A busy Easter!

I spent many hours reading Women's Cricket Magazine...

on the 5th floor of the library. The view is not so bad though...

My favorite cake dater and I went for an an Earthy Causwayside brunch, it was wonderful. I highly recommend it!

It snowed a little in Edinburgh

I won Star Baker at Bake Soc. This is my beauty of an enamel prize 

Easter came and went in a haze of long days with little sleep and plenty of hot cross buns

I finally finished the dissertation! 

I think I made it to the History Ball, there is at least some photo evidence 

I spent my freedom charity shop shopping, unearthing some Mary Berry  greatness

Spiced Muscavado Loaf with Brown Sugar Icing

This was the lovely product of Fair Trade fortnight  It is gingery and dense, exactly what a ginger cake should be like. I had never used brown sugar for an icing before but I would definitely use it again, I think it would especially taste nice in a coffee cake. So make a good old fashioned loaf, it is the height of classic comfort.

Recipe from Sainsburys Magazine

175 ml whole milk
2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground nutmeg, plus extra to finish
1tsp ground cinnamon
75 g dark muscavado sugar
75 g soft unsalted butter
75g black treacle
100g golden syrup
200g self raising flour, sifted
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 medium egg, lightly beaten

For the brown sugar icing
25g very soft unsalted butter
40g dark muscovado sugar
25g icing sugar
1 tbsp double cream
½ tsp vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180oc, fan 160oc, gas 4 and line a 7cm-deep 20cm x 9cm loaf tin with baking paper
2. Put the milk, spices, sugar, butter, treacle and syrup in a large saucepan and slowly bring it to a simmer, stirring. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda in to a large mixing bowl. Pour the wet mixture on to the dry ingredients and stir well, add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool.
4. To prepare the icing, put all the ingredients in a bowl and beat for 5 minutes until fluffy, spread on top of the cooled cake

Hot Cross Buns and Spiced Honey Butter

The dissertation is in. I have slept. And now I can face reading and writing again. 

This recipe is lovely, the buns are fluffy and soft, and they smell wonderfully sweet and spicy. You can add any fruit or spices you like, I think diced apple would work lovely next time. 

I think it is important to try and do these things for hot cross bun success!
1. prepare all the ingredients before you start, it will get messy
2. keep the dough sticky by not adding hardly any more flour than stated in the recipe
3. knead the dough for at least 15 mins, otherwise the buns will be heavy.
4. leave the buns to prove for plenty of time, the dough will be pillowy and light when it is ready to be shaped.
5. If you are not sure if the buns are cooked, an extra 5 mins in the oven wont hurt. They will just have a harder crust on them.

The bun recipe is from River Cottage, the ring shape and honey butter is from GoodFood

For the buns:
250g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
250g plain white flour
125ml warm water
125ml warm milk
5g powdered dried yeast
10g salt
50g caster sugar
1 medium free-range egg
50g butter
100g raisins, currants or sultanas (or a mixture)
Finely grated zest of ½ orange
1 tsp ground mixed spice
   
For the crosses
100g plain white flour
100ml water

To finish
1 tbsp apricot (or other) jam, sieved
1 tbsp water

For the butter:
200g salted butter , softened
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
4 tbsp clear honey

1. Combine the flours, water, milk, yeast, salt and sugar in the bowl and fit the dough hook. Add the egg and butter and mix to a sticky dough. Now add the dried fruit, orange zest and spice and knead until silky and smooth.
2.  This can be done in a food mixer or by hand. The dough is VERY sticky, don't be tempted to add to much extra flour, just keep kneading  Even after 15 mins the dough will still be sticky but it will be kneaded enough so, cover the dough a leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Knock back the risen dough and divide into 11 equal pieces. Shape into rounds and dust with flour. Place on a floured board in a ring shape, leaving a little space in between. Cover with plastic or linen and leave to prove for about half an hour until roughly doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.
5. To make the crosses, whisk together the flour and water until smooth, then transfer to a greaseproof paper piping bag and snip off the end to make a fine hole.
6. Transfer the risen buns to a baking tray or a pizza tray and pipe a cross on top of each one, then bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. They will be cooked when they sound hollow when tapped, and they feel light.
7. Meanwhile, melt the jam with the water in a pan. Brush over the buns to glaze as you take them from the oven.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or toasted.

To make the spiced honey butter:
Put the butter, spices and honey in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth.

Tea Time Teacakes

I had all the right intentions to post Christmas and New Year baking but Christmas feasting got in the way, and now festive recipe's of mince pies and Christmas cake just do not seem right. So, here is an afternoon tea time treat, no mincemeat, royal icing or chocolate in sight. This recipe is from How to Bake by Paul Hollywood, I cannot recommend this book enough, each recipe is clearly written with a little explanation of its origins, a photo accompanies each recipe and the book covers all manner of lovely bread, cakes and pastries!

Tips

1. Make sure you kneed well for at least ten mins, just keep going even if the dough is wet at the start. It is nearly impossible to over knead dough by hand. 

2. This makes 8 huge Teacakes, I think dividing the dough into 12 would be a little less greedy. 

Teacakes

Makes 8 large teacakes, could make 12 medium

500g strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting

10g salt

60g caster sugar

1tsp ground cinnamon

10g instant yeast

50g unsalted butter, softened

300 ml cool water

Vegetable oil for kneading

100g sultanas

100g chopped mixed peel

1 egg, beaten, to glaze

1.     Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt, sugar and cinnamon to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the butter and three-quarters of the water, and turn the mixture round with your finger. Continue to add the water, a little at a time, until you have picked up all 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 dough that is soft, but not soggy. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until the mixture is a rough dough.

2.     Coat the work surface with a little vegetable oil , then tip the dough onto it and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 5-10 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft smooth skin.

3.      When you dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a teatowl and leave to rest until at least doubled in size – at least one hour, but its fine to leave for 2 or even 3 hours.

4.      Line two baking trays with baking paper, or lightly oil with vegetable oil.

5.     Tip the sultanas and mixed peel on top of the risen dough in the bowl and start to work them into it. After a minute of two, tip the dough out onto a light floured surface and knead until the fruit it thoroughly mixed in,

6.     Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Shape each into a ball, then using a rolling pin to flatten each one out to a round bun, about 1cm thick. Transfer to prepared baking trays, spacing them apart.

7.     Put each tray into a clean plastic bag and leave to rise for about an hour until the teacakes are at least doubled in size. Meanwhile heat your oven to 200^oc. 

8.  Brush the top of the teacakes with beaten egg. Bake the teacakes for 10-15 minutes until risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack. 

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!

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.