Somloi Sponge Cake - Somlói Galuska

This is a traditional Hungarian recipe and my husband's favourite. It is quite simple to make, but time consuming, so I only treat him to this on his birthdays. It basically consists of 3 layers of sponge(walnut, chocolate, vanilla) soaked with rum, layered with vanilla cream and grated walnut, served with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Yeah you got the idea, it is really rich, but soft and refreshing dessert. There is no set of shape how to serve, so please excuse my presentation.

 

Somloi Sponge Cake - Somlói Galuska

 

Ingredients

For the sponge

6 eggs

6 tbsp granulated sugar

6 tbsp plain flour

2-3 tbsp grated walnut

1 heaped tbsp shifted cocoa

 

For the soaking liquid

zest of 1 lemon

100g sultanas/currants (or some more if you like)

100g granulated sugar

200ml water

3-6 tbsp Rum

 

For the vanilla cream

3 eggs

80g sugar

2 pack of vanilla pudding powder *check Tricks and Recommendations for this ingredients

seeds of 1 vanilla pod

800ml milk

 

Sprinkle ingredients

100-200g grated walnut -depends on your taste

cocoa powder

 

For Serving

dark chocolate

double cream

whipped cream 

 

 

I only had a 19X25cm rectangle tin therefore I had to add some extra height (with the help of some plastic sheets and baking paper). So if you have a slightly bigger baking tin that would be an advantage:)

 

Preheat the oven to 180C and prepare the tin with baking paper.

For the fat less sponge separate the eggs and whip the egg whites with an electric mixer to hard peaks with a pinch of salt. Without stopping the electric mixer add gradually the egg yolks and sugar. With a silicone spatula very carefully fold in the shifted flour in two batches.

If you mix it too hard you knock out all air you built in with the electric mixer.

 

 

When it is done divide the mixture to 3 equal parts. The first plain sponge can go straight to the pan, bake it for 8-10 minutes until it has a nice colour.

In the meantime fold the grated walnut to one sponge mix and the cocoa to the other. Bake both after each other for 8-10 minutes then leave them to cool on a cake rack.

 

For the soaking liquid heat the sugar and water together to boiling point. Take off from the heat, add the currants and lemon zest. When it is room temperature add some rum to taste (if you add the rum while the syrup is hot the alcohol will evaporate-and we don't want that:)).

 

 

For the vanilla cream mix the yolks, sugar, vanilla seeds and pudding powder in a bowl with 100 ml milk to get lump free mixture. Place the remaining of the milk in a heavy based pan above medium heat. When the milk is about to boil add in the sugary mix and keep whisking until it reaches a thick custard like consistency. Take off from the heat and whip the egg whites in a separate bowl to hard peaks. Fold the egg whites into the vanilla cream (not all in one go)- this lightens the cream and add some extra volume to it.

 

Now you can start assemble the dessert:

There are 3 layers, so use roughly 1/3 of each ingredient. Sometimes I have some left over vanilla cream or soaking liquid.....well it was never wasted (at this point you can see my DIY height solution is needed)

 

-walnut sponge->soaking liquid with the currants->grated walnut->vanilla cream

-chocolate sponge->soaking liquid with the currants->grated walnut->vanilla cream

-vanilla sponge->soaking liquid with the currants->grated walnut->vanilla cream

 -finish it with cocoa powder on top

 

Place it into the fridge for overnight so all layers can absorb the syrup.

 

 

To serve, cut some reasonable sized slices, pour "some" chocolate sauce around it (add the dark chocolate to warm double cream- sorry I don't have a recipe for this, it is pretty straightforward) and add some whipped cream on top. Enjoy!!!!

 

Chocolate Marquise 3 ways

I haven't posted for a long time...........to be honest I was/am on a diet as the scale went way beyond "normal". But now that I shed off a few pounds I am back baking:) I used my new Cube cake mould to create something truly delicious. I used 3 different fillings and all guests were delighted. Maybe I should have been more careful when I turned out the mousse from the mould as it chipped off at few pieces but I haven't heard any complain from the dining room:)

Chocolate Marquise 3 Ways

Chocolate Cake Base

100 g dark chocolate (minimum 65% cocoa solids)

50 g butter 

2 eggs

90 g golden caster sugar

50 g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Chocolate Mousse

200 g good quality dark chocolate (minimum 75% cocoa solids)

100 g good quality milk chocolate

4 eggs separated

150 ml double cream 

To fill/decorate (all optional)

150 ml double cream

handful of strawberries

few spoons of strawberry jam

1/2 bottle sour cherries

2-3 tbsp Kirsch

100 ml custard

Preheat the oven to 180C and place the stainless steel square part of the cake mould to a baking sheet, lined with baking paper. Spray the sides with vegetable oil based release agent.

Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water then leave it to cool. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is pale and thick. 

Add the room temperature chocolate mixture into the egg mixture then fold in the flour and baking powder. When you mixed everything together pour this thick batter into the prepared frame and spread evenly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is cracked but the middle just set. When ready remove the stainless frame and leave it to cool completely.

To make the mousse, melt the two chocolates in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water,  leave it to cool to room temperature. Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks and set it aside.

Whip the cream very softly and add the yolks, then gently mix in the cooled melted chocolate. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, (thoroughly but don't overwork it).

Spoon the mousse into the prepared tin (spray the Zila cake mould with vegetable oil based release agent) and gently tap it to the work surface. You don't want to knock out all the air bubbles you just created, but you have to make sure the mousse is evenly spread so you don't have gaps at the finished mousse surface. 

Level the sponge with a cake leveler and place it on the mousse. (top of the sponge will hang above the side of the mould but it is fine). Cover it with kitchen foil and put it in the fridge and leave it to chill for at least 4 hours (I left mine for overnight). 

When it is rested, turn it up side down and gently remove the silicon part of the mould and the stainless steel rim. I slightly damaged the finished product, but next time I will put the mousse into the freezer just before removing the mould to make easier the seamless separation.

The choice filling is down to you. I used custard (have to admit it was fresh-shop bought one.....I had other cooking to do as well and run out of time), sour cherries that I soaked in Kirsch for overnight than adding gelatine to the juice I turned it to a soft jelly. For the last one I used fresh strawberries and some strawberry jam(home made). Decorated all with whipped cream, fruits and vanilla pod.

 The best is when you dive into a cube and all the custard pours out......................YUMMIE

Ultimate Chocolate Cake

This was the chocolate cake I made for my boss who is now off to get married next weekend. I baked a chocolate cake (his absolute favourite) and a Lemon Curd filed Zila Cubes cakes. The Zila cakes were the perfect start of the morning (as it was conveniently sliced) before we dig in the oozing chocolate mountain. I took the recipe from the BBCgoodfood (Angela Nilsen) website as it had over 800 positive ratings, so I thought it must be good.........and ohh my God how good it was. I only changed the cream and made a 10% bigger cake so it would be a nice size in my rectangle tin (I found the rectangle shape better for he office cake sharing/it is easier to divide and share). Oh I made a poor attempt to replicate my boss and his fiancee to sit on top of the cake....sadly later during delivery his leg broke into pieces...........but I still sit them on top of the cake as I worked too hard not to put them on. I also made the mistake to cover the freshly covered cake with kitchen foil which later stuck to the cream and left some marks, but nobody complained about this:) 

Ultimate Chocolate Cake

For the sponge

220 g good quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids

220 g butter

1 tbsp instant coffee ganules

95 g self-raising flour

95 g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

220 g light muscovado sugar

200 g golden caster sugar

30 g cocoa powder

4 medium eggs

85 ml buttermilk (5tbsp)

For the cream

500g mascarpone

200 g good quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids

3-4 tbsp hazelnut liqueur

To decorate

50 g chocolate for chocolate curls 

Preheat the oven to 160C and line a 19X25 cm rectangle tin with baking paper.

Break the dark chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy based pan. Cut the butter into pieces and tip in with the chocolate, then mix 1 tbsp instant coffee granules into 125 ml cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - don't overheat.

While the chocolate is melting, mix the self raising flour, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, light muscovado sugar, golden caster sugar and cocoa powder in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk.

Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25 -1 hour 30 minutes - if you push a skewer in the middle it should come out clean and the top should feel firm. 

Leave it to cool in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three. Make the cream:mixing the mascarpone with the melted but slightly cooled chocolate and the hazelnut liqueur.

Sandwich the layers together with the mascarpone cream but leave enough cream to cover the outside of the cake with a palette knife.

Decorate with chocolate curls: melt 50 g of dark chocolate and spread it on a sooth chopping board. Pop it to the freezer for 10 minutes so the chocolate  hardens, then with a long bladed sharp knife start shaving curls of the surface. It doesn't have to be precise, the more shape and size you have is the better.

The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days......haha it took 30 minutes for the office staff to demolish the whole cake:)

Gundel Pancake/Gundel Palacsinta

This year the pancake day will be on the 12th of February. To celebrate this grand occasion, I made some pancakes in preparation, to have a practise run before the big day. Gundel Pancake is a traditional Hungarian pancake created and invented by Karoly Gundel. It is a pancake with ground walnuts, raisins and rum filling served flambéed dark chocolate sauce. It is quite heavy, I would be surprised if you could eat more than two even if you are a big guy. Due to traditions I included my dear friend, Kabi's kitchen pancake batter recipe.

Gundel Pancake / Gundel Palacsinta

For the Batter (makes about 20)

400g plain flour

3 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

500ml milk

250ml sparkling water of soda water

4 eggs

sunflower oil

For the filling(for 4-7 pancakes)

4 tbsp rum

80 g of raisins

60 g grated walnut

65 g chopped walnut

150 ml double cream

50 g caster sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

For the chocolate sauce

80 g dark chocolate, chopped

100 ml single cream

2 egg yolks

1/2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 ek rum

Before you start the pancakes, put the raisins in a bow and pour the rum on top. Leave it to soak for 1 hour, or until you ready with the pancakes. As the rum won't cover the raisins, stir it time to time.

Sift the flour in a mixing bowl and add the salt and sugar. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs and the milk(add the milk in two portion mixing well in between). Mix it well, and slowly add the sparkling water until it reach the consistency  of thicker single cream. 

Stir it up before you start to make them. Heat up the pan until very hot with some oil and make the first batch of the pancakes. Poor the mixture in the middle of the pan, and with circular motion of your wrist spread it evenly. When the edges start to brown flip it with a plastic spatula or a flat wooden spoon. In order to get out of the kitchen before midnight use at least 2 frying pan/pancake pan...I usually do it with three and create a small production line.

Put the double cream in a heavy based pan, add the sugar and bring it to boil. When it reached boiling point add the chopped and the grated walnut, cinnamon and cook it for further 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool for a few minutes then add the rum soaked raisins and the rum if left any. Stir it well, and add some more rum, if you require so.

Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl over boiling water with the single cream and stir it until the chocolate is incorporated with the single cream. Take off from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks first then the butter and sugar. Return the bowl above the boiling water and reheat it.

Take one pancake fill it with the hot walnut filling and fold it in half then to another half, to get the typical quarter shape. Place one or two on the plate, pour on top the chocolate sauce. To flambé the pancakes, just pour some rum on top of the chocolate sauce than light it with a blow torch. Please be really careful and if you don't want flambéed Gudnel pancakes, just simply pour the rum into the chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Fingers Celebration Cake with Red Berries

It is my friend's birthday today so true to traditions I baked her a birthday cake. I always wanted to make a similar cake but the chocolate cigarellos just way out of my budget range(for a small cake  it would cost 30-40 pounds at least). But, there is a cheaper alternative: Chocolate fingers! I modified my previous flourless brownie recipe (but added some flour to make it more sturdy) as I just couldn't have enough of it since yesterday.

Chocolate Fingers Celebration Cake with Red Berries

Ingredients for the cake
250 g dark chocolate broken into pieces (around 60%-70 cocoa solids)
250 g unsalted butter, diced
100 g golden caster sugar
4 medium eggs
100 g  ground almonds
50 g plain flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder, sifted
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

For the cream and decoration
250 g mascarpone
100 g dark chocolate broken into pieces
2-5 tbsp Amaretto liqueur
2.5 box of Cadbury Chocolate Fingers

300 g raspberries
150 g strawberries

red ribbon for decorating
2 coloured pearl headed pins

Preheat the oven to 170C and prepare two 19 cm sandwich tin.

Melt the chocolate (250 g) with the butter in a bowl set over a pan with a little simmering water in it. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and stir to combine, then leave to cool slightly. Add the eggs to the chocolate mixture, one by one, beating after each addition until the mixture is very glossy.

Gently fold in the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and cinnamon without overmixing.

Spread the chocolate mixture in the tins and bake for 25-35 minutes. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean with just a few moist crumbs on it.

In the meantime  you can prepare the filling. Melt the 100 g chocolate in a bowl set over a pan with a little simmering water in it. Remove from the heat then leave to cool slightly. Add the mascarpone and work it until fully incorporated then add Amaretto liqueur to taste (as this cake made for a birthday girl, I wasn't shy with the amount:))

When the cake is ready and completeley cooled, level with a cake leveller. Place one layer on the cake stand and spread some chocoalte filling and sandwich with the other sponge layer.

Cover the cake with the rest of the chocolate cream (leaving a thicker layer on the top rather than the sides) and start to press lightly the chocolate fingers to the sides. You should face the cake eye level otherwise after a few chocolate you tend to misplace the fingers and they won't stand straight.

I prepared the bow while baking the sponge. Just cut a piece of ribbon, tie it, then insert a headed pin from behind. Cut a bigger piece of ribbon, tie it around the cake and fix it with another headed pin(obviously please wash the pins before use, and just before cutting the cake remove the ribbon with the needles to avoid any accidents). When you happy with the position of the ribbon just insert the bow on top.

Place or arrange the washed fruits on top.............and you can start preparing for the birthday party.

and Happy Birthday Rimma!!!!!

Flourless Chocolate Brownies

The second recipe I tried from my new Annie Bell book was this brownie. I was quite curious how this would turn out, as I modified the recipe (I don't normally change recipe without trying out first the original, but there are exceptions) . First of all I used half the sugar the recipe originally suggested (200 g) - and was still sweet enough -, left out the additional 50 g of dark chocolate chips and added some berries. These days I go to the gym 5 times a week and I didn't want to ruin my hard earned -kgs. The result was a beautifully moist, melt in your mouth light brownies. As it doesn't contain any flour it is gluten free, but crumblier than the usual brownies.

Flourless Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients
250 g dark chocolate broken into pieces (around 60%-70 cocoa solids)
250 g unsalted butter, diced
100 g golden caster sugar
4 medium eggs
150 g  ground almonds
1 heaped tsp baking powder, sifted
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
handful of berries

Preheat the oven to 170C and prepare a 23 cm square tin (rectangle is fine as well).

Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl set over a pan with a little simmering water in it. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and stir to combine, then leave to cool slightly. Add the eggs to the chocolate mixture, one by one, beating after each addition until the mixture is very glossy.

Gently fold in the ground almonds, baking powder and cinnamon without overmixing.

Spread the chocolate mixture in the tin, sprinkle over the fruits and bake for 25-35 minutes. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean with just a few moist crumbs on it.

Leave to cool completely in the tin - it will be very crumbly to begin with, but will firm up a little by the following day. The brownies will keep well in an airtight container for several days (ha-ha not in our household).

Hints and tips:

You can also replace the sugar with fruit sugar(Tate Lyle what I use sometimes) or agave to make your brownies totally sugar and flour free as well

Salted Caramel Pralines

It is a while since I made pralines, so I thought to do some to use up my leftover caramel from the banoffee cupcakes. I have a numerous chocolate moulds but I have to say I prefer the hard plastic ones over the silicone, but I gave it a go. You can use any filling you like this time I choose the new hit: salted caramel. At the first time I made this salted caramel chocolate the filling was too salty, so be careful not to overdone the saltiness. Also it was the quickest ever and would make a nice Christmas present for family. For a detailed guide how to temper milk or white chocolate(to have a nice, shiny cover) I used this website.

Salted Caramel Pralines

Ingredients 

150 g dark chocolate (I used 70,4% cocoa solid one from Callebaut)

1.5 g cocoa butter(1% of your total chocolate amount)

120 g caramel (I used Nestle Carnation)

pinch of sea salt

You will need a chocolate mould (either a silicone or hard plastic) a digital thermometer a paint brush and a pyrex bowl over simmering water in a pan. 

Place 2\3 of the chocolate in the pyrex bowl over simmering water in a pan. In order to get accurate reading from the digital thermometer watch out that the end of the probe should be in the chocolate mass but without touching the bottom of the bowl. So you checking the temperature of the chocolate and not the bowl. Keep stirring with a silicone spatula until it reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46C).

When it reached the right temperature take off from the heat and immediately place the pyrex bowl in a bigger bowl filled with cold water. Add the remaining of the chocolate and stir gently to incorporate. When it is mixed add the cocoa butter and keep stirring until the mix temperature drops to 84 Fahrenheit (29C).

Return the chocolate above the warm mater and until the temperature reaches 88 Fahrenheit (31C), now the chocolate is ready to pour into the mould. The mould should be clean and dry, preferably cleaned with a muslin cloth.

I used the paint brush technique because I don't like wasting expensive chocolate. 

Basically there are two techniques when it comes to moulding: melt enough chocolate to fill all cavities to the top(double the amount of chocolate I described), leave it to create a shell around the mould and pour off the excess(therefore creating a lot of leftover chocolate/and unless you going to use it for something else it is too expensive just to use it for hot chocolate etc. In the chocolate factories it doesn't matter as they going to use it anyway, but at home....

So I used the paint brush technique: melt only the necessary amount and pour it to the mould. Using a simple brush start spreading the chocolate to the top of each mould cavity. Keep repeating the process until you think the shell around the mould is thick enough. 

This is the part where you have to experiment. The time required depends on your chocolate, your mould and the temperature in your kitchen. If you pour out the chocolate too soon the shell won't hold the filling and will break, but if you leave it for too long the chocolate shell will be too thick and the ratio of the filling to the chocolate will be unbalanced. I did both at the beginning, but it is all about learning. Now I generally have a feeling when it is right, usually it only needs 2-3 minutes.

When it is ready turn the mould up side down (place the chocolate bowl beneath it) and tap to the side of the bowl a couple of times. Scrape off the excess chocolate and place the mould into the fridge to harden.

In the meantime you can prepare the filling. This time it was easy: I took the ready caramel heated a little in the microwave and added a pinch of two sea salt. Don't be tempted to add more as the salty flavour will intensify with time. I did this mistake as well at the first time, I made a caramel sauce that was just deliciously salty...by the time I take it off from the mould it was more than pleasantly salty.

Pour the filling into a plastic piping bag and place it to the fridge to cool down.

When the chocolate is ready pour the caramel filling to 2/3 of the cavities, leaving enough space to close the chocolates. Put the mould back to the fridge.

When the caramel filling hardened the only job left is to close the chocolates. Somebody repeats the whole tempering process........well I just reheat the chocolate if needed to the right temperature(31C) and spread on top, scraping off the excess -nobody going to watch the bottom of the chocolate but if you quick enough you should manage the whole process with the tempered chocolate still at the right temperature so it will be shiny.

Hint and tips:
If you don't like salted caramel you have numerous other options>
My old favourite filling is the rum-soaked raisins and sweet chestnut puree. In Hungary we have a sweetened chestnut puree, what we defrost and pass it through a potato mash, eating with whipped cream on top (truly delicious). 
Just add 100g sweet chestnut puree to about 80ml whipped double cream and rum soaked raisins................hmmmm.

Some of the other fillings I used to make: Amaretto soaked apricots with marzipan, chocolate cream with pistachio, lemon curd, peanut butter and raspberry jam. Below is a picture of my very first try featuring the flavours I mentioned above made by my plastic moulds:

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.