Cakes :)

Cakes is a form of sweet dessert that is typically baked. In its oldest forms, cakes were modifications of breads, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, and that share features with other desserts such as pastries, meringues, custards, and pies.
Typical cake ingredients are flour, sugar, eggs, butter or oil, a liquid, and leavening agents, such as baking soda or baking powder. Common additional ingredients and flavourings include dried, candied, or fresh fruit, nuts, cocoa, and extracts such as vanilla, with numerous substitutions for the primary ingredients. Cakes can also be filled with fruit preserves or dessert sauces (like pastry cream), iced with buttercream or other icings, and decorated with marzipan, piped borders, or candied fruit.^[1]
Cake is often served as a celebratory dish on ceremonial occasions, such as weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. There are countless cake recipes; some are bread-like, some are rich and elaborate, and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure; while at one time considerable labor went into cake making (particularly the whisking of egg foams), baking equipment and directions have been simplified so that even the most amateur cook may bake a cake.

Varieties

Cakes are broadly divided into several categories, based primarily on ingredients and mixing techniques.
Although clear examples of the difference between cake and bread are easy to find, the precise classification has always been elusive.^[5] For example, banana bread may be properly considered either a quick bread or a cake.

• Butter cakes are made from creamed butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. They rely on the combination of butter and sugar beaten for an extended time to incorporate air into the batter.^[11] A classic pound cake is made with a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Baking powder is in many butter cakes, such as Victoria sponge.^[12] The ingredients are sometimes mixed without creaming the butter, using recipes for simple and quick cakes.
• Sponge cakes (or foam cakes) are made from whipped eggs, sugar, and flour. They rely primarily on trapped air in a protein matrix (generally of beaten eggs) to provide leavening, sometimes with a bit of baking powder or other chemical leaven added as insurance. Sponge cakes are thought to be the oldest cakes made without yeast. An angel food cake is a white sponge cake that uses only the whites of the eggs and is traditionally baked in a tube pan. The French Génoise is a sponge cake that includes clarified butter. Highly decorated sponge cakes with lavish toppings are sometimes called gateau; the French word for cake.
• Chiffon cakes are sponge cakes with vegetable oil, which adds moistness.^[13]
• Chocolate cakes are butter cakes, sponge cakes, or other cakes flavored with melted chocolate or cocoa powder.^[14] German chocolate cake is a variety of chocolate cake. Fudge cakes are chocolate cakes that contains fudge.
• Coffee cake is generally thought of as a cake to serve with coffee or tea at breakfast or at a coffee break. Some types use yeast as a leavening agent while others use baking soda or baking powder. These cakes often have a crumb topping called streusel or a light glaze drizzle.
• Baked flourless cakes include baked cheesecakes and flourless chocolate cakes. Cheesecakes, despite their name, aren't really cakes at all. Cheesecakes are in fact custard pies, with a filling made mostly of some form of cheese (often cream cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, or the like), and have very little flour added, although a flour-based or graham cracker crust may be used. Cheesecakes are also very old, with evidence of honey-sweetened cakes dating back to ancient Greece.
• Butter or oil layer cakes include most of the traditional cakes used as birthday cakes, etc., and those sold as packaged cakes. Baking powder or bicarbonate of soda are used to provide both lift and a moist texture. Many flavorings and ingredients may be added; examples include devil's food cake, carrot cake, and banana bread.
• Yeast cakes are the oldest and are very similar to yeast breads. Such cakes are often very traditional in form, and include such pastries as babka and stollen.

Some varieties of cake are widely available in the form of cake mixes, wherein some of the ingredients (usually flour, sugar, flavoring, baking powder, and sometimes some form of fat) are premixed, and the cook needs add only a few extra ingredients, usually eggs, water, and sometimes vegetable oil or butter. While the diversity of represented styles is limited, cake mixes do provide an easy and readily available homemade option for cooks who are not accomplished bakers. (wikipedia)

Recipies :)

• Black Forest Cake
  

Ingredients

• 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 (20 ounce) cans pitted sour cherries
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch, round, cake pans; cover bottoms with waxed paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 cups sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla; beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 35 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Loosen edges, and remove to racks to cool completely.
4. Drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Combine reserved juice, cherries, 1 cup sugar and cornstarch in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool before using.
5. Combine whipping cream and confectioner's sugar in a chilled medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.
6. With long serrated knife, split each cake layer horizontally in half. Tear one split layer into crumbs; set aside. Reserve 1 1/2 cups Frosting for decorating cake; set aside. Gently brush loose crumbs off top and side of each cake layer with pasty brush or hands. To assemble, place one cake layer on cake plate. Spread with 1 cup frosting; top with 3/4 cup cherry topping. Top with second cake layer; repeat layers of frosting and cherry topping. Top with third cake layer. Frost side of cake. Pat reserved crumbs onto frosting on side of cake. Spoon reserved frosting into pastry bag fitted with star decorator tip. Pipe around top and bottom edges of cake. Spoon remaining cherry topping onto top of cake.

from : allrecipes.com/recipes/276/desserts/cakes/

• Moist Chocolate Cake

Time needed

• 20 min preparation + 35 min cooking

Serving Size / Yield

• 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 C. white sugar
• 1 3/4 C. flour
• 3/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 C. milk
• 1/2 C. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 C. boiling water
• 1 jar chocolate frosting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir the ingredients. Then add the eggs, milk, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix the ingredients for about 2 minutes. Stir in the water. Then pour the batter evenly in 2 lightly greased baking pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes. Lastly, smother the cake in chocolate frosting before serving!

     Double chocolate cherry cheesecake

    Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (125g) crushed Oreo Original biscuit crumbs
• 40g butter, melted
• 225g Cadbury Melts Real White Chocolate
• 500g Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup (165g) caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons gelatine dissolved in 1/4 cup (60ml) boiling water
• 1 cup (250ml) thickened cream, lightly whipped
• 1 cup (125g) pitted cherries
• 150g Cadbury Melts Real Dark Chocolate, melted
• Cherries, extra, to serve

  Method

  
  

  • Step 1
    Combine biscuit crumbs and butter in a bowl. Press into the base of a greased 20cm springform pan. Chill until firm.
  • Step 2
    Melt the white chocolate in the microwave following packet directions.
  • Step 3
    Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the gelatine mixture and half the white chocolate. Fold in the whipped cream. Gently stir in the pitted cherries. Pour over prepared base. Chill for 2 hours or until set.
  • Step 4
    Meanwhile, spread remaining white chocolate over a piece of baking paper to make a 20cm x 10cm rectangle. Set aside until set. Cut into long shards.
  • Step 5
    Place the cheesecake on a serving plate. Pour over the dark chocolate and spread to the edge, allowing a little to run over. Set aside until set. Top with extra cherries and white chocolate shards. Serve immediately. 
   from : http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/collections/cheesecake-recipes

   Double chocolate brownie and salted caramel cheesecake

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Ingredients

  • 5 gelatine leaves
  • 500g cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
  • 300ml thickened cream
  • 1/2 cup caramel syrup, plus extra to serve 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips, chopped
  • 600ml thickened cream, whipped

  Double Chocolate Brownie

  • 300g butter, chopped
  • 200g milk chocolate, chopped
  • 200g dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1 1/3 cups caster sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups plain flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    
    

    Method

    • Step 1
      Make Double Chocolate Brownie: Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease 2 x 6cm-deep, 20cm square cake pans. Line bases and sides with baking paper. Place butter, milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture is smooth and combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
    • Step 2
      Stir in sugar, vanilla and egg. Sift over flour and baking powder. Stir well to combine. Divide mixture evenly between prepared pans. Level tops with a spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre of brownies comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool completely in pans.
    • Step 3
      Turn brownies onto a board. Wash and dry one of the pans. Grease pan. Line base and sides with 4 layers of baking paper, extending paper 4cm above all edges. Return 1 brownie to pan, top-side down.
    • Step 4
      Place gelatine in a small bowl. Cover with cold water. Stand for 5 minutes. Remove the gelatine from the water, squeezing out excess water. Place in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook for 1 minute or until gelatine has dissolved.
    • Step 5
      Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in gelatine until combined. Gradually beat in cream until mixture thickens and is well combined. Beat in caramel syrup and salt.
    • Step 6
      Sprinkle 1/2 the peanut butter chips over the brownie in pan. Spoon cheesecake mixture into pan. Level top with a spatula. Sprinkle with remaining chips. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until almost firm but top is still sticky. Place remaining brownie, top-side down, on cheesecake layer. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
    • Step 7
      Just before serving, line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place remaining sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to high. Boil, without stirring, for 10 minutes or until mixture turns golden. Remove from heat. Stand for 1 minute to thicken slightly and allow bubbles to subside. Using 2 forks, back to back, carefully dip into hot toffee mixture and drizzle back and forth over prepared tray to form thin strands of toffee. Stand for 15 minutes to set.
    • Step 8
      Meanwhile, turn cheesecake onto a serving plate. Stand for 15 minutes. Top with whipped cream. Decorate with spun toffee and drizzle with extra caramel syrup. Serve .
        from : http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/collections/cheesecake-recipes