spice Archives - Sugar et al

Rosewater Poached Pears with Cardamom Coconut Cake

27|09|2018

If I was ever told that I could choose just one fruit to cook/bake for a whole week among the plethora of options we have in Australia, it would have to be pears (yes, over my favourite berries). They are not only great in sweet dishes but equally delicious with savoury. A few days ago, I shared a recipe of Chocolate, Hazelnut and Pear friands where I just added the pears sliced up in the batter and they baked up beautifully. Ever since, I’ve been meaning to post a recipe with poached pears.

If you follow me for a while you’ve surely come across my Caramel poached pears with Ginger Cake which is my my most popular recipe till date. It was shortlisted in the Food Portraiture category for the Pink Lady Food Photography awards and is also the cover photo for the latest Sweet Dreams Magazine. Basically, it is a personal favorite of mine and the pears do all the magic. But this time around, I wanted to make something delicate and a bit Spring-ish to go with the season. And pears being so versatile, the first thing that came to my mind was Rosewater poached pears. . Rosewater is like my secret weapon, time and again in elevating the simple to something fancy without doing anything extra. These gorgeous Beurre Bosc pears have been poached in a fragrant rosewater liquid and the resulting pears were soft. melt-in-your mouth while beautifully smelling of roses. Sitting atop a cardamom infused crunchy coconut cake, these flavors work together like magic.

I seldom make a cake which is complicated or hard to replicate and the same goes with this one. This is truly a delight for the senses.
Powdered Cardamom is available in almost all Australian supermarkets these days. You could also check in Indian stores. Rosewater/edible rose petals can be ordered online and also found in Indian and Middle Eastern stores.

Rosewater Poached Pears with Cardamom, Coconut Cake
Serves 6-8

Rosewater Poached Pears

1 cup castor sugar
2 tsp rosewater
6 cups water (1.5 l)
4 Beurre Bosc pears, peeled, cored

Place the water, sugar and rosewater in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the pears. Place a baking paper over the pears to cover them and cook for 15-20 minutes or until pears are cooked through and tender. Remove from heat. Leave the pears in the saucepan to cool. Once cooled, remove the pears and bring the liquid to a boil to reduce it to a thick syrup (about 10 minutes). Serve drizzled on the pears and cake.

Cardamom Coconut Cake
Makes a 6 inch round cake

125 g unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 tsp powdered cardamom
1 cup self raising flour
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees c for fan-forced ovens). Grease the base and sides of an 6 inch round cake pan and line the base with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer or by hand, beat the butter till soft and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat till blended. Add the eggs, one at a time along with the powdered cardamom and beat till well combined. Fold in the flour and coconut alternating with milk to combine.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out free of crumbs. Serve with poached pears, coconut flakes/shaved coconut and edible, dried rose petals.

Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

8|07|2016

After making this cake and literally fighting for a small piece with friends and family to at least figure out what this was all about, I wondered why I haven’t made a pumpkin cake before. I seriously wonder! I mean how gorgeous is the combination of brown sugar, spices, cream cheese and salted caramel. Oh and chocolate coated honeycomb that is the crunch factor hidden between those layers. It is one of the best things I had lately.

Pumpkin puree is probably one of the reasons if not the only one to blame. We don’t get canned puree in Australia which I feel is so unfair because a Pumpkin cake deserves to be a part of every cafe and bakery for it’s simplicity and beautiful flavours. The fact that it does not taste of pumpkin but more like a moist, spiced, caramel cake is perhaps unknown to many. Don’t get me wrong, It’s not that making puree from scratch is a big deal for me but I always felt that there is something extra special in those canned purees which is why they are so widely used in America in the colder months. But after a little research and a bit of testing, I succumbed to the fact that there is not going to canned puree anyway so if I want a Pumpkin cake, I might as well figure out my own way of doing it.

We had friends over for dinner and I decided to cook Italian. It should come as no surprise to you that I start planning backwards from dessert. So I whipped up a quick Tiramisu and the stress was off my back. When dessert is sorted out, I am relieved! Even if the meal is a disaster, there will be dessert to make up for everything. Ha! I think I am quite fortunate to have friends for guests who think that way too. Otherwise ,just imagine who would ever come to my place?! Anyway, no one even bothered to taste my Tiramisu. They wanted the Pumpkin cake and went back for seconds until I had to plead with them to spare a single piece for my photos. Did I tell you these kind of cakes have a name at my place? They are called ‘blob cakes’ by my dear children who declared that Mum is ‘blobbing’ frosting on the layers. Basically, the way the piping goes for these cakes.

‘Blobbing’ is actually a stress buster, especially when it yields such a delicious result!

Notes :

I made 3 layers out of the cake batter. You could make two as well. The cooking time will increase by 7-10 minutes.
Honeycomb is a light, crunchy toffee made out of brown sugar or golden syrup or molasses. It can be made at home or store bought. In this recipe, you could substitute it with chocolate chips or shaved chocolate.
Make sure the salted caramel sauce is thick enough to stay in one place. The consistency thicken when stored in te refrigerator.
To make pumpkin puree from scratch, read here.

Pumpkin Cake
Makes a 6-inch, 3 layered, round cake (adapted with slight variation from Joy of Baking)

120 g unsalted butter, room temperature
11/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup (about 220 g) pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups self-raising flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk (120 ml), room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)
Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe below)
Chocolate coated honeycomb (store bought). If not available, you could use, shaved dark chocolate or chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Frosting
225 g full fat, cream cheese
50 g unsalted butter, room temperature
11/2 tbsp maple syrup
2 cups icing/powdered sugar

Salted Caramel Sauce
50g butter
1 cup (220g) brown sugar
1 cup (250ml) cream
1 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease and line the bottom of 3 round 6 inch cake tins with baking paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated (the batter will look curdled).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and spices. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the batter in three additions beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Evenly divide the batter between the cake tins. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake just comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool. Once completely cooled, frost the cakes.

To make the cream cheese frosting, place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and whip until smooth and blended. Add the maple syrup and icing sugar and beat until light and creamy. Add more sugar or maple syrup as needed.

To make the salted caramel sauce, combine butter, sugar and cream in a saucepan over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 5-6 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and add the salt.

To assemble : Spread a tiny bit of the frosting on a cake plate or stand and place the first layer in the centre. Using a round tip, pipe little kisses of frosting on the cake leaving a circle in the middle. I piped two rows. Spoon two tablespoons of the salted caramel in the middle and drizzle a bit on the frosting. Place the crushed honeycomb/chocolate chips on the frosting and sauce. Repeat with the other two layers. Decorate with sugar shards (optional)

Plum And Pear Mini Pies

8|04|2016

So I did give you a heads up on the amount of dough I have handled this month. Well, I just cannot stop! We are not even into proper cold months and I am on a baking overdrive. Mini pies are the order of the day. I think the real reason are the beautiful combination of fruits that are available at the moment. The last of the summer stone fruits and the fresh Autumn produce together make for the most delicious pie filling possibilities. There are plums and peaches. And there are apples and pears. And there is the beautiful Sydney autumn with bright sunny afternoons and a slight chill in the air. The best of both worlds in seasons and food.

School holidays have started today and my basket is loaded with mini pies as I prepare for a little picnic with the boys. Nothing fancy or far away. I’ve been eyeing an open stretch of greenery near my house for days with the hope of great weather and a holiday when we can just lie down on the grass and enjoy our moment together. That day is today!

These pies are wonderful. Sweet with an hint of cinnamon and you can obviously see how passionate I’ve been about the tops. I tell you, that’s a great way of having fun in the kitchen with the kids. There were all kinds of designs and cut outs. The best ones were the ones I didn’t photograph:-)

Plum And Pear Mini Pies
Makes 12-14

For the pastry (or you could use store bought shortcrust pastry)
21/2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup castor sugar
1/4 tsp salt
240 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg, for eggwash
raw sugar, for sprinkling

For The Filling
3-4 pears, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
4 plums, stone removed, roughly chopped
1/2 cup castor sugar (or as per taste)
1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered ginger

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar and salt. You could do this in the processor or by hand. Add the butter and blend quickly so that the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the water, 1 tbsp at a time, until dough comes together. On a floured surface, knead the dough gently and shape it into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate (at least 30 minutes). Meanwhile make the filling.

Heat the pears and plums along with a tbsp of water in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring occasionally until fruits are soft. Add the sugar and cinnamon. allow the mixture to simmer until you get a thick consistency along with chunks of fruit. Cool slightly (about 20 minutes). I usually make the filling the previous night.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Make the egg wash by lightly beating the egg in a small bowl with 1 tbsp of water. Take the dough out of the refrigerator. On a well floured surface, roll out the dough into a large circle and cut out circles using a cookie cutter for the bottom and tops. I used a 3.5 inch round cookie cutter. Place the bottoms on individual aluminium foil trays or muffin pans that has been greased well. Spoon 1 tbsp of the filling into the center of the pastry bottom. Lay the top pieces of pastry over the filling, bringing the edges together and sealing them. You can do so with your fingers or with a fork to form a pattern. Refrigerate. Reuse the balance dough to roll out and form more pastry tops and bottoms. You could cut out small flowers and shapes using cookie cutters to decorate your pies. For the lattice tops here is a tutorial. Brush the tops all over with egg-wash. Sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

19|10|2015

There are a few food trends that I have come to embrace only after I started to write a blog. Pumpkin in October is one of them. I am generally a person who loves any and every fruit and vegetable at any point in the year. That does not mean I will buy them when they are not in season or overpriced (Berries are an exception) But with pumpkin, I have a feeling that the entire universe conspires for you to bring it into your kitchen. In the Northern Hemisphere, without a doubt! In our part of the world, I feel a little lonely writing about mangoes and lychees at this time. This is the time of the year when berries and stone fruits are close to season but not abundant…We are a little fed up with mandarins and apples…we’ve had enough of strawberries (we have two seasons remember?) So we end up buying pumpkin too. We don’t get the ready made puree here. I wonder why!

We make our own puree. This year I made a big batch and used it in sweet and savory recipes. These whoopie pies taste great. I think it’s the spices I like more than the pumpkin in it. And the creamy cheese filling that goes harmoniously with the soft cake like whoopie pies. My whoopies had a slight speckled look as the puree wasn’t quite as smooth as the canned version.

The recipe is from Joy of Baking. I’ve halved the recipe for the whoopie pies and they were a success, though the colour was a few shades lighter in my case. Possibly due to the home-made puree. If you are using canned, I think yours will look just like the original ones. For the filling, I’ve swapped the vanilla frosting for a cream cheese filling. You could use either one.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies With Cream Cheese Filling
Makes 12 sandwich Whoopie Pies

11/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered cloves
1/4 tsp salt
120 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
220 g pumpkin puree (canned or home made, no spices added)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C for fan forced). Lightly grease two baking sheets and line them with baking paper.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
In a different bowl, with an electric mixer or by hand beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Beat in the flour until just incorporated.
Scoop out 1 tbsp balls of the dough, roll them between the palms of your hand and place them on the baking sheets (5 cm apart). Smooth the tops and flatten them with moistened fingers or with the back of a spoon.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed gently. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling
120 g cream cheese, room temperature
60 g unsalted butter, room temperature
11/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
a few drops vanilla extract

In a large bowl, with an electric or hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add icing sugar and vanilla extract, beat until blended.

To assemble : Take one cookie and spread (or pipe) a heaping tablespoon of the filling on the flat side of the cookie. Top with another cookie. The assembled cookies can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for several days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.