Firstly it is a bank holiday, so naturally baking is in order. Cricket teas called on Saturday and one cake that made it onto the list was a Cherry Bakewell Cake. It was a refreshing change not to laden a sponge with butter icing and chocolate. I am now looking to bake more cakes, fruit based and traditional. This Bakewell cake was a lovely combination of lemony glace icing, sweet almond and rich cherry jam. The recipe from GoodFood makes the perfect afternoon tea cake, it should be compulsory to attach a cup of tea to each slice.
1. Heat oven to
180C/fan 160C/gas 4 Grease and line the bases of 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins.
2.
Using electric
beaters, beat together all the cake ingredients with a pinch of salt until
smooth, then spoon into the tins and level the tops. Bake for 25 minutes.
3.
When they're ready,
cool the sponges for a few mins, then tip out of the tins and cool completely
on a wire rack. Make sure the top of one of the cakes is facing up as you'll
want a smooth surface for the icing later on.
4.
When cool, put one
sponge on a serving plate, then spread with jam. Sandwich the second sponge on
top. Sieve the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the water or lemon juice,
then stir until smooth and thick. Spread evenly over the top and let it dribble
over the sides. Scatter with the nuts and leave to set for a few mins before
cutting.
A new shiny
cookbook
It has arrived, the
new series of the Great British Bake Off is possibly my favourite programme on
TV. I will watch each episode at least
twice, in case I have missed any fundamental pearls of wisdom from my baking
hero that is Mary Berry or the equally talented but less ‘I want to be like him
when I’m older’ baker Paul Hollywood. So
far so good, its inspired me to make some bread rolls and Rum Babas are on the
top of my dessert list. However, more exciting is the new book. My reluctance to
flick through the book to keep the rest of the series recipe a surprise has not
lasted long. The book is full of wonderful cakes, bread and sweet treats. There
are tutorials on piping techniques, fluting, making chocolate leaves and more. The
contents page reads; cakes, biscuits, breads and sweet dough, pies, desserts,
puddings and the basics. There is no basic Victoria sponge but a Chess Cake and
Champagne Heart Cake, hence the title of the book ‘Showstoppers’. There are
less dramatic recipes like Mini Mousse Cakes and English Summer Cupcakes. I like that the recipes are different, such as
Pauls Hand Raised Pies made with chicken, bacon and apricots or Hazelnut and
Pear Dacquoise. Even if these are not new exciting inventions, it is nice to
see old recipes being refreshed. Classics like Crème Caramel and Lardy cakes
sit nicely with how to make edible bunting and chocolate ribbons. At first glance the book seems to throw any recipes
together, like the new series it deviates from the tried and tested baking format.
The more I read through the book the more I like the variation because there
are classics that reassure me this is a real baking book and not another flimsy
cupcake book or cake and biscuit collection. I would like more photos attached
to more recipes, but so far that is my only criticism. The first recipe I will
try is Fondant Fancies, I have been searching far and wide for this recipe so
it seems to perfect opportunity to test the potential of this show stopping
book.
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