Monday, September 8, 2014

white chocolate and raspberry cake

And hence, I am continuing with the fruit posts since the berries are all one sale right now!

Because I bought 2 punnets of raspberry and made muffins with the first punnet, I had one punnet of raspberry left in the fridge.

I was pretty determined that I was going to MAKE SOMETHING with them before they go bad - raspberries are not exactly cheap in Singapore so wasting them is not an option.

I didn't know what I was going to make, so I googled. Then I saw this recipe.
I feel in love with the idea of this cake the moment I laid eyes on the recipe. This is because I know for sure that raspberries go so well with white chocolate.

The best part of it was that the recipe required 175g of raspberries, which was basically what I had left!
I have to say that I was really glad I did bake this cake. The tartness of the berries balanced the sweetness of the white chocolate.

Since I reduced the sugar that went into the cake (as I always do), the cake was not overly sweet at all.

If you want to have a go at making this cake, here are the step-by-step instructions.

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, add the white chocolate and cubed butter. Melt this over low heat, stirring until all the chocolate and butter has melted.
Let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes then transfer it into a mixing bowl, along with the sugar. Using the paddle attachment, beat the mixture on low speed.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition.
Add the sifted flour and mix to combine.
Once all the flour has been combined into the batter, add the raspberries and fold them in.
Divide the batter into 2 baking trays and bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.
When baked, cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them into a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cakes are cooled, make the white chocolate ganache.

Place the chocolate and 100ml of the cream in a heat-proof bowl and place it over a ban marie.
Once the chocolate has melted, set it aside to cool.
If you prefer a thicker ganache, you can use this to sandwich the cake.

If you prefer a more runny ganache, add the rest of the cream and beat it into the mixture.
 Frankly speaking, I much prefer the thicker ganache but well, I'd made the runny version (unknowingly) so I used it.
Dust the top of the cake with a little icing sugar.

And cut a huge chuck for yourself as a reward.
It is a everyone-friendly cake.

And perfect for tea break!

RECIPE
White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake (Serves 8-10)
Adapted from BBC Goodfood

Ingredients:
For the Cake:
200g unsalted butter, chopped into small cubes, plus extra for greasing
100g white chocolate, broken into pieces
4 large eggs
200g caster sugar - I reduced this by 50%
200g self-raising flour,sited
175g raspberries, fresh or frozen - I used fresh raspberries

For the ganache:
200g white chocolate, chopped
250ml double cream
A little icing sugar, for dusting

Method:
Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of 2 x 20cm round, loose-bottomed cake tins. (I used normal 8" baking pan). Put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof mixing bowl, set over a pan of barely simmering water and allow to melt slowly, stirring occasionally. (I melted mine in a heavy-bottom saucepan).
When the butter and chocolate have melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool for 1-2 mins, then beat in the eggs and sugar with an electric whisk. Fold in the flour and raspberries.
Gently pour the mixture into the tins and bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (the raspberries may leave a residue on the skewer, so don’t be fooled by their juiciness). Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack.
To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl with 100ml of the cream, set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted into the cream and you are left with a smooth, glossy ganache. Leave the ganache to cool to room temperature, then beat in the rest of the cream.
When the cakes have cooled, sandwich them together with the chocolate ganache. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

3 comments:

  1. I fell in love with this cake of yours too, Diana. So beautiful, especially with the raspberries. Happy mid-autumn to you and family.

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  2. Hi Diana! Waste not and such a good excuse to bake this yummy cake. This stingy auntie is not going to spend any money on raspberries hah..hah...

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  3. Wow ! Still chocolate cake ... double white chocolate ! Aiyoh sooo tempting !

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