Mini Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday Alana :o)

I wanted to bake something for my friend's birthday today, and I debated back and forth for quite a while at what to make.  It was between a fruit tart, or a cheesecake, or maybe even some confectionery, but in the end I found this recipe for a mini individual Italian sponge cake (a Genoise) in this wonderful book that I bought a while back from a used book store.  It's a very light and airy cake that works perfectly because of the small size.  I covered it in a simple ganache, and decorated with white chocolate flowers, but the 'Happy Birthday' that I had planned to pipe onto the top didn't make it - my piping skills have to be practiced a little more - I barely managed her name on the plate (and that even took a couple of tries which were wiped off!!! :o)

Mini Birthday Cake
4 inch diam.

2 Tbs unsalted butter, plus more for greasing cake pans
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for flouring the cake pans
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp hot tap water
1 large egg, at room temp
1 large egg yolk, at room temp
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Ganache
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs whipping cream
5 oz dark bittersweet chocolate chips

Chocolate flowers
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
dark chocolate chips (to make centre of flowers)

• preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• butter and flour the bottom of two, four inch diam mini cake pans (I bought these from a local kitchen supply store, but they shouldn't be too difficult to find)
• place the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the butter melts, 30-40 seconds.  Set aside to cool.
• warm a small bowl by letting hot tap water run into and over the bowl.  Dry the bowl thoroughly and add the sugar.
• stir in the 2 teaspoons of hot tap water until all the sugar is covered.
• add the egg and egg yolk, and using a hand-help electric mixer, beat on high speed until the mixture is thick and pale in colour, about 5 minutes (when you lift the beaters a 'ribbon' of batter should sit on the top for a second before sinking in.)
• gently fold the vanilla extract into the egg mixture.
• sift the flour and salt over the top and using a whisk, gently fold into the mixture until incorporated.
• whisk 3 tablespoons of the batter into the melted butter, then gently fold back into the main batter until just blended.
• spoon the batter evenly between the cake pans and place onto a baking sheet, for easier handling.
• bake until the centers are springy and the sides are beginning to pull away from the pans, about 15 minutes.
• remove the pans from the oven, and immediately run the tip of a sharp knife around the edge of each cake (this will stop the crust from sticking to the top edge of the pan as it cools and shrinks).
• let them cool, still in the pans, for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
• carefully remove them from the pans and let them cool completely on the rack.
• meanwhile you can make the ganache.
• pour the whipping cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate chips, swirling the pan to submerge the chocolate in the hot cream.
• let the mixture stand until the chocolate softens, about 1 minute, then stir with a whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
• allow it to cool for about 1 hour, then use immediately.
• while you're waiting for the ganache to cool you can make the chocolate flowers.
• place the white chocolate chips into a small microwaveable dish and microwave in 20 second increments until melted;  set aside for a couple of minutes until it's cool enough to handle.
• if you have a small tipped piping bag you can use that, or as I did (a piping kit is on my 'to get' list) you can roll a piece of wax paper into a cone and cut a small hole in the tip.
• spoon in the melted chocolate and roll down the top to close it and make handling easier.
• onto a piece of wax paper pipe the outline of your flowers and then go back and fill in each petal with more chocolate.
• press one dark chocolate chip into the centre of each flower and place the sheet into the freezer until the chocolate is set;  is should only take about 10 minutes.
• by now the cakes and ganache should be cool enough to assemble.
• put about a tablespoon of the ganache on the top of one cake and spread to the edges;  place the other cake on the top to make two layers.
• gently pour the rest of the ganache over the top of the cake and using a knife or small spatula spread it across the top and down the sides to cover the sponge completely. (for easy cleanup I kept the cake on the wire rack with a piece of wax paper underneath to catch any drips.
• using a clean spatula, very gently lift the cake and place it on a serving plate.
• while the ganache is still soft, gently press the hardened flowers into the top of the cake and place the whole thing into the fridge until you're ready to serve.

 Mini Birthday Cake ingredients.

butter and flour two, 4 inch cake pans.

place the sugar into a warm bowl and add 2 teaspoons of hot tap water.

add the egg and egg yolk.

with a hand held electric whisk, beat until....

lightened in colour, about 5 minutes.

sift the flour and salt into the egg mixture and gently blend.

add 3 tablespoons of the batter to the melted butter, whisk and then add back to the main batter and mix gently until blended.

pour into the prepared cake pans and bake.

run a sharp knife around the edges so they don't stick and cool in the pans for 10 minutes, before removing from the pans to cool completely.  Meanwhile....

 Ganache ingredients.

pour the whipping cream into a small saucepan....

and bring to a boil.

add the chocolate chips and swirl to cover with the hot cream; leave for 1 minute for the chocolate to soften, then...

whisk, until....

blended and smooth.

Now for the flowers...

melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave in 20 second increments, and make a small piping bag out of wax paper (unless you have a small one already).

on a piece of wax paper, pipe the outline of the flowers, going back and filling in the petals with more chocolate;  gently press a dark chocolate chip into the centre to complete the flowers.  Pop into the freezer to harden for 10 minutes.

spread about a tablespoon of cooled ganache onto the top of one cake and sandwich together with the other.

pour over the remaining ganache and using a knife or small spatula spread it around the top and down the sides to cover the sponge cake.

carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate using a clean spatula and gently press in the flowers to the soft ganache;  if you're feeling creative you can pipe names or messages directly onto the plate - at least this way (as happened with me) if you make mistakes it's easier to wipe off and try again than it is if you pipe onto the cake!! :o)

Cheezee Hearts

For any of you out there who on occasion have been known to sit down and devour handfuls of the little goldfish cheesy snacks (guilty as charged), this one is for you.  Now I'm not pretending that these are going to be a healthier alternative, lets face it the main ingredient is cheese!!, but at least this way you can adjust the ratio of flours if you want and even reduce the salt even more, although when an 1/8th of a teaspoon is divided among 100 or more crackers it's not really that much.  More than anything though, if you're anything like me, you've pretty much always got these ingredients on hand, so within an hour of a cheese craving taking hold of you, you can have these little bites of 'love' in a bowl next to you :o)

Cheezee Hearts (or whatever shape you make them :o)
makes 100-120 crackers

1 1/2 cups sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt

• combine all the ingredients in a food processor and mix until it all comes together into a ball of dough - about 2 minutes.
• press the dough into a disc shape, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, to make the dough easier to roll out.
• when the dough has been resting for about 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
• using a small cookie cutter (I used my 1.5 inch heart), cut out the crackers and place them onto an ungreased cookie sheet, spaced about 1/2 inch apart;  re-roll the scraps a couple of times to get as many crackers as you can (today I managed to get 112 :o)
• bake near the middle of the oven for 12-15 minutes until just beginning to brown.
• let them cool on the cookie sheets over wire racks and then store in a jar or airtight container.

 Cheeze Hearts ingredients.

place everything into a food processor and mix for about 2 minutes until...

it all comes together in a ball of dough (don't worry about little bits being separate, just press it all together)

flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

choose your favourite cookie cutter - you want it to be about an inch to 1.5 inch (I used my mini heart cutter....cuuuute!!)

roll out the dough to approximately 1/8 inch and cut out your crackers - you can re-roll the scraps a couple of times to use up as much as you possibly can.

place them onto ungreased cookie sheets about 1/2 inch apart and bake for 12-15 minutes.

leave them on the cookie sheets, on top of wire racks to cool.

they come out golden and puffed.

....and just the right size for nibbling....

....mmmmmmm.

I stored mine in a large 1 litre mason jar with a screw lid, but any airtight container will do.

yummy....a big jar of love :o)

Fruit Yogurt Popsicles

Fruit + yogurt + popsicle molds.....need I say more?  Lay back in the hammock, listen to the birds in the trees and move the clouds with your mind......mmmmmmmmm

Fruit Yogurt Popsicles
makes 6 popsicles, depending on mold size

2 cups diced fruit of choice (I actually had a mixed bowl already diced up in the fridge of strawberries, raspberries, mango and orange segments)
1/8 cup honey
2 Tbs water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt

• using a potato masher or fork, mash the fruit to a fairly fine pulp - if the fruit is quite firm you can always microwave it for about 30-45 seconds to soften.
• in a bowl (or I found a measuring jug easier for pouring into the molds), combine the honey, water, lemon juice and yogurt and mix well.
• place a fine mesh sieve over the yogurt mixture and press through the fruit puree to remove any seeds or pulp.
• at this stage you can either mix the fruit sauce and yogurt together just a little bit to get a 'swirl' effect or mix completely to have a more even colour.
• pour the mixture into your popsicle molds, pop on their 'lids' and find a space in your freezer for them.

 Fruit Yogurt Popsicle ingredients.

mash the fruit to a fairly fine consistency.

in a measuring jug (or bowl) combine the honey, water, lemon juice and yogurt.

mash the fruit puree through a fine mesh sieve into the yogurt mixture.

either mix very lightly to try and keep a 'swirl' effect or....

....mix completely (as I did) for a more even colouring.

pour into your popsicle molds.

pop on the 'tops'

and try to find room in your freezer for them - amongst the frozen peas, corn, prawns and garlic sausage :o)

Now the hard part.....wait long enough for them to set completely.

Honey Mustard Sausage Bites

One of the things that I find about the summer months is that some days you just don't feel like having 'proper' meals, especially on warm days when the hammock is calling to me - those are the days that we more often than not end up snacking most of the day or having something like these little mouthfuls on hand to nibble on with a cold can of beer :o)

Honey Mustard Sausage Bites
makes 20

1/2 pack puff pastry (1 square)
1/4 cup honey mustard sauce
1 cup grated cheese (I used a Tex Mex mix)
4 hot dogs (I had these all beef wieners in the fridge)

• preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• on a floured surface roll out the puff pastry to a sheet approximately 12" x 10"
• brush the pastry all over with the honey mustard sauce.
• sprinkle the cheese evenly over the surface and using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the pastry into quarters.
• roll each hot dog tightly in a quarter of the pastry.
• cut each 'rolled' sausage into five even pieces and place, seam side down, on a baking sheet.
• brush lightly with either egg wash or milk and bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown.

Honey Mustard Sausage Bites ingredients.

roll out the pastry to approximately 12" x 10" square

brush the honey mustard sauce evenly over the pastry sheet

sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and with a sharp knife cut the pastry into quarters.

roll each sausage tightly in the pastry quarters....

....overlapping the edges.

cut each 'rolled' sausage into five pieces and....

space apart on a baking sheet.

bake for 15-17 minutes until gold brown and puffed.

I had to sacrifice one, purely for taste-testing purposes of course :o)