Slightly Sweet, Slightly Sour: Raspberries and Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

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I’ve always been intrigued with the idea of substituting certain ingredients when baking desserts, but have never been a big fan of eating them myself. I’ll eat anything if I don’t know it’s been altered. Even if I can’t taste the difference, my mind won’t let me forget that I’m eating a fake version of something. I assume it’s because my mother used to sneak celery and carrots into my favourite dishes as a child, and I’m still getting over that trauma.

However, when I tried out Lianne’s  chocolate olive oil cake with fresh raspberries containing zero flour or butter, I was positively surprised.

Not only did it taste and smell nice, it also looked great too. I really loved the way the red raspberries created a lovely contrast against the dark brown chocolate cake.

The cake didn’t rise much and the texture was rather grainy because of the raspberry seeds and the ground up almonds, but the semi sweet taste with a hint of  sourness went so nicely with a glass of red wine.

The original recipe is by Nigella Lawson (click here for the recipe), and the idea of adding raspberries is Lianne’s.

I had a bag of frozen raspberries that needed to be used up, so I added the whole 400g bag into the cake batter and it turned out just fine.

This cake definitely tasted  different, and was much lighter than a traditional chocolate cake. I’m not sure if this will be a hit with the kids, but I’ll keep the recipe for when my future dinner host duties calls for a special dietary dessert.

Homemade Zopf (Swiss braided bread) and Life in Switzerland

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Setting up home in a new place is always hard, but it’s especially harder in a new country. I’ve moved around so much in the first two decades of my life, I thought I’d get used to it at some point, but sadly, I never did and think I never will. I hate saying byes. I despise that word so much that I wish I can delete that word from every person’s vocabulary if I can. It’s such a hopeless and useless word, there is really nothing ‘good’ about saying goodbyes.

One of my biggest and most difficult move to date was my move to Switzerland a few years ago. I’d be outright lying if I told you that I love it here, but that doesn’t mean I hate it here either. Besides those moments when I feel like an elephant in the room, I usually manage alright. I just keep trying; trying to learn the language, walk under new weather conditions, and go, see, do as much as I can. It’s not easy though. If I’m completely honest with you, it’s really tough. However, one of the most valuable things I’ve learnt to bridge cultures is through food. The world always seems like a better place when everyone’s bellies are full with delicious food. I’m all about the food. Oh, and flowers. I’ll probably end any kind of war if my opposition offered peace with those two little things.

One of the first things I learnt to bake when I arrived in Switzerland was a very traditional Swiss bread called the Zopf. It’s an incredibly delicious loaf of bread which can be braided into different shapes and sizes using either one or up to four strands of dough at a time. 

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Murten: An Underrated Lakeside Town of Switzerland

Last Sunday S and I discovered the beautiful lakeside town of Murten in Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland, by pure chance. When our plan to go on a cycle tour around lake Murten fell through, we decided to take a stroll around town anyway and were quickly intrigued by what we found.

Just a few streets down from the Murten train station, the historic defence tower and wall still stands strong and intact around the town’s periphery.

Murten Switzerland

Past the gate, we found a staircase leading up on to the defence wall for the public to access for free. 

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So we walked along the wall to find yet another set of stairs leading up to the defence tower. 

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So, we climbed up the stairs to find this magnificent view of the town and the lake. 

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I was particularly fascinated by their chimney pots. Just look at these things!

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 Then we slowly made our way across the crowd of people at the Sunday market and eventually ended up at the lake.  The beautiful narrow streets were lined with rows of magnificently preserved buildings, but there were too many people and market stalls to take a photo that would justify the beauty of this place.

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It was quite windy by the lake, so there were windsurfers and people out on yachts doing their thing on the water while kids were flying kites on dry land. I guess there will be a lot of people on the paddle boats too during summer.

I love the fact that both locals or tourists can enjoy strolling around Murten without feeling overwhelmed by each other. There is a continuous concrete walkway along the edge of the water which is wide enough for joggers, skaters and the like to share and enjoy the waterfront with walkers too. Always a big plus point for any lakeside town. Plus, there are free clean public toilets every where, particularly along the lake. 

I could not have been more pleased that our cycling tour got postponed that day. It would not have crossed my mind to stop and take a look around otherwise. I found Murten to be a very charming place that is definitely worth a second visit with a pair of roller blades next time.

The Light and Fluffy Swiss-style Apple Tart

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The Swiss have a thing for tarts, and I love them for it. The apple tart (Apfelwähe, in German) has got to be the most popular type, and luckily it’s my favourite too.

The Apfelwähe is so popular that you’re bound to come across it more than once during a prolonged stay in Switzerland. You’ll find it almost anywhere, whether it’s on a the local’s dinner table or at countless market stands, supermarkets and bakeries.

My hypothesis is that if you were to ask any kitchen savvy Swiss to recite the Apfelwähe recipe in the middle of the street, they’ll be able to do so. However, finding a willing Swiss who will gladly do it is another story.

I’m content with using this simple recipe I found online using only apples, milk, sugar, eggs and a short crust pastry. It’s the tastiest and by far the easiest apple tart recipe à la Swiss-style I’ve ever come across.

Swiss-style Apple Tart Recipe

(Slightly adapted from Saisonküche, the original recipe is here, in German)

For the short crust pastry base:

(to fit a 28cm diameter tin)

  • 250 g Flour
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 125 g Cold butter
  •  80 ml Water

For the dry filling:

  • 4 Granny Smith apples, approx. 1 kg, cored and sliced
  • 2 Tbsp Ground almonds

For the wet filling:

  • 250 ml Cream or milk
  • 3 Free-range eggs
  • 2 Tbsp Sugar

Here’s what you need to do:

  • Before you do anything else, prepare the short crust pastry first by combining all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Form the dough into a rough ball, wrap it up and chill for 30 minutes.

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1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C .

Roll out the dough about 3mm thick to fit your baking tin, or just place it directly on to a lined baking tin and push it into place with your fingertips.

Prick the base with a fork, then spread a thin layer of ground almonds. Starting from the rim, arrange the apple slices to your liking. Bake for 15 minutes in the middle of the oven.

2. Whisk all the ingredients for the wet filling together and pour it directly onto the hot tart. Pop it in the oven again for another 15 minutes.

3.  If the centre wobbles , leave it in there a little longer. Otherwise, you’re done!

This apple tart is delicious as is straight out of the oven, but we prefer eating it cold with a dash of cream on top. We’ll eat it like that at any time of the day; first breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, tea time, supper or as a snack, you name it.

If you need to use up a bag of apples, this is the bee’s knees!

FYI, click here for an interesting read about the difference between a pie and a tart.

DIY: Coffee Bean Candle Holders

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Inspired by this and this, I made these sweet little coffee bean tea light candle holders today. Yes, it’s true and tested – the room will end up smelling so good from freshly brewed coffee once the candles warm up the coffee beans.

To make these gorgeous little decor pieces, you’ll need:

  • Small glass jars  (I used yogurt glasses, but baby food or jam jars will also work)
  • Some twine
  • Handful of coffee beans
  • Tea light candles
  • Hot glue gun (to secure the twine around the rim)

The photo is pretty self-explanatory, so I’m sure you know what to do next.

Remember to recycle the glasses if you decide to get rid of them later ;)

Picnicking in Bern’s Matte District

I used to commute to Bern everyday for the last couple of years, but I never really explored the city properly until now. Besides the main tourist attractions and my usual travel routes, I was absolutely clueless. I naively thought that I knew the place pretty well because of how often I was there, but in reality I actually spent most of my time cooped up inside buildings full of books and typing until my fingers felt numb. Luckily, I’m no longer deskbound so I geared myself up with a picnic mat, sunnies and a backpack full of food, and met S in town to go picnicking by the riverside in Matte, Bern.

It was my first time going down to the river in Bern. I’ve always admired the Aare river from afar – particularly from the elevated lookout located behind the Parliament building – so it was really nice to hangout right next to the river this time.

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We went down a set of zigzag stairs located right before the Kirchenfeld bridge (Kirchenfeldbrücke), which led us out of the hustle and bustle of the city and into a noticeably quieter place. As we walked through the little streets of old town Bern, I was absolutely gobsmacked at how well the old buildings and houses were preserved. I was especially impressed with the rowhouses on Mühlenplatz. 

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We ended up on the other side of the river with an ample view towards the Bear park (BärenPark), so we had to stop and wave hello to Mr Bear, of course. We then continued our walk along the Aare river and found a nice grass patch to have our picnic before heading back home again.

We really loved exploring this beautifully tranquil side of Bern. Since it’s located just a few minutes away from the inner city and is easily accessible by foot, I imagine us spending more evenings here when summer rolls around.


Weekend Baking: Apple Sponge Top

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After enjoying a week full of sunshine, the weather is taking a wet turn for the weekend. It’s easy to feel under the weather when the wind picks up and the sky darkens at noon already, so I decided to bake something nice to keep my spirits high and for S who will be coming home from work in the rain. I like making warm desserts when the temperature cools down, so with my rainy day music on repeat (like this song or this one), I tackled the bag of apples sitting on my kitchen benchtop and settled on making an apple sponge top for dessert tonight. I believe that this may also be referred to as the apple sponge pudding too.

I adapted it slightly from the original recipe from Foodhub (click here for the recipe). I omitted the berries and added 1/4 more milk to the sponge batter. When it was done baking, I served it with whipped cream instead of custard. 

The verdict?

It ticks all my boxes. It’s melt-in-your-mouth good, fluffy, sweet, smells divine and very simple to make. I think this apple sponge top is a nice alternative to other baked apple dessert varieties like the apple crumble, pies or tarts.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

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S will find any excuse to take in baked goods to work, so I often find myself baking chocolate chip muffins for him to take when I’m strapped for time. It’s quick and easy to make and a definite crowd-pleaser.

I know there are only ten chocolate chip muffins in the photo. I initially made twelve large muffins, but we both had to test one out each because a tiny bite would not have been sufficient enough to pass QC. Yes, we take QC very seriously in this household. ;)

Here’s what you need and have to do to bake these lovely muffins:

Gigi’s Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe (adapted from Nigella’s recipe)

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 cup milk
2 organic eggs, whisked
1 tsp vanilla essence
90 g melted unsalted butter
pinch of salt
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Chuck everything into a large bowl and mix well.
  3. Line the muffin tray and spoon in the mixture 2/3 full. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the  top.
  4. Bake on the lower half of the oven for 20 minutes.  Done!
If you prepare all the ingredients in advance, you’ll whip these babies up in a jiffy. Enjoy!