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

Sugar Substitutes

I've previously written a bit about sugar and it's effects on our bodies (see Sugar, Sweet Poison and Sugar, Sweet Poison II) and now I'd like to muse on the subject of sugar substitutes.

The options vary and include 'natural' sweeteners brown rice syrup, agave nectar, coconut nectar, honey, maple syrup, Medjool dates and sugar lookalikes Xylitol, Monkfruit and Stevia. Then there are the artificial sweetening products such as saccharine, sucralose (Splenda) and aspartame (Nutrisweet, Equal).

Of the 'natural' sweeteners, the only totally natural ones are dates, maple syrup and honey. Stevia and Monkfruit are both natural products, however, all the monkfruit products that I've seen contain bulking agents in the form of either maltose or dextrose. Some stevia products will also contain these ingredients to make the product appear more like sugar.

 In this post, I'll be looking at what are generally considered the more natural substitutes and will do a separate post on the sugar lookalikes and artificial sweeteners.


iquitsugar.com.au
Brown Rice Syrup
This is a highly processed product made by exposing cooked brown rice to enzymes that break down the starch to simple sugars. Then it's filtered to remove any impurities. What is left is a thick syrup which is basically glucose. It's made up of Maltotriose (52%) Maltose (45%) and Glucose (3%).
Both Maltotriose and Maltose are simply glucose, three molecules of glucose for Maltotriose and two for Maltose. So, by the time it reaches your intestine, it's 100% glucose and is rapidly taken up by the bloodstream, raising blood sugar levels. The production process means there are virtually no nutrients from the brown rice actually left in the syrup, so it has no nutritional value, despite what the Health Food industry says.

wikipedia.com

Agave "Nectar"
Somewhat a misleading name for this popular sweetener, as it isn't made from the agave leaf juice, but from the starchy root bulb of the agave plant. It is made the same way as High Fructose Corn Syrup, a highly chemical process involving the use of caustic acids, enzymes, clarifiers and filtration chemicals. The end product is about 70% fructose, higher than HF corn syrup, which comes in at 55%. As explained in my previous article on sugar, fructose is low GI, processes by the liver. Due to the fact that there is no fibre or anything of nutritious value in the agave, it's immediately stored as triglycerides. Remember, that the liver can only store so much triglyceride and the rest is converted into fat deposits through out the body. Fructose also inhibits leptin levels. Leptin is the hormone that tells your body you have had enough to eat. So, bottom line, stay away from this stuff.


lovingearth.com.au

Coconut Nectar
Basically, coconut nectar is the same as coconut sugar.  (See Sugar, Sweet Poison II) It's the syrup that hasn't been boiled down to make the crystals. Low GI, yes, but high fructose, so okay, but not fantastic in large quantities.




healthyfoodhouse.com

Honey
Honey is often used as a natural alternative to sugar in food preparation and cooking where a liquid can be used. It contains equal amounts of glucose and fructose. In various studies, honey did not raise blood sugar as much as regular sugar and it also lowered triglycerides, LDL, the 'bad' cholesterol and raised HDL, the 'good' cholesterol.
Honey is also an antioxidant and is often used as a topical antiseptic. The darker the honey, the more beneficial it is as an antioxidant. One of the best is Jarrah honey. Jarrah honey is unique to Western Australia and is seen as one of the best honeys for beating bacteria, so much so that trials are underway to use it to beat the hospital superbug, MRSA
Honey is still sugar, though a more nutritious version and can be used as a sweetener for occasional treats as part of a healthy diet.




manassen.com.au

Maple Syrup
A natural product made by boiling the sap of a certain type of maple tree, maple syrup contains a host of naturally occurring minerals including high levels of manganese as well as zinc ( 28% of RDA in 100grams), thiamine, potassium and calcium.  A study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2007, showed that the polyphenols in maple syrup stimulated insulin release through pancreatic cells, indicating benefits for diabetes sufferers. Studies also found compounds in maple syrup that had anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Maple syrup contains less fructose than honey, so is a better option.
B Grade maple syrup is considered to be the best, funnily enough. It's taken from the tree later in the year and contains more nutrients. Again, like honey, the darker, the better.
As with Medjool dates, maple syrup is a great alternative to sugar in a liquid form, but cost may be a prohibitive factor in it's widespread use in the home kitchen.



nuts.com

Medjool Dates
These deliciously sweet and caramel flavoured fruits come from a date palm originating in Morocco, but grown in many desert regions now. They pack a fairly hefty calorific punch, - 3 dates is around 200 calories. But they also contain fibre, that helps to slow down the absorption of the sugars in the dates. Dates also contain a wide variety of minerals, including copper, magnesium, manganese and potassium. Vitamins include all the B vitamins and carotenes.
So, they would seem a good option to replace sugar in the diet. However, their use is limited due to the colour and texture of the dates. They're great blended with nuts and other ingredients to make protein balls or pie bases and can be added to cakes and biscuits for added sweetness, but I don't imagine anyone will be popping half a date into their cup of tea in the morning. They could be used in chutneys and relishes to reduce the sugar content and, of course, are a defining ingredient in Moroccan tagines. The price of Medjool dates is also a limiting factor in their use as a sugar substitute.

The bottom line?

Honey, Medjool dates and maple syrup are my choices as sugar substitutes. When using honey or maple syrup in your recipes, reduce the amount of liquid to compensate. Cakes will be also be darker when using honey as a sweetener.
Dates can be substituted to an extent in cooking, but only in certain recipes. Experiment and google for ideas. I'll include some recipes on the blog soon.

Thanks for reading.

Megan

Nectarine Relish

We feel very blessed to have a beautiful place in Albany where we can rest and recuperate from life on the farm. It came with a fabulous small chook run with fruit trees, all covered in net. There are a couple of Meyer lemons, a mandarin, two apples and a nectarine tree. The nectarine tree is brimming with beautiful blushing nectarines. In past years, the fruit has been riddled with fruit fly, but this summer was very dry, so there is very little evidence in the fruit this season.

So, what to do with heaps of nectarines other than scarfing them down? Nectarine relish came to mind. I prefer a lighter coloured relish over a chutney.This relish is delicious and marries well with pork, ham or chicken. I think it would be fabulous with a traditional French terrine. (Might just have to pop down to Gourmandise & Co on Stirling Terrace to buy some and try that combination out.)

Anyway, enough rambling, here's the recipe, Thermomix, of course:

Nectarine Relish
The Bush Gourmand

2 cloves garlic peeled
Chop on speed 5 for a few seconds. Add:
1 large red onion, sliced, then slices cut into three
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Saute 3 minutes/speed 2/100.
Add:

8 or 9 nectarines, cut into chunks
60g Rapadura sugar
40g Apple Cider Vinegar
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt

Cook on Reverse/Speed 1/100 for 15 minutes. 
Mix together;

2 heaped Tbsp cornflour with a little water to make a slurry.
Add to mixture and cook on Reverse/Speed 1/100 for 2 minutes.

Pour into hot sterilised jars. Place lids on tightly and turn upside down for ten minutes or so. This seals the jars. Once opened, keep in the fridge.

Megan

Air Fryer Fun

After some months of humming and hahing about buying an Air Fryer, I finally succumbed and purchased a Philips XL. I've been following a Facebook page, Air Fryers Unite and saw that people were using it for far more than cooking frozen fish and chips (which is what the Philips advert shows).

It's basically a benchtop electric fan forced oven. I like the fact that is very easy to clean and uses minimal oil. Not that I'm worried about deep frying because I use good fats - coconut, lard & duck fat. It's just that deep frying is messy and means a lot of cleaning afterwards.

The first thing I made in the AF was wedges. They were superbly crunchy and delicious!

Air Fryer Wedges
The Bush Gourmand

For three potatoes:
Simply cut potatoes into wedges, soak in cold water for at least 30 minutes to remove some of the starch and drain.
Dry with a tea towel or paper towel.
Add 2 Tbsp rice flour to a plastic bag along with 2 tsp of steak spice and 1 Tbsp oil.
Scrunch bag to mix. Add wedges and scrunch to coat.
Place into Air Fryer basket and cook on 210 for about 6 minutes or so, depending on amount and size of wedges. Shake the basket every now and then.
Serve immediately. No photo as they were immediately devoured!

Next was breakfast. I'm trying to avoid eating too much carbohydrate, so generally avoid eating toast in the morning. My Low Carb, High Fat (LCHF) breakfast hit the spot.

Creamy Eggs and Spinach

Serves 1

The Bush Gourmand

2 large eggs, beaten with 2 Tbsp cream
salt and pepper
2 tsp finely chopped onion - spring onion, shallot, chives etc
small handful baby spinach
Grated cheese

Add chopped onion to a greased ramekin. Pop in the spinach and seasoned egg mixture. Top with cheese.
Bake for 14 minutes on 185. If cooking bacon to go with the egg, add at the 8 minute mark.
If making more than one, I don't think it would take any longer in the AF. Four ramekins should fit.

I've also changed this around by adding other ingredients. A favourite addition was chopped bacon or ham and chopped capsicum. Add a tsp butter to ramekin and bake for 3 minutes at 200 to saute. Add remaining ingredients as per above and continue to bake as above.
Next time, I'll try it with crumbled feta.

Seasoning Mixes

Many spices and herbs have wonderful healing properties. Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory benefits, while chilli has been shown to  reduce cholesterol and clear congestion. Cardamom is a good source of minerals such as potassium, calcium and magnesium as well as containing high levels of iron and manganese. Cumin is also a great source of iron and assists with digestion. Nutmeg is known to aid sleep while also protecting teeth and gums.
Herbs have also been used for hundreds of years in healing, before antibiotics came on the scene. Many such as oregano are anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Herbs in the mint family are well known for their use as breath fresheners, but they also soothe the stomach and aid in digestion.
Parsley is another herb used to freshen the mouth due to its high levels of eugenol. Parsley and clove oils have long been used in dentistry as anaesthetic and anti-bacterial agents. Parsley is also highly nutritious, containing many minerals and vitamins.

So, while flavouring our food, herbs and spices are also helping us to digest it and nourishing our bodies at the same time.  I love to use herbs and spices in my cooking, but prefer not to have the additives that are found in many commercial mixes. I've come up with a couple of my own mixes, one of which I've included here. As I perfect my herb and spice mixes, I will update this post.

The following All Purpose Seasoning is exactly that! Use as a flavouring for meat loaf or rissoles; as a rub for roast chicken; as a sprinkle for wedges in the Air Fryer; to flavour soups and stews.


All Purpose Seasoning
The Bush Gourmand

3 Tbsp sea salt

1 Tbsp Celery Salt

2 Tbsp icing sugar

4 tsp paprika

4 tsp rice flour

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp chilli powder, ground black pepper, garlic powder

½ tsp nutmeg, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground cardamom

Blend on speed 5 for 3 or 4 seconds. Place in a jar and label.

The next spice mix recipe has been developed by a friend from forumthermomix.com, known as achookwoman. It makes the most outstanding Southern Fried Chicken. Marinate chicken strips or pieces in yoghurt or buttermilk with two Tbsp of the seasoning. Coat in a mixture of plain flour mixed with another 2 Tbsp of the seasoning and shallow fry to brown. Finish off cooking in the Air Fryer

Southern Fried Chicken Seasoning

achookwoman

2 Tbsp ground white pepper

3 Tbsp ground black pepper

2 Tbsp sea salt

2 Tbsp pizza herbs or oregano

2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp rice flour

1 Tbsp cumin, cardamom, ground cloves, garlic powder, allspice, celery seed 

Blend on speed 5 for 4 seconds. Place in a jar and label.

The following recipe is a copycat of McCormick's Steak Spice. It's delicious as a roast beef rub or sprinkled on steak. Use in place of All Purpose Seasoning to coat wedges for the Air Fryer.

Steak Spice
The Bush Gourmand

4 Tbsp sea salt
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp celery seeds
2 Tbsp black pepper (2 1/2 Tbsp peppercorns)
2 Tbsp Rapadura sugar
1 Tbsp rice flour
1/2 Tbsp nutmeg
1/2 Tbsp ground coriander (3/4 Tbsp coriander seeds)
1/2 Tbsp dried thyme
1/2 Tbsp dried rosemary

Blend on speed 5 for 4 seconds (longer if using whole spices). Place in a jar and label.

I am working on a Lemon & Herb Pepper Spice.  I'll post to Facebook when I have perfected this.

Enjoy!

Megan

Sweet Chilli Chicken Strips

Harvest is in full swing after a few breakdowns, some rain and some harvest bans due to hot, windy weather. Harvest brings with it our two lovely boys who take holidays from their regular jobs to come home and help.
We couldn't manage without them and are so grateful that they continue to use their time off this way.

Of course, this means I have extra mouths to feed and extra lunch boxes to fill. It's always a bit of a battle thinking of savoury foods to pack. Foods must be able to be eaten with one hand as most times the boys are driving a header or a truck. I often make sausage rolls, mini pasties, meatballs and such, but was wanting some roadhouse food that they both love. The healthiest I could think of was the Sweet Chilli Chicken Strips. I've created my own version and they're pretty good. There's also some variations on the theme with my other spice mixes as well as using fish and pork instead of chicken.

It's best to start the night before to marinate the chicken strips. When ready to coat, allow an extra couple of hours refrigeration if you are able.

Sweet Chilli Chicken Strips
The Bush Gourmand

1 cup Buttermilk
3 Tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce (Woolies Homebrand)
1 Tbsp All Purpose Seasoning
2 Chicken Breasts, sliced into strips
Marinate chicken strips overnight in buttermilk mixture.


Coating:
2 cups cornflake crumbs (blitz in Thermie, speed 6/3 seconds)
2 Tbsp or so of either millet or quinoa puffs
1 Tbsp All Purpose seasoning

Mix together in a wide bowl.
Scrape strips on container to remove most of buttermilk mixture. 
Place into coating and press down firmly, coating both sides. Place on a baking tray and refrigerate for 2 hours, if possible.
When ready to cook, pre heat oven to 200C and place some coconut oil into a large frying pan.
Gently fry to brown both sides of strips. 
Place back onto clean oven tray and into oven for 10 minutes or so until completely cooked through. 

Serve with Sweet Chilli Mayonnaise.

Sweet Chilli Mayonnaise
The Bush Gourmand

½ cup good mayonnaise
¼ cup plain yoghurt
2 Tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce
1 tsp white vinegar

Mix together and serve with chicken strips.

Variations:

Southern Fried Chicken Strips
Replace Sweet Chilli Sauce and All Purpose Seasoning with mayonnaise and Southern Fried Chicken Seasoning in the buttermilk mixture.

Use the following coating:
½ cup rice flour
½ cup plain flour
1 - 2 Tbsp buttermilk mixture

Mix together lightly to make a lumpy batter. Coat drained chicken, refrigerate and cook in the same manner. A double coat works well.

These are delicious served hot with gravy, though BBQ sauce works better in a lunch box.

Parmesan Chicken Strips
Coat chicken in ½ cup mayonnaise mixed with ½ cup plain yoghurt.
Add ½ cup grated parmesan and 1 tsp All Purpose Seasoning to the cornflake crumbs.
Proceed as per recipe.

Lemon Fish Strips
Use firm white fish - shark works well.
Coat fish in mayonnaise mixture as per Parmesan Chicken Strips.
Add 2 tsp grated lemon rind and 1 Tbsp Lemon Pepper to cornflake crumbs.
Proceed as per recipe. Do not place in oven as shallow frying should be enough to cook fish through.

Serve with a mayonnaise/plain yoghurt blend with lemon juice, lemon rind and lemon pepper.

Honey Mustard Pork Strips
Use strips of pork steaks and marinate in the following:

1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp seeded mustard

Coat with cornflake crumbs blended with 1 Tbsp All Purpose Seasoning.
Serve with mayonnaise mixed with some Dijon mustard.

I encourage you to experiment with other marinades and coatings. There are so many different flavour ways.

Megan

Soft, Fluffy Bread

I'm happy to eat tough sourdough and seedy wholemeal loaves, however, my nearest and dearest likes only soft white bread in a packet. I've tried to make a loaf like store bought for some time, but have never quite achieved the right texture.

However, I think I've found it! Over at The Road to Loving My Thermomix, Peta has developed a great recipe and has loads of tips on bread making. I learned that I have had my oven way too hot for this sort of bread. I cook at 180C now and have been making some lovely loaves and rolls using her recipe.

Rather than copy it, I'll pop a link here so you can read all the tricks of bread making yourself.

Here's one of my lovely loaves with some rolls made from the dough. This is double her normal recipe for rolls, that is, it uses 750g flour. This particular loaf has 620g strong white flour, 80g wholemeal flour and 50g white spelt flour. It made a large loaf plus 6 rolls. I leave my dough to rise until it's tripled, rather than doubled. My bread tin measures 28 x 14 wide x 12cm high. The rolls were baked in a 20cm tin.

Do try this fabulous recipe. I'd love to know how you go with it.

Megan