GRECIAN ODYSSEY - GRECIAN CUPCAKES IN THE NATIONAL COLOR OF GREECE,Blue and White

When i think Greece, besides Exotic Locales [romantic] and Olives and Olive oil [hah, fragrantly a foodies delite] or Mediterranean cuisine [healthy salads ,so flavourful too], there's something else that comes in my mind now too!!!


Joanne , yup she hosts the regional festival and we are at Greece this month...oh i so hope i make it there.....
And i so want to make it with her, every month , the globe around!!
And if u meet her , do ask her where we going by the next !!!

And these coconut cupcakes are based on the national color of Greece...blue and white....

ok i couldn get the exact shade of blue but i got it in the backgrounds didn i:-)

Now i want to whip up a Grecian storm ....am i out to impress a Greek God [ the human male species] or otherwise ....i wanna whip up all these gorgeous salads , ok toss these gorgeous salads and more....

But i settle on desserts....that brings on the cakes and bakes ....and more....
Ah am so at peace now....

Wiki, as usaual throws in a lot of lite on all u need to know...briefly...  oh yeah google is a great fren too...my know all fren...

I love the tradition between this New Year Cake, Vassolipita and this fabulous walnut spice cake with a syrupy story....ahah...but i fiannly settle down [again ] for Coconut cake   though a good Moussaka did cross my mind too....

Moussaka with Aubergine, peas , Mushrooms and Egg white's...add cottage cheese and zucchini and ur good to go...
Even without a classic greek salad.
Or maybe with  Spanakopita or Bougatsa ....
Spanakopita recipe here or B recipe here.......

Moussaka [coming later]

adapted from here, here and here
Working with some gorgeous grecian herbs gave an amazing twist f flavorful delite to the senses....
And the important veggies of Greece ..which include include tomato, aubergine (eggplant), potato, green beans, okra, green peppers, and onions.
 
The most characteristic and ancient element of Greek cuisine is olive oil, which is frequently used in most dishes .....olives and olive oil....
It is produced from the olive trees prominent throughout the region, and adds to the distinctive taste of Greek food.

Greek cuisine uses some flavorings more often than other Mediterranean cuisines do, namely: oregano, mint, garlic, onion, dill and bay laurel leaves. Other common herbs and spices include basil, thyme and fennel seed.
Persillade is also used as a garnish on some dishes. Many Greek recipes, especially in the northern parts of the country, use "sweet" spices in combination with meat, for example cinnamon and cloves in stews.

 Hah and ...feta cheese

So we have layers of Mushrooms, Zuchini , Aubergine , spiced with garlic and thyme, garlic,parsely, tomato and Basil and basil and fennel.
And topped with Kamalata and feta cheese.

Ahh u will hear more about the Moussaka soonnnn but now lets move on to dessert ...a delicious coconut cake....how summery is that!!!

A Coconut Cake from Greece

adapted from here

White coconut.....

The recipe didn have VAnilla in ...

No vanilla beans but i couldn resist....could u????

See what the beans do to the butter too.....pretty little specs of flavor...

I did add a little extra milk too...and barely beat the egg whites stiff.

And added a wee little bit extra coconut....so white ....and snowy ,,,was calling me...

ANd oh it did match the blue and ''white '' too......

The batter seemed dry/wee stiff before adding the egg white...and then wham...it hit me....i hadn put in sugar at all...

Relax....cool....real cool..take some milk ,whisk the sugar, ok doesnt work , jus dunk it in and Fold.Fold.Fold.Well. worked:-)

Yeah ,and i baked a few cuppy cakes in blue and white cups, the Grecian theme here:-))
For the syrup, i added a cardomon or 2 and microwaved it all, dont over do or u'll have candy ,i did the first time round:-)
And i did give it a lite blue tingeee.....

For the frosting i went the butter cream way , adding a bit of my meringue powder...white and blue..

And i dressed them in the same style a pair , in the contrasting colors of white and blue..

The cupcakes are delicious, jus the way cupcakes are, besides being fluffy and soft and melt in ur mouth!

The coconut paired beautifully  with the vanilla and they in turn with the buttercream!

They were so so delicious and the whole place had a fragrant aroma so irresistible that i miss them now, save a piece as i write the post next time.

HEre's the original recipe....
Adapted from here

This delightfully light coconut cake is topped with a light syrup containing the tastes of lemon, cloves, and cinnamon. The recipe calls for self-rising flour, eggs, butter, sugar, milk, and coconut.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, separated
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 pound of margarine (or butter), softened (2/3 cup)
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded coconut
• --------
• FOR THE SYRUP
• 2 1/2 cups of water
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• juice and peel of 1/2 lemon
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• ----------
• margarine (or butter) for baking pan
• flour for baking pan
• 4-5 tablespoons of shredded coconut for topping

Preparation:

Combine all syrup ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C).

Beat the egg whites with salt to the stiff peak stage.

In another bowl, beat together the egg yolks, margarine, and sugar until creamy. Beat in milk. Whisk together the flour and baking powder and beat into the mixture.
Stir in the coconut.
With a spatula, lightly fold in the beaten egg whites.

Lightly grease a 15 X 10 inch (or equivalent) baking pan with margarine or butter, and lightly coat with flour (shake the pan and discard excess flour) or go the loved cupcake way!

Transfer the cake batter to the pan and spread evenly. Bake at 340°F (170°C) for 40-45 minutes until golden and the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Remove from the oven, cut in pieces, and while it's hot pour the cooled syrup evenly over the cake.
Pour carefully, starting around the edges and moving into the middle. Sprinkle the top with 4-5 tablespoons of shredded coconut.

Allow 2-3 hours for the syrup to be absorbed and the cake to cool completely before serving.

Or for CUpcakes , serve thick syrup with the cupcake or scoop a bit of cake, put a tsp of syrup, and close.... OR
''inject'' the syrup with a decorating gun!

Delicious anyway!!!

And with these cuppy cake i began baking with my Bake it Pretty goodies!!
The silicone tea cups are there and so are the Cupcake papers and SPrinkles!!
Love their super cute stuff!!!