Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 Homemade Lemon Curd

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (usually requires 1-2 lemons)2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest1/3 cup sugar4 egg yolks3 Tablespoons butter (I use unsalted)Directions ~Combine all ingredients in the top of a double boiler (or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water).  Heat, while stirring constantly with a whisk,  until mixture thickens.  It is done when it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate until cool. 
 Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or other large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat. Beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

Cake

2 large eggs separated

1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup room temperature butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Separate the eggs, placing the whites into one container and the yolks into another. Let come to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour two 8in (I used 9in) pans.  

Put sifted flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter until soft and creamy, about 1 minute.  Add 3/4 cup of sugar (reserving the rest) and beat for an additional 2 minutes.  Now add egg yolks, one at a time, until completely incorporated.  Add vanilla and almond extract until combined, about 30 seconds.

Now you are going to add your flour mixture and milk.  Starting with the flour, add 1/3 of the mixture and mix until incorporated.  Now add 1/2 milk mixture, mix until combined.  Add half the remaining flour, combine.  Now add the rest of your milk and combine.  Add remaining 1/3 of your flour mixture, and go ahead and mix until combined.  This whole process should take less then 2 minutes, as you do not want to over beat the batter.

In a separate clean bowl with clean whisk attachment, whip eggs whites until foamy then add the cream of tartar. (I did this on medium speed) Beat until soft peaks occur, and then gradually add in your remaining sugar.  You will want stiff peaks, which took me about 3 minutes.  Now, take your rubber spatula and fold your eggs whites into your cake batter.  Make sure they are fully incorporated, but do not over stir the batter, as you do not want to eggs to deflate.

Put batter into prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Frosting

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

250g cream cheese, very soft

250g marscapone

1 vanilla bean pod seeds

Zest of one lemon

1 tsp lemon juice

Beat together remaining ingredients till smooth. Beat in Meringue a spoonful at a time until all incorporated.  Chill for 15 minutes and ice cake.

Assemble

Alternate layers of cake with a thin layer of frosting spread over cake and topped with lemon curd. Frost entire cake with a thin layer of frosting and place in the freezer for 10 minutes, remove and cover with the remaining frosting.

Chunky Pot Pie

2 tablespoons olive oil

700g chuck steak, trimmed, cut into 3cm cubes

1 large brown onion, chopped

4 rashers middle bacon, trimmed, chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

400g can diced tomatoes

1 cup beef stock

Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook steak, in batches, for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat remaining oil in pan. Add onion, bacon and carrot. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add vinegar. Bring to the boil. Cook for 1 minute or until liquid has reduced slightly.

Return beef and juices to pan. Add tomato and stock. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer,  stirring occasionally,  for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or until steak is tender.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Layer pastry sheets on top of each other on a board. Place four, 1 cup-capacity ovenproof ramekins upside-down on pastry. Using rim of ramekins as a guide, cut 4 rounds from 1 pastry sheet 5mm larger than ramekin tops.

Remove and discard thyme from steak mixture. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Spoon into dishes. Place pastry rounds over dishes to cover filling. Brush with egg. Bake for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden.

Coconut Flapper Pie

Maggie Beer's gluten-free-cream-cheese shortcrust

125g cheese cut into chunks
75g unsalted butter chopped and kept cold
2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup gluten free flour
2g Xanthan gum

Method

Preheat oven to 210C.

In food processor pulse the cream cheese and cold butter. When combined add the flour and Xanthan gum. Whiz just to combine, scraping down the side of the bowl

Turn out onto surface which has ¼ cup gluten free flour and bring together with your hands

Chill pastry then using a rolling pin roll the pastry between two pieces of baking paper greased on both sides. Roll to 1/2cm thick and place in pie tins. Cover with baking paper, weight and blind bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

Filling 

1/2 cup white sugar

2-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups coconut milk

3 egg yolks, beaten

1 tablespoon butter

3 teaspoons  vanilla bean paste

3 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

Mix the sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt in a saucepan.

Stir in milk gradually.

Cook over medium heat, stirring until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Cook 1-2 more minutes.

Remove from the heat and Add a little of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, then whip the yolks into the saucepan mixture. Stir in the butter and vanilla,  fold in egg whites and pour into the crust. Bake at 180c for 30minutes, allow to cool and then chill for an hour.

Sticky Date Pudding

PUDDING
SAUCE

Dates – stoned and chopped 170gms

Bicarbonate of soda 1 teaspoon

Boiling water 300ml

Butter - unsalted 60gms

Sugar - castor or brown ¾ cups

Eggs 2

Gluten free Flour – self raising 170gms

Pure vanilla ½ teaspoon

Brown sugar 400gms

Thick coconut cream 1 cup

Butter - unsalted 250gms

Vanilla bean 1

Preheat oven to 180C and butter an 18cm square cake tin.

Mix dates, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water in bowl and leave stand.

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat well.

Fold in flour, then stir in date mixture and vanilla.

Pour into prepared tin and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until cooked through when tested with a

skewer.

To make sauce mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour a little sauce over warm pudding and return to oven for a few minutes..

Cut pudding and serve with warm sauce.

Coconut and Pineapple Pie

Maggie beer’s gluten free pastry

1 cup water

2 tspn salt

90g unsalted butter chopped and kept cold

150g gluten free flour Plus 1/2 cup extra for kneeding

2g xanthan gum

2 free range eggs

Preheat oven to 200C

In a heavy based saucepan combine the water, salt and butter.

Bring to a simmer and add the flour and Xanthan gum. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Lower temperature and continue to cook until pastry comes away from the sides and is well combined. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Whisk the eggs to combine and add half the egg mixture slowly, incorporating fully before adding the final half. If the mixture is a dough texture when you add in the first half, you may not need to rest of the eggs mixture.

Turn out onto a surface on which you have placed a further ½ cup gluten free flour and knead until shiny. Try to incorporate as little flour as possible so the pastry does not go crumbly.

Chill pastry then using a rolling pin roll the pastry between two pieces of baking paper greased on both sides.  Roll to half a centimetre thick and place in pie tins.

For the Filling

1/2 cup (85 grams) diced fresh pineapple or canned, drained
7 Tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups (200 grams) sweetened shredded coconut, chopped
2 extra large eggs
Pinch of kosher salt
1 Tablespoon Rum, light or dark (optional)

Scatter the pineapple pieces over the bottom of the tart shell, generously pressing them into the dough. Transfer the tart onto a rimmed baking sheet and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.  

For the Filling

Preheat the oven to 180º c

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute.  Beat in the coconut and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add the salt and rum and beat until blended.  Remove the tart from the freezer and spread the filling evenly over the pineapple.

Bake the tart for 50-55 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and the center of the tart is set.  Cool the tart completely on a wire rack.  

Source: Adapted from Simply Sensational Desserts by François Payard

Choc-chip Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats (do not use instant or quick oats) 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup  unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup caster sugar 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 12-ounce package dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.  Butter 3 large (16 by 14-inch) nonstick baking sheets. Place oats and 1/2 cup flour in processor; blend until oats are almost ground, about 10 seconds. Transfer oat mixture to medium bowl. Mix in remaining 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter in large bowl until light, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well blended, about 1 minute. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients just until blended (do not over beat). Stir in chocolate chips. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing evenly apart and forming 6 mounds per sheet. Bake cookies 8 minutes. Reverse cookie sheets and continue baking until golden brown, about 8 minutes longer. Cool cookies on sheets for 5 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.

Blueberry Pie

Maggie Beer’s Sour cream Pastry

125ml sour cream

250g plain flour

200g unsalted butter chilled

To make the pastry, dice the butter, then pulse with the flour in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the sour cream and continue to pulse until the dough starts to incorporate into a ball.

Wrap the dough in plastic film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Roll the chilled pastry out until 3 mm thick and cut to suit.

Cover pastry with baking paper, weight with rice, beans or pie weights and blind bake for 20 minutes. Set aside while you make the filling. 

1. 
   
   
   
   
   Filling
   
   
   1/4 cup sugar
   3 tablespoons cornstarch
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   4 cups fresh blueberries
   In a pan over a low heat mix sugar, corn-starch, salt, cinnamon, and blueberries, until thickened then spoon into prepared pie crust. Top with remaining pastry and brush with milk or egg whites. Bake at 180C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.