Maple Almond Muffins

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all having a great weekend!

It’s been a kind of a slow week as we were dealing with very cold and stormy weather, which lead to 3 cancelled school days and exams being pushed forward several times. It was a bit of a mess.

These Maple Almond Muffins are our delicious Sunday afternoon treat, using spelt flour and sweetened with maple syrup. It’s yummy and not too sweet.

 

Maple Almond Muffins

Ingredients:

• 175 g butter, melted
• 180 ml maple syrup
• 4 eggs, yolk and whites separated
• pinch of salt
• 125 g spelt flour
• 150 g ground almonds
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

-Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare 10 -12 muffin tins.

-Mix together the butter and maple syrup. Add the egg yolks one at the time, mixing well.

-In a separate bowl whip the egg whites, with the salt and baking powder, until stiff peaks form.

-Add the flour, almonds and egg whites, a little at the time, and carefully mix under the butter mixture. Mix until combined, do not overmix.

-Fill into prepared muffin tins and bake in preheated 375F oven for 10 minutes then set oven to 350F and finish bake another 20 minutes or until golden brown and tester inserted comes out clean.

-Let cool completely.

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

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Happy New Year 2019!

Happy Sunday everyone!

No new recipe today, I just would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year 2019!

Thank you all for supporting my little blog and to all those who always leave a lovely comment, I really appreciate it, always puts a smile on my face!

If you are still looking for a tasty appetizer or snack for New Years Eve, these Spinach and Cheese Dip Bites might be just the perfect thing!

 

Here are some of my favorite recipes from 2018:

Pictures from my trip to Switzerland during Summer:

 

Looking forward to sharing new recipes in the New Year!

Love,

Ursula

 

Follow me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Streusel Cake with Apple Pie Filling

Hello everyone, happy Wednesday!

I’ve made this lovely and delicious cake with yummy homemade apple pie filling and lots of streusel on top!

And of course I used local apples from Crunican Orchards as well as flour from Arva Flour Mills of London Ontario.

 

Streusel Cake with Apple Pie Filling

Cake:

• 2 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter, soft
• 1 cup sugar or maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream

Streusel:

• 40 g unbleached all-purpose flour
• 60 g sugar
• 60 g ground almonds
• 50 g butter, soft

Apple Pie Filling:

• 5 small apples, peeled and chopped
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• maple syrup to sweeten, if desired

 

For the Apple Pie Filling:

-In a medium saucepan add the chopped apples, lemon juice and cinnamon. Let simmer on low heat until apples are tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

For the Streusel:

-Combine all ingredients and mix until crumbly.

For the Cake:

-In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

-In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar until well mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream. Fill batter into a 24 cm Springform pan, greased and floured. Spread the apple pie filling evenly on to the batter then top with the streusel.

-Bake in preheated 350F oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and tester inserted into middle comes out clean.

 

Happy Baking! Enjoy!

Ursula

 

Follow me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swiss Leek Quiche / Lauchwaehe

Quiches are one of my favorite things to eat- sweet or savory.  Now for us the sweet ones are more for dessert, but I grew up having sweet quiches for a meal ; )

We usually make a leek, onion, cheese, spinach, or my kids favorite, a meat quiche. Serve with a tossed salad and you have a lovely meal!

 

 

Leek Quiche

Quick and easy pastry:

• 250 g spelt flour
• 2 tbsp canola or olive oil, or 80 g butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 5 – 6 tbsp warm water

-In a medium bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder, add oil and water, stirring until smooth dough forms, adding water if needed. Chill in refrigerator for 30 min.

Leek filling:

• 3 large leek stalks, finely sliced
• 150 g bacon cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp sea salt
• pepper to taste
• big pinch of nutmeg
• 100 ml milk or cream
• 2 eggs

-In a large saucepan fry bacon until crispy, drain excess fat. Add finely cut leek, season with salt and pepper, cover and let cook on low heat for about 30 min, stirring occasionally. Add nutmeg and add more salt and pepper if needed.

-Whisk together milk and eggs and mix under the leek mixture. Remove from heat.

-Grease a 9-inch pie or tart form. Preheat oven to 375 F.

-Roll out dough to fit into the prepared tart form. Prick bottom with a fork. Add the leek filling and bake for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

-Enjoy warm or cold.

Tip: Can be made vegan, leaving out the bacon and eggs. Replace spelt flour with all-purpose or whole wheat flour.

Find more tart recipes here:

Plum Tart / Zwetschgenwaehe

Peach Tart

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Cookies

Happy Halloween!

I hope you are all having a fun and not too scary Halloween! Thinking back of those times when my kids were still little and impatiently waiting for this day to come. Such cute memories of my daughter mostly dressing up as a little princess, my son trying out different characters from cowboy to Star Wars Darth Vader 🙂

I’ve made these delicious, melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin cookies, all dressed up for Halloween, these are the perfect fall or holiday cookie, with a lovely pumpkin and spice flavor. Can be enjoyed with or without icing. I used maple butter as an icing.

 

 

Pumpkin Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, soft
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups white spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

-Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

-Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt, set aside.

-Cream together the butter, egg and maple syrup. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla, beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls, flatten slightly.

-Bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven or until lightly browned. Let cool completely. Drizzle with maple butter or icing.

Tip: -Use 3 teaspoons of pumpkin spice. – Substitute spelt flour with whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour.

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Streusel-Topped Strawberry Galette

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a great weekend!

It is raining like crazy today so we will spend the weekend mostly inside. It has been dry and hot and the rain is very much needed.

We’ve bought a lot of local strawberries which we mostly eat just like that but I also like to make a dessert with it. This recipe for the Streusel-Topped Strawberry Galette is adapted from Canadian Living. It turned out wonderfully and it was so delicious! I definitely will try it with other fruits as well.

 

 

Streusel-Topped Strawberry Galette

Pastry:

• 2 1/2 cup white spelt flour
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cold butter cubed
• 3/4 cup ice water

-In a bowl, mix together flour, honey and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until crumbly. Drizzle with water, mixing with a fork until dough comes together, adding more water if needed. Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Almond Streusel:

• 1/2 cup white spelt flour
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup cold butter cubed
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds

-In a bowl mix together flour and honey. Using your fingers, rub in the butter until crumbly. Stir in the almonds, set aside.

Filling:

• 800 g strawberries hulled and halved
• 2/3 cup strawberry jam
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp coarse sugar, optional

-Mix together strawberries, jam, honey and cornstarch, set aside

-On a large piece of parchment paper, roll out dough to about 43 cm circle. Transfer dough with paper to a large baking sheet. Sprinkle dough with ground almonds, leaving a 8 cm border. Scrape strawberry mixture onto almonds.

-Fold over pastry edge. Sprinkle streusel over strawberries.

-Mix egg yolk with 2 tsp of water, brush over pastry. Sprinkle with coarse suger if desired. Bake in 375F/190C preheated oven 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown.

Tip: Feel free to use all-purpose flour and sugar, using the same amount.

Beautiful Peonies blooming in our garden!

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

Follow me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zucchini and Sweet Potato Tart

This week went by rather quick. The weather is still in April fools mood, giving us a taste of everything, the only sign of spring has been some crocus blooming in my garden.

My veggie tart has been inspired by these gorgeous ratatouille tarts I’ve seen online. Instead of using all ratatouille ingredients, I’ve skipped the tomatoes and eggplants and used sweet potatoes and red peppers for some red color. Pretty simple ingredients but it will take some time and patience to assemble the veggies. In the end I was happy with the result, gorgeous and delicious!

Before

and after baking

 

Zucchini and Sweet Potato Tart

Crust:

• 300 g white spelt flour
• 100 g butter, melted
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• room temperature water

-In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, add the melted butter and a few tablespoons of water. Mix together, adding more water if needed. Knead only until well combined. Let rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Vegetable filling:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 green zucchini
• 2 yellow squash
• 1 red pepper or italian tomato
• 1 small onion
• 50 g grated old cheddar or Gruyère cheese
• milk or cream
• sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg, dried oregano and basil, or herb the provence

-Slice all vegetables thinly by hand or use a mandolin. The sweet potatoes have to be thinner than the other vegetables, because they need a little longer to cook through. You want to be able to see the green and yellow skin of the squash and zucchini. (You might not need all the vegetables)

-Line bottom of a 11-inch/ 28 cm tart/pie form, grease sides. Roll out dough to fit the form. Prick bottom with a fork. Sprinkle evenly with the grated cheese.

-Starting on the outside, alternate with sweet potato, green zucchini and then yellow squash until you fill the entire form. I’ve added the onions and red pepper last.

-Add some milk or cream and season generously and evenly with salt, pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg and herbs.

-Bake in preheated 350F/180C oven (convection setting) for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sweet potatoes are tender. Cover with aluminum foil halfway through baking. If it looks dry, add some more milk or cream. Let rest for a few minutes before cutting.

Tip: Try to get same size, and not to thick, vegetables for the slices to be similar, it will be easier to assemble.

 

 

I would like to dedicate this to all the lives lost and those injured in the tragic #Humboltbroncos accident last week on Friday, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Our thoughts and prayers go out the families and everyone involved.

 

Ursula 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mango Coconut Rose Tart

I hope you all had a happy Easter and a great start into April!

I can’t believe I am saying this but last week I did not feel like baking anything special for Easter. Last year I have made a Swiss Carrot Cake , this year instead of something Easter themed I was in the mood of making something bright and flowery. Thinking of daffodils, it looked more like a rose in the end, but surely made me happy. The mango pairs nicely with my coconut custard, a little exotic taste that makes you dream of a beautiful island.

 

 

Mango Coconut Rose Tart

Crust:

• 150 g white spelt flour
• 50 g buckwheat flour
• 100 g butter, soft
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 egg
• pinch of sea salt

-Whisk together butter, maple syrup and egg until creamy. Add salt, spelt and buckwheat flour, mix until combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

-Line the bottom of a 9-inch/23 cm tart form with parchment paper, grease sides. Preheat oven to 375F/180C, convection setting.

-Roll dough out to fit form, prick bottom evenly with a fork, cover bottom with a piece of parchment paper, to add some weight, fill with some dried chickpeas or other legumes. Blind bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove parchment paper with the legumes half way through baking. Let cool completely before filling.

Coconut Custard

-You can find the recipe here: Coconut Custard mini tarts with mixed berries

-Prepare in advance as the custard needs some time in the refrigerator to set.

-(Instead of the 1 1/2 canned coconut milk, I used 500 ml coconut milk from a tetra pak that does only contain coconut milk.)

Mango Rose Topping:

• About 1 1/2 large mangoes, thinly sliced

-Fill tart shell with the coconut custard, about 3/4 full. To make the rose, start on the outside and work your way towards the center, as you like.

 

 

I hope you’ll give it a try, let me know if you do! You can tag me on Instagram so I can see your creation:)

littleswisslittlecanadian

 

I wish you all a lovely week!

Ursula

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haselnusstorte / Hazelnut Cake

Hello everyone! It was my husbands birthday yesterday and this Hazelnut cake was his birthday cake wish. The recipe is adapted from my 1982 Betty Bossi book, my usual go to for European style cakes. It has a rich hazelnut flavor, a little bit of rum, no butter and only a tiny bit of flour. The only heavy part of the cake is the whipped cream, I really like it, but have to admit I do not tolerate cream that well, I ended up having a stomach ache. That is why I mostly eat dairy free, I don’t seem to have a problem with butter and eat only once in a while some cheese…I used to eat a lot of cheese before!

My husband loved it! It is really delicious!

I’ve been busy looking after my son, he has been sick with a high fever since Sunday. Poor guy, he was only able to eat a tiny slice of the cake.

Prepare the cake at least 1 day ahead before cutting and adding the filling. I made the cake refined sugar free, feel free to use regular sugar. The recipe is only for 2 layers. I ended up baking another half of the recipe, you could also just double the recipe. I drizzled the bottom 2 layers with a little bit more rum before spreading the whipped cream.

 

Haselnusstorte/Hazelnut Cake

Ingredients:

• 220 g coconut sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp rum
• 6 egg whites
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp honey
• 300 g ground hazelnuts
• 1 tbsp all-purpose unbleached flour

-Line a 24 cm Springform pan with parchment paper, grease and flour the sides. Preheat oven to 180C.

-Whisk together egg yolks and sugar, add rum.

-Whip egg whites with the salt and baking powder until stiff peaks form. Add the honey and continue to whip for a little longer.

-Mix hazelnuts and flour, add to the egg yolk mix, alternating with egg whites, a little at the time, and gently fold under with a spatula. Pour into prepared form.

-Bake in preheated 180C for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 150C and bake for about 40 minutes, or toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Let cool completely. Let rest for 1-3 days before cutting and filling.

Filling:  

• 200 ml 35% cream
• 3 tbsp ground hazelnuts
• 3 tbsp honey

-Whip cream until stiff peaks form, add the hazelnuts and honey, mix well. Fill and decorate cake as desired.

-Store in refrigerator.

 

 

Wishing you all a lovely week!

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

Follow me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linzertorte

If you’ve been following me for a while you might remember my Linzertorte aux amandes . While this is such a delightful cake you just have to try a traditional Linzertorte. A nut-crust filled with red currant or raspberry jam. It gets its name from the Austrian city of Linz and is believed to be the oldest cake in the world, with recipes dating back to 1653.

While traditionally it is covered with a lattice top, I decorated it Valentines Day style!

A few days ago I was HAPPILY surprised to see that I got a small feature in the Canadian Living magazine!! I couldn’t believe it, I am so happy. I only have a small blog and Instagram, I am not a professional baker and do not make professional pictures, but I’m having fun and it makes me happy when I get so many lovely comments and likes! Last fall I’ve made their Caramel Apple Sticky Buns and tagged them on Instagram. Well now they are actually showing my picture in the current issue, they are so awesome!

 

 

These are little tarts I’ve made last year. Picture is before baking. The dough is lighter in color because I used blanched almonds.

The recipe is slightly adapted from Betty Bossi’s: Kuchen Cakes and Torten

 

Linzertorte

Ingredients:

• 150 g butter, soft
• 100 g coconut sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp cloves, ground
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 150 g ground hazelnuts, or almonds unblanched
• 150 g unbleached all-purpose flour
• 200 g red currant or raspberry jam

-Stir together the butter, sugar and salt, add the egg and the spices. Mix in the hazelnuts or almonds and flour until well combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

-Grease a 22 cm Springform or pie/tart form (with removable bottom would be great but not necessary). Roll out 1/3 of the dough directly on the base of the Springform. Take another 1/3 and form the sides. Fill with the jam. Decorate with remaining dough; lattice, hearts…

-Brush with an egg-white. ( I did not do that)

-Bake in preheated 350F/180C oven for about 40 minutes. You might have to cover it with aluminum foil to prevent from getting to dark. Let cool completely.

-You can decorate it with sliced almonds and icing sugar if desired.

-The original recipe calls for 150 g sugar.

 

Enjoy!

Happy Weekend!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian