Sweet New Zealand

You may have expected a nod to Halloween from some of this month’s Sweet New Zealand entries, but surprisingly there was none. To be honest, I hadn’t given much thought to it myself relying on a long driveway in the middle of the countryside as a deterrent to any trick or treaters (I had no sweets or lollies for them, you see). My assumptions were correct and no witches, warlocks or ghosts crossed my path – at least not whilst I was awake...

Whilst they may not have run with the scary theme, our New Zealand food bloggers did a magic job conjuring up their own potions and spells for October’s Sweet New Zealand and in no particular order, here they are.

First out the cauldron was the serene Sue from Couscous & Consciousness with an Apricot, Date & Pistachio Loaf. I am always up for a fruit loaf and Sue says this delicious loaf full of dried fruit, seeds and nuts was so good she can’t wait to make it again. I can’t wait to try it, Sue.

Sue's Apricot, Date & Pistachio Loaf from Couscous and Consciousness

Not one to rest on her laurels, Sue was back in the kitchen to whip up a second entry for Sweet New Zealand and I, for one, am eagerly awaiting apricot season as this Roasted Apricot Frozen Yoghurt sounds mouth-wateringly good. If, like Sue, you have a supply of frozen apricots in your freezer (why didn’t I think of that?), then what are you waiting for? Try it now – the sun is out as I speak.

Another delicious entry from Sue at Couscous and Consciousness - Roasted Apricot Frozen Yoghurt

Next up is Genie from a super little blog called Bunny Eats Design. Genie celebrated National Nut Day on 21st October (which along with Halloween also bypassed me) with these Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts. I love taking little bowls of snacks such as these to book club – especially when you’ve made them yourself.

If you love lemons as I do, then you will probably like lemon curd (and all its amazing possibilities). You’ll be glad then that Amanda from Move Love Eat has created a Healthier Lemon Curd that is also gluten free and paleo friendly! Lots of ticks there. It must be good - Amanda has been making triple batches to keep up with the demand.

A healthier Lemon Curd from Move Love Eat

If you’re looking for a moist cake that’s a bit sweet and a bit spicy, look no further than this Sticky Prune Cake from Frances at Bake Club. Just the thing to have with a cup of tea.

Sticky Prune Cake - courtesy of Frances at Bake Club

Doing things a little differently is Sweet New Zealand founder, Alessandra. Whilst in Japan she developed her very own Tiramisu di Alessandra. (She’s Italian, so if anyone can mess around with an Italian dessert, she can.) Hers is made with cream, instead of mascarpone. The topping is Italian ground coffee, not cocoa and she finds a good quality whisky makes all the difference. Well of course it does. Salute! 

Tiramisu di Alessandra - from Sweet NZ founder, Alessandra Zecchini

My own entry is this Citrus & Almond Cake with Yoghurt Drizzle. 

That's it from Sweet New Zealand this month.  Enjoy what is left of your weekend.

Yours truly's Citrus & Almond Cake with Yoghurt Drizzle

Citrus + Almond Cake with Yoghurt Drizzle

I keep making these type of cakes and then forgetting which recipe I used or where I even got it from. This makes it frustrating when I'm trying to recall my favourite (and I know there is one!). Losing one's marbles was not the only calamity in the kitchen this morning.  My attempt at making a yoghurt icing saw it start off creamy and end up runny - fail!  So it transformed into a yoghurt drizzle. Ah well, in the end we still got to eat cake and sometimes that's all that matters, as Marie Antoinette was wont to point out (maybe?).

I was given a lovely homemade present of a jar of brandied kumquats (thank you, Penny) and used the last of them in this cake, making up the difference in quantity with some homegrown oranges.  I am sure the liqueur in the kumquats adds greatly to the taste (hic). Now I get to keep the leftover liquid for six months until it has reached a thick, sweet syrup - can't wait to try it.

Before you start this recipe, bear in mind you will need to boil the oranges first and let them cool before you start baking.

Citrus & Almond Cake with Yoghurt Drizzle

Approx. 3 smallish oranges (375 grams)
6 eggs
225g sugar
250g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder

Place the whole oranges in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then simmer for one hour. Drain and leave until cold.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. Butter and line a 20cm cake tin.

Cut the cooked oranges in quarters and remove the pips. Place the whole fruits in a food processor with a metal blade and blitz until finely chopped. Add eggs and sugar and process until well combined. Finally add ground almonds and baking powder and pulse until just mixed.

Pour the mix into the cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. If the top of the cake starts to brown too much, cover loosely with tin foil.

Remove from the oven and leave in the tin but place on a wire rack to cool.

Once cool, dust with icing sugar or a lemon glaze or the yoghurt drizzle below.

Yoghurt Drizzle

1 cup Greek yoghurt
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup icing sugar, sifted
100g cream cheese

Whisk (by hand or electric) the ingredients together until smooth. Keep refrigerated until required. Spoon or drizzle over the cake.

I decorated my cake with some edible flowers (well the pink one on the left may not be edible but the others are) and freeze-dried raspberry powder.

This will be my October entry for Sweet New Zealand which I am hosting here.

Mocha Mousse & Caramelized Oranges

When I was younger I’d take the cut half of an orange and dip it straight into the sugar bowl. I assume mum wasn’t watching at the time although, given my sweet tooth, it may have been something she encouraged.

I was tempted to do a similar thing with our latest crop of oranges just to sweeten them up a little.  They are just a tiny bit tart to eat au naturel.   

A quick flick through an old cookbook and I came up with these retro caramelized oranges – a little sticky syrup to sugarcoat the citrus.

From there it wasn’t too hard to think of a chocolate match – or in this case chocolate and coffee – for a winning combination.  Oh, and did I mention there’s also lemon liqueur, for a little extra citrus kick?  This mousse really has a lot going for it. 

The caramel sauce turned out less sticky than it was originally.  I am going to suggest that this was the result of it mingling overnight with the juice from the oranges and not another unsuccessful attempt at a toffee sauce by me.  It didn't matter, the rich, dark mocha mousse was heaven.

This will be my entry to Sweet New Zealand hosted this month by the talented Nicola who has a wonderful blog at Homegrown Kitchen.

Mocha mousse & caramelized oranges

Makes about 6-8 serves

175g (6oz) dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa

2 tbsp strong black coffee

4 eggs, separated

1 tbsp Limoncello or Cointreau liqueur

Mocha Mousse

Break chocolate into pieces and place the chocolate and coffee in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.  Do not let the water touch the base of the bowl.  Heat gently until the chocolate melts, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.

Beat the egg yolks and gradually stir into the chocolate mixture.  Add the liqueur and stir to combine.

In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff with an electric mixer. Now, using a metal spoon, fold a tablespoon of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen it.  Gently fold in the rest of the chocolate mix into the egg whites until thoroughly combined. Be patient, it needs gentle folding and cutting movements to retain all the air, which makes the mousse light.

Spoon into individual ramekins or glasses and chill in the fridge for several hours, preferably overnight.

Serve with the sticky oranges on the side or on top and some whipped cream.

Caramelized oranges

4 oranges

115g sugar

150ml water

Using a sharp knife, peel and remove the pith of the orange, keeping the shape intact.  Slice into rounds, remove the pips and set aside.

Place the sugar and half the water in a saucepan and dissolve the sugar slowly over a gentle heat.  Once dissolved, increase the heat and boil until it turns a rich, caramel colour.

Remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour in the remaining water being careful not to splash any of the hot caramel. 

Return the pan to a gentle heat and dissolve the caramel.  Remove from the heat and leave to cool before pouring over the oranges.

Chill in the fridge before serving.

If you don’t want to serve the mousse with the oranges, a chocolate coated coffee bean or two on top finishes it off nicely.