Cakes | The Mindfulness Kitchen

Nutella Buche de Noel

By Emma Hawkins | December 13, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

Christmas is probably one of the most traditional times of the year, and every family has their own way of doing it – especially when it comes to the food. For me, I can’t remember a year we didn’t have one of my Granny’s chocolate logs on the table on boxing day. Whilst she always claims not to be a cook, she whizzes round the kitchen and whips this up, and there’s something about the layers of chocolate cake, filling and icing which always has me excited.

This one could be called a blinged up version of the one I have at my Granny’s. I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like nutella, and so when you have a chocolate sponge, filled with nutella, hazelnuts, cream and raspberries and then coated in a rich ganache, you can’t really lose. This works really well as a dessert for Christmas day, or even as a cake to take along to a Christmas party, as it’s easily transportable and can be cut to serve as many people as needed. Also, the cake is really thin it’s really quick to make and to cool, and therefore doesn’t take too long to make, which is just what you need at Christmas.

Recipe

Serves 8

Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cake

150g Caster sugar
6 Large eggs
250g Dark chocolate
Icing sugar for dusting

For the filling

200g Nutella
350ml Double cream
80g Icing sugar
150g Rapberries, halved – plus extra for decoration
100g Chopped roasted hazelnuts

For the ganache

250g Dark chocolate, finely chopped
250ml Double cream

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C. Grease and line a 23 x 33cm Swiss roll tin with butter and baking paper.
Put the chocolate and 4 tbsp water into a heat-proof bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water.
Meanwhile whisk the egg whites in a really clean bowl with an electric whisk until they make stiff peaks.
Put the sugar and egg yolks into another bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until pale, fluffy and thick enough to leave a trail.
Fold the egg yolk mix into the chocolate mix. Then fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until fully combined.
Pour the mixture into the lined tin and bake for 10-15 minutes until risen, bouncy and cooked through. Dust a sheet of baking paper with icing sugar and then, whilst warm, turn the cake out onto it. Make a cut about 1 cm from the edge of the short end, making sure not to cut all the way through. Roll the sponge up, with the baking paper inside, into a tight roll and leave to cool rolled up.
When cool unroll the sponge and spread with the Nutella. Lightly whisk the cream and icing sugar together until it just starts to hold its shape. Smooth this over the sponge in an even layer. Then sprinkle the halved raspberries and hazelnuts over the cream.
Roll the cake up, this time without the paper inside, making a tight roll. Transfer the cake onto a plate.
Now make the ganache icing. Put the cream into a pan and bring just up to the boil. Put the chopped chocolate into a bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Stir until the chocolate is melted and everything’s combined.
Leave the ganache in the fridge to set slightly. When it starts to hold it’s shape you can start to ice the roll. Using a palette knife smooth the ganache over the cake and the ends of the roll. Leave to set.
Finish with extra raspberries and hazelnuts and dust with icing sugar. Serve!

Thanks for reading! Any comments, queries or requests don’t hesitate to ask…

Emma x

Kladdkaka (Sticky Chocolate Cake)

By Emma Hawkins | December 6, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

This is a Swedish cake which, from what I’ve read, is probably the most popular cake in the country. It looks like a normal chocolate cake, but somehow it turns out really gooey and light – almost like a softer, but just as sticky version of a brownie. I’m not sure how it works out like this, but it does. It’s also insanely easy and quick to make. Just put all the ingredients together, whop it in a tin, bake and boom!

This cake is in cafes all over Sweden, but as it’s pretty plain in appearance and as it’s deliberately underbaked it can make it come out pretty fragile, so I’d recommend serving it as a dessert, rather than as an afternoon tea cake. When I first made this I hadn’t planned to make it, I’d just had the recipe for a while, realised I had all the ingredients and decided to give it a go. As it’s so quick to make, and doesn’t require any unusual ingredients you could make this as a last minute dessert to finish a dinner party – and it’ll probably be quicker to make than a trip to the shops to buy a dessert (it’s really that quick). I’ve found that it tastes best when it’s warm from the oven and served with vanilla icecream.

Recipe

Serves 8

Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

100g Unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
2 Medium eggs
210g Light brown sugar
1 tsp Vanilla bean paste
150g Plain flour
3 tbsp Cocoa powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease and line a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin with butter and baking paper.
Put the butter into a small pan and melt gently. Leave to one side to cool.
Put the eggs, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and whisk with electric beaters until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
Sift the flour and cocoa into the mix and fold together with a large spatula or metal spoon. Pour in the butter and then fold together until smooth.
Pour the mixture into the lined tin and bake for about 15 minutes. It’s ready to come out when a light crust has formed on the top, and there it’s still slightly undercooked in the middle (you want it to be underbaked so take it out about 5 minutes before you would a normal cake).
If eating later, leave the cake to cool in the tin and then turn out onto a plate. If eating immediately, turn out and serve with berries and icecream!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x

The Almighty Sticky-Apple-Ginger-Praline Cake

By Emma Hawkins | November 5, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

This is the third cake in our trio of big cakes – and I think I’ve saved the best till last! This kinda snowballed until it became what we see here, which is why I’ve named it ‘the almighty…’ – as it’s jam packed with flavours and textures. As always it began as just a simple ginger cake. Then I thought why not add apples and dates to make it extra sticky and moist. Sticky cakes work really well with crunchy pecan praline, so that got added in, and then some sparklers were clearly needed to put the cherry on the top.

That said, I did have bonfire night in mind, and I wanted to make a cake which encompassed all flavours of the occasion. From warming ginger to caramel apples, this cake is everything you could want for a cold autumnal evening. If you don’t have a crowd to feed, and trust me this cake will feed a crowd, you can use 2/3 of the cake mix and do a two layer version which will work just as well. Similarly, if you want a cake that’s easy to transport and share you can use 2/3 of the mix and do a large tray-bake, or even make cupcakes, so that you can distribute it easily.

Recipe

Serves 14

Time: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients

For the sticky apple and ginger cake

500g Chopped dates
500ml Water
6 Large eggs
300g Light brown sugar
75 Dark brown sugar
50g Golden syrup
3 tsp Vanilla extract
300g Butter, melted
4 Medium cooking apples, peeled and cored (about 600g)
525g Self raising flour
5 1/2 tsp Ground ginger
3 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
Pinch of salt

For the icing

140g butter
400g cream cheese
1kg icing sugar

For the pecan praline

100g Sugar
75g Pecans

To decorate

1 Granny Smith apple
100g Caster sugar
1 Can of Carnations Caramel (about 375g)
Sparklers (optional)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C. Then line three 7.5inch tins with butter and baking paper.
Put the chopped dates and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes and then take off the heat and set aside.
With an electric whisk, whisk the eggs, sugars, syrup and vanilla together until pale and fluffy. Then, whilst whisking, slowly pour in the melted butter.
Using a large spatula, fold the date mixture into the egg mixture. Then grate the peeled and cored apple into the main bowl and fold this in.
Sift the flour, ginger, bicarb and salt into the wet ingredients and fold with a large spatula until fully combined.
Pour the mixture into the three lined tins and bake for 35-45 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cakes.
Turn the cakes out onto cooling racks and leave to cool completely.
Now make the cream-cheese frosting. Put the butter into a large bowl and beat until smooth and soft. Add the cream cheese and half the icing sugar an beat again until smooth. Add the rest of the icing sugar and beat again until smooth. Leave in the fridge until needed.
To make the pecan praline put the sugar into a saucepan with 60ml of water. Put the pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil, without stirring, and leave until a golden brown colour has developed.
Put the pecans onto a baking sheet, pour the caramel over them and then leave to cool completely.
Once cooled, break the praline up, either with a rolling pin or by hand. Then put it into a food processor and blitz into a coarse crumb.
Now start to build the cake. Put a dollop of the icing onto the board you’ll present the cake on, and put the base sponge onto this blob – this will stop the cake moving around. Spoon some of the icing onto the cake and spread over, making the side slightly more raised than the centre. Sprinkle ½ of the praline into the centre of the cake, and then put the second sponge on top. Repeat the icing and then praline on this second cake, and then top with the final cake.
Using a palette knife, spread the frosting over the cake, trying to make as smooth a surface as possible – this is called the ‘crumb-coat’. I find putting a big blob on the top of the cake and then working it over and round the sides a good way of getting the icing on. Keep enough of the icing to do another coat and to pipe rosettes on top (about 1/3 – 1/2 of the original amount). Put the cake in the fridge until the icing has set slightly.
Meanwhile make the apple decorations. Quarter the apple and core it. Then slice each quarter into 3 to make 12 apple segments. In a pan put the sugar and 50ml of water, like you did above for the praline. Bring to the boil and heat until a golden caramel forms. Add the apple segments and shake in the pan to coat fully (don’t stir as this may crystallise your caramel). Turn the apples out onto a greaseproof sheet, and leave to cool completely – if you can separate them before they cool this will make it easier later!
Take the cake out of the fridge and make a second coat of icing, making sure it’s really smooth as this will be on show. Heating a palette knife slighting under hot water or with a blow torch can be a good way to get a smooth finish. Leave in the fridge to set.
Pour the caramel into a bowl and heat in a microwave or pan until just starting to loosen. Stir to make an even consistency, and then pour into a jug or pipping bottle – anything that’s easy to operate and will give you control when pouring.
Pipe the caramel around the edge of the cake so that it just drips over the edge. You want the drips to be slightly uneven, so you can vary how much is squeezed over the edge in various places. Fill the middle of the cake with the rest of the caramel and then leave in the fridge for 15 minutes to set.
Take the pipping bag with the frosting and pipe rosettes around the edge of the cake. Sprinkle the rest of the praline into the centre and then top with the caramelised apples. Finish with some sparklers to bring some extra bonfire magic!

Thanks for reading and happy bonfire night!

Emma x

Chocolate Orange Celebration Cake

By Emma Hawkins | October 29, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

Time for another flamboyant cake! I’m always excited by the prospect of making something big and elaborate, and this one was no exception. Today is my sister’s 21^st birthday, and so it followed that a super kick-ass cake was needed for the occasion. This one looks pretty fancy, but it’s actually not too complicated, so it’s a good one to try if you want to turn your hand to big cakes for the first time.

When looking for a flavour combo to go for this was the first that came to mind. It’s my sister’s favourite, and a total classic, so it’s hard to get wrong. We have two chocolate sponges, one orange sponge, lots of chocolate orange buttercream and some Terry’s chocolate orange segments to top it all off. If you know anyone who loves chocolate oranges, you need to make this for them!

Recipe

Serves 10

Time: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake

170g Unsalted butter
100g Dark chocolate
240g Plain flour
280g Caster sugar
3 tbsp Cocoa powder
1 tsp Bicarb
2 Large eggs
142ml Greek yoghurt
142ml Milk

For the orange cake

175g Butter
175g Golden caster sugar
175g Self-raising flour
3 Large eggs
1 Orange, zested and juiced
1/2 Tube orange food colouring (optional)

For the chocolate orange icing

300g Unsalted butter
675g Icing sugar
1 tsp orange extract
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 Tube orange food colouring
150g Dark chocolate, melted and cooled

For the decoration

1 Terry’s chocolate orange

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180˚C. Grease and line three 7.5inch cake tins.
First make the chocolate cake. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water.
In a bowl mix the flour, sugar, bicarb and cocoa together.
Whisk together the egg and yoghurt. Add this mixture, and the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture, along with 100ml boiling water. Whisk quickly until combine and then pour into two of the lined tins.
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean once inserted. Leave the cakes to cool for 15 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks and leaving to cool.
Now make the orange cake. Put the butter, sugar, flour, and eggs into a bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon or whisk until smooth and fully combined. Add the orange zest, juice and colouring, and mix again until it’s all combined.
Spoon the mixture into the lined tin and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Check if it’s cooked through by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean it’s ready. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Whilst the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream icing. Beat the butter, 600g of the icing sugar, orange extract and orange zest until smooth. Spoon 280g into a bowl, mix in the orange food coloring and the other 75g of icing sugar, and then set to one side.
In the main bowl add the melted dark chocolate and mix with a spatula until fully combined. Spoon both icings into separate piping bags, fitted with round nozzles.
Now you can assemble the cake. Pipe a small blob of the chocolate icing onto the board or plate you’ll present the cake on – this will stop the cake from sliding around. Put one of the cooled chocolate cakes onto your board. Pipe blobs of chocolate icing onto the cake and then top with the orange sponge. Repeat the piping of blobs on the orange sponge, and then top with the chocolate sponge. Pipe alternate blobs of chocolate and orange icing over the top of the cake and then finish with segments of Terry’s chocolate orange.

Thanks so much for reading! This is the second in a trio of big cakes, so look out for the final one coming out in a week’s time. Meanwhile, the next post is going to be bonfire night themed, so get your sparklers at the ready!

Emma x

Pecan Praline Brownies

By Emma Hawkins | October 11, 2017 | Comments 1 comment

Finding the time to write a new post this week was a balancing act. I’ve just started a new job, my course requirements are growing, and drama rehearsals are kicking off, and yet I think this just shows how easy and quick these are to knock up. When looking for an old favourite to fall back on these were definitely the ones to go for. These are the things I make most often, and almost everyone who knows me will have, at some point, been offered one. They’re simple, satisfying, and great for sharing – so if you’re a uni fresher, or just starting somewhere new, these are perfect for making friends. I also use the base mix (without the praline topping) as my chocolate cupcake mix, as they produce chewy, indulgent cakes, with a lot more chocolate flavour than most other chocolate cake mixes. So if you prefer your cakes cupcake-style you can use this recipe for that as well.

The original recipe for this came from the back of a Hersey’s Cocoa Powder pot from when my parents lived in America. Since then it’s been memorised, prodded, and tweaked by my family until we’ve got to the one we see here. Slightly unusually I use oil instead of butter – but don’t let this put you off. In the original recipe it said take a cup of butter and melt it, so I just cut out the middle man and went straight to a liquid fat source. Somehow it works really well to make the brownies moist, and technically it’s healthier as it’s got a lot less saturated fat in it than butter (not that anyone eating these will be THAT calorie conscious, but every little helps). I’ve also slowed down the cooking time to make the finished texture gooey and delicious, which also has the benefit that it’s harder to overcook them.

I usually make my brownies plain, without the praline top, but if you want to make them extra special you can go the extra mile and finish them with this crunchy nutty topping like I do here. The crunchy, nutty, sugar hit on the top just takes the whole thing one step further and makes them truly decadent.

Recipe

Makes 20 squares

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

420ml Vegetable oil
640g Light brown sugar
2 tsp Vanilla extract
8 Medium eggs
160g Cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate, as it has added sugar and less cocoa, and so has much less flavour)
260g Plain flour
75g White chocolate, chopped
75g Milk chocolate, chopped

Topping:

75g Butter
150g Caster sugar
225g Pecans, chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 170˚C. Line a large rectangular tin (mine was 30×25 cm ) with butter and baking paper.
In a large bowl whisk together the oil, sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs and whisk until fully combined. Add the cocoa and whisk again (go slowly here as the cocoa will go everywhere if whisked too fast). Add the flour and the chopped chocolates and whisk until fully mixed.
Pour the mixture into the lined tin and smooth out with a spatula.
Now make the praline topping. In a pan melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Then bring the sugar mix to the boil, before adding the nuts. Stir to coat the nuts and then leave to boil until caramelized (around 3 minutes).
Spoon the pecan mix over the brownies, making sure they’re evenly distributed over the whole tray, and bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes. Be careful not to over bake here, as you want brownies to be slightly gooey in the middle. If you’re used to baking cakes I’d say take them out 5 minutes before you’d think it’d be ready if you were making a cake.
Cut into 20 squares and serve. (They’re really good with raspberries and double cream!).

Thanks so much for reading! Check out my social media pages (links on the side bar), and like/follow to stay updated.

Emma x