Cakes and Puddings Archives - Page 16 of 46

Baked Cardamom Ricotta Cheesecake with Western Union for Mother’s Day

13|05|2018

This post is brought to you by Western Union. All opinions expressed in this post as always are entirely my own.

Mother’s Day every year is a walk down memory lane. Precious moments from childhood, the countless times Mum put us first in her life, her persistent encouragement through all these years and the lessons that she taught us for life. Some of my fondest memories growing up were when I would watch her in the kitchen cook with deft and skill with a handful of ingredients and turn them into a delicious 5 course meal. She was (still is) a clever cook, always ready with some useful tip or trick up her sleeve. ‘Cooking doesn’t have to be cumbersome.’ she would say whilst entertaining a large number of guests every weekend who were always in awe of her. The most important culinary lesson I’ve learnt from her that I embrace all the time in my kitchen- simple ingredients and lots of colour. Today Mum is far away back in India but I feel closer to her by recreating her ‘sondesh’ with a modern touch to it for my little boys.

I’m absolutely delighted to be partnering with Western Union for this very special day. As a result of moving money across 200+ countries, Western Union’s customers are incredibly diverse-just like the world we live in and the food we eat.
One of the simplest ways that we can appreciate and express cultural diversity is by sharing food. Meals are much more than food on a plate. They are ways we can find common ground. The comfort that comes with a delicious recipe lovingly prepared by Mom is universal. Western Union believes in celebrating the little things like the food we eat, places we’ve been, our Mums or the reason why we send funds because they are important part of what makes us, who we are.

‘Sondesh’ was a popular delicacy in Bengali households when I was growing up. Three simple ingredients (chana/ricotta cheese, sugar and ground cardamom) and whoa! You have a dessert that is light and just melts in your mouth. Mum would go about garnishing them with various nuts like pistachios, dried orange peel, spices and they would look like they could give the local sweet shops a run for their money. Yes, it’s obvious I inherited my sweet tooth from her! This Cardamom Ricotta Cheesecake is inspired by my Mum’s ‘sondesh’ recipe. It has the same ingredients except that it is baked and uses eggs to set the filling. Thanks to the rise of global citizenship, we can find new ways all over the world to add a unique touch to our Mother’s traditional recipes while sharing with friends. To decorate the cheesecake, I’ve used strawberries that have been soaked in rosewater (another favourite from childhood). It’s a really simple, light-crust less cheesecake that is so refreshing to taste.

So, tell me dear readers, what is your favourite dish cooked by your Mum? Do you make it just the way Mum did or do you have a version inspired by it? I’m really excited to know!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the beautiful Mums, Grandmums, would-be Mums and anyone who plays this role in your life!

Cardamom Ricotta Cheesecake
Makes an 8 inch round cheesecake that serves 6-8 people

750 g smooth ricotta
1/3 cup castor sugar
1 tsp powdered cardamom
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Method : Preheat oven to 170 degrees C (150 degrees C for fan-forced ovens). Grease the base and sides of an 8 inch Springform pan. With an electric mixer or a hand mixer, beat the ricotta, sugar and powdered cardamom together till smooth. Add the egg, a little at a time and continue to beat till fully blended.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth the top and tap the pan gently a few times on the bench top to get rid of air bubbles.

Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until a crust starts to form all over the cheesecake (the top will become light golden brown) and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn off oven, leave the door ajar and let cheesecake cool completely before releasing the sides.

Refrigerate until serving. When ready to serve, top with rosewater macerated strawberries. Decorate with edible flowers.

Rosewater Macerated Strawberries
1 punnet strawberries (250 g), hulled and sliced
1 tablespoon castor sugar
1 tsp rosewater

Method : Combine strawberries, castor sugar and rosewater in a medium bowl. Cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator for an hour.
Note : Powdered cardamom is available at most local supermarkets as well as Indian stores. Rosewater can be bought online as well as in Indian supermarkets.

Lavender, Honey and Almond Cake

3|05|2018

I have a deep love for floral flavours! As if, you didn’t know. Any special occasion and the first thing that comes to my mind is lavender or rosewater (yes, chocolate too). Since the occasion is Mother’s Day and the best part being that my Mum is around at the moment, I really wanted to make this unique, fragrant cake for her. Food is very much a sensory experience as much as it is for nourishing our bodies. When I was little, my Mum would use a lot of lavender perfumed cosmetics at home. And it goes without saying that there was no access to culinary lavender at the time. Perhaps no one even imagined that these gorgeous flowers have more to them than just their fragrance. But aren’t we so lucky that someone has done all the hard work for us and now we can easily open up a little box and infuse the most Divine flowers into our food?

Unlike what a lot of people think, lavender is really simple to use. You could pretty much replace them in any recipe that calls for vanilla, spices or any other fragrant ingredient. The only thing to remember is that ‘less is more’. A few dried flowers are enough to perfume a large cake or a dessert or a big jug of cordial (I’m just crazy about blueberry-lavender cordial). Culinary lavender is also used in savoury dishes to add that special touch to them.

This cake is simple and easy to make. The frosting does make it celebratory but even without it, the cake would make a fantastic tea time treat. You could skip two pans anad just make one large cake as well. The almonds in the recipe add another element of surprise to the cake. It’s got a subtle taste of honey and lavender paired with a delicious nuttiness from the almonds. Basically, a great hand made surprise for Mum. Just call her over for tea, slice up this cake and there you go. Cake and flowers together with a big warm hug whilst walking down memory lane. That’s what I did!

Lavender, Honey and Almond Cake
Makes a 2 layered 6 inch, round cake

180 g butter, room temperature
1/4 cup castor sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups, self raising flour
1 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup lavender flower honey (I used Bridestowe Lavender flower honey but regular honey can be used too)
1/2 tsp culinary lavender (I used Bridestowe culinary lavender)

Lavender Buttercream
1 tsp culinary lavender
2 tbsp milk
250 g unsalted butter, softened
2 and 1/2 cups icing sugar
A tiny bit of mauve food coloring gel

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease the bases and sides and line the bases of two 6 inch round baking pans with baking paper.
Using an electric or hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition.

Add in half the flour and almond meal, then add 1/2 the honey and milk and beat to combine. Repeat with remaining flour, almond meal, milk and honey. Stir in the culinary lavender.
Divide mixture uniformly between two pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of a cake come out clean.

Remove from oven. Leave aside for 5-10 minutes. Gently loosen the sides with a blunt knife. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, frost with lavender buttercream. Decorate with sugar flowers and/or sprinkles.

To make the lavender buttercream, Place the lavender and milk in a microwaveable cup and microwave on low until it is about to boil (do not boil). Remove and leave aside to infuse for 1-2 hours. Strain the lavender buds and reserve the milk for the buttercream.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter till pale and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar, a little at a time and continue to beat till incorporated. Add the lavender infused milk and beat to combine. Add the food colour if using, and mix till fully incorporated.

Goats Cheese Cheesecake

30|03|2018

The egg-stra long Easter weekend has started for us already and that means lots of fun, food and entertainment for the family. Food is of course, the highlight at my place. Coming up with new dessert ideas is my favourite bit and if they are make-ahead as well as easy, they tick all the boxes for me. The days are still quite sunny and evenings, a bit cooler so a slice of chilled cheesecake with seasonal figs and strawberries is a great Autumnal treat for guests. Not just any cheesecake, but a Goats Cheese flavored baked cheesecake that is the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess exploding with delicious flavours in the mouth.

When it comes to Goats chesese, people are divided in their preference for this variety of cheese. How about you? I enjoy it in most savoury dishes but absolutely LOVE it’s presence in sweet recipes. It adds that little touch of salty/sour-ish flavour that cuts down the richness of a heavy sweet dish and makes it even more desirable. If you ask me, it all comes down to the quality of Goats cheese used. After trying out a few different brands and types, I really like the Yarra Valley Fresh Goats Cheese. It’s soft, creamy and tastes great. If you haven’t tried Goats cheese before this or don’t enjoy it as much, I would urge you to try this cheesecake. It’s truely unique and something new to offer to your guests. Besides, you can make it a couple of days before and relax during the holidays. According to my friends, it tastes even better after a few days in the fridge so I’m excited now that it’s all done and ready to be devoured.

Have a great Easter with your family and hope you enjoy a delicious break!

Goats Cheese Cheesecake
Makes an 8 inch round cheesecake

250 g pack digestive biscuits
100 g unsalted butter, melted
250 x 2 tubs cream cheese
120 g pack Fresh Goats Cheese (I used Yarra Valley Fresh Goats Cheese)
3/4 cups castor sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 large eggs
1/3 cup strawberry jam, to serve
fresh fruit, to serve

Process biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix together. Place an 8 inch spring form pan over a baking tray. Pour the biscuit mixture onto the Spring form pan and press down evenly over the base with your fingers to form the crust. Place the baking tray in the fridge and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160 degrees C (140 degrees C for fan-forced ovens) Process the cream cheese, goats cheese, sugar, sour cream and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time and continue to whisk until well blended. Pour the cheesecake mixture onto the prepared crust.
Carefully place the baking tray into the oven and bake for 55 minutes to an hour or until the sides are set and the centre is till a bit wobbly. Switch off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven (this will ensure that the cheesecake does not crack). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

When ready to serve, place the strawberry jam in a microwaveable cup with 3 tbsp of water. Microwave for 30=40 seconds or until the jam turns into liquid/strawberry sauce. Drizzle all over the top of the cheesecake. Decorate with fresh fruits. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Chocolate Stout Cake

28|03|2018

Traditionally, Easter is owned by the kids, we all know that. But who will think about us adults on that much awaited long weekend? We can’t be eating chocolate eggs and Hot Cross buns all through the holidays especially when we have kids at home and those things are always claimed by them. We deserve something more grown up, more decadent and a bit celebratory. Enter Chocolate Stout Cake! Chocolate and Beer in the same sentence so it definitely screams decadence. And let me warn you, this cake is not for the faint-hearted. This is drop dead delicious (if you know what that means) and so indulgent. That glaze/ganache is the next best thing to Heaven as it’s just made by melting chocolate in a pan of beer.

I have never been a huge fan of beer, but when I discovered chocolate stout (White Rabbit Chocolate Stout), my face was like the emoji with big, round eyes. What? How could something be so incredible when mixed with chocolate?! It takes chocolate to a complete new level. I’ve used the stout in the cake batter as well as the glaze and yes, you do taste it. It adds a deep, rich flavour to the cake whilst giving it a soft, spongy finish (probably due to aeration in the batter). Like all my cakes, it is super simple to make. All you need is that amazing chocolate stout.

Don’t be fooled by the chocolate eggs on top. We’re just keeping it low key. Who would guess what’s lying underneath those layers of an otherwise plain looking chocolate cake. If you’ve seen another image of this cake on Instagram, with the huge honeycomb chocolate topper, that topper was gone is seconds so I was left with no choice but the obvious Easter decoration.
My Easter is sorted for now. I’ve made a huge batch of that boozy glaze to pour on my late night desserts. YUM!
Have a great week everyone!

Chocolate Stout Cake
Makes a 2-layered, 6 inch, round cake

1 cup chocolate stout (I used White rabbit Chocolate Stout)
225 g unsalted butter
3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa
1 & 1/4 cups castor sugar (or to taste)
2 cups self raising flour
2 large eggs
2/3 cups sour cream/yogurt

Chocolate glaze/ganache
200 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/3 cup chocolate stout

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease the base and sides of two 6 inch round baking pans. Line the bases with baking paper.

Place the stout and unsalted butter in a large saucepan and heat until butter has melted. Remove from heat.
Add the cocoa powder and whisk till smooth. Leave aside to cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sour cream together. Add the flour and sugar and mix. Pour in the stout mixture, whisking constantly to combine.
Divide uniformly between prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes ou until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes, then gently turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Once cooled completely, spread with Chocolate Stout ganache (recipe below). Top with chocolate eggs Enjoy

To make the glaze/ganache, pour stout in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat (do not boil). Remove from heat, add the chopped chocolate and leave aside. Once chocolate has melted, stir to mix until smooth and well blended. Cool to room temperature. The glaze will thicken upon cooling.