Ginger peach muffins

When it comes to Eddie Murphy’s movies there are only two I like, but the first bite into one of these muffins and “The Heat is On” popped in my head. :)

The ginger adds a fresh, delicious kick to these muffins and I was amazed by how well the flavor goes with peaches.

Ginger peach muffins
from Good to the Grain

Topping:
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2-3 small peaches, ripe but firm
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey

Batter:
1 cup (100g) oat flour
¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour
½ cup (70g) whole wheat flour
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (44g) dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
generous pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick/84g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup (180ml) whole milk, room temperature
½ cup (130g) plain yogurt
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; generously butter a muffin pan with a 1/3 capacity.
Grate the ginger into a bowl – some will be used for the topping and the rest in the batter.
For the topping: halve the peaches, remove the pits, then slice the halves into slices about ¼ in thick. Add the butter, honey and 1 teaspoon of the ginger to a medium-size frying pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the ingredients melt and begin to bubble, about 2 minutes. Add the peaches, toss the pan to coat them with the syrup, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Make the batter: sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back any grain or other ingredients that may remain in the sifter. In a small bowl, whisk well the butter, milk, yogurt, egg and remaining ginger. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined – do not overmix. Scoop the batter into 9 holes of the prepared muffin pan – the batter should be slightly mounded above the edge. Lay one or two slices of peach over each muffin. Fill the empty cavities of the pan halfway with water before placing it in the oven.
Bake for 24-28 minutes or until the muffins are golden and smell nutty – gently twist a muffin out of the pan to check it – and the edges of the peaches are caramelized. Remove from the oven, wait 2-3 minutes, then very gently remove the muffins from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack to cool – do that to avoid soggy muffins.

Makes 9 – I used a muffin pan of the same size and got 12

Cherry and almond tartlets

I know, I know – another cherry tart in less than a week… But be honest with me: would you be able to resist such a beautiful dessert? I ran to the kitchen the moment the magazine arrived at my door. :D

Cherry and almond tartlets
slightly adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Filling:
500g crème fraîche*
100ml pouring cream
20g pure icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
fresh cherries, to serve

Cherry vanilla jam:
300g cherries, pitted and halved
1 cup (200g) caster (superfine) sugar
juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

Almond pastry:
90g natural almonds
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (100g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (300g) all purpose plain flour

For cherry vanilla jam, combine ingredients in a saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches setting point (6-8 minutes; see note), refrigerate until well chilled (1-2 hours).

Meanwhile, for almond pastry, process almonds in a food processor to form coarse crumbs (1 minute). Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until creamy, scrape down sides of bowl, add flour and almonds, beat to just combine. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.
Butter a 20x28cm rectangular tart pan.
Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick and line the prepared pan, trim edges, prick with a fork and freeze until firm (30 minutes).
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line the pastry with a large piece of foil and fill it with baking weights or dried beans. Bake until light golden (10-12 minutes), remove paper and weights/beans, bake until golden and crisp (6-8 minutes), cool completely.
Whisk crème fraîche, cream and icing sugar in a bowl until firm peaks form (2-3 minutes), refrigerate until required.
Spread jam in base of pastry case, spoon over crème fraîche mixture, top with fresh cherries, dust with icing sugar and serve.

Note: to test for a jam’s setting point, place several saucers in the freezer before you start cooking the jam. When the mixture becomes thick, remove from heat, spoon a little onto a chilled saucer and return to freezer for 30 seconds. When you draw your finger through the mixture it should hold a trail. If it doesn’t, cook for 1-2 minutes longer and test again.

* I made a different filling, inspired by a trifle recipe by Bill Granger: I combined equal parts of heavy cream and plain yogurt (1/3 cup of each for ½ the recipe above), 1 tablespoon icing sugar and the seeds of ½ a vanilla bean, then beat the ingredients together until soft peaks formed

Serves 6 – I halved the recipe above, used 9cm tartlet pans and got 10 tartlets

Plum burnt-butter pistachio cakes

I love stone fruit but they are not around for long – it’s time to enjoy these delicious treats while they’re in season here.

These cakes come from this beautiful magazine and even though I am crazy for plums they are not 100% necessary in this recipe: the burnt-butter pistachio cakes are so amazing I recommend them even without the fruit topping.

Plum burnt-butter pistachio cakes
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs
2/3 cup (133g) caster (superfine) sugar
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) all purpose flour
75g finely ground pistachios
6 plums, halved and stones removed

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour six 1-cup capacity mini cake pans.
Place butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until dark golden, remove from heat and cool completely. Combine eggs and sugar in an electric mixer and whisk for 5 minutes or until thick and pale. Add flour and pistachios and whisk to combine, then fold in cooled butter. Divide mixture among prepared pans. Place 2 plum halves, cut-side down, over each and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Stand in pans for 5 minutes then carefully turn out and cool on a wire rack (the cakes are very tender).
Serve cakes warm or at room temperature.

Makes 6 – I halved the recipe, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity pans and got 5 mini cakes (used ½ plum per cake)

Bill’s cherry tart

I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas series!

I thought that this delicious tart would be perfect as my last post before Christmas: it’s pretty much a clafoutis with a crust – I am a crust kind of girl – and the recipe comes from one of my all time favorite cooks.

Happy Holidays!

Bill’s cherry tart
from Holiday

Pastry:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons (90g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons almond meal (finely ground almonds)

Filling:
170ml heavy cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
550g fresh cherries, halved and pitted – I used only 450g

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; butter a 24cm (9 ½ in) round loose-bottomed tart pan*. Make the pastry: stir together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour and salt and stir to make a soft dough. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press evenly into the base and sides of the pan using your fingertips. Put the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the pastry is slightly puffy. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the almond meal over the base.
Now, make the filling: in a large bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, vanilla and sugar. Add the flour and whisk until well mixed. Arrange the cherries, slightly overlapping, over the pastry base and pour the cream filling evenly over the cherries.
Return the tart to the oven for a further 40-50 minutes or until the filing is firm and golden. Leave to cool and serve with cream or ice cream.

*use a pan with high sides otherwise it won’t hold all the cream mixture

Serves 8-10

Mince pie cupcakes with brandy butter icing

If I tell you that I kept this recipe in a very special place since January already thinking of this Christmas series will you promise not to think I am insane? :)

These cupcakes are incredibly tender and moist, one of the most delicious cupcakes I have made so far; they are so good that a simpler icing could be used with great results – or no icing at all.

Mince pie cupcakes with brandy butter icing
from Delicious Magazine

Cupcakes:
½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
150g good quality fruit mince
¾ cup (105g) self raising flour
1 tablespoons corn starch
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Brandy butter icing:
1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups (245g) icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon brandy

Start with the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a 12-hole muffin pan – 1/3 cup capacity each cavity – with paper cases (you’ll get 10 cupcakes from this recipe; fill the empty cavities with water before placing the pan in the oven).
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, then beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bowl with a silicone spatula.
Fold in the fruit mince and stir until well incorporated. Sift the flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt over the mixture and carefully fold together with the spatula – do not overmix.
Divide the batter among the prepared pans filling each cavity two-thirds full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until risen and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean – the cakes will appear moist, even when cooked.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Make the icing: in the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, add the milk and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, then beat until you have a smooth, light and creamy buttercream. Beat in the brandy.
Ice the cupcakes with the buttercream and decorate with candy canes, sugar flowers or silver sugar balls.

Makes 10

White chocolate gingerbread blondies

I’m a sucker for spices – you’ve probably noticed that – and the word “gingerbread” gets me drooling already; can you guess what I felt when I found Martha’s gingerbread recipe collection? :)

The only problem was choosing ONE recipe to make - luckily for me the bag of white chocolate chips in my pantry helped me out a little. ;)

White chocolate gingerbread blondies
from here

2 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon (395g) all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks/282g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cups (218g) packed light-brown sugar
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (124g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 ¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (80ml) unsulfured molasses
280g (10oz) white chocolate, coarsely chopped - I used chips

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 42x30cm (17x12in) rimmed baking sheet, line with foil and butter the foil as well.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
Beat butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate.
Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes*. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 5cm (2in) squares or desired shape.
The blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

* I needed to bake mine for 35 minutes, the mixture puffed while in the oven then flattened in the center after cooling

Makes 4 dozen 5cm (2in) squares – I made 2/3 of the recipe above, used a 20cm (8in) square pan and got 16 squares

Gingerbread caramels

My friend Ana Elisa’s adventure in making torrone reminded me of how much work these caramels were: it took forever for the mixture to achieve the desired temperature, and I was melting in my kitchen while stirring it; after that, another century went by before I finished cutting them, oiled knife and all. Not to mention they were super soft and hard to wrap, too.

You’ll probably ask me why on earth I am posting such recipe – well, all the trouble slipped my mind the minute I tasted one caramel. :)

Gingerbread caramels
adapted from Pure Dessert, flavor idea from here

¾ cup corn syrup
¼ cup molasses
2 cups (400g) caster (superfine) sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Line the bottom and sides of a 22cm (9in) square pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the corn syrup, molasses, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3 liter (3-quart) saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 150°C/305°F. Meanwhile, heat the cream with the spices in a small saucepan until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 150°C/305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 118°C/245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 126°C/260°F for soft, chewy caramels or 129°C/265°F for firmer chewy caramels.

Remove the pan from the heat pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.

* the flavor of the spices was very discreet in the finished caramels, so you might want to increase the amounts for a real gingerbread kick

Makes about 80 – I got 100

Cinnamon-chocolate fruit mince tarts

I’d been meaning to make mincemeat pies forever, because I think they look absolutely adorable! But I always gave up at the idea of using suet, or anything similar to it.

That is why this recipe is perfect: besides being suet-free, both the pastry and the filling are delicious, with a not-very-Christmas-but-yummy hint of chocolate.

Cinnamon-chocolate fruit mince tarts
slightly adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

270g dark brown sugar
300g raisins
300g dried cranberries
3 tablespoons brandy
100g unsalted butter, melted
100g glacé orange, finely chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, coarsely grated
1 orange, finely grated zest and juice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons demerara sugar, for scattering

Cinnamon pastry:
180g softened unsalted butter
200g pure icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
500g all purpose flour
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients except chocolate and demerara sugar in a large bowl, stir to combine, then spoon into sterilized jars* and refrigerate for at least 1 day or up to 2 weeks, inverting jar occasionally. Makes about 5 cups of fruit mince.
For cinnamon pastry, beat butter, sugar and cinnamon in an electric mixer until creamy, but not fluffy (4-5 minutes). Add eggs one at a time and beat until well combined. Beat in flour and salt, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until just smooth (at this point I needed to add 1 ½ tablespoons of flour because the dough was too soft), then divide pastry in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours to rest.
Roll out each pastry half on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick, cut out 11cm-diameter rounds with a pastry cutter, place on a tray and refrigerate until required. Cut out small stars or other decorative shapes from the pastry scraps, place on a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate until required. Re-roll any remaining scraps to 3mm thick, refrigerate until firm (30 minutes), then cut out more rounds and decorative shapes with small biscuit cutters and add shapes to tray.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; butter twenty four ½ cup (120ml) capacity muffin pans. Line the pans with the pastry rounds and refrigerate until required.
Add chocolate to fruit mince mixture, stir to combine. Spoon fruit mince mixture into each pastry-lined pan, leaving a 5mm gap at top. Top each with a pastry shape, brush lightly with water, scatter with demerara sugar and bake until pastry is golden and crisp (12-15 minutes). Cool completely in pans, then remove. Fruit mince tarts will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

* I did not sterilize the jars and kept the mince mixture in the fridge for only 2 days

Makes 24 – I made 1/3 of the recipe above, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity pans and got 12 tartlets

Christmas muffins

These muffins are delicious and I think they are a great idea for breakfast on Christmas morning; on top of that I thought you deserved a simple recipe – one that doesn’t require making custard, soaking and processing dates or waiting for hours for cookies. :D

Christmas muffins
slightly adapted from here

2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 ½ cups (390g) plain yogurt
1 egg*
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup (110g) dried sweetened cranberries
1 cup (150g) fresh pitted cherries, quartered
demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F; line twelve 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity muffin pans with paper liners.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl, add the sugar and mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, egg and oil. Add to the flour mixture with the cranberries and cherries and mix with a fork until just combined – do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, sprinkle with the demerara sugar and bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

*I would definitely use 2 eggs if making this recipe again

Makes 12

Christmas cookies

This blog could not have a Christmas series without cookies, right? ;)

These were absolutely delicious and made me feel bad for not liking hazelnuts – the nuts were wonderful combined with the chocolate, the candied orange peel and the spices.

Christmas cookies
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (175g) brown sugar, packed
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour, sifted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves
1 egg, lightly whisked
90g roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup (180g) dark chocolate chips
80g candied orange peel, coarsely chopped – recipe here

Beat butter in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle until creamy, add sugar and salt, then add flour and spices and mix until combined. Add the egg, beat in low speed to combine, then stir through de hazelnuts, chocolate chips and orange peel. Divide mixture in two, spoon onto a large piece of baking paper, roll away from you to form a cylinder – like Martha does here – twist ends to seal and refrigerate until firm (1 hour).
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Remove baking paper from cookie mixture, slice mixture into 1cm-thick slices* and place on prepared sheets, 5cm (2in) apart. Bake, swapping sheets halfway through cooking time, until golden (10-12 minutes). Cool in baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cookies will keep stored in an airtight container for 5 days.

* the logs were impossible to slice even after 3 hours in the fridge, so I made balls with the dough – 1 leveled tablespoon per cookie – placed onto prepared baking sheets and pressed lightly before baking

Makes about 50 if using 1 leveled tablespoon of dough per cookie

Fluffy ginger and date cake

I love it when something great leads you into something equally good: just like “500 Days of Summer” got me to this amazing song, this delicious cake got me into trying – and liking – dates.

Fluffy ginger and date cake
from Donna Hay magazine

2 cups + 2 tablespoons (300g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
3 cups (420g) pitted dates, chopped
1 cup (240ml) boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
200g unsalted butter, room temperature, chopped
1 ½ cups (262g) brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
Icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 26x16cm baking pan*, line with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and ginger into a large bowl and set aside.
Place the dates, water and baking soda in a bowl, mix and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, add the butter and sugar and process until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and process well. Pour over the flour mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until risen and cooked when tested with a toothpick. Allow to cool in the pan, then carefully unmold. Cut into squares or diamond shapes and dust with icing sugar to serve.

* I made the exact recipe but used a square 25cm (10in) pan and baked the cake for 40 minutes (it yielded 16 squares)

Serves 10-12

Eggnog ice cream

Is there a better way to start something than starting it with ice cream? I thought so. ;)

My Christmas series has begun and I hope you enjoy the ideas for your holidays; David Lebovitz says that this ice cream goes wonderful with holiday desserts – and I believe him – but you must know that it goes well with just a sprinkling of freshly ground nutmeg, too.

Just make sure you read the amounts of booze before preparing the recipe – I don’t want to be accused of making everyone drunk with ice cream... ;)

Eggnog ice cream
from The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments

1 cup (240ml) whole milk
2/3 cup (133g) caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream to cool. Mix in the nutmeg, brandy, rum and vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath – I just let it cool over the counter, then refrigerated it.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. Once the mixture is cold, taste it and grate in more nutmeg if you wish. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes about 1 liter (1 quart)

Cheesecake swirl chocolate brownies

I’ve been on a White Rabbit vibe these days – feeling terrible late with lots of things to do before I’m officially on vacation.

I’ll leave you with these brownies while I try to deal with my chaotic day. :)

Cheesecake swirl chocolate brownies
from Donna Hay magazine

200g dark chocolate, chopped
250g unsalted butter, room temperature, chopped
1 ¾ cups (306g) brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (196g) all purpose flour, sifted
¼ teaspoon baking powder, sifted
1/3 cup (30g) cocoa, sifted
pinch of salt

Cheesecake swirl:
250g cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup + ½ tablespoon (73g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; lightly butter a 22cm (9in) square pan and line the bottom and sides with foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Butter foil as well.
Place chocolate and butter in a large saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool for 2 minutes, then add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and whisk well to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and set aside.
Make the cheesecake swirl: place the cream cheese, sugar and eggs in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Place large spoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture on top of the chocolate mixture and, using a butter knife, swirl to partially combine – you want a marbled effect, so do not overmix.
Bake for 50 minutes or until set.

Makes 12 – I made 2/3 of the recipe above and used a 20cm (8in) square pan

Raspberry trifle cupcakes

I have to tell you two things about these cupcakes: first, they were delicious; second, the icing was a bit of a pain in the neck to make – I beat it forever using the electric mixer and it still did not firm up like the one on the magazine (I believe it happened because I used a different kind of cream).

It was not as quick as I’d expected it to be, but I wasn’t determined not to quit – I was already feeling bad for quitting “In Bruges” after watching it for 50 minutes...

Raspberry trifle cupcakes
from Donna Hay magazine

Cupcakes:
250g unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons (274g) caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (337g) all purpose flour
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
generous pinch of salt
1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
1 cup frozen raspberries
¼ cup (60ml) sweet sherry*

Whipped custard icing:
1 ½ cups (360ml) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
4 egg yolks
¼ cup + ½ tablespoon (56g) caster sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 cup double (thick) cream**
1 tablespoon icing sugar

Start by making the custard: place the heavy cream and vanilla (seeds and bean) in a saucepan over low heat and cook until just comes to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reheat the mixture. Place the egg yolks, sugar and corn starch in a bowl and whisk thick and pale. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture over the yolks, whisking continuously. Return to the saucepan and stir over low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Let cool, then refrigerate until required.
Now, the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two 12-hole ½ cup (120ml) capacity muffin pans with paper cases. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Sift over the flour, baking powder and salt and beat until combined. Add milk and beat in low speed until combined. Fold in the raspberries. Divide batter among prepared pans and bake for 15-18 minutes or until risen and cooked through when tested with a toothpick. Carefully remove from the pan and place on a wire rack. Drizzle the warm cupcakes with the sherry and cool completely.
Finish the icing: add the double cream and the icing sugar to the cool custard and whisk until stiff peaks form. Spoon the icing over the cupcakes.

*I didn’t have any sherry at home, so I drizzled the cupcakes with vanilla extract
** there is no double cream in Brazil, so I whipped 1 cup whipping cream until stiff peaks formed, combined it with the custard then whipped it again

Makes 24 – I made ¼ of the recipe above, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity pans and got 6 cupcakes

Jam buns

Yeasted challenged, fear not: these buns are absolutely easy to make and good to finish up that jar of jam that has been around your fridge for weeks (months, maybe?). :D

It’s not even right for me to take the credit over these – the standing ovation should go to my stand mixer.

Jam buns
from Donna Hay magazine

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 tablespoons caster sugar
¾ cup (180ml) lukewarm whole milk
2 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (337g) all purpose flour
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, melted
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup raspberry jam or your favorite flavor
1 egg yolk, extra
2 tablespoons heavy cream
icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

Place the yeast, 2 teaspoons of the sugar and the milk in a large bowl and mix to combine. Set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface.
Add the flour, butter, yolk and remaining sugar to the yeast mixture and mix until a soft dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding a little flour to the dough if it becomes too sticky – avoid adding too much flour or the dough will become tough. Make a ball with the dough, place in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover with plastic and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Butter a large baking sheet. Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll into balls. Press out into circles measuring about 12cm (5in) in diameter and spoon 1 teaspoon of the ham into the center of each. Carefully fold over the dough to enclose the filling and pinch to seal. Place pinched side down onto prepared sheet.
Using a sharp knife, make a small cut in the top of each roll. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Whisk together the yolk and the cream and brush over the buns. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until dark golden. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with the icing sugar – the jam is extremely hot when the buns first come out of the oven, so handle and eat with care.

Makes 16

Butter cake (like the ones grandma used to make)

Let’s take a sweet turn on the simple recipe subject: a delicious and tender cake, that goes wonderfully with a cup of tea or coffee – making it could not be easier: you just throw all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well; no elbow grease needed – the electric mixer will take care of that for you.

The icing here is completely optional – you can go for a dust of icing sugar – but I wanted the cake to look exactly like the ones my grandmother used to make when I was a kid. :D

Butter cake
from Modern Classics Book 2: Cookies, Biscuits & Slices, Small Cakes, Cakes, Desserts, Hot Puddings, Pies & Tarts (Morrow Cookbooks)

Cake:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, very well softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (218g) caster sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ cups + 1 ½ tablespoons (225g) all purpose flour, sifted
½ teaspoon baking powder, sifted
¼ teaspoon baking soda, sifted
pinch of salt
½ cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature

Icing:
1 cup (140g) icing sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice or water

Preheat the oven to 160°C; butter a 20cm (8in) round cake pan, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Place the butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and milk in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat on low speed until combined.
Scrape the sides of the bowl, then beat in high speed until the mixture is just smooth.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until risen, golden and cooked through when tested with a toothpick. Allow to cool in the pan, on a wire rack, for 5 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack. Let cool completely.
Make the icing: place the sugar in a small bowl and gradually add the juice/water, mixing until smooth (add more liquid if necessary). Drizzle over the cake.

Serves 8

Tomato, arugula and grana padano tart and a Sunday miracle

A miracle happened in my house last Sunday – I said I was going to make this tart for lunch and Joao said he was going to eat it, too. :D
After lunch, he said the tart was delicious, which made me both surprised and happy – those of you with picky eaters at home know the feeling... :)

It’s a very simple recipe, with almost no cooking involved, but I had to share it with you.

Tomato, arugula and grana padano tart
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Grana padano pastry*:
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
100g chilled unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (34g) finely grated grana padano – or use parmesan as in the original recipe

Mustard dressing:
½ tablespoon olive oil
juice of 1 lime
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Topping:
500g mixed baby tomatoes, such as yellow grape, cherry and baby Roma – halve the larger ones and leave the small ones whole
1 small bunch of arugula
shaved grana padano, to serve

For grana padano pastry, process flour and butter in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add grana padano, process to combine, add 2 tablespoons (or more) iced water, pulsing to form a dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, knead lightly to form a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled (1 hour). Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 35cm-diameter round and line a lightly buttered 24cm-diameter tart pan, trim edges and prick base with a fork. Freeze for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter the shiny side of a large piece of aluminum foil place it, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Fill with baking weights/dried beans. Bake pastry until light golden (15-25 minutes), then carefully remove paper and weights and bake until golden and crisp (5-10 minutes). Set aside to cool completely.
For mustard dressing, whisk ingredients in a large bowl to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Add tomato to dressing, toss lightly to combine, then transfer to pastry case. Toss the arugula leaves in the dressing too and place some leaves over the tomatoes (you’ll serve the remaining leaves with the tart slices). Scatter over grana padano shaves and serve immediately.

* I kept the pastry in the freezer (well wrapped in plastic) for 1 week; thawed it in the fridge overnight before using – it worked perfectly.

Serves 4 as a light meal – the hubby and I ate the whole thing and there was nothing left. :D

Rhubarb and vanilla crumble

If you read this post the fact that I burned my tongue eating this crumble will come as no surprise. :D

I made the crumble before the tartlets, and my curiosity for the rhubarb flavor would not be stopped by a piping hot bowl of dessert, right?

Just so you know it, it was all worth it. :D

Rhubarb and vanilla crumble
from Simple Essentials Fruit

850g rhubarb, trimmed and chopped
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (162g) demerara sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped with the back of a knife

Topping:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (78g) caster sugar
100g unsalted butter, cold and chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Combine the rhubarb, sugar and vanilla bean and seeds in a bowl. Transfer to a 6-cup (1.5l) capacity ovenproof dish. To make the topping, combine the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and rub with your fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pile the mixture on top of the fruit and bake for 50 minutes or until the topping is golden and the fruit is soft.

Serves 4 – I made 1/3 of the recipe above and used a 2 ½ cup (600ml) capacity bowl

Chock-full of chocolate chip cookies

Yes, people, chocolate chips again – the person behind this blog has serious problems trying to control herself sometimes, and that can result in the purchase of a 2.5kg (over 5oz) bag of chocolate chips. So get ready to see loads of chips around here (luckily the chocolate is excellent and I can melt it to make brownies and such). :)

Speaking of control – or the lack of it – buying a huge bag of chocolate chips is nothing compared to watching 36 episodes of my newest favorite show in 2 weeks – hadn’t things like WORK gotten in the way I could have done that in 3 days. :D

Chock-full of chocolate chip cookies
from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook

1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (88g) packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons (72g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups (24 oz/672g) semisweet chocolate chips – I used chips with 70% cocoa solids

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute – the mixture may look curdled, but that’s OK. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Use a tablespoon to drop heaping spoonfuls of dough ( about 3 level tablespoons each) onto prepared sheets, spacing the cookies 7.5cm (3in) apart (I rolled into balls and pressed slightly before baking).
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are lightly browned and the centers are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack with a wide metal spatula (cookies will flatten slightly as they cool).
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

Makes 27 cookies - I halved the recipe, used 2 leveled tablespoons of dough per cookie and got 17

Lemon-poppy seed cake with vanilla-cream cheese frosting and 4 years of blogging

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! You guys are the best! ♥

I turned 32 a couple of days ago, and this blog turns 4 today – for this double celebration I baked a lemon cake (and please let’s pretend you are surprised with the flavor choice). :D

Lemon-poppy seed cake with vanilla-cream cheese frosting
slightly adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Cake:
3 cups (420g) cake flour*
2 cups (400g) caster sugar
4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 cup (2 sticks/226g) unsalted butter, room temperature, coarsely chopped
grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 ¼ cups (300ml) buttermilk
5 egg whites
1/3 cup (80ml) water

Vanilla cream cheese frosting:
2 vanilla beans
5 cups (700g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
224g (8oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter three 20cm (8in) round cake pans. Line the bottom of each with a round of parchment paper and butter the paper.
Combine the flour, 1 ¾ cups (350g) of the sugar, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on low speed to blend the ingredients and break up any lumps, about 30 seconds. Add the butter, lemon zest and 1 cup of the buttermilk to the flour mixture. Beat on low – be careful, the flour may fly everywhere – until completely mixed. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1-2 minutes to lighten and aerate the batter.
In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites with the remaining ¼ cup buttermilk; whisk to blend thoroughly. Add this mixture to the batter in 2-3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating only enough to incorporate. Divide the batter among the prepared pans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
While the cakes are cooling, make the lemon syrup: in a small nonreactive saucepan, combine the remaining ¼ cup (50g) of sugar, the lemon juice and the water. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Turn out the cake layers onto wire racks and generously brush them hot lemon syrup over the warm cakes to moisten evenly. Let cool completely.

Make the frosting: split the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the sugar with the back of a knife. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Continue to beat until very fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat well.

Assembling the cake: place one cake layer, top side down, on a cake plate and spread about a fifth of the frosting over the cake to cover evenly. Repeat with the second cake layer + another fifth of the frosting, then place the third layer on top. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Garnish with whatever strikes your fancy.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Serves 12-16 – I made the exact cake recipe above but only 2/3 of the frosting and it was enough to fill and frost the entire cake