CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH RED WINE

How do you make a birthday cake from one of your favourite cake recipes? Here is what I have done for my grand nephew Jacob. I have baked his favourite – a chocolate cake – and added M & M’s, candles and of course Happy Birthday Jacob.

Everyone was pleased… Jacob and his brother Kye… grandparents and mum and dad. There weren’t even any crumbs left.


CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH RED WINE

serves 10-12
preparation 15 minutes
cooking 1¼ hours

185g butter, chopped, at room temperature
1½ cups caster sugar
3 eggs
1½ cups self-raising flour
¾ cup plain flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup red wine
½ cup water
whipped cream, to serve

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

200g dark eating chocolate, chopped
½ cup thickened cream

1. Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C. Lightly grease a 22cm round cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light
and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Sift flours and cocoa together. Lightly fold into creamed mixture alternately
with combined wine and water.
4. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1~1h/4 hours until cooked when tested.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. CHOCOLATE GANACHE. Combine chocolate and cream in a medium pan.
Stir over low heat until smooth. Cool until mixture thickens slightly and is of
a spreadable consistency (about 30 minutes).
6. Spread ganache over top and sides of cake.

Serve in wedges with whipped cream.

ALMOND BREAD

ALMOND BREAD (makes 2 loaves)

6 Egg whites l6Omls of whites
230 grms Caster sugar 1 1/3 cups
200 grms Plain flour 1 1/2 cups
200 grms Unbleached almonds
pinch Cream of tartar

Whisk egg whites & cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
Add sugar & beat until firm & glossy.
Fold in plain flour. Add nuts.

Put into greased loaf tins.
Bake 30 mins approx at 170* cent.
Turn out of tins, wrap in tea towel.
Store in plastic bag in freezer 24 hours for best cutting.
Slice finely/lay on back of patty pan tin.

Cook about 10 mins at 160* cent
Store in airtight container

CHOCOLATE CARROT CAKE

Most people like Carrot Cake but this has a bit of a twist. I have added pineapple and cocoa powder to give it a bit more flavour.

Great for afternoon tea with friends


CHOCOLATE CARROT CAKE

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ cups plain flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 x 450g crushed pineapple
4 eggs
1½ cups chopped walnuts
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup vegetable oil



Sift dry ingredients together. Drain pineapple. Make well in centre of the flour mixture and add all other ingredients. Mix well. Pour into 23cm square baking tin and bake ¾ hour in 180 deg oven

Icing

250g Cream cheese
1 ½ cups of Icing sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice
Walnuts – to decorate

Beat cream cheese, icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spread on top of cake and decorate with walnuts.

VIOLET CRUMBLE CHEESECAKE

Cheesecakes - most people love them. Someone told me once that you can never have too many cheesecakes. Lyn, my girlfriend who lives in Tasmania, gave me this recipe a few years ago and every time I make it there is never any left.

VIOLET CRUMBLE CHEESECAKE

1 x 250g packed plain sweet biscuits
150g butter, melted
3 teaspoons gelatine
¼ cup hot water
375g packaged cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup castor sugar
1 x 300ml thickened cream
3 x 60g nestle violet crumble bars chopped
extra chopped violet crumble & whipped cream to decorate

Grease a 24cm springform tin, place on oven tray

Process biscuits until finely crushed, add butter process until just combined. Press biscuit mixture evenly over base and sides of tin. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Sprinkle gelatine over hot water in a cup until dissolved, cool

Beat cream cheese, vanilla essence and sugar into a small bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat cream in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Stir in gelatine into the cream cheese mixture with violet crumble bars, fold in cream. Pour mixture over base in tin. Cover, refrigerate until set.

Serve cheesecake decorated with extra cream and violet crumble bars

LEMON CAKE

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 2 cakes


250g unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest lightly packed (6 to 8 large lemons - Use only fresh lemon juice and zest)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

2 cups icing sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and flour 2 loaf tins.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, the key to great cakes is beating the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed add the eggs, (break the eggs into a dish before adding to the batter to avoid a bad egg or shells in the batter) 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, to make sure there are no lumps, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Separately, combine ¼ cup lemon juice, the milk, and vanilla. Add the flour and milk mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide evenly between the tins, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cook 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, cool for 10 minutes, invert them onto a rack set over a tray and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the icing sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

To freeze these cakes, prepare them except the glaze. Wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze. When you’re ready to use, defrost and glaze.