Beetroot Chocolate Cake :: A recipe

Hello!

I instagrammed this cake today and was asked to post the recipe.  I'm not one to keep yummy recipes to myself so I offer it up here with pleasure.

Now, if you have never had a beetroot chocolate cake, you can be forgiven for thinking EErrrrkkk.  I did, and never thought I would be baking one myself.  But as it turns out, I had a bunch of beetroot leftover in the fridge from a sad abandoned juice diet.  I really dislike feeding my bin dead vegetables (no worm farm or compost presently) and couldn't bear the idea of throwing the beets away.

A side note, I had every intention of seeing the Reboot Your Life juice diet through to the end but I don't actually have a juicer.  Mmmm, bit of a problem.  But I do have a Vitamix (high powered blender) and thought I could get away with it.  

Apple Cherry bake and Green Juice from Reboot Your Life

All was good until I made a veg juice, using the very beetroots in question and found that all the fibre in the juice too much to bear and promptly turned the juice into a pasta sauce and shelved the diet for another day.

Ok, back to the cake recipe!  I found the recipe in a Family Circle booklet "50 of the Best Cakes & Tarts".  The recipe is by Jill Dupleix.  But this is how I made it.  I had 3 beets to use but the cake takes only one large one, so the extra cooked beets were drizzled with oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and a spike of apple cider vinegar- nom nom nom.

Beetroot Chocolate Cake
serves 8
cooking time: 35 mins (fan force oven)

70g cocoa powder
180g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
250g caster sugar
250g cooked beetroot (see note at start of method)
3 large eggs
200ml sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Note: I had 3 beets.  I washed and trimmed them then cut them into quarters and placed them in a steamer until tender.  I then weighed out 250g of cooked beets which ended up being 4 quarters.  So perhaps one large beetroot will do the job!

Preheat over 165C fan force (original recipe is 180C conventional).
Line base of 20cm springform tin.  Mine is old pre dates non-stick so I lightly greased sides and floured.

Sift all the dry ingredients, except sugar, into a mixing bowl, then stir in the sugar til well combined.

Using a blender or food processor (I used my trusty Vitamix), blitz the beetroot.  Then add the eggs, oil and vanilla til smooth.  The colour is amazing at this point, and it gets even better.

Pour the wet bright purple ingredients into the dry, using a balloon whisk to lightly combine.  At this point, I wished a took a photo.  The wet ingredients awakened the cocoa into a deep brown and the bright purple created an awesome swirl against the chocolatey batter. But keep mixing till all is combined.

Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for 30 mins.  Check to see if cooked.  If the testing skewer comes out wet, cover the cake with a bit of foil to stop further browning while you give it another 10 mins or so.  The original recipe says to cook for an hour but a max of 45 mins was enough for my cake.

Let the cake cool a bit before removing the sides.  We ate it hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to salve our mouths.

The question is, how did it taste?!  Well, it did taste chocolatey without being too rich and the beetroot gave it an earthy flavour, but only mildly.  In fact, I reckon if I didn't know there was beetroot was in there, I mayn't have noticed.  And it was moist, so goodly moist.

I would like to make this cake again but reduce the sugar.  Perhaps dates or maple?  I'm yet to bake with stevia but I will no doubt venture there too one day.

Have you ever baked a beetroot cake?
Or any other vegetable (besides carrot cake!)?
What do you use to cut back sugar?  Or even to replace it altogether?

xxx

Baking Therapy :: Apple Muffins

I am so into diversional therapy right now! 

I like to report in to God's office every morning with reading the bible and prayer- to seek comfort and motivation.  That is great to feed the inner Mary but she doesn't get the housework done.  So to feed the inner Martha, who better to turn to than our modern-day Martha, Martha Stewart.  I catch her shows some mornings and find myself doing the housey chores during and for a few hours after.  As long as I stay focused, I can get almost everything done before lunch time, even cooking the dinner!!

This morning, my inner-Martha energy produced these sweet muffins.

Keeping it real with this shot!

This delightful recipe came via Catherine who found it in a Donna Hay Magazine.

Mine did not turn out as aesthetically beautiful due to the pan and patty case combo I used.  It was a cupcake pan and the cases are for a muffin pan as their bases are bigger.  The result was tipping cases and the muffin mix spilling out over one side.  Still tastes jolly good!

My only change to the recipe was that I cut the sugar down by a third and I used demerera sugar instead of raw as the sprinkle on the top.  I didn't have any raw sugar left and the demerera had a promise of toffee sweetness (according the to pack!).  The muffins were still very sweet. Oh, and I used a pink lady apple instead of a green one.

And I couldn't blog a baked goodie that wasn't in a fancy patty case or show a glass of milk without the quintessential stripy paper straw.  I'm pretty sure I bought these both from here

What is your favourite diversional therapy technique?  Do you have a combo like me?

O Wow Thanks! :: Ninjabread Men

You may recall my request for Ninjabread Men cutters for Christmas?

My dear friend Lesley trapsed all over sydney looking for them for me!  What a sweetie!  They had apparently sold out pretty quickly and were only for christmas.  But my clever friend kept asking at every Howard Storage World she came across and eureka! she found them!  Apparently someone had ordered them and never collected and now they are mine.  Yay!  Thank you sooooo much Lesley!!

We couldn't wait to ice them - they were so yummy!  I used this recipe

xxx

One of My Favourites :: Raspberry & Coconut Cupcakes

These little ruby-filled cakes are so my one of my favourites that I made over 100 of them for my wedding reception!  I can't claim this recipe as my own even though I have made some changes.  It came to me via my dear friend Mim who had made her alterations after finding it in one of her recipe books (I suspect it was a Marie Claire but I can't be sure).

I used to call them friands, even though they really aren't, due to the friand pan I used to bake them in.  But now, with all the different patty cases available, and the fact they mean less cleaning, they have morphed into the humble cupcake.

As you know, I am never one to keep a recipe to myself as I love it when others like something I've made so much that they would like to make it for themselves!  Plus, I rarely create my own recipes, only adapt other's so I really have no right to keep anything to myself.

Rasberry & Coconut Cupcakes (I think the original name was Baby Raspberry & Coconut Cakes)
makes 12.

125 g unsalted butter
1/3 cup almond meal
3/4 dessicated coconut
3/4 cup caster sugar (or sifted icing sugar)
1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
24 raspberries, fresh or frozen (I use frozen)

1. Preheat oven 180C fan forced. (conventional just cook for further 3 mins or until cooked through)

2. Place butter in a saucepan over low heat and melt until it is very light golden colour.

3. Place almond meal, coconut, sugar, flour and baking powder in a bowl and using a hand held mixer, mix until combined.  Add egg and mix.  Add melted butter and mix until well combined.

4. Pour or spoon mixture into prepared patty cases and sprinkle with 2 raspberries per patty case.  As Nigella told me, I use one of those icecream scoops that you squeeze the handle to release the contents of the spoon.

5. Bake for 12-15 mins (18 mins conventional depending on oven) or until cakes are golden and springy to touch and moist in the centre.

Serve warm with double cream or serve cold with a dollop of greek yoghurt.  Lovely to have with any type of tea but today we had them with a good old glass of milk

.

Okey dokey, if you want to make them more friand-like, increase sugar to 1 2/3 cups icing sugar sifted, and use 5 egg whites instead of 3 whole eggs.

By the way, I do love the look of sweet baked goodies with a powdering of icing sugar on top but I can't bring myself to do it as I think we consume way too much sugar in this household as it is.  I usually halve the amount of sugar in most recipes (as I did with this one).

Oh I do hope you like these as much as we do!

xxx

One of My Favourites: Plum Clafoutis

I haven't shared a favourite recipe with you in a while.  I love this baked dessert as it is very easy, yummy and quick!

Plum Clafoutis - from Super Food Ideas Aug/Sep 1998


500g plums, halved and stoned or 440g tin plums, well drained (pictured with fresh plums)
1 cup SR flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbl icing sugar, sifted (optional)

1. Preheat oven 180C.

2. Arrange plums, cut side down, in a lightly greased 25cm flan dish

3. Sift flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre.  Break eggs into well, add caster sugar and milk and mix to form a smooth batter.

4.  Pour over plums.  Bake for 45 mins or until firm and golden (don't over cook as it may go a little dry in places).  Serve hot or cold, sprinkled with icing sugar.

I use the tinned plums in winter so this can be an all-year-round dessert!  Yummy with icecream or with custard and sometimes, I use greek yoghurt.

Let me know if you make it and what you thought.

Have a lovely weekend friends!  I'm off to a most exciting wedding up in Forster and a much anticipated family renunion.  Weekend forecast is happiness!

xxx

Yes Cake!

Can you have a party without a cake?  I guess you can seeing that Rick and I didn't have a wedding cake (I baked about 100 Raspberry & Coconut cakes- more about that another time) . . . but can you have a 1st birthday celebration without a special cake?  I don't think so!  It just wouldn't be the same. 

So, being brave and new, I decided that it was time that I should confront fondant and tell it who's boss.  Ok, I actually enlisted the help of my friend Jen who has made a few multiple storey fondant decked cakes for her daughter's birthdays- but asking for help is not breaking the rules!

So you start with about three of these chocolate numbers.  Don't be put off if your cake sinks in the middle because you cut them to size and lay them like bricks with a butter frosting morter.



I bought that apron in San Fransisco and love it - thought I'd let you know . . .

Then you cut your fondant, add your dye paste and knead, roll and wrap!  Jen took these photos and laid the fondant on the cake for me (I didn't have time for mistakes so she did it!)

photographer

But I covered these vanilla cupcakes.  Oops, a bit of icing powder here and there!

This is the end result.  One happy little birthday fella and his little family!

Will I use fondant again?  Yes, perhaps.  It is totally a visual thing for me as I don't like to eat it as much as I like eating a sourcream frosting or a decadent chocolate ganache (with or without the cake!!)

So, I think I can tick fondant off my list of brave and new things despite the excessive use of icing sugar. 

xxx

Yummy Cakes for Yummy Friends

Relaxed dinner parties are so much fun.  When I say 'relaxed' I'm not talking about serving up three courses in our tracky-dacks on the lounge.  I mean, the guests are selected because the ease at which you feel around them and that there is no competitional impressing on the agenda (trying to out do their last dinner party!).

Last Thursday's gathering was relaxed and fun.  Our friends, Beth & Shelley attend uni in Newcastle, living away from home, so we just love having them over for a feast (usually only two courses- they are petite girls afterall!!).  I love when they come for a number of reasons but mainly because they love my children - perhaps I should say that Shelley LOVES & ADORES Liam.  Both girls come in and go straight the playing with the kids while Rick and I continue getting things ready.  Just perfect guests!!

In honour of Shelley's birthday, I made Lemon & Raspberry Cupcakes and Chocolate Mud Cupcakes.  I linked the recipe for the Lemon & Raspberry Cupcakes previously that I had first seen on Martha.  I didn't end up using the recipe but used it as a guide in creating my own version.

If you like the look of them here are the recipes:

Brave New Fiona's Lemon & Raspberry Cupcakes (as inspired by Martha)

1. Using a sharp knife or apple corer, make a small circle incision in the top of the Vanilla Cupcake (see recipe below) going one third down, remove cut cake so you are left with a small well.

2. Fill each well with the prepared Lemon Curd by spoon or piping bag (I just used a spoon and a steady hand).


3. Pipe or spread Vanilla Butter Frosting over top of cupcake, being careful not to disturb the lemon curd.


4. Top with a fresh rasberry.  You can use a frozen raspberry but be sure to thaw them out on paper towel.

Brave New Fiona's Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup custard powder
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
125g butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract or paste (I prefer paste for the little spots- cheaper than beans)


Method
1. Preheat oven 180C.  Line muffin tin with patty cases (I'm loving the choc-brown patty cases!)

2. Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, milk & vanilla.  Sift in dry ingredients and beat until colour has changed and is even.

3. Fill patty cases just over half full with mixture and bake for 15-18 mins. 

You can freeze uniced cupcakes.

Brave New Fiona's Lemon Curd

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
200g diced butter
finely zested rind of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cups strained lemon juice (~6 large lemons)
6 large eggs


Method
1. In a double boiler add sugar, butter, lemon zest and juice. Stir until butter is melted.
2. Meanwhile, mix together eggs and whisk into the double boiler mixture when the butter is melted.  Don't allow the mixture to boil and stir constantly for approximately 5 mins.
3. Strain before bottling into sterilized jars.

This amount is way too much for the cupcakes but you can use as a gift or fold through whipped cream for a lemony pavlova topping.  Or make some yummy mini lemon tarts!

Brave New Fiona's Butter Frosting

Ingredients
125g unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture


Method
Beat butter until fluffy.  Slowly add icing sugar mixture and beat until smooth.

I got the Chocolate Mud Cupcakes with Ganache from Notebook's Little Book of Cupcakes and Cookies.  Although Notebook: is no longer in publication, their recipes are found on http://www.homelife.com.au/.
With some of the left over lemon curd, I made mini lemon meringue tarts.

And the evening was topped off with two rounds of Canasta and a late night discussion on pregnancy and giving birth (Rick went to bed by this stage!!)