Express cakes: our 100 top recipes presented in one cookbook

Express
Cakes Homemade simply tastes the best! If youre in a hurry, this thoughtfully designed book includes over 100 clever recipe ideas. All recipes take a maximum of 30 minutes to prepare. Choose from tempting fruit cakes, delicious tray cakes, express classics, elegant gateaux and sponge rolls or fine mini tartlets and cakes the choice is vast. These sweet treats are guaranteed to make all cake lovers hearts beat faster! Express
Cakes Naumann & Gbel Verlagsgesellschaft mbH,
a subsidiary of VEMAG Verlags- und Medien Aktiengesellschaft
Emil-Hoffmann-Strae 1, 50996 Cologne (Germany)
www.vemag-medien.de
Cover photos: TLC Fotostudio
Translation from German: Suzanne Kirkbright for SAW Communications, Dr. Sabine Werner, Mainz
Realisation of the English edition: SAW Communications, Dr. Sabine A.

Werner, Mainz
Complete production: Naumann & Gbel Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-3-8155-8781-2 Photo credits: p. : Food Fotografie Michael Brauner All other photos: TLC Fotostudio Decorative illustrations: Corinna Weis

Express Cakes Youre pressured for time again. But nevertheless, you still want to bake a cake for your family, best friends or work colleagues. The recipes in this book will give you a head start thanks to the fabulous choice of cakes. It takes a maximum of 30 minutes to prepare the cake mixture. Yeast dough takes a little longer to rise.

Shortcrust pastry should rest for a while in the refrigerator. Almost all the recipes (except for fridge cakes and ice cream gateaux) require extra baking time. Meanwhile you can leave the oven and take a break from the kitchen. There will be plenty of time for decorating the table, going shopping or just relaxing! Whether you choose luscious cakes laden with fruit, tray cakes, express classics, gateaux and sponge rolls or individual tartlets the featured recipes are quick to prepare, refreshingly new and delicious. They offer plenty of new ideas and some surprising combinations. They definitely include new firm favourites that will look extremely appetising as you serve coffee! With step-by-step instructions for each recipe and beautiful photos, your baking sessions are made easy.

Why doesnt yeast dough rise occasionally? Why does shortcrust pastry start crumbling? And why doesnt egg yolk whisk until it foams or goes frothy? Weve compiled some practical tips to reveal a few baking secrets. Egg Yolk: check that your whisk and mixing bowl are entirely fat-free before you cream the egg yolks and sugar to a fluffy, pale yellow mixture. Egg white: you should always very carefully separate the egg whites for a meringue base. If the mixture contains only a tiny amount of yolk, it wont be possible to get the egg whites stiff. To speed things up when making meringue chill the egg white, whisk and bowl or add a pinch of salt or a dash of lemon juice.

Meringue mixture: for the best results, first beat the egg white until it stiffens, then add the sugar.

Continue beating the mixture until the sugar crystals dissolve. Berries: always wash and drain the berries first. Then inspect and clean them. If this is done first, the fruit can absorb the water. This releases juice and reduces the aromatic content of the berries.

Shortcrust pastry: making perfect pastry isnt so difficult.

Make sure the butter is chilled when mixing together with the flour, sugar, a pinch of salt and egg. Nothing can go wrong now! Remember: knead the pastry until it becomes a uniform mass the dough should be firm and not crumbly! Then, leave the pastry to rest for about 30 minutes. Before pre-baking in the dish or adding the filling, prick the pastry several times with a fork. This prevents the pastry from forming air bubbles. You can avoid this by blind baking cover the pastry with baking parchment and add baking beans to weigh it down. Yeast dough: making yeast dough is simple if you follow a few simple steps.

Keep all the ingredients at room temperature. Remember to take the eggs and butter out of the fridge early enough. You should also warm the milk beforehand, ideally it should be lukewarm and not too hot. When all the ingredients have been combined, you should also remember to cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and set the mixture aside in a warm place free of draughts. Yeast dough also keeps without any difficulty overnight in the refrigerator and the baked pastries are suitable for freezing, too. For this, leave the fresh pastries to cool and immediately place them in a freezer bag in the freezer compartment.

Gently defrost the pastries before eating afterwards they can be warmed in the oven. Sponge mixture: a perfect sponge is easy to make. Be patient and use the ingredients at room temperature. This is the secret to combining the ingredients well. Slowly add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter and sugar. Blend each egg well with the butter before adding another egg.

As soon as you add the flour and baking powder to the mixture, you should quickly put the cake in the oven.

White wine apple cake Preparation time: approx. 25 minutes (plus approx. 45 minutes baking time) Makes 12 slices 100 g softened butter 200 g brown sugar 3 eggs 350 g flour 1 sachet baking powder 125 ml milk 125 ml white wine 1 kg sour-tasting apples butter and flour for the baking form Pre-heat the oven to 190 C (Gas Mark 5), grease a springform tin (26 cm ) with butter and then dust with flour. Cream the butter and sugar for approx. 10 minutes, then gradually beat in the eggs.

Sift in the flour and baking powder, pour in the milk and white wine and mix all the ingredients to a smooth paste. Peel and core the apples and dice the fruit. Immediately fold into the mixture. Spread the mixture in the baking form and bake for approx. 45 minutes. 20 minutes (plus approx. 20 minutes resting and approx. 20 minutes baking time) Makes 12 slices 500 g bilberries 1 vanilla pod 5 tbsp sunflower oil 5 tbsp forest honey 3 eggs 160 ml cream 200 g flour sachet baking powder 50 g flaked almonds butter for the baking form icing sugar for dusting Pre-heat the oven to 180 C (Gas Mark 4), and grease a springform tin (28 cm ) with butter. 20 minutes baking time) Makes 12 slices 500 g bilberries 1 vanilla pod 5 tbsp sunflower oil 5 tbsp forest honey 3 eggs 160 ml cream 200 g flour sachet baking powder 50 g flaked almonds butter for the baking form icing sugar for dusting Pre-heat the oven to 180 C (Gas Mark 4), and grease a springform tin (28 cm ) with butter.

Wash and sort the bilberries, pat dry and remove any stalks, as required. Score the vanilla pod and scrape out the centre. Whisk the oil and honey and gradually fold in the eggs. Add the vanilla essence and then the cream. Mix the flour and baking powder and sift over the egg and cream. Next, blend the ingredients to a smooth paste.