Hazelnut & Chocolate Dacquoise / Dacquoise de Avelãs e Chocolate.

Dacquoise is the theme for this 27th edition of the Sweet World.

Originating in the south of France, dacquoise is a meringue made with very finely chopped nuts folded into the mixture before baking.

This dessert is named after the residents of Dax, a town in southwestern France, and is also occasionally referred to as Palois in reference to the residents of Pau, a neighboring town.

The nutty meringue is piped or spread into shapes (often round discs) and baked until crisp in a low temperature oven.

The dacquoise discs are then often layered with buttercream, sweetened whipped cream or ice cream to create a complete cake.

A popular version is the classic French marjolaine - long, rectangular layers of almond or hazelnut dacquoise interspersed with chocolate or praline buttercream.

While cakes featuring dacquoise may have their own names, they can also be referred to as dacquoise. The term dacquoise can be used to describe a myriad of desserts. Technically dacqoise is the meringue-like layer employed in cake creations but, over the years it has become common to refer to not just the layer but the entire cake as “dacquoise”, giving the term an expanded meaning.

The recipe I'm presenting today is from the fantastic book "Bake Off - Crème de la Crème" by Martin Chiffers & Emma Marsden.

The Dacquoise discs are filled with a layer of chocolate crémeux and dollops of an homemade, mixed berry compote, will give it the necessary sharpness to cut through the richness of the chocolate.

It's a very rich and indulgent dessert and perfect for chocolate lovers!

Bubbie Smigel Cake with Mocha Frosting / Bolo Mármore com cobertura de Chocolate e Café.

This month for the Rainydaybites Cookbook Club, we are cooking from the gorgeous Kerry Diamond and Claudia Wu, Cherry Bombe Cookbook .

A book full of recipes and stories from 100 of the most creative and inspiring women in food.

This cake was the second and last recipe challenge of the month and, as Marta "ingredient of the month" is Chocolate, I thought it would be a great idea to post the recipe and share it with you all.

I love the texture and moisture of cakes with soured cream and this cake, though it seems like a simple marbled cake, it's a marbled cake taken to the next level and it was a hit here at home.

This recipe is a treasured family recipe from Karen Leibowitz, the San Francisco based writer and restaurateur behind The Perenial and the original Mission Chinese Food.

Cherry Berry Mousse Cake / Bolo Espelho de Mousse de Chocolate, Cerejas Cristalizadas e Framboesas.

Mirror Glaze Cake is the theme for this month and for the 26th edition of the Sweet World!

What is a Mirror Glaze Cake?

I couldn't find much more information other than the fact that, a mirror glaze, is a white chocolate glaze made with gelatin that is poured over cakes - usually mousse or other soft molded desserts - to give them an ultra-shiny appearance, like the surface of a mirror.

I've made one once (you can see the recipe here) for Ana and for our Great Bake Off. Actually, Ana herself has a few delightful recipes for mirror glaze on her blog if you want to check them here, here and here.

Want to make a Mirror Glaze Cake?

Chocolate Roulade with Sweet Chestnut Purée, Honeyed Cream & Crushed Honeycomb Filling / Torta de Chocolate, recheada com Creme de Castanha, Natas batidas com Mel e Honeycomb.

Time just flies by and before we realize, here we are!

Last day of 2017!

I can say that, all in all, it was a great year and if 2018 is going to be as good as 2017, bring it on.

I'll not complain and I'll not ask for more!

As I didn't have the time to write a post wishing you a very Merry Christmas, I didn't want the same to happen now and not be able to wish you a Fabulous, Fantastic and very Happy 2018!

This super delicious roulade is my choice as the last post of 2017.

The original recipe is in a shape of a Yule Log and I made it for Christmas (as you can see here).

As it was such a huge success, I decided to make it again - as a roulade - to leave you the recipe, so you can make it and try this absolute delight.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we all did!

The recipe is from Jamie Oliver, Christmas Cookbook, which is also the book of the month for the Rainydaybites Cook Book Club.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you and never forget to BE HAPPY, as life is way too short!

Chocolate Lamington Cake for the 2nd Anniversary of the Sweet World / Bolo Lamington de Chocolate para o 2º Aniversário do nosso Sweet World.

Here we are!!

2nd Anniversary of our Sweet World and I can't believe how time just flies by without notice.

I still remember the conversations Susana and myself had, on how to set up the challenge and the monthly rules, themes, etc.

Challenges and dates have been agreed and sometimes themes have been changed to feature seasonality or festivities but, most importantly than anything else, we have always agreed and had fun deciding the challenges, researching and setting them up!

Susana has always been a great partner for this monthly challenge and I couldn't wish for anyone better and more qualified than her to do it with me!

Over the last 23 months, we "went" to different countries and we made and asked you to make, iconic desserts, cakes or sweets from that same Country.

Here's a resume of the last 23 months of the Sweet World:

1. UK and the "Queen of Puddings". 
2. America, NY, Brooklyn and the "Brooklyn Blackout Cake" 
3. UK and we had a choice of Hot Cross Buns and a Simnel Cake. 
4. Germany/Austria and the Donauwelle Cake. 
5. France and the Fraisier. 
6. Germany and the Black Forest Cake. 
7. UK and the Summer Pudding. 
8. UK and the Trifle. 
9. America, NY and the Baked Cheesecake. 
10. Sweden and the Prinsesstårta (Princess Cake). 
11. Scandinavia and the Saint Lucia Saffron Buns. 
12. Russia and the Medovik Cake. 
13. Spain and the Saint Mark Cake. 
14. UK and the Battenberg Cake. 
15. UK and the Bakewell Tart. 
16. France and the Paris Brest. 
17. Austria and the Spanische Windtorte. 
18. America and the Baked Alaska. 
19. America and the Fruit Pie. 
20. France and the Millefeuilles. 
21. Spain and Churros . 
22. Spain/France, the Basque region and a Basque Cake. 
23. Hungary and the Beigli (though I made a Fladen). 

Bread and Butter Pudding with Chocolate, Marmalade, Custard and Panettone / Bread and Butter Pudding com Chocolate, Doce de Laranja Amarga, Custard e Panettone.

It took me almost 12 years in the UK to make my first Bread and Butter Pudding!!

A quintessential British Pudding that (shame on me, I know) I always thought it would be strange and never rang my bells...

I'm not untitled to give my opinion about the regular Bread and Butter Puddings because I've never made or tasted one before but, this one, the one I'm sharing with you today, is so utterly delicious, decadent and moreish that, the only thing I could think after tasting it was:

Why????

Why does it took me so long to make and try such an amazing dessert???

Hope the British people forgives me because I'm totally surrounded to Bread and Butter Pudding!

This recipe is from Jamie Oliver "Christmas Cookbook", which is the book of the month chosen by Deborah for her Rainydaybites Cook Book Club and I'm so glad I gave the Bread and Butter Pudding an opportunity and specially with this recipe!! Truly and utterly divine!

Pomegranate and Chocolate Cake / Bolo de Chocolate e Romã.

This chocolate cake it's an absolute dream for any chocolate lover.

Rich, dense, intense, chocolaty and super moist, this cake is a stunner and was literally devoured in a few hours, by all the chocolate lovers in this household.

The recipe is from John Gregory-Smith new cook book "Orange, Blossom & Honey".

A book full of mouthwatering Moroccan recipes and every and each page is a journey to the souks and streets of Morocco.

This is the first recipe I made from the book and I chose this one, not because of the chocolate but mostly because of the pomegranate.

Pomegranate is the chosen ingredient from Marta as the "ingredient of the month" and, as soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it straightaway, not just because I'm surrounded by chocolate lovers here at home, but also because I wanted it at Marta's table, to celebrate October and the pomegranate!

Babka with Chocolate filling / Babka com recheio de Chocolate.

Second recipe challenge of the month and Deborah asked us to make a Babka for her fabulous Rainydaybites Cook Book Club.

I love Babka, simple and enriched doughs and everything related to kneading and shaping doughs so, to be able to make this recipe was a real pleasure.

The only difficulty was the choice for the filling as there's a few options to choose from but, to make the "chocolate lovers" of the house happy, of course, I had to choose the chocolate filling.

The recipe, is another one from the gorgeous Brian Hart Hoffman "Bake from Scratch" book and it worked perfectly well and without any hiccups.

This Babka, with a soft and delightful dough, drenched with a simple syrup and oozing (literally oozing) with melted chocolate, was a hit and the requests to make it again are more than many.

I'm leaving you the complete recipe in case you want to make the two loaves, instead of making only one and regretting it after, like I did.

Chocolate & Rye Cookies / Cookies de Chocolate e Centeio.

"5 Ingredients Quick and Easy Food" is the title of Jamie Oliver new book.

The name says it all and I'm really enjoying trying the recipes from this book.

A surprisingly fantastic book, full of clever combinations and quick and easy recipes to make, specially for the busy weekdays.

Maximum flavour from a small amount of ingredients, little clever tricks and combinations is what you get from every single recipe.

This is the first one I'm sharing here one the blog but I've already tried a good amount of them and I'll share them with you as soon as I can.

Honestly, after the holidays, it's being difficult to restart the routine of posting and visiting blogs but, I'll get there. I just need to get rid of the laziness that took over and organize myself and my time a bit better.

Saying that, here are these cookies that I made for my kids a few days ago and that are healthier than the usual ones and also very delicious.

Millefeuilles with Vanilla Crème Pâtissière & feathered Fondant Icing / Mil Folhas com Creme Pasteleiro de Baunilha, decorados com Icing Fondante.

This month and for th 20th edition of the Sweet World, we're asking you to make Millefeuilles.

Millefeuilles are a classic French pastry that consists of layers of puff pastry and cream filling.

Millefeuilles means one thousand sheets, layers, or leaves and they're an old school French pastry that's airy, crispy, flaky, decadent and moreish, in all the right places.

The very first recipe for a millefeuille appeared in François Pierre La Varenne's cookbook in 1651.

Officially, a gâteau millefeuille is constructed of three layers of puff pastry and stabilized pastry cream (mixed with a little gelatin for a tighter cream that's not too runny), decorated with fondant and garnished with a chocolate spider web design on top.

Sometimes mixed up, a millefeuille is not the same as a Napoleon, an Italian dessert where almond paste - similar to frangipane - is sandwiched between its many layers.

Apart from making your own puff pastry instead of using shop bought pastry, a millefeuille is not difficult to make. Actually, if you already mastered how to make a good crème pâtissière, there's nothing to worry about.

So, are you up for the challenge and will you joint us and bring us some gorgeous millefeuilles?

If yes, here are the rules:

• You have until the 20th of September to make and publish your millefeuilles. 
• That same day, 20th of September, Susana will let you know in her blog, the theme for the 21th edition of the Sweet World.
• You'll have to leave your Millefeuilles link here, in this post, in order to be featured in the monthly round up that will be published here on the blog, on the 25th of September.

The recipe I chose, is this one that I'm leaving you today and it's from Lorraine Pascale absolutely gorgeous book "Bake"!

In case you need inspiration to make your millefeuilles, there's a few recipes here on the blog (here, here, here and here).

As for the puff pastry, I always make this recipe but there's this one too, which is simpler to make and will be perfect for your millefeuilles.

Chocolate and Chilli Bread / Pão com Chocolate e Malagueta.

This month Ana asked us to bake bread with chocolate for "Our Great Bake Off".

As soon as I read the theme, I knew straightaway the bread I was going to bake and it's this one that I'm leaving you today!

I was dying to try this Lakeland Magazine chocolate and chilli bread since the day I got the magazine but, for one reason or the other, it never happened so, this time was the time! I had no doubts whatsoever, that this would be the bread to bake this month.

I had to adapt the recipe because the original one is for a bread maker machine. Although I have a bread maker which I use sometimes for more hard work kneading processes, I don't like to make bread in the bread maker so, the method I writing down is the one I used. Saying that, if you want to use a bread maker, go ahead and just follow the machine manufacturer's instructions.

Here it is, for Ana and for this monthly challenge that I truly adore, a Chocolate and Chilli Bread!

Chocolate and Cherry Cake / Bolo de Chocolate e Cerejas.

This June, Marta chose cherries as the ingredient of the month.

Who doesn't love cherries?

I certainly love them and they are very highly positioned as one of my top, top favourite fruits.

Chocolate, cherries and cream are a combination made in heaven and this cake, that I wanted to try since last year, is one of the best cakes I ever had.

Actually, I love Simmone Logue cakes. They are always so moist, flavourful and balanced that I almost dare to say that this author is a "cake fairy".

This chocolate and cherry cake that I'm sharing today and this Victoria Sponge that I've already made twice are, until today, my favourite cakes of all times!

The recipe, of course, is from Simmone Logue "In the Kitchen" cookbook. A book that I treasure as one of the best books I have.

Forgive me the total lack of "cake slices" photos but, I took this cake to a party and before I noticed, there was only crumbs on the plate. YES! That's how good and delicious it is!

In case you want to try it and corroborate my opinion, here's the recipe.

Vegan Chocolate Granola / Granola vegan de Chocolate.

If you're following this blog for some time now, you know that I'm not vegan, vegetarian, Paleo or whatever.

I'm just someone that loves food in general!

I eat everything (well, not quite...) and I love to try all sorts of flavours and cuisines. I believe that in food just as in life, balance is the key for everything and therefore, in my house there's no place for fanaticism, fundamentalism's and other sort of (isms).

I cook and eat with my family and friends whatever we fancy to eat on the day. If it's meat we'll eat meat, if it's vegetarian will be and if it's vegan or other sort of tendency, it will be but, it's always what we want, when we want.

Saying that, I love vegan food more than I ever thought I would love it and although (as you know), I have lots of all sorts of books, when I'm craving vegan food, I always go to that same place where I know that I'll find fabulous, mouthwatering and delicious vegan recipes.

Weather for breakfast, meals or even vegan cakes and sweets, Kimberly's, The Little Plantation Blog is the place I always rely in order to cook and eat fabulous vegan food.

Not to talk about Kimberly, the blog owner herself. Such a thoughtful and kind person. Full of knowledge and a very talented food and prop stylist and photographer...

Just visit the blog and tell me if you don't want to cook everything Kimberly publishes there? Plus! Kimberly's blog posts are always a joy to read. Short or long, whatever the theme, for me, reading them, it's always a delightful and relaxing moment!

Honestly? If there is one person in this world that could make me go completely vegan, that person would be Kimberly and her blog!

I've already tried lots of Kimberly's recipes here at home and although my daughter and I, we are the keenest ones for vegan food, my husband and teenager son never ever complained about any of the recipes I cooked from The Little Plantation blog.

Actually, all of them were very much appreciated and devoured by everybody including the two fussy boys.

This granola is one of those successful recipes I tried from Kimberly's blog and I'm not writing here the English version of it because it's all written down and very well explained here.

I have to say that after taking the granola out of the oven, I couldn't stop munching it from the tray or even after being cooled, directly from the jar.

My kids (both), are having it for breakfast and snack all the time and soon, I'll have to make another batch.

Yes! That's how delicious it is!!

Rocky Road.

Rocky Road is a very easy gluttony to make and assemble and something that all kids, of course, fall in love with.

This rocky road was a last week's request from my teenager son and some of his friends. As they are studying hard in order to achieve their A levels, I thought that a little (lot) of extra chocolaty energy would be a booster for their studies.

I don't need to tell you how much they appreciated it and how many compliments and smiley faces I got right?

The recipe s from Mima Sinclair little fantastic book "Rainbow Bakes". As you might guess by the name of the book, it's all about rainbow(y) gorgeous showstoppers and delicious bakes.

I love Mima Sinclair's books and you can find a whole lot of my favourite gingerbread recipes (from Mima's Gingerbread Wonderland book), under the label "Mima Sinclair", including this gorgeous gingerbread and chocolate bird's house that was a huge success last Christmas.

As for this rocky road, I think we don't need many words to describe it right...?

The sweets specified are the ones specified in the original recipe but, as you might know, there's no rules for Rocky Road so, use whatever sweets you have at home or go wild and use your own imagination.

Red Velvet Napoleons with Raspberries / Mil Folhas de Veludo Vermelho e Framboesas.

You know I can't resist a millefeuille recipe right?

Here o the blog, you can find 3 millefeuilles recipes (here, here and here) and each one, better than the previous one!!

So, as soon as I got Lorraine Pascale new book "Bake", I couldn't resist but make this millefeuilles straightaway!

The book is amazing!! Full of delicious recipes and I have lots of them already marked down to be tried.

As for this one, as expected, the millefeuilles were a true delight and a true winner and you should tried it!

Not the healthiest recipe, as you can notice by the ingredients list, but surely, a treat!!

Notes:

• Of course, I made my own homemade puff pastry, but of course, you can use shop bought puff pastry if that makes you more comfortable.
• Filling wise, the full fiiling recipe is too much for this recipe so, I advise you to make only half the quantity of the filling because it will be more than enough.

Chocolate and Whisky Bundt Cake / Bund Cake de Chocolate e Whisky.

This cake was made in January for the Burns night supper but I totally forgot about it in the blog "drafts", which is a real shame because is to die for!

Although I don't like to drink whisky (at all!!), I don't mind it in food and specially, I don't mind it in this cake.

It works fantastically well with the chocolate and both complement each other in such a way that either, flavour or texture, are absolutely stunning. The cake itself, is absolutely delicious and moist and I'm seriously thinking of making it again soon.

The recipe is from Melissa Forti gorgeous book "The Italian Baker" and I wrote about it in this post.

Millionaire's Shortbread with Salty Caramel & Coconut / Millionaire's Shortbread com Caramelo Salgado e Coco.

The first recipe from a book that I have from ages and from which I never made any recipe until now.

Last week I found a cook book club on Instagram that caught my attention straightaway.

Deborah Balint chooses a book every month and challenges us to cook from that book.

Of course, I think it's a brilliant idea and of course, I embraced it straightaway, because it will oblige me to use and cook from books that I have and are forgotten.

This month, the chosen book is "Home Baked" by Yvette van Boven. A book that I have for ages and from which I never made a thing until now so, thank you for reminded me of this book Deborah.

The book is a beauty and full of sweet and savoury home baked treats and this is the first recipe that I chose, because I knew it would go down a storm with my husband and kids and, indeed, it went down a storm!!

You'll see lots of Yvette's recipes this month on the blog, as, hopefully, I'll be baking from it a lot!

Oreo Pancakes with Chocolate Fudge Sauce / Panquecas de Oreo com Molho Fudge de Chocolate.

28th of February!

That special day. My niece's birthday and the day that I always post something to celebrate her birthday.

Being far away from her makes it very hard but making something special to celebrate the day, makes the distance less painful.

I'm not going to write again about how much I love my niece and about how much she means to me. If you read the last two years posts, you already know everything that is to know about my feelings for this gorgeous girl that has always been my ray of sunshine.

Two years ago I made her these meringues and last year I made her this upside down meringue pie.

Today she's 19 years old and I decided to celebrate with something more indulgent. As today it's also Pancake Day, I made these delicious Oreo pancakes with a decadent chocolate sauce. Something easy to make and that will appeal to my niece and her friends and colleagues from the Medical School as it is something that they all can cook and enjoy together as a very special treat. The recipe is from Hannah Miles, "Pancakes, Crêpes, Waffles & French Toast" book.

Happy Birthday my lovely sweet niece! Love you from here to the Moon and miss you a lot!!!

Hidden heart Chocolate Loaf / Bolo de Chocolate com coração escondido.

As I wrote last year, we don't celebrate Valentine's Day here at home but, all at the same, I like to leave suggestions for those who celebrate and that's why last year I made a cake very similar to the one I'm leaving you today. Nothing special, just a sweet treat to surprise your person on Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you and hope you enjoy the sweet hidden heart cake.

Chocolate Mirror Glaze cake with Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse / Bolo Espelho de Chocolate com Mousse de Chocolate e Framboesas.

For January and Our Great Bake Off, Ana challenged us to make a mirror glaze cake.

After checking many recipes, I decided to make this one, from Kirsten Tibballs and her gorgeous Chocolate book.

A perfect cake, full of textures and flavours, that put big smiles on the faces of the ones that tried it!

Of course my decoration is a simplified version of Kirsten's fabulous honeycomb decoration but that was my decision to decorate it with fruit, instead of the very sophisticated decoration presented in the book.

The photos are not perfect either as the light was very erratic that day... You know... When you want things to be perfect and "nature" is against you... :(...

I have to confess that I have never made a mirror glazed cake before and I was a bit scared but actually, apart from a few hiccups (my fault), it went pretty well.

It's not perfect and perfectly smooth, because I made a mistake with the glaze.

I cooled the glaze to much and it set very quickly before I could cover the cake completely so, I had to scrap it off (which created rough surface over and around the cake) and I had to remake the glaze once again.