Hibiscus cake with strawberry gum cream cheese

Sweet treats and desserts get a native Indigenous Australian upgrade with this cake recipe from Nornie Bero, who shows us how to get the most out of these special ingredients when adding to your favourite recipes. Hibiscus flowers in syrup and strawberry can be easily sourced online from Indigenous Australian bush food shops.

• serves

  6-8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Stream free On Demand

The Seafood Supper

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing
• 115 g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground pepperberry
• 2 tsp dried hibiscus, finely ground, plus extra
• 85 ml milk, slightly warmed
• 55 ml vegetable oil
• 1 lemon, finely zested
• 6 large eggs
• 150 g caster sugar
• Hibiscus in syrup, to serve
  

For the strawberry gum cream

• 300 g cream cheese, softened
• 150 g unsalted butter, softened
• 150 g icing sugar mixture
• ½ tsp ground strawberry gum
• ½ tsp ground pepperberry
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cooling time: 30 minutes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (standard). Grease a 25 cm cake tin with butter and line the base with baking paper. Dust the sides of the tin with flour, shaking out any excess. Lightly grease the base of the baking paper with extra butter.
   
2. Into a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, cornflour, salt, pepperberry and ground hibiscus. Whisk to combine and set aside. Combine the milk, oil and lemon zest in a small jug, whisking lightly to combine.
   
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment fitted, beat the eggs until frothy. Gradually add the sugar, one spoonful at a time, whisking well between additions, for 8 minutes, or until the mixture is very thick and pale.
   
4. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, then mix on low speed until just combined. With the stand mixer running, gradually add in the milk mixture until it forms a thick batter. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to scrape all sides of the bowl, ensuring the batter is evenly mixed, taking care not to over-mix. Transfer the cake batter to the prepared tin and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
   
5. Allow the cake to cool for 1 minute, then gently invert the tin and turn the cake out onto a cooling rack.
   
6. While the cake cools, make the icing. In a cleaned bowl for the stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter and icing sugar with the paddle attachment fitted. Beat on medium speed for 5-6 minutes, or until fluffy, then add the ground strawberry gum, pepperberry and vanilla. Mix well to combine.
   
7. Spread the strawberry gum cream cheese over the completely cooled cake and decorate with hibiscus flowers in syrup and serve.
   

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

The Seafood Supper

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G