In 2020 Beethoven celebrated his 250th birthday. He lived in an incredibly tumultuous time. Born in 1770, he was 19 at the start of the French Revolution, 20 when Joseph II died, and Napoleon became First Consul of the French Republic. Beethoven was a political junkie. Unlike composers before him, political events and the changing social norms affected him both personally and musically. By the time he died in 1827 he had lived through the Napoleonic Wars, the Congress of Vienna and its repercussions. Through all of this Beethoven completely changed the musical landscape of Western music taking it on an exciting new journey. Course Outline Part One ~ Beethoven and his deafness How could Beethoven have written such fulfilling music without hearing it? What was the impact of Beethoven’s deafness on his music? The mental, physical and creative effects of going deaf on a composer of Beethoven’s stature were significant, including suicidal thoughts and difficult interpersonal relationships. Beethoven’s Conversation Books and Heiligenstadt Testament respectively reveal mechanisms for living with deafness and expressing despair. Part Two ~ Beethoven and the aristocracy Beethoven lived in a time when one’s social class indicated one’s place in society. But even with his revolutionary views fuelled by the French Revolution of 1789 and the rise of Napoleon, Beethoven knew that to succeed one needed the support, both financially and socially, of the upper classes. This created an interesting relationship with his ‘superiors’. He said "Prince, what you are, you are through chance and birth; what I am, I am through my own labour. There are many princes and there will continue to be thousands more, but there is only one Beethoven." Part Three ~ Beethoven’s legacy Throughout his life Beethoven often wrote music which he knew people of his time would neither be able to play nor understand, once stating that a composition was not for ‘now’ but for future generations. In the Romantic period Beethoven was the composer others aspired to emulate. Some tried to copy his musical style while others saw his revolutionary thinking as a license to continue in a new musical direction. Liszt said, “New wine requires new bottles”. And in the 20th and 21st centuries he has become a cult hero.

I found the cookbook with this recipe in a Cambodian airport. Who would have thought! Ingredients : What you need 1 cup roasted blanched almonds 1cup roasted hazelnuts (I used walnuts) ½ cup glace apricots (I used dried apricots or sultanas, currents etc) ½ cup glace pineapple (I used dried mango) ¼ cup mixed peel ½ cup dried figs chopped ¾ cups plain flour 1 tablespoon cocoa 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon mixed spice ½ cup caster sugar ½ honey Method : How to make Preheat oven to 150°C. Line a 23 cm baking tray with baking paper In a large bowl combine nuts and fruit. Sift in flour, cocoa and spices and mix into the fruit and nuts Heat sugar and honey in a small pan on low until sugar has dissolved. Boil for 1 minute Pour hot syrup over the dry mixture, using a metal spoon combine quickly as the mixture will become very stiff Press into the prepared tin using wet fingers to spread the mixture out evenly Bake for 35-40 minutes. Leave in the tin until cold. The cake in best left for a few days before serving. When you do, dress it with icing sugar

Given to me by a friend when our children were babies. It is still one of my favourites. Ingredients : What you need 8 eggs separated 1 ½ cups castor sugar 2cups SR flour 1cup olive oil 1cup fresh orange juice Rind of one large orange Method : How to make Beat egg whites with ¾ cup of sugar, then refrigerate until yolks are ready Beat yolks with remaining sugar and rind, when fluffy slowly add orange, flour and oil Take out whites from fridge and add yolk minture to whiles folding through with a wooden spoon Pour mixture into a Ungreased chiffon tin Bake for 1hr at 180C Put tin upside down when ready and let cool this way. The cake should come out very easily.

My aunt gave me this recipe when I was about 12. I have been making it ever since. Simple and beautiful. Ingredients : What you need 4 eggs 2 cups sugar 1cup milk 2 heap cups self raising flour 4 dessert spoons cocoa 250 g melted butter Method : How to make Beat all ingredients except butter. When mixed add the butter Pour into a prepared cake tin and bake at 180 degrees for about 1 hour or until a skewer comes out ALMOST clean when you insert it into the middle of the cake. My extra tip: At the melted butter stage I added a whole lot of homemade orange jam, then iced the cake with Lint orange dark chocolate ganache ( very easy…just melt chocolate and some butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over low heat until its melted and glossy)

This recipe was in the paper years ago. I love the contrast between the caramel burnt top and the luscious filling. Ingredients : What you need Grease 1 or 2 tins and line with baking paper on base and sides 7 whole eggs 1kg Philadelphia cream cheese 400g castor sugar 1 tablespoon flour 500g cream Section 2: Add Numbered Directions Preheat oven to 220C Crack eggs and mix Using an electric mixer mix cream cheese until smooth (harder than it seems) Add beaten eggs slowly making sure all egg is incorporated into the cheese before adding more. Add sugar, flour and cream – blend well Pour into lined cake tins and bake for 50mins (less if making 2 cakes) Leave to completely cool before taking out of the tin. Frank Camorra warns that the cake gets a dark look but don’t be scared, it gives it a yummy caramel taste.

I love ginger and this cake meets my ginger cravings. Ingredients : What you need 130g plain flour 130g SR flour 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 eggs 170ml golden syrup 170ml sour cream 1 ½ tsp. finely grated lemon zest 1 Tsp. freshly grated ginger ½ cup brown sugar 180g butter melted 150g pitted dates chopped 6 (I used a lot more!) crystallised ginger finely sliced Section 2: Add Numbered Directions Preheat oven to 180 degrees and butter a 24/5 round cake tin. Line with backing paper Put plain, SR flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt into large bowl and whisk together for a minute. In a separate bowl add lightly beaten eggs, golden syrup, sour cream, lemon zest, fresh ginger, brown sugar and butter. Whisk until just combined Tip flour mixture into the egg mixture and stir until just combined. Toss in dates mixed with an extra couple of Tsp. of flour so they don’t fall to the bottom. Pour batter into the tin and scatter the crystalised ginger on top Belinda says to bake the cake for 35/40 minutes but I found in my oven that it was closer to an hour. Cake should spring back when pressed in the centre. Leave the cake for about 7 minutes before undoing the spring form or inverting. I served mine with a mixture of sour cream, sheep’s yoghurt, vanilla extract and a pinch of sugar!

This cake looks almost too good to eat. A perfect cake when you have leftover egg whites. Your List of Ingredients Meringues 3 medium egg whites 120g caster sugar Pink or blue food colouring Cake 4 medium eggs – separated 175g caster sugar 225g ground almonds 1 teaspoon baking powder – sifted Filling 200g black cherry jam – stirred until smooth 300ml whipped cream Step 1 : Let’s Get Started Making the Meringues Preheat oven to 120 degrees. Whisk egg whites until they have the consistency of shaving cream. Sprinkle 1 heaped tablespoon of sugar, whisking after each addition until you have a smooth, glossy meringue. Divide mixture into 2 and add a different colour to each. Drop teaspoons of mixture onto baking trays lined with baking paper. Put meringues into the oven and turn it down to 100 degrees. Cook for 1 hour making sure they are crisp on the outside and sound hollow. Remove and leave to cool. Step 2 : Follow On Making the Cake Turn oven to 180 degrees and butter a 23cm spring form tin. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together. The mixture should not be too pale and thick. Stiffly whisk the egg whites and gently fold them into the mixture in 3 goes. Fold in the ground almonds and the baking powder. Pour cake mixture into the tin tapping the tin to bring up any air bubbles. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top feels springy to touch. Place cake on a serving plate and spread the surface with jam. Top with whipped cream and then top with meringues. Thank You I hope you enjoyed this recipe, leave a comment down below if you enjoyed making the cake and if there is anything that you do differently when making it yourself! Andy

This cake is like heaven. The combination of Halva and Tahini is gorgeous. Serve with pomegranates and pistachios to make it even more decadent. Ingredients : What you need 4 eggs 2 cups heavy cream 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 salt 2 cups self-rising flour 1/2 tahini 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup crumbled halva Method : Add Numbered Directions Preheat oven to 170 C. Butter a 2 -24 round cake time. Line base with baking paper In a large bowl, beat the eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla extract and salt for 1-2 minutes until the sugar has melted and the batter has thickened Add the self-rising flour and beat just until a smooth, thin batter forms Pour 1/3 of the batter into the pan. Spoon half of the tahini paste on top, then half the honey and sprinkle half the halva. follow with another layer of cake batter, tahini, honey and halva. Top with remaining batter Using a knife, lightly swirl the batter up and down, moving in spirals, for a marble effect Bake for about 50-60 minutes, until the cake springs back to the touch, is golden and a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean

This is a real ‘no mess’ cake. All made on the stove and then straight in the oven. If you don’t have buttermilk, I find plain yoghurt also works. Ingredients : What you need 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa 75g unsalted butter 1/3 cup light olive oil (I used full strength) 2/3 strong black coffee 90g good quality dark chocolate 250g castor sugar 1 large egg 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract 1¼ plain flour (I used SF flour) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cups buttermilk Method : How to make Preheat oven to 150 C. Butter a 2 -24 round cake time. Line base with baking paper Put cocoa, butter, oil and coffee into a largish saucepan. Bring them to boil over medium heat, stir frequently until mixture is silky. Take off heat. Add chocolate and sugar and whisk until the choc has melted and mixture is smooth Cool. Add egg, vanilla and whisk thoroughly. Sift flour and baking powder (or SR flour) into mixture and stir until just combined. Whisk in buttermilk. Pour the batter into tin and shake gently to level out mixture. Bake for about 50 min or until skewer comes out of the cake clean when inserted into t he middle of the cake. Cool in tin for 5 minutes then invert cake onto rack and cool completely I made ganache as an icing for this cake – in case it wasn’t chocolaty enough!

I made this cake for my brothers in law’s wedding with limes from our garden. I still make it for them whenever they are in town. Ingredients : What you need Cake 250g soft butter 425g caster sugar 8 eggs at room temp 350 ( 2 ½ cups) SF flour 270g desiccated coconut 100g ground almond 75g desiccated coconut toasted Syrup 399g caster sugar Finely grated rind of 3 limes 200ml lime juice ½ cup cream Method : How to make Lets start by making the cake: Grease round 25cm pan Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy Add eggs one at a time beating well after each Combine flour, coconut and ground almonds then stir into egg mixture Bake at 160C for 65-76 minutes or until cooked which tested with a skewer Stand cake in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack an place over a baking tray Now we can move on to making the lime syrup: Combine caster sugar, lime and 200ml water in a small saucepan, stir over medium heat until sugar dissolved and boil for 5 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve into a bowl Use the candied lime for decoration Using a wooden skewer prick 12 holes over the cake and gradually brush the warm syrup over the warm cake And finally we can make the cream: Whip cream and then add ¼ cup of syrup leaving a little to drizzle over each piece of cake when served.

When you make this cake don’t use a spring form pan like I did the first time! You will be cleaning a sugary mess off your bench for ages. Ingredients : What you need I’ve used peaches, plums, nectarines and a combination of them all. To be fancier you can peel the fruit, but I don’t bother. Cake 100g almond meal 90g SR flour 190g caster sugar 3 eggs 190g unsalted butter at room temperature 1 tsp vanilla Fruit & Caramel Topping 80g unsalted butter ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar ¼ tsp salt 3-4 largish just ripe stone fruits Method : How to make Preheat oven to 180 degrees and lightly butter a 24cm round cake tin. Don’t use a spring form…big mistake! For the topping melt the butter in a small heavy based saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar and salt and stir until the mixture is smooth. The mixture will look separated, don’t worry. Pour this into the tin, smoothing the caramel evenly over the bottom of the tin. Cut the fruit into slices and lay the fruit over the caramel overlapping slightly and fill in any gaps so the base is completely covered Whisk the almond meal and flour until well combined in a bowl Beat the sugar and eggs. Add the butter in batches making sure to scrape down the sides. Mix in the vanilla Add the almond mixture and stir until just combined. Put the batter into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly trying not to disturb the fruit. Bake for about 45 minutes (I often have to bake mine for a bit longer), until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool for a few minutes then run a blunt knife around the inside of the tin to loosen the cake. After a few minutes invert the cake onto a serving plate. This cake is really more of a pudding than a cake and is great warm or cold.

One of my children loves bikkies. This is the basic recipe I often use Ingredients : What you need Makes about 30 biscuits 225g soften butter 140g caster sugar 1 egg yok lightly beaten 2 tsp vanilla extract 280g plain flour Salt Method : How to make Preheat an oven to 190 degrees and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Mix butter and sugar well then beat in the egg yolk and vanilla. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into the mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Scoop tablespoons of the mixture and shape into balls. Put them on the prepared baking sheets and space well apart and flatten slightly. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 before transferring them onto a wire rack. This is the very basic recipe but you can add cocoa, ginger, choc chips, orange juice, peanut butteretc etc etc!