Happy New Year 2017.

I am sending you best New Year’s greetings with a sincere hope that 2017 will be a year of fulfilled plans, wonderful adventures, dreams coming true, great adventures, much love and happiness.

Everyday Cakes. Yoghurt Cake.

Having a full time work with a family and social life to maintain leaves me little time for elaborate cakes. On special occasions – perhaps, but never as a regular practice. Everyday cakes are a different story though. I believe that a home made everyday cake brings an unique quality to family gatherings, being tasty yet fast to prepare, uncomplicated and possible to make with a simple list of ingredients that even a modest kitchen supply can cater for, and if you are lucky enough to own a food processor (like Kitchen Aid or similar), making everyday cakes will require a minimal effort,

Today, to open “Everyday Cakes” series, one that is not only delicious, but simple in preparation – the Yoghurt Cake.

Yoghurt Cake – List of Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 200 g. of sugar
• vanilla sugar
• 2 ss. of baking soda
• 450 g. of all purpose flour
• 225. g of natural yoghurt (chose one that is thick and contains minimum sugar)
• 150 ml. of plain oil

Yoghurt Cake – Preparation:

1. For approximately 10 minutes mix eggs well (both egg whites and egg yolks), until you get an airy mixture.
2. Continue to mix and gradually add sugar mixed with vanilla sugar, yoghurt, oil and at the end flour mixed with baking soda.
3. Pour the dough into a baking form greased with some oil and sprinkled with breadcrumbs.
4. Bake for 60 – 65 minutes in an oven preheated to 160 C degreed. The cake is ready when a wooden pin is dry once you pierce a cake with it.

This is a base recipe that can be modified by adding seasonal fruits or delicacies such as raisins or nuts. To the cake that you can see on all pictures I added some rhubarb.

New in May.

May was one eventful month, with my birthday celebration and the trip to Milan as its most memorable moments. In relation with both, there was some shopping and some gift unwrapping, both very enjoyable. 

Before packing my suitcase and setting off to Milan, I invested in comfortable city shoes and bought white leather Converse. They made my sightseeing very easy and I praised them most on the rooftop of the Duomo cathedral, feeling sorry for ladies struggling in their high heels. Since Milan is an Italian capital of fashion, I purchased some leather goods that the city is famous for. Back home I brought two leather Coccinelle handbags, one in classic black and one in yellow as well as a black leather Furla wallet. To add some color to my closet, I selected a scarf in shades of pink, orange and yellow.

And yes, birthday gifts! I did not forget about them, as I cherish each and every (once again many thanks to all who were so kind and remembered about my special day). From black pearls jewelry set, beautifully illustrated album about Christian Dior Couture, through Guerlain beauty products and Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile eau de perfum up to yearly subscription of Harpers Bazaar US. Who said that becoming a year older has to be scary?