"Mum to be" Battenberg Cake

I made a cake for my colleague who had her leaving presentation this week, to start her new Yummy Mummy life. We didn't know the sex yet so I made a cake topping with generic colours, try to avoid the blue or pink. I made a battenberg cake as that is Ali's favourite, which was the first for me: also for baking and tasting. It turned out quite good, and the team demolished the cake in a short space of time. I used the battenberg recipe from the BBCgoodfood website.

"Mum to be" Battenberg Cake

Ingredients for the almond sponge

175 g very soft butter

175 g golden caster sugar

140 g self-raising flour

50 g ground almond

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 medium eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

Ingredients for the pink sponge

1 X ingredients for almond sponge

pink/red food colouring 

For the cake decoration

200 g apricot jam

500 g marzipan (I used golden marzipan)

little icing sugar, for dusting

250 g brown icing (for the teddy bear)

some different coloured icing ( I used Renshaw Funky Flavoured Sugargough, as you can have 4X100g in a pack at all different colours)

edible writing pan

You have to prepare the decoration at least two days ahead as the icing needs time to harden. I  just used a video on youtube- to find a tutorial: just type in: fondant bear. Actually is like playing with play dough. It isn't difficult, as you can see the bear, duck and the train is recognisable and actually this is my very first try with icing sculpting.

So I prepared the toppings two days in advance and just left in the living room to harden. 

Heat the oven to 180C and prepare a round baking pan. To make the almond sponge, put the butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and almond extract in a large bowl. Beat with an electric whisk until the mix comes together smoothly. Scrape into the tin, spreading evenly and bake for 25-30 minutes-when you spoke with a skewer, it should come out clean. Cool the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling while you make the second sponge.

For the pink sponge, prepare another round tin. Mix all the ingredients together as above but don't add the almond extract. Fold in some pink pink food colouring then scrape it all into the in and bake as before.

To assemble level the cakes(cut off the top if you have a little dome) and cut the sponges in half (all sponge layers should be the same height). Depending on the high of your sponge layers(sponge circles should be the same with and height) start cutting out sponge circles. For this cake I had 5 sponge circles. 

When you finished cutting one sponge layer lift out every second sponge circle, place it on top on the others and use it as the template. To make up the battenberg layers just use a pink, then a almond sponge till you made up the whole sponge layer. 

To assemble, heat the jam in a small pan until runny, then sieve. Brush the sponge layer with jam , than lay another layer on top but reversing the order of sponges.

When you finished with the cake, brush the surface with the remaining jam. Roll out the marzipan on a lightly dusted surface with icing sugar to just big enough to cover the cake. Carefully lift the marzipan and smooth over the cake. 
Place on top the decoration and serve:)

And this is the cake while cutting. I apologise as I don't have the best mobile to take a picture and in the office we don't really have proper knifes to slice a cake sharply.

Mini Pineapple and Curd Cheese Cake

The second dessert I prepared for my dinner guests in my Lakeland straight sided mini cake pan is basically a tiny version of my full sized Hungarian summer fruit and curd cheese cake ,but with a twist. First of all I used a different chocolate sponge and I made the curd cheese layer sweeter to complement the pineapple topping. Also I have to mention it took about 2 times longer.........But the visual results worth it:) As I prepared with the Chocolate Swirl Banana Mousse at the same time, you will see both on the pictures. 

 Mini Pineapple and Curd Cheese Cake 

For the sponge

75 g self-raising flour

1.5 tbsp cocoa powder

85 g butter at room temperature

85 g golden caster sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1-2 tbsp milk

Curd Cheese layer

100 ml double cream 

20 g icing sugar

125g curd cheese *More on this at the Tricks and Recommendations

1\2 vanilla pod

Top layer

Fresh Pineapple-(you only need about 1/3 of a pineapple-cubed to small pieces)

1 Greens Quick Orange Jel or any other oragne cake cover jelly

acetate stips

40g chocolate for decoration-optional 

Heat the oven to 180 C and prepare a 23cm cake tin(you can use square one, doesn't matter as we will cut little rounds anyway).

Put all the cake ingredients in a  large bowl. Beat them together with an electric mixer until you have a creamy mixture. Add a little more milk if the mix is too stiff- it should fall easily from a spoon.

Pour the cake mix into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Cool the cake than cut the sponge with a cake leveller to have a nice even layer base for the cake (it should be about 8 mm thick).

I used the little plastic holder of the tin bases to cut the circles and in the end, I managed 9 sponge rounds. More than what I needed, but some back up always handy in case of emergencies and it tastes nice with some jam.

Place the sponge circles into your form and put some acetate strips around the sides of the sponge. On one hand I needed some extra hight for my cakes, and on the other hand it will be easier to lift them out, and when I remove the strips I will have clear, neat layers without curd cheese marks everywhere.

To prepare the curd cheese layer whip the double cream to soft peaks then add the curd cheese, vanilla seeds and the icing sugar and mix it again. 

Divide the mixture between the 6 mould and press it down with your fingers. You have to create a perfectly flat and sealed curd cheese layer, because if you leave a tiny gap on the side your jelly will pour to the bottom and soften your sponge and ruin the cake.

With a kitchen towel clean the acetate strip that "may" have some curd cheese on. It is important in order to have a nice layer of clean jelly. Place on top your chopped pineapple, ideally it will be levelled as well so the jelly can cover the whole surface without pineapple pieces sticking out.

Prepare your cake cover jelly according to the instructions on the packaging- it is all different for each brand so I won't detail here.

When it is ready leave it to cool, stirring time to time. When it is about room temperature pour on top of the pineapple and place the cakes into the fridge to harden.

To prepare the chocolate decoration just melt the chocolate and with a piping bag create any shape on a non stick baking sheet. I put it into the freezer so it would set in time....and I forget them. After I prepared everything and paced them in front of the guest, my husband asked the whereabouts of the chocolate work.....Sometimes he is useful:)

Chocolate Swirl Banana Mousse

I had some guest to visit us today and I wanted to wow them. I made two type of mini, individual desserts: a Chocolate Swirl Banana Mousse and Mini Pineapple and curd Cheese one. I used my Lakeland cake pan, that looks like a muffin pan, but the sides are straight and the bottoms are removable. But you can use dessert rings as well. It isn't the lightest dessert, because of the banana, but it is really tasty.

 Chocolate Swirl Banana Mousse

Ingredients (makes 6)

6 Hob Nobs biscuits

25 g butter (melted)

250 ml double cream

2 ripe bananas

1 sachet of gelatine (9g)

1 tsp honey
1/2 vanilla pod

30 g chocolate for the swirl
30 g chocolate for decoration-optional

Crush the Hob nob biscuits (use the end of the rolling pin or a food processor) and mix with the melted butter. Divide the mix between the 6 dessert rings/ pan cavities and using your fingers press it to the bottom, to create a flat levelled surface. 

Place into the fridge so the base can harden.

In the meantime you can prepare the mousse. It isn't traditional mousse, as I didn't want to use raw eggs. 

Put the bananas into a food processor and blitz them to get a banana puree (with the processor the puree will be light and fluffy and gives volume, that you wouldn't get by just crushing them). 

Pour 100 ml double cream in a pan and start to heat. When it reaches boiling point add the sachet of gelatine and mix it well to avoid lumps, then leave it to cool slightly. In the meantime whip the rest of the double cream to soft peaks, then add the banana puree, honey, vanilla seeds and the cooled(not hot) gelatine+double cream and incorporate all ingredients well. 

Spoon on top of the biscuit base and level with a spoon.

Melt the chocolate and place 2-3 little coffee spoon's worth on top of each banana mousse. Using a toothpick create swirl, mixing the banana and the chocolate cream.

When finished place them into the fridge to set.
For the chocolate decoration just pipe the melted chocolate on a non stick baking sheet at any shape and place it to the fridge/freezer to set. After plating just insert carefully to top of each mini cake.

Mini Cinnamon Doughnuts

The second thing I had to try from my Lakeland order was the mini doughnut mould. I fell in love with this mould and it was only a fiver. To be honest the size of the doughnuts are rather on the mini side(they are 4 cm diameter), but they tasted yummy. I used Peggy Porschen's recipe from my new book.

Mini Cinnamon Doughnuts

Ingredients

110 g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

65 g caster sugar

25 g ligth brown sugar

1 medium egg

45 g whole milk

40 g buttermilk

1 vanilla pod

15g unsalted butter, melted

50 g melted chocolate-optional 

Preheat the oven to 160C. Prepare the mini doughnut mould by greasing each mould with spray oil.

Shift together the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and sugars in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, milk, buttermilk vanilla seeds and melted butter.

Pour the liquid ingredients onto the dry ingredients, mixing briefly until just combined. Pipe or pour the mix into the prepared mould filling just above halfway.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops springs back to the touch and have lightly browned.

Melt the chocolate than dip each doughnut upside down into the melted chocolate until half coated(or alternatively just dip the warm doughnut into fine caster sugar to have sugared doughnuts). Leave it to set on a wire rack or sprinkle with cake decoration of your choice.

Chocolate and Amaretto Madeleines

I received my Lakeland offer yesterday and I had to used at least half of the new kit:) The first on the list was the mini madeleines silicone form. I used the first recipe I come across on the BBC Good food website. The original recipe calls for hazelnut liqueur (sadly I didn't have any at home) but I replaced with Amaretto (almond liqueur).

Chocolate and Amaretto Madeleines

Ingredients (makes 12 normal size or 30 mini ones)
80 g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
20 g ground almonds
2 tbsp cocoa powder
75 g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
1 vanilla pod
2 tbsp Amaretto
90g unsalted butter, melted

Shift the flour, baking powder, ground almonds and cocoa with a pinch of salt. Butter the mini madeleines form.

Whisk the sugar and eggs with electric mixer until thick, pale and fluffy. Gently fold in the flour mix, vanilla seeds, Amaretto and butter. Cover the surface of the mix with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200C. Fill each cavity to 2/3 and bake it for 10 minutes or until risen and springy. Tap the form to loosen and tip out. Dust with cocoa and serve warm.

Lemon, Almond and Poppy Seed Cake

 In the meantime of waiting for my new delivery from Lakeland:) I made myself useful:) I baked something that my husband loves the most: poppy seeded ....well anything that contains poppy seed. I used Peggy Porschen's new book I bought last week and the result was delicious.

Lemon, Almond and Poppy Seed Cake

For the sponge

200 g unsalted butter, softened

200 g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

200 g self-raising flour

100 g ground almond

30 g ground poppy seed (plus I put in 10g as a whole as well)

finely grated zest of 2 lemons

For the lemon syrup

100 ml -the juice of two lemons

100 g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 175C and prepare the bundt cake tin.

For the sponge:Place the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a mixing bowl and cream until pale and fluffy.

Beat the eggs lightly in another bowl and slowly add the butter mixture while whisking quickly. If the mixture starts to separate or curdle, stop adding the egg and beat in 2-3 tablespoons of the flour. This will rebind the batter. Once all the egg has been added and combined with the butter mixture, shift in the flour and add the ground almonds and poppy seeds. Stir until the batter is just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, using a rubber spatula to help fill the tin. Before baking,  tap the filled cake tin on your work surface a few times to make sure the batter has reached all the cavities at the bottom of the tin.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven.The sponge is cooked when the sides are beginning to shrink away from the edges of the tin and the top is golden brown and springs back to the touch. 

While the sponge is baking, prepare a lemon syrup for soaking. Place the lemon juice and caster sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer until all the sugar crystals have dissolved. Set aside to cool down slightly.

Once the sponge is baked, immediately brush the sponge with half the lemon syrup: this allows the syrup to be absorbed faster.

Allow to cool for about 30 minutes outside of the oven. Once just warm, turn the cake out of the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Brush the other side of the sponge with the remaining syrup.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake

I offered to bake a cake to our BBC Children in Need Charity bake sale. I choose the cake I made for Halloween as it is sturdy, easy to slice, can be on the cake sale table for long and ok to transfer.......and it is delicious(the main thing). I also love chocolate and orange together, but I slightly altered the look of the cake so it would fit for sale. 
Recently I adapted a new look and prepared the cakes in my new 12 slices Zila Cake mould.
If you want to see the Zila range or buy some, you can do it here: Link to buy Zila Cake Mould

Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake

For the sponge
150 g self-raising flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
175 g butter at room temperature
175 g golden caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1-3 tbsp milk
100 g 70% dark chocolate, melted and cooled

For the cream
300 g soft cheese
zest of 2 oranges
juice of 1.5 orange
3-5 tbsp icing sugar
200 ml double cream
1.5 tsp powdered gelatine
orange food colouring

For the decoration
1 Terry's Chocolate Orange
50 g dark chocolate
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp butter

Heat the oven to 180 C. Butter and base line your 23 cm round cake tin with baking parchment.

Put all the cake ingredients except the chocolate in a  large bowl. Beat them together with an electric mixer until you have a creamy mixture, then fold in the melted chocolate. Add a little more milk if the mix is too stiff- it should fall easily from a spoon.

Pour the cake mix into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 20 -25 minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Cool the cake than cut in three with a cake leveller.

For the filling, mix all ingredients in a big bowl except the double cream and the gelatine.

Heat the double cream in a heavy based pan to boil. Take off from the heat and add the powdered gelatine and mix well to dissolve any lumps. Cool down the mixture to room temperature  then add to the orange mixture. Work together the two mixture and add the food colouring(the amount you need depends on the brand, so use as recommended) and put to the fridge to harden a little.

When the cake is cooled and the orange mixture is solidish, spread one layer to the bottom sponge, sandwich on top the other sponge layer and spread another layer of cream on top.
For the chocolate icing, melt the chocolate with 3 tbsp of milk then add the butter. Spread on top of the cake, than pipe on the rest of the orange cream.
Finish off with the Terry's Chocolate Orange slices.

Enjoy:)

Ps: if you not familiar with the Terry's Chocolate Oragne, here it how it looks like:

Strawberry and Chocolate Checkerboard Cake

I wanted to create a checkerboard cake without the pan and I am kind of made it, but I was a bit clumsy. When I tested my chocolate cake, it slipped from my hand and dropped to the rack. The result is a knocked back little bit dense cake. I was really disappointed as I aimed to create a real checkerboard cake, so I needed the same hight sponge as the with of each "square". I still have the effect, but it is more rectangular than squares. Anyway I was still proud of myself as for first try it wasn't a total disaster. Without the special pan I left with an extra layer of sponge....but hey it is always nice with some fresh cream a strawberries.

Strawberry and Chocolate Checkerboard Cake

For the chocolate sponge

150 g self-raising flour

3 tbsp cocoa powder

175 g butter at room temperature

175 g golden caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

1-3 tbsp milk

100 g 70% dark chocolate, melted and cooled

For the pink sponge
150 g self-raising flour
150 g caster sugar
150 g butter, at room tempeature
2/3 tsp baking powder
3 eggs

1 tbsp milk
red fool colouring

For the strawberry cream (here I increased the amount of cream because I found it too little at the time)
350 g fresh strawberries +extra if you want to decorate
300 g mascarpone
2-3 tbsp icing sugar(to taste)
1 dream topping

Heat the oven to 180 C. Butter and base line 2 X 18-20 cm round cake tin with baking parchment.

For the chocolate sponge:Put all the cake ingredients except the chocolate in a  large bowl. Beat them together with an electric mixer until you have a creamy mixture, then fold in the melted chocolate. Add a little more milk if the mix is too stiff- it should fall easily form a spoon.

Divide the mixture into the prepared tins and bake in the oven for 20 -25 minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Cool the cake on a cake rack.

For the pink sponge beat all the cake ingredients together except the colouring until you have a smooth, soft batter. Add a little food colouring and mix together well. 

Prepare the same cake tins as you used for the chocolate sponge and divide the mixture into the 2 prepared tins. Bake in the oven for 20 -25 minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Cool the cake on a cake rack.

I planned the whole process ahead, as I work with numbers, I thought won't have any problem. 
My plan: measure the diameter of your pan, lets say you have a 20cm pan. Then all sponge circle should have the same width of 4cm (for the middle 4cm should be the diameter). I made a sketch in paint for you as I am pretty bad explaining:

I planned to draw the circles on a baking parchment and just place on top of the cake layers and cut them out. But in the end I have been informed we don't have a paired compass................

So I did all cutting by the eye. It was pretty reasonable, and obviously you can make more than 3 sponge rings, it is all up to you.

But if you want a pretty checkerboard cake you should make sure to have the same hight sponge as the width. So if you have 4cm rings your sponge should be 4cm high. (it helps if you don't drop the half ready sponge to collapse....)

To make the cream just simply bland  the strawberries with a hand blender than add it to the mascarpone, icing sugar and dream topping. Mix the ingredients together and add a little food colouring.

When it is ready you can layer your cake: 

Bottom layer: chocolate-pink-chocolate, middle: pink-chocolate-pink, top layer: chocolate-pink-chocolate. I didn't put on the 4th layer as this cake was only meant for 4 people so it was more than enough anyway.

Finish off with a cream layer outside, so your guest can't see the "secret" until it is cut:)

Keep it in the fridge and serve with whipped cream and strawberries.

Halloween Chocolate and Orange Cake

So it is Halloween Night! After work I started baking, and the end result was yummy.... except the cake didn't have time to chill properly, but nobody complained. I used the chocolate sponge form the BBC Good Food Website...and the orange cream is a last minute made up creation.

Halloween Chocolate and Orange Cake

For the sponge
150 g self-raising flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
175 g butter at room temperature
175 g golden caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1-3 tbsp milk
100 g 70% dark chocolate, melted and cooled

For the cream
250 g soft cheese
zest of 2 oranges
juice of 1 orange
3-5 tbsp icing sugar
150 ml double cream
1 tsp powdered gelatine
orange food colouring

For the decoration
50g dark chocolate
black icing
edible icing pen-white

Heat the oven to 180 C. Butter and base line your 23 cm round cake tin with baking parchment.

Put all the cake ingredients except the chocolate in a  large bowl. Beat them together with an electric mixer until you have a creamy mixture, then fold in the melted chocolate. Add a little more milk if the mix is too stiff- it should fall easily form a spoon.

Pour the cake mix into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 20 -25 minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Cool the cake than cut in half with a cake leveller.

For the filling, mix all ingredients in a big bowl except the double cream and the gelatine.

Heat the double cream in a heavy based pan to boil. Take off from the heat and add the powdered gelatine and mix well to dissolve any lumps. Cool down the mixture to room temperature  then add to the orange mixture. Work together the two mixture and add the food colouring(the amount you need depends on the brand, so use as recommended) and put to the fridge to harden a little.

In the meantime you can prepare the spider...I didn't want the scary one....I am quite happy with a lovely looking spider, so make two balls one should be smaller than the other to create the head. And roll 8 thin "ropes" for the legs. Bend the legs slightly and leave it to dry so it would hold the leg shape for a while after decoration....Draw eyeballs and ...well it is ready.

When the cake is cooled and the orange mixture is solidish, spread one layer to the bottom sponge then sandwich on top the other sponge layer. Spread the remaining of the orange cream on top. Melt 50g of chocolate above boiling water in a bowl and add some double cream if you think it is too thick to pour, then starting from the middle start pouring the chocolate in a spiral movement until you reach the edge of the cake. With a cake tester or any other stick start to draw lines from the middle of the cake to the edge to create the web effect.

Place the spider on top and chill for at least 2 hours.

Enjoy:)