celebration Archives - Sugar et al

Ginger And White Chocolate Profilova (Profiteroles +Pavlova) With CSR Sugar

15|08|2016

I have barely, ever seen it snow in winter in Sydney! However, a gentle dusting of sugar on baked goods reminds me of snow in winter. This is how I live my Alaskan fantasies in my own kitchen. With increased baking in the colder months, I ensure my pantry is armed with my favourite sugars (like caster sugar, brown sugar, icing sugar, jam setting sugar) and syrups (golden syrup, treacle) for me to be able to experiment with new and creative recipes for you. I love a good baking challenge and thanks to CSR Sugar for getting me excited once again this year. I was provided with the ingredients and asked to create a unique hybrid dessert. I wanted to create something different, one of a kind, something that would be a bit Aussie and represent our gorgeously, vibrant winters. Therefore I present to you my Profiterole-Pavlova hybrid, the Profilova. What do you think?

This should come as no surprise to my regular readers that the only brand of sugar I use in my kitchen is CSR Sugar. I have started my baking adventures with them years ago, stuck with them and cannot recommend them enough to others. A good quality sugar can create a world of difference in your baked goods and make for successful recipes every time.

The Profilova is a layered Pavlova with 3 layers of crunchy ginger infused meringue. Sandwiched between the layers are delicious, soft profiteroles oozing with a ginger spiked whipped cream that are dipped in coloured white chocolate ganache for the ultimate flavour and texture explosion in your mouth. The amazing part of the Profilova is that all the elements can be made ahead and assembled a couple of hours before serving it to your guests. It makes for an impressive wedding table centrepiece or a celebration dessert or even a cosy Sunday treat to tuck into when the whole family is together,. Winter is all about comfort food, warm spices and indulgent sweet treats and the Profilova is all of that and more.

So now tell me dear readers, what is your favourite winter baking fantasy? Do you try to be adventurous in the kitchen and combine two recipes into one, like a cake pop (cake +lollipop) or maybe a brookie (brownie +cookie)?

Disclaimer : This post is brought to you by CSR Sugar and Baking Nation. All opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Ginger and White Chocolate Profilova
Makes a 3 layered Pavlova stack with 24 profiteroles between the stacks that have been filled with ginger infused cream and dipped in tinted white chocolate ganache.

Layered Pavlova
11/2 cups CSR caster sugar
11/2 teaspoons cornflour
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
5 large egg whites (or 6 regular egg whites)

Profiteroles
60 g butter, chopped
3/4 cup (185 ml) water
3/4 cup (115 g) plain flour
3 eggs

Ginger Infused Cream
11/2 cups chilled whipping cream
3 tablespoon CSR caster sugar
¾ tsp powdered ginger

Coloured White Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy/thickened cream
1 cup white chocolate melts
a few drops of purple food colour
a few drops of blue food colour

Method
Make the layered Pavlova : It is best to make the pavlova layers the previous night and leave them in the oven all night to dry out.
Preheat oven to 120 degrees C (100 degrees C for fan-forced ovens) Draw 3 circles (7 inch, 6 inch and 4 inch) on a sheet of baking paper, turn the sheet over and place them on baking trays.
Combine sugar, cornflour and powdered ginger in a bowl.

Using electric beaters, whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until firm peaks form. Gradually add the sugar mixture, 1 tablespoonful at a time, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks. Divide among the circles on trays and spread over evenly. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, then leave to cool in switched-off oven for overnight (or at least for an hour if you are in a hurry). Leave the door ajar by sticking a wooden spoon in between. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Make the Profiteroles : Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (180 degrees C for fan-forced). Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Heat the butter and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture comes to the boil. Remove from heat. Sift in the flour. Use a wooden spoon to beat for 1-2 minutes or until mixture comes away from side of pan. Transfer mixture to a heatproof bowl. Set aside, stirring occasionally, to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is thick and glossy.

Pipe the mixture or place tablespoonful of mixture on the prepared baking tray 3 cm apart from each other. Use wet hands to pat down any peaks of dough. Sprinkle trays with water to create steam. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Turn off the oven. Use a knife to pierce the base of each puff. Place the puffs in oven for 20 minutes to dry out. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store at room temperature until needed.

Make the ginger infused cream : In a bowl (which has been chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes) with an electric mixer, beat the cream until it just holds stiff peaks, add the sugar and the ground ginger, and beat the mixture until it holds stiff peaks. Refrigerate until needed.

Make the purple and blue White Chocolate Ganache : In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the cream until it is just about to boil (do not boil). Remove from heat and add the white chocolate melts. Allow the cream and chocolate to sit for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Then, whisk until all the chocolate is completely melted and you have a smooth and uniform mixture. Divide this into two bowls. To the first bowl add the purple food colouring and to the second one, add the blue food colouring until you reach the desired shade.

Assembly: Make a hole in the centre of each profiterole. Fill up a piping bag with the ginger infused cream and pipe a little cream inside the hollow of each profiterole. Dip the tops of the profiteroles in coloured white chocolate ganache. Decorate with sugar flowers or sprinkles if desired. Keep aside to set.

Place the largest Pavlova layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread 2 tablespoons of the ginger infused cream. Place profiteroles all over the base of the Pavlova. Place the second layer. Repeat with cream and more profiteroles. Place the last layer. Repeat. Sprinkle with gold dust and decorate with edible flowers.

No-Bake Lemon And Lime Cheesecake. A Mother’s Day Post.

10|05|2014

You know I’ve never told my Mom ‘I love you Mom’. Not in so many words. I’ve always marvelled at her strength, the way she’s able to embrace situations…for being the Mommy who has a solution for everything. I wanted to tell her ‘Hey Mom..you are a Super woman’. But I didn’t. Ever. Perhaps I’ve just taken her for granted all along or maybe like many of us, I’ve assumed that she would know. But motherhood, since it happened to me 4 years ago, it changed my perception about every big or little relationship in my life. Unlike me, my little boys are quite vocal about their affection towards their mother. And I am ever so ready to hear them, to read the little love notes scribbled in crayons or get hugged over and over again. A million times over.

I will be meeting my Mommy at end of this month, after a year. Something that I am really looking forward to. I’d love to bake for her and also get her into the kitchen to cook all my favourite dishes. Ironically, my mother is diabetic…to the highest degree. So was my grandmother. It runs in the family so I need to keep a tab on my blood sugar levels. Funny, considering that sugar is the core of my creations, the basis of this blog.

I’ve kept my Mother’s Day cake simple…just like I would do if she was eating it. I’ve made this many times before and I love this cheesecake, the flavours, the simplicity of a straightforward cake. The natural essence of lemon and lime. I’ve chosen the flowers inspired by the Autumn colours at the moment. These colours are stuck in my head as the Autumnal, colour changing leaves are one of the first things I intend to show her before we lose the leaves to Winter.

If you are still deciding on what to make for your Mommy, go ahead with this cake. You wont regret it. So few ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time and such an amazing blend of flavours. Of course, it can be made for any other celebration too.

My little boys have been participating in a few secret meetings with their Daddy. They come out giggling and full of excitement after the closed- door meetings. We’ve planned a little picnic on Sunday next to the waterside near our place. I cant wait to find out more.

Happiest of Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mothers, grandmothers, soon-to-be mothers and all those who build a family of love, strength and gratitude.
And to my dearest Mom, I love you…with the heart and brain of a 2-year-old. Even today!

Lemon and Lime Cheesecake (minimally adapted from Taste.com)
Serves 8-10

150g sweet biscuits, processed to fine crumbs (I used Butternut Snap cookies)
50g butter, melted, cooled
500g cream cheese, softened (I used Lite Cream cheese)
3/4 cup castor sugar
1 lemon, zest finely grated, juiced
2 limes, zest finely grated, juiced
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
300 ml thickened or heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
Fresh flowers, to decorate

Grease and line base and sides of a 19 cm (base) springform pan with baking paper. Combine biscuit crumbs and butter. Press into base of prepared pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

.Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice and gelatine in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a fork until hot and gelatine is dissolved. Set aside to cool. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the lemon and lime zest. Beat gelatine into cream cheese mixture until well combined. Fold in cream, mixing until well combined.

Spoon filling over base. Smooth surface. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. When ready to serve, gently place a circle of baking paper, smaller in circumference than the cake on top of the cake. Place the fresh flowers. Serve chilled.

Banana Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

10|04|2014

If this banana cake is looking anything different to you than…well, a banana cake, let me assure you this is the same one, you and me bake in a loaf pan and slice up for breakfast or bake into muffins to put into your lunchboxes. Yeah, the same one that transforms the fate of overripe bananas and they end up with some dessert love (a lot of love in my house) than entering the dustbin.

I started out the usual, predictable way. Ignoring the bananas while they turned black and made the cupboard smell serving as a reminder each time I opened the door that it was time to use them up. I put the batter together intending to bake it in my loaf tin. But the loaf tin was nowhere in sight. And that was because it was sitting in the freezer with a semifreddo I made a few days back. I didn’t want muffins so the batter landed up in a cake pan.

You know I have a weakness for round cakey objects. I feel the urge to spice it up or add nuts or anything that would go with the cake.And frost and decorate and just do something to it. So, before it hit the cake pan I added some poppy seeds to the batter. I frosted it with a quick cream cheese frosting which I’ve been meaning to try out in a while. This one uses whipped cream instead of butter along with the cream cheese so it is lighter and naturally uses far less sugar to get a piping consistency. The frosting can be easily spread on top of the cake if you are not comfortable with piping bags. A drizzle of caramel sauce (store bought) finished the cake. Both the recipe for the cake and the frosting have been separately adapted with some variation from Joy Of Baking

The flavours are lovely together. I was amazed how good the poppy seeds tasted in a banana cake. I think this is by the far the easiest cakes I have made despite having a dressed up look.

Banana Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Serves 6-8

For the Banana Poppy Seed Cake
13/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup castor sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
1 tsp vanilla essence
Cream Cheese Frosting, to frost
3-4 tbsp. thick caramel sauce, to drizzle (I used store bought)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting
125g cream cheese, room temparature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/3 cup cold whipping cream or heavy cream.

Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Grease and line the base of a 19 cm round cake tin with baking paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and poppy seeds.
In a medium sized bowl combine the mashed banana, eggs, melted butter and vanilla with a wooden spoon. Lightly fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined. Take care not to over mix the batter or it might result in a rubbery cake. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre come out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and keep aside for 5 minutes. Carefully turn the cake onto a wire rack and cool till room temperature. Once cooled, pipe or dollop cream cheese frosting onto the cake. Drizzle with caramel sauce.

To make the cream cheese frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency. In case you are using a brand of heavy cream that does not whip easily, then whip the cream separately to stiff peaks and fold it gradually into the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate till needed.

Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Cake

1|03|2014

Brownies!!! I can never have enough of them. How about you?
Perhaps this is one sweet treat that one can go on talking about. None of which is new. But the thought of it can make one feel warm and fuzzy and mushy and gooey and like the best things in life make one feel.

If you’ve been with me for a while now, you know my love for raspberries. I would give you brownie points for that one. Or maybe this cake. Combining the best of the two. This cake is fudgy, rich and decadent. Firm on the outside, moist and a tad bit tart from the raspberries. I added a handful of hazelnuts to include an element of crunch.

The cake would easily qualify for a celebration cake. It has a good height and texture. While it is extremely easy to put together it is not an everyday dessert. There are frozen raspberries within the batter so it can be made at any time of the year. Feel free to add a ganache topping to make it sinful. Actually, it already is but maybe look wise it can benefit from the ganache. But looks can be deceptive. Like the little shadow that paced my kitchen, peeking through the glass while the oven was doing it’s work.
‘Brownie!!’ He exclaimed. ‘I want a large one!’
Much to my surprise, he ate a large one. Large for his size. Crumbs and all!

Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Cake
Serves 10-12

300g butter, roughly chopped
400g dark chocolate, chopped
11/4 cup castor sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups plain flour
2/3 cup self-raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped
11/2 cups frozen raspberries (or fresh)
Fresh raspberries, to serve

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Grease a 22 cm round cake pan and line the base and sides with baking paper. Place butter and chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

Add sugar, egg, flours and cocoa. Mix well to combine. Fold in the raspberries and hazelnuts, reserving 2 tbsp of the hazelnuts to place on top. Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Level top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Top with reserved hazelnuts. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until top of the cake is firm to touch. a skewer inserted in the middle should come out with a few crumbs. Cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, top with fresh raspberries. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.