Sweet treats with kūmara
Kūmara Cake
Ingredients
300g Soft Light Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
300ml Sunflower Oil
300g Plain Flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon, plus extra to decorate
½ tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
300g Beauregard (Orange) Kūmara , grated
100g Shelled Walnuts, chopped, plus extra, chopped and whole, to decorate
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
600g Icing Sugar, sifted
100g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
250g Cream Cheese, cold
Method
Line the bottoms of 3 x 20cm cake tins with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated (don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly split). Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed.
Stir in the grated kūmara and walnuts by hand until they are all evenly dispersed. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tins and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not over beat, as it can quickly become runny.
When the cakes are cold, put one on a cake stand and spread about one-quarter of the Cream Cheese Frosting over it with a palette knife. Place a second cake on top and spread another quarter of the frosting over it. Top with the last cake and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Finish with walnuts and a light sprinkling of cinnamon.
Orange
Kūmara & Caramel Tart
Ingredients
1¼ cups skin-on hazelnuts
1 cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
¾ tsp salt
110g chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Pinch of cream of tartar
1¼ cups sugar, divided
1 cup cream
1 cup orange kumara purée*
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1½ tsp ginger, finely grated
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp salt
3 eggs
Whipped cream to serve
Method
Preheat oven to 180°. Toast hazelnuts on a baking sheet, tossing once, until fragrant and slightly darkened, 8–10 minutes; let cool. Using a kitchen towel, rub hazelnuts together to remove most of the skins.
Pulse flour, sugar, salt, and ¾ cup hazelnuts in a food processor until the consistency of coarse meal. Reserve remaining ½ cup hazelnuts for filling. Add butter to dry ingredients and pulse until large breadcrumbs. Transfer mix to a bowl; drizzle with up to 1-3 tbsp of ice water over and mix, just to bring dough together.
Using your fingers, press dough evenly up the sides and then into the bottom of a 20cm pan; compact and smooth with a flat, straight-sided measuring cup or glass.
Bake crust until golden but not totally baked through, 15–20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring cream of tartar, sugar, and 2 tbsp water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, swirling pan occasionally until caramel is a deep amber colour, 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisking constantly, carefully add cream and whisk until smooth. Let caramel cool slightly in pot.
Whisk kūmara purée, brown sugar, flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add caramel and eggs, whisking until well blended. Scrape filling into prepared crust. Bake tart, rotating halfway through, until filling is set around edges and centre barely jiggles, 30–35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in dish.
Meanwhile, coarsely chop remaining hazelnuts and cook in a small pan over medium heat with remaining ¼ cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. water, until sugar caramelizes and evenly coats hazelnuts. Transfer caramelized hazelnuts to a sheet of baking paper and let cool completely. Break hazelnut praline over the top and serve with whipped cream.
Recipe by Brett McGregor.
Kūmara Cake with Lemon Icing
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 cups Orange and gold kūmara, cooked until soft then mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
100g butter, softened
2 ½ cups icing sugar
125g cream cheese, room temp
Zest and juice of half a lemon or to taste
A little hot water to thin
Method
Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Grease and flour a 25cm round pound cake tin. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add kūmara and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time. Add flour mixture to kūmara mixture. Beat on low until combined.
Pour mix into round pound cake tin. Bake at 175 degrees C for about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool cake for 20 minutes in the pan, then invert onto wire rack.
To make the icing: in a small bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together combine with icing sugar. Add lemon juice and a touch of hot water to achieve drizzling consistency. Spoon over warm cake and sprinkle with zest.
Recipe by Brett McGregor.