Custard Tarts - Great British Bake Off Technical Challenge #4

So then, tarts.

Custard tarts to be precise.  Week 4 of the Great British Bake Off and I've gone and attempted a technical challenge that I knew really, really wouldn't be simple.  First off, the recipe's here.

I've rarely made custard from scratch.  In fact, prior to this challenge I made crème pâtissière once for a tart I was making up on the spot (here).  To further my difficulties I've never eaten a custard tart.  I've never wanted to eat a custard tart.  I'm not a big fan of nutmeg, and every custard tart I've ever seen reminds me of quiche.  Quiche is the work of the devil.

So, you can see my difficulties began before I even started baking.  I have a much better chance of 'winging it' if I at least know how the finished product should taste, and what texture the filling should be.  But yes, of course, I watched the episode so I should have known precisely what I was doing.

The recipe itself was simple to follow, I can't deny that much.  However, I should have trusted my instincts a little more than I did.  I've been baking long enough to know that if I think twice about the thickness of the pastry, I should change the thickness of the pastry!

I did make some mistakes with this challenge, I can't deny it; photographic evidence is forthcoming, I promise.

The pastry was very soft.  It was perhaps down to the temperature of the kitchen (although the butter was definitely chilled).  Maybe using a whole egg instead of water to bind it together made a difference.  It might have needed a little longer in the fridge.  One thing's for certain; as easy as it was to roll out and manipulate in the muffin tray, even though there were no tears in the pastry cases the filling still leaked through a few of them.

I did at least have the foresight to use a trick one of the GBBO contestants demonstrated.  Don't underestimate the usefulness of the paper.  The paper was a huge contributor to the fact that so many came out more or less in one piece!

The handy 'strips of greaseproof paper' trick

Now, I knew long before these babies came out of the oven that they would look homemade.  I was in no doubt that the cutter I used was a little too small for the muffin tin, the pastry was very soft, and that manipulating the raw pastry up the side of the tin a little would push them out of shape.  In fact, the pastry was so soft that it was misshapen even before I played around with it.  You can see it there too, I know you can; twelve imperfect tarts waiting to get their bottoms browned.

Waiting to go in the oven

Just a quickie about making the custard before I forget; it was very simple.  Follow the instructions and you won't go far wrong.  I did use an electric hand whisk for the yolks and sugar to make sure when beaten that they were nice and pale and creamy, but that's all.  The making of the custard was uneventful!

Yes.  Imperfect is definitely the word.

Do you see these baked tarts?  This is what happens when you use those little strips of paper in the tin.  Ignore the ones in the background.  Please.  But really, it did help immensely.  Something I didn't consider was that even after the obligatory 30 mins cooling in the tin, the custard was so light and delicate and the pastry so thin, that removing them without either crushing them or having them fall apart was almost impossible.

A very un-soggy bottom!

The sogginess of their bottoms was uneven.  The twelve tarts you see above were fine, but they were on the top shelf of the oven.  It turned out that I rolled the pastry so thinly that there was enough remaining to make a further eight tarts, which of course I did.  After all, it never hurts to have spares!

The extra eight tarts went onto a lower shelf in the oven, and yet again I should have trusted my instincts and left them in a little longer.  I should have also used the paper in their tray, but curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to see how difficult it was to remove the tarts without said paper.

I say remove...

Me?  On GBBO?  Really?????

I wouldn't go so far as to say what was remaining of the eight were tarts.  They would have brought on a stern look from Mary Berry and laughter from Paul Hollywood.  And we all know your bake is a travesty if Paul Hollywood laughs!

Fully cooled, cut and glistening; one of the eight with slightly under-baked pastry.

As imperfect as these tarts look, though, once I cut into this one I knew I'd done something right.  Finally!  This is how the custard should look, right?  Oh, for the love of everything covered in flour, please tell me this is how the custard should look!!!

All in all, this wasn't a big fail... just a little one.  Despite my trepidation with nutmeg I did eat that one you see up there ^ and it was tasty.  It was.  I think perhaps I'm just someone who doesn't go crazy on custard.  No, that's a whole different show.

So, my tips?

• Use the paper
• Knead the pastry a little more than you normally would
• Use the paper
• Don't be too concerned about getting a thin pastry case, or it will be way too delicate to move
• USE THE PAPER!

I won't be auctioning off these babies for Matty's Bistro; they're just not how they should be and I'm a perfectionist.  Other people will get to eat them, but I won't expect anyone to pay for the privilege!

Oh, and as for the 7 leftover egg whites, dad gets a treat.  He hates custard so he won't eat the tarts, but he loves a nice pavlova.  So now, cooling in the oven, is a huge pavlova that tomorrow will be filled with whipped cream, raspberries and strawberries, and drizzled with homemade lemon curd.

Oh yes, NOW you're talking!

If I remember, there may even be a photo of it here before it's demolished.

Angel Food Cake - Great British Bake Off Technical Challenge #2

It was a week ago when I took on the challenge of the Angel Food Cake from the first episode of the Great British Bake Off.

Now, I've made fatless sponges before but they're few and far between, and they were certainly nothing as technical as this.  Usually I make up the batter, pour it in the tin, throw some blueberries on top, and just cut it up into squares when it's cooled.  It's one of my diet treats, and it's really lovely.  But this?  I was determined to achieve perfection and nothing else would do.

The recipe I used is here.  The technical challenge recipes are posted on the BBC website after each episode has aired.

So then, down to business.  This recipe is a delightfully light sponge cake made without butter and with little flour, getting its rise from 10 egg whites.  It's lightly flavoured with lemon zest and is finished with vanilla cream and homemade lemon curd.  The recipe called for passion fruit in the curd too, but the one week I wanted to buy passion fruit was the one week I couldn't find it anywhere!

The main things that I discovered I required, beyond the ingredients, were a light touch and a lot of patience!

Egg whites whipped with the lemon juice and sugar

The egg whites above took around 10 minutes to reach the stage you see here.  This was because not only were there 10 egg whites in the bowl (and therefore a lot more volume to whip up than usual) but the sugar needed to be added slowly.  Had I done this using a stand alone mixer instead of a little hand mixer, I'm sure it would've been a heck-load quicker!  Add to this the slow, careful process of folding in the flour in three stages, slowly, gradually combining it so as not to knock all the air out of the egg whites, and you can see where most of the patience is needed!

About to go in the oven

It took a while, but here is my beautiful new cake tin, complete with delicately poured batter ready to go in the oven.  To say that it went against everything I know as an amateur baker not to grease the tin is an understatement.  I knew that as it rose the batter needed something to grip onto, and that the same would be the case for when it cooled, but I was still skeptical.

Hurry up and cool already!

Have you ever cooled a cake upside down still in its tin?  No?  Neither had I.  Was I desperate to see the result?  Oh by-heck-in-a-hand-basket, was I ever!  This was where the rest of the patience came in useful.  I wanted to lift it up and prod and poke and just see how my delicate baby of a cake was doing, but I resisted.  To this day I don't know how I did it, but I do know that the making of the lemon curd helped.

Lemon curd

I know this looks orange, and in its jar it does look like orange curd; it's not just down to the photograph.  I can guarantee it's the best lemon curd I've tasted, and I'm not only saying that because I made it; it's absolutely true.  It's also true that I was ecstatic to see that the finishing of the cake used up all of the egg yolks.  How happy am I that in a few weeks I get to use up some more of the remaining curd in a birthday cake for a colleague?  Very.  Not to mention how fabulous it is on hot toast!

Anyway, I digress (and drool a little!).

It turned out nice!

This is it.  This is what made me want to jump for joy in the kitchen and do a victory dance.  I kid you not.  Having carefully gone round the edges of the cake in its tin with a thin, non-serrated knife, this was the beauty that slid out; perfectly formed, evenly baked and all in one piece.  I was so happy I could have cried!

Now, having recovered from my joy and amazement, all that was left was to decorate the big beauty.  Whipped cream with vanilla and a drizzle of lemon curd (minus the passion fruit) were the only things remaining.  It felt like a shame to cover her up, but cover her up I did.

All done.  Decorated and ready for its box.

I did still have the nagging little doubts in my mind; what if it's not fully cooked in the middle?  With the muffins I could make extra and be sure that they were fit for consumption before I auctioned them off, but not with this.  With this Angel Food Cake I spent the next few hours worrying that it might still be a little raw inside.  I was lucky, then, to be offered a slice by the winning bidder!

The winning bidder.  Chuffed and a half!

When I said this was a big cake, I wasn't kidding.  The photo above has put it in perspective, and it wasn't long before it was put in bellies!

I said I was lucky to have been offered a slice before I left this lovely lady's home, and I really was.  My worries were blown away with just how light and moist (and fully cooked... hurrah!) this cake was.  I urge anyone to try it; it's not a difficult bake, it just takes some patience and a light touch.

I was reliably informed a few days after this photo was taken that her granddaughter announced I was "through to the next round", and she'd gone at the cake with a ladle!  It's only a shame there wasn't any photographic evidence!

I'm already noting down ideas for the next Angel Food Cake I bake.  And the next.  And the one after that.

It's lovely.  Try it!

Not to forget a big thank you to all who bid on this cake.  Every last penny helps out the fabulous work Matty's Bistro does for the young adults in Teesside.  Much love x

English Muffins - Great British Bake Off Technical Challenge #1

At the beginning of the year I decided that when the 2013 series of the Great British Bake Off (GBBO) was aired, that I would attempt the technical challenge each week.  The series is two weeks in and I started with the challenge shown in week two; English Muffins.

Yes, I know I'm doing them out of order but me being me, I just can't make their Angel Food Cake until the new tin arrives.  Yes, I'm a perfectionist, and yes I promise I'll use the tin for other bakes too.  I promise!

For the moment, though, English Muffins are on the menu.

I can say hand on heart that I've never made muffins before.  Bread, yes.  Muffins, nope.  So this was going to be a learning curve for me just as much as the actual contestants, but at least I had the full instructions to work from and the benefit of learning from their mishaps on the telebox!

The technical challenge recipes are posted on the BBC website after each programme has been aired, and the English Muffins recipe is here.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly or who knows me personally will perhaps realise that these technical challenges are an additional challenge for one reason; I don't like following recipes to the letter.  I play with them.  I experiment and try different flavours.  This is how I keep baking more interesting for me, and I like it when people try a cake, buns or bread they've never tried before and like them!

But stick to the recipe I did, and thank goodness.

Dough pre-prove

I made double quantity, and I made them in one big batch.  My reasoning behind this was so that I could test a couple and make sure they were properly cooked before auctioning them off for a worthwhile, local cause (more information later).  In hindsight this was a slight mistake.  It meant that because my griddle could only hold a maximum of four muffins, the time they sat proving on the trays before cooking was too long for the last four (being that the cooking time for each muffin was 10-12 mins), and consequently they were over-proved and therefore a little thinner than the others.  What I'll remember for next time is to stagger single batches to allow for over-proving and any additional mishaps or delays.

This dough was very sticky and it took some time to knead it into submission.  It's fair to say I was knackered, but I'm told it helps with the bingo wings!  Perhaps I should make more.  A lot more.

Dough post prove

Now, the recipe does say that after the first prove that the dough should be tipped out onto a work surface, rolled out and then left to rest for 15 mins.  What I discovered was that the following process of cutting out the muffins and placing them on trays sprinkled with semolina is made much easier if you sprinkle semolina onto the work surface too, prior to turning out the dough from its bowl.  I guarantee that you'll find it significantly easier to remove the muffins from the work surface, and they're less likely to stretch out of shape.

Oh, my muffins are going all toasty!

Oh, another thing to mention is that between batches you might want to wipe the excess semolina from the griddle; toasty is tasty, burnt is not!

I have to say that this recipe is very simple to follow and it produces great results.  It's a shame I didn't think ahead this time and stagger the double quantity of dough, but I won't ever forget that in future.  The slightly thinner muffins were no less tasty than the normal sized ones, though.  I had to test them.  They were being sold on to lovely people, and I had to be sure they were fit for human consumption.  That's my excuse, anyway.

Ten lovely muffins, ready for the winning bidder

My only issue with completing these technical challenges each week was that I would then have a lot of food in the house that I shouldn't be eating (barring one or two muffins!).  So a plan was formed.  A silent auction on Facebook to local bidders, to raise a little money for a fabulous local cause, Matty's Bistro.

I won't go into detail here, but I do suggest you take a look at this post here.  It explains beautifully, enthusiastically and passionately what Matty's Bistro does for young people in our area.  There's no way I could put it any better.

I've been reliably informed that the muffins have and are being enjoyed by numerous people.  I asked for constructive criticism but they had none to offer, and I'm told my muffins are the best in town.  I feel ever so chuffed and humbled!

I can't wait to get my teeth into the next challenge; Angel Food Cake.  I only hope that others want to get their teeth into it, too, and raise as much money as we can for Matty and his dedicated students.

Wonka Caramel Slice

You many remember back in January that I made a caramel slice for a friend and colleague's birthday.  If not, it's here.

One result of this tasty morsel was a discussion with another friend and colleague who also loves to bake.  She divulged to me that her most favourite thing is a caramel slice, and she'd be in heaven if she had one that was three feet tall, made with dark chocolate and topped with Thornton's cappuccino truffles.

It didn't stop there, however.  We descended into coloured caramel until I finally said, "You could even do it multicoloured."  Bless, her face lit up like her beloved Christmas trees!

And so the Wonka Caramel Slice was born.

Since that day, on and off, I've considered just how viable it would be to make a three foot tall caramel slice, and although it would indeed be possible (if fabulously messy!) I had to concede that it would also be unlikely in a bog standard, run of the mill kitchen.  And yet I felt like I'd been set a challenge, if only by my own hand!

Over the months the ideas formed and some trial and error on the day was necessary, but I did indeed create a rather deep, multicoloured caramel slice.  Okay, so it wasn't three feet tall, but it was around 4 inches (including the chocolates on top), which I think is still rather impressive.

Now, normally I give a vague idea what I did and just a couple of photos, but this time I knew I wanted it to be documented in all its strange, imperfect glory.  So here we go...

1. Shortbread

Where else do you start but with the shortbread?  I picked Mary Berry's recipe because I know it works a treat.  I considered making one very thick piece of shortbread, but I knew the likelihood of it being fully cooked in the middle was slim, so instead I opted for regular shortbread built up in layers.

Three layers of shortbread

When it came out of the oven (and was therefore still soft) I cut it in half then left it to cool in the tin. I made two standard slabs of shortbread in this way, and once cooled I sandwiched them together with a little melted dark chocolate so they wouldn't slip and slide around.

The eagle-eyed among you will notice that there must have been four pieces of shortbread but that there are only three layers in the photo.  Um... *smile*...

2. Coloured caramel

So then, coloured caramel!

I used three standard tins of condensed milk and approximately 150g unsalted butter, shoved it all in a big pan, brought it to the boil slowly while stirring the whole time.  I then simmered it for... well I'm not sure how long it was; until it was lovely and thick!  I'd say the whole thing probably didn't take longer than about 15 mins.

Three coloured caramels

I then divided it into three and added the colourings until I was happy with them.  For the orange and green I used red and blue colours respectively, since the caramel was already yellow.  Then once they were fully cooled but at room temperature (if they're too cold they can't be easily piped), I popped them into piping bags ready to be let loose on the shortbread.  When I say 'popped them into piping bags' what I actually mean is 'messily, stickily wrangled the awkward buggers into piping bags'.

3. Worms

Worms?  Oh yes, indeed.  Worms!  Well, how else would you expect to get a decent mix of colours on top of delicate shortbread?  I piped multicoloured caramel worms on top!

Worms!!!

And then, of course, I needed a flat surface on which to pour melted chocolate, so out came the palette knife.  Awww.... and I liked the worms!

Worms defeated  :(

Okay, so it was starting to take proper caramel slice shape.  Now, however, I faced a dilemma.  How would I pour on the melted chocolate so it didn't just run off the sides and onto the worktop?

4. The Wall

There was no other option that I could see; I needed greaseproof paper and I needed it fast!

The Wall

The caramel was sticky enough to hold the paper in place and create a barrier to stop the chocolate escaping, or so I hoped.  Some sticky tape helped too, of course.  And a lot of crossing of fingers!

Behold!  The chocolate remains in place!

Well, it sort of remained in place...

5. The Scaffold

As I sat there admiring the beauty and sheen of the successfully retained chocolate (not tempered, btw, to make sure it wasn't too difficult to cut through once it had set), I began to worry.  One side of the wall was beginning to buckle under the pressure.

NOOOOOOO!!!!!

So there I was, my hands holding up the paper to stop the overflow of chocolate while desperately looking around the kitchen to figure out how to keep it in place without me holding it for the next hour!

Scaffold!

TADAAAAAAA!  I wedged loaf tins around the edge of the slice, with the other side of the tins being kept in place by the flaps on the carry box.  Phew!  Okay, so the scaffold was in place and I could finally add the cappuccino truffles and walk away!

It was commented on that there were nine chocolates.  How was this possible?  They come in bags of eight or twenty.  Um... *smile*.  Sorry, Cate!  I ran out of time to buy more  :(

6. Relief!

The removal of the scaffold and the wall were such a big relief.  The slow, careful unveiling of the finished article was both painful and joyous, because I was just so nervous of messing it up now that I'd come so far.

Wonka Caramel Slice - all done!

It wasn't a thing of beauty.  I did consider trying to tidy up the sides and do a cover-up job so it looked more professional and... well... less like a playdoh brick... but this was never, ever going to be perfect.

This was an experiment in sugar and chocolate, and its imperfections just added to the childish joy of the thick, gooey, crunchy, coffee-ey mess of confection.

What this caramel slice lacked in beauty it more than made up for in flavour.  By the end of the day I was assured that apart from a couple of pieces kept back for colleagues the next day, it was demolished.

I can attest to the demolishing of the Wonka Caramel Slice.  I saw it at lunchtime when half of it had already been hacked and chipped away.  It was a most stunning sight, that so many people 'had at it'.

The only regret I have is that I didn't get a photo of Cate devouring the monster.  The childlike joy of her face when she realised I'd actually made the caramel slice of our combined imaginations, albeit significantly smaller than the 'house' she wanted, will never be forgotten.

I implore anyone out there who loves to bake; make something silly and imperfect, and just have some fun with it.  As a frustrated perfectionist most of the time, I found this was a lot of fun to plan and make, much more than I expected.

So bugger off, get in the kitchen and get messy!

Tiramisu Cupcakes & Accidental Lime Ice Cream

Tiramisu Cupcakes

First I'd like to thank Matty (Matty's Bistro) for being the inspiration for these cakes.  Having a chat pre-choir it was discovered that we share a love of tiramisu.  Quite frankly, if I see it on the dessert menu in a restaurant not only do I find it damn near impossible to choose anything else, but I often make sure my main meal will allow me room to squeeze in the tiramisu without feeling all bloated and icky afterwards.  Yes, I do indeed love a good tiramisu!

I knew I'd have a full weekend ahead of me, but I also knew my Monday would be mostly free so the plan was formed.  I've never attempted tiramisu before but I'd tasted enough to know what I needed to do.  So, a few different recipes were inspected and I made my shopping list.

Now then, I didn't use a regular sponge recipe.  I used a recipe for white cake instead (sponge made only with the whites of eggs, so giving a much paler colour) because I knew it would be a little more moist and dense, which was exactly what I wanted.

There are plenty of white cake recipes out there to choose from but I stuck with what I already knew worked from a previous cake experiment, here.  This time I replaced the almond extract with a little extra vanilla.  Before spooning into the cake cases I split the mixture in half and in one of them also added a small amount of VERY strong coffee.  I then swirled them back together to try to achieve a marbled effect, which worked to some degree but would be much more effective on one large cake.

So, cakes in the oven it was time to get on with the icing.

I say icing, but what I really mean is indulgent topping.  Don't expect to see any butter icing here.  To stay as true as possible to the delectable taste of tiramisu I used a tub of mascarpone, some (sifted) icing sugar, a little coffee liqueur and a little of the VERY strong coffee.  I again kept a little to one side and added more liqueur and coffee.  All in all I'd say there's about 1 tablespoon of alcohol in the topping for 12 cakes, so not at all likely to get you squiffy (apologies, I'll try harder next time!).

Tiramisu Cupcake

Today was the first time I used one of my posh new icing nozzles, so each cake is topped with a flower (hence wanting a darker coloured topping, to contrast in the centre of the 'flower').  Then I finished it with some grated chocolate, because of course no tiramisu is complete without grated chocolate!

I have to admit I'm a little bit in love with these cakes.  If I wasn't planning to give most of them away I'd be currently making myself very, very sick by devouring the whole friggin' lot!

These cakes are as close to tiramisu as I've tasted without actually eating tiramisu.  Yes, I'm blowing my own trumpet today because I actually believe I should.  They're a resounding success!  I only hope the person who gets to eat the rest agrees with me.  Time will tell...

Accidental Lime Ice Cream

Okay, time to own up.  Last weekend I had a tiny disaster while trying to make chocolate lime cupcakes.  The cakes themselves were fine, but I wanted something special for the icing.  What I found was a recipe for no-bake key lime pie filling that promised to set beautifully.  Unfortunately it didn't set at all.  It remained a runny, if delicious, tub of "now what?"

I had an epiphany.  I shoved it in the freezer and promptly forgot about it!

The result is this:

Accidental Lime 'Ice Cream'

It's not ice cream.  There's no cream in sight.  The recipe is:

• 1 tin of condensed milk
• 1 x 300g tub of cream cheese
• zest and juice of 4 limes

That's it.  Mix it together and freeze.  The texture is more dense and sticky than ice cream, but I can't fault its flavour.  There's no mistaking it's lime!  Perhaps I'll make it on purpose next time and use the ice cream maker, hoping for a lighter texture.

Both the cakes and the ice cream are lovely.  I know I'm blowing my own trumpet but sometimes I just have to; if I want to bury my face in something I've made, even I have to admit it's good!

Now, how many of you are wondering if the tiramisu cakes are meant for you???

Nope, you're wrong.

Next!!!!

A Tale of Two Cakes

Yesterday saw me spend a lot of my day in the kitchen and I already told you about the two loaves I made, but I also decided to experiment with cake (again!).

A chat with my friend Jo at the cinema, while waiting for Robert Downey Jr to blow up a crap load of stuff on a momumental scale, saw a plan slowly develop.  I already knew I wanted to make cinder toffee but I also wanted to make it a little different and incorporate it into cake.  Unfortunately it didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped.

First thing first, here's the recipe I used for the cinder toffee.  Be warned; this makes a significant amount!  My plan was to add toasted pecans, which is what did, however my first attempt with a different recipe went very wrong and my pecan supply was somewhat depleted for the second attempt.  The result was that you can barely taste the pecans, which is a huge shame because they're sooooo good!  What I did do right though was to break it into chunks and coat them in milk chocolate.

Chocolate coated Pecan Cinder Toffee

Yes, it all sounds like a lot of effort for what is essentially a Crunchie bar, but it's nowhere near the amount of hassle you think it will be and at the end of it you have a huge amount sweet, crunchy goodness.  Bonus!

So how did I incorporate this into cake?  It was a bit of a no-brainer, really.  I made cupcakes using chocolate sponge topped with icing made from mascarpone and a rather lovely toffee sauce, and sat them on top.  Not elegant, perhaps, but certainly eye-catching!



Chocolate Pecan Toffee Crunch


Next time I'll use more pecans, grind them finer and spread them on the bottom of the tin before pouring over the bubbling toffee.  I'll also think of something to hide beneath the icing, because I love people to find a nice little surprise when all they expected was cake (extra chocolate coating perhaps with toffee sauce inside, or some fudge).  Maybe I'll add ground pecans to the cake batter.  This is one of my problems; I have so many ideas that I don't know where to go next!

Another idea I had recently involved an attempt at a bribe plus a small thank you to a very interesting person.  A couple of weeks ago I went to see Derren Brown's new stage show, Infamous (fabulous, btw... stunning, sensitive, personal, impressive and well... astounding!), and one of the people I went with is not only a huge fan herself, but so is her son Harry, and she was taking him to see the show a few days later.  Because I'd been a (small) part of one of his shows last year I decided to attempt flattery, a thank you for the positive effect the experience had on me, and a bribe.  The purpose was for Harry to have a few moments with his hero.  So I went to the stage door afterwards armed with cakes and a letter for Derren about Harry (and a little ego-stroking too, of course.  Well deserved, I might add!).

As it turns out, the handwritten letter that accompanied the cakes wasn't read until the day after they met, but Rachel, Harry's mum, reported back to say that he thought the cakes were "amazing" and he had a hard time believing they were homemade.  The following day I was surprised and ever so chuffed to find a message from Derren directly saying that both the cakes and Harry were "terrific".  Now here's the thing; I don't hold his opinion any higher than anyone else's, but I rarely get feedback from people I don't know about the things I bake.  I always assume there's a degree of flattery involved because people who know me don't want to hurt my feelings.  So to find out that not only he adored them, but that one of his trusty team, Max, scoffed five down his gullet like a feckin' hoover, well that just made my day!  I'm also chuffed to bits to say that pre-letter, Derren was downright fabulous with Harry and broke his own rule about not posing for a photograph.  He's a delightful, charming, kind person, and I know one little boy who will never, ever forget that evening in the presence of his hero.

Okay, so back to the cakes.  Today I recreated the bribe because a friend wore me down over the last week at work and I could stand it no longer.  Today is her birthday, so I could hardly refuse.

These cakes were and are Blueberry & Lemon Cupcakes (a slight tweak on an earlier experiment).

They're lemon sponge with a small well cut into the top (like you would do for butterfly cakes).  In that well I put a spoonful of home-made blueberry and lemon curd (recipe is here, with the addition of lemon zest and juice to taste).  I then made two butter icings.  One was flavoured with the same blueberry and lemon curd, and the other was flavoured with just lemon curd.

I then spooned each butter icing carefully into the piping bag, each flavour on its own side, and swirled it on the top in a kind of Mr Whippy stylee, and topped them with a few sugar crystals.



Blueberry & Lemon Cupcakes


I have to admit, they're tangy and delicious.  When I first made these a couple of weeks ago I didn't get to taste a full one myself.  As I type I have a cake sat on the desk beside me just begging to be eaten.  Just a sec...

Oh...

Mmmmmmmm...

Oh my.  Um.  Yes, that was mmmm...

See, this is a problem.  How's a girl to lose any weight while she makes cakes for other people?  Not that I'm especially complaining.  Not really.

So there they are.  Two successful (if one needing a slight tweak) experiments, and one happy birthday girl.



Happy Birthday, Rachel!


I get the feeling there aren't many of these remaining!

Like Mum used to make

Today has been rather productive and I'm a tad knackered!  It's a good knackered, though; the kind that gives you an ache in your bones and reminds you that you've actually done something with your day, and the kind that sees a freezer restocked with goodies.

Over on H.A.P.P.Y. last week I talked about why I bake so much and what originally inspired me.  Or rather who inspired me.  To this day I maintain that it was mum who gave me the love of baking that I have now, and with that in mind I wanted to make something from her recipe folder that I would be allowed to eat!

So the first loaf of the day came from her very own hand, and it's a fruit loaf.

I remember mum making this years and years ago.  I used to wonder how it could be that a bowl full of All Bran cereal and milk could create something so moreish, and I do still wonder the same today.  I did make a couple of small adjustments to her recipe.  I halved the sugar because quite frankly it was just way too sweet, and I added cinnamon because I just really, really like it!

This is possibly one of the simplest recipes I've ever used, and it gives fab results.

Fruit Loaf

1 heaped mug All Bran cereal
1 heaped mug mixed fruit (I just used sultanas and raisins)

½ mug caster sugar

1 mug milk (I use skimmed to keep the fat content low so I can still eat it)
1 heaped mug self raising flour
1½ teaspoons cinammon

• Put the All Bran, mixed fruit, sugar and milk in a bowl and mix.  Leave it to stand for 1 hour.
• Add the flour and cinammon, and mix well.
• Bake in a lined and greased loaf tin for 1 1/2 hours at 180°C (160 fan)

 It really is that simple.  This is the one I made today.



Almost me mam's Fruit Loaf

Sometimes I add orange and lemon zest and leave out the cinnamon.  Sometimes I crush some pecans and mix them with demerera sugar and sprinkle it on top of the loaf before baking.  Next time I might add some apple.

The loaf freezes well, and it's bloomin' gorgeous toasted and slathered in butter.  Not quite the healthier option when served like that, but rather good for an occasional treat!

I did say I was busy today, and I did also make bread.  This wasn't one of mum's recipes (I don't remember seeing any bready things in her folder at all, come to think of it), but one of Paul Hollywood's.  It's a seeded bread from his 'How to Bake' book, and it's... ohhhhh... it's so good!

This loaf incorporates pumpkin, sesame, poppy, sunflower and linseed.  There should have been another but I can't remember what it was and can't be bothered going to look!  I just used a little extra of the other seeds instead.  It uses a combination of white, wholemeal and rye flour, and there's some black treacle thrown in there for luck.  Or flavour.  Perhaps it's more for flavour.



Seeded Bread
A bit gashy, but bloody lovely!

In hindsight I may have cut the dough too deeply before it had its second prove, because rather than a nice detail of a bit of a cut down the middle, instead it has a big, gaping gash!  Oh well, at least it proved that it proved!

If you do make this, don't skimp on the mixing.  The recipe suggested using a mixer with a dough hook, and in total the mixing time is around 10 minutes.  I don't have a standalone mixer so I used a hand mixer with small dough hooks.  It worked, but it could have been much better; the loaf is a little closer in texture than it should be (but then, wholemeal flour will do that, too).  This is a wet dough that needs the intense mixing time that hands just won't easily give.

I'm using christmas vouchers to buy myself a mixer.  Yes, I know; I still have christmas vouchers!



Seeded Bread
With actual real butter...

If you love seeded bread, you'll bloody well adore this one!  I've only had one slice but could have so easily eaten half the loaf in one sitting.  As it is, I've frozen most of it and kept some aside for tomorrow's breakfast.  The will power it's taking not to go toast it right now is more than you could know!

So there you are, two loaves for the price of one; fruity and seedy.  No, it doesn't remind me of anyone, either.  Nope.  Not at all.

Anyway...

I did also make cakes and cinder toffee today but that blog entry is for tomorrow because I have more to do, so until then please wish me luck in not devouring what's not in the freezer.  I need all the help I can get!

Pear & Stilton Bread

Well then, I wasn't expecting this.  Yesterday morning before I'd even had breakfast it was announced that I would be left alone at least for the day.  Instantly, of course, I realised I'd have undisturbed use of the kitchen.  This is my version of bliss.  Well okay, it's one of my versions of bliss, but I take the happy where I can!

I intended to make some nice healthy wraps for lunches, with the thought of adding some roasted garlic.  My decision making processes aren't always apparent but this one certainly was and I ended up making Pear & Stilton Bread.

I seem to recall flicking through a recipe book while my dough was proving and I realised the basic dough recipe was the same whether it was for wraps, a nice basic loaf, or a fancy loaf filled with 'stuff'.  This is where my mind went straight to the block of stilton in the fridge, but I couldn't just make stilton bread.  The grapes were past their best.  I don't have cranberries, dried or otherwise, sitting in the cupboard or the fridge.  Pears.  Aha!  I always have pears hanging around, so there it was; my plan to make a loaf filled with stilton and pear.

I had another flick through the book to find some inspiration for the best way to accomplish a decent loaf with stilton and pear running all the way through. I settled on this:

• I flattened out the dough after the first prove, into a large rectangle
• I crumbled the stilton and peeled, chopped pear evenly over the dough
• I rolled it up tightly from the long edge into a sausage
• I smoothed it out so it was as even as possible
• I wound it up into a spiral

The resulting finish was a little bit of a surprise.  When it was proving the second time, directly before baking, it just looked like a promising nice round loaf of bread.  When it came out of the oven I can only describe it as looking like a giant turd.


Pear & Stilton Bread


I can guarantee you, however, that it takes nothing like that.  It's delectable, especially with those browned bits of cheese.  Perhaps you'll appreciate it a bit more if I show you what it's like inside.



Pear & Stilton Bread
Looking better for taking a slice!

 It's ever so soft and moist and moreish.  I had to slice it up and freeze it before I scoffed it all down and made myself sick.

So the quantities I used to one standard loaf recipe were 200g stilton and one medium pear.  I was going to add two pears, but I was nervous of the moisture content and what effect it might have on the dough and the finish, but I could have easily gotten away with two, and next time that's what I'll use.  It needs that extra little bit of sweetness to counteract the strength and saltiness of the stilton.

Pear & Stilton Bread

So that was my first proper experimental loaf and it was a resounding success.  Whatever should I try next?  Oh, oh, oh, perhaps I should start myself off a sour dough starter!

I did make chocolates yesterday too, and this afternoon I made some cakes, but they're all for Tuesday and I need to do some finishing.  They're very much not ready for blogging, although they're just a little tweak on something I've done previously so don't get all excited.

I also appear to have given myself a slight wrist injury from kneading the dough with so much passion and energy yesterday.  Yes, I was picturing one person in particular.  No, I won't say who I was pummeling there on the kitchen table.  Yes, if you know me well you'll know exactly who it was!

I will say the wrist injury was worth it, both for the resulting scrummy loaf and the frustration that melted away when I finally stopped beating the cr... kneading the dough.

Try it, it's fun.! And you get to eat something really lovely afterwards.  If they're lucky, so will your family!

Chocolate Orange Truffle Cake

You may remember, since it was only a couple of days ago, that I mentioned making a chocolate orange cake for someone's birthday and that it was sat in the freezer ready to be finished.  Well, tonight I finished it.

I'll repeat this for anyone who can't be bothered looking at the previous post, the recipe for the cake is from Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes, and it's the chocolate cake that the little boy is forced to eat in front of the whole school for stealing food from the kitchen (I think I got that right?), in Matilda.  I didn't know there was a real recipe out there for it until I had a nosey around t'interweb and it's right here.

 



Chocolate Orange Truffle Cake

 

The recipe is simply for a rich chocolate cake, but having discovered that 'person with birthday' has a particular favourite flavour, namely chocolate orange (nooooo, really?!), I had to jazz it up a bit.  To the sponge mixture I added: 

• Zest of 3 large oranges
• 1 teaspoon orange extract

This was plenty to make the orange fight through the richness of the chocolate.  I know because this is one of those cakes that cracks on the top when it bakes, and oh dear, a little of the top fell off onto the counter when I was turning it out of its tin!  Shame.  It's a good thing it needed to be iced and presented upside down.

I did originally intend to sandwich the cake with some home made orange curd, but as I started to cut into it a piece of the side began to come away.  I didn't want to go to work tomorrow with a plate full of crumbs, so I stopped slicing!  This is, however, a rich, moist cake that isn't as deep as a regular sponge might be, so it can get away with not having an extra layer of sweetness inside, especially as it was about to be covered with ganache.  For future reference, for a layered cake I would either make two separate cakes, or I would refrigerate it well before getting out the knife.  I suppose it depends how much cake you want at the end!

I used a mixture of milk and dark chocolate for the ganache because I knew dark chocolate alone would just be way too much for the cake, and I didn't want the two fighting each other.  The quantities I used for the ganache were:

• 100g dark chocolate
• 200g milk chocolate
• 280g double cream

What I would say about mixing the cream and chocolate together is be careful how much you play with it and how vigorously you mix.  I ended up with a few little air bubbles in the finished cake that could have been avoided if I'd only slowed down a little.

Before covering the cake completely for the final glossy finish, I used a couple of spoons of the ganache straight away to thinly coat the cake.  The intention was to avoid crumbs flowing off to the surface of the ganache and spoiling the end result.  This also gave the rest of the ganache chance to cool a little, making it a little thicker before pouring onto the cake, so that it wouldn't all just run off into a big pool of chocolate on the counter!

 

With the leftover ganache I added orange extract to taste (yes, I got to taste it!) and left it to set in the fridge while the cake set under a nice, safe cover away from inquisitive fingers.

 

Once the mixture was set I used it to make truffle quinnelles and balls, rolled in cocoa powder, and arranged them on top of the cake.  In hindsight I should have made them smaller, but we live and learn.

 



Chocolate Orange Truffle Cake
Ooooh, look at the shine on that!

 

Overall I'm very happy with the finish, not least because this is the first time I've successfully coated a cake with glossy chocolate ganache.  Now I know the trick to it, I'll be repeating it.  Oh, you know I will!

 

If the birthday girl doesn't enjoy this she's not getting another.  Quite honestly, she's lucky she's getting this one!

 

Macadamia Praline Tart (& some other little tarts)

Yesterday I decided to devote a lot of the day to the kitchen, as I had a full day all to myself.  I needed to make a cake for someone's birthday ready for next week, but I also wanted to play with my French cookbook!

So first thing first, I found a recipe that reports to be from Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes, and it's the chocolate cake that the little boy is forced to eat in front of the whole school for stealing food from the kitchen (I think I got that right?), in Matilda.  I didn't know there was a real recipe out there for it until I had a nosey around t'interweb and it's right here.

This was to be a chocolate orange cake, so I added the zest of three large oranges and one teaspoon of orange extract.  The cake is now in the freezer, ready to be iced with some rather delicious ganache and topped off with some chocolate orange truffles (if there's enough ganache leftover!).  So a photo will be forthcoming once it's all done, dusted and devoured.

Now then, from the fabulous French cookbook I wanted to try something I've never made before and I settled on crème pâtissière.  I like a challenge so I decided to attempt choux buns for the first time since A level Home Economics.  Unfortunately I didn't trust my instincts with the number of eggs to use, and it all went a bit wrong.  I followed the recipe to the letter and although I knew before I cooked them that they'd be wrong and flat and impossible to fill, I went ahead and baked them anyway.  They're now in the bin.  Next time I'm listening to my instincts, you mark my words!

So the choux pastry was a disaster, but I ran out of eggs and quite frankly I was too lazy to go and buy more.  Instead I made a sweet shortcrust pastry case, and a plan formed.

I couldn't just put crème pâtissière into a tart with nothing else; it needed jazzing up a bit.  So I made macadamia nut praline for some texture and, quite honestly, addictive nutty heaven!  How any of it ended up in the tart I'll never know.

That wasn't enough, though.  I tested some offcuts of pastry with the praline and crème pâtissière and it needed something extra; something stronger to compliment the flavours and wake up the taste buds with a bang.

And so my Macadamia Praline Tart was born:

Sweet pastry case with a thin layer of dark chocolate, a layer of ground macadamia praline, filled with crème pâtissière, topped with more ground macadamia praline and some bigger chunks (again for the texture), and topped off with some drizzled dark chocolate.



Macadamia Praline Tart

 I'm no longer annoyed that the choux buns didn't work, because otherwise this delight would never have been created.  It was and still is just... sigh... bloody lovely!

I did also have some pastry leftover, so I got out my mini tart tin and my pastry tamper (used for the first time, how exciting!), and with leftover chocolate, a little cream and the rest of the ground macadamia praline, I made some tiny and very chocolatey tarts.


Chocolate Macadmia Tartlets


With the rest of the little tarts I put in a layer of apricot conserve, and topped it with a disc of marzipan before baking.  Oh, they're tasty little morsels.  Perfect with a cuppa.

Apricot & Almond Tartlets

The little tarts are great tasters, but the star of yesterday was definitely the Macadamia Praline Tart.  Next time I may add a little salt to the praline, just to lift the whole thing a tiny bit more.

I'll attempt choux buns again, and next time I will succeed.  And in the unlikely event that I don't (!), I'll still come out with something edible at the end, even if it's just a big bowl of posh custard and a feckin big spoon!

Now then, I think it might be time for a cuppa and a tasty little morsel...

Hot Cross Buns

I'm back to baking this week, and what could it be besides Hot Cross Buns?

I knew I wanted to bake something this weekend, knowing two of my nieces would be visiting and wanting to spoil them a bit (isn't that what aunties are for?), but it wasn't until I saw the Easter Bake Off Masterclass a few nights ago that I had the light bulb moment.

I suspected dad would also want to make some since he usually does at Easter, but I knew there would be little contest between them since he now uses a bread-making machine for all his bread.  It's just not the same.  It never rises as well and it always has a more yeasty taste.

<memorylane>
I remember growing up with the smell of proving dough in the house.  It's possible that I remember dad baking bread more often than he actually did, but it remains to this day one of my favourite memories of my childhood.  The dough would be sat beside or on the radiator for what seemed like hours upon hours upon hours, covered with a tea towel, the pungent smell of yeast making my mouth water with the promise of what was to come.  Maybe that's why I don't like machines making it for me; it takes away the cosy nostalgia and leaves behind just another gadget in a kitchen already overrun with them, and gives you a perfectly pleasant loaf at the end (if you're lucky enough to have a decent machine), but one that doesn't have that level of love and care baked into it that makes it so special.
</memorylane>

So I decided to use Paul Hollywood's recipe, since that was the inspiration for making them at all.  The recipe I used is here.

Now, I already know that you know that I like to make adjustments to recipes.  I'm a creative person who loves crafty things and experimentation even if it turns out horribly wrong, and baking is no different.  I read some of the reviews and decided to take the advice of a number of people, and I increased the volume of cinnamon (I used 2 tsp).  I also added the zest of a lemon as well as the orange in the recipe, partly because I had a lemon that needed to be used!

The unusual ingredient in this recipe is apple, but let me tell you it makes such a big difference.  It adds extra moisture and it's such a fabulous partner to cinnamon that it couldn't fail.  The apple I chose was Granny Smith because I knew the flavour would stand up to the rest of the fruit and cinnamon, and it wouldn't disintegrate to nothing.  The recipe calls for 'finely chopped' apple, but I wanted a bit more texture so I chopped about a third into bigger chunks.

The result is wonderfully soft, moreish, sticky hot cross buns with a fabulous flavour.

Half of my soft and squidgy Hot Cross Buns

I know I refer to Paul Hollywood a lot and I try a lot of his recipes, and some people may think I have no interest in other bakers and recipes.  Not true.  I have, for example, a fabulous French book I'm going to dip into a lot over the next few months (watch this space!).  I love Paul Hollywood's recipes because they work, they taste good, and they're adaptable.  The man isn't a master baker for nothing, you know!  Still, some variety will be forthcoming, you mark my words!

Anyway, I digress slightly.  I did say that dad made buns too.  We joked before the buns were made that my nieces would just have to try both and judge for themselves which are better, but I did add that they'd choose mine if they know what's good for them (hear that, sis?!).  I decided to do a little comparison photo for you, and here are our buns side by side...

Left - my bun
Right - dad's bun

No contest!

I think it's safe to say the opinions of my nieces are not really required, but I have no doubt they'll be forthcoming anyway!  Don't get me wrong, the buns dad made are tasty but even he admits they're just not right.  The crosses didn't come out after baking, and the sugary glaze on top ended up just a bit wet and... well a little odd.

My fluffy bun!

I haven't the faintest idea how I managed to wait until they were completely cool before trying them, and I have even less idea how I was able to take photos before I shoved them down my neck, but take photos I did!  Hopefully you can see how light they are, and the lovely, moist pieces of apple inside that are just scrummy.

You know, even I'm amazed how long I can babble about Hot Cross Buns.  Did you even reach the end?

I'm looking forward to the Great British Bake Off, and I can't wait to try the technical challenges each week. Rest assured though, that in between all the challenges I'll be trying some of the incredible French recipes I have waiting for me.  Perhaps eventually I'll do an A-Z round the world trip via the oven!

Happy Easter!