Tea Party

Last Saturday I hosted a tea party for some of my friends and neighbors. It was a nice and shinny day outside, just perfect for this kind of party.
We had a really good time together, chatting and laughing. 

For this occasion I made a selection of sweets such as cupcakes, tarts, raspberry - lemon bars and a mini rainbow cake. As my mother was also here, she made her delicious choux à la crème and they were the favorite.

To refresh our selves,  I made a special ice tea blend that I bought from London and also I created my own cocktail.  We also had Hugo, Prosecco, Apple Cider and an interesting turquoise cocktail brought as a gift by my friend Andreea, that was the ladies favorite ;)

Here you can see more photos with what I have prepared for the party. Some of the recipes you'll find later on the blog :) Sorry for the quality of some photos, they were taken with my phone :D 
Enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Strawberry - Blackberry Tart

Baking tarts and pies is another favorite of mine. And this time I made a tart with a sweet vanilla filling called '' liaison de tart'' in french (which I've seen that's really used here in Switzerland and I decided to give it a try) and fresh blackberries and strawberries. 

 I made my sweet tart dough and the combination was great. You have to give it a try.
I love how all blended together and the result was amazing. Here is my sweet and sour tart. 

 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

Filling: 

• 1 package vanilla '' liaison de tart''
• 1 cup chopped strawberries
• 1 cup blackberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and mix.

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

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

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

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

6. On a floured sheet of wax paper, roll out the dough into a thin sheet that is a couple inches larger than the tart pan you plan to use – it’s okay if it extends beyond the edges of sheet of wax paper.

7. Carefully flip the wax paper and the sheet of rolled pastry dough on to a lightly greased tart pan. Gently press the dough with your fingers onto the mold, start at the center and move outward. Use a rolling pin to roll over the edges and remove any excess dough from the edges. If you want you can leave a ½ - 1 inch to wrap around the edges of the pan – this will help prevent the crust from shrinking. 

8. Prick the tart shell with a fork and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use. 

9. Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C. 

10. Transfer the blackberries and chopped strawberries on the unbaked tart shell.

11. Prepare the filling as written on the package and pour it slowly over the fruits. Place the tart in the preheated oven.

12. Bake the tart for about 35-40 minutes or until the crust is golden. 

Photo credit: Emi Trasnitu

Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

Last week was awful in Zurich. I stayed a lot inside with my toddler which was more then happy to destroy the house. Toys all over the place and my stuff spreed everywhere. It was so hard to find my measuring cups... But when I found them, these delicious muffins were made ;)

I really can't decide if strawberries are my favorites or not. They are  definitely in top 3, but which place? It's a tight battle between them and watermelon. Maybe I should put them in  first joint place.

I love cheesecake and I love strawberries and when I saw this recipe , I knew I have to try it. Immediately!!! And this is the result!

They were a great snack for my toddler, as I cut down the sugar in the recipe. And, of course, my hubby ate them all. Who wouldn't? They are delicious, fruity and really moist.

Here is the recipe as I found it.
Happy baking!


INGREDIENTS:

MUFFINS:

• 2 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 cups chopped Strawberries

FILLING:

• 4 oz Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 beaten egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla

TOPPING:

• 1/4 cup Flour
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 3 tbsp Butter

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400.
Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners or spray with non-stick spray.
Combine 2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl and mix well.
Beat together 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup oil, egg and 1/2 cup sugar in another bowl.
Add flour mixture to milk mixture just until well combined. Do not over mix.

In another bowl, cream together the filling ingredients until smooth.

In another bowl, mix together the dry topping ingredients, then cut in the butter with a fork until you get a grainy mixture (mine wasn't grainy at all)

In each liner, put a tablespoon of the muffin batter then a few strawberry pieces, then a half
tablespoon of the filling, about a half tablespoon of topping, another layer of batter then fruit and finally remaining topping.
Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Let cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes and then transfer cooling rack.

Photo credit: Emi Trasnitu

Strawberry rhubarb tart

I know that is supposed to be a blog with cupcake recipes only, but once in a while I try these amazing recipes and I would love to share them with you. And this is one of them! Strawberry rhubarb tart :D
I dont't know about you, but I am a tart lover. I love fruits and every dessert you can make with them. Tarts are my favorites since I was little.

Now, rhubarb is quite new for me. I have discovered it 2 years ago in Jamie's Oliver recipes. I just love his recipes with rhubarb. And for some time I found out that is great in tarts because it gives the sour element I'm looking for. If you're a fan of it you can try the rhubarb jam. It's amazing :)

This recipe is really nice. Nice, easy and delicious! You make it from scratch  and with fresh fruits. Please don't buy the frozen dough. This one is so simple to make and it's all worth it ;)

Here is it!

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

Rhubarb strawberry filling

•  2 cups of diced rhubarb, about 10 oz or 2-3 stalks
•  2 cups of diced strawberries, about 12 oz
•  ½ cup sugar, adjust to taste
•  1 tablespoons lemon juice
•  4 tablespoons of tapioca or corn starch

To serve

•  Vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche

DIRECTIONS:

Strawberry rhubarb filling 

1. Combine the diced rhubarb and strawberry in a bowl, add the lemon juice, sugar and tapioca or corn starch. Mix well and let rest for at least 30 minutes, stirring every once in a while. 

Sweet tart dough preparation 

2. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and mix.

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

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

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

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

7. On a floured sheet of wax paper, roll out the dough into a thin sheet that is a couple inches larger than the tart pan you plan to use – it’s okay if it extends beyond the edges of sheet of wax paper.

8. Carefully flip the wax paper and the sheet of rolled pastry dough on to a lightly greased tart pan. Gently press the dough with your fingers onto the mold, start at the center and move outward. Use a rolling pin to roll over the edges and remove any excess dough from the edges. If you want you can leave a ½ - 1 inch to wrap around the edges of the pan – this will help prevent the crust from shrinking. 

9. Prick the tart shell with a fork and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.

Baking the tart

10. Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C.

11. Pour the rhubarb strawberry filling into the tart and place it in the preheated oven. 

12. Bake the tart for about 35-40 minutes or until the crust is golden. 

Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream or  creme fraiche. 

 Envoy this great summer treat!

Photos by EMI TRASNITU