Category: Western Dessert

Posted on

Carrot Cake

Print Recipe

Carrot Cake

Source: Good Food magazine, May 2002
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 15 slices

Ingredients

For the cake mix

  • 175 g light muscovado sugar
  • 175 ml sunflower oil
  • 175 g self raising flour
  • 140 g grated carrot
  • 100 g raisins
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1 grated zest of orange

For the frosting

  • 175 g icing sugar
  • 1½-2 tbsp orange juice

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment.
  • Tip 175g light muscovado sugar, 175ml sunflower oil and 3 large beaten eggs into a big mixing bowl. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in 140g grated carrots, 100g raisins and grated zest of 1 large orange.
  • Sift 175g self-raising flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and ½ tsp grated nutmeg into the bowl. Mix everything together, the mixture will be soft and almost runny.
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 mins or until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre.
  • Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can freeze the cake at this point if you want to serve it at a later date.)
  • Beat 175g icing sugar and 1½ - 2 tbsp orange juice in a small bowl until smooth – you want the icing about as runny as single cream.
  • Put the cake on a serving plate and boldly drizzle the icing back and forth in diagonal lines over the top, letting it drip down the sides.
Posted on

Marmalade and Fruit Loaf

Print Recipe

Marmalade and Fruit Loaf

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Servings: 1 cake

Ingredients

  • 250 ml Water
  • 226 g/8oz sultanas
  • 50 g/2oz butter
  • 300 g/10oz self raising flour
  • 198 g/7oz soft brown sugar
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 2 dessertspoons medium cut orange marmalade
  • 2 large eggs beaten

Posted on

Jam Doughnuts

By Paul Hollywood (The Great British Bake Off)

Preparation time: Over 2 hours

Cooking time: 10-30 minutes

Makes 10

Ingredients

For the dough
For the filling

Preparation method

  1. For the dough, place all ingredients into a large bowl holding back a quarter of the water.
  2. Stir with your hands until a dough is formed.
  3. Slowly add the remaining water and knead the dough in the bowl for four minutes. (Alternatively, you could mix with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook).
  4. Tip dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  5. Place the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for an hour.
  6. Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface, and knock it back by kneading it a few times.
  7. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and shape each portion into a ball.
  8. Place all balls onto a floured baking tray and allow to rise for an hour.
  9. Preheat a deep fat fryer, filled with sunflower oil, to 180C/350F.
  10. Lower each doughnut into the fryer, cooking each side for about five minutes or until golden brown. Remove the doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon and immediately roll in caster sugar so that the hot fat makes the sugar stick to the sides.
  11. Set aside and leave to cool.
  12. When completely cool, using a small, sharp, knife make a cut into the side of the doughnut, reaching to the centre.
  13. Spoon some smooth or sieved strawberry jam into a piping bag, or piping syringe.
  14. Pipe, or syringe, the jam generously inside.
Posted on

Basic Meringue

Ingredients:

  • 3 large (or 4 small) egg white
  • 175g (up to 200g if use 4 egg white) caster sugar
  • pinch of salt

Method:

  1. Heat the oven to 140C (gas mark 1). Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
  2. Place the egg whites and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on a low speed for 1 minute, then increase the speed to medium and whisk for another 2-3 minutes, or until the egg whites form stiff peaks. If you lift the whisk attachment out of the bowl, the mixture should look fluffy and cling to them, while the peaks remain stiff and moist-looking. This will take longer if doing by hand or using a hand held mixer. Then, while continuing to whisk, gradually add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is stiff and glossy – this may take 5-10 minutes.
  3. Using a large, metal spoon, place free form shapes on to the prepared baking trays.
  4. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the meringues are pale and dry. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar.
Posted on

Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts

Recipe from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)

Total Time: 35 min
Prep: 15 min
Inactive: 5 min
Cook: 15 min
Makes: 12

Ingredients :

  • Baking spray with flour, such as Baker’s Joy
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • For the topping:
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Methods:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Spray 2 doughnut pans well.
  2. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.
  3. Spoon the batter into the baking pans, filling each one a little more than three-quarters full. Bake for 17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then tap the doughnuts out onto a sheet pan.

Topping:

  • melt the 8 tablespoons of butter in an 8-inch saute pan.
  • Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Dip each doughnut first in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, either on one side or both sides.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cinnamon-baked-doughnuts-recipe.html

 

Posted on

Black Cherry Cheesecake

Serves: 10

Takes: 1.5 hours + chilling

For the base:

  • 150g (5oz) digestive biscuits
  • 75g (3oz) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1tbsp caster sugar

For the filling:

  • 800g (1 ¾lb) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 150g (5oz) caster sugar
  • 3 medium eggs, lightly whisked
  • 1 x 142ml tub double cream
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the topping:

  • 2 x 125g punnets black cherry, stones removed (or use 1 can of black cherry in light syrup)
  • 3tbsp caster sugar
  • 1tsp cornflour

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 160 degree C (gas mark 3).
  2. Crush biscuits, put in a bowl. Stir in butter and sugar. Tip into a 22.5cm (9 inch) springform tin and press firmly. Chill until set.
  3. Beat cream cheese with sugar until smooth. gradually beat in the egges. Stir in cream and lemon and pour onto base.
  4. Bake for an hour, until set. Cover and leave to cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least five hours or overnight.
  5. Heat topping ingredients until black cherry soften. Pour over cheesecake and chill until set, or spoon over just before serving.

N.B. Blueberry as topping is delicious too. 🙂

*** Lemon Jelly topping***

  • 4 sheets gelatine
  • 250ml cold water
  • 180g caster sugar
  • 1 lemon – both juice & zest

Dissolve gelatine in 100 ml of water. Put 150ml of water in a pan with sugar, lemon juice and zest and heat until sugar dissolved. Take off the heat then add gelatine. Pour over cheesecake and chill until set.

Posted on

Key Lime Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust

  • 30 chocolate wafers (enough to make 1 1/2 cups of chocolate crumbs)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Coulis / Syrup

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 key limes, juiced (can use limes to substitute)
  • Candied hibiscus flowers, or dried cranberries

Filling

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup key lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon key lime zest
  • 2 cups whipped cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese

Meringues

  • 5 egg whites
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F).

To make the crust: Put all the chocolate wafers in a resealable bag and then crush them into fine crumbs. Pour the crumbs into a medium mixing bowl and add the melted unsalted butter, then mix to incorporate. Mould the crumb crust into the bottom of a springform pan, about 1/4-inch thick. Bring it up the sides a little bit, about a 1/2-inch. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and cool on counter.

To make the coulis /syrup: Heat a pot over medium heat. Pour in the water, sugar and bring to a boil. Add the key lime juice and candied hibiscus flowers, stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly reduced.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

To make the cheesecake filling: In a large bowl add the egg yolks, brown sugar, key lime juice, lime zest, and whisk together. Add the cream cheese and mascarpone then mix with electric beater for another 15 seconds. Set aside.

To make the meringue: Whip the egg whites together with 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and white vinegar. Delicately fold this meringue into the cheesecake mixture. Pour evenly into the springform cake tin over the chocolate crust.

Place 2 layers of wide aluminum foil into a large roasting pan. Put the cake in the middle of the foil. Bring the foil up the sides to create a seal, do not cover cake. Pour water into the roasting pan, half way up the sides of the cake tin. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes depending on your oven. Allow the cake to cool completely on the countertop, then refrigerate overnight. Serve each slice of this cheesecake drizzled with a tablespoon or 2 of key lime and hibiscus coulis/syrup.

*source: Nadia G.’s Bitchin’ Kitchen.

Posted on

Basic Buttercream

Enough to fill 1 medium size sponge or 12 fairy cakes.

Ingredients

  • 140g/5oz butter, softened
  • 280g/10oz icing sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp milk
  • few drops food colouring

Preparation method

  1. Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
  2. Add the remaining icing sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and beat the mixture until creamy and smooth. Beat in the milk, if necessary, to loosen the mixture.
  3. Stir in the food colouring until well combined.
Posted on

Easy Victoria Sponge

Simplest sponge cake recipe 🙂

Ingredients

Preparation method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
  2. Grease and line 2 x 18cm/7in cake tins with baking paper.
  3. Cream the butter and the sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
  4. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in the vanilla extract
  5. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little extra milk if necessary, to create a batter with a soft dropping consistency.
  6. Divide the mixture between the cake tins and gently spread out with a spatula.
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  8. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack.
  9. Sandwich the cakes together with jam, lemon curd or whipped cream and berries or just enjoy on its own.