Torta al Cioccolato

 

Autumn is here at last! As much as I love summer, autumn is by far my favourite season, and not just because it’s the one that contains my birthday. It’s because it is cool enough for wearing cozy knits and jackets and drinking hot coffee, but not so cold that you have to wear 1000 layers and wrap yourself in blankets and still be cold. And it’s great baking weather ALL THE TIME!

It happened to be the very first day of autumn when I baked this cake for my Dad’s birthday. It’s so hard to decide what to buy people, especially parents, so I usually decide upon something edible which I make myself.

I’m not much of a cake-baker – I’d love to improve at it, but often when I try to make a “big” cake (as opposed to a teacake or cupcakes or something) it doesn’t turn out as nice as I’d like it to. It sinks in the middle and ends up a little undercooked.

I didn’t really want to make cupcakes again, so I flipped through one of my recipe books and discovered this very interesting and delicious-looking recipe – Torta al Cioccolato ­– or “Soft Chocolate Cake” (it was an Italian recipe book. I like Italian food.) I thought it was interesting because it contained very little flour – only 25g! Most of the cake was made up of chocolate, butter, and egg yolks/whites. I thought, “This couldn’t possibly turn out like those other cakes, right? It’s not even, like, a normal cake!”

It was a pretty easy recipe, and I had all the ingredients already which was great. Melt the chocolate and butter, mix the sugar with the egg yolks, whisk the egg whites… that was the interesting bit actually! I don’t really do much with egg whites on their own. The book said to whisk them until they were “thick and glossy”… whatever that means! Well, after a lot of whisking I decided that they fit the description. They were also foamy. Hmm. I was a little worried – what if I’d over-whisked them? But I took my chances, folded those eggwhites into the rest of the batter (the batter ended up really, well, “bouncy” is the word I’d use to describe it!), poured it into that tin and slid it into the preheated oven, eagerly awaiting the results.

Another difference between this and a normal cake is the much, much shorter cooking time. One hour? Nope, try 15-20 minutes. It said to be careful not to overcook, and that the centre should still be a little “gooey”. I was more worried about it being undercooked because that’s what usually happens with me! I ended up taking it out at 18 minutes, after checking it a few times.

When we finally tried the cake the following afternoon, it was AMAZING. Rich, chocolatey and creamy, much like chocolate fudge, but in cake form. It would taste amazing with a cup of coffee (too bad I’m giving that stuff up for a while!) Definitely making this again – possibly adapting it next time, maybe even trying it with white chocolate or something.

Since I followed this recipe to the letter, and made no changes or adaptions, I won’t be posting the actual recipe here. I will, however, post a link to the awesome book I got it from: Mama’s Italian Cookbook. It’s a pretty spectacular book – not only is the design adorable (which tends to be one of the things that draws me to any type of cookbook!) but it’s got some great recipes. Including this cake. Seriously, buy it just for the cake. :)

Strawberry & White Choc Mini Cupcakes

Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day everybody! I hope you all got to spend some time with those you love – your friends, your family, your special someone, or even your multitudes of cats. Everyone deserves love! :3 I had a pretty great day – a romantic picnic and a surprise serenade!

I haven’t updated Sneaky Pudding in a while as I’ve been a little too busy to bake, and soon I’ll be going back to college, which takes up even more of my time. But I’ll try to post up a new recipe and/or baking adventure once a week or so.

So, as I mentioned before, I prepared a picnic for my boyfriend – and what Valentine’s Day picnic is complete without adorable, tiny, delicious, pink cupcakes? I know Valentine’s Day won’t be here again for another year, but don’t let that stop you from making these cupcakes – they’re a great gift for someone you love at any time of the year!

I wanted to make strawberry-flavoured cupcakes – something about strawberries just says “romantic”! Since the strawberries I had weren’t as sweet as I like them, I decided to stir in a tablespoon of caster sugar after chopping them up to enhance their flavour a bit. I left them in the fridge while I was at work, so they abosrbed the sugar and became sweeter, and the mixture became nice and soft. When the cupcakes were baked, the sweet strawberry flavour really stood out, but the texture was still quite smooth – there weren’t really any big, annoying chunks of strawberry in the cupcake.

The best bit was decorating! The icing is white chocolate and cream, and once it’s cooled it should work pretty well in a piping bag. I didn’t use a piping bag though, I just spread it on with a knife, although I do think a piping bag would create a prettier result. Once the icing is on, get creative with your decorations! Small heart-shaped chocolates, heart-shaped sprinkles… clearly, I’m a fan of heart-shaped things. Whatever floats your boat! Maybe you could bake several batches and write an elaborate romantic poem with one letter per cupcake. Actually, don’t do that, it’s kind of weird.

Strawberry and White Choc Mini Cupcakes
(adapted from The Complete Series – Cupcakes)

CUPCAKES
80g butter
½ cup caster sugar + extra tablespoon
1 egg
1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
¼ cup milk
½ tsp. vanilla essence
½ cup chopped strawberries
pink food colouring (optional)

ICING
1 cup white chocolate, chopped
½ cup cream

Chop the strawberries up very finely, place them in a bowl and stir in an extra tablespoon of caster sugar. Place in the fridge until you’re ready to add to the batter.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Line a 24-capacity mini cupcake tin with cupcake cases.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then stir in the egg until well combined.

Sift in the flour. Add the milk, vanilla essence, strawberries, and pink food colouring (if using). Stir until all combined.

Spoon the mixture into the mini cupcake cases and bake for about 10-15 minutes, until risen and springing back lightly when touched. Allow to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, melt the white chocolate and cream in a small saucepan until smooth. Set aside to cool completely (otherwise it’ll be really runny). Spread onto the cupcakes with a knife, or use a small piping bag. Decorate with sprinkles. Place in the fridge until ready to serve to ensure icing is firm.

Makes about 36 mini cupcakes.

Alcohol-Free Rum Balls

I hope everyone has had a fantastic Australia Day! I celebrated by heading down to the city with my nearest and dearest to watch a classical music concert under the stars, finished off by a spectacular fireworks display!

One of the most Aussie treats I can think of is Lamingtons – Soft airy sponge cake covered in creamy chocolate icing and coconut. Alas, I have never actually made Lamingtons – and although Australia Day seems like the perfect time to try them out, I’ve been a little too busy for such shenanigans. Also, it’s summer and we’ve been struck by yet another burst of seasonally warm weather during which I’d rather not use the oven too much.

But you know what’s sort of like Lamingtons, but not really? Rum Balls! I mean, seriously. They’ve got chocolate, and coconut, and… well, that’s really where the similarities end. But they’re still good! Perfect to take along on a picnic or something.

These Rum Balls are super easy, and require no actual baking (perfect for summer!) as they use crushed-up sweet biscuits – all you need is room in your fridge for them to set. The original recipe called for Irish Cream, but I wanted to make an alcohol-free version, so I substituted rum essence. I used one tablespoon but in hindsight I think I could have added a little more to make the flavour a tad stronger – it depends on your preference, really, and how strong or subtle you want the flavour to be.

The texture of these rum balls was soft and not too moist, perfect with a cup of coffee. I left in some larger chunks of the crushed biscuits for a bit of a crunch. I used Arnotts Milk Arrowroot, but use whatever’s in your pantry – it might vary the flavour and texture a little. I think Arnotts Scotch Fingers would be great as well, or even cake crumbs if you want them softer and spongier.

Alcohol-Free Rum Balls
(adapted from Australia’s Sweet Baking Favourites)

250g plain sweet biscuits
395g condensed milk
1 cup desiccated coconut, plus extra to coat
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1-2 tablespoons rum essence
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Crush up the sweet biscuits into fine crumbs. Stir in all the ingredients except the extra coconut, and mix well to combine.

Fill a small bowl with the extra coconut. Roll teaspoons of the mixture into balls and roll each one in the extra coconut to coat them. Place the rum balls on a lined baking tray and refrigerate for a few hours to set.

Lemon & Raspberry Yo-Yo Biscuits

Although we’re in the middle of summer at the moment, we occasionally get these random cold days. Well, ‘cold’ is an exaggeration. But you get what I mean – it’s chilly enough to wear a cardigan, the sky is cloudy and you’re pretty sure that’s sweet, refreshing rain you can hear pattering down outside. It makes a nice change from the recent heatwave we’ve been having. Days like this are few and far between in summer, and my favourite thing to do on them is BAKE!

I felt like making something classic and timeless, something that everybody knows and likes, and I was in the mood for cookies. After consulting my recipe book collection, I decided upon Yo-Yo Biscuits. Soft, crumbly, buttery biscuits sandwiching creamy custard filling and sweet raspberry jam? Sounds good!

I was a tad surprised that the biscuits themselves only needed 2 tablespoons of sugar, as I’d never made them before and I guess I’m used to making things that use a lot more. decided to add a little bit of grated lemon rind to the batter to give it a delicate lemon flavour.

My favourite part of this would have to be the bit where I pressed them down with a fork before they went into the oven. I don’t know, I just felt like a professional baker preparing biscuits to be sold at a fancy bakery in the morning, taking care to apply the final touches to make everything perfecto!

The biscuits themselves turned out alright – probably could’ve flattened them out a little more though, as they were quite chunky. So much for the whole “professional baker” thing – I’d probably be fired! Once they were cooled, I made the filling – butter, icing sugar and custard powder – but it seemed a little dry so I added a bit more butter as well as some vanilla essence to make it smoother, and also for an extra shot of vanilla-flavoured goodness. I then sandwiched the biscuits together with the filling and a touch of raspberry jam.

These biscuits have a lovely subtle lemon flavour and a soft, crumbly texture. The filling (both the cream and the jam) is quite sweet so it contrasts nicely with the slightly savoury taste of the biscuits. They are a little awkwardly shaped and sized though – you know how sometimes you go to a restaurant and order a burger and all the stuff inside is piled up really high between two tiny buns and you’re like, “Um, how am I supposed to eat this?” Well, the biscuits were a bit like that. I think flattening them out a bit more before baking them would be a wise choice next time around.

I’d like to try out different fillings next time I make these – maybe passionfruit? Coffee? Nutella? Leave a comment and let me know what you think would work!

Lemon & Raspberry Yo Yo Biscuits
(Adapted from Jam Drops and Marble Cake)
Makes 10 complete biscuits when assembled (or 20 separate unfilled biscuits)

Biscuits:
90g butter, softened
2 tablespoons icing sugar
2 heaped tablespoons custard powder
110g plain flour
1 tsp grated lemon rind

Filling:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
6-7 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon custard powder
Jam (I used raspberry, but just use your favourite)

Preheat oven 10 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease two baking trays.

Cream the butter and sifted icing sugar until pale and well-blended. Sift in the flour and custard powder. Add the grated lemon rind. Stir until well combined and the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs, then mix with hands to form a dough.

Scoop out teaspoonfulls of the dough and roll into balls. Place these onto baking trays, flatten slightly with your palm, then flatten further with the back of a fork (you don’t want to flatten them too much, as they are going to spread a little, but you don’t want them too thick either!)

Bake for about 10 minutes (I actually left my first batch in for a bit longer and the base turned out very burnt - the burnt bit scraped right off so they were fine though. I guess it depends on your oven.)

Remove from oven and allow to cool on tray. They will be soft at first but don’t worry, once they’ve cooled a little they will set.

To make the custard filling, combine the softened butter with the custard powder, vanilla essence and icing sugar. Keep beating the ingredients together until the mixture is pale in colour. It will look quite dry, but that’s okay, it’s supposed to look like that. Scoop out half-teaspoonfuls, roll into balls and press against the inside halves of 10 of the biscuits. Spread the other half with the jam of your choice, and gently sandwich the biscuits together.

Spiced Wholemeal Zucchini Loaf

We have a zucchini overpopulation issue in our household at the moment.

Things like this tend to happen when you grow your own vegetables. It’s summer and zucchinis are in season. We have an plentitude of huge (and I mean HUGE) zucchinis just waiting to be cooked. Not that I’m complaining about it – we’re lucky to have such an abundance of fresh vegetables growing in our own backyard. The challenge is finding ways to use them up and not letting them go to waste!

It’s easy to get sick of something when you eat it nearly every day, but luckily zucchini is very versatile. Drizzled with olive oil and roasted in the oven, chopped up and mixed through pasta, and yes, even baked into cakes!

This was my first time using zucchini for baking. I decided to use wholemeal flour to give the loaf a bit more of a wholesome texture and make it a tad healthier, and added some ginger to give it a sweet, spicy kick. The loaf was deliciously moist thanks to the zucchini and the vegetable oil. Next time I might try it with half plain and half wholemeal flour for a slightly lighter, fluffier texture.

In conclusion, I’m glad I tried this recipe – I found a new way to make use of our excess zucchini! Also, the more I type or read the word zucchini, the weirder it looks. I mean, how many foods begin with the letter Z?

Spiced Wholemeal Zucchini Loaf
(adapted slightly from Good Taste magazine, Feb 2012 issue)

2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour, sifted (discard the husks)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup zucchini, grated
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a loaf pan.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger in a large mixing bowl. Add the grated zucchini, oil, vanilla essence and eggs, and mix until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake for 50 minutes or until well-risen and a skewer inserted into the loaf comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes before slicing.

Serve while still warm from the oven! Of course, it’s also great when cooled down, or even toasted and spread with a little butter, or ricotta and honey.

Mocha Cookie Cheesecake Ice-cream

Remember in my last post when I said I was off to make a cake? Well, I lied. While I can think of nothing more enticing than the scent of a sweet, spicy carrot cake or a pan of rich, indulgent chocolate brownies wafting from the oven on a chilly, overcast Winter’s afternoon, it just doesn’t have that same effect on a hot sunny Summer’s day in Australia. It was the kind of day more suited for a sweet frosty dessert.

I made New York Cheesecake ice-cream once, quite a while ago, and it was amazing. The delicious, tangy tartness of cream cheese was a nice change from the typical sugary sweetness of ice-cream. I was in the mood for something along those lines, but decided to jazz it up a bit by making a Mocha version! I added some coffee to the mixture, and instead of having a “biscuit base” like an actual cheesecake, this ice-cream has crushed Oreos mixed in, much like a Cookies ‘n’ Cream flavoured ice-cream would. I used the chocolate-cream filled ones for extra chocolatey goodness.

Personally, I think the combination of ingredients turned out great! The Oreo cookies were a fine substitute for the cheesecake base, adding a subtle chocolatey crunch and balancing out the tartness of the cream cheese, and it had a nice coffee flavour without being overpowering or bitter. I think it would also work as an actual ice-cream cheesecake, with a chocolate biscuit base, either with or without the Oreos mixed in.

Also, these photographs were taken with the assistance and expertise of my boyfriend John. You can check out his facebook page and contact him at John Behind The Lens!

As this blog progresses, I’m hoping to learn more about food styling and photography so I can capture all the deliciousness on camera. So hopefully you can look forward to some great photographs in the future!

Mocha cookie cheesecake ice-cream:

(adapted from 500 Ice Creams)

250g double thick cream
240g cream cheese, softened slightly
80g caster sugar (you can adjust this depending on how sweet you want it)
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon instant coffee, dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water
90g chocolate-cream filled Oreo cookies

1. Whip the cream. Then beat in the cream cheese, coffee, sugar and egg yolks until the mixture is nice and smooth. Pour the mixture into your ice-cream maker and let it churn.

2. When the ice-cream is almost frozen but still quite soft, grab your Oreos, and crush them up into crumbs (I find a potato masher works quite well for all my cookie-crushing needs). You can leave a few slightly larger chunks if you’d like, for a contrast of texture.

3. When ice-cream appears ready (mine took about 20 minutes altogether, but this will depend on your ice-cream maker), pour in the crushed Oreos and let it church until evenly combined. Pour the ice-cream into a freezable container and store in the freezer for a couple of hours, until firm. You may need to take the container out 10-15 minutes prior to serving to allow the ice-cream to soften.

Oh, and serve topped with one of your spare Oreos!

Hello!

Hi, all! Welcome to Sneaky Pudding, a brand-new blog focusing on baking and sweets.

So I figure I should shed a little light on the girl behind the blog, a.k.a. myself.

Meet Sarah (yes that’s me up there, all rugged up last winter – and no I did not bake that heart-shaped pastry object I am holding, although one day I will!) – a 19-year-old (almost 20! Yikes!) girl from Sydney, Australia. I am a student of graphic design, a photographer, a musician, a piano tutor, aaand a chef! Well, not one of those ‘real’ chefs, with their fancy hats and ability to cook without starting a fire. (Um, not that I start fires when I cook. Not at all. That time I singed the sleeve of my dresing gown while I was cooking porridge one cold winter morning doesn’t count.)

I decided to begin this blog because, well, I love to cook. Although I certainly don’t do it as much as I’d like to, especially during the college semester, when I spend the majority of my time glued to my computer screen adjusting the tracking on my typography. And sometimes I just can’t be bothered going to the shops to pick up that one ingredient I need. But when I do get the chance to cook, I enjoy every single minute of it! Mixing a big bowl of creamy cake batter, stirring warm vanilla custard over the stovetop, carefully removing a tray of perfectly-risen cupcakes from the oven… and of course, watching my friends and family enjoy whatever it is I’ve conjured up (and sneaking a bite or two in myself occasionally!)

I’m still nowhere near a master at cooking and baking. There are a lot of things I haven’t even attempted yet! So this blog will be my way of sharing all my experiences, experiments, and recipes with you all. And with that, I’m off to the kitchen to go make a cake. Stay tuned!