happy third! { snickers 'klimt' pie }

Cheers! So it's been three years since I finally decided this thing was for real, threw all my fears and doubts out of the window, ignored all the discouraging voices around me and started working my ass off on improving. Not that it was that hard - there's nothing I'll take more gladly than a good challenge and holding an adventurous journey against all odds definitely thrills me.

I am absolutely amazed at how I have managed to hold on to this page, which feels, in a way, as much of a home as every other place I could once call mine. I have a clue, though, about how I was able to do it. I have to thank it all to my family, especially my brothers, to all of you who visit this page and keep on spoiling me with sweet comments, but, on top of all, to all the amazing people I have met along this 'between kitchens' journey - and that I am now lucky to call friends. To all my awesome friends around the world, to my family and to my followers, I here state my most deep gratitude. None of this would have been possible without each one of you! ♥

Not all that is gold glitters, or do you? ;)

(no fuss, no muss) delicious and moist gluten-free brownies. { moist buckwheat brownies with cherries and white chocolate chunks }

I think I may be falling for buckwheat flour!

can you believe these are some of the healthiest brownies I've ever made?

gluten-free, much lower in sugar than usual and with less butter,

yet still surprisingly delicious!?

I came up with this recipe from scratch, and I'm quite proud of it!

they are a delicious combo of moist and chewy, packed with flavour

 and really easy and quick to make, hence perfect for any chocolate cake cravings.

to stir things up a bit, I loaded my batter with cherries and white chocolate chunks.

schwarzwälder. { black forest cheesecake }

i don't always bake cake every other day

or even once a week.

but when i do

i feel this urge to expand myself

in terms of kind, composition and flavour.

took this cake to the office today

♥

fondant au chocolat. { chocolate fondant }

it's dark. raw. gooey and turning to fudgy. gorgeous.

it's like a chocolate mousse baked bar.

you may eat it straight out of the oven... like a lava cake.

and after that, it's an heavenly gorgeous chocolate fudge.

p.s.: dust with cocoa.

one brownie with a twist. { malibú fudgy brownies }

I know you haven't seen them all...

But I've seen them raising in the oven...
and I have this feeling I've been baking way too many chocolate cakes.

These brownies were made by request.

I was actually not even going to do them, because I kept postponing it and ended up being too busy with other stuff that day... but I was feeling bad for the whole afternoon, until I finally gave in and decided to go chop some chocolate.

I took the liberty of improvising a bit lot (the request was quite specific for this brownie batter), but I guess I was able to still meet the wishes of my friend ;) They travelled to a barbecue early this week and no one has seen them ever since!

Brownies Malibú Fudge

- 200g de chocolate 70% de cacau

- 120g de manteiga

- 120 ml de café frio

- 3 ovos M

- 120g de açúcar

- 50g de farinha

- uma pitada de pimenta, piri-piri e gengibre em pó

- 200g de doce de laranja com raspas

- 2 colheres de sopa de coco ralado

- 1 colher de sopa de gin

1) Derreter o chocolate com a manteiga em banho maria; deixar arrefecer,

2) Bater os ovos com o açúcar até obter uma mistura cremosa e esbranquiçada,

3) Envolver suavemente a farinha peneirada,

4) Incorporar o chocolate derretido e o café,

5) À parte, misturar bem o doce, o coco e o gin,

6) Verter a massa numa forma rectangular forrada com papel vegetal, distribuir pequenas colheradas de doce por cima e levar ao forno a 160ºC durante cerca de 15 minutos,

7) Deixar arrefecer e cortar em pequenos quadrados.

Malibú Fudgy Brownies

- 200g 70% cocoa chocolate

- 120g butter

- 120 ml cold coffee

- 3 medium eggs

- 120g sugar

- 50g flour

- pepper, chili and ginger powder

- 200g orange marmalade

- 2 shredded coconut

- 1 tbsp gin

1) Melt chocolate with butter in a pan placed over another pan with simmering water; let cool,

2) Cream eggs and sugar,

3) Carefully mix in flour,

4) Mix in melted chocolate and coffee,

5) In a bowl, mix well the marmalade, coconut and gin,

6) Pour the batter over a rectangular cake pan, lined with parchment paper; spread the jam over and bake at 160ºC for about 15 minutes,

7) Let cool and cut into small squares.

not your usual brownie. { spiced brownies with salted caramel frosting }

Hey there, I have a new kitchen!

I finally moved to my new apartment last week - which I must say is oh-so-cozy - and have now the most itty-bitty kitchen I've probably ever cooked in. Nonwithstanding, it is incredibly practical and, somehow, it makes me eager to cook much more often!

I had been craving cake - actually the process of making it more than the real thing ;) - for a really long time... And then this 'World Baking Day' came and it was a Sunday, when all supermarkets are closed around here, and in my fridge, freezer and pantry one could count a box of pasta, yogurt, some tomato sauce, fruit, breakfast cereal a lot of frozen fish. Meaning... no cake material. No cake, no bake until yesterday. Yes, yesterday I finally got everything I needed and I had to do something big. This was it.

I was actually planning on not posting this recipe, because it got so decadent that I started thinking why shouldn't I have a secret recipe, and why shouldn't this be it. But I figured that you really deserve - and absolutely must - plunge into a batch of these.

I wish I had better pictures, but I keep using my really damaged iPhone camera. I hope that soon I'll be able to get the camera I've been dreaming of.

Brownies com um toque especial e cobertura de caramelo salgado

Brownies:

- 200g de chocolate Pantagruel

- 100g de manteiga

- 125g de açúcar

- 3 ovos

- 50g de farinha sem fermento

- 50ml de café forte frio

- uma pitada generosa de gengibre, pimenta, piri-piri moído

- uma pitada de sal

Molho de caramelo salgado:

- 1 chávena de açúcar

- 3 colheres de sopa de água

- 85g de manteiga, à temperatura ambiente

- 1/2 chávena de natas, à temperatura ambiente

- 1 colher de sobremesa de sal

Cobertura:

- 1/2 chávena de molho de caramelo salgado

- 250g de philadelphia

- 100g de manteiga

- 185g de açúcar em pó

Para o bolo, derreter o chocolate com a manteiga em banho maria,

Bater os ovos com o açúcar até obter uma mistura cremosa esbranquiçada,

Incorporar o café com um salazar,

Incorporar suavemente a farinha peneirada,

Por fim, incorporar o chocolate e os restantes ingredientes,

Verter sobre um tabuleiro fundo forrado com papel vegetal,

Levar ao forno a 150ºC durante cerca de 15 min,

Deixar arrefecer sobre uma rede e cortar em pequenos rectângulos

Para preparar o molho de caramelo salgado, derreter o açúcar numa panela alta sobre lume médio com a água, mexendo a princípio para dissolver homogeneamente, até obter uma cor âmbar e um aroma de caramelo torrado,

Juntar a manteiga e misturar energeticamente com um fouet,

Juntar as natas e envolver também,

Verter numa taça funda, deixar arrefecer. Pode se conservar no frigorífico.

Para fazer a cobertura, bater a manteiga com a philadelphia durante cerca de 2 minutos, até obter uma mistura homogénea e bem cremosa,

Bater o caramelo com esta mistura,

Acrescentar o açúcar em pó e bater até obter a consistência desejada. Se necessário juntar mais açúcar em pó.

Cobrir o bolo com a cobertura e polvilhar com confettis de chocolate.

Brownies with a kick with salted caramel frosting

Brownies:

- 200g Pantagruel chocolate

- 100g butter

- 125g sugar

- 3 eggs

- 50g flour

- 50ml strong coffee, cold

- a generous dash of ginger, pepper and dry chili pepper powder

- a dash of salt

Salted caramel sauce:

- 1 cup sugar

- 3 tbsp water

- 85g butter, room temperature

- 1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature

- 1/2 tbsp salt

Frosting:

- 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce

- 250g cream cheese

- 100g butter

- 185g powder sugar

To make the cake, melt the chocolate and butter over bain-marie,
Beat eggs with sugar down to a creamy whiter mixture,
Mix in the coffee,
Fold in the sifted flour,
Fold in chocolate and remaining ingredients,
Pour over a baking tray lined with parchment paper,
Bake at 150ºC for about 15 min,
Let cool completely before cutting small rectangles

To make the sauce, melt sugar with the water in a tall pot, mixing carefully until everything dissolves smoothly, and let cook until it reaches an ambar colour and the aroma of toffee caramel,

Add the butter and mix vigorously,

Add cream and repeat,

Pour in a jar, let cool. Can be stored in the refrigerator.

For the frosting, beat the butter and the cream cheese for about 2 minutes, to a creamy and homogeneous mixture,

Mix in the caramel,

Mix in the powder sugar and beat until reaching the desired consistency. Add extra sugar if needed.

Frost the brownies and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles.