Cakes/Cookies – Page 4

The ultimate chocolate cake with frosting

Published on July 14, 2015 by Hanna1 Comment

This chocolate cake is nothing new. The cake recipe is courtesy of several generations in my family and our staple chocolate cake. And although the frosting is courtesy of The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook it reminds me of the frosting that my grandmother used to cover her chocolate cake (made from this recipe) with when I was a child. It’s not the same recipe (I know for sure she didn’t use Philadelphia in hers) but the taste is very similar.

The only reason I’m posting this cake again is that I’ve re-calculated the measurements to suit a higher cake. The ratio of cake to frosting is just perfect and to me, the cake also has the perfect height.

Chocolate cake with frosting, serves 10

600 ml (480 g) caster sugar

500 ml (300 g) plain flour

6 tbsp cocoa

4 tsp vanilla

4 tsp baking powder

200 g melted butter

4 eggs

300 ml just-boiled water

Chocolate frosting

200 g icing sugar

75 g softened butter

30 g cocoa

150 g cream cheese, cold

Pre-heat the oven to 175C, butter and two springforms and line the bottoms with baking parchment. Mix sugar, flour, cocoa and baking powder in a large bowl. Add melted butter, vanilla, egg and water and combine. Divide the batter between the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave to cool completely.

Make the frosting: Beat sugar, butter and cocoa with an electric whisk. Add the cream cheese and beat until you have a glossy and even frosting.

Remove the cakes from the tins and remove the baking parchment. Place one cake round upside down on the cake plate and cover with half the frosting. Place the next cake round on top – also upside down – and cover with the rest of the frosting. Decorate with confetti sprinkles and serve.

Chocolate meringue cake

Published on July 3, 2015July 3, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

2015-05-26 11.24.57

Chocolate in any shape or form is always a crowd pleaser (especially amongst the chocoholics I work with!) and as predicted this cake was no exception. The bottom of the cake is fairly heavy and dense, with delicate meringue on top – a great combination. It’s best served together with some lightly whipped cream.

Chocolate meringue cake, serves 10

Adapted from Donna Hay’s recipe.

240 g dark chocolate, chopped

180 g unsalted butter, chopped

2 eggs

4 eggs extra, separated

90 g brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

50 g plain flour, sifted

½ tsp baking powder, sifted

40 g ground almonds

220 g caster sugar

1 tsp white vinegar

3 tsp cornflour, sifted

25 g cocoa, sifted, plus extra for dusting

Preheat oven to 160ºC. Lightly grease a 24 cm round springform tin, line the base with baking parchment.

Place the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat and stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly. Place the eggs, extra egg yolks, brown sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk for 3–4 minutes or until pale and thick.

Add the chocolate mixture, flour, baking powder and almond meal and fold gently to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35–40 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Increase the oven temperature to 180°C. Place the extra eggwhites in the clean bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, whisking until dissolved. Add the vinegar and whisk for a further 2–3 minutes or until the meringue is thick and glossy. Fold through the cornflour and cocoa and spoon the mixture onto the partially cooked cake. Spread evenly and return the cake to the oven for 20–25 minutes or until the meringue is golden and crisp.

Allow the cake to stand at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before gently running a small knife around the edge and removing the ring. Allow the cake to cool at room temperature and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Dust with the extra cocoa to serve.

Easy raspberry and white chocolate muffins

Published on June 10, 2015 by Hanna2 Comments

These not too sweet yet delicious muffins with white chocolate I made by request from a colleague for the office cakes at the end of May, and they went down very well.

The recipe was a total gamble – I googled recipes and liked the look of this one from Mumsnet and it could not be easier to make. Just mix it all in a bowl and add the chocolate and berries at the end. Perfect to whip up when pressed for time or a good recipe to bake with children.

2015-05-26 11.28.33

Easy raspberry and white chocolate muffins, makes12

From Mumsnet’s recipe.

250 g self-raising flour

100 g caster sugar

1 egg

250 ml milk

2 tsp baking powder

90 ml vegetable oil

150 g raspberries

150 g chopped white chocolate

Pre-heat the oven to 180C and line a muffin tray with large paper cases. Place all ingredients apart from the chocolate and berries in a bowl and mix. Fold in the berries and chocolate with a spatula and divide between the cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Lemon meringue pie

Published on May 13, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

I love a good lemon meringue pie. With a thin and crispy pie crust, a thick and sharp lemon fillinf and a light and fluffy meringue. I’m not so keen on the baked meringue; I want the fluffy Italian kind.

My mother is probably slightly to blame for my obsession as I have sampled plenty of lemon meringue pies with her, both in cafés and at home. And it’s also her trusted recipe I use for the filling and the crust. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Lemon meringue pie, serves 8

Pastry:

180 g plain flour

100 g softened butter

2 1/2 tbsp cream or water

Lemon filling:

350 ml water

240 g caster sugar

6 tbsp corn flour

2 lemons (zest and juice)

3 egg yolks

2 tbsp butter

Italian meringue:

4 egg whites

120 g caster sugar

Syrup:

120 g caster sugar

100 ml water

Mix all the ingredients to the dough in a bowl or using a food processor. Press into a Ø 20 cm springform. Bake in a low oven at 180C, for approx 10-15 minutes or until golden and baked through. Leave to cool.

Add all the ingredients for the filling, apart from the butter, in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and stir continuously until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and mix in the butter. Leave to cool completely.

Make the meringue: Add egg whites and sugar to a clean bowl and beat for 10 minutes with an electric whisk. Meanwhile make the syrup by adding water and sugar to a saucepan and bring to the boil (don’t stir). Remove when 118C (the boiling point for sugar). Add the hot syrup to the meringue and beat for a further 15 minutes, until you have a thick and glossy meringue.

Assemble: Remove the crust from the tin. Fill with the lemon filling, spreading it evenly. Spread the meringue on top and burn the edges with a brulee torch. Serve with lightly whipped cream.

Chocolate pavlova with maltesers

Published on May 7, 2015 by Hanna1 Comment

I made this wonderful cake for the office just before Easter (hence the chocolate eggs on top) and it became everyone’s new favourite cake! Initially I was using a recipe from Swedish pastry chef Roy Fares but as I didn’t have all the ingredients I only used his recipe for the meringue and ended up trying pastry food blogger extraordinaire Linda Lomelino’s recipe for the filling and chocolate sauce (although slightly adapted) – and the combination was amazing! I’m still really keen to try their respective versions of chocolate pavlova but this mishmash of recipes worked really well!

I also made this lovely rhubarb cake, served with store-bought (but fresh) custard.

And these wonderful oat and raisin cookies. But the piece de resistance was definitely the pavlova!

Chocolate pavlova with maltesers and chocolate eggs, serves 8-10

Adapted from Roy Fares’s and Linda Lomelinos’s respective recipes.

Meringue:

75 g dark chocolate

140 g egg whites (4 egg whites)

220 g caster sugar

8 g / 1 tbsp corn flour

4 g / 1 tsp white wine vinegar

Filling:

250 g cream cheese

2-3 tbsp caster sugar

5 dl whipping cream

Chocolate sauce:

60 g caster sugar

3 tbsp cocoa

100 ml water

1-2 tbsp cream

Decoration:

1 bag maltesers

1 bag chocolate eggs

Chop the chocolate and place in a bowl, melt either over boiling water or in the microwave. Pre-heat oven to 150C.

Beat the egg whites until foamy and add the sugar bit by it while beating until stiff and glossy. Add the corn flour and vinegar and mix carefully with a spatula. Drizzle with the melted chocolate and create a marbled effect by folding the mixture 2-3 times with a spatula. T

Divide the meringue between two baking parchment covered baking trays, shaping round discs, approx 20 cm in diameter.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 60 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the meringue in the oven while its cooling. Let the meringue discs cool completely.

Mix sugar, cocoa and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Add the cream and let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes. Leave to cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the cream and beat until thick and fluffy (but don’t over-beat it). Spread out the cream in between the meringue discs and on top of the cake. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and decorate with maltesers and chocolate eggs.

Panforte di Siena

Published on March 8, 2015March 6, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

This cake dates back to the 13th century in Siena, Italy and because the cake has been around for so long there are lots of different recipes around. I settled for Jamie Oliver’s as I thought it sounded nice with figs in it, and it was really nice. It’s a dense and quite hard cake consisting mainly of fruits and nuts (and sugar) so a small piece is enough. I totally forgot to buy rice paper for my cake but it worked well without.

Panforte di Siena, makes 20 pieces

Adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe.

(rice paper) spapper

300 g nuts, I used almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts

200 g mixed candied peel

75 g plain flour

175 g dried figs

1-2 tbsp sherry or vin santo

6 tbsp honey

150 g golden caster sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cardamom

grated nutmeg

a pinch ground cloves

icing sugar

Cover a 22cm springform with rice paper. Toast the nuts in a dry pan and mix with the mixed peel and flour.

Pre-heat the oven to 150C. Mix the figs into a paste using a food processor. Transfer the paste to a saucepan and add 1 tbsp sherry/vin santo, honey, sugar and all the spices and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-8 minutes and then add it to the nut mixture. Mix well and add another tbsp sherry/vin santo if the mixture is dry.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully press down a layer of rice paper on top of the cake and bake for another 10 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin.

Dust with plenty of icing sugar, cut into thin slices and serve.

Molten chocolate cake

Published on March 7, 2015March 5, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

This pudding is such a crowd pleaser. I mean, who doesn’t like a warm gooey chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream?! You can prepare the batter ahead of time, just put them in the oven half-way through the main course and they’re ready when you are.

Chocolate fondant, serves 4

Translated from Pickipicki‘s recipe.

75 g butter (I prefer salted)
100 g dark chocolate (70 %), broken into pieces
2 eggs
4 tbsp caster sugar

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chocolate pieces. Let it melt on low heat while stirring. Beat eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy and fold it into the chocolate mixture. Divide between four buttered ramekins. Bake in 175C, in the lower part of the oven for 10-15 minutes. The fondant needs to be cooked on the outside but still liquid inside. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Lemon soufflé with elderflower liqueur

Published on March 4, 2015 by Hanna5 Comments

I’ve been wanting to make soufflés for a while now and when I was at home for Christmas I finally did. With my very knowledgeable mother by my side. But I needn’t have worried – it wasn’t hard at all. And it is so satisfying watching the soufflés rise in the oven through the oven door.

The original recipe called for Grand Marnier, but we didn’t have any and therefore substituted it with another liqueur; St Germain. It didn’t add that much flavour though, but there was an elderflower hint at least.

Lemon sufflé with elderflower liqueur, makes 6

50 g butter

80 g plain flour

200 ml milk

3 egg yolks

6 egg whites

80 g caster sugar

100 ml St Germain elderflower liqueur

grated zest from 1 lemon

softened butter and caster sugar for the ramekins

icing sugar for dusting

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and incorporate it into the melted butter using a wooden spoon. Add milk and sugar and incorporate it on low heat until the batter is smooth and easily comes off the sides of the pan. Leave to cool.

Thereafter mix in the egg yolks, liqueur and lemon zest. Beat the egg whites to a hart foam and fold them into the mixture.

Butter the ramekins thoroughly and coat them in caster sugar. Fill the ramekins (all the way up and make sure the surface is even).

Bake in 200C for 12-15 minutes; until they’ve risen above the ramekin edge and are golden brown on top. Keep an eye on them through the oven door.

Remove the soufflés carefully from the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.

Swiss roll with strawberry jam

Published on February 12, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

Even though I bake a bit, although mainly for the office, this was the first time ever I made a Swiss roll. It has always been my mother’s department, I swear she could make a perfect one in her sleep (which is why I’m using her tried and tested recipe).

But after watching the participants in The Great British Bake Off making swiss rolls I cockily thought ‘how hard can it be’. Maybe it helped that I have watched by mother bake it countless times, but it wasn’t difficult. I need to work on the jam distribution but other than that it turned out well.

Swiss roll, serves 10-12

4 eggs

190 g caster sugar

1 1/2 tbsp warm water

115 g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

extra caster sugar

200 ml strawberry jam

Beat eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric whisk. Add the water. Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and incorporate into the egg mixture. Mix well with a wooden fork.

Preheat the oven to 225C. Cover an oven-sized shallow pan with baking parchment and spread out the batter evenly in the pan. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 7 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out dry.

Take a new sheet of baking parchment, as big as the cake, and scatter with sugar. Remove the cake from the oven and let the steam evaporate for a few minutes, then turn the cake onto the sugared paper. Remove the pan and then the first baking parchment, carefully. Spread the jam onto the cake evenly, but leave a few centimetres each side bare. Roll the cake into a roll from the longer side, using the paper. Once rolled up, cover in parchment paper and leave to cool completely. Cut into slices once cool, remove the ends and serve.

Pumpkin muffins with white chocolate

Published on February 3, 2015February 3, 2015 by HannaLeave a comment

These pumpkin muffins with lemon and cinnamon and topped with white chocolate was a real hit in the office before Christmas. Such a lovely winter cake!

The recipe is courtesy of the Swedish blog Matrepubliken.

Pumpkin muffins with white chocolate, makes12 small muffins

Translated from Matrepubliken’s recipe.

125 ml light brown soft sugar

125 ml sunflower oil
2 eggs
150 ml grated pumpkin (I used butternut squash)
1 lemon, the zest
200 ml plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsk cinnamon

150 g white chocolate

Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Mix sugar, oil and eggs to a mixing bowl. Add the grated pumpkin and lemon zest. Incorporate well. Mix flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a separate bowl and add to the wet mixture. Fill the muffin cases halfway up. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry. Leave to cool. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie and dip the muffins in it (or spoon the chocolate on top of the muffins if you’re cases are too tall to dip). Leave the chocolate to set.