An eight strand plaited loaf & a bit of crumpet

Ever since I watched the technical challenge of Paul Hollywood's eight strand plaited loaf on The Great British Bake Off last year I wanted to attempt it myself.  Mentioning it in my last blog post kept it at the front of my mind and I was determined to give it a go today.  And give it a go I did.

I should say that despite my love of experimenting with baking, it's been so long since I just made bread (20 years ago was my last proper loaf!) that this time I stuck with the recipe.  No seeds or herbs or cheese or anything extra, just white bread.

I'm very happy to say I haven't lost my touch.  After the first prove I had a wonderful monster on my hands!

Bread dough - first prove

So things were looking good but the hard part was yet to come.  After knocking it back I did what you would surely expect from me by now, and I grabbed the scales and weighed the dough before cutting it up into eight equal pieces (121g each in case you were wondering).

I followed every bit of the instructions to the letter.  I tacked the end of the dough down nice and firmly so it wouldn't move while I was playing.  I did my best to keep all the strands the same length and an even thickness.  Then I prayed to the flour fairies that I wouldn't screw it up!

Eight strand plaited loaf before final prove

I didn't screw it up!  Hurrah!  Of course it wasn't perfect and I hate that it wasn't, but for a first attempt at anything like this I'm rather feckin' happy.  The results after baking are here.  Look down.  There ya go!

Eight strand plaited loaf
(finally baked!)

I look at it now and see the curve and it bugs me, but it's not one huge knot of dough, which was what so easily could have been the result.

A close-up
Because that's what I do

I'm not sure how I managed, but I actually waited until it was completely cool before cutting into it and scoffing a slice with real butter.  I did take one final photo of it though, just to make your mouth water a teeny bit!

Mmmmmmmm............ butter!

You know, I forgot what proper home baked bread not from a machine tasted like, but I won't forget again.  I know it takes some time to mix and knead and knock back and shape, not to mention the proving time, but by heck it's worth it!

I didn't stop there though, did I?  No, by jiminy, I did not!  I made crumpets too.  I've never made crumpets before today but I'll definitely make them again.  Think of the ones you buy in the supermarket.  Close your eyes and imagine biting into one.  Remember the taste?  Now take away the kinda plasticy taste and the slightly rubbery texture, and add extra softness and depth of flavour.

And butter.

You need to add butter.

A bit of my buttery crumpet

They're really, really bloody lovely!  It can be a bit fiddly removing them from the crumpet/poached egg rings before flipping them over in the pan, but it's worth it.  The added bonus is that because it's a batter instead of a dough there's no kneading, it's just mix it, prove it, add the bicarb and salt, let it sit for a few mins, then cook.

These crumpets are very easy to make, and I see no reason on this earth why anyone would choose to buy them ready-made once they've tasted them made fresh at home.

Both these recipes were taken from Paul Hollywood's 'How to Bake'.  The more I use his recipes the more I want to get in the kitchen.

No, I'm not on commission... sadly  ;)

Right now, bugger off and bake something.  Go on.  Really.... go!

I can still see you.

Two birthday cakes, some balls, and that's a wrap!

Right then, here we go.  This will be an epic post for no other reason than for three of the four things I've made in the last few weeks, I had to stay hush for fear of spoiling surprises.  I wasn't avoiding you!

Chocolate Orange Cake

I made this for my sister's birthday.  She didn't know I was making it.  She didn't get it on her birthday either, but it was close enough.

I wanted to try something different using some of the orange curd I made at the beginning of February.  I also wanted to redeem myself a little for the ultra-rich chocolate ganache experience on the Buche Noel we made together at Christmas!

Unfortunately there were some problems when I made this.  I'd bought two new silicone cake moulds and was trying them for the first time.  It turns out these particular ones were only non-stick if they were greased first, which sorta ruins the point (are you listening, Tesco?).  So I had some trimming to do, then some filling plasterer stylee using ganache.

The intention with this cake was to have a chocolate sponge sandwiched with orange curd, coated with milk chocolate ganache and stylishly finished with a topping of orange jelly.  It would be all glass-like, shiny and posh.  Instead, to finish off my run of bad luck, the jelly fell apart thanks to aforementioned crap silicone moulds.  It turns out that they're useless for anything.

So this was the result.

Chocolate Orange Cake
The decoration went a bit wrong!

I was reliably informed that it tasted lovely.  Looks aren't everything, and that's as true with cakes as it is with people, apparently!  My final issue with the cake was that I let the ganache set too much before using it, leaving it a bit dull and ... well, you can see for yourself.  The orange stuff on top was a spread of orange curd, some of the broken-up jelly and some chocolate sprinkles.  If you ask me it was the chocolate sprinkles that finished it off to be the artful masterpiece it so clearly happens to be.  It doesn't look at all like someone hurled on it!

Chocolate Caramel Cake Balls

I seem to recall there's some big thing about cake pops.  Well these aren't cake pops.  They're not ultra sweet with butter icing and with a stick shoved up them!

I don't usually aim for trends when it comes to anything, as my clothing may well confirm to anyone who sees me.  The fact that I made cake balls on this occasion was a fluke.

I was experimenting with using little pieces of chopped up fudge in my cake mix, to see whether they would all just sink to the bottom before I added them to a colleague's birthday cake.  I was right to test the theory first as they did indeed sink.  Not only that, they also stuck to the paper cases (I made cupcakes) and the fudge hardened to something more like toffee; the light crunchy kind that doesn't break your teeth.  So even as cupcakes they were a disaster.

Now then, do I waste food?  Yes, sometimes, despite my best attempts.  Do I waste cake?  Um.  Do I look like I waste cake????

So I grabbed a big bowl and I scraped all the cake from their cases, broke it all up, and instead of binding it together with butter icing like people do with cake pops (so I'm told), I used some cream.  This was mostly because I don't like super-sweet butter icing cakes so much, but also because I couldn't be fecked making the butter icing!

I think you already know what I did next.  Clever clogs!  Yes, I made little balls then finished them by dipping them into melted milk chocolate, then drizzled them with white chocolate.

Chocolate Caramel Cake Balls

As mistakes go this was one of my better ones!  They tasted fab; light vanilla sponge, crunchy pieces of caramel, belgian chocolate.  What's not to like?

Chocolate Caramel Cake Balls
Delectable!

The only thing I would do differently in future, and I will make these again, is that I would use a little less cream to make sure they're not too solid.  A couple were a little dense.  It didn't stop them being eaten, though.

Caramel Cream Cake

This was the birthday cake I made for a colleague, for which I experimented and ended up with non-violated cake pops.

I decided to keep this one simple.  I'd already had accidents happen, so I held back this time.  I always knew I wanted to make a caramel cake for her but I also knew they could be ridiculously sweet.  That wasn't what I wanted people to remember.

So, I made a basic vanilla sponge and sandwiched it with the same caramel I used for the Caramel Slice back in January, and some whipped cream.  I topped it off with more caramel and some little crispy chocolate ball things for a little texture.

Caramel Cream Cake

I can honestly say it's one of the nicest cakes I've made for some time.  It was simplicity itself.  There were no gimmicks and I didn't try to be clever with the filling, design or the finish.  I just wanted it to look okay and taste wonderful.  From the sounds that came from my colleagues it tasted orgasmic.  I'm certain the guy in the office down the corridor would have had no choice but to investigate had he heard us.  I'm not sure whether he would've been relieved or disappointed to find four women only eating cake!

Wraps

We're finally on the home stretch!  This will be a short one, I promise.  This time I wanted to make something I can actually eat without feeling guilty or naughty, and as I flicked through my new book from Paul Hollywood (How To Bake) it was obvious what I'd try first.  I knew if I didn't make them today I'd only end up buying some in the supermarket tomorrow, and why would I do that when I already know his recipe will be so much tastier?

That's a Wrap!  (or seven; the rest are already in the freezer)

They're lovely!  They're soft and delicious and so easy to make.  Because they're only for me I wasn't all that concerned with whether or not they were perfectly round (as you can clearly see!).  However I do feel the need to add extra flavour the next time I make them.  Perhaps some garlic.  Maybe toasted sesame.  A few herbs.

I have no doubt that these will become a regular bake for me, especially as they usually replace bread in my diet.  Although now I have this book I have an intense desire to attempt plaiting eight strands of dough until I go dizzy!  Don't know to what I'm referring?  Take a look here, and watch this space!

Blueberry & Lemon Cupcakes

I never intended today to be another bake day.  My intention was to make blueberry curd, and I did do that.  When I finished I realised I had three egg whites sat in a bowl looking all forgotten and abandoned, so I needed to use them.

First, the blueberry curd.  I decided to try this because I found a curd recipe that looked simple but that didn't use the whole egg, and when I pop into the supermarket on my way home there are often plenty of reduced blueberries that are crying out to be taken home.  I also needed to keep myself busy at home while I waited for my car to be repaired :/

So the recipe I used is here, and yes I did make a couple of additions.  The first was a splash of lemon juice just to lift the flavour a little.  The second was a sprinkling of cinnamon.  An odd combination, you might think, but thanks to my wonderful new Flavour Thesaurus I was encouraged to try it.  The book assured me that it's a lovely little match, and it is!  The recipe suggests the curd will end up very firm, but mine is just what you'd expect from any decent jar you buy in the shops.

The result is a smooth, not at all eggy, rich blueberry curd that was simple to make and bloody delicious to eat.

For the egg whites I found an American recipe for 'white cakes', so-called I guess because they only use the whites of the eggs and are a much paler colour than a usual sponge.  This recipe uses cake flour, which I've never heard of before today let alone seen in the shops, but I found an suitable substitute courtesy of Nigella right here.

The cakes were expected to be more dense than a regular sponge, but in this recipe I like it.  Sometimes cake doesn't have to be all about the light and fluffy.  Sometimes it's okay to go a bit heavier.  The truth is, it has a lovely flavour and it's not all claggy in your mouth.  I really like it, and it's a fab way of using up the egg whites without making meringues (again)!

So there I had cupcakes and blueberry curd.  It was obvious I would put them together, but the cakes needed icing too.  Now, I'm not usually one for butter icing but it seemed perfect for these cakes.  So I made a standard butter icing but with less icing sugar to cut the sweetness a little, and I mixed in some of the leftover lemon curd from the St Clements cake last week, again cutting into the sweetness.

Blueberry & Lemon Cupcake

So the result is tangy, fruity mouthfuls of delight.  A completely unexpected end to the day, but one that I'm incredibly happy with; I deem this spontaneous experiment an absolute hit!

Now please excuse me while I go and bury my face in the cakes and make myself sick.

Chocolate Chili Cupcakes & Orange Curd

Today was never intended to be a bake-off day.  I only meant to make orange curd.  No, really.  But then I realised I had the ingredients in already to test a recipe a friend sent to me, and I couldn't help myself.

But first, Orange Curd.

The recipe I used is here, and although it's nice it's not quite to my taste.  It's just a bit too eggy for me.  I'm reserving proper judgment until after it's been cooled and stored, since the flavour should develop a bit more, but of course you know I didn't stick to the recipe.  I added:

• Two extra teaspoons of orange zest (before cooking)
• The zest of one lemon (just before putting into jars)

I wasn't going to add any lemon, but it just needed more zing.  I believe if you're going to make something that's meant to have a distinctive, strong flavour, you should just go for it.  It can always be tamed down, but it's more difficult to jazz it up.  I think so, anyway.

So here they are:

Orange Curd

I also sieved it right at the end because I was sure I'd seen a couple of little white bits in the mix (solid egg white).  I was right, there were a few but not many.  It also meant about half of the orange zest didn't make it into the jars, which was another good reason to add a bit of lemon.

You know I already have plans for one of these jars, and you know I'm not going to tell you what.  Stop looking at me like that!

Right, next up: Chocolate Chili Cupcakes

These are not disappointing in the slightest.  Oh no, no no.  I used a chocolate cake recipe that a friend sent me, and although it's a huge faff (seriously, I ran out of bowls!), it's absolutely delicious.  It uses real chocolate, separated eggs, and more steps than Whitby Abbey!

Chocolate Chili Cupcakes with cream cheese icing

The effort put into these cakes gives an incredibly light, moist sponge, but I think in future I'll reserve it for special occasions.  It's just so much work, and I'm used to the simplest all-in-one method that never fails.

The icing, rather than going for an ultra rich ganache, is cream cheese lightly sweetened with icing sugar.  I tried first with a mix of cream cheese, icing sugar and sweet chili dipping sauce, but it was just too zingy for the cake and overpowered it completely.  For a special occasion cake I think this icing would work well as a sandwich filling, with ganache to cover it, but for these I really do like them just the way they are.

But maybe it would work with a lime icing too... hmmm...

Oh, I just thought of a cruel little game.  Spike one cupcake with extra hot chili and play cake russian roulette!  I just know I'd be the one to end up with the extra chili  :/

St Clements Cake

This weekend I decided I wanted to treat a colleague/friend's folks.  They've been having a very tough time lately and I so often hear (and say) the line, "If there's anything I can do, just let me know."  Well usually there isn't anything we can do and often people don't "just say" because they don't want to impose.  So this time instead of saying it I considered what I might actually be able to do; not to help their situation (because I know I can't), but just to maybe make them smile for a few moments, have a few seconds where everything isn't just bad, painful and upsetting.  Then I remembered that they once tried cupcakes I made for my colleague, and ever since then almost every cake they eat is followed by the line, "It's nice, but it's nothing like that girl's cakes, that one you work with!".  Apparently they tell anyone who'll listen.

So this weekend was a special St Clements cake made to a recipe I made up as I went along.  I bet you never saw that coming!

The basic mix was the usual victoria sponge, but with added lemon zest in one, and orange zest in the other.  This was to be a three-layered cake.

The icing was a blend of mascarpone, double cream and icing sugar.  I separated it into three parts.  First, the main bulk, coloured yellow, the second coloured orange, and the third was set aside to make the orange filling.

St Clements Cake - the main event
The two-tone mascarpone icing.  The picture isn't as clear as I'd like but you hopefully get the idea!

I considered making my own lemon and orange curds, but as this was the first stage of an experimental recipe I decided instead to use the best lemon curd I could find in the shop (one I've had before and know it's blimmin' good!), and for the orange layer I warmed some good quality orange marmalade, which I then sieved and mixed into the batch of icing I'd set aside earlier.  There was a bonus to using marmalade that I didn't anticipate; it added a little bitterness to the cake that balanced very well with the sweetness of the lemon curd.

So then it was just a case of slicing the cakes and putting it all together.  As it turns out there was enough cake for two, although the 'spare' cake was a bit wonky and uneven and had no icing on the sides.

St Clements Cake - the spare one
No icing on the sides but plenty for the top.
Yes, it's in the shape of a flower that was lovingly carved by hand from square cakes, not from a flower mould.

The main cake unfortunately didn't have the finish I was going for, mainly because I'm still a novice at decorating large cakes and the end result was actually my third attempt at something even remotely attractive, but I think the two-tone effect has real potential now that I have an idea what I'm doing with it and how it spreads and pipes.

I did write down the recipe as I went along, which I think is the first time I've ever done that.  I'll post it once I've tweaked it and made it again.

All this experimenting with cakes really isn't all that difficult.  If you know what you like and you're not afraid to make mistakes, it's a lot of fun and a feck load more satisfying than a Mr Kipling!

The cake has approval

Victoria Sponge Flowers

This afternoon has been an exercise in simplicity.  I decided to make victoria sponge with jam and cream because it turns out that it's one of dad's favourites, and as he's feeling a little fragile this weekend I thought I'd treat him.

But can I really just make a sponge cake and fill it with jam and cream?  Um... it turns out I can't.

I used Mary Berry's basic recipe for butterfly cakes and added a touch of vanilla extract, as I usually do with a bog-standard sponge.  Instead of making one big cake or lots of little butterfly cakes, I wanted to try out some flower-shaped silicone moulds that I originally bought for making rather large chocolateycakeythings (which I'll still make, and I have lots of ideas!).

Victoria Sponge Flowers

The cakes with cherries on top are simply filled with raspberry jam and whipped cream.  The cakes without the cherries are filled with ginger and whipped cream.  To be more specific, I took a few pieces of stem ginger in syrup from the jar, and blended it until smooth with some of the syrup, essentially making a rather potent sweet ginger jam.  I definitely prefer the ginger ones to the raspberry!

Victoria Sponge Flowers
The close-up

I wanted these to look more pretty than they do, and I had planned to pipe the cream on instead of spreading it, but I ran out of piping bags and forgot to replenish my stock.  Oops.

So anyway, that's it.  Simple, quick and blinkin' moreish!  And you can't beat a cake with a nipply cherry on top!

Lebkuchen & a huge Caramel Slice!

About a week ago I made some Lebkuchen using one of my nice sparkly new baking books from Christmas, The Great British Bake Off: How to turn everyday bakes into showstoppers.  It didn't stay sparkly for long!  These soft, spiced, light cakes are ridiculously addictive, but I was surprised to find no flour listed in the ingredients.  Like the curious beast I am I decided, for once, to follow the recipe to the letter and see what happened.  As far as I could tell they would end up as Lebkuchen style meringues.  I wasn't wrong.

It appears that original recipes for this delectable German delight vary depending on the area they were made.  Most had flour, some didn't.  My personal taste is with flour, although the ones I made were light and crumbly and no less delicious!

Here they are in all their huge, palm-sized glory.

Rather large Lebkuchen!

Next time I'll make them bite-sized and dip their little bottoms in chocolate.  At some point I also intend to try a flour-based recipe.  Maybe I could make them at the same time and do a taste test.  If you decide to make these without flour, be extremely careful when handling them; they're very, very delicate.

Right, onto the next.  This slab of chocolatey goodness is one big Caramel Slice, or as some would call it 'Millionaire's Shortbread', which to me is just plain wrong!  Sorry.

A slab of Caramel Slice

This is what I made today ready for a colleague's birthday this week.  He has no clue it's sitting there waiting for him like a crunchy, soft, sweet heart attack waiting to happen.  I did consider making a cake, but there's a little running joke about caramel slices and I just couldn't resist making one huge one for him (it's about 9x13"), and pimping it up Kirsty stylee.  Yes, yes I did just type that.  No, I'm not going to delete it.

Essential close-up of the slab!
The sweets on top are Curly Wurly, Maltesers, Smarties and fingers of Fudge.

The recipe I used is here (BBC Good Food website), and I did change this one.  My experience of using extra sugar when making the caramel with condensed milk is that is crystalises incredibly easily, leaving a very grainy mouth-feel when it's eaten.  So I omitted the sugar, I used unsalted butter in both the shortbread and the caramel and I added a little salt to each separately.  You might think this an odd thing to do, but it just means I can control the salt content precisely to my needs and taste, and this recipe really does need a touch of salt to take the edge off the sweetness, even without the additional sweets on top and the extra sugar in the caramel!

I also baked the shortbread for 30 minutes instead of the 20 recommended.  When a recipe doesn't specify a 'fan assisted' oven temperature and the book/recipe doesn't make it clear either way, I always assume it's not and I knock 20 off the total.  So I baked for 30 minutes, 160 fan, but kept a good eye on it just in case.

It would have been incredibly easy to chop a big slice off the edge.  My colleague would never have known, and I'd be sitting here with a big chocolate/caramel/sweeties grin on my face while waiting for the sugar crash to knock me out for the evening.  I behaved.  I only cut off the tiniest sliver from each end to make it fit into its carry box.  I'm talking millimetres.  It was hardly enough for even a mouthful.

I don't blow my own trumpet often, but what little I did taste was friggin lush!  You really should try it.  I mean really, it's all I can do not to go back to it, pick it up in that one big slab and sink my teeth into it.

Back in a sec.........