Tuesday 16 October 2012
Vodka Christmas Cake & Christmas Cake Vodka
Courtesy of Emma Freeman (first NZ hottest home baker runner up) in Womens' Weekly May 2010
Thursday 13 September 2012
Kueh Lapis Batavia (Indonesian Layer cake)
Also known as Spekkoek, this is a really rich and time consuming cake to make. More information on the origins of the cake can be found here. The home made mixed spice is well worth the effort (since you're going to be spending hours grilling the cake you might as well make your own spice right?!)
Mixed Spice
30g Cinnamon quill
20 whole cloves (remove stems)
1 start anise
20 green cardamom (remove husks
Toast the above spices over low heat for 15 - 20 mins
Grind spices in spice grinder until very fine.
Ingredients
450g Butter
1 - 2 tsp mixed spice
115g plain flour
17 egg yolks
250g sugar
5 egg whites
2 T brandy
Cream butter until light and fluffy.
Sift Mixed spice and flour
Beat eggs yolks with 200g sugar until thick
Beat Egg whites with remaining sugar until stiff peaks form
Fold in egg yolk mixture, egg white mixture into the butter mixture alternating with the flour. Add the brandy last.
Grease the bottom of a small square cake tin with butter and line with baking paper.
Heat the pan under a hot grill for a few minutes.
Put a ladleful of batter into the bottom of the pan and grill until its golden brown.
Take pan out of the oven and prick with skewer to prevent any air bubbles and pour another ladleful of batter into the pan and spread it evenly and grill until it is golden brown. Repeat this process until all the batter is used up.
After last layer is grilled, change oven setting to bake and bake for further 10 to 15 minutes to ensure that the cake is cooked.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool.
Enjoy!
Mixed Spice
30g Cinnamon quill
20 whole cloves (remove stems)
1 start anise
20 green cardamom (remove husks
Toast the above spices over low heat for 15 - 20 mins
Grind spices in spice grinder until very fine.
Ingredients
450g Butter
1 - 2 tsp mixed spice
115g plain flour
17 egg yolks
250g sugar
5 egg whites
2 T brandy
Cream butter until light and fluffy.
Sift Mixed spice and flour
Beat eggs yolks with 200g sugar until thick
Beat Egg whites with remaining sugar until stiff peaks form
Fold in egg yolk mixture, egg white mixture into the butter mixture alternating with the flour. Add the brandy last.
Grease the bottom of a small square cake tin with butter and line with baking paper.
Heat the pan under a hot grill for a few minutes.
Put a ladleful of batter into the bottom of the pan and grill until its golden brown.
Take pan out of the oven and prick with skewer to prevent any air bubbles and pour another ladleful of batter into the pan and spread it evenly and grill until it is golden brown. Repeat this process until all the batter is used up.
After last layer is grilled, change oven setting to bake and bake for further 10 to 15 minutes to ensure that the cake is cooked.
Enjoy!
Moroccan snake cake (m'hencha)
So called as it's in the form of a coiled snake, this cake is made for big celebrations in Morocco (one recipe I have for it makes a huge quantity for parties using 1kg of ground almonds!).
Recipe adapted from a Jamie Oliver one:
Moroccan snake cake (m'hencha)
Serves 6-8
250g soft unsalted butter
250 icing sugar
2 eggs
175g ground almonds
50g unsalted pistachios (or extra 50g ground almonds)
1 tablespoon rosewater
1 tablespoon orange blossom water (or another T of rosewater)
zest of a small orange
1 tablespoon plain flour
filo pastry left in packet at room temperature for at least 2 hours (makes it easier to coil)
melted butter to brush filo and grease tin
icing sugar and cinnamon to dust
Heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Grease a 20cm cake tin with melted butter.
Combine filling ingredients in a food processor till smooth.
Lay sheets of overlapping filo out in a line (I used 4 I think). Brush with a bit of butter to stop it drying out and working very quickly, spoon filling out in a line towards one edge of the filo.
Roll up into a sausage shape, brushing with extra butter as you go.
Then comes the fun bit - coil it into a snake shape and place into the tin. (I haven't managed to do this yet without the filo splitting but plonk it in the tin anyway. It doesn't seem to make much of a difference once it's cooked anyway as the filling holds it together.)
Brush with more butter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Put on a rack to cool (it will firm up as it cools) and once cool, dust with icing sugar and cinnamon.
Recipe adapted from a Jamie Oliver one:
Moroccan snake cake (m'hencha)
Serves 6-8
250g soft unsalted butter
250 icing sugar
2 eggs
175g ground almonds
50g unsalted pistachios (or extra 50g ground almonds)
1 tablespoon rosewater
1 tablespoon orange blossom water (or another T of rosewater)
zest of a small orange
1 tablespoon plain flour
filo pastry left in packet at room temperature for at least 2 hours (makes it easier to coil)
melted butter to brush filo and grease tin
icing sugar and cinnamon to dust
Heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Grease a 20cm cake tin with melted butter.
Combine filling ingredients in a food processor till smooth.
Lay sheets of overlapping filo out in a line (I used 4 I think). Brush with a bit of butter to stop it drying out and working very quickly, spoon filling out in a line towards one edge of the filo.
Roll up into a sausage shape, brushing with extra butter as you go.
Then comes the fun bit - coil it into a snake shape and place into the tin. (I haven't managed to do this yet without the filo splitting but plonk it in the tin anyway. It doesn't seem to make much of a difference once it's cooked anyway as the filling holds it together.)
Brush with more butter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Put on a rack to cool (it will firm up as it cools) and once cool, dust with icing sugar and cinnamon.
Sacher Torte
Sacher Torte from Austria. Recipe courtesy of Hanna - an Austrian student who stayed with us for many weeks 2 years ago, it is her mothers recipe.
125g butter
250g icing sugar
1t vanilla
5 egg yolks
5 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
100g dark chocolate
2 t cocoa
200g flour
1/2 t baking powder
125 ml milk
* cream butter, sugar, vanilla and yolks
* add melted chocolate and cocoa. Mix well
* add flour, baking powder and milk. Mix till well combined
* fold in egg whites
Bake 45-55 mins at 160 degrees.
Leave cake to cool, split in half and cover middle, top and sides in apricot glaze and then chocolate glaze an hour later
Apricot glaze
1 cup apricot jam
2 T water
heat together and mix thoroughly. Strain lumps out with a seive.
Chocolate Glaze
100 g very dark chocolate
1 C sugar
1/2 C water
Heat together in a pot, stirring occasionally, and then boil together over a medium heat until reaches 234 F (112 C). Cool for 1 min and then pour over cake.
125g butter
250g icing sugar
1t vanilla
5 egg yolks
5 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
100g dark chocolate
2 t cocoa
200g flour
1/2 t baking powder
125 ml milk
* cream butter, sugar, vanilla and yolks
* add melted chocolate and cocoa. Mix well
* add flour, baking powder and milk. Mix till well combined
* fold in egg whites
Bake 45-55 mins at 160 degrees.
Leave cake to cool, split in half and cover middle, top and sides in apricot glaze and then chocolate glaze an hour later
Apricot glaze
1 cup apricot jam
2 T water
heat together and mix thoroughly. Strain lumps out with a seive.
Chocolate Glaze
100 g very dark chocolate
1 C sugar
1/2 C water
Heat together in a pot, stirring occasionally, and then boil together over a medium heat until reaches 234 F (112 C). Cool for 1 min and then pour over cake.
Tuesday 11 September 2012
International Night
International Night
Last night was International Night for the Bake Club. The task was to bake something from a different country or culture. We were overwhelmed with delights from around the globe (including down south). Hopefully some of the recipes will be posted here over the next week or so....
Next Bake Club is Sugarpaste decorations
Last night was International Night for the Bake Club. The task was to bake something from a different country or culture. We were overwhelmed with delights from around the globe (including down south). Hopefully some of the recipes will be posted here over the next week or so....
 |
| Moroccan Snake Cake |
 |
| Moroccan Snake Cake |
 |
| Alfajores |
 |
| Sacher Torte |
 |
| Calissons |
 |
| Lebkuchen |
 |
| Kueh Lapis Batavia |
 |
| Almond triangles |
 |
| Southland cheese rolls |
 |
| Speculoos |
 |
| Cherry, chocolate and pumpernickel trifle |
Next Bake Club is Sugarpaste decorations
Iced Biscuits
Iced Biscuits
The August Bake Club meeting was themed on Iced Biscuits. Everyone baked a couple of different biscuit shapes (we had owls, dinosaurs, shoes, castles, rockets, kiwi's, circles, letters, dresses, snowflakes, silverfearns, ladybirds, flowers, planes, stars, crowns, butterflys, pencils and more), and then we spent a delightful evening icing with royal icing.
Next bake club is a bring and taste with the theme of 'baking from another country or culture'.
The August Bake Club meeting was themed on Iced Biscuits. Everyone baked a couple of different biscuit shapes (we had owls, dinosaurs, shoes, castles, rockets, kiwi's, circles, letters, dresses, snowflakes, silverfearns, ladybirds, flowers, planes, stars, crowns, butterflys, pencils and more), and then we spent a delightful evening icing with royal icing.
Next bake club is a bring and taste with the theme of 'baking from another country or culture'.
Wednesday 18 July 2012
Mediterranean Orange Cake - by request
Mediterranean Orange Cake
A moist gluten free cake. And really really easy to make.Orange Slush - depending on the size of the oranges you use, this will probably make too much but it freezes really well so you can quickly defrost to whip up another cake when you want to.
4 oranges, cut in half
* Put the oranges in a pot, cover in water and simmer uncover for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the water has evaporated down to a couple of cm.
* Puree contents of the pot in a food processor. Measure out 375g, freeze the rest
The Cake
8 eggs
310g ground almonds
310 g caster sugar
375g orange slush
3 t baking powder
* Line bottom and sides of a cake tin with baking paper. Preheat oven to 170 C
* Mix eggs and sugar together until combined (don't beat to add air)
* Stir in orange slush
* Add BP and ground almonds. Stir until mixed thoroughly
*Pour into cake tin, cook approx 80mins
* Cool in tin, cooling overnight in tin is fine
Finishing touches
Not long before serving:
Toast some flaked almonds until light brown
Heat 2T of apricot jam with 1T water - mix thoroughly
Using a pastry brush, brush on the apricot glaze on sides and top
Sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds (either all the top or put a small bowl in the middle of the top to form a template so they can only stick to an inch wide outside ring on the top of the cake.
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