Mum’s Polish apple pie

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I’m back!!!

2014 was rather crazy.It was a great year, full of amazing opportunities and I truly appreciate every single one of them,but there was also very little time to be ‘me’,to read books, to walk for hours, to watch movies,to get bored…and I really missed that.So I made a pact with myself.January was going to be my month, filled with lazy breakfasts in bed, quality time with my family, and everything I love but didn’t have time to do.It felt right.

I enjoyed that little break, I feel it balanced my life and helped all my priorities fell into place and I’m so happy to be back! And here I am with a very special recipe that always reminds me of home and brings back sweet memories!Welcome Mum’s ‘Jabłecznik’ aka best Polish apple pie 🙂

You’ll find this recipe at Life and Thyme, where you can also read my little personal story and I really hope you’ll enjoy it!

I also have some GREAT NEWS!I’m very excited to announce that Bea’s cookbook is a finalist in
UK Blog Awards!!!I still don’t know who nominated me(husband promised it wasn’t him!) but whoever you are-Thank you!

See you guys very soon!

Bea xxx

MOUTHWATERING BLUEBERRY AND LEMON CAKE

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Hi!It’s just a quickie! I really wanted to share with you this lovely recipe that I made for In Clover magazine.

You should know me well enough to realized that I get excited about exciting recipes and I just cannot keep them to myself so I’m spreading the news!This cake is my “dream come true”. A cake that I want to make special memories with…bake it for our anniversary,my mum’s birthday,picnic party with friends and a lazy Sunday afternoon…It’s perfect.

MOUTHWATERING
BLUEBERRY AND LEMON CAKE
with almonds and maple syrup

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs
100g unrefined caster cane sugar
200g self-rising flour, sifted
120g ground almonds, sifted
60g unsalted butter, melted
juice and finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
40g almond flakes
60ml maple syrup
150g blueberries

+butter and ground almonds for greasing a tin

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180C.Grease a 19cm springform cake tin with butter and sprinkle with ground almonds. Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer for around 10 minutes until pale and tripled in volume. Add the flour, ground almonds, melted butter, lemon juice and grated lemon zest and gently mix to combine the ingredients. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter and transfer the mixture to the tin and spread it evenly. Sprinkle with the almond flakes, drizzle with 1/3 of maple syrup and bake for 50-55 minutes or until cooked and tested with a skewer.
Leave to cool for 15 minutes then carefully unclasp the tin and move the cake to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Brush the remaining maple syrup over the top and enjoy!

TIP: Halfway through baking, you can place a layer of baking paper or kitchen foil over the top of the cake to prevent over-browning.

HAPPY BAKING!

Eton Mess Cake for Bea’s cookbook 2nd birthday!

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2 years.

It feels totally crazy and makes my head spin around.After 24 months of blogging I think I’m not a new girl in town any more.I’ve been here for a little while now but with every passing day I discover more passion and joy for this space and for what I do.It just feels right.It feels like home.

Time flies.No doubt.I’m not discovering anything new here,I know.It will never stop amazing me though,how the things change,and how the way we look at things changes too.

I look at my reflection and see things I’ve never noticed before.I’ve got my dad’s wise eyes,my nan’s freckles,I walk like one of my brothers and laugh like the other one,I sound like my mum with every word I say.I’m a combination of everything around me.I change every day.I get to know myself every day.I choose what kind of person I want to become by looking around and absorbing what surrounds me.I steal from people and things,situations and places and let them make me a better version of myself.I learn.Every single day.

This blog is like me.It changes.Evolves.It reflects the things I am influenced by.The things I want to influence me.It echoes all the long conversations with people close to my heart,a place where I grew up,where I live now and places I can’t wait to see.It mirrors the joyful time spend behind the camera,long days of cooking,days of dancing around the kitchen and singing to the wooden spatula between flipping the pancakes,hours of hard work,frustration and failures,tons of experiments and learning to be patient.

It is an amazing journey.And THANK YOU for being it’s part.I often wonder if anyone visits this  world of mine(except for my husband of course 🙂 Hello darling!)…..If anyone reads the words I put together…….If anyone comes here to have a look at the pictures…..If anyone wants to “steal” a little something from me……
So if you are here,I’m smiling and waving to you.
Grab a piece of cake and relax,I hope you’ll stay with me for a longer while.

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This cake!!!It is as GOOD as it looks.I wanted to make it for a very long time,I was just waiting for a perfect moment.And this is a perfect moment 🙂

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RECIPE:

For the cake:
300g self raising extra fine flour /or plain flour with 3 teaspoons of baking powder
200g caster sugar
300g unsalted butter
4 eggs

For the cream:
600ml double cream
100g caster sugar
50g natural Greek style yogurt

Additionally:

900g strawberries
1-2 tablespoons caster sugar or honey or maple syrup
30g meringues,broken into pieces

I used flowers only for decoration 🙂

PREPARATION:

1.Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter a 20cm cake tin.In a large bowl, cream the butter with sugar until pale and fluffy.Add the eggs,one at a time,and beat until you get light and fluffy mixture. Beat well to get lots of air into the mixture.Add the flour and mix it in with a spoon until combine but don’t over-mix it.

2.Place the mixture in a tin and bake for around 50 minutes,even to one hour.Check it with a wooden skewer.If it comes out clean,it’s ready!

3.Leave it to cool completely and cut the cake into three layers.Draw the line around the cake with a smaller knife and then use a bigger one to slice it.Hold the top of the cake with your one hand and slice with the other.

4.To make the filling, beat the cream with sugar until smooth and creamy.Fold in the yogurt.

5.Place 500g strawberries into a blender and pulse it until you get a nice thick strawberry mixture with some visible strawberry pieces.Add sugar,honey or maple syrup if necessary.Some strawberries are sweet enough and don’t need a sweetener.

6.FUN TIME:Place the first layer of the cake on a plate or tray,spread 1/3 of the cream on top,cover it with 1/3 of blended strawberries,repeat two more times.

7.Before serving:sprinkle broken meringues on the top and decorate with the whole or halved strawberries.

Note:You could also use more broken meringues and place then between the layers but to do that it’s best to assemble the cake just before the serving because the meringue will dissolve in cream if left for longer.

Enjoy xxx