Cakes – A Hint of Spice

Strawberry Meringue Cake

I love strawberries. I could eat them everyday, several times a day! They were in season a while ago and I seized the opportunity to make something. When I saw this recipe from an old Woman & Home magazine, I just knew I had to make it. Simply heavenly!

Baking is my first love, especially cakes and pastries. I loved the idea of baking the cake and meringue together. I have made meringue layered cakes before by making the meringue separately and then assembling it. What I loved about this recipe is that you bake the meringue together with the cake. So easy.

When I took the cakes out of the oven, the meringue had risen almost to the top of the pan. They did go down after sometime, but that didn’t affect the taste. There’s only one word to describe this cake – divine. It looks pretty spectacular too. And it’s easy to make – so what are you waiting for?

Don’t worry if the cake batter is a little thick. You will need to gently level it with your fingers.

Strawberries, sponge, meringue and a creamy yogurt filling – strawberry cake doesn’t get better than this!

PREP: 35 minutes COOK TIME: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients

50g unsalted butter

100g caster sugar

4 large egg yolks

½tsp vanilla extract

75g plain flour

25g cornflour

2tsp baking powder

5tbsp double cream

Icing sugar to dust

For the meringue

4 large egg whites

225g caster sugar

For the filling

150ml double cream

150ml thick Greek yogurt

400g strawberries, hulled

Instructions

Butter and line 2 8-inch loose-bottomed sandwich tins with greaseproof paper.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat again. Sift the flour, cornflour and baking powder into the mixture and fold in. Finally, fold in the cream and mix together gently. Divide the mixture between the sandwich tins.

In a separate clean bow, beat the egg whites into stiff peaks, then gradually add the sugar a dessertspoonful at a time, beating continuously until thick and glossy. Divide the meringue between the tins and layer on top, making sure that you don’t mix the meringue with the cake mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the tin before transferring to a wire rack – meringue side uppermost. For the filling, whip the cream into soft peaks, then stir in the yogurt. Lightly crush 250g of the strawberries and stir into the cream.

Place one cake meringue-side up on a plate and spread two-thirds of the cream on top. Put the other cake on top, meringue-side up and fill with the remaining cream. Top with strawberries and dust with icing sugar.

April 3, 2020

A Hint Of Spice4 Comments

Lemon Cheese Cake

I have no idea why this cake is called Lemon Cheese Cake. It has nothing to do with Cheesecake. I guess it’s because the filling is like lemon cheese. The filling is really gorgeous – intensely lemony! I loved it.

I used 8 inch cake pans because I wanted the height, but you could also use 9 inch cake pans. It keeps very well in the fridge for up to a week but it didn’t last that long at my home. If you love lemons, then you will probably like to try this out. I am definitely going to make it again. It’s easy and delicious. Perfect for a summer afternoon.

This recipe is from American Cooking.

PREP: 30 minutes COOK TIME: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

31/3 cup flour, sifted

2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

8 egg whites

Filling

8 egg yolks, beaten

1 cup lemon juice

5 tbsp flour

21/2 cups sugar

115 gms butter (¼ lb)

½ cup hot water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 165 C. Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans.

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and stand in peaks.

Cream butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add a third of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternating with a third of the milk. Beat well. Repeat this process twice until all the flour and milk has been incorporated, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Spoon the batter into the tins and level the surface gently. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until the cake tests done. Cool the layers thoroughly and remove from the pans.

To make the filling, beat all the ingredients together with ½ cup hot water together. Cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and is of spreading consistency. Cool and spread between the layers of the cake. Dust with caster sugar on the top.

March 9, 2020March 12, 2020

A Hint Of Spice2 Comments

Snow-capped Fairy Cakes

These fairy cakes look stunning, but they’re actually very simple to make. The caramelized apples were a last minute addition. I had them sitting in the fridge for sometime and I was wondering what to do with them. They contributed a lot of extra flavour to the cakes, especially because it was salted. Quite yummy!

Children can help make these cakes and this keeps them busy in the kitchen. These cakes keep for about three days. I doubt whether they will last that long though.

This recipe is adapted from BBC Good Food Magazine. This recipe makes about 18 cakes.

PREP: 30 minutes COOK TIME: 20 minutes

Ingredients

175 gms butter

175 gms caster sugar

3 eggs

225 gms self-raising flour

Finely grated zest of a lime

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp milk

½ cup caramelized apples

For the Icing

1 egg white

4 tbsp lime juice

175 gms icing sugar

Fruit jellies and silver balls to decorate

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190 C. Line muffin tins with 18 paper cases or butter and flour 18 cup cake molds.

Melt the butter and cool for 5 minutes. Transfer it to a large mixing bowl with all the cake ingredients except the caramelized apples and beat for a few minutes until smooth. Fold in the caramelized apples and spoon the mixture into the cases/molds until three-quarters full. Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly browned and firm. Cool on a wire rack.

For the icing, put the egg white and lime juice into a heatproof bowl. Sift the icing sugar into it and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Using an electric hand whisk, whisk the icing for 7 minutes until glossy and standing in soft peaks. Remove from heat. Whisk for another 2 minutes until slightly cool.

Swirl the icing on to the cakes, decorate and leave to set.

December 23, 2019

A Hint Of Spice2 Comments

Tomato Soup Cake

I love the flavour of this unusual cake. It’s made with tomato soup. I used a ready-made tomato soup powder for making the soup. It has to be really thick.

The addition of cinnamon and nutmeg together with walnuts and raisins make for a very rich and dense cake. The recipe calls for wholemeal flour and brown sugar, which makes it healthy and wholesome. The cake is so soft that it just melts in your mouth.

I made the soup on the previous day and left it overnight in the fridge, but you could also make it on the same day as the cake. Make sure that it’s not too hot while adding it to the butter. Or you could use a can of condensed tomato soup.

If you do make this cake, it would be fun not to tell your friends what the cake is made of until they have eaten it. I’m sure they will never guess that it’s made with tomato soup. It’s just the thing for unconventional foodies.

This recipe is from The Zodiac Cookbook by Rose Elliot.

PREP: 25 minutes COOK TIME: 11/2 hours

Ingredients

225 gms plain wholemeal flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

100 gms butter

175 gms brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

300 gms condensed tomato soup

90 gms raisins

90 gms walnuts

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Grease and line a 1 kg loaf tin with greased parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

Place the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy.

Add the baking soda to the tomato soup in a small pan and heat on a reduced flame, until the baking soda is dissolved. This mixture should just be warmed slightly. Add this to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix well. Fold in the flour mixture with the raisins and nuts. Turn the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 11/2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. (My oven took about 50 minutes only). Cool for 10-15 minutes and turn the cake out on to a wire rack to cool.

November 20, 2019November 20, 2019

A Hint Of Spice7 Comments

Grandma’s Seed Cake

A traditional British cake, it has a very distinctive flavour. You might think this is dated or old-fashioned but once you taste it, then you will definitely give it a thumbs up.

The caraway seeds give it an amazing aroma and taste. It’s just scrumptious!

It’s interesting to note that there is no raising agent in this recipe. The beating of the mixture makes the cake light and moist. The result is a very rich cake.

This recipe has been adapted from the original one by Muriel Downes.

PREP: 10 minutes COOK TIME: 11/2 hours

Ingredients

227 gms butter
390 gms caster sugar
227 gms flour
5 eggs
¼ tsp salt
3 tsp caraway seeds

Instructions

Grease a loaf tin with butter and flour it.

Preheat the oven to 160C.

Sift the flour with the salt.

Cream the butter and add the sugar. Beat the mixture until it is light and airy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly between each one. Fold in the sifted flour, a third at a time. Finally, add the caraway seeds and stir lightly to mix. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 11/2 hours in a very moderate oven.

September 17, 2019

A Hint Of Spice1 Comment

Dark and White Chocolate Marble Cake with Marble Icing

There’s nothing more satisfying than a piece of cake with a cup of tea or coffee. The delicious aroma of homemade cakes has an instant appeal and it’s very hard to resist.

A family favourite, I usually make this cake with vanilla, chocolate and coffee flavours. However, I decided to try it with dark and white chocolate for a change. It was quite an interesting project.

A marble cake looks great, but it’s actually very simple to make. The luscious swirl of the dark and white chocolate makes for a delicious contrast of colour and taste.

PREP: 20 minutes COOK TIME: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

30 gms dark chocolate, chopped
30 gms white chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp milk
240 gms self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
180 gms butter
180 gms caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
3-4 tbsp apricot jam

Icing

60 gms dark chocolate, chopped
60 gms white chocolate, chopped
4 tbsp cream

Instructions

Grease and line an 8” cake pan with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven at 180 C.

Dissolve the dark chocolate in 1 tbsp of milk over hot water. Dissolve the white chocolate in 1 tbsp of milk similarly. Set aside to cool.

Sift the flour and salt. Cream the butter until it is soft, add the sugar and continue creaming until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs gradually. Fold the flour into the mixture, a third at a time, adding milk if necessary to make it drop easily from the whisk. Add the vanilla and mix well. Divide the mixture into two portions and add the melted dark chocolate to one portion. Flavour the second portion with the melted white chocolate.

Spoon tablespoonfuls of one mixture around the tin, leaving room for the other mixture. Fill the spaces with the second mixture and continue with a second layer alternating the flavours of dark and white chocolate. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

To make the apricot glaze, combine the apricot jam with a 1 tbsp of water and heat gently. Cool. When the cake is cold brush with the apricot glaze and allow it to set.

For the icing, combine the dark chocolate with 2 tbsp of cream in a bowl and melt the chocolate over boiling water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. When the chocolate has melted completely, set aside to cool. Repeat the process with the white chocolate and the remaining cream.

Spoon dollops of each mixture randomly on the surface of the cake and swirl with a toothpick or a skewer.

September 5, 2019September 5, 2019

A Hint Of Spice1 Comment