Walnut Streusel Cake

Walnut Streusel 

For an easy-to-combine cake, we could prepare it with pecans or walnuts. The perfect cake served with a cup of coffee or tea, this one is best eaten fresh. We generally enjoy it with some hard cheese, and it can be served with a dollop of cream that is flavoured with coffee or simply left plain.

A  walnut streusel which is double the quanity prepared in a rectangle 19 x 3 pan

Prepare a 9 inch round pan with parchment paper, butter and flour it.
Preheat oven to 375F/190C 


For the Cake Batter

1 cup sugar
2 1/2  oz butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cup flour, sifted twice
3/4th tsp salt 
2  1/2 tsp baking powder

For the Streusel Mixture

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tbsp soft butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, beat together with an electric beater (at high speed) the sugar and butter. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat until whipped. Lower the speed to the lowest setting. Add alternately the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ones. 
Fold with a spatula very gently until all is combined. Do not over mix.

In a pan, mix the streusel mixture with a metal spoon. 

Spread half of the batter in the prepared cake pan, then top with half of the sprinkle mixture, and repeat with the remaining batter and streusel mix. 
Bake for about 25 minutes until cooked. Test with a skewer to ensure it's done. 

Tips

Keep the butter soft. 
The eggs are best at room temperature. 
Seive the flour twice, as this gives it a lighter texture. 
After the final topping of streusel, very gently pat it down so it sticks properly to the batter. Using your clean fingers lightly will work best. 
Using any kind of nuts will work. However, walnuts and pecans are my personal favourites in this cake.

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on Amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.

Pineapple Upside Down.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

An old classic with a new twist. It looks like it is Van Gogh's birthday here. The art credit goes to a friend across the seas who is truly an amazing lady and ever so obliging. You can use any 

25cm / 10-inch pan you like, round, square, or even a specially manufactured one in the shape of a flower! 
You can use peaches or apricots if you prefer. Fresh or canned pineapple, both are fine. Use maraschino cherries if you want to add colour. Walnuts if you want to add texture. The choice is yours. 
Design the bottom of the pan as best you like, as it will be the top of the cake when you turn it upside down.

Wonder if it is Picasso or Van Gogh celebrating a birthday?

Preheat the oven to 175 C |350 F

For the Base you need

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted salted butter
12 rings of pineapple; brushed with rum 
About 15 pieces of walnuts

For the Cake
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 /2 tsp salt
2/3rd cup pineapple juice plus 1 tsp vanilla essence + 1 tsp rum (optional to substitute it for another teaspoon of vanilla  extract)


Step 1 Melt the sugar in the cake pan over low heat until it has caramelised to a nice golden amber color. 
Pour the butter all over and twist the pan around to ensure it has reached all over. 
Decorate with pineapples and walnuts. Keep aside 

Step 2 With an electric beater, whip the eggs until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 
Slowly add the sugar, lowering the setting of the beater to the lowest. Gently fold in the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt. Add it alternately with the fruit juice and vanilla extract. 

Gently pour it over the ready fruit and caramel in the pan. Give it a slight shake and put it into the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Test with a skewer to see if it's clean. Do not go all the way down to test it. 
The cake will also begin to leave the sides of the pan. 
Remove it from the oven and wait for 3 minutes. Place a large platter over the cake and turn it upside down. Let it rest for 10–15 minutes. This will allow the juices to all come down well. Keep it in a warm, dry place rather than in a draught at this time. 
It tastes best when fresh. Serve it with fresh cream or ice cream.


Tips
If the cake has not left the sides, run a flat butter knife over it before you turn it over. 

If you do not have enough juice left over from a fresh pineapple, substitute it for any juice like orange, lemon, or a mix of them. Do not omit the exact liquid quantity.

Read more about my cuisine called Parsi food and its history and culture and heritage in my cookbooks The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders and The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.
For more delicious cakes download,
Niloufer's Kitchen: Persian Fusion


Photo credit Kainaaz R Patell.

Summer Cake and Tropical Fruit

Tropical Fruit topped  Summer cake

A cake with fresh flavours that is a wonderful choice for a pool party, a bbq or a tea party.

The little black spot in the picture is the piece of vanilla bean added for the final perfection to this topping.

The Papaya in syrup topping for the freshly baked cake!!

Ingredients

5 oz  salted butter by weight

1 cup sugar

zest of  2 oranges

4 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup sifted all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients for the topping

1 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup sugar

salt

tropical fruits of choice, a mango, small papaya or pineapple

squeeze of lemon 

Method

With an electric  beater whip until pale and light  

butter and sugar with the fresh orange zest.

Now add to it the eggs, one at a time

just mix in the sour cream.

Now with a spatula fold in by hand the sifted flour, baking powder and salt until just combined.

Pour into a prepared pan of 8 inches, buttered and floured.

Bake in a preheated oven of 350F/175C degrees till tester comes out clean about 30-40 minutes.

Sprinkle with icing sugar once cooled for visual effect.

For the topping

In a pan

1 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

add about  1/2 cup sugar to it, you may need a bit more if the oranges are very sour.

Optionally a piece of vanilla bean

Mix till all the sugar is dissolved. Bring this to a boil, lower the heat and gently let it simmer till syrupy.

Add to it from a choice of

One fresh papaya, quite firm, in small pieces

Or one large ripe but firm mango

Or half a fresh pineapple

A dash of salt

A squeeze of lemon 

Give it a boil just to incorporate the flavours.

Cool and serve as topping with the cake.

Tips
If you are buying fresh orange juice and do not wish to get more oranges use lemon zest instead.
The perfect choice of orange is a honey tangerine. The colour is beautiful as is the fragrance. Narangi and Kino is the counterpart in the Eastern world.
Vanilla bean is a luxury and not a necessity. Instead  simply add a drop of vanilla essence, literally a drop or a grain of vanilla bean paste at the very end once the syrup is made.
Use firm but ripe fruit for this.
A food processor will work well to beat the butter sugar and eggs. Stop and complete by hand.

For more delicious recipes from Niloufer's Kitchen download 
Niloufer's Kitchen: Spanish Tapas

or any other of your choice from the 
series of 10 http://www.nilouferskitchen.com/p/e-cookbooks.html

Walnut Crumble Cake

Walnut Crumble Cake

It is magical, its easy and its quite small!
This said, it is such a tasty moist cake and always enjoyed. There is no icing on it and really rather simple. But almost a comfort food. With a cappuccino or a cuppa it is rather hard not to finish off in an hour or two!

Soft, moist and delicious, Walnut Crumble Cake

Magical Walnut Crumble

Step 1

Line and grease a  8 inch round pan.

Preheat oven to 350F/180C degrees

Step 2

Grind  in a food processor and keep aside

1 cup walnuts

3 tbsp  bread crumbs

¼ tsp salt

Step 3

Beat till light and airy , do not dry them out

3 egg whites

slowly adding

1/4 cup sugar

Step 4

Over a pot of boiling water, 

Beat with an electric beater until it doubles in volume and is a beautiful pale yellow in colour

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup salted butter

1/4 cup sugar

Add to this 1 tbsp  Baileys Irish cream

Now with a metal spoon assemble the cake,

Add all the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mixture in 3 batches

Then add the egg whites, folding it carefully in two batches.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-22 minutes.

Tips
When it is done the cake will start to leave the sides of the pan.

Eat it warm, French Vanilla ice cream goes well with it if you like.
If you do not have Baileys, any creamy liquor like Kalhua, Tia Maria will be perfect.
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature otherwise they will not triple in volume nor whip like a meringue.
Always whip the egg whites first. The same beater whisk can then be used on the yolks. However used/dirty whisks do not beat egg whites!!
Only use a metal spoon to fold otherwise the volume will sink immediately.


For more delicious recipes click
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G2US0EK
Niloufer's Kitchen : Winter

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake 

This is a request from a friend from Dubai-days who just posted on my Facebook page. I am now posting my carrot cake recipe that she dearly remembers and wants to recreate herself. 
I gave cooking demonstrations in Dubai for 6 years and, at the same time, prepared cakes for some of these fun people who loved to party! Eventually, before I left Dubai, I do remember giving a series of baking classes to some of these very enthusiastic social ladies. If any of you are reading this page at any time, please leave me a comment. I would love to connect with you all once again. It is so heartwarming to be remembered with such warmth after almost two decades.

Thank you for the kind words, Jeroo. Enjoy it!

                                                  Carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting.

                                          Carrot cupcakes with a marzipan carrot topping
                                                

This carrot cake is a light fruity nutty tea-cake.

Step 1
Butter and flour either a  Bundt Pan of 10 inches; Bake this at 175 C |350 F degrees for 55 minutes
Or a rectangle 33x22x5 cm 13x9 x2-inch  pan; Bake this at 160 C | 300 F degrees for 65 minutes.
Two 8 inch round pans were used for the picture above. Baking it for 50 minutes.
Preheat the oven.

Step 2
Mix together with an electric beater until light and fluffy
4 eggs; at room temperature
Add 
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup canola oil

Step 3
Sift together 
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 tsp  baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp salt
Lower the speed and spoon in or fold by hand into the egg mixture.

Step 4
Fold in by hand
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped pineapple
1 tsp vanilla

Pour it into the prepared pan and bake. Test the cake with a skewer to ensure it is cooked through. Do not overbake it as it will get dry. If the pans are the perfect size and the oven is preheated, it will be ready on time. Overturn on a platter. Frost and cool. 

Frosting 
Cream together, both at room temperature. 
1 cup softened cream cheese 
1 cup salted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Add 
2 cups of icing sugar or until the frosting is stiff enough to apply but not hard. 
You can optionally decorate with walnuts and carrots or chopped nuts. 

Tips
Use your favourite nuts; walnuts and pecans are generally the best. 
Try pistachios if you like. with skin and not roasted or salted. 
If you wish, substitute 1 cup marzipan, cut into small pieces, instead of the pineapple.

 To read about an ancient cuisine you can purchase my cookbooks called The World of Parsi Cooking; Food Across Borders and The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.