Simple Tuna Pasta Salad

I crave salads lately. Blame it on the hot weather or whatever, but summer is the time of the year that turns me into a salad monster. Salads are very easy and very quick to prepare which is another plus, right? Besides, you don't have to turn on the oven to make a simple dish. 

What I like about this salad is the tuna. I love tuna! You can use this delicious fish in so many recipes. I have already posted a delicious and really easy tuna spread. This salad is a pasta salad, which besides tuna contains lots of veggies and of course, pasta. Win-win for a great meal.

You need:

500 grams pasta of choice

1 cucumber,  peeled and diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 table spoons capers,

3 table spoons mayonnaise

Juice of one lemon

2 cans tuna fish

First, cook the pasta and drain well. Set aside to cool completely. Meanwhile put all of the veggies in a medium sized bowl and mix with the tuna. Add the pasta and season with lemon juice and mayonnaise. 

Chocolate Cherry Cake

It is summer time! I love summer, sun and those long evenings outside with friends and great food. And when I think of summer food, I think of cherries. Aren't they the ultimate summer fruit? So fresh and juicy and they always taste best when eaten straight from the cherry tree.

You need:

100 grams fine grind almonds

100 grams chocolate

180 grams sugar

125 grams flour

2 table spoons baking powder

200 grams butter, melted

1 tea spoon vanilla

1 table spoon cinnamon

4 eggs

250 grams stoneless, fresh cherries

First, melt the chocolate in a double boiler and set aside. Combine eggs and sugar in a big mixing bowl and mix until fluffy. Add almonds, the melted chocolate, butter, cinnamon, flour and baking powder. Mix well until combined. Pour the batter in a lined cake pan. Arrange the cherries on top and bake for 25 minutes on 190°C.

Pre-bake

Peach Charlotte

You already know I have a thing for fruity desserts, but this one is the easiest ever. Really. Charlotte is one of the desserts I have loved when I was a kid, and today I still like it even though the real reason we eat a lot of Charlotte lately is my sister, who is obsessed with it.

Charlotte is the ultimate summer dessert; light, fruity, packed with flavor and doesn't require baking. I have to warn you however, this recipe is not the original Charlotte recipe. This one is my version of it. I know how a Charlotte looks and tastes like, but believe me – this one is much easier to do and tastes just like any other.

You need:

12 ladyfingers

2 cans peach halves in juice

2 cups heavy cream

8 table spoons sugar

1 tea spoon vanilla

First, drain the peach halves and cut them into chunks. Then put the peach chunks in a blender and mix them until smooth (or if you wish, a bit chunky). Beat the heavy cream together with the sugar and vanilla until soft peaks start to form and set five table spoons aside. Combine the rest of the cream with the peach mixture. Mix well and set aside. Prepare small glass bowls and start making your Charlotte; put three table spoons of the peach mixture in the bowl. Then stand four ladyfingers upright around side of the bowl. Put the remaining heavy cream on top. Let cool.

Apple Dumplings

Do you love apples like I do? I am a huge fan of apples and eat at least two a day. Of course, I love other fruit too, but apples are the numero uno when it comes to fruit. When I go to buy some, I tend to buy too many and then I start baking apple pies or eat them with peanut butter, which is a great snack by the way! Or I make this great dish, called Apple Dumplings.

You might notice this dish does not look fancy and appetizing at all, but trust me it is amazing. It is such an easy recipe and you can do it in minutes, and have a great breakfast/dinner/dessert ready.

You need:

500 grams apples of choice (Granny Smith are probably the best here)

1 egg

150 grams flour

A pinch of salt

½ cup sugar

½ cup bread crumbs

3 table spoons butter

Peel the apples and grate them. Let them stand for a few minutes and pour the liquid into a glass and drink it because you don't need the juice here. Put the apples together with the flour and salt into a medium sized bowl and mix well with a spoon. Now use your hands and try to form dumplings. Remember that your hands have to be a bit wet so the batter doesn't stick to it. Pour 2 liters of water in a bigger pot and bring to a boil.Carefully put the dumplings in and cook until they start to float to the top. This may take five minutes or so. Remove them from the water and set aside. Put the butter, sugar and bread crumbs in a medium sized sauce pan and let it slightly brown over low heat. Add the dumplings and turn them a few times in the mixture. Serve.

Polenta Pizza

You know those days when you don't feel like cooking but you have to? Yes, I do have a few of such days in the year and I actually really like them. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook and it is my favorite hobby, but when I come back from work or the faculty exhausted I don't want to cook a fancy meal.

This is when Polenta comes in handy. Polenta is my favorite dish ever. Ever! I could eat it every day, no matter what. If you, by any weird reason, haven't tried Polenta yet – go to the store and buy it. It is the numero uno comfort food. So, once you discover the beautiful Polenta world, your cooking will change. I like my Polenta in a trillion ways. For example, when I want an old-school dinner that reminds me of childhood, I cook it and pour some cold milk over. Or when I want something special and yet a classic, I do this Pizza.

This is an easy recipe and everyone can make it. You need 15 minutes and your favorite pizza toppings. And Polenta, of course.

You need:

3 cups water

1 cup Polenta

Pizza toppings of choice (mozzarella, cheese, ketchup, olives, origano, ham, turkey etc.)

First, bring the water to boil and add the polenta. Stir constantly until thickened, this may take about 5 minutes. When cooked, pour into a baking tin (medium sized, or bigger if you want a thin layer of Polenta) and leave to cool down. Once it is cold, put toppings on it; I used ketchup as a base and then put mozzarella cheese, tuna chunks, olives and shredded Gouda on top. Put in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.

Peanut Thai Noodles

Hello readers! I am back!!! It feels so good to finally start blogging again. I have taken two weeks off writing The Cake Baby because I was on teaching practice and couldn't find the time to sit down and write a post. In case you're wondering, I am a student teacher, have a part time job as well as a social life :)) but enough personal details; I can't wait to read what all of my favorite bloggers were up to. 

I still have lots of delicious recipes to share and a lot to write so you will see The Cake Baby with crazy good stuff for the next months. 

One of the things I absolutely love is spicy food. I could eat it every day. This recipe is really easy and it is so quickly done. You just need to cook the noodles and in the mean time the sauce is ready, too. I was searching for a perfect Thai noodle recipe forever, but I couldn't find a good one. Either you need crazy ingredients that you don't have in your kitchen when you need them, or it takes forever to make the sauce. So I made this sauce that is just perfect, I think.

For one serving you need:

1/4 cup water

3 table spoons Peanut Butter (I use smooth, but you can use crunchy if you want)

1 table spoon olive oil

1 table spoon honey

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tea spoon chili powder

1 table spoon ginger (I use the powdered version, you can use fresh if you have it in your kitchen)

First cook the pasta of choice and drain well. While the pasta is cooking, put all of the above ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over low heat until it starts to boil. Remove from heat and mix with the pasta. Serve.

Happy Easter

The Cake Baby wishes you happy Easter!!!