the hungry expats

I always loved a good Sachertorte, but when it comes to making it, there are dozens of recipes on the web and I've tried a few of them without ever achieving the desired result. So I decided to go another route and made a layer cake that captures the essence of Sachertorte, and I must say I am quite happy with the outcome. I used very little flour in the cake, just enough to make sure it held together. And instead of a ganache filling, I made a light chocolate mousse.  CAKE 4 large eggs, separated 3/4 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup almond meal 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 pinch of salt FILLING 1 pound of "fromage blanc" (7% fat), also known as "kwark" 200 grams of dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa) 2 egg whites 1/4 cup white sugar 1 jar of apricot jam TOPPING 3/4 cup heavy cream (at least 30% fat) 100 grams of dark chocolate (at least...

There's nothing like a great pound cake, and I have just the perfect enameled cast-iron bundt pan for that! The original recipe called for cherries, but they're not in season right now. Mind you, neither are blueberries, but somehow the Dutch seem to be able to grow them in greenhouses all year round! The cake came out great, dense and moist as it's supposed to.  Cake   1 ½ cup s ( 3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature (I used 300 grams)   3 cup s granulated sugar   5 large eggs at room temperature   3 cup s all-purpose flour   ½ teaspoon baking powder Pinch of salt   1 ¼ cup s buttermilk at room temperature   2 teaspoon s almond extract   2 cups blueberries , fresh or frozen Frosting 8 ounce s cream cheese, softened   2 cup s powdered sugar   5 – 6 teaspoons heavy whipping cream or milk   1 large orange   ¼ teaspoon almond extract Pinch of salt Preheat the ove...