White chocolate roll

125g castor sugar
2 1/4 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup milk
125g white chocolate melts
125g butter
2 eggs

Boil milk remove from heat add chopped white chocolate cool. Preheat oven to 180c. Butter laming ton tin and line with baking paper. Beat butter and sugar till fluffy add eggs 1 at a time. Add chocolate mixture. Sift flour and add to bowl. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
Transfer mixture to prepared tin and even out with a spatula. Bake for 30 mins or until springy when touched in the middle.
Cool cake on wire rack.

Pizza

1 kilo plain sifted flour
475ml Luke warm water
2 table spoons olive oil
6 teaspoons active dried yeast
1teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 small egg

Put all ingredients in a mixer and mix for 3 minutes until mixture resembles very thick paste. Leave in bowl covered for 45 minutes then put back the hook and knead for further 3 minutes.

Turn dough on to floured surface and divide into portions. Cover for 5 minutes. Then knead as required.

Toppings:
tomato sauce, cheese, bacon, olives, artichoke hearts onions and hard boiled eggs.
bechamel sauce mozzarella cheese, blue cheese and chopped raw pistachio nuts
tomato sauce anchovies prawns onions.
tomato sauce mozzarella cheese sliced courgettes capers oregano
grated parmesan cheese olive oil onions.  when out from oven put sliced parma ham and dressed rocket.

Jerome's Birthday Cake

I did this cake for a friend of mine and I must admit that the techniques are so simple to follow yet the result is so impressive.

I did the cake two days in advance and it kept well in an airy room. Preferably not in the kitchen while in use as the moisture may soften the chocolate paste.

For the Chocolate Cake

250g unsalted butter
6 eggs
2 2/3 cup castor sugar
3 1/2 cups self raising flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup espresso coffee
4 tbsp Tia Maria

For the Filling
1 cup apricot jam
1/2 cup martini.

For decoration
Chocolate ganache
Marzipan
Chocolate modeling paste
Silver wire
Sugar pastry
Chocolate melts

Grease a large laming ton tin approx 30cmx45cm. Heat oven 180c. Cut butter in small cubes,and combine with sifted flour cocoa and bicarbonate and the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for 1 min or until mixture is well mixed. Turn speed to maximum and mix for 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to baking tin and bake for approx 45 min or until skewer comes out clean when tested. Turn to wire rack and leave to cool.

Prepare the chocolate ganache by using 1 cup cream and 400g dark chocolate. Boil cream and remove from heat. Stir in chopped chocolate. Continue to stir until smooth. Leave to cool covered with cling film.
Prepare chocolate modeling paste by using 600g dark chocolate and 2/3 cup corn syrup(you will find this in Chinese food stores). melt the chocolate either bain Marie or in microwave add corn syrup and stir until mixture becomes thick and slightly grainy. Cover with cling film an leave to cool and set for approx 3 hours.

For this cake I bought 600g ready made marzipan

Slice the cake in two. Heat the apricot jam with martini until slightly runny and spread on half of the cake. Reserve about two tablespoons. Cover with the other half cake.

Cut cake to your desired shape, in this case the number four. Place on board.

Brush cake with remaining jam mixture and cover with marzipan. Cover marzipan with the chocolate ganache and even out the edges.
Knead thinly the chocolate fondant paste between two sheets of baking paper and cover on top of e ganache.
On icing sugar dusted surface knead sugar pastry and cut circles. Stick by brushing a little water.
Cut the silver wire in different lengts and stick some balloon shaped sugar pastry.

Happy birthday Jerome !!!!