Lemon and Raspberries Layer Cake

I made this for Mr Greedy Frog’s birthday. We gathered a few friends and relatives and had a lovely, relaxed barbecue in our garden. This cake was the perfect conclusion to the meal: it is special enough to be a Birthday cake, yet it isn’t too fussy. And it is also very easy to make, which is always a bonus when you are entertaining. I made the sponge the night before, then made the filling and assembled the cake on the day. Easy, peasy!

You will need:

For the sponge:

225 g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

200 g caster sugar

200 g butter

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk

Zest 1 lemon

For the filling and topping:

400 g medium-fat soft cheese

Zest and juice 1 lemon

100 g icing sugar + 1 tbsp for dusting

4 tbsp lemon curd

200 g raspberries

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC/gas 4. Line a deep, well-greased 18cm round tin.

Put all the ingredients except the milk into a large bowl and whisk until well combined (or use a stand mixer). Add the milk and gently stir it through.

Pour the batter into the tin, and bake for 50 to 60 min or until a skewer comes out clean.  Cool in the tin for 10 min, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

When the cake has cooled down, make the filling. Beat the cream cheese, zest, juice and 100 g icing sugar until smooth. Reserve.

Cut the sponge into 3 layers of equal thickness. Spread the bottom layer with a third of the filling, top with the middle layer and more filling, then the top layer. Spread the remaining filling over the top of the cake, dollop the lemon curd all over, and finish with the raspberries. Dust with icing sugar.

Advertisement

Raspberry and Rose Cheesecake Sandwich

I created this cake for a competition I entered. I had in mind a cross between a cheesecake and a Victoria sandwich, and I must admit I am rather happy with the result!

It took a little bit of work to get the texture right for the filling, as it needs to be dense enough to support the sponge on top and keep its shape, while still being creamy and light.

I am no cake decorator, hence the simple topping of fresh fruit with a dusting of icing sugar (almost anything looks fancier with icing sugar!).

I didn’t win the competition, by the way, and I realised that I am actually quite a bad sport: never mind the taking part, I really wanted to win! 🙂

You will need:

 For decorating:

About 150 g mixed raspberries and strawberries
Icing sugar
1 pink rose
1 egg white
2 tbsp granulated sugar

 

For the sponge:

4 eggs
225 g caster sugar
225 self-raising flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
225 g butter, at room temperature, diced
50 g raspberries

 

For the raspberry coulis:

50 g raspberries
2 tbsp icing sugar
3 tbsp rose water

 

For the cheesecake filling:

150 g double cream
50 g crème fraîche
250 g cream cheese
200 g cottage cheese
100 g caster sugar
30 ml rose water
8 g gelatine (leaves)

 

Method:

 The day before:

Gently peel the petals off the rose, rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper. Lightly wisk the egg white. Dip the petals in it one by one, shaking off any excess and arrange them on a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar, and leave to dry for 24h.

 On the day; make the sponge.

Switch the oven on to 180⁰C/ fan 160⁰C/ gas 4. Grease and line 2 x 20 cm Ø sandwich tins.

Whisk the eggs, butter and sugar together until just combined, then fold in the flour and baking powder, being careful not to over mix. Finally, add the raspberries.

Divide the batter between the two prepared tins and bake for about 25 min, or until golden and springy in the middle, and the edges are coming away from the tin. Cool in the tins for 5 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

 Make the coulis:

In a small pan, put the raspberries, icing sugar and rose water and bring to the boil over a low heat, lightly crushing the raspberries with a spoon. Leave to simmer for about 5 mins or until slightly reduced and syrupy. Leave to cool.

 Make the filling:

Soak the gelatine leaves in a small bowl of cold water.

Mix the double cream and crème fraîche and whisk to stiff peaks.

In another bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, cottage cheese, sugar and rose water.

Squeeze the softened gelatine to release excess water. In a small pan, boil 1 tbsp water, add the gelatine and stir to melt, then pour straight away into the cream cheese mix and stir through. Gently combine the cream cheese mix with the whipped cream.

Mix 1 tbsp of the filling into the raspberry coulis, then pour the coulis into the filling, stirring once or twice to get a marble effect.

 Assemble the cake:

Place one of the cakes on a serving plate, and top with big dollops of the filling; keep going until the filling is all used up. Use a palette knife to straighten the edges and flatten the top, but don’t worry about being too tidy at this stage. Refrigerate for about an hour, then top with the other sponge and use the palette knife to neaten the filling up a bit. Chill for another hour.

Just before serving, top the cake with the raspberries and strawberries, dot with the candied rose petals, and sprinkle with icing sugar.

 

Gone in 60 Seconds: Raspberry and Almond Cake

Disclaimer: this post has nothing to do with stealing cars. If this is what you were looking for, try here instead. What this post is actually about, is cake, and how fast it disappears from the plate (just so we are clear).

I made this cake for my friend J. and her little girl E. who came to visit at Greedy Frog Towers today. I fancied a raspberry/almond combo, but I wasn’t really in the mood for a Bakewell tart so I came up with this instead.

We had some with a cup of tea when she arrived, then a little bit more as a dessert after lunch. It sounds like there should still be about half a cake, right? Wrong! One small slice is all that is left. Bearing in mind that Mr Greedy Frog only had one slice, this means that J. and me pretty much ate a whole cake between us…

Am I feeling guilty? Not one bit. Do I wish I had made two cakes instead of one? Hell, yes!

You will need:

100 g butter, softened
150 g unrefined caster sugar
3 eggs
75g plain flour
75g ground almonds
1 large handful frozen raspberries
30 g flaked almonds

Method:

Preheat the oven to 210ºC/ fan 190ºC/ th 7. Butter a Ø26 cm cake tin.

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing thoroughly inbetween each addition. Add the flour, then the ground almonds and mix until smooth. Add the raspberries and mix gently (you don’t want to beak them up too much).

Pour the batter into the prepared tin, scatter the flaked almonds on top and bake for 20/25 min or until nice and golden on top, and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

How to Make Friends and Influence People: Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

Every so often, I find myself in a situation where I badly need a favour from someone. I tend to feel very guilty asking for favours, though; I am always worried of imposing on people. So I usually come up with a way of returning said favour, and this normally involves cake.

There are also times, like now, when I want to thank someone with more than words. And this, too, normally involves cake. In this instance, I wanted to repay my long-suffering work colleagues for their kindness. I applied for a promotion recently, and had an interview which went well, but despite the good feedback I received, the position was given to someone else. I was obviously very disappointed, and I must have looked rather upset because all my lovely colleagues have done since I found out, is try and cheer me up. They even went as far as saying that they were delighted that I didn’t get the job because it meant I wouldn’t have to leave the office, and would still be working with them.

I suspect that this statement was partially motivated by the fact that I do often bring cake to work, especially as I am always in need of testers when I am working on a new recipe. But I also know that they meant it. So, thanks guys, I am really glad to be working with all of you.

If, like me, you rely on cake to do the talking at times, then this is a great recipe to have up your sleeve. It is quick and easy to make, the ingredients are likely to be in your kitchen already, and it can convey a message pretty well.

You will need:

200g good quality dark chocolate
4 eggs
Pinch salt
150 g caster sugar
50 g plain flour
150g butter, at room temperature, + extra for the tin
A handful raspberries (frozen are fine)

Icing sugar, to serve.

Method:

If you are using frozen raspberries, take them out of the freezer and lay them out on a sheet of kitchen paper.

Preheat your oven to 200ºC/ fan 180ºC/ gas 6. Butter a 26 cmØ cake tin, or deep tart tin (I use a fluted one, but a straight-edged one is fine too).

Break up the chocolate into even-sized chunks, place into a heatproof bowl. Find a pan on which the bowl can sit securely, with plenty of space between the bottom of the bowl and the bottom of the pan. Bring water to the boil in the pan, and place the chocolate on top, taking care that the bowl isn’t touching the water. Turn the heat down to a simmer and leave to melt for a few minutes without stirring.

Meanwhile, separate the eggs. Add a pinch of salt to the whites and whisk to stiff peaks.

Mix the butter and sugar until combined, but do not overmix (this will give the cake a fudge-like texture). Add the melted chocolate and mix thoroughly. add the egg yolks one by one, mixing all the while.

Add the flour and stir until incorporated. Add the egg whites a bit at a time, mixing delicately to avoid losing any of the air trapped inside them. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, scatter the raspberries on top (it doesn’t matter if they are still partially frozen), and press down gently on the fruit so it sinks into the batter a bit.

Bake for 20-25 min, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 min, then turn out onto a wire rack. When completely cool, sprinkle with icing sugar.

30 Minute Marvels: Raspberry, Almond and Peanut Butter Cakes

Who said you need a lot of time to bake? Sure, some recipes take a bit of time, but there are all sorts of sweet treats that can be whipped up in 30 minutes flat, including baking time.

This is one such recipe. Keep it handy for the next time your best friend or your mom announce themselves at the last minute!

This recipe came about because I own a cake stand. I love using my cake stand; it makes me feel very grown up and civilised. But after having worked my way through “The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook” and a few others, I am feeling a bit “cupcaked-out”, and ready for something different.

This being said, I am not always in the mood for complicated bakes, so I needed something quick and easy. I also wanted a good hit of flavour, and a moist texture for a proper tea-time experience.

After much trial and error, I finally came up with this recipe. There is peanut butter for a bit of crunch and a lovely, nutty smell; ground almonds for a moist texture; and raspberries and jam for taste, colour and the pretty lava-like effect when you cut the cakes open.

You will need (for 9 cakes):

110 g self-raising flour
110 g ground almonds
90 g caster sugar
80 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
60 g crunchy peanut butter
3 eggs
9 heaped tbsp raspberry jam
9 raspberries, fresh or frozen

Method:

Preheat your oven at 190 C/ fan 180 C/ gas 6-7. Butter 9 holes of a 12-hole muffin tin.

In a large bowl, mix the butter, peanut butter and sugar until smooth and creamy (this should take about 5 min).

Add the flour, mix well, then add the eggs one by one, mixing well in between each one. Finally, add the ground almonds and mix thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin. With a spoon, create a deep hollow in each mound of batter, and fill it with a tbsp full of jam.

Push a raspberry in, then, using a spoon, gently tease the batter from the edges over the jam (this is to prevent the jam from escaping and burning).

Bake for 15 min. Leave to cool in the tin for a minute, then turn out onto a wire rack.

You can enjoy these cold or warm, but wait at least 10 min for the jam to cool down a little before you take a bite; hot jam can severely burn you!

Raspberry and coconut meringue tart

This tart takes a little bit of time to make, but it is well worth the effort.

It really looks the part too, so it would be ideal if you are trying to impress a special someone.

Fresh or frozen raspberries work equally well here, and you can make the pastry and filling the day before, then just add the meringue topping on the day.

You will need:

For the pastry:
350g plain flour
50g shredded coconut
120g icing sugar (sifted)
140g diced unsalted butter
2 eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt

For the filling:
700g raspberries
160g caster sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp corn flour
50g melted butter
4 egg yolks (keep 3 of the whites to make the meringue)

For the meringue:
3 egg whites
160g caster sugar
40g shredded coconut

Method:

Make the pastry. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, coconut, and icing sugar. Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until you get a crumb-like appearance. Alternatively, blitz together in a food processor.

Add the beaten eggs, incorporate them gently and gather together to form a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 min.

Preheat the oven to 200C/ fan 180C/ gas 6.

Roll the pastry out to fit a tart tin roughly 26 cm across and 3.5 cm high. You can roll the leftover pastry into a ball, wrap well in cling film and freeze for another time.

Fill the lined tin with a sheet of foil topped with baking beans.

Bake blind for 12 min, then remove the foil and beans and bake for 5 min more. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large pan, mix together the raspberries, lemon juice and zest and 70g of the sugar. Put on a gentle heat and stir regularly until the raspberries are cooked (they will look very mushy and juicy).

Transfer to a blender and blend thoroughly. Place a fine sieve over a clean, large pan, and pour the mixture into the sieve. Using a large spoon, push the raspberry pulp through the mesh. It will take a few minutes, but you will eventually end up with a smooth purée in the pan, and a sieve-full of seeds.

Mix the corn flour and the rest of the sugar with a few spoonfuls of raspberry purée to dissolve. Add this mixture back to the pan and heat up on a medium heat until it starts bubbling.

Off the heat, add the melted butter mixed with the yolks, mix well. When cool, cover and chill.

Turn the oven down to 190 C/ fan 170 C/ gas 5.

Fill the pastry case with the raspberry curd, and bake for about 30 min. Make sure the top doesn’t start to brown, if it does, cover the tart with foil.

Take out of the oven and leave to cool.

When the tart is roughly at room temperature, prepare the meringue. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then add the sugar one spoonful at a time, whisking all the while. Finish by adding the coconut.

Pile onto the tart, spreading all the way to the edge, making sure there are plenty of little peaks on the meringue.

Return to the oven for about 15 min or until golden on top.

Cool, then keep chilled until ready to serve.