Banana Chocolate Cake

Banana Chocolate Cake

You'll Need:


2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar substitute, or 8 packets or 1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup low fat margarine, softened
1/2 cup liquid egg substitute, or 4 egg whites or 2 eggs
2 ounces baking chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla 3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup buttermilk


Procedures: Sift flour, baking powder baking soda and salt together. Cream shortening with sugar substitute until fluffy. Add egg substitute 1/4 cup at a time; beat well after each addition. Add chocolate and mix thoroughly. Stir in vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients alternately with mashed bananas and milk in small amounts. Beat well after each addition. Pour into two 9 inch pans sprayed with cooking spray and dusted with flour. Bake at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tests done

Macaroon Cake

Macaroon Cake

You'll Need:


100 g Flaky pastry (3 1/2 oz)
Grated rind of 1 lemon
30 g Raspberries (1 oz)
Caster sugar
110 g Sugar (3 3/4 oz)
Icing sugar
75 g Ground hazelnuts (2 1/2 oz)
Slivered almonds
2 x Egg whites


Procedures : Puree the raspberries in a liquidiser with 35 g ( 1 1/4 oz) of the sugar,then pass the mixture through a tamis.
Prepare a macaroon paste by mixing, with a spatula, the rest of the sugar,the ground powered nuts, the egg whites and lemon rind.
Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 2-3 mm ( 1/8 in) and line an 18 cm (7 in) tart tin with a removable base. Prick it all over with the prongs of a fork (Put it in a refrigerator if you are not going to bake it at once).
Pre-heat the oven to 220 oC/425 oF.
Lightly sprinkle caster sugar over the uncooked pastry, then spread the raspberry puree over it in a smooth layer.
Spread the macaroon mixture over the raspberry, smoothing the surface with the help of a spatula.
Cook the cake for 40 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Reduce the heat to 180 oC/350 oF after 20 minutes if it is browning too quickly. Take it out and leave it to cool a little.
Scatter the slivered almonds over the top of the cake while it is still warm. Sprinkle the cake with icing sugar then put it under hot grill for just long enough to caramelise the sugar lightly. Take care, as this takes barely a minute.
Let the cake cool, then take it out of the tin.
Servings: 6

Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake

Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake

You'll Need:


Cake
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon almond extract
16 ounce sour cream
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely ground toasted almonds
3/4 cup raspberry preserves
Whipped cream and fresh raspberries for garnish

Procedures: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a Bundt pan with butter. Dust with flour and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping sides of bowl to incorporate each entirely. Add the almond extract and then the sour cream. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add the ground almonds. Using the low speed of a mixer, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture.

Fill the prepared pan with half of the batter. Drop the raspberry preserves on the batter, taking care not to let preserves touch the sides of the pan. Bake at for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the outside circumference of the cake away from the preserves comes out clean. Run a knife around the edges to loosen cake. Cool cake completely in pan before turning out onto serving plate. Glaze with Chocolate Glaze. Garnish with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

Chocolate Glaze
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons raspberry or almond flavored liqueur
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Heat the water, corn syrup and sugar to boil to dissolve. Stir in chocolate and liqueur. Let the mixture rest, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is dissolved and incorporated into the glaze. Let glaze cool slightly to thicken before using