King Arthur's Chocolate Chip Brownies

Adapted from a recipe by King Arthur's Flour

2 eggs

55 g (1/2c) cocoa

1/2 t  salt

1/2 t baking powder

2 t vanilla

2 t brewed coffee, optional

125 g butter, melted

225 g (1c) sugar

90 g (1/2c) flour 

170 g (3/4c) baking chocolate chips

Combine all and mix well with a wooden spoon. Pour into a lined 20 cm square baking tin. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until just cooked. When testing with a skewer, the batter should just be set with a few wet crumbs. Bake less for a gooey centre or longer for a cakey texture.

Read more...

The Only Cake and Sponge Recipes Every Cook Needs to Know

Techniques to make great cakes come from experience, ingredient knowledge and observation of the masters at their craft. Here are the basic recipes from which to refine and to hone skills.

Butter Cake (Victoria Sandwich)
125 g (1/2 c) butter
125 g (1/2 c) sugar
125 g (1 c) SR flour
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla essence

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
3. Add the vanilla.
4. Fold in the flour.
5. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes for 2x18 cm tins or 50 minutes for deep 20 cm tin.

Tip: Grease and dust the cake tins.


Sponge
4 eggs
125 g (1/2 c) sugar
125 g (1 c) SR flour
1 tablespoon hot water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

1. Whisk egg and sugar until thick and creamy.
2. Fold in hot water and vanilla.
3. Fold in flour.
4. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes for 2x20 cm sponge sandwiches.

Tip: Grease tin and line bottom with greaseproof paper. Dust with flour if wanted.


Genoise Sponge (French Butter Sponge)
4 eggs
150 g (2/3 c) sugar
125 g (1 c) flour
125 g (1/2 c) butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

1. Whisk eggs and sugar until thick and creamy.
2. Fold in flour.
3. Fold in melted butter and vanilla.
4. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes for 2x18 cm tins or 1x20 cm tin.

Tip: Grease and flour the cake tins.


Chiffon Sponge
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 egg yolks
125 g (1/2 c) sugar
60 mL (1/4 c) water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
60 g (1/4 c) melted butter
125 g (1 c) flour
1.5 teaspoon baking powder

1. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until very stiff and glossy.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and liquids until thick and creamy.
3. Fold oil into egg yolk mixture.
4. Fold sifted flour and baking powder into egg yolk mixture.
5. Fold egg white into egg yolk mixture.
6. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes in 20 cm chiffon tube pan or ring tin.
7. Invert the tin for cooling.

Tip: Do not grease the tube pan.

Read more...

Mousse Cake

Read more...

Princess High Tea for a Royal Wedding

It's the eve of a Royal Wedding! Once again Royal Wedding fever is in the air as home cooks flurry around the kitchen cooking up the foods to eat while watching the greatest event on TV, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Royal Weddings are few and far in between. Even the local supermarkets join the fever.

For example, ideas from Coles Autumn 2011 magazine, available free from the supermarket:

Princess Punch
Mini Strawberry Tarts
Tomato Pesto Palmiers
Potted Prawns with Melba Toast
Mini Lemonade Scones
Apple Teacake
Waldorf Finger Sandwiches
White Chocolate Creme Cones
Quick and Easy Toffee Fig Cheesecake

Here are the picks that make use of new season apples from the Southwest, and easy enough for the kids, while parents stay glued to the TV ...

Apple Teacake
Adapted from Coles Autumn 2011 magazine

80 g butter
1/2 c sugar, milled
1 egg, beaten
1 t lemon zest
1 t lemon juice
1 c SR flour
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 c milk
2 small granny smith apples, cored and sliced
20 g butter, melted
1 T raw sugar

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Use an electric beater. It takes 20 minutes by hand with a wooden spoon.
2. Beat in egg, lemon zest and lemon juice.
3. Fold in sifted flour, cinnamon and milk until just combined.
4. Pour batter into a greased and lined cake tin.
5. Arrange apple slices over the batter. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with raw sugar.
6. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 35-40 minutes until skewer comes out clean.

Waldorf Finger Sandwiches
Adapted from Coles Autumn 2011 magazine

1/2 c walnuts, roasted, finely chopped
1 granny smith apple, finely diced
1 t lemon juice
1/2 celery stalk, finely diced
1 x 425 g tinned tuna in oil, drained & flaked (or 1 c cooked chicken in original recipe)
1/4 c mayonnaise (see below)
12 slices white bread

1. Mix sandwich filling with aioli and season with salt and pepper.
2. Spread filling to make 6 sandwiches.
3. Trim off the crust and cut each sandwich into 3 fingers.
4. Cover and keep in the fridge until ready for serving

Mayonnaise
Oil drained from 1 x 425 g tinned tuna in oil
1 egg yolk
1 t Dijon mustard
1 t lemon juice
salt

Whisk with a stick blender until creamy. Season to taste.

Mini Lemonade Scones
Adapted from Coles Autumn 2011 magazine

2 c SR flour
1/2 t baking powder
150 mL lemonade
150 mL cream
milk for brushing
whipped cream and jam to serve

1. Sift flour with baking powder.
2. Add cream and lemonade. Mix to a soft dough with a wooden spoon. Do not overwork.
3. Place dough on a floured surface. Using floured hands, pat dough out to 2 cm thickness.
4. Cut into 5 cm rounds.
5. Place on buttered baking tray.
6. Brush with milk.
7. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 10-15 minutes until golden and bottoms sound hollow when tapped.




Mini Victoria Sponge Sandwiches
Check out the post on Victoria Sponge Sandwich.

To make mini Victoria Sponge Sandwiches, bake the batter in 10 cm ramekin. Allow 100 g batter for each ramekin. To fill the sponges, split in the middle. Spread 1 T sour cream and 2 t jam on the bottom half. Place top half over. Dust with icing.

Read more...

Classic Victoria Sandwich Sponge

The internet abounds with variations of this recipe for a butter cake containing equal weight of sugar, butter, egg and flour. It is made using the creaming method to whip air into the butter. It is often baked in shallow sponge tins, filled with jam and dusted with icing.

When baked in a loaf tin, as shown here, the name commonly becomes "pound cake" since traditionally, the cake uses 1 pound each of sugar, butter, egg and flour.



For one 18 cm sponge sandwich or small loaf:

100 g sugar
100 g butter
2 x 50 g eggs
100 g SR flour
1 t vanilla, optional
3 T jam for filling, optional
icing sugar for dusting, optional

1. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Use electric beaters or allow 20 minutes by hand if using a wooden spoon.
2. Beat in egg, one at a time, with a spoonful of flour to prevent cuddling in hot weather.
3. Fold in sifted flour.
4. Pour into a greased and floured tin.
5. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

For a sponge sandwich, bake in 2 tins, by scaling half the weight of the batter into each tin. Otherwise, bake in one tin and split. Spread jam on one sandwich half and top with the other half. Dust with icing.

Since Queen Victoria enjoyed cake with cream and jam, and a cup of tea, the cake was named in her honour.

Tip:
In cup measurements, the quantities are 1 c flour and 1/2 c each of the other ingredients.

Read more...

Raspberry Chiffon

A superb raspberry flavoured chiffon baked in a 8 cm x 20 cm bread tin. Moist, featherlight and spongy with great flavour. It is often difficult to scale such a small cake, but this recipe produces a great result, with minimal collapse.

Batter
30 g potato starch
30 g plain flour
3/4 t baking powder
25 mL raspberry cordial
2 egg yolks (24 g from 2 x 50 g eggs)
25 mL oil (sunflower)

Foam
3 egg whites (96 g from 3 x 50 g eggs)
1/8 t cream of tartar
50 g sugar, milled
5 mL (1 t) lemon juice

1. Combine the wet ingredients for the batter. Fold in sifted potato starch, plain flour and baking powder.
2. Whisk egg white until soft peaks. Beat in cream of tartar. Gradually add icing sugar while beating. Beat until glossy and stiff. Beat in lemon juice.
3. Fold whisked egg white into the egg yolk batter.
4. Pour into an ungreased tube pan (small) or 8 cm x 20 cm loaf tin.
5. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 30-35 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
6. Invert the mould and cool completely.

Read more...

Lemon Chiffon Cake

Beautifully moist, lemony and tangy. Just in need of a bit of fine tuning for a more flexible crumb texture.

Adapted from Orange Chiffon by Joy of Baking

Batter
40 g (2) egg yolks
40 mL (2 T) oil
40 mL lemon juice (or choice of fruit juice)

40 g sugar, optional
20 mL (1 T) milk

2 t grated lemon zest
75 g flour (half plain, half SR)

Foam
80 g (2) egg whites
60 g icing sugar
1 t lemon juice

1/4 t cream of tartar, omitted

1. Combine the wet ingredients for the batter. Fold in sifted flour.

2. Whisk egg white until soft peaks. Gradually add icing sugar while beating. Beat until glossy and stiff. Beat in lemon juice.

3. Fold whisked egg white into the egg yolk batter.

4. Pour into an ungreased tube pan (small) or 8cmx20cm loaf tin.

5. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 30-35 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.

6. Invert the mould and cool completely.

Read more...

Pumpkin

It's autumn in Perth. Pumpkins are in season. Mellow, sweet butternut, beautiful, simply roasted with a splash of olive oil. Unbelievably scrumptious, as an accompaniment to a roast or made into a warm hearty soup.

Other pumpkin ideas:
chiffon pies
sweet or savoury tarts
ravioli
chiffon cake



Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

Adapted from Christine's Recipes

Batter

20 mL (1 T) milk

60 g (3) egg yolks

50 g cooked mash pumpkin

20 mL (1 T) walnut oil (or vegetable oil)

50 g flour (use a mixture of cornflour and plain flour)

Foam

80 g (2) egg whites
50 g sugar

pinch cream of tartar

1. Make a chiffon batter as per instructions given by Christine, following the videos on how to beat and fold egg whites.

2. Bake in a narrow loaf tin (8cmx20cm) at 160 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Do not grease the tin or the cake will not grip the sides to rise well, to almost double in volume.
3. Invert the tin over a wire rack to cool completely before un-moulding.

Read more...

Afternoon Tea Special - Scones

Fresh from the oven, these deliciously fluffy scones are just perfect with homemade jam and fresh whipped cream. Enjoy with choice of teas.

Served on a beautiful Blue Willow pattern plate, made by Churchill of England, reminiscent of British tea drinking heritage in Australia.

The Willow pattern was derived from the ancient 400 year old Yu Garden in Shanghai. The pattern came into use some 200 years ago in England.



Cream Scones
Makes about 30

375 g (3 c) SR flour
1/2 t salt
125 mL cream
250 mL milk

1. Sift flour with salt.
2. Add cream and milk. Mix to a soft dough with a wooden spoon. Do not overwork.
3. Place dough on a floured surface. Using floured hands, pat dough out to 2 cm thickness.
4. Cut into 5 cm rounds.
5. Place on buttered baking tray.
6. Brush with milk.
7. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 10-15 minutes until golden and bottoms sound hollow when tapped.

Read more...

Chocolate Brownie

Delicious and simple. A rich chocolate brownie made by the kids for Christmas. Crunchy on the surface, spongy on the inside. The "secret" recipe comes from Best Recipes.

Read more...

Carrot Surprise Cake

From Jamie's Kitchen came this delicious moist carrot and polenta cake, delicately spiced with ginger, nutmeg, caraway, cinnamon and clove. The original recipe uses cooked mash beetroot.

Read more...

Chocolate Fondant With Custard Sauce

Cooking disasters are many, even at high class restaurants. No one is going to admit to serving raw food, especially a fancy chocolate dessert with a price that matches. Thus is the origin of chocolate fondant, a rich chocolate cake with a runny centre. Other names include molten chocolate cake or lava cake. Grandma's generation knows this dessert as self-saucing chocolate pudding, made simply by pouring hot water over chocolate sponge batter. Restaurants refine, reinvent and serve it as haute cuisine that commands a high price.

Here's a basic recipe that uses cocoa powder instead of expensive couverture chocolate. The cake is dense and rich. The centres when cooked yields a flowing sauce. If a thicker fondant is preferred, reduce the amount of fluid. It doesn't take long to realize that you don't need to be masterchef with years of experience to produce this dish.

Chocolate Fondant
60 g butter, melted
20 g cocoa powder (4T)
50 mL milk
2 T liqueur (or milk)
1 egg
2 egg yolks
60 g sugar
50 g flour (half SR & half plain, or plain with 1/4 t baking powder)

Prepare 4 espresso cups or 2 ramekins by greasing with butter and lining bottoms. Dust with cocoa powder.

Combine butter, cocoa powder, milk, and liqueur. Fold in the flour. Whisk eggs with sugar. Fold egg mixture into the batter.

Pour into molds. Rest for at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 8-10 minutes for espresso cup size or 10-12 minutes for 1-cup ramekins. When ready, the top of the cakes look cooked and a skewer comes out with thick batter. Unmold onto serving plates. Serve immediately with custard sauce.

Variations:
For espresso version, substitute 1 t espresso coffee powder and 2 T water or freshly brewed espresso. For jaffa version, replace liquids with juice of 1 orange (90 mL).

Custard Sauce
30 g butter, melted
400 mL milk
5 egg yolks
1 t vanilla
60 g sugar

Combine and whisk ingredients. Stir over the stove or over double boiler until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and cool. Do not over cook. If cuddling starts, add 1 tablespoon butter and whisk in a blender. Cornstarch (1 t) may be added to thicken.

Easy Mocha Fondant
60 g extra virgin olive oil
20 g cocoa
50 g SR flour
1 egg
60 g sugar
50 mL espresso coffee
20 mL milk

Mix in a blender. Pour into 2 greased and bottom lined teacups. Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 10-12 minutes. This recipe gives a thick, mousse-like centre.

Read more...

Date and Ginger Loaf

Adapted from Australian Women's Weekly Cake and Slices Cookbook

1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 sugar
1/2 butter (125 g)
1 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup sugared ginger
3 x 67 g eggs
100 mL sour cream

1. Cream sugar and butter
2. Beat in eggs
3. Stir in dates and ginger
4. Fold in sifted flour
5. Fold in sour cream
6. Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for 1.25 hour.

Read more...

Avocado Cake

2 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 avocado, mashed
2/3 cup yoghurt

Mix everything together. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.

Read more...

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

1/5 cup plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
200 mL low fat sour cream (Brownes brand)
2 eggs
3 tablespoon cocoa
1.5 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup chopped dates

Mix everything together. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1.25 hours.

Read more...

Disaster Bread

Everyone has one of these baking disasters. Not all is lost. You can make a tea bread from crumbs collected from baking flops.

3.5 cups dried crumbs
1.75 cup self raising flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup milk

Mix everything together. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1.25 hours.

Read more...

Osmanthus Chiffon

A beautiful moist chiffon flavoured with peach smelling osmanthus flowers. Just right for a special occasion.

Recipe adapted from Pandan Chiffon by Bakel Singapore

Group A: Batter
4 egg yolks (100 g)
40 g sugar
1.5 teaspoons Ovalett
40 mL water
60 g plain flour
20 g cornfour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder (3.5 g)
1 tablespoon dried osmanthus flowers, milled
30 mL camellia tea oil

Group B: Foam
4 egg whites (100 g)
55 g sugar
0.5 teaspoon cream of tartar (1.5 g)

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, Ovalett and water for 10 minutes. Fold in sifted dry ingredients. Fold in oil.

Separately, whisk the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar until satin-like around 5 minutes.

Gently fold the egg white foam into the egg yolk batter.

Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.

Variation: Reduce sugar to 70 g. Reduce baking powder to 1 teaspoon to avoid doming. Increase cream of tartar to 1 teaspoon

Comment: The resultant cake looks well formed, and golden. The height is 5 cm. It gives off a lovely peach aroma from the osmanthus flowers. For maximum flavour, eat on the day of baking. The Ovalett has little effect on preparation time and the final outcome.

Read more...

Baking with Ovalett Sponge Cakes Emulsifier

Hosting a tea party is a joy for some. Just check out the spread at Grab Your Fork, where hostess Helen puts on the works with dainty tea cups and antique cake stands. Look for those spectacular red velvet cakes. It could have been high tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada.

What if there is only one chef cooking instead of 12 at Helen's tea party? This calls for some shortcuts. There's this product called Ovalett which is used in all-in-one cake method to stabilize egg foam. According to internet research, a sponge only needs 4-5 minutes beating, and the resultant batter bakes to perfection. Most French trained chef would scorn at the idea of stablizing egg foam using some strange coloured gel even if it saves time. Does this product work? Will it save time? Will it make a beginner pastry cook into an instant masterchef? Only one way to be sure...




Product: Ovalett
Other name: SP
Usage: Sponge cake emulsifier for all-in-one sponge mixes
Version: Dragon and Phoenix brand. Product of Malaysia.
Ingredients: propylene glycol, emulsifier, water, sunset yellow colour E110
Please check your regional Bakel website for variation in ingredients.
Appearance: Sticky orange gel. Ordourless.
Availability in Western Australia: Oriental grocers which stock Indonesian products
Recipes: Check out Bakel Singapore




Sponge

Scaled recipe from Bakel Singapore
2 x 55 g eggs (100 g without shell)
90 g sugar
60 g plain flour
20 g corn flour
1.5 teaspoons Ovalett (7.5 g)
1 teaspoon baking powder (2.5 g)
35 g water
25 g butter, melted

Whisk 5 minutes. Fold in melted butter. Baked at 175 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes in 15 cm ramekin.

Notes: Dense, like butter cake. Domed and cracked during cooking. Deflated towards the end of cooking. Sunken centre. 30 % rise. 6 cm high.
Fault: Too much dry ingredients. Too much baking powder. Pan too small; suit ring or tube pan. Insufficient beating time to aerate foam.




Sponge Roll

Scaled recipe from Bakel Singapore
3 x 55 g eggs (150 g without shell)
90 g sugar
60 g plain flour
20 g corn flour (or 10 g cocoa powder, 10 g cornflour)
2 teaspoons Ovalett (10 g)
1 teaspoon baking powder (2.5 g)
35 g water
40 g butter, melted

Whisk 5 minutes. fold in melted butter. Baked at 215 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes in 30 cm pie dish.

Notes: Very dense, but acceptable for sponge rolls. Domed during cooking. Deflated towards the end of cooking. Sunken centre. 30% rise. 4 cm high, 3 cm at centre.
Fault: Too much liquid. Too much raising agent. Pan too deep; suit shallow Swiss roll tray. Insufficient beating time to aerate foam.





Genoise Sponge

Scaled recipe from Taste.com.au
2 x 55 g eggs
60 g sugar
50 g plain flour
10 g corn flour
1.5 teaspoons Ovalett (7.5 g)
5 shakes cream of tartar
25 g melted butter
Colouring: 1 teaspoon red fermented rice, milled (ang kak)
Flavouring: 1 teaspoon osmanthus flowers, milled

Whisk 10 minutes. Fold in melted butter. Baked at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes in 15 cm ramekin.

Notes: Chiffon like texture, perfect for genoise, but slightly crumbly. Well formed with 30% rise. 5 cm high.
Fault: Insufficient structure due to too much cornflour or more egg perhaps. Could improve with 1/2 teaspoon lecithin for moisture.

... and the conclusion is an experience baker can achieve better results without baking powder or added emulsifier/stablizer. If sponge making is too hard and takes too long for you, then perhaps Ovalett may be the answer. Making a genoise sponge (butter sponge) is just about foolproof according to the results shown here. Just one more note: the commercial recipes did not scale down well. You'll need to adjust accordingly.

Read more...