Perfect Recipe

Strawberry Roll

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated
125g granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp
90g self-rising flour
2 tbsp hot water

Filling:
160g strawberry jam
185ml whipping cream
250g strawberry, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven at 400°F. Line it with buttered foil or buttered parchment paper a 25x30cm pan.

Beat egg whites and add the sugar gradually. Add the egg yolks, beat after each addition, and beat until it thickens. Add the flour and 2 tbsp of hot water. Pour batter into pan an bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until it gets firm and light brown.

Lay out a 30x35cm parchment paper over a towel, and sprinkle it with sugar. Turn the roll out on the paper. Take off the paper or foil. Cut away crusty edges. Roll the cake up in the towel, and leave it to cool.

Filling:
Whip the cream with 1 tbsp of sugar. Unroll the cake. Spread with the jam, the whipped cream, the strawberries and roll up again. Leave it to cool in the refrigerator.

Chocolate and Banana Cake

Ingredients:

100g plain chocolate
100g unsalted butter , softened
175g golden caster sugar
3 eggs , beaten
175g all-purpose flour
2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
25g cocoa
3 or 4 large bananas , peeled and mashed

Topping:

6 tbsp chocolate powder
12 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp butter
1 and 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

For the cake:

Heat the oven to 160°C. Butter and line the bases of 2 x 450g loaf tins with baking parchment. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a small glass bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth and remove from the heat.
Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the egg, beating well between each addition. Sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa and fold in using a large metal spoon. Add the mashed banana and chocolate and mix well.
Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and top each with the streusel. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack, then wrap in baking parchment or foil.

For the topping:
Mix all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it boils. Pour it over the cake when is still hot.

Marbled Meringue Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
5 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup hot milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
5 drops vanilla essence

Filling:
½ can condensed milk
500 ml milk
½ can heavy cream
3 egg yolk
3 tbsp corn starch
5 drops vanilla essence

Syrup:
¾ cup water
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp rum

Topping/Meringue:
2 cups sugar
1 cup hot water
4 egg whites, beaten

Chocolate Topping:
6 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick spray, two 7 inch (18 cm) round pan.

Cake:
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the sugar and eggs until smooth and creamy. With a spoon, gently add the flour e the other ingredients. Place the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan to cool completely.

Filling:
In heavy saucepan, dissolve cornstarch in milk, add the condensed milk and the egg yolks. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Turn off the heat and add the heavy cream and vanilla. Let it cool completely.

Syrup:
Boil the sugar and water. Let it cool and add rum.

Topping/Meringue:
Put egg whites in bowl of electric mixer. Beat on high until soft peaks form. In heavy saucepan, caramelize the sugar until liquid form. Add hot water and let it boil until smooth and bubbly. With the electric mixer on, slowly fold the caramelized sugar into egg whites, beating until gets warm and light brown.

Chocolate Topping:
In heavy saucepan, mix all the ingredients and cook until it boils. Spread the melted chocolate over the meringue (after assembling the cake) and use your imagination to create the design you want.

Assembling the cake:
Place one layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Top half the syrup and the filling. Place another cake layer, spread the remaining syrup. Frost the top and sides with the meringue. And on top of meringue spread the melted chocolate.

Caramel Banana Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup (about 2 bananas) very ripe, mashed bananas

Caramel Icing:
3 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp lemon juice
5 tbsp butter, cold, cut into pieces

Directions:

Make the batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a small brush, lightly coat two 9-inch cake pans with softened butter or vegetable-oil cooking spray. Dust with flour, tap out any excess, and set aside. Over a surface covered with a large sheet of waxed or parchment paper, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Into a medium bowl, resift the flour mixture and set aside. In a large bowl, using a mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the butter until light — about 1 minute. Add the sugar and continue to beat for 2 more minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition, and mix in the vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture by thirds, alternating with the buttermilk and bananas and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just enough to blend the batter after each addition.

Bake the cake: Divide the batter equally between the pans and bake on the middle rack of the oven until a tester inserted into each cake layer comes out clean — 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the cake pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the cake layers from the pan sides and invert the layers onto the wire rack to cool completely.

Make the icing: In a medium saucepan with a candy thermometer attached, stir sugar, heavy cream, and lemon juice together. Cook the mixture, without stirring, over medium-high heat to soft-ball stage (238 degrees F). Remove from heat and cool the caramel mixture to 140 degrees F. Place the butter on top of the cooled caramel mixture. Remove the thermometer and, using a handheld mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the caramel until it thickens enough to hold its shape, lightens in color, and changes from translucent to opaque — about 5 minutes. Apply icing immediately.

Ice the cake: Use a serrated knife to trim the mounded side of the cake layers, if necessary. Line the edges of a cake plate with 3-inch-wide strips of waxed or parchment paper and place a cake layer, trimmed side down, on top. Place 1 cup Caramel Icing on top of the layer and spread evenly. Place the second layer, trimmed side down, on the first and cover the top and sides with the remaining icing.

Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Syrup:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted.

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/4-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans or one bundt pan, and line the bottoms with parchment paper (no parchment paper if you’re using a bundt pan).

Cake:
Cream butter and 2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Mixing at medium speed, add eggs, one at a time, and lemon zest. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to butter and sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly between loaf pans or one bundt pan, smooth tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. When cakes are done, carefully Invert them onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon lemon syrup over cakes. Let cakes cool completely.

Syrup:
Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.

Glaze:
Combine confectioners’ sugar and remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cakes, and allow glaze to drizzle down the sides.