Blog 95

Wow I am nearly up to 100 posts. I am impressed with myself. I have the flu again or still I am not sure which. Anyway I am on anti-biotics and off work. I spent most of today on the lounge. Bronwyn did some shopping for me and dropped in with hot chips for lunch and the GKids which was a nice surprise but I was exhausted by the time they went.
I have done some work on the Embroiderers Guild piece and would have given you a photo but the batteries were flat so I am charging them now. Next time.
I also typed out the recipe for the Sour Cream Banana Cake I used for Matt's wedding for Leanne (SIL)so I thought you can never have enough easy recipes that taste fantastic so here it is for you guys too. For the wedding I got straight sided patty papers from a kitchen supplies shop they were made out of brown paper and I didn't grease those. I then covered each cake with white or dark chocolate ganache and before the chocolate set stuck shards of white or dark chocolate around the sides. My Mum made 74 mini icing roses and we put them on the top. When the cakes were served at the wedding they had Orange and Passionfruit sauce and fresh cream with them. All the guests were really impressed and I told the caterers they could eat the extras and they told me that they were YUM.

Sour Cream Banana Cake

100mls sunflower or macadamia oil
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
½ cups (225 g) self raising flour
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 cup mashed banana (about 2-3) – bananas should be over ripe.
½ teaspoon mixed spice
2/3 cup sour cream

Tin – 21 cm baba tin or 25cm ring tin or makes 10 -12 muffin size.
Decide on tin size and brush with melted butter and flour.
Combine all ingredients in bowl of mixer or food processor and beat on low speed until combined and then on medium speed until mixture is smooth and changes in colour. Spoon in to chosen tin.
Bake in 180° C oven for
Muffins 15 – 20 minutes - Tin 40 – 45 min or until skewer inserted comes out clean.
Cool in tin for 5 minutes and then turn out onto cooling rack.
When cool top with ganache.

Ganache
200 grams dark chocolate buttons
100 ml cream (Not lite)
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon caster sugar

Place cream, butter, sugar in a pot and stir over low heat until butter melts then raise heat and bring to a boil stirring constantly.

Place chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. When the cream boils pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then stir until smooth. If the chocolate has not fully melted place bowl over a pot of simmering water and heat gently until it melts.
After the chocolate cream mix is smooth beat for a couple of minutes. Then spread over the top of the cake and let it run down the sides.

While not vital if the ganache is refrigerated overnight then placed over a pot of simmering water and gently heated until smooth it will be much shinier than if used on the day it is made. This also means you can make sure it is thick enough to set.
If white chocolate is used then increase the amount of chocolate by 50 grams.

Orange and Passionfruit sauce.
Juice two oranges and 1 passionfruit. Place in saucepan. Dissolve 2 teaspoons cornflour in 1/2 cup water. Mix with juice and bring to boil stirring constantly. You might need a bit more cornflour or to add a bit more juice or water to get it to your favoured consistency.

We had 6 liters of sauce at the wedding which was a lot of oranges and passionfruit. I couldn't have done it without my cousin Lauren and Mum and Dad all helping.
Hope you enjoy this let me know if you do.