Getting creative + two recipes to get warm....

Every time we are in Sweden, I am changing something on my blog... I always feel inspired of doing something new and different. This time it is not different, now you can enjoy my blog in a new design. The inspiration is coming mostly from the fact that I am having quite some time of being creative and of course the changed environment with so many new impressions and moments, that I need to hold myself of not overdoing it...

The overload of inspirations does not only applies for the blog layout, it does also swap over to baking, cooking and decorating.... this mostly of the fact that I do love going shopping in Sweden a lot, don´t get me wrong I like to go shopping in Spain too, but when we are in Sweden I am getting different kind of ingredients which gives me the option to try new recipes and be creative in the kitchen.

Today, still being in the Christmas mood (the big day is coming soon) I am going to share with you a recipe of my Glühwein Kuchen "Mulled wine cake" which is just perfect for this time of the year. On top something which is it not really a German or Swedish tradition a recipe of a chocolate eggnog, which I wanted to make as I just bought those gorgeous drinking jars, which needed to be used and photo shooted immediately.

Glühwein cake

• 250 g butter softened
• 250 g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 200 g flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder
• 3 hand full cranberries
• 50 g chocolate sprinkles
• 120 ml Glühwein (Glög, mulled wine)
• some powder sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons mulled wine

Preheat your oven to 180C. In a mixing bowl mix together butter and sugar, till fluffy and light in colour. Add the eggs, one at the time, combined everything together. Sift the flour, baking powder and cacao powder and add alternately to the butter egg mixture with the mulled wine...starting and finishing with flour. Mix all together. Chop roughly the cranberries, put some aside for the later decoration, put the cranberries along with the chocolate sprinkles to the batter. Combine with a spatula. Pour the batter into a buttered and floured bundt cake baking form and bake for about 45 min (make the stick test). Take the form out of the oven and let it rest for at least 10 min on a cooling rack. In a small bowl mix together some powdered sugar and mulled wine (not too much) till you will get a think (bit runny) sugar glaze... Pour the glaze over the cake and sprinkle with some of the cranberries....

Chocolate eggnog

• 1 l whole milk
• 100 g sugar
• 50 g dark chocolate melted
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 5 eggs 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon grounded nutmeg
• 1/5 teaspoon grounded cardamom
• Cognac

Separate the egg white and egg yolk. Pour the milk into a saucepan add cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom and bring it to simmer and cook it on low heat for couple of minutes (watch the milk for overcooking). Mix the egg yolks with sugar, melted and cooled chocolate and cacao powder till all well combined. Add the cooked milk spoon wise to the mixture, till at least one third has been combined, then pour the rest and mix quickly. Beat the egg white till stiff peaks start to form. Pour the chocolate mixture over it and mix till all well combined. Let is chill... Add some cognac (as much or as less as you want) before serving. The eggnog can be enjoyed warm or cold....

Are you getting cold too, we are bit freezy... it is chily these days in Sweden, even so Swedish people would tell us that the tempretures are quite high for this time of the year.... which does not help the fact that we are freezing. Both recipes are just perfect to get warm and very nice to be shared with some friends or family who are coming for visit...

Enjoy!