Celebrating/waiting the spring!

Good morning! It isn’t very springy outside. Although in the middle of the week the sun was shining beautifully and seemed- that’s it, the winter is gone, no, we still have to wait a bit. Nevertheless, we are celebrating the spring! Latvian spring coming festival is called Meteņi. It was celebrated in the Open air museum last weekend. Today is the day when it is celebrated in Denmark, they call it Fastelavn. It’s not very different from Latvian festival – 7 weeks before Eastern, in the week when the lent is starting, festival when people are wearing masks and joining in the ritual. Nowadays in Latvia we are not practicing the ritual so much anymore, I remember in childhood we did walk from one house to another, dressed in different weird masks. I was always a bear, also I remember there was a crane and a horse.

In Denmark people still practice wearing masks. Fastelavn is also called the Nordic Haloween. This event is considered a party for kids and their families. Just as Haloween, kids and their parents are tricking and treating from one house to another.

The most typical treat in this festival in Denmark is Fastelavnsbolle. It’s some time since we are baking danish pastry filled with marzipan and custard cream. This is very similar – made of the layered dough, filled with marzipan and custard cream on top. But it consists of two layers of dough and has wiped cream in the middle. It looks different than Latvian pastry, tastes perhaps a little like eklērs, but the dough is much more light! Speaking of Latvian pastry, now we also bake cinnamon pastry. And related to spring – now we have also raspberry cheese cake with the chocolate cookie base.

Baking, baking. In Muffins and more the lent doesn’t start. We like children, colors and creams. We are waiting for the spring very very much, but while waiting – eating delicious cakes. Come and join us! Today (Sunday) we are open til 18.00.

How do we enhance love

Many Latvians would think that Valentine’s day is a cliche and not very Latvian-like event. I would suggest to look at it from a different point of view, after all it is a celebration of love. And love is never too much: between the loved ones, friends and in yourself. One would say – what is this celebration about, if you love someone, then you do it every day, but – isn’t it great, that such a large and powerful thing, a thing which makes the world and peoples minds go crazy, has got one yearly celebration day? This is a day, when love encourages people to maintain and preserve it. Show the love, confirm it, love makes the world beautiful.

I would say let’s go crazy and celebrate, but let’s go crazy with taste. Every celebration is a joy in the everyday routine. Let’s get happy about hearts and colour red!

Here at Muffins and more we are already baking some delicious treats for Valentine’s day. Of course, the most Valentine’s day-ish cake is Red velvet. First of all its’ colour (the bright red chocolate base together with the white mascarpone cheese cream) looks effective, when cutting the cake in pieces. Second – it has the shape of heart. Yes to love! Ourheart shaped Red velvet cake weighs in at 800 grams, it has 2 layers and costs just Ls 9,99. It will be enough for all the family,  colleges and friends. Or did you want to eat it just between the two of you? Sure – why not! It’s so delicious! We also have smaller hearts for smaller joyful moments. It is the same chocolate base and mascarpone cheese cream in the middle. Furthermore the cake is decorated with a small sugar heart on top. It can be a small gift to a friend or a treat for yourself. Price is Ls 0,99.

This will be our second Valentine’s day. Last year we were baking muffins in shape of hearts, they were so popular that we decided to continue this traditions. They are made of classic muffin dough – plain and chocolate and of course decorated with a pink sugar icing (Ls 0,60).

Visit us on Valentine’s day if you need some small tasty gifts. Some cakes and cookies we will pack in gift bags, so it’s easier to choose. But if you want something special, please call or write us (phone: 28367671, mnm@muffinsandmore.lv), and together we can think of something which suits your taste, in regards to types of cakes and decorations. We will be glad if you make an order on cakes and muffins up front. We might just have run out of the cake or muffin you wanted when you come to our cafe.

Let’s enhance the love around us and in ourselves, Muffins and more is wishing you a very sweet and beautiful Valentine’s day. We will bake for you with love so you can give your love further to the world!