Two years and Citrus mascarpone cake with poppy seeds

Trossets de cuina is already two years old. I thought it was today, but it was on Monday, so today, Trossets de cuina is a little more than two years old. Anyway, it has been two years, 734 days, 34.000 visits and 117 followers, lots of met people (some of them almost friends) uncountable cooking moments and lots, lots of satisfaction. Because Trossets de cuina is not only a food blog, no, it’s something more than this…

Trossets de cuina is a white piece of paper which was started to balance the lack of challenges caused by my professional situation. It was the remedy that helped me to focus; to meet me again with lost aims and aspirations buried in some place among the last nine years; to remember what I want and mostly, what I don’t; to comprehend that I am 70% from my origin and 30% from circumstances I am living; to notice that I cannot live without feeling passion for whatever fills my day and to push me to make it real.

And also some more touchable things: to buy my first DSLR camera, a too cheap tripod and some light reflecting paper; to occupy a closet only with plates, cloths and other; to reuse old dishes and cooking gadgets; to buy unnecessarily new ones; to collect cooking books and the last one; to enroll impulsively,  in a food writing course.

This is all this blog has made for me, but also and mainly, it’s been done by all of you who are in front of it right now, because my biggest fulfillment would be to make you feel like cooking the cookies I’m talking about, to make some buttercream or just to prepare borages leaves with honey. My most sincere gratitude.

Today’s cake is a well balanced sense cake: poppy seeds adding texture and crunch to the soft cake; fresh lime and lemon juice bringing aromatic tip to the spoonful. The mascarpone and cream filling and frosting mixing the silkiness with the contrast of grapefruit and lemon zest; and to top it, candied lime and lemon, to give a bit more of sweetness. 

Cake:

- 175g de self-rising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 150g butter
- 150g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- lemon and orange juice
- 50g poppy seeds.

Preheat the oven at 180º. Beat the butter with the sugar; add the eggs, each at a time, trying to combine them properly before adding the other. Mix gently until well combined and incorporate lemon and orange juice. In another bowl, add the flour, baking powder and poppy seeds and mix it. Combine both gradually while beating until perfectly combined. Take a cake pan and grease it with butter before pouring the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let it cool while preparing the frosting.

Filling and frosting

- 250g mascarpone

- 250ml chilled whipping cream

- 50g caster sugar

- Lemon and orange juice

- Lemon, lime or grapefruit zest

Whip the cream with sugar until well formed peaks. Beat mascarpone and add it to whipped cream. Incorporate juices and zest and combine until soft batter. It’s not a very sweet frosting, so, you can add more sugar if desired.

Candied lime and lemon

- 100ml water

- 72g caster sugar

- Thin slices of lemon and lime

Bring water and sugar to boil in a skillet until sugar is dissolved. Add lime and lemon slices arranging them in one layer and simmer until translucent. I cooked them during twenty minutes.