dessert Archives - Page 21 of 57

Red Velvet Christmas Cake With CSR Sugar

15|12|2016

Layers of Light Red Velvet Cake, Golden Syrup Buttercream, sweet-tangy, home-made Cranberry Jam with crunchy Meringue and Candied Rosemary leaves.

It is that time of the year! Don’t you just love the last quarter of the year leading up to Christmas? The planning, the excitement, the extra aisles that get added to the supermarkets, the artfully done packaging of gifts, the invites that start flowing in from everywhere, delicious Christmas menus and the excuse to eat lots of cake. No points for guessing that I am almost always given the responsibility to bring dessert to the parties. Honestly, I would do that with pleasure. Every time!

My go to this year are Naked Cakes. Simple, elegant, not loaded with frosting and the opportunity to be creative. This is the best time to play with my assortment of CSR Sugars and Syrups because I cannot imagine an Aussie Christmas without Golden Syrup, Treacle or the indispensable brown sugars and Caster Sugar. If you have been reading my blog for a while you already know how much I rely on CSR Sugar products to get consistently successful and delicious results in my kitchen.

I am totally in love with CSR Sugar’s Golden syrup and after experimenting with a Golden Syrup ice cream recently I was waiting for an opportunity to add it to buttercream. I am glad I did because this one is just out of the world. A mellow caramel flavour without having to make caramel. Don’t you love such clever short cuts?
Armed with this wonderful new flavour, I settled for a light, sponge like Red Velvet Cake that would marry wonderfully with my Golden Syrup buttercream and look festive as well. To add to the festivity and flavours, I made a sweet-tangy cranberry jam and spread a thin coat on the layers. To finish I decorated my cake with home-made red swirled meringues, crushed candy canes (store-bought) and candied rosemary leaves. The rosemary leaves add another level of complexity that creates magic in your mouth.
This cake is easy to assemble, even if you are making a layer cake for the first time. You could create the different elements ahead in time like I did and assemble on the day you want to serve it. I can’t wait to see the reactions when I bring this to the Christmas table.

So now tell me dear readers what is your favourite Christmas treat? Do you create a family recipe or experiment with new ideas every year? I have some great news for you. By making and sharing your Christmas favourite you could win one of the ten, $250 Visa gift cards that CSR Sugar is very generously giving away.
All you need to do is
• Make your Christmas favourite
• Share it on Instagram or Facebook
• Tag CSR Sugar
• Use the #FestiveFavourites

Good luck to all of you! I am really excited to see what you create

This post is brought to you by CSR Sugar. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Red Velvet Cake
Makes a 3 layered 6 inch cake

180g butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (315 g) CSR Caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups (375 g) self-raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
11/4 cup (250ml) buttermilk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoon red liquid food colouring

Golden Syrup Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Yields about 3 cups of buttercream
4 egg whites
3/4 cup CSR Caster sugar
300 g unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup CSR Golden Syrup

Cranberry Jam
Makes approx. 2.5 cups
3 cups frozen cranberries, thawed
1 cup CSR Caster sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp grated orange or lemon zest

Red Swirl Meringues kisses
Makes about 25 meringues
1 egg white
¼ cup CSR Caster Sugar
2-3 drops vanilla extract
Red gel food colour

Candied Rosemary leaves
6-7 fresh sprigs of Rosemary
1 egg white
4 cup CSR Caster sugar

To make the Red Velvet Cake : Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line the bases of three 6 inch round (base measurement) 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.
Spoon mixture evenly among the prepared pans. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 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.

To make the Golden Syrup buttercream :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 and whip on high speed until meringue holds stiff peaks and looks glossy. The bowl should have completely cooled by now.
Add the butter, 2 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.
When the buttercream has come together, add the golden syrup gradually and mix till smooth and well blended.

To make the Cranberry Jam: Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling for 5-10 minutes or until the cranberries become a soft mush and sauce has thickened. Cool to room temperature. Pour into a clean jar and refrigerate until needed.

To make the Red Swirl Meringue Kisses: Preheat oven to 110°C/90°C fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add caster sugar. Beat for 8 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Continue to beat until meringue is glossy with stiff peaks.
Place mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm fluted or plain nozzle and lightly streaked with red gel food colour. Pipe meringue kisses onto prepared trays, allowing 2cm gap between each of them. Bake for 45 minutes or until meringues are firm. Turn off oven. Allow to cool in oven with door slightly ajar.

To make the candied Rosemary leaves: Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the egg white in a small bowl and the caster 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 rosemary leaf into the egg white (scrape off excess against the bowl) and then dip into the plate of caster 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.

To assemble : Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or plate. Spread a thin coat of cranberry jam. Take a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and streak it with red gel colour on one side. Fill up the bag with golden syrup buttercream. Pipe buttercream kisses all over the cake layer. Place the second layer and repeat. Repeat with the third layer. Decorate with meringues, crushed candy canes, frozen cranberries (thawed) and candied rosemary leaves.

Baker’s Notes
• I have used 6 inch pans to make 3 layers. You could go with two layers if you are using a larger pan. Alternatively, you could double the recipe.
• Grease pans well because the cake is quite light and needs to be handled gently to avoid breaking.
• Cranberry jam adds to the Christmas feel. If you want to avoid this step, you could use store bought jam.
• Frozen cranberries are available in all major supermarkets. Thaw them before using on the cake.
• If you are not comfortable with making meringues at home, plain vanilla store bought meringues can be used to decorate the cake.
• Cranberry jam and meringues can be made up to a week in advance. Candied rosemary can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cake layers can made up to two days ahead, individually wrapped in cling film and stored in the refrigerator.
• Buttercream can be made up to 3 days ahead. Before using, bring it to room temperature and whip it a few times till fluffy and smooth.

Christmas Desserts with Bulla Cream

11|12|2016

Less than a month to go for Christmas! Are you excited? Have you got your Christmas menu sorted out or are you looking for something new to try this year? Or are you like me, saving the ‘cream’ of the crop for the big day? I turn to cream based desserts every time I need something outrageously delicious, light and without toiling away in the kitchen for hours. Because, who doesn’t like a fluffy, creamy dessert that melts away like silk in the mouth? If cream is the hero of my dessert, it has to be the best! I want a range of creams that are versatile, don’t curdle, whip up quickly, hold their shape while decorating and, most importantly, taste special. That cream is Bulla!

Bulla Dairy Foods is one of Australia’s oldest family owned dairy companies, proudly making dairy for six generations. With more than 100 years of expertise in making dairy, Bulla has every kind of cream in its product range that one could imagine for their cooking, baking or decorating needs. All of Bulla’s products are made from the freshest milk and creams. The product range includes cooking cream, sour cream, whipping cream, dollop cream and the award winning Bulla Crème Fraîche.

I use them all the time in my kitchen but, the Bulla Whipping Cream, Bulla Dollop Cream and Bulla Crème Fraîche are my absolute favourites. How amazing is it when the fillings and frosting that are the essence of your dessert are ready in just a few minutes. It makes life so much easier! I also love that they are easy to flavour and the consistency never changes no matter what I add to them.

Cream-based desserts are lighter on the palate. With a warm Christmas in the southern hemisphere, guests generally prefer a light, cold dessert to a rich pudding or a heavy cheesecake. Cream is also far quicker and simpler to deal with as it takes up flavours with ease and there is no end to the creative ways it can be presented. With that in mind I’ve created four recipes for you that will not only look stunning with minimal effort but also blow away your taste buds as well. Whether you are a pro in the kitchen or trying your hand at desserts for the first time, these desserts have got you covered.

I’ve played around with rose water and ginger mixing them into the cream in the first two recipes and these can be made ahead of time. The next two recipes can be whipped up on the same day of serving and are pretty simple to make.

Raspberry And Rosewater Cake
Layers of Raspberry Cake with rosewater infused cream and candied ginger, topped with a white chocolate glaze.
Makes a 3-layered, 6 inch round cake

Recipe:
Raspberry Cake
250 g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs

21/2 cups self-raising flour
2/3 cups milk
1 punnet fresh raspberries
¼ cup candied ginger

Rosewater Simple syrup
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 tsp Rose water

Rosewater Cream
300 ml Bulla Whipping Cream
¼ cup caster sugar
11/2 tsp rosewater
2-3 drops Pink food colouring (optional)

White chocolate glaze
100 g white chocolate
3 tbsp Bulla Whipping Cream
1-2 drops pink food colour

Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease and line the bases of 3, 6 inch round cake pans with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter, caster sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating to combine. Add half the flour. Stir to combine. Add the remaining flour and the milk. Stir to combine.

Divide mixture uniformly between prepared pans. Divide the raspberries and candied ginger between the pans and press down into the batter. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

To make the Rosewater simple syrup : Bring the water and sugar to a boil over low heat. Remove from heat when sugar dissolves. Let cool and add the rosewater.

To make the white chocolate glaze: Heat the white chocolate and heavy cream over very low heat in a small saucepan. When cream just reaches boiling point, remove from heat and leave aside. Stir with a spoon to make a smooth mix. Add the food colour and stir to blend. Cool slightly before using.

To make the rosewater cream : Chill the bowl and whisk attachment of a stand mixer for 20 min. in the refrigerator or 5 min. in the freezer. Pour Bulla Whipping Cream into the bowl and whisk on medium-high speed until it just starts to thicken. Slow the speed down to medium and gradually pour in the sugar. Continue to whisk until soft peaks form.

Add the rosewater and food colour (if using) and continue to whisk by hand until the cream is smooth, and stiff peaks form. The cream will stand up straight when the whisk is raised. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

To assemble : Once the cake layers are completely cool, start assembling..
On a cake plate or stand, spread a little fresh cream frosting in the centre and place one layer of the cake (so that the cake does not move about while frosting). Spread about 1/2 a cup of the rosewater frosting. Place the second layer. Repeat. Place the last layer upside down (so you get a flat top). Spread frosting on the top and sides. If you want it to look like a naked cake, a thin layer of frosting is good enough.
Stick the cake into the refrigerator for 15-20 mins.
Make the white chocolate glaze 5 minutes before you take the cake out from the fridge. Once the ganache is cool, but still flowing freely when you lift it with a spoon, spoon it onto the cake slowly. Be gentle on the edges to create the drippy effect
Decorate with meringues, raspberries and fresh flowers. If you are using fresh flowers, make sure you cover the stems in baking paper before inserting them into the cake.

Peach Jelly, Panettone And Ginger Cream Trifle
Layers of fresh peaches in jelly, crumbled Panettone, ginger infused cream and shaved white chocolate.
Serves 6-8

Recipe:
3 cups apple or orange juice (or juice of your choice)
4 tsp powdered gelatine
3-4 fresh peaches, stoned and cut into wedges
2x 300 ml Bulla Whipping Cream
½ cup caster sugar
11/2 tsp powdered ginger
Store bought Panettone, 800 g (you will need only half), cut into squares
200g white chocolate blocks, shaved

Method:
Place the gelatine and juice together in a medium saucepan and leave aside for 5 minutes for the gelatine to bloom. Warm the mixture over low heat for 1-2 minutes or until the gelatine dissolves completely. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Pour into a trifle bowl. Place the peaches into the jelly mixture. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or until set.

Meanwhile pour Bulla Whipping Cream into a bowl that has been chilled in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Using a hand mixer or an electric mixer whisk on medium until it starts to thicken. Gradually add the sugar and powdered ginger and whisk on low speed till stiff peaks form. Refrigerate the cream until needed.

Once the jelly has set completely, layer the Panettone squares over the jelly. Pipe 2 layers of rosettes of ginger infused cream (or spoon the cream). Top with shaved white chocolate.

Salted Honey And Roasted Hazelnut Eton Mess
Crunchy Meringue, salted honey, roasted hazelnuts and dollop cream
Serves 4

Recipe:
6 Store bought meringue nests
300 ml Bulla Dollop Cream
½ cup hazelnuts, roasted
¼ cup good quality honey
½ tsp fleur de sel (or sea salt

Method :
Place the honey and fleur de sel in a small saucepan and warm slightly. Remove the pan from heat and leave aside until needed.
Roughly crumble the meringue and divide them among 4 serving glasses. Top with half the dollop cream, roasted hazelnuts and honey. Repeat the layers until the top is reached.

Profiteroles with Cinnamon Crème Fraiche and Berries
Profiteroles filled with Cinnamon infused Crème Fraiche, dipped in white chocolate ganache and served with red berries.
Makes 15

Recipe :
60 g butter, chopped
3/4 cup (185 ml) water
3/4 cup (115 g) plain flour
3 eggs
100 white chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp Bulla Thickened Cream
Fresh berries, to serve

Cinnamon Crème Fraîche Cream

200 ml Bulla Whipping Cream,
¼ cup caster sugar
4 tbsp Bulla Crème Fraiche
111/2 tsp powdered cinnamon

Method :
To make the profiteroles : Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (180 degrees C for fan-forced). Line a baking tray with non-stick paper.

Heat the butter and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture comes to the boil. Remove from heat. Sift in the flour. Use a wooden spoon to beat for 1-2 minutes or until mixture comes away from side of pan. Transfer mixture to a heatproof bowl. Set aside, stirring occasionally, to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is thick and glossy.

Pipe the mixture or place spoonfuls of mixture on the prepared baking tray 3 cm apart from each other. Use wet hands to pat down any peaks of dough. Sprinkle trays with water to create steam. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Turn off the oven. Use a knife to pierce the base of each puff. Place the profiteroles in oven for 20 minutes to dry out. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the Cinnamon Crème Fraiche Filling : Pour Bulla Whipping Cream into a bowl that has been chilled in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Using a hand mixer or an electric mixer whisk on medium until it starts to thicken. Gradually add the sugar and Bulla Crème Fraîche and whisk on low speed till stiff peaks form. Refrigerate the cream until needed.

To make the white chocolate ganache: Heat the white chocolate and heavy cream over very low heat in a small saucepan. When cream just reaches boiling point, remove from heat and leave aside. Stir with a spoon to make a smooth mix.

To assemble, using a serrated knife, slice through the top third of the choux puff. Leave the top aside. Pipe or fill up the base with cinnamon infused Crème Fraîche. Put the top back. Dip the tops in white chocolate ganache. Top with fresh berries and sprinkles. Repeat with the remaining profiteroles.

This post is brought to you by Bulla Dairy Foods. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are entirely mine.

Layered Strawberry Cake

18|11|2016

Sydney is so hot at the moment! Even as I write this, I can’t bear to look at the window facing me which is ablaze with the bright sun rays literally blinding my eyes. It’s still Spring technically but every bit like summer. I am still waiting for the stone fruits to arrive, meanwhile there are strawberries. There are always strawberries, whatever the season in Australia which makes life easier for me. Because, who does not love strawberries? Healthy or indulgent..there are a zillion ways of eating them. So this Layered Strawberry Cake aka Strawberry Lovers Cake (because it has all things strawberry in it) is made of a layered strawberry-vanilla marble cake, strawberry mousse, fresh strawberries and strawberry wafers. Besides tasting delicious, it smells so amazing!

For a long time I was intending to make a Charlotte. There is something very delicate about the way different layers of cream/custard, sponge and fruit are encased between a circle of ladyfinger biscuits. Yes, that was the initial intention but as always I got swayed and so much that it just turned out to be another cake with a different kind of filling. These long, thin strawberry wafers usually arrive during Christmas every year along with all the colourful candies. They were a tad bit too tall for the height of my cakes but filling the top with fresh strawberries made them just the right size for a cake like this. If you are planning on making the Layered Strawberry cake and can’t find the exact wafers, you could use regular wafers as well, but a two-tiered cake would be more suitable.

It is best that the layers are made ahead and assembled on the day of serving the cake. The mousse will hold up at room temperature for a couple of hours only. The other option is to refrigerate the assembled cake but in that case, it’s best to sprinkle the cake layers with some strawberry infused simple syrup to prevent them from drying out. Simple syrup is made by heating equal parts of water and sugar till sugar dissolves completely. The cooled syrup is great for sponge cakes and such when you want them to remain moist for days, especially while refrigerating.

Layered Strawberry Cake
Makes a 3 layered 6 inch round cake

Strawberry-Vanilla Marble Cake (adapted with slight variation from this recipe)

250 unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
250 g caster sugar
5 large egg , lightly whisked
2/3 cups (approx 85 g) plain flour
100 g full-fat Greek yogurt
2 cups (approx 250 g) self-raising flour
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp strawberry extract
few drops pink food colour

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees C (140 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Grease 3 round, 6 inch cake tins and line the bases with non-stick baking paper.

Using electric beaters or a tabletop mixer, beat the butter, sugar and ¼ tsp salt together until pale and fluffy, then pour in the eggs, one at a time, giving the mix a really good beating before adding the next. Add 1 tbsp of the plain flour if the mix starts to look slimy rather than fluffy. Beat in the yogurt.

Mix the flours; then, using a large metal spoon, fold them into the batter, followed by the milk. Remove half the mixture into a different bowl. To the existing bowl of batter add the vanilla extract. To the second bowl add the pink food coloring and strawberry extract and mix till blended. Spoon and divide the mixtures equally among the three tins and swirl with a long wooden skewer to create the marble effect. Bake the batter for 30-40 mins or until well risen and golden – a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.

Cool the cakes for 15 minutes in the tin. Then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Spread a think layer of mousse between the cake layers. Lightly frost the outside of the cake with the mousse and quickly place the wafers around it for them to stick to the cake. Top with fresh strawberries. Decorate with flowers and macarons.

Strawberry Mousse (adapted from here)

1 sachet (7 g) unflavored gelatin

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

1/4 cup castor sugar

1 cup whipping cream

Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Process 2 cups sliced strawberries and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Transfer strawberry mixture to a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add gelatin to strawberry mixture, stirring constantly until gelatin dissolves. Cover and chill until consistency of unbeaten egg whites, stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes).

Beat cream at low speed until foamy; increase speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into strawberry mixture until well blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes or just until mixture is thick enough to hold its shape when mounded.

Meringue Rose Cookies with Lavender Cream Cheese Filling

7|11|2016

Meringue rose cookies are so versatile and there is no limit to the way they can be colored, decorated or served. It is incredible how a little bit of egg white and sugar can whip up into magical creations. And they are free of gluten. I make meringues quite often and love that they make great edible gifts. Meringue roses look really pretty and the added bonus is that by sandwiching fillings between two roses, they turn into a treat that is even tastier than a cookie, minus the flour. Whether it’s chocolate ganache, buttercream or cream cheese frosting there are innumerable flavours to play around with. Also, they can stay crunchy for days if stored well.

I used culinary lavender that was sitting in my cupboard for months. Every time I open the jar, I am transported to a a different world. That is how the meringue rose cookies smell as well. To get the two toned effect I generally streak one side of my piping bag with gel food colour using a long skewer before filling up with the meringue. If you haven’t made meringue roses before here is a video tutorial that might help you to understand the technique.

Meringue Rose Cookies With Lavender Cream Cheese Filling
Makes 24

For the Meringue Roses
2 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
Violet gel food colour
Sprinkles (optional)

For the Lavender Cream Cheese Filling
220 g cream cheese, softened
100 g unsalted butter, softened
21/2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp culinary lavender buds, ground
purple/violet food colour

To make the meringue roses: Preheat oven to 110 degrees C (90 decrees c for fan-forced ovens) Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Using a toothpick or a wooden skewer streak your piping bag that is fitted with a Wilton 2D tip in various places with your chosen gel food colour. I usually mount mine in an empty glass to stay intact.

Use an electric mixer to whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking well between each addition, until meringue is thick and glossy and sugar is completely dissolved. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a closed star (Wilton 2d) nozzle. Pipe meringue roses onto the lined tray. Decorate with sprinkles if using. Bake for 60 minutes or until meringues are dry to the touch. Turn off oven and leave, with door ajar, to cool completely.
Once cooled, spread or pipe lavender cream cheese filling (recipe below) on one meringue rose and top with another. Repeat until all the roses have been used up.

To make the Lavender Cream Cheese Filling : Using an electric or hand mixer, gently beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add the sugar, little at a time until blended. Add the dried lander and food colour and mix well.