5 Reasons Why You Need To Bake This Chocolate-Rum-Coconut Cake

1)     You’re awesome. You deserve a treat.

2)      Eating cake is cheaper than therapy.

3)      It’s somebody’s birthday somewhere.

4)      Time flies when you’re having rum.

5)      Chocolate comes from cocoa, which is a tree… That makes it a plant… So this cake is actually a salad.

 

Chocolate. Rum. Coconut. Cake.

Honestly, these four words should already be enough to make you want to bake this delicious example of decadence. Chocolate and coconut is by far the best dessert combination on the entire planet (Can I get an Amen?) but to make things even more jaw-dropping, finger-licking, knee-wobbling extravagant I added a generous splash – well, an entire glass – of rum (Mr. Sparrow would be so proud)

The result was a super moist sponge that oozed chocolaty richness, coconutty decadence and boozy lusciousness.

However, this drool-worthy description is not yet finished, because I even added a chopped chocolate-covered coconut bar to the batter, which created a lovely polka dot effect in the cake.

I used the special edition Côte D’Or Coco, which has a very intense coconut flavour, but if you can’t find this one, just use a good ol’ Bounty candy bar 😉

What are you waiting for?

Get baking!

Ingredients:       

• 40gr cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 1 dl rum
• 1 dl coconut milk
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 200gr caster sugar
• 125gr butter
• 140gr plain flour
• 100gr chocolate-covered coconut bar (Cöte D’Or or Bounty)
• To decorate: dark chocolate spread, desiccated coconut

Method:

1)      Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a round baking tin with baking parchment.

2)      Pour the rum in a small saucepan together with the butter and gently heat until  it has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder. Let it cool slightly.

3)      Mix the egg in a jug together with the coconut milk and then add this to the mixture in the pan.

4)      Sift together the remaining sponge ingredients into a large bowl. Pour in the contents of the pan and mix on low speed.

5)      Chop the candy bar in fine chunks and stir into the batter.

6)      Pour the batter into the tin and put in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

7)      Set aside to cool and remove from the tin onto a wire rack.

8)      Spread the chocolate spread generously on top of the cake and sprinkle on some desiccated coconut.

 

Have a Rumtastic New Year Y’all! And Bake this Pina Collada cake

2014 has arrived. People are expressing wishes to friends and family and are busy drawing up lists with all their New Year’s resolutions. These resolutions can be important if you need to get your life back on track and it is the perfect time to get rid of all your bad habits and acquire some good ones.

Although I believe that these resolutions are an ideal way to get inspired at the dawn of a new year, I also think it can be rather hard to keep them. Life is full of pitfalls and before you know it, your resolutions get tossed into the bin.

This, however, doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

Because I have a better idea, dear readers.

Instead of drawing up a list with all the “have tos” and “must dos”, I suggest we make a list of something much more important. Let’s call it the “fuck it” list. A list on which nothing is obligatory. No overambitious bullshit. Just a very personal collection of everyone and everything that can from now on kiss your ass.

Such a list isn’t just much more fun, it is also much easier to keep.

My “fuck it” list goes like this:

• F*** what everyone thinks of me. I’ll be doing whatever I want, wearing whatever I want and eating whatever I want. No more partypoopers telling me what to do and how to behave.
• F*** conformism. I will no longer try to blend in. Me and my awesomeness deserve to stand out.
• F*** meat eaters and global warming deniers. (No need to elaborate on this one)
• F*** Belgian men. They have no balls. Zero. Non.
• F*** perfection. Perfection is unattainable so why bother worrying and stressing about it?
• F*** Stress. Let’s get into the Chill zone.

That last one is my most important “fuck it” item. I am a very stressful person and this year I will do my very best to simply let it go. Stress kills creativity. It suppresses positivity and dreams. But most of all, it’s just not really good for your sleeping pattern or mental health.

So that is why I’m saying F U to stress. And I honestly wish all my dear readers would do the same.

Skip the stress. Drink cocktails instead.

If you keep this simple non-rule in mind, 2014 will be awesome.

To honor the very first week of the new year, I decided to bake a completely stress-free cake. A pina collada cake. Because what could be better than your favourite cocktail turned into a super moist rum and coconut flavour bomb? Nothing, let me tell you that.

So here is my very own “Fuck It, I’m Having a Cocktail” cake.

Enjoy!

And have a stress-free 2014!

Pina Collada Cake

Ingredients:

• 150ml coconut milk
• 1 egg
• Pinch of salt
• ½ tbsp baking powder
• 40gr butter
• 150gr fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
• 120gr plain flour
• 135gr caster sugar

For the rum syrup.

• 100ml rum
• Juice of half a lime
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a brownie tin with baking parchment.
2. Put the flour, sugar, butter, salt and baking powder together in a bowl and mix until you get a sandy consistency.
3. Mix the egg and coconut milk together in a jug and gradually pour into the dry mixture. Mix on high speed until you get a smooth batter.
4. Stir in the fresh pineapple and pour the batter into your prepared cake tin.
5. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make a rum syrup. Bring your ingredients to the boil and let the liquid reduce by half. Once the cake comes out of the oven, pour the rum syrup over the hot cake and let it soak up all the liquid. Let it cool completely in the tin before turning out and cutting it into cute squares.

Snow White and the Cupcake

Once upon a time, in a land for away from here, a beautiful princess sat beside her window, watching how little snowflakes were falling from the sky. As she was working on her paper for American History, she sometimes looked outside at the falling snow. How pretty the dazzling white looked! While admiring this winter wonderland, Snow White said to herself: “If only I had a dear little cupcake as white as the snow, as fragrant as the scent of Douglas fir and with a frosting as sweet as a Christmas song that would help me forget this dreadful research paper.”

As soon as Snow White stepped away from her laptop and entered the great palace that was the kitchen, one beautiful cupcake appeared. Once Snow White realized her wish had come true and that a nutmeg cupcake with eggnog frosting had magically been handed to her on a silver platter, she could not move out of utter joy.

Oh how lovely the taste of rum, singing in the back of your throat! Oh how wonderful the warmth of nutmeg on a cold winter’s day!

When the time came that she had to return to her laptop and continue writing her paper, she felt a combination of sadness and bliss. Sad, for she had already eaten the entire cupcake. Blissful, for the cupcake would always stay on her mind with its impeccable taste and comforting texture.

And so Snow White lived happily ever after. (With the occasional unpleasant interruption of having to write a research paper)

Notes from the author:

1)      I am not a beautiful princess, just a girl stressing over her finals.

2)      I don’t live in a land for away from here. I live in Belgium.

3)      It –unfortunately- isn’t snowing.

4)      The cupcake didn’t magically appear, I had to bake it myself.

5)      The only truth in this story is the fact that I am writing a research paper (and hate  that I have to).

6)      The cupcakes were indeed wonderful!

 

Nutmeg cupcakes with eggnog frosting

Ingredients: (makes 6)

• 1 egg
• 125ml milk
• 40gr butter
• 120gr plain flour
• 140gr caster sugar
• ½ tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch of salt

For the frosting

• 50gr butter
• 100gr icing sugar
• 2 tbsp rum
• Extra nutmeg

Method:

1)      Preheat the oven to 170°C. Mix together the dry ingredients until you get a sandy consistency.

2)      Mix the egg and the milk together in a jug and slowly pour it into the dry mixture. Mix well.

3)      Pour the batter into the cupcake tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

4)      Make the frosting by mixing the ingredients together. Generously spread the frosting onto the cupcakes once  they are cool and sprinkle some nutmeg over the top.

Nuts about Coconuts: Caribbean Coconut and Rum Loaf

I love coconut. I love everything about it. The smell. The taste. I even think the word “coconut” is adorable! Those beautiful round O’s, those vibrant C’s and that naughty “nut”: each enticing syllable agitates my already incredibly high level of language snobbery and tickles my culinary imagination.

You must think I’m a complete lunatic. I’m not, really. I just love words. And I love coconut.

Coconuts remind me of exotic beaches, clear blue water and very sexy scuba diving instructors. Eating coconut is my escape from reality and my first-class ticket to tropical paradise!

Speaking of paradise, another vital ingredient for my exotic daydream trip is rum. Those of you who frequently visit my blog will know that I am notorious for putting alcohol in cake, especially rum. I am now starting to realize that you may think I am some kind of closeted alcoholic. Well, rest assured: I am most definitely not. I simply prefer to put alcohol in my baking, instead of drinking it. (Maybe I am a lunatic after all? ) To this day, I still haven’t uncovered the reason behind my inexplicable love for rum( beside having watched Pirates Of The Caribbean for far too many times 😉 )

But who really cares? As long as there’s more than enough to go round, you won’t hear me complaining!

Caribbean Coconut and rum loaf

For the cake
• 300gr caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 350gr plain flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 2,5 dl coconut milk
• 200gr soy spread or butter, melted

For the chilli and rum syrup:
• 1 dl white rum
• 2 heaped tbsp caster sugar
• 2 chilli peppers, sliced in half

For the frosting
• 50gr thick coconut cream (I used the thick and creamy part at the top of a 400ml can of coconut milk. Use the liquid part for the sponge)
• 7 tbsp white rum
• 5 heaped tbsp icing sugar
• 50gr grated coconut

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease a 23 x 13 cm loaf tin.
2. Beat the sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until well mixed.
3. Sift together the flour and the baking powder and add one third of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and beat well. Then beat in one third of the coconut milk. Repeat this process until everything has been added. Mix until light and fluffy.
4. Pour in the melted butter and beat well until well incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
5. While the cake is baking, put the rum, chilllis and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to boil over low heat. When the liquor looks slightly reduced, give it a quick taste to see whether it is spicy enough. If not, let it simmer for a couple more minuts. Remove the chillis and pour the rum syrup all over the hot cake when it comes out of the oven. Leave to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto the wire rack to cool completely.
6. Make the frosting by mixing all the ingredients together and spread a generous amount of frosting over the top of the cake.

The Rum Diaries: the most exotic dessert you’ll have ever tasted

When my mother walked into the kitchen this morning and asked what I was baking this time, it was very hard to find a suitable name. That’s what happens when you combine at least three different recipes and top it all off with your own personal input. I guess that you could best describe this dessert as an “exotic trifle” or maybe “Rum Baba Revisited”. Basically, it’s just the cake version of my two favorite cocktails: a caipirinha and  a pina colada.

Needless to say that , after I had mentioned the word “cocktail”, my mom didn’t need to hear any further details. She knew it was going to be an amazing dessert. God bless my mom for always believing in my cooking skills!
…

Or maybe she just believed in the power of rum. Because, quite frankly, everything tastes better with rum. I know that. You know that. Jack Sparrow knows that. It is common sense. Just like one plus one equals two, sugar plus rum equals heaven. It is basic mathematics.

That marvelous sweetness from the coconut rochers, that fragrant zing from the lime custard and that splendid fruitiness from the pineapple, all coated in a wonderful blanket of spiced rum syrup.

Cocktail sweetness

Ingredients (makes 6 glasses)

For the lime custard:
• 1,5dl lime juice (4-5 limes)
• 0,5dl water
• 150gr caster sugar (for the lime syrup)
• 50gr caster sugar (for the egg mixture)
• 25gr corn flour
• 2 egg yolks
• 1,5dl double cream

For the rum syrup:
• 0,5dl white rum
• 1,25dl water
• 65gr caster sugar
• 6 cardamom pods

For the decoration:
• Good quality shop-bought soft coconut rochers
• Half a pineapple, finely diced

Method:

1. Crumble a layer of coconut rocher on the bottom of each glass.
2. To make the lime custard, pour the lime juice, water and 150 grams of sugar in a sauce pan and bring to the boil.
3. In a bowl, beat together the egg yolks and 50 grams of sugar until light and creamy. Add the corn flour and mix through.
4. Pour a little bit of the hot lime syrup into your egg mixture and whisk well. Then pour the egg mixture into your pan of lime syrup and, on a low heat, whisk constantly until it starts to thicken.
5. Remove from the heat and pour the custard into a baking tray and cover straight away with cling film and set aside to cool completely.
6. To finish the custard, pour the double cream in a bowl and beat the cream until it forms soft peaks. Gradually fold the whipped cream into your cooled custard.
7. To make the rum syrup, add the ingredients to a pan and bring to the boil. Let it reduce by half.
8. Spoon three to four teaspoons of rum syrup over each layer of coconut rocher and pour the remaining syrup on top of your chopped fresh pineapple.
9. Scatter some pineapple over the coconut layer and then spoon a good dollop of lime custard on top.
10. Generously finish with al layer of boozy pineapple. (and decorate with some desiccated coconut if you like)

Is it magic? No, it’s me being absolutely brilliant! One batter, two totally different cupcakes

What could be better than a cupcake to go with your afternoon cup of coffee? Two cupcakes, maybe? Two totally different but equally delicious cupcakes? Well, consider it done.

I would like you to meet Mr. Pim Cupcake and Mss. Strawberry Daiquiry Cupcake. Two siblings, made out of the same batter, but each with their distinct flavour and independent awesomeness!

Mr Pim is a very intense man. Although he may look very dark (and chocolaty) on the outside, he literally has a heart of gold (and orange marmalade).

Mss. Strawberry Daiquiry is a true diva. She is light, frivolous and likes to brighten up the atmosphere with her sunny personality. Her pink sweetness may sound very appealing, but her perfect cocktail of fruitiness and Bacardi depth can leave you hung over from time to time.

If you would like to have a personal rendezvous with one of them – or what the heck!- even both, just follow the instructions below:

For the basic cupcake batter:

Ingredients(makes 12-14):
• 70gr unsalted butter
• 210gr plain flour
• 250gr caster sugar
• 1tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 210ml whole milk
• 2 eggs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Mix the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together until they form a crumb-like consistency.
3. In a jug, mix together the milk and eggs.
4. Gradually pour the liquid into the butter and flour mixture.
5. Spoon the batter into the paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes.

For Mr. Pim:
Ingredients:
• 12-14 basic cupcakes (see recipe above)
• 100gr orange marmalade
• 200gr chocolate and orange spread
• Pim/ jaffa cakes to decorate

Method:

1. Bake the cupcakes according to the above instructions. Once the cupcakes are cool, use a sharp knife to make a hollow in the centre of each cupcake.
2. Spoon about one teaspoon of orange marmalade into the hollow.
3. Spread a generous amount of chocolate and orange spread onto each cupcake and top each one with a Pim (or Jaffa) cake.

For Mss Strawberry Daiquiri:
Ingredients:
• 12-14 basic cupcakes
• 100ml white rum
• 30gr caster sugar
• 110gr icing sugar
• 45gr unsalted butter
• Red food colouring
• Strawberry jam
• Fresh strawberries to decorate (or raspberries, in this case, since I couldn’t find any strawberries)

Method:

1. Baking the cupcakes according to the above instructions. Once the cupcakes are cool, use a sharp knife to make a hollow in the centre of each cupcake.
2. Add the rum and caster sugar to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, allowing it to reduce by half.
3. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of rum reduction in each hollow.
4. Spoon 1 teaspoon of strawberry jam into each hollow.
5. Beat the butter and icing sugar together with the remaining rum reduction and red food colouring. (Two drops of food colouring will give your frosting a lovely pale hue.)

One pineapple, two dishes: Pina Collada cake and sticky sweet&sour chicken

Pineapple is one of my all-time favourite fruits: it’s super sweet, super juicy and it adds a tropical touch to an otherwise everyday savoury or sweet dish.

In search of something to satisfy my sweet tooth, I decided to bake a Pina Collada cake, inspired by my favourite tropical cocktail. Coconut, rum and pineapple is truly the best exotic combination on this planet!

Wondering what to do with the leftover pineapple slices, I conjured up an exquisite Asian dish of pan-fried pineapple with sticky chicken drumsticks and a spicy sweet and sour sauce. Photography is not my strongest suit – that’s an understatement! – so please don’t base your judgment on the picture below. 😉 It tasted much much much better than it looks in the picture, believe me!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: gingerbread and eggnog cupcakes

Hallelujah, just two more days till Christmas, my favorite time of year! To be honest, I’ve been giving presentations, finishing essays and studying since October and it feels like the time has raced by so fast. When I got home from a seminar yesterday, it came as quite a shock to realize that Christmas is upon us: presents still needed to be gift wrapped (!), I still hadn’t gone grocery shopping for the Christmas menu (!!) and – I can’t believe I’m saying this – I hadn’t even sung along loudly and proudly with Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is you”.(!!!)

To rectify the absence of Christmas spirit, I will be posting nothing but delicious Holiday treats in the upcoming days, starting today with these magnificent gingerbread and eggnog cupcakes. Christmas is ,after all, the season of guilt-free indulgence! These cupcakes are incredibly easy and deliciously Christmassy! The warmth from the spices blends so well with that hint of rum in the boozy frosting. This cupcake truly represents the essence of the Holiday season: a joyous warmth (check!), sharing delicious treats with the ones you love(check!) and of course lots of booze (check check check!)

When the rum is never gone: Caribbean baking

Jack Sparrow would have loved this one! Caramelized bananas, crisp puff pastry and a good dash of rum turned this dead easy tart into a true Caribbean delight. Not only was it ridiculously easy and quick to make (ANYONE can do it!), but it also transports your taste buds to sunnier and more exotic places.

It may be raining outside, but with the help of this tart, these bloody raindrops will turn into bright blue oceans. Mark my words, this afternoon I will be lying on the beach, drinking rum with Jack Sparrow and singing “Yo ho ,yo ho , a pirate’s life for me!” Because, with the right amount of imagination and a good slice of homemade deliciousness, anything is possible!