Happy Easter everyone

Today, I am having lunch with my Bible study friends. Since Easter coming up, I decided to make some Easter chocolate in various shapes representing Easter. A few days ago, my father’s friend gave us some feijoa. I decided to use it with the strawberries that is on sale.

Google: “Feijoas, more commonly known as pineapple guavas, are fruit trees bearing delicious green-skinned, tropical-tasting fruits. They are my absolute favourite tree in the garden for so many reasons! Feijoa trees have lush evergreen foliage with matte green and silver leaves.”

“Feijoa fruit is slightly pear-shaped, oval, or oblong. It grows from about 1 to 2.5 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide. It has a thin green skin, which may have an orange or red blush. Before it’s fully ripe, the feijoa fruit has a strong perfume. The flesh of the feijoa fruit is white and watery. The center is translucent. Each fruit has about 20 to 40 small seeds, though some may have more than 100. These small seeds are not really noticeable when you eat the fruit. There are several different varieties of feijoa.”

“They differ slightly depending on the size of the plant and shape of the fruit: triumph, mammoth, Coolidge, hehre. Feijoa is a good source of Vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber. Researchers say that the feijoa peel has higher antioxidant levels than the flesh. Antioxidants are substances that may help prevent some forms of cell damage, including those caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that form during natural body processes or following exposure to pollutants such as radiation.”

I am happy that I can share my gift from God with my friends. They like it and took some home for tea later. The cake has a sweet and unique flavour that tastes like a mixture of other fruits such as strawberry, guava and pineapple. It’s moist, not too sweet and enjoyable to have it with coffee or tea. Let’s bake!!!

Ingredients

Dark and white chocolate Easter designs, flowers, domes and strawberries moulds

280 white melting chocolate
3 Tsp truffle infused oil
80 g dark melting chocolate
1 Tsp truffle infused oil

Feijoa and strawberry cake

8 feijoas, remove stems and hard back, cut into bite size
300 g sour cream
250-280 self raising flour
250 g butter
250 g strawberries, stems removed, sliced
200 g soft brown sugar
4 eggs
2 Tsp baking powder
1 Tsp vanilla extract
1/2 Tsp salt
water, for puree

Method

One day in advance

Place enough water in a pot on medium heat. Put a glass bowl that can sit on top without touching the water and cover the pot to prevent steam from escaping. Put dark chocolate into the bowl, stir from middle out until chocolate melted completely. Remove and stir in oil. Set to cool for about 30 seconds. Then spoon chocolate into 3cm dome moulds. Freeze chocolate until needed.

Using the same pot, check if enough water, place another bowl sit on top, add white chocolate into bowl, stir from middle out until chocolate melted. Note: white chocolate can harden quickly, if it does put back on top of pot. Set to cool slightly, spoon onto Easter designs, 1 big flower, 2 strawberry, and 3 tiny flower moulds. This take time as I only have one of each mould. However, it freezes faster than dark chocolate. Remove it after 30 minutes. Warm up chocolate and repeat spoon on to mould.

The next day

Preheat oven 180 degrees. Grease and line 23 cm round spring form pan. Put feijoa into Nutri Bullet with enough water for puree. Blitz until pureed and set aside. Place butter and brown sugar into mixing bowl and beating until light and fluffy about 5-7 minutes.

Next add egg in one at a time beating well after each addition. Then add in sour cream and feijoa puree; continue to beat until incorporated. Stir in vanilla, 250 g flour first, baking powder, and salt with a metal spoon until you have a smooth batter: consistency batter. If batter is watery, add another 30 g flour. If batter is dry, add a bit more water about 1/4 c.

Arrange strawberries slices all over the prepared pan in a circle.  Spoon some batter onto the strawberries circle.  Next arranging strawberries slices all around the batter, gently push in. Spoon all the remaining batter on top of the strawberries, using a spatula smooth the batter.

Gives a couple of knocks on the bench top. Bake it for 1 hour until golden brown, risen and when inserting skewer, it comes out clean. Then cake is baked. If its still wet with batter. Place back into oven for another 20-30 minutes. Then switched off oven, leave it in the oven with door close from 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove it to a rack to cool for 15 minutes before turning over onto cake base or plate.

When the cake has cool completely. Garnish with 1 big flower in the centre followed by 3 tiny flowers opposite site of flower and one at the bottom of flower. Then 2 bunnies opposite each side on the outer circle, 2 strawberries opposite each side, 2 different types Easter eggs opposite each side. Next dark dome chocolate in between the white chocolate designs. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea!!!

Note: Some feijoa may contain more liquid after puree. Thus, oven temperature may vary: you might need longer time or less time. You may omit sour cream just use milk, about 5 Tbs. You may use blueberries or raspberries or blackberries instead of strawberries. You may use castor sugar instead of brown sugar.

https://helenscchin.com/2024/03/27/feijoa-strawberry-cake-with-easter-design-chocolates/

#helenscchinrecipes
#awesomedessertsandentrees
#cookingforthefun
#foodiesplus