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Reform Cake (Reform Torta)

 Reforma Torta is of Serbian origin and consists of a rich, multi-layered walnut sponge cake with a creamy chocolate filling. It is a  very popular desert and it is hard to imagine any celebration without it.

 

Reform Cake Reform Torta)
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Reform Cake Reform Torta)
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
Walnut Sponge
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Separate 10 egg whites from 10 eggs. Using electric mixer whisk egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form, Gradually add sugar until sugar is dissolved.
  3. Add wallnats and whisk until just combined.
  4. Spoon half of the meringue into the average sized rectangular baking pan. The thickness should be about 0.5-1cm.
  5. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until the center springs back when lightly pressed and edges are just beginning to color. Remove from oven and cool in pan 3 minutes.
  6. Run a knife around the edge of the sponge cake to loosen it. Carefully invert onto a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper. Let cool completely. When cool, split each sponge cake in half horizontally so you have 4 layers.
Filling
  1. To make a filling place 10 yolks and 10 tablespoon of sugar in a double boiler over medium heat. Whisk for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add 100 gr of dark chocolate and mix for another couple of minutes. Remove from the heat, leave to cool.
  2. Using electric mixer beat the butter in a separate bowl. Fold in the cooled chocolate mixture, mix until combined.
Assemble the Torte
  1. Place one layer of walnut sponge on a serving tray and spread on a layer of chocolate filling. Repeat until all 4 layers are stacked on top of each other.
  2. Frost the top and sides of the torte with the remaining chocolate filling. Leave at room temperature for several hours before refrigerating. If desired, garnish with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts.
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Caramel Banana Cake

Caramel Banana Cake
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Caramel Banana Cake
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Ingredients
Caramel Icing
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Grease a 23 cm square pan (or 14cm x 21cm loaf pan for banana bread). Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced.
  2. Cream butter and sugar in small bowl until light and fluffy, beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat until combined.
  3. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, stir in banana. Stir half the sifted dry ingredients with half the combined sour cream and milk, then stir in remaining dry ingredients and sour cream mixture.
  4. Pour mixture in prepared pan. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Stand for 5min before turning on to wire rack to cool. When cold spread with icing.
Caramel Icing
  1. Melt butter and sugar in saucepan, stir constantly over heat without boiling for 2 minutes. Add sour cream, bring to the boil, remove from heat, stir in sifted icing sugar.
Recipe Notes

Replace caramel icing with cream cheese frosting :

60 gr cream cheese

30 gr soft butter

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter in small bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar, beat until smooth.

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Chicken and apples cooked in cider

Chicken and apples
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Chicken and apples
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper, preferably a few hours before cooking.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan with a lid and fry the chicken until golden brown on all sides. Add the butter, apples, onions, brandy, thyme, salt, pepper and cider to the pan.
  3. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes and then uncovered for a further 20 minutes.
  4. Stir through the cream, adjust the seasoning and serve with potatoes on the side.
Recipe Notes

recipe is taken from Adam Liaw

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Hazelnut biscuits

Hazelnut biscuits
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Hazelnut biscuits
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread the hazelnuts over a baking tray and cook in preheated oven for 10-12 min or until lightly toasted.
  2. Rub the hazelnuts between a clean teat towel to remove as much skin as possible. Roughly chop the hazelnuts and set aside. Increase oven temperature to 200°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
  3. Using electric beaters, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy Add egg and vanilla essence beating in thoroughly.
  4. Using a metal spoon , fold in sifted flour and hazelnuts. Mix until well combined.
  5. Shape level tablespoon of mixture into crescent shapes. Place on prepared trays. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
  6. Set aside for 2-3 minutes on the trays to cool slightly. Place the extra icing sugar on a plate. Roll the biscuits gently in the icing sugar and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Raspberry Muffins

Raspberry Muffins
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Raspberry Muffins
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius
  2. Melt the butter in the microwave, and set it aside to cool.
  3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, the baking powder, the bicarb, sugar, and salt. In a measuring jug, beat together the milk, the egg and the melted butter.
  4. Pour into the dry ingredients, and mix until combined.
  5. Fold in the raspberries, but don't mix them to much, or the mixture will turn pink.
  6. Put paper muffin cases in a muffin tray. Then , spoon the mixture into the paper cases.
  7. Bake for 25 mins.
  8. Serve
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Chicken Nuggets and Sweet Potato Chips

Chicken Nuggets and Sweet Potato Chips
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Chicken Nuggets and Sweet Potato Chips
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Ingredients
Chicken Nuggets
Sweet Potato Chips
Servings:
Instructions
  1. For the Sweet Potato Chips, line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Using a flat edge peeler, peel sweet potato into wide ribbons and spread out onto prepared trays. Place into the oven to bake until crisp, about 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Repeat with remaining sweet potato.
  3. Increase oven temperature to 200C.
  4. For the Chicken Schnitzel, place butter into a medium sized glass bowl and sit over a saucepan of simmering water to melt.
  5. Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a large sized bowl and set aside.
  6. Place chicken thighs between two sheets of baking paper on a chopping board and tenderise with a meat mallet. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
  7. Add chicken pieces to the bowl of butter over steaming water and stir to coat the chicken. Remove from heat, drain excess butter then add chicken to the bowl of crumb and toss to coat completely. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake until golden, about 18-20 minutes, turning halfway.
  8. To serve, pile Chicken Schnitzels onto one side of a large serving platter. Pile Sweet Potato Chips next to the pile of Chicken Schnitzel.
  9. Serve with fresh cos lettuce leaves, lemon wedges and mayonnaise on the side.
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Poppy Seed / Walnut Strudel

 

Poppy Seed / Walnut Strudel
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This poppy seed strudel recipe showcases the distinctive taste of poppy seed filling that is so popular in European sweets rolled inside a yeast dough crust.
Poppy Seed / Walnut Strudel
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This poppy seed strudel recipe showcases the distinctive taste of poppy seed filling that is so popular in European sweets rolled inside a yeast dough crust.
Ingredients
For the poppy seed filling:
For the walnut filling:
Servings:
Instructions
  1. First, make the dough: heat milk until warm, add dry yeast and sugar and leave to dissolve, for 10 minutes. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter. Mix well. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and egg. Knead until soft dough forms. Cover in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  2. Prepare fillings: in a sauce pan, mix sugar and milk for filling. Bring sugar/milk mixture to a boil. Mix poppy seed (walnuts) with other dry ingredients and pour sugar/milk mixture over, stir well and set aside.
  3. Take your dough, divide in 2-3 equal pieces and roll each one out on well-floured surface, into a rectangle. Spread filling leaving last 2 cm of dough with out filling . Roll longer rectangle sides towards the middle. Place all rolled up strudels onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
  4. Brush strudels with egg yolk. Let them rest for 10-15min. Brush them with egg white and leave for another 10-15min.
  5. In the meantime preheat oven to 180C; bake for 30-40 min. Slightly cool before cutting. Keep well frozen.
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Vanilla Cookies – Vanilice

Vanilla Cookies - Vanilice
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Vanilla Cookies - Vanilice
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Beat sugar and butter with mixer until well blended. Add the egg, egg yolk, lemon zest and vanilla sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add flour into the butter mixture, mix well. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface on 1/8 inch thickness and cut cookies with small glass.
  2. Preheat oven to 180 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes (you don't want the cookies to be brown). Cool for 5 minutes, then spread a little bit of the raspberry jam onto one side of a cookie, top it with another (don't put too much filling, you don't want it coming out the sides).
  4. Serve the following day but the best is to let age 5-7 days before serving.
  5. Can be stored for a few months in the freezer and then brought to room temperature before serving.
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