Tree surgeons are coming over tomorrow morning to take care of the conifers at the back of our garden. I will have some coffee for them, but I wanted something to go well with that coffee. I had some peaches in the fruit bowl that nobody was particularly interested in, a nectarine, some apricots, found a recipe in my recipe book called “Easy cake with fruit” and within 20 minutes ( plus 30 in the oven) produced a cake that’s  so nice, I’m wrapping it up and putting away, otherwise there won’t be much left for tomorrow.  I used 3 eggs, whole, which I’ve beaten with about 6 tbsps of sugar. Half a vanilla budyn, dry, half a tall glass of plain flour, some baking powder. Half a cube of butter, a bit less than that, as I decided to melt it in the microwave and it exploded there. So to the mixture of eggs, sugar and flour I added most of that half, kept some for a delicious crumbly topping. Those chopped peaches and apricots in, round tin ready, oven at 180 degrees. The crumbly topping was random as well. I chucked some sugar, some flour, some ground almonds and that remaining melted butter into the kitchen aid and after a few seconds it was ready to go onto the cake.

Fantastic smell in the kitchen, 30 minutes was all it took. Super good cake.

I felt like e cheesecake for a while now, couldn’t decide what kind to make, having purchased a lovely soft curd cheese in Polish deli. Something with pistachios was on my mind, but in the end I got tempted by Dorota’s offer of a light, baked, soufflet like thing, baked without a base. I had to try, left out the lemon glaze and made some rhubarb/apple topping, which I was hoping would break the sweetness.

375 g of the curd cheese, 25 g of soft butter, 3 egg yolks ( whites whipped separately), half a glass of sugar plus a vanilla sugar, as well as vanilla paste, double cream, about 1/4 of a glass, potato starch, 1,5 tbsps- generous ones. Half a glass of milk, but having read the reviews I was careful adding the milk to the mixture in the kitchen aid, as I was worried it would be too runny. Added a bit less.  Once combined, the whipped egg whites went in, incorporated gently and then into the small round tin, the bottom of which lined with baking paper. 150 degrees, about 1 hour.

The cheesecake has risen, then fell a bit, like the recipe said it would.

It cooled in the fridge throughout the afternoon, then I topped with cooked rhubarb and apple kinda compot.

I do like the lot. It it super light, moist and tricky to handle, but different and very pleasant to eat. I’m not sure if I’d rush to be making it again, I think the salted caramel cheesecake is unbeatable so far.  More than half of the cheese in the freezer though, so watch this space!

I’m currently reading the 5th installment of “Cukiernia pod Amorem”, where jagodzianki are mentioned far too often for someone like me, who loves baking and eating and who would be a regular customer in the said Cukiernia, if only it existed and was found around the corner. I had to try to make the jagodzianki, Wiola’s taste of childhood, as she said.  My Mum makes yeasty dough regularly, she likes making small buns and filling them up with wild blueberries, something one can only dream  about in the UK. In Poland, if summers are warm and one knows where to go, they can be picked in the woods. Dorotka in mojewypieki.com opted for American bluberries, available in the UK all the time, the reviews under the recipe were splendid, so last Sunday, with 30 degrees outside, I baked jagodzianki.

I started with denying my Mum’s golden rule, that yeasty dough MUST be made by hand and used my kitchen aid. I’ve made half a portion, worried I’d end up with a  ton of dough. 250 g of plain flour, some of which I used alongside 7 g of fresh yeast, 125 ml of warm milk and some sugar to make me a nice zaczyn, which only needed 5 minutes in the sun outside to foam up. 1 whole egg, a pinch of salt, vanilla sugar, 4 tbsps of caster sugar and then 40 g of melted and cooled butter. I found the dough extremely sticky and runny, so ended up adding 2 big tbsps of flour before I left the dough to rise for about 1,5 hour, till doubled. I then formed 8 oval buns, filled with bluberries sweetened and tossed with some potato starch. The buns were then left to rise further and finally baked in 200 degrees for 18-20 mins according to the recipe – mine took less and were still a bit too dark.

Now, I have to say they taste a lot better than they look. Before I glazed them Florian took one look and said “what happened here?”(grrrrrr!). But even 2 days later 2 remaining buns still taste good and will most likely go today.

Not bad, but not amazing.

Nuts is I,  as I fancy baking when it’s 32 degrees outside.  This was fun baking, as it didn’t require the oven.

I first tried these when my aunt, my Mum’s sister started baking them having purchased some sophisticated piece of machinery from the Russians on the market.  2 years ago I purchased one for Mum and one for myself, much simpler though, they look like panini toaster until you open them. Funky, not too expensive. Mum has used hers numerous times since then, mine sat in the attic until today, when I decided it is time to bake the nuts.

The recipe for the dough takes 1,5 tall glasses of flour, 2 egg yolks, 5 tbsps of sugar plus one vanilla sugar, 2 tbsps of sour cream, 75 g of butter, 0,5 tsp of bicarb soda and a splash of hazelnut vodka( optional). This was worked briefly and then made into mini gnocchi shaped things which then went into the nut maker and quickly baked. It takes some feel and some practice to make them small, cute and beautiful, I only started today, so I had to trim the edges on the majority of the nuts shells. Overall, the process is quick and pleasant.

The filling. 125 g of walnuts, which I first toasted ( Mum seemed a bit offended I’m screwing with her recipe, but I prefer nuts roasted first), then ground. 1/4 tall glass of water in the pan, 125 g of butter, half a glass of sugar and some vanilla sugar in, brought to the boil. A tbsp of cocoa. All slightly cooled, ground nuts in. A tall glass of powdered milk in. Initially the filling was a touch too runny, but it set nicely and I was able to transfer in to the piping bag and fill in the shells. I have a feeling they will taste better the next day, when the shells take some of the filling in and soften a touch. Room for improvement in terms of looks, but I’d also try with hazelnuts or maybe even  pecans??????!

Last night we hosted a little pizza bake off between myself and my brother. We’re both ambitious cooks, both claimed we make better pizza than the other, so last night we tried to settle this dispute with the help of friends, as audience, company, jury and of course- consumers.  Pankowscy came, bringing along Wiola’s brother Maciek and his wife Sandra, who happened to be turning 28 last night. Between us we put on the table 6 or 7 pizzas, all but one were eaten, enjoyed and our guests politely agreed that all were delicious and we must do  it again to maybe agree a verdict. The night before I baked a meringue, thinking we’d need something light and sweet after all the pizzas.  It was my first ever and it was freaking spectacular!!!! Crunchy and light, yet gooey and cloudy inside. 6 egg whites made it, 300 g of sugar slowly added while kitchen aid worked wonders, a splash of lemon juice, 2 tbsps of potato starch added at the end. Baked in 150 degrees for 5 minutes, then down to 110 and slowly baked for nearly 2 hours, cooled in the oven too. On the night topped with whipped cream, mixed berries, lime zest and crunched pistachios. I believe it lasted about 15 minutes.  Fantastic dessert and I can’t wait to be baking another!