Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

I've just move into my new home and I've been itching to try out my new oven, I've saved this recipe away wanting to try it when I have the chance and what better time than now. It's a very easy recipe but let me warn you that this is one of those calorie laden cake not for the waist conscious.

Apple Cake Ingredients:

340gm butter

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

3 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

5 granny smith apples. peeled, cored and diced

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

• Preheat oven to 160 deg celcius
• Using an electric mixer in a large bowl beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy for 3 to 5 mins.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition
• In another bowl combine the flour. baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt
• Using a wooden spoon, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture
• The batter should be thick and sticky in consistency
• Stir in the apples, pecans and vanilla
• Scrape the batter into a buttered and floured 9 by 13 inch baking pan
• Bake for 50 to 60 mins or until skewer comes out clean

Caramel Glaze

Caramel Glaze Ingredients:

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

Method:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
• Add the sugars and salt
• Cook, stirring frequently for 2 mins 
• Stir in the cream and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 2 mins 
• Remove from heat and serve with apple cake and ice cream (optional)

Note that this is a very sticky batter do not expect the usual runny batter. The cake was really moist and the sauce complimented it well, you could also have it with ice cream.

Green Tea Creme Brulee

I first ate this delectable dessert at Kobe Jones and it just left a lasting memory that I had to have it again. As always I relied on the good old google and it came thru for me. Creme brulee are those recipes that I'll never try to attempt as naysayers would keep you away from it at all cost because it's hard and complicated recipe best left to the professionals. But reading thru this recipe it did not seem too difficult or require a professional, what's more you would find that you already have most of the ingredients maybe except for the matcha green tea. So off I went to make it and prove the naysayers wrong.

Cream, milk and green tea

Ingredients:

1½ cups heavy cream

1½ cups whole milk

1 Tbps. green tea powder (matcha)

5 large egg yolks

½ cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tsp. for each serving

Egg yolk with sugar

Method:

• Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius

• Place the cream, milk, and matcha into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Scald the mixture, stirring often, until it’s very hot to the touch but not boiled. Remove from the heat and let it cool. In the meantime, start a kettle of water on the stove.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup sugar and the egg yolks, until well blended and the mixture becomes pale yellow. 

• Temper the egg and sugar mixture with the milk and cream, adding ½ cup at a time, whisking vigorously. You don't want to cook the egg by pouring the milk and cream too fast. 

• Place a sieve over a large bowl and strain the mixture through the sieve. 

• Divide the liquid between 6 medium ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large deep baking or roasting pan. 

• Carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. 

• Bake just until the crème brulee is set when shaken, but still trembling in the center, approximately 30-40 minutes.

• Remove the ramekins from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. If you are storing them for more than 12 hours, cover tightly with plastic wrap.

• Remove the crème brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top.

To serve, spread about 1 tsp. of sugar on the top of each ramekin. Tap the side of ramekin to evenly spread the sugar and discard the excess sugar.
Melt the sugar with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly.* Allow the crème brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Cream mixture added into egg yolk & sugar mixture

Creme brulee in a water bath before going into oven

I was really happy at the way the creme brulee turn out and guess what it was really that simple to make and it definitely cost me half of what I would pay at a restaurant. Each mouthful was sweet and crunchy from the caramelise sugar, followed by the slight bitterness of the green tea custard.

Caramelise sugar on the top