Raspberry Smores Cheesecake Fail!

Last week I experimented with a new recipe - which, as you can see from the photo, didn't really work. The marshmallows started to burn so I had to take it out of the oven before the cheese had set so it ended up a watery, gooey, but yummy mess! I'm going to try it again today with a few alterations. If it works I'll post the recipe here on my blog asap.

Projekat Avant-Guarde Jajce 2012

 The art project for young people, which I mentioned a week or so ago, is now well underway.

 There are lots of different workshops going on over the next few weeks leading up to the big day on 3rd May.

 Yesterday we enjoyed the sun while painting wooden dolls.

These dolls will be left around town on the big day as part of an 'Art Drop'.

Each doll has a message attached to it letting the public know that they are free to take and wishing them a nice day.

flowers in the wilderness

Something cute I saw in town today.

Maybe a sign that spring is on it's way...

A bit of colour in a greyish world.

Apple and Cinnamon Doughnuts with Maple Syrup Glaze

I made these at the weekend as we had a guest who has given up eating chocolate for lent and so I needed to find something yummy but un-chocolatey to make. I found the recipe for the doughnuts at peaceloveandfrenchfries.com and the glaze I just made up. I changed the recipe a bit to fit with ingredients we have available here and I changed it to European measures.

Ingredients

Doughnuts:
340g apple sauce
1 egg
1 tbsp sunflower oil
100g brown sugar
280g all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:
6tbsp maple syrup
250g icing sugar

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 200C and thoroughly grease your doughnut pan.
In a large bowl mix together the apple sauce, egg, oil and sugar.
In another bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
Add the vanilla essence and mix well.
Pour the mixture into the doughnut pan making sure each doughnut hole is filled to no more than half way.
Put them in the oven on the middle shelf for about 8mins or until they have risen and are springy to the touch.
Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool on a wire rack.
This should make around 24 doughnuts.

When the doughnuts have cooled mix together the maple syrup and icing sugar until it is thoroughly combined and then spread the glaze onto the doughnuts.

Enjoy :)

Small beginnings...

I mentioned a week or so ago that we had a plan brewing for a big creative event for young people here in Jajce - the plan is still brewing and is coming along nicely. Today a group of us started limbering up for the big day. Small beginnings but hopefully the end result, when the day comes, will be fab!

Raspberry Cheesecake Flapjacks

Cream cheese is currently my favourite ingredient. I love the combination of cheese and sweet, of cheese and cake. A while ago we were in a restaurant which offered for dessert 'cheesecake of the day'. We asked the waiter which cheesecake they were offering . He was foreign and perhaps the concept of cheesecake was foreign to him because his answer was, 'it's a cheese and a cake!'. Even after we asked him a few times, trying out different wordings of the question, he still kept saying, 'it's a cheese and a cake!' We ordered it anyway and it turned out to be a very good honeycomb cheesecake.

Last night I made these Raspberry Cheesecake Flapjacks. It's an idea I've been mulling over in my mind for a few days and last night the idea made it into reality. Once again I think the combination of cheese and cake makes these a very yummy, possibly kind of healthyish snack.

Raspberry Cheesecake Filling:
125g low fat cream cheese
100g raspberries
100g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
1/2 a vanilla bean.

Flapjacks:
100g yoghurt butter (you can use normal butter, this is just lower fat)
100g brown sugar
300g oats
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 190C and line a brownie tin with baking paper.
In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese and icing sugar. Add the vanilla essence and vanilla bean seeds and mix well. Add the raspberries and mix until you have a deep pink creamy mixture.
In a saucepan melt the butter and sugar until they are combined. Take the pan off the heat and add the maple syrup and vanilla essence and mix well. Add the oats and mix until they are totally coated in the syrupy mixture.
Pour half the flapjack mixture into the cake tin and press down so it is evenly spread across the whole tin.
Pour the raspberry mixture over it and spread it out so it is evenly spread across the whole tin.
Add the rest of the flapjack mixture on top. Press it down lightly so it spreads evenly across the whole tin, but doesn't sink into the raspberry mixture.
Place it in the oven on the middle shelf and cook for 20mins.
Leave to cool.
When completely cold, cut into squares.

Another happy customer!

 This little bunny found it's way to it's owner today. It's always nice to receive positive feedback from customers.

 He always travels prepared, with a carrot in his bag. If you'd like to have a go at making a little carrot yourself then click here to go to my tutorial.