Thailand - Mango Sticky Rice
This week for ‘Baking around the world’ we’re in Thailand! I get excited every time I get to make something from a country so vastly different from the one I grew up in. It often means that their desserts are vastly different too. If you have ripe mangoes available, this is a perfect fresh dessert. It’s also an absolute breeze to make!
Slovenia - Kremna Rezina
This deliciously creamy pastry originates from Lake Bled in Slovenia. It's a pretty straight forward recipe but does require quite a few steps and some forethought as it needs time to set in the fridge. Similar pastries are eaten around the world. It particularly reminds me of a vanilla slice in the UK, which is one of my favourites. Two layers of crisp, buttery pastry filled with a set vanilla custard and fresh cream.
Romania - Cornulete cu gem
How cute are these?! I can’t imagine anyone that wouldn’t be thrilled to see these sitting atop your coffee table, ready to devour. These are made with a very tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth dough using sour cream and egg yolks.
Bulgaria - Garash Cake
This delightful Bulgarian cake is made up of 5 layers of walnut meringue sponge and chocolate cream filling. Once it’s firmed up in the fridge for a few hours, its then finished with a simple chocolate shell made with chocolate and oil. Little does anyone know what beautiful layers lay beneath.
Brazil - Pão de Queijo
These evoke strong memories from my days working in a 5 star hotel. On long shifts where we all needed a pick me up; one of the Brazilian chefs, Tony, would make these for us. They really perked us up and meant we all got to stop for 5 minutes to eat together. This is a really easy recipe and the tapioca flour is a must! It’s responsible for these Pão de Queijo’s iconic texture.
Sweden - Semlor
Typically eaten around Easter time these Cardamom buns are filled with a soft almond paste and finished off with a tall piping of lightly whipped vanilla cream. Delicious.