Lemon Curd filled sponge cubes

It is my boss's wedding is in two weeks time and I volunteered to bake a cake for him. Well two cakes as the the team is quite big. I made the Ultimate Chocolate Cake and a Lemon Curd cake. I decided to try my new cake mould: the cube one. I made 25 cubes (well only 23 on the picture as my husband couldn't resist it any more) which were all the same size and consistency and more importantly: delicious. For the sponge I used the one published on the Zila Cake Mould's website and the lemon curd is still the Kabi's Kitchen version.

Lemon Curd filled Sponge Cubes

For the sponge

6 eggs

140 g sugar

210g plain flour

45g melted butter

1/2 lemon zest

1 vanilla pod

For the lemon curd

2 eggs

2 egg yolk

80g sugar

3 lemons
70g butter

1 tsp honey

To decorate

100 ml double cream

1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 160C. 

Whip the egg whites to medium peaks and add the sugar. Mix in the melted (but room temperature) butter, vanilla seeds, lemon zest and the egg yolks. Fold in carefully the plain flour and pour the mixture to the cake mould (that you previously prayed with a vegetable fat based releasing agent).

Tap the mould on a tray to the kitchen surface so the liquid can spread equally in the mould and you will have nice smooth sponge without holes in it.

Bake it for 20-30 minutes or until it is golden brown. 

While it is still warm sprinkle some sugar on top and turn it up side down to another sheet. Remove the silicon top and the square inox frame and leave it to cool.

For the lemon custard whisk the eggs and yolks in a heatproof bowl with sugar, lemon zest and juice. Set the bowl over simmering water and add the butter and honey. Stir continuously. It takes roughly 12-15 minutes to thicken. It should reach the consistency of custard. Turn of the heat and leave it to cool.

Fill each cavities with lemon curd and decorate with a small portion of whipped cream and a small slice of lemon.

Ischler/Isler

I fancied some biscuits today and I wanted something "bad" for my waistline(I deserve some Sunday's treat). I haven't had Isler for a while, as you can't really find this in England. Isler is basically walnut/almond biscuit rounds sandwiched together with jam, and covered with chocolate. You can have these shortbread like biscuits in Hungarian patisseries all over the country. They are lush to eat and they can keep for a long time ....if you can resist.

Ischler/ Isler

Ingredients (makes 16)

200 g plain flour

150 g grated walnut/almond

200 g butter at room tempeature

2 egg yolk

100 g icing sugar

pinch of salt

approx 200 g apricot jam/seedless raspberry

200 g dark chocolate

50 g butter

Mix the flour, grated walnut, icing sugar in a big bowl then add the butter, egg yolks and the pinch of salt. Try to mix the dough as quickly as possible to avoid overworking it and melt the butter with your warm fingers. Shape a ball, cover it with cling film and place it to the fridge for at least an hour, but if you leave it to rest overnight that is even better.

Preheat the oven to 180 C. After resting, work the dough for a minute on a floured surface than roll it to 4-5 mm thick. With a 7-9 cm cookie cutter cut out rounds and place them on a baking paper covered baking sheet.

Bake them for 20-30 minutes or until they are golden. Leave them to cool completely. Sandwich two rounds with some apricot jam. Leave the biscuits for a few hours to harden, so the biscuit rounds won't slide on the jam when you are dipping them.

Place a bowl over a boiling water in a heavy based pan and put the chocolate in the bowl stirring until melted. Add the butter, which will give a nice shine to it. Decorate with half walnuts if you wish, but it isn't necessary.

Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake

This time I adopted my original Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake recipe so I can prepare it in the Zila Cake Mould. When I purchased my mould, this was the cake I had in mind that would be the best with it. It was much easier to to make the cake and I didn't need the gelatine to harden the cream, as this time the cavities hold the cream together.

Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake

For the sponge
190 g self-raising flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
210 g butter at room temperature
210 g golden caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
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
150 ml double cream

orange food colouring

For the decoration
1 Terry's Chocolate Orange

Heat the oven to 180 C. Coat the 12 slice cake mould with a vegetable fat based release agent spray.

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 25-30 minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed.

For the filling, mix all ingredients in a big bowl then add the orange food colouring(the amount you need depends on the brand, so use as recommended), mixing thoroughly and put it to the fridge to harden a little.

Place the filling into a piping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe the cream into the 12 cavities and place a Terry's Chocolate Orange slice in each cream portion.

Enjoy:) Sorry, I don't have any pictures from the actual slices as I took it into my workplace to  my colleagues to destroy:).

Fruity Breakfast Bars

If we go hiking I always make this little miracle bars. Last weekend we went to Isle of Wight  and these bars were life saver in the forest:) Everything you need is in this slice: fruit, nuts, fibre and protein. It is also really quick to make, so there is no excuse any more to carry a Snickers or Mars bar in your back pack.

Fruity Breakfast Bar

Ingredients(makes 16)

310 g ready-made apple sauce or pie filing

140 g ready-to-eat dried apricot, hopped

130 g raisins

50 g demerara sugar

55 g sunflower seed

40 g sesame seed

30 g pumpkin seed/ pistachio

80 g rolled oats

80 g self raising flour

60 g desiccated coconut

3 eggs

50 g dark chocolate chips-optional

Preheat the oven to 200C and line a 20 cm square or rectangle tin with baking paper.

Put the apple sauce in a large bowl with the apricots, raisins, sugar and the sunflower, sesame and pumpkin sees and stir together with a wooden spoon until throughtly mixed.

Add the oats, flour, coconut and eggs to the fruit mixture and gently stir together until evenly combined.

Turn the mixture into the tin and spread to the edges in an even layer. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and just firm to the touch.

Leave to cool in the tin, then lift out on to a board and cut into bars.

You can replace any of the nuts or fruits if you want so. You can tailor it to your preference.

And this is us during our trip on the Isle of Wight. Surely, we only made it because we had the breakfast bars on hand:)