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Posts Tagged ‘Balmain’

Berry, Mascarpone and Coconut Cake

Posted in Bake, tagged , , , , , , on November 4, 2009| 13 Comments »

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Berry, Mascarpone and Coconut Cake

One great thing about having a blog is that it pushes you to try out new recipes that you would never have tried otherwise. My attitude nowadays has evolved from “Why make it, when you can buy it” to “Why buy it, when you can make it”.

Take this Berry, Mascarpone and Coconut Cake I made over the weekend.  It is one of my favourite (I know, everything seems to be “one of my favourite”) desserts. Every weekend my husband and I pick up a rustic sourdough from Victoire in Balmain and on special occasions, the strawberry mascarpone coconut cake.

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Layers of summery goodness!

It is a layered cake of coconut dacquoise, strawberries and a mascarpone cream. In my version, I took advantage of the fact that blueberries were in season and added that to a layer as well.

Recipe (Serves 8 to 10)

Equipment:

  • Jelly Roll Pan measuring 38cm by 24cm
  • Loaf Tin measuring around 23cm by 10cm

Ingredients for the Coconut Dacquoise

  • 6 egg whites
  • 70 grams caster sugar
  • 100 grams shredded coconut
  • 80 grams desiccated coconut
  • 150 grams icing sugar, sifted

Ingredients for Mascarpone Mixture

  • 500 grams mascarpone
  • 50 grams caster sugar
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 25 grams caster sugar

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To Prepare the Dacquoise

  1. Grease and line with baking paper the jelly roll pan.
  2. Pre heat the oven to 130C.
  3. In a bowl, mix the coconuts and the icing sugar.
  4. Whisk the egg whites and when you start to see soft peaks, slowly add the caster sugar and whisk until firm peaks.  Add the coconut mixture.
  5. Spread on to the jelly roll and bake in a fan forced oven (increase the heat by 30C if using non-fan forced oven) at 130C for 35 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and allow to cool in a cooling rack.

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For the Mascarpone Mixture:

  1. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks and then add the 25 grams of caster sugar.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, mascarpone and 50 grams of sugar until firm.
  3. Incorporate the two mixtures by folding the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.

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To Assemble: 250 grams fresh strawberries and 250 grams fresh blueberries and brown sugar for dusting.

  1. Slice the strawberries and cut the blueberries in half.  Save a few whole blueberries for the edges of the cake.
  2. Cut the coconut dacquoise into three parts so that each will fit into the loaf tin.
  3. Layer the tin with plastic wrap so that the edges are sticking out.  You will want at least 5cm of plastic that sticks out because you will use it to wrap the cake.
  4. Place a layer of dacquoise  on the tin and cover with 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture and then the strawberries.
  5. Place a second layer of dacquoise over this and cover with the rest of the mascarpone mixture and the blueberries.
  6. Top with a final layer of dacquoise and cover with the plastic wrap.
  7. Refrigerate overnight before dusting with brown sugar and caramelizing the top with a blowtorch.

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Alternatively, you can layer the dessert in a tea cup as well!

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Looks good served in tea cups too!

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RSPCA Cupcake Day – 16 August 2009, Balmain (Mort Bay Park)

Posted in Events, tagged , , on August 18, 2009| 8 Comments »

Bizou and Baci - my two girls helping to celebrate cupcake day!

Bizou and Baci - my two girls helping to celebrate cupcake day!

I am pleased to report that my family and friends raised a total of AUD 272.10 for the RSPCA.  (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).  We had cupcake day at Mort Bay in Balmain on Sunday (16th of August) which also corresponded with my dog’s 4th birthday (Baci).  Along with raising a decent amount of money (also toys, beds and treats), I am also happy to report that we had lots of great fun and managed to create awareness for this organization.   All dogs must really go to heaven because we were blessed with great weather and an amazing number of people turned out (we sold out in 30 minutes!).  Note to self:  Start Early and make more cupcakes next year!


The pink dog - don't worry I was told it was food colouring

The pink dog - don't worry I was told it was food colouring

The cupcake day is really a great way to raise awareness for this organization.  Unfortunately, sometimes even I am guilty of using it as a way to practice my baking skills so I thought instead of sharing with you a recipe for my cupcakes I’ll use this airtime instead to share with you the five reasons I think the RSPCA is truly a worthy cause.

1.  Animals love us unconditionally – well, not sure if all of them do – but definitely my dogs do.  They are always waiting at the door ready to give me a big tail wag and kiss, no matter how late I come home.

2. They provide second chances – the RSPCA rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes unwanted animals.  They receive over 144,000 animals each year and these animals deserve a second chance at having a better life.

3. They make me uncomfortable – sometimes the way we change things is to be uncomfortable with the way things really are.  The RSPCA raises awareness for some of the following causes:

DUCK HUNTING – Unfortunately, there are four states in Australia that still allow duck hunting, despite strong evidence of the extreme suffering involved. The RSPCA opposes the recreational hunting of ducks because of the high level of cruelty. Every year, during the government-declared ‘open season’ many thousands of ducks are shot over the wetlands of Australia in the name of this ‘sport’. Some of these ducks will be killed outright. Some will be wounded, brought down and killed on retrieval. Many others will be crippled or wounded and will die within a few hours or days. Some will suffer prolonged pain before they die.

LIVE EXPORT – Every year some five million Australian sheep, cattle and goats are sent on gruelling voyages overseas just to be slaughtered once they get there. This meat may then sit on the supermarket shelf right next to Australian meat that was sent there in a box.

4. They get me active – The RSPCA has teamed up with the Heart Foundation to encourage people to walk their dogs.  I absolutely hate it when people get dogs and don’t even bother walking them.  They sometimes think that having a big yard is enough – well guess what – a big yard is nothing but a big cage… please, take your dog for a walk… or don’t get a dog at all.

5. They are non-profit – These guys are volunteering their time and effort for a worthy cause – so should we!

Okay… now on to the great Cupcake Day pics!

Baci helping out by giving moral support...

Baci helping out by giving moral support...

The cupcakes all decorated for the big day!

The cupcakes all decorated for the big day!

Bizou, Misty and Digger all waiting for some leftovers

Bizou, Misty and Digger all waiting for some leftovers

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