cake 11: lemon-ginger poppyseed cake

for my mums....37TH birthday *shifty eyes* i made her a lemon, ginger, poppyseed cake because, well, she loves lemon desserts! and she puts ginger in almost anything she can, so i added some of that too!

what i did for this cake was modify it from one i found in my cake book. the original recipe is an orange poppyseed cake, but i was looking to do lemon and figured i would just change this one up. here is what you need to make this cake:

- 3/4 of a cup of REAL butter
- 3/4 of a cup of sugar
- finely grated zest of one lemon
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup of flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of poppyseeds

the original recipe calls the the zest of 1 and 1/2 oranges but lemons have a more intense flavour than oranges so i only did one. beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest until it's pale and creamy. now beat in your eggs, one at a time.

this is when i decided to add in the ginger. what i should have done was pop the root in the freezer for an hour or so before grating it, but i didn't think of it and just did it from the fridge so when i grated it into the mixture, it was more like mush. not really a big deal because it's being mixed into the batter anyway and it still has the same flavour. so peel off the skin and grate!

giant piece of ginger or miniature grater?

now sift in your flour. i know i always say this, but it's especially important that you sift your flour! due to the consistency of this cake, i would say it's extra important. if there are lumps, it will stay as lumps!

once this is done, fold in all those wonderful poppyseeds! this is my favourite picture from this cake making day!

i put my cake in an 8",  round cake pan and the size was perfect, so i would use that if you have one on hand. make sure it's well greased before putting the batter in. the mixture is rather thick, so you'll have to smooth it out in the pan. put it in a 350℉ oven for.... well, the time is confusing on this one for me. my recipe says 50 minutes, but i checked at 30 minutes and it was definitely done. if it were up to me, i would have been in there less than 30 minutes, probably 25. so watch your cake because all ovens vary. let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then take it out to cool on a rack.

next up is the icing, which is fantastic! you need:

- finely grated zest of one lemon
- a 250g tub of mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 a cup of confectioners sugar
- the juice from half a lemon

this is where you will have to grate the zest of another lemon. mix that with your mascarpone cheese and the confectioners sugar and beat it until it's smooth and creamy. "smooth and creamy" never happened for me. mascarpone cheese is very thick. i had never used it before and expected it to be the consistency of sour cream, but it is, in fact, more like cream cheese. very thick. and no matter how much i mixed it, it wasn't creamy. maybe i should have used an actual beater instead of doing it manually? anyway, that's where i modified the recipe a little more. i squeezed some juice from half a lemon and added that in to thin it out. worked pretty well. then i took some segments from the other half and used it to decorate.

spreading it on the cake was kind of hard but i managed with my palette knife thing. and i also used my hands. not going to lie....

the cake was great! it wasn't too sweet, which was nice. i love the little crunch you get from the poppyseed. i would definitely make this again. it's great with tea! (my mum had tea, i was still finishing my wine from dinner, HAHA!)

the final product!

next is Jackie! i'm very excited for her cake. it's.....different. and after that is Matt G! so many cakes in so little time!!!!!

cake 10: oreo cheesecake

this is a cake that i make often enough and it disappears too fast!

this is an important cake because my brother Adam turned 18 yesterday! sometimes i forget that i'm not 18 anymore, so it's shocking that he's so grown up! this is really your typical cheesecake recipe with my own little twist!

what you need:

- 27 oreo cookies (i used a generic brand)

- 4 tablespoons of butter, melted

- 3 packages of cream cheese, 250 grams each

- 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar

- 3 eggs

like i said, very few ingredients, very little time to make it. it's so easy that Chris could almost make it. almost. 

so the first thing you need to do is take 16 of the cookies and put them in a bag and smash them with a rolling pin (i like this part). i like to leave the white icing on the inside because it's an extra substance that will act as a bond for the crust. put it in a bowl and mix it together with the melted butter and then press it into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. originally i had only used 12 cookies to make the crust but when i packed it down into the bottom it didn't cover enough, so i added 7 more. 

take your bricks of cream cheese and plop them in a big bowl, add the brown sugar and mix it. mix it real good. i used a medium-high setting to blend it all together. i mixed it quite a bit actually. more than i usually do. i think it made a big, but good, difference. it tasted a lot smoother and lighter. this recipe originally calls for regular white sugar, but a few months ago (please refer to Chris' cake from march) i used a cheesecake recipe that called for brown sugar and it made it that much better that i think i will be using brown from now on!

add in the eggs, one at a time and blend it together really well. mixing it like hell again, if you so wish. this is where i tried something a little different that usual. instead of crushing the rest of the 8 cookies like i would normally do, i simple cut them into quarters and mixed them into the batter and baked it like that. i would do this again, but use more than 8 oreos. 

so put that in the oven at 350℉ for 45 minutes. it's normal that a cheesecake cracks a little. mine did. it doesn't really matter because it all ends up in your belly! it takes a little while to cool completely, and then you want to refrigerate it for at least 3 hours before serving. 

contrary to what his face looks like in this picture, he was actually quite excited for his cake. so excited, in fact, that he couldn't keep his hand steady so i could take a picture without blur! bahahaha. i'm glad you like it Adam, happy 18th birthday!

cake 9: sunshine cake

this is Ryan's Sunshine Cake! it was super delicious, but the angel food cake collapsed on me. the point is, it still tasted good. first, lets get to the ingredients:

- 9 egg yolks

- 7 egg whites

- 1 1/2 cups of sugar

- 1 2/3 cups of flour

- 3 tablespoons of grated orange rind

- 1/4 cup of orange juice

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 2 cups of chopped strawberries

- 1 1/2 cups of raspberries

- 1/2 cup of mango

if you have ever wondered what nine egg shells look like when piled on top of each other, well, there you have it. pretty awesome. first, prep your pan with shortening and flour. in a large bowl, beat together all nine of the egg yolks, half of the sugar, the flour, orange rind and orange juice until it's well blended. 

in another bowl and using clean beaters, beat the eggs whites with the salt until soft peaks form. add the remaining sugar, about two tablespoons at a time, until stiff peaks start to form. 

with a spatula, gently fold in one-third of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. fold in the remaining whites, until no streaks are left. scrape it into your pan and smooth the top. bake it in a 350℉ oven until the top springs back when you touch it lightly, which is about fifty minutes. i will tell you why my cake probably collapsed. firstly, if you see that your cake is getting brown on top well before it's supposed to be done, use tinfoil to make a tent on top to prevent it getting any darker and then continue baking it until it's done. what happened was, while i was checking it, i kind of pushed it back into the oven forcefully, and i think it was just too much movement for an uncooked cake, so it folded on itself, and hence, it was not as tall as it was supposed to be. here is a picture of what it looks like without anything on it.

so as you can see, that's sort of a disaster! like i said before, it still tasted great. now you have to let it cool for three hours. 

the next step is the citrus (lemon) curd. here is what you need:

- 2 eggs

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1/2 cup of orange juice

- 1/2 cup of lemon juice

- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

- 1/4 cup of butter

this is where i made a mistake! you have to mix all these ingredients in the pan (save the butter) and then bring it to a boil. DON'T TURN ON THE BURNER BEFORE YOU DO THIS! i wasn't thinking and cracked an egg into a hot pan and it cooked the egg instantly. it was one of those moments where i cracked the egg and was opening the shell over the pan, and it was slow motion and i wanted to stop myself, but i couldn't! so, put all your ingredients in the pan, whisk them together, and then turn on your burner and bring it to a boil. let it boil for exactly one minute, constantly whisking. remove it from the heart, whisk in the butter until it's all melted, and then strain it through a fine sieve. this part is crucial, because there will be small pieces of egg in there which you don't want in your curd. once you do this, your curd will look clean and perfect!

put some plastic wrap on it right away and put it in the fridge to cool for at least two hours, but at most, two days. 

your fruit should have been chopped up by now, but if it isn't, GO! a quick tip for all you folks out there: mangoes are impossible to cut! it is the worst job ever. i swear that i will never do it again, it is so not worth it. next time, canned stuff. when everything is ready, spread some of the curd on top of your cake, and then top it with your fruit! 

and there you have it! a delicious Sunshine Cake! hopefully someone reading has learned from my many mistakes with this one. next up is my dad!!!! can't wait! 

CAKE 8: chocolate peanut butter cake

my dad asked if it came with a defibrillator.....

this is Scotts amazing chocolate peanut butter cake, as seen on Smitten Kitchen. i can't even explain how rich this was! in her blog, Smitten Kitchen's author explains that she was not sure how peanut butter and cream cheese would go together. well she was right when she said GOOD! 

this cake called for something i had never seen before in a batter: vinegar. i know you're thinking it; what!? yeah, i said the same thing to myself, but faithfully followed the recipe. the cake tasted nothing of vinegar. i assume it reacted with the baking soda in the dry ingredients and helped leaven the cake. 

it was an odd cake altogether, albeit delicious. it called for lots of water in the batter, another ingredient you don't see often in cakes. here are the elements you need to put this together!

- 2 cups of all-purpose flour

- 2 1/2 cups of sugar

- 3/4 of a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

- 2 teaspoons of baking soda

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 1 cup of vegetable oil (i used canola)

- 1 cup of sour cream

- 1 1/2 cups of water

- 2 tablespoons of white vinegar

- 2 eggs

sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, and whisk them together. then add the oil and sour cream and keep whisking. at this point, it will be very thick and hard to cut through, but just keep going, it doesn't have to be perfect. 

gradually beat in the water. this is when the batter becomes more manageable. now add the vinegar. 

the next step is to add the eggs. again, whisk them in well until everything is completely blended. divide the batter between three prepared cake pans (preferably 8 inch). 

and now for the insanely amazing frosting! it makes about five cups, so unless you load it on, expect to have a little left over. you will need:

- 10 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature (thats about one standard 250g brick)

- 4 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature

- 5 cups of confectioners sugar

- 2/3 of a cup of smooth peanut butter

with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. gradually add the confectioners sugar, about one cup at a time, mixing completely after each addition, and scrapping the sides of the bowl. continue to beat it on a medium speed until it's light and fluffy. this could take a few minutes. after you've done that, add the peanut butter and blend it once more until it's all incorporated. 

this is where the fun begins. you have to put it together. be generous with your icing. i probably could have added more between the layers, so i did have about 3/4 of a cup extra of the peanut butter icing. my plan is to make some cupcakes for Chris to use it up. why will he need cupcakes you ask? (actually, you probably didn't ask that). well, his brother Ryan is celebrating his birthday on the 29th of june and the cake that i plan on making him will be enjoyed by all BUT Chris. you see, he doesn't like those things with seeds in them....you know......what's the word. oh right! FRUIT! 

in any case, this cake will probably go down in history. everyone loved it! my dad was somewhat upset that he didn't get to taste it, so maybe i'll give him some of the cupcakes. as always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to post them here! i will reply in a speedy manner! 

i'm glad you enjoyed your cake, Scott! 

CAKE 7: zucchini cake with lime & pistachio syrup

this was not the first cake i wanted to make, but once i reviewed my original recipe, i realized it would have emptied my wallet and consumed all my time and i didn't have that much on hand, so i settled for this deliciously moist cake!

the zucchini really made it perfect. it's a dairy free cake, and the zucchini lent all it's water to make this cake moist! it doesn't take much to make this cake:

- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil (generous)
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 6 cardamom pods, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1 large zucchini, grated
- 1/2 cup of chopped pistachios
- 1 1/3 cups of self-rising flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

what was upsetting was that i wasn't able to find good cardamom pods. it's definitely a great spice to have, because it's very citrusy in flavour and paired well with the lime. so instead of using pods and crushing the seeds inside, i simply bought ground cardamom.

i also couldn't find any self-rising flour, but found a quick fix for this after some online research. for each cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and a half teaspoon of salt.

for this, i greased a cake pan and then floured it so the cake wouldn't stick.

beat together your eggs, oil, sugar, cardamom and ginger. fold in your grated zucchini and the copped pistachios!

sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the bowl, and fold it in. put the batter into your pan and smooth the top with the back of your spoon. bake it at 350℉ for 35 minutes until it has risen and a toothpick comes out clean.

to make the syrup, you need two limes, a 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup of chopped pistachios. zest the limes so you can add that to the syrup, and roll the limes between your palm and a table to soften them up to make them easier to squeeze. chop the limes in half and squeeze them right into the pot on a stove on a medium temperature. add your sugar and zest and let it heat up until all the sugar has dissolved.

once it has dissolved, turn it to a high heat and let it boil for one minute. remove it from the heat, stir in the rest of the chopped pistachios and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes so it can thicken. pour the syrup over the cake and let it stand for at least 30 minutes before serving.

and that's it! i was told that this cake was "life changing" by two people on my birthday, so that was nice to hear! i wasn't overly fond of how prominent the lime taste was, but that's just my preference. i think Meddy has a picture of my with my cake floating around somewhere, so when i get it, i'll add that too!

up next is Scott! i don't have any ideas for him yet, but i'm sure i'll talk to him about it soon!

CAKE 6: apple torte

a little dry, but still great!

if chris had brought ice cream like he said he would, and if i had thought to bring some caramel sauce, this would have been the perfect dessert. unfortunately, those were both lacking, so it was an OK dessert.

i actually made it look half decent, and i was happy with how it tasted!
i'm posting this late at night and i don't have my recipe book with me, so i can't write down the measurements but i will definitely get that done tomorrow (or as soon as i can!).

the important parts are that it was mostly made of ground almonds, so this is good for people who need to avoid the gluten parts of life. it does call for 2/3 of a cup of all-purpose flour later on in the recipe but you could easily replace that with a little more ground almond. cinnamon was also a nice addition to the torte!

here are pictures to entertain your eyes!

now that i have time to post the recipe, you will need:
1 1/2 sticks of butter
3/4 of a cup of sugar (the recipe calls for superfine, but it's not necessary)
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups of ground almonds
2/3 of a cup of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
3/4 of a pound of fresh apples, peeled and sliced (i used about 2 medium sized ones)

and that's it!

my recipe book says to use a 9 inch spring form pan, but i decided to use more of a torte shaped pan i saw in the cupboard, as you can see from the photo above. beat together the butter and the sugar until it's smooth and then beat in the eggs. stir in the ground almonds. combine the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. sift this over the egg mixture and fold it in.

spoon it into the pan you're using and spread it out evenly. arrange the apples on top. but wait! this is where i probably went wrong. while it looked really neat when it was done, because of the pan i used, i probably should have arranged the apples on the bottom, and then covered it with the batter. i think it would work either way, but next time i would like to try it with the apples (or other fruit) in the bottom.

bake it for 45 minutes until it's golden, then cover it with foil and make a tent, and bake it for another 20 minutes. it will rise quite a bit. if you look at the unbaked picture i have above, you will notice the batter only goes about half way up the side of the pan. once it was done, it was slightly over the top of the edge.

you can serve it warm or cold, with ice cream, dusted with confectioners' sugar, or even crème fraîche!

and here is the birthday boy with his cake! i hope you enjoyed it Matt!!!!

CAKE 5: marble swirl pound cake

tell me, what is better than sliced strawberries and whipped cream? how about sliced strawberries and whipped cream on top of a marble pound cake!?

this one was wonderful! it was a nice, dense, moist vanilla and chocolate-y pound cake! the swirl didn't turn out exactly as i was hoping, but i figured it wouldn't because it was my first time doing a swirl and i have ideas for next time. 

this is what you need:

- 2 cups of white sugar

- 1 cup of butter

- 3 cups of all-purpose flour

- 1 cup of milk

- 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

- 1/4 tsp of salt

- 4 eggs

- 1/4 cup of cocoa powder

using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. beat the eggs in, one at a time, trying not to over mix. sift your flour, and add in the baking powder and salt. 

alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk to the butter/sugar mixture, ending with the milk. i did three parts each. the next step is to split the batter in half, so grab your ladle and another bowl (maybe even the one you used for the dry ingredients) and put half of the mixture in the second bowl and add the cocoa. it is imperative that you sift the cocoa!

after that, prepare your bundt pan with butter and flour. i'm going to tell you what i did this time to get the swirl. i spooned the batter into the bottom, alternating with the chocolate and vanilla. once i got the first layer down, i did the same for the second, except on top of a chocolate spoonful i put a vanilla one, and vice versa. i think i got about four layers from all the batter and then i ran a knife through it, twirling it as i went around. i didn't do it too much because i didn't want to mix the two batters together too much.  what i would do next time is instead of using a knife to run through it, i would grab a wide whisk and put it in straight and bring it up quickly, then move to the next spot. if anyone has any tips on how to marble properly, please leave them in the comments!

bake it at 350℉ for one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean! cool it on a rack for about ten minutes, and then take it out of the pan and let it cool completely. 

i totally forgot to take a picture of my sister devouring this, so since you don't get to see that, i will tell you that she LOADED on the whipped cream. what a glutton! haha

on a side note, i have no birthdays in april! any baking requests?

CAKE 4: toblerone-topped caramel cheesecake

i'm a little late updating. i'm going to blame it on work and that i am currently indulging in gourmet hot chocolate. miam miam!

i'm very thankful that this cheesecake actually turned out. it's a lot simpler recipe than the Guinness one, and i knew deep down that it would work but i was still freaking out!

this was a very basic cheesecake recipe, calling for all the ingredients you might think. here is the recipe:

- 1-1/4 cups of chocolate cookie crumbs

- 1/4 cup of melted butter

- 3 packages of cream cheese (250g each)

- 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar

- 3 eggs

- caramel topping

- 100g of coarsely chopped Toblerone bar (i used more though!) 

the only difference i noticed with this cheesecake is that it called for brown sugar instead of granulated sugar. i think it was a nice change. it amped up the caramel taste! 

melt the butter and mix it with the cookie crumbs and press it into a 9 inch springform pan. 

beat together the cream cheese and brown sugar until it's well blended. then add one egg at a time, but only beating until it's all mixed together. you don't want to over do it. i read somewhere (and obviously i can't find it now) that over mixing the eggs doesn't allow them to do.....something. and that's why your cheesecake fails. if only i could remember what it was!!! so don't over mix! 

cook it in a 350℉ oven for 40-45 minutes. out of habit, i always check mine every ten minutes anyway. take it out, and let it cool. run a knife around the edge to loosen it from your pan and once it's ready, take off the springform part. let it cool completely, and then top it with the caramel and Toblerone! put it in the fridge afterward so that it'll stay firm. 

when i make cheesecakes, i always use full fat cream cheese. i don't recommend one brand over the other, as i've always had good results with many varieties. this time i used Philadelphia, because it was on sale! this cake is extremely rich, but soooo good. take it in small portions with a tall glass of milk! 

remember when i said to have it in small portions? Chris didn't listen!