Mikado Cake...

I posted a recipe recently for Mikado biscuits... they were incredible!

Since they were so popular, I decided to bake a cake based on a Mikado! How does coconut sponge, berry jam, marshmallowy icing & toasted coconut sound? Amazing right?! I can't take credit for this idea... I think it was Donal Skehan who I first saw baking a a Mikado cake.... Of course my version has no grains or refined sugar so I'm bound to say it's so much better!!

For the cake: 

• 8 eggs, separated 
• 80g butter, melted
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 125g ground almonds 
• 80g dessicated coconut
• 2 tsp GF baking powder

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). Line 2 8" sandwich tins with parchment paper. 

Start by whisking eggs yolks, butter, honey & vanilla until frothy and doubled in volume.

Add ground almonds, dessicated coconut & GF baking powder and fold in gently. 

Next whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. 

Finally, fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture gradually. Adding them in 3 stages will make them a lot easier to incorporate into the mixture. 

Once well combined, divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake for 25 minutes until cake is springy to touch, well rise & pale golden. Set aside to cool on a wire rack. 

For the berry jam: 

• 150g frozen berries of your choice
• 1 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add the ingredients to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and allow to simmer over a low heat for approx 5 minutes to allow the jam to thicken. 

For the marshmallow icing: 

• 3 egg whites
• 2 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 sachet Gelatin powder
• 50g frozen raspberries
• 3 tbsp water

Place raspberries & water into the microwave for 20 seconds at a time. Stir and mash in between each 20 second burst until the raspberries are softened, broken up and the mixture is steaming.

Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the hot raspberry mixture and set aside to dissolve. It's really important to pour the gelatin onto the liquid and not the other way around or you'll end up with a hard lump. Also make sure the liquid is steaming hot (not boiling) before adding the gelatin or it won't dissolve fully.

Next add the egg whites, honey & vanilla to a heatproof bowl over gently simmering water.

Whisk the mixture constantly until it forms stiff glossy peaks. (If you don't whisk constantly, you'll end up with scrambled egg whites). This should take about 5 minutes.

At this stage, your gelatin should have dissolved, cooled and will be ready to use. It's important that both the gelatin mix & the egg white mixture are approx the same temperature, otherwise the gelatin will set too quickly and form strings... The egg white mixture will be warm, just make sure the gelatin has cooled sufficiently.. 

Add the gelatin mixture to the egg white gradually, whisking constantly. I recommend pouring the gelatin in a slow, steady stream. Once fully combined, you can stop whisking.

To assemble the cake: 

• 50g toasted dessicated coconut

Sandwich the cakes together with 3/4 of the cooled, homemade jam. 

Spread a generous coating of the marshmallow icing over the top and sides of the cake. 

Spoon the remaining 'jam' onto the top of the cake before piping rosettes of marshmallow around the edge of the cake. 

Coat the outside of the cake with toasted coconut. 

Store in the fridge until ready to serve. 

Mint Chocolate Slice...

A good friend of mine was diagnosed as Coeliac a couple of years ago and after spending a fortune on gluten free products ranging from cakes to breads and pasta, he gave up. He found he was paying way over the odds for GF products that didn't even taste nice, simply to say he could still eat cake. After over 18 months of never having a treat (or sneaking the occasional wheat flour cookie & feeling ill afterwards), he has started baking my recipes. He feels great, like he isn't missing out on anything, and as someone who trains quite hard for his chosen sport, he's thrilled that he's not sabotaging his efforts by eating processed foods containing all sorts of unpronounceable ingredients. 

Inspired by a trip to a cafe last week, he asked me to make a mint chocolate tray bake....EASY!!! Super easy to make and amazing tasting, I can't wait to hear if you manage to just eat one!! 

For the chocolate cake:

• 150g butter, melted
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 4 eggs, separated
• 100g ground almonds
• 60g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp GF baking powder

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). Line an 8" square tin with baking parchment. 

Mix melted butter, honey, vanilla & mint with the egg yolks until well combined. 

Stir in the ground almonds, cocoa & baking powder. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff glossy peaks. 

Fold egg whites into the ground almond mixture gradually until fully mixed. Do this in a couple of stages to avoid knocking out the air from the mixture. 

Pour into prepared tin & bake for 15 minutes until risen and firm to touch. 

Set aside to cool. 

For the mint filling: 

• 1 large avocado
• 200g mascarpone (Quark, Fromage Frais or Coconut Cream will work here too) 
• 2 tsp mint extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp Irish honey

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth, creamy consistency....It's really important not to taste the filling at this stage (you'll definitely be tempted to eat it all with a spoon!)

Spread an even layer over the cooled chocolate cake. 

For the chocolate topping: 

• 100g dark chocolate (I used 85% cocoa solids)
• 1 tsp coconut oil (gives chocolate glossy appearance & prevents chocolate setting fully and cracking when sliced)

Melt the chocolate & oil together until smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool slightly before spreading on top of the mint filling. 

Allow to set before cutting into slices. 

Steamed Nutella Pudding...

We all know that anybody who made my Nutella last week has long since eaten it with a spoon, and licked the bowl clean. If you've managed some self control, I really really applaud you because it's so good!

I know you're not a dog, but I'm still going to reward you with food... in the form of this AMAZING Steamed Nutella Pudding. It's one of the easiest recipes on GLBTK but looks & tastes like it took far more effort...

If you haven't time to make the Nutella but still like the idea of this dessert, simply replace the Nutella with a square of dark chocolate (81% cocoa solids at least), a tsp of peanut butter (or almond butter if you avoid peanuts) or even a couple of fresh raspberries / homemade fruit purée would be amazing....  

I'm distracted now cos I'm thinking about how amazing a banana flavoured cake would be with a peanut butter centre.... I don't eat peanuts, but I'm sure I'll find a willing taste tester if I give that a go??! 

For the puddings: 

• 150g butter, melted
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, separated 
• 175g ground almonds
• 2 tsp GF baking powder
• Nutella 

Preheat oven to 170d (fan oven).

Mix melted butter, honey and vanilla together. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. (Make sure the butter mixture is well cooled first or the yolks will begin to cook!)

Stir in the ground almonds and baking powder.

Next, whisk the egg whites until they form firm peaks.

Fold into the almond mixture until well combined.

Spoon batter into the base of 6 individual pudding moulds or ramekins. Top with 1 tsp of Nutella.

Top with the remaining batter.

Place moulds on a shallow baking tray with approx 1" of boiling water in the base. Bake for 12-15 minutes until firm, golden and well risen.

Once baked, turn out of the moulds & serve warm with Greek yoghurt..

Orange Chocolate Cake..

So this is basically a Terry's Chocolate Orange bar in cake form! I'm not going to name names....but there was plate licking from one of my official taste testers so it must be good!!

The photos speak for themselves...give it a go & let me know how you get on :)

For the cake:

• 150g butter, melted
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of 1 large orange
• juice of 1/2 orange
• 3 large eggs, separated 
• 160g ground almonds
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder & 1 tbsp of reserved orange juice

Line a 7 inch springform cake tin with baking parchment. Preheat oven to 160d (fan).

Start by mixing the melted butter, honey, vanilla, zest & juice together.

Add the yolks & beat well. (Make sure the butter mixture is cooled or the yolks will begin to cook when you add them).

Stir in the ground almonds & baking powder. Mix until just combined.

Next whisk the egg whites in a clean, grease free bowl (sounds obvious that the bowl should be clean right?? well it needs to be sparkling or the egg whites won't form smooth peaks)..

Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture gently. Do this in 3 stages to make it easier to fully incorporate into the mixture.

Finally, divide the mixture between two bowls. Add 3 tbsp of cocoa & 1 tbsp orange juice to one half of the mixture and stir until just combined.

Place heaped spoonfuls of the cake mixture into the prepared tin, alternating between each flavour. When you have used up all the mixture, using a skewer or sharp knife swirl the mixture gently to create a marble effect. Don't overdo it, or you'll over-mix the flavours and there'll be a less defined effect.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until well risen and firm. I keep saying this, but it's really important to keep an eye on your cake. Oven temperatures really do vary so cooking times will also vary.

Once baked, remove from the tin & allow to cool on a wire rack.

This cake really doesn't need icing or decoration. The addition of the orange zest & juice make it wonderfully moist so it's perfect as it is. You could of course drizzle some melted dark chocolate over the top though!