Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Life needs a ganache topping!

Some say, "when life gets you down, make lemonade"... wait, that's not right. Try again... "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade".  That's it. Well, when life gives me lemons next time, I'm going to add blueberries for a burst of sweetness and cover it all in a silky white chocolate ganache! Why drink lemonade when you can eat cake, that should be the new proverbial phrase!

I was served a few lemons in 2012, but also a lot of blueberries and... I need another food metaphor to complete this sentence, how about coconut for joy... coconuts. It was my hardest year to date both professionally and personally, but like everything, I made it through in one piece feeling stronger than ever.

The cake below isn't beautiful in it's appearance, it is what it is - a tasty treat with a few surprises peering through the glaze with honesty. I like to think of the white chocolate in my cake metaphor as the icing on the cake, literally, a way to coat last year and close it off. 2013 is a new beginning, a new flavour, a new adventure filled with new experiences. I wouldn't dare forget or wish away a moment of 2012, I am grateful for all I learnt and for the amazing people in my life, however I am also happy to look into the future and discover what awaits for me.


Lemon and Blueberry Coconut cake
125g butter, at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1 tbs grated lemon rind

2 eggs
1 cup self-raising flour
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup milk
1 punnet blueberries

200g white chocolate
1/4 cup thickened cream


Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease and line a loaf pan and set aside until ready. 

In a bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add lemon rind and continue to beat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition until the mixture is well combined. Fold flour and desiccated coconut into the mixture, alternating with milk, until just combined. Finally, fold through the blueberries. 


Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.


To make the ganache, melt the white chocolate over a double boiler until melted. Stir through the cream and set aside until cooled enough to spread over the cake. Ice cake with ganache once cake has completely cooled. ENJOY.


No comments:

Post a Comment