from my orchid kitchen

Unlike most apple cakes, where the fruit is used in slices or cubes, in this cake, the Reinette apple is blended and incorporated into the dough along with the other moist elements, giving it a smooth texture and flavor.

It is mainly during autumn, but also in winter, that we can savour this apple originally from the United Kingdom, known since Shakespeare's time as the Russet apple and over the centuries gave birth to other apple species, namely the Reinette du Canada which later developed in Portugal mainly in the areas of Alcobaça and Sintra, with a festival dedicated to the Reineta apple taking place in the area of Fontanelas at the end of October.

The ingredients

Eggs - I used 3 small eggs, but can also be 2 large eggs.
Sugar - in this apple cake I used white sugar but you can substitute with brown sugar or even coconut sugar.
Reinette apple - you can use other varieties of apples, but you should be aware of how juicy they are, as the Reinette apple has a mushy pulp and excess liquid from other apple varieties can give the cake that undercooked center look.
Flour and Baking powder - basic elements that are the cake's main ingredient; in the case of using self-raising flour, only 1 teaspoon of baking powder should be added.
Cornstarch - helps the consistency of the cake to make up for the apple pulp used.
Butter - although it doesn't take much butter, the combination of this with the pulp of the Reinette apple gives the cake a pleasantly buttery flavor.
Milk - any type of milk can be used, and it serves mainly to help crush the Reinette apple pulp.
Cinnamon - it's optional, and I used it because this spice always pairs well with the apple flavor; alternatively, you can use a little lemon zest.

Reinette apple cake recipe

Ingredients

3 small eggs
150 g of sugar
125 g of flour
50 g of corn starch
2 teaspoons of baking powder
200 g reinette apple (peeled and seeded)
70 g of butter
50 ml milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
pinch of salt

1. After peeling and pitting the apples, cut them into cubes and place them in a blender or hand mixer jar.
2. Add the milk and previously melted butter to the apples.
3. Blend until you get a lump-free cream. Reserve.
4. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar, a pinch of salt, and the cinnamon until obtaining a fluffy cream.
5. To this preparation, add the previous apple cream, mixing well.
6. In a bowl, mix and then sift the flour, starch, and baking powder.
7. Gradually, the flour mixture is involved in the preparation but without beating too much.
8. Place the mixture in a previously greased cake pan and bake at 180ºC for 35 to 40 minutes.

Notes on how to make

• In recipes where flour is used along with corn starch, it is advisable to always sift so that they are well mixed and without lumps.
• Allow the cake to cool for some time before unmoulding, because despite being a very consistent cake after chilled, when it comes out of the oven, especially if you use a bundt type cake pan, the cake can break.

 

 

 

These dense and sweet (but not overly) squares have an intense banana flavor and aroma, complemented by the crunchy nuts and creaminess of the white chocolate.

We see a lot of recipes out there that use the term "blondie" to name them. 

As I already mentioned when I posted these chickpeas and chocolate chips squares, not all recipes have the requirements to be "blondies". But such is not the case with this recipe. 

I had 2 very ripe bananas in my fruit bowl, and instead of making one of the many banana cake recipes that I still have saved to try, I decided to make something else to snack on, and these banana blondies were worth it. To make them even more blondies, I decided to add white chocolate and also some walnuts. 

As I didn't have many in the pantry, I preferred to use them as decoration on top of the squares, but I must mention that they are much better chopped in pieces and wrapped in the dough of these blondies (which is what I'll do next time I make this recipe). 

These also have other characteristics that differentiate them from other blondies: they are made with oat flour and without eggs, and they can be vegan if the white chocolate used does not have dairy in the ingredients and if vegan butter or oil is used instead of butter.

The Ingredients

• Banana - it's their flavor that will be predominant in blondies, and the creaminess helps to create the dense texture typical of blondies.
• Oat flour - this flour works very well in blondies and brownies because they always have a compact texture and the smooth flavor of this flour complements the other flavors present.
• Butter - I used regular butter, but it can be replaced with vegan butter or 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil (I recommend neutral coconut oil or grapeseed oil).
• White chocolate - the fact of using white chocolate in these blondies allows you to reduce the amounts of butter and sugar presented in similar recipes, and also gives a flavor similar to the one of condensed milk with a touch of vanilla.
• Light brown sugar - this type of sugar is essential in making blondies, and can be replaced with other types of brown sugar or coconut sugar (in this case it can change the color of the blondies).
• Vanilla and Cinnamon - they are optional but they combine perfectly with the banana flavor.
• Nuts - some make brownies and blondies without adding extra ingredients, but this type of cookies improves significantly with the addition of crunchy elements inside them, such as walnuts (or pecans), cranberries or raisins, or chocolate chips.

 

Banana white chocolate walnut blondies recipe

 

Ingredients

2 medium sized bananas
100 g of oat flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
100 g of white chocolate
30 g of butter
50 g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
30 g nuts

1. Coarsely chop the walnuts. Reserve.
2. In a bowl, melt the butter together with the white chocolate.
3. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and sugar.
4. Peel the bananas and puree them.
5. Fold the banana puree into the white chocolate cream.
6. In a bowl, add the baking powder to the oat flour.
7. Gradually mix the oat flour into the mixture until it becomes homogeneous.
8. Finally, add the walnut pieces.
9. Place the mixture in a square or rectangular pan, greased and lined with parchment paper.
10. Bake at 175ºC for 20 to 25 minutes.
11. Cut into 9 or 16 squares, and serve when completely cooled.

Pão-de-Ló is one of those recipes that can be made at any time of the year and has almost as many versions as codfish (in Portugal we have an old saying that there are 1001 codfish recipes...). However, it is mandatory to bake it for Easter and Christmas.

• Eggs - they are the main ingredient of this cake, in which the whipped egg whites allow air to be incorporated into the cake and give it volume and the soft texture that is expected from this type of sponge cake.
• Flour - some use self-raising flour in sponge cake recipes, but this one is of traditional origin and uses only fine wheat flour without baking powder.  
• Sugar - in addition to sweetening, the presence of sugar combined with egg whites also creates the slightly moist texture that this type of cake should have.

1. Line the bottom of a tube cake pan about 22cm in diameter with butter and then with parchment paper. 
2. Separate the yolks from the whites, placing each in large bowls. 
3. In the bowl of the egg yolks add the sugar. 
4. Beat the egg yolks very well with the sugar until you get a fluffy whitish cream. 
5. Gradually wrap the flour, but without beating too much. 
6. Beat the egg whites firmly with a pinch of salt. 
7. Wrap the egg whites carefully in the previous preparation. 
8. Pour into the pan and place in the oven at 180ºC for 25 to 30 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan. Unmold, passing a knife around the pan and tube and then inverting it onto a plate.

These creamy and intense chocolate flavored brownies, in addition to being flourless also have no fat and do not use refined sugars.

There are 2 types of brownies: those that have a more cake-like texture and those that have a more creamy interior (the so-called fudgy). These are so undoubtedly creamy that it almost looks like we are enjoying a dark chocolate bonbon.

The Ingredients

Bananas - the bananas should be ripe, as they are sweeter to counteract the bitterness of cocoa. You can use frozen bananas but always drain the extra moisture that they release.
Eggs - help to bind all the ingredients present.
Milk - any type of milk can be used here, and when I make these brownies I use oat or almond milk.
Cocoa - this recipe requires a good amount of cocoa, which will substitute the flour. It can also be replaced for powdered chocolate, but since it contains sugar you probably won't need to add the syrup or just use a smaller amount of this sweetener.
Maple syrup - until a few years ago it was very difficult here to find this natural sweetener, but some can be found in some supermarkets and health food stores. It can be replaced by agave syrup or even honey (a more liquid/fluid version).
Vanilla - is an optional ingredient, but it always improves the taste of many desserts.
Baking soda - since the ingredients present make a thick batter, the baking soda will create some air bubbles in the dough when subjected to the oven's heat.
Chocolate chips - are an optional ingredient that further accentuates the chocolate flavor in these brownies. However, those who don't have chocolate chips can simply chop or grate the same amount from a chocolate bar into pieces.

How to make

• Place the liquid ingredients in a blender or food processor: eggs, milk, vanilla, maple syrup.
• Peel the bananas and cut them into slices, adding them to the previous ingredients. Blend until a homogeneous cream is obtained.
• Then add the cocoa powder and crush it again until it is well wrapped.
• Anyone who doesn't have a blender or food processor can blend the liquid ingredients and bananas in the glass of hand mixer and add the cocoa and chips in a separate bowl. If you don't want to use any electrical equipment you can just mash the banana very well and beat the eggs and then add the remaining ingredients.
• Add the chocolate chips, wrapping the mixture with a spatula or spoon.
• A square or rectangular form is lined with parchment paper (I used a disposable 18x18 cm because at the time I didn't have mine 22x22 cm).
• For this recipe, you have to use parchment paper otherwise you will hardly be able to unmold the brownies due to their creamy texture.
• The preparation is then poured into the pan lined with parchment paper.
• Place in the oven at 180ºC for about 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool in the pan.
• Place in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before unmolding and cutting into portions. Placing brownies in the cold (even in those classic recipes) helps to improve the concentration of the flavors present and also improves their final consistency. 
• Since they have a creamy texture, it is advisable to store what is left in the fridge (they can also be frozen).

Banana cocoa brownies recipe

Ingredients

2 medium bananas
2 eggs
125 ml milk (of any kind)
125 gr of cocoa powder
4 tablespoons of maple syrup (maple syrup)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
50 gr of chocolate chips (optional)

1. In a blender or food processor, place the eggs, milk, vanilla, maple syrup, and sliced bananas.
2. Blend until obtaining a homogeneous cream.
3. Add the cocoa powder and crush again until well incorporated.
4. Add the chocolate chips and wrap them with a spatula or spoon.
5. Pour the mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper.
6. Place in the oven at 180ºC for about 25 minutes.
7. Allow it to cool completely in the pan.
8. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours before unmolding and cut into portions.

Adapted from "Double chocolate blender brownies"

 

 

This gluten-free dessert is a great light and moist cake made with an uncommon key ingredient - chestnut flour, with a very pleasant taste and making you want some more.

I already had the recipe for this chestnut cake saved a few years ago in my files, because at the time it was still difficult to find chestnut flour on stores. Nowadays this is no longer the case, at least in large urban centers, with sections of healthy food in supermarkets increasing in size and variety of products, and also with the increase in the number of stores that sell products for alternative diets.

What captivated me in this simple cake was not only the fact of using chestnut, an ingredient that I quite like, but also the use of cream instead of butter or oil as a source of fat on the recipe.

Here at home, everyone loved the cake, which is quite soft and slightly moist, and contrary to what you might think, the chestnut flour doesn't give the cake that flavor we find when we eat other desserts made with fresh chestnuts, but a soft flavor that contrasts very well with the lemon. Despite everything, anyone who wants can make this cake without adding the lemon zest and replacing it with vanilla.

The Ingredients

• Eggs
• Chestnut flour - this flour belongs to the group of alternative flours to serve in gluten-free diets, and basically results from finely ground dry nuts. There are many traditional recipes of Italian origin that use this flour, not only in sweet recipes but also in some savory and even bread.
• Baking powder - in addition to the whipped egg whites, baking powder is used to make this cake even fluffier.
• Sugar - the amount present allows it to be pleasantly sweet. Can be substituted for brown sugar or coconut sugar.
• Lemon zest - the lemon flavor in a cake is always pleasant, but it can also be optional and replaced with 1 or 2 teaspoons of vanilla.
• Creme fraîche - this dairy is nothing more than fresh cream, but with about 30% (and up to 50%) of fat to which a culture of bacteria has been added. Due to bacterial fermentation, its texture is thicker and creamier, thus avoiding the presence of thickeners, and has a slightly acidic flavor.

How to make

• Start by beating the egg yolks together with the sugar until it dissolves and the cream is pale and fluffy.
• To this cream are added the lemon zest and then the creme fraîche.
• Then, the chestnut flour (previously sifted and mixed with the baking powder) is involved in the preparation. When sifting, we will avoid the formation of lumps.
• Apart, beat the egg whites.
• The egg whites are involved in the preparation, little by little, so that they don't lose air and collapse.
• The preparation is then poured into a greased and sprinkled with sugar pan (the one in this recipe is 20cm).
• Bake at 180ºC between 35 to 40 minutes.
• Decorate with some powdered sugar after cooling and when serving, as the cake has some moisture and it'll gradually dissolve the sugar we apply.
• In this decoration, I used the crochet/lace technique, in which we basically use those old lace cloths or towels (washed and cleaned) and put them on top of the cold cake and sift some powdered sugar on top. Not all cakes are good candidates for this type of decoration, but it is quite original. In light coloured cakes, you can also make the design by replacing sugar with cocoa powder. 

Chestnut, cream fraîche and lemon recipe

 

Ingredients

4 eggs
125 gr of sugar
200 gr of creme fraîche
125 gr of chestnut flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
Zest of 1 lemon

1. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until you get a soft cream.
2. Add the lemon zest and creme fraîche, wrapping well.
3. Apart, sift the brown flour and add the baking powder.
4. The flour is then incorporated into the previous preparation.
5. Whip the egg whites.
6. The egg whites are gradually well wrapped in the preparation with the help of a whisk or spatula.
7. Place in a greased and sprinkled with sugar pan.
8. Bake at 180ºC between 35 to 40 minutes.
9. Decorate with some powdered sugar.

Adapted from "Lemon, creme fraîche & chestnut cake recipe" / Originally posted in 2019

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