Cakes and Puddings Archives - Page 17 of 46

Goats Cheese Cheesecake

30|03|2018

The egg-stra long Easter weekend has started for us already and that means lots of fun, food and entertainment for the family. Food is of course, the highlight at my place. Coming up with new dessert ideas is my favourite bit and if they are make-ahead as well as easy, they tick all the boxes for me. The days are still quite sunny and evenings, a bit cooler so a slice of chilled cheesecake with seasonal figs and strawberries is a great Autumnal treat for guests. Not just any cheesecake, but a Goats Cheese flavored baked cheesecake that is the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess exploding with delicious flavours in the mouth.

When it comes to Goats chesese, people are divided in their preference for this variety of cheese. How about you? I enjoy it in most savoury dishes but absolutely LOVE it’s presence in sweet recipes. It adds that little touch of salty/sour-ish flavour that cuts down the richness of a heavy sweet dish and makes it even more desirable. If you ask me, it all comes down to the quality of Goats cheese used. After trying out a few different brands and types, I really like the Yarra Valley Fresh Goats Cheese. It’s soft, creamy and tastes great. If you haven’t tried Goats cheese before this or don’t enjoy it as much, I would urge you to try this cheesecake. It’s truely unique and something new to offer to your guests. Besides, you can make it a couple of days before and relax during the holidays. According to my friends, it tastes even better after a few days in the fridge so I’m excited now that it’s all done and ready to be devoured.

Have a great Easter with your family and hope you enjoy a delicious break!

Goats Cheese Cheesecake
Makes an 8 inch round cheesecake

250 g pack digestive biscuits
100 g unsalted butter, melted
250 x 2 tubs cream cheese
120 g pack Fresh Goats Cheese (I used Yarra Valley Fresh Goats Cheese)
3/4 cups castor sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 large eggs
1/3 cup strawberry jam, to serve
fresh fruit, to serve

Process biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix together. Place an 8 inch spring form pan over a baking tray. Pour the biscuit mixture onto the Spring form pan and press down evenly over the base with your fingers to form the crust. Place the baking tray in the fridge and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160 degrees C (140 degrees C for fan-forced ovens) Process the cream cheese, goats cheese, sugar, sour cream and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time and continue to whisk until well blended. Pour the cheesecake mixture onto the prepared crust.
Carefully place the baking tray into the oven and bake for 55 minutes to an hour or until the sides are set and the centre is till a bit wobbly. Switch off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven (this will ensure that the cheesecake does not crack). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

When ready to serve, place the strawberry jam in a microwaveable cup with 3 tbsp of water. Microwave for 30=40 seconds or until the jam turns into liquid/strawberry sauce. Drizzle all over the top of the cheesecake. Decorate with fresh fruits. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Chocolate Stout Cake

28|03|2018

Traditionally, Easter is owned by the kids, we all know that. But who will think about us adults on that much awaited long weekend? We can’t be eating chocolate eggs and Hot Cross buns all through the holidays especially when we have kids at home and those things are always claimed by them. We deserve something more grown up, more decadent and a bit celebratory. Enter Chocolate Stout Cake! Chocolate and Beer in the same sentence so it definitely screams decadence. And let me warn you, this cake is not for the faint-hearted. This is drop dead delicious (if you know what that means) and so indulgent. That glaze/ganache is the next best thing to Heaven as it’s just made by melting chocolate in a pan of beer.

I have never been a huge fan of beer, but when I discovered chocolate stout (White Rabbit Chocolate Stout), my face was like the emoji with big, round eyes. What? How could something be so incredible when mixed with chocolate?! It takes chocolate to a complete new level. I’ve used the stout in the cake batter as well as the glaze and yes, you do taste it. It adds a deep, rich flavour to the cake whilst giving it a soft, spongy finish (probably due to aeration in the batter). Like all my cakes, it is super simple to make. All you need is that amazing chocolate stout.

Don’t be fooled by the chocolate eggs on top. We’re just keeping it low key. Who would guess what’s lying underneath those layers of an otherwise plain looking chocolate cake. If you’ve seen another image of this cake on Instagram, with the huge honeycomb chocolate topper, that topper was gone is seconds so I was left with no choice but the obvious Easter decoration.
My Easter is sorted for now. I’ve made a huge batch of that boozy glaze to pour on my late night desserts. YUM!
Have a great week everyone!

Chocolate Stout Cake
Makes a 2-layered, 6 inch, round cake

1 cup chocolate stout (I used White rabbit Chocolate Stout)
225 g unsalted butter
3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa
1 & 1/4 cups castor sugar (or to taste)
2 cups self raising flour
2 large eggs
2/3 cups sour cream/yogurt

Chocolate glaze/ganache
200 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/3 cup chocolate stout

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease the base and sides of two 6 inch round baking pans. Line the bases with baking paper.

Place the stout and unsalted butter in a large saucepan and heat until butter has melted. Remove from heat.
Add the cocoa powder and whisk till smooth. Leave aside to cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sour cream together. Add the flour and sugar and mix. Pour in the stout mixture, whisking constantly to combine.
Divide uniformly between prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes ou until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes, then gently turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Once cooled completely, spread with Chocolate Stout ganache (recipe below). Top with chocolate eggs Enjoy

To make the glaze/ganache, pour stout in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat (do not boil). Remove from heat, add the chopped chocolate and leave aside. Once chocolate has melted, stir to mix until smooth and well blended. Cool to room temperature. The glaze will thicken upon cooling.

Hot Cross Buns Frozen Cheesecake

7|03|2018

Easter is upon us, though I think I’m slightly early this year. But believe me, I have already eaten my entire weight in hot cross buns. Who can resist them? Slather them with butter or cream cheese, turn them into sandwiches, grill them or eat them plain. I’ve tried so many things with them and I’ve still not had enough. My favourite bakery, Bakers Delight has the most amazing, melt-in-your mouth buns busting with flavour and every time I’m on a grocery trip, I try to look away as they’re so irresistible!

Last week I was having a Choc Chip hot cross bun with ice cream when the thought of making an ice cream cake came to me. I love ice cream cakes but they become runny even as you slice them so a better version was a frozen cheesecake. Simple and so delicious! It’s officially Autumn in Australia but the weather is warm and sunny. But who needs a reason to eat ice cream, right?

If you’ve ever tried a Hot Cross Bun ice cream sandwich, this is just a large version of it. The base and the top are the buns. Sandwiched between them is a filling of cream cheese, chocolate ice cream, berries and pieces of hot cross buns. Since the buns already have tonnes of flavour in them, especially cinnamon, the resulting combo is just out of this world. To make it bright and fun, of course we need to top them with chocolate eggs. And that’s it! The perfect centrepiece for your Easter Table with barely any effort.

Notes:

This will work with any flavour of hot cross bun or ice cream so go ahead, have fun with your choices
I use my old, trusted springform pan for such recipes so I never feel the need to line the insides with cling wrap. If you are not confident, first line the base and sides with cling film before making the base. It will ensure easier removal of the cheesecake.
This is an easy recipe but the most important step is to ensure,you take the cheesecake out mid way while freezing just before it is about to set. Otherwise the bun tops will sink into the mixture and won’t have the look (they will still taste delicious though)!

Hot Cross Bun Frozen Cheesecake
Makes a 19 cm round cheesecake

6-7 Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns (I bought mine from Bakers Delight)
2 tbsp castor sugar (or to your taste)
500 g cream cheese (2 tubs), room temperature
500 ml chocolate ice-cream, softened (store bought)
1 punnet fresh raspberries
chocolate sauce, to drizzle
chocolate eggs, to decorate,

Split 5 hot cross buns in half horizontally. Tear the other buns into small pieces.

Line the base of a 19 cm springform pan with the bottom half of the buns. If there are gaps in between, fill them up with small pieces of buns to ensure the base is covered completely.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer or a whisk until well blended. Add the ice cream and mix well. Fold in the torn hot cross buns pieces and the raspberries (leaving a few for decoration). Pour the mixture onto the prepared springform pan. Place in the freezer for 1 hour -1.5 hours. The cheesecake should have solidified slightly but not set. Remove from freezer and top with the top half of the hot cross buns. Press down slightly so they snugly fit in. Freeze for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove from freezer 30 minutes before serving. Drizzle with chocolate sauce, Top with fresh raspberries and chocolate eggs. Slice and enjoy!

Blueberry and Lavender Cake

31|01|2018

I can’t seem to have enough of blueberries this season. These blue- purple berries are the easiest and a delicious way to decorate and flavour desserts.While I’m truely a fan of the entire berry family, I think blueberries are the most hassle free of the lot. No hull, no seeds just plain purple gorgeousness. If you didn’t know already they are high in antioxidants, low in calories and come with a number of health benefits. Lavender on the other hand comes from the same family as some of our popular herbs like mint, rosemary and sage. I absolutely adore lavender in desserts. it took me a while to master the right proportion and right pairings. You know the concept of ‘how much is too much’! It is so important. We don’t want a dessert that smells like soap.

Culinary lavender is available in quite a few stores as well as online in Sydney. I bought mine over 6 months now and it is till fragrant and very easy to use. I’ve made this cake a few times, with and without lavender. In fact I put it into my children’s lunchboxes without the frosting. Depending on the type or brand of yogurt I use, I’ve noticed a difference in the texture or rather thickness of the batter. A very thick batter is generally not what I’m after. So in that case, a little milk helps to lighten it up. You will notice that I’ve mentioned that in the recipe.

Overall, it’s a simple cake with great results. The lavender adds a beautiful , subtle aroma to the cake (almost like Earl Grey) whilst the blueberries add a moist, flavour packed bite within the cake. You could skip the buttercream and just serve the cake with a drizzle of icing sugar. I have to admit, this is one of those cakes that I look forward to having with my coffee every now and then.

Blueberry and Lavender Cake
Makes a 6 inch round cake

150 g unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup self raising flour
200 g Greek yogurt
1/4 cup milk (optional, if batter is too thick)
1 tsp culinary lavender
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Grease the base and sides of a 6 inch round baking pan and line the base with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, or by hand beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add half the flour and half the yogurt and fold to combine. Add the remaining flour and yogurt and milk (if batter is too thick.)
Stir in the lavender and blueberries and just fold one or twice to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven. Leave aside for 10 minutes. Slowly turn out cake onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, frost with lavender frosting and decorate with blueberries.

Lavender Frosting
1 tsp culinary lavender
2 tbsp milk
125 g unsalted butter, softened
11/2 cups icing sugar
A tiny bit of mauve food coloring gel

Place the lavender and milk in a microwaveable cup and microwave on low until it is about to boil (do not boil). Remove and leave aside to infuse for 1-2 hours. Strain the lavender buds and reserve the milk for the buttercream.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter till pale and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar, a little at a time and continue to beat till incorporated. Add the lavender infused milk and beat to combine. Add the food colour if using, and mix till fully incorporated.