Beetroot cake

Beetroot cake

Ingredients

450  g  cake flour
2  tsp  baking powder
1-1/2  tsp  bicarbonate of soda
1  tsp  each, salt and vanilla essence
240  g  light brown sugar
300  ml  oil
4  eggs
Grated peel of 1 orange
1  tbsp  mixed spices
80  g apples, grated
160  g  raw beetroot, grated
100  g pecans or walnuts, chopped
1/4  cup  blueberries
Cream cheese icing or icing sugar, for decoration

Method:

• Grease a 23 cm springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In a separate bowl beat together sugar, oil, eggs, orange peel and vanilla essence until well blended. Add the remaining ingredients and then fold in the dry ingredients with a large metal spoon. Pour the mixture into the greased cake tin and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Allow to cool and then turn out. Decorate with a cream cheese icing, or simply sift icing sugar over the top.

Easy Apple Cake

Easy Apple Cake

Ingredients

2- 1/2   cups  yellow apples, cored and chopped
1   cup  sugar
Pinch of vanilla
1/4  tsp  salt
1  tsp  bicarbonate soda
1  tsp  cinnamon powder
1/4  tsp  nutmeg powder
1  egg  beaten
1   cup  all purpose flour (maida)
1/4  cup  vegetable oil
1/2  cup  walnuts, coarsely ground

Preparation:

• Mix the apples with the sugar and leave aside for 20-25 minutes.
• Blend in the egg, oil, salt, spices, flour, baking soda and vanilla.
• Mix with a fork or spoon and add the walnuts.
• Grease and flour a 24-25 cm. baking pan and pour in the cake batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 30-35 minutes.
• Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Cut the cake into squares while warm and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

NB.  Fresh cream or ice cream can be served with this cake while warm. This cake is a textured moist cake recommended as a light dessert.

Walnut layer cake

Walnut layer cake

Ingredients:

250  g  self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
2  tsp  baking powder
100  g  low-fat spread, at room temperature
100  g  caster sugar
1  tsp  almond essence
2  large eggs, beaten
125  ml  low fat milk
55  g  walnuts, chopped

For the filling

115  g  low-fat soft cheese
25  g  icing sugar

For the topping

40  g  icing sugar, sieved and mixed with 2-1/2 tsp warm water
Walnuts, halved, to decorate

Method:

• Preheat oven to 160 C. Lightly grease and line a Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, cream low-fat spread and sugar until light and fluffy, then add almond essence. Add eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add a little flour mixture if there is any sign of curdling. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, then add milk to give a smooth consistency. Stir in chopped walnuts.
• Turn mixture into prepared tin, smoothing it evenly into the corners and bake for 25 minutes. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean. If it's sticky, turn the oven down to 150 C, and bake for 10 more minutes.
• Let cake cool for 15 minutes, then gently remove from tin, peel off baking parchment and leave on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature. Cut into 3 horizontal pieces to use as 3 layers of the cake. Trim, if necessary, to make flat surfaces.
• To make the filling, mix low-fat soft cheese and icing sugar. Spread filling over one layer of cake then put second layer on top. Spread filling on this layer then add the third layer.
• Top cake with icing sugar and water mixture and halved walnuts.

Yogurt cake with orange and cardamom

Yogurt cake with orange and cardamom

Ingredients

250  g  butter, at room temperature
210  g  caster sugar
1   orange, rind grated
3   large eggs
375  g  self-raising flour
1  tsp  cardamom, finely ground
Pinch of salt
375  ml  yogurt
1/2  cup  coconut, grated

For the syrup

2  oranges, juiced and rind grated
125  ml  fresh lemon juice
60  ml  water
210  g  caster sugar
60  ml  honey
5   star anise
5   all spice berries
5   cardamom pods
2   cinnamon sticks

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a 25-cm bundt cake tin. 
• Cream butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, then add rind. Mix in eggs one at a time.
• Mix together flour, cardamom and salt. Add egg mixture and yogurt a little bit at a time. Finally add coconut.
• Spoon mixture into cake tin and bake for 1 hour.
• To make syrup, mix all ingredients in a pan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Remove cake from oven and cool before turning out. Place cake on a wire rack over a baking tray and pour syrup on top. Scrape up syrup in the baking tray and drizzle over until cake is covered.

Chocolate cake

Chocolate cake

Ingredients

175  g  cake flour
60  g  cocoa powder
1  tsp bicarbonate of soda
2  pinches baking powder
1/2  tsp  salt
60  g  butter
300  g  sugar
3  eggs
1  tsp  vanilla essence
125  ml  buttermilk
125  ml  strong coffee
1-2  tubs  ready-made chocolate icing

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 C. Lightly grease two 23-cm cake tins and line with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa  powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt.
• In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla essence and mix well.
• In a third bowl, combine buttermilk and coffee. Gradually add flour mixture, alternating with butter mixture.
• Divide batter between tins and bake for 30 minutes, or until the center springs back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from tins and let cool completely.
• Spread icing over one cake round, place second round on top, then cover with remaining icing.

Date cake

Date cake

Ingredients

1/2  cup dates, pitted chopped
1/2  cup walnuts, chopped
2-1/2   cup all purpose flour (maida)
1  cup powdered sugar
3/4  cup brown sugar
1/2  cup butter or butter-flavored Crisco
1-2/3   cup milk
4  eggs
1  tsp baking powder
1  tsp baking soda
1  tsp cinnamon  powder
1/4  tsp  cloves powder
1/2  tsp  nutmeg powder

Method:

• Grease and flour a circular cake tray 30 cm, in diameter approximately. Mix the chopped dates and walnuts with 1/4 cup of the flour.
• Beat the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and butter or Crisco. Add the milk and continue to beat, adding the eggs one at a time.
• Mix the remaining 2-1/4  cups flour with the baking powder and baking soda and add to the batter. Fold in the floured dates and walnuts and mix altogether.
• Transfer into the cake tray and bake in a preheated oven of 350 F (180 C) until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

NB.  The 1/4 cup flour is used to coat the dates and walnuts to prevent them sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking.

Pineapple upside- down cake

Pineapple upside-down cake

Ingredients

1/4  cup butter
2/3  cup packed brown sugar
1  big can sliced pineapple, drained
Glace cherries
1-1/3  cup all purpose flour (maida)
1  cup sugar
1/3  cup butter-flavored crisco
3/4  cup milk
1-1/2 tsp  baking powder
1/4  tsp salt
1  egg

Method:

• Heat the oven to 350 F. Heat the butter in a 24-26 cm, round oven tray until melted. Spread the brown sugar over the butter. Arrange the pineapple slices over the sugar and place a cherry in center of each slice of pineapple.
• Beat the remaining ingredients for 3 minutes and pour over the pineapples. Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and invert onto  a plate after 10 minutes while the cake is warm. Keep the tray over the cake for a few minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.