flour bakery cranberry maple pecan cake

flour bakery cranberry maple pecan cake

27 Jun 2022

I've had this recipe bookmarked since last year's lockdown, an oldie but a goodie from Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery. As the cake contains cranberries, pecans and maple syrup it would make the perfect Thanksgiving cake. 

Even though the original recipe made a loaf cake, I really wanted to make it in a bundt tin because bundt cakes are so pretty. 

Here are all the reasons why you shouldn't bake this cake in a bundt tin. There is maple syrup in the batter and despite how well greased and floured the tin is, as the maple syrup cooks it welds the cake to the tin. 

Secondly, the bundt tin I used is probably closer to a 4 cup tin than a 5 cup tin and the batter overflowed during baking, something I didn't realise until I took the cake out of the oven. The excess batter overflowed into the central hole, once again welding the cake firmly to the tin. 

It took 30 minutes of cooling time with the cake upside down and loads of encouragement from an offset spatula before the cake finally released. You may notice the exterior of cake isn't pristine but I was just grateful the cake came out in 1 piece and not 6 pieces. So please, don't bake this cake in a bundt tin, go the easy route and bake it in a baking paper lined loaf pan. It will be so much easier to unmould.

 

Here's the recipe for you, which will make a 9 x 5 inch loaf or a 5 cup bundt cake. For all my recipes I use a 250 ml cup, a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional oven so if you have a fan-forced oven you may need to reduce the temperature by 20°C. I've made this cake twice now and have made quite a few changes to the original recipe, the link to which can be found below.

Cranberry Maple Pecan Cake -  adapted from ‘Flour’ by Joanne Chang.

Cake
50 gm toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1 tbs (10g) cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarb soda
pinch salt
⅔ cup (145g) caster sugar
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 6 pieces
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
80 mls maple syrup
100 grams fresh or frozen cranberries (not thawed), coarsely chopped

Icing
½ cup (75g) icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp melted unsalted butter
½ tsp maple extract
1-2 tbs boiling water or milk
pinch of salt

To decorate
2 tbs coarsely chopped toasted pecans
2 tbs chopped dried sweetened cranberries

Method
Centre the rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C, conventional. Grease and line a small 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with baking paper or grease and flour a 5 cup bundt tin. Set aside.

Cake
Sift the flour, cornflour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment attached or you can use a handheld mixer. Add the sugar and cubed butter and mix together on medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until the butter is completely mixed in. It should look like coarse meal. If you are using a handheld mixer, you may need to add on a few more minutes.

Place the eggs, vanilla and maple syrup into a jug and whisk together. Add half of the mixture to the butter/flour mixture and beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is pale, light and fluffy. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. On low speed, add the remaining egg mixture and beat for about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl again, turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for another 30 seconds. If the batter is looking too thick then add a tablespoon or so of milk, yoghurt or buttermilk. Use the spatula to fold in the cranberries and pecans then scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

If baking a loaf cake, bake for 60-70 minutes or until the cake is golden and springs back when your press it in the middle with your finger. If the cake is browning too quickly cover with foil or baking paper. You can also use a cake tester and insert it into the centre to see if it comes out clean. A bundt cake will take 40-50 minutes to bake. 

Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let cool for at 30 minutes before unmoulding and removing the baking paper. If making the cake in a bundt tin, cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Allow the cake to completely cool before icing.

 

 

 

Icing 

Once the cake has cooled, make the icing. Place the icing sugar in a small bowl. Add the melted butter, the maple extract and sufficient boiling water to make a thick but pourable glaze. Add a pinch of salt to counterbalance all the sweetness. If you don't have any maple extract, then just use maple syrup to make the icing. You won't need to use any water or milk.  

 

 

 

Place a tray underneath the cake or a piece of baking paper to catch the drips. Spoon the icing over the cake, letting it run down the sides. If you like, you can decorate the top of the cake with some chopped toasted pecans and cranberry pieces. Let the icing set for about 10 minutes before doing so. 

 

 

 

Allow the icing to completely set before cutting into thin slices. The cake will keep for a few days at room temperature, well-wrapped in plastic wrap.

 

 

This is a nice light cake with a subtle maple flavour. The cranberries give that little pop of freshness and it was a big hit at work.

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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berries and cream cake

berries and cream cake

19 Jun 2022

Last week I saw a photo of a very pretty berry laden cake on Instagram. The cake was an almond butter cake loaded with blackberries and raspberries, topped with cream and more berries. I tracked down the recipe for the cake on the Sainsbury's Magazine website and I decided to make my own version. 

I used my butter cake recipe which uses almond meal in the batter; studded the batter with mixed berries then topped the cake with whipped cream and a berry sauce inspired by the Sainsbury's recipe.

It's winter here in Sydney when berries are usually plentiful but not so this year. Berries are really expensive so I used frozen berries in the cake then spent a small fortune on a punnet of raspberries for decoration.

Here’s the recipe for you which makes a 17cm cake. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C.

 

Berries and cream cake inspired by a recipe from the Sainsbury's Magazine - makes a 17cm cake

Ingredients
150g fresh or frozen mixed berries

114g (4 oz) soft unsalted butter, plus extra to grease 

135g (scant 2/3 cup) caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

2 eggs at room temperature

115g (¾ cup) self-raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

Pinch salt

25g (¼ cup) almond meal

1/4 cup milk

 

Berry sauce

75g fresh or frozen mixed berries

1 tbsp icing sugar

30 mls lemon juice

2 tsp water

 

To serve

150ml cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

Few berries to serve, optional

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C, conventional. Grease the base and sides of a 17 cm cake tin, then line the base with baking paper.

Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon rind until very pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until well combined. Sift the flour, baking powder salt into a small bowl, and then stir through the almond meal. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter alternating with the milk until well combined. 

Spread half of the cake mixture into the lined tin, scatter over half of the frozen berries and top with the rest of the cake mixture, roughly levelling the top. Scatter over the rest of the frozen berries, pressing them in slightly. 

Bake for 50 minutes until golden brown, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before unmoulding then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Berry sauce 

Put the reserved berries in a pan with the icing sugar, lemon juice and water. Cook gently for 5 -10 minutes until the berries have broken down. Blend to a purée, then sieve into a bowl and cool. Check the sauce for sweetness and add extra sugar if the sauce is very tart. 

 

 

 

To serve

Whip the cream and icing sugar until it holds its shape. Fold some of the berry sauce gently through the cream to create a ripple effect and then pile onto the centre of the cake. Drizzle with more sauce and top with a few extra berries if desired. Any extra sauce can be served on the side.

 

 

 

Berries and cream. What's not to love?

 

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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upside down miso caramel apple cake

upside down miso caramel apple cake

13 Jun 2022

Do you remember Poh in an episode of Master Chef willing her upside down miso caramel apple cake to cook in time? I've been thinking about that cake ever since and with miso in the fridge and apples in the fruit bowl, the time had come to create my own version.

First I needed to find a miso caramel recipe, which I found here then I topped the apple slices with my standard butter cake recipe using some almond meal as well as flour. Once baked, let the cake cool for 15 minutes or so before inverting, otherwise the still warm cake might crack.

 

Here's the recipe for you which makes a 17cm square or round cake. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C.

Upside down miso caramel apple cake

Caramel
135g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
1 tbs white miso paste
2 small red apples (250g), cored

Cake
125g (4½ oz) unsalted butter

110g (½ cup) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
¾ cup (115g) self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
¼ cup (25g) almond meal

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C, conventional. Grease, flour and line the base of a deep 17cm x 17cm cake pan with baking paper.

Cut 1 and 1/2 apples crosswise into thin slices, reserving the remaining apple. To make the caramel, place the sugar and 2 tbs (40ml) water in a heavy-based saucepan; stir over low heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, without stirring. Boil over medium heat, without stirring, for 6 minutes or until light golden-caramel in colour.

Combine the miso paste and 3 tsp water in a small bowl and mix until smooth; stir into the caramel which will spit and bubble so take care. Stir until smooth - you may need to add a little more boiling water at this stage to achieve this. Pour the miso caramel evenly over base of cake pan. Arrange the reserved apple slices in rows on the caramel in the pan. Set to one side.

 

Grate the remaining apple which should yield ¼ cup. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until combined well. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and stir through the almond meal. Add the flour mixture to make a soft batter, then stir through the grated apple. 

Carefully spoon the batter over the apple taking care not to disturb the slices then smooth the surface. Place the cake pan on an oven tray then bake for 35-40 minutes at 180°C, conventional or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil if cake starts over browning during baking. 

 

 

Leave cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a butter knife or metal spatula around the cake before turning it out onto a plate, making sure you scrape up all the reserved caramel. You may need to loosen the caramel with a little boiling water then gently brush over the apples. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of cream, labne or creme fraiche.

 

 

I shared the cake with my neighbours and the cake received glowing reviews. That miso caramel is something a bit special, that's for sure.

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen. 

Bye for now, 

Jillian

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coconut layer cake

coconut layer cake

6 Jun 2022

I was given a copy of Ottolenghi Test Kitchen - Shelf Love for Christmas last year. Until now I'd only made savoury items from the book, all of which have been delicious, but I thought the time had come to make something sweet.

I looked through the book and decided to make the Coconut Dream Cake but made a few changes. I really dislike the flavour of cardamom in sweet goods and cardamom features heavily in the recipe so I left it out swapping it for vanilla.

I also reduced the quantity of coconut milk in the cake batter otherwise the batter would have turned into soup. The cake also needed a touch more bicarbonate of soda than suggested as it barely rose in the centre. In the end I used my own cream cheese icing recipe because I really like it.

The coconut topping was delicious and I had to hide it away to stop me eating it all before I could decorate the cake.

Here's the recipe for you which makes a double layer 17cm cake. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C. 

Coconut layer cake – makes a 17cm cake, inspired by an Ottolenghi recipe from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen - Shelf Love

Cake
215g (1 and 1/2 cups) self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
pinch salt
200g (scant 1 cup) caster sugar
114g (4 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature, then cut into 3 cm cubes
100g (3) egg whites at room temperature
80g (1/3 cup) Greek yoghurt at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
125 ml (1/2 cup) full fat coconut milk

Icing
75g unsalted butter at room temperature, then cut into 3 cm cubes
75g full fat cream cheese
Pinch salt
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
125g (3/4 cup) icing sugar, sifted

Coconut topping
70 g coconut flakes
1 tbs maple syrup
Pinch of salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 180⁰C conventional. Grease and line the base of 2 x 17 cm round springform cake tins with baking paper. You can bake the 2 cakes one at a time if you only have one round tin.

Place the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl and whisk together to combine.

Place the caster sugar and softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on a medium-high speed until light and fluffy - approximately 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides with a spatula. Lower the speed to medium and add the egg whites. Mix until just incorporated, and then add the yoghurt and vanilla bean paste. Beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides again with a spatula. Add one-third of the flour mixture and one-third of the coconut milk. Alternate these until combined, and the mixture is smooth.

Transfer half of the mixture (about 385g) into one tin and the other half of the mix in the other prepared tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake skewer comes out clean. If you only have one round tin, allow the first cake to cool slightly after cooking and release it carefully from the cake tin. Line the tin again and now bake the other cake for 35 minutes. Allow both cakes to cool completely.

Coconut topping
Place the coconut flakes, maple syrup and salt on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Toss to combine. Bake for 8 minutes at 180⁰C conventional. Stir everything again & bake for a further 5 minutes or until golden and crispy. Set aside to cool and it will crisp up further.

Icing
Place the butter, cream cheese, salt and vanilla paste in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high heat until light and creamy. Add the icing sugar and mix on medium-low speed until combined. If the icing is looking a bit soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Assembly
Spread a little less than half of the icing on the top of one of the cakes. Gently place the other cake on top. Spread the remaining icing on the top of the cakes using an offset spatula to help you. If it looks a little messy, it is no problem, and it is all part of the charm. Top with the coconut topping, leaving the sides exposed.

Notes
You can make the coconut topping up to three days ahead. Store in an airtight container.

You can make the coconut icing up to three days ahead. Store in a container or bowl, well covered, in the fridge. Allow it to soften outside of the fridge before icing the cake.

You can make the cakes a day ahead. Wrap well to store then assemble and ice on the day. Store the iced cake in the refrigerator but don't top the cake with the coconut topping until just before serving.

I shared the cake with my neighbours and workmates and it was declared 'delicious' by one and all. 

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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