Thermomix Zucchini Cake

So, the last of “sweet” week. I was presented with two large zucchini that had escaped the attention of one of my colleague’s mothers in her zucchini patch.

I remembered having made zucchini cake many years ago and hunted down the recipe. It was in my 1981 copy of “A Wizz in the Kitchen”, written to promote the Breville Super Wizz.

It is amazing how many of these old recipes are still very popular 30 years on. It also shows how useful the slicing and shredding discs are, and why I will not part with my Magimix (Cuisinart) of 30 years.

The recipe originally asked for 4 – 5 small zucchini, but I just used the larger zucchini and discarded the soft seeded centre and used the harder outer section, including the skin. Once it is all chopped up and mixed with sugar and spice then nobody will know.

Thermomix Zucchini Cake

Ingredients:

3 eggs
400 g sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
60 g oil
100 g walnuts
600 g zucchini, roughly chopped
375 g Self-raising flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Method:

Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease two 21cm x 11cm loaf tins very well with oil.

Place eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil into TM bowl and beat for 2 minutes on speed 5.

Add walnuts and zucchini and blend for 15 - 20 seconds on speed 5, until the zucchini is shredded.

Add flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix for 20 seconds on Reverse and speed 4.

Place mixture into loaf tins and bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Leave in tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Serve sliced and well buttered.

Thermomix Carrot and White Chocolate Cake

The idea for this recipe came from a dish that I ate in Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence. It was a carrot and white chocolate sorbet, served as a palate cleanser.

I had seen a recipe for carrots and white chocolate in an American book, by Robert Lambert (1990) and decided to try making a cake with the combination.

It would be great served with white chocolate and cream cheese icing.



Carrot and White Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
300g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
200g white chocolate, Melts or broken
roughly into chunks
100g almonds
100g sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
200g Self-Raising flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced)

Place carrot in TM bowl and chop for 20 seconds on Speed 7. Remove and place in separate bowl.

Place chocolate in TM bowl and chop for 10 - 20 seconds on Speed 7. Remove and add to bowl with carrots.

Place almonds in TM bowl and chop for 10 - 20 seconds on Speed 7. Remove and add to bowl with carrots and chocolate.

Add sugar to TM bowl and grind for 5 seconds on Speed 9. Add eggs and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds on Speed 5.

Add carrot, chocolate and almond mix and blend for 30 seconds on Speed 5.

Add remaining ingredients (flour, bicarb and salt) and blend for 20 seconds on Speed 6.

Place mixture into greased cake tin and bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, testing after 1 hour to see if skewer comes out clean.

Can be iced with white chocolate and cream cheese topping for an extra chocolate hit.

Chocolate Truffle Torte

This is based on a recipe from "Delia Smith’s Christmas".

This is a luscious and luxurious dessert, so only small helpings.


Chocolate Truffle Torte

Ingredients:

75 g Amaretti biscuits
600 ml whipping cream
450 g cooking chocolate (70% cocoa), cut into chunks
5 tablespoons liquid glucose
125 g Grand Marnier, Rum, Whisky or Amaretto
Cocoa powder or icing sugar for dusting

Method:

Grease a 23cm springform cake tin with oil, and then place a circle of baking paper in the base.

Place biscuits in TM bowl and crush for 20 seconds on speed 9. Spread these over base of the tin.

Insert Butterfly over blades and place cream in TM bowl. Beat for 20 seconds on speed 4 or until it starts to thicken, it does not need to be firm. Remove to a large mixing bowl and set aside in the fridge. Remove Butterfly.

Without cleaning the TM bowl, place the chocolate into the TM bowl and chop for 10 seconds on speed 7. Scrape down the sides and top and add the liquid glucose and liqueur and then melt the chocolate for 5 minutes at 50°C on speed 1. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then add some of the lightly whipped cream. Mix for 15 seconds on speed 3.

Allow to cool for another 5 minutes and then add some of the lightly whipped cream. Mix for 15 seconds on speed 3. Carefully fold chocolate mixture into the remaining cream in the large bowl.

Once mixture is smoothly blended, spoon into prepared cake tin and tap gently to even the mixture out. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, use a knife to loosen the edges of the torte and undo the springform sides. Place a serving plate on the torte and turn upside down, so that the amaretti biscuit crumbs are now on top. (I didn't do this for the pictures as it looked better with the icing sugar on the chocolate. ;) ) Dust with sifted cocoa powder or icing sugar.

It may be prepared a couple of days before serving and freezes well.

Minute Sponges from Interlude

Just a quick word of thanks to Robin Wickens and the team from Interlude for a great experience last night.

The evening served to convert my wife to the fact that some of the new technology being seen in restaurant kitchens really is sensible, able to be utilised at home and not just "wanky" (not her word - but along those lines).

Tonight she had some minute sponges to finish dinner courtesy of new found knowledge, the old cream gun and the microwave.

Thanks again.

Thermomix Jaffa Cake

What do you do when you've gone crazy and bagged a bargain with heaps of cheap good quality mandarins? There aren't that many recipes spring to mind, but I thought that I could change the oranges in the old-faithful boiled orange and almond cake for mandarins and add some chocolate pieces. Brilliant. How original??

Well, not very as it turns out. A check of the old 'net shows that somebody has been here before me!!!

Oh well, never mind. They didn't do it in a Thermomix.

The proportions and timing are not set in stone. The size and juiciness of the mandarins and the vagaries of your oven will need to be taken into account.

Good Luck.

Boiled Mandarin, Almond and Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients:

5 mandarins, washed
Water
250 g almonds
250g Sugar
5 eggs
1tsp Baking Powder
100g chocolate chips



Method:

Place the whole mandarins (with skin on) into the Thermomix basket and place 1000ml of water into the TM bowl. Cook for 10 minutes at 100°C on speed 3. Drain off the water and replace with another 800ml water cook for 40 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 4. Remove the basket from the TM bowl and allow mandarins to cool. When cool enough to handle, slice in half and remove any pips.

Lightly dry TM bowl and add almonds. Grind for 10 seconds on speed 8. Scrape down almonds from side and repeat for another 10 seconds. Add mandarin pieces to TM bowl and blend for 10 seconds on speed 5. Add sugar, eggs and baking powder and blend for 30 seconds on speed 5.

Lastly, place chocolate chips into TM bowl with mixture and mix for 10 seconds on reverse speed 5.

Pour into greased 20cm springform cake tin. Bake at 180°C for approximately 45 minutes, until nicely browned and either firm to touch or a skewer comes out clean. It may require an extra 10 - 20 minutes depending on your oven, size of mandarins, etc.

When cool dust with icing sugar (made by grinding A1 sugar in TM bowl for 10 seconds on speed 9), chocolate shavings (if you are a diehard chocolate fiend) and serve with whipped cream.