Bake Off Inspiration
Hosting a Big Oozie Bake Off morning tea? Here's some oozy inspiration from our friends at the legendary RecipeTin Eats to get your creative juices flowing!
Apple Turnovers
INGREDIENTS
Apple turnover filling:
- 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, diced into 1.25cm cubes
- 6 cups 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch (thickens sauce)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Apple turnover:
- 2 square puff pastry sheets (25 cm/10"), butter best
- 1 egg, whisked
Cream filled version:
- 2 batches stabilised whipped cream OR stiff whipped cream
Optional serving extras:
- 1 batch whipped cream for dunking – for easy option
- Icing sugar / powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Filling – Put apples in a large saucepan. Toss with cornflour. Add everything else. Cook on medium to medium-high heat, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes. Apple should be softened but not mushy or losing shape, with some but not too much caramel.
Cool – Spread the filling on a large plate then let it fully cool.
Line a large cutting board or upside down tray with baking/parchment paper.
Make turnovers – Working one puff pastry sheet at a time, barely thawed, cut into 4 squares (12.5cm/5"). Brush 2 sides with egg, then pile filling on the egg brushed side. Avoid using sauce, soaks base and if it leaks onto edge it will not seal. (Save leftover sauce & apple for pancakes, french toast, ice cream etc!)
Wrap – Fold over, seal with fork dipped in flour (prevents sticking to pastry).
Transfer to paper lined cutting board.
Refrigerate for 20 minutes (cold = better puffing).
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan).
Bake 25 min – Slide the paper with the turnovers on it onto a large baking tray.
Brush turnovers with egg. Stab 3 times.
Bake 25 minutes or until golden.
Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar and whipped cream for dunking.
Cream filled option
Transfer turnovers to a cooling rack. Fully cool. Split seam side open with knife. Pipe in cream. EAT!
Blueberry Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS
Cheesecake Biscuit Base:
- 200g/7 oz Arnott's Marie crackers or other plain biscuit (Aus) or 28 Graham Cracker squares
- 120g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 1 lb / 500g cream cheese, well softened
- 2 tbsp flour, plain/ all purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g sour cream (full fat, sub yogurt)
- 330 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- Zest of 1 lemon (can skip)
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 250g / 8oz blueberries
Blueberry Topping for Cheesecake:
- 375g / 13 oz blueberries
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (or water)
- 110 g white sugar
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
INSTRUCTIONS
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F (140°C fan). Place shelf in middle of oven.
Line inverted base: Get a 20cm/8" springform cake tin. Turn the base UPSIDE DOWN, butter lightly then press on a square piece of parchment/baking paper. Then clip into the springform pan - excess paper will stick out, see photos in post and video.
Line sides: Butter and line the side of the pan.
Cheesecake Biscuit Base:
Break up biscuits roughly by hand and place in a food processor.
Blitz until fine crumbs. Add butter, briefly blitz until dispersed and it resembles wet sand.
Pour into the prepared cake tin. Use a spatula to roughly spread it out over the base and up the walls.
Use something with a flat base and vertical edges (I use a measuring cup) to press the crumbs up the wall almost to the top of the sides, and flatten the base.
Filling:
Cream cheese: Use a stand mixer (with paddle) or handheld beater to beat the cream cheese until just smooth, no longer than 20 seconds on speed 4. (You do not want to aerate cheesecake filling too much as it causes cracks when it bakes)
Add flour, beat for 5 seconds on speed 4 until just incorporated.
Add vanilla, sour cream, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until just combined (10 sec max, speed 4).
Eggs: Add eggs one at a time - beat for 5 seconds on speed 4 in between each. After the last egg, beat as needed until batter is smooth - but stop beating immediately once smooth.
Blueberries: Stir in blueberries with a rubber spatula. Pour into prepared crust.
Bake: Bake for 70 minutes. The top should be a bit puffed, very light golden brown, not cracked, and near perfectly flat. It should jiggle slightly when you gently shake the pan (sets in next step).
Cool: Cool the cake in the oven with the door open approx 20 cm / 8" for about 2 hours, then refrigerate for 4 hours+ in the pan or overnight. Cake will sink and surface should be flat.
Release: Remove sides of springform pan. Use overhang paper to slide cheesecake off the cake pan base. Then slide the cheesecake off the paper.
Blueberry Sauce for Cheesecake:
Place 1 cup of blueberries (125g/4oz), vanilla, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Stir then bring to simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 7 minutes until blueberries breakdown.
Mix cornflour and water, then stir in - it will thicken quickly.
Stir in remaining blueberries. Sauce should be syrupy - remove from stove and cool. Will thicken as it cools.
Once cool, stir. Adjust thickness 1/2 teaspoon of water at a time to make it the perfect "oozing" consistency - be careful, don't make it runny!
Spoon onto cheesecake so it's completely covered - you'll have maybe 1/2 cup sauce left, good for touch ups. Refrigerate 2 hours+.
Slice and serve!
Find the original recipe at RecipeTin Eats
Molten Chocolate Cakes
INGREDIENTS
Molten Chocolate Ganache Centre:
- 100 g dark chocolate chips or melts/ semi sweet chocolate chips 60 ml cream, heavy/thickened
Cake Batter:
- 200 g dark chocolate chips or melts/ semi sweet chocolate chips
- 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1cm / ½" cubes
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 110 g caster/superfine sugar (sub ordinary white sugar)
- 2 tbsp flour, plain / all purpose
To Serve:
- Ice-cream or cream (highly recommended!)
- Cocoa or icing sugar / powdered sugar, for dusting
- Strawberries, raspberries or edible flowers, optional decoration
INSTRUCTIONS
Molten chocolate ganache:
Place chocolate and cream in a microwave-proof bowl.
Microwave on high for three 20-second bursts, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Let cool on the counter for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm enough to scoop into balls.
Cake:
Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).
Grease & dust moulds: Grease 4 x 170ml / 5.75oz dariole or pudding moulds with butter then dust insides with cocoa powder, tapping out excess.
Melt chocolate and butter: Place chocolate and butter in a bowl.
Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between.
Stir well until smooth, then leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Whisk eggs and sugar: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar.
Combine with chocolate: Add the melted chocolate into the eggs, and mix until combined.
Fold through flour: Add flour and fold through until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Fill moulds: Pour or scoop the batter into prepared moulds until it reaches ⅓ of the way up.
Drop in ganache: Place one generously-heaped teaspoon of ganache into middle of batter. Top with more batter until it reaches 1.5cm / ⅗" from the top rim. Repeat for remaining moulds.
Bake 20 minutes: Place the moulds on an oven tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until the pudding tops spring back when gently touched.
Turn out: Stand for 2 minutes, then turn onto plate. Tap base then gently remove each mould.
Serve with ice-cream or cream, dusted with cocoa powder. Decorate with strawberries!
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