Ginger & Jam cakes with Roasted Strawberries

Gingy Jammies

I have previously mentioned that baking is my calorific therapy. Observe:

When life gives me lemons, I make Lemon Curd.
When life makes me stressed, I invert it and make desserts.
I turn my frowns upside down by making Apple Turnovers.
I turn my woes into Whoopie (pies)
I transform my jams into Jammies! 


However, at times, my baking expeditions lead to unexpected revelations. In my quest to make Gingy Jammies (as I had envisioned them in my mind's eye) I used 8 hours, 4 punnets of strawberries, 3 batters and 1 amazingly patient friend. Before I go any further it is necessary to give you a brief insight into myself. I am no perfectionist. I thrive in organised chaos and I use the word "rustic" as a trendy band- aid to explain any meal served in foil, unfinished project or unexplained mess. So this is why no one was more surprised than I, that I drove myself to the brink of baking madness (think: covered head to toe in flour, repeatedly muttering "Ginger and berries and jam, oh my! Ginger and berries and jam, oh my!") in order to perfect these little loaves. Somewhere at the 4 hour mark, my dear friend (who had taken up the onus of washing the bowls in between failed attempts) looked at me and with a tone of solemn severity said "I would go to war with you".

It would appear that at some point this baking adventure had moved into the trenches and during the height of baking battle had revealed a steely determination deep within me, that had manifested itself in a slightly deranged fixation. The strawberry jam had become war paint, that was streaked combat style on my cheekbones. My wooden spoon had become a warrior's sword, that I thrust into the air, followed by my Braveheart-esque war cry of: "Never give up, never surrender!" With that, we pushed forwards through the heavy batter spattered front-line. Though the battle was arduous and the baking casualties high (with the sinking lows of cake centers), there was indeed a victory in the form of delicate ginger cakes with hearts of jam, topped with roasted lemon-lime strawberries.

There was another unexpected victory, an unseen bake-through. There it was; a realization that while I may be disorganized, messy and "rustic", when it counts, I can summon a stubbornness that defies logic and sanity. Now the challenge; bottle this mentality and apply generously to the pile of chores, washing and dishes in the sink!     



Roasted strawberries

1 punnet of Strawberries (leaves removed - they ARE poisonous)
2 tablespoons caster sugar
Zest of one lemon
Zest of one lemon

Slice the strawberries and place onto a lined baking tray. Sprinkle with caster sugar and grated zests. Allow them to sit for 5 minutes (or until you see juices starting to form). Then bake for 10 minutes uncovered at 200 degrees Celsius. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Ginger Tea cake 

120g margarine
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
2 cups self raising flour
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup pulp free orange juice
Strawberry Jam 

Lower the oven to 180 degrees. Line and grease and 8 hole mini loaf tin. After some messy disaster (see the war report above) I found the best way to line the tins for easy removal is to cut a strip of baking paper wide enough to cover the base and long enough to overhang the tray and come out the sides of the tin.

Cream margarine, sugar, eggs and essence for two minutes. Add the combined sifted flour and spices alternating with the mixed maple syrup and orange juice until finished (ending with the flour). Fill each mini loaf 1/3 full with batter. Then using teaspoons dollop two drops of jam on top of the batter (my tip is to avoid putting the jam in the center and rather aim for either end of the mini-loaf. This is because you want the cake to rise in the middle, if there is too much jam in the center, it will remain moist and sink when removed from the oven. This message is brought to you courtesy of two failed batches!) Using the remaining batter, carefully cover the jam and continue filling till the mini-loaf is 3/4 way full.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (just remember the jam in the cakes and aim to test in the center to avoid a "strawberry jam bleed"!) Remove the cakes from the oven and leave them to rest in the tin for 5 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the two sides which are exposed to the tin and then grab the overhanging baking baking and life the cakes out onto a cooling rack.

Once the cakes are cool, and you are reading the serve them, spoon the roasted strawberries on top.
Enjoy these Gingy Jammies by jamming them in your mouth one forkful at a time! 

Baileys Cupcakes

Baileys Baked Shots

 

Despite the fact that I am not the worlds biggest drinker (alcohol or water for that matter) I do enjoy using the odd splash of liquor in my baking expeditions. Before I go any further, I have to confess: I have an unstoppable urge to provide a disclaimer with this post. I am unsure whether this urge is driven by having a lawyer as a husband, or by virtue of the fact that I am a teacher, but nevertheless here it is:

BAKEWRITE DISCLAIMER:  As per the Duty of Care Code (that all teachers live by) it is necessary to mention that this weeks baking daliance is rated R (Ridiculously good!) and should only be cupcake-slammed by people over the age of 18. Further, while these mini cupcakes last for days, as time wears on the alcoholic flavour tends to strengthen exponentially. So please, on day number four do not eat and drive, nor operate heavy Kenwood machinery.

Now we can safely (and legally) move on. Something I often forget to mention is that along with being an English teacher, I also like to travel to the past (and Bake To the Future) teaching children History. A common symptom of Historyitis Teachersorous (that is the Latin name of course) is that the person becomes fixated on discovering the origins of baked goods and ingredients. When designing my Baileys infused cupcakes, I began to ponder; why is it called "Baileys"? I began to imagine that perhaps, once upon a time, someone had drunk a lot of this Irish cream, landed themself in jail after some racous behaviour and had to be bailed out by a friend. Upon stumbling out of the lockup this person declared "Thanks for the bail-eeessss!" Thus, the name was born. 

Okay, so that sounded better in my head and with a loose theory in the bag I did what all good historians do, I began my exhaustive and comprehensive hunt into the dusty, mothball scented History archives (which started and ended in the same place: Wikipedia). The truth behind the name is far less fascinating than my dodgy imagination. In fact, like my tolerance to alcohol, the name "Baileys" is fictional and named after a less than reputable hotel.  

Really? 

Cue mass disappointment. 

One solution only: Time to drown my sorrows in another delectably naughty shot of baileys cupcake.  

Cupcakes:

250g butter, chopped
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs

3/4 cup self-raising flour

3/4 cup plain flour

1/2 cup Baileys Irish Cream

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Line two mini cupcake trays with liners (the recipe makes about 40 mini cupcakes, that is a lot of shots of Baileys and should be consumed responsibly...one after another in fast succession of course!). Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at time, making sure that you beat well after each addition. Sift flours together and using the mixer fold into the batter alternating with the Baileys Irish Cream (I find it is always best to end with the flour). Fill each cupcake case 3/4 way to the top (I just used teaspoons, but if you wanted to be accurate you could use a melon baller or small ice-cream scooper). Put the trays into the oven for 14-16 minutes until they turn light brown and bounce back when pressed gently in the center. Remove from the tin and put them onto cooling racks.

It is also possible to use this batter in cake from. To do this pour the batter into a 20cm round spring form tin and bake for 45 minutes.

Icing:

250g butter softened

3 cups sifted icing sugar

4 tablespoons Baileys

2 tablespoons cocoa powder 

Packet of malt balls (I used Maltesers)

In a mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar until the mixer is smooth. Note: if the butter is too cold it will form tiny bumps. If needs be, put the butter into the microwave for 5 seconds just to soften it, but be careful, you do not want it melted as this will change the consistency of the icing. Once the butter and icing sugar are smooth and creamy, add the Baileys and cocoa powder until fully combined. Once the cupcakes are cool, pipe* (or spread) a generous amount of icing onto each cake and top with a Malteser. 

Knock back these Baileys shots one delicious bite at a time!

*Side note: I have always been against piping. This is due to the fact that I have had some shocking experiences over the years (think exploding piping bags and icing on the floor, ceilings, myself and NOT the goods that was actually supposed to iced!) Recently my grandmother (aka: 91 year old baking Matriarch) gave me a cheap piping set from the supermarket...and it changed my life! While my icing is not perfect, I was pretty pleased for a first attempt and will now ice baked goods without hesitation and fear. My pipeline dream has become a pipeswirl reality!

 

Earl Grey and Lemon Drop Thumbprints

Lemon-Licious Biscuits

For the most part I am cookie loving, Shakespeare wielding English teacher. However, there has always been a tiny part of me that would like to become an adrenaline loving, notebook wielding detective who fights crime by day and makes souffle by night. I think this desire is driven by the misguided belief that I have a special gift in solving crimes. This fact is drawn from my experiences in the field (on couches and in cinemas) where I have an uncanny ability to pick the culprit and solve the crime 5-10 minutes into the film (please note that this "gift" has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that all films follow a generic story arc and often the director will let you sneak a peek at a beige, unsuspecting character who is later unveiled to be the mastermind. No. Rather I am an unskilled, unqualified detective extraordinaire!) Apologies, I digress. At university, while stoking the fires of my "gift" I took one lonesome unit in criminology, it was here I was introduced to the term racial profiling. As the name suggests, people's behaviour and criminality is assessed based on their external appearances, leading to prejudice in the criminal system.

Well get ready Inspector Gadget, I have a coined a new term: frucial profiling. Like racial profiling, certain fruits are judged harshly based on their appearances and classified accordingly. This form of discrimination extends, but is not limited to, lemons. Lemons get a bad rap in the fruit world, both in taste and colour. When a dish goes bad and the suspect ingredients are placed in a line up, the finger is always pointed at the lemon who is blamed and shamed for being sour and abusing it's fragrant power. In a best case scenario, the lowly lemon is used as a wing-man to make others look good and then denied any form of recognition ("What makes this basil, lemon chicken so delicious?" you ask. "Oh, it's the basil of course"). The lemon, is not petite like the blueberry or voluptuously sensual like the mango. It is not exotic like the lychee, nor is it plain enough to blend in, like the humble apple. The lemon, with its bumps, nobly bits and a skin colour that clashes with everything, has had to come to terms with playing second fiddle in the culinary world.
Until now.
These lemon-licious biscuits have changed the status of lemons worldwide. No longer does it hide in shame in the fruit and veggie aisle, avoiding the judgmental glares of frucial profilers. No. Now stands proud and triumphant as this baked creation brings out its inner beauty. With a heart of lemon gold, the creamy cheesecake filling is embraced by the delicate aroma of the Early Grey butter biscuits. As a new dawn hails for this forgotten fruit, so too does the official debunking of frucial profiling. Then again, perhaps not, as these innocent lemon drops are criminally delicious!

Earl Grey Biscuits

80g unsalted butter
1/3 cup castor sugar
2 TBS milk
1/2 tspoon vanilla essence
1 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup custard powder
8 Earl Grey Teabags(optional; I prefer them with the Earl Grey infusion, but it is also yum if left out!)

Preheat the oven 180 degrees and line two baking trays. Beat the butter and sugar in a mixer, until the mixture turns pale in colour and creamy in texture. Add the milk and essence and continue to beat until combined. In a separate bowl sift the flour and custard powder. Break open the tea bags and pour the contents into the flour and powder until it is speckled evenly with the tea leaves. A note on the tea bags: in my humble opinion it is best to use cheap tea because the leaves have been ground to a fine powder as opposed to the more "authentic" expensive tea blends which have chucks of leaves that do not spread into the batter evenly. Once the flour is speckled by tea leaves, gradually add all the dry ingredients into the mixer, continuing to mix until it forms a soft dough.  Roll two teaspoonsful of mixture into balls and place on tray. Use your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon the cause an indent in each biscuits (while you don't need to be super gentle here, just make sure that the hole doesn't pierce the bottom of the biscuit. You will want to create a wide indent in the biscuit rather than a deep one. Though maths and general baking precision is not my strong point, you are aiming for an indent that is approximately 1cm deep and 2-3cm wide). Set the biscuits aside and make the lemon-licious cheesecake filling.

Lemon Cheesecake

250g light cream cheese
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Rind of one lemon

In a mixer, cream the cheese and sugar until it becomes light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice along with the rind of one lemon (grated finally). In order to create a make shift piping bag, fill a zip lock bag with the cheesecake mixture pushing it down into the corner of the bag. Carefully snip the corner of the bag off (about 1/2 wide) and then gently pipe the mixture into the center of the biscuits, filling up the indentations. You can be quite generous in filling as the cheesecake tends to hold it's form.

Bake for 15 minutes and then move onto a cooling rack.

Chocolarge Cookies

Jumbo Dairy-Free Choc-chip Cookies












This week's bake is evidence of the fact that my choc-chip cravings were not purged by last week's dessert. Apparently decadent layers of cookie and mousse were not enough for my brain and I wanted, no I needed, more. I had to go bigger and better; enter the Chocolarge biscuits.

How to put this delicately?
Can't.
These biscuits are not delicate.

They are large. Jumbo sized in fact. They are nobly, with dark chocolate bits springing from every crevasse and crease. They take up an entire side plate, a whole palm and simply cannot be popped into your mouth in one bite. That is why I am nominating them for the circus under the iconic big top. Why the circus? Because these biscuits are the David Cookiefields...I mean Copperfields...of the biscuit world. They are Grande Illusion Masters with an epic, show-stopping vanishing act. How do these large, chunky cookies disappear before your very eyes you ask? Put a plate full of them on your table and find out for yourself! I am also going to let you in on the secret behind this magic trick. I am aware that I am breaking some sacred magician code, so all I ask is that you lean in close so that I can whisper it to you...a little bit closer...little closer...okay you ready?

Magician Secret #101 Exposed: Maple syrup!

This addition takes the humble chocolate chip cookie to an addictive place. Despite one cookie being four times the normal size of an average biscuit you simply wont be able to stop at one. Oh, you will try and you will even invoke the ol' sweet-tooth mantra: "I'm just breaking off a piece of that second biscuit. Okay just a little more. Now I have to even it up. Well it is practically gone and I never start something that I don't finish, because I am no quitter. Oh dear, it is gone!"

FYI: The irony of putting these over sized chocolarge cookies into a dainty French biscuit tin is not lost on me. No doubt, the French would be horrified by their ginormous size as their food motto is "Food is to be enjoyed; in tiny portions".
To that end, I dare them to try stop at just one tiny nibble, it is simply not possible. My dream is that these biscuits will revolutionize their food motto:"J'adore le Chocogrande, must have a-mour!"

Chocolarge Cookies:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
185g margarine, melted and cooled
1 egg beaten lightly
1 egg yolk beaten lightly
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons maple syrup
230g dark chocolate roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line 3 large oven trays with baking paper.
Mix the flours and sugars into a large bowl. Add the combined margarine, whole egg, egg yolk, vanilla and maple syrup and mix together with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Stir through the chopped chocolate.

Using slightly dampened hands (this helps to handle the dough), roll 2 teaspoons of biscuit batter into balls. Be warned; this dough is very soft and sticky, so as part of the baking process you will be required to eat the cookie dough off your fingers  (I know it is a tough job, but someone has to do it!)

Place the cookie dough balls 6cm apart on the tray (they spread a lot!) and bake for 15 minutes.
Cool on racks, then place a pile on your kitchen table and watch your very own magic show take place! Abra-cookie- dabra!

Choc-chip Cookie Mousse

Layers of Chocolate Heaven

 Sometimes I get fixated on an a baking experiment and it will swirl around my head continuously until I force it into a mixing bowl and onto a serving plate. Times like this are often characterized by strange hallucinations and general odd behaviour. This was one of those times.

For weeks I would walk down the street and the people passing by appeared to be giant cookies wearing chocolate mousse hats.

When my friends would ask, "How is your day going?"
I would smile and respond, "Yeh choc-chip and you? Oh, look at the time, I mousse be running, good to see you!"
My teaching of Romeo and Juliet would have had Shakespeare rolling in his grave with blasphemous utterings of  "A choc-chip cookie by any other name, would taste as sweet".

It was time to purge the fixation and bring the brain bake to life. For many years I have baked a dairy-free chocolate mousse as my "life raft" solution to no dairy after meat. However, this life raft was in need of some new air being pumped into it. You know those days when you pull into your street and you have no idea how you got there and you vaguely remember getting in the car, putting in the keys and pointing it towards home? Well my mousse had become this drive home, so routine that sometimes I would sit down in front of it and have no memory of painstakingly separating the millions of eggs and beating the sugar for millions of minutes. I decided that my dairy-free choc-chip biscuits were the answer to my pondering and I let it mull a while in my brain. That mulling turned to fixation and that fixation turned to desperate action. Layers of biscuit and mousse encased in individual dessert servings!

The result was a refreshing face lift. My tired old chocolate mousse got a much needed nip and tuck (shhhh...don't tell anyone. It hasn't had any work done, it just feels rested and rejuvenated!) The only saggyness in these delightful mousses, is that caused by me trying to takes its photo with the heater on full blast (think: wicked witch of the west from The Wizard of Oz crying out "I'm meltinggggg, meltingggg!")

Choc-chip cookies:

2 cups flour (sifted)
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup brown soft sugar
5ml vanilla essence
250g dark chocolate bits
250g margarine
2 eggs
5ml bicarb of soda

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Cream together the margarine and sugars until pale and fluffy. Add the two eggs and essence into the mixer. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients, mixing well between additions. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the chocolate  morsels folding through by hand.

Place teaspoonfuls of the cookie dough onto a lined baking tray. The biscuits spread ever so slightly so when dropping them down onto the tray, aim for them to be roughly the size of the muffin tray bases that will be used to assemble the mousse. Bake 12-14 minutes until lightly browned and firm. As you remove the biscuits from the oven use the back of a spoon to gently flatten the biscuits, as this will help when assembling the individual mousses. Cool on wire rack. While the biscuits are cooling move onto making the mousse mixture.

Chocolate mousse:

7 eggs separated
1 cup caster sugar
200g dark cooking chocolate (dairy free) 
125g margarine
2 tsp vanilla essence 

Separate the eggs placing the whites in one large bowl and the yolk in a second slightly larger bowl. Using a hand mixer beat the egg whites first gradually adding 1/4 cup of the caster sugar. Keep beating until it forms stiff white peaks. Before you beat the egg yolks use the microwave or a double boiler to gently melt the chocolate. Quickly beat the remaining caster sugar (3/4 cups) with the yolks and essence until a pale yellow in colour. Add the margarine into the warm chocolate, stirring it through. The heat of the chocolate will melt the margarine, but may require a little bit of additional heat if the chocolate has cooled too much. Fold the chocolate margarine mix into the egg yolks ensuring that the chocolate is evenly mixed through the batter. Then fold through the egg white being careful not to beat the air out of them. This is best done by using a spatula rather than a spoon, creating wide arcs that aim to lift the chocolate yolk mixture over the egg whites rather than cutting through. Once incorporated you can begin to assemble the mousses.

I used a jumbo muffin tray (one size down from a texas muffin tray) and lined them with patty cases (I did trial one mousse with no case and it works really well so long as you run a knife around the edges before trying to pop them out of the tray). In each patty case place one biscuit on the bottom, then fill the case half way up with mousse. Gently place another biscuit on top and then pour more mousse on top until the case is filled to the top. You will be able to make 12 large individual mousses from this recipe, with some additional mousse left over (I just froze the remaining mousse in shot glasses for snacks at our leisure!)

Cover the trays with foil and place into the freezer. I like to prepare these around 2 days before I want to serve them because I like the mousse to set quite firm, however, they would be ready to eat 24 hours after making them.

Serve them straight from the freezer with some extra choc-chip cookies crushed on top for an indulgent extra!  

Banoffee Biscuits

Banookies

Love banana.
Love caramel.
Love dark chocolate.
Love them together.

Incidentally they do exist in nature as an entity; the famed Banoffee Pie.

Hate pie.

I think that admitting is the first step on the path to acceptance.
The second step is trying to uncover the roots of my irrational, yet longstanding, hatred for pie. My mind is instinctively drawn to  a little box that is padlocked shut, deep in the recesses of my sub conscience. The box is labeled "Year 9 Mathematics" and contains the explicit instructions "In case of an emergency, still do not break open". Like most instructions that I encounter, such as IKEA DIY builds, recipes and technological guide books, I appreciate their existence and reserve the right to fully ignore them. With this in mind, I had no problem ignoring the Math box's warning and cracked it wide open. My brain was instantly assaulted with intense memories of confusion, frustration and calculated catastrophes of the numerical kind. The mathematical hater, who resides on the right side of my brain, causes a negative association with the word "PIE".

Observe this in action:

"Hayley; the square root of pie is..."?
"Umm...unhappiness?"

To me, understanding maths is like trying to shove a square peg into a round pie. So perhaps poor Banoffee is simply an innocent bystander who has become co-literal damage. Alternatively, it is possible that my issue with Banoffee predates Year 9 mathematics class and originates from my general aversion to creating shortcrust pastry.

Either way, I wanted to have my pie and eat it too, just not in the form of a pie. Enter the humble biscuit, willing to bare the burden of my cravings (and rapidly aging bananas) in the most simple form: the banana-caramel choc chip cookie, or as I like to call it, the Banookie. From my oven came wafting waves of banana, with a splash of caramel and a healthy dose of dark chocolate. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, the Banookie is the cookie lovers (or pie haters) answer to the Banoffee Pie!

Banookie:

120g butter
100g caster sugar
75g soft brown sugar
100g tinned caramel (Carnation)
1 egg beaten
1 cup flour
1/4 ripe mashed banana
1 tsp baking powder
100g dark chocolate chips
1 pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.

Cream the butter and caster sugar together until pale and creamy. Then add the mashed banana followed by the lightly beaten egg and brown sugar. Fold through the chocolate chips by hand, then return to using the mixer in order to incorporate the caramel (I know that this seems unorthodox as chocolate chips are usually added last, but trust me, it just works for this recipe!) Finally add the sifted flour, baking powder and pinch of salt, mixing until all the cookie dough comes together.

Dollop teaspoons of the banookie dough onto a lined baking tray, making sure you leave around 3cm for the biscuits to spread. Bake for 15 minutes (or until they are golden brown).

When they come out of the oven they will still be soft so gently lift them onto a cooling tray (they will harden as they cool). This beautiful banookies are best eaten on the day that they are made. The banana flavour becomes stronger the longer they are left in the container and it can cause it to soften in texture. My suggestion is any banookies that are not eaten within two days of baking should be kept in the freezer and eaten chilled rather than defrosted (crushed, cold banookies on vanilla ice cream makes for a decadent dessert!)

Halvah Ma'amul

Rosewater + Halvah = Match made in Heaven

Ma'amul is a traditional semolina-rosewater biscuit with pockets of spiced fruit and nut. These biscuits have a Middle Eastern heritage and, like the region of their birth, they too have a controversial and embattled past, with the ability to cause much heated debate. Despite all this, I see these biscuits through rose coloured glasses and a tummy half full (of fragrant biscuits). The fact is the predominant flavour of these delicate, exotic biscuits is rose water. My expansive and detailed research* has revealed that one in three people despise rosewater (insert gasp of horror here. I know, it's shocking isn't it? They probably hate puppies and rainbows too). This research led to the creation of the "Rosewater Love-o-meter Test" which concluded with the following definitive result**: If you like Turkish delight and musk sticks, you will love Ma'amul.
*This study was conducted on no more than 3 people.
**Results may vary depending on people's taste (and the fact that no such research was ever conducted nor tested).

Now I mentioned that these biscuits have an embattled past, allow me to take a moment to explain how my cookie tray became an epic battle field. The original Ottolenghi recipe calls for a date, walnut and rosewater filling, however, I was desperate to create a more subtly sweet flavour which had wider appeal amongst the masses. I got to work creating a chocolate filling that was rich in flavour and malleable in texture, so that it could be rolled into balls and then pinched inside the semolina rosewater dough. Pleased with my problem solving skills, I popped 20 ma'amuls into the oven for 12 minutes and began to dream of these treats with chocolate centers rolled in rose flavoured dough. In the midst of dreaming, my mind was pulled back to reality by the insistent beeping of the timer. My mum happened to reach the oven first and I entered the kitchen to see her body blocking the oven like a bodyguard protecting a celeb from the flashing glare of paparazzi. Just like the paps, I managed to sneek a peek behind her waving arms just in time to see my beautiful ma'amul bubbling and exploding volcanic chocolate all over of the cookie tray, each other and my hopes and dreams.

A new day dawns a new opportunity for baking victory, and I refused to wave the white flag. This time half the biscuits were filled with three chocolate melts and the other half's filling was inspired by my gazing around the kitchen to find an ingredient that could be molded into balls. I spied a tub of Israeli Halvah (sesame seed based) that called out to me from the cupboard shelf. It was the hero of the day and it's subtle, earthy flavoured bonded with the rosewater dough to create a resounding ma'amul victory!

My advice for these sweet treats: get together with a group of like-minded rosewater-loving people, a pot of mint tea and enjoy the good life. Peace of cake, right?

 Ma'amul Dough (Adapted from Ottolenghi): 

350g semolina
40g plain flour
40g caster sugar
pinch of salt
180g unsalted butter cut into 3cm cubes
2 tbsp Cointreau liquor
1 tbsp rose water
1/2 tbsp water
icing sugar to finish

Put the semolina, flour, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir together using your hands. Add the butter and work with your fingers until the texture is like semi-course breadcrumbs. Add the cointreau, rose water and 1/2 tbsp water and use your hands to bring the mixture together into a ball. Remove to a clean surface and knead the dough until it is smooth (it will seem like it is impossible at first, but I found by dividing the dough in half and squeezing it between your hands at the start helps to speed the process). The dough will eventually become smooth after around 5 minutes of kneading (get ready for a workout, at least you will come out smelling like roses!). Cover the dough with a damp cloth and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Filling:

50g Dark chocolate melts
Israeli Halvah (I used the one that comes in a block, then shaved off pieces) 

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.

To make the ma'amul biscuits: Pinch off a tablespoon of the dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc shape in your hand. Lift the edges of the disc to form a little bowl, then place either a heaped teaspoon of Halvah or 3 choc melts into the center. Pinch the dough over the filling so that bowl in now sealed (again, at first this will seen impossible, but trust me - this dough is magical and stretches in such a way that I have never seen before). Roll the dough into a ball again and slightly flatten between the palms of your hands.

Place the biscuit onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and repeat the process until all the dough and filling is used (it makes around 30 biscuits). Bake for 13 minutes. The cookies will not turn brown but they will be firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Before serving, sprinkle generously with icing sugar.   

Mini Milo Cheesecakes

My-high cheesecakes

Now that I have overcome my aforementioned cheesecake "Fear and Loathing Syndrome", I have embraced the wonderful world of cheesecake possibilities. These mini cheesecakes are an ode to my enduring and everlasting love for Milo. With a crunchy, Milo biscuit base and richly decadent Milo infused cheesecake, this creation is truly the physical manifestation of my-lo dreams come true.

Before I go any further I feel the need to write an open letter to the people who are responsible for the naming of this delightful and iconic product in order to air a deep seeded grievance.

Dear Mr. Milo Pty Ltd,

While sensational in flavour, you have the wrong name for your product, it should not be called Milo, but rather Myhi(gh). I wish to outline the reasons for this change (which are threefold) below:

1. When feeling low, Milo lifts the spirits, making you feel high.

2.The perfect milk to Milo ratio should be indicated in the name of the product. In the "Milk to Milo" ratio, the higher the amount of Milo the better (think, Milo-powder-plumes-when-you-cough, high). As an English teacher I feel comfortable sharing the following mathematical formula to demonstrate my point:

1:3 = good
1:5  = better
1:100 = best

In case you are not a wonderful mathematician (like moi; which is French for "I am Pythagoras") the layman's translation for this equation is basically: less milk + more Milo = MyHi-happiness 

3. Milo is quite frankly, and simply, My-High. I'm sure I am not alone in this assertion, so perhaps it should be called Allhi(gh).

Your Sincerely, but not truly,

H. 

While Mr. Milo Pty Ltd considers my proposal, I will leave you with this final thought: there are no "lo"s to these mini cheesecakes. They are high on flavour, texture and, of course, Myhi (the malt formerly known as Milo).

Milo Biscuit Base (A Pound of Flour)

125g butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup Milo (plus extra to sprinkle)

Heat the oven to 160 degrees. Cream the butter and both sugars together. Add beaten eggs and vanilla, then fold through the sifted flour and Milo. Roll the mixture into balls and flatten slightly, sprinkling the tops with some extra Milo powder. Bake for 10 minutes to get a soft biscuits or 15 minutes for a firmer one (my preference for biscuits is ALWAYS crunchy!) This recipe makes around 30 biscuits, but you will only need 12 for the cheesecakes. You can freeze the rest and eat them at leisure, or leave them out on the kitchen bench and they will disappear into the Bermuda Triangle of cookie lovers.

Milo Cheesecake

250g Light Cream Cheese
395g can condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup Milo

Beat the cheese until smooth. Add the condensed milk, lemon juice and Milo. Beat until smooth (it will still have the granules of Milo, but so long as the cheese and condensed milk are combined).

Line a muffin tray with 12 cupcake cases. Place a cooled Milo biscuit at the bottom of each one and then spoon the Cheesecake mixture into the cases (you can fill almost to the top as it doesn't rise much in the oven). Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven leaving them to cool in the muffin tray.

Enjoy them with a tall glass of chilled milk (and if you are a true Myhi, add some Milo to the milk too!)   

Roasted Rhubarb Teacake

Sacrilicious Rhubarb Teacake

ANCIENT LAW: "Thou shall not eat meat with dairy"

MODERN TRANSLATION: "Thou shall not eat luscious, rich dairy desserts after eating a succulent steak".

HOME-TRUTH: This law is anti-dessertist. The only people who suffer from this law are those, like me, who have a sweet tooth and love nothing more than to follow a hearty meaty meal (I do love animals, but I love steak more) with a rich, creamy chocolate covered, ice cream lathered, cream dolloped dairylicious dessert.

What is the solution to this age old conundrum? The answer is deceptively obvious - make it dairy free. While most recipes can be converted, the end product almost always screams "dairy-free dessert!" Whether it is your tongue crying out for the texture of real cream and the lightness of milk or whether it is the ever present nutty undertone when using soy milk, it is never quite right. That is until I transformed a milky teacake recipe into a versatile, quick and never fail cake. This recipe can be adapted and adjusted to suit all tastes and toppings, but it tends to work best with fruit in, on or between the layers.

This humble teacake, a now favourite post meat dessert, was revolutionised when my Mother-in-law bought me some vibrant Rhubarb sticks from the market. Like me, she appreciates all things home baked (in fact, me writing this blog was her brainchild!) and often supplies me with delicious fresh produce that creep their way into my baked goods. The only issue was that I had Rhubarbaphobia. Symptoms of this rare condition include hiding behind the apple stand in order to avoid eye-contact with aforementioned product and a systematic avoidance of all (Rhu)barbs which may, or may not, fly my way. Oh...I also thought some part, and I wasn't exactly sure which part, of Rhubarbs were poisonous. Thus, I had never used them, lest any of my friends or family had the following inscription on their graves "Death by Rhubarb". However, this time it was different, I was captivated by their shiny rosy skins and elegant shape. I had to use them.

OUTCOME:
1. Delicious dairy-free cake that tastes dairy filled.
2. Radiant Roasted Rhubarb covered dessert.

In the words of the ever wise Homer J. Simpson:

"Mmmmm...sacrilicious!"

Roasted rhubarb

10 sticks (approx. 300g) of Rhubarb (leaves removed - they ARE poisonous)
1/4 cup caster sugar
Zest of one lemon
1 tsp custard powder (to make the glaze)

Cut up 7 sticks of Rhubarb into 2 inch pieces. Leave 3 sticks whole in length. Place rhubarb onto a lined baking tray and sprinkle with caster sugar and grated zest. Allow to sit for 5 minutes (or until you see juices starting to form). Then bake for 10 minutes covered at 200 degrees Celsius, then uncover and roast for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and drain the juices into a glass (it produces about a 1/2 cup, but the amount will differ depending on the Rhubarbs). Set the Rhubarb and juice aside.

Tea cake 

120g margarine
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups self raising flour
2/3 cup pulp free orange juice
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
Jam of you choice (for cake assembling)

Lower the oven to 180 degrees. Line and grease two 20cm baking tins. Cream margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla for two minutes. Add the sifted flour alternating with the orange juice until finished (ending with the flour). Divide the batter into two tins. Top the one cake with the chopped roasted Rhubarb (this will form the bottom layer of your cake) and top the second cake with whole Rhubarb pieces arranged decoratively. Sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar on top of the second cake only (it helps to caramelize the rhubarb).

In order to avoid my mistake ensure that you don't place too much Rhubarb in the center of the top layer cake as it will prohibit the rising of the cake and even baking. Bake for 27 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean from the center).

Once you remove the cakes from the oven and place them onto a cooling tray, you can move on to making the Rhubarb glaze that will be brushed onto the cake once cooled. Place the Rhubarb juices into a small saucepan and blend 1 tsp of custard powder into it with a fork making sure you removes the lumps. Put the saucepan over a low flame and gently heat the mixture, while continuously stirring. It will become cloudy before becoming clear again and the juices will gradually thicken. When it takes on the consistency of jelly just before it sets remove from the flame (it will become slightly thicker as it cools).

To assemble the cake place the bottom layer on a serving tray and generously spread with jam (I used an apple and cinnamon jam which was delicious, but any jam will work beautifully). Carefully place the top layer on top of the jam, gently pressing down to secure it. Then take a brush and generously lather on the Rhubarb glaze (it gives it a lovely shine and pinkish colour).

Then cut a massive slice and enjoy (I promise, it won't kill you)!  

     

Chai Cheesecake Brownies

Chai-ny Cheesecake Brownies

This week I have been pondering all things tiny and Chai-ny. It is true that my latest fascination is baked goods that have an aromatic and spicy flair. This fascination (okay I will call it what it is...obsession) extends to Chai flavouring which has burst into the baking arena with a standing ovation and loyal fan base. With this in mind, it felt like a natural progression to take a cherished brownie recipe given to me by my mother and give it a Chai hit.
This delicious experiment leads me back to my earlier pondering on other tiny matters. I have always been aware that I am not exactly tall perhaps, not even average in height. It would be fair to say that most would classify me as, well, short. Over the years this stature has been framed in a positive and affectionate light, from my parents calling me Cocha-pina (translated roughly it means tiny bug, endearing I know!) to them insisting that "good things come in small packages". In recent years my height has brought to light a social prejudice that I didn't even know existed, it is called SIZE-ISM. "What does this look like in action?" you ask. Well it comes in many forms, from being told that something you wear makes you look "sweet" by a shop assistant (implied undertone: "You are now ready to attend your 5 year old birthday party") to comments such as "You are so small, yet confident and competent" (not implied or even an undertone, loud and clear, really: "Didn't expect much from you").
What does my crazed rant and Chai brownies have to do with each other? Just as all this Sizeist prejudice was getting me down (yes even closer to the floor than I naturally am) I made these brownies and discovered a sweet home truth: Good things do come in small packages and tiny morsels can leave a lasting impression (baking has always been my calorific therapy, and this was indeed a bake-through!) Despite being demure in size, these brownies are memorable. What they lack in stature they make up for in sugar, spice and all things nice! Enjoy a Chai-ny square of these cheesecake brownies and take a trip down spice lane!

Chai Cheesecake Brownies:

125g butter
125g dark chocolate
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs lightly beaten
1/3 cup plain flour sifted
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder

3 Tbsp Chai powder*
250g cream cheese
1/4 cup caster sugar

*You can make your own Chai powder: see note at the bottom of the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a 25cm x 16cm tray with baking paper (leave all four edges of the paper overhanging the tin so that when the brownies are baked you can simply lift them out).

Cream the caster sugar, cheese and Chai powder until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes depending on the strength of your mixer).

In a small saucepan melt the butter and chocolate over a low flame. When they have just melted add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved (it will take on a glossy appearance).  Then take off the heat and whisk in the 3 eggs (in order to minimise the clean up, I like to keep it in the saucepan while I finish off the brownies recipe). Sift in the four, cocoa and baking powder and then gently fold it through.

Pour the brownies mixture into the lined tin. Then take teaspoons of the cheesecake batter and drop them into the brownies batter. Continue dolloping until all the cheesecake is finished. You do not need to press them down as the brownies batter rising around them. Also the cheesecake dollops will end up being close together and some will touch, but that is perfectly fine too.

Bake for 22 minutes (the cheesecake will turn slightly brown and the brownie will still appear gooey, it cooks a little more as it cools in the tin). When cooled for 30 minutes, cut into Chai-ny pieces and enjoy!

*Chai Powder: (you double depending on personal taste)

1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

Magic Cocoa-nut Cake

Coconut and Fudge Brownie Cake 

I want to explain this creation but the question is where to start? Well, like all good creation stories it seems that the best place to start is at the beginning...
While travelling through Venice my mouth stumbled upon the most delicious cake. It was a moist zesty coconut cake that was topped with a layer of decadent chocolate cake. A giant slab of it was delivered to the table and I oggled it questioning whether, for once, my eyes and stomach could match up (sometimes my stomach lets down my eyes. You see, my eyes have the appetite of a  6 foot five sumo wrestler, whereas as my stomach has the appetite of the five foot two human being that I am). My stomach and eyes made a pact that night that neither would let me down and I demolished the coconut chocolate cake slab.
Fast forward six months and I have been dreaming about this cake and cursing the fact that I didn't ask them for the recipe. Undeterred I decided that I would take my never fail fudge brownie recipe and combine it with a tangy coconut cake. The only question remaining was which comes first - the chicken or the egg? Do I pour the coconut cake into the tin first and then top with the brownie fudge, or should it be the other way round? Now, I am no scientist and my attempt to test the batter "density" by lifting up the wooden spoons one at a time, while scratching my head Einstein-style, proved futile. So on a whim I decided: coconut on the bottom and brownie batter on top, crossed my fingers, toes and eyes and popped it into the oven.
Why is this cake called "magic" Cocoa-nut cake? I hear you ask. It is called magic because by some baking magic (think baking fairies  sprinkling icing sugar dust) the brownie batter inverted and landed on the bottom of the cake!

Here are some home truths about this cake:

1. It is dangerously delicious (and mum and I naughtily tucked into while hot, which is a big baking no no as it usually breaks the cake...even so...it was worth it!). Also the same baking fairies who flipped the brownie to the bottom, also ensured that the brownie remained gooey chocolaty heaven while the coconut cake was light and tangy.
2. Despite having to make two batters it is a really quick recipe.
3. It is not going to win any beauty contests. You know how people ask "Is he/she good looking?" and the person pauses and responds, "They have great personality". I have never understood this response...until I made this cake. It is not pretty. It has no "good sides" (I discovered this while trying to cut the perfect piece and take a photo). BUT, what this cake lacks in traditional baking beauty, it makes up for in bounds with punches of flavour and textural layers of personality.
4. It is best eaten on the day, and even it wasn't, it wouldn't last much longer as it would be devoured!

Coconut Cake (Adapted from Raspberricupcakes.com):

1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/2 desiccated coconut
zest of 2 lemons
zest of 1 lime
1 cup caster sugar
125g butter
2 large eggs
1 cup milk

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Line the bottom of a non-stick 20cm round baking tin with baking paper. Zest lemons and lime (don't be shy with the zest, the more the merrier). Sift flour into a large bowl. Then simply add all other ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon till smooth.  
  
Fudge Brownie: 

125g butter
125g dark chocolate
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs lightly beaten
1/3 cup plain flour sifted
1/3 cup cocoa sifted
1/4 tsp baking powder

Combine butter, chocolate and brown sugar over a low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is glossy (be careful with the heat, if it is too hot the sugar will crystallize and the chocolate will seize and become lumpy. A tip is to melt the chocolate and butter first, then add the brown sugar). Take the mixture off the heat and whisk in eggs. Next sift in the flour, cocoa and baking powder. Fold into mixture.

Pour the coconut batter into the prepared baking tin. Then using the back of a large spoon gently poor the fudge brownie of top of the coconut batter moving the bowl and spoon around in order to evenly spread the brownie mixture. (Using the back of the spoon is not essential but it stop the mixture from hitting the batter hard and sinking down into it).

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes in the tin. Then gently run a knife around the edges and ease it out of the tin.

Allow to rest on a cooling rack and then...DEVOUR!