4.23.2014

Strawberry Cake

 As-Salaamu Alaykum,

Spring, Summer = Strawberries! I don't really get the urge to eat strawberries any other time....does strawberry cheesecake count?

Granted, these aren't British Strawberries they won't be appearing until next month, in sha Allah.

I definitely made use of the ones I had putting them in the cake, frosting and as decoration. BUT....
All that glitters is not gold. 
The frosting was too sweet for the cake but I did like how the strawberry purée made it naturally light pink.
After thinking about it,my dislike could stem from the fact that I took two separate recipes for the cake and buttercream and put them together, assuming they would work just because they both contained strawberry!
I should have taken note when the recipe for the cake said this is a classic Victoria sandwich (uses equal quantities of butter, sugar and flour) with the addition of strawberries and cream(I used whole milk instead). The cake would be sweet enough on it's own or with some whipped cream so i won't be including the recipe for the frosting below.

Next time I make this cake I still want to cover the cake and make it explode with strawberry flavour so whipped cream marbled with some strawberry purée through should work.

Strawberry Cake






recipe loosely adapted from good to know

Ingredients

225grams unsalted butter, softened.
225grams caster sugar (golden)
3 large eggs
225grams self-raising flour
100ml whole milk 
135grams hulled strawberries, mashed or puréed 
1 tsp vanilla 

Method

  1. pre-heat the oven to 180C. Grease 1 20cm non stick spring form cake tin and line bottom with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl or your stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar together until well combined. (5minutes). Then add eggs one at a time ensuring each egg is thoroughly combined before adding the next (5minutes). Then add all the milk at once and slowly mix in.
  3. Fold in flour a third at a time until mixture is smooth.
  4. Mix strawberry purée and vanilla into cake batter.
  5. Pour the mixture into cake tin and bake on a middle shelf for 40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. 
  6. Remove from oven and leave to cool in tin on a cooling rack for 20minutes before removing to cool completely. 
  7. Divide cake into 2 layers then fill, sandwich and decorate as desired. 
* You can always divide the cake batter between 2 20cm cake tins and half the cooking time. 

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4.17.2014

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes With Orange Blossom Glacé Icing

As-Salaamu Alaykum,

Apologises for my lack of posting in recent months.

Here are some yummy cupcakes to re-break the blogging ice.

My first lot of Chocolate Orange Cupcakes I made way back in 2012 are still great but this time I chose to put a layer of orange blossom water glacé icing on top of each cupcake instead of a mountain of buttercream.  

The orange blossom water cuts through some of the sweetness of the cupcake, yet your sugar craving is well and truly satisfied. 

The baking cups I used were deep so the mix made 10 instead of the usual 12 and even then, they didn't rise to the top. This of course can be avoided if you use regular cases (liners). Do let me know if you try the recipe how it worked for you.

Chocolate Oranges Cupcakes With Orange Blossom Glacé Icing 

Makes 10-12 portions

Ingredients

Cupcakes

150 grams slightly salted butter (softened)
150 grams caster sugar (i prefer to use golden)
175 grams self-raising flour
25 grams cocoa powder 
3 medium size eggs
zest of 1 large orange (i used navel)
orange blossom water / orange juice

Glacé Icing

200 grams icing sugar 
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
1 -2 tablespoon water

Decorate

sprinkles of your choice

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Lay out baking cups on a baking tray.
  2. Using an electric mixer or with a wooden spoon and bowl mix together butter and sugar till light and fluffy (5-10 minutes)
  3. Beat in the orange zest.Add eggs one at a time, ensuring each one is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next (5 minutes)
  4. Sift flour and cocoa powder into bowl and with a large metal spoon fold into the mixture until just incorporated. 
  5. Lightly mix in enough orange blossom water/orange juice until you get a dropping consistency.
  6. Using a 1/4cup or ice cream scoop, divide into baking cups. Bake in centre of oven for 15-20 minutes until firm to touch.
  7. Remove from oven and leave to cool.
  8. Once cupcakes are cool make the glacé icing; in a large bowl sift in icing sugar, add orange blossom water and 1 tablespoon water, gently mix adding more water as needed until it's just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  9. Top each cupcake with a generous teaspoon of glacé icing and decorate with your favourite sprinkles.
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2.05.2014

Fudgy Brownies (chocolate cherry)

(Mobile)

As-Salaamu Alaykum,

Baking in recent months has taken a bit of a back seat but that doesn't mean I've lost my passion for it, no siree!

These chewy crusted, rich fudgy Brownies engrained in me that yes you can be pushed for time, with children pulling at your apron strings (metaphorically speaking) and still make a really tasty treat in less than an hour.

I used a naturally flavoured cherry cocoa powder I bought from sugarandcrumbs they stock a variety of flavoured cocoas and icing sugars all a bit pricey but a little goes a long way as they are strongly flavoured.

The kids and I lapped these brownies up and although yes the cherry flavour was pleasant it was the texture that made these brownies irresistible.

I'm not a black sour cherry fan, which begs the question I ask myself, why go out of your flavour comfort zone? Well I did get inspired when I saw the hairy bikers make a B.F.G. (Black Forest Gateau) a while ago on TV and thought yes I'm onto a winner so when I was umming and arrring (Yorkshire talk for pondering) over which flavour to choose from the array of flavoured cocoa and icing sugars over at sugar and crumbs, cherry came in at no.1 I have to say I can't wait to try their coffee and caramel flavoured icing sugars next, insha'Allah

For the original recipe click here but as I used wholemeal flour and I reduced the sugar a little due to the flavoured cocoa containing dextrose here is my recipe.

Fudgy Chocolate Cherry Brownies

Ingredients

2grams baking soda
80ml sunflower oil
150ml boiling water
380grams white sugar
2 medium eggs
80ml sunflower oil
165grams wholemeal plain flour (allinsons brand I prefer)
2grams fine sea salt

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda. Add 80ml sunflower oil and boiling water. Mix until well blended and thickened. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and remaining 80ml oil. Finally, add the flour and salt; mix just until all of the flour is absorbed. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting into desired portions.

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