dessert Archives - Page 41 of 57

Easy Nutmeg Bars

7|12|2014

Nutmeg bars are so perfect for this time of the year when a substantial amount of baking is on the agenda and everyone is getting into the spirit of Christmas including our ovens and our kitchens. I have lived on my spices all my life but there is something magical about using them in sweet recipes around Christmas. Till about a few years ago, Nutmeg was a secret ingredient for me to enhance the flavours of Indian meat dishes and my favourite Biriyani. It was only when I tried it in a a cake that I found it equally amazing in desserts.

If you are looking for a recipe that is quick to make without hard-to-find ingredients and makes a great edible gift for friends and family, this is it. They are ready in no time. What impressed me the most about these, are the dual textures within the bars. We mix together some flour, butter and sugar like a shortbread mix, layer half the mix on a baking tray. To the other half, we add the rest of the ingredients and put together a cake like batter. We then pour it over the shortbread layer. The resulting bars have a slightly crunchy base with a cake like top. And they smell amazing as much as they taste great. The nutmeg is subtle but adds a special something to the caramel flavour that is so typical of brown sugar.

I came across this recipe on Taste. They looked so worth making that I made them in a jiffy and I had to share them. Next time I make them I am going to add dried cranberries for a more festive look.
Give these a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Easy Nutmeg Bars (adapted with variation from Taste.com)
Yields 12 bars

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups self-raising flour
100g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cup full-cream milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Icing sugar, to dust

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line a rectangluar pan (28 cm by 18 cm) with baking paper.

Place the sugar, flour and butter in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Spread half the mixture in the base of the pan and sprinkle with the pecans.
Place the bicarbonate of soda and milk in a bowl, and stir to dissolve the soda. Add the egg and the nutmeg and stir to combine.

Stir in the remaining crumb mixture and pour over the base. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool, then cut into squares. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Ginger Cake with Meringue

3|12|2014

Has your kitchen started to smell like Christmas? Mine has been smelling so much of spices and vanilla and brown sugar….all of the warm and nice things that go hand in hand with this time of the year. In the southern hemisphere, we don’t have a white Christmas. We are well into summer by then.Our Australian markets are flooded with the best of summer produce that allows us to be as diverse as possible with our Christmas baking and cooking. Our Pavlovas are loaded with juicy peaches and plums and raspberries and all the fresh fruits we can get our hands on. I have a few coming up for you but that does not stop me from dreaming up recipes with meringue, marzipan or nougat. My favourite bits of Christmas baking has to be the coming together of sugar and spice. Spices are a part of my heritage so popping open a container of powdered ginger or nutmeg delights me to the core. It fills up my senses with nostalgia.

I can see gingerbread recipes all over the Internet. I love so many of them especially the ones dripping with caramel sauce, white chocolate or lemon icing. I did not notice any with meringue though meringue is so perfect for Christmas. I have an individual soft spot for ginger cakes and meringue so I wanted to pair them. I was happy with the outcome. A soft, gooey spiced ginger cake with crispy sweet torched meringue. I have added a touch of ginger to the meringue as well. The cake has powdered ginger and glace ginger which gives it a bold punch of flavour.

A few weeks back I had made a rose cake for my twins birthday. It was a cake meant for a special occasion so I did not feel like cutting it open and styling it before the birthday and hence I did not post it. The rose-like appearance appealed to many so I had made a mental note to make another one along the same lines for the blog. I was excited at the idea of piping meringue roses and torching them to get the striped white-brown look. Even if you are not comfortable with piping it, spreading it on the cake like a frosting and torching will also give you a beautiful effect. I say this with conviction because at the very same time I piped this, I was covering another beauty with meringue for a Baked Alaska. You will get to see that too.

The cake itself is easy. One of the easiest I have ever made. No creaming butter or need to use a mixer. You can actually make it in a single bowl. In this case, a large saucepan maybe. The ingredient that gives the cake it’s rich brown colour and warm flavour is Treacle. If you like a good ginger cake or make a few during the year, Treacle is a great thing to have in your pantry. The intense caramel-like flavour is hard to replicate. I generally don’t replicate recipes…I try come up with my own. But this ginger cake from Good Food is a really good recipe. The only change I have made is add in a few spices. I have also provided the tentative measurements in cups for some of the ingredients that could help if you not always in the mood to weigh every little ingredient. This recipe will make a tall cake, enough to share with a a large group of people.

Ginger Cake with Meringue (cake recipe adapted with variation from Good Food)
Serves 8-10

200g butter
200g dark muscovado sugar (about 11/3 cup)
200g black treacle (about 1 1/3 cup)
2 large eggs, beaten
300ml milk
350g plain flour (about 3 cups)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
few chunks crystallised ginger/glace ginger, chopped

Meringue frosting
4 egg whites
1 cup castot sugar
cream of tartar, a pinch
powdered ginger, 1 tsp

Heat oven to 160 degreec C (140 for fan-forced). Grease and line a 19 cm round cake tin. Put the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a large pan and gently heat, stirring until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 mins.

Stir in the eggs and milk, then sift in the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, crystallised ginger and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well, then pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the cake is firm to the touch and springs back when pressed in the centre. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.

Once completely cooled, frost the cake with meringue frosting. Fill up a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe roses all around the sides and top of the cake. Alternatively, spread the frosting all over the cake. Using a blowtorch, toast the meringue.

To make the meringue, place the eggwhites, sugar and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl that is placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk continuously till the sugar dissolves (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and whip up the mixture with a electric or hand mixer to stiff peaks. Fold in the powdered ginger.

Ferrero Rocher Ice Cream Cheesecake

27|11|2014

The best of both worlds! A Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake and ice cream combined together to make a delicious frozen treat.

At work, we often had training sessions on personality development, leadership, team building and such things. I remember one of the mentors talking about the importance of ‘being at the right place at the right time. People who are able to do that are deemed smarter and successful. It always made me wonder what the right time was..who knows! I would say it has a bit to do with luck and a lot of persistence.
Ferrero Rocher chocolates (which happen to be the most favourite chocolate of mine) were the first things to go on sale at my local supermarket this year. I wouldn’t like to think of myself a person who keeps tabs on sales…in fact quite the oppsosite, but Ferrero Rochers at half price is a pretty big deal. I noticed it in the mailers and made a mental note to be there. By the time I went there, they were gone. Every single one of them. I checked with the store manager and he smiled. ‘They were gone in a couple of hours’. He told me they would be put up on the shelves again at the end of the week. This time I made sure I was there at the start of business. I waited for a few minutes since they told me that the new stocks hadn’t arrived. Finally I came back ,without the Ferrero Rochers of course. So I guess I was not at the right place at the right time. Or maybe at the wrong time at the right place. But here’s the twist to the story.

The same evening we attended a birthday party. There were two celebrations going on at the same time, one of them for a little girl. My boys came back with return gifts in pretty paper bags. When I opened them, what do I see! Yes, two boxes of Ferrero Rochers. Some things are just destined. Like this cake. Our weather totally demands it and the festivities call for it.

As much as I love cheesecakes and you see them often on the blog, I don’t enjoy the waiting time to photograph them. Which is mostly the next day to make sure they are are nicely set and hold up shape outside while I shoot them. This one being a ice cream blended cheesecake, took about 4 hours to set and the edges/sides were neat when I removed it from the spring-form pan. So you could make this even at the spur of the moment and you could have a gorgeous cake to serve after dinner. The cake has a chocolate cookie crust, a layer of ice-cream cheesecake filled with chopped Ferrero Rochers, a drizzle of chocolate sauce and more Ferrero Rocher Chocolates on top. It is really simple to make with no fancy equipment or technique. The taste is like a vanilla cheesecake with crunchy bits of chocolate and hazelnut in each bite. So good!

Though I did cut into the cheesecake the same day, I though it was better if you keep it longer in the freezer. Make sure to take it out 10 minutes before you serve it. The best thing is that the cake will keep for months in the freezer so it makes for a fantastic make-ahead dessert. When I had posted my Ferrero Rocher Mousse Cake a few months ago, I had smashed the chocolates in a zip-lock bag. This time I figured out, it was better to chop them up with a sharp knife. It makes it easier to handle the chocolates. You may use use store bought chocolate sauce to drizzle on top. I always have home made sauce in my fridge so I used that.

Ferrero Rocher Ice Cream Cheesecake
Makes a 19 cm round cake

200 g chocolate cookies
70 g unsalted butter
8-10 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, roughly chopped
400 g cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
500 ml vanilla ice-cream, slightly softened (I used store bought)
1/2 cup dark chocolate sauce (recipe below), to drizzle
8-10 Ferrero Rocher Chocolates, to decorate

For the dark chocolate sauce
100g dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup pouring/single cream
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Line the base of a 19 cm round Spring-form pan with baking paper.
Place the cookies in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix to combine. Alternatively, you could crush the biscuits with a rolling pin inside a zip-lock bag. Using your fingertips, press biscuit mixture over base of prepared pan. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until firm.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl (with a mixer or a whisk) until well blended. Add the ice cream and mix well. Gently fold in the chopped chocolates. Pour over the prepared crust. Freeze for 4 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving. When ready to serve, drizzle with chocolate sauce, top with remaining Ferrero Rocher chocolates and drizzle with more sauce.

To make Dark Chocolate Sauce: Combine chocolate, cream and sugar in a saucepan over a low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool. To store, pour into a cup/jar, cover and store in the refrigerator till needed. Warm up before using.

Orange, Honey, Rosemary and Chia Seed Friands/Financiers

24|11|2014

After a lovely little vacation in Melbourne, I am back to the precious confines of my home. Though to be honest, I did not miss cooking and baking, I was very excited at the sight of my kitchen when I came back. Melbourne is a colourful city. That was one of the first things that caught my eyes. The buildings can exist in any colour you dream of. Amongst the grey, brown walls or the striking blue waterbodies all over the city, there would be a yellow wall somewhere, red staircase, an orange coloured bridge…some blue boats floating around. It makes a lovely sight. My camera has been working overtime in the last few days..the birthday pictures of my twins, then Melbourne and the beautiful Victorian countryside. So much to share but I guess I will stick to food photos here. You can see my travel photos on Instagram.

So before I left for Melbourne, I made a birthday cake for my twins and we had an advance celebration at home. It was a big cake and we were happy to come back to it after a vacation of plentiful eating outside. It made a delicious dinner for me last night when I barely had the zeal to put a meal together. I also had these friands in my freezer that made a happy breakfast for all of us. My regular readers would know my love for friands…the lovechild of egg whites and almond meal, both of which I am totally obsessed with. I added some more love to it in the form of orange, honey, rosemary and chia seeds. It sounds like a lot of things happening in these friands but really, you can taste each one of those flavours. They are a treat.

The rosemary leaves add a subtle depth and paired with orange and honey, they elevates the sweet citrus notes to a different level. The chia seeds were a last minute addition because I was introduced to them recently and have been looking for ways to add them to recipes. They provide a crunch to these gorgeous little afternoon tea treats. The great thing about the recipe is that it is totally flexible. Use any nut meal, substitute orange with lemon or lime, use golden syrup or maple syrup instead of honey, poppy seeds in place of chia seed. There is so much you can do to it to make it your own. As you can see, I baked the friands in my mini bundt cake pan which was almost forgotten for a year. Friands can be baked in any shape and size so you can use muffin pans, friand molds or ramekins.

Here are a few photos of the birthday cake. It was a double chocolate cake with a swiss meringue buttercream.

Orange, Honey, Rosemary and Chia Seed Friands/Financiers
Makes 10

1 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
1 1/3 cups icing sugar, sifted
3/4 cup plain flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
5 eggwhites
125g butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
Finely grated Zest of 1 large orange
1 tbsp rosemary leaves (fresh or dried), finely chopped
1 tbsp chia seeds

Orange Syrup
Juice of 1 orange
1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease a 12- capacity muffin pan or mini bundt cake pan. Place the almond meal, icing sugar, flour, baking powder, eggwhites, butter, honey , orange zest, rosemary and chia seeds in a bowl and whisk until combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 20–25 minutes or until the friands are golden and cooked through. Remove from oven and release friands immediately. Drizzle with orange syrup .Cool on a wire racK.

To make the syrup : Place the orange juice and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove as soon as it comes to a boil and blends together.