Brazilian Breakfast Cake

Breakfast Brazilian-style involves fruit, cheese breads, tapioca, crêpes and lots of cake. Whereas we might enjoy a slice of sponge cake with an afternoon cup of tea, in Brazil they kick-start their day with sugary treats and a sweet, strong coffee.

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Serves 8-12

INGREDIENTS

• 250ml whole milk
• 397g tin sweetened condensed milk
• 30g unsalted butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 150g caster sugar
• 250g plain flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut (optional)
• 50g grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Icing sugar for decoration

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 180ºC / 160°C Fan / Gas Mark 4.

In a food processor or blender mix all the wet ingredients together (milk, condensed milk, butter and eggs).

Then add all the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, coconut and cheese) and blend for 30 seconds.

Transfer to a greased shallow casserole, or a baking dish, and bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool, carefully remove from the casserole or baking dish, then decorate it with sieved icing sugar.

Cook's Notes

• Do not open the oven when cooking as the mixture is like a batter and needs constant heat.
• Do not worry if the cake cracks a little towards the end of baking.
• Serve for breakfast alongside a bitter coffee, it really does work!
• The coconut and Parmesan cheese are optional but add a little South American sweet and savoury seasoning to the dish.

Rice Pudding Cake with Rum & Raisin Apples

Ingredients

• 350ml whole milk
• 350ml double cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
• Zest of 2 lemons, peeled into wide strips with a potato peeler
• 50g light brown soft sugar
• 100g Arborio risotto rice
• Pinch salt
• Knob unsalted butter
• 250g dulce de leche
• 3 dessert apples (Pink Lady or Cox)
• 50g caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 25g unsalted butter
• 50g raisins
• 50ml spiced dark rum

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F or gas mark 4. Pour all of the ingredients, except the eggs and dulce de leche into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod and lemon zest then beat in the eggs.

Meanwhile grease a round cake tin with the butter, spread the dulce de leche over the base in an even layer then chill in the fridge until needed. Pour the cooled rice mixture over the top and even out the top with the back of a spoon.

Place on a baking tray and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until just set, with a slight wobble in the centre. Leave the cake to cool completely then transfer to the fridge and chill until ready to serve.

Just before serving, prepare the apples. Core the apples, cut into wedges and toss with the sugar and cinnamon. Heat the butter in a non-stick frying pan and when foaming add the apples.

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until then apples are golden brown but still hold their shape. Add the raisins and rum and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Turn the rice pudding cake out onto a serving plate or board. Cut into thick slices and serve with the warm apples.

Ovar Cake

Ovar is a small town in north central Portugal, 30 minutes drive south from Porto. The sponge is known all over the country and it especially popular at Easter.

The resulting cake is a light, airy sponge with an almost medium rare runny centre that will keep for a few days in a sealed container in the fridge.

The best thing is that it is very easy to make with few ingredients and goes superbly with Port.

CHEF'S TIP: To speed up the mixing process, use a cake mixer with the whisk attachment is an almost mandatory tool for this recipe.

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My Ovar Cake 

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 6 egg yolks lightly beaten
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 60g plain flour

Method

In a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until creamy. Slowly add the egg yolks and whisk for 12-15 minutes until pale and almost tripled in size to a stiff cream.

Sift in the flour and gently fold in.

Line a cake tin with buttered and then floured greaseproof paper (floured side up).

Pour batter into the tin. Bake at 180C for 16 minutes, turn the oven off and leave to cool with oven door open.

Serve with Port.

Upside-down Rhubarb & Ginger Cake

Back once again with the rhubarb beats... This very simple recipe will keep for a few days and work a treat as an afternoon cake, but even better as a hot dessert fresh out the oven served with lots of clotted cream ;)

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My Upside-down Rhubarb & Ginger Cake

serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

• 500g rhubarb
• 50g sugar
• 8tbsp finely chopped stem ginger
• 8tbsp ginger syrup from the jar
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1tsp ground ginger
• 175g soft light brown sugar
• 175g softened butter
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180C or gas mark 4. Grease a deep 8-inch round cake tin, line the base with greaseproof paper. 

Chop the rhubarb into 2cm chunks, place into a baking tray cover with the sugar and bake for 8-10 minutes or until softened. Fill the tin with the rhubarb (lay as flat as possible) and half of the chopped ginger, then spoon half of the ginger syrup over the top.  

Sift the flour, baking powder and ground ginger into a mixing bowl. Stir in the soft brown sugar and butter, then add the eggs and beat together for 1-2 minutes until level and creamy. Carefully spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth the surface. 

Bake in the centre of the oven for about 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes. Turn out on a wire rack, peel off the lining paper and leave to cool completely. Add the reserved chopped ginger to the top of the rhubarb and drizzle over the remaining ginger syprup. 

Pineapple Cake with Passion Fruit & Caipirinha Drizzle

During a visit to a local street market in Rio I find a stall set up next to a local jazz band selling Caipirinhas, lots of them! The owner of this stall/bar is Luizinho and he's a local legend. He set up his stall in the mid 1990's when he was placed in charge of serving cocktails during a political campaign. This triggered invites to other events which eventually led to his own business. Nowadays he is at his happiest talking to his customers, listening to music and of course making cocktails.

His caipirinhas are made in the traditional way with lime, sugar and Cachaca (Brazilian rum) but also with tropical fresh fruit and berries which make them very drinkable indeed. Luizinho then gets me behind his bar to give me a lesson in caipirinha making. As I look around I begin to understand exactly why he has chose this as his profession, the sun is shining, people are smiling, chatting and dancing. And of course the cocktails are flowing, it's a street celebration!

And what better way to celebrate than with cake... I've based the flavours in this cake around the caipirinha cocktail and my favourite combination that I tasted that day which was Cachaca, pineapple and passion fruit. 

ENJOY!

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My Pineapple Cake with Passion Fruit & Caipirinha Drizzle

Ingredients

• 1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced
• 175g caster sugar
• 125g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 175g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
• 250ml whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the drizzle:

• 2 passion fruit
• 50g icing sugar
• 50ml cachaca
• Juice of 1 lime

Method

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius or 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease and line a 23cm springform cake tin with baking parchment.

Place the pineapple slices and 50 grams of the sugar into a large non-stick frying pan and cook gently for 4 to 5 minutes until caramelised. Set aside to cool.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and stir in the desiccated coconut and the remaining sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, eggs, melted butter, milk and vanilla until smooth.

Stir the mixture into the dry ingredients to make a smooth batter. Transfer a few spoonfuls of the batter into a separate bowl. Mix the pineapple slices with the larger amount of batter and pour into the lined tin.

Give the tin a tap to knock out any air bubbles then pour the reserved batter over the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until set with a slight wobble in the centre.

Transfer to a wire rack, leave to cool slightly then prick the surface all over with a toothpick or small skewer.

Meanwhile, cut the passion fruit in half and spoon the flesh into a small food processor. Pulse a few times to break down the pulp and loosen the seeds then pour into a bowl with the remaining ingredients.

Stir until the sugar has dissolved then spoon over the cake. Leave the cake to cool completely then cut into wedges and serve.