Lavender Cake

I first came across this cake when my friend made it for a French food day at school. Apparently no one wanted to eat it because it had flowers in it, so there was plenty left at lunch time for me to take a slice. And too bad for those who didn't try it because it was absolutely delicious, and I have been in love with dense cakes with a sweet glaze on the outside ever since.

Seeing the look of a girl in love with a cake in my eye, my friend gave me the recipe she had used. However, after looking at it I was put off by the complicated list of ingredients most of which I did not own and many of which I did not know. It was only years later after making all the cakes before this one that I had collected a stock of standard cake ingredients and I worked up the courage to finally give this cake a try.

Source: Flo Braker, Author, The Simple Art of Perfect Baking (Houghton Mifflin/Chapters, 1992).

Notes: 
Ingredients in brackets are alternatives/equivalents.

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups cake flour (or plain flour) 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 16 Tbsp unsalted butter (226g) 
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (castor sugar)
• 1 Tbsp dried lavender flowers* 
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plain yogurt (vanilla yoghurt) 
• 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp Miel de Lavande honey* (or any other sort of honey)
• 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar plus some for dusting (icing sugar)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  *Available from Essence de Provence in the kitchen section.

Method: 

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. (conventional: 160°C, fan-forced: 140°C). Butter and flour a decorative bundt or cake pan; tap out excess flour.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper; set aside.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 30 sec. Add granulated sugar and lavender and beat until light and fluffy, 3-5 min.; stop mixer and scrape bowl occasionally. Add eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition; add lemon and vanilla extracts.

On very low speed, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with yogurt and ending with flour; blend each addition until just incorporated. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl occasionally. Fold in lemon zest.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread batter so the outside edge is about 1" higher than the inside edge. Bake until cake springs back when touched and pulls away from sides of pan, 55-60 min. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely in pan, 1-2 hours. Turn cake out onto a wire rack set over waxed paper.

In small sauce pan over low heat, warm honey until runny, 30-45 sec. Put 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in a small bowl and pour honey and lemon juice over sugar; stir to blend. Using a pastry brush, brush cake with glaze and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving. Serves 16.

Bon Appétit

Jinghan Says:

I bought tried lavender from Gewürzhaus: Herb and Spice Merchant, on Lygon street. And Lavender Honey from Essential Ingredient in Pahran; it's a slightly richer grainy honey made by bees that pollinate lavender and you can substitute with any other good quality honey. The cake is very tall in a 20cm diameter tin so you can halve the recipe with no qualms and still get a decent amount of cake, or use a bigger tin. 

Banana and Pecan Loaf

The summer of 2010, I have one and a half hours before I am seriously at risk of missing my train and hence missing my connecting train and hence missing my connecting bus to Sorento, but what am I doing? I'm taking cocoa out of the cupboard and bananas out of the fruit bowl to start making a cake that needs 1hour 15mins to bake. However, do not fear reader, as all ends well. Jinghan does not miss her train and the cake is absolutely delicious.

Recipe from Jules Stranbridge’s novel Sugar and Spice, published in 2009 by Little Black Dress, an imprint of Headline Publishing Group.

Notes:

You can use walnuts instead of pecans, if you prefer. To make it really special replace 50g four with good quality cocoa powder and some chocolate chunks on top.

Ingredients:

• 175g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 125g unsalted melted butter
• 150g soft dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 small ripe bananas
• 75g pecans
• 100g sultanas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• demera sugar for topping

Method:

Preheat oven to 170°C (fanforced: 150°C). Line a 23x13x7cm loaf tin. Put flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and salt into a bowl and combine well. In a separate bowl beat melted butter and sugar together then beat eggs in one at a time. Add mashed bananas. With a wooden spoon, stir in pecans, sultanas and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture a third at a time, stirring well each time. Sprinkle a generous helping of demera sugar on top for a crunchy topping. Put into tin and bake in oven for 1-1:15hour leave in the tin on a rack to cool. 

Jinghan Says: 

This cake is just as good round as it is in the shape of a loaf. Adding cocoa is absolutely delicious. (Actually I haven't ever made it without cocoa.) And don't be shy with the demera sugar. 

Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake

Now that I have captured your attention with the words “microwave”, “chocolate”, “mug” and “cake” all in the same title…

After a week, nay, two weeks of being a complete study-hermit, Jinghan finds herself with a predicament. What should she have for breakfast? Weetbix with hot milk, honey and cinnamon* is gorgeous, but after eating the same thing every morning, followed by the same routine of sitting in front of your desk for many hours, one feels like it’s more than due time for a change.

This cake is dedicated to all you poor souls who have been eyeing the pictures of cake but are still too frightened by the deep dark dangerous depths of that place referred to as the Kitchen. If I can manage to make this in the wee hours of a Saturday morning (ie. 9am) then anyone** can manage this simple but yummy cake. I must admit I was a little bit sceptical about how a microwave would produce a cake, even as I put my mug of chocolate mush into the microwave, but “kazam!” 2.5 minutes later, there it was: a cake in my mug.  (All I was left to wonder then was how I could have a mug of milk to have with it.) 

Given to me by my friend, Mary, recipe from www.sortedfood.com

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp SR flour (not heaped or level – but in between)
• 2 tbsp castor sugar
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder
• 1 small egg
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• few choc buttons

Method:

• grab a large mug.
• spoon the dry ingredients into the mug and mix well.
• crack in the egg and whisk to combine with a fork.
• drizzle in the milk and oil and stir.
• drop in a few choc buttons.
• place into a microwave and cook for 2 ½ mins on full power.
• leave to rest for 1 minute then eat with lashings of cream or ice cream.

Jinghan Says:

It’s quite a muted cake, so if you like your cakes sweet, add maybe a half spoon more of sugar. Do not be shy with the chocolate buttons. The cake is a little bit dry, so have it with a coffee, glass of milk or just lots of cream. It’s a filling cake, so you could even get away with half the recipe if you’re looking for something more cup-cake sized.

p.s. Penguin mug!

*If you hate mornings, you MUST try this.

** Conditions apply, see back of packet for details

Best Ever Chocolate Cake

The good old dependable chocolate cake. Also, you should consider creaming butter and sugar together by hand as an alternative to working out at the gym.

Recipe from Jules Stranbridge’s novel Sugar and Spice, published in 2009 by Little Black Dress, an imprint of Headline Publishing Group.

Ingredients:

• 175g butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 5 heaped tablespoons of best quality cocoa powder
• 175ml milk
• 225g plain flour and 1.5 teaspoons bicarbobate of soda sieved together
• 125g good quality 75 per cent minimum plain chocolate broke into chunks

Method:

Line a 18cm tin and heat oven to 180 Celcius (160 Celcius for fan-forced). Bream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa and half of the milk to create a smooth paste. Add the rest of the milk to form a runny liquid. Stir in half the flour then half cocoa mixture. Repeat. Sprinkle chocolate chunks on to the top of the cake. Bake in the oven for 1.5 hours.

Jinghan Says: 

In the book the author names this “the best chocolate cake ever” mine did not turn out that mind-bogglingly good... but do not blame the recipe! I put in 5 teaspoons of cocoa instead of 5 tablespoons! I would also like to try how the cake looks with grated chocolate on top. 

Victorian Sandwich

Picture this: Jinghan sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of crumbs before her. She is licking jam off her fingers, and breathing in the hot aroma of English Breakfast tea. Bliss.

The Victorian Sandwich is a delicious vanilla sponge with sugary jam in the middle. What's more, it is dead easy to make. So long as you have a food processor and can measure ingredients, you are set. The food processor came out second best, but the cake is good.

Recipe from Jules Stranbridge’s novel Sugar and Spice, published in 2009 by Little Black Dress, an imprint of Headline Publishing Group

Ingredients

• 225g (9oz) unsalted butter
• 225g (9oz) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 225g (9oz) self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3-4 tablespoons milk

Method

Grease and line 2 x 18cm (7inch) tins and preheat oven to 180 Celcius/350 Farenheit (160 Celcius for fan forced). Put all ingredients in food processor except the milk and process until you get a smooth batter. Pour the milk in gradually through the funnel until the mixture has soft dropping consistency. Pour into tins and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the cakes are coming away at the edges or springy to touch. Leave in tins on wire rack for 10mins before turning out to cool completely. Spread lashings of jam in the middle and a sprinkle of caster sugar on the top.

Jinghan says: 

This cake needs to be baked straight away while the mixture is still fluffy and full of air. I only had one tin so I put all the mixture in one tin, my cake took 45mins to cook. If you grease the sides of a non-stick tin well the cake will turn out flatter. And if you have a tin lined with baking paper I spread the mixture so that it rises up about 2cm at the edges to get a flatter finish. The best way to cut a cake is to score a groove around the edge at an even height, fit a thread in the groove (I used nylon thread) and pull the thread through the cake. 

Sugar and Spice Cake

The Sugar and Spice Cake is a gorgeous cake that smells of ginger and cinnamon; it isn’t overly sweet, but definitely delicious. I was so delighted by this cake that I put half of it in a lunch box and took it to uni to share with all my friend. It didn't last until lunch time... 

Recipe from Jules Stranbridge’s novel Sugar and Spice, published in 2009 by Little Black Dress, an imprint of Headline Publishing Group

Ingredients

• 225g unsalted butter
• 225g dark muscovado sugar
• 225g self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 medium eggs
• 100ml milk

For icing

• 150g sifted icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• silver balls

Method

Grease and line a 20cm cake tin and preheat oven to 180 Celcius /350 Farenheit (160 Celcius for fan forced). Place all ingredients in food processor and cream together. Transfer mixture to tin, smoothing surface, and bake for 50-55minutes or until skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin. When the cake has cooled blend icing sugar and orange juice together and spread over the top of the cake. Do not worry if it drizzles over the sides as this is how it should look. Scatter silver balls over and leave to set.

Jinghan says: 

I couldn’t find any dark muscovado sugar, being a mere supermarket-shopper, so I went with dark brown sugar and it worked out just as well. Dark muscovado sugar can be bought from shops like Essential Ingredient and Gewürzhaus: Herb and Spice Merchants. 

Earl Grey Tea Cake

It's really relaxing to have a nice hot cup of tea in the morning, it makes you slow down your busy life so as not to burn your tongue. (That part takes a bit of practice.) At home we have a box set of different sorts of green, black, herbal and flavoured tea, however I had never touched the black teas. However, this sweet fruity (but not too rich) cake is an absolutely gorgeous companion to a nice hot cup of sober Earl Grey. This was the cake that made me over come my stigma against black teas.

Recipe from Jules Stranbridge’s novel Sugar and Spice, published in 2009 by Little Black Dress, an imprint of Headline Publishing Group

Ingredients:

• 150g butter
• 175g light muscovado sugar
• 250ml fairly strong earl grey tea
• 250g dried bruit (sultanas, raisins, chipped apricots/prunes)
• 200g self raising flour
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 1 large egg
• 50-75g walnuts
• 5 demera sugar lumps (coarsely crushed)

Method:

Grease and line base of an 18cm tin and preheat oven to 180°C (fan-forced: 160°C) Place the butter, sugar, tea and fruit in a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Stir then simmer for 5 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Sift flour into fruit-tea mixture and beat in. Mix in lemon zest and juice; beaten egg and walnuts and bake for 1hour-1h15m. Leave to cool in the tin before removing. 

Jinghan Says: 

This cake becomes more lovely and moist over time so if you can resist it leave it for a day or two before eating. I used dark-brown sugar instead of muscovado sugar, and the cake was just as delicious. Definitely make your tea stronger than you would when drinking it so that it's aroma is not lost when the cake is baked. 

Lemon Drizzle Cake

When I was little we had a lemon tree in our backyard and my sister and I used to pluck the fat yellow ones and throw them at the spinning hills-hoist until they cracked open, and then eat the tangy-sweet inside. There's nothing quite like the scent of lemons. However, if eating straight lemon isn't for you then I suggest this dense lemony cake drenched in lemon syrup on the outside.

Recipe from Jules Stranbridge’s novel Sugar and Spice, published in 2009 by Little Black Dress, an imprint of Headline Publishing Group

Ingredients:

• 225g unsalted butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
• 275g self raising flour
• 6-8 tablespoons milk

Syrup:

• juice of 1 lemon
• 100g icing sugar

Method:

Grease and double-line tin. Pre-heat oven to 180°C ( – 160°C fan-forced). Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and lemon zest, beating them in well. Add flour, folding in gently but thoroughly, and then the milk. Spoon into tin. Bake for approx 1hour or until golden and skewer comes out clean.

While cake is cooking, make the syrup. Put lemon juice and icing sugar into saucepan and heat gently until sugar dissolves. Take cake out of oven and puncture top of cake with skewer – pour syrup over it, ensuring middle and sides of cake absorb liquid. Ensure cake is completely cold before taking out of tin. 

Sour Cream Carrot Cake

I first ate this cake at a friends place. After being seduced by its deliciousness and being given the recipe, it became the first non-packet cake that I had ever made. It was about week 8 of my second semester of uni, and making cake was just the thing I needed to lifted my defeated spirits during that mid-semester hump. It’s a really easy cake that is simple but delicious and is plausibly healthy enough that you don't even feel guilty eating two slices. So if you ever need an excuse to get away from your study: go shopping for carrots, lemons and nutmeg. 

(I was unable to trace the source of this recipe, but it was given to me by my friend, Nicola.)

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup SR flour
• ½ cup plain flour
• ½ tsp bicarb soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1½ cups grated carrot (~2 large carrots)
• ½ cup oil
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup sour cream

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 60g packaged cream cheese, softened
• 30g soft butter
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1½ cups icing sugar

Method:

Grease a 20cm ring pan, line base with paper; grease paper. Sift flours, soda, cinnamon and nutmeg into bowl; stir in sugar and carrot. Combine oil, eggs and sour cream; stir into flour mixture. Pour mixture into prepared pan, bake in moderately slow oven for ≈50mins. (140˚C fan force, 160˚C conventional) Turn onto sire rack to cool. When cold, spread w frosting, decorate with walnut halves.

Cream Cheese Frosting :

Beat cream cheese, butter and lemon rind in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy, gradually beat in sifted icing sugar; beat until combined. (keeping time: 4days)

Jinghan Says:

This cake is just as nice with some icing sugar, or vanilla dusting sugar dusted over it, if you can’t be bothered making the cream cheese frosting. Without the frosting you can microwave the cake so that you can have it deliciously warm.