Yogurt passion fruit cake

I have not posted on this blog in such a long time I wonder if there is still anyone around. Life is hectic and I no longer have time to write each recipe in two different languages, therefore I have focused on my blog written in Portuguese (and even there I have not been able to post regularly).

Cakes are probably my favorite thing to bake and that is why I bring you a cake recipe today, after all this time: it is adapted from several different recipes that are prepared using the yogurt empty package. Since those can vary quite a lot from one place to the other, I have used measuring cups/grams in order to make the recipe work for everyone, no matter where they live. I added passion fruit pulp with the seeds because I love how beautiful they make the cake look, but if you don’t like them just strain the pulp before using it in the recipe.

Yogurt passion fruit cake
adapted from several different recipes

Cake:
2 ¼ cups (315g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
¾ cup plain whole milk yogurt
¾ cup (180ml) canola oil
1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup (120ml) passion fruit pulp, with the seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Syrup:
¼ cup (60ml) passion fruit pulp, with the seeds
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter a 10-cup capacity Bundt pan.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon just until smooth – do not overmix or the cake will be tough.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack.

In those 20 minutes, make the syrup: place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook for further 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy. Brush the hot syrup over the warm cake. Cool completely and serve.

Serves 10-12

Cornmeal, coconut and marmalade cake

I bought Ottolenghi’s beautiful book ages ago and if I am not mistaken the first recipe I made from it was the semolina, coconut and marmalade cake – it is delicious and the recipe yields two cakes: you can enjoy one while making other people’s day better sharing the second loaf.

One day I wanted to make this cake again, however I did not have any semolina at home. I decided then to use corn flour instead and it worked beautifully. Feel free to use one or the other.

Cornmeal, coconut and marmalade cake
slightly adapted from the wonderful Jerusalem

Cake:
¾ cup (180ml) sunflower oil
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 cup (240ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
160g orange marmalade
3 large eggs
70g granulated sugar
70g unsweetened desiccated coconut
90g all purpose flour
180g fine corn flour
2 tablespoons almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Soaking syrup:
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
140ml water
1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Whisk together the oil, orange zest and juice, marmalade, and eggs until the marmalade dissolves. In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and add to the wet ingredients. Mix until well combined. The mixture should be runny.
Butter or brush with oil, line two 1-lb loaf pans (8½x4½ in/22x11cm) with baking paper and butter the paper as well. Divide the filling evenly between them. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in a cake comes out clean and the tops turn an orangey brown.

Near the end of the baking time, place the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, start brushing them with the hot syrup using a pastry brush; you’ll need to do this in a few goes, allowing the syrup to soak in for a minute or two before you carry on brushing with more syrup. Make sure you use up all the syrup and it is all absorbed into the cakes.
Cool completely on the pans over a wire rack.

Makes 2 cakes

Almond, coconut and lime cake

Hello, is there anyone here? :)

It has been a while since I last published a recipe on this blog, and it has been a while since cooked anything new or interesting – I no longer know what baking is, but I’ve told you that already.

Nothing has changed in nearly a month: I’m still working like crazy (and on top of that I have resumed my Spanish classes), I rarely feel like cooking or baking and I don’t think I ever longed for weekends so much in my life before. I hope things get calmer with time and I also hope to be able to go back to cooking, baking and posting here more regularly, for it is something that makes me really happy.

While that doesn’t happen, I hope that after all this time there is still someone reading me for this cake deserves to be shared: it is absolutely delicious, tender and perfumed, and I am sure that I would feel a lot better now if there was still a slice of it around. :)

Almond, coconut and lime cake
slightly adapted from the über beautiful Summer Berries & Autumn Fruits: 120 Sensational Sweet & Savoury Recipes

Cake:
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 2 limes
1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
1 ¾ cups (175g) almond meal
½ cup (50g) unsweetened desiccated coconut
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) all purpose fl our
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
4 medium eggs – I used 3 very large eggs, 70g each
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 rounded tablespoons sour cream*

Syrup:
freshly squeezed juice of 2 limes
100ml water
2 ½ tablespoons honey
1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a tall 20cm round cake pan, line the bottom with a circle of baking paper and butter it as well.

Place the sugar and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer and rub with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Remove from the heat, stir in the olive oil and leave to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond meal, coconut, flour, baking powder and salt.
Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until they are very thick and pale, tripled in volume and leave a ribbon trail when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Gently fold the almond mixture, then fold in the butter mixture and sour cream. Pour into the pan, smooth the top and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40-50 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Syrup: in a small saucepan, bring the lime juice, water, honey and sugar to the boil. Continue to bubble steadily until reduced by half and syrupy.
Leave the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for five minutes. Using a wooden skewer, make holes all over the top of the cake, then slowly pour over the syrup, gradually, waiting for each portion to be absorbed by the cake before pouring more. Let cool completely in the pan.

*homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serve 8-10

Almond syrup cake and more bad TV news

I apparently spoke too soon, guys – days ago I found out that another one of my favorite TV series has been cancelled. :(

The good thing is I’m not the only one disappointed by the news about Hannibal and like me many others are hoping that the show gets saved by Netflix or some other network – let's hope it works, right, boys? ;)

I’ve loved Hannibal ever since its beginning – how could I not? – and might be a little behind on the episodes because so many other shows have grabbed my attention lately, but it is still one of the best series I’ve seen even though I know it might be a little too graphic for many people – I don’t mind the gore at all because in that case it is absolutely necessary to the story being told, and not only splashed there to shock.

I haven’t baked much lately (which is a shame), but I did make this delicious cake weeks ago and here it is: I know I can be a little too repetitive when it comes to almond cakes – or TV shows ;) – but this one is really special: it tastes delicious and if there’s any syrup left after the cake is gone it is wonderful poured over pancakes or waffles.

Almond syrup cake
slightly adapted from the always gorgeous Donna Hay Magazine

Cake:
3 eggs
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 ¼ cups (125g) almond meal
1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
finely grated zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons Amaretto
½ cup (60g) flaked almonds

Syrup:
1 cup (240ml) water
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (60ml) Amaretto

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20cm (8in) round cake pan, line the bottom with a circle of baking paper and butter it as well.

Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for about 8 minutes or until thick, pale and tripled in volume. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour, baking powder, salt, almond meal, butter, lemon zest and Amaretto. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan over a wire rack while you make the syrup: place water, sugar, vanilla and Amaretto in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until reduced and thickened. Pour ¾ of the hot syrup over the cake gradually, making sure it gets absorbed by the cake before pouring more syrup. Cool completely in the pan, then carefully unmold.

Serve the cake with the remaining syrup.

Serves 8-10

Lemon and lavender loaf cake

Days have been cold here lately – which is something I absolutely love – but that makes it hard for the butter to soften in my freezing kitchen, making my morning baking sessions a bit of a challenge. Add to that that I only had a few spoonfuls of almond meal in the fridge and the idea of baking Nigel Slater’s divine lemon cake had to be postponed.

Nigel’s is currently my favorite lemon cake – with Alisa Huntsman’s simple yet delicious cake right behind it – and my plans were to make it again, swapping the thyme for something else, like caraway seeds or lavender – that was when I remembered seeing a lemon lavender cake in Paul Hollywood’s beautiful cookbook, and since his method involved melted butter it became ideal for my chilly morning. The addition of yogurt and the drizzle poured over the cake in the end make it moist and flavorsome.

If you have time to let your butter soften and have 100g of almond meal around, make Nigel’s cake; if not, Paul’s recipe is exactly what you need – and you can get creative and replace the lavender with whatever strikes your fancy.

Lemon and lavender loaf cake
slightly adapted from the delicious Paul Hollywood's Pies and Puds

Cake:
250g all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
125g granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons edible lavender
2 large eggs
200g full-fat yogurt*
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Drizzle:
juice of 2 lemons, strained
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 1kg loaf pan (around 10x20cm/4x8in base measurement), line it with baking parchment and butter the paper as well.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and lavender.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the yogurt, lemon zest, melted butter and vanilla. Pour this onto the dry ingredients and, using a spatula, stir until just combined – do not overmix.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and prick it deeply all over with a cocktail stick. Mix the ingredients for the drizzle together and gradually pour over the hot cake, waiting for portions to be absorbed before pouring more syrup. Cool completely in the pan before slicing.

* I used 170g yogurt + 30g whole milk

Serves 8

Lemon Madeira cake and the power of syrup

Yes, I have baked another lemon cake. Again. It’s an addiction, I can’t control myself. :D

Cakes are my favorite thing to bake, lemon is my favorite flavor, and I usually have one or two around in the fridge, so it’s a no brainer. However, when this cake cooled and I sliced it, I felt it needed something else – it was a plain cake (the kind I love), but it needed a lift: it needed to be brushed with hot lemony syrup – that turned a good cake into a wonderful one.

I guess that the people in charge of Mad Men decided to brush hot, lemony syrup all over the show halfway through the sixth season – hurray! \0/

Lemon Madeira cake
slightly adapted from the gorgeous Seasonal Baking

Cake:
100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
280g all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
4 large eggs
300g granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
juice of 1 lemon
150ml heavy cream

Syrup:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
50g granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Generously butter and flour a 10-cup capacity Bundt pan.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and lemon zest until really light, fluffy and thickened. With a large spoon gently fold in the cream, followed by the flour mixture and lastly the melted butter and lemon juice. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully unmold into a wire rack to cool completely.
Syrup: place the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until it starts to boil. Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and brush the cake generously with the hot syrup. Cool completely before serving.

Serves 10-12

Orange sour cream Bundt cake, the Internet and high-waisted pants

Days ago, a friend of mine asked the following question on Facebook: “how was your life before the Internet”? I did not answer but have thought about it ever since. I love the Internet and not a day goes by without me using it, even if it is for 5 minutes: it’s great not having to go to the bank to pay a bill, being able to buy movie tickets ahead of time (no lines!), watching movies and TV shows that take forever to arrive here in Brazil (if they arrive at all), and well, I love writing a blog, too. :D

Of course there are horrendous things online, too, but that’s life, isn’t it? There are the good things and the bad things – it’s human nature, I guess (unfortunately).

I am unashamedly curious, so the Internet is a really useful tool; for instance, while I watched Her the other day I kept thinking about the high-waisted pants worn by the male characters of the movie – I was sure they meant something, and a couple of clicks helped me find out all about it (Spike Jonze’s said that the pants “'feel kinda like you're being hugged", and that has everything to do with the movie theme, which made me love it even more). <3

The Internet is also very helpful when I need to substitute ingredients: ages ago I read somewhere how to make sour cream at home (since not until recently was the product available here in Brazil). I’ve been using that precious hint in recipes for years now, such as the delicious, moist and irresistible orange cake you see on the photo – if you like cakes drenched in syrup that get even tastier the day after they are baked this recipe is for you (and if you’re a citrus freak like me, you’ll love it, too). :D


Orange sour cream Bundt cake
slightly adapted from here

Cake:
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar, divided use
4 eggs, separated
finely grated zest of 2 large oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups sour cream*

Syrup:
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) orange juice
2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur

Glaze:
¾ cup (105g) icing sugar
3-4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 10-cup capacity Bundt or tube pan.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter with 1 cup (200g) of the sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in orange zest and vanilla.
In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; on low speed, add to the butter mixture alternately with sour cream, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of sour cream. In separate bowl and with clean beaters, beat egg whites until frothy; gradually beat in remaining ¼ cup (50g) sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third into batter; fold in remainder. Scrape into prepared pan; smooth top.
Bake in center of the oven until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Carefully turn out onto rack.

While the cake cools in the pan, make the syrup: in small saucepan, bring sugar, orange juice and liqueur to boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup (80ml), 3-4 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Brush over warm cake. Let cool.

Glaze: in a small bowl, sift the icing sugar, then gradually add the juice, mixing until pourable (add a little more juice if necessary). Slowly pour over cooled cake. Let stand until glaze is dry, about 30 minutes.

*homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 10-12

Lemon and thyme cake, another TV show and being wrong about things

I thought it would take me a long time to get addicted to a TV show again after Breaking Bad, but the quality of a few drama series was so high I immediately got hooked. I enjoyed Rectify enormously, but with only six episodes I finished watching it in no time. Then there was a pause for some of this year’s Oscar nominated films, and then I started watching Masters of Sex – when I was in NYC last September there were billboards all over the city of three shows: The Blacklist, Masters of Sex and Mom – that got me curious. Both the husband and I enjoyed Raymond Reddington’s saga but I found Mom poorly written and offensive – I must be getting old because I can’t find the idea of a pregnant teenager funny at all.

Therefore, I moved on to Masters of Sex and found out that it is one of the best TV shows ever made, with writing and acting on a very high level and an interesting subject to boot. I already knew that Michael Sheen is a really fine actor – and that is again confirmed with the show – but the surprise to me was Lizzy Kaplan: I’d seen her on Hot Tub Time Machine – which is no big deal – so I was amazed by her acting skills (not to mention how drop dead gorgeous she is).

I usually shy away from cakes made with herbs – especially rosemary, which I find too overpowering – but when I saw Nigel Slater make this cake I decided to give it a go: the morning after I watched his show I was in the kitchen, baking his recipe and perfuming the whole apartment with lemon and thyme. It turned out delicious and moist and the thyme adds another dimension to the lemon flavor without tasting herby.

I don’t mind being wrong about things when the result is good: it took me almost no time at all to survive the end of Breaking Bad, and I want to bake Nigel’s lemon and thyme cake every weekend. :)

Lemon and thyme cake
slightly adapted from the always fantastic Nigel Slater

Cake:
100g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
100g ground almonds
1 teaspoon thyme leaves, packed
200g granulated sugar
200g unsalted butter, softened
finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
4 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Syrup:
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
juice of the 2 lemons used in the cake batter
½ teaspoon thyme leaves, packed

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 900g/2lb loaf pan, line it with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Cake: in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir in the almond meal. Set aside. Using a pestle and mortar, crush the thyme leaves with the some of the sugar until the leaves are finely ground and the sugar turns green and perfumed. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, the thyme sugar, remaining sugar and lemon zest until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, gradually mix in the dry ingredients.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

When the cake is almost baked, make the syrup: in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, add the thyme and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
As soon as the cake is out of the oven, prick it all over with a toothpick or skewer and gradually pour the syrup, waiting for the cake to absorb it. Cool completely before unmolding and serving.

Serves 6-8

Caipirinha drizzle cake

It’s been a lot of fun following Nigella’s comments about her Brazilian trip: for what she’s written she really had a lovely time around here. Apparently one of Nigella's favorite Brazilian treats was the coxinha, described perfectly by her as a sort of chicken croquette – she’s made coxinhas in her kitchen and posted the recipe on her website – along with the caipirinha, the latter being something I can totally relate. :D

Since too many caipirinhas can cause some damage having them in cake form is a good idea – here, I’ve adapted Lily Vanily’s margarita drizzle cake and the result pleased everyone.

Caipirinha drizzle cake
adapted from the delicious Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth: Recipes and Tips from a Modern Artisan Bakery (I bought mine here)

Cake:
225g all purpose flour
½ tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon table salt
60g unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 large eggs
150ml whole milk, room temperature

Syrup:
¼ cup (60ml) water
90g granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) cachaça
¼ cup (60ml) lime juice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 20cm (8in) round cake pan, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla followed by the lime zest briefly. Add the eggs, one at a time, and scrape the sides of the bowl. In low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients, then the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the sides of the bowl then beat all together for 1 minute.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully unmold, remove the paper and place it top side up onto the rack.
During those 20 minutes, make the syrup: heat water, sugar, half the cachaça and lime juice in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly, for about 6 minutes, or until you get a thickened syrup that is starting to color. Remove from the heat, add the remaining cachaça, then boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.
Prick the cake all over with a toothpick than generously brush it all over with the syrup. Cool completely before serving.

Serves 8

St. Clement’s drizzle cake

Not everything in life turns out the way we expect it be and to me understanding that is part of growing up – learning to deal with deception and disappointment may not be a pleasant thing to do but it is certainly necessary. And exactly because of that I find it wonderful when something I expected to be great actually is, even little things like a good movie or a good book. My hopes were high for “Skyfall” and the movie fit the bill perfectly – Daniel Craig has proved once more that he can play the part infinitely better than Brosnan, Javier Bardem delivers another great villain (Joel and Ethan Coen knew what they were doing!) and Sam Mendes is as talented directing an action movie as he is directing drama.

Coincidently, a couple of days before I watched “Skyfall” Rachel Allen’s gorgeous book on cakes arrived, and that was another highlight of my week: the book is absolutely beautiful, packed with delicious recipes, and this citrusy and very moist cake is one of them.

St. Clement’s drizzle cake
slightly adapted from the beautiful Cake (mine was bought here)

Cake:
175g unsalted butter, softened
175g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 lemon (you’ll use the juice for the syrup)
finely grated zest of 1 orange (you’ll use the juice for the syrup)
2 large eggs
¼ cup (60ml) whole milk, room temperature
1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Syrup:
juice of the lemon and orange
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 1.5l loaf pan, line with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon and orange zest until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. In low speed, beat in the milk (batter may seem curdled, don’t worry). Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the batter and fold in. Transfer to the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
In the final minutes of the baking time, make the syrup: in a small bowl, mix together the ingredients. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, prick several times with a skewer or dried spaghetti, then slowly pour the syrup all over the top, letting it soak into the cake. Leave to cool completely in the pan.

Serves 8-10

Lemon cake with passion fruit syrup

I've admitted that this blog has had its share of lemon tarts and bars, so I won't even mention the massive amount of lemon cakes, right? :D
Lemon cakes are my favorite cakes, and I pretty much always have lemons around, therefore it's an easy choice for me. This time, however, I've more than satisfied my constant cravings for sour flavors by topping a lemon cake with a passion fruit syrup: sour². :D

Lemon cake with passion fruit syrup
slightly adapted from the always wonderful Donna Hay Magazine

Cake:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (224g) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream*
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice
2 ½ cups (350g) all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Passion fruit syrup:
1/3 cup (80g) passion fruit pulp, with the seeds
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
½ cup (120ml) water

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 23cm (9in) round cake pan, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Cake: in the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine. Mix in the sour cream, lemon zest and juice, flour, baking powder and salt. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes** before removing to a rack over a plate.
Syrup: combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over a low heat, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 4-5 minutes or until it thickened and syrupy. Pour over the cake. Cool before slicing.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

** the cake was too tender, so I cooled it in the pan for 15 minutes before unmolding it

Serves 8-10

Little lemon syrup soaked coconut cakes

I’ve probably written about this already here but there it goes: I usually fear (a little) watching again now the movies I loved as my much younger self – there’s always the risk of deception, the “what the heck was I thinking?” feeling. Luckily this hasn’t happened often and the movies I’ve seen lately have permanently cemented their place in my heart. One example is “The Crying Game”: I adore Neil Jordan’s work and that film is a masterpiece.

* spoilers *

To this day very few movies have deserved the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay as much as “The Crying Game” – the “twist” in the plot is a very creative one and I love the way Jordan unfolds it in the movie. Knowing that Stanley Kubrick and Jordan exchanged ideas about the movie made me love it even more – Kubrick believed that the role of Dil was uncastable; if the film production were to start today I would suggest the name of Andrej Pejic to both gentlemen – I wonder what they would think of my idea. :)

***

These little cakes, as simple as they look, are packed with a lot of flavor – lemon and coconut are really delicious combination.

Little lemon syrup soaked coconut cakes
slightly adapted from In the Sweet Kitchen

Cakes:
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
1 cup (100g) sweetened desiccated coconut
2 large eggs
1 cup (240ml) coconut milk
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
freshly grated zest of 2 large lemons
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Syrup:
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (124g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup (60ml) water

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter eight ¾ cup (180ml) capacity muffin cups or individual cake molds*.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and coconut. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then add the coconut milk and cooled melted butter. Stir with a whisk to blend the mixture into a thick, smooth liquid. Stir in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients all at once and stir with a wooden spoon just until incorporated.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until risen and golden around the edges and a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Towards the end of the oven time, make the syrup: in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, juice and water and place over low heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 6 to 8 minutes, until the syrup has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and set aside (the syrup is supposed to be pour over the cakes while both the syrup and the cakes are still warm).

Transfer the pans to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and cool for 10-12 minutes. Carefully remove the cakes from the pan, then return them to the pan (this is to ensure the cakes won’t get stuck in the pans). Use a small toothpick to make holes in the tops of each cake. Spoon the syrup over each cake and leave them to cool completely.

* this is the pan I used

Makes 8

Lemon ginger cake - a baking session inspired by The Cure

There are songs I’ve loved since I was a kid but even after learning English I still don’t understand certain parts of their lyrics – thank heavens for the Internet. :)

Last week I spent much of my lunchtime listening to some of those songs and following the lyrics online. “The Caterpillar”, one of my all time favorites – which video is great, too – was an almost complete mystery to me; reading that Robert Smith was singing “dust my lemon lies with powder pink and sweet” made me realize that I hadn’t baked a lemon cake in quite a while – so I did bake one and added crystallized ginger to the batter (inspired by Martha’s recipe).

Great song, great cake. :D

Lemon ginger cake
slightly adapted from the always great Baking by Flavor

Cake:
2 ¾ cups (385g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (40g) cake flour*
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (400g) superfine sugar
finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons buttermilk**, well shaken
heaping 1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger***

Syrup:
½ cup (120ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup (100g) superfine sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Generously butter a 25cm (10in) Bundt pan (or use cooking spray).
Sift the all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the superfine sugar in three additions, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest and juice. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition.
On low speed, alternately add the sifted ingredients in three additions with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Fold in the chopped ginger.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and gently shake the pan from side to side to level the top.
Bake for 55 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake stand in the pan, over a wire rack, for 5-8 minutes, then carefully invert it onto another rack. Place a sheet of baking paper under the rack to catch any drips of glaze.
Make the brushing glaze while the cake is cooling in the pan: in a small non-reactive bowl, mix the lemon juice and sugar. Using a soft pastry brush, brush the hot cake with the glaze, including the sides. Cool completely before slicing – sift the cake with icing sugar before serving if desired.
The cake will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

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

** homemade buttermilk: place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk. Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

*** if I were to make this cake again I would use a lot more ginger; I am a ginger addict so adjust the amount according to your taste

Serves 16

Spiced plum clafoutis

Let me introduce to you the most delicious dessert I have made in a long time – and that, my friends, is a HUGE thing for a blog as sugary as this one. :)

As much as I would love each and every one of you to try this recipe – yes, it is that good – I must be honest and tell you that if you’re not in clafoutis mood the plums, with that out-of-this-world syrup, would turn any vanilla ice cream into a work of art.

Spiced plum clafoutis
slightly adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Spiced plums:
¾ cup (150g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 cinnamon quills
½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 ¼ cups (300ml) water
6 ripe plums, halved, stones removed

Batter:
4 large eggs
1 ¼ cups (250g) caster (superfine) sugar
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (80g) all purpose flour
400ml heavy cream

For spiced plums, bring sugar, spices and water to the boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stir until sugar dissolves. Add plums, skin side up, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn the plum halves, cook for another 2 minutes, or until tender (prick flesh with a fork to check it the plums are cooked). Remove plums from syrup using a slotted spoon; when cool enough to handle, cut into wedges. Divide plums among six 200ml-capacity lightly buttered ovenproof molds.
Return syrup to heat, bring to the boil, cook over medium-high heat until syrupy and reduced by half (10-12 minutes), cool completely and set aside.
Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Whisk eggs, sugar and flour in a bowl until just combined (do not overwork). Add cream, stir gently to combine. Pour batter over plums, transfer molds onto a baking sheets and bake until just set and lightly golden (15-20 minutes).
Serve immediately with the plum syrup.

Serves 6

Vanilla rice pudding with Port syrup

One of the things I love about watching now movies I saw for the first time on my teen days is seeing known, acclaimed actors at the beginning of their careers. I watched “Witness” last week again, after so many years, and saw Viggo Mortensen as one of the Amish guys (those of you who have been reading me for a while know I’m a huge fan – he is part of my acting Olympus, along with Mr. Fiennes and Mr. Roth). :)
I did not remember Viggo was at that movie, but I once read something here that I completely agree with: even then one could see he had potential, and now, after working with great directors – pairing up beautifully with another favorite of mine – he’s one of the best out there.

I guess I can say the same about this dessert: rice pudding is already good and comforting, but gets even better made with real vanilla and topped with this Port syrup.

Vanilla rice pudding with Port syrup
slightly adapted from Donna Hay magazine

1 cup Arborio rice
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
4 cups (960ml) whole milk
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (212g) caster sugar

Sticky Port syrup*:
½ cup (88g) brown sugar, packed
¼ cup (60ml) Port wine

Place the rice, cinnamon, vanilla (seeds and bean), milk, cream and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30-35 minutes or until rice is al dente. Discard the vanilla bean**.
Make the syrup: place the brown sugar and the Port in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute or until syrupy – it will thicken as it cools.
Divide the rice pudding between six cups or small bowl and top with the sticky Port syrup.

* the original recipes calls for Marsala

** rinse the vanilla bean and remove any traces of cream/milk. Let it dry naturally then place it in your sugar jar

Serves 6

Pineapple coconut cakes with pineapple syrup

I heard a song on the radio yesterday that reminded me of my childhood days, when I spent wonderful vacations at my aunt Maisa’s - I used to sing that song while pretending my aunt’s floor polishing machine was a microphone... :) I was 8 back then.

Later on, once I’d started cooking and baking, she’d let me prepare whatever I wanted in her kitchen, savory or sweet – that was so much fun. One of the cakes I used to bake was a simple yellow cake with pineapple slices on the bottom of the pan – everyone loved it. These little cakes reminded me of the one I used to bake at my aunt’s, but are much simpler and equally delicious – the addition of coconut makes them extra special.

Pineapple coconut cakes with pineapple syrup
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Cakes:
65g unsalted butter, softened
75g caster sugar
1 egg
90ml buttermilk
¾ cup + ½ tablespoon (110g) self-rising flour
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened desiccated coconut
¼ cup (25g) sweetened shredded coconut
40g pineapple, finely diced

Pineapple syrup:*
350g pineapple, coarsely chopped
130g caster sugar
3 small limes, juice only
50ml white rum

For pineapple syrup, combine pineapple, sugar, lime juice and ½ cup (120ml) water in a saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until syrupy. Cool, add rum and strain, discarding solids (or eat them, like I did). :)

Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Butter and flour ten 1/3 cup (80ml) brioche or dariole pans.
Beat butter and sugar using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, add egg and buttermilk and beat to combine. Stir in flour, the two types of coconut and pineapple, then spoon mixture into prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and a skewer withdraws clean. Turn cakes from moulds, pour over half the syrup and cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature with remaining syrup.

* too much syrup; half of this amount is enough for all the cakes

Makes 10 – I halved the recipe above and got 12 mini cakes (6 using 3 tablespoon capacity star shaped pans + 6 using 1/3 capacity muffin pans)

Watermelon salad with rose and mint syrup

I should be ashamed for calling this a recipe, but the result is so good I had to share it with you; not to mention that after almost five days of Carnival (and food, and booze) I was in desperate need of something fresh.

Watermelon salad with rose and mint syrup
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

500g watermelon flesh
2/3 cup (133g) caster sugar
¼ cup (loosely packed) mint leaves
2 teaspoons rosewater

Combine sugar and ¼ cup (60ml) water in a small saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Add mint and rosewater, remove from heat, cool completely and strain, discarding solids. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To serve, using a melon baller, scoop watermelon into balls and divide among serving bowls. Drizzle with rose and mint syrup and serve immediately.

Serves 6

Babas with lime syrup

I did now know what babas were until I saw this post on Helen’s blog, a good while ago – her beautiful citrus version immediately caught my eye, but for some reason I did not try my hand at making babas until very recently.

Discovering new desserts is always a good thing, especially when they are very tender and drenched in a lovely syrup – yum! :)

The recipe comes from here – the only change I made was using limes instead of lemons – but the idea of using dariole molds came from here.

Babas with lime syrup
from Donna Hay magazine

1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon caster sugar
¼ cup (60ml) lukewarm milk
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
1 egg
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (90g) unsalted butter, room temperature, chopped

Lime syrup*:
½ cup (100g) caster sugar
1 cup (240ml) water
1/3 cup (80ml) lime juice
shredded zest of 2 limes

To make the babas, place the yeast, sugar and milk in the bowl of an electric mixer and allow to stand until bubbles surface. Add the flour and egg to the yeast mixture. Attach a dough hook to the mixer and beat the ingredients to a sticky dough. While the motor is still running, add the butter, a few pieces at a time, and beat well for about 4 minutes – the dough hook did not work for me, it did not mix the ingredients properly, so I switched to the paddle attachment and it worked beautifully. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, place in a draft-free place and allow the dough to double in size (1-1 ½ hours).
Divide the dough into 6 pieces and place in 6 well buttered 1-cup (240ml) capacity baba molds. Cover and allow to stand until the dough almost fills the pans (30 minutes or so).
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the babas for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand in the pans for 5 minutes.
While the babas are baking, make the syrup: place the sugar, water, lime juice and zest in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then simmer for a further 3 minutes.
Spoon half of the hot syrup over the hot babas still in the pans, set aside for 2 minutes then carefully unmold. Transfer the babas to a wire rack then pour over the remaining syrup.
Serve warm.

* there was plenty of syrup left, I think that half the recipe would have been enough

Makes 6 – I used ½ cup capacity dariole pans and got 8 babas

Roasted strawberry meringues

Strawberries are in season here now and I have a loooong list of recipes to make with them – it’s been my favorite fruit even since I was a kid. My mom used to make a wonderful strawberry tart and I loved it so much she would make it all winter long.

I can’t wait to try making my mom’s tart, but these meringues looked so pretty on the magazine I had to start my strawberry frenzy with them.

Roasted strawberry meringues
from Donna Hay magazine

150ml (about 4) egg whites
1 cup (200g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 cup (240ml) whipping cream, to serve
1 tablespoon icing sugar

Roasted strawberries:
16 strawberries, hulled and halved
1/3 cup (67g) caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF. To make the roasted strawberries, place them in a small baking dish (do not use a shallow dish because the juices will bubble away in the oven) and sprinkle with the sugar. Mix well and roast for 10-15 minutes or until the strawberries are soft and syrupy. Remove and set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 120ºC/250ºF. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and vinegar and beat until the mixture is thick and glossy - rub a little of the mixture between your fingertips; when you no longer feel the sugar granules, the mixture is ready.
Place spoonfuls of the meringue onto two large baking sheets lined with non-stick baking paper - I used regular baking paper. Using the back of a teaspoon, make a dent in the center to create a nest and bake for 25 minutes* or until the meringues are crisp on the outside. Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool in the oven for 30 minutes.
Place the cream and icing sugar in a bowl and beat until firm peaks form.
To serve, spoon the roasted strawberries into the center of each meringue and top with the cream.

* I halved the recipe, made 6-7cm meringue rounds and ended up with 8 meringues, that were baked for 55 minutes

Makes 30-35

Mini citrus syrup sponges

These little darlings gave me such a hard time while unmolding them that I kept thinking of a song I love, Erasure’s “Here I go impossible again”. :D

The workout made me wonder why Ms. Lawson’s photo for these mini cakes shows them still in the pan they were baked, but it was worth it: the mini sponges were delicious and had an amazing texture – the syrup really gets into them, enhancing the citrus flavor. Yum!

I used both lemons and limes here but if you want to make the original recipe use just limes.

Mini citrus syrup sponges
from How to Be a Domestic Goddess

½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) sugar
2 large eggs
zest of 1 lime
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (160g) self-rising cake flour
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons milk

Syrup:
2 tablespoons lime juice, plus zest for decoration
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest for decoration
½ cup (70g) confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the over to 180ºC/350ºF; generously butter an 8-cup mini-loaf pan.

Cream together the butter and sugar, and add the eggs and zest, beating them in well. Add the flour and salt, folding in gently, and then the milk. Spoon into the mini-loaf pan, and cook for 25 minutes.

While the cakes are cooking, prepare the syrup by putting the lime and lemon juices and sugar into a small saucepan and heating gently so that the sugar dissolves.

As soon as the mini-sponges are ready, take them out of the oven and prick them with a cake-tester all over. Pour over the syrup evenly. Try to let the middle absorb the liquid as well as the sides, then leave it to soak up the rest. Don’t try to take the cakes out of the pan until they have cooled slightly and the syrup looks like it has been absorbed, but be aware that if you leave these to cool completely they might be very difficult to get out of the pan.

So, after an hour or two, turn them out onto a rack and grate some lime zest over them before serving.

Makes 8 – I halved the recipe, used a muffin pan (each well holds 1/3 cup batter) and got 5 mini cakes