Tag: birthday

Baking | Sinful Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche … chocolate + toffee = heavenly!

“In today’s world, when many of yesterday’s fashionable habits are today’s misdemeanors, we should rejoice that a chocolate dessert can bring so much innocent pleasure.”
Marcel Desaulniers

hocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche 1Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche … a sweet beginning to 2014. Always fun to end a year decadently {Dark Chocolate Kumquat Amaranth Mousse Cakes}, and begin the next one on a clean slate. As in my case, maybe with a dose of some more decadence? Actually, it’s more of a ritual because the daughter was born on the 2nd of Jan. Every year begins with a baking frenzy, and of late, chocolate is being demanded more than ever before!

It was more frenzied when she was young as there had to be cookies, brownies, dips too. The works! As they grow up, the pressure here falls … increases everywhere else I have to add! This year was the big 18 and most of her day went with friends as expected. For me, it was a situation which reminded me of Driving Ms Daisy … I drove her up and down all day long! Since I love driving, I cannot complain!

The previous day was busier than I could manage. The cake became a rushed affair. I did have this fancy fondant cake in mind, the colours that she would have loved, with stuff on top which might have knocked her breath away etc… that remained in my dreams! Instead, between racing around like a headless chicken for two whole days, I threw in one genoise after another. Cakes baked, frosting was the next challenge. Thankfully I had a tin of dulce de leche made from an earlier batch when I did this Banoffee Pie.

Dulce de leche,” meaning candy of milk or milk jelly in Spanish, is a rich and decadent sauce or syrup, similar in flavor to caramel. Unlike caramel, however, which is made by heating sugar, dulce de leche is prepared by heating sweetened condensed milk. Dulce de leche is especially common in the desserts of various South American countries, including Argentina and Uruguay.

Might work I thought. Well it had to because I had cut it too fine. While she had a friend over to ring in her birthday at midnight, the poor mother stood in freezing January temperatures trying desperately to fill a chocolate genoise with a hair brained ‘toffee inspired‘ filling idea. Fast approaching the Cinderella hour, I ended up using an adjustable dessert ring  {one of my best buys in Sydney many years ago} and gelatin to stabilize the filling.
Thankfully it turned out fine and ‘set‘ overnight, else I might have wept copious tears. Chocolate and toffee are a wonderful combination. With less than an hour in hand, I did a quick dark chocolate ganache to frost the cake, and made some shards to garnish. There was just enough time to give it a dusting of powdered sugar, take a few snaps …

… and the rest is history! I didn’t get any shots of a slice as the cake went pretty quick after the 18 year old did the honours. I am however sure I will make this again soon. Maybe as soon as I get those cans of condensed milk into the pressure cooker again!

[print_this]Recipe: Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche 

Summary: Chocolate and toffee are a pairing made in Dulce de leche heaven. This Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche makes a fab special occasion cake. It needs a little advance planning though, like all good things in life do!

Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 2.5 hours plus setting time Ingredients:

  • Chocolate Genoise Cake {x 2; I made 2 cakes and cut them horizontally each to get 4 layers}
  • 4 eggs
  • 90g granulated vanilla sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 50g all-purpose flour
  • 45g dark cocoa powder
  •  20g butter, melted
  • Filling 
  • 3/4 thick portion dulce de leche from 1 tin condensed milk
  • 500ml low fat cream, chilled
  • 2 tsp gelatin powder
  • Frosting
  • 200g dark couverture chocolate
  • 200g low fat cream
  • 25g honey
  • Dulce de leche sauce
  • Remaining dulce de leche 1/4 portion from above
  • 15g salted butter
  • 100g low fat cream {or as required for pouring consistency}

Method:

  1. Chocolate Genoise Cake {I made 2}
  2. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line, grease & flour 2 X 8-inch round cake pan.
  3. Sift the flour and cocoa together three times; reserve.
  4. Bring some water to a boil in a large pan & reduce to simmer. Place eggs, vanilla & sugar in a large bowl. Place over pan of simmering water, and beat constantly until tripled in volume.
  5. Take off heat and continue to beat for another 3-4 minutes until the mixture cools a bit.
  6. Sift about one-third of the flour and cocoa over the whipped eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the mixture-quickly but gently-until combined. Fold in half the remaining flour and cocoa, then fold in the rest.
  7. Scoop about 1 cup of the batter into the bowl with the melted butter and fold together until completely combined. Use the large rubber spatula to fold the butter mixture completely into the remaining batter. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and level with a spatula.
  8. Bake until the cake beginning to shrink slightly around the edges and the top springs back when pressed with your finger, about 40 minutes. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a rack. Cut horizontally into 2.
  9. Repeat for second cake. Total 2 cakes and 4 layers.
  10. Filling
  11. Mix 50ml cream and gelatin in a bowl. Keep over simmering water to dissolve. Mix well.
  12. Whisk in 100 ml low fat cream into the 3/4 portion of the dulce de leche to loosen it
  13. Beat the remaining cream to medium stiff peaks. Fold in the dulce de leche mixture gently, followed by the gelatin.
  14. Assemble
  15. Place 1 layer of genoise on serving platter and place adjustable dessert ring around it. Top with 1/3 of the filling. {If the cake is dry, brush it with a simple sugar syrup first {1/3 cup sugar + 1/4 cup water + 1 tbsp liqueur if you like}
  16. Repeat with the next few layers and cover and allow to set overnight.
  17. Frosting
  18. Dark chocolate ganache
  19. Place chocolate and cream in a heat proof bowl. Microwave for 1 minute at a time. Stir and repeat as necessary. Once the chocolate has melted, add the honey and whisk well to combine until glossy and smooth. Cool before using.
  20. Unmold the cake and give it a slight crumb coat with a little ganache. Set in the fridge for 30 minutes, then use the remaining ganache to frost the cake.
  21. Dulce de leche sauce
  22. While the ganache is setting, gently simmer the ingredients in a heavy bottom small saucepan. {Begin with half the cream and add as required. The amount will depend on how thick the dulce de leche is. Mine was considerably thick}
  23. Reserve in serving jug and cool until the ganache sets.
  24. Pour along the sides of the cake, allowing drips over the sides.
  25. Finish
  26. Finish the border with dark chocolate shards and a dusting of powdered sugar.

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Rainbow Cake for Pinktober … THINK PINK #birthday #pinktober

“Hope is a rainbow of thought.”
Harley King

Rainbow Cake for Pinktober. Ever tried baking with an 18 year old. Maybe , I should rephrase that. Ever tried with an 18 year old teen like mine who has a rainbow baking obsession? It’s a LOAD of work! LOTS!! Beware … but the fruits are sweet! Cut a slice and you know it’s so worth all the dishes, the messy kitchen, the batter splattered walls with ‘Ooops I did it again Mama!’, ‘Can Coco lick the bowl? Please?’

‘I’m gonna make Papa a rainbow cake for his birthday!  Coco’s gonna help me!‘ Coco was game of course … and the day began tediously! First to get the child out of bed, then to get her out of a shower, then to get her off the phone. By the time I was at my wits end, she was ready to paint the kitchen in rainbow colours! ‘Let’s start now!!‘

October 1st marks the beginning of breast cancer awareness month all over the world. American Cancer Society uses this time to boost their campaign to raise awareness to breast cancer and to inform people that there is now a 98 percent rate of survival if the cancer is detected early. October is the month where you will see pink ribbons everywhere, which has been the national symbol for breast cancer awareness since it was first introduced back in 1991.

It took us all day to get the cake going. Six layers and a small oven, only 2 baking tins and a load of power cuts, yet we marched on. Much to my chagrin, she took naps in between while I washed and cleaned the kitchen after every ‘round‘. Once again, be warned … there is tons of washing up!

Time for the frosting. We ‘amicably’ settled for a salted caramel butter-cream icing {after a battle of sorts of course}. It’s a delicious frosting and soon she was spooning more into her mouth than onto the cake. A few disagreements later, in this incessantly hot October, she  ‘splooshed’ the icing on. That was when the Dad called from work. ‘Is the cake PINK he asked? My cake is always the Pinktober cake.’

Next cue! PINK!! It’s nice to have a daughter who loves art. Also nice to have some marzipan on hand. She had fun doing the letters, the ribbon {that she was well aware of as it’s an annual feature} … the rest was a breeze. She did the whole cake on her own!

One slice later, the rainbow knocked our hearts away! This is the absolute joy of a birthday cake. Despite it being a butter rich cake, with an indulgent buttercream frosting, the Rainbow Cake is a fantastic ‘once in a while‘ baking adventure. A big {read greedy} slice is definitely on the sweeter side, but a thin slice hits all the right chords!

The cake tasted even better the next day, and being a butter cake, it keeps really well for a few days. However, the kids nibbled away at it and it was soon gone. The daughter later said that she was surprised I even let her make one! She knows that I barely ever make such heavily ‘buttery’ cakes. Then again, she has a thing for rainbows and a passion for baking rainbow cupcakes and cakes.

This cake was worth every dish I washed, worth the million times I cleaned the batter splattered counter and wall tiles, worth all the spoons she licked and all the piping bags she used up! It’s a fun cake to bake. You must try it for a special occasion bake!

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Recipe: Rainbow Cake

Summary:  This is the absolute joy of a birthday cake. Despite it being a butter rich cake, with an indulgent buttercream frosting, the Rainbow Cake is a fantastic ‘once in a while‘ baking adventure. We loved the  salted buttercream frosting. Cake adapted minimally from the Whisk Kid

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour {plus cooling, chilling time}
Ingredients:

  • Cake
  • 360g plain flour
  • 4tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 225g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 450g cups sugar
  • 170g egg whites, room temperature {about 6}
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 350ml milk, room temperature
  • Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple gel food coloring
  • Filling
  • 400ml low fat cream
  • 100g icing sugar
  • few drops almond extract
  • Topping
  • 200g sugar
  • 2tsp water
  • 100ml low fat cream
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • vanilla extract
  • 170g salted butter
  • 100g low fat cream
  • 200g icing sugar

Method:

  1. Cake
  2. Preheat oven to 180C. Brush six 8-inch-round cake pans {or as many 8-inch cake pans as you have, reusing them as necessary} with shortening. Line bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper; brush again and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
  4. Cream together butter and sugar. Slowly add egg whites and mix until well combined. Add vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Add flour mixture and milk in two alternating additions, beginning with the flour and ending with the milk. Mix until well combined.
  5. Divide batter evenly between six medium bowls. Add enough of each color of food coloring to each bowl, whisking, until desired shade is reached. Transfer each color to an individual cake pan. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 15 minutes {working in batches if necessary}.
  6. Remove cakes from oven and transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a wire rack; re-invert and let cool completely.
  7. Place the bottom layer on serving platter {or lazy Susan} and spread with about a cup of buttercream. Repeat for remaining layers.I placed an adjustable dessert ring around the cake to hold the layers in place.
  8. Refrigerate until set, about 30 mins to an hour.
  9. Using an offset spatula, cover cake again with remaining frosting.
  10. Salted Butter Caramel
  11. Place sugar and water in a deep saucepan and simmer undisturbed until the sugar caramelises to a golden brown. Add the cream {CAREFULLY as it will splutter}, take off heat briefly to mix in, then return pan until it all comes together to a smooth sauce.
  12. Take off heat, add salt and vanilla extract. Allow to cool completely.
  13. Frosting
  14. In a large bowl, beat together the salted butter, cream and icing sugar until smooth and fluffy.
  15. Slowly pour in the cold salted butter caramel and continue whipping until firm and smooth.
  16. Chill until required.

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Layered Coffee & Cream Cake … coffee genoise with coffee cream swathed in a dark chocolate ganache

“Only one thing is certain about coffee…. Wherever it is grown, sold, brewed, and consumed, there will be lively controversy, strong opinions, and good conversation.”
Mark Pendergrast

Layered Coffee & Cream Cake. It was that time of the year again. June already here and almost gone. With it, another birthday. Before you know it, the years gallop by. From what was a tiny knee kissing, naughty toddler, to an even naughtier, much taller, cookie & brownie monster cum food loving teenager, time does fly! How they change, the challenges they offer, and yet the smile that seems to make things easier!

Sometimes I wish we could have hung on to those days where life seemed simpler. Then again, teenagers are mixed packages. You never know when the next surprise is going to hit you. In many ways, the challenges keep us on our toes. And in even more ways, quite exhausted.

Nothing can prepare you enough…. nothing! That said, there are good times galore too! Who could have thought ‘he‘ would write poems? Now he has a blog that pops out a poem, sometimes few and far between, but does! I would have never expected him to play mother to the dog. He does.

My first choice of cake for his summer birthday is always a fruit based one. With summer threatening to singe us as the earth is literally on fire, stone fruit are true saviours. The colours, the lure, the juiciness …  You will find a abundance of stone fruit recipes here on PAB.

Unfortunately we flew in really late from Calcutta the evening before his birthday and the loads of laundry took its toll. There was no way I was going grocery shopping. Thought I’d do a Bittersweet Fallen Chocolate Gateau but that wouldn’t offer an element of surprise. I like the air of expectancy around birthday cakes at home. Makes it so much fun!

The lack of time made me think coffee. Cake of any kind, flavour, texture is welcome. Chocolate was my first choice but the Camisoni coffee extract helped me decide. The deep heady aroma of coffee that emanated from the bottle sent me packing to make a coffee genoise. Coffee is something we all LOVE!A four egg cake is never enough for birthdays. Keeping in mind ‘forever hungry for seconds’ teenagers, I whipped up two coffee flavoured genoise sponges. My love for coffee has been inherited by both the kids. Often their natural choice for dessert when we go out is anything with coffee!

What shall I say about the end result? It was so good that we couldn’t get enough of it. It got over before we knew it. Seconds yes, but there was no chance for thirds {as the birthday boy rued!}. If I had had the energy and the ‘get up and go‘ the next day, IF, I would have happily whipped up another.

I’ve done the genoise sponge before for my birthday a few years ago. That is one of my favourite cakes, an Espresso Coffee Cream Cake. A while later there came about another delicious combination with coffee genoise sponge and chocolate quark. The latter sounded strange when I made it, but tasted great!

So here we go, sharing some deliciousness with this coffee laced cake. And in case you’ve missed it, Camisoni has a giveaway of their extracts on Passionate About Baking. Do stop by for a minute if you’d like to be part of it.

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Recipe: Layered Coffee & Cream Cake

Summary: If you love coffee, then this Layered Coffee & Cream Cake is the cake for you. Deep, divine, addictive coffee flavours of the coffee genoise and coffee cream combine with a dark chocolate ganache, promising to make this an unforgettable experience.
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

  • Simple Coffee Genoise {Make 2 X 4 egg cakes}
  • 4 large eggs
  • 200g sugar
  • 2 tbsp instant coffee powder
  • 1 tsp Camisoni premium coffee extract
  • 220g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • Simple sugar syrup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee powder
  • Filling
  • 400ml low fat cream
  • 50g icing sugar {as per taste}
  • 1 tsp Camisoni premium coffee extract
  • Dark chocolate ganache
  • 150g dark chocolate
  • 150ml low fat cream, room temperature
  • Dark chocolate shards for garnishing

Method:

  1. Coffee Genoise Sponge
  2. the oven to 190C. Line the bottom and sides of 2 X 8″ spring form round tin.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar over a bowl of simmering hot water for about 5 minutes till thick and mousse like.
  4. Take off water and continue to beat till the mixture cools down, about 5-7 minutes. Add the coffee extract and beat in again for a minute.
  5. Fold the flour through gently, in 3 goes, lightly till it’s mixed through well. Be careful not to release the beaten in air.
  6. Take a cup of this batter in another bowl, and mix the melted cooled butter through it. Now gently fold this back into the rest of the batter.
  7. Turn the batter into the prepared baking tin, and bake for 30-35 minutes, till a tester comes out clean.
  8. Cool completely on racks, then slice into two horizontally.
  9. Total 2 X 4 egg cakes=4 layers
  10. Syrup
  11. Place ingredients in a small pan and stir until sugar dissolves. Cool.
  12. Filling
  13. Whip ingredients together till medium stiff  peaks form. Taste and adjust sweetness if required.
  14. Assemble
  15. Brush each layer with the coffee syrup, and sandwich with the filling.
  16. Give the whole cake a thin layer of ganache as a base coat. Let it set for about 30 minutes.
  17. Frost with the remaining ganache and garnish with chocolate shards etc.
  18. Chill for about an hour or overnight. The flavours mature nicely over time.

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Coco turns 2 … a doggie birthday cake

“The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants.”
Johnny Depp

Coco turned 2 today. TWO!! She is the cutest creature on the face of this earth and the daughter decided she would bake her a doggie birthday cake last night. I thought the ever lazy teen was talking off the top of her head again. Don’t bother, my inner voice told me!

She asked me to get her carrots and peanut butter. We’ve been through this drama last year as well, and no cake ‘happened’. I didn’t get her the ingredients. Late in the evening I get a call from her. She was shopping for vegetables for the first time in her life. “How many carrots should I buy for 1 cup carrots?” 

Obviously meant business! She was soon home grating carrots. Another first and oh the protests. “My arms are gone, how difficult is this, will you grate them, can you please grate them…”! I wasn’t moved! All she had was Coco at her feet, eyes transfixed as her name popped up now and then. {“You’d better eat my cake Coco” she muttered incessantly!}

Oh the drama, the messy counters, grated carrots everywhere. The batter finally made its way into the oven. The dishes were done by her since I threatened to turn the oven off if she didn’t clear up. Then she put up her feet and talked on the phone endlessly. I caught the cake just in time … the top prettily browned! Yet, amazingly, we had cake! Rather Coco had a birthday cake!

Coco’s morning began well. She was spoilt silly. By afternoon it was time to cut the doie birthday cake. BUT NO! Have to frost ‘she’ hollered!! ’twas my turn to protest. “Cocos fine with a cake sans icing”…blah blah blah. We met halfway through. She decided to skip the cream cheese frosting {?????} and do a simple peanut butter topping.

Maybe she picked up some tips watching me all these years, maybe it is her interest in art, so she asked for my tiny cookie cutters. Soon we had carrot stars and ribbons… TADA! Coco couldn’t believe her eyes. She had never been that close to a cake before.

Coco is a good dog and doesn’t even eat out of her bowl without permission. So she waited patiently, amidst puddles of drool, with a few wardrobe malfunctions … Finally had her cake, and ate it too!

Must admit that I’ve had these Best Dog Biscuits Ever from White on Rice bookmarked since I saw them in my inbox in April. I contemplated baking a batch for Coco yesterday but never quite got there. Hopefully the teen will bake up some soon! Or maybe the lad, since he made brownies all by himself a few days ago!

So here we go… for a first on PAB, it’s a doggie birthday cake. And yes, the daughter did have a bite and she said it was good! The kids joined the party with pizza followed by a ginger lemon crème brûlée … and that is another story!

[print_this]Recipe: Doggie Birthday Cake 

Summary: A simple one bowl doggie birthday cake which is easy and fun. Tastes good too I hear! Adapted minimally from here

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

  • Cake
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup cooking oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 cup honey
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Frosting
  • 2 tsps peanut butter
  • Carrots and dog biscuits to garnish

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180C . Line the  base with parchment {I used a 7″ tin}
  2. Place everything in a large bowl and mix well to combine {use a hand beater on low speed}
  3. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes; then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  4. Frost with peanut butter. Garnish with carrot cut outs, ribbons and dog biscuits.

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OMBRE … Almond Layered Cream Cake {for the teen who craved pink!}

“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward”
Kurt Vonnegut

Happy New Year with an Ombre Almond Layered Cream Cake. Sorry I haven’t made an appearance yet. The beginning of the year is always BUSY! Call it bad planning, but the elder teen was born on the 2nd of Jan 17 years ago. In this absolutely freezing cold, where the temperature dips and the power trips, I’ve been baking birthday cakes every 1st January for the past 16 years.

We’ve broken ‘cold‘ records for the past 45 years this January. With a country not planned with central heating, we are surviving in ice boxes at 0.7 C temperatures. Absolutely bone chilling here these days. It’s one thing to shiver; another to shiver and bake!! Must be a glutton for punishment as I shiver through the process every year. I made an ombre cake a while ago for a dear friends birthday. It was TALL with many shades of pink. How the daughter whined! “You never make tall cakes in shades of pink for me”, “Why have I never got one like this”, “I WANT pink for my birthday”.

Then I saw this beautiful piece of art at BS in the Kitchen. Stunning and inspiring. I set off to replicate it but this January has been tougher than ever. Bitterly cold, power cuts galore … and if I may be allowed some more whining, cream that refused to oblige! I got down to whipping the low fat cream thrice … every single time we had a power cut. It usually obliges. Not this time though. I almost wept.

I should have made a buttercream; really should have. We don’t particularly love buttercream at home, so I decided to innovate. Lesson learnt: roses are made from firmer stuff i.e. buttercream! In sheer desperation, I began piping my frosting which was good enough to pipe roses on top, but played slip sliding roses on the walls of the cake. Thank heavens for lace collars. When all else fails, it seems to salvage the situation somewhat.

The cake tasted great and the birthday teen loved it to bits, pink and all. It got over really quick. In all the running around that day, I never did manage a proper picture before it was cut. It was worth the heartache though, well worth it!

[print_this]Recipe: Almond Layered Cream Cake 

Summary: A light almond flavoured sponge sandwiched and frosted with an equally light almond whipped buttercream. Inspired from here. Serves 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

  • Sponge X 2 {to make 4 round cakes. Each portion makes 2 X 7″ cakes}
  • 4 eggs
  • 110g raw sugar {or powdered}
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped
  • 4 drops almond extract
  • 80g plain flour
  • 25g almond meal
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp light olive oil
  • Pink colour
  • Filling and frosting
  • 100g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 400g low fat cream, chilled
  • 150-200g icing sugar {adjust according to taste}
  • Few drops almond extract

Method:

  1. Sponge {each portion of batter makes 2 cakes}
  2. Line the bottoms and sides of 2 7″ round tin. Preheat oven to 180C.
  3. Sift the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt together. Reserve.
  4. Beat the eggs and sugar over simmering water on high speed for about 10 minutes until the mixtures becomes thick and mousse like, tripling in quantity {Thermomix, Speed 4, Butterfly insert, 37C, 10 minutes or more}
  5. Take off water, add vanilla bean almond extract and continue beating for 3-4 minutes until it cools down a bit. {Thermomix, Speed 4, Butterfly insert, 3-4 minutes}
  6. Gently fold in the flour mixture in 3-4 goes. {Thermomix, Reverse Speed 2}, followed by the olive oil.
  7. Divide batter into two {approximately 200-210g per portion}.
  8. Pour one plain white portion into tin nbr 1. Add 2 drops of pink to the next. Repeat for another portion of batter but increase the amount of pink in the next two. You could use a drop of purple additionally in the 4th portion to get a darker hue.
  9. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the sponge springs back when touched lightly, or a tester comes out clean. {Don’t overbake els the sponges will get dry}
  10. Cool on rack for 5 minutes, remove from tin and cool completely.
  11. Filling and frosting
  12. Whip the cream and sugar to medium peaks. Add the butter and almond extract and whip until light and fluffy. {You cannot pipe roses with this}
  13. Sandwich the layers with this, then frost the top and sides with remaining cream. Pipe rosettes on top if desired.
  14. Chill for 2-3 hours for flavours to mature.

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Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake …Happy Birthday to me

“Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven.”
Jesse Lane Adams

A Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake … this is what my dreams are made up of. Coffee in a birthday cake has become a quintessential part of my birthday, a flavour that inspires me like no other. A lot of friends express surprise, dismay and even chide me for baking on ‘my big day’ every year… yet this is what relaxes me the most – baking!

The teen did offer to bake for me the night before! She said she would begin baking after Grey’s Anatomy which continued late into the night. She offered to do a rainbow cake {her current obsession} but I wanted coffee. “How about rainbow coffee cake?” she asked. I was soon out cold after a hectic Diwali. She passed out soon too!

I tiptoed into the kitchen the next morning to get a head-start while the teens snoozed. Throw coffee into the cake batter and I can climb the highest mountain, sail the roughest sea and still come out good! This is a cake I look forward to baking, one with no plan in particular.

It’s a good relaxed feeling when you are bake for yourself. No disappointments, no one judges your slips and you get to enjoy the fruits of your own ‘labour‘! Therapy at your own pace, in your own time, in your own space!

Coffee is my favourite flavour in dessert, so my birthday cake is predictable. The tiramisu we did for the Daring Bakers sang to me. The tiramisu variants that the Olive churns out call my name. I thrive on cold coffee even in the winter.

I use generous doses of Bru instant coffee to get depth of flavour. Bru is one of India’s best known and oldest chicory coffee powders. We love that first mug every morning! It’s a blend we grew up on, the green packaging a nostalgic bit of our teenage years.

When we were young, coffee was forbidden. As teens, we took our first steps into the delicious world of coffee. Both our kids are true lovers of everything coffee, often the first flavour they reach for. Sometimes, chocolate comes second. 

A study from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences found that a daily dose of caffeine may block the disruptive effects of high cholesterol that scientists have linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee is now listed as one of many brain foods.

I am not advocating the benefits of coffee. Just saying that if you are a coffee lover, don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a cake like this. Use your best loved coffee brand; indulge your palette!! This Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake is testament to it.

The flavours developed deeply and nicely. Alternate layers of vanilla bean and coffee sponge sandwiched with a light whipped coffee cream. I did contemplate a chocolate filling but the clock grew wings. Time flew away!  So I grabbed a huge bowl of chilled low fat cream and beat the daylights out of it. 2 tbsps of coffee later, junior teen dug a spoon in …. “Yummm. Can I finish whats left?”

I asked him to take a teeny video of me assembling the cake if he wanted the cream! Bribery works. Little hands, sometimes shaky, sometimes distracted, tired easily, we did get something on camera. Will process and post it soon. It was shot basically for the chocolate lace collar as I get a lot of mails asking me how I make it.

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Recipe: Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake

Summary: Light as air vanilla and coffee layers of cake sandwiched with delicious whipped coffee cream make for a perfect dessert. Make a day ahead if you like. The tastes mature beautifully!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

  • Vanilla Bean Sponge
  • 3 eggs
  • 75g raw sugar / bura {or powdered sugar}
  • 75g plain flour
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 2tsp extra virign olive oil
  • 1tbsp 2% milk
  • 1/2 vanilla bean scraped
  • Coffee Sponge
  • 4 eggs
  • 100g raw sugar / bura {or powdered sugar}
  • 1/2 vanilla bean scraped
  • 1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee powder
  • 20ml warm water
  • 100g plain flour
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 2tsp extra virign olive oil
  • 1tbsp 2% milk
  • Simple Coffee Syrup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee
  • 2tbsp raw sugar {or powdered sugar}
  • Coffee Whipped Cream
  • 800ml low fat cream, chilled
  • 150g raw sugar / bura {or powdered sugar}
  • 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp instant coffee powder {as per taste}

Method:

  1. Vanilla Bean Sponge
  2. Preheat oven to 180C. Line the base and sides of a 8″ round cake tin with baking parchment. 
  3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Reserve.
  4. Beat the eggs with raw/powdered sugar and scraped vanilla bean in a big bowl over a pan of simmering water until tripled in volume and mousse like, about 7 minutes. {Thermomix: Butterfly insert, Speed 4, 37c, 7 minutes}
  5. Gently add the flour mix and fold through, followed by the olive oil and milk.
  6. Transfer batter to prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes in conventional oven until light golden brown.
  7. Cool in tin for 5 minutes, and demold and cool completely on cooling rack.
  8. Slice into 2 layers.
  9. Coffee Sponge
  10. Preheat oven to 180C. Line the base and sides of a 8″ round cake tin with baking parchment. 
  11. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Reserve.
  12. Stir the coffee into the warm water. Leave to mature flavours.
  13. Beat the eggs with raw/powdered sugar and scraped vanilla bean in a big bowl over a pan of simmering water until tripled in volume and mousse like, about 7 minutes. {Thermomix: Butterfly insert, Speed 4, 37c, 7 minutes}.
  14. Add the coffee  mixture and beat to incorporate.
  15. Gently add the flour mix and fold through, followed by the olive oil and milk.
  16. Transfer batter to prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes in conventional oven until light golden brown.
  17. Cool in tin for 5 minutes, and demold and cool completely on cooling rack.
  18. Slice into 3 layers.
  19. Simple Coffee Syrup
  20. Stir together all ingredients, heat gently if required. Cool and reserve in bowl. 
  21. Coffee Whipped Cream
  22. Make sure the cream is well chilled. {You can use whipping cream if available. Life just becomes a lot easier and quicker, but make sure you don’t over whip it and get butter}
  23. Whip the cream and sugar {reserve a little to add later once you taste the sweetness} to stiff peaks. Low fat cream available in India takes quite a while to beat up if the weather is warm. It sometimes even fails to oblige. Feel free to use whipping cream if you like.
  24. Assembling
  25. Divide the coffee cream into 2 bowls, one for filling and the second half for frosting.
  26. Place a layer of vanilla sponge on your cake plate/ dessert platter. Paint lightly with coffee syrup. Put a generous dollop of coffee cream and spread uniformly to the sides.
  27. Top with a layer of coffee sponge. Repaet until you use all layers, alternating between vanilla & coffee.
  28. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining coffee cream. Pipe some rosettes on top if you like, garnish with chocolate flakes. Finish the cake with a piped chocolate lace border if desired.
  29. Chill until ready to serve. Leave out for about 30 minutes prior to cutting.

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