yoghurt cake

I was looking for a way to use up some yoghurt and a quick search gave me quite a few options. They all seem to be based on this recipe - a traditional French recipe which is really rather quick and simple. I used the remainder of my coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, and cracked open my jar of vanilla bean paste (which I discovered actually comes from Australia!) - apparently using 1 teaspoon of the stuff is the equivalent of using one whole vanilla bean pod. I forgot that coconut oil solidifies very quickly once it starts to cool down, so I was a little unprepared when the batter became very stiff and didn't bother smoothing out the top of the cake before putting it into the oven. I ended up with a rather unattractive cake with a very bumpy top. But I think that using coconut oil really makes the cake something special - I haven't quite figured out how to describe the effect coconut oil has on a cake. The coconut flavour doesn't really come through in the taste, rather it gives the cake its own texture, different to what you get from butter or oil, and keeps the cake moist days after baking. When I ate the cake on day 1 I thought it was delicious but was unsure whether I'd be making it again, given all the other yoghurt cake recipes I had lined up. After eating more of it on day 3 I am convinced I will be baking and eating this cake again.

Verdict: Absolutely divine, tasting even better on day 3 than on day 1.
Score: 9/10

orange cake

Christmas means leftovers, and my basket of random leftovers included 2 really huge and beautiful oranges. I had a strong desire to try a 'whole orange' cake recipe and a search on google yielded this recipe. I halved the recipe (as is usual when more than 3 eggs are required) and used one of my ginormous oranges. The result was a very delicious and very moist cake - the flavour was perfect but I found the cake possibly a little too moist (I know I couldn't believe it too - there is such a thing as too moist!) because the texture was a bit more like omelette and less like cake. So the following weekend I tried again with my last orange, this time increasing the quantity of ground almonds to 200g for my 330-odd gram orange (nothing scientific about it - 200g is the equivalent of 2 small packets of ground almonds), and increasing the sugar quantity by another 25g. The flavour was still perfect, but this time I had a cake with a much more satisfactory cake-like texture. There really isn't any need to try any other orange cake recipes - this is it. However I still want to experiment with the recipe by adding more ground almonds, given a similarly sized orange - I'll report back once I've tried it.

Verdict: Even though I'm still playing around with the recipe I don't need any other orange cake recipe - that kind of shows how great it is right?
Score: 10/10

Adapted recipe below. Ingredients

1 huge orange (weighing about 330g)

3 eggs

200g ground almonds

150g sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

Preheat oven to 170 degrees (fan forced) and line a baking tin (18cm I think)

Boil the orange in some water for about 2 hours and then blend to a pulp (remember to remove seeds)

Whisk the eggs and then add the pulped orange and vanilla essence and whisk to combine

Mix the sugar and ground almonds and baking powder together in a separate bowl then add to the egg and orange mixture and whisk to combine

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about an hour

chocolate cookies

Just discovered this recipe - cookies using just eggwhites? Another one to try next time I have some eggwhites looking for a good home. Ingredients Nonstick vegetable oil spray 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided 3 large egg whites, room temperature 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt Preparation Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly. Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff). Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2008/06/deep_dark_chocolate_cookies#ixzz2GllVY8pe

recipes with eggwhites

If I happen to be looking for yet more eggwhite recipes, this web page might come in handy.

brownies

On my post-Christmas eggwhite recipe hunt I came across this recipe. But I opted for the angel cupcakes instead as brownies seemed a little too indulgent so close to Christmas. So this recipe is as yet untried and untested - if I make another batch of custard (to go with the remaining Christmas pudding) this recipe will get its turn very soon.

Verdict: unknown
Score: unknown

Ingredients 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter 6 ounces best-quality 62%-72% bittersweet bar chocolate, roughly chopped or wafers (In tests, I used Scharffen Berger 70% cacao bittersweet bar chocolate and E. Guittard 72% cacao bittersweet chocolate wafers; both are excellent) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar 1/4 cup premium quality unsweetened, natural process cocoa (not alkalized Dutch process( (In tests, I used Askinosie and Scharffen Berger, which are both excellent) 4 large egg whites, cool room temperature 1 cup King Arthur unbleached, all-purpose flour Method Set a rack in the upper middle of the oven and preheat to 375°. Lightly butter an 8- by 8-inch, light colored, metal baking pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour. Tap out the excess flour, making sure that all inner surfaces are evenly coated with butter and flour. Reserve. In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Remove butter from the heat, stir in chopped chocolate until melted, and then stir in vanilla, espresso powder, and salt. Cool butter-chocolate mixture until lukewarm to the touch. While waiting for the butter-chocolate mixture to cool, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar and cocoa powder. Mix to combine. With the mixer running, add the 4 egg whites. Mix on medium speed for a full 5 minutes, until the mixture is somewhat thickened, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times in the process. Add the lukewarm butter-chocolate-egg mixture and incorporate. Add the flour and mix on slow speed until incorporated and then for 1 additional minute. Spread batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Note that batter fills the pan to a depth of 5/8-inch. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for around 40 minutes. It’s better to underbake than to overbake. Here are a few indicators to help you determine if your brownies are divine perfection: The top will appear shiny and cracked. The edges will be cracking. The edges may begin to pull away from the pan. The center will no longer jiggle when you gently shake the pan. (But this occurs about 10 minutes before the brownies are fully baked, so use this indicator only with the others.) A thin skewer inserted halfway between the edge and center will show very moist crumbs, rather than completely wet goo, when removed. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. To serve, cut into 2-inch squares with a serrated knife. To store, I prefer to keep the brownies at room temperature, tightly covered with foil. They taste wonderful on day two. They have yet to make it to day three.

angel cupcakes

Christmas usually means custard, which means a lot of leftover eggwhites. I wanted to try a new recipe, and decided this recipe would be suitable as it is a light butter/oil free cake - ideal given the heavy state of my stomach after the excesses of Christmas eating. I added lemon zest instead of chocolate chips, figuring lemon was more in-keeping with the 'light' theme. They turned out a bit chewy on the outside, not sure if it was because I overbaked them, or overmixed the mixture, but overall they weren't too bad.

Verdict: Turned out a bit chewier and not as light as expected.
Score: 6/10

3/4 cup sugar, divided 1/2 cup sifted cake flour 5 large egg whites, room temperature 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 1/8 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup coarsely chopped chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350F. Very lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan (skip this step if your pan is nonstick). In a small bowl, sift together cake flour and 1/4 cup superfine sugar. In a large bowl, beat room-temperature egg whites until foamy, then add in cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add in the remaining 1/2 cup of superfine sugar while the mixer is on high speed, beating the egg whites to soft peaks. Blend in vanilla extract. Fold in flour mixture, adding it in two or three additions, and fold in chocolate chips when all other ingredients have been incorporated. Divide evenly into prepared muffin tins, filling them just about to the top. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until tops are golden brown and the cakes spring back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack (unless you have a convenient way to flip the whole cupcake pan upside down). Cupcakes may sink slightly when cooled right-side up, but there is not a great difference between cooling them upside down and not with these small cakes. Cool completely before using a butter knife to release the cupcakes from the muffin pan.

chocolate whisky cake

It was the boy's birthday a couple of days ago, and I was thinking about baking a flourless chocolate cake (one of his favourites, and a recipe I still have to post...) but he happened to ask if I could use whisky in any of my baking as there was a bottle he wasn't quite fond of. Of course I couldn't resist, and an hour later I managed to find this recipe. It's actually a rather huge cake, and I couldn't bring myself to bake the entire thing, so I adjusted all the measurements by 2/3 (note 3 eggs were used in the original recipe, hence the slightly odd division) and decided to bake it in my largest circular tin (which I think is 23cm) for about 50 minutes. I checked the cake a bit beforehand as it was looking rather done, and the skewer came out dry (or at least I'm pretty sure it did - as usual I was multi tasking at the time so I can't say definitively that it did) so I took it out as I was afraid of overbaking it. When we tasted it after it had cooled, it was *very* moist, making me wonder what it would have been like if I'd left it in the oven for longer. No matter though, as the cake was pretty similar in texture to the flourless chocolate cake, and had the same rich chocolate taste except with the noticeable addition of the whisky.
I ended up having just enough whisky for the cake :)

Verdict: Deliciously moist and alcoholic
Score: 9/10

2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan 5 oz. unsweetened chocolate ¼ cup instant espresso powder 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup bourbon, rye, or other whiskey, plus more for sprinkling ½ tsp. kosher salt 2 cups granulated sugar 3 large eggs 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. baking soda Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (optional) Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-cup-capacity Bundt pan (or two 8- or 9-inch loaf pans). In a heatproof bowl set over – but not touching – a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate until just smooth, stirring occasionally. Let cool. Put espresso and cocoa powders in a 2-cup (or larger) glass measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to come up to the 1 cup measuring line. Stir until the powders dissolve. Add the whiskey and salt. Let cool. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar, and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda and melted chocolate, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low speed, beat in a third of the whiskey mixture. When liquid is absorbed, beat in 1 cup flour. Repeat additions, ending with the whiskey mixture. It may seem like there is too much liquid, but don’t worry; it’s okay. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for a Bundt pan. (Loaf pans will take less time; start checking them after 55 minutes.) Transfer the cake, still in its pan, to a rack. Unmold after 15 minutes and sprinkle warm cake with more whiskey. (I did this by pouring a little bit into a teaspoon, and then shaking the teaspoon over the cake. I’m guessing that I used 3 teaspoons’ worth in all.) Cool completely before serving, garnished with confectioners’ sugar, if you like.