Pound Cake with Berries - Vintage Look

Last Sunday we were invited by our friends for dinner at their place. It was a nice day with the right temperature so we ate outside on the terrace. As usual, I love bringing dessert so I made this delicious pound cake with mixed berries. On top , the light mascarpone frosting added the final and perfect touch to the cake. Everybody was really enjoying it and I must say I was the perfect ending to a great Sunday :)

Here is the recipe that I made.

INGREDIENDS:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lime zest
1 cup frozen/ fresh mixed berries

Mascarpone cream cheese frosting:
4 oz Mascarpone, room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a round  medium pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper as well. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In stand mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, throughly mixing each time. Add vanilla extract and lime zest, mixing until combined.

Pour flour mixture over the batter mixture. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour until it’s completely mixed in and there are no pockets of dry flour. Lastly, gently fold in the berries.

Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit until cool, at least 30 minutes and then remove from pan.

In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Beat in vanilla extract.

Carefully frost on top of the cooled poundcake and store in fridge until ready to serve.

Photo Credit Emi Trasnitu

Berries gallete

This is my first time making gallete :) I always preferred  to make the classic version of a tart, but this rustic version is just as nice and I decided to give it a try.

I made my gallete with all kind of berries, but because they are not in season anymore and what you find in stores are very expensive I had to use the frozen ones. But in the end everything went super delicious and I'm really pleased with the result. Actually in the mix of berries I found some wild strawberries (those small and deliciousss strawberries) and they gave to my gallete a unique flavor.

I used my favorite sweet tart dough which I think is the best. I tried a few, but I think this is a great one. It's easy to make and it stays only 30 minutes in the fridge. Ohhh... and its buttery taste is divine!

What can I say more... this gallete really fed my soul and my belly (2 and a half portions :D)

Here is the recipe :)

INGREDIENTS:

Sweet tart dough

•  1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 1 stick of butter (4 ounces), cut into small pieces
• 1 egg
• 2-3 tablespoons cold water

Berries filling

• 2 cups berries ( raspberries, wild strawberries, blackberries, bluerries and red currants)
•  ½ cup sugar, adjust to taste
•  1 tablespoons orange juice
•  4 tablespoons of tapioca or corn starch

DIRECTIONS:

Sweet tart dough preparation
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and mix.

Add the butter pieces, in batches, and pulse until mixed.

Add the egg and the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until clumps of dough start to form.

 Remove the dough from the food processor and knead it gently.

Mold the dough into a flattened thick disc, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Put the berries in a bowl, add the orange juice, sugar and tapioca or corn starch. Mix well and let rest for at least 30 minutes, stirring every once in a while. 

Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C.
On a floured sheet of wax paper, roll out the dough into a circle. Trim the edges if needed.

Put the dough on to a lightly greased tart pan.

Spread the berries mixture in the middle of pie dough (see photo).

Fold the dough over berries, overlapping at intervals (see photo).

Place it in the preheated oven.
Bake the tart between  20-35 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche.

Photos by Emi Trasnitu