Mini Vacuum Cleaners (Traditional Swedish Pastry) – Mini Dammsugare

As strange as it might sound, these delicious small things are called vacuum cleaners in Swedish. It’s a traditional Swedish pastry, and it looks really cute. These were not hard to make, but, a little tricky and required some patients when it came to dipping the ends in chocolate. Other than that, they’re a no-bake treat (currently working with a broken oven). The traditional one’s are green, but the marsipan can be colored in any color you like. One important thing to notice is that the taste of these are very distinct, and not everyone likes them. Although, if you do, the combo of one of these and some coffee is hard to beat.

Recipe / Recept 

2 cups of sponge cake crumbles / 5 dl sockerkakssmulor

3.5 tbsp of soft butter / 50 g mjukt smör

2 large tbsp of cacao powder / 2 stora msk kako

a couple of drops of arrack essence or punch / några droppar arraksextrakt eller punsch

Marsipan / Marsipan

1 chocolate bar / 1 chokladkaka

1. Start by mixing butter, cake crumbs and arrack together. / Börja med att blanda smör, kaksmulor och arrakextrakt.

2. Mix in the cacao powder. / Blanda i kakaon.

3. Roll thin rolls of the dough. The thinner you roll the smaller the pastry. / Rulla tunna längder av degen, ju tunnare du rullar, ju mindre kan dammsugarna bli.

4. Put in the freezer. / Lägg i frysen.

5. Roll out the marsipan super thin. / Kavla ut marsipanen väldigt tunt.

6. Rap the dough rolls in marsipan. / Rulla in degen i marsipan.

7. Cut in pieces. / Skär i bitar.

8. Put in the freezer again. / Lägg i frysen igen.

9. Melt the chocolate carefully by a water bath. / Smält chokladen med hjälp av ett vattenbad.

10. Dip the ends of the vacuum cleaners in chocolate. / Doppa ändarna i chokladen.

11. Let cool. / Låt svalna.

12. Keep in the fridge. / Förvaras i kylen.

13. Done! / Klart!

 

 

The Prettiest Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting – Dom Finaste Chocolate Chip Cupcakesen med Hallonfrosting

There’s no prettier time in DC than during Cherry Blossoms. I think it’s partly because of the nature, but partly because DC is an outdoors city, and the Cherry Blossoms usually marks the first days of spring. Everyone is outside and there are flowers everywhere. In our backyard, we also have a huge magnolia tree. In combination, all the trees and their flowers create somewhat of a wonderland. When I baked that weekend, I didn’t wanna make anything else than something pink, so that set the tone. The frosting is colored with raspberries, but can of course be colored with anything. I’m throwing in some DC photos so you can see where my inspiration comes from. Happy Baking!

Recipe / Recept 

Muffins 

2 cups of flour / 5 dl mjöl

1/3 cup of brown sugar / 0.8 dl muscavadosocker

1/3 cup white sugar / 0.8 dl vanligt socker

2 tsp of baking powder / 2 tsk bakpulver

1/2 tsp of salt / 1/2 tsk salt

2/3 cups of milk / 1.6 dl mjölk

1/2 cup of melted butter / 55 g smör, smält

3 eggs / 3 ägg

1 tsp of vanilla / 1 tsk vaniljsocker

Frosting

3/4 cups of butter / 170 g smör

3 cups of icing sugar / 7.5 dl florsocker

2 tbsp of milk / 2 msk mjölk

1-2 tsp of vanilla extract / 1-2 tsk vaniljsocker

2.5 cups of frozen, defrosted raspberries / 5 dl frusna, tinade hallon

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. / Sätt ugnen på 200 grader.

2. Mix eggs and sugars until fluffy. / Vispa ägg och socker tills det är fluffigt.

3. Mix all dry ingredients except the chocolate chips. / Blanda alla torra ingredienser utom chokladen.

4. Mix in the flour mix into the egg mix carefully. / Blanda i mjölblandningen i äggblandningen försiktigt.

5. Add the melted butter and milk. / Blanda i det smälta smöret och mjölken.

6. Carefully stir in the chocolate chips. / Blanda försiktigt i chokladen.

7. Bake in muffin molds for about 12 min or until golden. / Grädda i muffinsformar i ca 12 min, eller tills gyllene.

8. Let cool. / Låt svalna.

9. Let the butter for the frosting be soft but not melted. / Låt smöret till frostingen vara mjukt men inte smält.

10. Add in the icing sugar. / Vispa i florsockret.

11. Carefully whisk in the milk. / Vispa försiktigt i mjölken.

12. Add everything else. / Lägg i allt annat.

13. Frost the cupcakes. / Frosta cupcakesen.

14. Done! / Klart!