Marbled chocolate brownie cake

Over the holidays my mum made this cake while I was visiting Slovakia.  It looked so irresistible I just have to share it with you. You can make it in square  tin or round one as we did which looks lovely. Make it as a treat for Sunday or for any celebrations. It will serve 8-10 people as it is very rich. Serve with fresh fruit of  your choice, berries work really well.

Its a very easy recipe, but the results are deliciously indulgent. Just follow the instructions below!

Christmas baking round two

Every year I make these honey biscuits before christmas which we then decorate with my niece and nephew. Its now our little tradition. They are soft and fragrant from spices. I guess they are similar to gingerbread, only there is no ginger. In Slovakia, you will find beautifully decorated ones, but watch out, we are getting better at it!!!

The rest of the confection consist of coconut meringues which my grandmother used to make and we called it kisses. That was long before the meringue girls...

I also made jammy dodgers, which are filled with strawberry jam. The round balls are not baked, its a mix of nuts, raisins and rum, bit of cocoa which is chilled overnight and then rolled and coated in coconut powder. 

For the honey biscuits, the dough has to stand in the fridge for 24 hours before i cut the shapes with various cookie cutters I collected over the years. They are cooked only for 8-10minutes, otherwise they would become hard. Brush them with beaten egg when they come out of the oven. Keep in a box or a container with a tiny piece of bread to extract the excess moisture. 

CHRISTMAS BAKING MARATHON

Christmas is time of cooking and baking in excess. Slovak traditions are no exception. Many start as early as beginning of December to make sure everything is prepared for our Christmas Eve dinner.
In Slovakia, instead of one main desert we bake at least 10 different varieties of biscuits and small cakes. Each region has it's own specialities, some families also share between themselves.
This cake is called Stedrak, which kind of means generous cake. No wonder, it consists of 4 different fillings! I made it for a Christmas party we held in early December. (Everyone is too busy in London)

The base is from sweet yeasty dough that is used a lot in Slovak baking. You need to be patient, knead it properly and give it enough time to rise. The fillings are also traditionally Slovak, poppy seeds, ground nuts, plum jam and a sweet quark like cheese. The cake was light and airy, with the different textures and flavours of the fillings.