cake Archives - Page 9 of 30

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.

Raspberry and Pumpkin Mini Cakes

13|07|2017

Autumn came and turned into winter and winter is half-way through. I realized that I haven’t made any pumpkin desserts this year. Last Autumn, I discovered the deliciousness called pumpkin in sweeter recipes and had begun to acknowledge its hype around colder months in the Northern Hemisphere. I really wish we had access to pumpkin puree in Australia. Perhaps that is one of the reasons pumpkin cakes are not so popular here. Making the puree took me longer than creating a dessert with it. Well, I am sorted for now, having made a big batch of butternut squash puree yesterday. Gives me a solid reason to take out some every other day and make a pumpkin something.

These easy peasy pumpkin mini cakes have nothing complicated or extravagant about them. Just mix and bake. The raspberries were a last minute addition since I was slightly unsure how the pumpkin alone would taste. (Oh goodness, it’s been a year since I tasted pumpkin). Logically speaking, chocolate can save any disaster but berries come a close second. So instead of chocolate chips, I threw in a few raspberries.
The next few days hopefully you will see a bit more of me on the blog. I have a huge pending list of recipes to share that I can easily turn into a cookbook:-) School holidays will be over and I am planning to spend more time documenting my kitchen experiments rather than posting photos on Instagram which has become quite the bad habit for me. Anyone else, doing the same thing?

Have a great week everyone and catch you soon!

Raspberry and Pumpkin Mini Cakes
Yields 12 mini cakes

11/2 cups plain flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered nutmeg
90 g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2/3 cup warm milk
1/2 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen, slightly crushed with a spoon.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a mini bundt pan well (I use cooking spray instead of butter for bundt pans).

In a mixing bowl mix the dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda and spices.) In a different mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil and milk. Add the flour mixture and mix till just combined. Fold in the raspberries.

Spoon into prepared pan till hall full. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven. Leave aside for 5 minutes. Loosen gently with a blunt knife and turn onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Spiced Apple Cake

21|05|2017

Our lives are full of choices and we are so lucky to have them. Whether it is the way we lead our lives or the food we eat, our options are abundant. When I was little, I knew the apple as a favourite fruit at home. As I grew older I learnt about a few different varieties and today we have apples that are nothing short of a marvel. An apple that is grown to suit our modern day, busy lifestyles.

I had the pleasure of tasting the new Envy™ apple at the their launch recently and they were everything one could wish for in a fruit. Sweet with the perfect crunch and a tender flesh that remains white for a really long time. As a Mum to two young school going children this was a great find and as a huge lover of apples (I eat apples almost every single day) I wanted to experiment immediately. They tasted great but how would they respond to baking, is what I kept thinking. As it turned out, they held their texture and shape even after being baked which is exactly what you want when baking a cake like this one.

I’ve been meaning to create apple roses and apple art on my cakes all along Autumn. Finally I got my chance when I got my hands on these gorgeous apples. The cake is quite simple to put together with a mix of sweet and spice, so perfect for the cold season. It tasted really good when warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. The apple pattern is honestly not difficult at all. All it requires is a bit of patience and a great apple that wont break down in the oven.

Have a great week guys! What’s your favourite apple recipe?

Spiced Apple Cake
Makes a 7 inch round cake

125 g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp powdered cinnamon
1 tsp crystallized ginger, finely chopped
2 eggs
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
3/4 cup milk
2 large apples
2 tbsp orange marmalade

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Lightly grease the base and sides of a 7 inch round baking pan and line the base with non-stick baking paper.

Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat for 5 to 6 minutes or until light and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Mix self-raising flour, plain flour, powdered cinnamon and crystallized ginger in a separate bowl.

Add half the flour mixture to butter mixture. Add half the milk. Fold through. Repeat with the rest of the flour and milk. Fold until just combined. Pour into prepared pan. Core and quarter apples. Thinly slice. Arrange apples in 3-4 circles on batter, starting from the edges moving to the middle, pressing down gently.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Remove side from pan. Slide cake onto a wire rack to cool.

Place marmalade in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high (100%) for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until runny. Brush cake top with jam. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream..

Hazelnut Cake with Baileys Buttercream for Mother’s day

11|05|2017

Layers of Hazelnut Cake with a delicious Baileys Original Irish Cream Buttercream, White Chocolate Glaze, topped with Baileys Truffles. A dream cake for Mother’s Day.

I am a firm believer in hand made presents for my loved ones. A gift made with love is more meaningful than something purchased. When the occasion is Mother’s Day, the motivation to get into action is ten folds. Mum gives us the world while growing up. Isn’t it fair that we try and give back a little bit to the most special, most irreplaceable person in our life? A painting, handmade candles or a pretty cake. Mums adore these sentiments. If you ask me, baking a cake is one of the sweetest gestures because it shows that you have spent time in creating something. To make that cake unique this year, I’ve added something I know is loved by the entire world. Baileys Irish Cream.

The Heavenly combination of hazelnuts in the cake layers and Baileys in the buttercream makes it a treat for the taste buds. And of course, it’s Mother’s Day so flowers are a must. Don’t you just love the idea of a cake as a vehicle for pretty flowers?

Baileys liqueurs are a dream to work with. They blend well in frostings or glazes whilst retaining their presence in a subtle, delicious way. Like all my cakes, the layers can be made ahead and are quite simple to put together. Naked cakes have a level of intrigue and rustic charm that appeals to many. They are also lighter as we forgo quite a bit of frosting which is perfect for Mummy-s. Lastly, I highly recommend the Baileys truffles. They are irresistible and something you could present on top of the cake as well as wrapped in a small box with cute ribbons around it. Anything to impress Mummy, right?

Happy Mother’s Day to all you beautiful Mums, GrandMums and soon to be Mums out there. I hope your day is filled with unlimited love and joy.

Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by Baileys. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are entirely mine.

Hazelnut Cake with Baileys Buttercream
Makes a 6 inch, 3-layered round cake

Hazelnut Cake

250 g unsalted butter, softened
11/4 cup castor sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
21/2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts)
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 160 degrees c (140 degrees C). Grease and line the base of 3, 6 inch pans with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer whisk together butter and sugar till fluffy and combined. Add the eggs, one at a time and beating after each addition. Add the vanilla, flour, hazelnut meal and milk and beat till mixture is smooth.

Divide uniformly between prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove pans from oven. Leave aside for 10 minutes. Gently turn out cakes on to a wire rack. Cool completely to room temperature.

Baileys Buttercream

125 g unsalted butter, softened
11/2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup Baileys Original Irish Cream

Beat the butter in a bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add icing sugar and beat till combined. Add Baileys Irish Cream and beat for another 2-3 minutes till mixture is smooth and blended.

White Chocolate Glaze

100 g white chocolate, roughly chopped
3 tbsp heavy cream
1-2 drops pink food colour

Heat the white chocolate and heavy cream over low heat in a small saucepan. When cream just reaches boiling point, remove from heat and leave aside. Stir with a spoon to make a smooth mix. Add the food colour and stir to blend.

Baileys Truffles

½ cup thickened cream
140 g white chocolate, roughly chopped
2 tbsp Baileys Original Irish Cream
½ cup shredded coconut

Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat cream over low heat until it just reaches to a boil (do not boil). Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and leave aside for 5 minutes. Stir mixture with a spoon until smooth. Add Baileys Irish Cream and mix till blended. Chill for 6 hours or until firm enough to roll into truffles. Using hands, roll into balls, then roll into plate of coconut. Keep chilled until needed.

To assemble: On a cake plate or stand, spread a little buttercream and place the first cake layer (so the cake does not move about while frosting). Spread a little Baileys Buttercream (about 1/3 cup). Place the second layer. Repeat. Place the last layer upside down (so you get a flat top to work with). Spread buttercream on top and sides. If you are after a naked look, a thin layer of frosting is good enough.
Stick the cake into the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Make the white chocolate glaze 5 minutes before you take the cake out from the fridge. Once the glaze is cool but still flowing freely when you lift it with a spoon, spoon it onto the cake very gently. This will create the drippy effect. Let the glaze set for 30 minutes.
Decorate with Baileys truffles and fresh flowers. Make sure the stems of the flowers are wrapped in baking paper or foil so they don’t touch the cake directly.

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