Whether it's Sunday, a day to celebrate or simply a desire for sweet, preparing a cake always finds its reason. Even better if we are talking about cakes that are easy to prepare at home, perhaps using what you have in the refrigerator, with few ingredients. We have collected 5 dessert recipes that will give you great satisfaction in making them and your guests a great happiness in tasting them, guaranteed. There is the Yoghurt Donut, so easy that it could be prepared with the kids for a fun Sunday; there Pavlova, what else is meringue discs, lots of whipped cream and fruit at will – here we have chosen exotic fruit, but nothing prevents you from replacing it with berries or whatever you prefer; the Moelleux with chestnuts and chocolate, perfect for the coldest days so as to warm the heart and not just the palate; there is the Shortbread cake which gives new air to the usual tart; up to the green alternative with the Carrot and Almond Cake. In short, 5 cakes that are easy to make at home that will amuse you lightly in making them and will give you the sweetest moments.

Ah, after the 5 recipes, you will also find suggestions on useful tools to have at hand in the preparation, do not miss them!

Yoghurt Donut

Time 1 hour and 15 minutes
Vegetarian

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE
250 g Greek yogurt
180 g granulated sugar
150 g flour 00
100 g starch
100 g corn oil
16 g baking powder for cakes
4 whole eggs
butter – salt
powdered sugar

METHOD
Turn on the oven at 180 ° C.
Grease and flour a 24 cm diameter donut mold.
Sift the flour with the starch and baking powder.
Collect the eggs in a large bowl and whip them with the granulated sugar using the immersion whisk; blend until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
Then add the corn oil, pouring it slowly, a pinch of salt and whisk for a few more seconds.
Incorporate the Greek yogurt by blending to remove any lumps.
Finally add the flour with the starch and the baking powder and whip until you get a homogeneous and smooth mixture.
Pour it into the mold and bake it at 180 ° C for 35-40 minutes.
Finally, turn out the donut on a wire rack, let it cool and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Moelleux with chestnuts and chocolate

Time 1 hour
Vegetarian

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE
400 g chestnut cream
100 g dark chocolate
50 g butter
3 eggs
unsweetened cocoa powder

METHOD
Turn on the oven at 170 ° C.
Line a pan (ø 15 cm) with parchment paper (for an 18 cm pan increase the doses by half, for a 24 cm pan double them).
Chop the chocolate and collect it in a bowl with the butter; melt it in a bain-marie (or in the microwave oven) and let it cool slightly.
Mix the eggs with a hand whisk and work them for a few seconds (as if you were making an omelette); add the chestnut cream to the eggs, mix well, then add the melted chocolate.
Pour the mixture into the pan and bake at 170 ° C for 25-30 minutes.
>>> The moelleux with chestnuts and chocolate is perfect warm, magical if kept in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Serve dusted with cocoa.

Shortbread cake with ricotta and caramel cream

Time 1 hour plus 1 hour of cooling
Vegetarian

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE
300 g flour
200 g very soft salted butter
200 g cow's milk ricotta
100 g granulated sugar
60 g powdered sugar
caramel to decorate

METHOD
Turn on the oven at 180 ° C.
Work the butter, very soft, with the sugar using the electric whisk; when the sugar is blended in the butter, add the flour.
Finish kneading by hand and shape the dough into a very compact dough.
Place it between two sheets of baking paper and roll it out with a rolling pin, until it reaches a thickness of 2 cm.
Line the base of a 22 cm diameter springform pan with the dough.
Wrap the packet mold with baking paper and put it in the freezer for 8 minutes: this cooling is essential for the success of the cake.
Then transfer the mold to the hot oven for about 20 minutes. Check visually: the cake must remain very clear.
Once ready, take it out of the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool: another fundamental step for the success of the cake.
Meanwhile, work the ricotta with the icing sugar with an electric whisk.
Once the cake has cooled, cover it with a thin layer of ricotta cream and decorate with strands of caramel.
>>> The alternative: To complete this crumbly and buttery dough, jams or fruit compotes are also delicious, marbled to taste with a little unsweetened whipped cream.

Pavlova and exotic fruit

Time 1 hour and 15 minutes
plus 12 hours of drying
Vegetarian

INGREDIENTS FOR 8 PEOPLE
4 egg whites at room temperature
500 g fresh cream
275 g fine granulated sugar
2 kiwis – 1 papaya
1 mango
1 starfruit
1 dragon fruit
White wine vinegar

METHOD
Turn on the oven at 150 ° C.
Draw a circle of 22-24 cm in diameter on a sheet of baking paper.
Go over the circumference several times so that, once the sheet has been turned and placed on a baking sheet, you can see it well: it will be used to give the meringue a round shape.
Collect the egg whites in a bowl and whisk them until stiff. As soon as they are firm, start adding 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time (225 g in all).
Also add 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar. In the end you will have to obtain a very firm and beautifully shiny consistency.
Distribute the meringue inside the circle drawn on the baking paper forming a thick disc with the edge higher than the center: using a metal spoon you can hollow out the center of the meringue a little. When it is ready, it will have to accept plenty of whipped cream.
Bake the meringue, lower the temperature to 140 ° C and cook for 30 minutes.
At the end turn off and let the meringue dry in the closed oven overnight.
It may take just 4 hours, but it's best to prepare it the night before.
Complete it like this: just before serving, whip the cream with an electric mixer, adding a little sugar at a time: a maximum of 50 g, but even less, according to taste.
Spread the whipped cream on the meringue disc with the help of a spatula.
Finally, decorate with the fruit cut into thin wedges.
>>> Good to know: The vinegar added to the meringue is used to eliminate, once cooked, the smell of egg; it can be replaced with lemon juice, which will also give a whiter color.
Decorate the meringue 30 minutes before serving, so the texture remains crunchy and the cream retains all its freshness.
If you want to go ahead, complete it no more than 4 hours before consumption.

Carrot and almond cake with light icing

Time 1 hour and 15 minutes plus 1 hour of cooling
Vegetarian

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE
375 g carrots
200 g powdered sugar
195 g granulated sugar
140 g flour 00
120 g corn or sunflower oil
60 g almond flour
45 g starch
3 eggs
1 sachet of baking powder
sliced ​​almonds
butter

METHOD
Turn on the oven at 180 ° C.
Grease and flour a 1.5 liter plum cake mold.
Peel and wash the carrots; cut them into small pieces and blend them in a mixer with the oil until a smooth cream is obtained.
Then add the eggs and blend for a few seconds, just long enough to mix them well.
Sift the 00 flour with the baking powder and mix it with the starch, almond flour and granulated sugar.
Pour the carrot mixture over the flours and work it with a hand whisk, until you get a smooth consistency.
Transfer it to the mold and bake at 180 ° C for 30-35 minutes.
To be sure of cooking, do the toothpick test: skewer one up to the heart of the cake; if, once extracted, it is dry, you can take it out of the oven.
Place the cake to cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, prepare the light icing: heat 30 g of water and, when it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and slowly pour the icing sugar into it, stirring with a fork (keep in mind that you may need a little more).
Pour the icing on the cake and sprinkle it immediately with the almond slices.
>>> The alternative: Vary the covering of the cake by using sunflower, pumpkin, poppy seeds, alone or mixed, even with almonds.

The tools to keep ready for use

The whip
To be used for Moelleux and Carrot cake
It is the most immediate tool for mixing and whipping. The one of Tescoma's GrandChef line, all in stainless steel, resistant, is equipped with wires with the ideal flexibility to incorporate air into all compounds.

The sieve
For the Carrot cake and the Donut
Available in eight sizes, from 20 to 6 cm in diameter, with a thin mesh, equipped with a hook to be placed on bowls and pots, the Tescoma strainer is useful for filtering powders and liquids and also for draining pasta.

The blender
For the Carrot cake
It has a power of 700 W and a range of accessories thanks to which it can handle all preparations: Smeg's hand blender slices, cuts, minces, crushes, emulsifies, grates and whips.

The beater
For the shortbread cake, the Pavlova and the Donut
With a latest generation 450 W, 5-speed motor and Pulse / Turbo function for speed control, the ErgoMixx from Bosch is powerful, versatile, very maneuverable and quiet. Equipped with whisk for whipping and hooks for kneading, it also has a practical accessory for vacuum packing.

The stamp
For the Donut
Shaped in spectacular shapes, the die-cast aluminum ones by Tescoma have a highly non-stick surface to perfectly unmold even the most elaborate donuts.

recipes SIMONA GALIMBERTI, texts MARIA VITTORIA DALLA DALLA CIA, photos GIACOMO BRETZEL, styling CAMILLA GIACINTI

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