Saint Mark / São Marcos.

As you can read here, the theme for the 13th edition of the Sweet World is to create a Saint Mark Cake.

A Saint Mark is a layered dessert that features two layers of genoise sponge, one layer of a Chantilly cream mixture and a layer of an egg yolk creamy kind of curd.

There are different versions of this pudding, some of which include a layer of chocolate sauce or, versions like the one I followed that are finished with a layer of liquid caramel.

This cake is sold in all "old fashion" Patisseries in Portugal and I part of my childhood. So much, that I always thought it was a Portuguese cake.

It's made in big rectangular trays, cut into individual squares and sold wrapped in baking paper.

According to the research I did, the only accurate information I found was that it's a Spanish cake, from the Castile-Leon region.

Apparently this dessert was created in honour of the Monastery and Convent of Saint Mark. The date and name of its creator are unknown.

This was the first time I've made a Saint Mark and I followed this recipe.

Did I like it? YES!

Did I fall in love with it? NO!

The ones that ate it (family and friends), loved it so..., I suppose it's a matter of taste!

Medovik Cake for the 12th edition of the Sweet World / O Bolo Medovik para a 12ª edição do Sweet World.

20th of December!

It's almost Christmas and it's Sweet World Challenge day.

It shouldn't be me but, because my PC broke last month and Susana had to take over, this month, I have the honor to present you the theme of the 12th Edition!!

Yes!! One year of Sweet World. One year of very interesting challenges, Bakes and cakes and puddings that, if not for the Sweet World, I would have never dared to make and yet, here we are, 12 months later, presenting another theme with the same enthusiasm and joy as we did it the first time and now, with more confidence, more knowledge and even more passion.

Lots of people joined us (Susana and myself) in this journey. Just like us, stepping out of their comfort zones every month and making cakes and delicacies that were unthinkable or that we thought we would never make and for that, a big huge THANK YOU to everyone and everybody that, every month, makes the effort to participate in this Sweet World.

11 months traveling around the world on a sweet.

Recreating and getting to know all the facts and stories behind all the sweets we asked you to prepare and, as a recall, here is the list of everything we made and again, a big THANK YOU to everybody that embraced this Sweet World with the same passion as Susana and myself:

1st edition: Queen of Puddings.

2nd edition: Brooklyn Blackout Cake.

3rd edition: Hot Cross Buns and a Simnel Cake.

4th edition: Donauwelle Cake.

5th edition: Fraisier.

6th edition: Black Forest Cake.

7th edition: Summer Pudding.

8th edition: Trifle.

9th edition: Baked Cheesecake.

10th edition: Princess Cake.

11th edition: Saint Lucia (Saffron Buns).

and this month...

for our 12th edition...!!!

We want you to travel to Russia and to make us a Medovik Cake aka, Russian Layered Honey Cake!!

Caramel Imposible cake / Bolo impossível de caramelo.

I couldn't stop thinking about this cake since the day Patricia posted it here.

As we had lunch with friends last weekend and I was the one bringing dessert, I decided to make this gorgeous cake.

The results couldn't be better and everybody loved it a lot.

Thank you Patricia for being such a fantastic inspiration!!

ingredients for the caramel:

100g caster sugar

for the chocolate cake:

120g plain flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt

2 large eggs

70g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

80ml whole milk

80g butter, melted

for the flan:

3 large eggs

300ml condensed milk

300ml whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract or paste

method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Grease a 10 cup fluted tube cake tin with butter.

Place the caster sugar in a dry frying pan with 1 tbsp of water.

Heat over a high heat to dissolve the sugar, tilting the pan carefully to move it around.

Allow the mixture to dissolve completely and turn to a lightly golden caramel, swirling the pan as you go.

Tip the caramel onto the prepared tin and tilt the tin to spread it around the base of the tin. Set aside.

to make the cake batter, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Ser aside.

In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla.

Whisk in the milk.

Gently fold in the dried ingredients.

Add the melted butter and fold very gently until everything is well incorporated.

Pour the batter over the caramel and set aside while you prepare the pudding mixture.

Place all the ingredients for the pudding into the bowl of the food processor and blitz until well combined.

Very slowly and gently, pour the pudding mixture all over the cake batter.

Place the tin into a baking tray and fill the tray with boiling water until it comes half way up the sides of the tin.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cooked. Check with a skewer until it comes out clean.

To prevent the cake from getting to dark, cover the tin with foil about 40 minutes after putting it in the oven.

Remove the tin from the the water bath and transfer to a wire rack. Allow it to cool in its own tin.

Place a serving dish on top of the tin and turn upside down.

__________________

Desde que a Patricia (a nossa lindona Pierre Hermé do Sul) publicou este bolo/pudim impossível, que eu andava com vontade de o fazer.

Como no fim de semana passado, fomos almoçar a casa de amigos e, como sempre, eu fiquei de levar a sobremesa, nem tive dúvidas e foi esta a minha escolha.

Claro que os resultados e elogios foram fantásticos e não podia ter sido mais aprovado!

• Embora tenha seguido à risca a receita da Patricia, achei a quantidade de bicarbonato de sódio demasiada e desconfiei que daria aquele típico "travo metálico" ao bolo e assim sendo, baixei substancialmente a quantidade de bicarbonato de sódio e adicionei um bocadinho de fermento em pó e são essas quantidades que vos deixo.

Muito obrigada querida Patricia, por seres uma inspiração neste mundo virtual de partilha!!

ingredientes para o caramelo:

100g de açúcar

ingredientes para o bolo de chocolate:

2 ovos

70g de açúcar

80ml de leite

120g de farinha

2 colheres sopa de cacau em pó

1/2 colher chá de bicarbonato de sódio
1/4 colher chá de fermento em pó

80g de manteiga, derretida

1 colher (café) de sal fino

1 colher chá de extracto de baunilha

ingredientes para o pudim:

3 ovos

300ml de leite condensado

300ml de leite

1 vagem de baunilha, raspada (ou 1 colher chá de extracto)

preparação:

Preparar uma forma com cerca de 20 a 22cm, de preferência de buraco.

Aplicar um pouco de spray desmoldante e limpar o excesso com papel absorvente de cozinha. Preparar um tabuleiro ou forma com água para o banho-maria.

Levar ao lume o açúcar num tachinho de fundo espesso com uma colher de sopa de água (pode colocar umas gotas de sumo de limão para o açúcar não cristalizar). Deixar derreter sem mexer até obter um caramelo de cor clara.

Verter o caramelo na forma e espalhar um pouco à volta.

Entretanto preparar o bolo de chocolate. Misturar numa taça os ingredientes secos (farinha, bicarbonato, cacau e sal).

À parte, bater os ovos com o açúcar e a baunilha.

Juntar o leite e mexer.

Incorporar os ingredientes secos e mexer até ficar homogéneo.

Por fim adicionar a manteiga derretida e mexer.

Verter a massa na forma e reservar.

A seguir, bater os ingredientes do pudim no liquidificador ou robot de cozinha (ou com a vara de arames).

Verter muito delicadamente a mistura do pudim por cima da massa de chocolate, usando uma colher ou espátula para diminuir o impacto.

Colocar no forno pré-aquecido a 180ºC, em banho-maria, durante 45 a 60 minutos.

A meio do tempo tapar a forma com papel de alumínio para não tostar o bolo por cima. Testar com um palito que sairá quase seco.

Deixar arrefecer na forma e reservar uma noite no frigorífico (dentro da forma).

Antes de desenformar, mergulhar a forma em água a ferver, de forma a derreter o caramelo e desenformar num prato.

Recipe / Receita: Coco e Baunilha.