Rugelach

Recipe:

1 package cream cheese room temperature
2 sticks butter room temperature
1+2 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp  vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1  tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup walnuts finely choped
1/2 cup apricot preserve
1 egg for egg wash

Mix cream cheese and butter in a bowl until light. Add 1 tbs sugar,  salt and vanilla. Slowly add flour until just combined. Put the dough onto a floured board and roll into a ball. Divide into 4 pieces. Leave wrapped in a plastic in the fridge for 1 hour.

Filling

Combine brown sugar,2 tbs white sugar, walnuts and cinnamon.
Roll the dough into a circle around 9 inches. Spread apricot preserve and sprinkle with filling lightly taping it in.  Cut in quarters and than each quarter into three pieces. Roll from wider end and put on a parchment paper. Leave in a fridge for 30 min. Mix 1 egg with a fork and  brush onto cookies. If you want you can sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on the top.
Bake on 175 C for 15 - 20 min. ( they are lightly brown, check the bottom )
Cool on the rack and enjoy.

Chocolate cake

This cake has the secret ingredient : zucchini. If you omit an egg that I added ,this cake is egg and dairy free.

I made half the recipe and it's very tasty. Nobody noticed a zucchini. I made cream cheese frosting but it can be only glaze, ganache or just plain.  

Recipe:

300 g peeled and grated zucchini

125 ml vegetable oil

200 g sugar

250 g flour

50 g cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 pinch of salt

Mix everything together. Pour in a pan covered with parchment paper and bake in preheated oven ,on 180 for 25-30 min. 

Summer Cake

 Very light summer cake, easy to make.

Recipe:

150 g butter
200 g flour
100 g cream of wheat
2 tbsp baking powder
200 g powdered sugar
1 cup yogurt ( I used balkan style)
4 eggs

Melt butter and leave it to cool. I a bowl combine flour, baking powder, cream of wheat and powdered sugar. Mix slowly adding melted butter, yogurt and eggs (one at a time). Pour into the pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle raspberries  ( or other fruit ) on the top. Push some of them gently down.
Heat the oven on 180 C and bake for about 25-30 minutes. If toothpick comes out clean it is done.
When cooled sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

First Comunion Cake

This is my first cake decorated with fondant :)

Strawberry Jam

Recipe

1 kg washed, hulled and cut in half STRAWBERRIES
350 - 400 g SUGAR
1/3 cup LEMON JUICE
 
Put strawberries in a pot. I used my Le Creuset pot. Let them boil for 40 min ( until it thickens) steering often.  Remove foam.
In a meantime fill canning or any stainless steel pot with water. Insert metal rack ( mine was too big so I used ) Put washed jars in the pot ( make sure that water covers them about an inch (2,5 cm). Simmer until jam is ready. In a small pan, in hot water heat jar lids.
How to check if jam is done : put little jam on a plate, cool and if it doesn't run its done.
Carefully take jars from water using jar lifter. Fill jars leaving space about 1,5 cm from top. Stir with plastic bubble remover and clean around the rim. With lid lifter take the lid and put it on a jar. Screw the top but not too tight. Slowly put all the jars back in the water. Bring to boil and  than count  10 min. After 10 min take them out on the  kitchen towel. Don't tilt. You will hear popping sound. Leave them to rest for 24 hours and check that lids are sealed. Store in cool and dry place for up to a year.