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a cake by any other name
will taste as sweet
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june 22nd 2005
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Greetings!
it started with Coco, the burlesque wonder cake...
who knew a cake could get fan mail?
after I set her loose on the world, I realised that
cakes have quite a personality...you could even say
they have an attitude
for some reason, I have a lot of birthdays on my
calendar in the next couple of months, and I always
try to match the cake to the friend I'm baking it for
so here are a few that I've been working on;
beethoven, rizzo and ellen
let's see who gets to blow out rizzo's candles!!
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beethoven, the rolo-ver cake
coco's little brother
Coco is the most popular recipe on my site; people
send me e-mails asking the most personal questions
about her...
even the roses atop her frosted crown are the
subject of debate
but most of the mail raves about how low-fuss she is
to make and how delicious she is down to the last
bite
so I took her recipe and played around with it...threw
some rolos into the food processor...baked it all the
same...then, instead of the OTT sour cream and
golden syrup frosting, topped it with whipped cream
and creme fraiche, golden syrup and chocolate
ganache...
the rolos had melted into chewy caramel ribbons
through the entire cake
the result was a symphony of caramel, chocolate and
cream which received a standing ovation
click on the pic to the right and it will take you to
the recipe for coco... before you pulse the processor
for the second time, add 2 packets of
rolos (that's about 3 oz)...pulse them into the batter,
pour it into a lined, greased 9 inch pan and bake
about 40 mins...don't bother with coco's frosting
recipe, for beethoven I piped some whipped creme
fraiche in a circle around the top of the (cooled)
cake, then spread about 1/3 cup of golden syrup
over the top of the cake (within the creme circle),
then I melted about 3 oz (75g) dark chocolate,
added about 3 tablespoons of cream and poured this
over the golden syrup. when you cut ino the cake
the syrup and ganache drizzle down the sides in a
truly provocative fashion!
but beware; this cake is rich. saudi oil sheikh rich.
katie holmes after the divorce rich...
you get the picture?
small slices and strong coffee
enjoy!
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rizzo, is she a cake or a flirt?
buttermilk pound cake sandwiched with vanilla buttercream and raspberries
maybe I'm just amusing myself, but when I put this
cake together, I took one look at her and thought of
rizzo from 'grease'
she's sweet but tart, deliciously retro and high
enough to be skitting around in cherry-red
stilettos...she's a bride strutting down the aisle in a
poufy white dress, with a bright red sash and winking
at all the guys as she makes her way to the altar...
do her right: get into the back seat of your car, get
cozy and then bite into her!
there will be paradise by the dashboard lights
as the name suggests, this little lady is e-a-s-y!
buttermilk pound cake: place 6oz softened butter; 1
cup castor/superfine sugar; 1 1/2 cups self raising
flour; 3 eggs; 2 tspns vanilla; 1/2 tspn baking
powder; pinch salt and 1/2 cup buttermilk into a food
processor. pulse for 30 seconds, scrape sides and
pulse for 10 more seconds. pour the batter into a
greased, lined 9 inch cake pan...then repeat to make
a second cake. bake both cakes in an oven pre
heated to 400f ...after 10 minutes, reduce the heat
to 350f. bake for another 30 minutes. check the
cakes by tapping them lightly on the top. if they
spring back, they are done. they might need another
5 minutes. cool the cakes in their pans for 10
minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to
cool completely
the vanilla buttercream: place 8oz of softened butter
in a mixing bowl and beat with electric beaters to
whip the butter until it starts getting fluffy and turns
pale gold. then add 1 cup of confectioner's sugar and
1 teaspoon of vanilla; beat again until all of the sugar
is incorporated into the butter. add another cup of
sugar and another teaspoon of vanilla. repeat until
you have beaten in 5 cups of sugar and 5 teaspoons
of vanilla. then beat the frosting until it is white and
impossibly fluffy. if it is a little stiff, you can add a
couple of teaspoons of hot water
building rizzo: slice both cakes across the middle. this
will give you 4 layers. spread 2 tablespoons of vanilla
buttercream across the top of the first layer, then
top it with 1/3 jar of raspberry jam ( I use bonne
maman). spread the jam evenly over the
buttercream, place the next layer of cake on top and
repeat. place the third layer of cake on top and
repeat. then place the last layer of cake on top.
spoon the rest of the frosting on the top of the cake
and spread evenly. grate about 2 oz of good white
chocolate over the entire cake
finally, adorn liberally with cheeky little raspberries...
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ellen, the cake you'll want de generes slice of
rich choc-malted snacking cake
this simple, low fuss cake will have you sneaking into
the kitchen in the middle of the night. a cold glass of
milk, a second or third slice...this cake can cure
insomnia, heartbreak, anxiety and malnourishment
(I know the 'de generes' pun has me stooping to the
lowest form of wit, but this is the simplest choc-slab
cake that I've made in ages)
here we go:
pre heat the oven to 400f / 180c
in a food processor, combine: 1 1/2 cups self raising
flour; 1/2 cup malted milk powder; 1/3 cup cocoa;
1/2 cup dark brown sugar; 1/2 cup golden syrup; 1/2
tspn baking powder; 2 eggs; 2/3 cup buttermilk and
6oz softened butter. pulse for 30 seconds, scrape
the sides and pulse another 20 seconds whilst
pouring 1/4 cup choc chips down the funnel
pour the batter into a greased, floured and lined
baking dish
bake for 10 mins at 400f, reduce heat to 375f, then
bake another 25 mins. check, if cake bounces back
when tapped in centre, it is cooked
allow to cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes, run a
knife around the edges to loosen then turn the cake
onto a wire rack whilst you make the frosting
frosting:
this is bascially a choc-malted ganache. it's this
simple: melt 5oz good, dark chocolate. in a mixing
bowl, mix 5 tablespoons of heavy cream with 5
tablespoons malted milk powder to form a paste, pour
the mleted chocolate into the bowl and stir to
combine. pour this over the cake, mounding it in the
centre then use a knife to spread it towards the sides
delicious served warm with ice cream
delicious eaten in bed with good company
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