Sugar, spice and everything nice! We’ve spun our favourites into trendy new desserts for you to share and savour.

Tiramisu chocolate cupcakes

Makes 8 – 10 large cupcakes

Total time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1 box (500g) chocolate cake mix

For the syrup

1 ½ cups brown sugar
½ cup water
2/3 cup espresso
2/3 cup medium cream sherry

For the icing

2 egg yolks
2/3 cup castor sugar
1 tub (230g) full-fat cream cheese
1 tub (250g) full-fat mascarpone
1 tsp vanilla essence
Cocoa powder, for dusting

Method

1. Prepare chocolate cake batter according to package instructions.
2. Scoop batter into two large 6-cup muffin tins or one regular 12-cup muffin tin, filling each cup ¾ of the way. Bake as indicated. Cool completely.
3. For the syrup, place ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves.
4. Bring to the boil and reduce for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
5. Combine icing ingredients and beat together until smooth and light.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut a hole out the centre of each cupcake.
7. Top up each hole with syrup, then top with a swirl of icing.
8. Finish cupcakes with a dusting of cocoa powder and drizzle with remaining syrup before serving.

Chef’s tip

For a non-alcoholic version, use orange juice or pouring cream. For the cream, stir through after you’ve removed the pot from the heat.

Salted caramel chocolate tart

Serves 8

Total time 1 hour, plus refrigeration

Ingredients

For the base

2 boxes (200g each) Romany Creams or other chocolate biscuits
1/3 cup melted butter

For the caramel filling

1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1/3 cup cream
¼ cup butter
Coarse sea salt

For the topping

2 extra-large eggs, separated
200g dark chocolate, melted
¾ cup cream
2 Tbsp castor sugar

Method

1. Grease a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin.
2. Add biscuits to a food processor and pulse to a fine crumb.
3. Stir through melted butter.
4. Press mixture into tin, spreading evenly over the base and up the sides. Refrigerate to set. 5. For the filling, heat sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring until dissolved.
5. Bring saucepan to a boil for 10-15 minutes, without stirring, until mixture turns a deep caramel colour.
6. Remove from heat and quickly whisk through cream and butter. Set aside to cool.
7. Pour caramel into tart shell and set aside to cool until set. Sprinkle with sea salt.
8. For the topping, beat egg yolks and melted chocolate together.
9. In a separate bowl, whip cream to form stiff peaks. Add sugar and beat until glossy and thick.
10. Add whipped cream in batches to melted chocolate mixture and fold through until incorporated.
11. Pour over caramel layer and smooth over with a spatula.
12. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

White chocolate honeycomb chunks

Makes 10 large chunks

Total time 45 minutes

Ingredients

3 slabs (80g each) white chocolate
2 cups castor sugar
1 cup water
¼ cup honey
1 Tbsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Melt 2 slabs of white chocolate over a double boiler.
2. Add biscuits to a food processor and pulse to a fi ne crumb. Stir through melted butter.
3. Press mixture into tart tin, spreading evenly over the base and up the sides. Refrigerate to set.
4. For the filling, heat sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring until dissolved.
5. Bring saucepan to a boil for 10-15 minutes, without stirring, until mixture turns a deep caramel colour.
6. Stir until sugar dissolves, then boil until mixture turns amber gold (if any crystals start to form, dip a pastry brush in some water and brush the sides of the pot).
7. Turn off heat, add bicarbonate of soda and whisk quickly to combine. The mixture will bubble up.
8. Carefully pour into lined tray and set for about 20 minutes, then break honeycomb into chunks.
9. Melt remaining white chocolate over a double boiler.
10. Dip one side of each chunk into melted chocolate and place chocolate-side down on the bubble wrap chocolate.
11. Set for 15-20 minutes and peel off bubble wrap before serving.

Chef’s tip

Once you’ve added the bicarbonate of soda, ensure its properly combined but do not overmix as this will result in a deflated honeycomb.

One-bowl spiced banana bundt cake

Serves 6 – 8

Total time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake

5 overripe bananas
4 eggs
1 can (385g) condensed milk
½ cup melted bu­tter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2½ cups self-raising flour, sifted
½ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the butterscotch caramel

1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
¼ cup cream
¼ cup bu­tter
Pinch of cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Spray a 23cm Bundt tin (or ring tin) with non-stick spray, then coat with a little flour (this should prevent sticking).
3. Place bananas in a bowl and mash well using a fork.
4. Add eggs, condensed milk, butter and vanilla essence. Beat thoroughly to combine.
5. Sift flour and spices over the wet ingredients and stir well to combine into a batter.
6. Pour into the greased tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted in the side comes out clean.
7. Cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack and tap the top of the tin gently to release.
8. For the caramel, combine sugar and water in a pot.
9. Heat gently and stir sugar until completely dissolved, then turn heat up high.
10. Boil for 8-15 minutes without stirring until mixture turns amber in colour.
11. Carefully add butter and cream and swirl pot to combine. The mixture will expand up. 12. Reduce heat to low and stir to combine.
12. Add a pinch of cinnamon, then set aside to cool.
13. Pour caramel over hot cake and serve.

Chef’s tip
If your bananas are still a bit underripe, simply place them (skins on) on a lined baking tray and cook for 10 minutes at 150°C, until the skins are black. Remove using oven gloves and carefully scoop out the flesh to use in your cake.

Crème brûleé milk tart

Serves 8

Total time 2 hours

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry

2 ½ cups cake flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
250g ice-cold butter, cut into small cubes
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp lemon juice

For the filling

2 cups milk
1 stick cinnamon
3cm strip orange peel (optional)
5 eggs, separated
1¼ cups castor sugar
1/3 cup cornflour
¼ cup flour
3 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla essence
Granulated sugar, for topping

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C and grease a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin.
2. For the pastry, place flour, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add egg yolks and lemon juice. Pulse until a dough forms.
4. Remove dough and shape into a flat disc. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
5. Roll pastry out into a large thin disk just bigger than your tin. Press pastry into base and up the sides using your fingertips. Chill in the fridge for another 10 minutes.
6. Bake tart for 15 minutes, then set aside to cool.
7. For the filling, heat milk, cinnamon and orange peel in a pot until steaming.
8. Beat egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar in a bowl until thickened.
9. Mix both flour and cornflour with a little water to make a thin paste, then mix into the egg.
10. Temper egg mixture by slowly adding hot milk in a thin, steady stream while whisking. 11. Transfer mixture to the pot and simmer while whisking for 5 minutes.
11. Remove from heat and mix in butter and vanilla. Set aside to cool.
12. Reduce oven to 180°C.
13. Whisk two egg whites to stiff peaks, then add sugar in ½ cup intervals. Beat until sugar has dissolved and mixture is glossy.
14. Fold egg white through cooled custard and pour into cooled tart case.
15. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are set and the middle is slightly wobbly. Cool completely.
16. Scatter with granulated sugar and caramelise using a kitchen blow torch until golden. Serve immediately.

Recipes: Fresh Living Magazine

Photography: Fresh Living Magazine