Gosh it's been a while, I can barely remember how to write a blog post, but here I am... My friends over at Williams-Sonoma asked me to create a recipe using their famous peppermint bark, and while it isn't Christmas themed I'm not saying it wouldn't be perfect for the big day here in Australia, when it's likely to be hot, and summer strawberries will be abundant. Mint and strawberries are a wonderfully fresh combination, and adding chocolate is just a bonus, warm from the oven they taste just like a mint slice.
Monday 4 November 2024
peppermint bark meringues
Monday 3 April 2023
lemon cream chiffon cake
It's the end of March and I've not baked much this year, the motivation just hasn't been there. Last week was my birthday, so I made the effort and baked this lemon cream chiffon. I really enjoyed the process, and the cake, big call I know, but I think this is my favourite chiffon yet.
I used my base chiffon cake recipe with lots of lemon zest and a mix of lemon and orange juice, split the cake into 3 layers, then filled with a super tangy lemon curd. Chiffon sponge is very delicate but the layers held up well. I crumb coated with a lemon curd mascarpone, then covered the lot with softly whipped cream. It was SO good. Filling the layers with just lemon curd was a revelation. Whenever I've sandwiched cakes with curd in the past it's always been in tandem with whipped cream. Using the curd in isolation kept the layers from sliding, melding with the sponge to create intense bursts of lemon flavour, and the tang, so delicious! It's kick started my mojo, so hopefully I'll be back with more to share soon.
Citrus Chiffon Cake
225g plain cake flour*
250g caster sugar
50g extra caster sugar
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
zest of 2 lemons, grated super finely
juice of 1 lemon made up to 180ml with freshly juiced orange juice
120ml canola oil, or similar
* in Australia look out for the Lighthouse brand in the blue and white box "biscuit, pastry and cake low protein plain flour" take care not to buy the pizza flour by mistake...
Lemon Curd
2 jumbo eggs
2 egg yolks
150g caster sugar
zest of 2 lemons
90ml lemon juice
• whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar together then tip into a small pan with the lemon zest, juice and butter
• heat gently, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted and the mixture has thickened (enough to coat the back of a spoon)
• strain the curd through a sieve into a sterilised jar, cover the top with cling wrap as it cools to prevent a skin forming
• when completely cool remove the cling wrap, seal the jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks
Wednesday 7 December 2022
cherry, chocolate and coconut trifle
It's mid December, the tree is up, lights are twinkling, it must be trifle time! I received a beautiful Christmas hamper from Snowgoose, filled with cheese, cherries and a bottle of Veuve Cliquot. I built a fabulous cheese board with cherries and a few festive treats, then indulged my cherry ripe trifle fantasy. The trifle followed my trusty formula; jelly base, a custard/mousse layer, a mound of softly whipped cream, some crisp meringues, and a tumble of fruit.
The Christmas 2022 iteration goes like this, cherry and champagne jelly, chocolate bavarois, whipped cream and coconut meringues. You'll need to pit your cherries, I use a nifty cherry pitter, it takes a while and makes a mess but is not at all difficult. If you don't have a cherry pitter, use a small knife to cut the cherries in half and prise out the pits. Summer in Sydney can be a bit humid, if your meringues are a bit sticky, don't worry, it will just add a little chew, this trifle/pavlova hybrid is always a hit. Have a large trifle bowl sparkling clean, ready to go.
cherry jelly
Monday 22 August 2022
Almond and Pistachio Babka
I revisited our old friend the babka to test out the features on the new Kenwood Chef Patissier. A mid winter cold snap seemed the perfect time to try the dough proofing setting, and having a mixer that weighed and heated the dough was such a time saver. I find a stand mixer is indispensable for this style of dough, and the Kenwood was fabulous, the dough was perfectly silky and smooth, and even with a combined 20 minutes of kneading the mixer did not budge and inch. The bowl and attachments are huge, I'm keen to try a triple batch of pizza dough, its ages since we had a pizza night.
I also tested out the nut chopper, a very handy little accessory that attaches to the high speed outlet. It was the perfect size for a handful nuts and came with 3 additional storage jars which made me disproportionally happy! It's the little things...
There are 3 parts to this babka, the dough, the filling, and the syrup. There are also 3 parts to the dough. It's a little fiddly but not difficult, and definitely worthwhile. There's a sponge, a portion of the flour and milk are mixed to a stiff paste with the yeast then left to ferment before the dough is mixed, the dough proofing feature was great here too. Using a sponge reduces the amount of yeast required, keeping the babka fresher for longer. Another portion of flour and milk are cooked on the stove until gelatinous and thick; this is the tangzhong method, a traditional asian technique that gives soft, fluffy airy bread. The third part combines the dough ingredients for kneading. Still with me? I hope so, it makes the softest dough, my son convinced me to make doughnuts with the last batch and they were incredible sugary pillows of joy! Back to the babka, if pistachios aren't your thing, try a chocolate hazelnut version. Replace the almond spread with your favourite chocolate hazelnut spread, and add a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts in place of the pistachios, definitely my kids babka of choice.
• spread the almond spread over the dough rectangle, leaving a 1cm border clear at the top of the 30cm edge, strew with the finely chopped pistachios
• using a pastry brush, lightly bush the 1cm border with water
• with the 30 cm edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough away from you, into a log shape, as if you are making a roulade or swiss roll
• gently press along the damp edge to seal, trim the uneven ends, carefully lift onto a lined baking tray and put into the fridge for an hour to firm up, again this will make it easier to cut and shape
• while your babka is chilling, grease your loaf tin and line with baking paper
• once firm, using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthways to give you two long strips, see image above, turn the strips cut side up, place one over the other to form an X, then make a couple of twists with each end, try to keep the cut edge facing upwards
• lift your babka into the loaf tin, tucking the ends under, cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to proof, you want the babka to almost double in size, it's ready when the dough springs back when gently pressed
• pre-heat your oven to 180ºC, bake the babka in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes; test with a skewer at 30 minutes, if the skewer can be pushed in and removed easily, and comes out clean the babka is ready, if not pop it back in the oven and re- test at approximately 3-5 minute intervals
• remove the babka from the oven, place the tin on a wire rack, then brush all over with the syrup. It may seem like a lot of syrup, but that babka will soak it up
Tuesday 12 July 2022
apple charlotte
If you love apples and the crisp yet soft paradox of hot buttered toast, this is the dessert for you! A charlotte is the autumn/winter edition of another English classic, the summer pudding, both feature fruit and fluffy white bread, but for me the charlotte has the edge with its crispy, buttery exterior and undeniable affinity with custard.
Use your favourite apples, I went for a mixture of Granny Smith and Pink Lady. The apples are cooked down very slowly, intensifying their flavour, I don't add much sugar so the result can be quite tart, increase the sugar if you prefer, but not too much as you'll dull that wonderful apple-iness.
This is an ideal recipe for a chilly day when you've no reason to leave the house, it's not particularly taxing, but does take time. Serve the charlotte hot from the oven with custard, cream, or ice cream, maybe all three, a hit of caramel sauce was a winner with a sweet toothed member of our house. Store leftovers covered in the fridge, they won't be pretty, but will reheat beautifully.
Developed for Harris Farm Markets this recipe uses fruit from their Imperfect Picks range, bargain produce that saves fruit from landfill and supports our local farmers.
Thursday 7 July 2022
Chocolate Orange Swiss Roll Wreath
Merry Christmas! Hope this festive season is kind, what a couple of years it's been. Christmas baking is in full swing here; I started out making a Yule log, but took a detour along the way, and here we are with a wreath, I'm not disappointed. It's a terrific dessert for a celebration; it's pre-portioned, you can make it ahead, and takes up little of the highly contested, very precious fridge space.
The chiffon sponge is very light and flexible, and rolls really well. I made 2 rolls, one filled with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream, the other filled with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream. You'll need some berries for decoration, I used a punnet each of raspberries, strawberries, red currants and some very festive dried orange slices.
sponge
• combine the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt, sift into a the bowl of a stand mixer, if you have one, and with the paddle attachment mix through the 50g caster sugar
• make a well in the centre of your flour mixture, add the orange zest and juice, egg yolks, oil and vanilla paste, mix until smooth
• in another, really large bowl whisk the 8 egg whites until foamy, add the cream of tartar then mix until you have soft peaks, gradually add the additional 50g caster sugar, whisking until you have firm peaks and the sugar has dissolved
• fold the egg whites into the batter in three stages
• divide the batter between the tins and bake for 12-15 minutes; check after 12 minutes, the cake should spring back when gently pressed, if not, put it back in for the extra few minutes
Sunday 22 May 2022
simple vanilla and orange no-bake cheesecake
I've been slow to embrace the cheesecake, but now I'm a convert. Baked or not, Basque style, made in a tray and cut into bars, I'm a fan. This is a really easy no bake cheesecake, wonderfully light, and so easy to adapt, a fabulous start for a cheesecake journey.