Packham Pear Cake with Butterscotch Sauce - Cheffing Around recipe of the month

Packham Pear Cake with Butterscotch Sauce

Our cake recipe this month is very unusual as it rare that a cake has a cup of vegetable oil in the recipe.

Fantastic with the hot butterscotch sauce as well as good quality ice-cream and cream. Best eaten on day of baking and will keep for 3-4 days in an air tight container!

Enjoy!

Ingredients – Cake

  • 3 PACKHAM PEARS, (PEELED, CORED AND CUT INTO 2 CM PIECES)
  • 250 ML OF GOOD QUALITY VEGETABLE OIL
  • 2 EGGS
  • 350GM OF CASTOR SUGAR
  • 1 TEASPOON OF VANILLA ESSENCE
  • 1 TEASPOON OF BICARBONATE OF SODA
  • 2 TEASPOONS OF CINNAMON
  • PINCH OF NUTMEG
  • PINCH OF SALT
  • 300GM OF PLAIN FLOUR

Method – Cake

  1. PREPARE A 26CM SPRING-FORM CAKE TIN BUT BUTTERING AND LINING WITH BAKING PAPER.PREHEAT OVEN TO 180C.
  2. BEAT EGGS AND OIL TILL LIGHT AND FLUFFY, ADD SUGAR, VANILLA, SODA AND 1 TABLESPOON OF WATER AND CONTINUE BEATING UNTIL PALE.
  3. SIFT TOGETHER FLOUR, CINNAMON, NUTMEG AND SALT AND THEN ADD TO EGG MIXTURE.BEAT UNTIL SMOOTH.
  4. GENTLY FOLD IN PEAR AND POUR INTO YOUR CAKE TIN.
  5. BAKE AT 180C FOR ABOUT 75 MINUTES OR UNTIL YOUR TEST SKEWER COMES OUT CLEAN.
  6. ALLOW CAKE TO COOL IN CAKE TIN BEFORE TURNING OUT.

Ingredients – Butterscotch

  • 500GMS OF SUGAR
  • 200ML OF WATER
  • 200ML OF THICKENED CREAM
  • 2 TEASPOONS OF PORT (OPTIONAL)

Method – Butterscotch

  1. COMBINE THE SUGAR AND WATER IN A SAUCEPAN AND STIR GENTLY UNTIL SUGAR DISSOLVES, AND THEN BRING TO THE BOIL AND WITHOUT STIRRING ALLOW IT TO CARAMELIZE.
  2. PUT POT IN SINK AND ADD CREAM AND PORT VERY CAREFULLY AND THIS MIXTURE IS EXTREMELY HOT.

Chocolate Expresso Cake

Whats a cake blog with out the moistest chocolate cake recipe that i have EVER found! This cake will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Delicious with double cream and a good quality ice-cream or make a nice hot chocolate sauce to pour over before serving for that knockout effect!

Enjoy!!

Ingredients – Cake

  • 3 EGGS (SEPARATED)
  • 125GM OF CHOPPED DARK CHOCOLATE
  • 1 CUP OF STRONG ESPRESSO COFFEE
  • 30GM OF GOOD QUALITY COCOA POWDER
  • 20ML OF GRAND MARNIER OR COINTREAU
  • 200GM OF UNSALTED BUTTER
  • 330GM OF CASTOR SUGAR
  • 375GM OF PLAIN FLOUR
  • 1.5 TEASPOONS OF BICARBONATE OF SODA
  • 1/2 CUP OF LIGHT SOUR CREAM

Method – Cake

  1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 180C AND BUTTER AND LINE A 26CM SPRING-FORM CAKE TIN
  2. COMBINE CHOCOLATE, COFFEE , GRAND MARNIER AND COCOA IN A HEATPROOF BOWL OVER SIMMERING WATER, STIRRING OCCASIONALLY UNTIL ALL THE CHOCOLATE MELTS AND MIXTURE IS COMPLETELY SMOOTH.COOL A LITTLE
  3. CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR UNTIL LIGHT AND FLUFFY, ADD EGG YOLKS ONE AT A TIME, BEATING WELL BETWEEN ADDITIONS AND THEN STIR IN THE COOLED CHOCOLATE MIXTURE AND BEAT WELL.
  4. FOLD IN COMBINED FLOUR AND BICARBONATE OF SODA ALTERNATELY WITH SOUR CREAM.DO THIS IN 2 BATCHES
  5. BEAT EGG WHITES UNTIL FIRM PEAKS FORM AND GENTLY FOLD INTO CAKE MIXTURE.
  6. POUR MIXTURE INTO BUTTERED AND LINED CAKE TIN AND BAKE AT 180C FOR APPROXIMATELY 40- 50 MINUTES.TEST WITH A SKEWER AND ALLOW TO COOL SLIGHTLY FOR 10 MINUTES IN TIN BEFORE TURNING OUT.TURN OUT AND ALLOW TO COOL TO ROOM TEMPERATURE

Ingredients – Chocolate Ganache Icing

  • 120 GM OF CHOPPED DARK CHOCOLATE
  • 1 TABLESPOON OF STRONG ESPRESSO COFFEE
  • 160ML OF THICKENED CREAM

Method – Chocolate Ganache Icing

  1. COMBINE ALL OF THE GANACHE INGREDIENTS INTO A HEATPROOF BOWL OVER SIMMERING WATER, STIRRING UNTIL THE CHOCOLATE MIXTURE IS MELTED AND THE MIXTURE IS SMOOTH.
  2. TRANSFER THIS MIXTURE TO A COOL BOWL AND WHISK UNTIL IT IS OF A SPREADABLE CONSISTENCY.
  3. ALLOW THIS TO COOL SLIGHTLY BEFORE SPREADING OR POURING OVER CAKE.
Orange, Almond and Yoghurt Cake with Coconut icing - Cheffing Around

Orange, Almond and Yoghurt Cake with Coconut Icing

Why cake recipes? Because the best cake recipes which work every time are very hard to source, as usually the are family secrets/heirlooms!

This is a delicious cake that freezes extremely well, serve with a good dollop of double cream and a light dust of icing sugar.

Of course this cake is best eaten of day of baking and will keep in an airtight container for 3- 4 days.

Orange, Almond and Yoghurt Cake with Coconut icing - Cheffing Around

Cheffing Around`s Recipe of the Month for July 2014 is the Orange, Almond and Yoghurt Cake with Coconut icing

Ingredients – cake

  • 250GMS OF BUTTER
  • 3 SMALL EGGS
  • 300GM OF CASTOR SUGAR
  • 300GM OF SELF RAISING FLOUR
  • 200GM OF YOGHURT
  • 3 SMALL ORANGES (PEELED AND FINELY CHOPPED)
  • 150GM OF CHOPPED ALMONDS

Ingredients – Icing

  • 125GM OF DESICCATED COCONUT
  • 125GM OF MELTED BUTTER
  • 150GM OF BROWN SUGAR
  • 1/2 TEASPOON OF VANILLA ESSENCE
  • 1 TABLESPOON OF CREAM

Method

  1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 180C
  2. BUTTER AND LINE A 28CM SPRING-FORM CAKE TIN CAKE TIN
  3. CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR.
  4. ADD EGGS AND BEAT WELL UNTIL LIGHT AND FLUFFY
  5. FOLD IN THE REST OF THE INGREDIENTS AND THEN SPOON INTO CAKE TIN.SMOOTH THE TOP OF THE MIXTURE.
  6. BAKE AT 180C FOR APPROXIMATELY 50-60 MINUTES, TILL SKEWER COMES OUT CLEAN
  7. ALLOW TO COOL IN CAKE TIN BEFORE REMOVING TO CAKE PLATE.
  8. TO MAKE THE ICING, MIX ALL THE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER, SPREAD OVER THE TOP OF YOUR COLD CAKE AND GRILL ON A LOW SETTING UNTIL THE ICING HAS GONE LIGHT BROWN IN COLOR.

Upside down Quince and Ricotta Cake

There is a late season run of Quinces at the moment and this cake is an amazing way to showcase their wonderful flavors, texture and color.
This cake can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days and best eaten warm with double cream and a drizzle of fresh quince syrup..Enjoy!!

quincecake

Ingredients – Pouching Quince

  • 4 Quinces (aprox 1.5 kg)
  • 5 pieces of Orange peel
  • 6 cups water
  • 650 gram Castor sugar
  • 2 Cinnamon sticks

Method – Pouching Quince

  1. Rub ,wash and core the quinces.
  2. Dissolve the sugar over low heat and then add all the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Simmer slowly for approximately 2-3 hours, or until the quinces change to a crimson red color.
  4. Carefully drain the quinces and preserve all of the poaching syrup into a container altogether in an sealed container.

Ingredients – cake

  • 3 eggs
  • 170 grams Castor Sugar
  • 1/2 cup of Ricotta
  • 230 grams Self Raising Flour
  • 175 grams Melted Butter
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Vanilla Essence

Method – cake

  1. Simmer about 3/4 cup of the poached quince syrup, until it is reduced to about 1/2 cup.Preheat oven to 160C.
  2. Using a mixer, beat eggs and sugar for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is thick.Add vanilla essence.
  3. Pour the melted butter in next and then folds in the sifted flour alternately with the ricotta.
  4. Using a 22cm cake tin, well buttered and with the bottom-lined, place the poached quince in concentric circles.
  5. Drizzle over the 1/2 cup of reduced quince syrup.
  6. Using a spoon, spread the batter over the carefully placed quince and bake at 160C and bake for about 1 hour.Test with a skewer.
  7. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving onto a serving plate and serve slightly warm with double thick cream and a drizzle of the spare quince sugar syrup.

Danish Failla

This recipe is really a chocolate lava cake but this is the traditional recipe from which is sprung from.You can serve them in a small concotte or souffle dish from frozen or make in muffin tins for bulk lava cakes for a kids birthday party or function dessert.
Delicious with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Enjoy!!

Ingredients – Ganache

  • 125 gram Cream
  • 175 gram Chocolate
  • 2 drops of Orange Essence

Method – Ganache

Melt together, cool completely and roll into small balls (25 gms) or coins (15gms) depending on product choice.

Ingredients – Cake Mixture

  • 250 gram Chocolate
  • 125 gram Chopped Butter
  • 6 Egg Yokes
  • 6 Egg Whites
  • 50 gram Icing sugar
  • 50 grams Ground Almonds
  • 100 grams plain flour

Chocolate Heaven Cake

Probably the lightest and moistest chocolate cake recipe ever! Delicious served with a double thick cream and light dust of icing sugar. Great recipe for the whole family and a perfect end to that dinner party! Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 400 gram chopped dark chocolate
  • 85 grams of raisins
  • 125 ml whiskey
  • 6 eggs (separated)
  • 225 gram butter
  • 300 gram sugar
  • 100 gram plain flour
  • 160 gram ground almonds
  • 125 ml warm water

Method

  1. Butter and line a 22 cm spring form round cake tin.
  2. Marinate the raisins in the whiskey for about 1 hour.
  3. Combine the chocolate and the butter in the top of a double saucepan and stir over simmering water until it is melted and combined.
  4. Remove from the heat and stir in the warm water.
  5. Beat the eggs yolks and sugar until thick and creamy, and then add to chocolate mixture.
  6. Fold in the flour and almonds, and stir in the raisin and whiskey mixture.
  7. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and then gently fold into mixture.
  8. Bake at 180C for approximately 50- 60 minutes.Let cake cool for an hour before removal.

If you would like one of our expert Chef's to help you create this and any other lovely dishes for your next function, send us a note using the contact form below with your details and requirements and we'll be happy to get back to you.

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Mango Cake - Cheffing Around

Upside Down Mango and Lemon Cake

This time of year Mangoes are in abundance and affordable.This cake is best eaten of the day it is cooked either hot or cold. Serve with double cream and some fresh mango for nice contrast. Enjoy!!

Mango Cake - Cheffing Around

This time of year Mangoes are in abundance and affordable.This cake is best eaten of the day it is cooked either hot or cold. Serve with double cream and some fresh mango for nice contrast. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

  • 2 large Mangoes
  • 340 gram softened butter
  • 340 gram castor sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 240 gram of self raising flour
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 90 gram ground almonds
  • zest of 4 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons of lemons

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup of lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup of caster sugar
  • 6 tablespoons of water

Method

  1. Butter and line a 28 cm spring form tin.Preheat oven to 180C
  2. Peel and slice mango into wedges and arrange on the base of your cake tin
  3. Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold into butter mixture, alternately with the ground almonds, zest and juice.
  6. Pour the mixture over the mangoes and bake at 180C for 40 minutes.
  7. Reduce the temperature to 150C and bake for an additional 25 minutes.Check that it is cooked by inserting a metal skewer: you will know it is cooked when the skewer comes out clean.
  8. Leave to cool for 30 minutes before inverting on to your cake plate.
  9. To make Glaze, combine the lemon juice, sugar and water in a saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves.Bring to the boil, without stirring, until the syrup has thickened.This will usually take about 5 minutes.Using a pastry brush, brush over the top of the cake.

If you would like one of our expert Chef's to help you create this and any other lovely dishes for your next function, send us a note using the contact form below with your details and requirements and we'll be happy to get back to you.

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Cold Smoked Tasmanian Salmon Cake

This cake is best eaten within 24 hours of making and best served fresh raspberries and a tbsp of good quality Greek yoghurt.

Ingredients

  • 1 pack of five or ten sheet puff pastry
  • 1.25 kg Philadelphia cream cheese
  • 2 lemons
  • 1 bunch chives
  • 1 punnet of raspberries
  • 175 gram of capers
  • 250 gram of flaked almonds
  • 1 kg high quality Tasmanian Smoked Salmon. (Depends on $'s so discuss with your vendor re brands)
  • 1 bunch of Dill
  • 100 grams of Aspic Powder (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 Food Processor
  • 3 baking trays
  • 1 oven
  • 1 can of Pure and Simple
  • 1 Palette Knife
  • 4 small bowls
  • 1 Spatula
  • Piping bag
  • 5 star nozzel (small)
  • 1 sharp cooks knife
  • 2 cake plates
  • 1 spray bottle (optional)

Method

  1. Pull out pack of frozen puff pastry sheets and divide into 5 sheets when defrosted and return other 5 sheets when defrosted and return other 5 sheets of puff pastry back in the freezer ready for next time
  2. Preheat oven to 175C
  3. Pull out cream cheese from refrigerator and cut into 4 pieces and leave at room temperature till soft
  4. Cut aroumd a plate the desired size of cake with a sharp knife to form a circle and place on greased trays with just a sprinkle of water on the tray to make steam to help make the puff pastry rise due to the water steam. 
  5. Make and bake 5 circles till golden brown (about 10 minutes) and allow to cool completely before making cake
  6. Prepare ingredients for cake while waiting for circles to cool (steps 7 to 28)
  7. Bake flaked almonds on trays in oven at 175C till golden brown. CAUTION: Watch carefully as flaked almonds burn very quickly.
  8. Allow flaked almonds to cool down to room temperature before using
  9. Chop chives very finely with a knife. Note: Food processor won't be able to cut them evenly.
  10. Wash Raspberries very carefully and dry carefully on absorbent paper
  11. Grate Lemon Rind very carefully making sure to leave the pith (white part) on the Lemon and not in the Rind. (The zest of the lemon is the yellow outer part only, no white). The white part tends to make the end product bitter.
  12. Squeese the lemon removing pips and add to the freshly grated lemon rind
  13. Squeeze the Capers till dry and chop very finely and place on absorbent paper to dry further
  14. Always start with the Lemon Cream Cheese to save on washing food processor bowl after each step
  15. Puree 250 grams of Cream Cheese with the Lemon Rind / Juice mix till smooth with no lumps.
  16. Season with salt and pepper
  17. Remove from food processor and put aside in a small bowl
  18. Puree 250 grams of Cream Cheese with the Chives and mix till smooth with no lumps.
  19. Season with salt and pepper
  20. Remove from food processor and put aside in a small bowl
  21. Puree 250 grams of Cream Cheese with the Capers and mix till smooth with no lumps.
  22. Season with salt and pepper
  23. Remove from food processor and put aside in a small bowl
  24. Wash the Food Processor bowl out before making the Raspberry Cream Cheese. 
  25. Puree Cream Cheese first till soft and lump free
  26. Slowly add 1 Raspberry at a time till mixture is a nice pink colour.
  27. Season to taste
  28. Wait until all parts above are cold. 
  29. Select the 2 best pieces of puff pastry circles. These will form the top and bottom of your cake
  30. Using a plate as your base, place 1 hand picked puff pastry circle on this plate and using  2/3 rds of your caper mix and your palette knife, place caper mixture onto puff pastry evenly till about 8-9 mm thick
  31. Place smoked salmon evenly on top of this caper layer with any brown salmon flesh on the inside of the cake and not pointing to the outside edges
  32. Add another smear of caper cream on top of the Salmon. This will keep the cake together when cutting and serving.
  33. Place next puff pastry circle on top of this and gently and evenly push the puff pastry circle down
  34. Using  2/3 rds of your Lemon Cream Cheese mixture and your palette knife, place Lemon Cream Cheese mixture onto puff pastry evenly till about 8-9 mm thick
  35. Place smoked salmon evenly on top of this Lemon Cream Cheese layer with any brown salmon flesh on the inside of the cake and not pointing to the outside edges
  36. Add another smear of Lemon Cream Cheese mixture on top of the Salmon. 
  37. Place next puff pastry circle on top of this and gently and evenly push the puff pastry circle down
  38. Using  2/3 rds of your Raspberry Cream Cheese mixture and your palette knife, place Raspberry Cream Cheese mixture onto puff pastry evenly till about 8-9 mm thick
  39. Place smoked salmon evenly on top of this Raspberry Cream Cheese layer with any brown salmon flesh on the inside of the cake and not pointing to the outside edges
  40. Add another smear of Raspberry Cream Cheese mixture on top of the Salmon.
  41. Place next puff pastry circle on top of this and gently and evenly push the puff pastry circle down
  42. Using 2/3 rds of your Chive Cream Cheese mixture and your palette knife, place Chive Cream Cheese mixture onto puff pastry evenly till about 8-9 mm thick
  43. Place smoked salmon evenly on top of this Chive Cream Cheese layer with any brown salmon flesh on the inside of the cake and not pointing to the outside edges
  44. Add another smear of Chive Cream Cheese mixture on top of the Salmon.
  45. Place puff pastry circle selected for the top earlier on top of this and gently and evenly push the puff pastry circle down
  46. Fill in the gaps on the sides of your cake with the Chive Cheese mixture with your palette knife as you would decorating a cake till the sides are level with the top
  47. Holding cake carefully on hand, place and push a handful of flaked Almonds on the side and fill in all the sides of the cake with an even covering of the baked Almond flakes. This is done best with a larger plate underneath to catch falling Almond flakes.
  48. Using remaining Lemon Cream Cheese mixture, top cake with this mixture and place final layer of Smoked Salmon on top of cake
  49. Fill piping bag with remaining Raspberry cream cheese and pipe 12 small rosettes on the edge of the cake. This is done to give a guide while cutting.
  50. Channel lemon and cut into small moons length ways and then cut into 12 perfect slices.
  51. Place on each of the Rosette with a small sprig of Dill
  52. Optional: Glaze with Gelatin using the spray bottle
  53. Wrap cake carefully in glad wrap and store in refrigerator for 24 hours

If you would like one of our expert Chef's to help you create this and any other lovely dishes for your next function, send us a note using the contact form below with your details and requirements and we'll be happy to get back to you.

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Rich Fruit Cake

This cake recipe is perfect for a wedding cake or a decorated Christmas cake. We are currently decorating 3 different cakes for Xmas and we will post pictures of the finished products once ready!
From all the staff at Cheffing Around we would like to wish you all a very merry Xmas and a bright and prosperous 2014!

Wedding Cake - Cheffing Around

Wedding cake by Cheffing Around managing director Adrian Grant

The fruit mix – ingredients

  • 2.25 kg Sultanas
  • 600 gram Fruit Peel
  • 750 gram Dried Apricots (chopped)
  • 750 gram Prunes (chopped)
  • 600 gram Currants
  • 600 gram Walnuts (chopped)
  • 750 gram Raisins
  • 600 gram Glazed Cherries (chopped)
  • 600 gram Tinned Pineapple (chopped)
  • 3 grated apples
  • 3 carrots (grated)
  • 6 cups Brown Sugar
  • 3 Tea Spoons Cinnamon
  • 3 Tea Spoons Nutmeg
  • 3 Tea Spoons Mixed Spice
  • 6 Table spoons Honey
  • 2.25 cups Sherry
  • 2.25 cups Port

Tip: Dried fruit best purchased at a Cash and Carry as we found this reduces the cost of the cake.

The fruit mix – Method

Marinate all the ingredients in a very large bowl (45 cm) for at least a week covered with 2 layers of glad wrap. You need to stir this up every day during this period.

The cake – Ingredients

  • 1.25 kg of Girgar butter (melted)
  • 18 eggs (beaten)
  • 8.25 cups plain flour (sifted)
  • 3 cups self raising flour (sifted)
  • 3 spring form cake tins (1 x 24 cm, 1 x 26 cm, and 1 x 28 cm)

Note: This mixture will make 4 cakes as it's best to have a spare just in case, and you can always use the fourth for something else if not needed 🙂

The cake – Method

  1. Grease and line the three cake tins with baking paper.
  2. Mix the cake ingredients into the fruit mix making sure it's mixed well.
  3. Flatten with a fork
  4. Bake for 140 minutes at 145C and then finish of at 130C for 125 minutes or until the center is cooked and skewer comes out clean.
  5. Allow to cool in cake tin over night before removing from tin
  6. Wrap in foil once cold

The icing – Ingredients

  • 3 kg Royal Icing
  • 11 packets of 250 gram Marzipan
  • 1 kg of Apricot Jam

The icing – Method

  1. Fill in any holes in the cake with apricot jam to get a smooth surface
  2. Marzipan on top and sides till the cake is level, even and smooth
  3. Leave dry for 3 days
  4. Turn cake over and make a bridge for the bottom and make sure cake is level with sides and bottom (no gaps)
  5. Leave dry for a further 3 days
  6. Try and do these next steps (to step 11) in the early morning or late at night when the temperature is cooler to prevent cracking.
  7. Roll out Marzipan on dusted bench with icing sugar till about 1cm thick and will visibly cover the entire cake in one layer.
  8. Boil up 1 cup of apricot jam with a little water
  9. Brush entire cake with apricot jam / water mix
  10. Cover the cake from the top with the Marzipan using a pin to remove air bubbles.
  11. Gently ease the Marzipan down to the bottom of the cake and trim evenly at the base
  12. Repeat this for all three cakes
  13. Let dry for a week
  14. Repeat steps 6 through 13 but with the Royal Icing instead of the Marzipan. Remember this is the presentation layer so take extra care.
  15. Once dry, adhere cakes to a cake board using apricot jam as the glue

Stacking and Ribbons

  1. Measure circumference of the cake with ribbon
  2. Cut evenly
  3. Position ribbon using small pins with heads the same colour as the ribbon.
  4. Use pieces of thick wooden dowel for the stands
  5. Cut the dowel to length making sure each on is exactly same length
  6. Make a cross in the cake exactly where the stands will go
  7. Using a knife, make a cross fully inserted to the bottom of the cake and careful remove any excess cake
  8. Gently force the dowel into cake until the cake board is level and straight

You can use any decoration you like for the finished product. We used doves and some fresh African Lilies with stems removed as the centerpiece of the cake. Most cake shops have centerpieces to buy or order if you don't have the time to make it.

Would like a Chef to make this for you?

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