Flourless Chocolate Cassis Cake - Gluten Free

I'm not much of a drinker, but you'd never know it if you looked in my booze cabinet.  I love collecting handsome bottles of spirits and pretty bottles of liqueurs. I'd seriously give the local Dan Murphy's store a run for it's money as far as variety of exotic brews from far flung places goes.  But mostly I just admire them or throw a few slugs into a cake...  I'm no mixologist.



Flourless Chocolate Cassis Cake - Gluten Free
slightly adapted from here

For the Cake:
170g unsalted butter
280g dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder
6 tablespoons Creme de Cassis liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the Glaze:
170g dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup thickened cream
2  - 3 tablespoons Creme de Cassis liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 180C.  Spray a 23cm springform pan with cooking oil spray and line the base with baking paper.  Spray the paper with more cooking oil. Set aside.

Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl and put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.  Don't let the bowl touch the water.  Stir until melted and set aside to cool slightly.  Whisk in the cocoa powder, Cassis and vanilla and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and salt in high speed for about 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.  Carefully fold  the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture using a rubber spatula.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until just barely set in the centre.  Cool in the pan for 30 minutes before releasing the sides.  Invert the cake onto a plate, remove the baking paper from the bottom and quickly flip it back over onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Ganache:
Put the chocolate and cream into a heatproof bowl and put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.  Don't let the bowl touch the water.  Stir until melted.  Remove from heat, whisk in the Cassis and vanilla and allow to cool for 10 minutes before spreading over the top of the cake.
Assemble:

Lemon and Thyme Cake

You can get the recipe for this Lemon and Thyme Cake over at Bakelife. Welcome to my Cakelife.

Chocolate Gingerbread

You can get the recipe for this Chocolate Gingerbread over at Bakelife. Get it while it's hot... or cold... or whatevs.

Spiced Pumpkin Banana Bundt Cake

You can get the recipe for this Spiced Pumpkin Banana Bundt Cake over at Bakelife . It's delicious whatever you're into.

Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake with Coffee Cream

All things in moderation... except for coffee and chocolate.

Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake with Coffee Cream

adapted from here

For the Cake:

220g caster sugar

5 eggs

350g hazelnut meal

50ml strong espresso coffee

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

150ml extra virgin olive oil

For the Filling:

2 tablespoons caster sugar

60ml strong espresso coffee

250ml thickened cream

For the Ganache:

70g dark chocolate, chopped

70ml cream

Make the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Grease and line a 23cm round springform pan with baking paper.  Set aside.

Combine all the cake ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, until it springs back when lightly pressed in the centre.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely

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Make the Filling:

Put the sugar and coffee into a small saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Boil for a few minutes until it starts to thicken and become syrupy.  Set aside to cool completely.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form.  Add the coffee syrup and whip to firm peaks.  Set aside.

Make the Ganache:

Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl.  Set aside.

Put the cream into a small saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.  Leave for 1 minute, then stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture becomes smooth.  Leave to cool and thicken slightly.

Assemble:

Cut the cake in half horizontally.

Place the bottom half of the cake on a cake stand.  Spoon the filling over and spread to the edges. Place the top half of the cake on top and pour the ganache over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.

Yoghurt Cake with Blackberry Coulis

The English language does my head in. You can spell yoghurt/yogurt/yoghourt too many ways. Apparently  yoghurt is the most widely-used spelling in Australia. That's how I always spell it, then spellcheck crushes my self confidence by offering me myriad other options. It's the dairy equivalent of the papadum/pappdum/poppadom/poppodum.  Aaargghh!!!



Yoghurt Cake with Blackberry Coulis
adapted from here

For the Cake:
280g Greek yoghurt
220g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
80ml sunflower oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
250g plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Finely grated zest of a lemon
Finely grated zest of an orange (I used a blood orange)
Icing sugar, for dusting
Pouring cream or extra yoghurt for serving

For the Coulis:
350g frozen blackberries, thawed
3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lime juice

Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 170C.  Grease and line the base and sides of a round 20cm springform cake pan with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yoghurt, sugar and vanilla and whisk until smooth.  Add the oil and whisk until combined.  Add the eggs one at at time beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 - 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely in the pan before dusting with icing sugar.

Make the Coulis:
Put all the coulis ingredients into a food processor, then strain it through a fine sieve.  Discard the seeds and serve the coulis with the cake and some extra yoghurt or pouring cream.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Do you ever have leftover red wine? Haha, me neither. “Leftover” wine, what is that? But pretend we’re living in an alternate universe where your friends come over for dinner and, at the end of the evening, instead of being sipped dry, you find half a cup of red wine in the bottom of a bottle… It’s a stretch, but stay with me…Stick a cork in that bottle, and the next day, when you’ve recovered from your hangover, make a cake, using up that wine… frugal much, plus it will make getting through the rest of the day so much easier. Chocolate cake is a killer hangover cure and you get the hair of the dog as well… I just made that up.

Now in reality, if, like me, your friends are unlikely to leave you with ANY leftover booze, this is the perfect excuse to open a bottle (other than actually opening it solely for drinking purposes). You can plan your whole dinner party around this cake. Make the cake in the afternoon, and have a sneaky glass before the guests turn up. Then, you’ll look super organised because you’ve already opened a bottle to “let the wine breathe” when they arrive. I’ve got you covered either way. It can be our little secret.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Slightly adapted from here

For the Cake:
200g plain flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
225g unsalted butter
220g caster sugar
4 eggs
200g dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125ml buttermilk
125ml red wine

For the Ganache:
150g dark chocolate
125ml cream
20g unsalted butter

For the Raspberry Sauce:2 cups frozen and thawed (or fresh) raspberries
1 – 2 tablespoons icing sugar (or more if you prefer it sweeter)

Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 160C. Spray a 2.5 litre bundt pan with cooking oil spray. Set aside.

In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together and stir together to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 5 mintues until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and gently mix in the metled chocolate and then the vanilla, buttermilk and red wine. Mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, level the top, and bake for 45 – 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Ganache:Put all the ganache ingredients into a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Don’t let the bowl touch the water. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Make the Raspberry Sauce:

Put the raspberries and icing sugar into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Push the sauce through a fine sieve and discard the seeds.

To Serve:
Pour the ganache evenly over the cooled cake, letting it drip seductively down the sides. Slice and serve with a generous spoonful of raspberries sauce drizzled over.

Apple and Cardamom Rye Cake

We eat a lot of bread.  I bake or buy a fresh loaf every day.  Bread is always on our table and in our lunchboxes.  Anything that's leftover (if any) is toasted the next day or blitzed to make breadcrumbs. Nothing gets wasted, even it I HAVE to make a cake to use it up.

Apple and Cardamom Rye Cake

slightly adapted from here

150g unsalted butter

4 egg whites

150g pure icing sugar, plus extra for dusing

60g ground almonds

70g self-raising flour, sifted

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 pink lady apples, peeled and coarsely grated

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

85g rye breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 200C  Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm round springform pan with baking paper.  Set aside.

Put the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until nut-brown and smelling amazing.  Take it off the heat and leave to cool slightly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and icing sugar n medium-high for about 5 minutes, until stiff peaks form.  Reduce the speed to low and add the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined.  Keep the mixer at low speed as you drizzle the brown butter down the side of the mixer bowl, adding it in a slow, steady stream.  Mix until thoroughly incorporated.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold in the apples, cardamom and breadcrumbs.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Put the cooled cake onto a serving plate, put the wire rack on top of the cake and dust with icing sugar.  Serve with lashings of whipped cream.

Vietnamese Coffee and Caramel Coconut Flan Cake

Get the recipe for my Vietnamese Coffee and Caramel Coconut Flan Cake at Bakelife and come with me on a trip down food-memory lane.