Raspberry & Pistachio Cake with Mascarpone frosting

My 100th post! I've been sitting on 99 posts for over a week, with recipes and photos ready to post, trying to think of a post which could be appropriate for the occasion. Anyway, what occasion doesn't call for a cake? And this one's pink inside...

Recipe from Camille Styles


Raspberry & Pistachio Cake with Mascarpone frosting

Serves 4

Ingredients:For the cake
360g (3 cups) plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder½ tsp salt
240ml (1 cup) milk
120ml (½ cup) raspberry jam
red food colouring
350g (1 ¾ cups) caster sugar
240ml (1 cup) canola oil
1tsp vanilla extract
3 eggsFor the frosting115g cream cheese
340g mascarpone
455g (4 cups) icing sugar, sifted
1 small punnet raspberries
60g (½ cup) shelled pistachios, chopped

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4 and butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, jam and food colouring.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and eggs until pale and smooth. Alternating in thirds, mix in the dry ingredients mixture and the wet ingredients, starting with the dry ingredients.

5. Divide the batter between the two cake pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes away clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and leave to cool completely.

6. For the frosting, beat together the mascarpone and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Mix in the icing sugar and beat until smooth.

7. To assemble, slice each cake in half to produce four layers. Sandwich the cake layers together with some of the frosting and the raspberries and pistachios, reserving some for decoration. Cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting and top with raspberries and pistachios.

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

Recipe from Bakingdom

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
For the streusel
100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
52g (1/3 cup) plain flour
1tbsp lemon zest, finely grated
3tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
For the cake
250g (1 ½ cups) blueberries
2tbsp plain flour

390g (2 ½ cups) plain flour
300g (1 ½ cups) granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
¾ tsp salt
170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter
360ml (1 ½ cups) sour cream
3 eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1tbsp lemon zest, finely grated


Method:
1. For the streusel, stir together the sugar, flour and lemon zest. Mix in the butter by rubbing the pieces into the dry ingredients. Cover and freeze.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4 and butter and flour a 10 inch spring form pan.

3. For the cake, toss the blueberries in the 2tbsp flour and set aside.

4. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Gradually beat in the butter, followed by half the sour cream. Once incorporated, beat in the remaining sour cream eggs, vanilla and lemon zest. Gently fold through the blueberries.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the chilled streusel over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes away clean.

Raspberry and Pistachio Cheesecake

Recipe found from Poires au Chocolat

*Can be made as a 5 or 6 inch cheesecake; halve the ingredients and cooking time.

Raspberry and Pistachio Cheesecake

Ingredients:
For the base
60g shelled pistachios
60g golden caster sugar
pinch salt
130g digestives
40g unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
900g cream cheese
300g golden caster sugar
½ tsp salt
2tsp vanilla extract
2tsp vanilla bean paste
5 eggs
180ml sour cream
To decorate
6tbsp apricot jam
1-2 punnets raspberries
60g shelled pistachios


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/mark 2. Butter the insides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with foil, covering the base and the entire height of the sides. Repeat with another sheet of foil

2. For the crust, crush the pistachios to fine crumbs in a food processor and mix in the sugar. Add the salt and digestives and blend until well mixed. Add the butter and continue to pulse until the biscuits have been well coated and evenly crushed. Press into the base of the prepared pan.

3. For the filling, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla extract and paste. Once well combined, gradually mix in the eggs, followed by the sour cream. Pour the mixture into the pan and place the pan in a deep roasting tin. Pour boiling water into the roasting tin, enough to come up one third of the height of the cake pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes until set but with a wobble in the middle.

4. Take the cheesecake out of the roasting tin and transfer to a wire rack, cover with a piece of foil and leave for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the tin, replace the foil and leave t cool completely. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

5. Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until fairly fine but with  inconsistently sized lumps. Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan and remove the cheesecake. Transfer to a serving plate.
6. Heat the jam in a saucepan until liquid. Brush the top and sides of the cheesecake with the jam and arrange the raspberries on top. Thin down the remaining jam with 1-2 tbsp boiling water and use to glaze the raspberries. Press the crushed pistachios onto the sides of the cheesecake. Return to the fridge for 1 hour before serving.

White Chocolate & Ginger Ice Cream

Recipe from David Lebovitz

White Chocolate Ginger Ice Cream

Makes about 1 quart/ 1.14 litres



Ingredients:
3 inch (60-70g) piece fresh ginger, peeled
135g (2/3 cup) sugar
240ml (1 cup) milk
480ml (2 cups) double cream
230g white chocolate, chopped
5 egg yolks



Method:
1. Finely slice the ginger, place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes. Drain away the water and return the ginger to the pan. Add the sugar, milk and half the cream. Heat the mixture briefly to warm it, then remove from the heat, cover and leave to steep for at least an hour.


2. Place the chocolate in a large heat proof bowl.


3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and gradually add the ginger-infused cream mixture, whisking constantly. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan.


4. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly until the custard thickens and will coat the back of a spoon. Pour the custard over the white chocolate and stir until all the chocolate has melted and is well combined. Remove and discard the ginger. Mix in the remaining cream, leave to cool and refrigerate to chill, then freeze in an ice cream machine.

Mint Chip Ice Cream

Recipe from Simply Recipes

Mint Chip Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart/ 1.14 litres

Ingredients:3 cups fresh mint leaves, packed
240ml (1 cup) milk
480ml (2 cups) double cream
135g (2/3 cup) sugar
6 egg yolks
170g plain chocolate, melted

Method:
1. Place the mint leaves, milk and half the cream into a large heavy based saucepan and heat gently. Allow the mixture to steam but not boil, then remove from the heat, cover and stand for 30 minutes.

2. Reheat the mixture in the saucepan to return it to a steaming point. Remove from the heat, cover and let it stand for another 15 minutes.

3. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing to squeezing the milk and cream out of the mint leaves. Return the milk and cream to the saucepan and add the sugar. Heat until just steaming

4. Beat the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl. Gradually pour the hot mixture into the egg yolks, whisking continually. Pour back into the saucepan and heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour the custard into a large bowl and mix in the remaining cream. Leave to cool and refrigerate.

5. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream machine. Once frozen, Pour some of the ice cream into a container and spread out to form another layer. Drizzle over some of the melted chocolate and stir to break up the chocolate into chips. Continue layering ice cream and chocolate and mixing until all the ice cream and chocolate has been used.