dessert Archives - Page 52 of 57

Date and Carrot Cake

14|01|2014

So I finally made a cake. Though I couldn’t convince myself to loudly exclaim ‘my first dessert for 2014’! No ganache, no glaze..not even a sauce. Well, I am all about Sugar. The more the better. You know that already, don’t you! Dessert or no dessert…I leave that to you to decide. But this cake is good. So very good! Once it came out of the oven, I changed my mind about including a dessert sauce.

There are several reasons why I like this cake. First, it has a subtle caramel taste to it that comes from the dates. If you have never made a date cake before, I highly recommend it. Unlike nuts and raisins, you don’t bite into dates while eating a slice of the cake. They disintegrate and get lost in the batter adding a beautiful flavour and moisture to the cake. The cake is filled with great ingredients like carrots, seeds and nuts that not only make it filling but nutritious too. And the best one. You don’t need a mixer! You just add and stir.

The original recipe was that of a loaf. It always tasted amazing so I’ve been looking for an opportunity to turn it into a cake that can be served for any occasion. I made a few changes in the proportions and ingredients marrying a date cake to a carrot cake. And I loved it so much that I am making it again this week for friends. The first one was over before I had imagined it would.

The cake tastes best when warm. If you want to be fancy with it, you can serve butterscotch or caramel sauce alongside. Whipped cream would be great too. And if you are somewhere in this part of the world, chances are that you may want some ice-cream to go with it!

Date and Carrot Cake
Makes a 9 inch bundt cake

150g butter, chopped
1 cup brown sugar
11/4 cup chopped pitted dates
1 teaspoon mixed spice
11/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup nuts and seeds of your choice (sunflower kernels, walnuts, cashews, pepitas, raisins)
1 cup grated carrot

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease a 9 inch bundt cake pan.

Place butter, sugar, dates, spice and 11/2 cup cold water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until butter has melted and sugar dissolved. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Cool for 30 minutes.

Stir in eggs. Add flour, nuts and grated carrot. Stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Pretty In Pink. White Chocolate Cherry Mud Cake, Lemon Mousse, Pink Popcorn Glass

29|11|2013

It has been a while since I made a proper dessert. I mean.. like something different…not the usual. Delicate, multi layered, different elements, fancy garnishes. You know the kind.. when you look at the dessert, you immediately want to take out your mobile phone a snap a picture. The one that makes you hesitate a little bit because you think it’s too pretty to eat.

Yes, I am talking about the reactions to this one when I brought this to the table for my guests.

I have taken to pink lately (you know, right?). So it was a choice between raspberry, strawberry or a cherry based dessert. I chose the last one as I had a jar of maraschino cherries so if you want to make this you don’t have wait till berry or cherry season.

When I make such desserts with the cake as a base, I prefer a dacquoise or a mud cake. If mud cake is new to you, it’s a dense, slightly heavy cake that doesn’t crumb easily and is incredibly easy to make. We get chocolate and caramel versions everywhere in Australia. I made adjustments to my dark chocolate mud cake recipe by replacing it with white chocolate and the cherry syrup inside the jar. For the lemon mousse, I’ve added a little extra gelatine to my usual mousse recipe so it would hold together while piping.

The popcorn glass is a variation to a praline or a brittle. Instead of nuts, I’ve used crushed pink popcorn (store-bought). For me, the garnish is of utmost importance as that is what gives a dessert the ‘wow’ factor. If you are making this, try to use a mix of white and pink. It looks pretty that way.

By no means is this a light dessert. It is rich but oh so delicious! Sweet fudgy cherry cake, tangy creamy lemon mousse, crunchy bits of toffee and juicy plump maraschino cherries.

I haven’t been able to find a suitable name for this one. Any suggestions?
Also if you like this, you may want to check out this chocolate dessert and this duo.

White Chocolate Cherry Mud Cake, Lemon Mousse, Pink Popcorn Glass
Makes 6

White Chocolate Cherry Mud Cake

125 g butter, roughly chopped
100g white chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup castor sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup cherry syrup (from the jar)
1 cup plain flour
1 tbsp self-raising flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 medium eggs, lightly whisked
3-4 drops pink food colouring

Preheat oven to 160 degree C. Brush a 7 inch square or round cake pan with melted butter. Line the bases and sides with non-stick baking paper.

Combine the butter, chocolate, sugar, water and cherry syrup in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in combined flour. Stir in buttermilk and egg. Add the pink food colouring and mix till uniformly coloured. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled, cut into rectangles of 3 by 1.5 inch and keep aside.

Lemon Mousse
(this will make a lot of mousse. The recipe can either be halved or served as a dessert on its own)

1 cup lemon curd (store-bought or home-made, recipe here)
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp powdered gelatine
1 tbsp water

In a small bowl mix the gelatine and water and set aside for 5 minutes for the gelatine to bloom. Either in the microwave or using the double boiler method, gently heat the mixture so that the gelatine dissolves completely. Cool to room temperature.

Whisk the whipping cream and sugar till you reach soft peaks. Fold in the lemon curd gradually. Add the gelatine mixture and fold through. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Pink Popcorn Glass

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup pink popcorn, crushed

Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Spread the popcorn over the tray.

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Bring to the boil. Boil, without stirring, occasionally brushing down side of the pan with a wet pastry brush, for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Pour toffee evenly over the popcorn in the baking tray. Set aside for 10 minutes to set. Break into shards.

To serve : Fill up a piping bag with the lemon mousse and pipe swirls on a mud cake base. Repeat with the remaining bases. Top with Maraschino Cherries and popcorn glass.

Croissant Pudding

20|11|2013

There is not much to write about a Bread and Butter Pudding since it is so popular and probably one of the simplest recipes that exist. I make it all the time for my kids with different fruits, nuts and accompaniments. It is one of those recipes that you make and eat without giving much thought to. Then one day while flipping through a cookbook, the words ‘Croissant Pudding’ caught my eye…actually it was the picture that got my attention. Neat slices of pudding cut and served onto a plate. The idea instantly appealed to me. After all looks do matter and variety is the spice of life! And for some reason nothing excites me more than a recipe makeover.

We are big fans of Croissants so the hardest part is to let it stale for a day. My husband was quite disappointed when he found out that they were meant for a sweet recipe and not being served with afternoon tea. However, the kids loved it and went back for seconds. The pudding is not too heavy or rich on account of soaking the croissants in custard for about an hour, as the original recipe stated. Serve it with fruit or cream or even caramel sauce. The best thing about this pudding is that it tastes great, warm or cold.

It has been a busy week for me and our weather has not exactly been the best. But I have been feeling happy planning my boy’s birthday and on account of a few things that have been happening to my blog lately. My Cauliflower and Broccoli Gratin was featured on the Huffington Post and that made my weekend. This was exactly a month after the Golden Apple Ginger Cake was featured on the Kitchn. There have been others too but now I really don’t intend to blow my own trumpet. I just wanted to say that it means a lot to me to see all the hard work I do being recognised and appreciated. And to know that so many people out there give me their time…reading through my posts or pinning my pictures…following my recipes…I am overwhelmed…I am moved and I am ever so grateful.

Croissant Pudding (adapted with variation from the Delicious Cookbook)
Serves 6-8

4 croissants (preferably day-old), torn into large chunks
4 eggs
1/2 cup (110 g) castor sugar
300 ml milk
300 ml pure (thin) cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange
Caramel sauce, to serve
Toasted flaked almonds and seasonal fruit, to serve

Grease the base and sides of a 1-litre terrine or loaf pan and line with baking paper. Pack the croissants into the terrine or pan, then set aside.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until just combined. Place the milk, cream and vanilla pod and seeds in a saucepan over low heat and bring to just below boiling point, then gradually pour the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add the orange zest and whisk well to combine, then pour the mixture over the croissants in the pan and stand at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the custard to soak in – this will make for a lighter pudding.
Bake the pudding for 45 minutes until just set and golden on top (cover with foil if it’s browning too quickly). Remove the pudding from the oven, allow to cool slightly, then turn out and slice. Place on a serving platter and drizzle with caramel sauce and scatter with almonds and fruits.

Date Night Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Ice Cream

12|11|2013

Whether you are about to crank up the heaters in the Northern Hemisphere or heading to the beaches (I know I am…our weather is just suited for that at the moment) in the Southern Hemisphere, I’ve got you covered in this post. Of course there are things that are neither bound by season or time and are great in any form. Yes, I am talking about Chocolate and unable to contain my excitement about this interpretation of chocolate, I just dedicated an entire Category to Chocolate recipes in my Recipe Index page.

Hot chocolate needs no introduction. I’ve added chocolate ice cream to it and the hot-cold combination is just so amazing. And to make it special or rather ‘Date Night’ worthy, I have added a splash of Kahlua. You can add any liqueur of your choice…I’m thinking Irish Cream next time!

Honestly, I was never intending to post this because my blog is about recipes that are carefully thought about and researched, experimented, given personal touches whether it is about creating them or styling them. And this one is a no-brainer! But the pleasure you derive out of this simple recipe just overrides everything else. So, whether you are on a romantic date or a busy couple looking for a quick little after dinner treat to share together after the kids have gone to bed, this one is for you. This has become our Friday night ritual..I make the hot chocolate while my husband is ready with two glasses where the Kahlua has been poured and little rounds of ice cream have been scooped out ready to go into the hot chocolate. We then race back to the couch to catch the dripping chocolate as it overflows from the glass. His glass is empty in seconds but I take my time enjoying the whole experience.

Date Night Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Ice Cream
Serves 2

2 cups half and half (1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup milk)
100 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2 tbsp Kahlua or any liqueur of your choice
4 scoops of chocolate ice cream
Marshmallows/Chocolate Chips/Cocoa Powder to serve

Pour 1 tbsp Kahlua in two serving glasses and keep aside. Place the half and half and chocolate in a saucepan. Put the saucepan on medium heat and stir till all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth (about 5 minutes).

Pour into the serving glasses. Top with chocolate ice cream. Serve with Chocolate wafers or chocolate chips or a dusting of cocoa powder.