Matt Cross makes slathering meringue over his caramel meringue cake look easy.
The cake (see recipe below) is one of the Otago Farmers Market customers' favourites, so he could not leave that out of his first cookbook The Tart Tin.
``I'm super busy. It gets crazy.''
So when approached by publishers to produce his own cook book he thought, ``Wow, it's a fantastic opportunity''.
``I thought it allows me to spread myself further without doing a whole lot more.''
Matt gave up his day job as a chef when he established Tart Tin, a decision he didn't make lightly, preferring to be on solid financial ground.
Hence the reason he has not opened his own bakery.
``I'd love to open a shop, but it's the finances. I like to live within my means, having it stay fun and not be stressful.''
Instead, he has concentrated on growing his business from the former Pixie Pie Bakery in Hargest Cres, St Kilda.
His products are based on the flavours he likes - and his sweet tooth shines through.
``I can't go past lemon meringue pie. Popcorn is so addictive - I'm a big movie fan.''
``You're constantly on your feet. On Thursdays and Fridays, I work 12 to 14-hour days.''
After training at Otago Polytechnic as a chef, Cross headed across the Ditch searching for warm weather and better money.
While not specifically trained as a pastry chef, Cross found that most chefs did not want to tackle the pastry tasks, he was more than happy to give it a go.
He was working on Hamilton Island when he was asked if he would return to Dunedin to look after the baking and sweet treats at Nova.
After a couple of years, he noticed a gap in the farmers market ``market'' for high-quality sweet treats at market prices.
So on a Friday night, he turned Nova's kitchen into a bakery, found Minty online in Nelson and began his regular market visits.
As his business grew, he realised he needed to find bigger premises, eventually moving to his current site when St Clair cafe Starfish no longer needed it for food preparation.
While he admits one of the reasons he switched to baking fulltime was better hours, as the Tart Tin has grown, so had the demands on his time.
``It's long hours and hard work, but that's a chef's life in part. And I'm bad at saying no.''
Once his book commitments are completed, Cross wants to revamp his kitchen and hire some help.
``It's about improving what I've got. I like that it's keeping something of old Dunedin going, a bit of heritage.''
Included in the book are some of the secrets behind his ``top-selling'' treats from the farmers market.
``I wanted to share the love with those people who can't get up early enough or who want to bake at home with their children.''
The book was photographed by his friend Isabella Harrex.
``It was a no-brainer. The product speaks for itself.''
Although there's a savoury side to the Tart Tin, Cross said if he made another book it would be about desserts - he already has 60 or 70 favourite recipes in mind.
He hopes home bakers will give his recipes a go, and make them their own. He admits some of the recipes take some ``pretty full-on technique'', but says all it takes is some practice to conquer them.
``Make it your own. As a pastry chef in a kitchen there is right and wrong, but baking for friends and family it doesn't have to come out exactly the same way.
``You could give 10 chefs one of those recipes and they'll each do something different.''
Cross believed the best way to succeed was repetition and ``putting your heart into it''.
``Keep it fun, enjoy it. If it goes wrong, do it again. Next time you'll come into your own.''
PHOTO: ISABELLA HARREX
Salted caramel meringue cake
This is an extremely popular cake at the Tart Tin. I make this cake as little single-serve cakes as well as larger ones, and it has been turned into many a wedding cake as well. This cake looks really impressive and even more so when topped with salted caramel candy corn!
Makes 1 23cm cake
Prep time 20 min
Cook time 30 min
Ingredients
250g softened butter, chopped
2 cups caster sugar
4 large eggs
2¾ cups self-raising flour
1 cup milk
¾ cup canola oil
1 portion Swiss meringue (see below)
1 portion salted caramel (see below)
Swiss meringue
½ a lemon
5 egg whites
2½ cups icing sugar
Salted caramel
2 cups caster sugar
200g butter, cubed
200ml cream
1 tsp sea salt
Method
Preheat oven to 160degC. Lightly grease and line two 23cm springform cake tins.
Put butter into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a kitchen mixer and beat at high speed, slowly adding your sugar a third at a time until pale and fluffy. Then add eggs one at a time, sift in flour and then pour in milk and oil. Pour into prepared cake tins.
Bake for 30 minutes, until just golden and risen in the middle. Do not open the door while cooking or the cakes will sink.
Remove from oven and cover with a clean, damp tea towel. When the cakes are cool, cut each in half horizontally with a serrated knife and smother three of the layers with a generous amount of salted caramel. Stack cakes, finishing with the bare layer on top, and decorate with Swiss meringue. Scorch with a kitchen torch. If you don't have one, preheat oven to 170degC and place cake into oven for no more than 4 minutes. Pour over a generous amount of salted caramel sauce.
This cake will keep in an airtight container for 4 days, or in the fridge for 1 week. It is best served at room temperature.
Matt's tip: I always use a clean, damp tea towel to cover a cake after removing it from the oven and leaving it to cool; this helps to keep the cake moist and can prevent it from collapsing in the middle.
Swiss meringue
Wipe the inside of mixing bowl with the lemon.
This helps the egg whites to stiffen. Put egg whites and icing sugar into bowl and place over simmering water. Stirring occasionally, gently heat the eggs until warm, testing the temperature with your pinky finger. If you have a thermometer, you are aiming for 60C.
When nice and warm, whisk the egg whites until very stiff. Pipe over cooled tart. Place tart in the oven for 5 minutes, until the meringue is firm to touch but has no colour.
Allow to cool before serving. This will keep for a week in an airtight container in the fridge, but is best when eaten within 2-3 days.
Salted Caramel
Makes 2½ cups
Prep time 5 min
Cook time 20 min
Put sugar in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat. Melt, stirring thoroughly with a heatproof spoon and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan so that it doesn't burn.
If clumps of sugar form, break them up against the side of the pot. Once the sugar has reached a dark amber colour, whisk in butter cubes followed by the cream and salt.
Don't worry if the sugar sets into a ball - as the cream heats up it will melt again.
Bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute, then strain through a sieve to remove any lumps.
This will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Melt before using.
PHOTO: ISABELLA HARREX
Salted caramel candy corn
This candy corn is super addictive and comes with a warning: one handful is never enough. For a great treat, mix the popcorn into vanilla ice cream to create your own salted caramel hokeypokey ice cream.
Makes 1 large bowl
Prep time 10 min
Cook time 3 hours
Ingredients
200g popping corn
250g butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp salt
½ tsp five-spice
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
Method
Preheat oven to 100degC. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Put popping corn in a large lidded saucepan on medium heat.
Shake saucepan regularly as the corn pops, then as soon as popping stops, remove from heat.
Put butter and sugar in large pot over medium heat, melt and bring to the boil. Cook for about 5 minutes, until caramelised and the steam coming off it begins to look like smoke, stirring constantly to avoid it sticking to the bottom and burning. Carefully add vanilla essence - it will spit as the temperature drops so be careful.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt, spices and baking soda. It will foam up a little as the soda reacts. Carefully pour over the popcorn and stir to coat evenly.
Spread out evenly on baking tray and dry in the oven for 3 hours.
It will keep in an airtight container for weeks.
PHOTO: ISABELLA HARREX
Cookie monster cupcakes
Makes 12
Prep time 15 min
Cook time 14 min
Ingredients
125g softened butter, diced
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1½ cups self-raising flour
125ml milk
70ml oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 cups chocolate chips
½ portion buttercream icing (see below)
2 choc chip cookies, crumbled
Method
Preheat oven to 160degC. Fill moulds of a 12-hole cupcake tray with paper cases.
Put butter in the bowl of a kitchen mixer and whisk at high speed, scraping down the sides as you go. Slowly add the sugar a little at a time until fully incorporated. Continue to beat for 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.
Lower the speed and add eggs, one at a time, allowing about 5 seconds between each egg so as not to split the mixture, followed by sifted flour, milk, oil, vanilla essence and chocolate chips.
Pipe or spoon into prepared cupcake tray so that moulds are two-thirds full. Tap the trays to remove any air bubbles.
Bake for 14 minutes in the middle or bottom of oven until risen in the middle and springy to the touch. Remove from moulds and allow to cool before icing.
Mix crumbled choc chip cookies into buttercream icing. Ice the cupcakes and top with cookie crumbs (or whole cookies).
Buttercream icing
Makes 500g approx enough for 23cm cake or 24 cupcakes
Prep time 5-10 min
Easy to make and super delicious, you can use buttercream icing to decorate cupcakes and cakes of any flavour and style. It is always best eaten at room temperature so that it melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
250g butter, chopped, at room temperature
4 cups icing sugar
¼ cup milk
1 tsp essence or a few drops food colouring of your choice (optional)
Method
Whisk butter in a kitchen mixer (or use a hand-held beater at high speed) until very pale, scraping down the sides as you go. Lower speed and sift in icing sugar. Slowly add milk.
Once fully combined, add essence and colouring, if using. Whisk again at a high speed until light and fluffy.
To use, pipe on to cake or cupcakes before it begins to set, which during a Dunedin winter can happen quite quickly! This icing is best used the day of making.
Matt's tip: As an alternative to the essence and food colouring, you can experiment with different additions. Try a tablespoon of berry coulis, salted caramel, chocolate sauce, or a small squeeze of lemon juice.
