Desserts and Sweet Treats | Finding Feasts

Apple Galette aka The Easiest Apple Tart Ever

Apple Galette aka The Easiest Apple Tart Ever is a recipe that you will use continuously from this point on … I promise!

A lot of people feel there is too much time and effort needed in making their own pastry, let alone a flaky pastry, but, being a rather lazy cook myself I know that this one will turn you into a pastry maker forever.

The pastry is done in a food processor in under 1 minute. It is then pressed into a ball and placed into the fridge till you are ready to roll it out and add the filling… See! So incredibly easy. You really can’t mess this pastry recipe up.

Once you’ve got the pastry, the filling combinations are endless; peach, berries, rhubarb, whatever.

If you want to make a savoury filling, say a mushroom galette, then omit the sugar and use half a whole wheat flour for added savouriness. Cook down the filling so as to not make the pastry soggy, making sure the filling is completely cold before placing on the pastry and cook for the 40 minutes or so.

Tip: cover the base of the rolled out pastry with a thinnish layer of flour that will absorb any excess liquid from your filling.

This is an amazingly simple recipe for an end result that is an incredible centrepiece.

Happy pastry sculpting, Blondie 🙂

Blondie16 Comments

Szarlotka – Polish Apple Cake

Finding Feasts Szarlotka Apple Cake — Click on image for recipe

Szarlotka – Polish apple cake – If I had to make a choice between a sweet and savoury dish I would definitely choose savoury, unless a plate of my mum’s yummy apple cake otherwise known as Szarlotka was put in front of me!

Szarlotka is somewhat similar to an apple pie however the top and bottom is of a much different consistency and the apple mixture is far less sweet. Mum has also from time to time added raisins, although as a child I hated that version. Raisins were these strange unknown little brown ‘bits’ that didn’t sit well with me. The topping can vary too from a sweet short-crust pastry to a sweet crumble, very similar to an apple crumble pie.

The recipe I have posted here is one that my mum has been making for years and if challenged she could most likely make it from scratch with her eyes closed! It’s a recipe that takes me back to my childhood memories, especially the ones where I could have endless slices and not worry about the side effects like having to count the calories! Ahh those days a long gone!

Mum would always let the cake rest and cool first before serving it up, but I love it whilst its still warm and sometimes have some vanilla ice cream on the side! Equally delish the very next day, warmed up in the oven.

… enjoy

Bella

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Individual Chocolate Chip Cookie Pots

These Individual Chocolate Chip Cookie Pots are microwave cookies baked in seconds with only minutes of prep work required. They are insanely good and just perfect for those moments when a few mouthfuls of something warm, soft and slightly gooey is all that’s needed to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Just picture yourself sitting on the couch, all rugged up with woollen socks on and a blanket draped over you, slowly eating this freshly made warm chocolate chip cookie cup. Maybe you have a dollop of ice cream on top, which is gently melting from the warmth of the cookie adding another delicious element of languid creaminess to each mouthful.

Go for it, you know you want to… Blondie

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Omenakakku – Mini Finnish Apple Cakes

Omenakakku – Mini Finnish Apple Cakes – Last weekend I found a bag of mixed apples in the fridge. Like a blank canvas the ideas started flowing. Maybe a crumble, crepes or a pie, I just couldn’t decide. Asking around I got strudel, apple sandwiches and crumble again. So many choices! Finally I decided to go back to my roots and whip up a Finnish Apple Cake.

The Finnish version doesn’t seem to be too different to a standard cake, maybe apart from the sour cream, but it certainly is a delicious treat and this particular recipe is now next to my Pulla recipe for sweet treat recipes to have on hand.

Overall, this isn’t an overly sweet dessert and the texture is soft, moist and dense without being too heavy.

Nauttia! Blondie

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Vanilla Bean Sugar Tea Cake

Vanilla Bean Tea Cake_Finding Feasts — Click on photo for recipe

Vanilla Bean Sugar Tea Cake – This recipe takes me back to the days when I was young, operated on minimal sleep on the weekends and was able to religiously eat 3 sweet doughnuts for brekkie with coffee from doughnut king before starting work in the morning, all without adding a centimeter to my waist line!

Those days are long gone and whilst I don’t indulge in doughnuts for brekkie I do occasionally get a craving for something very sweet. This vanilla bean sugar cake does the trick.

If you have a sweet tooth this recipe is super easy and best of all it does not ask for any out of the ordinary ingredients. You will note that I have used Heilala pure vanilla bean sugar. The sugar is made from vanilla beans that have been naturally dried in the sun, in the South Pacific, Vava’u Tonga. The dried beans are then mixed with organic sugar and a dash of Heilala vanilla extract is also added. If you can’t find Heilala pure vanilla bean sugar normal vanilla sugar can will do the trick as well. Alternatively you could mix sugar with a little cinnamon for the topping.

The cake tastes great cold but I would highly recommend warming it up in the microwave oven for 15-20 seconds just before serving.

Vanilla Bean Tea Cake2_Finding Feasts — Vanilla Bean Tea Cake – wont last long!

Enjoy, Bella

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Best Ever Slow Cooker Cinnamon Scrolls

Best Ever Slow Cooker Cinnamon Scrolls – Is there really anything better than warm, soft cinnamon rolls?

How do you eat them? Do you pull them apart revealing the lightly textured sweet bread, gently scented with cardamom. Then slowly unravel the curl to unveil the sweet, cinnamon sugar centre. Or do you bite straight into it getting a perfect mouthful of both soft bread with crusty sugar and a firm crust?

The benefit of making cinnamon buns in a slow cooker is that they stay so soft and although you don’t get a brown top you do get a beautifully browned base and sides.

Make these over the weekend so everyone can enjoy the warming spice and bread aromas that will waft through the house as they cook.

Try not to eat them in one sitting … Blondie 🙂

Blondie2 Comments

Chunky Oat & Raisin Cookies

Chunky Oat & Raisin Cookies … Who can resist a cookie, especially a large cinnamon and nutmeg scented one with sweet raisins dotted throughout? Certainly not me.

I don’t really have a sweet tooth and a mid morning snack is usually of the savoury kind but these have really been hitting the spot of late – a nice coffee and half of one of these cookies has been the perfect 11:00am breather.

A really nice idea is to keep some for yourself and then give the rest as gifts… maybe friends, your neighbour or your kid’s school teacher?

Share the happiness… Blondie

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