Almond Chocolate Cake

A special cake, perfect for those who are have gluten allergies. This cake uses ground almonds instead of flour.

Ingredients

115 gm dark chocolate, broken into pieces

115 gm ground almonds

125 gm caster sugar

150 g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

3 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp dark rum - optional

Chocolate Ganache

75 gms cream

125 g dark chocolate  broken into pieces

2 tbsp rum

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.   Butter the sides of the cake tin and line the base with a disc of baking parchment.  

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Cream the ground almonds, sugar and butter in a food processor until well mixed. Add the eggs, rum and melted chocolate and mix until blended.

Bake in a lined, greased tin for 40 mins

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then loosen the sides using a small, sharp knife and carefully remove the cake from the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool down fully.

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then take off the heat and add the chocolate, stirring to melt, and mix in the rum.

Transfer the cooled cake to a serving plate and pour over the chocolate glaze (reheating if necessary)

Peach Cheesecake

Ingredients

Base

1 1/2 cup digestive biscuits

1 cup almonds, toasted

1/3 cup butter, melted

Combine ingredients. Press mixture evenly over bottom and up sides of 8 or 9-inch springform pan.  Put in the refrigerator to chill.

Filling:

200 gms cream cheese

300 gms cream

200 ml pureed peaches

2 tbsp rum [optional]

1/2 cup sugar, powdered

1 tin peaches

5 tsp gelatin

Sprinkle gelatin over the peach juice from the tin and set aside to bloom for at least 15 min.

In a large bowl beat cream cheese and sugar.  Add in the pureed peaches

Place the gelatin pineapple mix over low heat, stirring until gelatin dissolves. 

Gradually beat hot gelatin mixture into cheese mix

In medium bowl, beat cream until fluffy. 

Fold into cheese mixture, until well blended. 

Cut up 2 slices of peaches into small bits, and fold into the mix.

Pour over the crust and Refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Serve with Sliced peaches on top

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cake

Talk of being lazy.  I have not updated my baking on the blog for ages.  For one reason or the other the pics have been saved on my phone but not uploaded.  So here I am writing these out ---- before I get lazy again  

This is a great recipe if you are like me and buy strawberries in bulk.  Because the strawberries make this moist you will need to refrigerate it.  It tastes equally good cold.  You could make this with any fruit 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp butter, softned
• 3 tbsp yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• chocolate chips - as much or little as you want.
• Strawberries, washed and halved

Method

• Line a 9" loose bottom or springform tin with butter paper,  Grease the sides and dust with flour
• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt 
• Beat the sugar and butter in a separate bowl till light and fluffy
• Add in the yogurt beating till fully mixed
• Add in the egg and vanilla and beat again.
• Mix in the milk.
• Fold in the flour, carefully making sure not to overmix
• Fold in half the choco chips keeping some for the top
• Pour into prepared cake tin and arrange the strawberries on top.
• Sprinkle balance choco chips between the strawberries.
• Bake the cake for 45 mins or till done.
• Remove from oven and let cool in the cake tin.
• Remove from tin once cooled.

Lemon Tarts

Ingredients

• Your favourite pie crust
• 2 lemons
• 150 gms sugar
• 55 gms unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
• pinch of salt

Directions

• Grate the lemons carefully to get the zest. Put the zest in a food processor alongwith the sugar and grind.

• Cream the butter with the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

1. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. 

• Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

• Roll out the pie crust and bake blind at 180 C till done.

• Fill with the cooled lemon curd.

Tea Party

This tea party happened in Jan this year so you can see how late I am with posting.


PEANUT BUTTER BANANA MUFFINS - 
Adapted from Rachel Allens recipe available here

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
For recipe go here

Lemon Tarts 

Linzer Cookies
For recipe go here

Red Velvet Cupcake
For recipe go here

CUCUMBER CHEESE SANDWICHES

Basic Waffles

Waffles - when I think of them I think of Belgium.  Spent a couple of days in Brussels during the Beer Festival, some years ago.  More than the Beer what excited me were the waffles.  Topped with strawberries, bananas, cream and then chocolate syrup.  Impossible to eat a full waffle and heartbreaking to have to share it.

This is the recipe for a regular waffle.  

Top it with the above and you are set.  

Top it with Bacon and maple syrup for a slice of heaven.

Top it with just powdered sugar

Top it with butter

Top it with anything - its an experience of its own

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp castor sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 tbsp melted butter + additional butter for the iron
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• Toppings of your choice

Method

• Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites to stiff peaks
• Sift the flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl
• Mix the egg yolks with the milk, butter and vanilla essence.
• Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, taking care not to overmix.  Lumps are fine.
• Fold in the beaten egg whites into the mix.
• Bake in a preheated iron till golden brown.
• Serve topped with toppings of your choice.