Tag Archives: easy

Chocolate strawberry cake

Posted on February 12, 2016 | 4 comments

Of all valentine’s desserts i believe a decadent chocolate and strawberry cake shouts it better! Nothing says i love you more than a homemade dessert, it holds so much care.

This special cake is not just looking beautiful but it is delicious too. It is love at first bite!

Whether you celebrate valentines day or you don’t, you can bake this cake any day you wish to spread love and joy at home.

You will be surprised from this foolproof cake, how easy and doesn’t require baking skills at all. You will be encouraged to do it more often if you are not really a big fan of baking.

You will need:

1 1/2 cup flour sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder sifted(of a good quality)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup chopped strawberry

Mix all dry ingredients together then add vanilla, vinegar, oil and water. Combine well before folding in the strawberries.

Grease a 9″ heart pan and bake on 180°C for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Keep aside until completely cool and meanwhile prepare the ganache to wrap it up.

200g chopped chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

Heat the cream until about to boil and dump in the chocolate. Let it rest for 5 minutes before mixing well. The silky ganache will appear gradually while mixing.

Let it rest 15 minutes in the fridge to hold itself before pouring it over the cake.

I told you it’s so easy and could be done in no time! Garnish with strawberries for the festive look. Isn’t it so beautiful?! Wait until you taste it too.

The moist texture is heavenly. It stays up to 3 days outside the fridge, and if you wish to serve it cold, keep it for up to one week in the fridge. This cake doesn’t feature eggs, milk or butter so the life duration is longer. Don’t hesitate to try it and give me your suggestions.

I wish you love 366 days a year. Isn’t 2016 a leap year? An additional day to love and be loved 😉

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

4 Comments

Posted in dessert, special occasions

Tagged blog, chocolate strawberry cake, delicious, easy, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, recipe, say i love you, strawberries, valentines

Watermelon slush – Say goodbye cheers to Lebanon summer days

Posted on August 31, 2015 | Leave a comment

Our vacation has come to an end, it’s time to pack and go back to Doha!

I became so damn professional in packing, i can fit a whole house in my bag! It became as easy as drinking watermelon 😉

A perfect watermelon slush to beat the heat and say goodbye cheers to beautiful summer that brought me a lot.

This refreshing drink comes together in just 5 minutes. All you need is:

3 cups diced seedless watermelon (or almost 500g)
1 cup ice (7-8 ice cubes)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
one lime juice optional

Place watermelon, ice, sugar and lime (optional) in a blender and blend until smooth. This quantity serves 4 cups.

You can replace the lime with lemon, it also works and gives the tanginess you need in your drink, or keep it simple and sweet as is without any addition.

To booze it up, add vodka and enjoy!

There is another way of making this slush, if you have time, by putting the seedless diced watermelon in freezer a day ahead or overnight. This way you eliminate using ice cubes, you only blend the watermelon, sugar and lime (optional) until smooth! I like this method, the flavor turns out stronger!

Watermelon is in season now, you find plenty everywhere you go. Now i find a way whenever i have extra in the fridge, how to make use of them and enjoy.

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

“Mini chef in the kitchen” 3- Easy and quick as 10 mns cheese bechamel spaghetti

Posted on May 1, 2015 | Leave a comment

Beside preparing a delicious dish, it’s also important to be an easy and quick one to keep your mini chef focused and entertained.

I believe the majority of kids are fan of spaghetti. It’s one of my son’s few favorite dishes because peppa pig loves it! Today’s recipe will not take more than 10 minutes the time of boiling the pasta.

To make this yummy dish you need: (for 2)

150g spaghetti
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup emmental cheese
dash of salt (optional)

Cook the spaghetti as per the pack instructions. Meanwhile, in a casserole mixmilk and flour until it’s well combined then bring to heat.

Keep on whisking until you see the first bubbles (2-3 minutes) add the butter and cheese(optional) and mix all well (less than a minute). Turn off the heat as the cheese is totally melt in and the sauce became thick. Toss in the drained pasta and let your kid enjoy the rewards of his efforts.

If you put emmental, disregard the salt, but if your kid is not fan of cheese, add a dash of salt to flavor it.

As i mention in every “mini chef in the kitchen” post, this activity provides your kids with plenty of opportunities to learn.Click on benefits of cooking with your kids to know more about it.

I hope you have a good time with your kids. Enjoy 🙂

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

Easy peasy nibble – spinach feta in puff pastry dough

Posted on November 10, 2014 | 7 comments

A tasty nibble, so easy to prepare. It’s a quick favorite that takes a lot of compliments whenever we have people over lunch or dinner.

Puff pastry dough is one of the staples kept in my freezer. Whenever i need a last minute savory snack, this ready made dough comes to rescue me. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 4 hours or so and it will be soft enough to use. This rich flaky pastry makes a simple snack into a real treat.

Spinach and feta pair successfully, to prepare this stuffing you need:

400g spinach chopped (you can use it frozen)
150g feta cheese
1 onion diced thinly
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of one lemon
salt to taste.

In a pot, cook the onion with olive oil until tender and fragrant. Add spinach and cook with the onion on a medium to low heat, usually i add 1/4 cup of water, it’s enough with the water that spinach releases.

Cook until done about 15 minutes, turn of the heat then add lemon juice and mix. Cut the feta cheese in cubes, add it to the spinach and mix them together until well incorporated. Eventually the cheese will melt. Feta is a salty cheese you might not need to add salt, it’s a matter of taste.

Bring to room temperature before stuffing the puff pastry. This quantity makes around 20 if you are using the puff pastry dough cut in 10×10 cm sheets. Here is a self explanatory step by step picture.

When you place them in the pan, brush the top with eggs before baking in the oven (180°C) for 15-20 minutes or until the dough is puffed and the top is golden.

Bon appetit!

7 Comments

Posted in appetizers & salads

Tagged blog, dough, easy, fast, feta, how to do, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, pastry, puff pastry, recipe, spinach

15 minutes nutellissimo brownies!

Posted on June 9, 2014 | 5 comments

This easy and fast recipe will make you stand up on your feet now and go to the kitchen to prepare these inviting nutella banana brownies. Am sure you will find the ingredients home:

nutella jar (350g)
3 eggs
15 tbsp flour
2 medium bananas

For the ganache:

200g dark chocolate
200g heavy cream

Mix nutella, eggs and flour and bake in a greased pan for 10 minutes, in the middle rack (180ºC). I used a square pan (18x18cm)

Let it cool before laying the banana slices on top and cover it with the chocolate ganache.

How we make chocolate ganache:

Put 200g of dark chocolate into a large heatproof bowl (must first be chopped into small pieces so that it will melt evenly). Bring 250 ml of cream just to a boil over medium-high heat or put for 3 mns in microwave; pour over chocolate. Let stand 10 minutes.

Stir the mixture very gently, incorporating the cream steadily, without overworking. The mixture should begin to appear glossy.

Let it cool for 20 mns in the fridge before using it.

For a beautiful presentation, decorate the top with edible flowers. I am taking advantage of being in lebanon where i find flowers at my ease.

Personally i find banana pairing beautifully with nutella, but if you are not fond of banana you can replace it with strawberry or pineapple. It tastes also wonderful

These beautiful red flowers created an attractive contrast! Fruits and flowers work like magic. The more colors you have on your plate, the more inviting your dish can be. It’s not a secret that we eat with our eyes first!