Daring Bakers Orange Tian

Things have been just so ridiculously hectic for me that I really didnt think I could finish the challenge this month, but I really didnt want to get kicked out of the Daring Bakers, so I read through the recipe, realized I had all the ingredients and it was pretty quick to put together.

I really enjoyed this little dessert, lovely flavors, and it was something I've not come across before. One thing that is a bit tricky is getting a base that is easy to break into, I had a bit of trouble getting my spoon into it! I'd maybe make the cookie a little thinner in the future.

The orange caramel was a very interesting flavor which I think I'll be using for my cakes in the future.

I didnt use gelatin in the whipped cream, and I happened to have a jar of kumquat marmalade that I recently made, so I just needed to make a few cookies, whip up some cream, make a little caramel, supreme some oranges and bob's your uncle!

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

Please visit the daring kitchen for the recipe and more daring baking!

I'm back! I brought some cakes!

Oh gosh, its really been a whirlwind few weeks in the jennywenny household! I had a wonderful time in Australia seeing my family, and playing with my adorable niece, then I drove up to central california to do a wonderful century bike ride. More about those trips later, I thought I'd share some delicious cupcakes that I made for bookclub.

The great thing about these is that they are dairy free and gluten free. Be careful to check that your ingredients and equipment arent contaminated with any dairy or wheat!

Flourless kumquat almond cake- adapted from Planet Cake by Paris Cutler
Makes 24 mini cupcakes (maybe around 10 cupcakes)

110g kumquats, frozen
2 eggs
150g almond paste (can be subbed with 100g almonds and 50g sugar)
50g superfine sugar
½ tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350f

Microwave the kumquats for 3 x 30s. Squeeze and remove the pips. Put in a food processor and process until smooth.

Add the eggs, followed by the almonds and the sugar, then process until smooth. Add the baking powder and process, then put into the baking cups almost to the top.

Bake for 12-15 mins for the small cupcakes, 20-25 minutes for the larger ones, check for done-ness with a toothpick.

To continue the dairy free, I melted some dark chocolate with coconut oil and a little orange oil for flavor and drizzled it on the cakes, topped with orange zest.