Sweet Tooth Experiments

Monthly Archives: May 2016

Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes

Posted on Posted in Cupcakes .

Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes

Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes

You are correct, white chocolate and macadamia is a stock-standard flavor combo, nothing new or unusual here. And lemon, well this is also a very common baking ingredient that is sometimes paired with white chocolate. The reason these flavors are common is because they are so divine together.

So if I’m creative a recipe that’s stock-standard what is going on and why even bother making up a recipe? The hero ingredient in which I have never baked with before and don’t believe I have ever even heard of being in a sweet treat before is the Lemongrass (also lemon and macadamia is a little unusual in itself but not enough for me to create a recipe off).

The lemongrass provides a lovely variation to the norm lemon flavor, the salted macadamia provides a lovely crunch texture to the cupcake and the salt elevates the tone in the white chocolate making this cupcake super delicious and walks all over any lemon cupcake I have ever had!

Also, the natural yoghurt and the lemon juice adds a slight sourness and bitterness that offsets the intense sweetness of the icing sugar making the icing a lovely more restrained addition.

Ingredients:

  • 250g flour
  • 4 tsn baking powder
  • ½ tsn salt
  • 80g sugar
  • 160g white chocolate
  • 80g macadamias
  • 40g Lemongrass
  • 1 tbsn lemon zest
  • 70g butter
  • 100g apple puree
  • 140ml buttermilk
  • 2 eggs

Icing:

  • 70ml natural yoghurt
  • 300g icing sugar
  • 15ml lemon juice

 

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200c degrees and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with patty cases.
  2. Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.
  3. Chop the white chocolate and macadamia into small pieces and place into the flour mix, stir.
  4. Grate the lemongrass and stir into the flour mix.
  5. Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave and add the buttermilk, puree and eggs. Whisk with a hand whisk until well combined.
  6. Pour the milk mix into the flour mix and using a hand whisk beat until just combine.
  7. Pour the batter into the patty cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until and skewer in the center comes out clean.
  8. Place the cupcakes onto a cooling rack until cool.
  9. Meanwhile to make the icing beat the ingredients until well combined.
  10. Using a spatula spread over the cupcake evenly.
  11. Grate extra white chocolate, macadamia and lemon zest over the icing.

 

Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
Step 4
Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes

Step 9

 

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Pineapple Lime and Coconut Tapioca Pudding

Posted on Posted in Pudding .

Pineapple Lime and Coconut Tapioca Pudding

Pineapple Lime and Coconut Tapioca Pudding

I have done quite a few experiments with tapioca/sago with a varying range of results. To be completely honest 90% of the time the end result is disappointing, bland and needs more sweetness.

This recipe’s success was a major surprise. The flavors of coconut, lime, ginger and pineapple all make perfect sense to be combine into a lovely treat, though it’s the caramel sauce made with coconut milk and a slight tang of lime juice that really steals the show. This little addition brings the recipe to a new level and makes the dessert so moreish.

Ingredients:

  • 400g coconut cream
  • 625ml coconut milk
  • 40g white sugar
  • 100g tapioca pearls
  • 110g brown sugar
  • 300g pineapple
  • 1+ ½ tsn ground ginger
  • 4 tsn lime juice
  • 30g desiccated/shaved coconut, toasted

 

Method:

  1. Place the coconut milk, 200ml coconut cream and white sugar into a saucepan and stir on a high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mix is boiling.
  2. Add the tapioca and bring the recipe down to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes stirring frequently until mix thickens and the pearls are transparent with a white dot in the center.
  3. Pour the mix into a bowl and leave aside to cool.
  4. Meanwhile to make the sauce place the remaining 200ml of the coconut cream and the brown sugar into a saucepan and stir on a high heat until well combine and the sugar is dissolved.
  5. Add the pieced pineapple, the ground ginger and the lime juice and stir for 3 minutes or until the mix thickens to a caramel consistency.
  6. Take the saucepan off the heat and leave aside to cool.
  7. Spoon half of the sauce and pineapple into the base of 6 cup ramekins.
  8. Spoon the tapioca mix into the 6 ramekins evenly.
  9. Top with the remaining sauce and pineapple.
  10. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
  11. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to set completely.

 

Notes:

  • I have topped with some pomegranate for some extra colour.

 

Pineapple Lime and Coconut Tapioca Pudding

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Pineapple Lime and Coconut Tapioca Pudding
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Pineapple Lime and Coconut Tapioca Pudding
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Pineapple Lime and Coconut Tapioca Pudding
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Pineapple Lime and Coconut Tapioca Pudding
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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts

Posted on Posted in Doughnuts .

Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts

Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

This little dumpling/doughnut treat was sparked after some recent experimenting with varying jam filled round doughnuts. I don’t really know what they are traditionally called or where they come from but they are amazing little doughnuts that massively over-exceeded my expectations and were so easy to make!

They are kind of a mix of a doughnut, a Saudi Arabia Luqaima, an Asian Jao Tze, an Arabic Ma’Amoul and a Greek loukoumades…this treat will delight.

The addition of the cream cheese makes the texture creamy and the star anise in the syrup makes it so good you want to eat it by itself!

 

Ingredients:

  • 290g sugar
  • 1 tsn cinnamon
  • 1 tsn cardamom
  • 3 star anise
  • 1 tsn rosewater essence
  • 75g self raising flour
  • 25g full cream milk powder
  • 125g cream cheese
  • 10 pitted dates
  • 200g vegetable oil, for frying

 

Method:

  1. Place 335g of water, the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and star anise into a saucepan on the stove on high and stir until the mix boils.
  2. Leave the syrup for 6 minutes to thicken.
  3. Take the syrup off the heat, stir in the rosewater essence and leave aside to cool.
  4. In a bowl place the flour, milk powder and cheese and with your hands combine until a dough has formed.
  5. On a lightly floured surface kneed the dough for 5 minutes.
  6. Cut the dates in half vertically.
  7. Roll 12-13g pieces of dough into balls, flatten and then place the date half in the center. Roll again into a ball to ensure the date is fully embedded in the dough.
  8. Heat the oil in a saucepan to 180c degrees or until a piece of bread sizzles in the oil.
  9. Cook the dumplings in batches for around 2 minutes or until they are golden brown.
  10. Place on paper towel to drain then add to the syrup.
  11. Allow the dumpling to be fully submerged in the syrup for at least an hour before serving.
  12. Serve dumpling with the remaining syrup.

 

Notes:

  • If you don’t like dates you can use dried prunes instead.
  • This treat goes well with a side of vanilla ice-cream.

 

Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

Ingredients

Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Kahlua and Butterscotch Schnapps Cake

Posted on Posted in Cakes .

Kahlua and Butterscotch Schnapps Cake

Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

I was playing around with liquors in the kitchen over the weekend and decided that I wanted to make a decadently scrumptious cake off the base of 2 sweet, complimentary andinteresting alcoholic flavors.

I gave myself the challenge of coming up with a recipe off the flavor combination of Kahlua (coffee liquor) and Butterscotch Schnapps (Butterscotch liquor). I was looking for the mix of the sweet coffee flavor along with the butterscotch (almost caramel flavor). They both have such similar flavor profiles and taste spectacular together.

For a decadent cake I decided both liquors would be in the cake itself and I would have a filling based on one liquor and icing based on the other.

To further add to this flavor mix and take the cake to the next level I decided to add white chocolate as well as cream to excel the flavor and add a profile that can bring the sweetness back down to be highly palatable for all.

Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

Ingredients:

  • 220g brown sugar
  • 75g butter
  • 3 egg
  • 190ml butterscotch Schnapps
  • 185ml milk
  • 285g self raising flour
  • 40ml Kahlua

Ganache:

  • 125ml cream
  • 30g Kahlua
  • 375g white chocolate

Cream:

  • 200ml cream
  • 20ml butterscotch Schnapps
  • 15g icing sugar

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 185c degrees and line a 25cm cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Beat the sugar and butter in a bowl with electric beaters until smooth and creamy.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time beating in between each addition.
  4. Add the schnapps and the milk and beat until combine.
  5. Add the flour and beat until well combine.
  6. Pour the mix into the cake tin and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Place the cake onto a cooling rack until cool.
  8. Cut the cake into 3 horizontal cakes and using a pastry brush brush on the Kahlua on all 3 layers.
  9. To make the icing place the cream in the microwave until steaming.
  10. Add the Kahlua and chocolate to the cream and leave for a minute.
  11. Stir until the mix is well combine and place in the fridge to set.
  12. To make the cream filling place the cream in a bowl and using electric beaters whisk until peaks form.
  13. Add the icing sugar and butterscotch snapps and on a low speak beat until just combine.
  14. To assemble place one layer on a plate.
  15. Spread ½ the cream over the top of the cake, Kahlua side up.
  16. Top with 2nd cake we layer Kahlua side up and spread with remaining cream, top with 3rd cake layer Kahlua side down.
  17. Spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cake and enjoy.

 

Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

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Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

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Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

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