SHARIs CUISINE

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Chocolate Sandwich, Banana Lemon Layer Cake, Yogurt & Honey Muffins

Shari Nadeem

- Chocolate Sandwich

Ingredients:
6 Eggs
1¼ tsp Salt
115 gms Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking powder
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
225 gms Castor Sugar
55 gms Cocoa powder
115 gms Unsalted Butter

For the Icing
3 Eggs, separated
3 tbsp Castor Sugar
85 gms Unsalted Butter
250 ml Whipping cream
225 gms Plain Chocolate, chopped

Method:
- Preheat a 350 degrees F/ 180 degrees C/Gas 4 oven. Line 3.8 x 1 ½m (20 x 3 cm) round tins with greaseproof paper and grease.

- Dust evenly with flour and spread with a brush. Set aside.
Melt the butter over a low heat. With a spoon, skin off any foam that rises to the surface. Set aside.

- Sift the float, cocoa, baking powder and salt together 3 times and set aside.

- Place the eggs and sugar in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot water. With an electric mixer, heat until the mixture doubles in volume and is thick enough to leave a ribbon trail when the beaters are lifted, about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla.

- Sift over the dry ingredients in 3 batches, folding in carefully, after each addition. Fold in the butter.

- Divide the mixture between the tins and bake until the cakes pull away from the sides of the tin, about 25 minutes. Transfer in a rack.

- For the icing, melt the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or in a heatproof bowl set over hot water.

- Off the heat, stir in the butter and egg yolks. Return to a low heat and stir until thick. Remove from the heat and set aside.

- Whip the cream until firm, set aside. In another bowl, heat the egg whites until stiff. Add the sugar and heat until glossy.

- Fold the cream into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the egg whites. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to thicken the icing.

- Banana Lemon Layer Cake

Ingredients:
2 Eggs
½ tsp Salt
50 ml Milk
250 gms Flour
115 gms Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1¼ tsps Baking powder
3 Ripe Bananas, mashed
½ tsp Grated Lemon Rind
200 gms Granulated Sugar
½ tsp Grated Lemon Rind
75 gms Chopped Walnuts

For the Frosting
115 gms Butter
475 gms Icing Sugar
3-5 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
115 gms Light Brown sugar, firmly packed

Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees FC/350 degrees F/Gas 4. Grease two 9m round cake tins, and line the bottoms with disks of buttered greaseproof paper.

- Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the lemon rind.

- In a small bowl, mix the bananas with the vanilla and milk. Add the banana mixture and the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately in two or three batches and stir until just blended. Fold in the nuts.

- Divide the butter between the cake tins and spread it out evenly. Bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before unfolding on to a wire rack. Peel of the greaseproof paper.

- For the frosting, cream the butter until smooth, then gradually beat in the sugar. Stir in the lemon rind and enough juice to make a spread able consistency.

- Set one of the cake layers on a serving plans. Cover with about one-third of the frosting. Top with the second cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake.

- Yogurt and Honey Muffins

Ingredients:
1 large Egg
55 gms Butter
5 tbsps Honey
65 ml Lemon Juice
140 gms Plain Flour
240 ml Plain Yogurt
¼ tsps Grated Nutmeg
Grated Rind of 1 Lemon
170 gms Whole meal flour
1 ½ tsps Bicarbonate of Soda

Method:
- Preheat a 175 degrees F/ 190 degrees C/ Gas 5 oven. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or use paper cases.

- In a saucepan, melt the butter and honey. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

- In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, egg, lemon rind and juice. Add the butter and honey mixture. Set aside.

- In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.

- Fold the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture to blend.

- Fill the prepared cups two-thirds full. Bake until the drops spring back when touched lightly, 20-25 minutes. Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Courtesy: Shari Nadeem