Prep 20min (+1day macerating, 30min cooling and 1-2hr chilling time)Bake 40-50minMakes 10-12 serves

The secret to a silky smooth baked custard is the balance of eggs to milk and cream and gentle baking. This velvety one is teamed with macerated prunes for a memorable dessert.

Prep 15min (+ 30min cooling time)Bake 20minMakes about 30

Prep 25minBake 18-20minMakes 8 serves

There are two main tricks when making a sponge: don’t over whisk the mixture once you have added the flour, and keep a close eye on your sponge in the oven – it will be dry if over baked.

Ingredients

15g butter, melted and combined with 1½ teaspoons plain flour
4 x 59g eggs, at room temperature
165g (¾ cup) caster sugar
60ml (¼ cup) milk
30g butter, room temperature, diced
110g (¾ cup) self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
30g (¼ cup) cornflour
125ml (½ cup) pure cream, chilled
225g (⅔ cup) strawberry or raspberry jam
Icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. To make the Sponge Layers, place the oven rack in the oven so that the cake tins will sit in the middle of the oven and then preheat it to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Brush two shallow 20cm/8in round cake tins with the melted butter mixture to grease and line the base of each with a round of non-stick baking paper. Brush the bases again with the melted butter mixture.
2. Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed to whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking well after each addition, until the mixture is very thick and pale (this will take about 8 minutes). Lift the whisk out of the mixture and draw a figure eight, if the trail stays on the surface long enough to finish drawing, then the mixture is ready. If not, continue to whisk for a further minute.
3. Meanwhile, heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until almost simmering. Remove from heat and pour down the side of the mixing bowl. Quickly sift the flour and cornflour together over the egg mixture and then immediately whisk again with the electric mixer on low speed briefly until the flour mixture is just incorporated (be careful not to overmix). Scrape the base of the bowl and then whisk briefly again, if necessary.
4. Divide the mixture evenly between the cake tins (see Baker’s Tips) and gently tap the tins on the bench top three times to settle the mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until the cakes are a pale golden colour, spring back when lightly touched in the centre and start pulling away from the sides of the tins. Remove from the oven and immediately use a small palette knife to loosen the top of the sponges from the tins and turn onto a wire rack (see Baker’s Tips), top side up, to cool completely.
5. When ready to fill, use a hand-held electric mixer with a whisk attachment or a balloon whisk to whisk the cream until soft-firm peaks form. Spread one cake with the jam and then the whipped cream. Top with the remaining cake and dust with icing sugar.
   

Prep 15minBake 50minMakes 12 serves

This banana bread is heaven. The addition of coconut oil adds a wonderful richness and heavenly aroma that you won’t be able to resist. This loaf also keeps well and becomes more moist and flavoursome with time, so try not to eat it all at once! It's wonderful served on its own or toasted and spread with butter or ricotta and drizzled with honey.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 21 x 10.5cm (base measurement) loaf pan with the melted coconut oil and line the base and two long sides with one piece of non-stick baking paper. 
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl, returning any husks to the flour mixture. Stir in the coconut. 
3. Use an electric mixer to beat the coconut oil and sugar in a mixing bowl until well combined (it will look like wet sand). Add the egg and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Mash the bananas, add to the coconut mixture with the yoghurt and beat until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface and then tap the tin lightly on the benchtop to settle the mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in the tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool. Serve in slices.

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Coconut.

CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof recipes.

Photography by Alan Benson.

Takes 2hr (+30min for the fruit)Makes a cake for 6–8 and approximately 800g (1lb 12oz) fruit and syrup

Coconut Sugar Pavlova Roll

Reasons why my meringue preference is for a roll over a classic dome: 1. The crust quotient (CQ) is higher. More crunch balances the soft inside and creamy parts. 2. No shaping surprises with a flat pavlova. The proud dome you shape with meringue can sometimes end up baking into an askew beret! 3. Faster! No slooowww cool down keeping you from putting a slice of pavlova on your plate a minute longer than necessary.

Ingredients

Cooking oil spray
300g (10½oz) caster (superfine) sugar
70g (2½oz) coconut sugar
5g (⅛oz/½ teaspoon) vanilla paste
5g (⅛oz) cornflour (cornstarch)
5g/ml (⅛oz) white or apple-cider vinegar
2g (¹⁄₁₆oz/¼ teaspoon) fine sea salt
225g (8oz) egg white (from approx. 12 eggs)
2g (¹⁄₁₆oz/¼ teaspoon) cream of tartar 
600g/ml (1lb 5oz) cream (45% milkfat) 
1 × batch Spiced Grilled Blood Plums (below), chilled

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C (285°F). Lightly spray a flat and heavy 30cm × 40cm (12in × 15¾in) shallow baking tray with cooking oil, then lay a piece of baking paper on the tray, to cover the entire surface. Don’t spray again.
2. Weigh the caster sugar into a small bowl with a small scoop. Weigh the coconut sugar separately. Next, weigh the vanilla, cornflour vinegar and salt together and stir together, then set aside. Coconut sugar impedes getting a stiff meringue structure, so we will add it at the end – when the meringue is strong.
3. Put the egg white and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip on speed 8 (under high) for 3–5 minutes. Once the whites have changed from foamy to stiff and white, start adding the caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, over 3 minutes to make a very shiny and rigid meringue.
4. Turn the mixer off and add the coconut sugar. Slowly turn the mixer on, increasing up to speed 8 (under high) for 5 seconds. Stop the mixer and add the cornflour/vinegar mixture. Re-whip for 5 seconds. Take the bowl off the mixer and use your fingers to push the meringue off the whisk back into the bowl. Give it a final and thorough mix with a plastic spatula so the colour is a uniform pale malt brown. Don’t worry that the meringue has sugary speckles.
5. Scrape the mix out onto the prepared baking tray. Using an offset spatula, smooth it evenly over the tray, leaving a 1.5cm (½ in) border around the edges to allow for some expansion during baking. Bake for 1 hour until the top feels like a crunchy pillow that cracks when gently pressed. Remove and allow to cool at room temperature on the tray, until ready to roll (see Baker's Tips). Moving it off the tray while it’s hot makes the sheet prone to breaking.
   
6. While the meringue cools, whip the cream to billowy soft and cut most of the grilled plum pieces into smaller pieces (four pieces per plum half). Reserve a few slices or whole pieces for the top.
7. To roll, lay two overlapping pieces of plastic wrap on the work surface to make a sheet slightly larger than the meringue sheet. Carefully flip the meringue sheet off the tray, with the shortest side closest to you, and peel off the baking paper. The meringue should now be crunchy top side down and the underside, now exposed, should feel soft and a little sticky.
8. Keeping the short side closest to you, evenly spread 400g (14 oz) of the cream over the meringue, but only smooth a light smear over the 2cm (¾ in) strip at the top of the sheet. This will become the seal, so it’s best not to overload it with cream that will ooze out upon rolling. Scatter the grilled plums evenly over the cream (except for the strip along the top). Tear the pieces up a little if they are too big, as big pieces make a lumpy roll.
9. Take a firm hold of the plastic wrap closest to you and use a repetitive ‘lift and roll’ motion to gradually roll the meringue, until you do a final full roll to reach the end, with the seam underneath. Form a spine of reserved cream then plum pieces. Drizzle the reserved syrup on top.

Spiced Grilled Blood Plums

These plums are another example of Christine Manfield’s (tysm) dessert genius! The grill char imparts a seductive smokiness. The syrup floods them while warm and they absorb all the honey sweetness and glorious spices and fresh citrus zing. These plums love to be served with chocolate mousse, panna cottas or store-bought gelato. I can’t help falling in love with this recipe every time the syrup sizzles on the fruit.

Ingredients

750g (1lb 11oz) blood plums, still firm, not yieldingly ripe (around 8)
30g (1oz) demerara sugar

Spiced syrup
1 orange
1 lemon
100g (3½oz) caster (superfine) sugar
40g (1½oz) honey
40g/ml (1½oz) cold water
4 star anise
2 whole allspice berries few grinds black pepper
1–2 fresh bay leaves (optional)

Method

1. To start the spiced syrup, peel four wide strips each from the orange and the lemon and place into a small, non-reactive saucepan. Set the fruit aside (you’ll add their juice to the syrup later).
2. Add the remaining syrup ingredients to the saucepan. Bring to the boil over a medium–high heat, stirring at first to loosen the sugar. When it boils, turn it down to a simmer and cook for 3–4 minutes until syrupy like maple syrup. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
3. While the syrup cools, heat your grill (broiler) to High (100%). Cut the plums in half, following their natural seam. Twist and pull apart and remove the stone (if it doesn’t prise out easily, cut around it with a small, pointy knife). Place the plums, cut-side up, on a non-reactive, ovenproof, shallow-lipped tray (or line a tray with foil). Sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over the plums, then grill for 10–12 minutes, until the cut side has blistered and some have a collar of blackened flesh (see Baker's Tips).
   
4. Remove the plums from the grill. Squeeze the juice from the orange and lemon into the syrup and pour over the plums. Adding the juice when the syrup has cooled will retain the fresh acidity. Overheated juice loses vibrancy.
5. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, turning once in the syrup. Cool to room temperature before using.

This is an edited extract from Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice by Natalie Paull (Hardie Grant Books, RRP $50. 

Photographer: © Rochelle Eagle 2024

You can read more about what Natalie is baking this winter here.

Prep 30min (+3days soaking and overnight cooling time)Bake 2hr 30minMakes 20 serves

This is Colombia’s version of a rich fruit cake. Dense with prunes, raisins and figs, generously spiked with both rum and port, and cleverly flavoured with aromatic spices, it is hard to stop at one piece. Traditionally dulce quemado (sweet burnt brown sugar), either homemade or bought, is used to sweeten this cake, but molasses makes a perfectly acceptable substitute as I've done in this recipe.

You will need to start this cake at least 6 days before baking.

Ingredients

200g (1 cup) pitted prunes
170g (1 cup) seedless raisins
80ml (⅓ cup) port, plus 80ml (⅓ cup) extra
60ml (¼ cup) dark rum, plus 60ml (¼ cup) extra
80g (½ cup) blanched almonds
50g (½ cup) pecans
melted butter, to grease
200g (1 cup) tenderised figs or drained figs in syrup (see Baker's Tips), finely chopped
250g butter, at room temperature
275g (1¼ cups) caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
5 eggs, at room temperature
250g (1⅔ cups) plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons molasses (see Baker's Tips)

Method

Prep 25min (1hr cooling time)Bake 60-65minMakes 8 serves

Prep 30min (+1hr cooling and 30min standing time) Bake 40minMakes 10 serves

This dairy-free, flourless number is the Jewish Passover dessert of choice.

Ingredients

75g (⅔ cup) cocoa powder, sifted
165ml (⅔ cup) boiling water
200g pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
4 eggs, at room temperature
220g (1 cup) raw caster sugar
200ml light olive oil, plus extra to grease
1½ teaspoons natural vanilla essence or extract

Dairy-free ganache
185g dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped
60g dairy-free spread

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Grease a 22cm springform tin with extra oil and line the base with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the cocoa in a medium bowl and gradually stir in the boiling water until smooth. Set aside to cool.
3. Process the pecans in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir through the baking powder until evenly combined.
4. Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla on high speed for about 5 minutes or until thick and pale. Add the cocoa mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the pecan mixture and stir until just combined.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until wet crumbs cling to a skewer inserted into the centre. Cool the cake in the tin sitting on a wire rack.
6. To make the dairy-free ganache, combine the chocolate and dairy-free spread in a medium heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barley simmering water (make sure the waster doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl). Stir occasionally until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl form the saucepan and set aside for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ganache thickens to a thick spreadable consistency.
7. Remove the cake from the tin and place on serving plate. Spoon the ganache over the cake and use the back of a spoon to spread. Set the cake aside for 30 minutes or until the ganache sets. Serve in wedges.

This recipe is part of Anneka's SBS Food Bakeproof: Jewish Baking online column. For more Bakeproof columns and recipes, click here.

Photography by Alan Benson.

Prep 15minBake 12-15min (per batch)Makes about 20

These macaroons are commonly crumbled and used in the traditional Danish Lagkage (layer cake), a traditional Danish birthday cake. They are wonderfully crisp on the outside while being mor-ishly soft on the inside and are truly addictive as a ‘sweet’ treat. While not traditional, I’ve taken the liberty of adding a sprinkling of flaked almonds for extra texture.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
2. Put the almond meal, icing sugar and bicarbonate of soda in a medium bowl and mix until evenly combined.
3. Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk the egg whites and salt in a medium clean, dry bowl until stiff peaks form. Add the almond meal and icing sugar mixture and use a spatula or large metal spoon to fold together until evenly combined.
4. Use two metal teaspoons to spoon slightly heaped spoonfuls of the mixture onto the lined tray about 4 cm apart to allow for spreading. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds and then bake in the third top of the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and aromatic.
5. Cool the macaroons on the tray. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make about 20 macaroons in total.

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Danish Baking. CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof recipes. 

Photography by Alan Benson. 

Prep 30min (+overnight +45min resting timeBake 20-25minMakes 12

Danish pastries are possibly Denmark’s most well-recognized food specialty, even though it is Austria that should actually be credited for originally creating them! Traditionally based on a leavened puff pastry (basically a puff pastry made with a yeast dough) the making of them is quite an involved process. Luckily, the pastry used here is a short-cut one with chunks of butter already incorporated into the pastry when initially mixed which cuts out the process of interleaving it with the pastry dough as you fold it – if you haven’t made puff pastry before, this is a great recipe to start with.

Ingredients

• 125ml (½ cup) lukewarm milk
• 7g (1 sachet) dried yeast
• 250g (1⅔ cups) plain flour
• 185g butter, chilled and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 1 egg, at room temperature, lightly whisked
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 5 tablespoons good-quality raspberry jam
• 2 tablespoons flaked almonds, toasted, to decorate

Icing

• 125g (1 cup) pure icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• ¼ teaspoon natural almond extract   

Method

1. Put the milk in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Put the flour and butter into the bowl of a food processor and use the pulse button to process until the butter is cut into 1 cm pieces (make sure your don’t process any further). Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add the egg, sugar and cardamom to the milk mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour and butter mixture and use a wooden spoon and then your hands to mix until it is just combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring together with your hands. Knead for 30 seconds or until smooth. Shape into a rectangle and then  use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the out until about 40 x 25cm, keeping the edges as straight as possible. With a long side nearest to you, fold the right third of the dough in to cover the centre third and then fold the left side in also. Turn the dough clockwise a quarter turn. Fold the dough into thirds as before to make a small rectangle.  Flip the dough over on the bench and repeat the rolling and folding process again. You will finish with a small rectangle. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
6. Roll out the pastry with a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about (30 x 35cm) and about 5mm thick. Cut in half to make two 15 x 35cm rectangles. Spread the raspberry jam down the centre to cover the centre third of both rectangles. Cut the pastry diagonally into 2cm-wide strips down both sides of the jam and then fold the strips, alternating form each side, into the centre over the jam. Transfer the pastries on the lined tray. Cover loosely with a slightly damp tea towel and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 15 minutes or until the pastry is ‘puffy’.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden, crisp and cooked through. Remove from oven and cool on the tray.
8. To make the Icing, put the icing sugar in a medium bowl and stir in the water and almond extract to make a smooth pouring consistency. Drizzle over the cooled pastry and sprinkle with the almonds and set aside to set. Serve at room temperature cut into slices.

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Danish Baking. 

CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof recipes.

Photography by Alan Benson.