Eggless Chocolate Walnut Date Cake

by A Beh

175g margarine
125g soft brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp emulsifier
1 tsp vanilla essence
100ml milk
2 tbsp plain yoghurt
100g self-raising flour

Sifted twice
80g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1½ tbsp cocoa powder
75g dates, remove stones and coarsely chopped
50g walnuts, coarsely chopped
1½ tbsp self-raising flour


Grease sides and line the base of 19cm round cake pan with non-stick parchment paper. Preheat oven at 170°C.

Combine dates, walnuts and self-raising flour in a plastic bag and shake well until fruits and nuts are well-coated with flour.

Cream margarine, sugar, honey and emulsifier until light and creamy. Gradually drizzle in milk and beat until well-combined. Should the mixture curdle, add 1–2 tbsp sifted dry ingredients and continue to beat. Add yoghurt and essence to mix.

Fold in sifted dry ingredients in batches and mix in date and walnut mixture.

Turn mixture into prepared cake pan and bake for 40–45 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Cool cake in the pan for 10–15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. (This makes a moist vegetarian cake and as it’s eggless, it crumbles slightly when cut into slices).

Chocolate New Wave Mango Cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp double action baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp red and ripe mango peel, finely chopped
2 cups (Hawaiian) mangoes, chopped
1 cup (Hawaiian) macadamia nuts, chopped
2 cups dried mangoes, chopped

Mango coulis:
100g mango, diced
100g mango puree
50g sugar
10g ginger, diced

Glaze:
peel of half a mango (julienned)
200g dark chocolate
80g mango juice
80g macadamia nuts (chopped)


Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together.

Cream butter or margarine. Gradually add in sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well each time.

Beat in sifted dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Stir in vanilla, mango peel, mangoes and nuts.

Bake in a 25cm (10-inch) diameter round cake ring at 350 ºC for one hour. Turn out on the rack. Let cool for 15 minutes and glaze.

For the garnish, use fresh mangoes (diced) and crushed macadamia nuts. Then, drizzle with mango coulis.

To make Mango coulis: Saute diced mango and ginger. Add sugar and mango puree. Cook for a short while.

To make glaze: Melt dark chocolate and add mango juice. Add mango peel and macadamia nuts. Cook for a short while.

Chocolate Cake with Ganache Topping

by Amy Beh
125g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
A pinch of salt
100g butter
250g castor sugar
2 tbsp apricot jam
4 large eggs separated

Combine and melt:
2 tbsp apricot jam
1 tsp water

Ganache topping:
150g bitter-sweet cooking chocolate, chopped
50ml cream


Sift plain flour and cocoa powder twice. Grease and line the base of a 21cm round cake tin. Preheat oven at 180 ºC.

Put butter, sugar and jam in a small saucepan over very low heat. Use a hand whisk to stir until butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

Place sifted dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, add in melted ingredients and stir gently to combine. Add the egg yolk and blend well with a hand whisk. Beat egg whites until just stiff, then fold into the cocoa mixture.

Turn mixture into prepared pan. Level up the surface with a spatula. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until cake is cooked through when tested with a skewer.

Cool cake in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.

For the ganache topping: combine cooking chocolate and cream in a deep saucepan and stir over very low heat to melt the chocolate. Stir gently with a hand whisk until mixture is smooth. Leave aside to cool.

Slice off the top of the cake to yield a neat flat surface. Turn the cake upside down, then brush with melted jam.

Pour the ganache topping over. Use a long palette knife to smoothen the top so that the ganache will flow down the sides neatly. Sprinkle the top with toasted almond flakes. Leave the cake to set with the topping.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cake

by Arvilla
504 g small chocolate chip cookies
55 g margarine, melted
350 g hot fudge topping
1055 g vanilla ice cream
60 g whipped cream
12 cherries


Crush half the cookies (about 20) to make crumbs. Combine crumbs with melted margarine and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan or pie plate. Stand remaining cookies around edge of pan. Spread 3/4 cup fudge topping over crust. Freeze 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, soften 1 quart of ice cream in microwave or on countertop. After crust has chilled, spread softened ice cream over fudge layer. Freeze 30 minutes.
Scoop remaining quart of ice cream into balls and arrange over spread ice cream layer. Freeze until firm, 4 hours or overnight. To serve, garnish with remainder of fudge topping, whipped cream and cherries.

Coffee Chiffon Cake

Ingredients
5 eggs, separated
150g castor sugar
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
5 tbsp water
4 tbsp corn oil
120g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp cream of tartar


Method
Dissolve instant coffee granules in water. Set aside.

Whisk egg yolks and half of the castor sugar until light and fluffy. The mixture should hold a trail of the whisk for a few seconds. Beat in coffee mixture and corn oil. Lightly mix in self-raising flour.

In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites, cream of tartar and remaining sugar until fluffy and stiff.

Gently fold egg yolk mixture into the egg whites until well blended. Turn the mixture into an ungreased 20cm chiffon cake pan.

Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for about 30–35 minutes or until cake is golden brown and well risen.

Invert the pan and let the cake cool completely. Ease the cake away from the sides of the pan and around the base with a palette knife

Coffee Sponge Cake

Ingredients
300g sponge cake mix
6 eggs

Mixed to dissolve the coffee granules
1 tsp instant coffee powder
80ml water
35g ground hazelnuts
1 tsp coffee paste
1 tsp coffee liqueur (optional)
80ml melted butter


Method
Preheat oven to 180°C and line bottom of a 24cm square or round cake pan. Place eggs, sponge cake mix, dissolved coffee mixture, coffee paste and ground hazelnuts in a large mixing bowl.

Beat with an electric mixture until light and fluffy. Stir in melted butter to mix. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 35 – 40 minutes. When cold, sandwich and decorate cake with whipped cream, if desired.

Coffee Ring Cake

Ingredients
150 gm butter
150 gm caster sugar
Salt
2 large eggs
1 orange
3 tbsp instant coffee powder
150 gm self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
50 gm plain chocolate

Icing:
175 gm icing sugar
2 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tsp cocoa
2 tbsp hot water
Vanilla essence


Method
Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C) gas mark 3. Cream butter with sugar and a pinch of salt till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well.

Grate orange and add rind to bowl. Squeeze orange and mix three tablespoons juice with the instant coffee. Sift flour and cinnamon and mix into the creamed mixture alternately with the orange/coffee mixture. Grate chocolate and fold in.

Spoon mixture into greased 22cm ring mould. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing, sift icing sugar into bowl. Dissolve coffee and cocoa in hot water, then add to icing sugar with a few drops of vanilla essence and mix well.

Pour over cooled cake and smooth surface with a knife.

Coffee Cake

Ingredients
220g butter
150g soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs
2 tbsp Kahlua liqueur (optional)
120ml plain yoghurt
90ml freshly brewed coffee syrup, cooled
350g self-raising flour, sifted
55g almond strips, toasted

Coffee syrup
150g castor sugar
250ml water
6g instant coffee granules
1/2 tsp coffee emulco


Method
To prepare coffee syrup:
Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Add instant coffee granules. Reduce the heat and let mixture simmer without stirring for 13-15 minutes or until the syrup has thickened and reduced. Add coffee emulco after the fire is turned off. Leave syrup aside to cool completely. Whisk yoghurt and cooled coffee syrup in a small bowl and leave aside.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 22cm fluted cake pan.

Beat butter, brown sugar and essence until mixture is pale. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add Kahlua liqueur (can be substituted with 1½ teaspoons coffee essence).

Fold in half portion of sifted flour followed by half portion of yoghurt-coffee mixture. Repeat. Add in almond strips to mix.

Spoon the batter into prepared pan and smooth the surface. Lightly tap the cake pan on the table top to remove air bubbles.

Bake in preheated 180°C oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 170°C and continue to bake for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Stand the cake in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Drizzle the remaining syrup on the cake.

Coffee Ginger Cake

Ingredients
(A):
225g butter
175g brown sugar

(B) Mix together:
2 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tsp coffee essence
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp rum essence, or 1 tbsp rum liqueur
1 tbsp fresh ginger juice
8 egg yolks

(C) Sift:
225g flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp salt

(D) Meringue (beat till stiff):
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
2 tbsp sugar
100g crystallised ginger, chopped and tossed in a little flour


Method

Cream (A) till light and fluffy. Mix in (B)gradually. Beat in egg yolks, two at time.

Fold in (Cc) in small batches. Add meringue and combine well. Add tossed ginger pieces and mix well.

Grease and line a 21cm square cake tin. Pour batter into prepared tin. Bake cake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 20 minutes, then 160°C for 30 to 40 minutes or until cake is cooked through when tested with a skewer.

Leave the cake in the tin for five to 10m inutes, then remove it from the mould and place it on a wire rack to cool.

Coffee Butter Cake

Ingredients

300g butter
275g castor sugar

Combine in a small bowl

1 tsp vanilla essence
1½ tbsp Tia Maria (Jamaican coffee liqueur)
3/4 tsp instant coffee granules
150g self-raising flour
125g superfine flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
5 eggs


Method
Line base and sides of a 22cm cake pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 170°C.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in sifted dry ingredients and stir in combined coffee liqueur mixture. Pour mixture into prepared pan, making a slight hollow in the centre of the batter.

Bake in preheated oven for 1–1½ hours or until cake is golden in colour or cooked through when tested with a skewer.

Banana Coffee Cake

Ingredients
250g butter
240g castor sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp coffee essence
3 eggs
4 ripe bananas (pisang emas), well mashed
240g self-raising flour, sifted
1/4 cup UHT milk


Method
Grease and dust lightly with flour a gugelhopf tin. Preheat oven to 180 ºC. Cream butter, sugar and essences until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in bananas and fold in flour gently. Gradually add milk to blend. Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Allow cake to stand for five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar and cut into slices.