black magic cherry cake (revisited and revised)

I am reposting this recipe. Yesterday I was rummaging through my pantry when I found a jer of black cherries. I bought them especially for this recipe but I hadn't got around to making it. It's been a year since I did make this cake so today was the day. It's rainy outside. I've bought a brand new box of tea and I'm envisaging sitting down in 45 mins to enjoy a slice and a cuppa.

I am also reposting this because I've tweaked it to be made in the Thermomix. I didn't have the Thermomix when I last made it. I've also included the original recipe for non-Thermomix users so you don't need one to make it!

Thermomix Recipe

ingredients

125g unsalted butter (cold, sliced)
300g brown sugar (loose)
240g SR flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
410g can pitted black cherries, drained well

1 tspn baking powder
1 egg
300ml fresh cream
finely grated zest 1/2 lemon
1 tbls lemon juice

icing sugar and cream, to serve (optional)

method

Preheat the oven to 180ºc.

Grate cold unsalted butter (sliced) in the Thermomix bowl on sp 4/4 secs.
Add brown sugar, SR flour,cinnamon and nutmeg and combine on sp 9/20 secs until well combined and has the consistency (and look) of sand.

Place half the mixture in a greased and lined 22cm round cake tin. Shake, level and pat down lightly. Arrange the cherries over the mixture.

Add baking powder, egg, cream, zest, and lemon juice to the remaining mixture and combine sp 5/10-12 secs.

* tip: gradually and gently increase the speed from 1-5 so the mixture doesn't 'climb' the sides of the bowl.

Gently pour the cream mixture over the cherries.

* tip: once the bowl is empty spin the blades on sp 6 to loosen the batter from under the blades.

Bake for one hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin for 15 minutes before turning out. Sift icing sugar over the top and serve warm with cream.


 


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This cake is a magic cake. I love the way you transform one half of the mixture from the same basic ingredients. The cake is crumbly and delicious, best eaten warm with cream.

ingredients
2 cups SR Flour
2 cups brown sugar (loose)
125g unsalted butter (cold)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tspn baking powder
1 egg
300ml fresh cream
finely grated rind 1/2 lemon
1 tbls lemon juice
410g can pitted black cherries, drained well
icing sugar, to serve

method

Preheat the oven to 180ºc. 

Place sugar and flour in a large bowl. Grate the butter coarsely on top and stir through. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and mix well. Place half the mixture in a greased and lined 22cm round cake tin. Shake, level and pat down lightly. Arrange the cherries over the mixture.


Add baking powder to the remaining mixture and mix in well. In a separate bowl beat the egg, cream, lemon rind and lemon juice together. Add to the remaining mixture and combine well. Gently pour the cream mixture over the cherries.

Bake for one hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin for 15 minutes before turning out. Sift icing sugar over the top and serve warm with cream.

Miss May Blossom http://www.facebook.com/MissMayBlossom

Anni's walnut, apple & spice biscuits

This time last year my husband was preparing to travel to Turkey to support the Dept of Veterans Affairs in their preparations leading up to and including the ANZAC Day commemoration at Gallipoli. 

My dear foodie friend Anni had just gifted me with a cookie jar filled with her favourite recipes including this recipe for ANZAC biscuits. (http://missmayblossom.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/anzac-biscuits.html)

In the jar Anni also included this delicious recipe for apple, cinnamon and walnut biscuits. The spices, soft apple and crunchy walnuts make for a lethal combination and when you give them enough time (if you can resist!) to cool, they are chewy on the inside.  

I made these on Friday and my house smelled like spices and apple for hours. Bliss!

1/2 cup butter, softened 

1/2 cup caster (or preferred) sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tspn vanilla extract

1 cup plain flour

1 1/4 cup oats

1/2 tspn baking powder

1/2 tspn bicarb soda

1/2 tspn salt

1 tspn ground cinnamon 

Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 medium apple, peeled (optional), finely diced 

1 tspn lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180°c. Line 3 baking trays with greaseproof baking paper. Toss the diced apple in the lemon juice. 

Beat sugar and butter for 3-4 minutes. Add egg. Beat for 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. 

In a separate bowl, mix together oats, flour, baking powder, bicarb soda, spices and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat slowly until combined. 

Stir in apples and walnuts. 

Drop tblspn sized balls of dough on to the baking trays (spaced apart to allow for rising) and bake for about 20 minutes. 

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing them from the tray.... straight on to a plate with a cup of tea!

Thermomix recipe

90g butter, softened

80g caster sugar

70g brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tspn vanilla extract 

130g plain flour

115g oats

1/2 tspn baking powder

1/2 tspn bicarb soda

1/2 tspn salt

1 tspn ground cinnamon 

Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

135g chopped walnuts

1 medium apple, peeled (optional), finely diced 

1 tspn lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180°c. Line 3 baking trays with greaseproof baking paper.

Dice the apple into 5mm cubes. Toss the diced apple in the lemon juice and set aside. 

Place the oats, flour, baking powder, bicarb soda, spices and salt in the TM bowl. Mix on reverse/speed 4/6 seconds or until combined. Set aside.

Place the walnuts in the TM bowl and chop speed 4/4 seconds. Set aside.

Beat sugars and butter speed 4/6 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and repeat speed 4/6 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg and vanilla. Beat speed 4/4 seconds.

Tip the mixture in to a bowl. I find stirring the apple and walnuts easier by hand at this point.  

Drop tblspn sized balls of dough on to the baking trays (spaced apart to allow for rising) and bake for about 20 minutes. 

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing them from the tray.... straight on to a plate with a cup of tea!

Notes

* You can peel the apples before you dice them. I prefer to leave the skin on because the apples I use are organic.

* Adjust the sugar quantities according to taste 

* You can do grate the nutmeg by hand with a spice grater or grate a whole nutmeg in the TM speed 9/ 12 seconds. A pinch of fresh nutmeg goes a long way! You could use ground nutmeg from a packet.

chocolate & beetroot cupcakes

Do you need a bit of lunchbox inspiration? 

Here's a little recipe for chocolate and beetroot cupcakes I knocked up this morning! I've added this to the Thermomix in Australia recipe community. 

If you don't have a Thermomix you can use a food processor or a hand blender but you'd need to finely grate the beetroot.

Chocolate & Beetroot Cupcakes

Ingredients

150 grams Fresh Beetroot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
70 grams brown sugar
100 grams Butter, melted
150 grams Self Raising Flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
2 tablespoons good quality cocoa, or cacao powder

Method 
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease three mini cupcake trays if you aren't using greaseproof trays.
2. Put the beetroot in mixing bowl and chop for 10 secs/sp 7.
3. Add eggs, milk, sugar and butter to TM bowl and mix with beetroot for 10 secs/sp 5
4.Add the flour, cinnamon and cocoa and mix 5 secs/sp 4. If needed, scrape down the bowl and mix for a further 3 secs/sp 7.
5. Using a teaspoon to spoon mixture into muffin tray. Bake for 11 minutes.

Tips
* I use a silicone mini muffin tray for these cupcakes that way I don't need to grease the tray.
* I use Van Houten cocoa. You can find it in supermarkets.
* I'm freezing these in batches to be thawed the night before.

Miss May Blossom
http://www.facebook.com/MissMayBlossom