Easter Paskha Cake. Pashakook

lihav6ttekook (1)Paskha (also spelled pascha, or pasha; Russian: па́сха; [ˈpasxə]; “Easter”) is a festive dish made in Eastern Orthodox countries.

Estonian religious population is predominantly Christian. In 1845–1848, the movement from the Lutheran Church to the Russian Orthodox Church took place in all the southern Estonian counties and about 17% of the peasants in southern Estonia converted to Orthodoxy.  Until then, Orthodoxy was mainly the religion of the local Russians and Seto (Setu) people.
Reason to change religion was hope to get land and better conditions.

So, lot of Russian Orthodox Church rituals and dish are still popular. I am personally do not like pasha. But pasha- inspired cake is very delicious.

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Semolina and Quark Cake. Manna-kohupiimakook naistepäevaks

manna kohupiima (3)

Happy Woman’s Day !!
Did you know: Estonia has considerably more women than men – for every 100 females, there are 84 men; only the Northern Mariana Islands have a smaller percentage of men.

This cake is my husband signature cake. This time he added cashews. Nuts made this cake even better: added structure and crispness. But you can make them as original, without nuts.

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Vertical Layer Honey Cake. Meekook

meekook (27)Honey cake is known and famous in many countries.  Estonian honey cake is simple. The sweetness of honey is balanced with sour cream.
This time I did this cake in a little bit different way. With vertical layers.

Trust me: It is much simpler to make than you might think. I won’t tell if you don’t 😉 It sounds and seems complicated and difficult, but in reality it is simple. Read this recipe, understand what to do and this is very simple! 🙂

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The Vertical Layer Cake with Cottage Cheese Chocolate Cream and Cranberry Filling. Kodujuustu- valge šokolaadi jõhvikakook

Vertikaalne kook (10)Delicious Cottage cheese and white chocolate cranberry cake with a twist.

This is a cake with vertical layers.
Trust me: It is much simpler to make than you might think. I won’t tell if you don’t 😉

I made biscuit/sponge dough because I love this. But you can replace it with butter dough. Find recipe. Butter dough is more firm and you get a little bit better layers.
My cake is juicy and because of chocolate is very sweet. Usually, I do not eat and like very sweet food. So, I added cranberry jam to balance the sweetness. Cottage cheese gives texture and little saltiness to complement all this sweet taste.

Did you know:
A common tradition on New Year’s Eve is “õnne valamine” or the ‘pouring of luck’. Lead is melted over a stove in a metal ladle and then poured quickly, or slowly into Vertikaalne kook (2)ice-cold water. What appears are interesting lead figures, which can then tell you your fortune for the upcoming year.

Vertikaalne kook (5)

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Hazelnut and Chocolate Cake. Kakaokook pähklitega

kakaokook1 (8)Hazelnut and Chocolate Cake.
A  delicious and very sweet old school real food cake

This cake from an era, when people ate sugar and butter and flour… Very sweet, very rich. Buttercream and chocolate and a lot of crunchy nuts.

This is a cake from my childhood. The cake from a time when calories were burned playing in the yard. But still. This simple and rich cake was my favourite at this time and now, as well.
Well, now I just use less sugar and more cacao :)…

 

 

 

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Soft Gingerbread Cake. Pehme plaadipiparkook

pehmepiparkook (11)Have I said that I just love gingerbread.

The real and my favourite gingerbread is very thin and crispy. Look at for recipe here.

But sometimes you want some change and something different.

Soft gingerbread cake has all best features of gingerbread: flavour, smell, aroma, seasons… but soft.
Juicy and fruity cowberry- apple sauce complements very well gingerbread flavour and reduce sweetness ( and makes it healthier dessert :))20171201_091452

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Apple Cake with Halva. Halvaaga õunakook

halvaa6una (14)Halva has nothing to do with Estonia. But I love halva.
This cake is a real fusion. Mix of Estonian traditional quark and eastern halva.
A delicious sweet and sour and juicy apple filling, complemented by Eastern flavours of halva, makes together for an amazing cake.
This cake is an eggfree.
In case you have not quark, use ricotta or mascarpone or cream cheese. But to get orignal and the best result prepare quark by yourself.
You can not imagine how simple it is !

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Oatmeal and Apple Spoon Bars. Kaerahelbe- õunakook.

kaerapohlakook (4)This is very soft and crisp cake. Use the spoon for eating and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
This cake has only few ingredients and is an eggfree. Healthy and crispy oatmeal is combined with juicy apple cowberry sauce. Continue reading “Oatmeal and Apple Spoon Bars. Kaerahelbe- õunakook.”

Buckwheat Pancakes. Tatrapannkoogid

tatrapannkook1 (8)Buckwheat is just amazing. And buckwheat flour is a suitable substitute for grains for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain the protein gluten.

Buckwheat has little bit nut taste and pancakes served with sweet honey.. this is just divine…)
And one more secret. In East Estonia are saying, that buckwheat is “viagra”. Buckwheat is very healthy and especially useful for man.

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Very Simple Juicy Apple and Barley Flour Cake. Õuna- odrajahukook

odra6unakook (8)One of the oldest grain cereals in Estonia was barley.

Barley was the mundane and the ordinary food and belonged on the table for common people. The oldest data of barley growing in Estonia dates back to the beginning of the first millennium BC.

And we still love barley. Karask is a famous dish in Estonian ethnic cuisine. But add some apples, and you get very delicious, simple and juicy cake.

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