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!!!

Sacher Torte

Today's recipe is a real classic. The famous Sacher Cake. My sister loves this cake and wants to eat it every weekend. I love it too, but I am more of a fruit cake fan. This recipe is really old and I don't know from where I have it, but it is really really good. I have tried a million Sacher Cake's from the local stores, and believe me you don't want to know what some stores sell as a Sacher Cake. It should be illegal.

For the sponge:

150 grams butter

150 grams flour

150 grams sugar

150 grams chocolate (with 60% cocoa)

1 table spoon milk

1 tea spoon vanilla

2 tea spoons baking powder

6 eggs

For the filling:

5 generous table spoons apricot jam

For the glaze:

100 grams chocolate (with 60% cocoa)

100 grams butter

First, add milk and butter to the chocolate and melt it on a double boiler. Once melted, set aside to cool a bit. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and set aside. Add sugar to the chocolate butter mixture and mix well. Add the yolks and mix with a whisk or a electric mixer. Next add the vanilla.

In a separate bowl add the baking powder to the flour and slowly, with continuous mixing add to the chocolate mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff and carefully blend the meringue to the batter. Now put the batter into a greased round baking pan and bake for 40 minutes on 180°C.

When baked, set aside to cool down completely, then cut the sponge in half. Heat the apricot jam in a small pan or in a microwave and spread it out on one half of the cake. Place the other half on top and spread the rest of the jam on top. Make the glaze by melting the chocolate together with butter over low heat. Pour it all over the cake and leave to set.

Lemon Poppyseed Donuts

Lemons are one of my favorite ingredients when it comes to baking. I love the smell of it in baked cookies or the gorgeous color when you squeeze the juice out of it. I always wanted to bake these donuts, but since my father really hates poppyseeds I decided better not. Well, I couldn't stop thinking about those perfect little polka dot babies, so I finally made them the other day. And you know what? My father liked them. Win-win.

For the donuts:

1/2 cup fat-free milk

4 tablespoons fat-free yogurt

1 1/2 cups all purpose white flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

juice + zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon poppyseeds

For the glaze:

4 tablespoons fat-free yogurt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon cornflour

Mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl (milk, yogurt, butter, egg, lemon juice) and the rest of the ingredients in another bigger sized bowl. Pour the wet mix to the dry ingredients and stirr until combined. Do not overmix! Pour the batter in the greased donut tin and bake for 15 minutes on 180°C. 

Remove to a wire wrack and leave to cool before drizzling with the lemon yogurt glaze which is made by beating all the glaze ingredients together.

New Design

Hello readers!

I just wanted to stop by to announce that The Cake Baby has a new design. Isn't it gorgeous??

Pesto and Mozzarella Pasta Salad

Another go-to recipe today. I know that these are everyone's favorites. 

I just discovered pesto a few days ago. Shame on me, right? I always wanted to try it, but somehow couldn't decide what to do with it. I was such a fool! Pesto is great. My sis loves it in her sandwich and I love it on my pasta. Problem solved. 

When I saw this recipe I knew I have to make it. Now this pasta salad is on my favorite dishes list. 

120 grams pasta of choice, cooked and drained

2 tomatoes, cut small

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

2 table spoons Pesto

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Serve cold and enjoy.