“I loved their home. Everything smelled older, worn but safe; the food aroma had baked itself into the furniture.”
Susan Strasberg
So here we go … I have created little somethings to help spread the awareness about Grandparents day, a day to recognise the contribution that the older generation gave to their families and wider society. These little iced cakes may not look perfect but they hold something for everyone! There’s Coffee Cream {my personal favourite}, there’s Chocolate Cream that everyone loves, and there’s Raspberry Cream, reminiscent of the favourite British Victoria sandwich cake.
When I started off I had just a layered coffee cream cake in mind. As I mixed the batter, my mind went towards many little cakes, and then the possibilities exploded in my mind. I was a baker in a hurry! I narrowed down to Coffee Cream, Raspberry Cream and Peaches ‘n’ Cream.
To enter the competition simply email your photos, recipe and a link to your blog article to blog@interflora.co.uk by Friday 21st September.The winner will receive a luxury arrangement of flowers of their choice plus a Grandparents’ Day Gift Basket which will be delivered to your chosen recipient in time for Grandparents’ Day. 5 runners up will also receive a Grandparents’ Day Gift Basket for their nominated grandparent.
Summary: Dainty little iced cakes lavished with a vanilla buttercream. Each good to serve four, they are made with different flavours – coffee, chocolate & raspberry. The flavour possibilities are endless … and the fun, infinite!
Prep Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1hour 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Sponge
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 60g {1/2 cup} all purpose flour
- 110g {1/2 cup} raw sugar {or Castor}
- 20g {1/4 cup} almond meal
- 1tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 10gm / 2 tsp Del Monte Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1.5tsp 2% fat mil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder {or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract}
- Classic Vanilla Buttercream
- 100gm unsalted butter, not too soft
- 40ml low fat cream {Amul}, chilled
- 150gm icing sugar {it was a little oversweet for me, but fine with the kids}
- pinch salt
- 1/2 vanilla bean scraped
- Flavourings
- 1 tsp coffee for the coffee cake
- Dark chocolate ganache, chocolate chips
- Del Monte Raspberry Fruit Filling
Method:
- Sponge
- Line the bottoms and sides of three small 4″ baking tins. Preheat oven to 180C.
- Sift the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt together. Reserve.
- Mix the olive oil and milk in a small bowl Reserve.
- 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}
- Take off water and continue beating for 3-4 minutes until it cools down a bit. {Thermomix, Speed 4, Butterfly insert, 3-4 minutes}
- Gently fold in the flour mixture in 3-4 goes. {Thermomix, Reverse Speed 2}, followed by the olive oil and milk mixture. Blend in gently but uniformly, divide batter between tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until the sponge springs back when touched lightly, ora tester comes out clean.
- Cool on racks for 5 minutes, remove from tins and cool completely.
- Classic Vanilla Buttercream
- Beat the ingredients together until smooth and light. Taste and adjust sugar if required.
- Assembling
- Reserve a little buttercream for piping on top if desired.
- Cut the little cakes horizontally into 2-3 layers each. Sandwich one with the buttercream, add a few chocolate chips within if desired, and top with a chocolate ganache. Pipe some plain buttercream if desired.
- Sandwich the second with some buttercream and raspberry fruit filling, topping that cake with some buttercream and a dollop of filling.
- Whi the remaining buttercream with 1 tsp of coffee and sandwich and frost the little cake with it. Pipe some plain vanilla rosettes if desired and add a chocolate lace border if you have the time and/or inclination!
- Chill until ready to serve.
- ENJOY
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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India