Sweet Tooth Experiments

Monthly Archives: February 2016

Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake

Posted on Posted in Cakes .

Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake

Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake recipe

I’m a massive fan of Black Forest Cake, however not so much a fan of high fat volume of cream this cake is predominantly made of.

So, I decided that I would create a lower fat version of this cake that has no need for an oven and is super easy so anyone can make it while still producing a great result.

This cake is a cherry lover’s dream with dried cherries, fresh cherries and kirsch Icherry liquor) = 3 x cherry flavor layer craziness.

Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake recipe
 

Ingredients:

  • 800g ricotta
  • 120g sugar
  • 3 tsn vanilla essence
  • 90g dried cherries
  • 300g cherries
  • 60g dark chocolate
  • 1 + ½ oranges
  • 2 x 30cm store bought sponge cakes
  • 150ml kirsch

Method:

  1. Place a 25cm spring form cake tin on top of a sponge cake and using a knife cut around the tin for a perfect fit cake, repeat with the second sponge cake.
  2. Cut each sponge cake in half horizontally so you have 4 x 25cm cake layers.
  3. Using a pastry brush brush the kirsch onto the top of the 4 sponge cakes.
  4. Grate the chocolate.
  5. Zest 1 + ½ of the oranges.
  6. Dice up the cherries.
  7. Place the ricotta, sugar, vanilla, dried cherries and orange zest into a food processor and process until combine.
  8. Add the chocolate and the diced cherries and fold to combine.
  9. Line the cake tin with 2 layers of plastic wrap and ensure the wrap overhangs.
  10. Place one cake layer in the tin, 1/3 of the ricotta mix spread evenly, the 2nd cake layer, 1/3 ricotta mix. Repeat until all 4 layers and 3 ricotta layers are done.
  11. Fold the overhang wrap over the top layer to ensure the cake is fully encompassed.
  12. Use a plate to weight down the top of the cake with a small weight on the top.
  13. Place in the fridge for 4 hours to completely firm.
  14. Once firm release the spring form pan sides, the plastic wrap and turn the cake out onto a plate.
  15. Dust with cocoa powder and further cherries if you desire.

 

Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake recipe

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Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake recipe

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Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake recipe

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Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake recipe

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Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake recipe

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Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake recipe

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Black Forest Ricotta Layer Sponge Cake recipe

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Spiced Zucchini Orange Cake

Posted on Posted in Cakes .

Spiced Zucchini Orange Cake

Spiced Zucchini Orange Cake recipe

I couldn’t pack any more flavours in this cake even if I tried. Not only is this flavour full each flavour complements the other.

To make the cake as moist as possible I have utilized zucchini as this is a great ingredient to add a beautiful cake texture while also making the cake a little healthier than usual.

The cake flavours have come from Indian and Arabic flavour inspirations with the inclusion of beautiful orange, pistachio, cardamom, honey, mixed spice and saffron.

An absolutely addictive cake that’s not too sweet and works amazingly with the cream topping.

 

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 160g butter
  • 200g brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsn orange zest
  • ½ tsn mixed spice
  • 20 saffron threads
  • 1 tsn cardamom
  • 360g zucchini (grated and slightly squeezed)
  • 32og self-rising flour
  • 80g pistachio kernels

Topping:

  • 300ml thickened cream
  • 1 tsn orange zest
  • 15 saffron threads
  • 2 + 1/2 tbsn icing sugar

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180c degrees and line a 25cm cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Place the pistachio kernels into a food processor and blitz until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar with electric beaters until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time beating in between each addition.
  5. Add the mixed spice, cardamom and saffron. Beat until combine.
  6. Grate the zucchini and give it a little squeeze to remove the excess liquid.
  7. Add the flour and the ground pistachios and stir until well combined.
  8. Pour mix into the cake tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  9. Place the cake on a cooling rack.
  10. Meanwhile to make the topping whip the cream, saffron, zest and sugar in a bowl with electric beaters until peaks form.
  11. Cut the cake into slices and using a piping bag and star nozzle pipe the cream on the top of the cake.
  12. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon on top and enjoy!

 

Spiced Zucchini Orange Cake recipe

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Spiced Zucchini Orange Cake recipe

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Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

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Melbourne Breakfast Tea Choc Caramel Slice

Posted on Posted in Slice .

Melbourne Breakfast Tea Choc Caramel Slice

Melbourne Breakfast Tea Choc Caramel Slice

Recently I was given a box of T2 Melbourne Breakfast Tea which I had never tasted before. To my surprise I found it to be really flavorsome, more so than my usual everyday tea. In fact I enjoyed the flavor so much I decided to incorporate the tea into my baking. In the past when I have baked with tea I have made biscuits (see my green tea melting moments recipe), cake (Lemon Earl Grey Cake with Lavender Orange Blossom Frosting) and Bombe Alaska (Jasmine Honey-Lemon Bombe Alaska). Therefore to experiment with something different I opted to make a slice this time around. Using a basic caramel slice as the base I figured I could hero the tea with the complementary flavor pairings of caramel.

To add that extra special something a chocolate tea layer finished off the slice and a tasty tea infused slice was born.

Ingredients:

Base:

  • 60g flour
  • 50g brown sugar
  • 50g butter
  • 1 tsn Melbourne breakfast tea

Filling:

  • 25g butter
  • 80g golden syrup
  • 4 tsn Melbourne breakfast tea
  • 200g condensed milk

Top:

  • 110g dark choc
  • 20g butter
  • 1 tsn Melbourne breakfast tea

 

Method:

  1. Pre heat the oven to 160c degrees and line a 20 x 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Place all the base ingredients into a food processor and blitz until the mix clumps together like a dough.
  3. Spread the mix into the cake tin and using the back of a spoon flatten out evenly.
  4. Place the tin in the fridge to set.
  5. Place all the filling ingredients into a saucepan on a low heat until the mix is well combine.
  6. Turn the heat to high and stir for 3 minutes or until the mix has thickened and slightly browned.
  7. Pour the mix on top of the base and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until bubbling and slightly golden brown.
  8. Set aside to cool completely.
  9. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water and stir until well combine and silky smooth.
  10. Pour the mix over the caramel filling and spread evenly with the back of a spoon.
  11. Place the tea in a mortar and pestle and grind.
  12. Dust the ground tea over the chocolate layer evenly.
  13. Place the slice in the fridge for 3 hours to set. Once set slice and enjoy.

Notes:

  • If you cannot get Melbourne Breakfast Tea English or Irish Breakfast tea can be substitutes.

 

Melbourne Breakfast Tea Choc Caramel Slice
 
Melbourne Breakfast Tea Choc Caramel Slice
 
Melbourne Breakfast Tea Choc Caramel Slice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melbourne Breakfast Tea Choc Caramel Slice
 
Melbourne Breakfast Tea Choc Caramel Slice
Melbourne Breakfast Tea Choc Caramel Slice
 

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Rosemary Orange and Oat Slice

Posted on Posted in Slice .

Rosemary Orange and Oat Slice

Rosemary Orange and Oat Slice recipe
 

I recently made an oat based granola with orange that was so lovely I decided to make a slice featuring these 2 ingredients along with an extra flavour inclusion to make it extra special and different. After doing some research in what unique flavor profiles I could pair orange and oats with I ended up deciding on rosemary for something different.

This slice is a simple, easy and a really delicious treat that will surprise people how tasty the flavors are together.

 

Ingredients:

Slice:

  • 150g self-raising flour
  • 115g sugar
  • 120g oats
  • 3 tsn dried rosemary
  • 3 tsn orange zest
  • 120g butter
  • 1 + ½ tbsn golden syrup
  • 1 egg

Icing:

  • 150g icing sugar
  • 75g butter
  • ½ tsn rosemary
  • ½ tsn orange zest
  • 15ml orange juice

 

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c degrees and line a 20 x 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Place the flour, sugar, oats, rosemary and zest into a bowl and mix until combine.
  3. Place the butter and golden syrup into a bowl and microwave until melted, stir.
  4. Add the butter mix and stir into the flour mix until combine.
  5. Beat the egg in a bowl with a hand whisk and stir into the flour mix.
  6. Spoon the mix into the tin and flatten down with the back of a spoon.
  7. Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden.
  8. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes then turn onto a cooling tray until cold.
  9. Meanwhile to make the icing, place all ingredients into a bowl and using electric beats whisk until light and fluffy.
  10. Spoon the icing over the top of the slice and using a knife flatten the top.
  11. Place the slice in the fridge for 30 minutes to set the icing, then cut and serve.

 

Rosemary Orange and Oat Slice recipe

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Rosemary Orange and Oat Slice recipe

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Rosemary Orange and Oat Slice recipe

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Rosemary Orange and Oat Slice recipe

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Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes

Posted on Posted in Cupcakes .

Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes

Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes recipes

This was quite an interesting experiment for me as I have never ever cooked with millet. In fact before I read a little on this grain online I never knew it existed. How I came to baking with this ingredient?

I had a grain salad while out for lunch recently and one of the ingredients was Freekeh, which I have had before but never knew what it was. I really liked the way the Freekeh was cooked and tasted in the salad and as I have dabbled with grain baking in the past (Quinoa Berry Christmas Cake as an example) I decided I wanted to experiment with this ingredients.

As I was doing my research into the Freekeh grain I came across the millet grain which is quite similar to couscous, which I have baked a cake with before.

I figured that as I had a Sunday free I would buy both ingredients and make Freekeh based cupcakes and Millet based cupcakes. Now they both have completely different textures and flavor profiles so the flavor pairings and base cupcake ingredients were different but the results were interesting.

The freekeh chocolate and peanut cupcakes were ok but I noticed over time the freekeh lost its softness and was too hard in the mix (maybe my fault for under cooking??).

The Millet cupcakes were vanilla and macadamia nut to enhance the millets nutty flavor…this was not an exciting cupcake to rave about. I then decided to use the millet as a texture not as a flavor profile and added chilli, chocolate and cinnamon to the mix. The outcome of this was great, the texture of the millet is really soft and light and adds a texture pop to the treat. As for the Freekeh…it may just be a lost cause but I’m sure I will try again in the near future.

 

Ingredients:

Millet:

  • 180g millet
  • 360g water
  • 30g butter

Cake:

  • 1 egg
  • 100g sugar
  • 90ml buttermilk
  • 90ml canola oil
  • 30g cocoa powder
  • 1 tsn ground cinnamon
  • 160g flour
  • ½ tsn baking powder
  • ¼ tsn bicarbonate of soda
  • Pinch salt
  • ¼ tsn chili powder

Frosting:

  • 200g icing sugar
  • 30g cocoa powder
  • 100g butter
  • ¼ tsn chili powder
  • ½ tsn ground cinnamon

 

Method:

  1. Pre heat the oven to 175c degrees and line a 12 capacity cupcake tin with patties.
  2. Place the millet in a frying pan on high and stir until the millet is slightly golden.
  3. Add 360ml water to the pan and turn the heat to a simmer stirring.
  4. Add the butter, stir and leave the millet to 90% absorb the water.
  5. Take the millet off the heat and leave aside to cool and absorb the liquid fully.
  6. Place the egg and sugar in a bowl and using electric beaters whisk until pale and fluffy.
  7. Add the oil and buttermilk and whisk for 1 minute.
  8. Add the remaining ingredients (the dry ingredients), stir with a spoon until just combine.
  9. Beat with the electric beaters until smooth and silky.
  10. Add the cooked millet and beat until combine.
  11. Pour the mix into the patties and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
  12. Set the cooked cupcakes aside to cool.
  13. To make the frosting place all the ingredients into a bowl and using electric beaters whisk until fluffy and combine.
  14. Once the cupcakes are cooled using a piping bag and a star piping nozzle frost the cupcakes.
  15. Enjoy.

 

Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes

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Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes recipes

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Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes recipes

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Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes recipes

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