Steak Cake

This year for my husband’s birthday I made him a special cake... this is perfect cake for any foodie .. he was blown away and it was a win win!!! Give this a try if your looking to impress that special someone..

Have a look at the video which gives you a peak preview 

Ingredients

The meat 

250-300gms rump steak

250-300gms sirloin steak

250-300gms rib eye steak x 2

The marinade

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Fresh Rosemary & Thyme ( you can opt for other herbs if preferred) 

1-2 tsp garlic powder

Salt & freshly crushed pepper 

Mash

6-8 large potatoes boiled

4-6 tbsp milk

2-3 tbsp butter

Garlic powder

Salt & pepper for seasoning 

Bacon Roses 

6-8 rashes of streaky bacon 

Parmesan shavings 

Red wine Mushroom sauce

1/2 cup red wine

1-2 shallots, finely chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, grated

6-8 mushrooms chopped finely

1-2 tbsp butter

Handful of dried herbs

1-2 tbsp Philadelphia cheese ( optional) 

Method:

1. Marinate the meat and keep for atleast half an hour. When choosing the cut of meat ensure it’s a bit rounded in shape as this will aid in stacking the cake more efficiently. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. In a separate pot boil the potatoes. Mash when they are perfectly boiled and soft. Add the milk, butter , garlic powder,  salt and pepper and mash until nice and smooth. Ensure it’s not lumpy or dry else it will cause cracks on the cake.
3. Roll each bacon strip to form a rose and secure the ends with a toothpick as shown in the picture. Sprinkle with Parmesan shavings. 
   
   
   
4. Preheat oven to 200deg. Cook the bacon in the over at 180deg for 15-20 mins until nice and crisp. Remove the toothpicks once cooled.
5. To make the sauce, add butter and dash of olive oil to a pan. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until softened. Mix in the mushrooms and herbs. Pour in the wine. Cook for 1-2 mins and then stir in the herbs and philly cheese. Cook until thickened. If the sauce is runny add a tbsp of flour which will help thicken it.
   
   
   
6. Heat a griddle pan and cook to the steaks for 1-2 minutes on either side for a nice medium finish , if you need it cooked well keep it for longer. My recommendation would be stick to medium-rare if you want to enjoy the flavours. 
7. Place a layer of mash on the cake plate, top it with a piece of steak. Add a bit of sauce and then add another layer of mash. Continue till you achieve three tiers.
8. Place the bacon roses and decorate with mint leaves. 
   
   
   

Bebinca

This is a traditional Goan dessert known as the Queen of dessert.. it’s coconut based and layered.. it takes a lot of time to prepare this dish and needs a lot of patience but it’s so yummy and melts in the mouth so all that effort is worth it in the end...

12 egg yolks

150g plain flour

600ml coconut milk

350g powdered sugar

1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp nutmeg

1 cup ghee (melted)

1-2 tbsp Caramalised sugar ( this is for colour) 

Method:

1. Mix the egg and sugar, beat well until nice and creamy.
2. Slowly stir in the coconut milk.
3. Sift the flour and mix well.
4. Add salt, nutmeg and 1 tbsp of ghee. Mix until you get a smooth batter . 
5. the mix and divide equally into two bowls.
6. Add caramalised sugar in one, this will give you a darker texture layer.
7. Preheat a top oven. I used a square baking pan but you can use any shape as long as it’s a strong heavy based baking pan. Add 2 tbsp ghee and using a brush ensure it’s evenly spread.
8. Add 1 cup (ensure it’s covered the base of the pan, stick to the same quantity for each layer so you will get even layers) of the light batter and let it cook for 15 mins on 150deg. 
9. Remove from the oven, brush with a tbsp of ghee. And then pour 1 cup of the dark batter. Bake for another 10 mins.
10. Continue with alternate layers of light and dark batter, brushing ghee each time and cook for 10 mins each time. You should end with 7-9 layers.
11. Once complete remove from the oven and cool.
12. Only flip the Bebinca once cool. If it’s not loose just heat it for 2-3 mins this should allow for it to flip easily.
13. Slice and enjoy your bebinca. We love eating it slightly warm. 

Tips:

Caramalised sugar is made by melting sugar in a pot on low heat until golden brown. Don’t leave it too long as it will burn.

Making Bebinca takes time and patience, don’t worry if you get it wrong first time. Keep trying , once you understand how the oven temperature works you will get the gist.