Tuesday, 25 October 2011
14: Bloody Cupcakes!
I both love and hate cupcakes. They are the bane of my existence and empyrean joy when I get them right; equally as deadly as biscuits, made even more so by our oven which sometimes overcooks or undercooks by 20 degrees depending on its mood, they can often be done on the outside and liquid in the middle, or I can't tell until they have had plenty of time and I've cut one open that they are still too soft in their guts. Those blasted elderflower cupcakes - which would never have happened if we hadn't got elderflower cordial so I could make James Ramsden's ice-cream - are a prime example of my difficulty with these tiny sponges. Too little cordial, and I produced perfectly soft and fluffy cupcakes with a faint taste of golden syrup and absolutely no elderflower perceptible. Too much cordial, and they were worthless wet rubbish, so damp that the paper case was wet underneath and so was the hollow in the muffin tin, and they hadn't cooked properly. Paul Hollywood's reproaches about messing with the structure of the cake batter resounded in my ears.
13: Elderflower Ice-Cream and Lemon Biscuits
This was my first real recipe, cut out from the Daily Mail, and excerpted from James Ramsden's Small Adventures in Cooking. It is incredibly simple, but it produces the most rich, fragrantly elderflower ice-cream you can imagine. I think the biscuits could do with more lemon juice than the recipe calls for, why bother adding it if not for a strong lemon taste, but that's up to the individual's taste buds.
Ice-Cream Ingredients
600ml double cream
100ml elderflower cordial
100g icing sugar
Juice of half a lemon
Biscuit Ingredients
100g softened butter
150g plain flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Tip the cream, cordial, icing sugar and lemon juice into a bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. (I did this by hand, but if you're lazy, use an electric mixer.) Tip into an ice-cream tub and leave to set in the freezer for at least 4 hours, or overnight. To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Rub the butter into the flour with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then mix in the sugar and lemon zest with a spoon until it forms a stiff dough. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to about half a centimetre thick. Trim the edges and cut into 12 fingers with a knife and put on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until pale golden and remove. Leave to cool on a wire rack to allow them to crisp up. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Ice-Cream Ingredients
600ml double cream
100ml elderflower cordial
100g icing sugar
Juice of half a lemon
Biscuit Ingredients
100g softened butter
150g plain flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Tip the cream, cordial, icing sugar and lemon juice into a bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. (I did this by hand, but if you're lazy, use an electric mixer.) Tip into an ice-cream tub and leave to set in the freezer for at least 4 hours, or overnight. To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Rub the butter into the flour with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then mix in the sugar and lemon zest with a spoon until it forms a stiff dough. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to about half a centimetre thick. Trim the edges and cut into 12 fingers with a knife and put on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until pale golden and remove. Leave to cool on a wire rack to allow them to crisp up. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
12: Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Loaf
I didn't have enough butter to make the icing, but it tastes scrumptious all by itself. I had no idea how to achieve the amazing loops of marbling pattern that are apparent in the photograph in 100 Cakes and Bakes, so my cake ended up with blobs and cloud shapes of chocolate and vanilla sponge rather than graceful, patisserie-style swirls, but who cares when it tastes nice? Me, apparently; that's the perfectionist coming out again. This is a very rich cake and I made it in the loaf tin that we use for lemon drizzle cake and lemon poppyseed cake.
Ingredients
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
275g self raising flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
Half teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and a half level tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons hot water
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Lightly grease the loaf tin and line wide baking parchment or greaseproof paper. Measure the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs, milk and vanilla extract into a large bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer for about 2 minutes, until well blended and smooth. Spoon half the mixture into another bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and hot water together until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, then add to one of the bowls of cake mixture, stirring until evenly blended. Spoon the vanilla and chocolate cake batters into the prepared tin at random, until all the mixture is used up. Gently level the surface with a spatula. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until well risen, springy to the touch, and beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin. Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and removing the baking paper from the cake.
Ingredients
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
275g self raising flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
Half teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and a half level tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons hot water
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Lightly grease the loaf tin and line wide baking parchment or greaseproof paper. Measure the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs, milk and vanilla extract into a large bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer for about 2 minutes, until well blended and smooth. Spoon half the mixture into another bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and hot water together until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, then add to one of the bowls of cake mixture, stirring until evenly blended. Spoon the vanilla and chocolate cake batters into the prepared tin at random, until all the mixture is used up. Gently level the surface with a spatula. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until well risen, springy to the touch, and beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin. Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and removing the baking paper from the cake.
11: Paul Hollywood's Easy Cob Loaf
It only seemed fitting to make a Paul Hollywood loaf when I finally dared to face that nightmarish challenge that is bread. Fortunately, it didn't turn out to be as alarming as my anxieties made me think; it is rather boring, mainly waiting while the dough proves twice, each time for an hour, while resisting the urge to peep at it to see if it is indeed rising. "Lazy yeast! Where are the bubbles? Where is the deployed airbag rise I'm looking for?" I have made this twice now. The second time, I left it to prove for longer, so there was a very satisfying puff of air when I 'knocked out' the dough after the first proving, a great deflation like pushing breath out of a plastic bag. The second loaf was much better than the first, which had a thin line of slightly underbaked dough to mar its first-time splendour.
Ingredients
500g strong white bread flour
40g soft butter
12g or 2 sachets fast-action dried yeast
2 teaspoons salt
300ml tepid water (about body temp)
A little olive or sunflower oil
Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the butter. Add the yeast at one side of the bowl and add the salt at the other, otherwise the salt will kill the yeast. Stir all the ingredients with a spoon to combine. Add half of the water and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add water a little at a time, combining well, until you’ve picked up all of the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all of the water, or you may need to add a little more – you want a dough that is well combined and soft, but not sticky or soggy. Mix with your fingers to make sure all of the ingredients are combined and use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl. Keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough. Use about a teaspoon of oil to lightly grease a clean work surface (using oil instead of flour will keep the texture of the dough consistent). Turn out your dough onto the greased work surface (make sure you have plenty of space). Fold the far edge of the dough into the middle of the dough, then turn the dough by 45 degrees and repeat. Do this several times until the dough is very lightly coated all over in olive oil. Now use your hands to knead the dough: push the dough out in one direction with the heel of your hand, then fold it back on itself. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and repeat. Kneading in this way stretches the gluten and makes the dough elastic. Do this for about 4 or 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Work quickly so that the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands – if it does get too sticky you can add a little flour to your hands.
Clean and lightly oil your mixing bowl and put the dough back into it. Cover with a damp tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and set it aside to prove. This gives the yeast time to work: the dough should double in size. This should take around one hour, but will vary depending on the temperature of your room (don’t put the bowl in a hot place or the yeast will work too quickly). Line a baking tray with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof). Once the dough has doubled in size scrape it out of the bowl to shape it. The texture should be bouncy and shiny. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back by kneading it firmly to 'knock' out the air. Use your hand to roll the dough up, then turn by 45 degrees and roll it up again. Repeat several times. Gently turn and smooth the dough into a round loaf shape.
Place the loaf onto the lined baking tray, cover with a tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove until it’s doubled in size. This will take about an hour, but may be quicker or slower depending on how warm your kitchen is. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan assisted) /425F/Gas 7. Put an old, empty roasting tin into the bottom of the oven. After an hour the loaf should have proved (risen again). Sprinkle some flour on top and very gently rub it in. Use a large, sharp knife to make shallow cuts (about 1cm/½in deep) across the top of the loaf to create a diamond pattern. Put the loaf (on its baking tray) into the middle of the oven. Pour cold water into the empty roasting tray at the bottom of the oven just before you shut the door – this creates steam which helps the loaf develop a crisp and shiny crust. Bake the loaf for about 30 minutes. The loaf is cooked when it’s risen and golden. To check, take it out of the oven and tap it gently underneath – it should sound hollow. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.
Ingredients
500g strong white bread flour
40g soft butter
12g or 2 sachets fast-action dried yeast
2 teaspoons salt
300ml tepid water (about body temp)
A little olive or sunflower oil
Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the butter. Add the yeast at one side of the bowl and add the salt at the other, otherwise the salt will kill the yeast. Stir all the ingredients with a spoon to combine. Add half of the water and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add water a little at a time, combining well, until you’ve picked up all of the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all of the water, or you may need to add a little more – you want a dough that is well combined and soft, but not sticky or soggy. Mix with your fingers to make sure all of the ingredients are combined and use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl. Keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough. Use about a teaspoon of oil to lightly grease a clean work surface (using oil instead of flour will keep the texture of the dough consistent). Turn out your dough onto the greased work surface (make sure you have plenty of space). Fold the far edge of the dough into the middle of the dough, then turn the dough by 45 degrees and repeat. Do this several times until the dough is very lightly coated all over in olive oil. Now use your hands to knead the dough: push the dough out in one direction with the heel of your hand, then fold it back on itself. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and repeat. Kneading in this way stretches the gluten and makes the dough elastic. Do this for about 4 or 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Work quickly so that the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands – if it does get too sticky you can add a little flour to your hands.
Clean and lightly oil your mixing bowl and put the dough back into it. Cover with a damp tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and set it aside to prove. This gives the yeast time to work: the dough should double in size. This should take around one hour, but will vary depending on the temperature of your room (don’t put the bowl in a hot place or the yeast will work too quickly). Line a baking tray with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof). Once the dough has doubled in size scrape it out of the bowl to shape it. The texture should be bouncy and shiny. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back by kneading it firmly to 'knock' out the air. Use your hand to roll the dough up, then turn by 45 degrees and roll it up again. Repeat several times. Gently turn and smooth the dough into a round loaf shape.
Place the loaf onto the lined baking tray, cover with a tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove until it’s doubled in size. This will take about an hour, but may be quicker or slower depending on how warm your kitchen is. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan assisted) /425F/Gas 7. Put an old, empty roasting tin into the bottom of the oven. After an hour the loaf should have proved (risen again). Sprinkle some flour on top and very gently rub it in. Use a large, sharp knife to make shallow cuts (about 1cm/½in deep) across the top of the loaf to create a diamond pattern. Put the loaf (on its baking tray) into the middle of the oven. Pour cold water into the empty roasting tray at the bottom of the oven just before you shut the door – this creates steam which helps the loaf develop a crisp and shiny crust. Bake the loaf for about 30 minutes. The loaf is cooked when it’s risen and golden. To check, take it out of the oven and tap it gently underneath – it should sound hollow. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.
10: Mary Berry's Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
I made these from the cupcake recipe in Mary Berry’s 100 Cakes and Bakes, a small book that I bought from Amazon alongside some other small books on making cakes, biscuits, biscotti, macaroons and fairy cakes. I adapted it with orange extract and cocoa powder to make the chocolate orange cupcakes and I made a half recipe (six cupcakes instead of twelve) with elderflower cordial to try and produce that sweet, fragrant elderflower taste that is so enchanting. What more could anyone ask for - light, fluffy sponge scented with elderflower? It didn’t exactly work out as I had hoped, although the chocolate oranges were quite successful.
Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
I was doing so well until I put these into the oven without the milk in them. I was really cross with myself when I realised what I’d done. I am currently cooking them and they don’t seem to have done the usual mushrooming effect my cupcakes often do. Update: it was really difficult to blend entirely in the cocoa powder so there weren’t black spots of unmixed cocoa. I also added too much orange extract - half a teaspoon too much - into the buttercream, so to me it tasted a little bitter. There were two teaspoons orange extract, although Mary Berry’s cupcake recipe also calls for half a teaspoon of vanilla extract only. I thought the cupcakes tasted a bit bitter - the sponge was definitely dry, it would have been softer and moister with the tablespoons of milk, and the buttercream was a little bitter with the extra half a teaspoon of orange extract. However, Mum, Dad and Tid have now all had one to try and they didn’t share my objections; I guess that’s my irritating supertaster tongue again, whining to itself about tasting onion buried deep in mince and courgette and stuff like that. Next time I’ll be sure to put the milk in though.
Sponge Ingredients:
100g softened butter
150g selfraising flour
150g caster sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange extract
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Put the muffin cases into the muffin tin, so the cakes keep a good even shape as they bake. Cream the butter and caster sugar together in a large bowl. Add the two eggs, sift flour and the cocoa powder over them and beat until a smooth mixture is formed. Spoon evenly between the paper cases. Put into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until risen and cooked through, so a skewer comes out cleanly. Lift the paper cases out of the ten and cool completely on a wire rack before putting on the buttercream icing. If you can get hold of orange chocolate buttons, press them into the buttercream topping.
Buttercream Ingredients:
100g butter
225g sifted icing sugar
Half teaspoon vanilla/orange extract
Beat together all the ingredients to produce a smooth soft buttercream, then smooth over the cold cupcakes; if you can pipe it with a piping bag or syringe, that might produce a neater finish. To make chocolate or coffee icing: add two tablespoons cocoa powder or one teaspoon coffee essence to the butter icing. I used Bournville cocoa in the sponge and in the buttercream, so it might be different with another kind of baking cocoa e.g. Green and Black’s or Cadbury’s. I put a whole teaspoon of orange extract into the buttercream, it might have been less ‘bitter’ if I had only put in half a teaspoon like the recipe called for.
Elderflower Cupcakes (on a half recipe)
I used the same recipe as above, except with halved amounts, so I made six rather than twelve cupcakes. I used three to four teaspoons of elderflower cordial to achieve the tasting; I tried one at first, mixed and then tasted the batter, but the elderflower didn’t come through to me until I had added more cordial, a teaspoon at a time. Everyone’s preference is different. I made these while my dough for the Paul Hollywood simple Cob Loaf was proving (first time around). Unfortunately, when they were cooked, they didn’t taste of elder-flower; you could just about pick it up, but there was a sweet, golden syrup flavour instead. The sponge was perfect, though, soft in the middle and the top crisp and golden; I had to do the same thing as before, turning down the oven once they started browning on the top.
I was going to make them lemon and elderflower cupcakes, but I’m glad I didn’t. You simply wouldn’t have been able to taste anything else but the lemon. I might attempt to make spiced sponge cupcakes later in the week with ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg - or indeed a combination of them all, perhaps allspice.
50g softened butter
75g selfraising flour
75g caster sugar
1 and a half tablespoons milk
1 large egg
3 to 4 teaspoons elderflower cordial
Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
I was doing so well until I put these into the oven without the milk in them. I was really cross with myself when I realised what I’d done. I am currently cooking them and they don’t seem to have done the usual mushrooming effect my cupcakes often do. Update: it was really difficult to blend entirely in the cocoa powder so there weren’t black spots of unmixed cocoa. I also added too much orange extract - half a teaspoon too much - into the buttercream, so to me it tasted a little bitter. There were two teaspoons orange extract, although Mary Berry’s cupcake recipe also calls for half a teaspoon of vanilla extract only. I thought the cupcakes tasted a bit bitter - the sponge was definitely dry, it would have been softer and moister with the tablespoons of milk, and the buttercream was a little bitter with the extra half a teaspoon of orange extract. However, Mum, Dad and Tid have now all had one to try and they didn’t share my objections; I guess that’s my irritating supertaster tongue again, whining to itself about tasting onion buried deep in mince and courgette and stuff like that. Next time I’ll be sure to put the milk in though.
Sponge Ingredients:
100g softened butter
150g selfraising flour
150g caster sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange extract
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Put the muffin cases into the muffin tin, so the cakes keep a good even shape as they bake. Cream the butter and caster sugar together in a large bowl. Add the two eggs, sift flour and the cocoa powder over them and beat until a smooth mixture is formed. Spoon evenly between the paper cases. Put into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until risen and cooked through, so a skewer comes out cleanly. Lift the paper cases out of the ten and cool completely on a wire rack before putting on the buttercream icing. If you can get hold of orange chocolate buttons, press them into the buttercream topping.
Buttercream Ingredients:
100g butter
225g sifted icing sugar
Half teaspoon vanilla/orange extract
Beat together all the ingredients to produce a smooth soft buttercream, then smooth over the cold cupcakes; if you can pipe it with a piping bag or syringe, that might produce a neater finish. To make chocolate or coffee icing: add two tablespoons cocoa powder or one teaspoon coffee essence to the butter icing. I used Bournville cocoa in the sponge and in the buttercream, so it might be different with another kind of baking cocoa e.g. Green and Black’s or Cadbury’s. I put a whole teaspoon of orange extract into the buttercream, it might have been less ‘bitter’ if I had only put in half a teaspoon like the recipe called for.
Elderflower Cupcakes (on a half recipe)
I used the same recipe as above, except with halved amounts, so I made six rather than twelve cupcakes. I used three to four teaspoons of elderflower cordial to achieve the tasting; I tried one at first, mixed and then tasted the batter, but the elderflower didn’t come through to me until I had added more cordial, a teaspoon at a time. Everyone’s preference is different. I made these while my dough for the Paul Hollywood simple Cob Loaf was proving (first time around). Unfortunately, when they were cooked, they didn’t taste of elder-flower; you could just about pick it up, but there was a sweet, golden syrup flavour instead. The sponge was perfect, though, soft in the middle and the top crisp and golden; I had to do the same thing as before, turning down the oven once they started browning on the top.
I was going to make them lemon and elderflower cupcakes, but I’m glad I didn’t. You simply wouldn’t have been able to taste anything else but the lemon. I might attempt to make spiced sponge cupcakes later in the week with ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg - or indeed a combination of them all, perhaps allspice.
50g softened butter
75g selfraising flour
75g caster sugar
1 and a half tablespoons milk
1 large egg
3 to 4 teaspoons elderflower cordial
9: Melting Moments
This recipe for melting moments comes from "Biscuits and Biscotti", a small booklet put out by Australian Women's Weekly which contains some fabulous biscuit recipes. I used to see these on sale in the cookery section when I worked at Waterstone's, so it was the obvious first stop when I finally decided to start my own collection of baking books. I also picked up Cakes and Slices put out by Murdoch Books, Cupcake Magic by Kate Shirazi, and Mary Berry's 100 Cakes and Bakes. These melting moments are quite different from Holly Bell's but they look amazing, and when I get around to making them, I'm certain will taste amazing too.
Ingredients:
250g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla essence (or orange?)
80g icing sugar
225g plain flour
75g corn flour
For the butter cream
80g butter
110g sifted icing sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (or half lemon?)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 170. Beat the butter, vanilla essence and sifted icing sugar into a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the combined sifted flours in two batches. With lightly floured hands, roll two level teaspoon portions of mixture into balls and place about 3cm apart on baking paper lined oven trays. Flatten slightly with a floured fork. Bake in moderate oven temperature for about 15 minutes or until biscuits are a pale-straw colour. Stand 5 minutes before lifting onto wire racks to cool. Sandwich together with a teaspoon of butter cream to serve. To make the butter cream: Beat butter, sifted icing sugar and rind in a small bowl with electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in the juice.
Ingredients:
250g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla essence (or orange?)
80g icing sugar
225g plain flour
75g corn flour
For the butter cream
80g butter
110g sifted icing sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (or half lemon?)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 170. Beat the butter, vanilla essence and sifted icing sugar into a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the combined sifted flours in two batches. With lightly floured hands, roll two level teaspoon portions of mixture into balls and place about 3cm apart on baking paper lined oven trays. Flatten slightly with a floured fork. Bake in moderate oven temperature for about 15 minutes or until biscuits are a pale-straw colour. Stand 5 minutes before lifting onto wire racks to cool. Sandwich together with a teaspoon of butter cream to serve. To make the butter cream: Beat butter, sifted icing sugar and rind in a small bowl with electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in the juice.
8: The Idea of Cheesecake
I've wanted to make baked cheesecake ever since I watched the contestants doing so on The Great British Bake-Off. Who doesn't like cheesecake? Unfortunately, it can sometimes be really boring. I've never warmed to New York style vanilla cheesecake, a great creamy fattening mass of blandness. Where's the goddamn flavour? The eponymous cheesecake of my childhood is the frozen or chilled blackcurrant kind. Mum and Dad were never quite circumspect in making sure it was thoroughly defrosted, so sometimes it was quite hard and icy still. I've never liked the blackcurrants. I always picked them off, flicking them onto the side of my plate, to be pirated by whichever family member's spoon or fork got there fast enough. I'm sure this happens in other families: this sharking of leftovers from the finished plate.
Baked Lemon Cheesecake
Ingredients:
225g digestive biscuits
100g butter, melted
250g marscapone (tub)
600g soft cheese
2 whole eggs + 2 yolks
Zest of 3 lemons + juice of 1
4 tablespoons plain flour
175g caster sugar
Topping:
Half a 284ml pot soured cream
3 tablespoons lemon curd
Handful raspberries
Heat oven to 180 degrees. Line the bottom of a 23cm springform tin with greaseproof paper. Tip the biscuits and melted butter into a food processor, then blitz to make fine crumbs. Press into the tin and chill. Whisk all the other ingredients in a large bowl until completely combined, pour into the tin, then bake for 35-50 minutes until the cheesecake has a uniform wobble. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside until cool. When it is completely cooled, remove from the tin and top with soured cream. Swirl lemon curd over the top and decorate with raspberries, if you like.
(To turn this cheesecake into an orange or lime-flavoured cheesecake, simply swap the zest and juice of lemon to that of an orange or a lime.) Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2009.
Chilled Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients:
250g digestive biscuits
100g unsalted butter, melted
1 vanilla pod
600g soft cheese
100g icing sugar
284ml pot double cream
Topping:
400g punnet strawberries, halved
25g icing sugar
EQUIPMENT: 23cm loose-bottomed tin, baking parchment, plastic food bag, rolling pin, large bowl, dessert spoon, chopping board, kitchen knife, electric mixer, spatula, serving plate, blender or food processor, sieve
Make the base: Butter and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin with baking parchment. Put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, then pour over the melted butter. Mix thoroughly until the crumbs are completely coated. Tip them into the prepared tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Chill in the fridge for 1 hr to set firmly. Remove the vanilla seeds: Slice the vanilla pod in half lengthways, leaving the tip intact, so that the two halves are still joined. Holding onto the tip of the pod, scrape out the seeds using the back of a kitchen knife.
Make the filling: Place the soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla seeds in a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Tip in the cream and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined. Now spoon the cream mixture onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles. Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Un-moulding and topping: Bring the cheesecake to room temperature, about 30 minutes before serving. To un-mould, place the base on top of a can, then gradually pull the sides of the tin down. Slip the cake onto a serving plate, removing the lining paper and base. Purée half the strawberries in a blender or food processor with 25g icing sugar and 1 tsp water, then sieve. Pile the remaining strawberries onto the cake, then pour over purée.
What about a different flavour?
For Lemon: Beat the finely grated zest & juice 2 lemons with the soft cheese & icing sugar instead of the vanilla seeds. Top with lemon curd & leave to chill. For Raspberry: Replace strawberries with fresh raspberries. For Passion fruit & mango: Make a delicious passion fruit sauce by sieving the pulp of 4 passion fruit and sweetening to taste with a little icing sugar. Top the cheesecake with chopped mango, then pour over the sauce, dotting the top with a few of the passion fruit seeds.
Baked Lemon Cheesecake
Ingredients:
225g digestive biscuits
100g butter, melted
250g marscapone (tub)
600g soft cheese
2 whole eggs + 2 yolks
Zest of 3 lemons + juice of 1
4 tablespoons plain flour
175g caster sugar
Topping:
Half a 284ml pot soured cream
3 tablespoons lemon curd
Handful raspberries
Heat oven to 180 degrees. Line the bottom of a 23cm springform tin with greaseproof paper. Tip the biscuits and melted butter into a food processor, then blitz to make fine crumbs. Press into the tin and chill. Whisk all the other ingredients in a large bowl until completely combined, pour into the tin, then bake for 35-50 minutes until the cheesecake has a uniform wobble. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside until cool. When it is completely cooled, remove from the tin and top with soured cream. Swirl lemon curd over the top and decorate with raspberries, if you like.
(To turn this cheesecake into an orange or lime-flavoured cheesecake, simply swap the zest and juice of lemon to that of an orange or a lime.) Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2009.
Chilled Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients:
250g digestive biscuits
100g unsalted butter, melted
1 vanilla pod
600g soft cheese
100g icing sugar
284ml pot double cream
Topping:
400g punnet strawberries, halved
25g icing sugar
EQUIPMENT: 23cm loose-bottomed tin, baking parchment, plastic food bag, rolling pin, large bowl, dessert spoon, chopping board, kitchen knife, electric mixer, spatula, serving plate, blender or food processor, sieve
Make the base: Butter and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin with baking parchment. Put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, then pour over the melted butter. Mix thoroughly until the crumbs are completely coated. Tip them into the prepared tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Chill in the fridge for 1 hr to set firmly. Remove the vanilla seeds: Slice the vanilla pod in half lengthways, leaving the tip intact, so that the two halves are still joined. Holding onto the tip of the pod, scrape out the seeds using the back of a kitchen knife.
Make the filling: Place the soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla seeds in a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Tip in the cream and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined. Now spoon the cream mixture onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles. Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Un-moulding and topping: Bring the cheesecake to room temperature, about 30 minutes before serving. To un-mould, place the base on top of a can, then gradually pull the sides of the tin down. Slip the cake onto a serving plate, removing the lining paper and base. Purée half the strawberries in a blender or food processor with 25g icing sugar and 1 tsp water, then sieve. Pile the remaining strawberries onto the cake, then pour over purée.
What about a different flavour?
For Lemon: Beat the finely grated zest & juice 2 lemons with the soft cheese & icing sugar instead of the vanilla seeds. Top with lemon curd & leave to chill. For Raspberry: Replace strawberries with fresh raspberries. For Passion fruit & mango: Make a delicious passion fruit sauce by sieving the pulp of 4 passion fruit and sweetening to taste with a little icing sugar. Top the cheesecake with chopped mango, then pour over the sauce, dotting the top with a few of the passion fruit seeds.
Monday, 24 October 2011
7: Assorted Cakes and Biscuits
I’ve got really interested in baking at the moment; most of the recipes I’ve included in this journal so far I have tried myself from the recipe books we’ve got in the house. Mum has supervised some of my cooking but other times I have just got on with it myself, take the results as they come. I can make spaghetti Bolognese, shepherd’s pie and risotto perfectly well; I made the chicken fajita mix myself this evening with Mum’s instruction. I made shepherd’s pie Monday from the lamb we had leftover on Sunday and tomorrow I’m gonna get the spaghetti Bolognese done before Mum gets in. We’re gonna have battered cod and chips and peas later this week.
Gateau Breton
This recipe for Brittany butter cake comes from Nigella’s book and she got hers from Anne Willan’s Real Food, “a cross between shortbread and pound cake.” Pound cake refers to a type of cake traditionally made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. The traditional recipe makes a cake much larger than most families can consume, and so the quantity is often changed to suit the size of the cake that is desired. As long as the ratio is preserved, the resulting cake will be identical to that using the traditional recipe. Hence, any cake made with a 1:1:1:1 ratio of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar is also called a pound cake, even if the quantity used is smaller or larger than an actual pound.
There are numerous variations on the traditional pound cake, with certain countries and regions having distinctive styles. These can include the addition of flavoring agents (such as vanilla extract or almond extract) or dried fruit (such as currants or craisins), as well as alterations to the original recipe to change the characteristics of the resulting pound cake. For instance, baking soda or baking powder may be incorporated to induce leavening during baking, resulting in a less dense pound cake. A cooking oil (typically a vegetable oil) is sometimes substituted for some or all of the butter, which is intended to produce a more moist cake. “Sour cream pound cake” is a popular variation in the United States, which involves the substitution of sour cream for some of the butter, which also is intended to produce a more moist cake with a pleasantly tangy flavor. Some of these variations may drastically change the texture and flavor of the pound cake, but the name pound cake is often still used.
Ingredients:
225g plain flour - preferably Italian 00
250g caster sugar
250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
6 large egg yolks
A 25cm Springform tin, buttered well
The Glaze:
1 teaspoon of egg yolk
1 tablespoon of water
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Mix the glaze and put aside while you get on with your gateau. Put the flour into a bowl - sieve if using normal plain flour - stir in the sugar, and add the butter and egg yolks. Shape into a smooth golden dough: if you’re making this by hand, make a mound of the flour on a worktop, then make a well in it and add the sugar, butter, eggs and knead to mix. Scoop this dough into the tin and smooth the top with a floured hand - expect it to be very sticky, it should be. Brush the gateau with the glaze, and mark a lattice design on top with the prongs of a fork. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180 degrees and give it another 25 minutes or so until it is golden on top and firm to the touch. Let it cool completely in the tin before un-moulding it. It will keep well if you have a reliably airtight tin, and you can eat it cut into narrow cake-like wedges or into irregular criss-cross diamonds.
Holly Bell’s Strawberry and Custard Melts
This is the recipe that Holly made during The Great British Bake-Off biscuit episode, her very delicate strawberry and custard melts, which she said she imagined “ladies having for afternoon tea.” Mary-Anne made a very similar biscuit, which was described as a depression-era biscuit for the modern day recessional times with an interesting buttercream filling. Hers held their spiral ridges better than Holly’s because Mary-Anne put hers in the fridge prior to baking; however, they both looked wonderfully tasty. I suppose you don’t need to make the jam yourself so long as you use a good shop-bought strawberry jam.
Ingredients:
For the Biscuits
115g unsalted butter, softened
30g icing sugar
100g plain flour
1 tablespoon custard powder
For the custard cream
50g butter
100g icing sugar
1 tablespoon custard powder
For the jam filling
150g strawberries, hulled
185g jam sugar
Small knob of butter
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease two baking trays. Using a hand-held electric mixer, cream the butter until it is soft and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar, mixing on a low speed until it is all combined, then increase the speed and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the flour and custard powder, beating as you do so. The mixture should be loose enough to pipe through a piping bag; add a little cold water if needed. Spoon in the biscuit mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle; squeeze the mixture down to remove any air bubbles. Pipe 24 stars onto the baking trays, 4cm apart. Bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes or until the biscuits are pale golden-brown at the edges.
Remove the trays from the oven and set aside to cool completely. To make the custard cream filling, beat the butter using an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy, then add the icing sugar and beat at a low speed to combine. Add the custard powder, continue beating until thoroughly combined then set the mixture aside. Spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
To make the jam, blend the strawberries in a food processor or with a hand blender to make a puree. Place the puree in a saucepan and add the sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then add the butter. Turn the heat up and when the mixture has reached a rolling boil, continue boiling for four more minutes. Remove the pan from heat and pour the jam into a bowl to cool. Spoon the jam into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle.
Check the biscuits are completely cool and then use a palette knife to lift them onto a clean tea towel, flat side uppermost, pairing them up as you go. Be careful as the biscuits are fragile. Pipe a circle of custard cream filling onto half the stars, then fill with the jam. Place the paired star on top, pressing it down gently.
The Hairy Bikers’ Fat Rascals
“These buns originate from Yorkshire and have been made since Elizabethan times. Serve them warm or cool with a dollop of extra thick cream,” say the Hairy Bikers. A Fat Rascal, also called the Yorkshire tea biscuit or Turf Cake, is a type of cake, similar to the scone in both taste and ingredients. The Fat Rascal often has no definitive shape and is relatively easy to make. Fat Rascals are round domed teacakes with a rich brown crust and made with currants and candied peel. They are closely associated with the Cleveland area on the borders of County Durham and Yorkshire. The origin of the name is unknown, but has been in use since at least the mid-nineteenth century. The name Turf Cake comes from the tradition of farmers baking them on turf fires.
Ingredients:
150g plain flour
150g selfraising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g butter
150g mixed dried fruit
100g caster sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
Half teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 orange, zest only
1 lemon, zest only
1 free-range egg yolk
50ml semi-skimmed milk
For the glaze
1 free-range egg yolk
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon water
Flaked almonds and glace cherries
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease a baking tray. Sieve the flours and baking powder into a large bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the mixed dried fruit, sugar, spices, orange and lemon zests. Lightly beat the egg yolk and add it to the mixture with enough milk to make a stiff dough (you may not need all the milk). Divide the dough into 12, shape into mounds and place onto the baking tray. For the glaze, mix egg yolk, salt and water together and brush the mixture over each rascal. Decorate with the almonds and glace cherries and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden-brown.
I don’t see the harm in switching the mixed dried fruit for chocolate chips, to produce plump spiced buns with chocolate surprise. I’m not really fond of raisins, sultanas or currants - the usual dried fruit that goes into fat rascals - but I do like soft sponge flavoured with lemon and orange zest.
Gateau Breton
This recipe for Brittany butter cake comes from Nigella’s book and she got hers from Anne Willan’s Real Food, “a cross between shortbread and pound cake.” Pound cake refers to a type of cake traditionally made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. The traditional recipe makes a cake much larger than most families can consume, and so the quantity is often changed to suit the size of the cake that is desired. As long as the ratio is preserved, the resulting cake will be identical to that using the traditional recipe. Hence, any cake made with a 1:1:1:1 ratio of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar is also called a pound cake, even if the quantity used is smaller or larger than an actual pound.
There are numerous variations on the traditional pound cake, with certain countries and regions having distinctive styles. These can include the addition of flavoring agents (such as vanilla extract or almond extract) or dried fruit (such as currants or craisins), as well as alterations to the original recipe to change the characteristics of the resulting pound cake. For instance, baking soda or baking powder may be incorporated to induce leavening during baking, resulting in a less dense pound cake. A cooking oil (typically a vegetable oil) is sometimes substituted for some or all of the butter, which is intended to produce a more moist cake. “Sour cream pound cake” is a popular variation in the United States, which involves the substitution of sour cream for some of the butter, which also is intended to produce a more moist cake with a pleasantly tangy flavor. Some of these variations may drastically change the texture and flavor of the pound cake, but the name pound cake is often still used.
Ingredients:
225g plain flour - preferably Italian 00
250g caster sugar
250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
6 large egg yolks
A 25cm Springform tin, buttered well
The Glaze:
1 teaspoon of egg yolk
1 tablespoon of water
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Mix the glaze and put aside while you get on with your gateau. Put the flour into a bowl - sieve if using normal plain flour - stir in the sugar, and add the butter and egg yolks. Shape into a smooth golden dough: if you’re making this by hand, make a mound of the flour on a worktop, then make a well in it and add the sugar, butter, eggs and knead to mix. Scoop this dough into the tin and smooth the top with a floured hand - expect it to be very sticky, it should be. Brush the gateau with the glaze, and mark a lattice design on top with the prongs of a fork. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180 degrees and give it another 25 minutes or so until it is golden on top and firm to the touch. Let it cool completely in the tin before un-moulding it. It will keep well if you have a reliably airtight tin, and you can eat it cut into narrow cake-like wedges or into irregular criss-cross diamonds.
Holly Bell’s Strawberry and Custard Melts
This is the recipe that Holly made during The Great British Bake-Off biscuit episode, her very delicate strawberry and custard melts, which she said she imagined “ladies having for afternoon tea.” Mary-Anne made a very similar biscuit, which was described as a depression-era biscuit for the modern day recessional times with an interesting buttercream filling. Hers held their spiral ridges better than Holly’s because Mary-Anne put hers in the fridge prior to baking; however, they both looked wonderfully tasty. I suppose you don’t need to make the jam yourself so long as you use a good shop-bought strawberry jam.
Ingredients:
For the Biscuits
115g unsalted butter, softened
30g icing sugar
100g plain flour
1 tablespoon custard powder
For the custard cream
50g butter
100g icing sugar
1 tablespoon custard powder
For the jam filling
150g strawberries, hulled
185g jam sugar
Small knob of butter
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease two baking trays. Using a hand-held electric mixer, cream the butter until it is soft and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar, mixing on a low speed until it is all combined, then increase the speed and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the flour and custard powder, beating as you do so. The mixture should be loose enough to pipe through a piping bag; add a little cold water if needed. Spoon in the biscuit mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle; squeeze the mixture down to remove any air bubbles. Pipe 24 stars onto the baking trays, 4cm apart. Bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes or until the biscuits are pale golden-brown at the edges.
Remove the trays from the oven and set aside to cool completely. To make the custard cream filling, beat the butter using an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy, then add the icing sugar and beat at a low speed to combine. Add the custard powder, continue beating until thoroughly combined then set the mixture aside. Spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
To make the jam, blend the strawberries in a food processor or with a hand blender to make a puree. Place the puree in a saucepan and add the sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then add the butter. Turn the heat up and when the mixture has reached a rolling boil, continue boiling for four more minutes. Remove the pan from heat and pour the jam into a bowl to cool. Spoon the jam into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle.
Check the biscuits are completely cool and then use a palette knife to lift them onto a clean tea towel, flat side uppermost, pairing them up as you go. Be careful as the biscuits are fragile. Pipe a circle of custard cream filling onto half the stars, then fill with the jam. Place the paired star on top, pressing it down gently.
The Hairy Bikers’ Fat Rascals
“These buns originate from Yorkshire and have been made since Elizabethan times. Serve them warm or cool with a dollop of extra thick cream,” say the Hairy Bikers. A Fat Rascal, also called the Yorkshire tea biscuit or Turf Cake, is a type of cake, similar to the scone in both taste and ingredients. The Fat Rascal often has no definitive shape and is relatively easy to make. Fat Rascals are round domed teacakes with a rich brown crust and made with currants and candied peel. They are closely associated with the Cleveland area on the borders of County Durham and Yorkshire. The origin of the name is unknown, but has been in use since at least the mid-nineteenth century. The name Turf Cake comes from the tradition of farmers baking them on turf fires.
Ingredients:
150g plain flour
150g selfraising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g butter
150g mixed dried fruit
100g caster sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
Half teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 orange, zest only
1 lemon, zest only
1 free-range egg yolk
50ml semi-skimmed milk
For the glaze
1 free-range egg yolk
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon water
Flaked almonds and glace cherries
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease a baking tray. Sieve the flours and baking powder into a large bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the mixed dried fruit, sugar, spices, orange and lemon zests. Lightly beat the egg yolk and add it to the mixture with enough milk to make a stiff dough (you may not need all the milk). Divide the dough into 12, shape into mounds and place onto the baking tray. For the glaze, mix egg yolk, salt and water together and brush the mixture over each rascal. Decorate with the almonds and glace cherries and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden-brown.
I don’t see the harm in switching the mixed dried fruit for chocolate chips, to produce plump spiced buns with chocolate surprise. I’m not really fond of raisins, sultanas or currants - the usual dried fruit that goes into fat rascals - but I do like soft sponge flavoured with lemon and orange zest.
6: Lemon Drizzle Cake by the Hairy Bikers
This one deviated a little from the recipe because our oven is really odd; sometimes it over-cooks, sometimes it under-cooks; it burnt the first batch of thin crispy scones I made, and when I made the lemon drizzle cake, after the appropriate time on the appropriate temperature, it was still quite raw inside. Mum turned the temperature down for ten minutes and then down again for another ten minutes, and after that when we put a skewer into the middle of the cake, it came out clean rather than goopy with uncooked cake mixture. It was enormous fun to poke fifty holes into the crisp cake crust to drizzle lemon sugar all over, and it was wonderfully crunchy when the lemon sugar crystallised. Dad had his huge grin and chanted “Cake! Cake!” when I told him and Mum the cake was done. He had two slices, I had two slices, Mum and Tid both had one each. (I had another one this morning - the 11th October - and so did Dad, probably; Tid, Dad and Mum finished it off.)
Ingredients
Two unwaxed lemons
275g caster sugar*
175g unsalted butter, softened
200g selfraising flour
Half a teaspoon baking powder
3 large free-range eggs
*(175g for cake, 100g for lemon sugar)
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line the base and sides of a loaf tin with butter and then greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Finely grate the zest of the lemons. Put 175g of the sugar into a large bowl and cream together with the butter, before adding and blending in the two eggs, the flour, and the baking powder, until you have a smooth thick mixture. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and level the surface gently with a spatula. Bake for 35 minutes or until well risen and pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Squeeze one of the lemons to get about three tablespoons’ worth of juice and combine with the remaining 100g of sugar until you have a smooth mixture.
Turn the cake out onto a wire rack set above a plate. Remove the baking paper and gently turn the cake the right way up. Make about 50 deep holes in the top of the cake with a skewer. Slowly and gradually spoon about half the lemon sugar over the cake, allowing it to thoroughly coat the top of the cake and drizzle down the sides. Leave the cake to stand for 5 minutes and then do the same with the remaining lemon sugar. Leave to set for at least an hour or until the sugar and lemon has crystallised. Serve the cake in thick slices with a nice cup of tea.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
This recipe is one of the adapted versions at the end of Nigella Lawson’s My Mother-in-Law’s Madeira Cake. She says, “I love a good old-fashioned seed cake; if you do too, add a couple of teaspoons of caraway to this mixture. For a lemon poppy seed cake, add the juice of another half lemon and a tablespoon or two of poppy seeds.” Mum makes lemon poppy seed cake herself in the same metal loaf tin that I made the lemon drizzle cake in yesterday (10th October). I haven’t yet made this cake, I’ll let you know when I do and how it turns out.
Ingredients:
240g softened unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
Grated zest and juice of one and a half lemons
Tablespoon and a half of poppy seeds
3 large eggs
210g selfraising flour
90g plain flour
A buttered and lined loaf tin
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar, and add the lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of the flour for each. Then gently mix in the rest of the flour and, finally, the lemon juice and the poppy seeds. Sprinkle with caster sugar (about two tablespoons should do it) as it goes into the oven and bake for one hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and let it cool in the tin before turning it out.
Ingredients
Two unwaxed lemons
275g caster sugar*
175g unsalted butter, softened
200g selfraising flour
Half a teaspoon baking powder
3 large free-range eggs
*(175g for cake, 100g for lemon sugar)
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line the base and sides of a loaf tin with butter and then greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Finely grate the zest of the lemons. Put 175g of the sugar into a large bowl and cream together with the butter, before adding and blending in the two eggs, the flour, and the baking powder, until you have a smooth thick mixture. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and level the surface gently with a spatula. Bake for 35 minutes or until well risen and pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Squeeze one of the lemons to get about three tablespoons’ worth of juice and combine with the remaining 100g of sugar until you have a smooth mixture.
Turn the cake out onto a wire rack set above a plate. Remove the baking paper and gently turn the cake the right way up. Make about 50 deep holes in the top of the cake with a skewer. Slowly and gradually spoon about half the lemon sugar over the cake, allowing it to thoroughly coat the top of the cake and drizzle down the sides. Leave the cake to stand for 5 minutes and then do the same with the remaining lemon sugar. Leave to set for at least an hour or until the sugar and lemon has crystallised. Serve the cake in thick slices with a nice cup of tea.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
This recipe is one of the adapted versions at the end of Nigella Lawson’s My Mother-in-Law’s Madeira Cake. She says, “I love a good old-fashioned seed cake; if you do too, add a couple of teaspoons of caraway to this mixture. For a lemon poppy seed cake, add the juice of another half lemon and a tablespoon or two of poppy seeds.” Mum makes lemon poppy seed cake herself in the same metal loaf tin that I made the lemon drizzle cake in yesterday (10th October). I haven’t yet made this cake, I’ll let you know when I do and how it turns out.
Ingredients:
240g softened unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
Grated zest and juice of one and a half lemons
Tablespoon and a half of poppy seeds
3 large eggs
210g selfraising flour
90g plain flour
A buttered and lined loaf tin
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar, and add the lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of the flour for each. Then gently mix in the rest of the flour and, finally, the lemon juice and the poppy seeds. Sprinkle with caster sugar (about two tablespoons should do it) as it goes into the oven and bake for one hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and let it cool in the tin before turning it out.
5: Lemon Icing Fairy Cakes
I made these today, Sunday 9th, and decorated them with little citrus strands and crystallized jelly shapes that we bought at the food shop. Mum and Tid decided they only wanted the ones with citrus strands on, so I actually hand to warn them off eating the last one so Dad could get a citrus strand cupcake as well as a sugar jelly cupcake. I am feeling much more confident in making cupcakes; or rather, fairy cakes. The difference is apparently in the depth of the paper case and the sponge itself, cupcakes are significantly bigger. This is actually a fairy cake recipe.
Ingredients
125g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
125g selfraising flour
Half teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Cream the butter and the caster sugar together in a large bowl. Beat the eggs into the mixture, followed by the flour and the vanilla extract until you produce a smooth batter. Add the milk slowly while stirring, half a tablespoon at a time, until it is all in. Spoon the cake batter equally between twelve cupcake papers in a cupcake pan and cook for 15-20 minutes until well risen and golden. Use a skewer if you’re not sure it is cooked all the way through, cupcakes are temperamental and can move swiftly between cooked and burnt. Put them on a wire rack to cool down and top in ten minutes with icing so the icing doesn’t run while the cake is too warm. To make the icing: Juice of a whole lemon squeezed into a bowl, stir in a lot of icing sugar until it becomes a cloudy white syrup, which can be smoothed onto the fairy cakes and then topped with sprinkles.
Ingredients
125g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
125g selfraising flour
Half teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Cream the butter and the caster sugar together in a large bowl. Beat the eggs into the mixture, followed by the flour and the vanilla extract until you produce a smooth batter. Add the milk slowly while stirring, half a tablespoon at a time, until it is all in. Spoon the cake batter equally between twelve cupcake papers in a cupcake pan and cook for 15-20 minutes until well risen and golden. Use a skewer if you’re not sure it is cooked all the way through, cupcakes are temperamental and can move swiftly between cooked and burnt. Put them on a wire rack to cool down and top in ten minutes with icing so the icing doesn’t run while the cake is too warm. To make the icing: Juice of a whole lemon squeezed into a bowl, stir in a lot of icing sugar until it becomes a cloudy white syrup, which can be smoothed onto the fairy cakes and then topped with sprinkles.
4: Lemon Meringue Pie by the Hairy Bikers
Yes - I have actually now made lemon meringue pie, all by myself, with a little assistance from Mum in using the electric whisk instead of the manual one for making the meringue and stirring the lemon filling while I picked up the laptop from upstairs so Mum, Dad and Tid could Skype Lintu. It was very difficult to do and I got very frustrated with it when the pastry started shrinking in the oven down from the top of the pan. I only had time to have a chicken sandwich between blind baking and making the meringue, although the lemon filling went remarkably quickly and I was really pleased with how it turned out.
Lemon Filling Ingredients:
50g corn flour
350ml cold water
200g caster sugar
4 lemons, zest and juice (around 225ml)
1 free-range egg plus 3 free-range egg yolks
Meringue Ingredients:
3 free-range egg whites
175g caster sugar
Half teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease a 20cm fluted flan tin - or, the crimped edge glass pan that we’ve got in our glassware cupboard. I used premade shortcrust pastry and rolled it out on a floured surface, turning it and flouring it regularly until I’d rolled it out enough to fill the bottom of the glass pan and up to the top of the edge. I trimmed off the excess with a sharp cooking knife and used the pieces to fill in any gaps that happened. Prick the base all over with a fork and chill the whole thing in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Put the corn flour in a small bowl and mix with enough of the cold water to make a thin paste and set aside. Put the remaining water into a large saucepan and add the sugar, lemon zest and juice - about 225ml worth of juice, you can top up with bottled lemon juice if you don’t get enough from your lemons. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly and quickly stir in the corn flour mixture, which causes immediate glossy thickening. Cook over a low heat for three minutes, stirring until thickly glossy and then remove from the heat and cool for five minutes. Whisk the egg yolks with the whole egg until smooth and then whisk vigorously into the lemon filling. Set aside to cool for 25 minutes.
Put the pastry case on a sturdy baking tray, line with crumpled baking parchment and fill with baking beans; you don’t need to do this if you’ve pricked the bottom of the pie case. Bake blind for 15 minutes then carefully take out of the oven to remove baking beans if you need to take them out, and then put back in the oven for 3-4 minutes until the surface of the pastry is dry. Don’t be alarmed if the pastry puffs a bit, apparently that’s not a problem. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 150 degrees.
For the meringue topping, whisk with an electric mixer in a large bowl until stiff then gradually whisk in half the sugar, very slowly, a spoon at a time. Add the vanilla extract and whisk in the remaining sugar. Stir the cooled lemon filling and pour into the pastry case. Cover very gently with large dessert-spoonfuls of the meringue topping, starting at the sides then working your way into the middle, and gently swirl the top. Bake for 25 minutes or until the meringue is set and very lightly browned. Leave to cool before removing from the tin - or alternatively, serve in the pan like we did and just cut it out from there. It was enormously delicious.
Lemon Filling Ingredients:
50g corn flour
350ml cold water
200g caster sugar
4 lemons, zest and juice (around 225ml)
1 free-range egg plus 3 free-range egg yolks
Meringue Ingredients:
3 free-range egg whites
175g caster sugar
Half teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease a 20cm fluted flan tin - or, the crimped edge glass pan that we’ve got in our glassware cupboard. I used premade shortcrust pastry and rolled it out on a floured surface, turning it and flouring it regularly until I’d rolled it out enough to fill the bottom of the glass pan and up to the top of the edge. I trimmed off the excess with a sharp cooking knife and used the pieces to fill in any gaps that happened. Prick the base all over with a fork and chill the whole thing in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Put the corn flour in a small bowl and mix with enough of the cold water to make a thin paste and set aside. Put the remaining water into a large saucepan and add the sugar, lemon zest and juice - about 225ml worth of juice, you can top up with bottled lemon juice if you don’t get enough from your lemons. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly and quickly stir in the corn flour mixture, which causes immediate glossy thickening. Cook over a low heat for three minutes, stirring until thickly glossy and then remove from the heat and cool for five minutes. Whisk the egg yolks with the whole egg until smooth and then whisk vigorously into the lemon filling. Set aside to cool for 25 minutes.
Put the pastry case on a sturdy baking tray, line with crumpled baking parchment and fill with baking beans; you don’t need to do this if you’ve pricked the bottom of the pie case. Bake blind for 15 minutes then carefully take out of the oven to remove baking beans if you need to take them out, and then put back in the oven for 3-4 minutes until the surface of the pastry is dry. Don’t be alarmed if the pastry puffs a bit, apparently that’s not a problem. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 150 degrees.
For the meringue topping, whisk with an electric mixer in a large bowl until stiff then gradually whisk in half the sugar, very slowly, a spoon at a time. Add the vanilla extract and whisk in the remaining sugar. Stir the cooled lemon filling and pour into the pastry case. Cover very gently with large dessert-spoonfuls of the meringue topping, starting at the sides then working your way into the middle, and gently swirl the top. Bake for 25 minutes or until the meringue is set and very lightly browned. Leave to cool before removing from the tin - or alternatively, serve in the pan like we did and just cut it out from there. It was enormously delicious.
3: Scones with Clotted Cream and Raspberry Jam
I first tried making scones on Monday 3rd at Mum’s request: a nice idea about making poor ill Dad nice fresh warm scones to have with raspberry jam and Devon clotted cream. They went horribly wrong and I had no idea why, unsure what steps I’d fucked up in the recipe, which was from Delia’s book. When Mum got in, bringing Tim Rowson the driving instructor (who teaches her and who taught Lintu and is apparently going to teach me) she took a look at them. I did two things wrong: I rolled the scone dough out too thin so the patties weren’t big enough to rise properly; and I put them in the oven on 220 like the recipe said, but our oven is fucked up and cooks everything 20 degrees higher than the setting. I made the second batch of scones Tuesday 4th from this recipe, which I found on the BBC website - I rolled the dough less so it was much thicker when I cut the scones out, and I preheated the oven on 180 degrees to make the scones. They turned out perfectly and nicely golden brown with the egg wash brushed gently across the top. I had the first one, cutting it in half to see it was properly cooked through, and Dad had the second one. Tid had her pick when she managed to come down from upstairs, feeling just as ill as before.
Ingredients
225g selfraising flour
Pinch of salt
55g butter
25g caster sugar
150ml milk
1 free-range egg, beaten for the egg wash
Heat the oven to 220 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar and then the milk, slowly, with a knife to get a soft dough. It is quite a wet batter by the end of putting the milk in, not soggy but damp and sticky. Turn onto a floured work surface and knead very lightly, rolling gently into a ball, patting, stretching; then pat or roll out to about 2cm thick or slightly thicker. Use a 5cm cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet. Lightly press together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use up all the dough. Brush the tops of the thick scone patties with the beaten egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until well-risen and golden on top. Cool on a wire rack and serve with clotted cream and jam.
Ingredients
225g selfraising flour
Pinch of salt
55g butter
25g caster sugar
150ml milk
1 free-range egg, beaten for the egg wash
Heat the oven to 220 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar and then the milk, slowly, with a knife to get a soft dough. It is quite a wet batter by the end of putting the milk in, not soggy but damp and sticky. Turn onto a floured work surface and knead very lightly, rolling gently into a ball, patting, stretching; then pat or roll out to about 2cm thick or slightly thicker. Use a 5cm cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet. Lightly press together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use up all the dough. Brush the tops of the thick scone patties with the beaten egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until well-risen and golden on top. Cool on a wire rack and serve with clotted cream and jam.
2: Nigella Lawson's Snickerdoodles
A snickerdoodle is a type of sugar cookie made with butter or oil, sugar, and flour rolled in cinnamon sugar. Eggs may also sometimes be used as an ingredient. Snickerdoodles are characterized by a cracked surface and can be crisp or soft depending on preference. In modern recipes, the leavening agent is frequently baking powder in contrast with traditional techniques utilizing baking soda and cream of tartar. Snickerdoodles are often referred to as “sugar cookies.” However, traditional sugar cookies are often rolled in white sugar whereas snickerdoodles are rolled in a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon. The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln (lit. “snail noodles”), a kind of pastry. A different author suggests that the word “snicker” comes from the Dutch word snekrad, or the German word Schnecke, which both describe a snail shape. Yet another hypothesis suggests that the name has no particular meaning or purpose and is simply a whimsically named cookie that originated from a New England tradition of fanciful cookie names.
I was surprised by how much I liked making these snickerdoodles from Nigella Lawson’s recipe in How to be a Domestic Goddess. I’m not very fond of heavy spices and if you put too much cinnamon in something, it is awful to try and eat it. I chose to make this one today on the 29th September after receiving a call back from the Job Centre that I didn’t succeed in getting the voluntary placement at Pitman Training, and I picked them because they were relatively simple to make and we had all the available ingredients. They are sweet, crisp, soft on the inside, and lightly spiced - a wonderful, almost Christmassy aftertaste.
Ingredients
250g plain flour (or 225g plain four + 25g cocoa for chocodoodles)
Half a teaspoon ground nutmeg
Three quarter teaspoon baking powder
Half a teaspoon salt
125g butter at room temperature
100g caster sugar + 2 tablespoons for the cinnamon sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
[Two baking sheets, lined or greased]
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Combine the flour, nutmeg, baking powder and salt and set aside for a moment. In a large bowl, cream the butter with 100g caster sugar until light in texture and pale in colour, and then beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Now stir in the dry ingredients until you have a smooth, coherent mixture. Spoon out the remaining sugar and the cinnamon onto a plate. Then, with your fingers, squidge out pieces of dough and roll between the palms of your hands into walnut-sized balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and arrange on your prepared baking sheets. Don’t put too many on each sheet or too closely together as when they expand upwards and outwards, they may merge into larger splats! Bake for about 15 minutes, by which time they should be turning golden-brown. Take out of the oven and leave to rest on the baking sheets for 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool. It should make about 32 according to the recipe, but I hadn’t the faintest idea of how large a walnut was, so I made them quite big and ended up with three rows of six round blobs, eighteen in total. They weren’t “obviously” underdone in the middle, although I did wonder; they were softer in the middle than on the very crisp outside.
I was surprised by how much I liked making these snickerdoodles from Nigella Lawson’s recipe in How to be a Domestic Goddess. I’m not very fond of heavy spices and if you put too much cinnamon in something, it is awful to try and eat it. I chose to make this one today on the 29th September after receiving a call back from the Job Centre that I didn’t succeed in getting the voluntary placement at Pitman Training, and I picked them because they were relatively simple to make and we had all the available ingredients. They are sweet, crisp, soft on the inside, and lightly spiced - a wonderful, almost Christmassy aftertaste.
Ingredients
250g plain flour (or 225g plain four + 25g cocoa for chocodoodles)
Half a teaspoon ground nutmeg
Three quarter teaspoon baking powder
Half a teaspoon salt
125g butter at room temperature
100g caster sugar + 2 tablespoons for the cinnamon sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
[Two baking sheets, lined or greased]
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Combine the flour, nutmeg, baking powder and salt and set aside for a moment. In a large bowl, cream the butter with 100g caster sugar until light in texture and pale in colour, and then beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Now stir in the dry ingredients until you have a smooth, coherent mixture. Spoon out the remaining sugar and the cinnamon onto a plate. Then, with your fingers, squidge out pieces of dough and roll between the palms of your hands into walnut-sized balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and arrange on your prepared baking sheets. Don’t put too many on each sheet or too closely together as when they expand upwards and outwards, they may merge into larger splats! Bake for about 15 minutes, by which time they should be turning golden-brown. Take out of the oven and leave to rest on the baking sheets for 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool. It should make about 32 according to the recipe, but I hadn’t the faintest idea of how large a walnut was, so I made them quite big and ended up with three rows of six round blobs, eighteen in total. They weren’t “obviously” underdone in the middle, although I did wonder; they were softer in the middle than on the very crisp outside.
1: Lorraine Pascale's Dreamlike Shortbread
The first thing I actually made when I started my new baking kick was a Victoria sponge, with copious amounts of encouragement and some assistance from my hovering mother, occasionally snatching the spoon off me to stir herself, that sort of thing. I immediately began to grasp the cause of Lintu's resentment when other members of the family stray into her domain. Much later, I almost flew off the handle at Dad, making remarks about my baking despite his utter ineptitude at cooking himself. That wasn't a case of "too many cooks", it was a case of the dishwasher lecturing the sous chef. Baking isn't necessarily an exact science, although I have found myself staring like a lunatic through the oven door at rising cupcakes, complaining when lemon drizzle cake was still raw in the middle despite being in for the length of time noted in the recipe, and angrily squashing elderflower cupcakes that were far too wet and squishy because of an excess of cordial (my attempt to achieve that elusive fragrancing of elderflower in fairy cake sponge, gone horribly wrong.) Making cake is much quicker than I expected it to be; bread such a long process that the only reason it is worth all the fuss is that the bread I turn out of the oven is far superior to the soft-crusted bird-feed that comes out of the bread maker.
This recipe for shortbread, which belongs to that marvellously personable cook Lorraine Pascale ("Baking Made Easy"), is the one that Mum swears by. So do I. It's rich and buttery, just as shortbread should be. You do have to pick up and press the mixture together when you've combined all your ingredients, packing it into a rough ball before you put it into the bottom of a cake tin and smooth it out - otherwise it's just crumbs - but it produces divine shortbread. Shortbread is one of those things that no one should live without. I ate far too much of it in Glasgow, my go-to biscuit when I'd gotten bored of eating as many bourbon biscuits as I pleased (ha ha Mum!) before it was replaced with inexplicable eclair cravings. Fortunately for my waistline, I'm not much fatter than I am because Sainsbury's on Buchanan Street stopped stocking the pre-cooked chilled pancakes after my first year. That's another thing that's difficult about my new interest in baking: balancing sudden consumption of cake with the dieting designed to reduce my jiggling middle.
Ingredients
130g butter, softened a few seconds in microwave
60g caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
130g plain flour
60g rice flour
A pinch of salt
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the plain flour, rice flour and salt, and stir well until the mixture is smooth and uniform. (I find it easiest to keep pressing the mixture against the side of the bowl to mix it.) Make sure all big lumps of butter are broken up and smoothed into the crumbly shortbread mixture. Bring the mixture together and press into a cake tin (20cm / 8in), smoothing it with the back of a spoon. Crimp the edges by pressing with the tips of two fingers, then score into eight pieces with a knife and prick each triangle three times with a fork. Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Remove the shortbread from the fridge and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Remove the shortbread from the oven and sprinkle over some caster sugar. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing it from the tin and cooling on a wire rack.
I'm not at the moment very interested in cooking. Making meals is kind of dull; I want to make cakes and biscuits, the prettier the better. For the time being, the entries in this blog are going to be about making cakes and biscuits, with several repetitions as I try out new variations on the standard cupcake/fairy cake, and then report how it all went horribly wrong. Stay tuned.
This recipe for shortbread, which belongs to that marvellously personable cook Lorraine Pascale ("Baking Made Easy"), is the one that Mum swears by. So do I. It's rich and buttery, just as shortbread should be. You do have to pick up and press the mixture together when you've combined all your ingredients, packing it into a rough ball before you put it into the bottom of a cake tin and smooth it out - otherwise it's just crumbs - but it produces divine shortbread. Shortbread is one of those things that no one should live without. I ate far too much of it in Glasgow, my go-to biscuit when I'd gotten bored of eating as many bourbon biscuits as I pleased (ha ha Mum!) before it was replaced with inexplicable eclair cravings. Fortunately for my waistline, I'm not much fatter than I am because Sainsbury's on Buchanan Street stopped stocking the pre-cooked chilled pancakes after my first year. That's another thing that's difficult about my new interest in baking: balancing sudden consumption of cake with the dieting designed to reduce my jiggling middle.
Ingredients
130g butter, softened a few seconds in microwave
60g caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
130g plain flour
60g rice flour
A pinch of salt
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the plain flour, rice flour and salt, and stir well until the mixture is smooth and uniform. (I find it easiest to keep pressing the mixture against the side of the bowl to mix it.) Make sure all big lumps of butter are broken up and smoothed into the crumbly shortbread mixture. Bring the mixture together and press into a cake tin (20cm / 8in), smoothing it with the back of a spoon. Crimp the edges by pressing with the tips of two fingers, then score into eight pieces with a knife and prick each triangle three times with a fork. Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Remove the shortbread from the fridge and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Remove the shortbread from the oven and sprinkle over some caster sugar. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing it from the tin and cooling on a wire rack.
I'm not at the moment very interested in cooking. Making meals is kind of dull; I want to make cakes and biscuits, the prettier the better. For the time being, the entries in this blog are going to be about making cakes and biscuits, with several repetitions as I try out new variations on the standard cupcake/fairy cake, and then report how it all went horribly wrong. Stay tuned.
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