Dark Chocolate, Pear & Pistachio Cake

I stumbled upon this recipe today in a messy collection of magazine rip outs from a few years ago and was inspired to make it again. It’s from the April 2010 issue of Gourmet Traveller magazine in the section that gives recipes from Australia’s leading chefs. This one is from a restaurant called Tartine. The cake is rich and chocolatey but the pistachio and pear seem to make it a bit lighter in texture. And the chocolate ganache icing finishes it off perfectly!

INGREDIENTS

Cake

200g dark chocolate (70%), coarsely chopped

70g pistachio kernels, plus extra to serve

150g butter

150g caster sugar

3 eggs

150 plain flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 pear, cored and coarsely chopped

Chocolate Ganache (icing)

150g dark chocolate (70%), coarsely chopped

150ml cream

METHOD

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 160°Celsius.

2. Process chocolate and pistachios in a food processor (or blender) until coarse crumbs form, then set aside.

3. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined. The mixture might become lumpy and separated but this should go away when you add the flour in the next step.

5. Stir in the flour and baking powder.

6. Stir through the pistachio and chocolate mixture, then the chopped pear.

7. Pour mixture into a prepared tin greased and lined with baking paper and smooth top. The recipe says to use a circle tin but I used a rectangle just for fun.

8. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

9. Cool in tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto serving plate and cool to room temperature before icing.

Chocolate Ganache (icing)

1. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside.

2. Heat cream in a saucepan over medium heat to just below boiling.

3. Add cream to chocolate and let stand until the chocolate melts slightly.

 

4. Stir mixture until smooth and the chocolate and cream are well combined.

5. Set aside until thickened a bit more.

6. Pour icing over top and sides of cake and smooth. Decorate with extra pistachios, let set for 20-30 minutes then serve.

I think this recipe is pretty easy to make and it’s something a bit different to a normal chocolate cake, but just as tasty! 

Vanilla Cupcakes

The cupcake craze might have died down now to make way for the macaron obsession, but to me they will always be a delicious treat suitable for any occasion. This recipe is from the Magnolia Bakery in New York which is apparently credited with starting the cupcake trend back in the 90s. I’ve halved the recipe which is why the measurements are a bit awkward. So who needs a chocolate-chip-salted-caramel-hazelnut-nougat-dulce-de-leche-red-velvet-flavoured cupcake when you can have good old fashioned vanilla!

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes

95g (¾ cup) self-raising flour

78g (½ plus 1/8 cups) plain flour

125g butter

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing

113g butter

3 cups icing sugar

¼ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

METHOD

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 180°Celsius

2. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake papers. Or you can make mini ones like I did.

3. Combine the flours together and set aside.

4. Cream the butter in an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and beat until fluffy, for about 3 minutes.

5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

6. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla until all ingredients are well blended.

7. Spoon mixture into the prepared tin, filling them about three quarters full.

8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

9. Cool the cupcakes in the tin then remove and cool completely before icing.

10. Make the icing and spread thickly (or as desired) onto the top of each cupcake.

Icing

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until creamy.

2. Add the milk and vanilla and continue beating, then gradually add the remaining sugar until the icing is thick enough to be spreading consistency.

3. Add a few drops of food colouring if you want them to be brightly coloured, and mix thoroughly. For these ones I divided the icing into 3 and to make a few different colours.

Store bought ones might look cuter and more perfect but these are just as tasty! 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

There’s nothing like a chocolate chip cookie to lift your mood and for me, nothing beats a homemade cookie! 

I got this recipe from my mum who got it from a chain email that was sent around many years ago. The story goes that someone went to a Neiman Marcus department store cafe in the US and ate a cookie there and liked it so much they asked for the recipe and ended up paying $250 for it without realising. When the store refused to refund the money for the misunderstanding the person decided to take revenge share it with everyone free of charge. 

However, I have just done a bit of a google because I couldn’t remember the full story, and from what I found it seems the story is an urban legend! It apparently started back in the 1940s involving a red velvet cake recipe from the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. I have adjusted the original recipe slightly, but they should turn out chocolately and chewy!

INGREDIENTS

115g butter

½ cup caster sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ cup oats

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

180g dark or milk chocolate

100g white chocolate

METHOD

1. Blend oats to a fine powder. Or you might just be able to buy ground oats.

2. Cream butter and both sugars in an electric mixer until smooth.

3. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture until incorporated.

4. Stir in oats, flour, bicarbonate soda, baking powder.

5. Coarsely chop both of the chocolates into chunks, and add to the cookie dough. Alternatively you can buy chocolate chips and just pour them in.

 

6. Roll cookie dough into balls about 2cm wide and place on a baking tray spaced apart. Flatten the top of the cookies slightly.

7. Place in a preheated oven at 180°Celsius and bake for 10 minutes.

8. The cookies will still be a bit soft when you remove them from the oven, but they will harden up once cooled. Wait until they harden before removing them from the baking tray otherwise they might fall apart!

I have tried lots of other cookie recipes that claim to be the best but these ones seem to always work out better, even if the recipe's origins are somewhat dubious! And don’t forget to taste the cookie dough...!