Raspberry-Almond Tart

Rarely have I made a recipe I saw on another blog immediately. This one I even made twice on the same week. It is just so good. It looks like a regular raspberry tart, but the almond cream makes all the difference. The buttery crust, the sweet frangipane and the creamy pastry cream make the perfect bed for fresh picked raspberries. What a dream! I was fortunate enough to have lots of raspberries from our garden. Even if you don't, go to the farmers market and make this tart. You'll love it.

You can also make tartlets from this recipe, which will give you about six 8 cm (3-inch) round pieces.

Raspberry Quark-Cream Cake

This cake is wonderful for every raspberry lover. Beautiful raspberries lay on a light quark-cream on top of a soft almond flavored cake. Unfortunately the raspberry season was very short here this year, but this cake would also taste great with blackberries or blueberries. Make sure to reserve enough time for cooling.

White Chocolate - Raspberry Mousse Cakes

I made those little cakes for Valentine's Day. They have a very silky texture and every bite tastes like a kiss.  My husband loves white chocolate and I love raspberries, so it was the perfect pairing.

Both mousses taste very good together, one sweet and creamy, and the other more tart and fruity. I wish I would have made some more, but I just made two this time.

To make the decorative strip I used chocolate transfer sheets, which are acetate sheets embossed with cocoa butter and powdered food coloring. They are a great and easy way to really dress up your cakes. Read more: How to Use Chocolate Transfer Sheets.

Ispahan Cupcakes (Lychee-Raspberry-Rose)

Ispahan is a strain of pink rose named after the Iranian city of Isfahan. This flower was made famous in the patisseries' world by Pierre Herme, with his renowned Ispahan macaron. This floral-themed treat has two other ingredients: raspberry and lychee.

I have come across a number of recipes that puts these flavors in the settings of cupcakes. Even though I am a big fan of cupcakes, I often find the typical butter cream a little too heavy for my liking. In a number of occasions I substituted butter cream with a topping based on mascapone. Mixed with a fruit puree, it also stands very well, and can be piped in pretty swirls.

The cupcakes are not overly sweet, and the topping has a refreshing note due to the fresh raspberry puree. These are a real elegant treat for a fancy tea time.

By the way, I will be going to Hong Kong for holidays in a few days, so I will be signing off for the next couple weeks. This will be my first time there, and I definitely look forward to sampling local food, though I don't guarantee it will all be cakes and desserts. So until next time, I wish you are enjoying reading this, and making your own little creations in the mean time.

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

Today's cake is a real taste sensation, no less. You probably had chocolate raspberry truffles before; they are one of my favorites. Raspberry and chocolate together is just heavenly. This cake tastes like a big version of it.

The recipe also uses a yoghurt mousse, which creates a delicate balance in the acidity of the yoghurt, the sweetness of the chocolate, and the tartness of the raspberry. Since the berries looked so fresh and full of life, I also think that this cakes accentuates these beautiful little jewels.

Piping the mousse took a bit of skill and lots of patience. I am still not yet fully satisfied with the results. Another thing that you need to keep in mind, is that the cake might take a while in the fridge to set, especially on a hot sunny day. I served it a little too early and the first couple slices went out of shape a little. After putting it back in the fridge, the rest was fine.

Champagne Mousse Cake and a Happy New Year!

What's better than ringing in the New Year with some Champagne. I bring you some bubbly in form of a gorgeous cake. So, have a piece and a toast to a happy, healthy year full of excitement and joy. And a big thank you to all of you my wonderful readers for your continued support.

Strawberry-Raspberry Charlotte

Unfortunately the strawberry season is slowly coming to an end, at least for the local strawberries, and they are of course the sweetest. The you-pick farms around here are already closed some weeks ago, so I was pleasantly surprised to see some really nice local strawberries at the supermarket. This summer hasn't been very nice in Germany and this means fall is approaching very fast

So, there had to be one last strawberry cake for the summer. I made a Charlotte. A Charlotte is made of rolled up sponge cake slices filled with a creamy mousse or custard. It can be made into a cupola like this one, or in a regular round cake shape, in which case it is often done with ladyfinger.

The filling I used here is a strawberry mousse with some added strawberry pieces and raspberries. Strawberry jam was also used in the sponge rolls. Don't let the end of the strawberry season stop you from making this cake. You can also make it with other berries or fruit. Try blackberries and blueberries or peach and mango, and I think they should also be very tasty.

Raspberry Mousse Cake

This is a truly spectacular cake, and is perfect for any special occasion. Well, mine was just that we had picked a lot of raspberries, which became ripe this week, so I made it for a nice family gathering in the afternoon. But sometimes it's those little moments you share with people you love that are the nicest.

This is definitely a cake for the summer when raspberries are in season. For the filling you could replace fresh raspberries with frozen ones, but for the topping you should use the fresh ones. It takes some planning to put the cake together, but all the components are easy to make. Just take into account that the cake needs a few hours to cool in between and before serving. Both doughs can be baked the day before you assemble it.

Daring Bakers: Vols-au-Vent with Pastry Cream and Raspberries

I MADE IT! Here is my first Daring Bakers challenge. For this month, it was Vols-au-Vent with homemade puff pastry. Even though I have never consider making my own puff pastry before, I knew I could do it, but I also needed a little push. The anxiety was there, as I didn't know how it would turn out, but I was very happy with the results. It took some time to make it, but it was well worth it.

Vols-au-Vent brings back childhood memories, since we would always eat it for New Years Eve. My Mom would fill  them with Ragout Fin, which is a ragout made with veal and some chicken meat in a cream sauce. Traditionally it is made with veal and its innards. For the challenge, however, I decided for a sweet filling with vanilla pastry cream, topped with fresh raspberries.

Making puff pastry took a lot of patience. Between each layer, I had to allow time for the butter to cool, or the butter would penetrate through the layers of dough (which would ruin the whole thing altogether). I found the first couple folds more difficult because of it. So I had to be very careful. Just cool, wait, and repeat the process. After finishing the required six folds, I decided to cool it overnight. It made the dough very easy to roll. I cut it in three portions, and put two in the freezer for later use.

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.