Coffee Mascarpone Layered Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache, the cake of my dreams, one I baked in a hurry for my birthday! It was delicious once sliced, the flavours coming together just as I had hoped they would. Coffee and chocolate are my to-go flavour combination, and my basic sponge recipe a favourite too, one that lives in my head. It’s been a while since I baked a layer cake. The better half appreciatively called this one an old-fashioned cake, possibly because I fast track most cakes these days.It’s often a quick cheesecake or a flourless cake that I turn out, a reflection of ‘so much to do and so little time, also one that points towards my habit of procrastination. This one was planned no differently, yet, happily enough, I made a layered cake!A special occasion cake needs more effort, and for my birthday, no matter what, it’s A L W A Y S a coffee chocolate one I bake! And call me a sucker for punishment or what you like, I just came in from a long exhausting shoot the previous day. That was great fun but had me on my feet for almost 15 hours every day, and I came back to excited puppies and guinea pigs. Family too of course!All I wanted to was to vegetate, basically sit in one place and grow roots. Yet just the thought of coffee cake had me turn on the Kitchen Aid, eight eggs & sugar whipping away silently as I readied the other stuff. There’s barely anything else to this sponge other than lining the tins and preheating the oven of course. Add some flavour {vanilla, coffee powder, coffee extract if you like}, throw in some baking powder and a pinch of salt. A quick sifting of flour over, and a gentle fold through and that’s all it takes.Then I pretty much had to think the filling and frosting. That the filling was going to be coffee mascarpone was already in my head. Then I got a little lazy since I had forgotten to chill the cream, and decided to go with a dark chocolate ganache just because it seemed so much simpler! That was the simplest thing ever, one I hurriedly made as the sponges baked. Since the weather is quite cool, I left the chocolate ganache out at room temperature for 2-3 hours to rest. Once you have all the elements sorted out, the Coffee Mascarpone Layered Cake doesn’t take long to assemble.A quick brush of a simple coffee syrup, then coffee mascarpone, and repeat with all four layers. Since I was short on time, I popped it into the freezer for 30 minutes. Ideally I would have left it to sit for a couple of hours, or overnight, for the flavours to mature. That done, it was time for the ganache which was perfectly smooth at room temperature.You do need to move quick as the ganache hits the chilled cake. One thin base coat, followed by a generous top coat, a sifting over of cocoa powder, a scattering of chocolate flakes, a few coffee beans and we’re good to go! Into the fridge to chill for a couple of hours to allow the flavours to mature, hoping it was going to be delicious once sliced. I really had to chase the light to get a shot; daylight is really at a premium these days.
Coffee Mascarpone Layered Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache
Coffee and chocolate are a pairing made in heaven, and this Coffee Mascarpone Layered Cake doesn't disappoint. Make it the previous day if you like, the flavours mature well over time.
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 2 hourshours45 minutesminutes
Servings 8people
Ingredients
Coffee sponge 8" X 2
8eggs
1/2cupbrown sugar
1/2cupvanilla sugar
3tbspinstant coffee
1tspcoffee extract
1tspvanilla extract
1tspbaking powder
pinchsalt
1cupall purpose flour
2tbspcornflour
Coffee Syrup
1/3cupWater
cup½sugar
1tbspinstant coffee powder
Coffee Mascarpone Filling
250gcreamchilled
50gicing sugar {to taste}
3tspinstant coffee powder
250gmascarponechilled
Dark chocolate ganache
300gsingle cream
450g52% couverture chocolate
Garnish
cocoa powderchocolate shavings, coffee beans
Instructions
Coffee Sponge
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line the bottom and sides of 2 X 8″ spring form/loose bottomed round tins.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs with both sugars till thick and mousse like, 7-10 minutes.
Add the coffee and vanilla extract and beat in again for a minute, then beat in the baking powder and pinch of salt.
Sift the flour over, folding gently in 3 lots, lightly till it’s mixed through well. Be careful not to release the beaten in air.
Turn the batter into the prepared baking tin, and bake for 30-35 minutes, till a tester comes out clean.
Cool completely on racks, then slice into two horizontally, total 4 layers.
Coffee Syrup
Place ingredients in a small pan and stir until sugar dissolves. Cool.
tbsp instant coffee powder
Coffee Mascarpone Filling
Whip the cream, sugar and coffee together till medium stiff peaks form. Fold in the mascarpone. Taste and adjust sweetness if required.
Dark Chocolate Ganache
Place chopped chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl and run at high in the microwave for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth, then leave it to rest to cool. Whisk again before using.
Assemble
Brush each layer with the coffee syrup, and sandwich with the filling.
Give the whole cake a thin layer of ganache as a base coat. Let it set for about 5 minutes.
Frost with the remaining ganache.
Sift over with cocoa powder and garnish with chocolate shavings and coffee beans.
Chill for about an hour or overnight. The flavours mature nicely over time.
Dark Chocolate Walnut Gateau … baking up for when the world’s lightest full frame DSLR comes over for a review. Well it’s a Canon, more specifically a Canon 6D Mark II, and you just know it’s time to add to the wishlist. Light, at a mere 685 grams, wifi enabled, a touch screen technology, good in low light, not sure what more you can ask for?Did they say adequate weather sealing too? YES!!Yes indeed, it’s a model that won me over even though I already use the Canon 5D Mark III. It seems a matter of luxury to have touch screen auto focus and even a shooting option with the touch screen. For a fleeting moment you might feel redundant since it’s a camera that appears to frame, focus and even shoot on auto! Yet once you get past that initial awe and excitement, this is a good feel, full frame snappy camera with a powerful processor.I speak from quite the non tech point of view but because I have always used Canon as a brand, I am a huge fan of the brand and quality products. I set off with a Canon PS40 when I began shooting, graduated to a G9, then an EOS 50D, and now use a 5D Mark III. Ever since I cut over to the DSLR beginning with a 50D, I used a Canon f/2.8 100mm lens for food photography. I’ve now graduated to an L series lens of the same specs and for me that’s the best lens to shoot food.The Canon 6D Mark II on review came with a kit lens, the 24-105mm f/4 which is pretty decent for a kit lens and the full frame camera. It has the image stabilisation feature that I find so useful, especially in low light conditions. Since I am used to shooting with the 100mm f/2.8 lens and used to the results that gets, it was only a matter of time before I snapped that onto the 6D body.
The images above are all with the kit lens and the ones that follow with the 100mm f/2.8. Such an absolute pleasure to shoot with the 6D. It’s snappy, it’s quick and has a great new processor and a large sensor. These relate to less noise in your images. The live view focus is also really fast and enviable, and the colours are great. The wifi function also means that you can instantly share images to different devices without the hassle of downloading to another device tethered, or via a card reader etc.For the modern day digital lifestyle, this is an amazing feature. It takes the ease of what the cellphone camera can do, and places it in a camera. You might argue that carrying a camera is cumbersome, and these days cellphones produce amazing images too. Then again, If you are like me and are used to a DSLR to take pictures, then there’s nothing else that can offer you the same satisfaction.For you then, the 6D is a good choice if it’s in your budget range. It begins at INR 1,32,000 and if you are a serious photography enthusiast, then it’s a great investment. Though it is always the eye that frames the shot, the person that visualises the frame, you need great equipment to deliver the result. With a full HD capability and an LCD that shoots upto 4 frames a second with less shake in a video, this just might be the camera to consider.I have this Canon 6D in my view even though I love my 5D Mark III to bits. I love the innovative approach Canon has. The latest features are a sign of responding to the ever changing dynamic times, making life simpler while improving on quality, and largely responding to user feedback. How else would you find built in smart device pairings, remote control functions via a smart phone and instant transfers to devices?
If you have questions do let me know. I’ll try and answer them. Canon is my brand of choice as I’ve used no other, and find it meets my requirements and more.
And for the record, I barely do any post processing as most folk who know me are aware. So with minimal fixes {if any}, these are basically just images straight from the camera. I’d love to play around with it more, figure out white balance better etc, but for now I’ll say adieu!
… oh, and before I forget, the Dark Chocolate Walnut Gateau is a delicious healthy alternative for dessert. It’s flourless, it’s wholesome, and chocolate of course! You could actually serve it without the topping, yet who wouldn’t mind added indulgence?
Chocolate and walnuts are a marriage made in heaven. Giving a favourite an even healthier twist, this cake comes with a serving of oats too. It’s flourless, gluten free, moist and delicious. Make it ahead as a tea cake or dessert.
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 4 hourshours35 minutesminutes
Servings 8people
Ingredients
Walnut Oat Base
30gclarified butter {ghee}
150gwalnuts
40gquick cooking oats
15gbrown sugar
Dark Chocolate Filling
4egg yolks
50gbrown sugar
1tspvanilla beanscraped {or 1vanilla extract}
15gcoffee powder
100gdark chocolatemelted
2tbspWater
4egg whites
1pinchcream of tartar
50gbrown sugar
30goatmeal
1/2tspbaking powder
10gpowdered sugar for sifting
Mascarpone Caramel Cream
200gmascarponechilled
2-3tbspsalted caramel sauce
Salted caramel sauce to drizzle
Instructions
Flourless Gateau
Preheat oven to 180 C. Butter an 8" springform tin. Line the base with parchment paper
Walnut Oat Base
Run walnuts, oats and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in food processor till ground. Add the clarified butter/ghee and pulse till it all comes together.
Gently press this into the bottom and up the sides of the baking tin to form a base.
Dark Chocolate Filling
Place the egg whites in the bowl of the stand mixer. Add 50g brown sugar, pinch of cream of tartar and beat on high speed to stiff peaks. Reserve in a separate bowl.
Place the egg yolks in the same bowl of the stand mixer. Beat on high speed for 5-7 minutes until thick and mousse like. Add the remaining 50g brown sugar, coffee powder and scraped vanilla bean, and continue to beat for another 3 minutes. Gently stir in the oats flour and baking powder.
Fold in the melted chocolate and water.
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites, beginning with a quarter at a time.
Turn the filling over the walnut base and spread uniformly. Sprinkle over with 1 tbsp brown sugar
Bake for approximately 30 minutes, cool in the pan for another 15-20 minutes
Loosen sides, and leave to cool completely for about 2 hours. The centre will drop/sink
Chill, then top with the mascarpone cream.
Topping
Whisk the mascarpone until smooth.
Take 2-3 tbsp and whisk in the salted caramel sauce to loosen, the gently fold this through the remaining mascarpone. Taste and add more sauce if desired.
Top the chilled cake with this, add some salted caramel popcorn if you like.
Slightly warm a little more salted caramel sauce and drizzle over to finish.
Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Oat Pudding with Pumpkin Mascarpone Mousse … dessert that was waiting to happen. Some things are meant to be and this certainly was. It’s a little late but is headed off for the #virtualpumpkinparty hosted by Sara over at Cake Over Steak. I had pudding ready in the fridge and some fresh pumpkin puree that I made yesterday.
There’s something about the season. The minute summer ebbs away, I reach out for the pumpkin. More often than never, you will find some oven roasted pumpkin in the fridge. On luckier days, I’ll have already made it into a puree! I love the sweetness it offers, and the ease of use. This was breakfast a few days ago, a very inspired one actually. The fresh pumpkin puree that I made day before was calling my name. So was my hungry rumbling tummy.
Trying to stay more full and get healthier everyday with least fuss {and more veggies!}, this fall inspired breakfast bowl was goodness stirred together. Greek yogurt whisked with honey and a 1/2 cup of fresh chilled pumpkin puree. Some absolutely delicious granola and a drizzle of honey finished it off. I roast pumpkin for salad too quite often. This is one of my favourites, a tossed salad with chickpeas!
So you can imagine that I’m a huge fan of this humble vegetable and the #virtualpumpkin party was just the thing to grab my attention. I read it off Amisha’s instastory on instagram, and Sara was good enough to have me over, even though I was late. The requirements for the pumpkin party were simple … ‘share an original pumpkin-based recipe on your blog. It can be a dessert, a main dish, a cocktail, etc. – it just needs to incorporate pumpkin or a similar winter squash in some way.‘
So here I am, with a really simple, fast track dessert, which is quite healthy actually. The base is a Dark Chocolate Oat Pudding, slightly different from the one I shared here a few days ago. I skipped the walnuts, made the process simpler, and used cinnamon to tie in the flavours. The layers are chocolate pudding, spices sweet pumpkin puree, and a whipped pumpkin mascarpone mousse. I made tiny fondant pumpkins too!
Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Oat Pudding with Pumpkin Mascarpone Mousse
Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Oat Pudding with Pumpkin Mascarpone Mousse is a simple, fast track dessert, which is quite healthy actually. The layers are oat chocolate pudding, spiced sweet pumpkin puree, and a whipped pumpkin mascarpone mousse. Eggless, wholegrain & gluten free, it’s truly yum!
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 4 hourshours20 minutesminutes
Servings 6people
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Oat Pudding
400gmilk
200mllow fat cream
30gcocoa powder
1tspcinnamon powder
35gbreakfast oats
150gdark couverture chocolatechopped
75gbrown sugar
30ghoney
Pumpkin Mousse
Fresh pumpkin puree from 400g pumpkinchilled {100g+300g}
450gmascarpone
4-5tbsppowdered sugar {to taste}
2tsppumpkin pie spice mix
Pumpkin seeds to garnish
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Oat Pudding
Place all ingredients in a heavy bottom pan and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken.
Once it becomes as thick as a custard, take off heat, allow to cool, then puree with an immersion blender or blend in a food processor until smooth.
Pour into serving bowls / glasses.
Cool and then chill for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
Pumpkin mouse
Whisk the pumpkin puree with sugar to taste and the pumpkin pie spice. {Reserve the remaining pumpkin puree}
Whisk 100g of the pumpkin puree with about 100g of the mascarpone until smooth.
Gently whisk/fold in the remaining mascarpone so as not to lose volume. {Gently add more sugar if required.}
Place into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
Assemble
Divide the reserved pumkin puree over the set chocolate pudding using a piping bag. Level out gently.
Pipe the mascarpone pumpkin mousse over the pumpkin puree.
“I use a lot of spices, fresh veggies and fruit, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, avocado, soybeans and organic ingredients as often as possible. We need fat in our diets and using the healthier fats is key.” Todd English
Polenta Cheese Crackers {and canapes} and a cracker of a dip. The oh-so-delicious smooth Eggplant Melon Seed Dip comes together in seconds. Both the crackers and the dip are beautifully flavoured by an earthy, deep, aromatic organic garlic infused extra virgin olive oil from @Azafraninfusions.If you’ve been here often, you might have heard me say that garlic is my most favourite ingredient of all time, and more often than never, savoury is what my palette yearns for. I might bake a lot of sweet stuff, but when it comes to my taste-buds, it’s savoury all the way. I’ve attempted to infuse extra virgin olive oil a couple of times but I find the process tedious. I also find particles that get left behind which I fear might carry bacteria in the long run. So when Azafran Infusions came into my life, I was absolutely delighted.What’ s not to love about an infused olive oil? The flavours/aromas are rich, deep, earthy and add oodles to the dish. Also, the range is really nice. In the sense, I would use garlic, chili and basil most often and Azafran offers all three. However the brand scores even more brownie points. The infusions use organic products which is probably why the aromas are so deep. Great branding too.With this wonderful olive oil on hand, it was time to put it to test. Quick check of the pantry and fridge and I knew just what I wanted to make. Polenta crackers and a nutty eggplant dip. Both are simple, quick one bowl sort of recipes. A good handy stand mixer and blender can work magic in any kitchen. That magic can only come alive with quality ingredients. Both the crackers and dip turned out flavoursome and delicious. Paired together they created magic!!To get the cracker dough together, I threw in some grated cheddar. I love cheese in crackers. I always add garlic to crackers and this time my work was cut out! A generous glug of the garlic infusion from Azafaran and I was sorted. Gentle flavours of earthy garlic escaped from the oven the minute the crackers were done. So yum!!And what is dip without garlic. Yes indeed, another convenient glug into the blender brought out beautiful flavours. Make both the crackers and dip in advance. I have a mini pie pan so made some canapes as well. I love how pretty they look, and that they add an interesting dimension to a snack platter. I always try and make some while rolling out crackers. The dip gets thick once chilled, thick enough to pipe into canapes. Top the dip with slivers of fresh garlic, pomegranate pearls, fresh basil and a drizzle of the infused oil. Then sit back and enjoy!Other ways to enjoy oil infusions are in salad dressings, stir fries, marinades, over pizza, in bread, drizzled over bruschetta, as a dipping oil to serve with bread. Extra virgin olive oils in prettily packaged glass bottles are a charm. Always works for me. These make great gifts as well, don’t you think? I’m hoping the future sees more beautiful flavours added. On my wishlist might be rosemary, Italian herbs, orange, lime, sage …
…until then, I’m really loving using these three!
Polenta Cheese Crackers {and canapes} and a cracker of a dip. The oh-so-delicious smooth Eggplant Melon Seed Dip comes together in seconds. Both the crackers and the dip are beautifully flavoured by an earthy, deep, aromatic organic garlic infused extra virgin olive oil from @Azafraninfusions.
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Ingredients
Polenta Crackers & Canapes
1/2cuppolenta
1cupall purpose flour
1tspbaking powder
1tspsmoked sea salt
1/4cupAzafran infusions (garlic)
50ggrated cheddar
1/4cupwater {as required}
Eggplant Melon Seed Dip
1eggplant, roasted, cooled
1/4cupAzafran infusions (garlic)
1/2cupmusk melon seeds
1/4cupyogurt
1limeJuice of
1/2tspsmoked paprika
Smoked sea salt to taste
Fresh basil, pomegranate pearls, garlic slivers and roasted chilli flakes to garnish
Azafran organic garAzafran infusions (garlic) to drizzle over
Instructions
Polenta Crackers & Canapes
Place all ingredients except water in bowl of stand mixer. Mix on low speed for 1 minute.
Add in enough water to make firm pliable dough. Leave to rest covered for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Roll out as thin as possible on a lightly floured surface and cut out with fluted cookie cutter {or in any shape you wish}.
Reduce oven temperature to 180C. Transfer cutout crackers to a parchment lined baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, until the edges begin to get slightly golden.
Cool completely on cookie racks.
Note: You can make canapes the same way but in a mini pie pan if you like.
Eggplant Melon Seed Dip
Place all ingredients in bowl of blender and process until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a bowl, cover firmly and chill until ready to serve.
Garnish with fresh basil, pomegranate pearls, garlic slivers and roasted chili flakes. Drizzle over Azafran Infusions (garlic)
Serve with crackers, or pipe into canapes.
Note: makes 1 1/2 dozen crackers + 1 dozen canapes
“The best we can do, to paraphrase Pollan, is to eat whole foods, mostly plants, and not too much.” A. J. Jacobs
Peach Cherry Quinoa Crumbles…. that’s how my quinoa crumbled and we loved it! With peaches and cherries falling off carts this year, and my quinoa obsession, the options are unlimited! Honestly, this was my best crumble to date! Gluten free, wholegrain and addictive good! Also a great way to use whole foods, something that fits in with my current obsession #makehalfyourgrainswholeSummer only means exciting times. This year even more exciting as stone fruit are falling off carts. This year the crop seems to have been particularly good. The season began quite early since summer came early. I also have this strange obsession and cannot stop myself from buying the fruit each time I go to the market, which basically means I am constantly thinking of new ways to use them.And then there’s my new wholegrain obsession with quinoa. It began a while ago when a friend got me some organic quinoa from the US. It wasn’t a lot but it was enough to get me going. Find a Whole Foods near you, grab some quinoa and try something new today. A friend, Dolphia, just commented on my Instagram handle @passionateaboutbaking … ‘Quinoa – I never thought I could use that in dessert.’
I’ve done loads with quinoa of late. Interestingly, the more I do, the more I want to do. This time I decided to experiment with a crumble. To have a crisp crumble, the topping has to be dryish or rather dehydrated to begin with, made crisp with cut in butter. I didn’t have quinoa flour, and making flour from scratch is a bit cumbersome. Besides, I had a small portion of cooked quinoa waiting for somewhere to go…And here’s where it went, to top these crumbles. I have to say I make crumbles every year, and these were my best to date. The good thing is that they are wholegrain, gluten free and ever so delicious. Healthy of course. What else would fruit and wholegrain be? What’s your favourite way with quinoa?
GF Peach Cherry Quinoa Crumbles…. that’s how my quinoa crumbled and we loved it! With peaches and cherries falling off carts this year, and my quinoa obsession, the options are unlimited! Honestly, this was my best crumble to date! Gluten free, wholegrain and addictive good! Also a great way to use whole foods, something that fits in with my current obsession #makehalfyourgrainswhole
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 35 minutesminutes
Total Time 45 minutesminutes
Servings 6people
Ingredients
Stone Fruit Mix
6-8peachespitted, diced
2cupscherriespitted, halved
2tspcornflour
1/3cupbrown sugar
Juice of 1 lime
Few drops almond extract
Quinoa Oat Crumble Topping
1cupcooked quinoadehydrated {note below}
1/2cupwalnutsfinely chopped
1/3cupquick cooking oats
1/3cupbrown sugar
1/4cupchilled buttergrated
Instructions
Stone Fruit Mix
Preheat oven to 180C.
In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients for the fruit mix well to coat.
Assemble
Divide the fruit mix into 6-8 ovenproof ramekins, including the liquid if any.
Divide the crumble mix equally over each, pressing down gently to make sure the top is well covered and sealed.
Bake in a hot oven for 35-40 minutes until the top is crisp to touch, and maybe the juices are bubbling out.
Serve warm {or chilled as we like it} with a serving of unsweetened single cream!
Notes
Note : Dehydrated cooked quinoa. I spread the cooked quinoa on a oven proof platter and microwaved it for 6 minutes, a minute at a time, since I was experimenting. I think next time I will put it on an oven tray and leave in a low oven for about an hour.
Dark Chocolate Quinoa Cake with Balsamic Cherries & Whipped Almond Cream … and how easy it was to bring the whole thing together using one basic magic machine in the kitchen. I’m talking about the Tefal Masterchef Gourmet that I recently received to review, and I have to say it is fab! Any new kitchen appliance is JOY for me, the prospects of using it to create something I enjoy, immense. Add to the experience the Tefal Hard Titanium Pan, and the joy doubled. I really enjoyed using the two.I’ve used Tefal products for a long time. Years ago when I worked with BA, I bought a lot of my appliances from the UK, and it was Tefal more often than never. I still have the Tefal Coffee Maker & Toaster for the 1990’s though it might well be a museum relic now! Just the nostalgia and connect to the days gone by made me happy to try the brand again now that it’s been launched in India.Unpacking the Tefal Masterchef Gourmet is like entering a candy shop. It has everything and more. The good thing about the machine is that it includes JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING you might need in the kitchen. Leaves you no requirement to buy additional appliances. I had to take a deep breath while unpacking as the bits and bobs seemed never-ending. I’ve yet to see a gourmet station that comes with a blender, slicer/shredder, meat mincer and juice extractor.I had to put it to use, and tried to churn out a cake using a few of the attachments. I have to say that the powerful 900W appliance did not disappoint. Seemed to do its job effortlessly and efficiently, with hardly any noise. My favourites were many, but the die cast beater that whipped up the cream to beautiful peaks won me over. Living here in India, that has to be one of the biggest challenges to making a layer cake with single whipping cream. {My secret is in the recipe below.}
Small amounts of cream just don’t get whipped up in large bowls, and often I reach for the electric hand beater. I like to make small desserts often for the family that are enjoyed and devoured quick. It gives me an opportunity to bake more often, keep experimenting and have fodder for the blog! It’s only when we have folk over that I need larger portions, and the large 4.6 litre capacity bowl works well for both.Thanks to its die cast beater and Flex Whisk Technology, the Masterchef Gourmet effortlessly whipped up the cream to beautiful peaks and made me SMILE! For me, that has to be the best thing ever. The appliance also effortlessly whips egg whites that are ultra fluffy and ultra airy, even from 1 egg up. That’s huge for me and for people who do home baking and need small portions. That it caters to larger portions as well is great!So I decided to experiment with a healthy chocolaty quinoa layer cake with a frosting, something much in line with my latest obsession of using whole grains. Add to it, the recent discovery of a love for quinoa, this was going to be fun. I put the blender to use for the quinoa, dark chocolate and wholegrain flour. The blender seemed light, yet was so efficient. It fits on top of the machine. It took me five minutes to figure out where it should go, but the French designed appliance had me covered. One look at the manual, and I found a neat hidden cap on the top.The appliance is very intuitive and fun to use. Within seconds, I had a crumb mix which I transferred into the large mixing bowl. In the next couple of minutes, I had batter. Really that simple! If you’d like a lighter cake, feel free to whip the single egg white separately, and fold it in gently towards the end.Flourless and wholegrain cakes generally have heavier crumbs, and it’s all a matter of taste. We love the bite and luxury whole grains offer. That said, I’m not a purist and I can’t wait to try a light as air sponge cake with the machine! Maybe that’s next!
While the cake was baking, I turned to the cherries. What a breeze. It aint no secret that I love good quality frying pans and this one from Tefal, the Hard Titanium Pan is my new love. Its Thermo-Spot ring turns full red when your pan reaches the right temperature for perfect searing. Fancy! The range has a pancake pan, a wokpan and 2 frypans.Also, you can use a metal spoon to stir, which is just so convenient. I don’t need to constantly switch between metal spoons I use everyday to special spatulas. And did I tell you that it’s easy clean? Yes, and how. I’m one of those who work in the kitchen and wash up everything and put them back when I’m done. The pan was a breeze to clean.So here’s the recipe, much in line with my current obsession of baking/cooking with whole grains and my hashtag of #makehalfyourgrainswhole. Happily, this is a trend that Tefal promotes too, “the emphasis is on family, sharing, and healthy ingredients“. You can make this cake eggless. Skip the egg, add a tbsp of yogurt but do note that the cake must be chilled and preferably not layered as the crumb is very delicate.You can also make it gluten free using oat flour instead of wholewheat flour. Same thing applies re the delicate crumb. Lastly, make this vegan by using coconut oil, coconut yogurt and coconut cream to experiment. I haven’t tried that yet but think of the immense possibilities. Once you have a kitchen appliance that works like magic sorted out, you can experiment endlessly! Have fun!
Dark Chocolate Quinoa Cake with Balsamic Cherries & Whipped Almond Cream
Flourless and wholegrain cakes generally have heavier crumbs, and it's all a matter of taste. We love the bite and luxury whole grains offer. This Dark Chocolate Quinoa Cake with Balsamic Cherries & Whipped Almond Cream is a simple one bowl cake. Topped with luscious whipped cream and seasonal cherries makes it a great tea or birthday cake. Recipe can be easily doubled.
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Total Time 3 hourshours5 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Quinoa Cake
100gcooked quinoachilled
100gdark chocolatechopped, room temperature
50gwholewheat flour
50gclarified butter/ghee
100gjaggery
1egg
1tspvanilla extract
15gcocoa powder
1tspbaking powder
1tbspyogurt {dahi}
Balsamic cherries
300gcherriespitted
2-3tbspbrown sugar
1tbspbalsamic vinegar
1/2vanilla beanscraped {optional}
Simple Sugar Syrup
1/2cupWater
1/4cupraw sugar
1tbspKirsch {optional}
Whipped Almond Cream
200mlsingle creamchilled
30mlclarified butter/ghee
2-3tbspraw sugar
4-5drop almond extract
Topping
Fresh cherries
Sprigs of fresh mint
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Quinoa Cake
Preheat the oven to 160C. Line the sides and base of a 4" springform round tin with parchment.
Place the quinoa, dark chocolate and wholewheat flour {or oats} in jar of Tefal blender. Attach to top of food processor and process for 10-15 seconds at a time, scraping down each time, until you get a breadcrumb like mix.
Place the above with remaining ingredients in the bowl of the Tefal Kitchen Masterchef Gourmet, with the paddle attachment fitted. Process on low speed for 30 seconds until you get a uniform mix. Don't overmix.
Transfer to prepared bowl. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Cool in tin for 20 minutes, then cool completely on rack. Cut into two horizontal layers.
Simple Sugar Syrup
While the cake is baking, place both the ingredients in the Tefal Hard Titanium Pan and keep over medium heat, stirring until the sugar melts. Stir in Kirsch if using. Transfer to a small jug {or bowl}, and use same pan for cherries.
Balsamic cherries
Place all the ingredients in the Tefal Hard Titanium Pan and keep over low heat, stirring often. Feel free to use a metal spoon. Cook down until the syrup is nice and thick and the cherries are deep red. Allow to cool completely, transfer to a bowl. Chill.
Whipped Almond Cream
Place all ingredients in bowl of Tefal Kitchen Masterchef Gourmet with the whisking attachment fitted. Whisk on the highest speed for 4-5 minutes until the cream thickens and holds peaks. Taste and adjust sweetness if required.
Assemble
Place the lower layer of the Dark Chocolate Quinoa Cake on a serving platter, and moisten with simple sugar syrup.
Top with half the Whipped Almond Cream, then half the Balsamic Cherries. Moisten the other layer of the Dark Chocolate Quinoa Cake with the sugar syrup and place on top.
Top with remaining cream. Garnish with fresh cherries and sprigs of fresh mint.
