Swap of Recipes!

[MissAlice]

I'm always looking for new recipes. And I've seen there are other post, but they are just to old. So write me your favorite recipes ( they can be from a magazine you found or a old family recipes, Finnish or non Finnish, you get the idea)... you can put many of them even with a photo if you want to... OR you can write a review about the others. Hopefully we can get a good post going with some classic and new recipes.

I'll start with a classic recipe I found online.


Omena kakku. (apple cake)
Bake time 45mins-1hr
Preheat 170'C

100g butter (soften)
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1&2/3 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup sour cream or kermaviili
2-3 golden and red apples (depending on size)


Whisk the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and mix until smooth batter is formed.
Combine the flour, baking powder and sour cream into the batter.
Pour batter in a cake tin ( remember to grease your cake tin) and put in apple slices.
Sprinkle on top sugar and cinnamon.
Then bake!

Helpful hint to beginners: you can always tell when a cake is done when you stick a toothpick in it and none of the batter sticks to it.

[Mölkky-Fan]

I like the idea, although there are already many places online with tested recipes...
but for this to be valuable to us in Finland could we avoid the ingredients which are not readily available here (sour cream, self raising flour, double cream etc)?

[CAD_Guy]

I like the idea, although there are already many places online with tested recipes...
but for this to be valuable to us in Finland could we avoid the ingredients which are not readily available here (sour cream, self raising flour, double cream etc)?

For sour cream you can substitute creme fresh, for self rising flour the standard is you mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder with 1 cup of flour, here in Finland I would probably go 2 teaspoons. For double cream you can try using vispi cream, it's about the same consistency. Just need something with high butter fat.

Anyway I like this idea and I'll start off sweet too. Here's the most recent recipe we made:

Honey Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing



Cupcakes
60ml softened butter
60ml cup sugar
180ml honey (we used slightly less to lower the sugar content)
2 eggs
125ml buttermilk (we used soy milk)
1/2 tsp. vanilla (we used more like a tablespoon)
500ml all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
400g cream cheese (two tubs of Philadelphia cream cheese)
180ml icing sugar (most frosting recipes use up to a cup and a half but we find that far too sweet)
juice of one lemon

Method
In a bowl mix butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in honey, eggs, buttermilk/milk and vanilla. In a larger bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir in the wet ingredients until combined then spoon into the 12 cup muffin tray with cup cake papers/patty pans. Bake at a 350 F oven (180 C) for 20 minutes.

While the cupcakes are baking you can prepare the frosting. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy. Adjust sugar to taste (you may need more icing sugar to balance out your lemon juice).

Once the cupcakes have cooled apply the frosting to the tops of the cupcakes using a piping bag (or a spatula or knife).

I have a picture to post but I couldn't get the resize to work is there a trick to that, aside from uploading a resized picture?

[Mölkky-Fan]

For sour cream you can substitute creme fresh, for self rising flour the standard is you mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder with 1 cup of flour, here in Finland I would probably go 2 teaspoons. For double cream you can try using vispi cream, it's about the same consistency. Just need something with high butter fat.

I guess after 8 years of living here (and 5 years in China) I have realised how to make substitutes for sour cream and double cream and how to use flour and baking powder

What I mean is that it would be nice to have recipes which did not rely on double cream or sour cream (both the substitutes you mention do not taste anywhere near as good in the recipes I am used to using). By the way we use smetana in place of sour cream, and IMO vispi cream is nothing like the same consistency as double cream... so recipes with double cream are relegated to the 'not in Finland' pile. Of course you can add many other difficult items to the list such as lard (we got the fat direct from Stockmann for making pork pies), all spice etc

I would like to see some recipes which use the stuff you can get here, which has been tested here and do not rely on the hope that the substitutes work. If we just repost internet recipes then I do not see the point... we can just go to http://allrecipes.co.uk/default.aspx or similar. They already have large scale voting on best dishes, so I guess the recommendation aspect is even better there.

[CAD_Guy]

What I mean is that it would be nice to have recipes which did not rely on double cream or sour cream (both the substitutes you mention do not taste anywhere near as good in the recipes I am used to using). By the way we use smetana in place of sour cream, and IMO vispi cream is nothing like the same consistency as double cream... so recipes with double cream are relegated to the 'not in Finland' pile. Of course you can add many other difficult items to the list such as lard (we got the fat direct from Stockmann for making pork pies), all spice etc

I would like to see some recipes which use the stuff you can get here, which has been tested here and do not rely on the hope that the substitutes work. If we just repost internet recipes then I do not see the point... we can just go to http://allrecipes.co.uk/default.aspx or similar. They already have large scale voting on best dishes, so I guess the recommendation aspect is even better there.

I'll agree with everything you stated here. It's not always easy to find substitutes and if people have good recipes that they got to work here they can post it. I've got a few. I really miss having Stockmann nearby btw.

We tried smetana in substitute for sour cream and found it was too sour. Creme fraiche is closer to what we were used to. The funny thing is I just found something on a internet site that sates a full fat creme fraiche is a good substitute for double cream. When I come across a recipe that needs double cream I'll give it a try.

[Mölkky-Fan]

I will try and remember to add my recipe for Xmas cake using Finnish ingredients... it works great, but the Finns still do not like it

[Pursuivant]

http://www.kotikokki.net/reseptit/ => not too impossible to translate

[Rosamunda]

The funny thing is I just found something on a internet site that sates a full fat creme fraiche is a good substitute for double cream.

Real French crème fraîche is a good substitute for double cream. BUT Finnish creme fraiche is NOTHING LIKE French crème fraîche, so my advice is: don't try.

It would also be nice to have recipes that use grammes/litres etc. "cups" of butter and honey mean nothing to me. Yes, I do have a set of "cup" measuring spoons but I just find it so much easier to weigh stuff. Especially butter

[Rosamunda]

I will try and remember to add my recipe for Xmas cake using Finnish ingredients... it works great, but the Finns still do not like it

What's in a Xmas cake that you can't get in Finland? I made Delia's last year and IIRC I found everything here. But thanks for the reminder.... it's almost that time of year again

[MissAlice]

I was just wanting some nice social post were everyone can share things and what more then perfect "food". So sorry to the people who think this idea is useless.... Err then don't post here? But thanks for your inputs, I know there's lots of food sites and etc but I want to know what's finland forum users most favorite recipes.... I just got is random idea but thanks cad_guy for the honey recipes going to try them tomorrow. Also there is one post about a woman finding some self raising flour but vie been talking to this one cook at this restaurant I work at and he said for that we can just use hiivaleipavehnajauho it should be the same thing.... But I'll be trying that out tonight with this chocolate cup cake recipe.

Anyway.. Heres another recipe I got from my mothers friend. It's ohhh so good for tea breaks ( for me it's coffee breaks) and at work I got good reviews from it from the staff.

Orange bunt cake
Baking time : 40mins
Preheat oven 170'C

1 cup butter (softened)
1-3/4 cup sugar ( any kind is fine but I like to use castor sugar)
4 eggs
1 grated orange peel ( use the smallest grate)
1/4 cup vanilla sugar ( I just use Vanilla extract because I think it's to much sugar)
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup milk

Preheat the oven.
Cream the butter and sugars till fluffy in a large bowl.
Add the eggs beat until batter is fully mixed then throw in the grated orange peels.
In a separate bowl add flour and the baking powder together then add that slowly to the creamed mixture alternately with milk.
Grease the pans and then bake.

I wouldn't put icing on it the cake talks for itself.

[MissAlice]

I like the idea, although there are already many places online with tested recipes...
but for this to be valuable to us in Finland could we avoid the ingredients which are not readily available here (sour cream, self raising flour, double cream etc)?

Okay that's not a problem, I changed the top recipe to kermaviili because that's what I used and it worked perfectly. but yeah

[MissAlice]

I just find it so much easier to weigh stuff. Especially butter

Yup, me too. I have a running list, taped on the inside of a cupboard door, of weights of everything I bake with. Dry ingredients I still measure out.

Peanut Butter and Jam Thumbprints

190 gr unsalted peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
200-225 gr fariini sokeri (play with the amounts if you want a less sweet or sweeter cookie)
125 ml flour (gluton-free works fine and spelt or whole wheat, probably oat flour as well)
2 large egg whites
pinch of salt
raspberry jam or grape jelly (not really runny jam 'cause it'll pour out of the cookies when baking)

Oven to 180c.

Combine peanut butter,sugar and egg whites. Beat until well mixed. Add flour and salt, and stir by hand just until you have a soft dough. It'll be a bit dry unti lthe dough begins to come together. Rolls pieces of dough into 2-3 cm balls and place a few cms apart on baking sheet. Make an indentation in the middle of each ball with your thumb and fill each dent with jam. Bake 12-15 mins, until edges are golden and jam is bubbly. Cook a few mins and then remove to cool.

I usually make a double batch, good for 3.5-4 dozen. They don't last long in our house 'cause the kids love them.

Ohhh I love peanut butter I think I just need to go out and buy some to make this for next week! Thanks.

[CAD_Guy]

Real French crème fraîche is a good substitute for double cream. BUT Finnish creme fraiche is NOTHING LIKE French crème fraîche, so my advice is: don't try.

I'll keep this in mind! If anyone is interested in making double cream replacement I've found this:

Use whipping cream and a yoghurt starter. Incubate it in a yoghurt maker for 24 hours (or warm place). If you're concerned about it being tart or sour add a few drops of pure vanilla extract. The edge disappears immediately. You can also add a bit of honey, but that will alter the flavour depending on the type of honey and how much you add.

It would also be nice to have recipes that use grammes/litres etc. "cups" of butter and honey mean nothing to me. Yes, I do have a set of "cup" measuring spoons but I just find it so much easier to weigh stuff. Especially butter

OK I fixed my recipe and for future I'll keep to grams, ml, etc. Is teaspoons and tablespoon still OK though?

Ohhh I love peanut butter I think I just need to go out and buy some to make this for next week! Thanks.

The best peanut butter I've found (that I like) is at Lidl. Of course you can make your own too if you want to go natural. It's just peanuts in a blender with some peanut oil, the amount of blending and oil determines how smooth or crunchy it is.

So is there any type of recipes that people are interested in? I have a quite a few.

[MissAlice]

I have a picture to post but I couldn't get the resize to work is there a trick to that, aside from uploading a resized picture?

hey try this... i'm not sure it works on here... i've never tried but

http://www.zshare.net/ that should be a good link. they will give you a link to post on the forum!

also for the more recipes just keep them going. I'll take a picture of the honey cupcakes i'm doing tomorrow.

[Mölkky-Fan]

I will try and remember to add my recipe for Xmas cake using Finnish ingredients... it works great, but the Finns still do not like it

What's in a Xmas cake that you can't get in Finland? I made Delia's last year and IIRC I found everything here. But thanks for the reminder.... it's almost that time of year again

I have a list of where I got everything, eg sultanas, currents and raisins (I can only find normal raisins in City market... I know they are all called the same thing here), dried fruit packs from Lidl, icing sugar (how to make it from the stuff you get here) etc etc

OK, not rocket science but helpful for some maybe.

I also found sour cream yesterday in Myyrmanni City Market, it was from Germany and quite good...