Wedding Cheese Cake

This needed it's own post.

As seen on the Style Co Blog , if I ever get married, I am having a wedding cheese cake.

Oh yes, I am.

Nat x

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

As Cookie Monster would say, "Chocolate Buttermilk Cake is a sometimes food".

This cake was, amazing. Also, amazing-ly rich. Make it for a special occasion.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

(as seen in The Australian Women's Weekly 'Cake Favourites')

I;

180g butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (330g) caster

4 eggs, seperated

3/4 cup (110g) self raising flour

1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder

3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk

Chocolate Filling

400g dark eating chocolate, melted

250g butter, melted

1/2 cup (80g) icing sugar

M;

Preheat oven to 180c/160c fan forced.

Grease deep 20cm round cake pan. Line with baking paper.

Beat butter, extract and sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, until just combined.

Transfer to a larger bowl, stir in sifted dry ingredients and buttermilk.

Beat egg whites in a clean small bowl until soft peaks form.

Fold egg whites into cake mixture in two batches, pour mixture into prepared pan.

Bake cake about 1 hour. Cool completely in pan.

Meanwhile, make chocolate filling. Reserve 1 cup.

Split cake into three layers (I only did two - too scared it'd break!)
Place one layer on serving plate and spread thinly with chocolate filling.

Repeat with remaining layers and filling.
Spread reserved filling over cake.
Refrigerate 3 hours before serving.

Chocolate Filling
Combine chocolate and butter in medium bowl; stir in sifter icing sugar. Cool filling to room temperature and beat with a wooden spoon until thick and spreadable.

This cake says it serves 10, but it's far too heavy for a regular slice, so I'd say 20.

It is worth noting mine kept fresh in the fridge for 5 days before it started to dry out.

A definite sign that something good was cooking.





I wished her luck. Yes, my cakes are all assigned genders.


Relief!


I had to get M to cut it, I was too scared I'd screw it up.



Cool ganache! I was up until 12.30am waiting for this stuff to cool down.



This actually looks better than the final result.



No one said I'll get an award for food photography.

Stay well, and eat cake!
Nat x

Stuff I Cooked / Time to Clean

Firstly, here is a collection of some of what I've cooked over the past week or two.


A vegetarian version of Spaghetti Puttanesca (Wholemeal Spaghetti with a red sauce of capers, green olives & chilli)M is not a fan, so I have this when he's not home for dinner.Wholemeal pasta is higher in fibre & more filling than the white stuff, and the sauce has almost no fat in it (a spray of olive oil to fry the garlic a little). Of course the parmesan is there purely for it's very high calcium content.



My version of spaghetti & meatballs, for M. I just ate a big plate of the pasta.




Chocolate patty cakes I made whilst under the charming influence of red wine because I felt like something sweet. I burnt myself rather badly, but they were tasty.




My breakfast this morning.
Sunday always calls for a big brekky.




Chickpea & Sweet Potato Curry. I have a reputation for this stuff & this is the first time I made it in our new home!I make my famous curry using Carnation Light & Creamy Coconut flavour. Coconut milk & cream is incredibly high in fat, even if you get your hands on a reduced fat one, and in dishes like curries where the flavours are strong, you won't even notice it's not the real thing.




Lentil soup & home made garlic & herb pizza.This was tonights dinner. I am a fan of a light dinner on a Sunday night and M is starting to enjoy it, too.Please forget packaged pizza and garlic bread, if you're going to eat something fatty or bread-y, it's better knowing what's in it by making it yourself.



Egg and butter free, (and consequently vegan), chocolate cake.This was for a family member's birthday who has to avoid too much fatty foods due to a recent health scare. I spoke to her before and she said it was very nice.
If you want to try it, here is the recipe;

Chocolate Cake (with no eggs or butter / vegan)
I;3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla
M;Preheat oven to 180c.
Thoroughly mix dry ingredients first (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt).
Mix in wet ingredients (water, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla). Continue mixing until you obtain an even batter (no lumps).
Pour into a cake pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes.
It was super easy & made a super huge cake.


In other news, I have been eating very heavily and am aiming to do my version of a detox this week, especially as due to a bit of a beating to my system last week, I am having a break from exercise. I will try to document what I do when I want an internal clean up, but that pot of lentil soup I brewed for tonight's dinner will get a work out this week!
Happy Sunday Night & here's to a week of amazing food.
Stay well,Nat x