Rosemary Loaf Cake

At I Heart Cooking clubs (IHCC) this week, "It's time to make a dish and Take It Outside to a picnic, outdoor gathering, park, porch or lanai!". I've made Nigella Lawson's Rosemary Loaf Cake, which is perfect for any gathering, either outdoor or indoors. 

I have a pot of bushy rosemary plant in my garden, and am always looking for ways to use them. I can't believe that I have overlooked this recipe from one of my favourite baking books, How To Be A Domestic Goddess. 

This is a plain butter cake, with bits of chopped rosemary leaves in it. The rosemary does not give it's herb flavour to the cake but rather a light aroma which is really very nice. As Nigella says " ...there is something muskily aromatic about it against the sweet vanilla egginess of the cake". 

I've used salted butter instead of unsalted as in the recipe. The salted butter gives a really nice salty buttery flavour to the cake.

The cake is moist, with soft buttery crumb. My kinda cake, simple and yummy! 

Rosemary Loaf Cake
(How To Be A Domestic Goddess, Nigella Lawson)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter (I use salted butter)
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/3 self-raising cake flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
needles from 4-inch stalk of rosemary, chopped small, but not too fine (about 2 teaspoon)
4 tablespoons milk (I use 2 tbsps)
1-2 tablespoons rosemary sugar or granulated brown or white sugar (omitted)

9x5-inch loaf pan, buttered and lined with parchment or wax paper

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Now cream the butter, adding the sugar when it's really soft, and creaming both together till pale and smooth and light. Beat in the eggs one at a time, folding in a spoonful of the flour after each addition, then add the vanilla. Fold in the rest of the flour (Nigella recommends using a rubber spatula), and finally the rosemary. Thin the batter with the milk, you're after a soft, dropping consistency - and pour, into the waiting pan. Sprinkle the top with a little sugar (I omitted the sugar), before putting it in the oven, and cook for 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack, in its pan, and when completely cold, unmould and wrap well in foil till you need to eat it. Like all sorts of cakes, it keeps well.

(serves 8-10)

I'm linking this post with :

I Heart Cooking Clubs, theme for this week Take It Outside!

Cookbook Countdown #42

Austrian Apricot Sheet Cake

A traditional Austrian summer cake. Delicate yellow batter, scraped into a sheet pan, dimpled with halved raw apricots. Canned apricots can be used instead of fresh. During baking, the cake rises up around the apricot halves, which sink down into the batter. I have used canned apricots, and made half a recipe as the original recipe makes quite a large cake.  

The cake batter is so simple to make, and it takes about 25 to 30 minutes to bake. Once the cake is has cooled down, dust evenly with confectioners' sugar before serving.

This is a lovely cake, with moist, soft, light and airy crumb. It is not too sweet, a definite plus in my books! We wish we had some ice cream in the freezer to go with this lovely cake. Maybe the next time! This recipe is a keeper! According to the author, this is the kind of crowd-pleasing cake you'll want to make year-round.

Austrian Apricot Sheet Cake (Marillenfleck)
(Classic German Baking, Luisa Weiss)
Makes 1 (13x18-inch) cake
1.5kg ripe apricots or 3 (432gms cans) apricot halves, drained
200gm unsalted butter
200gm all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
200gm confectioners' sugar, plus more for garnish
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated peel of 1/2 organic lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line a 13 by 18 by 1-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash, dry, halve, and pit the apricots, and set aside.
2. Melt the butter and remove from the heat as soon as it has melted. While the butter is melting, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat with a whisk or with the whisk attachment just until no lumps remain. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla extract, grated lemon peel, and lemon juice just until combined. Beat in the remaining flour mixture and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
4. Scrape the batter onto the prepared pan, spreading it out into the corners. Place the apricot halves, cut-side up, on the cake batter, distributing them evenly and leaving only a little bit of space between them.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the cake (not an apricot) comes out clean.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a rack. When the rack is completely cool, dust evenly with more confectioners' sugar, cut into squares, and serve.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #35 

Coconut, Almond and Blueberry Cake

This month at Cookbook Countdown, we are making Tea Time Treats! You are welcome to join us. Make any tea time treats, share and link your post with Cookbook Countdown.  Head over to Cookbook Countdown for more details. 

This is a super simple, fuss-free cake to make, no need of a stand mixer! Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another. Pour the combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add some of the blueberries, stir to combine, and pour mixture into the baking pan. Scatter more blueberries over the top along with the flaked almonds, then bake. How easy is that!

I made half a recipe, reduced the sugar to 80gm, baked in a 7 inch pan for 40 minutes.

Cake is not too sweet, with tender moist crumbs. A slice is perfect with a cup of warm tea, for a lovely tea-time treat.

The full recipe can be found here

Coconut, Almond and Blueberry Cake
(Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh)
(my adaptation for half a recipe )
90gm ground almonds
30gm desiccated coconut
80gm caster sugar
35gm self-raising flour
2 large eggs
100gm salted butter, melted, then set aside to come to room temperature
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
100 gm frozen blueberries
10 gm flaked almonds

1. Grease and line a 7inch round cake pan. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Place the almonds, coconut, sugar, flour and salt (a pinch, if using unsalted butter) in a large mixing bowl and whisk to aerate and remove the lumps.
3. Place the eggs in a separate medium bowl and whisk lightly. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest and whisk again until well combined. Pour this into the dry mix and whisk to combine. Fold in 70gm blueberries, then pour the mixture into the tin. Sprinkle the last of the blueberries on top, along with the flaked almonds, and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Keep a close eye on it towards the end of cooking, the relatively large number of eggs in the mix means that it can go from still being a little bit liquid in the centre of being well cooked in just a few minutes.
4. Set aside for 30 minutes before inverting out of the tin, removing the baking parchment and placing the cake the right way up on a serving plate. It can either be served warm with cream or set aside until cool.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #31 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Apple-Coconut Family Cake

I like the combination of flavours in this cake ; apples, coconut, rum and vanilla. A simple, easy cake to make, it doesn't require a stand mixer to mix the batter. A bowl with a hand whisk is all you need, well, OK, a couple of bowls! 

I made half a recipe and use a 7" baking pan to bake the cake, a smaller pan (maybe 6") would result in a taller cake.

Cake is moist with tender crumbs, and the flavours of the coconut with the apples and rum, is a winning combination. Love it! Yummy with a mug of tea!

Apple-Coconut Family Cake

(Baking From My Home To Yours, Dorie Greenspan)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

3 apples, peeled and cored

2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup plain yoghurt

6 tablespoons flavorless oil, such as canola or grapeseed

1 tablespoon dark rum

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup shredded coconut, preferably unsweetened

about 1/2 cup apple jelly, for glaze

Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Cut 2 of the apples into a small dice, cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Cut the third apple from blossom to stem into slices about 1/4 inch thick; cover.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and 1/2 cup of the sugar together for a minute, Whisk in the yoghurt, oil, rum and vanilla and whisk for about a minute, until smooth. Still using a whisk, or switching to a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture, followed by the coconut and the diced apple.

Scrape the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan from side to side a couple of times to even the batter. Arrange the sliced apples in an attractive pattern over the top of the cake - I like to make a sunburst pattern - and sprinkle the apples with the remaining 2 teaspoon sugar.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the apples and cake are golden and a thin knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer the springform pan to a rack, and cool the cake for 20 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, make the glaze, Warm the apple jelly with a splash of water just until it liquefies.

Once the cake has cooled for 20 minutes, run a knife around the edges of the cake and release the sides of the pan. Using a pastry brush, give the top of the cake a generous gloss of glaze.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #28 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

It's Potluck Week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), our last theme for 2017. It has been a wonderful year baking and cooking with my friends at IHCC. And looking forward to another delicious year ahead.  For a sweet ending for 2017, I've made Nigella's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake. 

The cake is moist  and dense yet very tender and slightly crumbly. I did reduce the dark brown sugar to only 1 cup (loosely packed) and it was just right for us. And have used salted butter.

Another winner from Nigella. 

Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

(How To Be A Domestic Goddess, Nigella Lawson)

1 cup soft unsalted butter

1-2/3 cups dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces best bittersweet chocolate, melted

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup plus 2 tablepsoons boiling water

9x5-inch loaf pan

Preheat the oven to 375F, put in a baking sheet in case of sticky drips later, and grease and line the loaf pan. The lining is important as this is a very damp cake; use parchment or one of those loaf-pan-shaped paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar, either with a wooden spoon or with an electric hand-held mixer, then add the eggs and vanilla, beating in well. Next, fold in the melted and now slightly cooled chocolate, taking care to blend well but being careful not to overbeat. You want the ingredients combined; you don't want a light airy mass. Then gently add the flour, to which you've added the baking soda, alternately spoon by spoon, with the boiling water until you have a smooth and fairly liquid batter. Pour into the lined loaf pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 325F and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. The cake will still be a bit squidgy inside, so an inserted cake tester or skewer won't come out completely clean.

Place the loaf pan on a rack, and leave to get completely cold before turning it out. (I often leave it for a day or so; like gingerbread, it improves). Don't worry if it sinks in the middle; indeed, it will do so because it's such a dense and damp cake.

Makes 8-10 slices.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

December 2017 Potluck

I wish everyone A Happy New Year! 

Clove-Scented Chocolate and Apricot Loaf

This is my third bake for The Cake Slice Bakers for this month. We have the option to bake from any of our previous featured books before we start with a new book in January. Those previous books are ;

Sky High : Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Southern Cakes

Cake Keeper Cakes

The Cake Book

Vintage Cakes

Great Cakes

The Southern Cake Book

Maida Heatter's Cakes

World Class Cakes

Once again I've baked from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. The cake I've chosen is Clove-Scented Chocolate and Apricot Loaf, which I've wanted to bake for ages. It is a chocolate cake, which has a spice ingredient that is not always used in bakes, ground cloves. Described by the author "Just a small amount of ground cloves gives this chocolate loaf a mysterious and complex flavor. Apricots add moisture, color, and a beautiful acidity that complements the chocolate and spice".

The cake is moist, with tender crumbs and delicious! Everything combines together perfectly, the cloves, cinnamon, cocoa powder and the apricots, with a very nice aroma from the spices. The only thing is, the chopped apricots sunk to the bottom of the cake, looks like I did not chop the apricots fine enough.  But not an issue, as the cake is really good. I will chop the dried apricots to smaller pieces the next time, as this cake is worth a repeat!

Clove-Scented Chocolate and Apricot Loaf
(from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)
serves 8 to 10
1 cup dried apricot, finely chopped
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
2. Combine the apricots and 1 tablespoon of flour in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk together the remaining 1 cup flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium mxing bowl.
3. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.
4. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Turn the mixer to low speed and add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the milk. Repeat, ending with the flour. After the last addition, mix for 1 minute on medium speed. Stir in the apricots.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
7. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Do visit The Cake Slice Bakers official blog to see what everyone has baked this month. If you would like to join us, please leave a message with the administrator, you can find it on the left side bar.

I'm also linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #24 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate Marble Chiffon Cake

My second bake for The Cake Slice Bakers for this month. We have the option to bake from any of our previous featured books before we start with a new book in January. Those previous books are ;

Sky High : Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Southern Cakes

Cake Keeper Cakes

The Cake Book

Vintage Cakes

Great Cakes

The Southern Cake Book

Maida Heatter's Cakes

World Class Cakes

This second bake is from Cake Keeper Cakes, one of my favourite baking book. I like that the bakes in this book are fuss free and the cakes are all perfect for anytime snacking, makes a nice breakfast and tea-time treat with a cup of coffee or tea. 

According to Lauren Chattman, this is her older daughter's favourite cake out of all the bakes in this book. I can see why it is, the cake is light, fluffy, moist and so, so good! I've already made this a few times, and each time, it was gone pretty quick!

Chocolate Marble Chiffon Cake
(Cake Keeper Cakes, by Lauren Chattman)
serves 8 to 10
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
2 tablespoons water
1-1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 large eggs, 5 separated, 2 left whole
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup water * (refer notes below)

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Have ready a 9-inch ungreased angel food tube pan with a removable bottom.
2. Whisk together the cocoa powder, water, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl. Set aside. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly to break up any lumps. Set aside.
3. Place the egg yolks and whole eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until lightened in colour, about 3 minutes. With the motor running, add 1 cup sugar in a slow, steady stream and continue to beat until the mixture is light and increased in volumn, about 5 minutes longer. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the remaining 1/2 cup oil and continue to beat for 1 minute longer.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 the water mixture, then another 1/3 of the flour, the remaining water mixture, and the remaining flour mixture, scraping down the bowl once or twice as necessary. Stir in the vanilla.
5. With clean beaters and using a clean mixing bowl, whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat on medium speed until the egg whites begin to turn white. With the mixer still on medium speed, pour in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a slow, steady stream and whip until the whites hold stiff peaks.
6. Fold 1/4 of the yolk mixture into the whites to lighten. Then fold the remaining whites into the yolk mixture, gently but thoroughly.
7. Transfer 1/3 of the cake batter to another bowl and gently fold in the chocolate batter. Pour half of the yellow batter into the tube pan. Top with half of the chocolate batter. Repeat with the remaining yellow and chocolate batter. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Use a butter knife to swirl the batters together, taking care not to overmix. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and the top springs back when you touch it, 55 minutes to 1 hour.
8. Remove the pan from the oven. If your pan has feet, invert the pan onto a heatproof surface and allow it to cool. If your pan doesn't have feet, invert 4 heatproof drinking glasses on the counter and rest the inverted pan on top of the glasses to allow air to circulate around the cake while it cools. Let the cake cool in the pan completely, about 2 hours.
9. To remove the cake from the pan, run a sharp paring knife around the edges, being careful to leave the golden crust intact. Remove the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving platter. Run the paring knife under the removable bottom of the pan and lift it off the cake. Slice and serve.
10. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Kitchen Flavours notes :
Some changes I've made to the recipe :
~ reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp for the batter, 1/4 cup for egg white meringue
~ instructions mentioned about adding water at step 4, water is not listed in the ingredients, so comparing with her other chiffon cake recipes in the book, I've added 1/4 cup water *, and it works out great

Do visit The Cake Slice Bakers official blog to see what everyone has baked this month. If you would like to join us, please leave a message with the administrator, you can find it on the left side bar.

I'm also linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #24 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

An InLinkz Link-up

Olive Oil Cake With Fresh Apricots

This month, at The Cake Slice Bakers, the four recipes selected from the book World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey, which we are currently baking from are ;

Olive Oil Cake with Fresh Peaches
Hummingbird Cake
M'hanncha
Oliver Peyton's Strawberry and Majoram Cream Tart

Members can choose any of these cakes to bake, and my choice is Olive Oil Cake with Fresh Peaches. But instead of peaches, I've used fresh apricots.

I made half a recipe and bake in a 5" cake pan, and it bakes up like a giant cupcake! Maybe I should have used a 6" cake pan instead. This is a simple cake with all the basic ingredients, instead of butter, it uses olive oil.

The cake has moist, close crumbs and I thought that this is just an ordinary cake, nothing special that would make me want to bake it again. I prefer the Danish Apple Cake which I baked months ago from the same book, maybe I have always prefer using butter in my cakes instead of oil.

An InLinkz Link-up

Golden Raisins Financiers

This month, at The Cake Slice Bakers, the four recipes selected from the book World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey, which we are currently baking from are ;

Raspberry Angel Cake 
Hazelnut Dacquoise 
Blueberry Financiers
Plum Madeira

Members can choose any of these cakes to bake, and my choice is Blueberry Financiers. 

The only thing is I did not use blueberries, which I was planning to use, but at the last minute, I've used golden raisins as I have been thinking about making a tea cake with golden raisins for weeks! I've made half a recipe, which yields 6 financiers, and the only change I've made to the recipe was to reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup and I've added 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter. The mould I had was slightly longer than the one used in the recipe, and the shape is oblong instead of rectangular. Baking time remains the same at 20 minutes.

I have also omitted the apricot glaze for the baked financiers. 

These financiers are delightful to eat, very moist and yummy. The only downside is, the raisins sank to the bottom, but that is OK with me, as these little tea cakes are really nice. Perfect with a cup of warm tea.

An InLinkz Link-up

Marble Sheet Cake

Marble cake is always a favourite. This simple cake makes a wonderful treat for tea time, breakfast and for snacking anytime of the day. According to the author, "This is the perfect cake to make when you're not sure whether it's gonna be chocolate or vanilla". 

I used the stand mixer with the whisk attachment to make this cake, but it can be made using a bowl with a hand whisk with some elbow grease. The only changes I've made is, as usual, I've reduced the sugar to 180gm (from the original of 300gm). The sweetness turns out just right, without being overly sweet.

Cake is moist, with soft crumbs. Lovely vanilla fragrance and the chocolate batter really shines through with chocolaty taste from the cocoa powder. Yummy cake!

Marble Sheet Cake
(One Bowl Baking, Yvonne Ruperti)
16 tablespoons (8 ounces or 225gm) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan.
1-1/2 cups (10-1/2 ounces or 300gm) granulated sugar (I use 180gm)
3/4 teaspoon salt (omitted salt, as I've used salted butter)
4 large eggs
1-1/4 cups (300ml) plus 1 tbsp (15ml) while milk, room temperature, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups (11 ounces or 310gm) cake flour
2-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup (1 ounce or 28gm) cocoa powder

Place an oven rack in the  middle position.
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, stir the butter, sugar and salt until combined
Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until each is incorporated. Whisk in 1-1/4 cups milk and the vanilla.
Add the cake flour and baking powder to the bowl, then whisk until just combined.
Spoon half of the batter (about 3 cups) into the pan in random blobs.
Whisk the cocoa and the remaining tablespoon milk into the remaining batter.
Spoon the chocolate batter into the empty spots and then swirl the batters together.
Bake until lightly golden, just firm, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Set the pan on a wire rack to let the cake cool completely before frosting.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #18 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Pineapple Coconut Cakes

This month, at The Cake Slice Bakers, the four recipes selected from the book World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey, which we are currently baking from are ;

Genoise with Raspberries and Cream

Lime and Poppy Seed Syrup Cake

Pineapple Coconut Cakes with Pineapple Syrup

Sacher Torte

Members can choose any of these cakes to bake, and my choice is Pineapple Coconut Cakes. 

In the recipe, the author has used eight small fluted petit-Brioche pans. I do not have any Brioche pans so I've used two small round pans instead, size 5-1/2". I bought those cute little pans from Ikea a couple of months ago and have not used them before. Now is the good time to put those pans to use.

Some changes I've made with the recipe :

• reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup (original was 3/4 cup)
• added 1 tbsp dark rum to the batter
• adjustment to the baking time ; bake at 170C for 40 minutes
• omitted the pineapple syrup

This cake was brushed with pineapple syrup, but I have omitted it. I was afraid that it might be too sweet.

A slice or two makes a wonderful tea-time treat.

Overall review : Very nice cake. Moist and buttery with soft crumbs. I was glad that I have reduced the sugar, as with the reduction in sugar, the sweetness was just right for us. Not too sweet but with a touch of sweetness. The only thing that I would change is to add more chopped pineapple to the batter. Lovely cake to snack on with a mug of warm green tea.

An InLinkz Link-up

Banana Loaf

This month, at The Cake Slice Bakers, the four recipes selected from the book World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey, which we are currently baking from are ;

Thierry Busset's Ten Layer Coffee Chocolate Cake

Greek Coconut Cake

Banana Loaf

Mandarin, Polenta, and Macadamia Cake

Members can choose any of those cakes to bake, and my choice is Banana Loaf.

I did make a few changes to the recipe. The changes are :

1. I used 2 medium ripe bananas for the batter, and one more for the topping. Recipe indicated two bananas, one each, for the batter and topping.
2. I reduced the sugar to half cup, original recipe uses 1 cup. By reducing the sugar, the sweetness was just right, without being overly sweet.
3. I've used only 1/3 cup of ground hazelnuts instead of 2/3 cup, replacing the other 1/3 cup with all-purpose flour (an addition to the 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour indicated in the recipe).
4. Instead of sour cream, I've used yoghurt.
5. I've added 2 tablespoons of rum to the batter.

Recipe indicated to use a small baking tin, size 7in x 3-1/4in x 3-1/4in, lined with parchment paper. However, when the batter was ready, it was just too much and from the looks of it, could not fit into the small pan. I then used a 8-1/2in x 4-1/2in loaf pan, and filled it with the batter. Even with this bigger sized pan, the batter fills up almost to the top level of the pan. I was keeping my fingers crossed that the batter would not spill over during baking! 

I baked the loaf at 350F for 57 minutes (the books says to bake at 325F for 45 to 50 minutes). It smells wonderful during baking, with the lovely aroma of the bananas and the rum. What a relief that the batter did not spill over. It rises a little, then it stopped rising, and continue on to bake to a lovely golden colour.

A delicious banana loaf. Moist, soft tender crumbs, not as dense as some banana loaves are, and the sweetness was just right. I am so glad to have reduced the sugar.

A slice (or two!) is wonderful with a cup of tea or coffee. We like this Banana Loaf and I will be making this again when I have some extra bananas.

An InLinkz Link-up

Victoria Sponge

This month, at The Cake Slice Bakers, the four recipes selected from the book World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey, which we are currently baking from are ;

Victoria Sponge
Red Velvet Cake
Almond Tart with Honey
Chocolate Cheesecake

Members can choose any of those cakes to bake, and my choice is Victoria Sponge Cake. A very easy and simple cake to make, baked in two pans, then sandwiched together with jam and cream. I've made half a recipe and used two 5" round cake pans to bake the cakes. Batter is easy and quick to prepare, uses self-raising flour and baking powder. I have reduced the sugar slightly to scant 1/3 cup for half a recipe, and the sweetness works out great. For the jam, I've used my own homemade strawberry jam.

The Creme Chantilly is made by whipping heavy cream, confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract. To make the Creme Chantilly, I've used about half a cup of heavy cream with one tablespoon confectioners' sugar with a small amount of vanilla extract. And I've used only half of  the Creme Chantilly to assemble the cake.

Assemble the cake by using one of the two cakes as the base (trim off the top of the cake to level it), spread some strawberry jam and then the Creme Chantilly. Top with the remaining cake and dust generously with confectioners' sugar. 

Cake is deliciously soft, buttery and spongy. I'm glad I've reduced the sugar slightly. The cake is not too sweet, with my not-too-sweet homemade strawberry jam, and the Creme Chantilly, this makes a lovely dessert.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sunday In Paris Chocolate Cake

Happy Valentine's Day!

The selected recipes from Baking Chez Moi at Tuesdays With Dorie (TWD) for this week are, Sunday In Paris Chocolate Cake and Nun's Beignets. Since it is Valentine's Day, I've made Sunday In Paris Chocolate Cake. I like the name of this cake! I've baked the cake in two small heart-shaped pans. Time to put those pans to work, which I have never used before ever since I bought them years ago!

The batter is very easy and simple to prepare, does not take much time at all. There's a small amount of creamy peanut butter used. To prepare the melted chocolate to be used in the batter, I use the microwave oven to soften the chocolate and another bowl to boil the heavy cream, instead of using the stove. Once the batter is done and divided between the two pans, they are baked for 35 minutes. Leave to cool a little, unmould and leave until completely cool before pouring over the ganache.

I've reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup for the batter, and did not use the optional chopped peanuts for both the batter and topping, as some of us are not fond of peanuts.

The ganache sets almost instantly without any need to refrigerate. Since I did not use any chopped peanuts or chopped chocolate for the topping, I've made some wavy lines on top and decorate with rose wafers which I found in my baking pantry last week! No idea when I bought those!

Cake is not very moist, but it is not dry either, it is very nice. I like the soft crumb texture and thought that the creamy peanut butter adds a delicious taste to the chocolaty cake. A lovely cake, perfect for Valentine's Day, or any other day!

Stop by Tuesdays With Dorie to see what the other bakers thought of this cake.

I'm sharing this post with Cookbook Countdown #14 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Vanilla and Orange Cake

This month, at The Cake Slice Bakers, the four recipes selected from the book World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey which we are currently baking from are ;

Lemon Drizzle 

Apple Streusel

Vanilla and Blood Orange Cake

Devil's Food Cake

Members can choose any of those cakes to bake, and my choice is Vanilla and Blood Orange Cake. I have however replaced blood orange with regular orange.

The full recipe is baked in a 8" pan. I've made half a recipe and bake the cake in a 5" round cake pan. For such a tiny cake, the amount of butter is half a cup (which I thought is quite a lot!), so I've used 100gm, wanted to use only 80gm but decided to reduce only 25gm from the half cup instead, and have reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup, taking into account that there is caramel at the top of the finished cake.

The caramel is first made by melting sugar in a saucepan (for the caramel, I've used 1/4 cup instead of 1/3 cup) and stir until the sugar has completely melted to a caramel. Immediately pour the caramel into the cake pan and place a sliced orange in the centre. 

The batter is made by creaming sugar (I've used 1/4 cup), eggs and seeds from a vanilla pod, until light and fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Fold in melted butter, orange zest, orange juice, mix to combine, and lastly the flour, in two batches. Pour batter into the prepared pan over the caramel and bake in a preheated oven.

According to the recipe, this cake is baked in a low temperature at 325F for 30 minutes. I have however baked at 350F and it took 35 minutes until the cake is done baking. 

Invert the cake onto a plate so that the caramel with the orange is now the top. Let cool and serve.

Cake is very moist, and soft. I am so glad that I have reduced the sugar, as this is quite sweet with the caramel. I thought that this cake could do with a little less butter. I like the orange slice and the bits of vanilla seeds throughout. My overall review for this cake, not great, but nice.

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Granola Cake

The selected recipe from Baking Chez Moi at Tuesdays With Dorie (TWD) is Granola Cake. According to Dorie, homemade granola or store-bought is fine, just make sure that do not use granola with lot of spices or with hard pieces of dried fruit. I made my own using Dorie's Crunchy Granola recipe. The granola is a winner! 

I have reduced the sugar, using 60gm for the brown sugar, and only 20gm for the granulated sugar, taking into account, of the sweetened coconut, and the sweet chocolate chips.

The batter is very thick and the cake does not rise that much during baking as the leavening powder used is just minimal. Bake until the top is brown and sugar-crackly. 

The cooled cake was cut into 16 squares, and they look very much like a blondie, or, bar and slices kind of bakes, rather than a cake. 

These are quite yummy. Moist, soft and a little crumbly with the distinctive taste of the granola, bits of the chocolate chips in every bite. I'm glad I reduced the sugar as these are quite sweet. The next time I would use less choc chips and add some moist plump raisins or dried cranberries, to cut back on some of the sweetness.

Stop by TWD to see what the other bakers thought of this bake.

Gingerbread

This month at The Cake Slice Bakers, the four selected recipes from the book which we are currently baking from, World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey, are :

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Paul A. Young's Torta Gianduja

Caribbean Coconut Cake with Rum

Gingerbread

Members can choose any one of these recipes to bake. My choice is Gingerbread.

This is a simple and easy bake. I've made half a recipe, bake in a 8-1/2x4-1/2 inch loaf pan. The only changes I made was to use Lyle's Golden Syrup instead of dark corn syrup, and brown sugar instead of superfine sugar, as indicated in the recipe. 

From the photo in the book, the cake is beautifully decorated with a lace pattern using royal icing. Of course, the frosting can be spread over the cake instead, but I've decided to omit the frosting.

The gingerbread turns out moist, soft and tender, though the colour is not as dark as other gingerbread. And the taste of the ginger is rather mild. I was thinking that some chopped crystallized ginger mixed into the batter would be nice.

Overall this is a nice moist, soft cake. Great with a cup of warm tea.

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