Cakes and cupcakes

Mini Passion Fruit and Chocolate Marble Cakes

The increased time at home has created a deep need for daily tea time treats, am I right? Something quick and easy that when in the oven just fills your home with the best chocolatey aroma and hits the spot when you need to put your feet up after a manic day of juggling many hats.

Well, I’ve got the perfect tea-time treat which you could easily adapt the flavours to your preference or craving. These mini marble cakes have a delightful flavour combination of indulgent chocolate and tart passion fruit to cut through the sweetness. If passion fruit is not your vibe, you could easily omit it for a vanilla and chocolate marble cake, etc.

Ingredients:

  • 125g butter, melted and cooled
  • 125g good quality chocolate
  • 5 eggs
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 125g flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon passion fruit extract
  • juice of a half passion fruit

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a mini loaf pan.
  2. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and then set aside to cool slightly
  3. Separate the eggs then using an electric mixer, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale. Pour in the cooled, melted butter and continue mixing until combined.
  4. In the egg butter mixture, sift the flour and baking powder, folding to combine, then split the mixture in two bowls.
  5. In the one bowl, add the melted chocolate to the mixture and fold to combine. In the second bowl, fold in the bicarbonate of soda, the vanilla and passion fruit extracts as well as the passion fruit juice.
  6. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks.
  7. Split the fluffy egg whites between the two bowls (chocolate mixture and the passion fruit mixture) then gently fold to combine.
  8. Alternating between the two mixtures, spoon them into the greased mini loafs pans and once they’ve filled the tins, take a skewer and swirl them from one end to the other to create the marble effect.
  9. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer come s out clean.
  10. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  11. To garnish, top with more melted chocolate and serve with passion fruit curd.

Carrot Cake

This week, we had a ray of light, among all the alarming news, celebrating a special colleague and friend’s baby-shower. She requested a carrot cake and this finally forced me to attempt making one! I’m not a fan of nuts, especially pecan nuts, so this was really made with so much selfless love 🙂

Happy to report that this is lovely moist cake, easy enough to whip up, no fancy equipment needed and you can make it in advance, can I get a whoop-whoop!

Ingredients:

  • 260g chopped toasted pecans (keep half for decorating)
  • 300g brown sugar (I used the Natura Sugars Light Demerera sugar)
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 240ml oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup crushed pineapple (drain most of the sauce)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
  • 312g flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp’s ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 cups carrots, grated

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 177°C. Prepare either two or three round cake pans, by greasing them then lining with baking paper, finally greasing the baking paper too.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the sugars, oil, eggs, crushed pineapple and vanilla together in a large bowl until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined. Finally fold in the carrots and half of the pecans.
  3. Pour the batter into the cake pans evenly and if utilising three cake pans then bake for 20-24 minutes and if using two pans, bake for 30-35 minutes. Test the cake by inserting a skewer, if it does not come out clean, continue to bake until it does and be sure not to over bake the cake. Do not over-bake. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans before transferring to a cooling rack.
  4. Assemble the cake by layering with cream cheese frosting. You can find my legit, no short cut cream cheese frosting recipe here 🙂 Top the cake with the leftover toasted pecans. To keep the cake nice and firm, pop it into the fridge for about 30mins before cutting and serving. Enjoy 🙂

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I seriously need to get over my obsession with chocolate and raspberries…

For now however, here’s another perfect opportunity to combine this epic flavour combination! This fudgey decadent flourless chocolate cake is super simple to make and most of all just needs one bowl! Yay!

Important tip when making this, is to follow the recipe exactly – the digital scale is your bestie!

Ingredients:

  • 115g butter
  • 170g great quality chocolate (I used 55% Lindt choc), roughly chopped
  • 135g caster sugar
  • 2 tsp instant coffee
  • 1.5 tsp’s vanilla extract or essence (depending on your preference)
  • 4 eggs
  • 28g cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 177°C. Prepare your cake pan by greasing it fully, inserting a round disc of baking paper then greasing above the baking paper to ensure it will not stick.
  • Using a bain marie or double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the sugar, coffee and vanilla and whisk into the chocolate mixture. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated then whisk in the cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
  • Place a large roasting pan, filled 2/3rds with boiling water on the bottom rack of the oven. Then place the cake pan on the middle rack of the oven and shut the door. Trust me this will make it so moist and delish!
  • Bake for 30 minutes and test with a toothpick (should come out clean with just a few most crumbs).
  • Once it comes out of the oven, allow it to cool for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely. Thereafter you can pop it into the fridge or store in a airtight container.
  • Top with a sprinkling of cocoa powder and anything else you wish really. I just added some whipped cream and raspberries. Yum!

Chocolate, Salted Caramel & Banana Bread

Last night I had this strong desire to bake, not for any orders, just…selfishly…for myself…and my family of course 🙂 I wanted to whip up something quick and delicious, which I could munch on for a quick breakfast snack in the morning and definitely straight out of the oven too.

The flavours that came to mind was banana for that healthy breakfast element but that was as far as I could stretch the healthy flavouring, next was chocolate, because why not? The final flavour for pure decadence was salted caramel. Chocolate, Salted Caramel and Banana Bread was then the mission at hand 🙂

Continue reading →

Granadilla & Chocolate Bundt Cake

I’ve just returned from a blissful holiday and honestly struggling to fit baking into my routine at the moment. I’m fully back into swing at work but I’m just completely knackered in the evening – it is however almost the weekend so I’m sure my baking gloves will be dusted off and in full use again.

While I dust them off, I thought I’d share the recipe of this delicious granadilla and chocolate bundt cake, the perfect summer tea-time treat! I personally adore this flavour combination as they so perfectly compliment each other, with the granadilla cutting through the sweetness of the chocolate. The soaking of the syrup in the cake also ensures that it’s moist and decadent and the addition of semolina and ground almonds provides a unique texture that is just divine! You could either create a big or mini bundt cakes or like me, a combination of the two.

Continue reading →

Chocolate Swiss Roll

Swiss roll, swiss roll…oh how intimidating you seem until you have the courage to give it a go and realise and its actually one of the easiest cakes to make. I saw this recipe posted by Mehnaaz Basha and it just looked delicious and quite quick and easy to make – when I attempted it, it was exactly that!

This swiss roll is airy, light and fluffy – everything you’d want from a swiss roll really 🙂 After I posted a picture of it on Instagram, I’ve been getting requests for a tutorial and have finally included one on my Instagram – featured in the story highlights. It’s incredibly quick to make and just like any other cake, you need it to cool down before decorating, so build in time for the cool down. Just like any chocolate cake – you can be as adventurous as you want with the filling and decorations.

Continue reading →

Mini Vanilla Bundt Cakes and Fresh Raspberry Glaze

I could tell you that the reason I made these cakes was to tend to my sweet tooth and constant cake craving – which is true. However, the overpowering reason was because I just bought these adorable mini silicone bundt cake pans (from Mambo’s in Kenilworth) and just HAD to give them a go.

Continue reading →

Best Vanilla Cupcake

An all time favourite for kiddies parties are cupcakes, simply because the decorative options are endless and can be adapted to any theme.

I’ve made A LOT of cupcakes in my lifetime and this has by far been the best recipe! Quick and easy to make and just the perfect crumb texture and moistness – nothing worse than a dense and heavy cupcake!

Continue reading →

Roasted Banana Muffins

I’m sure many of you are just as shocked at how quickly this year is flying by, I mean good heavens, it’s February already?!

With my daughters growing up, equally as fast, I’ve been including them in most of my baking sessions, which has been fun, adorable, messy and oh my does it test my patience 🙂

One evening as a fun activity to do with my eldest, I decided to make these Roasted Banana Muffins. They are serious banana muffins, which purely derives from the delicious roasting process – you will love the smell that will be wafting through your house…absolutely divine! Continue reading →

Chocolate-Overload Chocolate Squares

file-2

Festive season is here with a bang, well at least for the kids it is, my holiday kicks off in a few days time. As last week was filled with school parties and kiddie movie days, I decided to make this chocolate cake inspired by @saadzb Rocky Road Chocolate Cake.

My daughter had lots of fun decorating the cake with all sorts of chocolate goodies such as Astros, Kit-Kat and ofcourse every kids happy place – the land of colourful sprinkles.

Continue reading →

1 2
Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.