Blog - Sugar et al

Dark Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate and Cherry Buttercream. And a Second Blog Birthday!

20|02|2015

Long long ago I wanted to become a pastry chef. Perhaps I didn’t know the term but I knew I wanted to make sweet things all day, running around the kitchen with flour on my clothes and smelling very much of vanilla and chocolate. I imagined what it would be like to live in Paris and work in a lush patisserie. I pictured myself rising before the sun and baking bread, making choux pastry, separating hundreds of eggs and making the glossiest of Italian meringue. Garnishes would get my special attention and I would make sure every dessert looked pretty. The plates would go out to my customers with a smear (you know, the classic smear) of berry coulis, quenelles of the most exotic mousse and fancy dots of citrus curd. Then on top would be my prettiest chocolate curls or sugar decorations resembling art work. They would obviously have fancy names. Like ‘beauty and the beast’ and an all green dessert plate called ‘spring’.
On the contrary, I joined a bank.

The job was great..it paid well and I had an amazing team to work with. Everything was perfect and I loved my job. I forgot all about my dreams. Once in a while when we went to a fancy restaurant and ordered dessert, I could feel something tug at my heart. But life was busy and I was having a ball of a time growing in my role and getting noticed for my work.
Then, many years later my husband walked in home one evening and exclaimed ‘This does not look like our house anymore. It looks like a pastry kitchen’ I was working on a recipe for the blog and there were bowls and whisks everywhere, I had piped designs on the table to practice, props were scattered on the floor. I looked up and suddenly the truth in those words hit me. My dream. My pastry kitchen. I did not even realise that this little blog of mine brought me so close to living the dream I once had. I am nowhere close to being a pastry chef but I am doing what I love to do the most every single day.

I love my precious corner of the Internet so much that if you ask me about the last two years I will be talking about recipes, photos, disasters, delayed meals, fresh produce, beautiful friendships, touching comments, features and all of that. As if my whole life revolves around this besides my family and nothing else. Thank you so very much my lovely friends and readers for making these two years such a happy time for me. Thank you for visiting my blog, give me your valuable time and keeping me on my toes. You make me live my dream, you give me a reason to smile everyday. You make me feel like an important person (a self-proclaimed pastry chef) who has to work on recipes all day, as if I am shouldering a huge responsibility. I know, I am. I hope I never let you down. I hope you find what you come looking for.

Between the last blog birthday to this one, Sugar et al. has seen many highs which I should probably share with you in a different post. I have been working very hard behind the scenes, focusing on my photography, another subject I am very passionate about.
Moving onto this cake, it is a dark chocolate cake with a cherry buttercream filling and frosted with a milk chocolate buttercream. The cake is dense and fudgy with a slight nuttiness from the hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts). The cherry frosting is flavored with fresh cherries which goes well with the rich cake. Swiss Meringue Buttercream is my favourite frosting on cakes as it is easy to handle, light and fluffy and not too sweet to taste.

Here’s to another year of sweet sweet things!

Dark Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate And Cherry Buttercream
Serves 10-12

200 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup, firmly packed brown sugar
200 g dark chocolate, melted, cooled
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup hazelnut meal (grounds hazelnuts) or any other nut meal
1/2 cup) buttermilk
1/4 cup) cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (140 degrees C for fan forced) Grease two 18 cm round cake pans with melted butter. Line the base with baking paper.

Use electric beaters to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Beat in the melted chocolate and eggs. Fold in the flour, hazelnut meal, buttermilk and cocoa until well combined. Divide equally between the prepared pans and smooth the surfaces. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan to cool slightly before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Milk Chocolate and Cherry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

4 egg whites
1 cup castor sugar
300 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence
120 g milk chocolate
8-10 fresh cherries, pitted and smashed with the back of a spoon

Place the egg whites and sugar in a large bowl that is placed over a saucepan of simmering water (over low heat), and whisk continuously, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the bottom of the bowl is warm to touch

Remove the bowl from the heat, add the vanilla essence and whip on high speed until meringue holds stiff peaks and looks glossy
Add the butter, a tablespoon at a time, until thick and fluffy. If it begins to look curdled, continue to whip until it comes back together, before adding in remaining butter.

Remove about 1/2 cup of the buttercream aside for the cherry buttercream. To this, add the smashed cherries with the juices and mix till blended.

To the rest of buttercream, add the melted milk chocolate and fold in till smooth.

To assemble: Place one layer of the cake on a cake stand or serving tray. Spoon the cherry buttercream on top and smooth out with a spatula. Sandwich with the other layer of cake. Frost the top and outside with the milk chocolate buttercream. Decorate with fresh flowers or chocolate curls.

Blackberry, Pistachio And Rose Semifreddo

18|02|2015

I hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day weekend. Are you tired of roses yet because I have some more coming up for you? No, not a Valentine’s Day hangover! I think I may be a bit old for that. This is just love.. plain and simple love for you guys, in edible form. Well, if you follow me on Instagram you might have seen these photos way back in January. I had so many treats to share with you that I had to hold on to this one. Which is a good in a way because while the weather in the southern hemisphere is still warm, my friends in the northern hemisphere are going to experience warmer temperatures soon. And this is a recipe worth making. It tastes beautiful and looks impressive!

I have had so much fun this summer making frozen delights without my ice cream maker that I doubt if it is going to see the light of the day at all. A semifreddo is a frozen Italian dessert much like an ice cream but the texture is richer and creamier like a mousse. It’s like eating a slab of frozen mousse. The base of this dessert is made of eggs and cream, much like a mousse. Since it takes up flavors really well, you can experiment with and have fun with many different combinations. But here’s my favorite bit, you do not need an ice cream machine!

Pistachios and rose water are like a super hit pair from my childhood. With the addition of blackberries, there is slight tartness and bite to the creamy semifreddo. You can also replace the blackberries with strawberries or raspberries with similar results.

You can serve the semifreddo in slices.

Or scoop it up like ice cream.

Blackberry, Pistachio And Rose Semifreddo (adapted with variation from here)
Serves 10

2 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 3/4 cups thickened cream, whipped
1/2 cup pistachio nuts skinned, roasted
1 tablespoon rosewater (or 1 tsp rose essence
250 g fresh blackberries
Rosebuds, to serve (optional)

Line a 6 cm-deep, 25 cm x 15 cm (base) loaf pan with plastic wrap/cling film, allowing a 5 cm overhang on both long ends.

Place eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water over low heat. Whisk for 4 to 5 minutes or until thick and creamy. Remove from heat. Whisk for 4 to 5 minutes or until cool.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Gently fold in cream, pistachio, rosewater and two-thirds of the blackberries. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Cover and freeze overnight or until firm.

Stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before turning out onto a plate. Top with remaining blackberries and rosebuds (if using)

Chocolate, Chai and Beetroot Cake

13|02|2015

It’s a beautifully romantic morning in Sydney today. The grass is wet from last night’s downpour, the sun apparently is a bit shy to show up and peeks through big fluffy clouds in a lavender hued sky. There are roses everywhere. In shops, in people’s hands, on pretty dresses, in songs, on doughnuts, on blogs and in every romantic’s heart. Love is powerful, isn’t it? Look what it makes you do. No matter which corner of the globe you are or who you are, it makes you do cute little things for the people who matter. I don’t really think that all those roses and chocolates should be reserved for just one day..love is not seasonal! But it sure makes sense to me that at least on this one day you feel slightly inspired to turn those emotions into meaningful gestures.

After dropping the boys at school, I bought two red heart-shaped balloons to surprise them tomorrow. I did feel a bit conscious, holding them and walking alongside a bunch of excited teenagers who had several of them in their hands. But thinking about the way my twosome would react made my smile. They love balloons. Normally, I would pick up different colors to avoid confusion that would generally lead to fights. I have decided to draw faces on the ones I bought today to avoid any of that. And I made this cake. Weekends are amazing when you have cake to snack on or douse with chocolate ganache to be eaten as dessert. Whichever way you like it, this tastes amazing.

I already have a chocolate beetroot cake with chocolate sour cream frosting in my archives. This one is slightly different. It is infused with Chai flavour and the texture is like a soft sponge. There is melted dark chocolate and Dutch processed cocoa in the batter for a very intense chocolate flavor. The beetroot is not what you taste but what adds a depth of flavor, nutrition and moisture to the cake. The spice adds in a touch of warmth. Many years ago, I had gotten into a funny little obsession of candying things. From herbs..to nuts and everything in between. Candied ingredients make for great garnishes while also adding texture and color to a dessert. The beetroot leaves are the only element that needs to be made one day ahead as they need time to dry up.
I used a bundt pan as you can see to make this, but I had a hard time taking it out of the pan. You could use a round cake pan or grease the bundt pan really really well if you are making this. The cake is moist and has a tendency to stick to the sides of the pan. If you do not have access to purple beet leaves, go ahead with green or even mint or basil leaves should work fine.

I hope you have a very very love-filled Valentine’s day. Even if you are single, I hope you get to eats lots and lots of cake. Cakes don’t need an occasion. Like love, they are not seasonal!

Chocolate, Chai and Beetroot Cake
Serves 6-8

120 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
120 g unsalted butter, divided
1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups raw beetroot, coarsely grated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tsp Chai spice powder
Chocolate Ganache, to serve (recipe below)
Candied Beet Leaves (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degree C for fan-forced). Grease well a bundt cake pan or a 8 inch round cake pan.

In a double boiler or in the microwave, melt together chocolate and 20 g butter. Stir until well blended. Cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining (100 g) butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Combine flour, baking soda and chai spice together in a bowl. Combine the chocolate mixture, grated beetroot and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add the chocolate-beetroot mixture to the creamed mixture (mixture may appear separated). Gradually add in the flour-chai to the creamed mixture.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled. pour over the chocolate ganache. Leave aside for 10 minutes to set. Decorate with candies beet leaves.

Chocolate Ganache

200 ml heavy or thickened cream
200 g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped

Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to just below boiling point. Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour over the hot cream. Stir together until melted and smooth. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before pouring over the cake.

Candied Beetroot Leaves

1 egg white
1/4 cup castor sugar
12-15 small beetroot leaves

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the egg white in a small bowl and the castor sugar onto a small plate. Make sure the leaves are dry before you start. If not pat dry with a kitchen towel. Working one at a time, dip each beetroot leaf into the egg white (scrape off excess against the bowl) and then dip into the plate of castor sugar, turning it to ensure an even coat on both sides. Lay the leaves in a single layer on the tray lined with baking paper to dry out. Leave aside for 24 hours, turning once in between.

Chocolate Kahlua Mousse with Salted Caramel Sauce

10|02|2015

In the food department, for Valentine’s Day, I think we women are not that hard to please. Whether it is about pastel colored cupcakes, frosted cakes, good quality chocolate or a great dinner we appreciate the gestures and thoughts behind them as much as we enjoy the food. But I cannot be sure if the prettiest of swirls of buttercream or rose/lavender flavored goodies would impress men in general. While I personally love those flavors and swirls make me as excited as a kid, I’ve reserved those for my girlfriends. Dark chocolate and citrus are flavors that in my humble opinion have an unanimous appeal.

My husband does not share my love for dessert except when there is dark chocolate in the recipe. More specifically, a not too sweet, small portioned dessert with dark chocolate as the hero. I made just that for him. A rich, creamy, bittersweet chocolate mousse that is infused with Kahlua (coffee liqueur). Making this is quite easy and since it can be made ahead, it is a great option for Valentine’s day. What you will taste is an intense mocha flavor with a depth from the alcohol. But I didn’t stop at that. I made a quick salted caramel sauce and drizzled that on top. The combination is amazing! The salted caramel was not required but I recommend it. The bittersweet, salty and creamy sensation together is unbeatable. Needless to say, this is not your everyday sweet fix. It is special and should tick the right boxes even for non-dessert lovers.

If you do not have Kahlua, you can still add a teaspoon of instant coffee to get the mocha flavor but I highly recommend the liqueur as it elevates the intensity of the dessert to a whole new level.

Chocolate Kahlua Mousse With Salted Caramel Sauce
Serves 4-5

11/2 cups Heavy Cream)
4 Egg Yolks
¼ Cup Sugar
150 g Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped

2 Tablespoons Kahlua (or any other coffee liqueur)
Cocoa Powder, to dust
Salted Caramel Sauce, to serve (recipe below)

Salted Caramel Sauce
50g butter
1 cup (220g) brown sugar
1 cup (250ml) cream
1 tsp sea salt

Whip up 1 cup of the heavy cream to stiff peaks and store in the refrigerator. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a large bowl. Heat the remaining 1/2 cup in a medium sized saucepan over medium-low heat. When the cream just comes to a boil, remove from heat.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and Kahlua together till light and creamy. Whisking constantly, gradually pour the warm cream into the egg yolks, 1 tbsp at a time. (We need to do this to ensure that we do not scramble the eggs with the heated cream). Return the egg-cream mixture to the pan.

Heat the mixture under a medium-low flame, whisking constantly till the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and strain it onto the bowl of chocolate. Let the bowl stand undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Stir to smoothen out the chocolate. Cool to room temperature.

When the chocolate mixture has cooled down completely add the whipped cream gradually & fold in till no white streaks appear. Pour into serving glasses. Refrigerate till set, about 4 hours or preferably overnight. Before serving, dust with cocoa powder, Drizzle with salted caramel.

To make the salted caramel sauce, combine butter, sugar and cream in a saucepan over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 5-6 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and add the salt.

White Chocolate And Blueberry Rice Pudding

7|02|2015

I was told that rice pudding was the very first food I tasted when I started on solids as a baby. Which is totally acceptable since a) it is sweet and b) it has rice. Both of which I am extremely fond of. Starting with rice pudding is a ritual at home and making it on special occasions and birthdays is a tradition that my mother keeps up even today. Therefore, this pudding spells absolute comfort for me.

There are so many versions of this pudding. The Indian version known as kheer or payesh that I have grown up eating is a simple mixture of whole milk, sugar and rice simmered together along with cardamom pods for flavour. Saffron, almonds or palm sugar is also occasionally added in for variety. I am pretty contented and convinced about the one that my mother makes that I have never attempted to replicate it. Instead I have my own versions of the rice pudding , mainly different flavour combinations that I have experimented with and served to my family. Thankfully both my boys seem to enjoy rice pudding so this is my go-to dessert for a cosy weekend afternoon.

Since this is such a versatile sweet treat, I have never run out of ideas of the flavours that can go alongside the milk-rice base. This time around, I was also keen on giving it some colour. Blueberries and white chocolate complement each other well and purple is among my favorite shades. So this was an easy one. I was really happy with the outcome. Both, the way it tasted and looked. It has the silky, creamy melt-in-your mouth feel with the right amount of sweetness from the white chocolate. It is not overly sweet as the blueberries do a great job of cutting through the sweetness. This is a pudding that is cooked on the stove-top so it will need a little bit of stirring and supervision as we do not want the rice to stick or burn at the bottom of the pan. Also, if you think the milk is drying up too quickly in the mixture, feel free to add more till you get the desired consistency. This is one dessert that is more about the taste, texture and consistency that you are looking for rather than precise measurements.

Do you recollect (or know) what was the very first food you tasted? Is that something you like to eat today as well?

White Chocolate And Blueberry Rice Pudding
Serves 5

2 cups whole milk
1 cup pouring cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp castor sugar
2/3 cup medium grain (or long grain) rice
150 g white chocolate, roughly chopped
2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
extra blueberries, to serve
shaved white chocolate/coconut flakes, to serve

Combine milk, cream, sugar, vanilla and rice in the saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until rice is tender. add the white chocolate and blueberries and simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the blueberries have melted completely and tinted the pudding. Continue to add more milk if the mixture sticks to the bottom or becomes dry.

Divide among serving bowls. Top with fresh blueberries and shaved white chocolate or sweetened coconut flakes.

Red Velvet Cake with Raspberries And Cream

4|02|2015

I pass a florist near my home every day, to and back from anywhere I travel. I look at the pretty flowers, wishing in my mind I could touch them. I so love colours and my eyes survey the bouquets that have amazing arrangements and beautiful contrasts. I look at the happy people buying flowers, wondering where/or with whom those flowers would end up. I think people who buy flowers are happiest kind of people. Then, I walk away.

Today was different I stopped and bought flowers. For myself. And I feel happy just looking at them. I am one of those people who believe that as much as it is nice to show your love for those who matter, it is equally important to love yourself. Not in an narcissistic sort of way, but looking for those little things that make you who you are are celebrating them. Once in a while doing things that make you and only you happy and making that ‘ride’ called life worth all the roller-coaster action. Taking a teeny bit of time off the daily grind just for yourself to look back at those things that always made you giggle. Or even a quick chat with a bestie to relive some of the best memories you have together. Reading a new book, buying yourself a new dress, picking up flowers, eating chocolate or just baking a cake. In the fast paced, ever-so-demanding environment that we live in, this is hard. But not impossible. I can vouch for that.

This last one week, has been such a whirlwind of activities. I was anxious about the boys starting school while also thinking how I could utilize all the time. Time? Where is time? What was I even thinking? What about the drop-offs, pick-ups, lunchboxes, uniforms…blah blah blah? I don’t mean to complain but this week has been quite hard on us. I don’t know whether two of them going together makes it harder or easier. I will cope. Or else I will buy more flowers. And I will make cakes. Cakes are the best. They make everyone happy…the baker and the people around. Valentine’s day is not far and I have quite a few treats in mind.

This is a simple layer cake that comes together without much effort. To make time for love, you need to keep things simple, right? So, this is about making a simple batter and baking it in two pans for the layers. Whip up some fresh cream…add some fresh raspberries (or strawberries) and a dusting of icing sugar. That’s all! The cake is really light, moist and sponge-like so you need to be a bit careful with the layers..they start to break if not handled carefully. Please do remember to grease the pans well as the layers tend to stick to the sides of pan. Biting into the cake, is sheer pleasure as it just melts in your mouth.

Now tell me dear friends, do you sometimes do things for yourself? If so, what is the best thing you ever did?

Red Velvet Cake with Raspberries And Cream
Serves 6-8

180 g butter, softened
1 1/2 cups castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (try to use regular cocoa, not dutch processed)
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 cup red liquid food coloring
400 ml heavy/whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks with 1/3 cup castor sugar and stored in the refrigerator till needed
Fresh raspberries (or strawberries), to decorate
Icing sugar, to dust

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C ( 160 degrees C for fan-forced). Grease and line the bases of two 18 cm round cake pans with baking paper.

Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, cocoa powder and buttermilk, in batches, until well combined. Add the vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and food colouring and stir to combine.

Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared pans. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from oven. Set aside for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely

Place one of the cakes on a serving platter/cake stand. Spread half the whipped cream mixture over the top. Sprinkle with half the raspberries. Sandwich with remaining cake. Spread with remaining cream mixture. Decorate with remaining raspberries. Dust with icing sugar.

Saffron Baked Custard With Cardamom Crumble

31|01|2015

‘A pinch goes a long way’ said my grandmother when she saw me examining the tiny box with curiosity. I was always in awe of that little box that contained unruly deep red threads of the most exotic spice I knew of. Saffron is beautiful…as much as it is powerful. The ‘prima donna’ of the spice family. Its flavor is unique and the color and aroma it adds to a dish is exclusive. It is not an ingredient that you would use everyday but once you use it, you would be enamored by its presence. Every year there would be someone from our family or extended family visiting the Jammu-Kashmir (northern) region of India on a pilgrimage and my mother would make a deal with them. ‘Kashmiri red chillies, cardamom, nutmeg, mace and 2 boxes of saffron’.The 2 boxes were enough for a year’s worth of sweet treats. Obviously she returned the favor when it was her turn. Which meant plentiful spice shopping in the freezing cold, winding by-lanes on the hills. Competition was fierce and shop owners stood outside their shops calling out to prospective customers. We would return with bags full of spice like everybody else and the buses or trains leaving from this region always smelled like a giant nutmeg to me.

Saffron is an integral part of Indian desserts much like cardamom, almond and pistachio. These are flavors of my childhood. The smell of these are deeply embedded in my system. Combining them with baked goods I make today, thrills me to the core. The fantastic fusion of taste, texture and appeal. The best of both delicious worlds.

A baked custard is an easy and tasty way to use saffron. Because the threads need a medium (more specifically, moisture) to perform to their full potential, milk or cream are ideal partners. I toyed around with the idea of a Creme Brulee initially but that didn’t make sense as the entire point was to show off the vibrant, yellow that makes this spice so gorgeous. If you know me by now, I love my desserts to have crunch and contrasting textures. So, instead of a burnt sugar crust I decided to pair it with a cardamom infused crumble, a little fresh cream and tart strawberries. If you could take a bite, you would know that this is a match made in Heaven. Truly magical. It teases your taste buds with different sensations and leaves you craving for more. The aroma makes me go crazy with nostalgia.

You may already know, Saffron is expensive. Those power-packed threads are actually the stigma of a flower and are harvested by hand. Saffron is used in a lot of sweet and savoury food. So if you get hold of some, you can try out many different ways of using them. A tiny bit is enough to do all the magic. A pinch goes a long way.

Saffron Baked Custard with Cardamom Crumble
Serves 4-5

1/2 cup milk
saffron, a pinch
11/2 cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp. castor sugar (more if you require it sweeter)
Cardamom crumble, to serve (recipe below)
Strawberries or any fruit of your choice to serve
Whipped Cream, to serve (optional)

Soak the saffron in milk for 30 minutes to infuse. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C ( 140 degrees for fan-forced ovens) .Combine cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until hot (do not allow to boil). Remove saucepan from heat.

Whisk egg yolks, sugar and spices in a heatproof bowl until well combined. Pour the warm cream mixture over the egg yolk mixture, little at a time whisking constantly until smooth. Take care not to add the entire cream to the eggs together as it can overcook the eggs resulting in scrambled eggs. Strain the liquid into a pouring jug pressing the residue in the strainer with the back of spoon to ensure maximum extraction of flavor and color from the saffron.

Divide the custard into five lightly-greased, ramekins or ovenproof cups. Place in a deep baking tray. Pour boiling water into baking tray until halfway up sides of ramekins.

Bake custards, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until just set (while the centres are slightly jiggly when shaken). Remove from the oven and take the ramekins out of the water bath. Leave to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with fruit, crumble and whipped cream.

Cardamom Crumble

1/2 cup plain flour
50 g butter, chilled and chopped into cubes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp powdered green cardamom (made by running the seeds inside 5-6 cardamom pods through a food processor, also readily available in most Indian supermarkets)
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees fan-forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Place all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the mixture until the mixture contains large and small crumbs. Spread the mixture in a thin layer onto the prepared baking tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crumble is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool down completely before use.

Lemon, Coconut and Strawberry Cake

27|01|2015

Over the long weekend we ticked off the final items on the twin’s school to-do checklist. School is now less than a week away. I am not ready. They however,seem to be ready which is a relief. Where has time flown away? I wish I could hold on to the next few days and make them last a bit longer. Or tuck away the sound of their laughter and endless innocent conversations in a safe place to be treasured forever.

We were blessed with great weather yesterday after a sizzling 38 degrees C on Sunday. Since we didn’t go out anywhere, just sitting together over a small barbecue lunch while watching the rain made perfect sense. Deep inside,I knew such occasions wouldn’t come by as easily and frequently as our lives begin to embrace routines in a bigger sense in future. We had this cake for dessert. I haven’t baked a lot this month and have been mainly creating frozen recipes so it was a refreshing change to be able to switch on the oven and do things that are more therapeutic for me.

What I like about this cake is that it combines simple, every day flavors and turns them into something totally delicious and refreshing. The cake batter has been infused with lemon zest for a citrus flavor and mixed with desiccated coconut for texture. Sandwiched between the layers are strawberry jam and lemon Swiss meringue buttercream. Then it is frosted with more buttercream, covered in flaked coconut, topped with fresh strawberries and drizzled with strawberry sauce (made by diluting the jam itself) The cake is moist and soft with a crunch from the coconut and the flavours nicely balance each other out. As you can see, I have put a thin layer of frosting in between the cake layers because I don’t give the boys a lot of richly frosted cake. But you will have enough buttercream left with this recipe to apply a thicker layer if you choose to.

Lemon, Coconut and Strawberry Cake
Serves 10-12

375 g butter, softened
2 tbsp lemon zest
11/2 cup castor sugar
4 x-extra large eggs (or 5 eggs)
3 cups self-raising flour
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
11/2 cup coconut milk (can use regular milk)
1/2 cup strawberry jam+ 3 tbsp to make strawberry sauce
lemon Swiss meringue buttercream (recipe below)
1 cup flaked coconut (unsweetened)
Fresh strawberries to decorate

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C ( 160 degrees C for fan-forced). Grease and line the base of three 7 inch round cake pan with baking paper.
Place butter, lemon zest and sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add half the flour and coconut. Stir to combine. Add half the milk. Stir to combine. Repeat with remaining flour, coconut and milk.

Divide the mixture between the prepared pan. Bake for 45- 55 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Once cakes have cooled completely, frost the cake. Place one layer onto a cake plate or stand. Spread 1/2 the strawberry jam all over the base. Dollop or pipe some of buttercream on top of the strawberry jam. Sandwich with another cake layer. Repeat.

Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream. Press the flaked coconut onto the sides with your palm. Sprinkle the top with more flaked coconut. Decorate with fresh strawberries and drizzle with strawberry sauce (made by mixing 3 tbsp strawberry jam with 1 tbsp warm water).

Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream
4 egg whites
1 cup castor sugar
300 g unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Clean the bowl of your electric mixer with a paper towel to remove any traces of grease. Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl that is placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk constantly but gently till the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are warm to touch. Remove from heat.
Using the whisk attachment of your mixer, whip the egg whites till they are smooth, glossy and form stiff peaks. By this time the bowl should have cooled down and feel neutral to touch. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, add in the butter, slowly (2 cubes at a time) and mix until a smooth consistency is reached. Add in the lemon juice and zest and mix till well blended.

Aussie Summer Ice Cream Tart For Australia Day

23|01|2015

Super easy ice cream tart with a biscuit base, vanilla ice cream and fresh summer fruits. No baking and totally delicious.

I was not born is Australia. Neither was I raised here. I have not lived as many years in Australia as most of the people I know do but long enough to call it my home. My stay, memorable enough to take up a gigantic amount of hard disc space on my laptop, filling it with precious memories of little boys making sand castles in different beaches and eating apples from adopted trees. My experiences, promising enough to make me dream of a great future here. A place where I can envision my children turning into teenagers and us (my husband and me) retiring into a farm-life sort of scenario, raising chickens in our backyard and planting fields of strawberries and lavender. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

When we first stepped into Sydney, we didn’t know a soul here. With 9 suitcases, some hand baggage and two sleeping toddlers in our arms, we walked out of the airport on a cold winter night. There was anxiety and ache in the heart. Of leaving behind what once meant ‘everything’ to us..moving ahead in the dark. Quite literally. Unsure of what those decisions would be worth. Decades worth of possessions suddenly mere tangibles. Equated only to baggage allowance. Upon weighing, the kids were allowed to take 2 toys each (out of the sea of toys they owned). Only one baking pan and a tray for me. Everything was weighed. Also evaluated for volume. Luggage was packed, repacked, re-organised, lists crossed out and re-written so many times that everything was a jumble in the end.

The friendly taxi driver told us ‘It’s a beautiful city but life is not easy here. Everyone has a story’
We were approaching the Harbour Bridge that stood mighty and tall against a glittering skyline. I looked out of the window at the many pedestrians hurrying past in jumpers thinking about what the taxi driver just said. It was late when we went to bed that night. A bowl of instant noodles was our dinner in the serviced apartment that we had pre-booked from overseas. I lay awake in bed for a long time, clouds of doubt filling up my mind, the reality slowly sinking in that we were in a different country among total strangers. When I opened my eyes in the morning, I was stunned. At a bright, sunny, cheerful Sydney, the one I love and relate to so much today. It is hard not to fall in love with a place so vibrant and so complete in every way. Within days, the doubts vanished. Seasons changed, experiences grew, faces became familiar and I felt belonged. Like we were always meant to be together. Sydney and me. And so like everybody else, I had a story. A good story!

I came up with this ice cream tart recipe for Australia Day as it is summer time here and I could use a lot of the gorgeous summer bounty we are blessed with to top up an otherwise super simple tart. The tart base is made of Anzac cookies (told you it’s very Aussie!) then filled with vanilla ice cream (store brought), drizzled with passion fruit puree and decorated with fruits. You could use any biscuit of your choice..even chocolate cookies. Depending on the season, feel free to use seasonal fruits that available on your side of the world. The ice cream tart as you might have guessed will keep for days in the freezer so it’s a great make-ahead option. Add the fruits just before serving with a dusting of icing sugar. A round tart pan will also work.

Ice Cream Tart With Summer Fruits
Serves 6-8

300 g Anzac Cookies
80 g unsalted butter, melted
1 litre Vanilla Ice Cream (store bought), softened
1/2 cup passion fruit puree (optional) (can substitute with lemon curd)
Seasonal fruits, to decorate
Icing Sugar, to dust

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 and sides of a 14 by 5 inch rectangular pan (with a removable bottom). Freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.

Pour the softened ice cream on to the prepared tart case. Transfer carefully to the freezer. Freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.
Drizzle with passion fruit puree or dot with lemon curd. Top with fruits. Dust with icing sugar.

Coconut Crepes With Yogurt, Mango And Palm Sugar Caramel

20|01|2015

I am surprised at how much I have started to like coconut recently. This comes from someone who has eaten/drank as much coconut as one would eat potatoes or drink milk as a child. I was actually never fond of milk and unfortunately there were no alternatives like almond or soy milk available at that time. There was coconut milk but in a place where one had easy access to coconut water, the water was preferred, more than the milk. In tropical countries, coconut is found in abundance. In India, where I grew up, drinking coconut water or cooking with freshly grated coconut is a way of life. People are equipped and ready to give themselves a arm workout when the need arises. Which is frequently. The grated version is used in curries, sweet dishes, rice and fillings while the milk (which is actually extracted by passing the grated coconut through a cheesecloth) finds its uses in many different dishes. Yet, I don’t have any memory of a particular liking for coconut. Maybe some of the dishes that it was used in were a favorites but not coconut itself. I guess it needed a few cakes, friands and crepes to acknowledge this liking.

In the present day I cannot imagine standing long hours trying to grate a coconut or extracting milk when it is so convenient to get hold of a packet of desiccated coconut or a can of coconut milk that is ready for consumption and is so much easier to store. Ask my mother and she will tell you that the packed variety is nowhere close to the fresh one. True! But in this turbo charged, everything-needing-attention world I could do without cracking open a fruit by hitting it on the ground (that was how it was cracked open back home).

This breakfast dish is very tropical. I have used coconut milk in the crepe batter and desiccated coconut in the filling. Then there is yogurt, fresh mangoes, raspberries, basil and a palm sugar caramel. In the sweet treats that I ate as a little girl, coconut was often paired with palm sugar, hence the idea. Other than the caramel, the dish is a healthy breakfast option so if you are on a diet, leave out the caramel and run a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey through the yogurt instead to sweeten it. The flavors are amazing together, very refreshing! If you do not have access to fresh mangoes, you could use canned ones or replace with seasonal fruits. Like persimmons, figs and even bananas.

Coconut Crepes With Yogurt, Mangoes And Palm Sugar Caramel
Makes 5-6 crepes

1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 eggs, lightly whisked
40 g butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
2 cups unsweetened Greek yogurt (if leaving out caramel, you could use sweetened yogurt)
2 mangoes, chopped into cubes
10-12 raspberries/strawberries
fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Icing sugar, to dust (optional)

For the palm sugar caramel
1/2 cup palm sugar, roughly chopped
1/2 cup water

Place the flour in a bowl making a well in the centre. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, eggs and butter. Let stand for 15-20 minutes. Heat a non-stick frying over medium heat. Add 2-3 tbsp of the crepe batter, swirling the pan to coat the base evenly. Cook for a minute or until edges start to brown. Turn and cook for another minute until golden. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Divide the desiccated coconut, yogurt, mangoes and raspberries between the crepes. Serve with palm sugar caramel and basil. Dust with icing sugar.

To make the palm sugar caramel, heat the palm sugar and water together until smooth and thickened. The mixture solidifies on cooling down so reheat before serving.