Tony's goodbye cheesecake party

My dearest Bulgarian friend Antoniya is moving to Spain next week. She is a wonderful girl with whom I got a chance to meet almost 1,5 years ago. We've shared many moments and I will always keep the great memories. I wanted to wish her a wonderful time in Madrid, fulfillment of all her wildest plans and, of course, lots of happiness and love!! I will be missing you, sunshine, and I am looking forward to seeing you in September!
We had a very sweet girls' time tonight which we celebrated with a special blueberry cheesecake with white strawberry chocolate and rum. I haven't been actually making cheesecakes for almost 2 years since I moved from Canada. And this one is already my 3-rd for the last month :)  My girl-friends said they really liked its consistency and taste. Cheesecakes are FOREVER girls' best friends!

Masha & Fiete's weekend in Aalborg

Masha's first perfectly rolled sushi 

Indian traditional bread "Naan" with garlic and butter 

This weekend passed under the motto "Eat like it's your last chance". Masha and Fiete arrived Friday evening. The white chocolate cheesecake was all ready to be tasted. I also made traditional Russian beet root salad "Herring under a fur-coat" and baked a whole-wheat Spanish bread with olives. In addition we had a bottle of nice Russian champagne and definitely enjoyed our late welcome dinner :) Next morning we were all fresh to have more food. Fiete and Masha made their first sushi rolls for lunch which were finished with some cheesecake again. In the evening we went to a European style restaurant "Casa Blanca" followed by a long walk to wash away some guilt from constant overeating. Our Sunday was celebrated by the last slice of cheesecake, sushi left-overs and freshly baked naan (Indian flatbread) with garlic and butter. What can be better in life than an amazing weekend in a great company with yummy food?

White chocolate walnut cheesecake for Masha & Fiete

"Feeling Good"

Birds flying high

You know how I feel

Sun in the sky

You know how I feel

Breeze driftin' on by

You know how I feel

It's a new dawn

It's a new day

It's a new life

For me

And I'm feeling good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ig1gkgoQc&feature=related

This is a special WELCOME cheesecake for Maria and Fiete coming over tomorrow. Fiete told me that a German version of a cheesecake is normally made from kvark (some kind of a soft cottage cheese, also available here in Denmark). I decided to go for a traditional North-American recipe and used Philadelphia cream cheese. Let's see what he'll say about the taste :D Despite strong wind and rain outside, I'm feeling good and excited to see my friends! 

Delish...it barely survived 3 days....

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Cake) for Marina's Birthday

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte 

This is a surprise cake for my Russian friend Marina who has just turned 28. This time I tried a new recipe for me of a German Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. This cake is quite popular not only in Germany, but also in Austria and North America. Recently it became quite popular in Russia as well. I made two layers of chocolate sponge cake, cut them in two parts, put a mix of canned cherry pie filling with whole cherries and spread a whipped cream over them. The topping decoration is finished with a whipped cream, cherries and sprinkled with dark Belgian chocolate shavings and curls :) 

Assembled and ready for final decoration

Special Belgian chocolate I bought in Brussels a month ago

С Днём Рождения, Мариночка!

Tillykke med fødselsdagen!

Birthday cake for Jorge



Clown chocolate cappuccino cheesecake with marzipan and buttercream





 Chocolate cappuccino cheesecake

Destroyed...not totally



My office-mate Jorge turns 31. This is a surprise cake awaiting him for his birthday tomorrow. He mentioned that he had never tried cheesecake in his life. I thought that his birthday could be a good opportunity for him to try it for the first time :). I chose a milk chocolate cappuccino cheesecake with cookie crumbs as a crust. I glazed it with apricot marmelade and covered with a layer of yellow marzipan. I covered the sides of the cake with buttercream, made a clown from fondant and finally put a chocolate writing.

I was inspired by Wilton's Clown cake. Why did I choose a clown design? I think it really suits Jorge's personality. He has his red clown nose at the office and wears it from time to time to make us laugh. He is always positive and cheerful, spreading his good mood around.

                                                 

Happy Birthday, Jorge!

¡Feliz cumpleaños amigo!