Gravity Beer Mug Birthday Cake

This gravity beer mug cake is definitely a perfect gift to surprise someone. Especially for beer lovers, for men, for a birthday or for Father's Day !

I started by baking a chocolate cake following my easy chocolate cake recipe below. I decided to make 6 layers but you can make as may layers as you like. 

https://yummymummyrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/10/carnation-chocolate-fudge-cake.html

As for the frosting, I used a simple buttercream frosting for this cake. For the inside layers I did not add any colouring to the buttercream. However, for the outside frosting I decided to have a "beer-coloured" frosting. I used a combination of brown and yellow gel food colouring to create this tan shade.

To make the beer mug handle, I used white fondant and it tool a few days for the fondant to dry. I would suggest you make the handle for this cake a few days in advance. This will give it time to dry and make it easier to insert onto the side of your cake. Poke in a couple of toothpicks on each side of the handle so that the handle can stand to the side of the cake.

The finishing touches to this beer mug cake is the whipped cream foam! Whipped up some double cream until stiff. Then pipe into a piping bag and make a small hole. Fill the piping bag with the stiff cream & start decorating the top to looks like foam and also some at the side and bottom of the mug.

For the gravity look of the cake, get a wooden dowel and cover the dowel with yellow fondant. Use a scissors, make a small snip along the dowel. Once done balance an empty beer can over the dowel.

I am sure this cake will make a big impression!

Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a Maghrebi dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion and garlic, commonly spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. Shakshuka is an easy, healthy breakfast (or any time of the day) recipe in Israel and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa.

What do you eat shakshuka with ? It is traditionally served for breakfast with warm pita bread, challah, or naan. 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
• 4-6 large eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• handful parsley and coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped pepper and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. Add garlic and spices and cook for another minute.

Pour the can of tomatoes and juices into the pan and break down the tomatoes with a fork. Season with salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a simmer.

Use a large spoon to make small wells in the sauce and crack the eggs into each well. Cover the pan and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the eggs are done to your liking.

Garnish with chopped coriander and parsley. 

Chicken Terrine

Why is it called terrine?

The literal translation of terrine in French is a "large earthenware pot". The English derivative of the work tureen; a word still used today to describe a cooking pot. The origins of the cooked dish are without any doubt French, who are masters of the terrine.

This chicken terrine is incredibly easy to make and you can make it in advance!

The secret for this delicious terrine is a good quality pork sausages. Cheap sausages can be very fatty, resulting in a very oily terrine. This chicken terrine is pretty enough to make the centre-stage, yet it takes almost no time and skill to make.  You can also make the chicken terrine as big as you wish, once you understand the process. 

This chicken terrine is great for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

• 250g streaky bacon, more if your pan is bigger
• 3-4 chicken breast fillets, cut into long strips
• 500g good quality pork sausage meat, just remove the meat from the sausage casings
• 1 large onions, finely chopped
• 10ml olive oil
• 15g fresh sage, chopped and extra fresh sage leaves
• ½ cup cranberries
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. 

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions until soft, but not to brown. Cool completely. When cooled, mix the sausage meat with the onion and chopped sage.

Now line a 1lb loaf tin with foil, making sure you make extra long so that the foil overhanging  over the sides of the pan. Lay a few fresh sage leaves in the bottom of the pan in a decorative manner. Now line the tin with bacon, leaving excess hanging over the sides of the tin. You will use the hang-over pieces to close the filling. Pack half of the pork meat in the bottom of the pan, press to compact and level. 

Scatter half of the cranberries over the meat. Pack half the chicken strips in a layer on top of the cranberries. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter the remaining cranberries on top of the chicken layer. Finally add in the remaining sausage meat to fill the tin. Press lightly making sure the meat is compact. 

Close the terrine with the bacon, close up the foil and bake for 40-50 minutes. Remove the loaf from the tin with foil. Invert onto a baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes to crisp up the bacon.

Perfect to serve hot or cold with cranberry jelly.

Barrel of Beer Cake

 Another celebration cake! This cake fit for a 21 years old who likes his drink. I make a vegan chocolate cake as the bucket. I cover a cake board with white fondant. I then use a ruler to marks and press firmly into the fondant making a long-lined groove (to make the floorboard effect). Once the line is drawn, I use the tree bark wood embosser below to make the wood effect looks. Then I use knife to cut some of the lines deeper to make some effect.

                                                   

Once I have completed the wood effect look on the board, I then begin to paint the board. I attached a video link from YouTube that I use to give you some idea how to make the wood effect cake board. My finishing touches to the cake is the so real "ice cubes" which I use clear isomalt. Melt the isomalt in a small pan (be careful as isomalt once melted is very hot) and pour it into a silicone ice cube tray and leave it to set.

https://youtu.be/erF3wHSMlfE