Neff Ovens, Hazelnut Tortes & GF Chocolate cakes! #Bakedinstyle

 Last weekend I headed up to London to an event run by Neff & Currys PC World at the gorgeous cookery school L’atelier des Chefs.  We a couple of sessions planned for the day. Not only were we going to bake a lovely Hazlenut Torte but we were then going to told how to make the most out of cameras and how to food style and THEN we got the chance to try our own styling out.

The lovely Chef Fabb took us through the steps to make our own Hazlenut Torte and showed us the totally amazing Neff ovens they use in their school. The Neffs representatives took us through the key points of their oven and I was completely blown away. I knew beforehand that they had the most envied slip and slide door where the door disappears inside the oven base but did you know you could if you so wished actually cook like this? How? Well the totally original and awesome Neff machines suck air across the over rather than blow which means heat is not lost when the oven is open nor will you glasses suddenly steam up as you check on your baked delights!

Photo taken by event photographer

Photo taken by event photographer

Personally though I think my favourite was the self-clean setting which literally blasts every to ashes to ensure your oven is sparkled while locking the door and keep the front cool to ensure no nasty burns. How amazing is that?  And ANOTHER fabulous part is the lovely water container at the top of the oven which adds moisture to your bread and other cooking without the need to open the door to replace it!

Fab then showed us the rather cool induction hobs which cooked perfectly and also had a superb little magnetic button which sits rather wonderful on your oven hood to ensure little fingers cannot turn the stove on.

Photo taken by event photopgrapher

We headed over and started making up Hazelnut Torte (recipe at the bottom of the post) and its lovely and easy and as you can see later on it looks rather dramatic when styled up.

While our cakes were cooking we had a lesson on cameras & food photography with expert Carole Poirot who gave us some top tips.

1, Invest in a tripod and come off the automatic setting!

2, Play with your ISO! The difference in the pictures is amazing.

3, Fabric softens instantly!

4, Size your props! Big at the back, medium in the middle and small in the front.

5, Movement in the photo adds a different style.

It was a great day and what do you think of our finished product? Doesn’t it look amazing! I am now totally in love with Neff Ovens and am stocking up on props and fabric! As a little extra Chef Fabb had made me up some amazing gluten free chocolate cakes! How gorgeous are these? Recipe below as well! YUM YUM

My Fabulous Team - Jacqui - http://recipesmadeeasy.co.uk/ Sandra - http://cakeandwhisky.com/
& Corina - http://searchingforspice.com/

Hazelnut Torte

Ingredients

55g toasted hazelnuts (chopped)
110g butter
110g caster sugar
2 eggs
110g self-raising flour
15ml milk
5ml instant coffee

Filling

2 dessert apples, peeled, cored and sliced
10ml (2 tbsps) apricot jam
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Method


1. Preheat the over to 170C. Grease and line a deep 20cm sandwich tin
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy
3. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks into the creamed mixture. Add the sieved self-raising flour.
4. Heat the milk and add the instant coffee until dissolved. Stir this into the cake mixture and add the hazelnuts.
5. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them carefully into the cake mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
6. Bake at 170C for 25-30 minutes until firm but springy to the touch. Allow to cool and cut in half.
7. Prepare the filling. Place the apples in a saucepan with the apricot jam and lemon zest and juice. Cover and cook gently until soft and leave to cool.
8. Fill the cake with the apple mixture and then cover the top with melted chocolate or dust with icing sugar.

Flourless chocolate cake with minted raspberries

Serves : 6 Person(s)

Prep time : 10mn

Cooking time : 35mn

Ingredients

Dark chocolate : 400 gram(s)

Unsalted butter : 300 gram(s)

Caster sugar : 200 gram(s)

Whole egg(s) : 10

To line the mould(s) :

 Sweetened cocoa powder : 10 gram(s)

Unsalted butter : 10 gram(s)

For the garnish(es) :

Fresh mint : 1 bunch(es) Fresh raspberries : 200 gram(s) Icing sugar : 30 gram(s)

Method

For the cake Preheat the oven to 180'C. Seperate the eggs. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar together until pale and fluffy. Bring a pan of water to a simmer. Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Add the butter to the bowl and then place the bowl above the water and allow to melt. Once melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before adding the egg yolks. Combine and then gently fold in the egg whites. Using the 10g butter, coat the inside of a cake tin, dust with the cocoa powder and then add the cake mix to the tin. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the cake is firm in the middle. For the garnish Pick and chop the mint leaves and then combine with the raspberries and the icing sugar. Serve the minted raspberries alongside a slice of the chocolate cake.

Truc du chef : Try adding some alcohol like Baileys or Grand Marnier to the cake mix to vary the flavour.