Rasa Pelham Baking

Cherry and hazelnut cake

A round cherry nut cake topped with a drizzle of white chocolate and a dusting of icing sugar, sitting on a decorated surface.

I am currently obsessed with cherries. No, I am not baking or making anything with them. I just like having cherries as a snack with my tea (or hot chocolate). In fact, I can actually go through the whole box in one go!

So today it was my first time when I actually baked a cake with the cherries (first time this year as I baked cherry related cakes before). My favourite part was pitting the stones out. It was exciting to try out this cherry pitter that I have just bought!

A person using a cherry pitter with a bowl of cherries and a container of fresh cherries in the background.

The other part (not as fun) that was quite an important part is to grind the hazelnuts. Unfortunately there are no ready ground hazelnut available in shops, so this is the only option. You can of course replace the hazelnuts with the ready ground almonds. But be warned, you will be missing out on this amazing hazelnut flavour. Your choice ;-).

CHERRY NUT CAKE

  • 180g butter, softened
  • 250g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 100g plain flour
  • 2tsp baking powder
  • 100g hazelnut, ground
  • 150g ready ground almond
  • 450g cherries, pitted
  • white chocolate for drizzle (optional)
  • icing sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Cream the butter with sugar until pale in colour
2. Gradually add eggs and mix everything together to combine.
3. Add the flour, baking powder and the ground nuts and mix the mixture well.
4. Spoon out the mixture into ready lined baking tin and push the cherries on top.

A round cake batter with cherries visible on top, ready to be baked.

5. Bake the cake in preheated 180C oven for 50min.

A round cherry nut cake with a golden-brown crust and visible cherries on top, placed on a parchment paper.

6. Cool the cake down before drizzling melted white chocolate or dusting icing sugar on top.

A close-up of a cherry nut cake drizzled with white chocolate and dusted with icing sugar, set against a patterned background.
A close-up of a cherry nut cake with white chocolate drizzle, partially sliced, and a piece served on a yellow plate beside it.

Enjoy!

Rasa xoxo

Rasa Pelham Baking

Cookies for chilly evenings

A selection of homemade cookies arranged in a circular tin lined with parchment paper, featuring various types of cookies including peanut butter and jam cookies.

When it comes to chilly evenings, I love dipping cookies into hot tea and enjoying them like that. I also like the idea of stocking up on homemade sweet treats so I have something ready whenever a sweet craving appears. And cookies are perfect for that!
So that’s exactly what I did today: baked cookies while experimenting with different flavours. I tried pumpkin spice, white chocolate, orange, almond and even matcha. However, my favourite combination turned out to be peanut butter with jam 🙂

A cozy setting featuring a cup of tea and three peanut butter and jam cookies on a blue decorative napkin.

PEANUT BUTTER & JAM COOKIES

  • 200g softened butter
  • 160g peanut butter
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 240g plain flour
  • strawberry jelly (for filling)

1. Gradually add all ingredients into the mixing bowl (except the jelly) and mix until everything is combined well.
2. Add the cookie mixture into the piping bag with the wide round nozzle tip. Then pipe small circles on the tray lined with the baking sheet leaving big enough gaps to expand in between.

Cookie dough being piped onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, forming small circular shapes.

3. Bake at preheated oven 180C for about 13min.

4. Cool on wire rack then spread some jam on the flat side and join two cookies together.

Enjoy!

Rasa xox

Rasa Pelham Baking

Elderflower and poppyseed cake

Tray of assorted baked dishes, including savory tortillas and sweet slices of elderflower and poppyseed cake, all neatly arranged with parchment paper.

As I was packing for our little Peak District road trip, I couldn’t resist baking something for the journey. Long drives somehow demand homemade cake.

This elderflower and poppyseed cake was the winner of the weekend. Light, refreshing and not too lemony, it disappeared faster than anything else. So here is the recipe.

A freshly baked elderflower and poppyseed cake, topped with a glossy glaze and decorated with delicate elderflower blossoms, resting on a wooden surface.

ELDERFLOWER AND POPPYSEED CAKE  (adopted from Peyton and Byrne “British Baking” book)

  • 165 g butter (softened)
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 30g poppyseed
  • finely grated zest of small lemon
  • 1 tbsp elderflower cordal (recipe is here)
  • 1 tsp orange essence
  • 200g flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 140 ml milk

(for decoration)

  • 50g icing sugar
  • 3-4 elderflower cordal
  • poppyseed
  • Elderflower blossoms (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Butter a 900g loaf tin and line the bottom with baking paper.
  2. Beat the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at the time, mixing well after each additions.
  3. Add the poppyseed, lemon zest, elderflower cordial and orange essence and mix through. Gently fold in half of the flour, followed by half the milk, and then the remaining flour and milk until it is all incorporated. Spoon the mixture into your prepared loaf tin.
  4. Bake in the oven for 40-45min or until the cake is firm to touch and skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave it to cool down.
  5. Make the glaze by mixing icing sugar with the Elderflower cordal and brush it on the cooled cake. Sprinkle it with poppyseed and Elderflower blossoms.
A close-up of a sliced Elderflower and Poppyseed Cake topped with elderflower blossoms, showcasing its moist texture and golden-brown crust.

I am sure you will enjoy this cake!
Rasa 😉

Rasa Pelham Everyday Life

Walk by the river Lea

Two women smiling while walking along a riverbank lined with greenery and residential boats.

Last Sunday was quite spontaneous for me. In afternoon I popped in to my neighbour’s who suggested we go for a walk. What? For a walk? I know no parks around here in London where I live! However I went along and took Sarah (my new flatmate) with me. After about 20min we reached a river Lea surrounded by nature and lined with cute residential boats. Such a quick scenery change!

A small houseboat on a river with a green landscape in the background. The boat has a wooden door, round windows, and some pots placed on the roof.
Side view of a turquoise boat with circular windows, positioned on grass with a log resting on the roof.
A green narrowboat on a river with potted plants and firewood stacked on the roof, surrounded by greenery.

I love how people living in the boats grow herbs and veg on their roofs. Such a dainty little garden!

A narrowboat on the river Lea, featuring a flower garden on the roof and various items stored on the deck.
A wooden planter filled with strawberry plants, showcasing green leaves, budding strawberries, and a small can beside it.

And the names for the boats are super amazing!

A narrowboat named 'Stardust' moored by a canal, featuring a bicycle on the side and a grassy bank in the foreground.

Sarah found her own 😉

Two women standing in front of a red narrowboat named 'Sarah' with greenery in the background.

And we were so lucky as Collin, who lives in one of those boats gave us a tour on living such a lifestyle.

A man stands on the deck of a small red and white boat, surrounded by greenery and a calm river, with wood planks piled on the roof.

I love his artistic style, especially his desk that he made himself from upcycled scrap wood!

A neatly arranged workspace featuring a vintage radio, artwork on the wall, and a fishing rod with a reel resting on a wooden shelf.
A small, practical kitchen with a wooden countertop, sink, and various cooking utensils. A red kettle and bottles are visible on the shelf above.

And small, but practical kitchen that seems to fit everything….

A small kitchen shelf displaying various pots, pans, and cookery books. The background features a checkerboard pattern. Fresh herbs are visible in a bowl.

Including cookery books! Collin said he likes cooking for people and that we are invited for dinner some time soon… Thanks, Collin, for your hospitality 😉

View from the front of a boat looking down a quiet river lined with trees and residential boats.

On the way back I collected some Elderflower, maybe I will make some cordial tomorrow…

Person standing in nature, smiling and holding a bouquet of elderflowers, wearing a plaid shirt and cardigan, surrounded by greenery.

Have you walked around your neighbourhood recently?
Rasa x

Rasa Pelham Baking

Ramune’s freestyle apple tart

A round cake with a sliced section on a wooden cutting board.

I am having such a relaxing day today, doing absolutely nothing. Well… almost nothing, apart from writing this post. And it feels very much needed after baking so many samples to supply to cafés. Thankfully it has all been quite successful, as I’m now baking for one more café, with a few others showing interest too.

This apple tart came into our family through Ramune and quickly became everyone’s favourite. I simply kept baking it. I love it because it’s such a wonderfully freestyle cake. Although the base is technically a sweet pastry, the measurements are forgiving, there’s no blind baking involved, and you can choose almost any filling. I say almost, but for now I’m of course sticking with apples.

A freshly baked apple tart sliced into eight pieces, displaying golden crust and visible apple slices inside, placed on a wooden board.

APPLE TART

  • 200g unsalted butter
  • 6-8 tbsp sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 15-20 tbsp flour
  • 3 sliced apples
  • 3tbs brown sugar
  1. Preheat the oven to 170C.
  2. Cream butter with sugar and mix it together with egg yolks.
  3. Gradually add flour (I usually start with 15 tbsp and then see how the dough is reacting to it). The goal is to get the dough soft but not too sticky. So the less flour you can handle the better!
  4. Split the dough in two and roll out flat on floured surface: one for the base and other for the top. Line  baking tin with the dough (line baking tin with baking paper first if needed or just a butter is enough).
  5. Coat slices apples with brown sugar and arrange them in the tart.
  6. Cover the tart with the second part of the dough. If you want you can cut out little shapes on top with the biscuit cutter. But that is up to you – it won’t effect the taste 😉
  7. Bake (I never take the time) until the top looks slightly golden. But be worn! As Ramune says: “it is better to under-bake than over-bake it”.

I hope you like it!

Rasa 🙂

Rasa Pelham Everyday Life

At my grandma's!

A smiling elderly woman wearing a cozy sweater, standing in a warmly lit room with patterned wallpaper.

Happy Mother’s and Grandma’s day (if I can add that just because I feel this is fair)!

So… this lovely lady is my grandma and I had such a wonderful time visiting her today. As I mentioned before, her home is my paradise as so many cool old-fashioned things can be found there. Although my dad warned me today once more that I should not “steal” my grandma’s stuff (well… she gives everything with joy, so never considered to call it stealing), I took a lot of pictures to show you how lovely her home looks….

A cozy table setting featuring a vintage lamp, a small clock, a flower pot with pink roses, and various personal items on a floral tablecloth.
A wooden wardrobe next to a bed with an orange patterned blanket, set in a cozy room with green tiles and a painting in the background.
A bowl of bright red soup with a spoon resting in it, placed on a patterned tablecloth. A plate with green pickles is visible in the background.
Two green onion plants growing in glasses with water on a windowsill, next to a newspaper.
A collection of metal kitchen utensils hanging on a wall, including spoons, a ladle, spatulas, and a strainer, alongside a small red container, with floral patterned wallpaper in the background.
A vintage yellow-tiled stove with a firewood stack beside it, set in a cozy room that includes a bed in the background.
An entrance area featuring a green door, several coats hanging on hooks, a hat, and a broom. A pair of boots and shoes are placed near the door, with a patterned floor visible.
A basket filled with chopped wood placed beside an old wooden shelf, showcasing rustic decor elements like a pair of shoes and a jar, with a colorful wall as the backdrop.
A young woman sitting next to her grandmother, both smiling and posing for the camera in a cozy interior setting.
A person standing in a doorway, wearing black jeans and patterned slippers, with a wooden floor and kitchen visible in the background.
A person wearing a red sweater and slippers is washing dishes in a cozy kitchen filled with pots and plates.

Don’t you just love her style!

Rasa 🙂

Rasa Pelham Recipes

Happy New Year's day!… Waffles anyone?

An old-fashioned cast iron waffle pan resting on a patterned tablecloth, featuring a unique design for making waffles.

I have finally got an old fashion waffle pan that I have been searching for quite a while now! Luckily my grandma had it in her attic, perfect for my new “culinary” experiments…. So since I came back to London I have been making waffles like mad: starting from basics until I got carried away with the most random ingredients (good combinations however!). The beginning have been quite challenging of course as you would expect. In fact we have a saying in Lithuanian that sounds something like this “first pancake never comes out right”, which describes my trial very well. Now when I nailed it I can make waffles (on the old fashioned cast iron waffle pan), while chatting or playing Sims online (really embarrassed by that). So far I made plain waffles, blueberry waffles, bacon cornmeal waffles and rosemary-garlic potato waffles. My friends loved bacon cornmeal waffles that taste like America. However I am voting for the rosemary-garlic potato waffles which reminds me of Lithuanian potato pancakes with the Italian twist. Try it for yourself (regular waffle maker will do)!

Three rosemary-garlic potato waffles stacked on a plate, topped with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with herbs.

ROSEMARY-GARLIC POTATO WAFFLES
Serves 3-4 people

  • 2 medium sized potatoes
  • 2 eggs
  • 125g plain flour
  • 60ml olive oil
  • 1 onion (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 160ml milk
  • 4 garlic cloves (peeled)
  • 1/2 tbsp rosemary
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Peel, wash and cut the potatoes into uniform small pieces. Put potatoes and garlic in a large pot with cold water to cover. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Then lower heat and cook until potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork drain, reserving about 60ml of potato/garlic water.
  2. While potatoes cook, heat olive oil, rosemary and chopped onion in a small frying pan over low heat just until onion softens a bit. Transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Pour oil and onion over drained potatoes.
  3. Add milk to still-warm frying pan – just to take chill off – then pour milk over potatoes. Using a fork, a potato masher or a spatula, mash potatoes with oil and milk.
  4. Add potato/garlic water and continue to mash until mixture is smooth.
  5. Taste potatoes and season liberally with salt and freshly ground pepper. Preheat waffle iron and finish batter by beating eggs into potatoes with a whisk or handheld mixer. Combine together flour and potato mixture.
  6. Lightly butter or spray waffle iron grids. (You can skip this step with well-seasoned or non-stick materials.) Scrape batter by half-cup measure onto hot iron, smoothing batter evenly almost to edge of grids.
  7. Close iron and bake until brown and crisp.

I suggest you serve it with cream fresh to make it more Lithuanian-ish 😉
Rasa xox

Rasa Pelham Baking

Gingerbread cookies for snowy weather :)

A wooden swing set in a snowy landscape surrounded by bare trees.

I am finally almost there! My presents are almost packed, a lot of my knitting projects are over, my baking is coming to the end and the most importantly I am here in Lithuania watching the snow falling down 🙂 (sorry I needed to brag).
Anyway… as I am waiting for Christmas Eve to come I remembered about last years’ Christmass and the lovely gift that I received from Liz. That was a little folder with all the American recipes including the gingerbread cookies recipe of course. I baked so many this year!

A variety of decorated gingerbread cookies in different shapes, including stars, hearts, and Christmas trees, arranged on a light background.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

  • 490g flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves (I used all spice mix instead)
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 230g butter, softened to room temp
  • 130 brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 90g treacle (if you can’t find it you can substitute with more brown sugar)

1. Whisk together first 6 ingredients and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl cream butter and sugar with a mixer.

3. Add egg and molasses (or more brown sugar); beat on medium until mixture is smooth.

4. Add the flour/spice mixture slowly, blend on low until just combined. Wrap in plastic and chill for an hour.

5. Preheat oven to 180C. Roll out and cut cookies. Place 1/2 an inch apart on a lined oven tray.

6. Bake for 9-11 minutes (be careful not to brown them as that means they are burning). Wait until they are cool and decorate with frosting if desired

Happy Christmas waiting

Rasa xox

Rasa Pelham Recipes, Travel

My trip to Italy

A couple sits beside a classic red Italian car on a cobblestone street, with a weathered wall and greenery in the background.

I will start with the official news that I am back to London and the fact that I am experiencing mild writer’s block condition (not that I consider myself a writer). So beware of this minor problem as I progress with writing my quick story. Also would like to mention that I no longer work in the cafe… who knows what the future will bring? But for now am focusing on settling in London whilst still feeling really privileged for my year experiences in Windsor.
Anyway… moving on! I had a short gap between moving to London and leaving the cafe job so I did little bit of traveling. I visited Italy, Greece and Lithuania (of course!). What I am going to talk about now however is Italy since it is what the title is suggesting. And since I am only telling short story I will only focus on FOOD. And believe me food was the biggest part of this trip! At least in my opinion…

A collage of various Italian dishes, including a pepperoni pizza, pasta, coffee, and desserts. The scene features different meal preparations and people enjoying food together, highlighting the essence of Italian cuisine.

And the most amazing thing is that we were staying at our friend’s Alex house! You see, I was able to witness the real Italian cuisine. Thanks to Alex’s mum as she was really wonderful hostess and cooked three course meal every time. She even showed me how to make gnocchi which is my favorite! I mean, I knew how to make these potato dumplings before, however that used to take me forever. This time I defiantly feel more confident as Alex’s mum (sadly forgot her name) demonstrated a good technique how to make them quicker. I am also amazed that her recipe had some ricotta cheese which made gnocchi even more soft and tasty! Try it for yourself….

Hands making gnocchi on a wooden surface, with flour and uncooked gnocchi pieces scattered around.

GNOCCHI WITH PEAS AND PROSCIUTTO HAM
Ingredients (feeds 4 gnocchi lovers)

  • 300g ricotta cheese
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 250g potatoes (boiled, pealed and mashed)
  • 130g flour plus some for rolling
  • 100g hard cheese like Parmesan
  • 1tbs butter
  • 1 leek
  • 200g sweet peas (can be from frozen)
  • 250ml vegetable stock
  • 4tbsp cream
  • 4 slices prosciutto ham
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  1. First, make the dough by mixing ricotta cheese, egg yolks, potatoes, flour and Parmesan together.
  2. Then, prepare the sauce. Chop the leeks and fry them with butter. Then add peas, stock and whiz it up all together with hand food processor. Let it cook for further 2-3min and after taking it of the heat add the cream and season to your taste. Set aside.
  3. Make the gnocchi by rolling the pieces of dough on the floury surface and then cutting them into little pieces (see picture above). To make them textured roll each gnocchi piece against the fork ribs. Lay them in floured plate by leaving some small gaps between them as they really like to stick together.
  4. Lay prosciutto ham slices onto foil and bake for around 15 min until it is slightly golden. Take it out to dry.
  5. Cook gnocchi in lightly salted boiling water. But don’t go away too far away as the little pieces of gnocchi soon rises up to the top and that’s when you should fish them out.
  6. To serve mix gnocchi with sauce, little olive oil and dish them up. On top of each plate add crispy prosciutto slice and maybe some Parmesan of course.
A plate of gnocchi topped with peas, prosciutto ham, and grated cheese, presented on a decorative blue and white dish.
Buon appetitio!
Rasa xox
Rasa Pelham Baking, Everyday Life

My 30th birthday dinner party

A dinner table set with a large tray of cooked chicken and sides, including salads and potatoes, with hands serving food.

Yesterday I have celebrated my memorable 30th birthday with a dinner party. So since my blog has had really really long holidays I thought this was a good occasion for it to come back to “work”.
Anyway… for my party success I am giving a big credit to my friends Joana and Lina who were my loyal slaves all day long and a little bit to myself (I did set up this wonderfully harmonious menu after all). I would also like to grant a massive credit to the “BBC Good Food” website (not that they care), but the recipes there are always tested and the food always comes out like they say it would. Really recommend it for anybody.  Here is one recipe for the cake I made. Practically copied it and pasted it as I did not need to change anything (except the deco since fresh cherries were out of season here in Lithuania). Enjoy!

A beautifully decorated Black Forest cake layered with cream, cherries, and fresh berries, topped with green leaves, placed on a white plate.

BLACK FOREST GATEAU

  • 175g salted butter , plus extra for greasing
  • 200g bar dark chocolate
  • 300g plain flour
  • 375g golden caster sugar
  • 25g cocoa
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 200g buttermilk or natural yoghurt
  • 425g can pitted cherries, 2 tbsp juice reserved, rest drained
  • 100g morello cherry jam
  • 4 tbsp kirsch(or more juice from a can if you want it to be non-alcoholic)
  • 500ml tub double cream
  • 3 tbsp icing sugar1 small punnet fresh berries (optional)
  1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of 3 x 20cm cake tins. Boil the kettle. Put the butter and 75g chocolate broken into chunks in a small pan and gently heat, stirring, until completely melted.
  2. Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda with a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk or yogurt together. Scrape the melted chocolate mixture and egg mixture into the dry ingredients, add 100ml boiling water and whizz briefly with an electric whisk until the cake batter is lump free.
  3. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25 mins, swapping the tins round after 20 mins if they’re on different shelves. To test they’re done, push in a skewer and check that it comes out clean.
  4. Prick the cakes a few times with a skewer. Mix together the 2 tbsp reserved cherry juice and the kirsch (or more juice) and drizzle over the cakes. Cool the cakes.
  5. Mix together the remaining drained cherries and jam. Tip 200ml of the cream into a small pan and heat until just below simmering point. Chop the remaining chocolate and put in a heatproof bowl, pour over the hot cream and stir until melted. Set aside until spreadable.
  6. When the cakes are cool whisk the remaining cream and the icing sugar together until softly whipped. Spread over two of the cakes, then spoon over the jammy cherries. Stack the cakes together. Spread the chocolate cream over the third cake and sit on top of the other cakes. Pile the fresh berries in and around the cake and serve. I added black current leaves to make it look slightly wild, but this is totally optional!

Enjoy!
Rasa xox