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