Upside Down Cranberry and Orange Cake, Sticky Date Cake with Caramel Sauce, Mini Butter Tarts with Cranberries and Walnuts, Chocolate Truffles

Merry Christmas!

 

Hiya followers, Christmas is almost here! Hurrah!

The holiday season wouldn't be complete with tempting desserts and delicious sweets! Here are four fabulous recipes to satisfy your need for festive treats. I love Christmas time! It's certainly the time of year that I allow myself a sweet or two and I'm sure this year will be no different. 

Well, I'm pretty sure that this is the shortest blog I've ever done, but you know what they say, short and sweet! Have a merry Christmas, a joyful Boxing Day, a happy New Year and I'll be back in 2014 to continue the Culinary Adventure! Bye for now my loyal followers, thank you for stopping by and remember to be safe and sound this holiday season!



Upside Down Cranberry and Orange Cake

(serves 8)

½ cup butter, softened and divided

1 cup sugar
1 ¾ cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 orange, zest only
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350, place rack in the middle.

Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with 2 tbps butter.  Sprinkle the sugar evenly in the bottom of pan and out spread the cranberries evenly on top. With an electric mixer, cream remaining butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla and orange zest. Beat until well combined. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined. Spoon the batter into the cake pan and smooth evenly over the cranberries.

Place the cake pan on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 mins, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the cake cool in the pan for about 15 mins. Run a knife around edge of the pan, place a serving plate with a rim on top and carefully invert the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sticky Date Cake with Caramel Sauce

(makes 16 pieces)

1 ¼ cup dates, pitted
1 ¼ cup water
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup butter
¾ cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Caramel Sauce

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup 35% cream
½ cup butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 20cm x20cm baking tin (8 inch x 8 inch).

Place the dates in a medium sauce pan with the water and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few 2 to 3 minutes to soften the dates, remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a food processor and process until smooth.

Cream the butter and sugar with and electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time until fully incorporated (remember to scrape down the sides). Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt and the dates. Pour the batter into the greased tin and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer that is pushed into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce by placing all of the sauce ingredients into a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and stir until the sauce has come together and is slightly thickened. Serve warm or at room temperature with the warm caramel sauce.

Mini Butter Tarts with Cranberries and Walnuts

(makes 24 mini tarts)

350 gr pastry, homemade or store bought
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp cider vinegar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400.
Roll out pastry to 1/2 cm thick and cut out appropriate sized rounds, place them into lightly greased tart tins and refrigerate until the filling is done. In a bowl, vigorously whisk together the butter, brown sugar, egg and pinch of salt until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the tart tins out from the fridge, place several pieces of the walnuts and the cranberries into each shell. Pour the filling in until is it 3/4 full. Bake in the oven for about 10 to 12 mins until the pastry is browned and the filling is bubbling. Allow the tarts to cool in the tins before gently removing them.

 

Chocolate Truffles
(makes about 48)

300gr dark chocolate, about 70% cocoa solids, broken into small pieces
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 cup 35% whipping cream
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Put the cocoa powder into a medium sized bowl, set aside. Combine the chocolate and butter pieces into a medium sized bowl. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and heat on high until it begins to boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter, allow to rest for about a minute. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Turn the chocolate mixture out into a shallow dish and place into the fridge until it is firm, about an hour. Using a melon baller or measuring spoon, scoop out heaping  teaspoons of chocolate. Working fast, quickly shape them into a ball, drop into a bowl of the cocoa and toss around with a spoon until fully coated. Refrigerate until serving. Make up to 3 weeks ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Variations...

Amaretto and Dark Chocolate Truffles:
Stir 1/4 cup amaretto liquor into the chocolate mixture. Chill and shape as above, but coat in 1 cup chopped almonds instead of the cocoa.

Orange and Dark Chocolate Truffles:
Stir 2 tbsp orange zest into the chocolate mixture. Chill and shape as above, but coat in 1/2 cup white sugar combined with 1 tbsp orange zest instead of the cocoa.

Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate Truffles:
Stir 1/2 sea salt into the chocolate mixture. Chill and shape as above, but coat in 100gr grated dark chocolate instead of the cocoa powder. Sprinkle with a little extra sea salt to garnish.

Chili and Dark Chocolate Truffles:
Stir 1/4 tsp Mexican chili powder into the chocolate mixture. Chill, shape and coat in cocoa powder as above. Sprinkle with a little extra chili powder to garnish.