Sugar et al

Because Life is a blend of flavours...

White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Cranberry Jelly

23|12|2017

I thought I wouldn’t be able to get a post out of me before the start of the next year, but it’s Christmas and if this is not the time to indulge then there never will be one. In Australia, Christmas is synonymous with summer. So instead of spices, pies and puddings, it’s more about light, cold,  make ahead desserts. I’m a big fan of Panna Cotta at this time because they are not only super easy and portioned for guests in any kind of fancy glass you can find but they’re very versatile and can be flavoured in a variety of ways.

Instead of pairing with fresh fruits, like I would normally do, I made a quick cranberry jelly using cranberry juice and topped them with Ferrero Rocher Chocolates. The tart cranberry jelly is just perfect with the white chocolate in the Panna Cotta. And because it’s Christmas, it doesn’t hurt to dress things up a little bit some bright red ribbons that look amazing around the serving glasses. Overall it’s an absolutely delightful treat to enjoy with friends and family.

Merry Christmas to you and your family. In case you’re not on Instagram, I’ve moved houses last week and am beyond excited to celebrate Christmas in my new home that we’ve build with a lot of love and patience for the last couple of years. Finally a space to call my own!

 

White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Cranberry Jelly
Serves 3

For the cranberry jelly
3/4 cup cranberry juice (store bought)
1/2 tsp powdered gelatine

For the White Chocolate Panna Cotta
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp milk
300 ml thickened cream
100 g white chocolate, roughly chopped
2 tbsp castor sugar (or more if you like it sweeter)
11/2 tsp powdered gelatine
Ferrero Rocher chocolates, shaved dark chocolate or fresh berries, to serve

To make the jelly layer, place the juice and gelatine in a small saucepan. Leave aside for 5 mins for the gelatine to bloom. Warm gently on low heat till gelatine completely dissolves (do not boil). Keep stirring to check (approx 1-2 minutes). Remove from heat, cool to room temperature and divide uniformly between serving glasses. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until set.

To make the Panna Cotta layer, place the 1/2 cup milk, cream, chocolate and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and cook till chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth (Do not boil.) Remove from heat.Place the 2 tbsp milk and gelatine together in a a small bowl and allow the gelatine to bloom (about 1-2 mins). Pour this gelatine mixture into the saucepan with the milk-cream mixture and mix till blended.

Cool to room temperature and pour on top of the jelly layer. Place in the refrigerator to set (about 4-5 hours). Serve with chocolates or fresh berries.

 

 

 

 

4-Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Tart

17|09|2017

Like it or not, desserts and dishes go hand in hand. If I could show you the pile of large and small dishes in my kitchen every day, it’ll not make a pretty sight at all.  Mixing bowls, baking pans, trays, measuring jug, sieves, spatulas, cake stands, plates and so on..Phew! Multiply that into 2 recipes every day for Christmas during the last quarter and you’ll have to reserve an hour in the day to just do dishes and clean. That’s why I love simple recipes, with fewer ingredients and lesser equipment. Plus the added bonus of being make-ahead. Win win!

 

This tart is phenomenal! It gives your guests the impression that you’ve spent a great deal of time in making it while it actually is pretty easy. And it does taste like Heaven. A tart made of an Oreo crust and filled with chocolate ganache and topped with raspberries and hazelnuts can only be blow-your-mind kind of good, right?  A good quality chocolate can elevate it even further.  Feel free to experiment with flavoured chocolates though I really like it as it is. Classic chocolate and raspberries…Oh so amazing!

4 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Tart
Makes an 8 inch round tart

2 X 137 g packs Oreo Cookies (or any other chocolate cookie)
150 g unsalted butter, divided
350 g dark chocolate (not bittersweet), roughly chopped
250 ml heavy cream
Fresh raspberries, to serve
Roasted Hazelnuts (or any other nut), to serve

Melt 100 g of butter in short bursts in the microwave (or stove). Process cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter and mix till well blended.

Press the cookie mixture into the bottom and edges of an 8 inch fluted tart pan with a removable base. Use the back of a spoon (and your fingers where necessary) to evenly spread out into a neat tart crust. Place the tart pan onto a plate (this makes it easier to move the tart in and out of the fridge). Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To make the filling, in a medium saucepan, place the cream and remaining butter (50 g) together and bring to a gentle boil (do not boil). Remove from heat. Add the chopped chocolate and leave aside. After 2-3 minutes, stir mixture gradually till chocolate is fully melted and well blended. If there are still some lumps of chocolate left, place saucepan on low heat again for a few seconds to warm up and stir again.

Cool mixture for about 5 minutes. Pour onto the prepared crust. Refrigerate for 6 hours, preferably overnight. Best served chilled with fresh berries.

 

 

Chocolate Chip Cake with Pomegranate

1|09|2017

Who doesn’t love a decadent chocolate cake? We all do but not everyone likes to mess around with melted chocolate or rather the process of melting the chocolate. Multiple dishes, careful supervision and then chocolate is extremely sensitive to heat. It can seize, it can solidify quickly if added to cooler ingredients like cream so yes it’s a bit tricky for the novice cook. Believe it or not, I get asked often as to how a chocolate cake can be made rich without adding melted chocolate. The answer is simple! A good quality cocoa powder (preferably Dutch processed) and lots of chocolate chips. Have you ever tried a warm cake with chocolate chips in it? Try it and let me know. The itsy bitsy pieces of chocolate when warm become like puddles of gooey decadence inside a cake and it’s oh so delicious!

Like most of my recipes this is one bowl, easy, small (because when you experiment for the first time, you keep it short and sweet and just for family or close friends).  Double up if you want a bigger cake. All the decadence in the cake is balanced out by fresh pomegranate seeds that also gives the cake a fresh, tart flavour and a crunchy bite. It’s all about the texture! If you do not like pomegranates, like some of you said to me on Instagram yesterday, by all means add berries, oranges or just top with chocolate chips (there’s no such thing as too much chocolate, right?)

I made a simple buttercream for this recipe and not my usual Swiss meringue buttercream because I have budding bakers and novice chefs in my mind for this one. But the buttercream is still AMAZING! Really, you can’t go wrong with cocoa either!


To my Aussie friends, Happy first day of spring! If you aren’t already tired of hearing it, hear it once again..Spring is my favourite time of the year. It has always been associated with beautiful memories and happy times. Among the things I’m most looking forward to is my Mum’s visit a week from now and the Tulip festival at the Southern Highlands which is short drive from Sydney. To the others, enjoy the mellow beauty that is Autumn. We are so lucky to be connected with people from around the globe in this amazing virtual world, allowing us to take a peek into each other’s seasons and stories.

Chocolate Chip Cake with Pomegranate
Makes a 6 inch round cake 

65 g butter
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup self raising flour
2 tbsp Dutch processed Cocoa powder
1/2  cup milk
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Cocoa Buttercream

125 g unsalted butter, softened
11/2 cups icing sugar
1 tbsp milk (more if needed)
3 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degree C for fan forced ovens). Grease the bottom and sides of a 6 inch round pan and line the base with baking paper.

Beat the butter and sugar together till smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat till combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder and milk and mix to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan. level the top with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When cool, frost (pipe o r just spread)with cocoa buttercream. Top with fresh pomegranates. Drizzle with chocolate sauce. Serve at room temperature or warm.

To make the Cocoa Buttercream, using an electric mixer or a hand mixer beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Add the sugar, a little at a time beating well until fully incorporated. Add the cocoa powder and milk and beat again until no white streaks appear and buttercream is fluffy. If it is too thick, add another tbsp of milk to lighten up.

 

 

 

One Bowl Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

27|07|2017

 

I baked this chocolate cake yesterday and I knew I had to share this recipe quickly with you. I always receive heaps of fantastic reviews on my Easy Chocolate Cake with Raspberries (yes, it is the most popular recipe on this blog) but I think I just found something even better, even more decadent and just oozing with choclatey deliciousness. The frosting is a bomb! It tastes like chocolate silk (haha! if there was a term like that) and doesn’t have the rich after-taste of the chocolate fudge frosting. And the best part? Its dead easy to make. Both the cake layers and frosting are one bowl, quick mix, simple to assemble and incredibly delicious.

I think the fun part is sticking chocolate sprinkles all around the cake. This is a great way of covering any imperfections (if any) in your cake and I did this a lot when I wasn’t confident about frosting a cake a few years ago. And it looks like it’s ready for a party, doesn’t it? If you can’t find chocolate sprinkles, just go with grated dark chocolate. It works the same way!

 

One Bowl Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes a 3-layered 6 inch round cake

250 g unsalted butter, room temperature
180 g dark chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup milk
1 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
11/2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
250 g (1 tub) cream cheese, room temperature
100 g unsalted butter, room temparature
2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (140 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Lightly grease the base and sides of 3, 6-inch pans and line the bases with baking paper.

Place butter, chocolate, 1 cup of water, milk and sugars in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally. Once chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth, remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.
Sift flours and cocoa directly onto the chocolate mixture. Mix. Whisk in the eggs. Mix until smooth and mixture is well blended. Divide mixture uniformly between prepared pans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake layer, comes out clean.

Remove from oven, run a blunt knife gently around the sides (to loosen slightly) and let the layers cool in their pans. Once cooled, turn out on to a wire rack.  Frost with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

To make the frosting: With a hand mixer or electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla essence and whip till well blended. Divide frosting for applying around and between the cake layers and for piping on top.

To assemble : Place a layer of the mud cake on a plate or cake stand. Dollop 1/2 cup of the frosting and spread with an offset spatula.
Place the second layer and repeat the same process.
Cover with the third layer. Frost the outside (top and sides) with chocolate cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Using your hands stick the sprinkles all around sides and top of the cake. Pipe remaining frosting on top of the cake.
The cake is best served at room temperature.