Even kids can bake Fraisier Cake!

Frasier Cakes are impressive to look at, and the recipe can look quite daunting, but don't be afraid of them - they are not actually that hard to make! Last week my son used my Fraisier Cake tutorial to bake a cake of his own for his college Bake Off.

Here he is with his magnificent award winning cake. It came second in the Bake Off!

Granted, he did have me on hand to tell him when he'd beat the eggs enough and help him hold the piping bag correctly (he's not quite there yet), but he did actually make the entire cake, from start to finish, with his own two hands. He took two afternoons to make the cake, and it was a wonderful mother-son  bonding experience. His determination to do really well for the Bake Off was an excellent motivator. Following instructions is extremely difficult for him due to Aspergers, so he will often give up part-way on a project of this magnitude. Splitting it over two days, with a specific set of goals for day 1, helped; and I also gave him the instructions verbally as he worked, rather than having him read them.

This is how he did it:

Beat the eggs and sugar to ribbon consistency.

Gently folded in the flour and butter.

Poured the batter into the prepared cake tin,

and placed it in the oven.

Got the ingredients ready and made the creme patisserie.

Coloured and rolled out the marzipan.

Sponge is ready.

After splitting the sponge and brushing the syrup on, he placed the halved strawberries up against the plastic collar.

Then piped the creme pat between the strawberries and over the sponge.

The recipe says that you should assemble the cake in the ring of your spring form tin. I did that the first couple of times that I made the cake, but then I found that I got much better results using a sturdy clear plastic collar, taped closed.

Piped the second layer of creme pat, on top of the strawberries,

and placed the top half of sponge.

After brushing the sponge with more syrup, he added the marzipan on top.

He really enjoyed piping the chocolate decorations!

Well done my boy, I am so proud of you!

Dr Seuss Themed Dummy Cake

I mage this cake as a prop for our Ward's Roadshow this year. It is a dummy cake made with 12", 10" and 8" polystyrene drums, covered in left over fondant from previous cakes. The candles I made by wrapping fondant around cardboard tubes, leaving a space in the top for battery powered led tea lights to fit. 

I wanted the cake to have a Dr. Seuss or Cat in the Hat feel, without being too specific, but I couldn't resist putting a few fish on to it :) They are hand cut and detailed with a Sharpie (well, it's not going to be eaten!) 

I really wanted this post to be all about our Roadshow, but sadly the evening has been postponed (possibly until February). So I thought I would just share my cake for now, without giving anything away about our play - it is a competition after all!

Chocolate Ice Cream Cake {Recipe}

A friend asked me to bake a surprise cake for her husband's birthday - a chocolate ice cream cake (a combination of two of his favourite sweets). Harry's birthday was on the day of our Roadshow dress rehearsal, and as they are new in our area, and no one knew it was his birthday, she though it would be fun to have a little surprise party for him before we began our rehearsal. Well, you know what they say about best laid plans...

The cake has 8 layers - from the bottom: moist chocolate sponge cake, vanilla ice cream, oreo crumbles, milk chocolate ice-cream, chocolate fudge ganache, vanilla ice cream, moist chocolate sponge, chocolate fudge ganache, and is topped with stabilised whipped cream decoration. Recipe below.

Unfortunately, Harry never got his surprise. My friend was involved in a car accident on the way home to fetch Harry and bring him to the rehearsal (she was thankfully uninjured, though her car wasn't as lucky!) Because the cake was ice cream and the freezer at the church far too small to accommodate it, we ended up having to eat it without them!! But not before making a video of us all singing to him beside it. We did manage to get a couple of pieces into the freezer though, so when they finally made it to us, after a very long and traumatic evening, they did get to enjoy it. I'm not sure what my friend was more upset about: spoiling her husbands surprise or the fact she was in an accident Lol. All well that ends well, just so glad that she came to no harm.

Chocolate Ice Cream Cake Recipe

Makes 10" square cake.

1. Bake the Moist Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups Flour

3 cups Sugar

1 1/2 cup Cocoa

3 tsp Baking Soda

3 Large Eggs

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups Buttermilk

1 cup Sunflower Oil

2 tsp Vanilla

1 1/2 cup2 Boiling Water

Method:

Preheat oven to 145°C

Line and grease a 10" square cake tin.

Combine all ingredients except for Boiling Water in a bowl. Mix just until smooth.

Add boiling water and mix immediately.

Bake for about 1 hour 15 mins until a skewer inserted comes out clean, and the cake has pulled away slightly from the sides of the tin. The cake will be quite domed when it comes out the oven, but will sink back until it is almost flat as it cools.

When completely cool, divide cake in half horizontally to make 2 layers.

Clean the cake tin and line with parchment or cling film. Place a layer of the cake in the bottom of the tin and place in the freezer. Wrap the other half of the cake in cling film and freeze.

2. First Vanilla Ice Cream Layer and Oreo Crumble

Ingredients:

300g Milk

300g Cream

220g Sugar

2 Tbsp Vanilla

2 Packages Oreos

Method:

Combine milk, cream, sugar and vanilla and pour into prepared ice cream maker, churn until it reaches soft serve consistency.

Meanwhile, crush the Oreos in a food processor, or by bashing with a rolling pin while in a sturdy plastic bag. Mix about half of the churned ice cream into the crushed Oreos.

Spread the rest of the ice-cream onto the cake layer in the cake tin. Carefully spread the Oreo mixture on top of the ice cream layer.

Place in the freezer for at least an hour.

3. Make the Chocolate Fudge Ganache

Ingredients:

1 cup Double Cream

2/3 cup Corn Syrup

300g Milk Chocolate

200g Plain Chocolate

Method:

Break up chocolate. Place cream, corn syrup and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt together in the microwave at 30 second intervals (800 W) stirring in between bursts. Be careful not to leave in the microwave for more than 30 seconds at a time, or the syrup may overheat and burn the chocolate. When almost all the chocolate has melted, stop heating in the microwave (there should still be some little lumps of chocolate. Keep stirring the mixture until all the chocolate has melted in and it becomes smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool.

4. Chocolate Ice Cream Layer

Ingredients:

300g Milk

300g Cream

220g Sugar

2 Tbsp Vanilla

3 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

Method:

Heat 100g of the milk to below boiling and dissolve the cocoa powder into it.

Add the rest of the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Pour into prepared ice cream maker and churn until it reaches soft serve consistency.

Spread the chocolate ice-cream on top of the Oreo layer in the cake tin. Return to the freezer for another hour.

Spread two thirds of the cooled chocolate fudge ganache on top of the chocolate ice cream in the cake tin. Return to the freezer while you do the next step.

5. Second Vanilla Ice Cream Layer

Make the vanilla ice cream as before (omitting the Oreo crumble). Spread all of the vanilla ice cream on top of the chocolate fudge layer in the tin.

Unwrap the left over chocolate cake layer (which is now frozen) and push it down on top of the vanilla ice cream layer in the cake tin. 

Spread the rest of the chocolate fudge over the chocolate cake, smooth it out so that it looks good.

Place in the freezer for at least an hour.

6. Stabilised Whipped Cream Decoration

Ingredients:

1 cup double cream
50g icing sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

Sift icing sugar and meringue powder together.

Add vanilla to cream and beat on medium speed until it begins to thicken. Add sugar mixture to the cream and beat on medium until combined. Beat at high speed until stiff peaks form (be careful not to over beat and turn it into butter).

Using a piping bag, pipe the cream onto the top of the frozen cake however you desire. You can remove the cake from the tin and remove the parchment before piping the cream, or pipe it on while in the tin, and leave it in the tin until just before serving.

Return the cake to the freezer until ready to serve. The finished cake should stay in the freezer for 3-4 hours once complete to ensure it is well set before serving. I recommend to make the cake a day in advance. Left over cake should be returned to the freezer as quickly as possible.

If you would like to make the cake further in advance, complete the cake up to the end of stage 5 and leave the cake in the freezer until firmly set. Remove the cake from the cake tin, leaving parchment in place, and wrap in cling film. Store in freezer until needed (though recommend consuming within 30 days). Add the whipped cream decorations when required.

Happy Baking, and Happy Birthday Harry!!

Buttermilk Rusks {Recipe & Tutorial}

Rusks are another favourite treat of anyone who grew up in South Africa. Every South African ExPat I have met over the years has agreed that Buttermilk Rusks (or Ouma Rusks, as they are known in SA) are one of the SA 'delicacies'  they really miss. After reminiscing with my South African friend as we prepared for an International Food Ward Activity, I decided that it was time I once again made some home made Buttermilk Rusks. And I thought I could share the recipe and tutorial with you lovely people while I'm at it :)

Buttermilk Rusks Recipe

Ingredients:

1250g flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp bicarb

2 tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp salt

250g butter

2 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cups Demerara sugar 

2 eggs

1 cup oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190°C

Grease a 10" square cake tin or 3 loaf tins (I recommend using loaf tins if you have them, as the dough bakes more evenly).

Have all ingredients at room temperature.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarb, cream of tartar and salt into a large bowl.

Cut the butter into cubes

Rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine crumbs (see video below for technique).

In another bowl beat together the buttermilk, sugar, eggs and oil.

Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients,

mix until it all comes together into a rough dough,

then knead to a smooth dough.

Measure out balls of dough to a weight appropriate to divide the dough evenly into the pan/s you are using. I only have 1 loaf tin, so I used my 10" square cake tin instead. To make 7 rows of 7 balls of dough, I measured out 55g balls. For the loaf tins you would place the balls of dough 3x6 (50g balls) or 3x5 (60g balls), depending on the dimensions of your pans.

Roll the measured out dough into smooth balls and place in tight rows in the tin/s  - see video below for the technique.

Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 45 minutes,

until they are browned on the top and the dough looks cooked all the way through (pull a couple of the 'balls' apart gently towards the centre of the pan).

Leave to cool in the pan for 20 minutes,

then turn out on to a cooling rack.

Once they are cool (after a further 20-30 minutes), gently pull the rows apart with your fingers.

Then pull those apart into individual rusks.

Lay them out on baking trays

and bake again at 100°C for 5-6 hours (or overnight - a little longer will do no harm).

When they are ready they will be hard and crunchy all the way through. They are delicious to eat on their own or dunked in a favourite hot drink. They can be stored for a long time in a sealed container, though ours have never lasted more than a few days!

Happy Baking!