cake Archives - Page 5 of 30

Mandarin and Hazelnut Cake

31|08|2018

One bowl Mandarin and Hazelnut cake. Easy to make, moist, nutty and delicious.

It is the last day of winter here in Australia! Am I sad? No way, I’m too excited for Spring. The roads near my house are a treat to the eyes with cherry and apple blossoms trees plus huge magnolia flowers in full bloom. The end of winter in Australia is also a great time for some beautiful citrus fruits like the giant Sumo Mandarins that could give the navel oranges serious competition by it’s sheer size. I love cooking with these mandarins because not only are they way easier to peel and very flavorful, they are 100% seedless. Slicing them through the middle horizontally, makes them look like bright little flowers. So an effortless fruit needed an equally effortless recipe to go with it.

If you’re a fan of Mandarins like me, feel free to add small and big chunks of flesh in the batter before pouring into the pan. And of course, you don’t have to stick to hazelnuts, use any nut of your choice. It tastes delicious with almonds and pistachios as well.

Mandarin and Hazelnut Cake
Makes an 8 inch round cake

125 g unsalted butter, roughly chopped
1 cup castor sugar
2 eggs, lightly whisked
2 cups self raising flour
2/3 cup hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts)
1 tbsp finely grated mandarin zest
1/2 cup mandarin juice
3/4 cup milk
Orange marmalade, home made or store
2 large mandarins sliced horizontally, to serve

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Grease the base and sides of an 8 inch round cake pan and line the base with baking paper. In a large saucepan, over low heat melt the butter. Remove from heat and leave aside for 10 minutes. Add the sugar and eggs and whisk till blended. Add the self raising flour, hazelnut meal, zest, juice and milk and mix to combine.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour or until fully cooked (a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean). Remove from oven. Leave aside for 5 minutes. Gently, turn onto a wire rack. Poke holes all over the top and spread with orange marmalade. When ready to serve, decorate with sliced mandarins. Best served warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Raspberry flavoured Maltesers Cheesecake

23|08|2018

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Maltesers. As always all opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Apparently Valentine’s Day came twice this year! The first one back in February, was a low key affair but when I had the opportunity to taste these new Raspberry flavoured Maltesers, it was love at first sight. Or you may call it love at first bite. Look at the packaging folks! It’s pink and red 🙂 Armed with these delicious little bombs bursting with flavour and even my pink personalised Maltesers apron, I knew I was about to whip up a delicious storm.

Since I can’t have enough of the chocolate – raspberry flavour combo, I thought a cheesecake would be a great way of enjoying them. I’ve not only used them as a decoration on top of the cheesecake but also in the filling. A little warning though, these are addictive so refrain from eating them before they go into the cheesecake. What I was pleasantly surprised though was that they held up to baking really well and turned into gooey puddles of yumminess.

The cheesecake is soft, creamy and melt-in-your mouth while the Maltesers add a welcoming little crunch that complements it really well. The best part is that it is simple to put together, whether you are a seasoned baker or just experimenting in the kitchen. No matter the reason or the occasion, this cheesecake is sure to blow your guests away. But don’t restrict yourself to just this cheesecake. Slices, tarts, cake and even fudge would be absolutely great with Maltesers.
They’re so good, the sky is the limit!

Raspberry Maltesers Cheesecake
Makes an 8 inch round cheesecake

250 g digestive biscuits
100 g unsalted butter, melted
250 g X 2 tubs cream cheese
¾ cup castor sugar
½ cup sour cream
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
hint of pink food gel colour (optional)
½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries, slightly crushed with the back of a fork
1 pack Raspberry flavoured Maltesers (divided)

Method:-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 if using a fan forced oven). Process the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and continue to whisk until well blended. Add the vanilla extract and food colour (if using). Mix well. Fold in half the Raspberry Flavoured Maltesers and the fresh/frozen raspberries. Carefully pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared pan.
Place the baking tray with the spring-form pan into the preheated oven. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour or until the sides are set but the centre is a bit wobbly. It is best to switch the oven off at this stage with the door slightly ajar and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven (this will ensure the cheesecake does not crack). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

When ready to serve, drizzle with chocolate sauce (home-made or store-bought). Decorate with the remaining Raspberry Flavoured Maltesers, fresh raspberries and edible flowers. If using flowers that are not edible or you are unsure of the source, make sure you wrap the steps in baking paper before placing them on the cake. Slice and enjoy!

Cappuccino Cheesecake

26|06|2018

If you are a coffee lover, take your caffeine addiction to a whole new level with this cheesecake. A simple cookie crust with a creamy coffee spiked filling and some luscious whipped cream on top, this is like a delicious coffee hug in these cold winter nights. I’m not sure if I say this every winter, but this year I really do feel like curling up inside my blanket and never coming out. School holidays are about to begin next week and I’m actually looking forward to sleeping in. Talking about holidays, it is the perfect time to whip up some new creations so I’m looking forward to that too. Is there anything you want me to create or perhaps see in this space?

If you’ve been with me for a while, you know that I’m a big fan of baked cheesecakes. They are always forgiving and flexible. You could go with your choice of cookies for the crust, substitute sour cream with yogurt and add more coffee if you like. I’ve even made a version of this with a shot of espresso some time ago. While the coffee connoisseurs loved it, others found it too strong. So here I’ve just stuck to instant coffee.

I hope you all are enjoying the seasons in your part of the world. The great thing about coffee though is that it can be enjoyed all year round!

Cappuccino Cheesecake
Makes an 8 inch round cheesecake

250 g pack digestive biscuits
100 g unsalted butter, melted
250 x 2 tubs cream cheese
3/4 cups castor sugar (or more if you like it sweeter)
1/2 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
1.5 tablespoons instant coffee dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
whipped cream, to decorate
cocoa powder, to dust
cocoa nibs, to decorate

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, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time and continue to whisk until well blended. Add the coffee mixture and beat till combined. 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, dollop or pipe whipped cream. Dust with powdered cocoa.

Chocolate, Almond and Strawberry Cake

9|06|2018

This winter is giving me all the reasons to bake! It is so cold in my part of town plus it’s been raining and there is very little scope for any outdoor activity. I love the sunshine especially in the colder months but there is also the prospect of getting better photos on a cloudy day than those days when the sun is shining bright in my backyard where I normally shoot. So I ended up baking 7 cakes in 6 days. Yeah, I’m amazed at myself where I go for days feeling like I have nothing new to add or nothing better to create. And then there are these bursts of energy on certain days when I don’t have enough hours to give shape to my crazy imagination.

Chocolate, almond and strawberries in a cake speak for itself. All the great, stuff, right? And the bonus is that the batter can be made in one pan. Just mix and pour!
The buttercream is actually chocolate flavored, made with cocoa powder and tinted with red food gel colour. I’ve been meaning to make a red frosting for months and finally got my chance.

Chocolate, Almond and Strawberry Cake
Makes a 6 inch round cake

150 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
3 eggs, lightly whisked
1/2 cup strawberries, roughly chopped

Cocoa Buttercream
125 g unsalted butter, softened
11/2 cups icing sugar
1 tbsp milk (more if needed)
1 and 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
red food gel paste (optional)

To make the cake : Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease the base and sides and line the base of a 6 inch round baking pan.

In a large saucepan, place the butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder and bicarbonate soda and cook over low heat until butter has melted and mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat and leave aside for 10 minutes to cool.

Add the flour and almond meal. Mix. Add the eggs and mix till incorporated. Fold in the strawberries.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven. Leave aside for 10 minutes. Run a blunt knife around the sides to loosen the cake, then turn onto a wire rack to cool. Once cool, decorate with red tinted cocoa buttercream, flaked almonds and strawberries.

To make the red tinted 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. Add a little red gel paste until desired red shade is reached. Please note, the colour will deepen with time so it’s best to make the buttercream a day in advance and allow the colour to develop.

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