Ingredients:
125g (4.4 oz) butter
2 large eggs
5ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
500ml (2 cups + 2 tablespoons) cake flour, sifted
10ml (2 teaspoons) baking powder
200ml (7/8 cup) milk

Syrup ingredients:
250ml (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) sugar
pink food colouring
300ml (1 1/4 cups) fine dessicated coconut

Preparation:
Heat oven to 180 C/ 356 F.
Cream the butter and sugar until light.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla.
Fold in the flour and baking powder alternately with the milk to form a batter with a dropping consistency.
Spoon into greased mini cupcake trays.
Bake for about 10 mins until skewer comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

To make the Syrup:
Add the sugar and 250ml (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) water to a saucepan.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture thickens slightly.
Remove from the heat and stir in a few drops of colouring.
Dip the cool cakes into the syrup, then roll in coconut.

Enjoy!!

So Sweet, So Simple, So Italian

Busy, busy, busy seems to be my life’s theme these days. After working hard all day, it’s all I can do to make dinner at night, let alone dessert. At the end of my evening meal, however, I still crave something sweet, something yummy, something… let’s face it… decadent. Also, I like to surprise my other half with tasty treats.

While briefly living in Italy, I managed to develop quite a taste for the Italian desserts. Unfortunately, those of us whose pastry and baking skills are not quite up to par with our palates, are often left searching for that perfect decadent dessert from an outside source, such as a bakery or grocery store. Unfortunately, we all know that just because a dessert comes from a bakery, there’s no guarantee that it’s of epicurean quality. If you are as busy as I am, you know that most dessert lovers simply do not have the time (or money) to traverse the entire city and sample every bakery (although, I’d love to try).

Blueberry & Peach Topping

Luckily for all of us, Trader Joe’s offers dessert lovers something sweet and simple… Trader Joe’s Peach & Blueberry Panna Cotta. Panna Cotta, which literally means “cooked cream” in Italian, is a sweet, creamy, silky tantalizing taste of Italy. Similar in form and texture to Creme Brulee, each bite of Panna Cotta will melt in your mouth and leave you wanting more.

Trader Joe’s has paired their delightfully decadent Panna Cotta with a deliciously sweet and slightly sour fruit compote topping with blueberry on one half and peach on the other. Each box has two perfectly sized servings, and preparation is fantastically simple and quick. Originally frozen, they will thaw in your refridgerator in 3-4 hours. I’ve even taken them out of the freezer in the morning before leaving for work. That way, after dinner, I can simply go to the fridge, take out a Panna Cotta, and enjoy the mouth-watering flavor of Italy in the time-saving comfort of my own kitchen. Unless, of course, my sweetie has already discovered it… and devoured it right up!