Tuesday 27 November 2012

Bookmarked Recipe no.1 (and no.2)

In order to keep track of my endless blog trawling and recipe searching, I am going post at least one bookmarked recipe from my far too extensive collection, and endeavor to bake it with in the week. However, this may turn out as successful as my sourdough, a total failure.

No. 1  Bara Birth Bread - The Caked Crusader 



This is one of my favorite baking blogs, the recipe collection is extensive and the posts are useful and completely honest, it is a little jem of inspiration.

No. 2  Poires au Chocolat - Raymond Blanc's Lemon Cake 



A simply beautiful baking blog and Raymond Blanc is one of my ultimate favorite chef's, its fate that I make this lemon cake.







Marveling at Malteaser's


A birthday is a wonderful excuse to create a cake totally over the top. I call four sharing bags of Malteaser's over the top. The idea came from one of Lorraine Pascal's beautiful creations, however, I used the recipe for  the chocolate sponge from the GoodFood website. The oil in the sponge makes the cake moist and fudgey,  perfect chocolate cake qualities. The sweet icing and Malteaser's, make this cake a satisfyingly chocolatey treat. Even if there is no birthday to celebrate, I will make this cake again, sometimes a large slice of fudgey, sweet chocolate cake is justified to get through the week.

Tips
1. The lack of butter in the sponge makes it unlike dealing with a Victoria sponge recipe. It is hard to over work the mixture because it is so runny. It is simple and nearly fail safe.
2. Butter cream is made 100 percent more delicious by adding either melted dark or milk chocolate, it takes away the sweetness that can be overbearing. The best butter cream is made by beating the icing sugar and butter together until it is very very light and fluffy, this could take up to 10 minutes, but it will make all the difference. To make sure the icing is light and smooth, remember to sift the icing sugar and soften the butter.
3. The whole cake will be covered in a generous layer of butter cream so don't be greedy with the icing in the middle. Crushed Malteaser's could be added to the filling, if you can warrant buying a fifth bag.
4. Keep the cake in a cool place, not too cold, otherwise the chocolate will dis-colour. Eat within a couple of days as sponges will do not last. Although I doubt this cake will be reaming uneaten for very long.

Ingredients
175g Self raising flour
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp Bicarbonate soda
150g Caster sugar
2 Eggs Beaten
150 ml (1/4 pint) Sunflower oil
150 ml (1/4 pint) Semi skimmed milk
2 Tbsp Golden syrup

1. Pre-heat oven to 180ºC/350F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line two 18cm (7 inch) sandwich tins.
2. Sieve the flour, cocoa and Bicarbonate of Soda into a bowl. Add the sugar and mix well.
3. Make a well in the centre and add the syrup, eggs, oil and milk. Beat well with electric whisk until smooth.
4. Spoon the mixture into the two tins and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until risen and firm to the touch. Remove from oven, leave to cool before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Butter Cream (courtesy of the Lorraine Pascal recipe for the Malteaser Cake)


100g dark chocolate (minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids)
550g icing sugar
250g really soft butter
2 tbsp milk (or water)
To Decorate
4 x 135g packets of Maltesers

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water or in the microwave
2. Soften the butter with an electric whisk, gradually add the sifted icing sugar. Adding a little at a time will prevent a very messy icing sugar covered kitchen. Whisk until very light and fluffy.
3. Add the melted butter and milk, continue to whisk until combined.
4. Sandwhich the cakes together, choosing the smoothest sponge for the top,  with a third of the butter cream. Continue to cover the whole cake with the rest of the butter cream.
5. Arrange the Malteaser's in straight lines all over the cake, starting at the base of the cake, working in rows upwards.
5. Once covered, marvel at the Malteaser creation and enjoy!






Friday 16 November 2012

Holidaying

Apart from making honeycomb I have been a little busy, going on holiday to Scotland (deepest darkest Scotland), running and reading. Good news! I ran the Edinburgh 10K in an okay time. I managed it and I have a medal to prove it, more amazingly I am still actually running. My holiday was wonderful, to be in such beautiful and overwhelmingly huge scenery made me feel small and insignificant, and that is fine with me. It was nice to be dragged out of my own little world. 








And my starter dough died, I really did have the best intentions, but I left it too long in a room that was too hot. At least it died happy.

No-Bake Bake




















So fourth year is hectic but I have joined a baking society. Every Thursday I bake to a theme, take along said baked goods to the meeting, chat and eat cake and its brilliant. This week's theme was no bake week. Initially I was very un-inspired   not being able to think past rocky road or cheesecake, however, my mum made honeycomb last week, and so the idea struck me. Its wonderfully, easy, quick and uses five ingredients. I am determined to make more, lots more. 

Tips
1. Try not to stir the golden syrup, butter and sugar mixture in the pan, try to gently swirl instead. 
2. The honeycomb may not puff up very much when the bicarb is added but it will still be lovely 
3. The darker you leave the caramel to turn in the pan, the chewier and darker the honeycomb will be
4. As soon as the honeycomb is set, break up and store in an airtight container, otherwise the honeycomb will turn sticky and soften


Here it is, the honeycomb recipe courtesy of Lorraine Pascal
  • 1tbsp vegetable oil, for oiling baking tray
    80g/3oz butter
    160g/5½oz caster sugar
    80g/3oz golden syrup
    2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

    1. Grease a 20cm/8in square baking tin with vegetable oil.
    2. Gently heat the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a large heavy-based pan until the sugar has dissolved. 
    3. Turn up the heat and boil rapidly, without stirring. If the mixture goes darker at one side of the mix, then gently swirl the pan to mix it all together. Keep boiling until the mixture goes a golden-brown colour – this will take about 5 minutes.
    4. Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir it for a few seconds, which will make the mixture expand and fizz (take care, the mixture will expand a lot). Tip the honeycomb into the oiled baking tin and leave until cold and set.
    5. To serve, cut the honeycomb into pieces and stir into ice creams or decorate puddings. You can put the honeycomb in a food processor and sprinkle it over desserts.