Lovely Little Semlors

I have mentioned semlors before and well, I am mentioning them again! I finally got around to making my very own semlors on Saturday and I'm happy to say, they tasted great. They were definitely not as amazing as the ones at my favorite bakery in Lund, but they were still delicious!

There are four parts to a semla (that's what they're called in their singular form). There's the cardamom bun with its top cut off, the almond paste fills the inside of the bun, whipped cream is placed over the almond paste, the lid of the bun is placed back on top, and then bun is dusted with icing sugar. I am not a huge marzipan or almond paste fan in general, but I absolutely love it in semlors. If I get a piece of chocolate covered marzipan, I usually just take one bite and pass it on to the boyfriend, but I will happily and quickly eat up a large semla! I really do hope you'll try making your own semlor, especially as lent is ending this weekend and semla season comes to an end!

Lovely Little Semlors (adapted from Call Me Cupcake)
makes 12 medium sized semlors

For the cardamom buns:
25g fresh yeast
75g butter (normally I use unsalted butter in baking sweets, but I used salted and it is totally fine here)
1 cup milk
1/2 tbsp crushed cardamom seeds
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 - 3 cups all purpose flour
1 egg

Filling:
200g almond paste
splash of milk

Cream topping:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
(the original recipe calls for vanilla extract and a spoon of sugar as well
but I didn't add it and didn't really miss it)

Powdered sugar for dusting

Crumble the yeast into a large bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the milk and the crushed cardamom seeds. Heat this mixture to 37C or 98.6F. Pour warm liquid over the crumbled yeast and stir until dissolved. Add salt, sugar, and flour. Start by adding 2 1/2 cups flour, and add the extra 1/2 cup if needed. The dough should be a little sticky but still workable. Put a kitchen towel over the bowl and let it rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes.

Work the dough on a floured surface. Divide dough into 12 portions and roll them into smooth balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with the kitchen towel again, and let rise a second time for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 225C or 437F. Brush buns with a lightly beaten egg. Bake in the middle of the oven for 9 minutes. Let cool completely.

Cut out the top of each bun following the cone method. Take off the excess bits of bun on the top piece that was just cut out, and scoop out a little bit of the inside of the bun. Mix together the inside bits of the bun, the almond paste, and a splash of milk until smooth. Whip  heavy cream until you get soft peaks.

To assemble, fill each bun with almond paste, pipe or spoon the whipped cream on top, and lastly, put the "lid" back on. Garnish by sifting icing sugar over the top of the buns.

I hope you fall in love with these little buns too!

Hand Me Downs

Even though I was the oldest of three daughters growing up, I still got some hand me down clothes from family friends and my cousins for example. Well, this time, I'm not getting clothes from older friends or my family, it's from the boyfriend! He has had this blue oxford shirt in his closet for a long time and the other night he was like "I'm not keeping this shirt anymore! It is too small for me! Do you want it?". Unlike all the boyfriend shirts that are actually available in stores for ladies these days, I really did get my boyfriends shirt! 

As the boyfriends shirt was a little long, I took the two front ends and just made a single knot. I don't mind the longer look in the back so I left it and didn't tuck it in or anything. I paired the shirt with my waxed black cigarette jeans from Urban Outfitters rolled up. I love the BDG cigarette jeans from UO. They are pretty much my go-to jeans and they are the only brand that I've bought jeans from again and again. I did also wear a basic gray tee under the boyfriend shirt for extra layers and to stay warm in the freezing temperatures. And unlike the flip flops you see in these pictures, I wore my New Balance sneakers when we were out in the city. And lastly, I'm wearing a necklace that I made at Craftenhagen. We learnt how to make these necklaces from M of Copenhagen Day to Day. I love how simple the necklace is, but it still draws some attention from the two silver beads on it. Check out her shop Psoesaie if you are interested in buying some of her unique jewelry! 

And that is the story of my hand me down boyfriend shirt!

This Week's Flowers

This week's flowers is not even flowers! It's more like leaves, eucalyptus leaves to be exact. They smell amazing! Sometimes, greenery on its own is enough.

Weekend Find

While I was out in the city on Saturday, I went into the Hay shop on Pilestræde, mostly because I've been wanting to pick up some coral ribbon they have (which I think is out of stock now). Instead of walking out with some ribbon, I came home with five packs of their Flap envelopes in various sizes.

The envelopes are made out of a thick and sturdy paper and all of the envelopes have velcro on the inside to hold the flaps down. They are normally 39kr per package, with three envelopes in each. But when I stumbled upon them this weekend, I got five packs for 49kr. Amazing! I stood there for quite a long time picking envelope colors and sizes. You guys know I love boxes and gift wrap, so this was quite the find!

And of course I had to use one of the envelopes right away! 

What did you do this weekend? Did you come across any awesome finds?

Breakfast Smoothie

The boyfriend and I's breakfast over the last few months has consisted mostly of just smoothies. They are great because they're quick to make and drink as we both need to be out the door early in the mornings as Danish classes start at 8:30 for me and he has to get to work. They're not crazy fancy and there are like a thousand different smoothie variations out there, but this is how we do ours!

Breakfast Smoothie 

2 medium size servings

4 (generous) scoops of skyr (scooped with a regular soup spoon)

1 large or 2 small bananas

a handful of frozen berries

2 tbsp of ground flaxseed (1 tbsp per serving, scale as you like!)
1/2 cup of milk or enough to get desired consistency

Throw everything into your blender and blend until smooth. Then you'll have a smoothie packed with protein, omega-3s, and fiber, that will also fulfill at least a little bit of your recommended fruit and veggie intake each day.

Skyr is an Icelandic dairy product, similar to a thick yogurt (think Greek) but is really a cheese. Most skyr that is available here in Copenhagen is organic and contains no more than 0.2% of fat. It is available at all grocery stores as it is quite popular these days (for example, Netto, Irma, Føtex, Fakta). It is a little more expensive than regular yogurt and Greek yogurt, but we think it is worth it. The skyr that we currently have has 11 grams of protein in every 100 gram serving. Skyr has a tangy taste on its own, so if I eat it like yogurt, I mix some honey in it. The banana in the smoothie eliminates the tangy taste so they are essential to the smoothie!

So that's what we have for breakfast! What do you normally eat in the morning? 

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream Frosting

The last time I made cupcakes was in...January?! The last cupcakes I remember making were for New Years so it was about time to whip up another batch! Although I love Sweetapolita's chocolate cake recipe,  I have been meaning to try David Lebovitz's recipe for devil's food cake and I must say, it is equally as good if not better! At Craftenhagen last month, we decorated cupcakes and one of the frostings we used was this mocha buttercream. It is so good, I have been thinking about it the last 3 weeks!

Devil's Food Cake (adapted from David Lebovitz)
Makes 12 cupcakes

4.5 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 cup cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
56g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup strong coffee
1/4 cup milk

To start, preheat the oven to 350F or 175C and line a cupcake tray.

Sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.

In a larger bowl, cream together butter and sugar with a mixer or by hand until smooth. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated.

Mix the coffee and milk. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture. Pour in the coffee and milk and stir again. And lastly, stir in the last half of the flour mixture.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool before frosting.

Mocha Buttercream (adapted from Ghiradelli)

151g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
2 tsp granulated instant coffee
2 tbsp boiling water

Melt chocolate over a double broiler and set aside to cool. Dissolve coffee with boiling water.

Beat butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar and vanilla extract to the butter and whip until smooth. Pour melted chocolate and coffee into the frosting and mix until combined.

*I found that the buttercream was a little too runny for my liking and as I was out of icing sugar, I just stuck it in the fridge for about 15 minutes before re-whipping it. The buttercream turned out fine, but you may want to either increase the amount of butter or add about 1/4 cup more icing sugar!

Pipe or spread frosting onto the cupcakes and cover with sprinkles! I used confetti quins, nonpareils, and some silver flakes on these babies.


These cupcakes are the perfect midweek pick-me-up! Especially as it's snowing in Copenhagen again! (Ah! Where are you spring?)

This Week's Flowers

This orchid plant has been steadily blooming since I brought it home a little over a week ago. Loving the paint splatter look on them! Are you into orchids? How has your experience been with taking care of them at home?

Happy Wednesday! 

Banana Bread Take Two

Rather than making my usual banana bread this weekend, the boyfriend and I decided to try a gluten free/grain free/paleo banana bread recipe. I bought some coconut flour from ICA in Lund a few months ago and I wanted to test it out. (I love the gluten free, lactose free, food allergy section at the grocery stores in Sweden and how readily available alternative products are over there. Something that is really missing over here in Copenhagen!) I prepared the banana bread a bit differently than what the recipe said, and I was a bit afraid things weren't going to work out as the mixture looked really dry. (I think coconut flour just absorbs a lot of liquid, and really quick!) However, everything came out wonderfully and we have been enjoying some super moist banana bread around here!

Gluten Free, Grain Free, Paleo Banana Bread (adapted from Deliciously Organic)
Makes 1 loaf

6 eggs
1/3 cup coconut milk (I used regular skim milk)
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 tbsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup ripe mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas but feel free to add another one!)

Preheat oven to 165C or 350F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or butter it up a little.

Mix coconut flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one bowl and set aside.

In a larger bowl, combine the eggs, milk, honey, extract, melted butter, and the mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture slowly and stir until everything is combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 40 to 55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Do you have any favorite gluten free/paleo recipes? I have a really great recipe for a gluten free mousse cake that I will have to share with you all soon! If you try out this banana bread recipe, I would love to know what you think! 

Love on the Lake

Walked past this yesterday afternoon out on the lakes by Nørrebro. How sweet is that?

This Week's Crafting

This week I took on a quick and easy project, drawing on ceramics! I bought a ceramic and glass pen from Panduro and two oven safe mini plates by Galzone from Kræmmerhuset on Frederiksborggade.

First and most importantly, read the instructions as to how to use your specific ceramic pen! For this pen from Panduro, I was instructed to wash the two plates with soap before drawing on them. I just came up with some quick designs that took no more than maybe 5 minutes to do each. I let the ink on the two plates dry for 4 hours and then I put them in the oven at 160 degrees celsius for 90 minutes. Once the 90 minutes are up, open the door of your oven and let your works of art cool down, still inside the oven. And that's it!

I was at a cupcake decorating event hosted by Craftenhagen last night and this morning I took a few pictures of one of the cupcakes I decorated on my little plate. I think these would add a really nice personal touch to gifts. Perfect for gifting cookies, marshmallows, or a little cupcake I think!

Project costs:
Pen, 39kr
Plates, 15kr each

Happy crafting!