Cake #50 - Apple and Chocolate Cake

Friends First Friday Cake - Apple and Chocolate Cake.

That Friday I just wanted to make my baking simple to enjoy some time with my daughter - watching a movie on the sofa and having some coffee and cake, to be precise. I admit making it simple is not always easy for me, especially what comes to baking and cooking so I did need to psych myself a little.

The best things in life are simple. No.

Enjoy the simple things. No. No. 

Yes, everything is simple. It's people who complicate things. A bit better.

Make it simple and go and have a shower. Yes!

So I baked a simple apple cake and then went to have a shower. While in the shower, my daughter who thought a simple apple cake is just not good enough, had in style decorated the cake with chocolate and sprinkles. Such a sweetheart with a sweet tooth she is. 

Apple and Chocolate Cake

200 g butter
250 ml granulated sugar
3 eggs
400 ml plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100 ml cream
2 cooking apples, finely chopped

Melted white and milk chocolate to decorate.

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 F) and grease and flour (I use dried breadcrumbs) a 2-litre cake pan.
2. Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl.
3. Cream together butter and sugar.
4. Mix in eggs.
5. Add the dry ingredients together with the cream and mix well.
6. Fold in the chopped apples.

8. Pour the dough into the pan.
9. Bake the cake in the oven for 35-40 minutes and let cool on a rack before removing from the pan.

Cake #49 - The Paw II

Thursday Cat Theme Cake - The Paw II.

When I baked The Paw I wrote: The kitten's way to the house is through the man's stomach.  

How right I was. The first paw was not quite enough but this second one must have left a pawprint on The Husband's heart as we have now an adorable kitten in the house. She has black paws and a black nose, too - to go with the black-hearted husband.

I used my Tiger Cake recipe to bake this cake except I used 2 tbsp of licorice powder and 2 tsp of black food colouring instead of cocoa powder.

I may not bake another paw cake for a while as The Paw has always a reason, you know.

Cake #48 - Apple Crumble Cake

Wednesday Natural Ingredient / Healthy Cake - Apple Crumble Cake.

Big, green and sour Irish cooking apples and black and sticky vanilla pods make the perfect taste combination for an autumny and rainy day cake. 

When I think about Irish desserts, Apple Crumble is the one to come into my mind first. When I think about Irish weather, rain is to come into my mind first. When I think about Apple crumble and rain, I remember a very rainy autumn some years ago when my older daughter had just started first year in secondary school and in home economics class the first thing they cooked was Apple Crumble. And then she used to make Apple Crumble daily, weekly... very often! Too often, maybe?

One very rainy day a little while ago I realised nobody in the house had made Apple Crumble for ages. That older daughter of mine has finished her school and is busy with other things than cooking and baking, but there is hope next year when my younger daughter goes to secondary school and absolutely wants to take home economics as one of her optional subjects. I bet the first thing they will make is Apple Crumble!

In the meantime I will keep baking this absolutely yummy Apple Crumble Cake. - You can find the recipe for the cake here.

Cake #47 - Crowned

Tuesday Humour Cake -  Crowned.

On Tuesday afternoon I spent an hour and a half at the dentist's to get my root canal treatment finalised and a new crown put on the tooth. Unlike this crowning cake I baked, my dentist's creation in my mouth looks great. But he is a professional, duh.

My cake is very simple and humble indeed. I did not sprinkle any golden dust on it, nor did I dance on rose petals in my kitchen while baking it. No cannons were fired, no trumpet fanfares played. Not that I would not have deserved all that! I did buy myself two flower bouquets, duh.  

Only because I had earlier been requested for a crowning ceremony cake I felt obliged to bake one. Skip the ceremony but bake the cake, duh. And I decided to bake an effortless soft cake which I would not have to chew much with an aching jaw. So I made this simple sponge, cut it in half, filled it with bananas, strawberries and whipped cream, and topped it with whipped cream. No recipe, duh.

Soft and effortless to eat. And I even felt a sudden urge to sing:

"I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world

Tooth in plastic, it's fantastic!"

Cake #46 - Rocky Road Brownie Cake

Monday Mood Cake - Rocky Road Brownie Cake.

Monday evening I was feeling totally overwhelmed. In a good way, though, phew. But. And it is very typical for me to say but. 

Anyway, still a few extremely busy weeks ahead and I hate, I mean hate, early mornings, especially on Mondays. But I have now survived already one crazy Monday. But. If I had known what the week would bring along I would have baked this cake double or maybe triple. No time for anything. Work project. Kids. Dentist appointment and a few days with an aching jaw afterwards. Cooking. A lot of dull housework. And yes: well-deserved me-time in the kitchen baking my daily cakes - the best moments of the whole week! Very little blogging, but I am getting there. Stay tuned, please!

Click here for recipe. Besides marshmallows and nuts, I used raisins on the topping.

#45 - Sacher

Sunday Classic Cake - Sacher.

Well, a revamped Sacher as it is made of white chocolate instead of dark. 

White Sacher Cake is one of my personal favourites - especially when you happen to get some good apricot jam for the filling. Very often I bake a Sacher Cake for Christmas and I have also baked them for both my younger son's and daughter's Christening parties. Therefore I always feel Sacher is a festive cake.

I have learned that there was a 9-year cake war over the Sacher cake recipe back in Vienna, Austria where the Sacher Cake has its origins. In my family we hardly have a 9-second cake war over any cake as when there is a cake it must be eaten. Now.

White Sacher

Base
150 g white chocolate
150 g butter
150 ml caster sugar
4 egg yolks
100 ml ground almonds
150 ml plain flour
100 ml cornflour
2 tsp baking powder
4 egg whites



Filling
300 g apricot jam

Icing
200 g white chocolate
50 g butter

1. Melt chocolate and let cool a little.
2. Cream together butter and sugar.
3. Add egg yolks one at a time and mix well.
4. Add all the dry ingredients and the melted chocolate.
5. Beat egg whites until stiff.
6. Fold the egg whites into the dough carefully.
7. Pour the dough into a Ø 24 cm cake pan and bake in the oven at 175 C / 350 F for about 45 minutes.



8. When the cake has cooled down, cut it into three layers.
9. Spread apricot jam on each layer.
10. Melt chocolate and butter and spread evenly on cake.
11. Let the cake set in the fridge a few hours or overnight.
12. Serve with whipped cream.

Cake #44 - Pumpkin Cake

Savoury Saturday Cake - Pumpkin Cake.

I know some parents always eat leftovers from their kids' plates, and all parents do that sometimes. But how often would parents bake a cake using leftovers from something their children have used but not needed it all...? And no, I am not talking about leftover food on a plate. [Did you just say 'phew'?]

In this case I used leftovers from my daughter's cupcake filling to bake a savoury cake. Earlier that day she had baked pumpkin cupcakes and there was still some pureed pumpkin and roasted pumpkin seeds on the kitchen counter. Just enough to bake a pumpkin cake. 

My cake did not turn out even nearly as pretty as these gorgeous cupcakes my daughter made but the taste was good. I think on Sunday when I was reading The Sunday Times and the magazine pile which come with the Sunday edition, I might have eaten.. four slices, maybe. And a couple of cupcakes, too. Sunday munch instead of Sunday brunch.

Pumpkin Cake

400 g pureed pumpkin
4 eggs
200 ml vegetable oil
200 ml water
3 tbsp dark syrup
800 ml plain flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt

roasted pumpkin seeds

1. Preheat oven to 175 C. Grease and flour a 1 kg loaf pan.
2. Combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and syrup until well blended.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended.
5. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle roasted pumpkin seeds on top.
5. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy warm with butter!