Sugar et al, Author at Sugar et al

Blueberry Pistachio Crumble Cake

30|03|2014

I’ve been a bit under the weather. I don’t enjoy being tied down to the bed so it was not the best of times for me. I love standing on my two feet even if it means standing long hours without a break so this was a kind of situation-imposed rest from which I was desperate to recover. Not being able to bake or photograph or shop for ingredients can affect me in a big way and I was really looking forward to some baking action.
Finally I did. After a whole week.

As it turns out, this is my 100th post. I’ve been slow that way. Taking a little over a year to reach here while also enjoying every bit of this journey. So it goes without saying that this had to be a cake post. I would have loved to do a fancy one with a few candles but honestly I didn’t have the stamina to do so. This crumble cake has been on my mind since months…I wanted to use pistachios in a crumble cake and I had pictured this rustic blue-green pairing so clearly in my mind that I could hardly wait for the cake to finish baking. I was almost certain the cake would look the way it did.

This is the kind of cake I enjoy baking and eating. Simple yet satisfying. There’s something so gorgeous about a crumble cake. Especially if the base is as moist and soft as this one. So many textures with each mouthful…almost like eating a cake and cookie together. And juicy blueberries tying the two layers together.
I blitzed the pistachios in the food processor in a way so as to keep a mix of finely ground as well as coarser crumbs in the crumble. They taste and look better. Any other nut would work just as well. Or any other berry in the cake.

Blueberry Pistachio Crumble Cake
Serves 10-12

Melted butter, to grease
200g butter, room temperature
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup plain flour
3/4 cup milk
200g blueberries fresh or frozen (I used fresh)

Crumble Topping
1/2 cup plain flour
50 g butter, chilled and chopped into cubes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup pistachios, skinned and ground to a coarse powder in the food processor

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Brush a round 20 cm spring form pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base with non-stick baking paper. Place the prepared pan on a baking tray.

Using an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Use a large metal spoon to fold in the combined flour and the milk until well combined.

Spoon into the prepared pan. Use the back of the spoon to smooth the surface. Arrange the blueberries on the top.

To make the crumble topping, place all the ingredients in a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the mixture until the mixture contains large and small crumbs.

Sprinkle the crumble topping over the blueberry layer. Bake in oven for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve cake warm or at room temperature

Ferrero Rocher Mousse Cake

23|03|2014

Ferrero Rocher cake with a biscuit base, a chocolate mousse filling, chopped ferrero rocher chocolates and chocolate ganache to finish.

Talking about blogger perspective, do you know what I love about Chocolate? That it is not seasonal. When you are a blogger you tend to keep track of what is seasonal, what your readers come to you for, what is trending on Pinterest and so on. Basically the bottom line is that I am completely in denial of the fact that we have left summer behind.

When I walk into the fruit market I am not too happy with the sight of berries, plums, peaches and nectarines being replaced with Persimmons, Guavas and Pomegranates. I like them too but nothing like berries and stone fruits. In fact the last of the summer fruits are still available but naturally at a higher price. So till I begin to take interest in autumnal produce I am finding comfort in the safe and faithful hands of chocolate. If you are on the other side of the world, I know you are smiling as you read this…in anticipation of what lies ahead of you (the glory of spring and summer) in the forthcoming months. Lucky you! But you are certainly not deserting me because I have a few summery recipes reserved for you in my folders. See what I mean by blogger perspective!

Back to the cake, it is an easy eggless cake to put together. Chocolate, cream and the star in the recipe. The base is a plain chocolate cookie crust. The swirls as you can see are dark chocolate ganache topped with a Ferrero Rocher. There are crushed Ferrero Rocher chocolates inside the mousse which is the only difficulty I had to deal with. I filled up a plastic bag with the chocolates and smashed them with a rolling-pin. The teeny bit of liquid chocolate inside the candies made it sticky inside the plastic bag and I had to do a few folds with the mouse mixture to distribute them. Which spoiled the textural element I was after (look wise). But the taste is yet amazing with crunchy bits of Ferrero Rocher hiding within creamy chocolate mousse. It is a rich cake so small portions are good enough.

I wanted a taller cake so I used a 19 cm springform pan. A larger pan can be used but the resulting cake will be lower in height.

Ferrero Rocher Mousse Cake
Serves 10-12

For the Mousse Cake
220g plain chocolate cookies
75g butter, melted
3 teaspoons gelatine powder
600 ml thickened or heavy cream
300 g dark chocolate
100 g milk chocolate
10 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, crushed in a plastic bag with a rolling-pin
6 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, to decorate
cocoa, to dust

For the whipped chocolate Ganache
150 g dark chocolate
1/2 cup thickened or heavy cream

Grease a 19 cm round Springform pan. Line the base and sides with baking paper. Place the cookies in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix to combine. Using your fingertips, press biscuit mixture over base of prepared pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Place both the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted then cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, bring 1/4 cup cream to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Soak gelatine in 2 tbsp. cold water for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add to hot cream and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Using an electric mixer, whisk remaining cream to stiff peaks. Working quickly, add chocolate and gelatine mixture to cream and whisk for 1-2 seconds or until chocolate is 1/2 incorporated. Using a spatula, gently finish folding in. Add the crushed Ferrero Rocher chocolates and gradually fold into the mousse.

Spoon over the base of the cookie mixture. Smooth out the surface with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Cover. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. Lightly dust with cocoa powder. Fill up a piping bag with a large star nozzle and pipe ganache around the cake. Top with Ferrero Rocher Chocolates.

To make the whipped ganache: Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy. Allow the ganache to cool completely and whip to a stiff consistency.

Pomegranate Tabouli Salad

19|03|2014

A salad that does not look like a salad. Trust me, it works for people like me who believe in checking the buffet menus backwards in a restaurant. The space and calories in my case, are reserved for the sweeter things in life. Having said that, this is a great salad bursting with flavour, nutrition and natural sweetness from the pomegranate seeds. Not to mention, the colour!

This Middle Eastern inspired salad is light, refreshing, filling and most importantly easy to make. As with most salads there is plenty of room for creativity and variation. Burghul wheat is a great form of whole wheat that has already been cleaned, parboiled, dried and is ready to use. It does not need cooking, just softening in the recipe. The pomegranate shells make for a colourful container to hold the salad while also taking care of portion sizes. The little grains of burghul wheat also help to soak up some of the pomegranate juice that remains in the pomegranate skin after the seeds are taken out.

Burghul wheat (also known as bulgur, bulghur) is available in the health section of supermarkets or in health stores. The salad is great on its own or a perfect side to meat dishes. If you are planning to make it ahead (by a few hours), store it in the refrigerator and spoon into shells just before serving.

Pomegranate Tabouli Salad
Serves 8

4 pomegranates halved and seeds removed, 1 cup seeds reserved for the salad
(1/2 cup) burghul
(3/4 cup) boiling water
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup chopped fresh mint
3/4 cup tomatoes, finely chopped (I used yellow tomatoes)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Place the burghul in a large heatproof bowl. Add the boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes to soak. Drain.

Add the tomatoes, parsley, mint, pomegranate seeds, oil and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. Spoon into pomegranate shells. Serve

Peanut Butter White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

15|03|2014

Peanut Butter and me haven’t been friends for long. Weird…I know! We are still getting to know each other. It’s a bit early to say whether its going to turn into a serious love affair but for now I am happy to have it for breakfast. Not on toast…in cakes! Anything that goes down well in a cake ranks high in my eyes. And yes, I can eat cake for breakfast!

This is light, moist cake with a subtle taste of peanut butter spiked with the occasional bite of white chocolate chips and raspberries. The last two and me are best friends so its one merry party…this cake! I used this recipe from BBC GoodFood as a base recipe for the peanut butter cake and made a few additions to it. The recipe used yoghurt which tends to leave a sour after taste in cakes in my opinion so I replaced it with sour cream. The cake as a whole is not too sweet so the white chocolate chips are a welcome addition. And raspberries add a little tartness that goes well with the rest of the cake.

The cake is a quick, one bowl process that comes together in minutes. If you like peanut butter, you can probably increase the quantity by a couple of more teaspoons.

Peanut Butter White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake
Serves 8-10

200g butter
4 tbsp smooth peanut butter
4 large eggs
1 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries
1/4 cup roasted peanuts for the top (optional)

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. Grease a 22 cm round cake tin and line the base with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, eggs, sugar and sour cream together until smooth and creamy. Fold in the flour and 3/4 of the white chocolate chips. Then carefully fold in the raspberries.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Top with remaining chocolate chips and peanuts (if using). Bake for 45-50 mins or until risen and golden.