Chef of the Day (COD)

Chef of the Day or as the kids like to call it COD is our final project at school. We have to make 6 items and present them to our 3 chefs who then judge each item as well as our table set up. The items we have to make are:

A tart

A cake

A bread

A breakfast pastry

A chocolate

A plated dessert

It was a tough call - but a fun project. I think like any obsessive person I began thinking about this project the first quarter I started at school. I wanted something

simple and clean, using good local products if possible (although as it is winter quarter - there isn't a whole lot of produce available... and I don't know how a cabbage cake would work out...)

So my menu was:

Cake - A Honey Yoghurt Baklava Cake. Last quarter I tried making this cake that had this really tart, zesty mousse on top of a muesli base. It was pretty gross actually - so savory it was basically plain yoghurt on top of muesli. So I jazzed up the mousse a bit, added fireweed honey as my invert sugar used this amazing honey flavored greek yoghurt and added more milk chocolate to the mousse, and it worked really well.

Underneath that mousse I have a praline layer (basically

hazelnut, sugar and a smidge of salt), this layer melts, creating a type of syrup, rather than a crunch to the cake. It's the layer of caramel color that you see beside the cake. Under this there is a toasted sesame bavarian layer.I simply toasted sesame seeds, roughly ground them and then steeped them in hot milk for half an hour.Then there is the final layer, a roasted walnut sponge cake with a ed honey sponge.

I was really happy with this cake - it had the tang that I wanted from the yoghurt, the richness of the honey and the warmth of the sesame seeds and walnut.

Tart - An onion tart. This is a savory tart

made with a red wine onion confit (local syrah used), with a strong and seriously ripe muenster cheese, a creme fraiche custard, thyme and potatoes. It's a pretty pungent tart, made for small slices and best eaten when slightly warm.

Bread - the miche. This was such a beautiful bread - how could I not make it?

A breakfast pastry - Simple whole wheat croissants with a preferment. I love these croissants, so buttery, slightly sweet and slightly nutty. They are also slightly larger than your normal croissant (3oz as opposed to 2.5oz) which I have to say appeals to me as well. Just what I want for breakfast.

Chocolate - This is my beehive. It's a buckwheat honey ganache filling (the honey is from a local apiary) and a liquid honey center (which is simply

buckwheat honey). It has a milk chocolate covering. For those who don't really know buckwheat honey the descriptions I get when people smell/taste it are: horse, hay, farm. It's an incredibly earthy, natural taste which pairs brilliantly well with the warmth of milk chocolate.

Plated Dessert - This is a goat cheese cheesecake made with creme fraiche. It is covered in hazelnut toffee - so it has this earthy, nutty, crunchy texture/flavor. The sauce is a caramel blood orange sauce. The sorbet is a grapefruit and Gewurtztraminer (from a local winery) sorbet and it sits atop a rosemary sucree.

So that's it.

It's been so very draining, I didn't do a whole lot of baking outside of school because I was so intent on figuring out the baked goods for school.

Sorry once again!

Chocolate Stout Cake and No Cake Decorating Skills

So this may seems like an innocent cake - one with a whole lotta chocolate, a splash of booze and a bit of caffein. But this guy drove me to the end of my tether.

Easy to make, this cake sounded interesting because of the beer content - I was curious what kind of flavor and/or texture it would add to the cake. When I tried the batter (as you must) I could taste the beer, yet when I baked it, there really wasn't anything yet. The cake was a not-quite-chocolate cake. But not quite sure what it was kinda cake.

Whatever right? Just ice it and send it off.

I tried. I tried for maybe an hour and a half, and learned a very very good lesson. It takes time to ice a cake... specifically to ice it nicely. My forearms physically hurt - still.

Kudos to all of you people who can ice (you know who you are Wendy, Sarah N). It's something I really need to work on.

The recipe for the cake and icing is from: Octobers Bon appetit:http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/10/chocolate_stout_layer_cake_with_chocolate_frosting

Kirche Mousse

I've been playing around with a mousse recipe I have. It has a serious amount of kirche and a bit of vanilla. I adore it because it packs a serious punch. I'm thinking of using it in a cake (the recipe for the mousse comes from a cake - but I wasn't brilliantly happy with the cake when I did make it). I'm thinking of using a recipe for a shortbread type cookie with a bunch of salt in it as the base - maybe a sponge with kirche soaked cherries or cranberries as another layer or maybe a cherry/cranberry gellee layer and then some more mousse. But I'm not sure yet.

For the top one it was simply put in a mold with the salty short bread cookie, the one in the wine

glass had mousse with layers of the cookies crumbled, and another layer of kirche soaked tart cherries.

Le Success

I've been petrified of making a cake. I'm scared of layers, and the hours of labor that goes into making one. So I've been putting it off and off and off.

I thought I'd give it a go as I have the time, and I really need to get some practice in before school starts again.

This is made with a nut marangue (hazelnut and almond), two types of butter cream (vanilla and a praline) and a ganache layer. It wasn't too hard to assemble, although the cream made it difficult to cut, but I froze it and that allowed me to trim the sides.

I attempted to make some caramel hazelnuts to go on top. However, the caramel thickened too fast, so they weren't brilliantly successful. But they look alright.

Plum and Walnut Cake

These are really stunning. They are moist, slightly sweet, just a tad nutty and get better with age. I had some of this gorgous cake at Quillisascut farm. We used walnuts from the walnut tree they had as well as plums they had gathered and dehydrated late last year. It was so good, so I thought I would try making this at home.

I also made these for my good friend Tricia's birthday - she said she liked them!

This recipe is from the book: 'Chefs on the Farm: Recipes and Inspiration from the Quillisascut Farm School od of the Domestic Arts' by Shannon Borg, Lora Lea Misterly and Karen Jurgensen.

Coffe Cake - Asia Pear and Rosemary Crumble

I started to peel the pears and noticed they were soft - no biggy right? I can put them in something and baked them and all will be well. Then I cut them in half and they were seriously brown. So out they went. I panicked, this was a dessert for someone who was coming over to have dinner with us. I really didn't have much at home to use in the way of fruit (which I adore using). But on the weekend I had bought a couple of Asian Pears (Nashi Pears for the Aussies).

A while ago I went out with a friend and fellow baker Jamie to a place downtown called 'Taste'. It's attached to the art gallery SAM (Seattle Art Museum) www.tastesam.com/cafe_taste.aspx. We just wanted dessert, and they actually had some great desserts. One of them was a pie with an Asian Pear filling. It was pretty delicious. The pears kept their shape, and they had an unusually flavor, it was served with a side of cinnamon ice cream that complimented the pie nicely. Having being inspired (and admittedly desperate) I peeled, sliced and used the Asian pears. However they weren't the most flavorsome choice pears, and they weren't particularly moist, so I added rosemary and some pear liquor and well it worked. It had an interesting flavor mostly due to the addition of the rosemary - it was nearly savory. I think a cinnamon ice-cream or even a apple cider sorbet would have worked well with this one. Maybe next time I'll try that?

Veg mini cakes

I love to sneak a vegetable into a sweet treat. I guess it's the deceptive part of me; attempting to make something that usually isn't (or at least shouldn't) be healthy into something that is well, a tad more healthy.

These had an array of veg in them, namely: carrots, parsnip and zucchini, with an apple thrown in as well. It was published in a magazine I got from the local super market called 'Edible Seattle'. I liked the title I have to admit as I like to think that there are amazing places in Seattle to eat, and buy great produce. Unfortunately, there were only a few recipes in the mag, and this was one. Originally it was meant to be a sort of flat cake, one with which you would spread the cake on the bottom, ice it and then cut it into cubes. I decided to make mini cakes, using cup cake containers and then took off the bases. The main reason I removed the cup cake bases was that the cake is extremely oily, and so it soaked right through the cup cake paper.

These were nice, and as mentioned previously I do love hidden veg so it gets bonus marks for that.

Carrot Cake

I've made this cake before (http://rhid-baked.blogspot.com/2007/08/carrot-cake.html) but this time I used colored carrots (yellow and orange and a sort of in-between shade). A really nice cake. Moist, nutty and a little spicy. I really like carrot cake due to it's moisture retention. If I were to make this cake again I would maybe times the cream cheese icing recipe by 1.5 as the icing was a little on the skinny side. 

School has been full of learning - as it should right? I'm getting rather obsessed with eating local and preferably organic produce since one of our classes is a sustainability class. It's kind of fascinating eating local as you are really restricted to what your local farmers produce, and they in turn are restricted by what consumers eat, what grows up here in the wet North West and what they decide what to grow. There is some amazingly good looking, and better yet - tasting produce out there. Go explore!

Basque Cake

A cake with some interesting textures and flavors. I first made this cake at school. It's a cake with a crunchy textured top and bottom, and then a soft middle. The filling is simply pastry cream. The cake we made at school consisted of a cake that was basically dripping with rum, a vanilla pastry cream, and dried cherries and slivered almonds on top of the pastry cream. 

When I made this cake at home I used pear liquor instead of rum, I made the pastry cream a star anise pastry cream, and then I caramelized apples in sugar, star anise and butter. Instead of almonds, I used roasted walnuts. It was strangely savory, bar the sweetness of the cake proper the anise certainly added some savory element that I wasn't expecting. 

The braeburn apples, the cake flour and  eggs (which had gorgeous deep orange yolks, which contributed to the crazy yellow color of the pastry cream) were from a local farmers market. It's so exciting going to farmers markets, I seriously love them. Everything is so amazingly fresh, and you get to know the people working there, really recommend you try some if you haven't already!

Basque Cake; not the prettiest cake, but an interesting one to make, and an easy one to play around with. 

Raspberry Yogurt Cake - Part 1 of the Yogurt Cakes

Raspberries are here! They are in season and they are tasting mighty fine. As such - I had to do some more baking with them. Although not the prettiest cake this cake was seriously moist and tasty. It had pockets of fresh raspberries which disintegrated into little jam like nuggets just bursting with raspberry flavor. A very nice cake indeed!

Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temp.
1 and 3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs. orange juice
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup of low fat plain yogurt
1 tsp. grated orange zest
3 large eggs at room temp
1.5 cups fresh raspberries

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Grease a bundt pan.

3. In a large bowl whisk 2.5 cups of flour, salt and baking powder together.

4. In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy.

5. Add the orange juice, almond extract and orange peel to the butter mixture - beat together for 30 seconds.

6. Add one egg at a time, beating for 30seconds between each egg.

7. Mix in the yogurt.

8. Add the dry ingredients until they are barely blended.

9. In a separate bowl put in the raspberries and add 1/2 a cup of flour. Mix together.

10. Fold in the berries with the rest of the batter.

11. Put the batter in the bundt pan and bake for 1hour and 10 min. The cake is ready when you place a thin knife through it and it comes out clean.

12. Serve!

Taken from the July 2008 "Bon Appetie" p. 63.

Baumkuchen - Tree Cake (aka. Happy Belated Birthday Josh)

A cake with many layers, this cake is suffused with rum and vanilla sugar. A cake that takes quite a lot of time due to the baking process this is one of my husbands favorite cakes.

Ingredients: Cake

Egg whites of 4 medium eggs

250g soft butter

250g sugar

2 Tbs. vanilla sugar

Pinch of salt

2 whole medium eggs, and 2 yolks

4 Tbs. rum

150g plain flour

100g cornstarch

3 level tsp. baking powder

Ingredients: Choc Coating

200g milk chocolate (chopped)

4 tsp. cooking oil

Method: Cake

1. Grease a bread tin, and line the bottom with baking parchment.

2. Preheat the grill, and make sure the oven rack is around 20cm (8 inches) away from the grill.

3. Beat the eggs whites until stiff. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl using an electric whisk whisk the butter until smooth.

5. Add the sugars (including the vanilla sugar) and salt, and whisk until the mixture thickens.

6. Add the two whole eggs, whisking for 30seconds between each.

7. Add the egg yolks and whisk for 30sec. between additions.

8. Add the rum and whisk again until smooth and homogeneous.

9. In a smaller bowl add the flour, cornstarch and baking powder, and with a fork mix together until well combined.

10. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture in two stages, beating with a wooden spoon between additions.

11. Gently fold in the eggs whites.

12. Using a pastry brush, spread 1 Tbs. of the batter on the bottom of the cake tin and bake until a rich golden brown. Repeat this process (adding 1Tbs. of batter to the top of the previously baked layer) until all the batter has been used. Make sure you keep an eye on it, if the layers begin to bake too quickly either turn the grill down or move the baking shelf lower.

13. Run a knife around the outside of the cake, and remove from the tin onto a wire rack. Remove the baking parchment.

14. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Method: Choc Coating
1. In a bain marie add the chocolate and oil together, and allow to melt. We want a nice smooth chocolate coating, so make sure to keep stirring until it has smoothed out.

Method: Icing
1. If you baked your cake in a slightly sloping pan, you can cut the edges to make sure they are square.

2. Pour around 1/2 of the chocolate on top of the cake and spread evenly over cake.

3. Wait for the chocolate icing to adhere and harden (you can place it in the fridge and it should be hardened in around 15min).

4. Add another layer of chocolate.

Taken from: Dr.Oetker: German Baking Today

Walnut Orange Cake

A simple butter cake that has been infused with walnuts and and orange liquor topped off with a chocolate orange icing. This cake is a rather dry cake, and in order for the flavors to seep in I'd recommend waiting until it's cool, wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and letting it sit at room temperature overnight before making the icing and serving it.

Ingredients: Cake

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 eggs

1.5 cups self-raising flour

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbs. orange liquor (I used gran gala)

Ingredients: Icing

4 oz. semi sweet chocolate (chopped)

1/2 Tbs vegetable oil

1 Tbs. orange liquor

orange zest from 1/2 an orange

handful of chopped walnuts

Method: Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 8 inch springform tin and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2.Using a paddle attachment and a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar together for 5 min until thick and creamy.

3. Add one egg and then beat on medium for 1 min and then add the next. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.

4. Fold in 1/2 the flour, and then add half the milk, and then the remaining flour and then milk.

5. Add the walnuts and fold in until just combined.

6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth down the top.

7. Bake for 35 min (check at 25 when a thin knife inserted into the center should come out clean).

8. Leave in the pan for 5 min, then run a knife around the edge and remove from the pan.

Method: Icing

1. In a bain marie add the oil, chocolate, orange liquor and orange zest.

2. Stir until melted.

3. Cool for 10 min.

4. Spread on top of the cool cake and add additional walnuts if desired.

Adapted from "Sweet Food" ed. Kay Scarlett pp 110-111.

Butter Almond Cake

I love baking and trying new cook books - especially those with wonderful illustrations to all of the recipes. However I really don't enjoy baking when times are off, especially baking times. This one was off by 30min at guess. I do love the idea of a soft spongy base, with a hard crisp layer of buttery almonds, and eventually this cake did deliver some of those expectations, however it wasn't as good as I'd hoped. I'll write out the recipe with a few changes to the one from the book, including times, and one taste difference (they used 1 tsp.vanilla extract which when the cake was made was utterly overwhelming, I would reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 tsp and allow the butter flavor of the almonds to come through. Or alternatively I would add 2 Tbs. of rum to the batter instead, or even 1 Tbs of vanilla sugar).

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup milk

2 Tbs. cream

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

1 cup plain flour

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup almonds (slivered or thinly sliced)

Method: Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Grease a 9 inch springform tin and lightly dust with flour

3. In a small saucepan heat 1/2 the butter and all but 2 Tbs. of the milk. Heat until the butter has melted.

4. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment add the eggs, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla extract and mix on medium until the mixture has become light and fluffy (around 3 - 5 min).

5. Add the milk and butter mixture and combine for 1 min on medium speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

6. Sift in all but 1Tbs. of the plain flour into the mixture, and add in the baking powder.

7. Mix on medium until all the dry ingredients have been well incorporated.

8. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix once again (around 30 seconds).

9. Scrape batter into prepared tin.

10. Bake for 20-25 min, or until the center of the cake is a little undercooked, but the sides are baked.

Method: Topping (to be make when the cake is in the oven)

1. Melt the rest of the butter in a medium fry pan.

2. Add the almonds, the remainder of the sugar (1.25 cups), the 1 Tbs. of flour, 2 Tbs. of milk and the 2 Tbs. of cream and mix until warm and malleable.

Method: Assembly

1. Remove the cake from the oven and quickly apply the topping to the cake.

2. Place back in the oven and bake until the almond topping is a light golden brown (around 15 min).

3. Remove and place on a wire rack.

4. After cooling for 5 min, remove the sides of the pan, and then the base, and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from "Sweet Food" ed. Kay Scarlett pp. 220-1.

Lekach: Old-Fashioned Honey Cake

This recipe makes two loaves. This is a dry, slightly sweet bread-like cake. It has some textural differentiation due to the ginger and walnuts (you don't have to have either in this recipe) and as it is a rather dry cake it pairs well with tea or coffee.

Ingredients
6.25 cups of plain flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1.5 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1.5 cups packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup honey

1 Tbs. salt

2/3 cup strong hot coffee

3 large eggs

1.5 cups walnuts pieces

1.5 cups chopped crystallized ginger

Method

1. Oil two 9x5inch loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl mix together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder and baking soda.

3. In a medium bowl whisk together the brown sugar, oil, honey, salt, and hot coffee. Mix until the brown sugar is dissolved.

4. Add the eggs to the brown sugar and coffee mixture, whisk until well blended.

5. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.

6. Fold in the nuts and ginger.

7. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a rubber spatula, and if you desire sprinkle some crystallized ginger across the top for decoration.

8. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

9. Preheat oven to 325F.

10. Bake the cakes for 1 hour (at 30 min turn the cakes around so that even baking is achieved), or until well browned and when a thin knife is inserted in the center it comes out clean.

11. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack, then remove from the pan.

These cakes keep for weeks wrapped in plastic in the fridge.

Taken from "A Blessing of Bread: Recipes and Rituals, Memories and Mitzvahs" by Maggie Glezer pp.153-5.

Marble Cake

A nice, easy cake that I have made countless times. It is quick to prepare, and looks magnificent. A wonderful coffee cake!

Ingredients: Main Cake
300g butter at room temperature
275g sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla sugar
2 Tbs. rum
1 pinch salt
5 medium eggs
375 plain flour
4 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbs. milk

Ingredients: Chocolate Swirl
20g cocoa powder (I use Dutch processed)
20g sugar
1-2 Tbs. milk

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the bundt mould (do this really well).

2. Using a stand mixer set at medium speed with a whisk attachment, cream the butter until smooth.

3. Slowly add the sugar, vanilla sugar, rum and salt while the mixer is still in motion.

4. Add one egg at a time whisking for 30seconds at the highest speed between additions.

5. In a medium bowl using a hand held whisk, combine the flour and baking powder.

6. Add the flour mixture in two stages, alternating with the milk (do these additions at medium speed).

7. Spoon 2/3 of the cake mixture into the bundt pan.

8. With the remaining 1/3, sift in the cocoa powder, add the sugar and 1 Tbs. milk. Combine well until the batter is homogenous – if required add the other 1 Tbs. of milk.

9. Spoon the Chocolate batter on top of the original batter.

10. Use a fork and a swirling motion and drag the fork through the chocolate layer and then through the other batter layer.

11. Put the cake in the oven. Bake for around 60 min.

12. Remove from oven and let it sit on a wire rack for 10min before removing it from the pan.

13. If you like, you can dust the cake with sifted icing sugar.

Taken from Dr. Oetker's "German Baking Today: The Original" p.28.

Russian Grandmothers' Apple Pie-Cake

This is a great dish for winter, chock full of apples and raisins it’s a really tasty treat that works well with a black milky tea.

Ingredients: Dough
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temp.
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbs. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
Juice of 1 lemon
3.25-3.5 cups plain flour

Ingredients: Filling
10 medium apples (eg Fuji, golden delicious or Ida Reds)
1 cup moist plump raisins
¼ cup sugar
1.25 tsp. cinnamon

Method: Dough
1. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until smooth (2 min).

2.Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy (3 min or more).

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the baking powder and salt and mix to combine.

4. Add the lemon juice.

5. Slowly add the flour (3.25 cups), making sure to scrape down the bowl regularly. The dough is meant to be soft, but you can add more flour if the consistency is more like a batter. The end product should nearly clean the edges of the bowl as it is being mixed.

6. Scrape out the dough and place it on a work surface. Divide it in half, shape each halve into a rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Method: Filling
1. Peel and core the apples and cut into slices about ¼ inch thick.

2.Toss the apples together with a little lemon juice, and add the raisins.

3. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the apples. Mix to coat the apples evenly with the cinnamon and sugar.

4. Taste the apples and see if you’d like to add more lemon or sugar.

Method: Assembly
1. Center a rack in the oven and heat to 375F.

2. Grease a 9x12 inch baking dish and place it on a baking sheet.

3. Remove the dough from the fridge. If it is to hard to manipulate let it sit at room temperature for 15min.

4. For the base – use half of the dough and press it into the bottom of the baking dish.

5. Spread the apple filling on top as evenly as possible.

6. Roll out the second piece of dough so that it is slightly larger then the baking pan.

7. Place the dough on top of the apples and tuck in the over hanging edges.

8. Brush the top of the dough with water and sprinkle sugar over the dough. Using a knife cut 6-8 evenly spaced slits in the dough.

9. Bake for 65-80 min until the dough is a golden brown and the juices from the apples is bubbling through the slits.

10. Place the pan on top of a wire rack, and let cool to warm or room temperature.

11. Serve and enjoy!

Taken from the wonderful Dorie Greenspan “Baking from my Home to Yours” pp. 310-11.

Caramel Cake

This was an easy cake to bake - as long as you subtract the time it took to make the caramel. It is nice and easy, and although a little dry for my taste, the icing was really tasty.

Ingredients: Cake
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
2.5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1.33 (1 and 1/3) cups sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup caramel (see previous recipe) combined with 1/2 cup water

Ingredients: Icing
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup cream
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened 2.5 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Method: Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the sugar and butter for around 3 min (on medium speed).
4. Add each of the eggs , and beat between each addition.
5. Divide the dry ingredients into 3. Add one third, and then add 1/3 of the caramel mixture. Continue doing this until both the dry ingredients and the caramel have been used.
6. Divide the batter in two, and place in the two pans. Bake for 25-35 min (check at 25min). It is baked when a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
7. Place on a wire rack and cool for 10 min. Then remove from baking tins and let it cool to room temp.

Method: Icing
1. In a saucepan place the brown sugar, cream and butter. Stir constantly over medium heat and bring it to a boil.
2. Boil for 5 min without stirring.
3. Remove from heat and cool for 20min (if you leave it too long then the icing becomes dry).
4. Add the confectioners sugar and with an electric mixer mix until smooth. If need be add cream to thin.
5. Ice the cake - first between the layers and then on the top and sides.
Taken from "The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook" by J. Appel, p. 26.

Red Velvet Cake (Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr)

I have always wanted to try this cake, and I couldn't find it anywhere. The colour has always fascinated and titillated me - is there a flavor associated with it (raspberry, strawberry?), how do they get that amazing red colour? So, I decided to make the cake. This recipe is a fairly easy one, although if you want to make a three layered cake as I did it is best to have three 9 inch round pans handy. The cake itself is a dense, rich cake. The icing is insanely buttery (read the ingredients list..), but it is a fascinating cake, and fun to make!

Ingredients: Cake

1/4 cup red food colouring

2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened in the microwave for around 15 sec.)

1.5 cups sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1.25 cups cake flour

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. baking soda

Ingredients: Icing

2 cups milk

3/8 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups (4 sticks (!!!!)) unsalted butter, cold

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method: Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Grease and flour 3 9 inch round bake tins, and line with parchment paper

3. In a small bowl whisk together the red food colouring, cocoa powder and the vanilla extract. Make sure there are no lumps of cocoa left.

4. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the sugar and butter (add together and mix) until it is a light cream colour and fluffy (5-7 min).

5. Add the eggs , one at a time. Mix between the additions.

6. Add the flour in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Making sure that you mix well, and scrape the sides before each addition.

7. Add the salt. Then incorporate the cocoa/red food colouring into the batter. Mix thoroughly.

8. In a small bowl mix together the baking soda and vinegar - add to the batter and mix well.

9. Divide the batter between the three pans, and place in the oven.

10. Bake for 20-25 (check at 15) until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.

11. Let cakes cool in the pans for 5-10min. Then remove from the pans and let cool on a wire rack until room temp.

Method: Icing

1. In a medium saucepan mix together the milk and flour.

2. Whisk over medium heat until it is smooth and thick.

3. Let this cool for around 40 min.

4. When it is cool, remove the skin from the top.

5. In the 40 min the flour/milk mixture is cooling place the butter and sugar in a bowl and using an electric mixer beat until fluffy (4-5min).

6. Add the vanilla extract to the butter and sugar and mix once more.

7. In thirds, mix in the cool milk/flour mixture (with the skin removed) into the butter mixture and beat between additions.

Method: Assembly

1. Choose the thickest cake for the base of the cake, and ice the top of this with the icing.

2. Place another layer of cake on top, and ice this.

3. Finally add the third cake on top of this and then add 1/3 - 1/2 the remainder of the icing in the middle of this cake.

4. With an icing implement (be it a spatula or a butter knife) spread a thin layer of icing around the entire cake.

5. Refrigerate for 30-45 min, so that the icing sets.

6. Add the remainder of the icing, and decorate as desired.

Recipe from "The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook" by Jennifer Appel pp. 91, 118

Gabrielles Chocolate Truffle Cake

A chocolate cake that is moist and rich, this is pure decadence!

Ingredients: Cake
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
80g (2.5 oz) butter, melted

Ingredients: Filling
450g (15 oz) chocolate (54-57% cocoa or for a more bitter taste 64% cocoa)
2 cups cream
6 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar

Method: Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

2. Sift the cocoa and flour 3 times together and set aside.

3. In a stand mixer (or with an electric mixer with a whisk attachment) beat the eggs for around 6 min. and then slowly add the sugar and beat for 2-4min more (the eggs should be pale and should have tripled in volume).

4. Fold the eggs through the flour and cocoa and then fold in the melted butter.

5. Line the base of a 9 inch (or, if you want a taller cake and 8-inch) non-stick springform tin with baking parchment.

6. Pour in the cake batter and bake for around 25 min (check at 20min). The cake is baked when it comes away from the sides of the tin.

7. Cool in the tin.

Method: Filling - While the cake is in the oven, make the filling.
1. In a small saucepan over low heat, add the cream and chocolate, stir until melted and smooth.

2. Over a saucepan of simmering water in a heatproof bowl place the egg yolks and sugar. Beat with a whisk (preferable an electric one) until thick and creamy.

3. Fold the chocolate cream mixture into the egg mixture and beat for 6 min. or until cold.

4. Refrigerate for 30 min.

Method: Assembly
1. Remove cake from the tin and cut in half horizontally.

2. Place the bottom piece bake in the tin, and pour over half the filling.

3. Place the top half back on, and cover with the remaining filling.

4. Refrigerate for 5 hours or until set.

5. When serving, heat up a tea towl under hot water and place it around the tin. Carefully remove the cake from the tin and smooth the outside with a warm knife.

Taken from Donna Hay's "Modern Classics Book 2" pp. 82-3.

White Chocolate Cake

This cake was a really nice cake and was very easy to make. A moist cake with a rich chocolate icing.

Ingredients: Cake
6oz butter, chopped
1 cup milk
1.5 cups sugar
5 oz white chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1.5tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs

Ingredients: Icing
150g chocolate (I used semi sweet, but I would try something more milky, maybe even a white chocolate or a milk chocolate)
1/2 cup whipping cream

Method: Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 325F.
2. Place the butter, milk, sugar, and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth.
3. Place the flour, baking powder, vanilla extract and eggs in a bowl.
4. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
5. Pour into a well greased bundt pan, and bake on the middle rack until cooked when tested with a skewer (check after 30min, but it may need up to 50min).

Method: Icing
1. Place chopped chocolate and the cream together in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Stir until choc is melted.
3. Take off heat and allow o cool for 10 min.
4. Pour over cake, tap to remove air bubble and then put in fridge to set.

Taken from Donna Hay's "Modern Classics Book 2: Cookies, Biscuits + Slices, Small Cakes, Cakes, Desserts, Hot Puddings, Pies + Tarts" pp72-3 & 92