middle of oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

To make topping: Melt butter. Add coffee, cocoa, vanilla sugar and confectioners sugar and stir together. (Mixture may appear grainy at this point but it will smooth out once applied to cake). After the cake has cooled for 5 minutes, spread to topping out over the cake and sprinkle with a generous amount of coconut. Enjoy!

Karleksmums

Source: adapted from A Cat In The Kitchen

Overnight Oats With Strawberry And Banana

Overnight Oats With Yogurt And Fruit

The overnight oats is an easy, delicious and super healthy breakfast. I have recently discovered Chia seeds which are high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids and fiber. They are easily digestible and a wonderful addition to yogurt, smoothies and cerial. So when I came across this breakfast which called for Chia seeds, I just had to try it.

The outcome of the original recipe was a very thick oatmeal which I thought was a bit much, so I cut back on the amount of oats to get a thinner result. So if you like it real thick, add 1/2 cup of oats instead of only 1/4 cup. Also it may be a bit foreign for some to eat cold oatmeal but its not that far of a stretch for me. Growing up we would sometimes have oats with a little sugar and milk for breakfast, served cold just like that, and then other time we would have it as a warm oatmeal. So to me this is quite delicious.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup old fashioned Oats

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon Chia seeds

2 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup raspberries or strawberries, chopped, frozen or fresh

1/2 banana, sliced

Directions: Add to a glass jar the oats, yogurt and milk. Then add Chia seeds and honey, stir to combine. Add chopped strawberries or raspberries and sliced banana, stir gently and seal with lid. Place in refrigerator overnight and enjoy in the morning.

Source: adapted from Sweet Remedy

Bruschetta a la Primo

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is so simple to make, I almost feel a little silly for blogging about it.almost. But with all this warm and sunny Spring weather we have had this year here in Virginia ,I feel inspired to share my Bruschetta with you. Its a small morsel loaded with flavor. Between the juicy fresh tomatoes, fragrant basil, crunchy bell pepper and wonderful garlic its almost flavor overload. I would like to recommend using a flavorful aged Balsamic Vinegar because it really makes a big difference in the outcome. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Bread French Baguette, toasted

Tomatoes

Red Onion

Yellow Bell Pepper

1 Garlic Clove (1/2 minced, 1/2 for rubbing bread)

Basil leaves

Salt to taste

Balsamic Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Parmigiano Reggiano shredded

Directions:

Remove seeds from tomatoes. Dice tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, 1/2 of garlic clove, place into small bowl. Chop basil leaves and add to tomatoes. Season with salt to taste. Add a small amount of Balsamic Vinegar. Toss together and drain off some of excess liquids. Set aside.

Slice french bread and toast. While toast is still hot, rub toast with the remaining 1/2 garlic clove. Top toast with tomatoes, drizzle with a little more Balsamic Vinegar, olive oil and top with shredded Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Source: My Danish Kitchen

Birkes, Thebirkes, Kbenhavnerbirkes, Grovbirkes dear child has many names

Danish Birkes

Up until the time I decided to make Birkes, I thought there was just one type of Birkes. But that is not the case at all. When I started researching recipes I discovered three different kinds of this super delicious Danish pastry.

I was born and raised in a part of Denmark called Jylland where the pastry is referred to as Birkes or Thebirkes. This Birkes does not have a Remonce filling and the pasty at our house was always sliced in half and topped with jam or cheesesuper delicious! My search lead me further east to Sjlland which is the island where Copenhagen (Kbenhavn) is located. Here the pastry is called Kbenhavnerbirkes or Thebirkes and the wonderful people in the Copenhagen area makes the pastry with a Remonce fillingequally wonderful in its own way. Grovbirkes, as far as I can tell, can be found throughout Denmark and it is made with a healthy portion of flaxseed, sesame seeds and/or sunflower seedsthis one I have never tasted.

My favorite is the Birkes without Remonce, I guess because its the one I grew up with. The Birkes is flaky and buttery in the best true Danish style. The Kbenhavnerbirkes is sweeter in taste, and as far as I can tell, the pastry is eaten as-is. There is a lot of conversation going on out there in Cyber-land about Birkes vs Kbenhavnerbirkes and I was surprised to find out that people from one end of the country to the other, is not really aware of the other kind of Birkes. When I called my parents to ask them about Birkes with a Remonce filling my mother said that she had never heard of such a thing, so apparently I am not the only one

Notice the clumps of butter in the two pictures on the right. The butter should be the size of kidney beans.

Rolling and folding process.

The dough is rolled out, then folded into thirds and folded into thirds again.
This process in repeated three times. Notice how you still see the butter in the dough.

Puff pastry (Butterdej) with all its wonderful layers!

If making Birkes with Remonce, spread remonce over 2/3 of dough, fold into thirds and cut into 2 inch rectangles.

Note: after I filled with Remonce, I placed the dough on the baking sheet upside down so the filling was towards the top. I think this may have resulted in the Birkes that had the filling in them, turned out like The Leaning Tower of Pisa. So try to place them on the baking sheet with the filling towards the bottom.

Makes 2 portions of Puff Pastry dough (Butterdej).

Ingredients:

For the dough:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups cold unsalted butter

2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)

1/2 cup warm water (105 115 degrees Fahrenheit)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

For Remonce filling: optional

80 grams butter (2.8 oz), at room temperature

80 grams sugar (2.8 oz)

80 grams marzipan (2.8 oz), at room temperature

For final assembly:

1 egg, slightly beaten for brushing

Poppy Seeds for sprinkling

Directions:

Place flour into bowl of food processor with steel blade. Cut cold butter into 1/4 inch slices and add to flour. Pulse flour and butter until the butter is the size of kidney beans.

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the cream, cardamom, salt, eggs and sugar and mix until combined using a fork. Using a rubber spatula, turn the flour/butter mixture into the liquid and carefully mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, overnight or up to 4 days.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface,dust top of dough with flour. Roll out dough to make a 16 to 20 inch rectangle. Fold dough into thirds, rotate dough a quarter of turn and fold into thirds again, making a small square. Turn over dough. Repeat rolling and folding another two times (making it a total 3 times of rolling and folding), ending with a small square. Using a sharp knife cut dough into two halves. Wrap each 1/2 portion of dough in plastic wrap, place both dough portions in a plastic bag and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Refrigerated dough is now divided into 2 halves. Each half of dough will make 10 birkes rolls. If you are not using the second half of dough, it can be frozen for later use. Defrost in refrigerator for 24 plus hours before using.

If using the Remonce filling, make it at this time. Use a hand-held mixer, beat the butter, sugar and marzipan to a smooth soft spreadable cream. Set aside.

Remove first half of dough from refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface, dust top of dough with flour. Roll dough out to a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. If using Remonce filling, spread a thin layer of the filling over 2/3 of the long edge of dough. Starting with the long edge that has the filling, fold 1/3 of dough over the middle. Then fold the remaining 1/3 of dough without filling over the middle, the dough is now folded into 3 layers. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into approximately 2 inch rectangular pieces. Place pieces of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow to rise for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly beat egg and brush onto top of dough. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow Birkes to cool on baking sheet. Birkes with Remonce filling is eaten as is. Birkes without filling is sliced in half and topped with jam or cheese. Enjoy

Source: My Danish Kitchen

This recipe will be submitted to YeastSpotting.