Measurments and convertions

Yes I know. I've been awful lately. Making desserts and many different kinds of kitchen goodies but not publishing any. It's just that so many things are going on in my life currently and I almost have no time typing and publishing new posts.

I hope I will get better soon and share my recipes with you further on.

So I want to make up for it and publish something very useful that I have written now on many small post-it papers - measurments of different kinds of nuts for making raw cakes. I think this will be useful for all of you raw creators - specially when you go to the store, and not know how much grams of cashews you need for 2 cups etc. - we've all been there to this question, right? :) 

So here are the measurments I've made recently, hope it helps you making healthyliciously desserts! ;)

1 cup pecan = 100 g

1 cup cashews  = 135 g

1 cup walnuts  = 110 g

1 cup hazelnuts = 150 g

1 cup macadamia nuts = 125g

1 cup almonds = 140 g

1 cap dates = 190 g

1 cup peanuts = 150 g

1 cup cacao = 140 g

1 cup coconut = 100 g

Baby Shower Light Vanilla-Yoghurt-Berry Cake

This time I've got really special job to do. My friend wanted me to make a cake for a baby shower - how cute is that! :) She wanted to be a small attention - not too big, with not many decorations, just simple healthy light dessert. And she knows it's going to be a baby boy.

So it was a challange to me. Not with lacking idea of healthy light dessert. But to make a decoration for a baby boy! So I was thinking going through the store and a cute little blue dummy lollipop cought my eye! Perfect for baby-boy cake decoration. So finally a light vanilla-yoghurt cake with strawberries and raspberries on real chocolate crust with blue dummy on top was the baby shower cake. I just hope the guest liked it! ;)

Ingredients:

Crust

* 3 large eggs

* 90 grams wholewheat spelled flour

* 3 Tbsp 100% cocoa

* 1 vanilla sugar 

* 40 g powdered sugar

Cream

* 300 g vanilla yoghurt

* 360 g natural yoghurt

* 40 g of powdered sugar

* 1 vanilla sugar

* juice of half lemon

* 300 g whipped cream

*  vanilla seeds

* 9 leaves gelatine

* 12 Tbsp rum

* 5 Tbsp strawberry juice

* 400 g strawberries

* 125 g raspberries

* lemon balm leaves

Preparation:

First prepare the crust. Mix eggs with powdered and vanilla sugar until fine creamy consistency. Add flour and cocoa powder and mix again. Pour into 26cm rounded cake pan (be sure to put baking paper in it before). Bake in preheated oven on 180°C for 15 minutes. Take it out and let it cool.

Then cut 400 g of  strawberries on smaller pieces. In a big bowl combine yoghurt with lemon juice, powdered and vanilla sugar. Melt gelatine leaves in cold water. Bring 9 Tbsp of rum to boil and turn the heat down. Add gelatine to rum and mix well. Put mixutre to yoghurt and mix it well. Beat whipping cream and add it to the mixture. Add also some vanilla seeds. Mix well and set aside.

Combine 3 Tbsp of rum with 5 Tbsp of strawberry juice and moisture the crust with the mixture. You will see when it is enough, if you get too much liquid, you don't need to moisture the crust with all of it. ;) Then put strawberries over crust (with baking ring on the crust) and add raspberries - leave some for decoration. Now take cream mixture and pour it over the fruit. Put in the fridge for 2 hours so it firms. 

Take the cake out and decorate with raspberries, lemon balm leaves, dummy :) or however you want.

Baby shower cake is here! :)

Strawberry Coconut Cake

Another weekend - another cake. It's month of may when most of my friends and relatives have birthdays. And that means a lot of cheerful hanging out together, nice little presents and of course a lot of sweets! :) 

Tomorrow my friend Nataša has birthday. She's one hell of sporty mama who I've met in the sport center where I often spend my late afternoons. You don't get to know that much of women who are keeping good shape like she is. I hope I will also find time to do that when I have my own family. 

Nataša told me she wants me to make her a special cake for her birthday. Together we have came to an idea that it should be creamy, juicy and light. So I've decided to use coconut for creamy texture and strawberries for juicy flavour. She didn't want raw cake, but I've tried to make it healthy anyway - with adding almost none sugar and substituting white flour for healthier one. I hope she likes the taste because I've just done my best for decoration so I couldn't ruin it by taking a piece and try it myself. :)

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

For the crust:

150 g spelled flour

100 g coconut flour

80 g brown sugar

5 eggs

1 dcl coconut oil

1 dcl water

1 baking powder

For the cream:

1 l whipped cream

1 kg strawberries

450 g white cooking chocolate

coconut flour by feeling

6,5 gelatine leaves

1 powdered gelatine

2 dcl strawberry juice

shredded chocolate

rum

Preparation:

A day before prepare the crust. Whisk together sugar and egg yolks. Add coconut oil and water and mix well. Then add flour with baking powder and mix. Make snow from egg whites and add it gently to the mixture - don't mix snow with mixer, use spoon and mix it gently.

Pour into prepared cake pan (covered with baking paper) and bake in preheated oven on 180°C for 35-40 minutes. Take it out and let it cool. Wrap with foil and let it rest until next day.

A day before melt also 450 g of white cooking chocolate in 300 ml of whipping cream. Put in the fridge.

Next day divide the crust into three parts (layers). Cut 500 g strawberries into small pieces. Heat 1 dcl of strawberry juice. Melt gelatine in cold water and add it to the strawberry juice, then mix together. Add cutted strawberries and mix again using spoon. Mix 400 ml of whipped cream and add strawberry mixture to it. Mix it with spoon and put it in thee fridge for 1 hour so ti thickens. 

Then take melted chocolate from the fridge and mix it. While mixing, slowly add some coconut flour (I've done it by feeling - so you can see coconut inside and it is not too thick).

Combine 1 dcl of strawberry juice with 0,5 dcl of rum and 2 dcl of water (if it's not enough, add more water).

Take first layer and spread a bit of combined liquid over the layer (using spoon). Cover with strawberry cream - but leave a little bit of it also for the second layer.

Then take second layer and put it over the cream. Spread a bit of combined liquid over it. Cover with coconut cream - leave a bit for the top. Then cover with the rest of strawberry filling.

Take the last layer, cover the cream, and again spread a bit of combined liquid over and spread the rest of coconut cream on the top. Use knife to spread it nicely so it is even. 

Mixt the rest of the whipping cream, add a bit of powdered gelatine and slowly add coconut flour. Spread cream on the sides of the cake. Leave some for decoration on top.

Cut the rest of strawberries along longer side for decoration. Decorate on the sides and on top. Use decorating bag to decorate the top of your cake. Spread with shredded chocolate. Of course you can let your imagination free with decorating as you want. 

Enjoy the cake! ;)

Raw Coconut-Pineapple Cake

This weekend was my mother's birthday. Another birthday means only one thing - another cake! And of course I've spent some time thinking what to prepare for her this time. I knew it's gonna be raw, and since I've been doing mostly chocolate kind of raw desserts lately, I've decided that this time I go for fruit. Again inspired by Amy, I've made raw "pina-colada" cake. With pineapple and coconut. And oh my, was that delicious! Creamy, juicy, healthy and tasty! Just what we've all wanted!

Here is the recipe for all pina-colada lovers (for 26 cm big cake pan):

Ingredients for raw crust:

* 210 ml macadamia nuts 

* 425 ml coconut flour

* a pinch of salt

* 19 medjool dates, pitted

Ingredients for pineapple filling:

* 425 ml macadamia nuts (soaked overnight)

* coconut meat from 1 young coconut and additional soaked cashews, so all together comes to 425 ml

* 100 ml agave nectar

* 70 ml coconut water

* 110 ml coconut oil (warmed to liquid)

* half tsp salt

* vanilla seeds

* 425 ml pineapple - chopped

Ingredients for coconut filling:

* 425 ml macadamia nuts (soaked overnight)

* coconut meat from 1 young coconut and additional soked cashews, so all together comes to 425 ml

* 100 ml agave nectar

* 70 ml coconut water

* 110 ml coconut oil (warmed to liquid)

* half tsp salt

* vanilla seeds

* 210 ml coconut flour 

Ingredients for "jelly":

* 4 medjool dates (soaked)

* 210 ml pineapple - chopped

Preparation:

First prepare the crust. 

Oil the cake pan (bottom and ring) with coconut oil. Combine macadamia nuts, coconut flour, salt and chopped medjool dates with blender until you get firm consistency - so you can squeeze it with your hands. Than put it in a cake pan and level with your hands.

Put in the fridge and prepare the pineapple filling:

Combine soaked macadamia nuts, coconut meat, soaked cashews, coconut water, agave, salt and vanilla seeds until well combined. Add liquid coconut oil and blend it. Then add chopped pineapple and blend once again until it is well blended. Set aside.

Prepare coconut filling:

Combine soaked macadamia nuts, coconut meat, soaked cashews, agave nectar, coconut water, salt and vanilla seeds. Add liquid coconut oil and blend it. At the end add coconut flour and blend again until it is well blended. Set aside.

Finally prepare the jelly. 

Combine medjool dates with chopped pineapple and blend it well.

At the end combine the filling: put 1 tbsp of each filling 1 tsp of jelly over the crust and keep doing it so until you finish with all filling. Level on the top. Put in the fridge overnight.

In the morning put the cake-pan ring off and decorate your cake. You can do it however you like - I've used chopped pineapple and coconut.

Enjoy every piece od your beautiful raw cake!

Smoothieees!

My favourite start of a day - a good, fresh, fruity, saturated smoothy! Makes me alive, gives me full of energy and turns my good mood on. It is acutally hard writting recipes for different kinds of smoothies I make, since I usually just put in fruits that are available in the kitchen, add some nuts, quark, sometimes yoghurt or chia seeds, and smoothies are ready. I will post how I usually do it and give you some tips, what can you add to smoothies aswell.

My favourite
"Bananas Smoothie"

Ingredients for 2 persons:
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- (coconut) water
- 1 banana
- 3 chunks of ananas (put ananas in fridge a night before, it will give more fresh taste to smoothie)
- 1 pear
- light whole wheat cereals
- coconut strips for decoration
- pomegranate seeds for decoration

Preparation:

A night before combine 2 tbsp of chia seeds with 10 tbsp of coconut water. Put in fridge. In the morning, combine peeled banana together with 3 chunks of ananas. If you want, you can also add one pitted pear. Mix in blender and add chia seeds. Blend it again - for around 1 minute on maximum speed.

Then take a big glass cup and put 1 tbsp of cereals in it. Pour smoothie over cereals - about 3/4 of the cup. Add 2 tbsp od cereals on top. Decorate with coconut strips and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!

"Red love smoothie"

Ingredients for 2 persons:
- 1 greek yoghurt 0% fat
- around 100 grams of strawberries
- around 100 grams of raspberries
- light whole wheat cereals
- coconut strips for decoration
- strawberries for decoration.

Preparation:
Combine greek yoghurt with strawberries and raspberries in a blender. Mix well for around 1 minute. Then take a big glass cup and put pour smoothie in - about 3/4 of the cup. Add 2 tbsp od cereals on top. Decorate with coconut strips and strawberries, cutted in small pieces. Let love come to you! ;)

"Fruity smoothie"

Ingredients for 2 persons:
- 1 banana
- around 100 grams strawberries
- around 100 grams red pitted grapes
- 2 chunks of ananas
- ligh quark
- almonds, macadamia or other nuts for decoration
- strawberries for decoration

Preparation:
Combine banana, strawberries, grapes and ananas in blender. Mix well for about 1 minute. Then take a big glass cup and put 2 tbsp of quark in it. Pour smoothie over it - about 3/4 of the cup. Cut almonds and macadamia nuts in small pieces and put it over smoothie. Cut few strawberries and garnish them on the top of smoothie. Fruity smoothie is ready for you! :)

These are just some random recipies for smoothies. You can combine all different kinds of fruit. I can give you some tips how to make them taste even better:

• Add low fat vanilla yoghurt to the mixture.You can also prepare your smoothie, pour it in a cup and then add 2 tbsp of vanilla yoghurt extra to it. That's yummy too!
• Always put some cold fruit in it otherwise it doesn't taste that good.
• If you use fruit that contains a lot of water (strawberries, orange etc.) add chia seeds to make smoothie thicker and more creamy. Just soak chia seeds a night before (1 tbsp chia seeds - 5 tbsp water / coconut / almond milk).
• One of my fav combination is also pineapple-banana-orange smoothie - must try it! :)
• Use different layers to create parfraits. You can first add some quark in the cup (or greek yoghurt). Then a bit of cereals, add smoothie, and do it again with quark and cereals. Decorate with coconut or different kinds of nuts.

Sweet Finger Food

This week was very culinary for me. Since I love experimenting in the kitchen and I was just in a right mood for creating healthy and delicious sweets, I can conclude it's been a good week! :)

Thursaday was important day for my boyfriend's sister. She had oral presentation of her pharmacy thesis. So after long 5-years struggle she has finally came to the end of her undergraduate studies. For this special occasion I have decided to make sweet finger food desserts for a sweet treat of all guests coming to this special event. She passed her oral exam with an honour, so little sweets were just the right treat for her and everyone who came to this event.

I've made variaty of sweets, including puff pastry flowers with apples, raw chocolate cakes with pomegranate and coconut cups with coconut mousse and fresh strawberries / raspberries.

Puff pastry flowers with apples

Ingredients:

- 275 g puff pastry

- 6 medium sized apples

- cinnamon

- watter

Preparation:

Roll out puff pastry and cut it into 2*30 cm strips - it helps if you roll it out already in a square with one side measuring 30 cm. Cut apples in four pieces, pit them out and slice them on very thin slices (2-3 mm). Boil water with a bit of cinnamon, add apples and let them boil slowly for 3-5 minutes until they soften a bit. Then put them horizontally slice by slice on the strips. Roll the strips and a nice flower pattern will turn out. Then put flowers on baking paper on baking sheet and put them in preheated oven (180°C) for around 20-25 minutes, until flowers are a bit brown. Cool them and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Raw chocolate cakes with pomegranate

Ingredients:

Crust:

250 ml pecans

250 ml dried shredded coconut

10 pitted medjool dates

0,5 tsp cinnamon

0,25 tsp sea salt

Half pomegranate

Cream:

250 ml pecans
250 ml dried shredded coconut
125 ml 100% cocoa powder
160 ml agave nectar or honey
0,25 tsp sea salt

Chocolate dressing:

4 Tbsp 100% cocoa powder
1 Tbsp (liquid) coconut oil
4 Tbsp agave nectar
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Raw topping cream:

500 ml cashwes (soaked overnight)

125 ml coconut water
seeds of vanilla

2 Tbsp agave nectar

0,25 ml liquid coconut oil

110 seeds of pomegranate

Preparation:

First prepare the crust. In a blender combine pecans, coconut, dates, cinnamon and sea salt and process until finely ground, starting to hold together, when sqeezed between hands. Oil 24x24 cm pan so cakes will be easily removed. Press crust mixture into a pan and make sure it is even. Seed half of pomegranate and spread seeds evenly over the crust.

Then make the cream. Combine pecans, coconut, and cocoa powder in a blender and process until finely ground. Add agave nectar and sea salt and process until the mixture comes together like a dough. Put the mixture into the prepared baking sheet over the crust and pomegranate seeds and level it so it is even. Place in the fridge.

It's time to do chocolate dressing. Whisk together all ingredients until smooth, and spread over the prepared layer.  Place in the fridge while you prepare raw topping cream.

To make the raw topping cream, combine raw cashews, coconut water, vanilla and agave nectar in the blender and process until smooth. Add the coconut oil and process for about 30 seconds until well incorporated.  Remove the mixture from the food processor and place in the freezer for about 45 minutes to an hour to firm up to frosting consistency. 

Cut the cakes into squares (4 cm) and put them on decorative paper baskets. Take topping cream, put it in  the dressing bag and decorate each cake with flower pattern. Finally decorate each cake with three pomegranate seeds. If you want you can make your own decorations as well.

Coconut baskets with coconut mousse

Ingredients:

Coconut baskets:

750 ml coconut

3 egg whites

100 ml sugar

100 ml almond flour

0,5 tsp vanilla extract

Coconut mousse:

2 egg yolks

125 ml coconut milk 

2 g gelatine

125 g heavy cream (you can use coconut whipping cream)

Decoration: 

Strawberries, raspberrries or other fruit of your choice

Preparation:

For baskets: oil muffin (or other cupcake) tin thoroughly with coconut oil. Preheat oven to 175°C. In large bowl, stir together coconut, egg whites, sugar, almond flour, and vanilla (it should stick together when 

squeezed). Divide mixture evenly over muffins, pressing mixture into bottom and up sides of muffins cups to form the crust. Bake for 10-13 minutes, until top edges are deep golden brown and bottoms are just starting to brown. Cool crusts completely in pan on wire rack before unmolding gently by running a knife around the edges and popping them out.

For coconut mousse: Beat egg yolks until pale. Bring coconut milk to boil. As soon as it starts to boil, pour over beaten egg yolks and put it back to the stove. Cook until thickens, then stir in gelatine and let it cool. As soon as it is cold enough, stir in beaten cream and let it in the fridge for a few hours.

Cut strawberries on smaller pieces.

When it's thick enough, put a large spoon of mousse into every basket and decorate it with strawberries, raspberries or any other fruit by your choice. Sprinkle with coconut.

Enjoy your little sweets!

Healthy Way of Traditional Slovenian Cake "Potica"

It's easter time! For most of you that means lots of colored eggs, ham, spicy horseradish and all other treats that goes with it. Here in Slovenia we also make this special cake, called Potica. It's usually made for Christmas and Easter. The most tipical one is made out of walnuts, but there are many other ways to prepare it - with hazelnuts, tarragon, poppy seeds, coconut ... I usually make "potica" with hazelnuts, walnuts and chocolate. But this time I've decided to prepare it differently - more healthy and yet tasty.

So how have I managed to do that? Actually pretty easy - easier and faster than the ordinary one. I haven't used any yeast, so I didn't have to wait for the dough to rise up, so everything was made within 2 hours. I have used flours and nuts that don't acidify our body and have basicity effect on our body. I haven't used any sugar, I've substituted it with ahorn syrup. I also haven't used regular butter, I've taken coconut butter instead.

For all "potica" fans that would like to try out something new, healthy and yet delicious, here is the recipe:

Ingredients for the dough:

- 125 g wholewheat spelled flour

- 125 g regular spelled flour

- 250 g kamut flour 

- a pinch of salt

- lemon peel (from 1 lemon)

- 80 g coconut butter

- 3 Tbsp ahorn syrup

- 250 ml almond milk

- baking powder of tartar

Ingredients for the filling:

- 200 g of ground hazelnuts

- 200 g of ground almonds

- 200 ml almond milk

- cinnamon

- 2 Tbsp coconut oil

- a cup mixed of raisins and cranberries

- 3 Tbsp ahorn syrup

- pinch of rum

Preparation:

First combine all ingredients for the dough together - mix it well with "dough adapter" on your mixer. Put the dough on the table and roll it out. It should be pretty thin, around 2-3 mm thick. 

Then prepare the filling. Soak a cup of cranberries + raisins in water for 10 minutes. Then pour the water out and add some rum. Combine hazelnuts with almonds and coconut butter and mix a bit. Bring almond milk to boil and cover nuts with hot milk, mixed together with ahorn syrup. Add cinnamon and cranberries with raisins and mix it well. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving an inch free on the sides of the dough. Then roll the dough (help yourself with the table cloth) together.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Prepare the baking pan - I've used two oblonged baking pans but you can use whatever you like. Cover the pans with baking paper and put "potica" in it. When the temperature in oven is ready, put potica in it and bake for around 1 hour until the crust is golden-brown.

I have a rabbit watching over my potica, so there will still be some left for tomorrow's festive Sunday. 

Happy easter everyone!