Jan Bilton: Cakes always in the tin at my place (+recipes)

Pear and Pecan Gateau

The great 1950s song that announces "If I knew you were coming I would have baked a cake" doesn't apply in my kitchen. Because I test and re-test many a sweet goodie, there's always something in the "tins", although nowadays it's plastic containers with clips that I fill and store in the freezer.

My bakes are not limited to serving with coffee or tea.

If anyone turns up unexpectedly for dinner then I can always serve cookies alongside fresh fruit salad for dessert or warm a cake in the microwave and serve it with whipped cream or yoghurt.

Some of the oldies are still goodies but it's always fun to experiment. Adding diced rhubarb to my usual lemon biscuit recipe is an example.

I love old-fashioned gateaux but often they don't appeal to the younger set. Molly Woppy's gingerbread men recently came to the rescue as a garnish, turning a grown-ups' cake into something more family friendly.

Molly Woppy is celebrating the 10th birthday of its ginger biscuits. Originally, when baking commenced in their converted garden studio at their Auckland home, owners Alistair Parker and Hayley Molloy concentrated on making biscotti.

However, the popularity of the "gingerman", as its owners affectionately refer to it, has resulted in a fully fledged bakery built in Avondale employing 20 staff to cater for demand.

TIP: The below recipes with seasonal fruit all use level metric measurements. For best results, when measuring a dry ingredient spoon it into the measuring cup then level the top with the spoon.

Place the measuring cup on the bench to check if the level is correct.

Do not pack it down.

The exception to the rule is brown sugar. This should be lightly packed - except when the recipe states is should be "firmly" packed.

RECIPES

PEAR & PECAN GATEAU

An excellent cake for a family gathering.

Pears: 4 firm but ripe pears(or canned)
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup sugar

Gateau: 1 tsp each: powdered gelatine, instant coffee granules
2 tbsp cold water
1 & 1/2 cups cream
1/2 cup icing sugar
200g sponge fingers
1/2 cup each: finely chopped pecans (or walnuts if you prefer), chopped stem ginger
4 Molly Woppy small gingerbread men, optional

Peel, quarter and core pears. Bring water and sugar to the boil. Add pears and poach until just tender. Cool. Slice each quarter in half. Reserve juice.

Line a 21cm x 12cm loaf pan with plastic film.

Soak the gelatine and coffee granules in the cold water for 5 minutes. Dissolve on low heat then allow to cool.

Whip the cream and icing sugar, until thick. Fold the cooled coffee mixture into the cream.
Place a layer of sponge fingers on the base of the loaf pan. Trim the ends if too long. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the pear syrup. Top with 1/4 of the cream, half the pears, 1 tablespoon of pecans and 1/2 the ginger. Repeat the layers.

Top with a final layer of sponge fingers, drizzle with a little more juice then top with another 1/4 of the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Turn the gateau upside down on a serving plate. Remove the pan and film. Coat the top with the remaining cream and walnuts. Stand the gingerbread men around the sides. Serves 8.

RHUBARB BISCUITS

Preferably, use the reddest part of the rhubarb.

1 cup diced rhubarb
Finely grated rind 1 lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup each: white sugar, brown sugar
175g butter, softened
1 egg
2 cups self-raising flour

Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease two oven trays.

Place rhubarb, lemon rind, juice and 1 tablespoon of the white sugar in a bowl. Mix well. Stand for 15 minutes.

Cream the sugars and butter, until light. Add egg and mix well. Fold in the flour, then add the rhubarb mixture. Place tablespoons of the mixture on the prepared oven trays.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until they are just starting to brown around the edges. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Makes about 32.

BLACK SESAME SEED CITRUS COOKIES

125g butter, chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly whisked
grated rind 1 lemon or orange
3 tbsp lemon or orange juice
1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper, if preferred.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add egg, citrus rind and juice and mix well. Add the sifted flour and baking powder plus the sesame seeds.

Turn on to a lightly floured bench. Roll into 2 logs. If preferred, these can be wrapped in plastic film and frozen then sliced and baked at a later date.

Slice the rolls into 1cm thick rounds. Place on the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove and cool on a wire rack. Makes about 24.

PASSION CAKE

The butter should be at room temperature or slightly softened.

175g butter, chopped
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 & 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup passionfruit pulp

Passionfruit icing: 1 & 1/4 cups sifted icing sugar
50g butter, softened
1/4 cup passionfruit pulp

Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 20cm square cake pan then line the base with baking paper.

Beat the butter, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl, until light and creamy.

Sift in the flour and baking powder, mix well then fold in the passionfruit pulp. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden. Cool for 10 minutes then turn out on to a cake rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, beat the icing sugar, butter and passionfruit pulp until smooth. Spread over the cake. Cut into squares to serve. Best eaten fresh although it can be frozen.