Sunday, November 25, 2012

Autumn Cakettes

Black Sesame Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
Black sesame paste, 1 jar (100 grams)

Sesame buttercream icing:1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp cream
1/4 cup white sesame seeds

Topping: coloured sesame seeds

Soak  the sesame seeds overnight in separate bowls with food colouring until each seed is soaked and covered. After soaking, rinse the seeds separately in a sieve under cold water.

Spread all of the seeds out (without overlapping colours) on a pan covered in parchment paper and roast at 150 degrees celsius  for 15 minutes. Repeat the process one more time to ensure the colour doesn't bleed onto the icing.

For the cake, cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. Gradually beat in the eggs, and mix in the vanilla by hand.

Add and combine the sesame paste (you will need to puree it in a blender since it will have separated from  its juices in the jar). Sift the flour and thoroughly mix in the salt and baking powder. Add this to the wet mixture and combine by hand. Lastly add the milk and combine by hand.


Spread your batter evenly into a cake pan coated with butter and flour. Choose your pan depending on how tall you want your cakes. My pan was 13.5 by 11.5 inches.

Bake at 350 degrees celsius for 30 minutes. Store in the fridge before cutting out your cakes.

Once the cake has cooled remove it carefully from the pan and onto a sheet of plastic wrap, this will create less of a mess with the scraps. Use a circular cookie cutter (about 2 inches in diameter) to cut out your cakes. Make your cuts close to one another to optimize your space. Dip the cutter in water repeatedly to get cleaner edges.


For the icing, roast the sesame seeds at 150 degrees celsius for 20 minutes in the oven, then blend them until a paste forms. 

In a bowl cream the butter and vanilla with a hand mixer. Add the sugar one cup at a time and mix each addition well, then blend in the sesame paste. Once all of the sugar has been added add the cream to give it a fluffy texture. 

Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Make sure they're dry before using!

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                                   Spiced squash cake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup roasted butternut squash
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice


Buttercream icing:                          
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp cream

Peel then roast the squash in vegetable oil the day before baking your cakes. For the batter, cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. Gradually beat in the eggs, and mix in the vanilla by hand. Sift the flour and thoroughly mix in the salt and baking powder. Add this to the wet mixture and combine well by hand.

Puree the roasted squash in a blender with the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Add this to the cake batter by hand and mix well. Lastly add the milk by hand.

Spread your batter evenly into a cake pan coated with butter and flour. Bake at 350 degrees celsius for 30 minutes. Store in the fridge before cutting out your cakes. 

For the icing cream the butter and vanilla with a hand mixer. Add the sugar one cup at a time and mix each addition well. Once all of the sugar has been added add the cream to give it a fluffy texture.

For decoration I chopped up cinnamon sticks and sprinkled the cakes with cinnamon sugar - an equal mixture of white sugar and cinnamon.

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Cranberry Cake
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cranberry compote

Cranberry compote:
1 bag fresh cranberries
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 cup water

Sweet dried cranberries:
1 bag fresh cranberries
2 cups white sugar
2 cups water

Begin making the dried cranberries 2 days in advance. Lay out the cranberries on parchment covered baking sheet and bake in the oven at 200 degrees celsius over night (approx 8 hours).

Once dried boil them in simple syrup. Boil equal amounts of water and sugar depending on how many cranberries you're cooking. Once the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble add the cranberries. You many need an apparatus to keep the berries submerged, ie. a potato masher.

Let them simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the cranberries and spread them out on a parchment covered pan. Bake at 200 degrees celsius over night again (approx 8 hours). Store in a sealed container at room temperature.


For the cranberry compote, heat the cranberries and water in a saucepan on low heat. Stir occasionally as they begin to simmer and reduce. When the mixture begins to liquify and thicken add the maple syrup and cinnamon. Continue to stir until a thick, jam-like mixture is formed. Remove from heat and let cool in the fridge.

For the cake, cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. Gradually beat in the eggs, and mix in the vanilla by hand. Puree the cranberry compote and mix in by hand.

Sift the flour and thoroughly mix in the salt and baking powder. Add this to the wet mixture and combine well by hand. Lastly add the milk and mix by hand.

Spread your batter evenly into a cake pan coated with butter and flour. Bake at 350 degrees celsius for 30 minutes. Store in the fridge before cutting out your cakes.

I used cream cheese icing on top of these cakes. For the recipe, click here. Top off the cakes with a dried cranberry and red sprinkles.



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