Posts tagged praline

Toscakaka – Caramel Almond Cake

 

image

Aside from the fact that this cake tastes undeniably devine, one of the things I like about it the most is the subtle way you can pick off the sticky caramel almonds from the top when no one is looking with fairly unnoticeable consequences. Its not the done thing to swipe a greedy finger through the icing on a cake but you can get away with it here. Be warned, once you start you may end up with a topless and naked sponge cake and some unimpressed guests. If there was ever an award for moreish-ness (excuse the made up word) this cake would triump.

Its a super light sponge base which I decided to spike with cinnamon and vanilla, basted and topped with a crunchy caramel almond praline which is left to set and encase the pillowey cake. This recipe is from ‘Scandilicious Baking’ and is therefore (I’m told) a classic Scandi treat which quite frankly just makes me want to visit the region even more. I took the recipes advice and added a tsp of coffee to the praline topping which adds a really deep and intense flavour.

Serves 10-12

Cake

  • 150g caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
  • 150g plain flour
  • Pinch cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp fine salt
  • 75g melted butter
  • 75ml buttermilk (or add a tsp of lemon juice added to normal milk)

Praline topping

  • 150g flaked almonds
  • 125g soft light brown muscovado sugar
  • 125g butter
  • 50ml milk
  • Pinch fine salt
  • 1 tsp instant coffee
  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a loose bottomed tin (8cm of so wide) with parchement. If making your buttermilk add the lemon juice to the milk now and set aside for a few minutes.
  2. Whisk the eggs, vanilla and caster sugar on a high speed for at least 5 minutes until really thick and creamy to get in as much air as possible. It really will pay to do this for a good length of time.
  3. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Sieve over half this dry mixture into the eggs and extremely gently using a metal spoon fold in making sure retain the air.
  4. Add half the buttermilk and fold in. Add the remaining flour, fold in and finally the rest of the buttermilk.
  5. Finally fold in the melted butter.
  6. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and set. It is important it is set so that it doesn’t collapse when you coat it in praline!
  7. While that bakes, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan or hot oven for a few minutes until golden and fragrant.
  8. Add to a saucepan with the butter, sugar, milk, salt and coffee.
  9. Heat until all melted together and then bubble for a few minutes until thick.
  10. When the cake is ready remove from the oven and increase the heat to 200°C. Pour the praline over the cake, smooth out and bake for 8-10 minutes at this higher temperature until the top is golden and gooey.
  11. Leave to cool before cutting to allow the caramel to set and encase the cake.

This can be enjoyed on its own or with healthy lashings of custard

image

Coffee Ice Cream

 

image

A perfect Easter lunch dessert to keep everyone awake in front of the roaring fire………although this year the cold weather seems to be doing that for us brrrrrrr! If you’re a coffee fan then this ice cream is an instant (see what I did there) and satisfying winner!

(Serves 8)

  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 300ml single cream
  • 2 heaped tbsp instant coffee
  1. Warm the cream in a pan over a medium heat. When it looks like it is just beginning to simmer, remove from the heat and whisk in the coffee until it had dissolved.
  2. Pour the condensed milk into the cream and stir to combine
  3. Chill and then put into a container and freeze overnight…no churning needed! Although if you want an instant ice cream, churn for about 30 minutes and eat!

image

I served mine with a mini version of my hazelnut frangipane tartlet (see here) drizzled with dark chocolate, half a lightly poached vanilla pear and some teeth shattering hazelnut praline. For the vanilla pear, lightly poach half a cored and peeled pear in sugared water for about 20 minutes with a splash of vanilla extract or a halved and de-seeded vanilla pod, until soft.

image

Hazelnut Praline

  • 60g caster sugar
  • 40g hazelnuts
  1. Toast the hazelnut in a hot oven for about 6 minutes. Then remove, wrap in a towel and rub the skins off
  2. Lightly bash in a pestle and mortar or in a plastic bag with the back of a rolling pin to coarse crumbs. Sprinkle sparsely over a piece of greaseproof paper
  3. Heat the caster sugar in a dry frying pan over a high heat and leave to melt, stirring every so often until the sugar turns liquid and golden brown. Watch it as it will easily burn.
  4. As soon as it is a pale golden brown and the sugar has all dissolved, remove from the heat and quickly pour over the hazelnuts in a thin layer. It will set fast so work quickly (it will be EXTREMELY hot though so make sure you don’t touch it)
  5. Leave to cool in a cool place or place the caramel on a hard marble surface to speed it along. When cool, break in shards and mind your teeth.

image

Caramel Ice Cream with Salted Almond Praline

image

With December now well and truly here, it must be accepted that the gastronomic season has arrived. This pleasingly warrants the excuse for overindulgent food with an extra special touch or time and care wrapped in a blanket of calories and tied up with vast amount of edible guilt. With a welcome invite to a house Christmas meal approaching, and the responsibility of bringing dessert, my creative mind went into a sugary coma. A need to supply my hosts with something to sooth their taste buds and thank them for their hospitality. So to go with my pear, almond and amaretto tart, my love of ice cream was sure to make a chilly appearance. However, with no ice cream maker in the limited freezer in my home away from home in Clifton, I opted for this cheats recipe which is always a great one to have on tap. It doesn’t require churning as it won’t crystalise when freezing and it gives a very rich and creamy texture. A can of condensed milk and some single cream never looked nicer….

Praline

  • 100g caster sugar
  • 20g flaked almonds
  • ½ tsp Maldon Sea Salt

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 300ml single cream
  1. Begin with the cheats ice cream base. Submerge a can of condensed milk in a pan of water on it side and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 ½ hours making sure the water does not dry out and that it is covered (otherwise it could explode…worse things have happened)
  2. Meanwhile, make the praline. Begin by lightly oiling a piece of greaseproof paper.
  3. Now heat a dry frying pan and lightly toast the flaked almonds until tinged and fragrant. Scatter densely over the parchment.
  4. Now, scatter the caster sugar in a dry frying pan in an even, thin layer and turn up the heat.
  5. The sugar should begin to melt within a couple of minutes. Use a plastic spatula to mix in any non-melted areas and any lumps. All the sugar will melt and it will start to turn golden and liquid. Watching all the time as it can burn easily, continue to melt until light golden brown but not burnt!
  6. Quickly, using the spatula, tip the caramel over the almonds on the parchment and scatter quickly with the sea salt while still hot. Leave to cool until solid before breaking into shards.
  7. Once the condensed milk has been boiled it will have turned to caramel. Leave the can to cool before handling.
  8. Mix the cooled caramel with the single cream and beat with a whisk until well combined.
  9. Now, using either a food processor, a pestle and mortar or just a bag and a wooden spoon, coarsely crush your praline into chunks. I left some a bit more whole and some into a powder.
  10. Mix this evenly into the ice cream base and place in the freezer overnight. The praline pieces have a tendency to fall to the bottom so if you can be bothered, freeze half your cream mixture, then scatter over your praline and the remaining mixture and freeze again.
  11. Enjoy your ice cream with an added sprinkle of sea salt if required! I served mine with a pear, almond and amaretto tart.

image

PS. This cheats ice cream base is open to interpretation….adding coconut milk instead of cream sprinkling of lime zest is one of my favourites. However, add any other flavours you like. It is quite a soft texture anyway, so adding salt in this case, or alcohol which doesn’t freeze, will make it even softer so bear this in mind before going too heavy handed on the booze!

Banana Muffins with a Boozy Rum Icing

 

In honour of ‘The Great British Bake Off’, my friends and I decided to bake a wholesome feast to devour during the entertainment that was John, James and…..Brendan? Suffocating in the smells of freshly baked goods in my Clifton garden flat, I knocked out a batch of these forever pleasing muffins and added a cheeky little extra topping. I used to make these every weekend when I ran my own breakfast menu at ’The Food Gallery’ (Marlborough) over the summer. They proudly topped my menu (minus the rum icing) served with creamy Greek yoghurt and some sweet, sticky local honey so I confirm, they certainly make a delicious start to the day too! However, tonight called for a little added sparkle so I decorated with some rum cream cheese frosting and walnut praline……

TIP: If you ever have too many bananas turning brown and sugary in your fruit bowl- don’t throw them away! I always peal mine and freeze them in a sandwich bag. Then they are ready to hand and at the perfect ripeness for when baking calls. Bring them out to defrost a little before you use them- they may go all slimy and unappetising looking but I assure you they will taste and bake perfectly!

Makes 10-12 rugby player sized muffins (adapted from Waitrose recipes)

  • 125g unsalted butter, softened
  • 225g light brown muscavado sugar
  • 4 very ripe bananas (300g)
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Large pinch cinnamon/mixed spice
  • 250g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 75ml buttermilk
  • 50g crumbled toasted walnuts or pecans

Rum Icing

  • 300g cream cheese
  • 150g icing sugar, sieved
  • A pinch of cinnamon/mixed spice
  • A splash of rum
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a muffin tin with cases.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
  3. Add the mashed bananas, vanilla and eggs and mix
  4. Fold in the flour, spices, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder.
  5. Now add the buttermilk and stir thoroughly. Add the walnuts and mix until they are evenly distributed.
  6. Generously fill the muffin cases and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, checking after about 20 to make sure they are not browning too much.
  7. Meanwhile, make the icing. Cream the cream cheese, spices and sieved icing sugar together. Add a splash of rum and mix. Chill in the fridge to harden until needed.
  8. When the muffins are ready, they will be soft and springy to the touch and a sharp knife inserted into the centre will come out clean. Leave to cool completely.
  9. Once cool, top with icing and decorate with a halved walnut and some walnut praline if you like. The praline I made by melting caster sugar in a dry frying pan until melted and beginning to turn golden. Once it is a pale light colour, remove from the heat and pour quickly and thinly over crumbled walnuts on some baking paper and leave to cool and crisp. Break into shards and top the muffins!

image