Although I’ve always loved baking, developing a cake recipe from scratch could render me catatonic before I joined culinary school in Dubai, as I trawled the internet for tips to make sure my cake wasn’t a sloppy mess. I realise many others shudder at the thought of baking from scratch. In order to remedy this and give you some confidence in the cake department, I’ve doctored three Betty Crocker cake mixes for the novice baker.
Cake mixes do practically all the work for you. My biggest issue with them is that they are too sweet, but the flavour combinations in the recipes that follow result in sheet cakes that are so polished no one will believe they came out of a box.
So the next time you have midweek guests or the PTA needs you to make a cake, grab a box mix and one of these recipes to make a resplendent dessert that will have people calling you for the recipe.
Just ensure the eggs and butter are at room temperature and bake all the cakes on the middle shelf, with 1 ½ cup of water as bain-marie to make them moister. Make them pretty and then step aside to make way for your sheet cakes or, shall we say, “cheat cakes”?
Brown butter chocolate cake with brown butter nutella icing
Serves 12
Ingredients for the cake mix
1 box Dark Chocolate cake mix
160g salted butter (keep a bit extra on hand)
137ml milk
137ml warm water
3 eggs
Pinch of salt
1 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla essence
Ingredients for the icing
1 cup salted butter
80g Nutella
2½ tbsp icing sugar
(*20gms extra butter)
*Grease tray with butter & dust with cocoa.
Method
Heat the butter in a small pot on a medium flame until it turns brown and smells nutty. Remove from flame, cool slightly and remeasure, and add more butter to bring it to 160g again. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Mix the water and coffee, then add to all the cake ingredients including the brown butter and mix as directed on the box. Pour the batter into the tray and give it a hard tap on the table to spread evenly.
Place the tray in the bain-marie and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool the cake completely in its pan on a cooling rack. Brown the butter for the icing, then remove from the stove, add the Nutella and stir to mix. Allow it to cool to a soft buttery state.
In a stand mixer whip the Nutella-butter mix with the sifted icing sugar for five to eight minutes until it is fluffy.
Slather the icing on to the cooled cake and serve as is or top with Maltesers for a bit of crunch. (My secret indulgence is adding potato chips to every piece of cake I eat.) Store on counter for one day and in the fridge for no more than three days.
Summer angel fruit cake
Serves 12
Ingredients for the cake mix
1 box Supreme Vanilla cake mix
¾ cup sour cream
½ cup flour
4 egg whites
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ tsp almond essence
½ tsp salt
Ingredients for the topping
400ml whipping cream (cold)
1 tsp almond essence
1½ tbsp sugar
Fruit & edible flowers of choice, to top
2 tbsp apricot jam or marmalade
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C, then butter and flour the cake tray. Mix all the cake ingredients gently in a stand mixer as directed on box.
Spread the mix evenly in the tray and bake for 30 to 40 minutes in a bain-marie. Do not overbake the cake, check it at 30 minutes with a tester; it is done once the tester comes out clean.
Cool the cake in its pan on a cooling rack. Only transfer once it is cool.
Whip the cream, essence and sugar in a cold mixing bowl, until the cream comes to billowy soft peaks.
With a palette knife, spread the whipped cream all over the cake in a thick layer. Once smooth and even, top with the fruit and edible flowers of your choice.
Heat the jam in a bowl in the microwave for a few seconds. Add a splash of water to it, then gently glaze your fruit with a pastry brush so it doesn’t oxidise.
Refrigerate and allow the cake to sit on the counter for five minutes before serving with a side of extra whipped cream.
Neapolitan cake with a trio of cream
Serves 12
Requires piping bags and nozzles
Ingredients for the cake mix
I box of White Chocolate Swirl cake mix (marble cake)
½ cup flour
275ml full-fat laban
60ml oil
20ml melted unsalted butter
3 eggs
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
Ingredients for the flavourings
½ tsp vanilla essence + ½ vanilla pod (optional)
Cocoa packet from the cake mix box
2½ tbsp cherry jam (sieved) + pink gel food colour (optional)
Ingredients for the cream
20ml cream
20g dark chocolate
400ml whipped cream
1½ tbsp icing sugar, sifted
½ tsp almond essence
2 tsp cherry jam
½ tsp instant coffee, sifted
Method for the cake mix and flavourings
Preheat oven to 180°C, then flour and butter your baking tray. In a stand mixer, add all the ingredients listed under the cake mix. Mix on medium for two minutes, then divide into three for your Neapolitan flavours.
To one part, add the vanilla essence and the insides of the vanilla pod. To the second part, add the cocoa and mix slowly until incorporated. To the third part, add the jam and mix. If you want it to be pinker, add the gel food colour. You can use piping bags to distribute the different batters in the tray or you can spoon them on, but do not swirl them, leave them distinct.
Bake for 30 minutes in a bain-marie and check with a cake tester. If the top of your cake is browning too much, cover it at 20 minutes lightly with parchment paper. Cool the cake completely before transferring or icing.
Method for the cream
Heat the cream to boiling point, then pour on top of the dark chocolate. Leave for five minutes then stir to create ganache. Set aside to cool.
Combine the whipped cream and the icing sugar and whip until the cream gets a little thicker. Divide this into three bowls – two bowls with 100g each and one bowl with 200g.
Add the almond essence to the bowl that has 200g of cream and whip until it is fairly firm.
Add the cherry jam to one of the bowls with 100g of cream and whip until it is fairly firm. You may need to add a splash more cream and half a teaspoon more of icing sugar to help it firm up. Do not overwhip.
Add the sifted coffee and the ganache to the other bowl with 100g of cream and whip until it is almost firm.
Place the three whipped cream flavours into piping bags fitted with nozzles as soon as they are ready and refrigerate the bags for at least half an hour (you can cool them in the bowls if you want to spread the cream on).
Assembly
To decorate the cake, first spread 100g of the whipped cream with the almond essence all over the cake and sides in a nice flat layer. Refrigerate the whole cake for 45 minutes.
Next pipe the three different whipped creams all over the cake; you can be abstract or make lines or bands with a palette knife.
Refrigerate and consume within three days.
*While piping, refrigerate the other two piping bags when not in use. The key is to keep the whipped cream cool.
The years Ramadan fell in May
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh960,000
Engine 3.9L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power 661hp @8,000rpm
Torque 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.4L / 100k
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
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Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Tries: Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder (2), Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Ofa Tu'ungfasi, Lima Sopoaga, Codie Taylor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (7). Penalty: Beauden Barrett
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
Zayed Sustainability Prize
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
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It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
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Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
