Eggfree baking: Raspberry Blackout Cake

It was my supervisor's birthday this week so birthday cake baking time!!! One of my friends is currently on an egg-elimination diet as her daughter is egg allergic (aww.. poor girl) so I wanted to make a cake that was EGG FREE. I have previously made an eggless chocolate cake but was also looking for something a little different.

I found this recipe from a vegan baking blog and my first impression was YUM!!! The photo looked awesome!! A 3 layered chocolate cake with chocolate ganache dripping off the sides....and bright pink raspberries carefully placed on top! I only make a 2 layered cake and unfortunately didn't have any fresh raspberries around so used frozen.  My cake is also NOT vegan because I used cow's milk.. but you could always use almond or rice milk like in the original recipe :) But I have to say the cake was super moist! and had the perfect amount of sweetness.

If you are wondering about the egg substitute, the raspberry jam actually helps bind the cake together in place of the egg.

Raspberry Blackout Cake
Recipe adapted from Cookies and Candids

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
285g raspberry jam (reserve 1/2 cup for batter)
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup caster sugar
Fresh/frozen raspberries for decorating

Chocolate ganache
100g dark chocolate melts
80ml thickened cream

1. Preheat oven to 180oC. Grease and line 2 8-inch round cake pans.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt. Set aside.
3. Combine milk, oil, 1/2 cup raspberry jam, vanilla and sugar in large bowl and mix with electric mixer until jam mostly dissolved (small clumps are ok).
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in batches and mix until everything is incorporated.
5. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cook in pans.
6. To make chocolate ganache, place chocolate and cream in bowl and melt over double boiler. Allow to cool and it will thicken.

Spreading jam and ganache on the layer of cake~

7. When cakes have cooled fully, spread one layer of cake with thin layer of raspberry jam. Drizzle with a layer of chocolate ganache. Place the other layer of cake on top and pour over ganache. Decorate with raspberries.

So give it a go! Whether you are egg allergic or have just ran out of eggs :)

Work Catering #37: First of 2014! A raspberry theme~

YAY! My work catering series is back!! One of the things that I have been most looking forward to at work =p (maybe im in the wrong job.. hmm..)

tasty cookies~

My bakes this week had a raspberry theme! Not sure why but I was just in the mood of using raspberries ^_^" First up is a Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies.. combining two of my favourite sweets: Cheesecake and Brownies! I found this recipe on this new blog I have been following: Sally's Baking Addiction. You guys should really check it out!!! It's such a wonderful and colourful blog and the photos just make you drroooolllll!!! and also make you want to bake (like I did XD).

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients

Fudge Brownies
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter
225g dark chocolate melts
1 cup caster sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp salt

Raspberry Cheesecake Layer
250g cream cheese, softened at room temp
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1/4 cup raspberries for topping

1. Preheat oven to 180oC. Grease and line baking pan (20x30cm).
2. To make the brownies, place the butter and chocolate in medium saucepan on medium heat and stir constantly till both are melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool (~10-15 minutes should be fine).
3. Stir in sugar and mix until combined. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding next egg. Mix in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt. Pour batter in prepared pan.
4. To make the cheesecake layer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar with electric beater until smooth. Add in egg yolk and beat until combined. Beat in raspberry jam.
5. Dollop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture on top of brownie batter. Glide a knife through the layers to create a swirl pattern. Sprinkle and press a few raspberries on the top.
6. Bake for ~30 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover the brownies after 20 minutes of baking to stop the top from over browning. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Loving the layers

bright pop of rapsberries ^^

The next recipe I tried also involves raspberry jam!! They are essentially thumbprint/jam drop cookies but made up of shortbread. I have previously made jam drop cookies but wasn't too happy with the result. However this shortbread recipe was really good as the cookies did not spread so much so the jam stayed in the holes xP and it's EGG FREE!

Raspberry Shortbread Cookies
Recipe adapted from Melding Magic

Ingredients
225g butter, softened
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup raspberry jam

Glaze
1 cup icing sugar
3 - 4 tsp warm water
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Cream butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer.
2. Add in flour and beat on low speed and well combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 180oC and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Shape teaspoonsful of dough into balls. Place 1 inch apart onto tray. Using your thumb or end of wooden spoon handle, make an indent in the centre of each cook. Fill with jam.

Filling holes with jam

4. Bake for 14 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Allow to cool.

Cooked cookies :D

Allowing them to cool....

5. Make glaze by mixing sugar, water and vanilla in small bowl. Drizzle over cookies.

Ready to eat :D

Close up of the drizzle! looks like white chocolate but it's not XD

Well stay tuned for more work catering bakes and other random recipes~~^_^ and try these out! they're really simple!!!!

Work Catering #33: Egg free bake

 

I must have subconsciously picked these recipes for work catering because the speaker at the talk is allergic to eggs and both recipes are EGG FREE!!! hehe! First up are these cheesecake cookies! yum! Found the recipe while looking for interesting chocolate chip cookies for this month's Aspiring Baker's challenge.

Egg free Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies
Recipe adapted from InspiredMe

Ingredients
250g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup (113g) butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup plain flour
3/4 cup
30g dark chocolate, melted (optional)
30g white chocolate melted (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180oC. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Beat cream cheese, butter, salt, sugar together with electric mixer until creamy. Add vanilla and beat to combine. Add flour and mix with wooden spoon until dough forms. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Roll teaspoon full of dough into ball. Place on tray and press slightly with back of spoon or palm of hand. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Allow to cool before transferring to wire rack.
4. To decorate, place melted dark chocolate into piping bag (or small sandwich bag with the tip cut off) and pipe squiggles over the top.

So...I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #36: Choc-a-cookie (October 2013) hosted by Genie of Honeybee916food.

Next up is Mars Bar slice inspired by my cousin... although I don't think this is the one she was talking about because this doesn't use as much butter as she described.. oh wells! still yummy :D 

Mars Bar Slice
Recipe adapted from Julia from Boredom Abounds

Ingredients
70g butter
1 tbs golden syrup
4 x 53g Mars Bars, chopped up
3 cups rice bubbles
250g milk or dark chocolate, melted

1. Place butter, golden syrup and chopped Mars bars in saucepan over medium heat. Stir until all melted then remove from heat.
2. Stir in rice bubbles until well combined. Spoon mix into prepared 20 x 30cm baking tray lined with foil. Press down using back of large spoon and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Pour melted chocolate over the top of slice and spread evenly. Refrigerate again for an hour or until set and slice into squares to serve.

I have to say this slice is SUPER SWEET!! But I guess if you love Mars Bars then you will love this slice. This could even be a great base for a cheesecake! Hmmm.. *ideas churning... hehe*

Baking without eggs!!

I received an order to bake a birthday cake for a friend's work mate. She suggested for me to bake a chocolate cake. "Easy" I thought.. until I heard that he was allergic to eggs... and potentially gluten intolerant.. and maybe milk intolerant... and maybe even allergic to nuts!! >_< Maybe this wouldn't be as easy as I thought and I wouldn't want to be responsible... just in case my cake causes an unwanted allergic response >_______<

But... thank God in the end it was just eggs he was allergic too =p

Was looking up recipes on the net and found this recipe for Eggless Chocolate Cake which seemed quite simple...

So if you have anyone that is allergic to eggs.. try this cake out! (it also doesn't contain milk... if you don't add the ganache.. or just make a chocolate glaze out of chocolate and butter; and don't add the nuts if they are allergic)... OR if you just don't have any eggs in the house =p no excuse for not baking!

Eggless Chocolate Cake
Recipe adapted from Tori Hawthorne

Ingredients
100g butter
3 tsp golden syrup
300ml boiling water
1 tbs vanilla essence
300g self raising flour
100g brown sugar
30g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
50g walnut crumbs (for decoration)

Chocolate ganache icing
100g dark chocolate
80ml thickened cream

1. Preheat oven to 160oC. Grease and line 20cm round cake tin.
2. Place butter, syrup and vanilla into heavy bowl or saucepan. Add 300ml boiling water and whisk with fork to mix.
3. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarb soda into large bowl. Pour in the butter mixture  and whisk until you have a smooth batter.
4. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 45-55minutes until cake is risen and bouncy to touch (I advise to check at 40 minutes because my cake was done. You don't want it to be too dry).
5. Cool in tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto wire rack.

Cake cooked... cracked a little ><

Chocolate ganache icing
To make chocolate ganache icing, heat chocolate and cream in a bowl (double-boiler) until melted and well combined. Pour into smaller bowl and leave to cool at room temperature (it will thicken when cool). If not using for a while, place in the fridge.

Assembly
Cut cooled cake in 2 pieces. Spread half the ganache on the bottom half. Sprinkle with walnut crumbs. Place second layer on top and ice with chocolate ganache. 
Decorate as you like. I placed 2 chocolate macarons on top and sprinkled the border with walnut crumbs :)

Cake sliced, filled with chocolate ganache and walnut crumb

Finished cake =D

It's been really fun baking for others ^^ nearly feels like a real "business" hehe...