Chocolate Layer Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and Strawberry Jam

This cake is one of the best I have EVER made. The layers were very, very, very rich and fudgy and moist, the white chocolate cream cheese frosting was amazing, and finally, the layer of homemade strawberry jam made it divine. It was a little bit sour which matched perfectly with the sweetness of the cake and the frosting. The next day, after setting in the fridge, it was even better. To be honest, the longer it stayed in the fridge, the better it was.


Chocolate Cake

250g/2 cups all-purpose flour
400g/2 cups sugar 
85g/¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder 
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
240ml/1 cup milk (or buttermilk)
120ml/½ cup oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
240ml/1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Butter two 23cm/8inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper or butter and flour the pans.

2) Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt together and mix until combined. 

3) In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Add coffee and stir just to combine. 

4) Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes, turn them out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Slice each cake in half. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

300g cream cheese
100g  powdered sugar 
200ml heavy cream, divided 
200g white chocolate, broken into small pieces

1) In a bowl, beat cream cheese until softened. 

2) In a heavy bottom saucepan, heat 100ml of heavy cream until very hot and pour onto white chocolate. Leave for 2 minutes and then stir to combine. When slightly cooled, fold into the cream cheese and mix until smooth.

3) In a medium bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat remaining 100ml of heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff. Gradually fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (I was very impatient and chilled it just for a half an hour. Don't repeat my mistake!)

Strawberry Jam

230g/2 cups frozen strawberries
50g sugar 
8g/1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 30g of cold water

In a small saucepan over low heat, place strawberries and sugar. Cover and simmer until strawberries start releasing liquid. Mash them with a fork and keep simmering until the sugar has melted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch and simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and refrigerate for an hour. 

Assembly

Place one cake layer on a large plate. Spread 1/3 of cream cheese mixture, cover with another cake layer. Spread the strawberry jam and cover with another cake layer. Spread 1/2 of remaining cream cheese mixture and place the last cake layer on top. Cover with remaining cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.

Recipe by collecting memories

Best Summer Recipes 2013

The summer has ended and I picked out the best recipes I've published these past three months. I thought it would be great to have seasonal favourites in one place so wait for another post like this one at the end of fall. I hope you will enjoy the collection and now let's light the candles, wrap ourselves in a chunky blanket, go to a store and buy a large, heavy orange pumpkin.

For the recipes, click on the titles.

BANANA BREAD

 

 

STRAWBERRY BANANA SPONGE CAKE

CINNAMON COFFEE CAKE MUFFINS

SPINACH & RICOTTA LASAGNA

MUSHROOM PATTIES IN PITTA

LEMON CUPCAKES

VEGETARIAN EMPANADAS

SUGAR PRETZELS

BAKED CABBAGE

Strawberry Banana Sponge Cake

One of the best cakes I've ever made. The sponge was super light, soft and fluffy. The pastry cream gave sweetness and richness while the cream gave some lightness. Strawberries and bananas made it completely perfect. It is a real summer-must-make-cake! I have eaten many cakes like this - sponge, berries or fruits and cream. And I never was a big fan of them until I made my own version. It tastes a million times better than a store-bought cake. And it's much easier than it looks like. You can make the pastry cream and the sponge in advance. (Actually I highly recommend making the sponge cake the day before to cool it completely).
I hope I've convinced you to make this. Believe me, you won't regret it!

Strawberry Banana Sponge Cake

Pastry Cream
4 egg yolks
130g sugar
400ml milk
40g cornstarch
50g butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sponge Cake (recipe from here)
4 large eggs, separated
120g sugar
3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
120g cake flour, sifted
20g butter, melted

1 large banana, sliced
1 - 1,5 cup strawberries, halved
1 tbsp orange juice

200ml whipping cream
2-3 tbsp powdered sugar

Make the pastry cream:
1) In a heavy bottom pot, beat together the yolks, sugar and cornstarch until light and fluffy.
2) In a medium pot, bring milk to boil. Once it boils, add a little to the yolk mixture. Always keep whisking as fast as you can! Gradually pour all the milk into the yolk mixture. Do not stop whisking. Bring the pot over medium-low heat and whisk until the mixture thickens. If it starts bubbling too much, lower the heat. The pastry cream has to drop off the spoon very slowly but there musn't be any lumps. When you reach that consistency, remove from heat and let stand for 2 minutes.
3) Add the vanilla extract and butter. Mix until incorporated.
4) If there are some lumps, you can strain the pastry cream. However, I did not have any lumps because I was whisking it constantly.
5) Let cool. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the fridge.

Make the sponge Cake:
1) Beat the egg whites until stiff, gradually adding sugar. When it is incorporated, stir in the egg yolks. Stir in the milk, vanilla extract, cake flour and butter.
2) Preheat oven to 180C. Line 2 springform pans with parchment paper. Divide the batter into the pans. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until it is golden brown and springs back when pressed.
3) Cool completely.

Assembly:
1) Whip the whipping cream with powdered sugar until stiff.
2) Dip banana slices into orange juice and shake excess liquid.
3) Place one layer of cake onto a plate. Spread half of the pastry cream. Place some strawberries iver it. Cover with half of the whipping cream. Place the second cake layer on top. Cover with pastry cream, then the whipping cream and decoreate with strawberries and bananas.
4) Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

*If you use a 17cm springform pan, you will get thicker cake. You may slice it and have 4 layers instead of 2. I baked mine in a 23cm pan so my layers were quite thin.

Recipe by collecting memories

Strawberry & Banana Oatmeal Bake

Recently I am quite obsessed with healthy food. I'm constantly thinking of ideas to bake something healthier. I started using more applesauce, bananas, honey as natural sweeteners, reduce sugar and butter amounts in my baked goods. Actually I just created a recipe of a totally healthy cake which doesn't contain any butter or oil and just a small amount of sugar and flour. I hope I will post the recipe soon. However, now about this oatmeal bake. It is one of these healthy breakfast which inspired me to bake more and more from oats, honey, berries and fruits. This oatmeal bake has become one of my favourite breakfast. To be honest, I ate it all the same day I made it. Terrible. But it's not that bad as it sounds! Because I definitely consider it guilt-free. What is more, it reminds me of summer so much! I don't remember when I last baked with strawberries. When their smell started coming out of the oven, it really felt like spring is almost here! And really, time will pass so quickly and we will indulge in warm sunshine and summer breeze again. Can't wait!

Strawberry & Banana Oatmeal Bake
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 tbsp brown sugar + 2 tbsp honey (or add a little more if you like it sweeter)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tbsp grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon spice (I used cinnamon, cloves, cardamon)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
A handful of black currants (optional)
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 ripe banana, peeled, cut in slices 
(I also added a handful of black currants)

1) Preheat oven to 190°C. Lightly oil the baking dish.

2) In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, spice, salt and half the strawberries. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and butter.

3) Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Pour the milk mixture on top and put the remaining strawberries and bananas on everything.

4) Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the milk mixture has set. You may sprinkle some brown sugar on top when almost fully baked and put into the oven for an additional minute. I reccomend serving with maple syrup, honey or any other syrup of choice.

Pop Tarts

 With apple-cinnamon filling

 With strawberry jam filling

 With poppy seed filling

 With banana filling

Pastry
2 cups (340g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons milk

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk the egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly on a well-floured counter if necessary. Refrigerate while you prepare the fillings. 

Remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 3mm thick (I rolled it into ~25x33cm rectangle). Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside. Cut dough into 20 rectangles. (I didn't get 20 rectangles so  I re-rolled the trimmings).

Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart; the egg is to help glue the lid on. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle. Place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.

Gently place the tarts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork. Refrigerate the tarts  for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.

The amounts of ingredients are for 2 pop tarts each. Just mix the ingredients of different fillings in separate bowls and fill the tarts:

Caramel Filling:

2 tbsp homemade caramel

1/3 tsp flour

sea salt for topping

Apple-cinnamon filling:

1/3 medium apple, cut into cubes

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp honey

1 tsp dark molasses sugar

Poppy seed filling:

2 tbsp ground poppy seeds

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp butter, melted

Stawberry jam filling: 

2 tbsp organic strawberry jam

1/3 tsp cornstarch

Banana filling:

1 small banana, ripe

1 tsp sugar

1/3 tsp flour 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!