Feijoa and White Chocolate Cake

As I mentioned on my last post. It's crazy feijoa season here. There's about 2 months of the year that NZ has an overflow of feijoa, and then we don't see them again till the next year. Which is good, because when they are in season, there are so many, and they are so good, that without fail you completely gorge yourself on them, and by the end of the season, are so over them that you're searching for new and interesting ways to use them up. 

Note: they also freeze really well, so you can scoop the pulp and stow it away in the freezer for a baking on a rainy day if you've already had your fill for now. 

After the feijoa oatcakes and crumbles I've been making of late I wanted to try something new, plus Mr 3 wanted to make a 'Mudders Day' chocolate cake for me... FYI - by him helping bake, he means he wants to lick the spoon and eat all the ingredients, minimal help actually attained. But, he's there and involved and we have fun making a mess, so that's all good. But, yes, I made my own Mother's Day cake essentially. 

Now, he wanted chocolate cake, but me being me, and hating seeing food go to waste, I knew I needed to include the feijoa. There's a few feijoa cakes out there with cocoa in them,  but the idea of milk or dark chocolate with feijoa just doesn't quite sound right to me. Plus I wanted to make something that could have cream cheese icing, no explanation necessary on that one, cream cheese icing is THE BEST. 

A few years back I made feijoa and white chocolate muffins, which were an amazing flavour combo, so I wanted to recreate that in cake form here. The result here is a deliciously moist, rich yet tart cake. The richness comes from the white chocolate which caramelised in some spots, and the tartness from the feijoa and cream cheese icing. I've left the icing quite soft, as that's how I like it, but if you prefer a firmer icing, simply add more icing sugar. 

Ingredients (makes 24cm round cake): 

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp lemon juice 
• 1 3/4 flour
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 120 grams butter, melted
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp boiling water (45ml)
•  1 cup of feijoa pulp
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, optional, but worthwhile

Icing:

• 100g butter, room temperature
• 100g cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice and lemon zest

Method:

Grease a 25cm diameter cake tin. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. 

In a cake mixer, or using an electric hand beater beat sugar and eggs till light and fluffy. 

Add lemon juice, mix. Then add baking powder and flour, half a cup at a time, till all combined. 

Mix baking soda with boiling water, and along with feijoa pulp and melted butter, add to your cake mix, folding together till well combined. Finally fold in the chocolate chips. 

Pour cake mix into your greased cake tin and bake 40 - 50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. 

Leave to cool in tin for 15 mins before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Once cooled ice with cream cheese icing. 

To make icing, beat butter until light in colour and fluffy. Add softened cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined. Add sifted icing sugar half a cup at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. I like it quite soft. Stir in a teaspoon of lemon juice and lemon rind (optional). 

White Chocolate and Boysenberry Tart

Here's another recipe to add to my growing tart collection. I find these to make the most satisfying desserts, which are also rather impressive for guests. Plus I find them a lot easier to make than cakes. 

Pastry becomes really easy to make once you've got the basics covered, and the use of a food processor here cuts back on the elbow grease required too. Once you have a good pastry recipe, like this one, it's all about the fillings. This is the part I love as I get to be really creative. Either with the latest crave, or simply using up fruit or chocolate in the fridge. 

Here I've used frozen boysenberries, but you could easily swap for raspberries, which are traditionally paired with both white chocolate and cream cheese. Personally, I like the depth of colour that you get with boysenberries, plus as a child, boysenberry jam was my favourite. Mixing the melted white chocolate with the cream cheese adds a subtle tanginess to the white chocolate, which can be overwhelmingly sweet at times. 

Ingredients (serves 8-12) 

Pastry:

• 1 3/4 cups of plain flour
• 1/4 cup of icing sugar 
• 180 grams cold butter, diced
• 1 egg yolk (reserve white for brushing) 
• 3 tbsp chilled water
• greaseproof paper
• baking beads or rice 

Filling: 

• 175 grams Whittaker's 23% White Chocolate - you can use another brand of white chocolate, but let's face it, Whittaker's is best. 
• 175 grams cream cheese 
• 3 tbsp icing sugar 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2/3 cup defrosted boysenberries, well drained

Step 1: Make Pastry

Sieve flour and icing sugar together. Put into your food processor with the diced butter and pulse for a few minutes till all of the butter is mixed in and it becomes a breadcrumb texture. 

Next add the egg yolk and chilled water. Pulse again. When it begins to come together, tip out onto a lightly floured board and lightly knead until you have a smooth dough. 

Flatten into a 15cm disc. Cover in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Pastry is much easier to work with when it is cold. 

Step 2: Bake Pastry 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease a 30cm loose-based fluted tart tin with butter. 

Remove pastry from the fridge and roll out on a piece of greaseproof paper large enough to fit the tart tin. 

Gently lay the pastry over the tin and press into the edges. Use the rolling pin to roll across the top of the tin to trim off any excess pastry. 

Place the greaseproof paper over the pastry and fill the tin with baking beads or uncooked rice (less than a kilo of rice will fill it - reserve the rice afterwards for using again the next time you bake pastry). This holds the pastry in place and stops it both puffing up and from sinking down the sides. 
Chill again for 10 minutes. 

Place in the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes. 

Remove tart from oven and take off the baking paper and rice. Brush with reserved egg white, before returning to the oven for another 15 minutes to finish cooking through. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. If pastry has puffed up, then simply gently press it back down while it is still hot. 

Step 3: Prepare the filling

Make a double boiler by putting 1 or 2 cups of water into a small saucepan. Cover the top of the saucepan with a bowl so that no steam can escape (the water should not be touching the bottom of the bowl). 
Bring to the boil. Break the chocolate into the bowl and stir, till melted, then remove from the heat. Allow to cool slightly before adding the remaining ingredients. 

In another bowl, beat the cream cheese with lemon juice and icing sugar till softened and smooth. Stir in the defrosted and drained boysenberries. Finally combine the cream cheese mixture with the melted chocolate. Stir 

Carefully spoon the filling into the tart shell and spread evenly. Chill for 2 - 3 hours before serving. Garnish with extra crushed white chocolate or fresh berries if desired. 

White Chocolate Hot Cross Cakes

These Easter cakes are a real treat, and are best served with a lashing of butter in the middle. They're like a cross between a hot cross bun and a fruit loaf. Try them for morning or afternoon tea instead of your usual Good Friday hot cross buns. 

Ingredients (makes 10):

• 50grams butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup currants - or raisins 
• 1/4 cup of cranberries
• 50 grams of white chocolate chips 
• 3/4 cup wholemeal flour 
• 3/4 cup plain flour 
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice 
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Grease 10 muffin holes of a muffin tray. 

Cream butter and sugar till fluffy. Beat in the egg. Stir in the dried fruit and white chocolate. 

In another bowl sift the flours, baking soda and spices. Tip the wholemeal husks into the bowl with the flour. 

Mix the baking soda and milk together. 

Stir the flour and milk into the creamed butter alternatively till all is well combined. 

Spoon mixture into 10 muffin tins. 

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

When cooled melt the remaining white chocolate. Spoon the melted chocolate into a clean plastic bag and snip 1mm off the corner. Pipe crosses onto the top of each muffin. 

Serve with a spread of softened butter in the middle of each. 

Lemon and White Chocolate Muffins

One of my goals this year was to stop eating junk food. What I mean when I say junk food is processed food. Which means, that if I want treats, I have to make them myself, or a friend. So long as it doesn't come in a packet. My only exception to that rule is chocolate - Whittaker's Chocolate - Quality Chocolate. 

So I created these muffins for our Friday morning tea... The tartness of lemon mixed with the sweet chocolate flavour is a match made in heaven. Even better, these don't take long to whip up and get into the oven. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 cups flour 
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp lemon rind 
• 1/2 cup Whittaker's white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup milk 
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil - something lightly flavoured like rice bran or canola
• 1 egg 
• 12 squares of Whittaker's white chocolate for the top

Grease a 12 hole muffin tin and preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. 

As per usual muffin recipes, sift the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, and baking powder. Stir in the lemon rind and chopped Whittaker's white chocolate. 

In another bowl beat the lemon juice with milk, vegetable oil and egg till well mixed. 

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. While turning the bowl, use a wooden spoon to fold the dry and wet together, till just combined (a few floury bits are ok here, it will sort itself out while cooking). 

Place in the hot oven for 20 minutes till a skewer comes out clean. 

Once removed, place a square of Whittaker's white chocolate on the top of each muffin. Allow this to soften for a minute and very gently press it down onto the muffin a little to make sure the chocolate is secure (I find this method 'pretties' them up, without all the fuss of making icing, plus you get more of the chocolatey goodness!).

After 5 - 10 minutes remove from the tin to cool completely. 

Keep somewhere cool in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or, wrap and freeze muffins individually for up to three months. 

After Dinner Mint Tart

Are you a lover of mint slice biscuits? After dinner mints? Whittaker's Dark Ghana 72% peppermint chocolate? 

If so, then this is the tart for you. 

Yes, it looks mightily impressive, and tastes even better. Even though there are a few steps involved, it is actually ridiculously easy to prepare: Especially if you have a food processor to take the hard work out of the pastry. If you don't have a food processor just rub the butter into the sifted ingredients using your fingers. 

Do make sure you have plenty of time up your sleeve though. You need to wait for the pastry to chill, bake, chill, then for each layer of ganache to set. Ideally, you want to prepare this the night or morning before you want to eat it. 

Ingredients (serves 12-16): 

Pastry

• 1 1/2 cups of plain flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup of icing sugar 
• 180 grams cold butter, diced
• 1 egg yolk (reserve white for brushing) 
• 3 tbsp chilled water
• greaseproof paper
• baking beads or rice 

White chocolate ganache 

• 200 g white chocolate 
• 100 ml cream 
• 2 tsp peppermint essence

Dark chocolate ganache 

• 200 g good quality dark chocolate - Whittaker's 72% is perfect for this
• 140 ml cream 
• 3 tsp peppermint essence

Step 1: Make Pastry

Sieve flour, cocoa and icing sugar together. Put into your food processor with the diced butter and pulse for a few minutes till all of the butter is mixed in and it becomes a breadcrumb texture. 

Next add the egg yolk and chilled water. Pulse again. When it begins to come together, tip out onto a lightly floured board and lightly knead until you have a smooth dough. 

Flatten into a 15cm disc. Cover in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Pastry is much easier to work with when it is cold. 

Step 2: Bake Pastry 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease a 30cm loose-based fluted tart tin with butter. 

Remove pastry from the fridge and roll out on a piece of greaseproof paper large enough to fit the tart tin. 

Gently lay the pastry over the tin and press into the edges. Use the rolling pin to roll across the top of the tin to cut off any excess pastry. 

Place the greaseproof paper over the pastry and fill the tin with baking beads or uncooked rice (less than a kilo of rice will fill it - reserve the rice afterwards for using again the next time you bake pastry). This holds the pastry in place and stops it both puffing up and from sinking down the sides. Chill again for 10 minutes. 

Place in the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes. 

Remove tart from oven and take off the baking paper and rice. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes to finish cooking through. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

Step 3: White Chocolate Ganache 

Once cooled, you can make the white chocolate ganache. In a small saucepan, gently heat the 100ml of cream. Just as it begins to boil, remove it from the heat and add the white chocolate. Leave it to sit for a few minutes. Then stir till all of the chocolate is melted in and you have a smooth mixture. Add 2 tsp of peppermint essence. 

Once cooled to nearly room temperature, pour into the pastry tilt to spread evenly. Leave it in the fridge, uncovered, to chill for an hour or two. I left it overnight and finished it off the next day. If you want to smooth it more, wait till it is completely chilled first. Then heat a large metal spoon in a glass of boiling water. Dry the spoon off (make sure it is dry - water and chocolate are not friends) and use the back of it to gently smooth out any rough areas of chocolate. 

Step 4: Dark Chocolate Ganache 

Make the dark chocolate ganache, as you did with the white chocolate ganache, heat the 140ml cream to nearly boiling point. Add the chopped chocolate and leave for two minutes. Stir till smooth. Add peppermint essence. Once cooled pour over the white chocolate ganache. Leave in the refrigerator to set for 2 hours. 

Step 5: Share and Devour

Remove the tart from the fridge 15-30 minutes before serving. Fill a mug with boiling water and heat a small sharp knife in the water. Dry the knife on a clean cloth and gently cut small wedges of the tart, reheating the knife as required. 

Heating the knife will give you clean cuts and avoid the chocolate cracking. 

Depending how decadent you are feeling you'll easily get 12 - 16 slices out of this tart as it's rather rich. 

Serve with lightly whipped cream if desired. 

Petit Fours ~ Chocolatey experimental goodness

Clockwise from top: Dark Chocolate Stuffed Dates; Dark Chocolate
Peppermint Truffles; White Chocolate Coconut & Peppermint Truffles;
Milk Chocolate & Lavender Truffles

I recently invited some friends for dinner. Commencing with nibbles of cheese and crackers, mains of slow-cooked lamb shanks I decided that a full blown dessert would be too much. 
Instead making my tried and tested dark chocolate coated stuffed medjool dates. A light, but deliciously satisfying option. 
However, ironically, this was not enough, so I decided I could make a white chocolate option as well.... and before I knew it I had four flavours of delicious chocolatey morsels for my guests to indulge in. 
I think the highlight for me was their astonishment that I had just 'whipped them up' that afternoon. 
But seriously, it took no time at all! 











Using only the best - Whittaker's - I made the following scrumptious treats.

• White Chocolate, Coconut & Peppermint Truffles
• Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Truffles
• Milk Chocolate & Lavender Truffles 
• Dark Chocolate coated stuffed Medjool Dates. 

For each truffle simply melt the following ingredients then allow to cool (fridge) and roll into balls. Dusting or rolling in the final ingredient. 

To melt chocolate, do so carefully in a double boiler - in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the melting bowl, and turn heat down or off as the chocolate is nearly melted. It is a delicate process not to be rushed. 

  

• White Chocolate, Coconut & Peppermint Truffles

85g White Chocolate 

30g Coconut Oil 

1 & 1/2 tbsp Peppermint Schnapps

Desiccated Coconut (for rolling truffles

• Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Truffles

85g Dark Chocolate (Whittaker's 82% dark if possible, but make sure to use a chocolate with at least 50% cocoa solids) 

20g butter 

1 & 1/2 tbsp Peppermint Schnapps 

Cocoa & Icing Sugar mix (for rolling truffles)

• Milk Chocolate & Lavender Truffles 

85g Milk Chocolate (I used Whittaker's 33%) 

30g butter

1 & 1/2 tbsp Lavender syrup (Cosset brand, but you could use any flavour syrup of preference) 

This one I dolloped into Mini-muffin trays while still melted, and once nearly set, dusted with cocoa, and sprinkled with Lavender flowers. 

• Dark Chocolate coated stuffed Medjool Dates. 

85g Dark Chocolate (as above) 

20g butter

10 Medjool dates (carefully pitted - leaving date intact) 

40 roasted coffee beans (roasted almonds work if you aren't a coffee fan, but the coffee beans are sensational in it. 

Stuff each date with 3 or 4 coffee beans, toss in melted chocolate and place on a baking paper lined tray to set. Prop an extra coffee bean on top, or dust with cinnamon if you have it.


Store in fridge and remove abut 20 minutes before eating. These should keep in a container in the fridge for at least a week or two, provided they don't get eaten first. 

Spicy Oaty White-Chocolatey Cranberry Cookies

This is my failsafe cookie recipe. I make it whenever I have to take a morning tea plate, or am craving cookies. They are chewy, crunchy, sweet, and spicy. 
Not to mention the cookie dough freezes well too. So I usually have dough ready to thaw out for unexpected guests. Simply preheat the oven to 180º and by the time it's ready the dough is thawed enough to handle and shape into balls. 
This recipe will make either 40 small cookies or 20 LARGE ones. I prefer small, but always end up eating two or three so should probably save myself time and make the large ones anyway!
I made these recently for staff morning tea, and they were gobbled up in no time, with many of my colleagues asking for the recipe. Hence, here I am sharing it with you all. 
Thanks for reading and enjoy! 





Ingredients
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
150g butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 tbsp water
2/3 c flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 c rolled oats
1 c dried cranberries
1/2 c white chocolate (Whittaker's is best, but any will do)

Method

• Preheat oven to 180º and grease two baking trays (if cooking the full batch, just one if you plan to freeze half the mix)
• Place both sugars in a bowl with softened (not melted) butter. Add vanilla, and beat using an electric beater till creamed. 
• Add egg and beat well. Add the 2 tbsp of water and beat well again. 

• Sift in flour, spices, salt and baking soda, add oats, cranberries and roughly chopped chocolate, mix together using a wooden spoon till well combined. 
• Using wet hands, roll the mixture into balls (a bit smaller than a golf ball for small cookies) and place on greased trays. Make sure that they are far apart as they will flatten and spread during cooking. If making larger ones press them down a little before baking.
• Place in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, till golden and smelling delicious (20-25 if making large ones).
• Leave to cool on trays for 5 minutes or so before transferring to a cooling rack, as they will be very soft.