RecipeTin Eats

Fondant potatoes

Nagi — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Fondant potatoes – or Melting Potatoes – are potatoes baked in a buttery herb infused broth so it absorbs the flavour and becomes meltingly tender inside. A restaurant-y way to cook potatoes that’s easy yet looks impressive! Excellent dinner party side dish.

Fondant potatoes aka Melting potatoes

Today’s recipe is a sublime example of turning the humble potato into a very fine-dining worthy potato side dish. Putting the shaping part aside (which is entirely optional, we’ll get to that), it’s incredibly straight forward. Just brown neat cylinders/thick wonky slabs of potato on the stove, add stock, thyme and butter then bake so it absorbs the flavour.

The result? Crispy edges, golden surfaces, creamy and flavoured all the way through inside, with intense herb infused-buttery sauce that’s thickened from the natural starches in the potato. This might be my favourite potato recipe of all time!

Ingredients in fondant potatoes

Here’s what you need to make fondant potatoes:

Potato type – All-rounder and floury / starchy potatoes are best because they absorb flavour better than waxy potatoes, and become beautifully fluffy and soft inside. The most common potatoes at regular stores should be fine – they’re stocked because they’re great all-rounders.
Australia – Sebago (the dirt brushed potatoes sold everywhere) are perfect, Desiree are great too. US: Russet, UK: King Edward.
Butter – Unsalted, cut into cubes so they melt evenly. If you don’t, some of the butter will likely burn before it all melts. This is for basting. We use oil for searing the potatoes (butter burns and doesn’t brown the potatoes as evenly).
Stock/broth – Chicken stock adds the best flavour in my opinion, because it has more savouriness than vegetable stock and is “cleaner” than beef stock. However, vegetable stock is the next best. Though really, this recipe will work with any type of stock.
Thyme – Fresh thyme sprigs work best to infuse the butter / stock with flavour. But you can substitute with dried thyme though you will end up with little thyme bits stuck on your potato.

How to cut fondant potatoes

Choose from pro level to easy – or skip it entirely! Just peel potatoes then cut into thick slabs. It will taste just as good!

GOAL SIZE & PREP

Goal: 8 cylinders that are ~ 6cm/ 2.4″ diameter, 3.5 cm / 1.4″ height, 2 each cut from 4 potatoes (ie cut 4 long cylinders then cut to size).
Trim base – For all methods, the first step is to peel the potatoes then trim a bit off the top and bottom so it stands upright. It just makes it easier to handle.

1. PRO-LEVEL CARVING

For knife masters! This is method will achieve the smoothest edges.

Lie the potato on its side then carve, peeling curved strips to make a cylinder shape.
Keep going, carving thinner and thinner slices until you have a uniform cylinder.

2. INTERMEDIATE: UPRIGHT KNIFE SHAVING

Stand the potato upright. Then cut thin slivers down, rotating as you go, until you have a cylinder shape with edges are as smooth as you can make them. At first, mine are a bit octagon-shaped. Then I just keep trimming thin slivers off the sharp edges to smooth it out.

TIP: Use the back of a knife (ie the non-sharp side) and scrape down the sides of the potato to make the walls neat.

3. eASY: POTATO PEELER

Use a potato peeler to shave strips off the sides, rotating as you go, to shape it into a cylinder as best you can. I find this a little more difficult to make a uniform cylinder shape than using a knife because I find I have less control over how much I shave off with each peel. Also, peeling straight is a little harder.

4. EASY: ROUND CUTTER

Use a 6cm / 2.4″ (or as close as possible) cutter to pop rounds out. The easiest way to do this is to cut 3.5 cm / 1.4″ thick slices then press a round out of each. If your cutter is not tall enough, then use a knife to help trim / pull the excess away (I demo this in the video).

5. JUST DON’T!!

Just cut the potato into 3.5 cm / 1.4″ thick slices and cook per the recipe. It tastes the same, the potato pieces just won’t be perfect rounds (unless you’re lucky!). You won’t need all the potatoes because your pieces will be bigger (unless you use smaller potatoes). Just use enough to fill the pan around the same amount as pictured. Don’t be tempted to squeeze more in because there won’t be enough stock to flavour the inside of the potatoes.

How to make fondant potatoes

Cutting part done, the cooking part is EASY!

Season – Toss the potatoes in a little oil with salt and pepper.
Brown potatoes – Then brown them on the stove using an oven-proof skillet. I use my 26cm / 10.5″ Lodge cast iron pan. It will take a good 6 to 8 minutes on each side to make them golden, on medium high heat. Move them around as needed to brown them as evenly as possible.
Butter – Add the butter and thyme, then spoon the melted butter over the potatoes.
Stock – Pour the stock in and let it come to a boil.

Bake – Transfer the skillet into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, basting the potato with the buttery stock at the 15 minute mark (ie spooning the sauce over the potatoes). In this step, the potatoes are absorbing the stock which flavours the inside and makes it “meltingly” soft.
Ready! At the end of the bake time, there should be virtually no stock left in the pan, just butter. Because potatoes can’t absorb fat. The butter will be slightly thickened thanks to the starch in the potatoes, making a glossy sauce that clings to the potatoes when you spoon it over.
To serve, transfer the potatoes to individual plates or a serving platter for people to help themselves. And pour over every drop of the buttery sauce!

Fondant potatoes & steak with Bearnaise Sauce

What to serve with fondant potatoes

I feel like it would be easier to say what not to serve with fondant potatoes. With the subtle thyme flavour, I wouldn’t serve this with Asian food. But without the thyme, it would be a delicious side dish for Char Sui Pork (Chinese BBQ Pork), Sticky Honey Soy Baked Chicken or a grand Miso Marinated side of salmon !

Asian food aside, this is an elegant, beautiful potato side dish for special occasions. It’s pictured in this post alongside steak with Béarnaise Sauce (it’s so easy!) with last weeks’ Garlic Peas. It would elevate a simple Chicken in Creamy Mustard Sauce to company-worthy, or add a luxurious side to a simple pan fried fish sprinkled with seafood seasoning.

Chicken in Creamy Mustard Sauce

Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib)

Fish Seasoning (great all-rounder)

Roast Chicken

Japanese Miso Salmon (Barbecue or Bake)

You could also cook this in the oven at the same time as a roast chicken or a grand prime rib (standing rib roast). Just put the potatoes in for the last 35 minutes cooking time, factoring in the resting time. Err on the side of caution so the potatoes are done earlier because they can be reheated simply by popping the skillet back in the oven for 5 minutes (from room temperature, it will take longer from fridge cold).

Or, just do as I do and eat them by themselves. You know I did. The only question is, how many? TAKE A GUESS! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

OF COURSE Dozer got some!!! I just forgot to edit that in, concentrating too hard on getting the new-style video edits right. Everybody knows Dozer is the most food-spoiled dog in the world!!!😂

Fondant Potatoes (Melting potatoes)

Recipe video above. Golden on the outside and meltingly tender inside (hence the name!), infused with flavour from roasting in a buttery stock. Lovely, elegant way to cook potatoes, very restaurant-y!

If you're in a hurry, don't worrying about shaping into cylinders. Just cut thick slabs of potato (whatever shape they happen to be!) and cook per the recipe. Or, just use a potato peeler to shape as best you can. It will still taste just as good!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Western

Keyword fondant potatoes, melting potatoes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 149cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

4 x 400g/14 oz large floury potatoes , peeled (Aus: Sebago (dirt brushed), US: Russet, UK: King Edward)
3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp / 50g unsalted butter , cut into 1cm / 1/2″ cubes
6 thyme sprigs (sub 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
1 cup chicken stock / broth , low sodium (or vegetable)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan-forced).
Carve / cut each potato into cylinders ~ 6cm/ 2" diameter, 7 cm height. Then cut in half so you have 8 short cylinders 3.5 cm / 1.4" tall. See cutting method options below.
Season – Pat potato dry. Place in a large bowl and toss with half the oil plus all the salt and pepper.
Sear – In an ovenproof heavy based skillet (Note 2), heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Put the potato in and cook each side for 6 – 8 minutes or until golden.
Cook – Add butter and thyme. Once melted, spoon the butter over the potato ("basting"). Add stock, bring to a boil then transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender, basting at the 15 minute mark. The stock will be absorbed by the potato, leaving just butter.
Serve – Baste one more time then serve! For a restaurant-y option, serve alongside steak with béarnaise sauce and buttered peas.

Cutting method options (see video for demo of each):

Prep for all methods – Trim a bit off both ends so the potato stands upright. Once carved into a tall cylinder 6cm/ 2" diameter, at least 7cm/3" height, so we can cut into 3.5 cm / 1.4" tall pieces. Save leftover potato to make mash (keep in water to prevent turning brown).
Pro method – Lie potato on its side and use a knife to carve around to form a cylinder.
Intermediate (I do this)– Stand potato upright and use a knife to shave thin slivers down, rotating as needed, to carve into a cylinder. You can use a potato peeler for some of this too (just be a bit careful, less control).
Easy – Use 6cm/ 2" (or as close as possible) wide cutters to press rounds out!
Easy potato peeler – Use a potato peeler to shape as best you can, rotating as you go.
Doesn't matter! – Just cut potatoes into 3.5cm / 1.4" thick slices! Even if your rounds are not so round, it will still taste delicious. Only cut enough to fill the pan, as pictured, else you'll have too much potato for the stock being used (flavour dilution),

Notes

1. Potato type – Floury potatoes best as they absorb the stock flavour better and become meltingly tender inside (waxy potatoes don’t work as well).

Size – They need to be large so you can cut 2 x 3.5cm / 1.4″ tall cylinders from each.

2. Cooking vessel – I use my Lodge cast iron skillet (26cm / 10.5″). My #2 most valued kitchen item!

Leftovers will keep for 4 days or freeze for 3 months, though these are at their prime freshly made!

Nutrition per potato, assuming every drop of butter is mopped up.

Nutrition

More fabulous potato sides!

And some no-fuss Monday nights ones too. (Like Easy Roast Potatoes).

Easy Roast Potatoes

Duck Fat Potatoes – Crispiest, Best Roast Potatoes EVER!

Greek Lemon Potatoes

Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Creamy Buttery Mashed Potato

Paris Mash (Rich Creamy Mashed Potato)

Make-ahead Mashed Potato Casserole

Potato Recipes

Life of Dozer

Memories of ALL the food he got during the making of Dinner!

The post Fondant potatoes appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Penne all’Arrabbiata (spicy tomato pasta)

Nagi — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 05:00:00 +0000

“Without the chilli, it’s just another boring tomato pasta. With the chilli, it’s something else!” – Nagi Maehashi from RecipeTin Eats, on Penne all’Arrabbiata, as quoted in today’s recipe video. 😂

Penne all’Arrabbiata

So, I am not sure that one line summary of today’s recipe will go anywhere beyond my little corner of the internet. But that is my articulate description of the greatness that is Penne all’Arrabbiata! Simple made interesting with a good kick of chilli and healthy dose of garlic. The Italians know a thing or two about making simple pastas great!

By way of background, “Arrabbiata” means “angry” in Italian. So this pasta is said to be named as such in reference to its fiery nature!

But fear not. Yes, this is a pasta that is meant to be spicy. But it’s fundamentally a great tomato pasta that you can make as spicy as you’d like. Or not. It’s easy to adjust – just make the sauce with less chilli to start with. Taste it during the simmer time. Add more if you’re feeling bold!

Ingredients in Penne all’Arrabbiata

Arrabbiata sauce can be made with either fresh or dried chillies. Dried is obviously more convenient, but I really like the extra flavour fresh chilli brings to the sauce so I’ve used a combination of both. Also, two of my go-to Italian recipe sources both use fresh chillis. 

Feel free to double up on either options!

Cayenne pepper – The larger the chilli, the less spicy they are! So cayenne peppers are not super spicy. Though, I do like to keep the seeds in for an extra zing of spiciness (the seeds is where most of the spiciness is). Feel free to de-seed if you prefer, or just use dried chillis (see note above photo for why I use fresh and dried).
Feel brave? Use Birds Eye or Thai chillies instead! They pack more spiciness than cayenne peppers.
Dried red chillis – These have a warm earthiness that fresh chillis do not. Sauteing with garlic brings out the toasty flavour as well as the spiciness.
Pasta type – Traditionally made with penne, though ziti is a direct replacement (it’s penne with a smooth surface). Though really, you can make this with any short or long pasta.
Canned crushed tomato – To be authentic, use whole peeled tomatoes (canned) and mash them up with a fork. For convenience, I use crushed tomatoes!
Sourness note: Not all canned tomatoes are created equal! Economical brands tend to be more sour. Take the edge off with ½ teaspoon of sugar.
Garlic – 3 cloves! Arrabiata sauce is meant to have a nice hit of garlic flavour.
Parmesan – For serving.
Parsley – For optional garnish.

How to make Arrabbiata Sauce

This simple pasta sauce 15 minutes simmering time to breakdown the tomatoes and make the flavours meld. Don’t shortcut it – you’ll rob yourself of flavour!

Finely mince the cayenne pepper with the seeds in. (See note in the ingredients section about seeds and spiciness)
Sauté garlic and chilli – Use a pot large enough to toss the pasta with the sauce. Heat the oil over medium heat, then stir the garlic for just 10 seconds. Add cayenne and chilli flakes, then cook for 1 minute, or until garlic is light golden.

Simmer – Add tomato, salt and pepper. Rinse out the tomato cans with a bit of water and add that in too. Then simmer the sauce gently for 15 minutes until it thickens.
Save water for sauce – While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta per packet directions in salted pasta cooking water. Just before draining, give the pot a big stir (to agitate the starch* in the pasta) then scoop out 1 cup of the water. Then drain the pasta.
* The starch in the pasta cooking water helps the pasta sauce thicken so it clings to the pasta better.
Toss – Add the pasta into the sauce along with 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Toss well (still on the stove) until the sauce coats the pasta and is no longer pooled in the base of the pot. Use extra pasta cooking water if needed, to loosen.
Serve – Dinnertime! Divide between bowls and serve immediately with parmesan and parsley, if using.

Oh the possibilities!

I’ve kept today’s recipe traditional with no add-ins, delicious as is.

But this recipe is an excellent blank canvas for add-ins of choice. Think – cooked shredded chicken, ham bits, olives (puttanesca-ish!), artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, other leftover cooked vegetables (or sauté from raw). Drop in some raw prawns/shrimp for the last few minutes cook time or some pieces of fish.

As with all pasta recipes, be sure to have everyone lined up ready to eat as you’re dishing it out so it’s at its slick, juicy, sauciness best. Pass freshly grated parmesan at the table, and top it with a pinch of parsley if you’re feeling fancy.

Enjoy! – Nagi

Watch how to make it

Made Arrabbiata Sauce – and got a free facial!

Penne all’Arrabbiata (spicy tomato pasta)

Recipe video above. “Arrabbiata” means “angry” in Italian and refers to how the spiciness of this classic Italian pasta! I love how this simple dish is made interesting with a good kick of chilli.

To be authentic, use whole peeled tomatoes and mash them up with a fork. For convenience, I use crushed tomatoes. SPICINESS – See Note 1.

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword arrabbiata penne, arrabbiata sauce, Penne all’arrabbiata

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 567cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

400g/ 14oz penne or ziti , or other pasta of choice (short or long)
1 tbsp cooking / kosher salt , for cooking pasta

Arrabiata sauce:

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves , finely minced
1 red cayenne pepper chilli , finely chopped (with seeds) (Note 2)
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
800g / 28 oz canned crushed tomato
1 1/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white sugar , only if needed (Note 3)

Serving:

parmesan , finely grated
2 tsp finely chopped parsley , optional

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Sauté – Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and stir for 10 seconds. Add cayenne and chilli flakes. Cook for 1 minute, or until garlic is light golden.
Add tomato, salt and pepper. Rinse out the tomato cans with the water and add into the pot.
Simmer – Turn up the heat to high, stir, then once it comes to a simmer, turn back down to medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes. (Taste check at 10 min – if sour, add the sugar.)
Cook pasta – Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to the boil with the 1 tablespoon of salt. Add pasta and cook per packet directions.
Save water – Just before draining, give the pot a big stir (to agitate the starch) then scoop out 1 cup of the water and set aside. (Note 4) Drain pasta.
Toss – Add pasta into the sauce along with 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Toss well (still on the stove) until the pasta is coated with the pasta sauce. Use extra pasta cooking water if needed, to loosen.
Serve – Divide between bowls and serve immediately with parmesan and parsley, if using.

Notes

1. SPICINESS – Has a fair kick to it, as it is supposed to! It’s between medium and medium-hot. Not blow-your-head-off. To reduce spiciness, de-seed the cayenne pepper (most spiciness is in the seeds) – this will reduce closer to medium. To reduce further/easy way to control, omit the cayenne pepper. Start with a small amount of chilli flakes then get the sauce simmering. At the 10 minute mark, taste and add more chilli flakes, bit by bit, until you hit your threshold!

2. Cayenne peppers are large red chillis. They are not overly spicy – general rule is the smaller the chilli, the spicier they are. See above for spiciness note.

3. Sugar – Not all canned tomatoes are created equal. The better the quality, the sweeter they are. Only use sugar if required.

4. Reserving/using pasta cooking water – Essential pasta cooking step every Italian does instinctively for every pasta recipe! Starch in the pasta cooking water helps the sauce thicken and cling to the pasta instead of sitting in a watery pool in the bottom of your pasta bowl.

5. Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Nowhere to be seen when I’m sautéing the chilli (the fumes tickle his nose) but he waddles over when it’s done. But – no spicy pasta for Dozer! Can you imagine the mess I’d have to deal with. 😂

The post Penne all’Arrabbiata (spicy tomato pasta) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake

Nagi — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake! Think – blueberry crumble meets warm lemon cake with a crunchy buttery streusel topping and melty scoop of vanilla ice cream. It tastes even better than it sounds!

Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake

I’ve done my fair share of blueberry desserts but I’ve always wanted to do a cake with an outrageous amount of blueberries in it. As in, BURSTING with blueberries. Not just studded. I dreamed of a blueberry crumble, except in cake form. (Yes, these are the thoughts that occupy my mind at night).

The question really was just how much blueberries I could bake into a cake without weighing down the sponge so much it became dense.

I peaked out at 500g (1lb). That’s almost double the typical amount used in most Blueberry Crumb Cakes.

And with extra blueberries comes extra streusel, that crumbly crunchy caramel top. I guess sometimes dreams can come true!!

Extra blueberries…

Extra streusel!

Ingredients in Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake

Here’s what you need to make this.

The blueberries

The blueberries are tossed in a little flour and sugar so it forms a jam-like layer that mostly suspends on the surface of the cake. The lemon is used to provide wetness to make some of the flour stick to the blueberries.

You will find that not all the flour sticks to the blueberries. Be sure to scatter it all across the blueberry layer. We need the full 3 tablespoons of flour to ensure the blueberries don’t sink. Initial versions of the cake only used 1 tablespoon and the blueberries dispersed a little too much for my liking.

Frozen blueberries will work too! Use frozen because they bleed a lot when thawed.

The Crumb Topping

This is called a streusel in baking. It’s a mixture made with flour, sugar and butter combined to make a lumpy mixture that is used to add a terrific crunchy topping on the surface of cakes, muffins, bars etc.

No unusual players here. The only one worth noting is sugar. I prefer using caster sugar (superfine sugar) because the grains are finer so I can be confident that I won’t end up with sugar grains in the streusel. However, if you don’t have it, just substitute with regular sugar.

Lemon Cake

The Lemon Cake is adapted from the batter I use for my classic blueberry yogurt cake. However, the batter is a little sturdier built to withstand the combined 700g / 1.4lb of blueberries and streusel that we pile on top and still come out lovely and springy at the end.

PS I know that 700g/1.4 lb sounds like an insane amount of blueberries and streusel, but we do lose weight in liquid evaporation as it bakes.

Flour – just plain / all purpose flour. It’s best to use plain flour and add baking powder rather than self raising flour. Cakes just never rise as well.
Baking powder – This is what makes the cake rise. If yours is old, it’s best to check it’s still active!
Sour cream – This helps make the sponge lovely and moist because it adds wetness into the batter but it’s thicker than milk. So we can use less flour for the same volume of batter. Ensure the sour cream is at room temperature, ie not fridge cold, else it will not incorporate properly into the batter (eg it can make the melted butter solidfy. Yup, been there, done that!).
Milk – Full fat is best though low fat will work fine too. As with the sour cream, ensure it’s not fridge cold. Take it out 30 minutes prior, or microwave for 10 seconds.
Eggs – Use large eggs which are ~55 – 60g / 2 oz each (they come in cartons labelled “large eggs”) at room temperature. See here for what this means, and a quick way to de-chill fridge cold eggs!
Melted butter – Once melted, let it cool for a bit. It can still be warm, we just don’t want it to be super hot.
Lemon zest – Zest the lemon before you squeeze out juice to coat the blueberries! It’s impossible to properly zest a lemon once it’s been squeeze of juice. We only use the zest because it adds lovely lemon flavour. The juice, on the other hand, mainly just adds sourness.
Vanilla extract – Better flavour than imitation vanilla essence. I personally don’t use vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste in cakes because I think it’s wasted. Save it for things like Crème Brûlée and Flan Pâtissier!
Salt – Just a touch, to bring out the other flavours in the cake. Standard baking practice these days.

How to make Blueberry Crumb Cake

Streusel first (it’s a quick mix), then toss the blueberries, then make the batter last.

1. How to make Streusel

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt). Then add the melted butter and vanilla, and mix using a fork just until all the flour is wet but the mixture is still clumpy.
This is what you’re after. Lots and lots of lumps!

2. zest lemon fiRst, then toss the blueberries

Zest the lemon then keep it for the batter. Do this before juicing the lemon for the blueberries because it’s impossible to zest a lemon that’s been squeezed of juice!
Toss the blueberries in lemon juice first to wet the surface. Then toss with the flour and sugar. Then set aside until required.

3. The lemon cake batter

Line a 20cm / 8” springform cake pan with baking / parchment paper. See here for my easy way of doing it – no pencil required!
It needs to be a springform pan so the cake can be removed without inverting (which would cause the crumbly topping to fall off!)
Whisk dry – Whisk the dry ingredient in a bowl (flour, baking powder and salt).
Whisk wet – Then in a larger bowl, give the sugar, vanilla, zest and eggs a good whisk for about 15 seconds until the surface is a bit foamy. Add the melted warm-not-hot butter and sour cream, then whisk until smooth.
Add flour in 3 batches – Add one third of the flour then use a rubber spatula to fold it through. Once mostly incorporated, add half the remaining flour, fold through, then the remaining flour and fold through.

Milk last – When you can no longer see flour, add the milk and mix until incorporated. If you see tiny bits in the batter, it will be the zest not flour lumps!
Batter thickness – This is what your batter should look like. Pourable but not super thin like my Chocolate Cake and not super thick like a muffin batter.

4. ASSEMBLING AND BAKING

Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth the surface.
Top with blueberries. For the most even spread, start from the outer edge then work your way in. If you start in the middle, the weight of the blueberries pushes the batter out and up the walls of the pan. But, don’t get too hung up on this step! This is a rustic cake, and the blueberry layer is always a bit of a pot-luck situation in terms of spottiness / jammy patches / how neat the line is (it is not, ever!).
Use residual flour – Make sure you tip the residual flour and sugar at the bottom of the blueberry bowl over the blueberries. We need all the flour to ensure the blueberries don’t sink (I had problems when I used slightly less flour).
Streusel – Then cover the top with the streusel, using your fingers to make nice big lumps across the surface. Aim for around 85% coverage – it’s nice to have some jammy blueberries peeking through the golden brown crumbly topping!
TIP: If you have powdery streusel at the bottom of the bowl, just clench a pile of it in your fist to make it clump together. Then break up into clumps and scatter!

Bake for 65 minutes at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced), rotating halfway to ensure the streusel browns evenly.
Note on oven temperature: it’s a little higher than the usual temperature for baking cakes because the blueberries and streusel add a thick protection layer so we need an extra blast of heat to cook the cake through. At the typical 180°C/350°F (160°C fan), the cake was taking 75 – 80 minutes and the sponge rose a smidge less.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan to give it a chance to stabilise. Then unclip the sides and use a spatula to slide the cake onto a cooling rack. Cool for a further 10 minutes before slicing to serve warm (so the ice cream melts!), or fully cool and serve at room temperature.

Warm vs room temperature serving

If you want to be a normal, this cake can be served at room temperature, with optional ice cream or whipped cream on the side. That’s the normal way Crumb Cakes are served. It is delicious and the way this cake was originally intended to be.

But, for the ultimate Blueberry Crumb Cake experience, serve it warm with a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream on top. It is just such a comforting combination – the warm blueberries that burst in your mouth mingling with the cool creamy ice cream, the crunchy bits of caramel-y streusel topping and the soft cake (which gets softer when warm!) with the hint of fresh lemon flavour.

I am firmly planted on the warm-serving side. Try it once, and I think you will be too! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake

Recipe video above. With almost double the blueberries of normal recipes and extra crunchy streusel topping, this Blueberry Crumb Cake is like a blueberry crumble on a soft, warm lemon cake. Melty scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is perfection!

Please ensure your eggs, sour cream and milk are not fridge cold as they will not incorporate into the batter properly.

Course Cake

Cuisine Western

Keyword blueberry cake, blueberry crumb cake, crumb cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 5

Total Time 1 20

Servings – 12

Calories 324cal

Author Goh

Ingredients

Crunch crumb (Streusel):

2/3 cups flour , plain/all-purpose
½ cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/8 tsp cooking/kosher salt
60g / 4 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon vanilla cake:

1 1/3 cups flour , plain/all-purpose
2 tsp baking powder (if old, check it’s still active)
1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 large eggs , at room temperature (what this means)
90 g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , melted then cooled slightly (don’t use piping hot)
1/3 cup sour cream , at room temperature (sub plain yogurt)
1/3 cup milk , at room temperature (full fat best, low fat ok)

Blueberries:

500 g / 1 lb fresh blueberries (Note 1 for frozen)
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp caster sugar (superfine sugar)
3 tbsp flour , plain/all-purpose

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan-forced). Line a 20cm springform pan with paper (here's how I do it).
Crumb – Put the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and mix together with a fork. Then add the butter and vanilla, and use the fork to mix until all the flour is wet, then stop mixing. We want it lumpy and crumbly!
Zest the lemon first and put it aside for the batter before measuring out juice for the blueberry tossing.
Blueberries – Toss the blueberries with lemon juice to wet the surface. Sprinkle with sugar and flour, toss to coat. Set aside.

Lemon vanilla cake:

Whisk dry – Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
Whisk wet – In a larger bowl, whisk the sugar, vanilla, zest and eggs until the surface is a bit foamy (~ 15 sec by hand). Add the butter and sour cream, whisk until smooth.
Combine wet and dry – Switch to a rubber spatula. Add the flour in 3 batches, folding in between until the flour is mostly incorporated. Then add the milk and stir until combined. Some small lumps is ok!
Assembling – Pour the batter into the pan. Scatter blueberries on top. Sprinkle any leftover flour at the bottom of the blueberry bowl on top of the blueberries. Cover with chunks of crumb, aiming for ~85% coverage. If necessary, enclose powdery bits in your fist to press them into clumps!
Bake for 65 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (blueberry smear is ok!).
Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Remove the cake from the springform pan then cool for at least another 10 minutes before cutting to serve.
Serving – For the best blueberry crumble-cake experience, serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Otherwise, be normal and serve it at room temperature. Ice cream or cream also welcome here.

Notes

1. Frozen blueberries can be used too. Don’t thaw! Toss with the flour & sugar just before using (if you do it before making the batter it will start to melt). It will take an extra 10 minutes to bake. If the top starts to get overly brown, just cover with foil.

2. Pan – Best to use a springform pan else you will lose streusel topping when inverting out of a standard cake pan.

3. Storage – Cake will keep for 5 days in the fridge. But always bring to room temp before serving, though best to serve slightly warm! If it’s quite cool where you are it will keep in the pantry too, in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Me: in Brisbane, at the final Good Food & Wine Show for the year. Dozer: at the Golden Retriever Boarders’ house. She’s always a little offended because Dozer gives her husband a more enthusiastic greeting than she gets.

She is a vegetarian. Her husband is a carnivore. Dozer is not subtle.

This is a photo she sent me yesterday of Dozer waiting at the gate to greet her husband when got home from work!

The post Bursting Blueberry Crumb Cake appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

How to line a cake pan with paper

Nagi — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 12:51:45 +0000

In this post, I’m sharing my easy way to line cake pans with paper. No drawing outlines then cutting out rounds. Nope! It’s really quick and easy.

How to line a cake pan (easily!)

Here’s how I do it:

Tear off a sheet of baking paper / parchment paper.
Fold it in half.
Then fold in in half again.
Then keep folding until you form a long pointy triangle.

Measure it against the cake pan with the pointy end in the middle of the pan.
Then snip the end off.
Unfold and voila! Look at that, a near-perfect circle base for your cake-pan.
Grease the cake pan using butter (sticks best) or oil spray (works but paper will slide a bit).
Press into the base.
Then tear off strips of paper and stick to the walls. My 20cm / 8” cake pan requires 2 full length strips plus a scrap to patch up a gap.

There you go! I hope you find this useful.

And here’s a video tutorial so you can watch me do it:

Pre-cut paper rounds

Though, if you are an avid baker, did you know you can buy pre-cut paper rounds in varying sizes? I have 20cm/8” ones and 23cm / 9” rounds. Super handy! I purchase mine online.

Though to be honest, weirdly, I default to cutting my own. It’s just habit!. – Nagi x

PS Just to share a little anecdote about this method: At the time I figured out how to do this, I really thought I was the first person in the world to discover this. I thought I was so clever, and I applauded myself for coming up with this handy hack.

But a quick search online showed it’s been done by professionals and home cooks “forever”.

Ah well. In my mind, I was the pioneer of this!!

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