Sugar et al, Author at Sugar et al

Caramel Cake with Caramel Condensed Milk Buttercream

2|03|2023

I don’t know which one I love more. The caramel cake or the condensed milk buttercream. Maybe I like the second one a tad bit more. If you’ve never tried condensed milk buttercream before, this is one frosting that is smooth, silky, not too sweet and very easy to make.

caramel cake with caramel condensed milk buttercream

There is no requirement for sugar, so a mess free frosting. The cake is dense, moist and rich as a mud cake should be. The flavour is absoloutely beautiful, tasting richly of caramel. The condensed milk buttercream reminds me of swiss meringue buttercream minus the hassle.

If you can’t find golden syrup which is quite an important ingredient in this cake, you could substitute with honey, however the cake will not taste the same. Golden syrup adds to the caramel flavour but the texture will be the same.

If you like caramel flavoured desserts, don’t forget to check out this Ginger cake with Salted Caramel poached pears.

Caramel Cake with Caramel Condensed Milk Buttercream
Makes an 8 inch round cake

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (198 g) unsalted butter, roughly chopped
7 oz (200 g) white chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup (220 g) brown sugar
3/4 cup (180 ml) hot water
1 tbsp (15 ml) golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1 cup (125 g) plain flour
1 cup (125 g) self-raising flour

Caramel Condensed Milk Buttercream
1 cup + 2 tbsp (255 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
7 oz (200 g/half tin) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup caramel sauce (home made or store bought)

Make the cake : Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F/160 degrees C. Grease an 8 inch round pan and line the base with baking paper.

Place the butter, white chocolate, brown sugar, water, golden syrup and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat with a wooden spoon until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
Add the eggs and both the flours. Beat until smooth and well combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 mins or until cooked through. Remove from oven. Turn onto a wire rack to cool. Once cool, first with caramel buttercream.
Make the buttercream, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add the condensed milk and continue to beat until blended and smooth. Add caramel. Beat until buttercream is glossy and thick.

Assemble : Place the cooled cake on a cake stand or plate. Using an open star tip and a piping bag, pipe swirls of frosting onto the cake. Slice and enjoy!

Easy White Chocolate Cake

24|02|2023

I think everyone should have a recipe for an Easy White Chocolate cake in their arsenal. When looking for a good white chocolate cake, I often come across mud cakes that are delicious but too rich and dense. For a long time I’ve been experimenting to come up with a cake where the white chocolate shines through but the cake is also light and not cloyingly sweet. I guess, I found the one!

The best part about this Easy White Chocolate Cake is that it comes together in one bowl. No melting the chocolate in a separate saucepan and no elaborate techniques. Just simple mix and bake.

To complement the beautiful taste of white chocolate, I’ve used a vanilla cream cheese frosting that is equally simple to make. If you are familiar with cream cheese frosting, you know how creamy and lovely it is. If you haven’t tried it yet, please go for it. It will become your go to frosting in the future.

The little chocolate decorations are there to enhance the colour and add another layer of white chocolate for the white chocolate lovers. You can get the silicone mold here.

If you love white chocolate, check out this White Chocolate and Strawberry tart
For tartlets are your thing try this Chocolate and Rhubarb tart

Easy White Chocolate Cake
Makes a 7 inch round cake

2/3 cup (150 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 g) castor/granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
11/4 cup (156 g) self-rising flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
3.5 oz (100 g) white chocolate bar, finely chopped

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz (113 g) cream cheese (not low-fat), room temperature
¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cup (150 g) icing/powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
purple gel food colour (optional)

White Chocolate Decorations

3.5 oz (100 g) white chocolate, finely chopped + pink gel food colour
OR
Pink chocolate melts

Make the White chocolate cake : Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease the base and sides of a 7-inch (18-cm) round pan with 3-inch (8-cm) height and line the base with baking paper.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar mixture until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.

Fold in the flour alternating with the milk and mix until well combined. Fold in the white chocolate.

Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven. Leave it aside for 10 minutes, then gently run a blunt knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Carefully turn it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the cream cheese frosting : In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth, about 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that the mixture is evenly mixed. Beat in the icing/powdered sugar, a little at a time until well incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and food colour, if using. Mix until combined and frosting is smooth.

Make the white chocolate decorations : Place the white chocolate pieces in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at low power for 20 seconds, remove and stir. Return to the microwave and repeat the process until all the chocolate has melted and has turned into a smooth liquid. Alternately, the chocolate can be melted by placing it in a heat proof bowl that is placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Add the gel food colour and mix.

Spoon the chocolate carefully into chocolate bar shaped silicone mold that is placed on a small baking tray or plate for ease of movement into the fridge. Place the mold in the fridge to set, about 15 minutes. Gently unmould and store in an air tight container in the fridge until needed.

Assemble : Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, pipe cream cheese frosting swirls using a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. You could also spread the frosting with a spatula if you don’t want to pipe. Decorate with mini white chocolate bars. Slice and enjoy!

Strawberry and Cardamom Cake with Rosewater Glaze

17|02|2023

A cake like this is always remembered. Fragrant, pretty on account of a beautiful bundt shape and refreshing with a combination of juicy strawberries and subtle tones of cardamom, this strawberry, cardamom and rosewater bundt cake is something that can be whipped up any time.

A sour cream glaze is my go to for most cakes. Because It’s not sugary like a typical glaze and can be flavoured without any hassle, it’s the best choice for icing a cake. Replace strawberries with any other berry if you like.

Cardamom is such a beautiful spice if used in the right proportions. In India where I grew up, people also used it as a mouth freshner. It was too strong for my liking so I really just wanted to reserve the flavour and smell for a delicious aromatic, savoury curry or a creamy, lush dessert.

If you like the taste of cardamom in your cakes, don’t forget to try out my Blackberry, Sour cream, Cardamom Cake

Strawberry and Cardamom Cake with Rosewater Glaze
Makes a 8-cup bundt cake

1 cup (125 g) self raising flour, sifted
3/4 cup (71 g) almond meal/ground almonds
1 tsp powdered cardamom
3 large eggs
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup + 1tbsp (135 ml) vegetable oil
3/4 cup (180 ml) buttermilk
1/2 cup (72 g) strawberries, roughly chopped

Rosewater Sour Cream Glaze

2/3 cup (79 g) powdered sugar
2 tbsp (30 ml) sour cream
1 tsp rosewater
pink gel food colour (optional)

Make the cake : Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease an 8-cup bundt pan really well.

In a medium bowl, place the flour, almond meal and cardamom.

Beat the eggs and the sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the oil and continue to beat until combined. Add the buttermilk. Beat the mixture slowly until blended.

Fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over-mix the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until cooked through (a skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean.

Make the sour cream glaze : In a small bowl, sift the powdered sugar. Add the sour cream and rosewater. Stir the mixture with a spoon until well combined. Add the colour as desired (insert a toothpick in the colour and use that to colour the glaze). Mix until smooth and no white streaks appear.

Assemble: Once the cake has cooled completely, pour the glaze over the sides and the top of the cake. Decorate with fresh strawberry slices and dried rose petals.

Mini Pistachio Cakes

13|02|2023

Nothing beats the beautiful colour and unforgettable flavour of pistachios. Paired with rosewater, it can create a treat that is divine. The Mini Pistachio Cake recipe involves creating the pistachio cakes first, then coating them in white chocolate that gives it the lustrous shine and gorgeous green colour.

Pistachios have been my favourite nut since childhood. They were present abundantly in both sweet and savoury dishes but I Ioved them the most in ice cream. the flavour was known as ‘kesar pista’ meaning saffron pistachio ice cream. Oh the beautiful taste, takes me on a walk down memry lane! Even a sprinkle of chopped pistachio is a dish adds flair and colour.

These pistachio cakes are pretty simple to make if you can get hold of a sillicone mold. A sillicon muffin mold will work as well even if you don’t find it in the fluted shape.

If you like mini cakes , dont forget to check out these Blueberry Mini Cakes

Mini Pistachio Cakes
Makes 6

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 g) castor/granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup (63 g) self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100 g ground pistachios
1 tbsp (15 ml) milk
1 tsp rosewater (optional)
150 g Green chocolate melts or white chocolate + green gel colour
Whipped cream, to serve

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Lightly grease molds.
Beat the butter and sugar till fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
Add the flour, baking powder, pistachios, milk. and rosewater Beat until just combined.
Using a piping bag or a spoon, pipe batter into molds. Bake for 18-20 mins or cooked through.
Remove from mold. Allow to cool.
Once cooled, spread cleaned mold with melted chocolate. Quickly insert cakes in the mold. Place in fridge to set (approx 15 mins).
Serve with whipped cream and edible rose petals.