Home Made 'Packet' Cake

Recently on some of the Facebook recipe pages that I have joined, I've noticed quite a few recipes that use packet cakes. These are often desserts and look quite delicious.

However, I haven't bought a packet cake in about 10 years and frankly, never ever intend to. They are full of artificial ingredients. Granted, some may be okay - I believe Donna Hay's are pretty good, but I see no need to buy a packet cake when I have a perfectly good machine that can mix a cake in seconds.

However, sometimes, when in a hurry, a packet cake may come in handy. So, instead of succumbing to buying one, I've created my own.

This mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to three months. I store it in a ziplock bag and write down the instructions on the bag.

Thermo Cake Mix
The Bush Gourmand

150g sugar (I often use rapadura and grind on speed 8 for 5 seconds first)
230g SR flour
2 Tbsp powdered milk
125g cold butter, cut into pieces

Process the flour and sugar together for 5 seconds on Turbo.
Add the powdered milk and butter and process on speed 5 for 5 seconds or so until mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

Place in a ziplock bag with the following instructions:

Bring to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 20cm round tin, small baba tin, or loaf pan.

Add:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
120g water

Insert butterfly and mix on speed 4 for 1 - 2 minutes. Scrape down and process again on speed 4 until smooth.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Variations:


Coffee Cake
Chop 2/3 cup  walnuts and set aside. Dissolve 1 Tbsp instant coffee powder in 2 Tbsp boiling water. Make up to 120g with cold water and add with eggs.
Top with coffee flavoured icing and reserved chopped walnuts.

Chocolate Cake
Measure out 140g boiling water and add 1/2 cup cocoa. Allow to cool and continue with recipe as per directions.

Lemon or Orange Cake
Add:
Zest of one lemon or orange. Juice the fruit and make up to 120g with water. Continue with recipe as per directions.



               Coffee Cake

Super Vanilla Cake
When making the initial mix, measure in 1/4 cup custard powder and make up to 230g with SR flour. Add 1/4 tsp baking powder. Continue with recipe as per directions.

Light Fruit Cake
Soak 125g mixed fruit in 2 Tbsp sherry or port for a few hours or overnight.
Add:
1 tsp bi-carb soda
125 g chopped pecans or slivered almonds
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 extra egg

Continue with recipe as per directions.

For those recipes that use a packet cake mix, here's one recipe that I have been meaning to try:

2 Ingredient Cake (Slow Cooker)

There's also a lot of recipes for cake mix cookies. All the ones I've seen have oil added to the cake mixture. Since my mix already has butter in, I'm thinking that it may work just adding the two eggs and leaving out the oil.
I'll give it a go and report back!

Enjoy.

Megan

Easy Chocolate Slab Cake

This recipe was given to me, after lots of begging, by a friend of my daughter in law's. When I first tasted it, I had warmed it in the microwave and served with some cream. It tasted exactly like those Chocolate Mud Cakes from the supermarket, but not as sweet. We secretly love those cakes. I thought it must have been a packet cake because the consistency was so perfect!
When converting this to the Thermomix, I have reduced the sugar quantity from the original recipe.

Easy Chocolate Slab Cake

The Bush Gourmand

Preheat oven to 150 FF or 160 non FF.

Prepare small baking tin by greasing and lining base.

Place in Thermie:

280g butter, chopped

220g water

30g cocoa

Melt 3 minutes/55/speed 1, gradually increase to speed 2.5 as it melts.

Add:

250g sugar

280g  SR flour

1 tsp bi-carb soda

2 tsp vanilla

120g buttermilk (If no buttermilk, place 1/2 tsp vinegar into a half cup measure. Fill with milk)

Mix on speed 3 for 15 seconds. Scrape down.

Increase speed to 4 and add:

2 eggs, one at a time

Mix for a few seconds to make sure all is incorporated. 

Pour into prepared pans.

Bake for 45 minutes. Leave in tin to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack.

Ice with ganache, plain chocolate or buttercream icing.
I generally leave it plain, cut into squares and freeze the squares.
Straight out of the freezer into the microwave for 30 seconds.
Serve with cream, ice cream, ganache and berry coulis. People love it!

Mars Bar Chocolate Cake

When my son became engaged to our lovely daughter in law, I offered to make the wedding cakes. Looking back, I obviously didn't realise the enormity of that offer!

I began making chocolate cakes in November. it wasn't until my DIL's Hen's Party that I discovered THE recipe for superb chocolate cake. Her friend had made one for the event. I scrounged the recipe (thanks Mel!!) and started experimenting. The style of the cake was in a tier, a square cake on top and small square cakes in a line on the subsequent tiers. All white with black ribbon tied in a bow. The remainder of the cakes were to be cup cakes. So, I needed two chocolate cake recipes.

Since the cakes were to be covered in white fondant (another story, thank you sisters for your help), the cake needed to be firm. Mel's recipe was delicious, but too soft to be covered in fondant and too liquid for cupcakes, but the method was easy, so I looked for a cake with a similar method. I'm not a fan of mudcake, so didn't want it to be that firm. I came across a recipe on the Thermomix Recipe Community for Mars Bar Mudcake. It turned out to be the perfect consistency and was super delicious. I made a few changes, so I think I can now call it my own.

The cupcakes used a different recipe, one from forumthermomix.com called Chocolate Bimby Cake. I adapted this one also by adding some melted dark chocolate and coffee to make it richer.

Enough waffling, here's the recipe for the Mars Bar Chocolate Cake.

Mars Bar Chocolate Cake

140g dark chocolate

1 - 3 x Mars Bars (53g size)

250g butter

1 Tbsp coffee powder

200g water

Preheat oven to 150c (fan forced). Grease and line small baking dish. 

Place broken up chocolate and Mars Bars, cubed butter, coffee, sugar and water into Thermomix bowl and cook 6 minutes/560/speed 1, increasing to speed 3 as it all begins to melt.

150 grams white sugar 

350 grams SR flour 

40 grams cocoa

½ teaspoon bicarb soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

150 grams buttermilk (To make add 1 tsp of white vinegar to 150g milk. Let for 5 minutes. Stir before using.

Add to bowl and mix for around 45 seconds to a minute, starting on speed 3 and moving to speed 5 to incorporate. Scrape down occasionally.

4 eggs - room temp

Have the blades running on speed 4, add the eggs one at a time. Mix for 1 min on speed 3.

Scrape sides down. Mix again for 30 seconds, speed 4.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. 

Bake for around  1 1/4  hours or so, depending on your oven.

Leave in tin to cool a little, then turn on to a wire rack. Ice with ganache or split in half and place jam in the middle and whipped cream on top. Can also be served warm as a dessert. Pour over warmed ganache, raspberry coulis and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

I have so much chocolate cake in my freezer, it should last us a few months! The Wedding Cakes turn out well, as long as you didn't look too closely and notice the chocolate cake crumbs on the white fondant!!

Thanks to Mel for the Best Ever Chocolate Cake recipe which helped me to adapt this recipe and thanks to Nicole Carey for the original Mars Bar Mudcake recipe.

Megan

Caramel Magic Bean Cake

I've had such great success with the Chocolate Magic Bean Cake that I decided to convert the recipe to make a caramel flavoured cake.

I like to use whole sugar in my cooking, so I tend to make caramel and chocolate flavours because rapadura still contains all the molasses and will make batters darker. Coconut sugar is the same as it's quite dark in colour.

This cake is delicious and is gluten free to boot.

CARAMEL MAGIC BEAN CAKE
The Bush Gourmand

420g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 Tbsp plain yoghurt or buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

125g butter, softened

120g rapadura or coconut sugar

4 eggs

60g coconut flour

1 tsp bi-carb soda

1 ½ tsp GF baking powder

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a small ring tin.

Place beans, yoghurt, 2 of the eggs and vanilla into TMX bowl.

Blend for 2 minutes on speed 8.

Remove but don't bother rinsing bowl.

Place butter and sugar into TMX bowl and blend on speed 3 - 4 for 30 seconds. Scrape down and blend again.

Add eggs, one at a time, blending in between. 

Add sifted flour and raising agents and mix on speed 3 until blended together. Mixture will appear curdled.

Pour into tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake bounces back from a gentle touch.

Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Caramel Sauce

¾ cup rapadura or coconut sugar

65g butter

80g coconut cream

Place sugar and butter into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Boil while stirring for about 2 minutes. Add coconut cream and bring back to boil, again stirring constantly. Boil, stirring for about a minute.

Serve cake warm as a dessert with Caramel Sauce and cream or ice cream

Caramel Icing

For an afternoon tea cake, add 1 cup golden icing sugar to the caramel sauce. Beat together until a smooth spreading consistency and ice cake.

Orange and Almond Cakes

These little morsels are so delicious and light. I'm quite surprised as I thought the almond meal would make them heavy.

I have adapted a recipe found on taste.com to such an extent that I'm calling it my own. The cakes are not gluten free, but are wheat free and high fibre, low GI. I used coconut sugar, but rapidura would work just as well.  These were made in the Thermomix, but an ordinary mixer or food processor would work just as well.

200g raw almonds (or 200g almond meal)
150g butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 orange
100g coconut sugar (2/3 cup)
1/2 cup white spelt flour
1/2 cup wholemeal spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda

Preheat oven to 175 C. Place muffin cases in 2 x 1/2 cup muffin trays to make 12. I use silicone trays.
Grind almonds in Thermomix or processor until fine. Remove from bowl and set aside.
Place melted butter, eggs and finely grated rind and juice of orange into TM bowl. Blend on speed 4 - 5 for 20 seconds.
Add coconut sugar and blend on speed 2 for 1 minute. This helps dissolve the sugar as it has quite large crystals.
Add flours, rising agents and almond meal to mixture and blend on speed 3 for a few seconds. Scrape down and mix again on speed 4 to 5 until combined. Divide among the muffin cases, filling to top of the cases if muffin tray is deep.
Bake for around 25 to 30 minutes or until the top of a muffin bounces back when pressed lightly.

Serve dusted with icing sugar. Delicious when eaten warm (I had to try one!)

Magic Bean Chocolate Cake

This recipe originates from a Thermomix consultant at www.recipecommunity.com.au  and is delicious and moist as well as being gluten free! It can be made dairy free using oil instead of butter, but the texture will be different.
This is a Thermomix recipe but can easily be made in a food processor.
I've made a few changes such as reducing the sugar content. I'd like to try it with maple syrup or agave next time.

Magic Bean Chocolate Cake

Pre heat oven to 180C
Grease a ring tin (I used a silicone one)

420g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp coffee (2 tsp coffee powder in a Tbsp hot water)
2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
125g softened butter
130g raw castor sugar
5 eggs (large)
70g good quality cocoa
1 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda
pinch salt

Place kidney beans, coffee, 2 eggs and vanilla into TM or processor and blend until smooth. Remove and set aside. (If you have two TM bowls, it makes it easier!)
Beat butter and sugar on speed 5 for 1 minute or so, scraping down occasionally. Add 2 eggs and beat again for a minute.

Add bean mixture with last egg and remaining ingredients and beat on speed 4 to 5, scraping down until mixture is homogenous.
Pour into tin and bake for around 30 - 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Buttercream Icing
Jude Blereau

125g softened unsalted butter
450g (2 cups) golden icing sugar (made from raw sugar)
60ml milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 - 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
Beat until smooth. Use a knife moistened in warm water to spread.

Megan's Magdalenas

These delicious, light as a feather little cakes came about when I was searching online for a good patty cake recipe. Apparently, these Spanish cakes are eaten at breakfast! I can't imagine eating a cake for breakfast....

Megan's Magdalenas

Makes about 16

140g raw sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
125g melted butter (melted in microwave and allowed to cool a little)
250g plain flour
1 Tbsp baking powder (yes, 1 tablespoon!)
zest from one lemon
1 Tbsp milk
extra sugar

Pre heat oven to 200C
Place patty pan liners into muffin tins.

Blitz sugar on speed 9 for a few seconds. Scrape down.
Place butterfly onto blades.
Add eggs to bowl and whip for 7 minutes/50 degrees/speed 4.
Set dial to 1 minute/speed 4 and add melted butter through the hole.
Add milk and lemon zest through the hole and continue to mix on speed 4 for a few more seconds.
Remove butterfly.
Add sifted flour and baking powder and mix with aid of spatula on speed 3 - 4 until incorporated, about 20 seconds.
Pour into prepared patty pans to only half fill.
Sprinkle with extra sugar. This is important. If you don't sprinkle with sugar, the tops will become sticky after a few hours. If you're planning on icing them, then don't bother sprinkling with sugar.
Bake for 16 - 18 minutes until they're a light golden colour.

The first time I made these I didn't ice them. They were devoured, just the same. This time, I've iced them with lemon icing.

Pumpkin & Ginger Cake

This cake has come about as a member of the Facebook Group, Thermomixers requested that the recipe be converted to the Thermomix.

The conversion isn't as easy as a normal cake because the butter is heated with the sugars and the eggs need to be beaten into the pumpkin. A hot bowl and raw eggs do not mix, so the recipe steps have altered to suit the Thermomix method.

Pumpkin & Ginger Cake

220g chopped peeled pumpkin

Steam on Varoma for 15 to 18 minutes. Place pumpkin in the refrigerator to cool for around 20 - 30 minutes. 

Empty TM bowl and dry thoroughly.

Add to bowl:

100g brown sugar

140g Golden Syrup

125g butter, chopped

Heat on 80 degrees, speed 2 - 3 for 4 minutes.

Leave in bowl while pumpkin is cooling.

Pre heat oven to 180C, grease and line a deep 20cm cake tin. (Recipe says a square tin, but I used a round one)

Once pumpkin has cooled, add it to the sugar and butter mixture and blend for 30 seconds on speed 4.

Add to bowl:

2 eggs
Blend on speed 2 for a few seconds.

Sift into bowl:

140g SR Flour

1 Tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp bi-carb soda

Mix on dough setting for 10 seconds. Scrape down and under mixture with spatula. Mix on dough setting for another 10 seconds.

Place in tin and bake for 45 minutes. Cool in tin.

As I sat down to write this recipe, I inserted the title and said to myself, "Ginger! Oh @#$%!"

I'd forgotten to add the ginger to the dry ingredients! So, I raced into the kitchen,grabbed the cake out of the oven and stirred in the ginger. Fingers crossed!!

Whew! It worked fine. It's very moist and quite delicious.
Thanks Sarah.

Orange or Lemon Cake

My Dear Husband has a penchant for Orange Cake, so it's something I make frequently.

Today I went to make it and had no oranges! Rather than make a trip to the local store to buy a couple, I chose to make a Lemon Cake instead. I had plenty of lemons thanks to some generous friends with lemon trees.

I used what I call a Custard Lemon. It's a Meyer Lemon, which is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin and is a native of China.
It has a very thin, smooth skin and is deliciously fragrant. In my opinion the meyer lemon isn't suited to savoury dishes, but is fantastic in cakes and desserts.

Orange (or Lemon) Cake

155g softened butter
3 eggs
2/3 cup (120g) castor sugar
1 cup (160g) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp grated rind

Combine butter and sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Add an egg and beat again. Repeat. Add the third egg with the flour and baking powder. Beat until combined. Stir in the rind.

Bake at 180C for 35 minutes in a greased lined orange tin. Turn out and ice with orange or lemon icing.

Update!
I wanted to make this recently and only had 2 eggs. I modified the recipe and actually liked this one better! Instructions are for the Thermomix, adapt for regular mixers as above.

Orange or Lemon Cake
130g softened butter or Dairy Soft
120g castor sugar
160g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bi-carb
Juice and rind of half and orange (or lemon, remainder is used in the icing)

Combine butter and sugar and beat for 2 minutes, speed 4. Add 1 egg and beat again on speed 4 for 30 seconds. Add dry ingredients, juice and remaining egg and beat for 30 - 40 seconds, speed 3 or until incorporated.
Add rind and blend for 10 seconds, speed 2.

Bake in a greased lined loaf tin for 35 minutes on 180C

Make icing with 1 1/2 cups icing sugar, remaining juice and rind and 2 tsp butter. Can ice while still a little warm and top with coconut.

No Fail Sponge Cake

I had a card with this recipe of my Mum's that I wrote out years ago for this "No-Fail Sponge Cake".  When writing it down, I'd written next to the title "...yeah, sure".

Some years later, (and many failed sponges later) I came across the recipe card and thought I'd give it a try. Much to my utter amazement, I made my first successful sponge cake!

I've made it many, many times since and have even left out the raising agents and it still worked, though wasn't quite as light.

Recently in Nyabing, the local CWA held a cooking morning where we demonstrated how to make Cream Puffs and my No Fail Sponge Cake.

Here's a photo of a couple of successful students with their sponge:

Unfortunately, the commercial oven wasn't ideal and they didn't rise quite as much as they should have, but they were still good sponge cakes!

No Fail Sponge Cake

4 large eggs, room temperature (stale eggs are best)
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
1/2 cup custard powder
1 tsp plain flour
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 180C fan forced
Grease and line the bases of 2 high sided 20cm cake tins with baking paper and flour the sides.
Using whisk attachment of mixer, beat eggs for 8 minutes. Beat for an extra 2 minutes if you have beater blades.
Meanwhile, sift flour, custard powder and raising agents three times.
Add sugar and beat for a further 3 minutes.
Use whisk from mixer (or beater blade) to incorporate dry ingredients.
Pour into tins and tap gently to remove large air bubbles.
Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.

Ginger Sponge
Use raw caster and add 2 tsp ground ginger and 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Chocolate Sponge
Replace 1/4 cup cornflour with 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder. Increase sugar amount to 2/3 cup.

 

Vanilla Processor Cake

This is a cake recipe that I've come up with based on a number of different recipes. I make it in the Thermomix, but it can be made in a food processor or even a normal mixer.
It will make one large cake suitable for a small baking dish, 2 smaller cakes or around 24 large patty cakes.
If no buttermilk is available, sour some milk by warming gently in the microwave and adding lemon juice. The acidic liquid is required to activate the bi-carb soda.
I add lecithin to my mixture, but it's not absolutely necessary. It just stops it looking curdled and makes for a smoother cake.
Lecithin is available from pharmacies and health food stores. It's made from soya beans and is an emulsifier.

Vanilla Cake
260g raw sugar
170g Dairy Soft
4 eggs, room temperature
300g plain flour
40g custard powder
2 tp baking powder
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lecithin (optional)

Blitz sugar to make into castor sugar.
Add butter blend and mix at speed 4 for 30 seconds.
Add eggs one at a time, beating at speed 4 and adding 3 Tbsp of flour mixture with the last egg to prevent curdling.
Add milk and flours and blend at speed 2 up to 4 until incorporated. Blend until smooth.

Bake at 160C for 1 hour in a small baking dish, 25 - 30 minutes on 200C for large patty cakes, 40 minutes at 180C for two smaller round cakes.

Vanilla Frosting
100g softened butter
200g icing sugar
1 Tbsp Custard Powder
2 - 3 Tbsp cream or milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp glucose (optional)

Blend butter, sugar and custard powder on speed 3 until smooth.
Add cream, essence and glucose. Continue blending until smooth and creamy.

The Challenge - the rest of Week 3!

Time has got away from me this week, so I'm condensing the menu for this week into one post.

I'm finding that "The Challenge" is really about using up what's in my freezer. My pantry is full, yes, but I use everything and constantly replace items as they are finished or low in stock.
I buy a lot of things in bulk - all my flours, sugar, rices, nuts and seeds. I have loads of spices because I love to cook curries.

The rest of this week's cooking:
Roast Chicken - cooked in the Turbo Oven outside because it's too hot to cook inside!
Banana Muffins - My own recipe can be found here

Cinnamon Scrolls - making these right now, so will post photo when they're done. (can't find the camera, so no photo! They are superb! Recipe to be found here, adapted by forum guru JulieO.
Creamy Tomato Salmon Pasta - The salmon had been in the freezer a while and tasted rather 'fishy'. It obviously doesn't have a long freezer life due to it's oil content. (still working on this recipe, so will post when I'm satisfied with it)

Other than that it's been left overs this week. Not terribly adventurous, I know, but the limited meat ingredients in my freezer is leaving me with very little motivation. Freezer burned chicken legs, dubious packets of stuff that could be dog meat & sausages.
I do have some special things in there - a whole duck, a duck breast and some duck stock, but want to save these for a special occasion. Also, a whole fillet steak which will be saved for when the whole family is here for tea.

Tea tonight is crumbed steak, cauliflower gratin, baked potatoes, carrots, beans and peas.

I've had my first disaster. Defrosted a bag of what looked like dog mince and threw it into the Thermomix with some diced carrot and pumpkin to cook for Rambo's tea and find out that it's sausage mince. Can't give it to Rambo and can't use it now as it's cooked!!! 

Total Spend now around $235.00.

The Challenge - Wednesday Week 2

Easy breakfast this morning - tinned spaghetti on toast of home made bread!

Lunch was left over salad and zucchini slice and tea was a bit of a cheat's one as I've been in my Skinflint workshop today.

I made the Quarter Cake from the Thermomix Budget Busters book and put the mixture in patty pans. I couldn't bring myself to use the full 250g sugar with only 250g flour, so reduced this to 190g and the mixture was plenty sweet enough.
These worked out quite well, with a flat top, so good for decorating. My patty cakes usually have a peak and rise a lot more than these. I don't really see this recipe as a budget one with 250g butter and 4 eggs!

Breakfast for tea. There were still some chops from the other night which hadn't been cooked, so

Chops, home made wedges, baked beans, eggs (fresh from a friends 'girls') and bacon:

Wedges
3 potatoes, unpeeled, cut in half along the flattest part and then into wedges and steamed for a few minutes in the Varoma basket.
Place in a plastic bag with 1/4 cup rice flour, salt, pepper, dash of chilli powder and shake to coat.
Deep fry or spray with oil and bake in a hot oven until cooked.

A dearth of green on the plate, but we had salad for lunch.


No expenditure today.
Total spend for 8 days: $75.09

Delicious Thermomix Chocolate Cake

This recipe has been adapted from one on the Thermomix Forum. It's such a great recipe and so many members have had success with it. Most use it as a base for birthday cakes because it's made in a slab tin.

I've reduced the original sugar content, used less eggs and also make it using the traditional cake making method.
It can easily be made in a Food Processor.

Chocolate Cake

170g butter (I use Dairy Soft for a softer cake texture)
260g sugar (process first if using coarse or raw sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bi-carb
40g cocoa - use the darkest you can find, Woolworths Home Brand is the best, believe it or not...
250g milk

Grease and line a small baking dish. I use the Scanpan one which is 21cm x 29cm.
Preheat oven to 160c fan forced.
Process butter and sugar at speed 5 - 6 for about 30 seconds or until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time. When adding the last egg, add some of the flour and cocoa mix.
Add the rest of the dry ingredients and the milk and process on speed 5 for a few seconds, using the spatula to assist. Scrape down and process again until all incorporated.

Bake for 40 minutes. Leave in tin for 5 to 10 minutes before turning out.

This also makes great muffins. Oven needs to be only a little hotter, around 170C. Bake for 20 -25 minutes.
Makes around 20, depending on size.

Buttercream Icing

125 g butter (real butter, not a dairy mix)
180g pure icing sugar
2 Tbsp cream or milk
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 Tbsp Glucose
2 tsp vanilla

Whizz all together for about 20 seconds. Scrape down and whizz again - about speed 5 or 6.

Perfect Patty Cakes

My family seem to love patty cakes. They're easy to eat, especially since they can be just grabbed, even with hands covered in grease, and quickly devoured.
I still go by the name "Patty Cakes", the Australian name, not "Cup Cakes", an Americanisation that is creeping in to our vocabulary.
My no fail recipe is a beauty, because it was originally a food processor recipe, so is perfect for the Thermomix.
I use paper patty pans, available from supermarkets and specialty stores.

Perfect Patty Cakes

240g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
220g butter, softened
150g castor sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

Place butter, vanilla and sugar into the Thermomix bowl and mix on speed 4/3 minutes, scraping down frequently.
Add eggs one at a time on speed 4 and mix for around 30 seconds each. Scrape down in between. Mixture will curdle due to the ratio of egg to butter.
Add sifted flour and mix on dough setting/30 seconds or until incorporated. Use spatula to assist.
Use ice cream scoop to half fill patty pans and bake at 180 degrees C for about 15 minutes.
Recipe makes around 16.

Ice with buttercream icing. The following recipe makes heaps of icing, but it keeps in the fridge for a few weeks. It's adapted from a recipe by Serious Cakes and is fabulous for piping.
I haven't tried this is in the Thermomix yet, but it would be excellent as sometimes the mixer can put unwanted air bubbles in the icing.

Buttercream Icing/Filling

300g salted butter, softened
145g Copha, softened (or other vegetable shortening)
5 Tbsp Cream
2 tsp vanilla
780g pure icing sugar
3 Tbsp glucose

Soften copha over hot water, stirring regularly until smooth and creamy. Add to softened butter and mix with electric mixer until creamy and lighter in colour. Add vanilla. Slowly add icing sugar and continue mixing for about a minute. Add glucose and, depending on the weather, the amount of cream necessary to achieve a good consistency. For piping and in warmer weather, 2 tablespoons may be sufficient.
Add more cream if using as a filling.
Do not refrigerate iced cakes.

I've adjusted this recipe by using less sugar.

Serious Cakes

I've been watching some videos of a very clever lady, known as SeriousCakes in the US about decorating with Buttercream Icing. She does some amazing things, albeit a little over the top - garish colours and enough buttercream to drown a cat.
Her videos are very entertaining with little snippets to read and beautiful music to listen to while you watch.

I thought I'd try one of her cake recipes, she calls it yellow cake. I converted the recipe using an online conversion tool and thought it sounded a little out of whack:


2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (250g plain flour)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening (220g)
2 cups sugar (385g)
4 large eggs
3 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups milk (385g)

The closest thing I could find to vegetable shortening (they use the brand name Crisco), was Copha, which is coconut shortening. I used one third butter and two thirds copha. I couldn't bring myself to use 2 cups sugar, so I reduced to 1.5 cups, or 190g. As I was adding the milk, I knew it was way too much as the mixture was curdling, so I reduced it to the 300g. The mixture was still curdled, so I added another cup of flour, around 150g.

So, that made it a whole new recipe!  The mixure still looked a little like it was curdled and the taste wasn't flash because I hadn't added any salt. 

The warm cake tasted delicious, light and fluffy, though slightly 'eggy'. However, once cold, the cakes were firm and quite fatty tasting. I played around and made SeriousCakes Buttercream with Copha and butter and decorated them with little stars. I'm taking them up to Footy for afternoon tea. They looked really amatuerish, but the little girls will love them!         

Chocolate Muffins

These delicious morsels aren't so much muffins as patty cakes, but the method is more like a muffin. They are easily made in the Thermomix and can also be made in a bowl.
I find that Woolworths Home Brand Cocoa is absolutely divine for these. It's rich and dark, unlike Cadbury's bland offering.


Chocolate Muffins
Makes about 10

Preheat oven to 180 C and place muffin or patty cake cases into tins.

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling water
Mix together in a bowl and allow to cool a little while preparing remainder of the recipe.

60g butter -  melted in microwave
60g oil (80ml)
145g caster sugar (2/3 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
Blend on speed 3 - 4 for 30 seconds

3 eggs
Add eggs and blend for a further 30 seconds.

1 cup SR flour
1/4 cup plain flour
Scrape down bowl and add flours and chocolate mixture. Mix on dough setting for 10 seconds or so, scraping down occasionally until all mixture is smooth.

Pour into prepared muffin cases and bake for around 20 minutes or until muffins bounce back when touched lightly.
Cool on wire rack and cut out top, place some Hazelnut Chocolate Spread and a big dollop of cream into muffin, replace top and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Sorry, no photo - they went up to footy for afternoon tea.

Thermomix Sponge Cake

Yes! You can make a sponge cake in the Thermomix. The recipe is one I normally make in my beloved Kitchen Aid. It has never failed for me, even once when I left out one of the raising agents.
When whipping eggs or egg whites in the Thermomix, it's advisable to use a little heat. I whip eggs on 37, but you can even go to 60C.

No Fail Thermomix Sponge
4 large eggs
100g castor sugar (or blitz your sugar in the Thermomix first)
100g wheaten cornflour (also known as wheat starch)
70g custard powder
1 tsp plain flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line two 20cm deep sided tins with baking paper. Grease the sides lightly and sprinkle with little cornflour.

Place butterfly into Thermomix bowl.
Add eggs and beat on 37C for 8 minutes on speed 4.
While this is beating, sift flour onto baking paper twice.
Scrape down lid.
Add sugar and beat on speed 4 for 3 minutes.
Remove butterfly.
Add flour and mix on speed 1 - 2 for about 20 seconds.

Pour evenly  into tins and bake for 25 minutes. Turn cakes out onto wire rack and remove paper.
Carefully turn over. Allow to cool. Pop one in the freezer and eat the other!

Decorate as desired. For this particular sponge, I used home made Plum & Mulberry Jam in the middle, whipped cream and grated chocolate on top.

A Favourite from my Mum - Pineapple Fruit Cake

Often when I'm cooking or looking at recipes I am reminded of my mother. Mum was a passionate foodie and a brilliant cook. Quite an achievement, given her background.
My mother was born into a privileged household in Victoria and didn't ever learn to cook since there was household staff to undertake such menial tasks.

She learned the hard way in some dreadfully dingy kitchens over the years that my father was a stock agent for Elders. They lived in some appalling houses on the outskirts of towns in WA.

Mum was an avid recipe collector, she had masses of recipes from magazines and newspapers, but, unlike me, she actually tried every one of those recipes!

One of the things I most remember is how Mum would re-create a restaurant meal that she'd recently had. It's something I continue to do now, as a restaurant meal is a rare treat.

Often when I cook I think of my mum and how she has influenced my love of cooking and food.

Thanks Mum!!

Here's one of the recipes that she found in the Women's Weekly many years ago when they used to have little lift out recipe booklets. I usually start this one the night before I want to bake it:

Pineapple Fruit Cake
1 can crushed pineapple
125g butter
350g mixed fruit
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp mixed spice
1/4 cup sherry
1 tsp bi-carb soda

Place all ingredients, including juice from can into a large saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer 3 minutes. Turn off heat and place lid on pan. Allow to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 165 degrees C and grease and line base and sides of a 30cm square cake tin.

Stir into cooled mixture:
2 beaten eggs
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup plain flour.

Decorate with blanched almonds and bake 1 1/4 hours.

You can add nuts if desired. This cake keeps very well.