BAKING IS BOTH AN ART AND A SCIENCE. It’s all about commitment, dedication and passion – combined with a lot of fun. It comes from your hands, your mind and your heart – and the reward is seeing others smile and enjoy the results of your work. Here, from the hit TV show – NEW ZEALAND’S HOTTEST HOME BAKER – are two wonderfully tasting, great looking sweet treats.
CHERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE SHORTCAKE
by Catherine
- 125g butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Filling:
- 1 x 425g can pitted cherries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 200g white chocolate, chopped roughly into even pieces
- icing sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 180°C. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and beat well. Add flour and baking powder to the mixture and stir.
Press half the mixture into a 20 x 30-cm slice tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Refrigerate the other half. Place slice tin into the fridge as well and chill for at least 1 hour.
To make filling, place cherries, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer slowly, until filling has reduced and is of a jam-like consistency. Remove from heat and cool.
Remove tinned shortcake from fridge and spread filling over base. Sparingly scatter white chocolate over filling. Remove remaining shortcake dough from fridge and, using a cheese grater, grate evenly over chocolate.
Place into oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Dust with icing sugar when cool.
PINEAPPLE FRANGIPANI TART
by Dyani
Pastry:
- 120g butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 120g caster sugar
- 120g plain flour
Filling:
- 120g butter
- 120g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 30g plain flour
- 120g ground almonds
- ½ tsp almond essence
- 1 x 230g can pineapple rings (approx), strained of juice and patted dry on paper towels
Apricot Glaze:
- 4 tbsp apricot jam
- 4 tbsp water
Cut butter and yolks into sugar and flour. Work into a smooth paste and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C.
To make filling, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, stirring well. Stir flour, almonds and almond essence. Combine well to a smooth paste.
When pastry is ready, roll out to 3mm thick and line the bottom and sides of a greased 20cm round tart or flan tin (or even a sponge sandwich tin). Prick the bottom well with a fork.
Fill pastry case with filling and bake for 30 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from oven and place the pine- apple rings on the top in a decorative pattern.
To make glaze, place ingredients into a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until jam dissolves. Pass through a strainer. Bring back to boil and boil gently until clear. Glaze tart. Serve warm or cool with freshly whipped and sweetened cream.
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM NEW ZEALAND’S HOTTEST HOME BAKER, PUBLISHED BY PENGUIN GROUP (NZ). RRP $35. COPYRIGHT ©EYEWORKS, 2010.
