Guest post: You CAN have your cake & eat it too!

Sunday, December 8, 2013



Hi lovelies! I just came back from my trip to Budapest, where I unfortunately didn't have internet, so I'm a bit late with posting the lovely Neja's guest post. She prepared a recipe for macarons, which will surely be made in my house soon! I love her beautiful blog and she is such a lovely girl, so I'm so thankful she decided to cooperate with me. Thank you, gorgeous! <3 Don't forget to visit You CAN Have Your Cake And Eat It Too!



Živa brightened my day when she invited me, to write a post for her blog. I regularly read her posts, because I like her energy, funny way of writing and accessibility. Sweet girl all the way!

I was thinking what to cook for her blog. It seemed to me that most suitable recipe would be something sweet, small. Something that most girls love. Macarons are so romantic, photogenic, French. Girls like to indulge in something sweet when we meet for coffee with a friend. At home, we love to prepare ourselves a cup of tea, pick a favorite book or TV series, put on something comfy, and of course, something sweet must be in the mix. Now you can try to make these little fellas yourself.
With love, Neja










Ingredients

  • 100 grams blanched, ground almonds (make sure to grind more than 100 grams)
  • 100-110 grams egg whites aged 1 day at room temperature
  • 15 grams cocoa powder or food coloring
  • 185 grams powdered sugar
  • 4 tablespoons sugar

The process

1. Grind the almonds in a mixer or a food processor. Push the almond flour through a sieve to get rid of any large pieces or lumps.
2. Mix the powdered sugar and cocoa powder or food coloring  together with the ground almonds in a food processor.
3. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with a hand- or stand mixer. As the egg whites start foaming, add the sugar one tablespoon at a time and continue whipping until the mixture is glossy and stiff. You should be able to hold the bowl upside down without the meringue sliding out.
4. Fold the dry mix carefully and slowly into the meringue, use a spatula. Don't overmix!
5.. Fill your piping bag and pipe the macarons onto a baking sheet. Don't pipe too much of the mixter, because it spreads. Let them set for 60 minutes to form a dry skin.
6. Preheat the oven to 150° C. Bake for about 14 minutes. Let cool completely, then spread caramel on them and sandwich them together.

For the ganache filling:
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), at room temperature and cut into cubes


The process

Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl.
Warm the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to boil. Stir it into the chocolate without creating bubbles. Let sit for 1 minute. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until thickened but still spreadable, about 30 minutes.

To assemble:

Pair macarons of similar size. Remove the ganache from the refrigerator. If you choose to pipe the ganache, transfer it to a resealable plastic bag and snip about a 1/2 inch off a bottom corner. Squeeze or scoop the ganache to about the size of a cherry (about 1 teaspoon) onto the center of a macaron half.




Oooh, I'm so excited to have this beautiful post on my blog. The photos are just as lovely as Neja herself *sugar overload*. Well, I for one cannot wait to make these, and make sure to let us know if you will, too. By the way, check back tomorrow for my video of my Budapest haul. xx

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