This cake, baked with my sister Eve, made an impressive and festive Christmas dessert. From SWEET by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, the light and fluffy lemon sponge and berry buttercream are assembled into a sort of swiss roll on it’s side. Preheat your oven to 205ºC (400ºF) and line a shallow 30 x 40cm (12…… Continue reading lemon and mixed berry cake
Category: cakes
torta di cioccolata
This Italian-style flourless chocolate cake has a crisp crust, a wonderful rich dark chocolate flavour and a light, moist, melt-in-the mouth centre. I prefer my cakes not too sweet so I reduced the sugar in this recipe which comes from one of my favourite cake books, Bake your cake & eat it too! by Tamara Millstein. Preheat…… Continue reading torta di cioccolata
baclava cheesecake
My friend Deborah made this for a recent celebration. What a brilliant combination of two delicious cakes! Preheat your oven to 180°C (350ºF). Place ⅓ of a cup each of blanched almonds and hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake for 5-8 minutes until toasted. Meanwhile, make the honey syrup by combining ½ a cup…… Continue reading baclava cheesecake
coconut and pineapple upside down cake
Wonderfully caramelised ripe pineapple crowns this coconut cake. Preheat your oven to 175ºC (350ºF) and grease a 20cm (8″) round, deep-sided cake tin. Peel and slice half a very ripe pineapple into thin slices. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a large pan over medium-high heat and cook the pineapple slices for 3 minutes on each…… Continue reading coconut and pineapple upside down cake
flourless apple almond cake
Here’s a simple variant on that popular orange and almond cake. Just as moist as the original this one uses apple sauce instead of puréed oranges. Preheat your oven to 160ºC (325ºF). Oil and line a 23cm (9″) cake tin. In a bowl combine a jar of apple sauce, ½ a cup of sugar, 6 eggs, 340g (12…… Continue reading flourless apple almond cake
poppy seed cake with lemon icing
One of the latest additions to my groaning shelves of cookbooks is Honey & Co The Baking Book by Sarit Packer & Itmar Srulovich. Poppy seed cakes are one of my favourites and this is a good one. Moist and not too heavy with a lovely tart icing. Preheat your oven to 190ºC (375ºF). In a…… Continue reading poppy seed cake with lemon icing
hazelnut cake
Italian in style and dotted with pieces of dark chocolate this cake is glazed with an apricot jam. Perfect for afternoon tea! Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Grease a spring-form cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper. In the mixer, cream 100g (3½ oz) of butter and ¾ of a cup of sugar until light and…… Continue reading hazelnut cake
chocolate babka
A traditional Eastern European Jewish cake, Babka or Kranz is a cinnamon and/or chocolate-filled, doubled and twisted length of yeast dough typically baked in a high loaf pan. David Lebovitz had already adapted a recipe which I used, although instead of being visible on top my layers of chocolate are hidden inside. For the Babka dough mix 2 teaspoons…… Continue reading chocolate babka
hazelnut caramel cake
This nutty, not too sweet and very delicious cake is from a Dan Lepard recipe. The flavour of the hazelnuts is enhanced by the subtle addition of cocoa. Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and butter two 18cm (7″) baking tins, lining the bases with baking paper. Beat 175g (6⅛ oz) of softened butter with 100g (3½…… Continue reading hazelnut caramel cake
esterházy schnitte
For my Austrian father on the occasion of his 96th birthday, I decided to make him this slice. Named after Prince Paul III Anton Esterházy de Galántha (1786–1866), a diplomat of the Austrian Empire, it was invented in Budapest in the late 19th century and became one of the most famous cakes in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. There are a…… Continue reading esterházy schnitte
michelle picker cooks 