Cakes | Happy Recipes

Victoria Sponge cupcakes – filled with Buttercream icing and jam

Let’s start

Make these yummy cupcakes and spread the joy around! It’s indeed a joy to find a cherry sitting on the creamy butter icing, beneath the half-opened flap in the middle!

Kids will go crazy with the sight of this most inviting delicious treat! No assurance needed to testify the out-of-this-earth taste of these. And they are super easy to make too!

As a matter of fact, this is the same recipe of the classic Victoria Sponge cake which is indeed a show stopper!

Please click the link below for the full step by step recipe for Victoria Sponge cake:

Link for Vic Sponge Cake

Equipment: You will need some cupcake cases and a muffin tray. To fill the cupcakes, you need to opt for the best strawberry or raspberry jam. Making the buttercream icing to the right consistency is also equally important to achieve the best taste.

So, Lets, begin,

What you will need

For the cake

Self Raising flour / Cake flour	200 g
Margarine or melted butter under room temperature	200 g
Caster sugar	200 g
Eggs under room temp	3
Milk	3 tbsp
Lemon juice and Vanilla essence	1/4 tsp each
Salt	3/4 pinches
Baking powder (if you are using plain flour add 1/2tsp)	1/4 tsp

For the Buttercream icing

Icing sugar	200g
Margarine	100g
lemon juice	3/4 drops
Vanilla essence	1tsp
Milk (optional)	1tbsp

Make the batter

Cream butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy, using an electric hand mixer. Go clockwise (3 – 4 mins)
Add eggs, one at a time. Make sure you beat after each addition ( Beat 3/4 rounds after each addition)
Add vanilla essence, lemon juice, salt, milk and whisk two rounds(1min)
Mix baking powder to flour and sieve onto the cake batter
Fold the flour gently with a wooden spoon until everything comes together as a creamy batter

Preheat the oven to 180C for 20mins. Do not exceed this time. If your oven heats up too soon, set it for 160C.

Fill the cupcake cases

**silicon cupcake cases are re-usable and you can remove the cake from the case**

Fill cupcake cases with the batter leaving little space on the top for the cake to rise
Place the filled cupcake cases in a muffin tray
Lift up the tray and drop it twice onto your kitchen-top gently, allowing the batter to spread and settle evenly on the try

Into the tray

Place the tray in the middle/bottom shelf of the oven and slowly close the oven (If your oven heats up too soon, set the temp. for 160 C degrees and bake the cake on the lowest shelf)
Bake for 20 mins or the tops of the cupcakes turns golden. After 20 mins, insert a skewer into the middle of one cupcake and if it comes clean, your cakes are ready

Important tips: Oven

Place the tray with cakes in the oven and close the door very gently. If the door is shut with a bang, the cakes can slump in the middle

Never open the oven door during the initial 10mins as the cakes might not rise but drop from the middle

If the cakes are browned on the top but soggy in the middle, do not worry, simply place parchment paper on top of the cakes and continue baking for a further 10 mins

Out of the oven

Take the tray out of the oven and let it rest for 10 mins
Remove the cupcakes and let them cool off on a wire rack
Meanwhile, whip up the butter icing

Frosting the cake

Whip up the buttercream icing:

Cream up margarine and gradually add sieved icing sugar. Beat on high speed until smooth and creamy using an electric hand mixer
Add lemon juice, vanilla and milk. Beat a few rounds
Buttercream icing is ready to use!

Ice the cakes:

Slice the top of some cupcakes
Spread a generous dollop of jam
Smear buttercream on jam
Cover with the sliced top
Dust with icing sugar
Yummy!
For a change, you can dig in the middle of some cupcakes and make a well
fill the well with jam and then buttercream
Close with the removed crust
Dust with icing sugar
Yum!

Serve at the afternoon tea-time and enjoy!

January 24, 2021June 11, 2021

ManoriLeave a comment

Chocolate Sponge Cake – No electric mixer – make in the pan and bake in the oven

I am not surprised if you feel too lazy to take out all the necessary equipment to fix a cake sometimes, worrying about all the washing and wiping would be waiting!

So, why not try this recipe to save your day! Just call this, a ‘lazy cake’ because you don’t have to use the electric mixer or the mixing bowl at all. Instead, you just have to cook all the ingredients in a pan. The batter comes out creamy and silky smooth and bakes a super moist and incredibly delicious cake ever! You don’t have to ice this cake because it is perfect as it is.

This cake cannot go wrong, so do not worry. Just relax and fold the ingredients together and pop the batter into the oven. I baked this cake under 160C instead of usual 180C given the fact that the batter is a little too runny and also to achieve a more moist texture in the cake.

Tip: If the top of the cake is already browned and the middle is under cooked, cover the top with a baking sheet or just a blank-sheet and cook further 10 minutes

Ingredients needed:

Self-raising flour	200g
Margarine or butter	200g
Sugar	200g
Cocoa powder	2tbsp
Salt	3 pinches
Baking powder	1/2tsp
Water	5tbsps
Milk	3tbsp
Eggs	2

Let’s make it:

Set the oven to 160 C

In a pan heat butter until melted and add sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves and add milk
In another pan heat water and add cocoa powder and salt. Stir under low flame until cocoa powder blooms. Pour into the pan with butter and sugar and give a good mix
Beat eggs with a fork until frothy and add to the pan
Add flour and baking powder together and drop to the pan.
Mix all together until a smooth batter is formed
It is this easy you see!
Now that all have come together as a runny batter, pour into a lined tray with parchment paper (If the batter has lumps, send through a sieve and pour into the baking tray
Bake in the bottom shelf of the oven for 30 mins or until a skewer comes out clean when stabbed in the middle
Once out of the oven, cover the top of the tray with a tea towel and let the cake cool off completely
Once cooled, take out of the tray and cut into dainty pieces. To achieve the best results, dip the knife in boiling water and wipe clean

February 23, 2020July 10, 2020

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Butterscotch Cake – A Delicious Treat For A Special Occasion

Drenched in delicious butterscotch sauce and generously sprinkled crunchy Praline on top of the subtly sweet cream frosting, make this cake something to indulge for! There is no doubt that the sensational butterscotch sauce and the butterscotch Praline contribute to the glorious taste of this cake and make sure you get the taste and the consistency right while making them both.

You might find the recipe quite daunting with a long list of ingredients and an equally long list of instructions. However, if you get organised in advance, it is not a cumbersome task to assemble everything together. To make the whole procedure easy to follow, I have given the recipe in steps along with relevant pictures.

You just need to read through the recipe and jot down all the ingredients needed. Once the ingredients are gathered, it’s just a matter of organising the whole process and get to baking!

Happy Baking!

Important tips :

Make the Praline and butterscotch sauce a day or two in advance and place in the fridge
Make the cakes on the previous day and store in an air-tight box or wrap in a cling film
Make the frosting on the previous day and store in the fridge
Wash the fruits and keep ready on a side
Place the mixer pins in the freezer and make sure the mixing bowl is dry
Everything is ready in advance means, the remaining tasks are super easy for you!

Step1. Make the Butterscotch sauce

Ingredients needed:

Double cream	1/2 cup
Sugar	1/2 cup / 100g
Butter/Margarine	1/4 cup / 50 g
Milk	1 tbsp
Salt	2 pinches

Heat sugar in a pan until golden brown
Add butter gradually while stirring continuously
Add cream little by little and add salt
Keep stirring until the sauce is thick and runny (10-15mins)
Pour into a glass jar and let it cool
Tip: If the sauce goes too thick either microwave for 30 seconds or a little more or pour 1 tbsp of hot water and mix thoroughly

Step 2. Make the two round cakes – diameter 20cm or 8 inches

Always bake two cakes and sandwich them which gives a considerable height and a prominent look to the finished cake.

Ingredients needed:

Caster sugar	250 g
Margarine / Butter	250 g
Self-raising flour	250 g
Eggs	4
Milk	1/4 cup
Baking powder	1 tsp
Salt	3 pinches
Lemon juice	1/2 tsp
Butterscotch sauce	2-3tbsp

Set the oven to 180C – Must pre-heat at least 10-15 mins
Beat Sugar and Margarine together, using an electric hand mixer until creamy – (3 mins )
Add eggs one by one and beat after each addition (1 min after each egg)
Pour in butterscotch sauce and beat one round
Swift flour with baking powder and add. Mix with a wooden spoon
Add salt and lemon
Pour in milk
Combine all together until a creamy batter is formed
Divide into 2 equal parts and bake in two round trays (Trays must be lined with parchment paper)
Once baked, let the trays rest for 5 mins and take the cakes out and leave to cool on a wire rack
Your cakes are ready!

Step 3. Make Praline

**Butterscotch sauce and Praline triangles**

**Crushed Praline and Praline Triangles**

Ingredients needed:

peanuts (no husk)	100 g
Sugar	160 g
Butter	1 tbsp
Salt	2 pinches

Dry roast peanuts until crunchy
Grind roughly
Heat sugar until golden brown – Do not stir
Add butter and let it melt
Immediately, add peanuts
Quickly mix with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon
Immediately, take off from heat, flatten on a buttered tray and let cool
Cut a few triangles and keep them for decorating the cake
Place the rest in a bag and crush using a rolling pin or a bottle
Store in a jar until needed
Your Praline is ready!

Step 4.Make the Cream Frosting

**The right consistency of Frosting – Peaks!**

Most importantly the mixing bowl and mixer pins should be cold and dry. Double cream should be taken straight from the fridge ( Ideally, place the mixer pins in the freezer for 5 mins for best results)

Ingredients needed:

Double cream / Whipping cream	250 ml
Icing sugar	4 tbsp
Strawberries or Cherries for decorating

Beat double cream until thick (2 mins)
Add icing sugar gradually (ideally in three steps)
Beat until snowy peaks foam
Store in the fridge until needed

Step 5. Assemble the Cakes

Scrape off tops from both cakes
Stab the cakes in several places and make small holes, using a skewer
Mix 3 tbsp of butterscotch sauce and 1 tbsp water and pour over cakes
Drop a spoon of frosting in the middle of a round cake stand and place one round cake on it (this will make the cake stay steady on its place)
Smear a generous dollop of frosting on the top
Place the other round cake on top of it and sandwich both cakes
Smear frosting on the top and sides and flatten

Step 6. Decorating the cake

Take sauce into a piping bag and make it stand in a tall glass
Cut the tip of the piping bag
Pour around the cake making patterns. Let the sauce drip down
Pat Praline on the bottom ends and sprinkle some on the top
Decorate the top placing strawberries or cherries or any other suitable fruit
Stand praline triangles around and sprinkle more crusty praline on the cake
Place the cake in the fridge until needed
Always place it back in the fridge after taking out to serve. This cake will last up to 3-4 days in the fridge
Enjoy!

December 20, 2019January 1, 2021

ManoriLeave a comment

Chocolate Mug Cake – Ready in just 1 minute in the microwave!

Indulge in this beautiful chocolate mug cake and forget all your troubles!

Addictively warm and chocolatey, you will love to scoop it out while the melted chocolates dripping down the spoon!

Double the amount of ingredients and make it a pronto treat for kids coming home after a long day at school or playground. Why not whip this warm and welcoming treat for a friend who dropps by just to say hello?

Or make this on a cold winter afternoon, just to cheer yourself up! It works hundred percent! trust me!

My Amazon picks;

Just jot down the recipe and stick it on the fridge door because you will never stop making this on-demand!

Remember to pick wide mugs with average height shown in the picture. Also, it’s very important to fill only 1/4 of the mug because it will rise to the top and spill out making an unpleasant mess.

Ingredients you will need for 2 mug cakes

To Whisk
Egg	1
Sugar	4 tbsp
Milk	3tbsp
Butter (melted)	2 tbsp
Salt	2 pinches
To combine together
Plain flour	4 tbsp
Baking powder	1/2 tsp
Cocoa powder	1 tbsp

Let’s make:

Whisk the egg with a fork until frothy
Melt the butter in the microwave or on the pan
Whisk the egg. Add sugar and continue whisking. Add milk and melted butter. Whisk with a balloon whisk or a fork until the sugar dissolves completely
Combine flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt together. Add to the mixture
Thoroughly whisk the batter with the fork until all comes creamy and runny
Pour some of the batter equally to both mugs. Sprinkle some chocolate shavings and then pour more chocolate batter on top up to 1/4 of two mugs. Drop more chocolate shavings on top
Microwave one mug for 1 minute on full power
Take out and sprinkle more milk chocolate shavings or pieces on the top
Microwave the second mug and drop chocolate shavings on that too
Your gorgeous two chocolate mug cakes are ready to devour!

August 11, 2019January 19, 2021

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Chocolate Butter Icing – Silky and Smooth

You will fall in love with this silky smooth chocolate butter icing which is indeed the most delicious, perfect frosting for your chocolate cake!

Make this beautiful icing in advance and store it in a plastic box. Place the box in the fridge so that it could come in handy whenever you need to frost a cake. Super easy! It will stay fresh for several weeks!

Never forget to add the required amount of lemon juice. It simply creates magic!

Also, it’s very important to stick to the 2:1 proportions in measuring icing sugar and margarine to achieve the best results. Always the amount of margarine should be exactly half of the icing sugar.

You will need the following ingredients;

Icing sugar	300 g
Margerine / Spread	125 g
Cocoa powder	4-5 tbsp
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Salt and Vanilla essence	3 pinches and 1 tsp
Milk	2 tbsp

My Amazon picks:

Let’s whip it;

Using a sieve, swift the icing sugar until no hard bits remain
In a large bowl add margarine and beat in high speed with an electric hand mixer, until creamy
Add icing sugar, cocoa powder, lemon juice, salt and milk
Beat for several rounds until everything blends into a smooth and creamy texture
You chocolate butter icing is ready to use

April 4, 2019December 1, 2020

ManoriLeave a comment

Delicious buttercream and chocolate Frosting for cakes

Vanilla buttercream Icing

Whip up this creamy butter icing in less than 2 mins for frosting your cake and it will whisper a delicious story to anyone who tastes a slice from it!

My personal opinion is that you should never use butter for this recipe despite it is being named as ‘Butter Icing’. Butter leaves a lumpy heap in cold weathers and melts soon in hot weathers. Also, it is very dense and sticky too. Good quality spread or margarine is the best choice to make butter icing which will never let you down in taste as well as in texture. It will come out light, creamy and satin silk, making it a joy to frost your cake!

Ingredients:

Icing sugar (Swift using a sieve to get rid of hard bits)	300 g
Margarine or Spread (I use Stork UK brand) Under room temperature	125 g
Fresh milk	3 tbsp
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Vanilla essence	1 from bottle cap

Let’s whip it:

Swift icing sugar to get rid of hard bits
Beat icing sugar and margarine together
Add milk, vanilla and lemon.
Beat in high speed until the consistency is creamy
You can frost your cake now!

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

Icing sugar (Swift using a sieve to get rid of hard bits)	300 g
Margarine or Spread (I use Stork UK brand) Under room temperature	125 g
Fresh milk	3 tbsp
Cocoa Powder	4-5 tbsp
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Vanilla essence	1 from bottle cap

Let’s whip it;

Swift icing sugar to get rid of hard bits
Beat icing sugar and margarine together until creamy
Add cocoa powder and mix
Add milk, vanilla and lemon.
Beat in high speed until the consistency is silky and creamy
You can frost your cake now
The excess frosting could be stored in a plastic box and place in the fridge up to a month

April 1, 2019June 30, 2020

ManoriLeave a comment

Victoria Sponge Cake With Silky ButterCream Icing-

This lusciously rich Victoria Sponge cake, topped with creamy butter icing and sandwiched with homemade strawberry jam, is an ideal creation for any occasion.

Victoria Sponge, named after Queen Victoria, who was known to enjoy a slice of this cake with her afternoon tea, is now a classic teatime favourite in England. Traditionally, this cake is round in shape and the top is dusted with icing sugar.

Remember to smear butter icing generously on the top to make the cake irresistible!

strawberry jam — Strawberry jam recipe link: https://happyrecipes.co.uk/tag/how-to-make-strawberry-jam/

Ingredients needed to make the sponge :

Self Raising flour / Cake flour	250 g
Margarine or melted butter under room temperature	250 g
Caster sugar	250 g
Eggs under room temp	4
Milk	3 tbsp
Lemon juice and Vanilla essence	1 tsp each
Salt	2 pinches
Baking powder	1 tsp

Let’s start :

Let’s make it: Set the oven to 180 C .

Cream the batter

Cream butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy, using an electric hand mixer. Go clockwise (3 – 4 mins)
Add eggs, one at a time. Make sure you beat after each addition ( Beat 15 seconds after each egg)
Add vanilla essence, lemon juice, salt, milk and whisk two rounds (1 min)
Mix baking powder to flour and sieve onto the cake batter
Fold the flour gently with a wooden spoon until everything comes together as a creamy batter

Into the tray

Divide the batter equally into two parts ( If you have two similar trays, both cakes could go to the oven at the same time. Otherwise, bake one and use the same tray to bake the other)
Line up the bottom of the baking tray with a parchment paper cut according to the shape and rub butter and dust flour on the sides
Spoon one part of the batter into the baking tray and flatten with a spatula.
Lift up the tray and drop it twice onto your kitchen-top gently, allowing the batter to spread and settle evenly on the try

Oven

Place the tray in the middle/bottom shelf of the oven (If your oven heats up too soon, set the temp. for 160 C degrees and bake the cake on the lower shelf)
Bake for 20 mins or the top turns golden yellow (Never open the oven door in the initial 10 mins. If the top is browned and the middle is not baked, do not worry, just cover the top with parchment paper and continue to bake for further 10 mins)

Take out / Bake the next

After 20 mins, insert a skewer into the middle of the cake and if it comes clean, your cake is ready

Take it out from the oven and let it rest for 10 mins
Slowly remove from the tray and place the cake on a cooling rack
Now bake the rest of the batter in the same tray and let both cakes cool off completely
Meanwhile, whip up the butter icing

Delicious Butter Icing Recipe

Icing sugar (sieve before use to get rid of hard bits)	300g
Margarine	150g
lemon juice	1tsp
Vanilla essence	1tsp
Milk	2tbsp

Let’s make the icing;

Cream up all together using an electric hand mixer
The icing should have no lumpy bits but a very smooth creamy texture

Let’s ice the cake

Scrape the tops gently off

Smear strawberry jam generously on the bottom layer

Then spread buttercream icing on the jam layer
Place the other cake on top and sandwich the cakes
Spread a layer of buttercream icing on the top and decorate with strawberries or raspberries
Leave in the fridge for 1/2 hr before serving
Dip a long knife in boiling water, wipe clean and gently cut dainty pieces
Serve with more strawberries on the side
Enjoy!

February 12, 2019January 24, 2021

ManoriLeave a comment

Sticky Date Cake – Soaked In Delicious Toffee Sauce

The perfect combination of the richness of dates and the sticky sweetness of the toffee sauce make this cake rich, moist and supremely delicious! Make this juicy cake to celebrate any occasion and you will give such warmth and joy to your guests.

Make this the day before, allowing all the flavours and juices to infuse properly. Serve the daintily-cut, triangle cake pieces with a pool of toffee sauce.

Ingredients needed:

Wet dates (de-stoned)	250g
Self raising flour	150 g
Brown sugar	150 g
Eggs	2
Margerine/Cake spread/Butter melted	65 g
Bicarb powder	1 tsp
Water	1 cup
Salt	3 pinches
For the toffee sauce
Brown sugar	5 tbsp
Margerine or butter	3 tbsp
Milk	3 tbsp
Salt	1 pinch

Let’s make it :

Cut the dates into small pieces
Place the date pieces and water into a deep pan and bring to boil – (3-4 mins) Do not over boil as the dates will become a sticky pulp

Switch the flame off and add 1tsp of bicarb and mix well

Add sugar and stir until dissolved
Next, add margarine and give a good mix
Beat the 2 eggs lightly and add to the mixture

Add the flour little by a little while mixing gradually

Finally, add a drop of lemon juice and vanilla and mix until everything combines properly
Pour the batter onto a round cake tray (line up the tray with parchment paper or rub butter and dust with flour)
Keep aside for 15 mins for all the flavours to incorporate properly

Bake in the lower rack of the oven for 20 mins under 180C degrees
After 20 mins stab a skewer and check if it comes clean. If not, keep in the oven for a little longer
Keep the cake to cool off completely in the tray itself
Once cooled off, take the cake out slowly and remove the lining and stab with a skewer in several places

How to make the Toffee sauce

Add 5 tbsp of sugar into a thick bottom pan and switch the flame on to medium

Let the sugar turn golden
Add butter immediately and give a good stir

Then add milk and a pinch of salt and stir under low flame until the sugar crystals melt and turn into a thick sauce

Take off the flame and keep to cool
Pour half of it over the cake letting the sauce run through the holes

Smear more sauce all over the top
Leave the cake overnight for the best taste!
Drizzle the rest of the toffee sauce over the cake slices and serve
Yum! Yum!

January 1, 2019July 9, 2020

ManoriLeave a comment

Yule Log Cake – Christmas Yule Log Filled With Butter Cream Frosting

Interesting history behind the Yule Log

🎄Yule Log has always being a phenomenal feature during Christmas time, dating back to medieval times. An entire tree was carefully chosen and cut down, cleared of all branches, and the log would be brought into the house.

Then one side of it would be placed in the fire hearth while the rest of the log would be lying in the room. The log would-be lit up by the remains of the last year’s log and slowly fed into the fire through the Twelve Days of Christmas bringing such cozy warmth and festive spirit to the family.

Let’s make this pretty Yule Log cake and bring joy to your family during this Christmas time!

Making this chocolate Yule Log cake, which is filled with buttery chocolate icing, is easy and fun! I particularly loved decorating it, giving it a real Christmassy appearance; fixing a few Holly leaves with red berries on the top, and dusting it with icing sugar to make it look like snowflakes is the hight of the joy of decorating this cake!

So, let’s gather the following ingredients and get on with making this delicious cake before Christmas day dawns.

For the cake you will need;

Plain Flour	50 g
Sugar (white caster or soft brown sugar)	120 g
Eggs	3
Baking Powder	1 tsp
Corn Flour	2 tbsp
Cocoa Powder	1 & 1/2tbsp
Salt	2 pinches
Vanilla	1/2 tsp

For the butter icing

Icing Sugar	300 g
Margarine or spread	150 g
Cocoa Powder	1 & 1/2tbsp
Fresh Milk	2 tbsp
Lemon juice	2 drops

Let’s make the cake

Set the Oven to 180 C

Cream the batter

Separate the egg whites and yolks being very careful not to mix even a bit of yolk in the whites for best results

Beat egg whites at high speed for 1-2 mins. When you lift the mixer, the pins should hold stiff peaks of egg whites
Add sugar in three times while beating again at high speed for 1 min (Do not drop all the sugar at once)

Add egg yolks and beat for 2 mins

Add cocoa powder, baking powder, cornflour, and plain flour together and sieve on to the batter
Add salt and vanilla

Fold the flour using a spatula until the batter becomes creamy. Do not use the electric mixer at this point.

Prepare the tin

12″ x 10″ size Swiss cake tin is the right size for the sponge

Line up with a parchment paper
Spread the batter on the tray and flatten properly. Lift the tray and drop on the pantry top twice for the batter to settle evenly

Bake

Bake in the middle of the oven for exactly 15 mins ( Do not exceed this time as the cake can end up a crusty biscuit)

Meanwhile;

Prepare the parchment paper for rolling the cake

Lay a wide parchment paper on a kitchen towel
Sprinkle granulated sugar and keep it ready for rolling out the cake

Take the cake out of the oven

Lay the cake face down on the sugar sprinkled the parchment paper
Sprinkle some water on to the lining parchment paper, so that it comes out easily. Peel it off gently

Roll out

While the cake is still very warm, roll out with the parchment paper

Leave it to cool off completely for 1 hr. You can place it in the fridge after 15mins

Let’s make the butter frosting

Ingredients for a creamy butter frosting

Margarine(good quality/especially for baking)	150g
Icing sugar	300g
Cocoa powder(Add less if your cocoa powder is bitter)	1 & 1/2tbsp
Milk	2tbsp
Lemon juice	3 drops

Sieve icing sugar onto the margarine
Beat both margarine and icing sugar together until creamy
Add cocoa powder, milk, and lemon juice
Beat until all combined into a silky smooth texture
Your butter frosting is ready to use now!

(You can make an extra batch of butter icing and keep it in an airtight plastic box in the fridge for future use. For the next cake, place the box of icing in the microwave and heat up for 15 seconds to melt it and spread on the cake)

Ice the cake

Open the cake flat on a tray
Spread a thick layer of butter icing

Roll it gently

Now, smear a generous amount of chocolate butter icing on the top and all over the roll
Run a fork across the surface to make it look like a real log!
Dust with icing sugar
Decorate to your heart’s content and bring your inner Christmas spirit out!

Merry Christmas Everyone!🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

December 22, 2018December 30, 2020

Manori

Banana And Walnut Cake – Better Than Starbucks’

The fresh taste and scent of bananas and the crunchiness of walnuts in this cake is a real temptation!

In the process of trying to produce something similar to Starbucks’ banana and walnut cake, I ended up creating something far better and simply irresistible. Also, by adding golden syrup, milk and lemon juice on impulse brought wonders to the flavours!

Over-riped bananas with black patches on the skin are the best for this cake. They are high in flavour and moisture, which in turn gives a delicious scent and taste to this cake.

**Over-riped bananas – best for banana cake**

Necessary ingredients:

Over- riped bananas	2 large
Soft brown sugar	170 g
Margerine or butter (under room temp)	150 g
Self-raising flour	225 g
Eggs	2
Fresh milk	2 tbsp
Golden syrup	1 tbsp
Salt	3 pinches
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Bicarbonate of soda	1 & 1/2 tsp
Walnuts crushed (extra handful for sprinkling on the top)	60 g
Golden syrup	1 tbsp

Let’s make :

Set the Oven to 180 C

Mash the bananas

Using a fork gently mash the bananas and keep aside

Cream the batter

Cream margerine with sugar using the electric hand or stand mixer
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition
Beat for 2 mins until creamy
Add the mashed banana and beat just one round
Add salt and bicarb to flour and sieve on to the batter
Add lemon juice and vanilla
Add golden syrup
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix all into a smooth batter
Add crushed walnuts and give a good mix with the spoon

Prepare the tray

Best choice is the classic loaf tray for this cake

Rub butter inside walls of the tray and sprinkle flour until all sides are coated or lay a parchment paper
Spoon the batter into a loaf tin
Sprinkle a handful of crushed walnuts on the top

Bake

Place in the bottom shelf of the oven as this is a very wet cake and needs to be baked nice and slow
Bake for 30 – 40 mins or when stabbed with a skewer, it should come clean
After 1/2 hr, if the top of the cake is browned but the middle is still soggy, cover the top with a foil paper or baking sheet and bake furthermore
After 40 mins stab a skewer into the middle and check if it comes clean
Take out of the oven
Let the cake rest in the tray itself for 10 mins
Take out and wrap with a foil paper and keep until it cools down completely (This will evenly distribute the warmth and make the cake moist)

Serve

Take a long bread knife and dip it in boiling water for 2 mins. Wipe the water (This will prevent the cake from crumbling while cutting)
Now cut the cake into dainty slices very gently as the walnuts can come between the knife
Serve with a hot cup of coffee

Please click the Older Posts link below for more recipes in this category

May 15, 2018January 24, 2021

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