我家“排骨”的生日蛋糕

两个月前做了一个生日蛋糕给我家的“排骨”，简直不敢相信是自己做的。看看自己一年前做给他的蛋糕，真的差很远~ 高兴自己终于有一点点进步了~

一年前做的蛋糕食谱取之于DK Children's Quick & Easy Cookbook. 之所以会用这食谱因为觉得小孩子可以做的，相信自己也可以做吧！哈~

Frosted Carrot Cake


Ingredients:

For the cake
Butter for greasing cake tin
225g carrots
225g self raising flour and 2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
140g soft brown muscovado sugar ( I use normal brown sugar and reduce the amount of sugar)
Grated zest of 1 orange (I omit this)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I use 1 tsp cinnamon)
115g chopped roasted hazelnuts or chopped walnuts
55g desiccated coconut (I omit this because I don't like coconut)
2 large eggs
150ml sunflower oil
Juice of 1 orange (I omit this)

For the frosting
225g cream cheese
85g butter
115g sugar (I reduced sugar to 75g-80g)

For the marzipan carrots
225g marzipan
orange and green food colouring

Methods:

Making the cake

1. Set the oven. Grease the cake tin. Cut out a circle of baking parchment the same size as the tin and cover the base with it.
2. Scrub or peel the carrots and trim off their tops. Grate the carrots using a grater or a food processor.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Mix in the carrots, slat, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, nuts, and coconut.
4. Beat the eggs. Add the eggs, sunflower oil, and orange juice to the cake mixture and mix everything together well.
5. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin. Bake it for 60 to 75 mins until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.
6. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 to 15 mins, then remove it from the tin and put it on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Decorating the cake

1. Beat the cream cheese, butter, and icing sugar together in a bowl with a wooden spoon until the mixture is soft and creamy.
2. Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top  of the cooled cake, using a palette knife dipped in warm water.
3. Knead orange and green food colouring into two balls of marzipan, then mould carrots for the top of the cake.

今年的蛋糕，不错吧？？进步神速~

Tiramisu Charlotte Cake



食谱取之于 Happy Home Baking

Espresso Syrup:
1 tablespoon instant espresso/ strong coffee powder
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) boiling water
1 tablespoon Marsala or Baileys Irish Cream)

Filling:
250g mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons Marsala or Baileys Irish Cream)
1 cup (250 ml) heavy/whipping cream
about 24 sponge fingers (savoiardi)
50g dark chocolate

Decorations:
cocoa powder, to dust
dark and white chocolate shavings (optional)
strawberries for decoration (optional)

Method:
Espresso Syrup:
Dissolve instant espresso coffee powder, sugar in boiling water. Leave to cool. Stir in 1 tablespoon Baileys Irish Cream. Set aside.

Filling:
In a mixing bowl, with a manual whisk, whisk mascarpone cheese with icing sugar, vanilla extract, Baileys Irish Cream and 3 tablespoons of the espresso syrup until combined.

With an electric mixer to whisk the whipping cream until soft peak (do not over whip). With a spatula, fold in 1/4 of the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture. Fold in the remaining whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture.

To assemble the cake:
Cut off one end of the sponge fingers so that each one is in length. Line the sides of a 7" round baking pan* (with a removable base or use a springform pan) with the sponge fingers (do not dip them in the espresso syrup). You will need about 17 sponge fingers (depending on the type/brand). If the last sponge finger cannot fit in nicely, trim away part of it to fit it in. Save the leftover small pieces.

One at a time, gently dip (do not soak) sponge fingers in the espresso syrup and use them to line the base of the pan. Cut the sponge fingers into shorter lengths if necessary. Use the leftover pieces to fill the gaps.

Spoon over half of the filling. Spread evenly. Grate the dark chocolates over the filling. Repeat with another layer of sponge fingers and spoon over the remaining filling. Spread and smooth the top. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, best left overnight.

Just before serving, unmould the cake, dust the top with cocoa powder. Decorate with dark and white chocolate shavings and strawberries (as desired).

(*Note: If you do not have a springform pan or a pan with a removable base, you can improvise by lining a normal round pan with a large sheet of aluminium foil. Give allowance of about 1~2 inches for the foil to hang over the rim of the pan. Place a cake board inside the lined pan. Follow the steps above. To unmould, simply lift up the cake from the pan by gripping the foil. Transfer the cake onto a serving plate and carefully remove the foil. )