Mascarpone Raspberry Crepe Cake

It is finally summer and so I had to try to make a cake that is delicious, sweet and yet refreshing in this hot weather. I always wanted to try out a crepe cake, I love raspberries and I thought it would go nice with some mascarpone. So I tried to make a mascarpone raspberry crepe cake and it turned out more than okay. I really recommend trying the recipe this summer maybe when you're hosting a dinner party or bringing something sweet when going to a friends house. We had guests when I made this cake and they loved it. I'm pretty sure that this wasn't the last time I made this fruity summer crepe cake. 

INGREDIENTS:

-For the Crepes
1l milk
4 eggs
200 g flour
pinch of salt

-For the filling
500g mascarpone
4 tablespoons of cream
3 teaspoon of powdered sugar
raspberry jam
125g raspberries

Mix together all the ingredients for the crepes (if you feel that it is too runny then add more flour). Get your frying pan, put some oil on it and make as many crepes as you can out of the mixture. Stir together the mascarpone with the cream and the powdered sugar in a bowl. Take the first crepe and then spread on a layer of mascarpone, then put on another crepe on top of that one and then spread one layer of jam. Keep repeating this step until you put on the last crepe. Decorate the top with some mascarpone or even whipped cream and some raspberries.

If you decide to make my crepe cake recipe this summer, then be sure to take a picture of it and tag me on instagram or twitter.

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Pastel de Natas

Pastel de Natas is known as a Portugues speciality which is mentioned in every guide book as a must try. I personally love them and I've eaten them so many times. To taste the real ones you must go to Belém in Lisbon and find a shop/cafe called, Pastéis de Belém. A few weeks ago we went there with my family and the "pastel"s were so tasty that I decided to give it a try at home. To make my life easier I used puff pastry which I bought in the store. I started making them and I found out that it is not as easy as it may seem. I think mine turned out pretty good for the first try, but I will improve my recipe to perfection.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pack of puff pastry
300ml cream
3 tablespoon of flour
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar  (but if you like it sweeter you can add more)

cinnamon

For the top: 

powdered sugar

cinnamon

(Also you will need a blow torch to burn the tops)

Take 1/4 of the cream and the flour and stir until smooth. Then pour the rest of the cream, sugar and some cinnamon (to your taste) in a bowl and place it on medium heat. Stir until everything has dissolved and then take it off the heat and let it cool a bit. Then place the egg yolks one by one while constantly whisking.
Take the puff pastry and roll it out on your working surface (put a little flour under it and on top) and then roll it up and cut it into 12 equal pieces. Get your muffin tin, butter the insides and distribute the dough evenly with your finger. Then fill them with the cream we made earlier up to 2/3. Put the tin in the oven and bake it on 180°C (350°F) for about 30 minutes (keep an eye on them so they don't get burned).

When they are done, place them on a plate and let them cool a little. Then dust the top of each pastel de natas with powdered sugar and burn the tops with a blowtorch a little. To finish off dust some cinnamon on top. 

 Pastéis de Belém

 

I think you can decide which one is mine and which one is the original one from Belém, but still I had fun making these sweets and everyone who tasted it said it was pretty good :)

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Hungarian Smarni

Back home I see my grandparents almost every day, but since we live so far away from them now we can only talk on the phone, skype or if they visit us. When I don't see them for a long time I miss them, I miss talking to them, eating all the delicious food my grandmother makes for us, talking to them, watching movies together...

I was so excited when they told me that they are coming to see us. I was counting the days with my sister. They have been here for nearly two weeks now and we have done so many things and one of them was that I made Hungarian "smarni" with my grandmother. Originally, this is an Austrian dish regularly made by Hungarians too, just a little differently. We like to eat this with apricot jam (which is also home-made by my grandmother) and it is heavenly !! 

INGREDIENTS: 

10 dkg semolina (búzadara) 

2,5 dl milk 

3 eggs
pinch of salt
orange zest
lemon zest
4 tbs of oil

optional:

caster sugar

raisins (mazsola) (the amount you prefer)
apricot jam

Start by separating the egg whites from the egg yolks. Mix the semolina, the milk and the egg yolks in the bowl, and let it sit for minimum an hour.  Pour some milk on the raisins in a cup (until it covers them) so they can soften. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and add to the batter. Heat up 4 tablespoons of oil in a big pan, and pour in the batter (but make sure to turn it down to medium heat when you start frying the batter). Let one side fry like a thick pancake and then start folding it in half, and cutting it to little pieces with a wooden spatula. Repeat until the batter falls into little crumbles and get golden brown. When ready, grate some lemon and orange zest on it and also add your softened raisins. When it is done put it on a plate and optionally add a little bit of caster sugar on top (this is how I prefer this to be served) and also the apricot jam.

My grandparents are leaving soon and I am sad, because they have to go back to Hungary, so I won't see them for a while, but I am also happy, because it was so nice to see them and spend some time together.

If you decide to try out this Hungarian Smarni then take a picture of it and upload it to instagram or twitter and also don't forget to tag me in the photo.

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