Carrot Cake

There's something so more-ish about carrot cake that makes it the perfect every day cake. And if you want to dress it up, simply top it with a cream cheese frosting (below) and some pecan nuts to decorate. For the "low carb high fat" foodies, you can substitute normal flour for almond flour, quarter the quantity of oil and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp oil
• 2 large eggs
• 3-4 large grated carrots
• 1 small grated apple
• 1 cup of self-raising flour
• 100g of pecans (more or less as preferred)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt

Frosting

• 70g cream cheese 
• 25g unsalted butter
• 150g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste/1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

*Heat oven to 180c*

1. Beat sugar and oil until thick adding one egg at a time.

2. Add grated carrots and apple and mix until combined. 

3. Sift in the flour, salt, spices and bicarb of soda, mixing until all combined.

4. Add broken pecans and mix.

5. Bake for 60 minutes in a medium loaf pan.

Once cool, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, gradually adding the icing sugar. At this point you can either add the vanilla paste/extract or lemon juice if using instead.Once the texture is light and fluffy, generously cover the cake with the frosting.

*Decorate with pecans for a beautiful finish*

                                        

                                                                  Happy baking B x

Macaroons

Macaroons...need I say more? Beautiful, delicate french confections filled to the brim with white chocolate ganache - hungry yet? These are the ultimate sugary treats and even better yet, they can be stored in the freezer for months!

Ingredients

• 85g icing sugar
• 80g ground almonds
• 2 egg whites (+-35g each) - ideally staled for 2 days 
• 80g granulated sugar
• Coloring of choice

• 60ml pouring cream
• 180g white chocolate chips

Method

1. Place icing sugar and ground almonds into a food processor and blitz until fine and passes through a sieve. Add 1 batch of egg white (+-35g) to the almond mixture, mixing until it resembles a thick paste. Color as desired and set aside.
2. For the Italian meringue place the other batch of egg white (+-35g) in a bowl. 
3. Add 50ml of water and the granulated sugar to a small pot on low heat. Keep stirring until all granules have been dissolved before bringing to a boil. 
4. While the sugar syrup is heating up, start beating the egg white. 
5. Once the syrup reaches 118C remove from heat and slowly pour into the stiffly beaten egg white. Continue beating the mixture for another minute or 2 until the bowl is no longer hot to the touch.
6. Gradually fold the meringue into the colored almond mixture until it holds a ribbon for almost 30 seconds. You want to ensure the mixture isn't too thick or too runny. Avoid over-mixing.
7. Using a piping bag with a normal round nozzle, pipe the macaroons onto silicone baking paper/mats and set aside for 15-30 minutes until a "skin" has formed. 
8. Bake macaroons at 150C in a conventional oven or 140C in a fan assisted oven for about 14 minutes. 

*All ovens vary, the above is only a guideline. Keep an eye on the macaroons as they should not brown. 

*Recipe makes about 20 macaroons.

*Staling of egg whites is simply to separate the egg white from the yolk and let this sit in an uncovered container in the refrigerator for a day or 2. This helps give the macaroons a shiny texture.

For the ganache:

1. Heat cream on stove until it begins to boil, remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let it stand for 5 minutes before stirring. Once combined let it set at room temperature for about an hour. 
2. Assemble macaroons by sandwiching two shells together with the chocolate ganache. 
3. Voila.

Happy baking B x

Red Velvet Cupcakes

These cupcakes are one of my favorite treats and a real crowd pleaser too! 

Ingredients

• 100g unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp red food coloring
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder 
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 120g cream cheese
• 60g unsalted butter 
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar 

Method

*Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius*

1. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in egg, vinegar and food coloring.
3. Add buttermilk, sift in flour and cocoa powder and fold until combined. 
4. Spoon mixture evenly into paper cases.

*Bake for 22 minutes

*Makes about 12 cupcakes

1. Once cool, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla paste in a bowl using electric mixer.
2. Gradually add the icing sugar until combined. 
3. Finally, generously pipe frosting on to cupcakes.

                                 

                                                            Happy baking B x

Banana and Pecan Nut Loaf

Whether it's for breakfast, brunch or a few leftover slices for lunch, this banana loaf is always a winner. Best eaten on its own while still warm and crispy. For ultimate decadence spread a thick layer of almond/macadamia nut butter and enjoy.

Ingredients

• 100g cake flour
• 100g almond flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt 
• 4 medium ripe bananas
• 20g unsalted butter
• 100g brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla paste/extract
• 50-100g pecans 

Method

*pre-heat oven to 180 degree celsius*

1. Combine sieved cake flour, bicarb of soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl, using a fork, mash the bananas until they resemble a chunky paste.
3. Add the almond flour to the mashed banana and mix.
4. Whisk the melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together and add to the banana until combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring gently until all ingredients are just combined. 
6. Chop the pecan nuts and stir into batter. I like to keep them quite chunky to fully enjoy the roasted flavor once baked.
7. Pour the batter into a greased medium size loaf pan and bake for about 65 minutes until golden brown  and crispy.
8. If the top gets too dark, cover in foil or turn down to 160 degrees Celsius.

*Storage tip: wrap the leftover loaf in cling wrap for up to 3 days and store in the fridge especially during summer months.

Happy baking B x

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Ingredients make 1 large pizza, provided it is rolled out thinly enough.

Equipment needed:

• Blender/food processor
• Rolling pin
• Baking paper
• Kitchen cloth 

For the Base:

• Medium head of cauliflower (+- 500g)
• +- handful of grated mozzarella (quantity and type of cheese based on personal  preference)
• +- 30g of grated parmesan (quantity and type of cheese based on personal preference)
• Salt
• Oregano (optional)
• 1 egg

*    Turn your oven to its hottest setting (+-220c)

1. Break the head of cauliflower up into smaller pieces and put in blender/food processor until it's chopped up and of relatively fine texture.
2. Place in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 8 minutes.
3. Stir the cauliflower and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
4. Form the "dough" into a large ball place onto the middle of a kitchen cloth.
5. Wrap the dough up in the cloth and and squeeze the water out over the sink. There should be a substantial amount of water being pressed out. Do this for a good 2 minutes. 
6. Remove the dough from the cloth and add the cheese.
7. Stir in the salt and oregano.
8. Add the egg.
9. place onto a large sheet of baking paper.
10. Place a fresh kitchen cloth over the dough and start rolling it out with a rolling pin - this will help remove any excess moisture still left in the dough.
11. Lift the baking sheet and tilt the base onto a baking tray with holes, the air flow will help make the base crispy.
12. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
13. Remove from oven and add toppings. (Some mozzarella, feta, onion, chorizo is a really great combo)
14. Tomato paste is optional but not necessary.
15. Turn oven onto the grill setting and bake for a further 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and brown and toppings are cooked to preference. 
16. Serve immediately.

      Serving suggestion: Add some fresh avo,cherry tomatoes and garlic to the cooked pizza.

Happy baking B x

Baked Cheesecake

Everyone loves a good cheesecake. So I thought I'd share my yummy recipe. Adapted from a recipe I found on google, I think I have finally managed to bake the perfect cheesecake: creamy and light with a thin chocolaty base!

    Serves 8-10

Total time: 4 hours +

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 200g chocolate digestives (one packet)
• 50g caster sugar
• +-75g unsalted butter 

For the filling:

Ingredients for filling

• 1kg smooth creamed cottage cheese 
• 200g caster sugar 
• 45g sifted flour
• 5 large eggs - at room temperature
• 125ml cream 
• 5ml vanilla paste/extract 

My first suggestion would be to cut out a round disc of baking paper and place this inside your spring form cake tin. Even though I thoroughly grease the inside of the cake tin with spray&cook, the base tends to stick to the bottom of the tin. Placing baking paper into the bottom of the tin solves this problem easily. Don't forget to grease the sides of the tin! 

Lining the tin with baking paper

Blend the biscuits and sugar in a blender or food processor until crumbly. I use a blender on the "chop" function and it works just as well. 

Blending the biscuits and sugar

Melt the butter in a microwaveable bowl until soft. Add the crumbled biscuits and sugar to the butter and mix by hand. Press the mixture into the prepared cake tin, making sure the base is fully covered.  

The base

Place the cake tin in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set. 

  

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Beat the cottage cheese, sugar and flour in a mixer until combined.

Add the eggs one by one, then the cream and finally the vanilla paste.

Pour the mixture onto the the biscuit base. Some of the melted butter may leak from the tin, so to save yourself some unnecessary cleaning up, place the baking tin on a baking tray.

Pop the tray into the oven and bake for 15 minutes on 180C. Then turn the temperature down to 120C and bake for a further 1 hour and 45 minutes. 

Let the cake cool in the tin for at least 1 hour before popping it into the fridge to chill. The cake is best served the next day when it has been in the fridge over night. 

Some variation: 

Add  150g  Nutella  after the cream and eggs have been beat in. Add more Nutella if preferred.

OR

Add 150g smooth peanut butter 

OR

For a heavenly lemon cheesecake, replace chocolate digestives with plain ones, and add the juice of half a medium lemon and the zest of the whole lemon. 

Happy baking B x