Strawberry and Cream Cake
June 22, 2010 | Filed Under Baking, Cakes, Strawberries, Strawberry and Cream Cake | 14 Comments
Strawberries. Cream. Cake. What more can one ask for?
Paz
Strawberry and Cream Cake
Lululu at Home
(makes a 6" cake)
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups double cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1/4 cup icing sugar
few fresh strawberries for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat for another 3 mins. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Fold in flour mixture.
Pour mixture into a greased 6" springform cake pan lined with parchment paper. Bake 45 mins until top of cake bounces back when pressed. Cool cake in pan for 10 mins. Release cake ring, let cake cool completely before halving the cake in 2 layers.
To prepare filling, whip double cream with sugar until the mixture holds soft peaks. Place into the fridge to chill.
Line parchment paper along the inside of the cake ring. Place the bottom cake layer in. Scatter the strawberry pieces on, then top with cream mixture and smooth the top with a palette knife. Place the other cake on top. Dust heavily with icing sugar.
Carefully remove the cake ring. Peel off the parchment paper. Garnish with whole or halved strawberries.
the beginning: first layer of cake before the cream is added.
the end: dusted with confectioner’s sugar and decorated with strawberry.
Blackberry Cake
June 7, 2010 | Filed Under Baking, Blackberry Cake, Cakes, Lululu at Home blog | 13 Comments
I love all the fruits available during the summer — Like the blackberries in this cake. Here’s a fun and simple recipe I found on Lululu at Home.
Paz
Straight out of the oven.
Blackberry Cake
(makes a 6" cake or 1 loaf)
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blackberries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 6" cake pan or a loaf pan.
Using a stand mixer, beat together butter and 1 cup sugar unitl light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat until fully incorporated.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
With the mixer on low speed, mix in flour mixture.
Transfer batter to the greased pan.
Arrange berries on top. Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbsp sugar over berries.
Bake cake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325F. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 50 minutes.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool completely.
Cooling. Couldn’t wait to taste it.
Yes, two slices. Yum!
These berries taste delicious alone or in a cake. 
Cinnamon Teacake
May 6, 2010 | Filed Under Baking, Cakes, Cinnamon Teacake | 11 Comments
When Rosa’s Yummy Yums tweeted about a Cinnamon Teacake, she’d just made, I was enticed and wanted to know more. When I asked her if she was going to blog about her teacake, she said no because she was too busy (I certainly know the feeling). However, she kindly passed along the recipe to me. See for yourself how simple this recipe is. It’s worth a try. The cake is nice and light and really tastes best when it comes right out of the oven.
Paz
Cinnamon Teacake
60 gm butter, softened
1 tsp Vanilla essence
2/3 cup (150 gm) caster sugar
1 egg
1 cup (150 gm) Self-rising flour
1/3cup (80ml) milk
10 gm butter
1tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp, extra caster sugar
Preheat oven to 180 degree C (350-375F), 10 minutes before baking. Grease deep 20 cm-round cake pan; line base with baking paper. Beat butter, essence, sugar and egg in a smal bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy; this process will take 5-10 minutes, depending on the type of mixer used.
Using wooden spoon, gently stir in sifted flour and milk. Make sure that there are no lumps. Spread mixture into prepared pan.
Bake cake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Turn cake onto wire rack then turn top-side up; brush top with extra melted butter, sprinkle with combined cinnamon and extra sugar. Serve warm with butter, if desired.
Notes: Take care to thoroughly beat the butter, essence, sugar and egg will result in a light-as-air texture to this cake, best when eaten warm with butter (Source: Australian Women’s Weekly Magazine). Though this is best eaten on the day it’s made, you can store this cake at room temperature in a air tight container for up to 2 days.
Substitution for self-rising flour — for 1 cup, add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt to 1 cup all purpose flour. (Source: http://www.joyofbaking.com)
Substitution for caster sugar: for 1 cup caster sugar, process 1 cup granulated sugar in food processor until fine. (Source: http://www.joyofbaking.com)
Walnut Crumb Cupcakes
April 15, 2010 | Filed Under Baking, Cakes, Cupcakes, Walnut Crumb Cupcakes | 11 Comments
Okay. So, let’s start this over again.
I posted this earlier but for some weird reason I don’t see it. So, I’m reposting it.
Basically, I like this walnut crumb cupcake recipe because the ingredients are readily available and the recipe is very simple. I like it. A lot.
Paz
Walnut Crumb Cupcakes
Lululu at Home
(makes 12 – 14 cupcakes)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat over to 350F. Grease muffin tin or line with muffin liners.
In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. While the mixer is running, slowly add the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, waiting for each to be incorporated before adding the next, and mix until light and fluffy.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Working in batches, add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture, alternating with dollops of sour cream.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tins, filling them no more than 3/4 full.
To prepare the topping, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the butter pieces and, using your fingertips, pinch the ingredients together into a sandy, crumbly mixture. Add the walnuts and mix.
Sprinkle the mixture over the cupcakes.
Bake until risen and browned, about 20 to 25 mins. Let cool 10 mins in the pan.
Springtime Cupcakes
April 9, 2010 | Filed Under Cakes, Cupcakes, Once Upon a Plate blog | 13 Comments
I made these cupcakes for Easter. The idea was based on Nigella Lawson’s Fairy Cakes that I saw on Once Upon a Plate. They looked so fairy-like and delicious that I was inspired to make my own. Initially, I tried the original Fairy Cake recipe, which includes self-rising cake flour. However, I didn’t like it. I’m not sure what I did wrong but I didn’t care for the taste of the cake. I had a choice of using almond extract or vanilla extract. To be different, I used the almond extract. I don’t know if that made the negative difference.
Anyway, because I didn’t care for the original cake, I made it again, using an old Yellow Cupcake recipe that I’d prepared before and I used my homemade vanilla extract. Ahh! Tasted much better to me.
Since I didn’t follow the original Fairy Cake recipe, I call my version of cupcakes, Spring Cakes.
I followed Nigella’s icing recipe as seen on Once Upon a Plate
Nigella’s Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg white
3-4 drops lemon juice
food coloring, if desired
Mix the sugar, egg white and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth and creamy, it should have the consistency of heavy cream. Nigella suggest dividing the batch of icing into smaller portions so you can add different colors to each, if you like.
I also decided to try the alternate frosting suggestion ( Extra Creamy Buttercream Frosting ) on Once Upon a Plate. I really liked that!
Extra Creamy Buttercream Frosting
1 stick softened butter (4 ounces)
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Enough heavy cream to loosen
Flavoring of your choice (I used 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract for the icing shown here)
If you choose to use almond extract reduce amount by a scant 1/2 teaspoon.
Blend all ingredients (except cream) together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Whip on high speed until well mixed and fluffy. gradually adding enough cream to produce the desired consistency for spreading or piping.
Since this frosting contains cream, the frosted cupcakes should be stored in refrigerator until shortly before serving.
I need more practice frosting cakes. I welcome any frosting tips you may have for me in the comments section.
I’d like to make these cakes again and next time, I’ll slice off the mounded tops before frosting, as recommended on Once Upon a Plate.
In the future I’ll return to the Fairy Cakes recipe and try to make it again. Perhaps, I’ll like the taste better the second time around. In the meantime, stop by Once Upon a Plate to see her version of Nigella Lawson’s Fairy Cakes. They are magical-looking.
Paz
