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Quadruple Chocolate Melt ‘n Mix Cake

Quadruple Chocolate Melt ‘n Mix Cake

by | May 5, 2015 | 0 comments

A melt 'n mix white chocolate cake sandwiched together with whipped dark chocolate ganache and drizzled with THREE kinds of chocolate sauce. Why? Because I can. And because 4 types of chocolate exist and I couldn't choose my favourite (it's like choosing a favourite child!) so I used them all. And because it's International No Diet Day. Yes, I know every day on TheKateTin is no diet day...

I once heard a dietician say (bet you NEVER thought I'd be quoting a dietician - ha!) that if you're going to cheat while on a diet, then do it properly! Half cheating just results in more cheating. But don't fear, there is no half cheating with this cake. I didn't call it a quadruple (bypass?) cake for nothing!
 
The melt 'n mix white chocolate sponge is a revelation - it's so delicious and tastes just like a milky bar. YUUUUM! It's quite sweet so I balanced it out with a whipped dark chocolate ganache so there's a bit of bitterness. But all that balance kinda jumped out the window when I got to the top of the cake and decided to go all Jackson Pollock on it with white, milk and caramel chocolate. Oh well. My intentions were good! Does that count?
 
As for those of you who are feeling any sort of guilt at eating said cake? I'll leave you with this sweet quote from Jeanne Ray:
 
"A slice of cake never made anyone fat. You don't eat the WHOLE cake... You have a slice and what it reminds you of is someplace that's safe, uncomplicated, without stress. A cake is a party, a birthday, a wedding. A cake is what is served on the happiest days of your life"

Quadruple Chocolate Cake

Serves 12

 

Melt ‘n Mix White chocolate cake

185g butter

1 cup (250ml) milk

1 cup (250ml) castor sugar

150g The Kate Tin White Baking Chocolate, chopped

2 cups (500ml) cake flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

 

Whipped ganache

100ml cream

200g The Kate Tin Dark Baking Chocolate, chopped

50g The Kate Tin Milk Baking Chocolate, melted

50g The Kate Tin White Baking Chocolate, melted

50g caramelized white chocolate, melted (see TIP)

 

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line 2 x 15cm cake tins. For the cake, combine the butter, milk, sugar and chocolate in a saucepan and melt over low heat. In a separate bowl, mix the cake flour and baking powder. Add the chocolate mix to the dry ingredients and whisk well, then whisk in the eggs. Divide the batter between the two cake tins and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean. Turn the cake out of the tins and allow to cool completely, then slice each cake in half horizontally. For the whipped ganache, heat the cream until boiling then pour over the chopped chocolate. Allow to stand for a few minutes then stir until melted. Allow to set completely then using a hand mixer, whip the ganache until light and fluffy (careful not to overwhip or it will split!) Assemble the cake by layering the white chocolate cake alternately with whipped chocolate ganache. Decorate the cake by drizzling with the 3 different types of chocolate.

 

 

 

TIP To make the caramelized white chocolate, place broken up good-quality white chocolate on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil. Place in an oven preheated to 150C for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes until a rich caramel colour is achieved. If the chocolate is lumpy, simply blend it in a food processor or pass it through a sieve. If it’s too thick, add a little more oil.

Persian Love Cakes for Valentine’s Day

Persian Love Cakes for Valentine’s Day

by | Feb 9, 2015 | 0 comments

A more romantic, shmooshy recipe for Valentine's Day you will not find. Blessed with pistachios, a gorgeous drizzling of rose water-yoghurt icing and a story as beautiful as their looks, these little baby cakes have everything going for them.
While the internet seems to be failing me on the story behind this recipe - there are numerous versions of the recipe itself as well as how it got it's name, So I'm going to pick my favourite. In the name of Valentine's Day...
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman who's heart yearned for the love of a handsome Persian prince. And because we all know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, she baked him a spiced, fragrant cake in the hopes that at the first taste, he would fall hopelessly in love with her...

Whether or not he did indeed fall in love with her, is a mystery, but if it were up to my tastebuds, I'd have married that woman on the spot.  So if you are in need of a little baked magic to make your prince fall in love with you, give this recipe a try.  But if the cake doesn't work, remember... Forget love, and rather fall in chocolate.

Persian Love Cakes

If you're not a fan of rose water, these cakes would be equally delicious with a glaze made from orange blossom water or lemon zest.

Makes 14

 

100g blanched almonds

100g pistachios

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

150g butter, cubed

225g self-raising flour

185g castor sugar

3 eggs

225ml full cream plain yoghurt

 

Icing

100ml full cream plain yoghurt

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

Squeeze of lemon juice

Few drops of rose water, to taste

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and flour 14 small cannele or mini bundt molds (alternatively make a 20cm cake). Place the almonds and pistachios in a food processor and process until fine. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, butter, flour and sugar and process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Transfer to a bowl and combine with the eggs and yoghurt. Spoon into the prepared molds and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cakes are springy to the touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly then turn out and cool completely. Trim the tops off the cakes so they can stand straight. For the icing, combine the yoghurt, icing sugar and rose water to form a glaze then drizzle over the cakes. Decorate with crushed pistachios and crystallized rose petals, if desired.

Caramel Peppermint Crisp Cake

Caramel Peppermint Crisp Cake

by | Sep 21, 2014 | 4 comments

I heard someone once describe our beloved peppermint crisp tart as ‘a lazy version of Italian tiramisu’, which, once you get over the initial offence, is a pretty accurate description really. Four ingredients: Tennis biscuits (don’t even bother asking me if there is an alternative flavour of biscuit you can use because any South African will tell you there just isn’t), tinned caramel (if you’re feeling fancy, boiling a tin of condensed milk will make it ‘gourmet’), whipped cream (well, if you want to be AUTHENTIC it should be that non-dairy Orley whip cream…) and of course the darling of South African chocolates, Peppermint Crisp (those shards of sticky peppermint covered in chocolate are pure bliss!).

I must be honest, I never grew up with peppermint crisp tart. It doesn’t conjure up memories of my grandmother serving it to me as a child, or my mom whipping up a pyrex dish of it for a church bazaar. The decadent dessert was completely left out of my childhood (my mom and I will have words about this!) but that hasn’t stopped me from cramming all the tart I missed out on as a child into my adult life. I’ve given the dessert it’s fair share of makeovers - from ice cream sandwiches to milkshakes, but this cake is a serious showstopper! It’s not as sweet as it’s traditional counterpart due to the coconutty sponge cake layers in between and it will make a jaw-dropping end to a lekker braai!

Caramel Peppermint Crisp Cake

Serves 10-12

Adapted from Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days

120g butter, softened

400g castor sugar

360g cake flour

1½ tbsp baking powder

40g desiccated coconut, toasted

pinch of salt

3 large eggs

1 tin (400ml) coconut milk

Filling

1 tin caramel

2 cups cream, whipped to stiff peaks

400g peppermint crisp chocolate, crushed

Mini Tennis biscuits , to garnish

Preheat the oven to 170C and line 3 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking paper. Beat the butter, castor sugar, flour, baking powder, coconut and salt together on a low speed until a sandy texture forms. Whisk the eggs and coconut milk together in a jug then slowly add to the dry ingredients while the mixer is running, to form a batter. Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared tins and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean, and the cakes are golden. Allow to cool a little in the tin before turning out onto a cake rack. Trim the cooled cakes by levelling the tops then place one cake layer on a plate. Spread with caramel, whipped cream, peppermint crisp and crushed biscuits.  Continue layering finishing with the caramel, cream, peppermint crisp and the mini biscuits. Refrigerate for 1 hour to set then slice and serve.

 

 

Chocolate Tiramisu Cake

Chocolate Tiramisu Cake

by | Jul 11, 2014 | 2 comments

Tiramisu, meet chocolate cake.
Why it's taken me this long to introduce these two decadent desserts to each other is beyond me because they are sweet soul mates. Meant to be. BFF's. You get the point. The secret to making ANY cake special (and I'll even go out on a limb and include box cake mix here) is to soak the cake in a simple syrup - even the driest sponge can be magically transformed with a slathering of flavoured (and liquored) syrup. And of course, tiramisu has sponge soaked in espresso syrup - coincidence? I think not. All that's missing is the light and fluffy mascarpone which I transformed into a not-too-sweet frosting and a generous dusting of cocoa powder and it's like the two were destined to live happily ever after...
Chocolate Tiramisu Cake

Serves 10-12

 

3 large eggs

3/4 cup (180ml) melted butter or oil

3/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

375ml (1 1/2 cups) cake flour

180ml (3/4 cup) cocoa powder

7,5ml (3/4 tsp) bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

410ml (1 2/3 cups) brown sugar

 

Espresso syrup

250ml sugar

250ml water

125ml espresso coffee, cooled

80ml coffee liqueur (optional)

 

Mascarpone frosting

250ml cream

1 tub (240g) mascarpone cheese

½ cup icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cocoa powder, for dusting

 

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line 2 x 22cm springform cake tins. Beat the eggs and oil for 3 minutes on high speed. Add the water and beat for 1 minute on high speed.  Sift the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt together. Add the sugar and mix into the wet ingredients.  Divide the batter between the tins and bake for 55 minutes or until cake is cooked when tested with a skewer. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Remove from the tin and place on cooling rack, cool completely before cutting each cake in half horizontally with a sharp knife. To make the syrup, gently heat the sugar and water together and stir until melted then bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly before adding the coffee and liqueur. Allow to cool completely. To make the frosting, whip the cream and mascarpone together until stiff peaks then whisk in the icing sugar and vanilla. Place in a piping bag with a fluted nozzle. To assemble the cake, place a cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand, soak the cake in the espresso syrup then pipe frosting on top. Repeat the layers with the cake, syrup and frosting finishing with a layer of frosting on top. Pipe dollops on top of the cake to decorate and dust with a little cocoa powder.

Chocolate Truffle Amaretti Cake with Espresso Glaze

Chocolate Truffle Amaretti Cake with Espresso Glaze

by | May 19, 2014 | 0 comments

This right here is one awesome cake and it will totally hit any chocolate spot you might have. It’s dense like a truffle and if you leave out the amaretti biscuits, it’s completely gluten-free. I love the biscuits in it though so if you can find them, toss a few in. They give an intense almond taste to the ‘cake’ (can we call it a cake, it’s more like a giant slab of chocolate) and along with the extra almondy booze, makes for a great combo. You could however, use hazelnut, coffee or whatever other liqueur takes your fancy (be reasonable though, Jagermeister and chocolate aren’t friends – well, I’m not friends with it either after one or two occasions I’d rather not mention!).

The cake puffs up during bake and then flops down enough for you to be completely alarmed, but rest assured, that’s supposed to happen! It gives the top a beautiful cracked appearance and creates deep furrows perfect for collecting that lusciously glossy espresso glaze. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it’s dessert perfection.

Chocolate Truffle Amaretti Cake with Espresso Glaze

Serves 6-8 EASY

 

45g (3 tbsp) butter

170g dark chocolate (70%)

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

250m (1 cup) white sugar, divided

45ml (3 tbsp) almond extract or liqueur

60g amaretti biscuits crushed*

Pinch of salt

 

Espresso glaze

125g dark chocolate (70%)

50g butter

1 tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp instant-espresso powder

 

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line the bottom of a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl over gently simmering water. Using an electric mixer beat together egg yolks and ½ cup sugar until very pale, thick and creamy (about 10 minutes). Add liqueur, amaretti biscuits, melted chocolate mixture and mix well.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peak stage then add remaining sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture in 3 batches. Pour the batter into the lined cake tin and bake for 40 minutes or until just set. The cake will still be very moist. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the tin. Make the glaze by placing the chocolate, margarine, syrup and coffee in a bowl over gently simmering water and stir until melted. Serve the glaze poured over the cake.

 

TIP Amaretti biscuits are small, crisp Italian biscuits traditionally made from crushed almonds. You can find them in the biscuit aisle of most supermarkets but feel free to leave them out completely or replace with toasted crushed almonds, if you like.

EASTER UPDATE! Take one packet of speckled eggs (okay may half a packet because you'll probably have eaten half of them) and scatter over the cake for a fun twist!

 

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

by | May 16, 2014 | 0 comments

I never bake for myself. If I bake, it's for a reason; to spoil a friend, to share with colleagues or to (hopefully) inspire someone on this page to create something delicious to share with their friends or families - like a ripple effect of baking love! So when I discovered that this year's theme for World Baking Day on Sunday 18 May is #PledgetoBake for someone special, I decided to do what I usually do and bake with love, but this time, it's for the person who inspired my love for sweetness and baking, the sweetest person I know - my mom (who, by the way, is probably the only person who can take down a tin of condensed milk faster than I can - I know, hard to believe isn't it?!).
 
It was a mini baking set I received for Christmas at 6 years old that sparked my passion for whipping and whisking but it actually began way before that, with me poking my nose over the kitchen counter and watching my mom and grandmother baking up all sorts of delights. My mother would bake fresh bread each morning and churn butter from the cream skimmed off the top of the milk that came from our cows on the farm. Homemade strawberry jam was also a regular thing in our kitchen. Despite insisting she isn't a talented baker, we still got the most beautiful, creative birthday cakes each year, made in the dead of night. Wishing wells, Humpty Dumpty's and Garden walls crawling with sweetie insects were the cakes I could only dream of. But didn't have to.

So when I started hosting my own cooking shows in our family kitchen, with every single ingredient neatly measured out in a gazillion little prep bowls (a la Delia Smith-style), my mom never complained about the mountain of washing up (despite it driving her nuts inside!). The older I got, the more challenging the recipes I attempted became. I never stuck to the simple stuff; having once seen spun sugar in a food magazine, I attempted to make it myself, only to leave my mother chiseling molten sugar off her kitchen floor and walls for weeks afterwards! Yet still, she was always encouraging of my dream.

 Mom, this recipe and post is for you. You've always supported and encouraged me; from your kind words after little flops on national television to sending me countless recipes from your cookbooks and the many, many dishes you've washed during my endless photoshoots. But most of all, it's a little thank you for the passion and love you gave me for food.  These pretty red velvets remind me of my mom. Graceful and elegant; I've always thought of the red velvet cupcake as the lady of all the cupcakes. It's bright and cheerful and sweet as can be. But who will you be baking for on World Baking Day, which by the way, is this Sunday (18 May 2014)? Let me know in the comments below and also, WHAT you'll be baking for them!  Don't forget to make your pledge official here - it puts your #pledgetobake into a cute little card that you can share on social media and also allows you to tag the lucky person you're baking for so that the world knows how awesome they are!  Happy World Baking Day!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Stork Bake

Makes 12

 

180g Stork Bake

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

400g (2 1/2 cups) cake flour

315g (1 1/2 cups) castor sugar

Red food colouring (I used the gel variety)

2 tbsp The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder

250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk or natural yoghurt

3 tsp baking powder

 

Frosting

55g Stork Bake

300g Icing sugar, sifted

125g smooth full fat cream cheese

 

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases. Cream the Stork Bake and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.  In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa, food colouring and 2 tbsp water then beat into the mixture.  Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and add into the mixture gradually, alternating with the buttermilk and beating on a low speed.  Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases, filling them 3/4 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until springy to the touch, or a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on a cake rack, before frosting.  For the frosting, cream the Stork Bake until light and fluffy then add the icing sugar and beat well. Once very light and fluffy, add the cream cheese.