best red velvet cake ever.

I never understood the appeal of this coloured cake. I thought, it's cake with food colour - why is everyone going crazy over it? But then I tasted it. Soft, moist, and full of flavour that goes so well with cream cheese icing. And fine, I admit; I even began to love the fact that it was this deep, rich red because if it were any other colour, it wouldn't be as beautiful.

This is the fourth time I've tried a red velvet cake recipe out, and this one from Judy in Her Natural Habitat is a real keeper. Check out her amazing site. Her red velvet cake looks absolutely gorgeous.

I made the triple layer cake (like she has on her blog but not as beautiful) a few weeks ago, but I was too lazy to trim and flatten the cake layers - so my cake was a huge white dome that wouldn't fit into my cake container. Though it was seriously delicious! Rich and decadent; a proper dessert. But my family and I are not cheesecake fans. Even so, this cake was only not enjoyed by a couple of very anti-cheesecake family members. Last week, I asked Moby what to bake this time and he wanted this cake again. I hesitated, because some people really dislike all kinds of cheesecake. So he had this amazing idea - make red velvet cupcakes, and fill them with a tiny amount of the cheesecake since most of us (less fussy bunch;) enjoy the cake in its glorious entirety.

This is now my absolute favourite cupcake! The only problem is; you want to be able to hold a cupcake and eat it with your hand. But the cake itself is so soft that with the added coring and then filling with a firm cheesecake, it is just too delicate to not eat with a fork or spoon.

(edit) Assembly: This is up to you. If making it into a triple layer cake, flatten the tops of the two red velvet cake layers by trimming the domes off. Frost the top of the first layer before placing the cheesecake layer on it. Lightly frost the cheesecake layer before placing the second red velvet layer. Cover the top and the sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Make pretty! Or you can do the cupcake version I tried here. I purchased a cupcake plunger (to core and fill cupcakes) from my favourite baking store - Bake-A-Ton.

Using a cupcake plunger to cut out cheesecake circles.


Filling the cored cupcakes with cheesecake and then covering with cupcake guts! ;)


:D The Leaning Chapeau-Wearing Cupcake.
You can use the cupcake inners to decorate I suppose. Mine just looks weird.

Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from this recipe.

Red Velvet Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon red gel-paste food color
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.

With an electric mixer on med-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in food color and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low. add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisk well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam), add mixture to the batter and mix on medium speed for 10 seconds.

Line two 9 inch spring form pans with baking paper. Divide the batter equally between the two pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. If making cupcakes, line muffin pans with cupcake liners and bake for 18-23 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack. Allow to cool before removing the cake from the pan. Allow to cool completely before assembling with the cheesecake.

White Chocolate Cheesecake
Adapted from the Williams Sonoma Baking Cookbook
60 g good quality white chocolate, chopped [I used a whole cup; remember - not a massive cheesecake fan]
2 packages/500g plain cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cream [Used 100 ml to make up for my extra chocolate]

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Carefully melt the white chocolate and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, using an electronic mixer, beat the cream cheese on low until creamy. Add sugar and beat slowly until smooth. On low speed, mix in the flour. Beat the eggs in one at a time on low, scraping the sides of the bowl down. Mix in the vanilla and cream with a rubber spatula till mixture is smooth. Stir in the melted white chocolate until incorporated.

Pour batter into a lined 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until the centre is set when you shake the pan slightly (Mine still wobbled slightly, but set while cooling in its pan on the wire rack). Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and assembling.

Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting

225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 package/250g cream cheese, at room temperature
2-3 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package/250g mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

Cream butter with the whisk attachment of an electric or hand mixer. Add cream cheese and beat till combined. Sift in icing sugar a cup at a time and beat, testing the sweetness. Beat in the vanilla.

Using a spatula, add in a bit of mascarpone cheese, and fold in trying to incorporate it into the icing mixture. If you beat mascarpone cheese, it can curdle. Keep doing this a little at a time until all the mascarpone is combined. I kind of flatten heaped tablespoons of mascarpone with my spatula against the bowl, scrape it into the icing and then fold it in.

You could use the usual cream cheese frosting, which is also delicious, but I prefer the mascarpone version - it's frothier, fluffier, creamier! I ♥ this frosting.

* I forgot to mention - store these lovelies in the refrigerator until ready to serve. It tastes perfect when chilled. So give it several hours to sit in the fridge first. I know it's difficult not to gobble them up straight away, but, patience! You will be rewarded ;)

got extra egg yolks? part II

So by now you probably realized how much I love JoyofBaking, I've found some of my favourite desserts on that site.

Last week, winter decided to finally pay a visit to Durban and I had a serious craving for icing and cake. It's fast becoming the thing I actually dislike about winter because it's just one more thing standing between me and fabulous abs.

These weren't the best cupcakes I've had. But they were a close third, and served its purpose well. Craving: satisfied. The picture of these cupcakes on the joyofbaking page shows a lovely shade of chocolate brown icing, whereas mine was so pale, I had to add cocoa to darken it - even so, it was still lighter than theirs. I think the beating had something to do with it, since I did use 70% dark chocolate. I also thought they tasted uber yummy the next day, contrary to what the recipe says below.

Definitely worth a try if you plan on using egg whites to make macarons, meringues or pavlova, or maybe some ab-friendly egg-white omelets. But then why would you be making these? :)

Yellow Cupcakes (Makes 12)

1 1/2 cups (195 g) cake flour
1 cup (200 g) white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature (cut into pieces)
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream or whole plain yogurt, room temperature.


Frosting

120 g dark chocolate, chopped
150 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups (160 g) icing sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat to combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, egg, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sour cream or yogurt. Beat the wet and dry ingredients together at medium speed until the batter is smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. If necessary, stir the batter with a rubber spatula until the flour is fully incorporated.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until pale gold and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. You can either spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a small spatula or, if piping, use a large Wilton 1M open or closed star tip to make lovely swirls. These cupcakes are best the day they are made, although they will keep for a few days at room temperature.

For the chocolate frosting: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes).

easy yummy homemade pizza

Who doesn't love pizza? You'd have to be pathologically insane not to. Someday, I would love to own a wood burning oven to have that authentic pizza crust taste. In the time being I need to figure out where to buy a pizza stone from. For now, I have the usual stove-oven fixture that seems so un-foodie of me to admit! Gasp. I am a fraud. (And if you haven't already figured, not a real chef.)


Really simple pizza dough (makes 1 pretty-large pizza)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 packet instant yeast *

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

Warm water

*it's a lot of yeast, the recipe was given to me like this but I'm sure you could even use half, or if doubling the recipe, use the same amount of yeast as here.

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, making a little well in the centre. Pour the olive oil and some warm water into the well. Incorporate wet ingredients into the flour making a sticky dough. (Have 350 ml water ready to use but only pour in a little at a time - or you might find your dough is too sticky and in need of more flour.) On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for 5-8 minutes. Cover with a cloth and allow to rise until double in size, about 25 minutes.

In the mean time, grate cheddar and/or parmesan and cut some mozzarella into little chunks. Use a ready-made tomato-based pasta sauce (like Woolworths Arrabiata) or make your own simple sauce for the base. Prepare any toppings you enjoy - cube chicken and toss with garlic, spices and mustard till cooked. Saute mushrooms, onion rings and green peppers then drain well on paper towels. Chop roma tomatoes, feta, fresh basil and olives.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celcius.

Uncover and punch down the dough. Generously drizzle and spread olive oil into a pizza pan or any baking pan. Roll out dough - or pat directly into pan to your desired thickness. Brush olive oil onto the entire top part of the crust, and bake at 220 for 12-15 minutes until browned. If you bake your crust before topping, it won't get soggy and taste doughy in the middle. Then top pizza with tomato-based sauce, sliced vegetables, chicken, cheese, basil and herbs. Bake at 220 for a further 5-8 minutes, till cheese melts. Serve immediately!


I didn't have any mushrooms or black olives this time but those are awesome additions. I usually only prefer vegetarian pizzas but really enjoyed this chicken one, perhaps because the chicken was shredded and scattered, hence not overpoweringly meaty.

I think I'm gonna be making pizza again today.
Yum. I just love this super crispy crust.

Donna Hay's Pavlova

About three years ago, I was browsing through Joy of Baking and came across this beautiful dessert that was so weird to me. The only meringue I'd ever tasted was on a lemon meringue tart in a coffee shop and I hated it. Way too sour for my taste. And with my family, baking was super traditional - puddings, biscuits, cakes and the likes. That's probably the reason why I have a reputation in my family as being an adventurous baker, which can be mistaken for 'awesome' but let me assure you, some of the new recipes I try have sad results.

But not the pavlova. That was amazing. Light and sweet, and perfect with whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries. It was so refreshing to have something sweet after dinner without needing much of an appetite. The only problem I had was the lovely marshmallow interior wasn't high enough. However, thanks to Masterchef Australia and Donna Hay, that issue was fixed - and beautifully, I might add. It was just a little something in the method that they mentioned during the episode.

Ingredients

4 egg whites (room temperature)
1 cup castor sugar
2 tablespoons maizena
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150°C

2. Place the eggwhite in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with your handmixer, and whisk until stiff peaks form (This is the part I'm talking about - if you do this before adding sugar, you'll have a great marshmallow interior!). Gradually add the sugar, whisking well, until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Add the cornflour and vinegar and whisk until just combined. Shape the mixture into an 18cm round on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. (With a rubber spatula, shape your pavlova a bit higher and smaller than you want it to be - it'll get slightly flatter and wider during baking. It doesn't have to be 18cm, I didn't measure mine.)

3. Reduce oven to 120°C and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven.

4. Decorate with your desired toppings only when ready to serve, or the meringue begins to 'weep'. Otherwise, it can be stored in an airtight container for several days.

In this picture, I topped the pavlova with vanilla flavoured whipped cream and a mixed berry coulis since I didn't have fresh berries!

I love that this dessert uses just one mixing bowl. Less cleaning is always a bonus. If any of you try the Donna Hay method and get that lovely fat marshmallow layer inside, firstly - YAY - and second, let me know.

date and pecan loaf

I've been meaning to bake this cake for months now. It's been in one of Mum's many hardcover cookbooks, pencilled in and fading. One evening my sister, sister-in-law and I sat around the kitchen table copying recipes from Mum's books - chocolate coconut squares, a standard vanilla butter cake and this cosy warm date and nut loaf. My sister makes it often, doubling the recipe because one loaf isn't enough for her family, and sadly, Mr. B and I are already halfway through and it hasn't even been 24 hours. I love dates; next time I actually want to add in another cup.

The usually sticky Durban has been unusually cool and rainy for the past two days - so yesterday evening was the perfect evening to bake this cake. It smelled amazing! I love how rustic a loaf cake is. Perfection! I couldn't resist a slice straight out the pan before last night's supper. Post-supper, I tried a slice with some seriously-awesome Kerrygold butter (It's the pot of gold you find at the end of the rainbow - or in your local supermarket, and it's magic on your tongue! Pricy but your palate will thank you for it.)

Date and Nut Loaf
Ingredients:

125 g unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 and a half cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped dates, pitted
3/4 cup water, hot/boiled
1 tsp baking soda

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 F. Lightly grease a standard size loaf pan - or you could make these into cupcakes like my sister does sometimes.
Place the chopped dates in a medium bowl. Drop a teaspoon of baking soda in 3/4 cup hot water, stir once and pour this mixture over the dates, stir and leave to sit.
Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar in your stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until just combined.
With a wooden spoon, mix in the pecans and date mixture.
Pour into loaf pan and bake at 180 for 45-55 minutes, or if making cupcakes - for 20 minutes. Check to see if the cake is cooked through by inserting a pairing knife into the middle of the cake - if it's done, the knife will come out clean, without any sticky cake batter. Turn out onto wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

I was trying to be chef-y and added orange zest to the batter. The taste is a bit subtle though, next time I think I'll squeeze the juice out too and add it to the dates in place of some of the water. I think powdered cinnamon or coffee would be an interesting addition to this cake too. It's a fairly basic recipe that can be played with, probably.

Truthfully, it tastes awesome as is. I think I'm watching too much Masterchef. Mr Max hears me saying things like, "I'm gonna infuse the cream with blueberries..". It would be so awesome to meet Gordon Ramsay some day, and eat at his restaurant! But it would suck to cook for him. I don't think I'd ever cook ever again if he criticised my food.

Back to the rustic date loaf - it tastes great with a cup of sweet tea. This cake, is probably one of the only cakes I don't want any icing or syrup on.
Dig in!
H

How to: macaronnage

I found this awesome video by chef Nini. If any of you are having problems with the technique this will be sure to help!



- H

mac-crazy

... i just wanted a blog: mac-crazy: "I am crazy obsessed for macarons. For making them. It's all I think about, it's all I Google these days. It's seriously nutty (awful pun in..."