Retro caravan cake

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This cake was designed specifically for my sister's 50th birthday celebration. The cake itself is a rich chocolate mudcake coated with dark chocolate ganache.

All parts of the cake are edible including the lace, patterned icing and the jewels on the wheels of the caravan. The pattern was created using edible printed icing sheets printed specifically for the design and the caravan was modelled based around a picture of a retro caravan sourced from the internet.  made the lace patterning  using Claire Bowman lace mould templates.

The cake needed to be transported over 500km so the three lower tiers were assembled before the transportation and the caravan was transported in its own cake box. However all decoration was done prior to the trip. I made a specially designed cake box lined with non slip drawer liner and the caravan box was packed out with foam to prevent it from moving.

The bottom 3 tiers were reinforced with dowel and edible cake glue was made from icing and ganache.

Caneles - Bordelaise beauties

Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 4 June 2014.

Despite their size, these little pastries are surrounded by much tradition, myth and misconception. This mystery not only relates to their provenance but the mistaken believe that these are difficult to make and great patisserie skills are needed to produce a perfect pastry confection.  Seriously, if you can cook pancakes, you can cook Caneles.

As far as their provenance goes, holding Google up as your reference source, they hail from somewhere in France, particularly around the Bordeaux region.  Although, this information is highly dependent on which page of research you stumble upon. However, if you are wandering around the Bordeaux area of France, you cannot miss the plentiful supply of these cakes sold everywhere.

The other controversy surrounding the Canele, is which cooking receptacle provides the best result. Canele traditionalists, and there is such a group,  claim the little French copper moulds produce perfection, and I would agree with this. If you are going to go to the trouble of sourcing and using the copper Canele moulds, then you would probably go to the extent of coating each mould with organic edible beeswax prior to baking. I agree this sounds a bit extreme, but it is fully traditional and gives the Canele its crispy exterior.

However, the much more economically priced silicone moulds still produce an excellent Canele with the mandatory crispy exterior and molten interior without the need to use beeswax or copper. The Canele moulds are easily purchased on Ebay or Amazon for well under fifteen aussie dollars. The result is a little more rustic, but not discernibly different.

If you plug “Canele” into Google, you will see there is a significant amount of discourse about the difficulties of making these pastries and they are the subject of numerous blogs that wax lyrical about methods and equipment.  I have made these gorgeous little cakes a number of times and haven’t experienced any failures using the silicone moulds and the following recipe.

Caneles are delicious warm or cold and keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge. They are usually quickly eaten, but if you have any left, they can be warmed for ten seconds in the microwave oven to freshen up.

They can be eaten warm or cool, and keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge. My favourite is warm, where the outside is crispy and the inside is soft and a little molten.

This mixture produces about 20 Caneles and the mixture should be left at least 24 hours in the fridge before baking.  If baking for kids, leave out the rum in the recipe below.

2 cups whole milk

30g unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla paste

100g plain flour, sifted

1 tsp sea salt

180g sugar

3 eggs

80 ml good quality rum

Combine the milk, butter and vanilla in a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer. In the meantime, combine the sifted flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl.  Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat gently without incorporating any air. When the milk mixture stars to simmer, remove from the heat and set it aside.

Pour the eggs all at once into the flour, then immediately after, also pour the milk mixture into the flour, stirring until well combined  with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not whisk as you do not want to incorporate air. Add the rum and stir. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least twenty-four hours or up to three days. The longer this mixture is left the better the flavour.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to a very hot 250C. Lightly grease the  canele moulds with melted butter. Remove the batter from the fridge and stir to incorporate the liquids that may have separated. Do not whisk.

If using a silicon mould, place the mould onto an oven tray for ease of handling. Fill each mould almost to the top with the batter and put into the oven to bake for twenty minutes. After twenty minutes, reduce the temperature to 200C and place a piece of silicon baking paper on top of the Caneles to stop them from burning.  Bake for a further twenty minutes. The tops of the Caneles should be a dark golden colour.

Remove from the oven and leave for about fifteen minutes before unmoulding the Caneles onto a cooling rack. They should drop out easily from their moulds and as they cool further, and will collapse only very slightly.

Christmas spice cake in a jar

Photo by Steve Shanahan

This version of a pre-packaged cake mix is a great Christmas gift. It is easy to assemble and is a practical and helpful gift to give to busy people. The only additions needed to complete the cake mix are the wet ingredients.

To assemble the cake mix in the jar, use a medium sized jar that has been sterilised, by boiling in a saucepan of water for fifteen minutes. The jar should have an airtight seal to keep the cake ingredients fresh. The ingredients you will need are below.

2 cups self raising flour

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground Dutch cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp grated nutmeg

½ cup dutch cocoa

pinch of salt

Measure and sift the flour and salt and then in a separate bowl, measure and sift the cocoa and spices together.

Starting with the sugar, layer the ingredients according to their density with the heaviest at the bottom.

Press down on the ingredients as you layer them, so they remain in their layers for presentation. As you place each layer in the jar, brush down the sides with a dry pastry brush.

Then add the sifted flour in its layer topping with the cocoa and spices.

Give the sides of the jar a final brush down, then seal and decorate the jar with a label and ribbon.

To provide the method to make the cake, I printed the instructions below on a piece of thick paper and rolled it up in a scroll and tied it onto the lid with the ribbon.

Avoid shaking the jar to keep the ingredients in their layers.

 *******************************************************************************************************

Christmas Spice Loaf  

All dry ingredients have been prepared in correct quantities for you to easily prepare the Christmas Spice loaf. You will only need a bowl and a wooden spoon to mix the cake. The ingredients contain no artificial colours or preservatives and the only extra ingredients you will need to make the cake are

·       ⅓ cup golden syrup

·       1 cup of milk and

·       1 cup of water.

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 23 centimetre x 10 centimetre loaf tin. Dump the entire jar of cake mixture ingredients into a large mixing bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine. Add the milk, water and golden syrup and mix to a smooth paste. The mixture should fall in a ribbon from the spoon. Pour the mixture into the greased loaf tin, and slam on the bench top to remove bubbles.  Reduce oven temperature to 150C and bake for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. Insert a skewer to come out clean to check if it is cooked.

This cake keeps best in an airtight container for about one week and gets better with age.

Pineapple upside-down cake

Photo by Steve shanahan

First published Canberra Times 9 October 2013

I wonder where the family bonfires on cracker night, the aussie-hacienda style architecture and the olive green and burnt orange kitchen laminate have gone. I suspect relegated to the same place as the pineapple upside down cake and such things. 

I have a vivid memory of my aunt arriving at our house, wearing her cat-eye sunglasses andvspotted sundress, stepping delicately out of her Holden EH, Jackie O-style,clutching a Tupperware cake server. We knew what was in the cake server, the ultimate treat – the caramelised, sticky, pineapple upside down cake. Like all good housewives of the day, she had stocked up on tins of pineapple rings to make this exotic delight.

This cake is best left for a day for flavours to infuse.

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

can of sliced pineapple rings

6 maraschino cherries

6 pecans

1 cup plain flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

3 eggs, separated

1 cup white sugar

5 tbsp pineapple juice, from the tin

1 tsp vanilla paste

Preheat the oven to 175C.

Prepare a twenty-three centimetre cake tin by adding the butter to the cake tin and placing inside the warming oven until melted, this should take a few minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter. Place six pineapple rings evenly over the sugar and place a cherry inside each pineapple ring. Fill the spaces between the rings with a pecan.

In a medium bowl, combine sifted flour, baking powder and salt, and stir.

Using a hand mixer, in a metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites on high until peaked. Set aside.

Using an electric stand mixer beat the egg yolks with the sugar at medium speed until light and creamy. Add the pineapple juice and vanilla extract and beat well. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and beat together until well combined. Fold in the egg whites using a metal spoon or rubber spatula. Pour the cake mixture evenly over the fruit, and smooth off with a spatula.

Bake the cake for thirty minutes, or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Place the cooked cake on a wire rack to cool for ten minutes. Run a blunt knife around the edge of the cake to loosen. Invert carefully onto a plate, as the juices will run out. Serve warm with cream or at room temperature. This cake improves with age. 

Chocolate berry Easter cake

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 Photos by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 6 March 2013

February is a big birthday month in our house, and coincides with the timely arrival of two containers of home grown blackberries from a work colleague. Blackberries are such a luscious fruit, that I refuse to relegate them to just a puree. They scream out to be showcased, and are a tart contrast to a bitter, slightly sweet, chocolate layer cake.

The recipe I choose from my collection is a dated, 1980s handwritten one, that probably originates from a relative somewhere down the line. The method of making this cake is a little unusual, but makes for pillowy-soft layers of bitter chocolate cake, sandwiched between oozing layers of unsweetened cream. I modify this with my fresh blackberries and push the chocolate endorphins into overdrive by decorating the top of the cake with mini Easter eggs.

¼ cup plain flour

¼ cup good quality dark cocoa powder

1/8 tsp salt

170g good quality 70% or 80% dark bitter chocolate, chopped

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp water

6 eggs, separated

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

1/8 tsp cream of tartar or lemon juice

2 cups washed, fresh blackberries or any berry you have on hand

Chocolate ganache

extra ½ cup pure cream

125g bitter chocolate, chopped

Filling and decoration

½ cup of berry jam

2 cups of pure cream for whipping

mini chocolate Easter eggs for decoration, optional

Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease a 30cm by 45cm baking tray with butter and sprinkle with flour. Line the base with baking paper.

In a small bowl, combine the sifted flour, cocoa powder and salt.

In a medium microwave proof bowl, combine the chocolate, water and butter. Warm the mixture in the microwave, for fifteen seconds at a time, stirring at intervals, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the egg yolks at medium high speed for about fifteen seconds, until just combined. With the mixer still running, add about half of the sugar. Continue beating and scraping the bowl as needed, for about eight minutes. The mixture should be light and creamy. Stir in the vanilla and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Thoroughly wash and dry the mixer bowl and whisk to reuse.

In the electric mixer bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until foamy, this should take about thirty seconds. Add one tablespoon of sugar and continue to whisk until soft peaks form, then gradually add the rest of the sugar. Whisk the whites for about one minute, until they are glossy and hold stiff peaks.

Stir the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Once combined, add about one quarter of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture and gently fold in with a spatula to loosen the mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites until combined, then sprinkle the dry ingredients over the top. Gently fold them in until combined, so as not to lose the air that has already been incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray for about ten minutes. Tap the tray on the benchtop to remove any air bubbles and to ensure the mixture is spread into the corners.

Remove from the oven and overturn the cake onto a cooling rack so the base is facing up. Carefully peel the baking paper off the base immediately and allow to cool for at least half an hour.

When cool cut the cake width ways, into three equal slices of fifteen centimetres each. These will form the layers of the cake. If the end edges of the cake are uneven, trim them up with a sharp knife to keep them even and square.

For the filling, whip the extra two cups of cream to stiff peaks.

For the chocolate ganache, place the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl. Bring the cream to a gentle boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and allow to sit for a few minutes to soften. Whisk the cream and chocolate together into a smooth and glossy paste. If your chocolate ganache is a little stiff, place it in the microwave oven on medium for ten seconds until you reach the pouring consistency you need.

To assemble the cake, place one layer of cake onto a serving platter. Spread the cake layer with jam and then a one centimetre layer of whipped cream. Spread an even handful of blackberries over the cream. Place the next layer of cake on top of the berries, keeping in alignment with the bottom layer. Repeat with the fillings of jam, cream and berries. Place the final and top layer of cake neatly on the top, pressing down gently to steady the fillings and to push the cream gently outside the edges to create a slightly messy look.

Finally, pour the chocolate ganache evenly over the top layer of cake allowing it to run down the sides. Top with a row of mini Easter eggs or berries. For optimum flavour, allow the cake to sit, refrigerated and covered, for a day or so to infuse the flavours. To cover in the fridge, poke some toothpicks into the cake to keep the plastic wrap suspended above the cake.