Tag Archives: cake

Chocolate Roulade (Chocolate log)

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For my son’s 6th birthday cake, he requested a rectangle with circle ends….I translated this into a Chocolate Roulade (or a Chocolate log). So, here is the first chocolate log I have made. I will add one note, to avoid cracking when rolling the cake you need to roll when straight from the oven.

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Ingredients (original recipe from New Zealand Edmonds Cookbook)

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 Tbsp cocoa
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 25g butter, melted
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • Icing sugar (confectionary sugar)
  • Strawberry jam
  • 4 oz Strawberries, sliced
  • 1/2 – 1 cup cream, whipped

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until thick. Sift cocoa, flour and baking powder together and add to the egg mixture. Add butter and water.

Pour mixture into a 20 x 30 cm sponge roll tin. Bake at 190 degrees C (375 F) for 10-12 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.

When cooked turn out onto cookie paper (grease-proof paper), that is lightly coated with icing sugar. Spread the strawberry jam, strawberries and whip cream over the cake. Roll from the short side using the paper to help. Leave the roll wrapped in paper and refrigerate (to prevent cream from melting).

When cold sprinkle with additional icing sugar (powdered or confectionary sugar) or ice with chocolate butter icing. Slice and serve.

 

My Christmas pineapple fruit cake

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I am not a big fan of fruit cake however, I love this pineapple fruit cake.IMG_0674 I make it every Christmas – and I get a lot of folks wanting the recipe. This recipe is all made in one large pot so clean-up is also really easy. So, here it is – it is one of my Mum’s recipes.

Ingredients

1 can of pineapple – crushed or chunks (~450g) including the juice
12 oz mixed fruit
125 g butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs

1. In a large sauce pan, place the first seven ingredients.
NOTE: I use pineapple chucks as I prefer the bigger pieces of pineapple – I do cut them in half though.
NOTE: For the mixed fruit I use 1/2 a container of mixed peel/glazed cherries, 1/2 – 3/4 cup of raisins (golden raisins + raisins). You can include currents if you want.
NOTE: For the mixed spice, if you do not have this I use 1/4 tsp ginger, a pinch of nutmeg, pinch of cloves and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.

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2. Heat, and boil for 10 minutes. As the mixture rises, stir and to ensure no boiling over occurs.
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3. Take off heat, allow mixture to cool. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F (106 degrees C).

4. Grease and line a cake tin.
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5. Add the two cups of flour, baking powder and 2 eggs to the fruit mixture, mix with a metal spoon until just blended.

6. Place into the mixture into the cake tin. Put into the oven and bake for 1 hour.

7. Take out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, remove from tin and place on a cooling rack.

Pumpkin Bread – Great recipe for freezing

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I found an amazing recipe for pumpkin bread in a Cooking Light magazine (November 2008 page 176) that the whole family loves. It is very moist and it freezes great.

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Ingredients

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup flaxseed
2 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 canola oil
2/3 cup honey beer (room temperature; NOTE: I use a dark beer if I do not have honey)
1/2 cup egg substitute + 2 eggs (NOTE: I use 4 eggs instead of the egg substitute)
1 can pumpkin (14-15 oz)

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
  2. Combine flour, salt and next 4 ingredients (through pumpkin pie spice) in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk
  3. Combine water and flaxseed in a small bowl
  4. Place sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add flaxseed mixture and pumpkin, beat at low-speed until blended. Add flour mixture, beat just until combined. Divide the batter between two 9×5 inch loaf pans coated with cooking spray. (NOTE: We use silicon pans and do not require spray….also for taste you can opt for a greased time with butter).
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center and comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then remove and place on wire rack.
  6. To freeze, wait until cold, place into a Ziploc bag and store for up to two months.

I think the flavor of this loaf fresh, is better the second day. Serve by slicing the loaf – great as for afternoon tea/snack.