White chocolate 'berrymisu'

Ingredients (serves 8)

500g packet frozen raspberries
180g white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 cups boiling water
250g cream cheese, softened
300ml thickened cream
3 eggs
2/3 cup icing sugar mixture
1 1/2 x 250g packets sponge finger biscuits
1 cup raspberry jam


Method

1. Place 2 cups raspberries on a plate lined with paper towel. Set aside until thawed. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium-high (75%) for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring with a metal spoon every 30 seconds, or until smooth. Set aside to cool. Place cocoa powder in a shallow, heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in boiling water to combine. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Add cream. Beat for 2 minutes or until thickened and combined. Gradually beat in chocolate.
3. Wash and dry beaters. Beat eggs and icing sugar in a large bowl for 8 minutes or until mixture is thick and creamy. Fold egg mixture, in 2 batches, into cream mixture.
4. Dip half the biscuits, 1 at a time, into cocoa mixture to coat. Arrange over base of a 7cm-deep, 21.5cm x 29cm (base) dish. Spoon half the cream mixture over biscuits. Top with thawed raspberries. Dip remaining biscuits in cocoa mixture. Arrange over raspberries, pushing slightly into mixture. Spoon over remaining cream mixture. Cover. Refrigerate overnight.
5. Place jam in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100%) for 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Strain through a fine sieve. Arrange remaining raspberries over tiramisu. Drizzle with jam. Serve.

Colourful cobra cake

Equipment

You'll need a 55cm square cake board, double-sided sticky tape, 10cm long piece thin wire (22 gauge), toothpicks and skewers.

Ingredients

3 x 340g packets golden buttercake mix or 3 quantities Homemade cake (see related recipe)
3 x 340g packets Smarties (we used only the purple, pink, yellow, red and orange)
2 x 380g packets M&Ms (we used only the yellow, red and orange)
1 strawberry sour strap
5cm piece licorice strap
2 green mini M&Ms
2 teaspoons orange sprinkles
Buttercream icing
250g butter, softened
3 cups icing sugar mixture
2 tablespoons milk
Orange food colouring paste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Liberally grease two 6cm-deep, 23cm (top) round fluted cake pans (see tip, below). Dust with flour. Lightly grease a 7cm-deep, 20cm round cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper.
2. Make 2 packet cakes following packet directions or homemade cakes (see related recipe). Divide batter between prepared fluted cake pans. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through. Make remaining cake. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Make icing: Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a bowl until pale. Gradually add icing sugar mixture and milk, beating constantly until combined.
4. Place head and tail tip templates on round cake. Secure with toothpicks. Cut around templates. Cut one-quarter from 1 fluted cake. Place remaining three-quarters of cake on board. Place cut piece in opposite direction to form tail. Using icing, secure tail and tail tip to cake. Starting at the other end of the cake, cut a 2cm-deep x 10cm-long slice off the top of cake. Using picture as a guide, rest the other fluted cake onto the cut. Secure with skewers. Place leftover round cake underneath to support sides. Taper head piece to sit flat on cake. Use skewers to secure (see Cooking class, below).
5. Tint icing orange. Reserve 1 teaspoon icing. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake. Using picture as a guide, position Smarties and M&Ms on cake to create scales. Wrap wire in double-sided tape to enclose. Using picture as a guide, cut sour strap into a thin, forked tongue shape. Stick tongue to wire, leaving 3cm wire uncovered. Cut licorice strap into 2 triangles. Using reserved icing, place 1 green mini M&M on each licorice piece to form eyes. Position eyes on cake. Insert tongue into front of head. Top head with orange sprinkles. Serve.


Notes

Download Colourful Cobra cake template

Cooking class: Remove and discard skewers, toothpicks and wire before serving. Rest remaining fluted cake on groove in cut cake. Place leftover cake underneath to support sides. Taper head piece to sit flat on cake. Secure with skewers.

Tip: We used silicone round fluted cake pans.

Ingredients (serves 10)

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon boiling water
250g butter, chopped
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups self-raising flour
250g cream cheese, softened
250g mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup pure icing sugar
grated dark chocolate, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Lightly grease a 6cm-deep, 22cm round cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper.
2. Combine coffee and boiling water in a bowl. Stir until coffee is dissolved.
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add brown sugar, caster sugar and coffee mixture. Stir to dissolve. Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs, milk and flour. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and mascarpone until smooth. Gradually add icing sugar, beating until combined.
5. Using a serrated knife, cut cake crossways into 3 layers. Place bottom layer on a plate. Spread with one-third of cheese mixture. Repeat with middle layer and half remaining cheese mixture. Top with remaining layer, cheese mixture and grated chocolate. Serve.

Coconut cake with caramel berries

Cooking Time

45 minutes

Equipment

Angel food cake tin

Ingredients (serves 10)

6 eggs at room temperature, separated
1 1/2 cups (330g) caster sugar
100ml canola oil
Finely grated rind and juice of 2 limes
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour, sifted 3 times
2 tbs (15g) desiccated coconut
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups (200g) icing sugar, sifted
Caramel Berries
150g caster sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
2 x 250g punnets strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced widthways
120g punnet raspberries

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 1/2 the caster sugar until very thick and pale. Combine oil, lime rind and 3/4 cup water in a jug. With mixer on low speed, gradually pour mixture in, beating until just combined.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat eggwhites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining caster sugar, 1 tbs at a time, continuing to beat until thick and glossy.
3. Sift flour, coconut and salt over yolk mixture and whisk until just combined. Using a large metal spoon, fold in eggwhite mixture in 2 batches. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 25cm tube (angel food) cake tin (from kitchenware stores). Level top then bake on lowest shelf in oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Immediately invert cake tin, supporting it on its legs. Cool, inverted in tin (cooling the cake suspended prevents it from sinking).
4. Using a palette knife, run knife around inner edge of cooled cake to release it from tin. Turn on to a plate. Combine icing sugar and enough lime juice to form a thick icing then spoon over cake, allowing it to drip down sides. Stand until set. Meanwhile, for caramel berries, combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, then simmer without stirring until mixture forms a dark caramel. Remove from heat. Add lime juice and 1/4 cup water and stir well. Top cake with strawberries and raspberries, then place remaining berries in a heatproof bowl. Pour hot caramel mixture over and cool. Drizzle a little of the mixture over top of cake and serve with remaining berries.

Chocolate vanilla cream cakes

Cooking Time

40 minutes

Ingredients (serves 12)

3/4 cup self-raising flour
3/4 cup plain flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup extra light olive oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 medium (200g) granny smith apple, peeled, grated
1/4 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 x 250ml tub Philadelphia cream for desserts
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon icing sugar mixture
Fresh raspberries, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 12-hole, 1/3 cup-capacity muffin pan.
2. Sift flours and cocoa into a large bowl. Add sugar. Stir to combine. Place oil, eggs and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Add oil mixture and apple to flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Spoon mixture between prepared pan holes. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre of 1 cake comes out clean. Stand in pans for 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Place raspberries in a bowl. Lightly crush with a fork. Add cream and vanilla. Stir gently to create a rippled effect.
4. Cut cakes in half horizontally. Reserve 1 tablespoon cream mixture. Spread 1 cake base with 2 teaspoons of remaining cream mixture. Sandwich with cake top. Repeat with remaining cakes and cream mixture. Using a little of the reserved cream mixture attach 1 raspberry to the top of each cake. Dust with icing sugar. Serve.

Christmas celebration chocolate ice-creamcake

Ingredients (serves 12)

-583g chocolate packet cake mix (with ready-made frosting)
-3 eggs
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-2 litres vanilla ice-cream, softened rose-pink food colouring
-2 x 55g Turkish Delight chocolate bars, finely chopped green food colouring
-1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence
-6 Mint Slice biscuits, finely chopped
-1/2 x 30g Flake chocolate bar, crushed silver cachous, raspberries and crumbled
-Flake chocolate bar, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 9cm-deep, 11.5cm x 20cm (base) loaf pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides.
2. Place cake mix in a large bowl. Add eggs, oil and 3/4 cup cold water. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 30 seconds or until just combined. Increase speed to medium. Beat for 2 minutes or until well combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, covering with foil if overbrowning, or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Wash and dry loaf pan. Grease pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 6cm overhang on all sides. Using a serrated knife, level cake top. Carefully cut cake horizontally into thirds.
4. Divide ice-cream between 2 bowls. Tint 1 portion pink. Fold in Turkish Delight. Tint remaining portion green. Fold in peppermint essence, biscuit and crushed Flake.
5. Place cake base in prepared pan. Top with pink ice-cream mixture. Smooth surface. Top with middle cake layer. Top with green ice-cream mixture. Smooth surface. Top with cake top. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight or until firm.
6.  Stand at room temperature for 3 to 5 minutes to soften slightly. Turn out onto a plate. Top with frosting, cachous, raspberries and crumbled Flake. Serve.

Celebration fruit and nut cake

Ingredients (serves 20)

2/3 cup chopped dried pineapple
1/2 cup chopped dried strawberries
1/2 cup chopped dried mango
2/3 cup red glace cherries, halved
1/2 cup chopped dried peaches
1/4 cup limoncello liqueur (see note)
200g butter, softened
3/4cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 cup plain flour, sifted
3/4 cup self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup brazil nuts
1/3 cup dry-roasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup pecan nuts
1/4 cup pistachio nuts
Warmed honey, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 20cm (base) round cake pan. Line base and side with 3 sheets baking paper.
2. Combine pineapple, strawberry, mango, cherries, peach and limoncello in a bowl.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (mixture will appear curdled). Stir in pineapple mixture. Stir in flours. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Top with nuts, pressing down lightly to secure.
4. Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours or until a skewer inserted in centre of cake comes out clean (cover cake loosely with foil after 45 minutes to avoid nuts burning).
5. Turn covered cake upside-down onto a board. Cool overnight. Place cake, right side up, on plate. Brush with warmed honey. Serve.

Notes

If limoncello is unavailable you could use lemon juice or orange juice instead.