Massini – today I am going to introduce a delicious dessert from Uruguay to you. Imagine two thin layers of sponge cake which sandwich together a whipping cream filling. This is then topped off with a custard layer, which has a caramelized sugar top. Of course any Uruguayan is proud of this famous dessert. It is said that the Spanish immigrant Pedro Carrera invented this dessert in 1951. He opened the pastry shop Carrera in the capital Montevideo and served this dessert. To the present day you can buy a Massini dessert at the pastry shop, yet the pastry shop usually spells it with only one S. Of course the dessert made it to the Uruguayan show Masterchef and has been popular outside of the country as well. I have to admit though that I had not managed to eat this dessert until the present day. For anyone who loves a dessert with light sponge cake and whipping cream, this dessert is for you.
It barely ever happens, but this does coincide. This recipe is the same in Germany as well as Colombia. Today I am presenting a strawberry sponge roll from Germany or brazo de reina from Colombia. This sponge roll is super easy to make and is filled with heavy cream and cubed strawberries. If you are expecting guests, I highly recommend this roll as it is easy to prepare and fast to make. So far every single person has loved this recipe, Colombians and Germans alike.
Guys, today is a special day for me. Exactly two years ago I had a horrible bike accident. Including hemorrhage. It is a special day for me as I didn’t get any long-term damage. Yeah, it did take a while for me to recover, but I made it back with a clean health bill. And since this is a special day for me, I always make a special cake on this occasion. Last year I made this vegan Oreo cake and the previous year I made one gigantic cookie with the cookie monster on top. Needless to say that I am a huge cookie monster myself. Yes, all of these cakes are very decadent and rich, I am celebrating life and don’t want to hold back. Yes, this year’s cake is decadent as well. This rich and creamy chocolate cheesecake is anything but healthy. In total we have 400 grams of chocolate and 600 grams of heavy cream. I promise you, if you are a chocoholic like I am, you will love this cake. But be warned, you won’t manage to eat more than a small slice. For that reason I made it in a 20cm/8inch cake pan because you really don’t need a lot to satisfy your chocolate craving. And I am saying this as somebody who can eat chocolate all the time, regardless if it is summer or winter. I will never understand why some people say they don’t need chocolate in summer. I definitely do. If you are the same, this cake is for you.