Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

I baked these a couple of months back, when blueberries were in season. A really versatile buttermilk cake, with a light tender crumb & subtle tang from the buttermilk. It is perfect on its own (moist and flavourful, without the need for any glaze/frosting) & very, very addictive!
In the heat of the oven, the cakes rose perfectly & became a gorgeous golden hue. With pockets of blueberries releasing their juices & leaving deep-purple trails behind that tasted alot like slow-cooked blueberry jam. Mmm...Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
adapted from Gourmet Magazine's Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

150g organic cake flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t sea salt
60g unsalted french butter
100g organic demerara sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 eggs
130ml buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 180C. Sift dry ingredients together. On medium speed, cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla, mixing well to combine. On low speed, add in dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in blueberries. Pour the batter into cake pans & bake. My mini-loaf pans took about 20 min to bake.

Banana Walnut Tea Cake

I made this a while back, but never got the time to post. A really simple and homely banana & walnut cake. We had slices of cake for tea, with a little cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries.
Banana & Walnut Tea Cake
3 large bananas, mashed
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1 t vanilla
1 egg
90g brown sugar
180g whole wheat + cake flour
2 t ground cinnamon
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
3/4 C toasted walnuts, chopped

Combine mashed bananas, egg, butter, vanilla and sugar. Sift dry ingredients. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Fold in walnuts and bake at 375F for 35 min.

Triple-Layer Carrot Cake with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

I was set on making a carrot cake after trying one that was plain nasty. It was stodgy & dry, and the frosting practically jumped of the cake in layers. Since I'm on a self-imposed ban on chocolaty & calorific stuff, I figured that if carrot cake contain a vegetable, they must be quite healthy for you right? This cake is also for this month's theme challenge (layer cakes) at bakebakebake.
So I whipped out my new mixer and prepared my mise en place. As usual, I fiddled around with my last carrot cake recipe to make things, well, more low-fat.
Triple-Layer Carrot Cake
A lighter/less fattening version of the perennial favourite carrot cake.

360g unbleached flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves or allspice
1/2 t sea salt
250g brown sugar
3 eggs
3 T honey
125 ml olive oil
450g grated carrots
1 C walnuts, rum-soaked raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together dry ingredients. On medium speed, beat eggs and sugar until thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually pour in the olive oil and beat until thoroughly emulsified. Add the honey and mix well. Toss the grated carrots, raisins and nuts into the dry ingredients to coat the carrots with flour. Using a large spatula, fold that into egg mixture. Divide the batter into cake pans and bake for 35 min until golden.

Cinnamon-Rum Syrup
Combine 1 t ground cinnamon and 3 T sugar and 3 T water. Cook until dissolved & syrupy.

Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
350g cream cheese
70g unsalted butter
200g confectioner's sugar
60 ml lime juice
vanilla extract to taste

Beat everything together until smooth. Chill for 1/2 hour.

To assemble:
Slice cakes horizontally into layers. Brush the layers with cinnamon-rum syrup. Fill & frost the cake with cream cheese frosting. Chill 1 hour until cake is set. I also sliced some fresh nectarines to decorate the top.