Cake 21, Mini Chrimbus Cakes

It's a Chrimbus miracle!

I made mini cakes, and pressed glace cherries and almonds into the tops.

Chrimbus Cake

400g sultanas (I replaced these with a combination of dates and prunes)

400g raisins

200g currants

grated lemon rind

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup orange juice or brandy (I used up my stout)

250g butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

1 cup mashed banana

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp mixed spice

Combine the fruit, lemon rind, vanilla and juice/booze in a bowl and leave to soak overnight.

The next day, (preheat oven to 150C) cream the butter and sugar, and then beat in eggs one by one. Add the banana, flour, baking powder and spice and mix thoroughly. Finally stir in the fruit and liquid until the bits and pieces are evenly coated. Line a large cake tin (or many many muffin tins) and spoon in the mix. Bake at 150 for 1hour, and then reduce the heat to 140 for another 1 1/2 hours (or even another 2 if you have a slow oven). Allow to cool in the tin. 

This is the best plate I've ever found on the side of the road.

Cake 20, Goopy Salted Caramel Cheesecakes

This is something I've been meaning to make for quite a while now.... and I'm so glad I did. I love salted caramel. I would happily make bowls of it just fer eatin'. Only problem, the cheesecake didn't turn out that great. It tasted very... sour creamy, and it didn't set either. Hence the goopy. It was more like caramel-topped sour custard. Nice though. I recommend making the caramel sauce, it's really super.


Salted Caramel Cheesecakes
cool(heat(caramel(heat(custard))))

225g cream cheese (spreadable is best)
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temp
1/2 cup sour cream
6 Tb corn syrup (see recipe at the end if you want imitation corn syrup)
1/2 cup and 2 Tb sugar
3 Tb butter
1/2 cup cream
salt to taste (about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp)

Preheat the oven to 165 C.
Beat the cream cheese and sugar together, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, and lastly the sour cream. Beat until smooth. Divvy the mix into 6 ramekins/tea cups (1/2 cup of mix each), and place these in a large oven-proof dish. Pour hot water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 10mins, then turn  the heat off and leave the cheesecakes in the oven for 1 hour (I left mine a bit longer, they didn't seem very set). Transfer to a wire rack, and allow to cool.
Meanwhile...
In a pan, heat the corn syrup on a low heat for a few minutes or until fully liquid. Increase the heat to medium and add the sugar (I also added a few Tb of water). Leave for about 5 minutes until it's a dark amber colour. Turn the element off, and stir in the butter. Add the cream in a thin stream, mixing constantly. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the salt. Allow to cool, then spoon about 2 Tb onto each cheesecake. Transfer to the fridge and allow to set for at least 3 hours. I have lots of the caramel left over, but it'll make a great icecream sauce :)

Corn Syrup (I made half this recipe and ended up with at least 4 times too much)
Combine 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup water, 1/4 tsp cream of tarter and a pinch of salt in a heavy pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover for about 3 minutes (less if you halve it). Uncover, and cook until it reaches the soft ball stage. Apparently this goop will last for 2 months, stored in an airtight container at room temp. Mine solidified almost straight away, and now I have a jar half-full of solid sugar...

Cake 19, Lemon Meringue Pie (but I've reassigned it to the cake family)

So while searching for a taxonomy of cake, I found an amazing blog. It blew my mind. A Sketch Towards a Taxonomy of Meta-Desserts has given me a whole new way of describing desserts:
lemon meringue pie = heat(egg white(heat(pastry(custard(fruit))))) where custard refers to the egg yolk mixture and fruit to the lemon. This is a two-function dessert involving four dessertoms.

Anyway, here's the recipe I actually followed. I got an awesome pastry tip from Henry - use a ratio of 3:2:1:1 for  flour, butter, icing sugar and egg respectively. However, since I only had 100g butter, I decided the whole egg made the pastry too liquid so I had to add extra flour and sugar...and then I baked it blind and only had teaspoons to weigh it down, so the whole base puffed up :-(

heat(egg white(heat(pastry(custard(fruit)))))

Pastry:
100g butter (easier if it's room temp, or chilled and then grated)
150g flour (1 cup, although I added more later)
50g icing sugar (just under 1/2 cup)
1 egg

Cut the butter into the sifted flour and icing sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the beaten egg (I added a whole lot more flour and sugar, but then wondered if I got the ratio thing wrong? Maybe my egg was just a big 'un). Mix until you have a soft doughy mess. It should be all over your hands by now. Roll into a ball, wrap in gladwrap and chill for about 20mins or so. Grease a pie tin/cake tin and dust with flour. Remove the pastry from the freezer, flour a sheet of baking paper, and roll the pastry out until it's the right size for your pie tin. Roll the pastry around the rolling pin, almost like rolling sushi (use the baking paper like a sushi mat), and then un-roll the pastry over the tin. Trim the edges, and leave to chill in the fridge. Or you could just ignore the recipe and bake the pastry (with baking paper and spoons to weigh it down) like I did. I guess it does stop the pastry from becoming soggy when you add the filling. Anyway, while you bake the case (for 15 mins at 180 or something) or chill it, make the filling.

Filling:
Combine the following and mix lightly:
3 large egg yolks
2 Tb caster sugar
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
Leave to soak for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 200 C. Beat filling until smooth and pour into the chilled (or woefully cooked) pastry case. Bake for 20 mins or until the filling has just set and the pastry is golden. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 30 mins. Lower oven temp to 180 C, and make the topping.

Topping:
Whisk 3 large egg whites until they form stiff peaks, and then gradually whisk in 1/2 cup caster sugar until glossy. Spoon on top of the filling. You could make it all swirly if you like. Try to make sure the meringue is spread right to the rim of the pastry case. Bake for 20-25 mins or until crisp. Cool for 10 mins before serving.

Mmmmm despite my worries about the pastry, this turned out a treat. It leaked a whole lot of liquid, though, which I suspect was the lemon juice sneaking it's way out. I would like to make it more lemony, but I'm not sure how to do that without compromising the consistency...

Cake 18, Christmas Cupcakes

It's been too hot to bake lately, but Lauren did make these amazing cupcakes the other day. The lurid icing ended up pooling in the middle of each cupcake...

Christmas Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 190C and line a muffin tin with patty cases.
Cream 125g butter with 1tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup caster sugar.
Add 2 eggs, one at a time.
Fold in 1 cup of flour and 2tsp baking powder, then stir in 1/4 cup milk.
Spoon mixture into lined muffin tin, and bake for 15minutes.
Allow to cool, then ice with wildly-coloured icing.

Cake 17, Baked Pasta Bake Cake

Since we had masses of leftover pasta from last night, I decided it'd be fun to make it into a cake, and it worked really well. I wish I'd made twice as much.

Baked Pasta Bake Cake

1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
oil
10 mushrooms (button)
1/2 capsicum
1 can sweetcorn
leftover pasta and sauce
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180 C. Heat oil in a pan, and fry onion and garlic. Add mushrooms and capsicum, and cook until softened. Add corn, and continue to cook for a few minutes. Take off heat and mix through pasta (ours had a tomatoey/curry sauce already on it). Put into a greased cake tin.
In a bowl, combine eggs and milk. Season, and pour over the mix in the cake tin. Sprinkle cheese on top, and bake for about half an hour or until browned on top and hot the whole way through. Allow to cool in the tin, then slice.

Cake 16, Chocolate Muffcakes

So Lauren made chocolate muffcakes (being a portmanteau word, rather than small cakes that look rude), and they were pretty delish. I'm going to pinch her baking for my blog :) She used a recipe my mum gave me, which is probably from Alison Holst. I think mum owns Alison's entire ouvre of cooking books.

12 Big Fat Chocolate Muffins
(something tells me mum calls them this, it's not a very Alison Holst title...)

Preheat oven to 180 C. Mix together:
100g melted butter
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
Add:
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour (Lauren used half wholemeal)
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Spoon into lined/greased tin, and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Lauren was going to ice these, but decided they'd be disgusting with icing on them, and it's true. They would be.

The muffcakes were strangely porous....

Cake 15, Brandy-Sozzled Xmas Pudding

So I've made my Christmas pudding :) It's currently resting in the fridge, waiting for the next brandy dousing. I think I found this recipe in a foodie magazine, it makes quite a nice pud (I used this one last year). I decided to let the fruit soak in stout and brandy overnight, which will definitely enhance the flavour.

Christmas Pudding

Combine in a large bowl:
210g chopped nuts
2 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups mixed dried cherries/fruit (I used a mix of currants, sultanas and raisins)
3/4 cup grated carrot
3/4 cup muscovado sugar
1/2 cup chopped prunes
1/2 cup chopped figs (figs were too expensive, so I used dates)
1/2 cup flour
125g chilled, grated butter

Beat together the following in a separate bowl:
1/2 cup guinness (I used a mix of Cooper's Stout and brandy, and actually soaked the fruit in it overnight. It's not really necessary, but I want a boozy pudding)
4 eggs
1 Tb golden syrup
grated rind of a lemon and an orange

Combine the two mixtures, and add:
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ginger

Grease and line the base of a pudding basin, and fill with the mix. Cover with two layers of baking paper and one of tinfoil, and tie a piece of string around the rim. If you can, tie another piece across the top so you have a handle for lifting it out of the pot.
Place a large pot on the stove, and fold up an old tea towel and place it in the bottom. Place the basin so it sits on top of the tea towel (this stops the bottom of the pudding from overcooking - you could use an upturned saucer instead). Fill the pot with boiling water until it is filled just below the rim of the basin. Cover, turn the heat to low, and boil for 3 hours.

To store, remove from the water and allow to cool. Keep it in the fridge, or in a cool dry cupboard. If you like, you can open the covering and pour brandy on the pudding every now and then :)
To reheat, do the same boiling thing for another three hours. Turn onto a plate, and serve hot with brandy butter and/or cream  and/or custard.

And now I leave it in the fridge for a week, and pour brandy over it every day.... I wish someone would do that to me :(

Cake 14, Coconut cupcakes

Inspiration came to me in a can of coconut cream. This is from "Recipe Secrets". I've decided that these would be amazing if they were served with rum-flavoured whipped cream and topped with fresh pineapple... drool... Basically, these are awesome muffin/cupcake things, most recommended.

Coconut Cream Muffins

Preheat the oven to 220 C.
Combine:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup coconut cream
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup flour

Spoon the mix into lined/greased 12-muffin tray, and sprinkle a little bit of coconut on top of each muffin. Bake for 15-20 mins.

Cake 13, Date Loaf (veganable)

Date loaf must be one of my all time favourite cakes, it's so moist and scrumptious. Also, by using olivani (or similar non-dairy margarine) instead of butter, it becomes a vegan cake.

Date Loaf

Preheat oven to 165 C. In a large pot, combine the following:
1 cup water
55g butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 Tb golden syrup
1 cup chopped dates
Bring to the boil, while stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Add:
2 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
Mix, then pour into a lined loaf tin, and bake for 45-60 mins.

Cake 12, Hotcakes!

Hotcakes are cakes, right? 

Hotcakes (my own recipe, but probs doesn't differ from any other pan/hot cake recipe)

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup wholemeal flour (I wanted to use buckwheat, but couldn't find any in the pantry)

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tb sugar

pinch of salt

1 egg

about 1 cup milk

Sift together flours and baking powder. Stir in sugar and salt. Make a well, and put egg and 1/2 amount of milk in. Mix, adding milk until desired consistency is reached. 

Fry in butter :)

I also made some poachy/sugary pears:

4 pears

3 Tb sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

Peel pears, and cut into quarters. Mix sugar and water together and pour into a frying pan (the same one used for the hotcakes). Add the pears and sprinkle over the cinnamon. You may need to add more water as it evaporates, you want the pears half-submerged in liquid. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning over half-way through. They should become soft enough to slice with a spoon. Remove pears from pan, and continue cooking the sugary water until it thickens, then pour over pears and hotcakes. 

Cake 11, Vegan Orange and Chocolate (explicit content)

So I finally found that cake cookbook, and I'm making the only vegan one in it. It's quite similar to the other vegan one I made, but I'm following one of their variations (there are enough of these for the book to be called "500 Cakes"). 

Chocolate Fudge Cake (vegan) Orange variation

100g flour (about 3/5 cup)

3/4 tsp baking soda

4 Tb cocoa powder

130g sugar (just under 2/3 C)

160 ml water (about 2/3 cup, replace with orange juice)

4 Tb vegetable oil 

1 Tb white wine vinegar

(grated rind of one orange)

Preheat oven to 180 C, and line a 20cm tin. 

Sift flour, baking soda and cocoa into a bowl, then stir in the sugar. Pour in the oil, vinegar, juice and rind, and stir. Pour into the tin and bake for about 25mins. 

This could be interesting with a bit of Cointreau in the cake or icing. 

This is a pretty awesome vegan cake, it's very soft and fudgy. Mmmmmm.

And... this was our cheerleader......