The L’impérial pastry at La Bouchée D’or, comprising Mandarin orange crème légère with textured almond, orange rind, soft biscuit and a fine layer of rhubarb jelly
Move over red velvet cake. You are no longer unique.
Once upon a time, cakes like the red velvet were considered quite atypical, but that time is long gone, as these have become quite commonplace. But if you’re bored of the same old same old, as they say (we’re referring to the everyday chocolate, black forest, butterscotch and other done-to-death cakes), we have some interesting cake recipes for those who would like to experiment and bake a slice of heaven that is off the beaten path. And don’t worry, we won’t suggest anything outrageous like a tomato soup or pork cake.
If you like your food to be sprinkled with fresh herbs, go an extra mile and use them in your cakes too, suggests Namarata Kripalani of Forrente Patisserie in Koregaon Park. “Lemon and basil go very well together. So, you could bake a lemon cake, topped with fresh basil. You could also create a chocolate cake with lemon frosting and dust it with rosemary, ” says Namrata, adding that one must make sure to rub the rosemary between the fingers to obtain a fine texture for the sprinkling. Much on the lines of red velvet, Namrata also suggests a Green Velvet Cake, which includes Matcha, finely powdered Japanese green tea, with a cream cheese frosting.
One suggestion that has us most intrigued is that of green tomato as an ingredient for a cheesecake. “Green tomatoes have an interesting sweetness and tartness to them. You could flavour a Philadelphia or cream cheesecake with them, topping it with basil caviar,” says Japvir Vohra, chef de cuisine, DoubleTree by Hilton.
La Bouchée D’or, the charming French patisserie in town, had an interesting pastry over the summer. Called L’impérial, the pastry had Mandarin orange crème légère with textured almond, orange rind, soft biscuit and a fine layer of rhubarb jelly. Its patrons can now look forward to a new creation, containing Old Monk rum and chai mascarpone.
If you look West for inspiration, what is making waves these days is garlic ice cream, according to Namrata. She suggests experimenting with the same to make a garlic ice cream cake. Japvir adds that using extra virgin olive oil in a dark chocolate mousse too is becoming a very a popular trend abroad.
Are you suitably intrigued and excited, already? Well, those of you who can’t wait to get baking needn’t wait much longer, because we got Namrata to share recipes for the unusual cakes she recommended. Happy baking!
GREEN VELVET CAKE
Made with Japanese Green Tea Powder also called Matcha or Maccha
INGREDIENTS
- 2 eggs
- 110 gm Butter
- 1 tbsp Green tea powder ( Matcha)
- 110 gm Sugar
- 110 gm Maida
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Topping:
- 150 gm Philadelphia cream cheese (room temperature)
- 100 gm of tetra pack whipping cream
- 1 tbsp castor sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Matcha
METHOD
- Grease a 6 inch round tin with butter and keep aside. Pre heat the Oven on 180 degrees Celsius
- Sift Maida and baking powder and set aside
- In a bowl, cream the butter, Matcha and sugar together until creamy and light
- Add the eggs one at a time mixing lightly
- Fold in the maida lightly
- Put the batter in the greased tin and bake in the pre heated oven for 30 – 35 mins
TOPPING:
- Mix together the Cream cheese and the sugar until creamy and all lumps are dissolved. Keep aside
- Beat the whipping cream and vanilla extract until stiff.
- Fold in the cream into the cream cheese mix and spread evenly on top of the cake
- Sift the Matcha on top.
ROASTED GARLIC ICECREAM CAKE
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate sponge cake :
- 2 eggs
- 110 gm Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp Cocoa
- 110 gm Sugar
- 90 gm Maida
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Ice cream
- 250 gm of tetra pack whipping cream.
- 16 cloves of finely chopped garlic
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp of butter
- 2 tbsp Honey
- Extra Honey to drizzle on top (Optional)
METHOD
- Grease a 6 inch round tin with butter and keep aside. Pre heat the Oven on 180 degrees Celsius.
- Sift Maida, baking powder, cocoa powder and set aside.
- In a bowl, cream the butter, vanilla extract and sugar together until creamy and light.
- Add the eggs one at a time mixing lightly.
- Fold in the Dry Ingredients lightly.
- Put the batter in the greased tin and bake in the pre heated oven for 30 – 35 mins.
- Keep the cake on the cooling rack.
- Roast the garlic in the butter with the sugar until golden brown.
- Whip the cream until stiff and fold in the honey and half the roasted garlic
- Cut the cake into two layers
- Take one layer and keep it at the bottom of a 6” loose bottom tin.
- Crumble the second layer into the whipped cream mixture and mix gently.
- Pour the mixture on top of the cake. Sprinkle the remaining roasted garlic on top and freeze.
- You can drizzle some extra honey on top if you like
LEMON ROSEMARY CAKE
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate sponge cake :
- 2 eggs
- 110 gm Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp fresh Rosemary
- 1 tbsp Cocoa
- 120 gm Sugar
- 90 gm Maida
- Grated rind of one lemon
- 50 gms grated chocolate
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Lemon curd
- 2 Eggs plus 2 egg yolks
- 165 gm castor Sugar
- 80 gm butter
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 1 Tsp of rosemary to sprinkle on top
METHOD
- Grease a 6 inch round tin with butter and keep aside. Pre heat the Oven on 180 degrees Celsius
- Sift Maida, baking powder, cocoa powder and set aside
- In a bowl, cream the butter, vanilla extract, grated lemon rind and sugar together until creamy and light
- Add the eggs one at a time mixing lightly
- Fold in the grated chocolate and Dry Ingredients lightly
- Put the batter in the greased tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 – 35 mins
Topping:
- Whisk whole eggs, yolks and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat
- Add the butter, juice and zest and whisk continuously until thickened. Take it off the flame and keep mixing if the mixture gets too hot. It can easily curdle
- Strain the mixture and Let it cool down. Spread it on top of the cake with a spoon
- Take the rosemary in your palms and rub it a few times and then sprinkle on top of the lemon topping. This will release the fragrance of the herb and give a distinct flavour to the lemon topping
NOTE: This topping can be made days in advance. Keep in a sterilized jar refrigerated. Lemon curd keeps, covered, in the fridge for two weeks.
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