Cake #155 - Mud Cake

Tuesday Humour Cake - Mud Cake.

The medium is the message!

Sorry I took your chocolate. I needed it for this cake.

Mud Cake

100 g dark chocolate

200 g butter

150 g golden caster sugar

150 g soft dark brown sugar

150 ml milk

150 g self-raising flour

2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 175C / 350F and grease and flour a 23 cm spring-form pan.

2. Melt butter and chocolate and mix in both sugarsand stir until smooth.

3. Pour in milk.

4. Fold in flour and eggs.

5. Pour into pan and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until a stick comes out slightly moist.

6. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes.

7. Write your special message on top of the cake with icing or white chocolate.

Cakes #153 and #154 - Monday Cakes

Monday Cakes 
#153 Apple and Yogurt Cake with Vanilla and Cinnamon
#154 Chocolate and Raspberry baked Mascarpone Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Apple and Yogurt Cake with Vanilla and Cinnamon

Base
100  g butter
100 ml granulated sugar
1 egg
250 ml plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

Filling
500 g natural yogurt
200 ml fresh cream
2 tbsp potato flour or corn flour
2 eggs
150 ml granulated sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1  tsp vanilla extract

3 apples, sliced thinly
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp granulated sugar

1. Pre-heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F and grease and flour a Ø 24 cm spring form pan.
2. Beat together butter and sugar.
3. Add egg and then the dry ingredients.
4. Spread the batter evenly on the pan.
5. Mix all ingredients together for the filling and pour on the base.
6. Place the apple slices on top and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on them.
7. Bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes and let cool completely before removing from pan.

***

For the Chocolate and Raspberry baked Mascarpone Cake with Raspberry Sauce I used this recipe. I was originally looking for a recipe for a cake with mascarpone cheese in it. The recipe I used was for ricotta cheese but worked perfectly with mascarpone. A nice gooey cake and the raspberries made it even more delicious!

Cake #152 - Birthday Cake

Friends First Friday Cake - Birthday Cake.

I was ordered this cake for a Sweet 16 Party of two girls, for 50 people. Wow!

Chocolate cake was what they wanted and I also learned that both girls are very musical and love singing. That's why the notes Happy Birthday to You - and the cute little sugarpaste microphones and stereo which my daughter shaped.

The cake had been a success at the party so I can be happy! I wish I could make these cakes more often as it was a very inspirational challenge. And a learning experience, too - I piped the notes three times before I was just about satisfied with the result...

The 5+ kg cake filled and covered with chocolate before decorating it.

Cake #151 - Lemon Cat Cup Cake

Thursday Cat Theme Cake - Lemon Cat Cup Cake with Lemon Jam and Ice Cream.

No excuses. It was a hectic day and I nearly did not bake any cake at all as I rather do so than bake c**p. Then I remembered the very, very nice Nutella cake in a mug and I also remembered this cat mug warmer I knitted last year.

Again, I was amazed you can actually bake a yummy cake in a mug in the microwave within minutes after making the batter.

The recipe is from here. I did not make any sauce but instead, enjoyed the cake with lemon jam (lemon curd would have been better but I did not have any!) and vanilla ice cream. Good, good!

Cake #150 - Fruit and Nut Loaf

Wednesday Natural Ingredient / Healthy Cake - Dairy-Free Fruit and Nut Loaf of Dates, Apricots, Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds and Pumpkin Seeds.

Another brown cake. Pathetic. When I look at pictures of my cakes from the past week they all are brown and very dull-looking. Of course they are more colourful in real life! Like this one - the orange apricot really has a bright orange colour but in the picture it does not show up. Dull. Maybe I should change the background somehow. Or create more colourful cakes. After all, I am more a baker than a photographer.

The recipe for this cake is from here. I used sunflower oil instead of butter so therefore I can call it dairy-free. And I also used a little different fruit and nuts compared to the recipe - dates, dried apricots, walnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds but otherwise followed the recipe carefully. Worth baking and works well as a morning boost, too!

Cake #149 - Ricecake Cake

Tuesday Humour Cake - Ricecake Cake, piled ricecakes with Peanut Butter and Nutella in-between and melted milk chocolate on top.

My daughter absolutely wanted to name the pile cake Holy Grail!.- And she wanted to take some to school for lunch as ricecakes are... ok to have in your lunchbox. Oh, well.

Cake #148 - Spicy Raisin Cake

Monday Mood Cake - Spicy Raisin Cake.

A little Christmassy aromas - but I do miss Christmas. And when it is cold and frosty outside, warm spices are a good way to create warmth. Comfort eating? Yes, that, too!

Spicy Raisin Cake
100 g raisins
150 ml buttermilk
3 eggs
150 ml granulated sugar
150 ml (dark) syrup
150 g butter, melted
450 ml plain flour
1,5 tsp bread soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger

1. Soak raisins in buttermilk for an hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 175C / 350F and grease and flour a 2-litre bundt cake pan.
3. Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.

4. Fold in flour, spices and bread soda together with melted butter, syrup and the raisins with the buttermilk.

5. Pour into pan and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.

6. Let cool a little before removing from pan.

7. Enjoy with a warm cuppa wearing your warmest woollen socks and maybe a hat, too?