Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Coconut

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I turned the ripe old age of 26, obviously cake was going to be a big part of my birthday. I was starting to get excited because I could pick a recipe and it didn't really have to please anyone else, after all, it was my day! I was then told it would be "sad" if I made my own cake, so the condition was that I was not allowed to bake but I was allowed to decorate! I settled on the Donna Hay Melt and Mix Chocolate Coconut cake. Coconut is one taste I've acquired as an adult and I think it is perfect in cake. However when I thought back to the Donna Hay cake, there was nothing technically wrong with the recipe, in fact I love the flavour, but I really did want a super moist cake, and that one is just a tad dry for my liking. I'd long heard the urban cake myth about using mayonnaise in a cake to make it extra moist and when you think about the main ingredients (oil & eggs) , it really does make sense, so I thought if I could find a good choc-mayo recipe (thank you Serious Eats) and then add some coconut, I'd have my Donna Hay favourite with extra moisture... So here it is, it was perfectly moist, perfectly cocnutty and perfectly fun for a birthday. I was channeling my inner cake inspiration with the decoration on this one, Sweetapolita as I droooled every time I saw this post!

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Coconut

• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, generous
• 1 1/3 cups hot water
• 1 cup shredded coconut

Chocolate "Galaxy" Frosting (enough to fill generously between layers and frost outside)

• 440 grams salted butter (room temperature)
• 380 grams (sifted) icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 250grams of your favourite plain chocolate ( I used Galaxy/Dove)
• 1 tablespoon of Nutella
• 1 tablespoon of milk

Cake Method

• 1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line two or more 9" cake tins (I used 3).
• 2. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until thick and very light in color; about 6 to 8 minutes. 
• 3. Add the mayonnaise and vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed until combined.
• 4. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt, and beat on low speed until combined. The mixture will look thick and fudgy. 
• 5. Add the water and mix on low speed until it's incorporated. The batter will be much thinner. 
• 6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and bake for about 30 minutes (check it at about 25 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.Allow the cakes to cool on a rack, in their pans, for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle. Invert them onto the rack and allow to finish cooling to room temperature.

Frosting Method

• 1. Combine icing sugar and butter in an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until combined.
• 2. Add vanilla, melted chocolate, Nutella, and milk and mix until combined (approx 3-5 mins)

Chefette's take on Nigella's Chocolate Fudge Cake

I have had soooo many family birthdays' lately which has meant lots of baking. Ever since I have gotten into baking, I have been searching high and low for a really delicious chocolate cake recipe, and I have never found one... until now. This recipe is going to be be staple chocolate cake from now on. I found this Nigella Lawson recipe here and I only changed one ingredient and gave the cake four layers rather than two, and it was DEE-LISH!!! So if you need a special cake to ring in the New Year and celebrate 2013 then I can highly recommend this! Now I did do a bit of research with regards to substituting the various sugars in this recipe, but the molasses in both the muscovado and golden caster sugar are essential in bringing out the chocolatey goodness. I also sprayed this cake with some golden sugar shimmer spray which is now my favourite new cooking gadget!

* Recipe has been taken from nigella.com *

Chocolate Fudge Cake

For the cake

400 gram(s) plain flour

250 gram(s) golden caster sugar

100 gram(s) light muscovado sugar

50 gram(s) cocoa powder

2 teaspoon(s) baking powder

1 teaspoon(s) bicarbonate of soda

½ teaspoon(s) salt

3 medium egg(s)

142 ml sour cream

1 tablespoon(s) vanilla extract

175 gram(s) unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

125 ml vegetable oil (Nigella used Corn Oil)

300 ml water (chilled)

For the fudge icing

175 gram(s) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)

250 gram(s) unsalted butter (softened)

275 gram(s) icing sugar (sieved)

1 tablespoon(s) vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

2. Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins, I used four to get my layers.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl or measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. 

4. Using an electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and oil until just blended, then beat in the water. 

5. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins.

6. Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

175 gram(s) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)

250 gram(s) unsalted butter (softened)

275 gram(s) icing sugar (sieved)

1 tablespoon(s) vanilla extract

1. To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave - 2-3 minutes on medium should do it - or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.

2. In another bowl beat the butter until it's soft and creamy (again, I use the KitchenAid here) and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy.Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.

3. Sandwich the the cakes together with the icing, and then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.

Happy caking and baking

xxx

Chiffon Cake with Meringue Frosting

Hello cakelets! This week I bring to you maybe my favourite recipe ever! Until a few weeks ago I had never even heard of a chiffon cake until I watched "The Great British Bake Off" so I thought it would have to be the next cake on my agenda. Now part of my caking and baking is to look at a standard base recipe and either change quantities, add or remove things to make it my own and hopefully better, so I can pass it on for all to enjoy. Chiffon cake is the lightest and fluffiest cake I have ever made and it worked perfectly with the fluffy meringue frosting. It is one of those cakes which when you cut into it leaves no crumbs behind and when you bite into it, and it practically dissolves when you eat it, it's like eating a big fluffy vanillery cloud... if one could ha!

Chefette's Chiffon Cake & Meringue Frosting

1 ½ cups plain flour

½ cup corn flour

1 ½ cups caster sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ cup vegetable oil

7 eggs separated

¾ cup cold water

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 165°C, and grease and line your cake tin/s with baking paper.

2. Sift flour, sugar and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and make a well.

3. Add oil, egg yolks, water and vanilla to the well, fold mixture until smooth. Set aside.

4. In an electric mixer beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff.

5. Gradually add egg white mixture, to the other ingredients, carefully folding in with a spatula. (It is crucial to fold rather than mix to ensure the air is left in the cake batter.)

6. Pour mixture into cake tin/s and bake until a skewer comes back clean or when cake springs back. 

(The timing will depend on the size of your cake tin, for example, I divided my mixture into 6 small portions for baking in sandwich tins and each took only 10 minutes or so.)

Meringue Frosting

(This is the first time I have used Meringue Frosting and credits to my cousin from Back In G-Town for the recipe. It is a difficult frosting to pipe with because it is so soft, which is why the piping looks a bit shabby. I think this kind of frosting is best with a “rustic effect”)

2 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 egg whites

1. Place the sugar, water and ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar into a saucepan over high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 mins.

2. Place egg whites into an electric mixer with the remaining ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.

3. With the motor running gradually add the sugar mixture and beat until thick and glossy (Keep beating until it is fairly thick.)

(Frosting is best used right before serving and should be kept at room temperature)

Now if you want to make a rainbow version of this cake like I did, please see this post for assembly instructions!

Meringue Frosting in action!

Layer upon layer upon layer...

Voila.... Finished product!

Silly me forgot to take a photo of the inside with the SLR until the day after. So this is the day after, following a very windy car trip which is why it is a little bit wonky and melted haha! I just wanted to show the inside colours really.

Happy Caking! xxx

Rainbow Velvet Cake

The rainbow cake seems to be the "it" cake of the moment, it's all over the internet and you can't go on Pinterest without being bombarded by pictures of this delectable and colourful creation. I brushed it aside thinking it would be more stress than what it is worth until my cousin from Back in G-Town  made one for her Little Miss' 4th birthday! She inspired me to attempt one for my baby cousin's second birthday, and I'm glad I did. It is certainly not as hard as it looks, and this my friends, is a cake that vanishes, because everyone wants to try a piece because it looks so fun!

So I used an old faithful recipe of mine found here, for classic Red Velvet and I quadrupled it to ensure I had enough cake batter.

I made a lush chocolate frosting to go with it as I decorated with Kit Kats, and I wanted a blended look, but the standard tends to be a white frosting.

Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Frosting

Ingredients

750 grams unsalted butter 

6 cups sifted icing sugar

4 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste

375 grams dark chocolate

Method

1. In an electric mixer using the paddle attachment whip butter for 7 minutes on medium speed until pale and fluffy.

2. Turn mixer down to low speed and add icing sugar, vanilla and milk until combined.

3. Mix on medium setting for a further 6 minutes and add melted chocolate slowly.

4. Butter-cream should be very fluffy and pale.

Now back to the cake, I did five coloured layers so I divided the batter equally into five bowls before adding any food colouring. Once in the five bowls I coloured them all nice and brightly.

A word of advice... bake this cake to a size in which you have two tins, trust me it's a much quicker process.

Bake each colour one by one and allow to cool, they will look like coloured pancakes at this point.

Start by placing your first cake layer down and spreading with the frosting and repeat the process until you have something that looks like this.

With any cake I do, I always do a crumb layer of frosting i.e. a very thin layer of frosting over the whole cake which catches all of the cake crumbs before I put I nice clean layer of frosting on top. After I have done the crumb layer I put the cake in the fridge to slightly harden before I do the "good" layer.

After I had done the good layer of frosting I broke up four family Kit Kat blocks to stick around the border. Then I covered the top with loads of M and M's and tied it all up with a decorative ribbon.

It is definitely one to try out, even if you're not comfortable, start small, do three layers, use a packet mix, it's all about experimentation!

Happy Baking All xxx

Masterchefette's Confetti Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting

There's nothing that makes you feel more like a kid than colourful frosting with lashings of sprinkles and candied confetti. Well taking some "pintrespiration" (pinterest inspiration) I came up with these little babies yesterday and I think they are perfect for birthday parties or for some good old baking fun. I have used the base from my chocolate chip muffins post found here.
  
Confetti Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Ingredients

1¾ cups Cake & Biscuit Flour (Self-Raising) (I use Lighthouse brand)

¾ cup sugar 

½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs 

125gm butter or margarine
1 cup vanilla yoghurt (I use Danone Vanilla)
Nemar Heart Sprinkles

1 tsp of vanilla bean paste (I use Queen Organic Vanilla Bean Paste)

Method

1.   Preheat oven to 170°C (fan forced)

2.   Cream butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, I use the paddle attachment.

3.   Add eggs to the mixture.

4.   Gradually add salt and flour in 3 batches.

5.   Once combined gradually add the yoghurt.

6.   Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups ⅔ full.

7. Sprinkle some hearts into each case and give it a light stir with the end of a teaspoon.

8.   Bake at 180°C (fan forced) for 20-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Vanilla Bean Frosting

Ingredients

375 grams unsalted butter 

3 cups sifted icing sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste

Method

1. In an electric mixer using the paddle attachment whip butter for 7 minutes on medium speed until pale and fluffy.

2. Turn mixer down to low speed and add icing sugar, vanilla and milk until combined.

3. Mix on medium setting for a further 6 minutes.

4. Butter-cream should be very fluffy and pale.

5. Add your favourite colouring or leave natural colour.

6. Pipe on top and serve with additional heart sprinkles.