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Giant Doughnut Cake with Homemade Sprinkles

Giant Doughnut Cake with Homemade Sprinkles

by | Feb 22, 2017 | 1 comment

Doesn't this cake look like SO MUCH FUN?! That's because I had a ridiculously good time putting it together! What's not to love about pastel colours, cake, doughnuts, sugar and of course, sprinkles?

This cake was actually created for one of my dearest friends, Claire who is the ridiculously good looking foodie behind SA's first YouTube cooking channel 'Good Looking and Cooking'. There is no one on this earth more obsessed with doughnuts than she is (except that she calls them 'donuts') but I love her anyway! ;). I was tasked with making her a cake for probably the most epic bachelorette party in the history of bachelorette parties. Guys, there was a candy floss bar, build your own freak shakes, inflatable unicorns, Private Chef Matt Manning, rainbow bagels - it was like every dream I'd ever had came true!

So of course, I had to dream up one seriously cool cake and this one is straight out of a Candy Land fantasy! I baked an easy one-bowl butter cake in 3 savarin moulds (those silicone microwave bundt cake moulds would also work well), and then stuffed each cake with a raspberry vanilla buttercream. I piped on the royal icing to get that cartoon-looking doughnut design but you could just go ahead and drizzle it over the cakes. And of course, giant doughnuts, deserve giant sprinkles so I've also included a fun, easy way for you to make your own using leftover royal icing - simply pipe colourful strips of icing, allow to dry and break them up! Clever, right?! *throws sprinkles on self*

Giant Doughnut Sprinkles Cake

Makes 1

 

250g butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 cup milk

 

Frosting

250g butter, softened

2 cups Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

drop of milk, if necessary

1/4 cup of good-quality raspberry jam

 

Royal Icing

1 egg white

1 cup Natura Demerara Icing Sugar

Pastel gel food colourings

Sprinkles, to decorate

 

Preheat oven to 150° C (fan-forced) Grease 3 x 20 cm savarin or bundt cake tins. Place the butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and milk in the bowl of an electric mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment). Beat on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat the mixture until it is just smooth. Spoon mixture into the baking tins and bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in cake tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn out onto the wire rack and cool completely.

For the buttercream, whip the butter in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment until very white and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and whip for 5 minutes until almost white and the icing sugar is completely dissolved (add a drop or two of milk if necessary). Swirl through the raspberry jam - don't mix it in completely. Place in a piping bag with a plain nozzle.

For the royal icing, whisk the egg whites and icing sugar together to form a firm icing then divide in three and tint each a different colour. Place in piping bags fitted with plain nozzles and set aside.

To assemble the cake, poke the bottom of each ring with the back of a wooden spoon and fill the holes with the raspberry buttercream. Pipe the icing onto each layer to create a dripped effect (TIP: Start with your royal icing very thick to pipe the outline, then thin it out slightly and fill in the lines). Decorate with sprinkles and allow to set completely then place the 'doughnuts' on top of each other.

 

TIP To make your own sprinkles, fill a piping bag fitted with small plain nozzle with coloured royal icing and pipe long strips of royal icing onto a piece of baking paper and allow to dry overnight or in a low oven (60 degrees). Once dry, break them up and mix the colours together. Store in an airtight jar.

Watercolour Vanilla Birthday Cake

Watercolour Vanilla Birthday Cake

by | Feb 8, 2017

#SPONSORED

It's been 7 whole years since I launched this ol' blog. What was then (very boringly) called 'Katelyn's Corner' has turned into my biggest pride and joy. The hours that have gone into shopping, recipe testing, food styling and photographing the recipes on this page can never be tallied - and the calories? Well, those can't either! So, to celebrate 7th heaven, I baked up the most cheerful cake I could with all my favourite things - splashes of the colours that make me happy, lots of butter and of course, my favourite unrefined sugar!

To say that Natura Sugars is the best sponsor in the world is an understatement - when I took a leap and quit my day job to dedicate all my time to the blog, they supported me. They've spoilt me with kilos upon kilos of their delicious, unrefined sugar (my curves thank you) and most importantly, they've embraced my whacky ideas and allowed me to create my crazy (sometimes out-there) concoctions. Which brings me to the people that ENJOY my crazy out-there concoctions - YOU! Thank you for all the clicks and the likes and the shares and the drools. In a world of banting, juicing and paleo-bla bla, thank you for sharing in my love of dessert and allowing me to continue making your sweet dreams come true!

Enough with the soppiness, I know you’re really just here for the CAKE! I’ve tinted my go-to mix-it-and-shove-it-in-the-oven-cake a pretty alarming hue of pink and purple and layered the cakes together with buttercream made from Natura Sugars unrefined Demerara Icing Sugar. It’s also got a crazy amount of sprinkles on top. But hey, sprinkles make me happy.

It's not a birthday cake without candles and the ones on this cake, are super special. Last year, I received a huge box of odds and ends from my late great Aunt Gwen. She was a hoarder of note - although, if you look at my burgeoning prop collection, it appears this quality runs in the family! In the box of odds and ends was the prettiest little set of birthday candles, which, by the looks of it, date back to 1562. I remember thinking how sad it was that this pink and blue box was never opened - who did my great aunt buy them for and why didn't they ever never make it onto a cake? I've kept them for over a year, thinking that they would have to wait a little longer for something truly special. And I think this, is a pretty special occasion 🙂

Watercolour Vanilla Birthday Cake

Serves 8-10

 

250g butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 cup milk

Pink and purple gel food colouring

 

Frosting

250g butter, softened

2 cups Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

drop of milk, if necessary

Turquoise gel food colouring

 

Sprinkles, glitter, candles, sparklers and sweeties, to decorate

 

Preheat oven to 150° C (fan-forced) Grease 2 x 20 cm (8 in) round cake tin and line with non-stick baking paper (sides and bottom). Place the butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and milk in the bowl of an electric mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment). Beat on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat the mixture until it is just smooth. Spoon mixture into baking tin and bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in cake tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn out onto the wire rack and cool completely. Cut each cake in half so you have 4 layers.*

For the buttercream, whip the butter in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment until very white and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and whip for 5 minutes until almost white and the icing sugar is completely dissolved (add a drop or two of milk if necessary). Tint ¼ of the icing turquoise and the other ¼ pink and place them in 2 piping bags fitted with different star nozzles. Use the white icing to frost and layer the cakes together (alternating the colours of the cake – one pink, one purple, one pink, one purple) and cover the outside with a thin layer of frosting. Smear a little of the pink and blue frosting on the outside of the cake then run a palette knife around to give it a watercolour effect. Decorate with blobs of the coloured frosting then go crazy with sprinkles, glitter, sparklers and sweeties.

 

TIP My secret to building a stable cake that isn’t wonky? Freeze the cake layers on a baking sheet overnight then assemble the cake with the frozen layers. Not only do the rigid cake layers make it easier to work with, the frosting sets the minute you layer the cake so you’re guaranteed a perfectly level cake and no sliding!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE HERE:

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Lemon Meringue Baked Cheesecake

Lemon Meringue Baked Cheesecake

by | Jan 18, 2017 | 11 comments

I have a serious soft spot for lemon meringue pie but not because of the coconutty crust or the velvety smooth filling (made with condensed milk please!) or even the puffs of crispy-marshmallowy meringue that adorn the top. Nope, it's not because of any of those things. In fact it doesn't even have anything to do with the pie. It's because it's my dad's ultimate favourite dessert and that makes it special in our family.

This version, made with a baked lemon cheesecake filling, combines the best of both pie and cheesecake worlds and the layer of tangy lemon curd that oozes out the bottom when you cut it, adds an extra heavenly dimension. And if you'd like to go to a little extra effort, I think cute little mini versions of this (made in ring moulds or even clean tins!) would make a memorable dessert!

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

Serves 10-12

 

400g biscuits, crushed

100g butter, melted

540g full fat cream cheese, softened

150g castor sugar

3 eggs

20ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon

½ cup store-bought lemon curd (optional)

4 egg whites

120g castor sugar

 

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line a 22cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Combine biscuits and butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of the tin to form a crust. Beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth then add the castor sugar, eggs, double cream, vanilla, juice and lemon zest. Spread a thin layer of lemon curd over the crust then pour in the cheesecake filling. Whip the egg whites until soft peak stage then add the castor sugar gradually until the meringue is glossy and the sugar is dissolved. Top the cheesecake with the meringue mixture, using a spoon to create soft peaks. Bake for 1 hour then leave the door slightly ajar (or place a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep it open), switch the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool completely. Refrigerate until set then serve.

 

 

Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

by | Jan 13, 2017 | 1 comment

Before I go any further, I know you're looking at this cake and thinking 'But I'm trying to diet here! Why are you posting cake in January?!' Well, number 1: If you're looking for diet recipes then you're in the WRONG place. Number 2: This IS my healthy food, people! Just look at this ingredient list - it basically reads like a salad bar! Pecan nuts, smashed banana, pineapple, lime - like I said, healthy food 😉

But let me get serious for a minute (since we're in the month of dieting and eating plans); I've never loved the idea of attaching any form of guilt to food, especially when it's one of the things we need to stay alive. No matter what, each day, we all need to stop what we're doing to fuel our bodies to survive. Like breathing and sleeping. And to feel guilty about that? To constantly want to be somebody else's idea of perfect? To me, that's not my idea of happiness. There is a reason we are born with tastebuds and why we get so much pleasure out of eating - because eating is one of the best parts about life and depriving yourself of that (if you're a food-lover like me), is no way to live.

Obviously, I'm not saying you should eat cake every day - I certainly don't! But I believe it's all about balance (or at least trying to achieve balance), and if you want a slice of cake, if  it's going to make a crappy day at work better or give you a moment of bliss when things are all getting too much, then I say have it. Eat the cake. I by no means have a perfect body, but I love it - every curve (or bump) is testament to my insane love of baking and if good food makes me happy then bring on the love handles because you know what? My worst nightmare is being hit by a bus and in that moment regretting swopping that decadent slice of cake for a salad. So just eat the cake. Or more specifically, eat THIS cake.

 

 

Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe and image originally created for Food and Home Entertaining Magazine

Serves 12

 

1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil

2 large eggs

4 medium-sized very ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract

350g (1 ¾ cups) Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

350g (3 cups) self-raising flour, sifted

1 tsp (5ml) ground cinnamon

1 x 425g tin crushed pineapple, drained well

50g (1/2 cup) pecans, chopped

 

FOR THE ICING

400g (3 ½ cups) Natura Sugars Demerara Icing sugar

150g unsalted butter, (at room temperature)

200g full fat cream cheese

zest and juice of 1 limes

Edible flowers, to decorate

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional). Grease and line two 23cm round cake tins. Whisk together the oil and eggs then add the bananas, vanilla and sugar. Fold in the sifted flour, cinnamon, pineapple and pecan nuts. Divide the batter between the tins and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before turning the cakes out to cool completely. To make the icing, cream the icing sugar and butter until light and fluffy then whip in the cream cheese, zest and juice until just combined. Layer the cakes with the frosting then decorate with edible flowers.

Christmas Gingerbread Cake with Brandy Butter Frosting

Christmas Gingerbread Cake with Brandy Butter Frosting

by | Dec 22, 2016 | 14 comments

Forget dense, heavy fruit cake - this light but complex gingerbread cake is the new Christmas cake in town!

This is hands-down the best cake I have made all year! And I’ve eaten a lot of cake, people! By now you’ll know about my love for proper dark muscovado sugar – that deep, dark treacle flavour gives me all the feels and I loved how this cake was the epitome of that flavour. It’s loaded with molasses too – which, by the way, is high in B vitamins, so this cake is healthy too!

Unlike fruit cake, it’s light and spongy making it easier to eat more (if you are arguing about this statement, refer to the previous paragraph re vitamins) and the brandy butter, well it was just destined to be the frosting. The little Christmas tree decorations on top (made with this gingerbread cookie recipe) are simple, elegant and anyone can make them – even the kids can help out (less work for you!). To sum up; Fruit cake be gone because there is a new Christmas cake in town!

Christmas Gingerbread Cake with Brandy Butter Frosting
Serves 12
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% Daily Value *
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* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Does this look wrong?
For the cake
  1. 170g salted butter
  2. 170g molasses
  3. 170g golden syrup
  4. 180g (260ml) Natura Sugars Dark Muscovado Sugar
  5. 425g (3 ¼ cups) cake flour
  6. 1/4 tsp salt
  7. 2 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  8. 2 tsp ground ginger
  9. ½ tsp cinnamon
  10. 2 tsp The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder
  11. 2 large eggs, beaten
  12. 1 ½ cups whole milk
  13. Brandy Butter Frosting
  14. 250g butter, softened
  15. 350g Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
  16. 2 tbsp brandy
  17. 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180° C (or 160C fan-forced). Grease and line the base of 2x22cm round cake tins. In a saucepan, melt the butter, molasses, syrup and sugar over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the eggs and milk into the cooled molasses mixture then pour into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Divide the batter between the lined cake tins and bake in for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely then slice each cake in half horizontally to form 4 layers.
  2. To make the frosting, cream the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy then add the brandy and vanilla. Assemble the cake by layering the icing inbetween the cake layers leaving enough to cover the sides. Decorate with gingerbread Christmas trees and a dusting of icing sugar.
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The Kate Tin https://thekatetin.com/
Rosé Champagne Chiffon Cake

Rosé Champagne Chiffon Cake

by | Nov 28, 2016 | 2 comments

Champagne, bubbly, sparkling wine, whatever you call it, it's the perfect companion for cake. Just like cake, it's usually our choice for any sort of celebration - birthdays, weddings, promotions, if we're celebrating there is always a cake and there is always bubbly (well in my case, anyway!). My favourite quote of all time, is Julia Child's 'A party without cake is just a meeting' and I'd go so far as to also say 'A party without bubbly is just a meeting' too! So I'm not sure why it took me this long to put the two together and make a champagne cake - but it was worth the wait, I promise because this right here will change your life. The buttercream? Thinking about it makes me weak at the knees!

This is the perfect cake to celebrate, well, anything you'd drink bubbly at! New Year's Eve, Kitchen Teas, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Fridays or any day that ends in 'ay'! 😉

Rosé Champagne Chiffon Cake

Recipe originally created for Food and Home Entertaining Magazine

Serves 10-12

 

12 eggs (separated)

300g Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

180g cake flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

 

FRENCH BUTTERCREAM

100g Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

400ml rosé bubbly or sparkling wine (optional)

6 eggs

500g unsalted butter, softened (not salted butter!)

Pink food colouring

Raspberry or peach jam, for spreading

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line two large 20 x 30cm baking sheets with baking paper. In a large, clean bowl whisk the egg whites until thick and stiff, then slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of caster sugar. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining sugar until the mixture is very thick and pale (about 10 minutes). Fold in the vanilla and sifted flour. Lightly whisk 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mix to lighten it, then fold the remaining egg whites in, taking care to knock as little air out as possible. Pour the cake batter into the lined baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until springy to the touch. Allow to cool completely. For the frosting, place the sugar and champagne in a saucepan and simmer gently until reduced by half and set aside to cool completely. Cream the butter until very light and fluffy and set aside. Whisk the eggs and syrup together over a pot of gently simmering water with an electric hand mixer until tripled in size and hot to the touch (it should read 60 degrees celsius on a sugar thermometer) then remove from the heat and continue to beat until room temperature and cooled. Fold the egg mixture into the whipped butter, adding a few drops of pink colouring, and continue mixing until a light, smooth buttercream forms.

To assemble, cut the sheets of cake in half lengthways so you have four long strips. Spread with a thin layer of peach jam, then spread the buttercream on the cake and roll up, laying the strips end to end, to form a short, fat swiss roll. Place the swiss roll on its side to form the cake (trim it if necessary). Allow to set in the fridge until firm, then frost the sides with buttercream.

 

 

TIP  To make the gold brush strokes, mix gold and copper edible dust with 1 tsp of vodka (or vanilla essence) to form a paste. Brush the paste onto the sides of the cake.