Two chocolates cake

Valentine's day is about to arrive and I still didn't publish the post I wanted. I tried couple of times and it didn't work. So I am just publishing this one, because I really want to share this recipe.

 I cooked the cake for my husband's office, so they must be enjoying it there. But it was the perfect excuse to cook it and share it in Cuukinando. Chocolate cheesecake. It sounds (and tastes) like an evil invention.

The contrast between the two chocolates should have been more visible, if you cook it following the instructions it should be the case. It is a really easy cake, basically you just need to mix the ingredients and just bake them.

So here is the video, I hope you like it!

Click here to see the video! 

Almond bread (grain free, sugar free)

We come back with another diet cake recipe. We go on pursuing our dream of eating cakes without compromising our shape or health! So today we cooked a flour free, sugar free almond bread. We have already published another almond bread, but it was more "cake-like". We have to admit that one tastes better, but we prefer to leave it for special occasions. 

We have used banana and sweet potato to make it sweet. It is not specially sweet though. If you prefer it, you can always add a couple of tablespoons of honey, and it will definitely make a difference. Because it is flour free, it is gluten free, it is suitable for paleo diet, so fashionable these days. 

As we commented in other diet baking posts we think that sugar and flour cakes are better than this kind of cakes. But once more, we think this is a decent substitute. 

Here is the new video. We hope you enjoy it! guilty free pleasure... 

How to cook a crispy and moist brownie

     We have recently posted about oatmeal cakes, pasta less dishes, salads, soups.. it's been ages since we don't post a "real sweet". And it is not that the other ones are not nice, that they are... but from time to time we need some very unhealthy and real refined sugar cake. Because one day is just one day.... we couldn't think about a better recipe than a brownie. 

     This a recipe that everybody likes. It has a dense and intense chocolate flavour, it is moist in the inside and crispy on the outside... just the perfect every day chocolate cake. Easy to make and yummy like no other ones. There are some difference in our version compared to the traditional ones. These difference are the consequence of chance and an optimization process. We are happy with the result. So much, that even knowing that there are millions of brownie recipes online... we think this one was still lacking! 

     So here it is. 

     Maybe you will like: our layered chocolate panna cotta. 

Vanilla oatmeal sponge cake with stevia

     Seven months ago I had a baby. I haven't been able to use my pre-pregnancy jeans yet, but I am actively working on it and getting closer every day. That's why our today's post is about diet baking. As we did when we talked about microwave baking (in our microwave instant cheesecake) we believe we are talking about substitutes of the real thing. They are nice, but never as nice as a good unhealthy sweet. If eaten in moderation they can be part of a healthy diet though. 

     As we did when we cook our oatmeal cookies we have decided to use whole oats. It is our favourite cereal and it has numerous proven health benefits. It is gluten free and it can be part of a celiac disease diet (although in this case you have to be sure the oats were not processed in the same premises than wheat or rye). To go a little bit further we cooked it sugar-free, using stevia, which is a very popular natural sweetener. We give the equivalent in sugar, just in case you want a "real" sweet. 

     So this is our new video, dedicated to people who are trying to get in shape, or simply stay healthy. 

And here you have the recipe:

Instant Mug Microwave Cheesecake

      Have you ever seen a mug recipe? They seem to be kind of fashionable these days. For instance, the instant chocolate mug sponge cake is very popular. We have to confess that we have eaten it a couple of times... We were eager to experiment today, and at the same time, we were in the mood of a cheesecake. This post is the result of that combination. 

     The truth is that this kind of cakes never taste like the "real ones" but the amount of effort, and above all, time that you need to cook them are just not comparable. In this recipe we literally mixed the ingredients in the mug and cook them for under two minutes in the microwave. Just perfect for a treat or a sweet craving! 

     Do you fancy trying it? Just watch our video... 

     The recipe:

Lemon and meringue pie

     A classic English dish and one of our home favourite cakes: Lemon and meringue pie.

 

     We've optimizing this recipe for a while now, and we are happy with the result. There is still something we would like to improve, because the sides of the cake are not as nice as we would like them to be, but the flavour is just great. You can bake each layer while you are preparing the next one, so it is a relatively easy and fast cake. 

     There is no need to use a pipe to decorate it. You can just spread the meringue over the lemon layer and make some peaks with a fork. You will still have a stunning cake. 

     We say it in the video, but be especially careful not to burn the meringue, it is quite easy (not that we know it by experience....) 

     You have to try this one. Let us know what you think about it! 

Mini cakes with rose petals and sweet yolks

     It's summer and England is full of roses everywhere. I have a fantastic rose plant at home with beautiful purples roses that smell (and taste!) delicious. So we decided to make some recipe to use them... and we must have a sweet week in Cuukinando, because we are bringing you another cake recipe today. 

     Crystallized petals are easy to make, and you can keep them in an airtight recipient for several months. They can be used to decorate lots of different dishes and they always give an original and fancy touch. And the sweet yolks... well, we are Spanish and they are typical there, so we just love them. We will upload some other sweet yolk recipes. 

    This is a perfect decoration for beginners, so easy to make. And you don't need to be an artist! We hope you decide to give it a try. 

     You can use any cake recipe. We have used our olive oil sponge cake, that we love because of its flavour and the moisture texture. 

     

      You can find the video here:

Chocolate sponge cake bonbons

     We are back today to tell you how do we cook what we call chocolate sponge cake bonbons. It is nothing else than a chocolate sponge cake presented in convenient bite size balls. 

     Once more, it is an easy recipe, and it has a classic chocolate flavour that everybody likes. The only problem we can see in this recipe is that as it happens with any kind of bonbons... you always end up eating more that what you intended! 

     This recipe can be used to make cake pops too. You just need to add the stick and they are ready to decorate. 

     This is our new video, we hope you cook them, and above all, we hope you enjoy them! 

Apple crumble in an apple

     Apple crumble (or apple crisp, as it is known in USA) is one of the most traditional desserts in British cooking. This all time favourite consists in a baked layer of apples with a crumble on the top (being this a mixture of butter and flour, with sugar in its sweet version) In some versions a base is added to the cake, and there are optional ingredients, like raisins or lemon juice. 

     We bring you a different option to present this classic dessert. Once more, in Cukinando we opt for the individual portions. In this occasion we use the apples to present it. 

     The result is a delicious (as is always the case with apple crumble!) sweet mini cake and you add an original touch. In our recipe we added some cinnamon and raisins to the filling. You can add some cinnamon to the crumble as well, if you prefer a stronger flavour. 

     You can find the video here: 

     Please, let us know what you think. We hope you like it! 

Chocolate, red wine and strawberries cake

   Today we couldn't record the recipe, but we can't stop sharing it with you. Isn't it gorgeous? There won't be too many strawberries this year anymore, so we decided to use them to make these two delicious cakes. The recipe we are sharing with you today is a brownie and red wine based cake, filled with buttercream and fresh strawberries.
   

     To make the chocolate and red wine brownie you will need:

• 200 g of dark chocolate
• 200 g of butter
• 150 g of sugar
• 100 g of flour
• 100 ml of red wine
• 4 eggs

     Start melting the chocolate with the butter and add the read wine and the sugar. Once everything is properly dissolved and not too hot add the eggs and mix everything well. Pour it in 2 baking moulds coated with flour and bake at 180 °C for 20 minutes. Let it cool down before adding the filling.

     To make the strawberries buttercream:

• 200 g of butter
• 200 g of icing sugar
• 250 g of smashed fresh strawberries

     Whisk the butter with the sugar until it is white. Smash the straberries, strain them and add them to the mixture. Pit it in the pipping bag. 

     To make the glazed chocolate:

• 150 g of cream
• 80 g of water
• 90 g of sugar
• 40 g of cocoa powder
•  4 gelatine sheets

     Boil the cream, the sugar and the water together for 2 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the (previously soaked) gelatine sheets once it has cooled down. Strain and reserve. Use the shine when it reaches 40 °C.

     Finally bring everything together. Fill the cake with the buttercream, add the glased chocolate and decorate with the fresh strawberries. 

     We hope you like it! 

Blueberry and almond cake with a touch of lemon

     This weekend we have cooked one of my favourite cakes: blueberry and almond. It is always a winning combination! we have added a touch of lemon, which makes it even more yummy if possible. 

     In other occasions we have used this recipe as a filling for a cake, in which case you just need to use a sweet pastry as a base and bake it before following this recipe.

     The result is a very moist cake, and it is very quick to cook. We like it specially for tea time. 

See the recipe here:

Olive oil and walnuts sponge cake

     Today we bring you one of our classic recipes at home. I personally cook it for breakfast each time I have someone at home and it is usually a big success. It is the simplest recipe ever.

     The basic recipe consists of equal amounts of olive oil, flour, eggs and sugar. The olive oil gives a very special flavour to the cake. Adding walnuts is always a winning combination, but there are other options, like adding banana or raisins that you could try and we are sure you would not be disappointed.

     You can check our video here:

     And please, let us know what you think. We hope you enjoy it!