Christmas Cake

Recipe from Jamie Oliver

Christmas Cake

Ingredients:
600g raisins
200g currants
100g glacé cherries
250g mixed dried fruits (e.g. prunes, apricot, apple, pear)
400ml brandy/sherry/rum
300g unsalted butter
200g dark brown sugar
1 lemon
4 eggs
2tbsp treacle/golden syrup
300g plain flour
½ tsp ginger
1tsp cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
150g ground almonds
150g pecans, chopped

Method:
1. The night before, place the dried fruit in a saucepan with the alcohol and bring to a simmer. Transfer to a bowl, let it cool, cover and leave to soften overnight.

2. Pre heat the oven to 150°C/ 300F/Gas 2. Butter and line a 23cm (9 inch) diameter cake pan with a double layer of greaseproof paper which is about 8cm higher than the tin.

3. Blitz half the soaked fruit in a food processor to make a paste, then return to the rest of the fruit and mix together.

4. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Grate the zest of the lemon and add to the bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and mix in the treacle.

5. Sift the flour into a separate bow land combine with the spices and ground almonds. Mix into the butter mixture, alternating with the fruit. Fold in the pecans and transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 2 ½ -3 hours, or until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean.

6. As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, brush with some more alcohol. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and place in on a large sheet of foil. Wrap the cake up twice to retain the heat. Remove the foil after a few hours and wrap the cake up in a double sheet of greaseproof paper followed by a double sheet of tin foil. Store in an airtight container for 2-12 weeks. Feed the cake with brandy/sherry/rum about once a week over this period.

White Chocolate Cashew Blondies

Recipe from More Sweets Please

White Chocolate Cashew Blondies


Ingredients:
For the blondies:
1tbsp instant coffee
1tbsp water
1tsp vanilla extract
113g (½ cup) butter
320g (1 ½ cups) light brown soft sugar
1tsp salt
2 eggs
273g (1 ¾ cups) plain flour, sifted
170g (1 cup) white chocolate chips
113g (1 cup) unsalted cashews, roasted and coarsely chopped
For the frosting (optional):
170g (1 cup) white chocolate
227g (2 cups) icing sugar
60ml (¼ cup) milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
85g (6tbsp) unsalted butter


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4. Grease and line an 8x8 inch pan.

2. Stir together the instant coffee, water and vanilla in a medium bowl until dissolved.

3. Add the butter, brown sugar and salt to the bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the flour, then fold in the white chocolate chips and cashews.

4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes away clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. For the frosting, melt the white chocolate and leave it to cool to room temperature.

6. In a separate bowl, stir together the icing sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix in the butter and beat until smooth. Stir in the cooled melted chocolate and use to frost the blondies. Chill before slicing.

Giant Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Coffee Caramel Cookie

Recipe from Half Baked Harvest

Giant Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Coffee Caramel Cookie

Ingredients:
For the cookie:186g (1 ¾ cup + 2tbsp) oats
234g (1 ½ cups) plain flour
213g (1 cup) brown sugar
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp salt
180ml (¾ cup) canola oil
2 eggs
2tsp vanilla extract
110g milk/dark chocolate, choppedFor the coffee caramel:240ml (1 cup) black coffee
266g (1 ¼ cups) brown sugar
240ml (1 cup) double cream or coconut milk
28g (2tbsp) butter
1tbsp kahlua
salt

2 apples, cored and sliced
pecans, for topping

Method:
1. Pre heat the oven to 180°C/ 350F/Gas 4. Grease a 10 or 12 inch cake pan or oven proof skillet.

2. To make the caramel, combine the coffee and brown sugar in a medium saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Slowly add the cream and butter, whisking to combine. Return to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the temperature to exceed 180C. Remove from the heat, stir in the salt and kahlua and set aside.

3. For the cookie dough, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt, oil, eggs and vanilla. Once combined, mix in about one cup of the chocolate chunks.

4. Transfer half the cookie dough to the prepared pan, pressing it into the pan to create an even layer. Pour about one cup of the caramel over the top of the dough and spread. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chunks and top with the remaining dough.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes before topping with the apple slices, drizzlings of the remaining caramel and pecans.

6. Scoop two tablespoon blobs of cookie dough and douse with the cinnamon sugar. Press the blobs together, shape into a ball and roll in the cinnamon sugar again, before placing on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing each cookie 2 inches apart on the baking tray/s to make about a dozen cookies.

7. Place the baking trays in the centre of the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until just set with tops about to crack. Leave to cool on the trays for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a Tupperware for up to three days.

Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

Frosted Pecan Banana Bread

Ingredients:
115g (½ cup) unsalted butter
150g (¾ cup) brown sugar
2 eggs
80g (1/3 cup) yogurt
480ml (2 cups) mashed bananas (about 4 bananas)
1tsp vanilla extract
250g (2 cups) plain flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp baking soda
¼tsp salt
½tsp cinnamon
70g (½ cup) pecans, chopped
For the frosting
112g  (4 ounces cream cheese)
60g (¼ cup) unsalted butter
120g (1 cup) icing sugar
1tbsp milk
pinch salt

2tbsp pecans, chopped, to sprinkle on top


Method:
1. Grease and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 180◦C/350F/mark 4.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the yogurt, bananas and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt ad cinnamon. Gradually fold into the wet ingredients. Briefly mix until there are no more flour pockets, then fold in the pecans. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, cover with foil, then continue to bake for a further 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes away clean.

4. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

5. For the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter until soft and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until combined. Add the milk and salt and more icing sugar as required to reach desired consistency.

6. Spread the frosting over the cooled banana bread and sprinkle with the additional chopped pecans.

Macadamia & White Chocolate Brownies

Recipe from The Little Loaf

White Chocolate & Macadamia Brownies

Makes about 16 bars

Ingredients:150g macadamia nuts
200g unsalted butter
250g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
3 eggs
230g golden caster sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
280g plain flour
pinch salt
200g white chocolate, coarsely hopped

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/mark 3. Grease and line an 8x8 inch pan.

2. Place the nuts on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the oven, leave to cool and chop coarsely.

3. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat once melted and leave to cool.

4. Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla (do not overmix or incorporate too much air). Fold in the cooled melted chocolate then sift in the flour and salt.

5. Fold the macadamias and white chocolate into the batter and transfer to the prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

6. Set aside to cool before removing from the pan to cool completely. Slice into bars.

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.

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.

Apricot & Fig Tea Loaf

Recipe from Poires au Chocolat

Apricot Fig Tea Loaf

Ingredients:
125g dried apricots
125g dried figs
100g sultanas
½ vanilla pod
200ml Earl Grey tea
150g pecan halves
100g light brown sugar
pinch salt
1 egg
225g plain flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2tbsp milk


Method:
1. Place the apricots, figs and sultanas into a saucepan. Split the vanilla pods, scrape out the seeds and add the seeds and pod to the pan. Stew the tea until it takes on a deep amber colour. Pour the tea over the fruit and cook over a low heat, covered, for an hour, stirring occasionally.


2. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/mark 3. Line a 9x5 inch loaf tin with baking paper or lightly greased foil.


3. Toast the pecan halves in the oven for about 5 minutes. Chop the pecans into small chunks and set aside.


4. Drain the fruit, reserving about 50ml of liquid. Top up the liquid to 80ml with water and return to the pan. Add the sugar and salt and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a large mixing bowl.


5. Chop the apricots and figs into small chunks and stir into the sugar syrup. Beat the egg and add to the mixture. Sift the flour and baking powder and mix in. Add the milk and mix until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean (a piece of foil or greaseproof paper may need to be used to cover the top of the loaf to stop it browning too much).

Carrot Cake

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake

400g caster sugar

320ml canola/vegetable oil

3 eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

390g plain flour, sifted

2tsp bicarbonate of soda

2tsp cinnamon

1/4tsp ginger

1/4tsp nutmeg

1 ½ tsp salt

1tbsp plain flour

150g raisins

110g pecans/walnuts, coarsely chopped

450g carrots, peeled and grated

120g pineapple (fresh or canned), diced

For the frosting

250g cream cheese

225g unsalted butter

1tsp vanilla extract

3-4tbsp milk

450g icing sugar, sifted

To decorate

20g pecans/walnuts, coarsely chopped

1-2tsp orange zest

1tbsp icing sugar

Method:

1. Butter and flour three 8 inch cake pans. Preheat the oven to 190◦C/375F/mark 5.

2. Mix together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until pale and smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the (390g) flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until completely incorporated.

4. Coat the raisins and nuts in the tablespoon of flour and fold into the batter, along with the carrots and pineapple.

5. Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the middle of the cakes comes away clean.

6. For the frosting, mix together the cream cheese and butter until softened and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract and icing sugar. Add enough milk (one tablespoon at a time) to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency.

7. Once the cakes have cooled, sandwich the layers together with the frosting and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the chopped nuts and zest over the cake and dust with icing sugar.

Caramel Hazelnut Chocolate Tart

Recipe from Bakingdom

Caramel Hazelnut Chocolate Tart

Ingredients:
For the crust
115g unsalted butter
70g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
130g plain flour
18g cocoa powder
pinch of salt
For the filling
200g granulated sugar
60ml water
1tbsp golden syrup
60g unsalted butter
120ml double cream
1tsp salt
210g hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

40g plain or milk chocolate, melted, to decorate



Method:
1. For the crust, cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg yolk. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix until just combined. Ensure the texture and colour is uniform and refrigerate for 15 minutes.


2. Press the dough into a 9 inch tart pan and freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4. Bake for 30 minutes and cool before filling.


3. For the filling, combine the sugar, water and syrup in a large pan and stir to combine. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then increase the heat and cook until the mixture takes on a pale-honey colour. Remove from the heat and mix in the butter, in tablespoon-sized portions. Gradually whisk in the cream and salt. If clumps form, continue to heat the caramel to remelt the sugar. Mix in the hazelnuts and heat until the caramel darkens slightly (about two or three minutes).


4. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake for 20 minutes, or until the caramel is bubbling. Leave to cool before decorating with the melted chocolate.