Life would be dull and grey without the joy of an occasional sweet treat, Dish editor Sarah Tuck says.
She and food writer Claire Aldous have put together another compilation of their favourite recipes from Dish, this time focusing on sweet treats — baking, desserts, slices, loaves, ice creams and cakes.
"When I started baking I was hopeless at it — ‘cooking’ was always my forte. My cakes were disappointingly flat and my scones like rocks."
It took her time to realise she could not just "wing it" like she did with a curry or pasta.
"The realisation was a revelation, and since then I have loved spending many a Saturday or Sunday in the kitchen whipping up treats for friends and family."
"Not a moment was spent worrying that my apron (and probably the bench and floor) was all dusty from floury hands, splatters of cake batter and droplets of cream."
She also used to spend her Friday afternoon maths class writing up an ingredients list in a notebook hidden under her desk as Saturdays were always spent in the kitchen baking everything from doughnuts to her signature chocolate eclairs to cookies and slices.
Aldous wanted to make the recipes in the book suitable for bakers of all skill levels so has tried to make the instructions clear and concise.
"If I can ask you to always do one thing before you start, and that is to fully read through the recipe from beginning to end. Sometimes things need to chill before baking which can be an opps moment if you were planning on serving it within the hour."
"You’ll easily discover the transformative power of flour, sugar and butter and the sheer amount of joy it brings when people get together and share in one of life’s small but sweet pleasures."
And yes the book includes Dish magazine’s famous seedy, nutty chocolate block recipe.
THE BOOK
Dish Sweet by Sarah Tuck and Claire Aldous, SCG Media, $45
Seedy spiced ginger and pumpkin loaf (gluten-free)
Cut thick slices of this gorgeous loaf and serve slathered in good butter. Best made at least one day ahead for all the flavours to mingle.
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
1½ cups cooked mashed pumpkin (see cook’s note)
4 large eggs
1 cup brown sugar
⅓ cup grapeseed oil
finely grated zest 1 orange
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups ground almonds (almond meal)
1 cup brown rice flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon each baking soda and sea salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground mixed spice
½ cup golden sultanas
⅓ cup chopped crystallised ginger
1 tablespoon each pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons each caster sugar and water
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, extra
Equipment: Grease a 22cm x 12cm loaf tin (6-cup capacity) and line fully with baking paper, bringing it 2cm above the rim.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C regular bake.
Whisk the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, oil, zest, golden syrup and vanilla together until smooth.
Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the sultanas and ginger and toss to coat.
Pour in the pumpkin mixture and stir everything together, making sure there are no pockets of flour in the batter. Scrape the batter into the tin and scatter over the pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Loosely cover the loaf with foil after 30 minutes to prevent over-browning.
Heat the sugar, water and extra cinnamon in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then cook until reduced by half and syrupy. Gently brush the hot syrup over the top of the loaf and leave to cool completely. Store wrapped in baking paper in an airtight container for 5-6 days.
Cook’s note: Peel and seed 1½ kilograms of Crown pumpkin and roughly chop. Place in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 180°C for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Mash until smooth and measure out 1½ cups.
Blueberry cheesecake and oatmeal streusel slice
Treat yourself with this oh-so-delicious blueberry cheesecake slice. The streusel is used to make both the crunchy base and the topping — simple and delicious.
Makes 1 slice
Streusel
1 ⅓ cups plain flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp each baking powder and ground mixed spice
½ tsp sea salt
150g butter, melted
Cheesecake
500g cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp custard powder
finely grated zest 1 large lemon
Topping
¼ cup dark seedless berry jam
1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed)
Equipment: Grease a 28cm × 18cm slice tin and line with baking paper.
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.
Streusel: Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to form damp crumbs (you can use your fingertips). Take out 2¾ cups of the mix and press firmly and evenly into the base of the slice tin. Set the remaining mixture aside. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and firm.
Set aside.
Change the oven from fan bake to 160°C regular bake.
Cheesecake: Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Tip over the base and smooth the top.
Topping: Stir the jam and blueberries together then spoon over the top of the cheesecake. Scatter over the remaining streusel.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the cheesecake is set. Cool then refrigerate for several hours to firm up. Cut into desired size for serving.
Archie’s ‘Twix’ tart
We made this as a farewell morning tea for one of our designers. His favourite snack is Twix bars, and this is our interpretation in tart form – Archie absolutely loved it!
Serves 10-12
Base
225g plain biscuits (we used Krispie)
75g butter, melted
Filling
450g jar dulce de leche or 397g tin ready-made caramel condensed milk, whisked until very smooth
Chocolate ganache
150ml cream
75g milk chocolate (33% cocoa), chopped
75g dark chocolate (72% cocoa), chopped
½ tsp sea salt
Equipment: Lightly grease a 35cm × 12cm loose-based rectangular tart tin.
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C fan bake.
Base: Blitz the biscuits in a food processor, add the melted butter and pulse to make fine, damp crumbs. Tip into the tin and press to make an even shell. Pop in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. Bake for 20 minutes, then cool for 5 minutes.
Filling: Carefully spoon the dulce de leche or caramel condensed milk on to the base and smooth the top. Bake for a further 8 minutes. Cool, then chill in the fridge.
Chocolate ganache: Heat the cream in a small saucepan until hot. Remove from the heat and add both chocolates. Leave for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth and stir in the salt.
Cool to a thick pouring consistency, then pour over the caramel and smooth into gentle peaks using the back of a teaspoon. Chill for at least 2 hours, until the ganache is firm.
The tart can be made 3 days ahead, covered and chilled. Remove from the fridge and cut into small wedges or fingers to serve.
