Happy 2014!

Happy new year, everyone! I know, I know, it's March already, but it needed to be said. As the first quarter of 2014 is almost over and I'm feeling blue because it's almost spring again and I'm ageing so fast and I'm going to run out of time to do everything and go everywhere, I wrote a summary of last year to convince myself I'm using my time wisely.

Some major things happened in 2013, education-wise: I passed 10 out of 11 remaining exams, including the hardest one yet, finished all practical work - and no more lectures for me! I only need to pass one more exam before I can finally graduate. In February I applied to the Erasmus exchange programme - and got the country I wanted! But more on that later.

I survived one year of hooping lessons. And then I bought a slackline, because I obviously needed one and because I was obviously meant to be a circus performer. Money well spent! My hoop and slackline are both pink and cannot be used simultaneously.

No holidays for me in 2013, partly because I had to save money to go live abroad and partly because I had no time and/or people to go with. Instead, I spent a week at an international students' camp, which was 10 minutes away from where I live. Yay!

I revived and renamed this blog and I think it looks rather nice. If only I had all the time in the world to bake, photograph and write about everything that comes into my head. I also threw my first adult birthday mini-party and it was a success.

In October, I finally became a fifth year student and I started my four-month internship at a hospital pharmacy. In short, I got to wear a uniform that I didn't have to wash by myself, wear Crocs all day without anyone judging me (I hope!?), and spend three hours a day commuting to work and back, something I have always said I would never do. I have learned my lesson: never say never. But I do hope that my next job will be closer to where I will be living at that time, because once you spend eight hours at work, there's only so much time left in the day and I know I don't want to spend it on the road.

The internship ended a week and a half ago, so now I'm free as a bird - almost. I still have a few workshops to attend, but they're not as time consuming as work was. I love having those extra 11 hours a day all to myself.

So, what's about to come, now that I finally have all this free time? Well, there's a freaking coconut cake! A rose cake! Lots of apple-y desserts (who doesn't love apples?), because why should you bake in December only? Other winter months deserve to be survived as well. Seriously, though, aren't January and February the weirdest months ever? It's like falling from paradise (December! Food! Presents! Christmas lights! Obesity!) into THIS. It doesn't have to be that way. Let's all eat some more.

Oh, and one last thing. I'm moving to London! Soon.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Sour Cherry Filling

The school year has, once again, started, which means pretty much everyone I know (and myself) has moved back to Ljubljana. Since my birthday was in September, this is the time to celebrate it. So I threw my first adult birthday party!

I live in an apartment by myself, so I had plenty of space to host ''many'' people. Nevertheless, I only invited two.

We ate - and you'll find the recipe below. Inspiration for the recipe struck me two nights before the party. I had recently tried to recreate a chocolate-raspberry cake from a local pastry shop - and failed spectacularly. I thought I should try again, but this time, using cupcakes. After all, this blog used to contain the word cupcakes in its name and I have a few thousand cupcake liners stored in a box, waiting for me to use them.

Since I love the combination of sweet and sour, I decided to make chocolate cupcakes and fill them with a sour cherry filling of some kind, made of frozen sour cherries. I found this great recipe for cupcakes and made up the recipe for the filling. It all turned out great. I've never made such a fluffy and light cupcake before. And it turns out that whipped cream is the perfect cupcake frosting. Beaten to stiff peaks it's easy to decorate the cupcakes with and it makes the whole cupcake lighter than the usual butter-and-sugar based frostings.

Seriously, I have never had a better tasting chocolate cupcake (homemade or bought) in my entire life.

Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from Bake It In a Cake) - makes 24 cupcakes

4 ounces (110 g) semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) whole milk
1 1/2 sticks (170 g) butter
1 1/2 cups (340 g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (60 g) cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups (275 g) flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Break the chocolate into small pieces, add two teaspoons of milk and melt it in a microwave or a double boiler. Leave the mixture to cool.
2. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 90 seconds - until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and make sure every egg is completely incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
3. Add baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt to the mixture on medium-low speed. Add cocoa powder and mix for 30 seconds on high speed, until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula again.
4. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, alternating with milk, 1/3 cup at a time. Mix well before every addition. 
5. With the mixer on medium-high, add the melted chocolate mixture and mix for 30 seconds, until smooth.
6. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.

Sour Cherry Filling

1 1/2  - 2 cups frozen sour cherries
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp sugar (optional)

Simmer the frozen or already thawed sour cherries with water and sugar (optional) in a pan for for about 3-4 minutes, then leave them to cool.

Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream
powdered sugar, to taste

1. Add as much sugar as you'd like to the cream and mix it with a spoon. 
2. Whip cream to soft or stiff peaks, whichever you prefer.

Assembling the cupcakes

1. Cut out a cone shape from each of the cupcakes, about 1 inch in diameter and about 1 inch deep, depending on how much filling you would like in your cupcakes. Fill the hole with 2-3 cherries and a teaspoon or two of the sour cherry juice remaining in the bowl. 
2. Remove most of the cut-out cone, leaving just a very thin ''lid'' and place it onto the cherries, to seal the cupcake.
3. Top with a tablespoon of fresh whipped cream.
4. Optional: decorate with a cupcake topper, preferably one with a cat on it :)

Hello October!

It's October time!

September was a good month for me. I'll admit, 26 out of 30 days weren't so great. I spent the first 18 studying for the last exam I had on the 19th, and then another week or so worrying about the results.

I got them yesterday and I passed. Which means that I was successful at all four of the exams I took in September and I am officially a fifth (and final) year pharmacy student. Yay! Plus, a week ago was my 23rd birthday and there was cake (two of them, actually). Made by me. The month went by extremely fast.

Every year, but especially this year, October is the start of a new chapter of my life. It's the start of a new winter semester, a new school year and probably my last year of being a student and not a serious, boring ''adult'' (will I ever truly grow up and be a real adult? Nobody knows). There's no more classes, no more exams, just training and research for the master's thesis. Which means a lot of work (and no play).

October literally brought cold weather. My cat, Munjo, has been sleeping under the covers since last week, which usually signifies that Winter is Coming™. So I guess we should have known.

I'm excited about:

School. This year everything is completely new. The first three weeks will be more laid back, since I only have a few lectures at the faculty. Then I will start the internship or the 18 weeks of unpaid work in a pharmacy that I have to do to become a licensed pharmacist. I chose to do it at a hospital instead of a community pharmacy, but more about that when I actually start to work, because I have no idea what to expect from working there. And the best part about school is, I only have to pass one more exam and I shall be finished forever. I thought this moment would never come.

Baking. It's finally cold outside and it's too early for central heating, so turning the oven on is a great excuse to bake things and warm up the apartment as well. I can't wait to start using apples in everything. Apple pies, apple crumbles, everything apple! It's such a versatile fruit and I can't wait to use it more, especially because it makes the kitchen smell so good.

Parties! I'm planning to throw a (belated) birthday party for my friends in the next two weeks. And I haven't hosted a birthday party since... 5 years ago!

Shopping for warmer clothes. I donated more than half of my clothes because I didn't feel good in them anymore, which means I literally have nothing to wear. Hopefully, that's about to change in the next few weeks.

TV! I know, I'm weird, but I'm reeeeally excited about my favorite TV shows returning. Especially New Girl, Parks and Recreation, Grey's Anatomy and the Walking Dead.

My October soundtrack: I am loving London Grammar these days. If You Wait is such an October-y album. I don't mind that my favorite city in the world is a part of their name, I don't mind at all. They only have two singles: Wasting My Young Years and Strong. But trust me, the whole album sounds fantastic and I hope they become crazy successful so I can go to one of their concerts.

What are you excited about this October?

Photo sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5