tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6002011852075337992024-03-05T08:01:34.918+00:00Fold in the Flour ...because everyone deserves a little sweetness in their lifeSusie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-70185518649648727812023-04-30T15:51:00.005+00:002023-04-30T15:51:41.450+00:00Sweet Café Classics - Key Lime Pie<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEyeJJQYj-bS-201Z4NiUcW26HBrXl05v-bJRC40pzjW4IjlWIfLrD6D0SlQj-DCZThUvHkIgUwSlQOmLtD5gk6HZ2mh_hQtN4P94Hg5XnXULl2x3mobCaBu7_VkR2DhYlBolHnOd2ueEAdaRVKSEqK1iv3-iatJqGWbdSKrHTIopl5rV6gwDjy7n/s4272/Key%20Lime%20Pie%2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEyeJJQYj-bS-201Z4NiUcW26HBrXl05v-bJRC40pzjW4IjlWIfLrD6D0SlQj-DCZThUvHkIgUwSlQOmLtD5gk6HZ2mh_hQtN4P94Hg5XnXULl2x3mobCaBu7_VkR2DhYlBolHnOd2ueEAdaRVKSEqK1iv3-iatJqGWbdSKrHTIopl5rV6gwDjy7n/w640-h426/Key%20Lime%20Pie%2011.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p>Florida 2013. </p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A small, quaint tea room not far from Orlando. I can't remember the name, but I can still picture it. Set in a w</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">hite, clapboard</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Victorian-era house with a run-around porch. Small wobbly tables with white lacy tablecloths. And lots of kitsch-y nicknacks. All just perfect for an inquisitive 18 month old toddler to explore (in no way is that true). This was in the days before Sweet, when I was still in the depths of depression following the loss of my mum and trying to claw my way out. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBzytHYOEZOGPo2iOS8nXyM5h06mKvjbtIDPSylSvxtczUC06dTOdKMki8UX0j17l0BS7BQ1TMZzNonqP10JCP3lT1gx6BBLKB_HMoLK0pme2vCpcd3jz2h2Bzg6iiyCRx-ILhaSrDq3E15kIRritJan7wsQVuKb6D_t3k7Rhb8LIGWnD_-F9vgf1/s4272/Key%20Lime%20Pie%2016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBzytHYOEZOGPo2iOS8nXyM5h06mKvjbtIDPSylSvxtczUC06dTOdKMki8UX0j17l0BS7BQ1TMZzNonqP10JCP3lT1gx6BBLKB_HMoLK0pme2vCpcd3jz2h2Bzg6iiyCRx-ILhaSrDq3E15kIRritJan7wsQVuKb6D_t3k7Rhb8LIGWnD_-F9vgf1/w640-h426/Key%20Lime%20Pie%2016.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our family holiday had been booked for over a year. We felt we should still go, as it would have been very difficult to disappoint the two oldest. I spent nearly two weeks looking after Sam, while the others did the rides. It was fine - no complaints here. But one of the things I wanted to do - insisted on - was to find somewhere off the beaten tourist route that could serve up a slice of authentic key lime pie. We ventured south from Orlando in hot and humid August sunshine and pitched up at this place. In full Southern mode I tried iced tea for the first time (not a success). The pie, however, was delightful.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wXKU6nZCFWBDJE3RmzXTJMYLmob5tHizEjEexv_3SEWnQSgzwHITPX3141iv2LLPZ817RN8cHbLZhmu28c9zv6Y0Cs7dC5RKLcUCUHvLrsZlFzp6uR0sfzaeUdtfSusxg9WGffA4PGm1sYG5jW-p1A9T-aX3QWYL_SoBOLpYRXKIyVKNp8s88cTl/s4272/Key%20Lime%20Pie%206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wXKU6nZCFWBDJE3RmzXTJMYLmob5tHizEjEexv_3SEWnQSgzwHITPX3141iv2LLPZ817RN8cHbLZhmu28c9zv6Y0Cs7dC5RKLcUCUHvLrsZlFzp6uR0sfzaeUdtfSusxg9WGffA4PGm1sYG5jW-p1A9T-aX3QWYL_SoBOLpYRXKIyVKNp8s88cTl/w640-h426/Key%20Lime%20Pie%206.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We don't enjoy the same kind of climate in Cardiff but when it comes around to summer, there is nothing nicer than sitting out in the sun with a cuppa and a slice of tart, creamy, lime goodness. This version, of course, uses normal limes. It also uses a ginger-nut biscuit base which is blind baked in the oven then left to cool. The filling is blended together, poured into the base and then set in the fridge overnight. You can serve with some whipped cream, if you like. But if not, it's none the worse for it and was a favourite with our customers whenever it appeared on the counter. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Key Lime Pie</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ingredients (Serves 8)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>For the biscuit base:</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">300g ginger biscuits</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">125g butter, melted</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>For the filling:</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">600g cream cheese (Philadelphia Original is good here - lower fat options do not set as well)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">400g tin condensed milk</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">6 limes</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Preheat your oven to 180 / Fan 160 / Gas 4.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Use a 9 inch /22.5 cm springform cake tin, lightly greased. Base line the pan with parchment (this will help you to get the pie out in one piece later!).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until you get fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and blitz to combine. Tip out into the cake tin and press firmly to form a base, and so that it reaches up the sides of the tin by at least 1 inch / 2.5 cm. The biscuit mix needs to be spread thickly enough to form a case for the filling. In order to make it nice and even, I like to use a straight-sided stainless steel measuring cup with a flat base to help me press the mix in. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Place on a baking try in the centre of the oven. The baking tray will help catch any of the butter if it leaks out of the springform pan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool completely (ideally a couple of hours).</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovJFQf2jNiKrCvMCRVDbx0ZFDJkWzw5jNAegnyOsECqzgJBFfyDaJoFb95trgcQ6aD5zsEnl-DYy33u1Xiq7OknLQ3cTX4YsIioV9lA17Gh1yjbPeeDHWNJLMUNbxf7KIur3X6_ZXnJ7joCSbQBZ7yHEeyQiiot_mPkQamFreA1Dsj7IEFMa_vwmW/s4272/Key%20Lime%20Pie%207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovJFQf2jNiKrCvMCRVDbx0ZFDJkWzw5jNAegnyOsECqzgJBFfyDaJoFb95trgcQ6aD5zsEnl-DYy33u1Xiq7OknLQ3cTX4YsIioV9lA17Gh1yjbPeeDHWNJLMUNbxf7KIur3X6_ZXnJ7joCSbQBZ7yHEeyQiiot_mPkQamFreA1Dsj7IEFMa_vwmW/w640-h426/Key%20Lime%20Pie%207.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When ready to make the filling, finely grate the zest of three of the limes and keep ready. Then, pare the remaining limes to get thin strips; keep these separate, and covered, in the fridge as you'll use them to decorate the pie later.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Juice all six limes and, if necessary, strain the juice to remove any bits. The amount of juice you may get will vary, depending on the size and condition of the limes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Place the cream cheese, condensed milk and grated lime zest in a bowl. Using a hand blender, mix well to combine until you have a smooth, creamy mixture. Add half the lime juice and mix well, Taste, and see if it is to your liking. Add some more to taste, if you like, but try to ensure that the mix does not get too liquid (it will firm up after chilling). You're aiming for something that is the consistency of soured cream. For this pie, I used around 150ml</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pour the mix into the cooled case. If your sides are a little low, don't worry - just heap the mix more into the centre. Place in the fridge to chill - and set - for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pCjwE3_KVZH-zjI6TzHslUisYozxzv4cXB4sByoyzxVq22O3WFQEG7a5HZvrdLhNEAX_3KSYs7qehgAnAqqO9tywC_PxfWq7Dzjb54vJYcY-ymF6XnH4UK7K-zQp7iPNr301YZ5tfIeFRmqRNQlKZSwKVZKcsEbpv472b8p6i-MF33mixh6q7OV7/s4272/Key%20Lime%20Pie%205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pCjwE3_KVZH-zjI6TzHslUisYozxzv4cXB4sByoyzxVq22O3WFQEG7a5HZvrdLhNEAX_3KSYs7qehgAnAqqO9tywC_PxfWq7Dzjb54vJYcY-ymF6XnH4UK7K-zQp7iPNr301YZ5tfIeFRmqRNQlKZSwKVZKcsEbpv472b8p6i-MF33mixh6q7OV7/w640-h426/Key%20Lime%20Pie%205.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When ready to serve, remove from the fridge and place on your serving plate. Gently unclip the springform sides. Use a small palette knife to gently run around the edge if it shows any sign of sticking. Lift off the ring carefully. Using the palette knife, gently run the blade between the base of the tin and the parchment paper. This should help loosen the pie. Carefully ease the pie onto your serving plate. Decorate with lime zest strips.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Give it a few minutes (no more than 10) before slicing. You want to strike the right balance between being able to cut the base easily and not having had it sat out too long so the filling starts to warm and become too loose.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Enjoy,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Susie xx</span></p>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-58671928189691491902022-01-02T14:25:00.000+00:002022-01-02T14:25:34.653+00:00Sweet Café Classics - Lemon Mess Layer<p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_D0HSoNp-A95XYbb7YJJHorcRyoAo_X4m_A9LDJRsT6j6x0IlWX-Uu8tdGjjtaKlDZdss2tE6Mm7eHd-QdPc-Pkw4D4ias9Me8ssD_Ue9Xq8eU4ueLu7zoQZcaSi5edrp8gzkRoLyoaGFN7XVvb7CDQQB8GNo8Yd54YSEksVSTLoTvWNC4yRUZEuv=s4272" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_D0HSoNp-A95XYbb7YJJHorcRyoAo_X4m_A9LDJRsT6j6x0IlWX-Uu8tdGjjtaKlDZdss2tE6Mm7eHd-QdPc-Pkw4D4ias9Me8ssD_Ue9Xq8eU4ueLu7zoQZcaSi5edrp8gzkRoLyoaGFN7XVvb7CDQQB8GNo8Yd54YSEksVSTLoTvWNC4yRUZEuv=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><br />It's grey and dull in Cardiff today, both literally and metaphorically. That end-of-festivities feeling is hitting hard, with the looming anticipation of returning to work in a couple of days. The new year brings promise, but at the moment it hasn't fully seeped through. One of the promises I've made myself this year, though, is to break out of some of the bad habits I've fallen into over the last few years. That includes neglecting some of the things that truly bring me enjoyment. One of those is my love of baking, which went on a much needed, but lengthy, hiatus after we closed Sweet - our coffee shop - in 2018. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">After we opened in 2015, we soon discovered that there were a number of key favourites in our cakes and bakes that people asked for time and time again. This Lemon Mess Layer was one of our regulars, along with a simple Victoria Sponge, Coffee and Pecan Layer, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies, and Salted Caramel Shorties. As the mood took me, I supplemented these with other great bakes - to reflect the seasons or simply to shake things up a bit. But customers always relied on us having these essentials, which they'd look forward to and often plan their visits around. This, then, is the first in a series of posts based on what became our classic cakes and bakes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwLKO9pv8RsBeWnJ8oKMBIKqAgRRIMQm0sR2gwm6jDolcrByJ-NtzNUs_MnxkzndedJBI28p1Bqbri9__hZhmj_fcMrZfJAVTnsQjBAT0sZpe1smRw1jY53GspwtFCUPiZnOOtxuJt_8j9ULisOvdflH_jHHggFack040ZLGHxWaHHdEz4KI7Crpew=s4272" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwLKO9pv8RsBeWnJ8oKMBIKqAgRRIMQm0sR2gwm6jDolcrByJ-NtzNUs_MnxkzndedJBI28p1Bqbri9__hZhmj_fcMrZfJAVTnsQjBAT0sZpe1smRw1jY53GspwtFCUPiZnOOtxuJt_8j9ULisOvdflH_jHHggFack040ZLGHxWaHHdEz4KI7Crpew=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><br />If you browse back through this blog, you'll find that lemon cakes feature quite heavily in my favourites. I love the sharp tang lemon gives to a bake - it offsets the sweetness of sugar and gives a more balanced flavour. I also find that while chocolate cakes are lovely, they can be a bit cloying on my taste buds. Often, it's lemon that will be my cake of choice. <p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">When I was looking for something that provided an easy bake to grace the counter at Sweet, I hit upon this combination - a classic simple sponge infused with a bit of lemon zest, a filling of lemon curd and freshly whipped cream with a bit of crunch from crumbled meringue. It uses some store cupboard ingredients so it's simple and quick, but the combination of flavours and textures make it a bit special.</span></p><p><b style="font-family: Quicksand;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Quicksand;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyaq6bPqV09xeybtaQ9OxRkneyldOk-kI4bA-4bGnSaw7xX8JTmAJiTEbbI27a4Wcw3SBJ8k-gEfGiRYjoAVHNOZks3oz4JG_7kIC6t6OZh_zLM3sU1WI1_PN5H7jS_tL8f-2mnYgT8IA_kd2aPrn-2eUpd8YFMgRv6SRM2YTN9R3hikkTdGES2_dP=s4272" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyaq6bPqV09xeybtaQ9OxRkneyldOk-kI4bA-4bGnSaw7xX8JTmAJiTEbbI27a4Wcw3SBJ8k-gEfGiRYjoAVHNOZks3oz4JG_7kIC6t6OZh_zLM3sU1WI1_PN5H7jS_tL8f-2mnYgT8IA_kd2aPrn-2eUpd8YFMgRv6SRM2YTN9R3hikkTdGES2_dP=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></b></div><b style="font-family: Quicksand;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><b>Lemon Mess Layer</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Makes one 7" cake which serves 8</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><i><b>Ingredients</b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">175g room temperature butter (I use Lurpak slightly salted)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">175g golden caster sugar</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">175g self-raising flour</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">1/2 tspn baking powder</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">3 eggs - averaging around 63g each</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">1 tbspn milk</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">zest of 1 lemon</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><b><i>for the filling:</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">150 ml double cream</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">1 tspn icing sugar (optional)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">lemon curd (see note below)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">2 meringue nests (see note below)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">First, do some prep. Preheat your oven to 160 fan / 180 conventional. Using a little extra butter, grease the base and sides of two 7" loose bottomed sandwich pans. Baseline them with baking parchment. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwiTXMDpRRCqiGRKJlTu3cIywuIbBLqDEcEuNa_kWv5mCNH1Kp46_hqnj5v5RNdf4PjqnMGvMyWKWdDT9qwAsLuKstqsO1QSj4USm-vA52f4mnQ2_k3aEutgLRK3JSNblZmvo6q206hSFkvg40UcZbl3gASDweuoSx9WPnaOkyGJ1k24D4ZcaOTWsa=s4272" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwiTXMDpRRCqiGRKJlTu3cIywuIbBLqDEcEuNa_kWv5mCNH1Kp46_hqnj5v5RNdf4PjqnMGvMyWKWdDT9qwAsLuKstqsO1QSj4USm-vA52f4mnQ2_k3aEutgLRK3JSNblZmvo6q206hSFkvg40UcZbl3gASDweuoSx9WPnaOkyGJ1k24D4ZcaOTWsa=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><br />Get your ingredients ready: </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Sift the flour and baking powder together into a bowl. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Crack the eggs into a jug and lightly beat them together. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Add the milk to the eggs and mix. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Zest your lemon and set aside. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Put the butter and sugar into a bowl of a stand mixer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Now, using your paddle attachment on the stand mixer, turn on and set the speed to medium. Beat the butter and sugar together until it they are thoroughly incorporated and become light and fluffy - this can take anywhere between 3 - 5 minutes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Once this is done, turn off and scrape around the bowl a bit, just to make sure the mixer caught everything. If not, then mix again for a few seconds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Once you are happy with it, turn the mixer onto a lower setting and gradually, a little at a time, add the beaten egg and milk mixture. You want to go slowly here so the mix doesn't curdle - it it looks like it's going a bit like scrambled egg, just add a tablespoon or so of the flour which should help to bring it back together.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Once you have added all the egg, you can start to add the flour and baking powder mix. Add about a third of the flour at a time, and mix for a few seconds before adding the next batch. Once you have finished, and everything looks like it is incorporated, stop - you don't want to overmix and knock all the air out as it can make your sponge a bit dense.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Then, slowly fold the lemon zest through the mix.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Divide the mix between your two cake pans. I normally weigh each as I'm doing this, so that means I'm looking for about 345 grams of mix in each one. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb5Cyci8DFTD_4yxdiYxFBrOF98D1L4UGO6OtAi89ysdHp5_uEidKvnZfK1anL065TlGsB5h7-UQ_Z3FtUh-l0O21vYIyHvJLkMQ9T8qg09ze4sS5lYsmsGo6lXD5ZkGdD2o6jjsZ5TD2BrU-3hKXb0VIimbobKjePxvLwHeG03scDpnFl9APnuema=s4272" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb5Cyci8DFTD_4yxdiYxFBrOF98D1L4UGO6OtAi89ysdHp5_uEidKvnZfK1anL065TlGsB5h7-UQ_Z3FtUh-l0O21vYIyHvJLkMQ9T8qg09ze4sS5lYsmsGo6lXD5ZkGdD2o6jjsZ5TD2BrU-3hKXb0VIimbobKjePxvLwHeG03scDpnFl9APnuema=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><br />Level the top of the mix, and then place the pans in the centre of your pre-heated oven. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Bake until golden and well risen - the tops should spring back slightly if you press them gently with a finger. In my oven, this normally takes about 25 minutes, but I set an alarm for 23 minutes and then check every couple of minutes until I'm happy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLHSQQeti4QF5FKCsx3ju4Fq9XBuOIcidYqsyFMtg2YojbBWm8_7aRdj-umuOmc7z6Dxz1tPcAqsAPRQFXKWoZWrjPdl-YH5byvyyvLBj_jX6BCzW80run2BSZAvCVzu06w0LpK8dkzvzrLscE-Lh2W62nQP3CJXV7wcJkNDrzurkzBJx17IM5252E=s4272" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLHSQQeti4QF5FKCsx3ju4Fq9XBuOIcidYqsyFMtg2YojbBWm8_7aRdj-umuOmc7z6Dxz1tPcAqsAPRQFXKWoZWrjPdl-YH5byvyyvLBj_jX6BCzW80run2BSZAvCVzu06w0LpK8dkzvzrLscE-Lh2W62nQP3CJXV7wcJkNDrzurkzBJx17IM5252E=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><br />Remove the pans from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. They will shrink away form the sides of the tins a little - this is normal and will help you to turn them out of the tins.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Once they are cool enough to handle (15 mins or so) use a small palette knife to run around the edges to make sure there are no sticking points. Turn the cakes out of the pans and onto the wire rack. Allow to cool fully.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">You're now ready to fill and assemble your cake.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">First, whip your cream together with a bit of icing sugar (if using - about 1/2 a teaspoon) to the just past the soft peak stage. I use a little bit of icing sugar as I find it tends to take the edge off any harshness in the flavour of the cream.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPM9VvBvV9zyPWdtfbs_qnm-yH1z8L_s9jxZJ1DFmIqqVALkex7u2niTKqD0yM_TfMVOYVE3t-7c0axrDfgVBrbAhUWUhNRestewU6KPmPXGsHNwroubk7G3DVArCL9WD4ALiXg-UqoCooblEzdWKmDpIzKbC2j4FqOC0LZ9PbHHWyLeceAm9juOdA=s4272" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPM9VvBvV9zyPWdtfbs_qnm-yH1z8L_s9jxZJ1DFmIqqVALkex7u2niTKqD0yM_TfMVOYVE3t-7c0axrDfgVBrbAhUWUhNRestewU6KPmPXGsHNwroubk7G3DVArCL9WD4ALiXg-UqoCooblEzdWKmDpIzKbC2j4FqOC0LZ9PbHHWyLeceAm9juOdA=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><br />Use this to top one of the sponge layers. You can do this however you want - using a palette knife or piping bag. Whatever you do, try and make a lip towards the edge of the cream, so that a well is formed towards the centre to hold the lemon curd. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">I use a bag to pipe eight dots around the edge of the sponge which I then smooth into the centre - I think it gives a nice effect when the lemon curd is added as this can then be coaxed to drip down the sides between the outer edges of the dots.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Once you are happy with the cream layer, place a generous amount of lemon curd onto the top of the cream and spread out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFA8k5_cTiL8jRIZWAVPCbYv9ywTc_ed5M7Bceey5FqGzuC4JkMf86zhgjFZ4g-pCD9ywa3ZwpiJhgZkXsw9VUEZO2AuLnWO2xF5VND8ZtKkjWNqZuVhMQ92Jyo5pXe88incK8DrZqWrtga4yRbZGdMkiJppkx3c-uFA_LOY7KZomWtN5VdtTgdq5f=s4272" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFA8k5_cTiL8jRIZWAVPCbYv9ywTc_ed5M7Bceey5FqGzuC4JkMf86zhgjFZ4g-pCD9ywa3ZwpiJhgZkXsw9VUEZO2AuLnWO2xF5VND8ZtKkjWNqZuVhMQ92Jyo5pXe88incK8DrZqWrtga4yRbZGdMkiJppkx3c-uFA_LOY7KZomWtN5VdtTgdq5f=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><br />Next, take your meringue nests and place in a bowl, plastic food bag or similar. Crush the nests to form pieces (you want a good mix of bite size pieces, smaller ones and meringue 'dust', so I find it easiest to do this using a bag - which catches all the pieces - and crushing it with my hands). Make sure you reserve some of the finer, dusty bits to top the cake.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTsBUHoly3M2oStBUyGn95LRFo899dpKHfhzyRXaonay5aozRqAhgD01RRCNQeVjkSDIJ42pDOEibm0Epjg4Nr_8ms6-I1lOilk88pxxin1DECucXfWEGsSgAL2QWhhgDLJV2NpDz1KK0ZAD2tbMwj1gO5ppeQ91_3OmvHPwHYW4RFwTiZdqyPffgT=s4272" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTsBUHoly3M2oStBUyGn95LRFo899dpKHfhzyRXaonay5aozRqAhgD01RRCNQeVjkSDIJ42pDOEibm0Epjg4Nr_8ms6-I1lOilk88pxxin1DECucXfWEGsSgAL2QWhhgDLJV2NpDz1KK0ZAD2tbMwj1gO5ppeQ91_3OmvHPwHYW4RFwTiZdqyPffgT=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Take the larger meringue pieces and sprinkle over the lemon curd to make a meringue layer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Top this with the second sponge. Sprinkle some caster sugar over the top, along with a little of the meringue dust.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimxeZlU98mmsBymyEq67_I9YX2VDEcEl8mETmczcmX_ymlLYnfN2zLiULRc3tcP6fD25GfSSKzstcFBRD5deVTKmLYgvLk_U5BpW2rDWE9zbfOiKHiFpPNSY99RRt1P0q8B71Qvi5NmXZrfshdjiNiSEE1Gz_h74eJi7WFK_KOjYOLmjXITrcWDVl4=s4272" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimxeZlU98mmsBymyEq67_I9YX2VDEcEl8mETmczcmX_ymlLYnfN2zLiULRc3tcP6fD25GfSSKzstcFBRD5deVTKmLYgvLk_U5BpW2rDWE9zbfOiKHiFpPNSY99RRt1P0q8B71Qvi5NmXZrfshdjiNiSEE1Gz_h74eJi7WFK_KOjYOLmjXITrcWDVl4=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">You're done!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">As this cake contains fresh cream, you will need to keep it refrigerated in a suitable airtight container (to stop it drying out in the cool air of the fridge). It should last for up to three days.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Enjoy,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Susie</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgypUAPBUraLTg-fxeJSUAHU3OmfFEo4SVm67duZS9tcDWL-kNomwHJsbZNXu7RPaDngpgTgW99AADv45jbEp2mZVe651c-k2bbHXa6p3QQMsfK6Ef04zqeQwByxlNVZMz1gDDApx_VlaLmWlh54W3eZQ--ELSsJogfiJ6L0z-b6TPhjeX3LApiscNQ=s4272" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4272" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgypUAPBUraLTg-fxeJSUAHU3OmfFEo4SVm67duZS9tcDWL-kNomwHJsbZNXu7RPaDngpgTgW99AADv45jbEp2mZVe651c-k2bbHXa6p3QQMsfK6Ef04zqeQwByxlNVZMz1gDDApx_VlaLmWlh54W3eZQ--ELSsJogfiJ6L0z-b6TPhjeX3LApiscNQ=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><b style="font-family: Quicksand;">A note on lemon curd</b></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Obviously, you could make your own lemon curd. If you want to go down that route, it's fairly straightforward and there are a number of recipes available on the internet. Frankly, it's too much faff for me. I therefore am happy to use shop bought, but what I look for is a decent lemon curd that packs real flavour. The ones I tend to use are the 'luxury' supermarket options which tout themselves as being made using Sicilian lemons - Asda's 'Extra Special' and Tesco's 'Finest' are good choices. I find I use about half a jar on this cake, which leaves plenty either for another cake or - to give myself a treat - to spread on hot, buttered toast.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><b>A note on meringue nests</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Again, this is something you could make yourself and if you're that way inclined, then go for it. What I would say, though, is that I find this cake benefits from the more crunchy, dried out meringue nests most supermarkets stock. This is because the lemon curd will add moisture and may soften them very quickly. You need a decent amount of crunch to them.</span></p>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-614065784972251292021-12-22T18:15:00.002+00:002021-12-22T18:15:28.866+00:00Ten<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH-OlWfIZSAHboZSgg_7deGmg5jgd-bnng9JZeihagkkHeQ0iHeYq9pytAa3QLVqOzUzFigNXJT0tA9SvEnhXXYXSMitbICsQ-DKnQMPNEn3sMy1f75h79OYxYj3NrOdlLTXowpklmo1pC-xJzIW3xW6UcJYRLdgSPvaj9ucJf5yeKu216dQ7QK5du=s900" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH-OlWfIZSAHboZSgg_7deGmg5jgd-bnng9JZeihagkkHeQ0iHeYq9pytAa3QLVqOzUzFigNXJT0tA9SvEnhXXYXSMitbICsQ-DKnQMPNEn3sMy1f75h79OYxYj3NrOdlLTXowpklmo1pC-xJzIW3xW6UcJYRLdgSPvaj9ucJf5yeKu216dQ7QK5du=s320" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p>22 December 2011.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hit 'publish' for the first time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But plans are afoot.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Meanwhile, in these troubled times, may you have a joyous and peaceful festive season.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Susie xx</span></p>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-19222905174090346792019-01-22T17:48:00.001+00:002019-01-22T17:48:52.607+00:00Warming Beetroot and Ginger Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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January is always a grey month. The glow of Christmas and New Year celebrations rapidly fades and gives way to the gloom of a season that at this point in the year seems endless. There are times when I get in from the school run and just want to curl up under a soft, snuggly blanket with Sam, feet entwined as we watch some of his favourite tv while gossiping about our days and what he got up to at school.<br />
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There'll be a whirlwind of activity a bit later, when the others arrive home from their respective days. Early enough so that we'll catch the last fading of the sun before we hunker down for another night. A necessary part of this is our evening cuppa. Hot, sweet and steaming, and best accompanied by a little something to soak it up.<br />
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This is a cake for that time. Reminiscent of carrot cake, the veg helps it feel virtuously right for the New Year. It's not overly sweet and there's a little warmth from the ginger and spice. A hit of citrus in the cream cheese frosting brightens the earthiness and deep colour of the beetroot. It's just enough to leave you feeling contented. Most nights, that's all I want.<br />
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<b>Beetroot and Ginger Cake </b><br />
(serves 12)<br />
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260g peeled and grated fresh beetroot<br />
100g candied ginger finely chopped<br />
finely grated zest of one orange<br />
75g chopped pecans<br />
200g plain flour<br />
2 tspns baking powder<br />
1/4 tspn bicarbonate of soda<br />
1/4 tspn salt<br />
1/2 tspn mixed spice<br />
150g golden caster sugar<br />
2 large eggs (ideally each approx 65g in the shell)<br />
125ml sunflower oil<br />
60g plain greek yoghurt<br />
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<i>For the frosting:</i><br />
75g cream cheese (you need full fat for this or it won't work as well - I use Original Philly)<br />
100g softened (room temperature) butter<br />
350g icing sugar, sifted<br />
zest of one orange and one lemon<br />
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Preheat the oven to 160 C (fan oven). Line a 9 inch (22.5 cm) square loose bottomed cake tin with baking parchment.<br />
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Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt and mixed spice into bowl and set aside.<br />
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Squeeeeze out as much of the liquid from the beetroot as you can without leaving it dry (<i>tip - use a disposable vinyl glove to stop your hands staining - and don't ask me how I know this!</i>).<br />
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In a large bowl, using a hand held electric mixer, whisk the sugar and eggs until smooth - gently add the oil while continuing to whisk. Add the yoghurt and whisk briefly to mix it in.<br />
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Add the flour mixture and fold in using a spatula.<br />
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Add the beetroot, orange zest, chopped ginger and chopped pecans and mix well. Turn out into the tin, push into the corners and level the surface with your spatula.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvvz32it66ek6tjzXzJjZ1b0tZkoldxn3-dN2foy03oPbYWWrGl-ZNFDMLHGMFZ_KV6sGhrpyE1vsinDyw9DFL1vRw0L-4MW1bwyk0bHbD8k35p8_oGyAuU6NAv8M8sbN-7jYQ27fgWE/s1600/Beetroot+and+Ginger+Cake+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvvz32it66ek6tjzXzJjZ1b0tZkoldxn3-dN2foy03oPbYWWrGl-ZNFDMLHGMFZ_KV6sGhrpyE1vsinDyw9DFL1vRw0L-4MW1bwyk0bHbD8k35p8_oGyAuU6NAv8M8sbN-7jYQ27fgWE/s640/Beetroot+and+Ginger+Cake+4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.<br />
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Make the frosting by beating the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and zest together (I use a stand mixer fitted with a padded attachment for this, but use what you have - just make sure that the mixture is smooth and spreadable).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_LjeZhck-rLqnUzsua3_asmcT2J1-rih7Rv_eusCuXStGXEme_wMKXtWIQ5n5WpymT6ZufNEVGukcz4jauvYY2gSkpspfUA05vCfA4P39xoW94roNL-jPiuhffNnxmAazwvzkYTB0zk/s1600/Beetroot+and+Ginger+Cake+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_LjeZhck-rLqnUzsua3_asmcT2J1-rih7Rv_eusCuXStGXEme_wMKXtWIQ5n5WpymT6ZufNEVGukcz4jauvYY2gSkpspfUA05vCfA4P39xoW94roNL-jPiuhffNnxmAazwvzkYTB0zk/s640/Beetroot+and+Ginger+Cake+5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Gently peel the parchment from the cake. Spread the frosting over the top - or you could pipe it if you fancy a more decorated look.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5usLQ91bVfXh9BZjRiaQbX0BDo7hrupXp0lGQ7M32X48Wx_Dq89_HjHT26Es5AIDXm8Co-40e8k8nTbz7IuaXijVKoDEZnzCXZm6Zd3E4QhwjPxCX1dLAFgVstnuc80U5ijWAwBzBSWg/s1600/Beetroot+and+Ginger+Cake+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5usLQ91bVfXh9BZjRiaQbX0BDo7hrupXp0lGQ7M32X48Wx_Dq89_HjHT26Es5AIDXm8Co-40e8k8nTbz7IuaXijVKoDEZnzCXZm6Zd3E4QhwjPxCX1dLAFgVstnuc80U5ijWAwBzBSWg/s640/Beetroot+and+Ginger+Cake+10.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Not the neatest - but you get the idea</span>!</i></td></tr>
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Cut into squares and serve. You'll get 12 decent size portions from this, using a 3 x 4 row cut, but if you want something a little smaller, cut it 4 x 4 to get 16 'fika'-size portions.<br />
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Enjoy,<br />
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Susie<br />
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<i>* With some small adaptations, this is based on a recipe by <a href="https://www.davidlebovitz.com/beet-and-ginger-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">David Leibowitz,</a> which is in turn based on a recipe by Ottolenghi in his book, 'Sweet'. </i>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-64073243160336978722017-10-01T12:03:00.004+00:002022-01-02T15:10:11.105+00:00Little Devil's Chocolate Birthday Cake<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">Our little man / devil turned six this week. Six. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">EEK!!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Apart from us now having an increasingly precocious six-going-on-sixteen year old, it also means this blog is very nearly six too.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">I just feel like I really don't know where that time has gone, y'know? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">It only feels like yesterday that I was on maternity leave with Sam, overwhelmed and overtired and trying to find a creative outlet to keep myself sane. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">So much has happened since then. And I think there's definite truth in the saying that time speeds up the older you get. Now I'm at the point of knocking on the door of 50, birthdays seem to fly by.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Anyway, enough of that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">It's also a universal truth that whatever the birthday, anniversary or occasion, you can't really go far wrong with a chocolate cake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Especially when it's as rich, fudgey and, well, <i>chocolatey</i> as this one.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxtESHiwvFRcPBc3mss0dVtqI_xntwhE8BUPN9bypKfyctMjPSfHIvzMbUl39yHxRtE5KfzqxjRTfZY7wm09GiUeo95OL1XBXl0h4wfjlec9SF6Yq296DzZoToIGz3QkKnFZnC_6ta88/s1600/Birthday+Cake+33.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxtESHiwvFRcPBc3mss0dVtqI_xntwhE8BUPN9bypKfyctMjPSfHIvzMbUl39yHxRtE5KfzqxjRTfZY7wm09GiUeo95OL1XBXl0h4wfjlec9SF6Yq296DzZoToIGz3QkKnFZnC_6ta88/s640/Birthday+Cake+33.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span>This is my all time, favourite chocolate incarnation, hacked from David Liebovitz's<u> </u></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://www.davidlebovitz.com/devils-food-cak/" target="_blank">Devil's Food Cake</a> recipe. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My former colleague and partner-in-cake, Laura, put me onto this, and I now tend to use it for most of the chocolate cake variations we offer in Sweet. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">It's perfect. Not too sweet, not too rich. Just a gobsmacking load of chocolatey goodness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">You can pair it with a simple chocolate buttercream. Or a flavoured buttercream like salted caramel, with a saucy side to the middle. Or some Oreo Cream Cheese frosting. Or Nutella and Ferraro Rocher. Or raspberry coulis and fresh berries. Or mint extract and crushed candy canes (oooh, festive!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Get the idea? Whatever takes your fancy really.</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1RPGZbFVFHjVtHyIXLumGH98ytADbd6LrBXO4DLm0Sr6Mh7xUvH9bziVdRx7zlKyh0kfsXFbFw89-4uxi4th81kbXrwzeQ3lHT6vXvn7uZwEr6oEzMFv3sH31UTyMFroNbJD4tZRYDk/s1600/Birthday+Cake+23.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1RPGZbFVFHjVtHyIXLumGH98ytADbd6LrBXO4DLm0Sr6Mh7xUvH9bziVdRx7zlKyh0kfsXFbFw89-4uxi4th81kbXrwzeQ3lHT6vXvn7uZwEr6oEzMFv3sH31UTyMFroNbJD4tZRYDk/s640/Birthday+Cake+23.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">This time though, I didn't get to choose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">I had to work to a brief of chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Something that a six year old could get their teeth into.</span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87ybaPmW-4dL2sK339hHxtG7QO_784YrCryFMzthYUDbGI0DCLUtNqhYAxFDhsPv5h4rP_TeE9g41PJf3ZZvkEc2FcwAWWGFqXQTMRt2asnQCNxDHB_RDiY-Qlj_Uqx6Tuc-6iTgetwg/s640/Birthday+cake+20.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">So I went for custom chocolate ganache. I call it custom as I find milk chocolate on a cake is too sweet, and dark chocolate is just too <i>dark</i>. So I tend to mix them. Play around a bit. Get something I'm really happy with. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">The important thing is that it's smooth and velvety, and just the right consistency to firm up a bit on the cake to hold it together.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then of course, there were the sweeties. Lots of them. Sweets for my sweet ...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Twirl Bites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Freddo Faces.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Cadbury's Buttons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Smarties. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">You could use any your little heart desires though, so go ahead, knock yourself out. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">If you've clicked on the link to David's recipe, you'll see that it uses American cup measurements. I've adapted to get something I can weigh in grams, so more UK user friendly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">I don't use the coffee either. It's a small amount and is just supposed to highlight the chocolate taste, rather than make it taste like a Mocha. I just don't bother.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">I also use a different method for ganache. It's pretty straightforward and just begging to be tried. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Go on. I dare you ...</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Little Devil's Chocolate Birthday Cake</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Makes one 8" cake serving 12 - 16</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><i>Ingredients</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">115g room temperature (so soft) butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">300g golden caster sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">2 large eggs (each about 68g) lightly beaten</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">185g plain flour</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">75g cocoa powder</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">1 tspn bicarbonate of soda</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">1/4 tspn baking powder</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">1/2 tspn salt</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">120ml water</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">120 ml milk</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><i>Chocolate Ganache to decorate</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">300g quality milk chocolate callets (or drops/chopped chocolate)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">100g quality plain chocolate callets </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">200g double cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sweeties. Lots of them.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan/180 Electric. Grease and baseline two eight inch sandwich pans.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sieve the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarb into a bowl. Add the salt and set aside. Measure the water and milk into a jug.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium high for a few minutes until it becomes light and creamy and the sugar starts to dissolve. It'll look really dry at first, like wet sand (because there 's obviously more sugar than butter), but keep going and it'll get there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Add the eggs little by little until incorporated. Don't overmix.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, turn the mixer to low and add about a third of the flour mix. I usually do this a dessert-spoon at a time, so you don't knock any air out of the mix by dumping it in all in one go. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Add half of the water and milk, mix briefly, then add another third of the flour, then the remaining water and milk, and then finally, the last third of the flour. Once the flour looks as though it has mixed in, turn the mixer to medium and give it a quick blast for 30 seconds, to make sure it is all mixed thoroughly. Pause, scrape down the bowl if necessary, and give it another quick whizz if it's not all incorporated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Turn the mix out evenly between the two cake pans. (if you still have some streaky bits of mix showing, just manually fold it in with a spatula).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bake in the centre of the oven for about 25-30 minutes until risen, slightly pulling from the side of the tin, and firm-ish to the touch (touch the surface lightly with a clean finger - if it's not ready, it'll leave an indentation as if it's a deflating balloon. If it is ready, it'll be firmer).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Remove from the oven and allow to cool.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;"><i><b>A note on frosting</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">This sponge is really forgiving if you want to make it one night and decorate the next. Just wrap the cake - still in the tin - in cling film once cool. No need to refrigerate. When you are ready, just unwrap, run a palette knife along the inside to ease release, and then turn out. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The sponge should be moist - if you handle it too roughly, it may even feel a bit sticky in your fingers. So go carefully. You should also plan on crumb-coating it before adding a final layer of decoration. This first crumb coat - and try and make the frosting very smooth and silky - will lift but then trap a layer of crumbs, but providing you are gentle it should be fine. Chill for 20 minutes and it'll be firm enough to do the final finishing coat. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQXcjOz-SlQCBmmqA4-iQXNEkj3qJp94kIF_PSwlQ15FXhyphenhyphenzh5lIu1YyDoK07DE3RDQenXH1BflkL79hnqvN0QS3pkrvM5cYuhW-94WcxQ8u9dvxYPoe4Y_mW4lv9a83q8B_D6zQdFCk/s1600/Birthday+Cake+39.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQXcjOz-SlQCBmmqA4-iQXNEkj3qJp94kIF_PSwlQ15FXhyphenhyphenzh5lIu1YyDoK07DE3RDQenXH1BflkL79hnqvN0QS3pkrvM5cYuhW-94WcxQ8u9dvxYPoe4Y_mW4lv9a83q8B_D6zQdFCk/s640/Birthday+Cake+39.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;"><i><b>Frosting</b></i></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">For the ganache, place the chocolate into a heat proof bowl. Place the cream in a small saucepan and gently bring up to simmering point, stirring often. Pour the cream over the chocolate pieces and stir briefly, then allow to sit for a minute. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Using a large whisk, stir the chocolate and cream mix briskly to ensure that the chocolate has all melted and mixed with the cream, and that it is thoroughly blended.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Set side and allow to cool. You can speed this process up by placing in the fridge, but if you do, stir frequently and remove as soon as you reach a smooth, spreadable consistency. If you over chill it and it is too thick, give it a burst in the microwave for a few seconds and then stir, repeating if necessary. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">Once your cakes have cooled completely, you can use this devilish mix to sandwich and coat them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Decorate how you wish. You can just smother the cake with ganache and swirl with a knife. But I find a</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> bit of piping around the top adds a little decoration (and stops all the sweeties falling off!).</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">And this was how it looked on the night.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">With one very excited, newly-turned 6 year old in charge of blowing out the candles ...</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Susie xx</span></div>
Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-34917476589111789712017-08-20T12:16:00.000+00:002017-08-20T12:16:06.991+00:00Coffee and Pecan Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A coffee shop without some sort of coffee cake on offer seems wrong, to me at least.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Since starting our own place, I've tried out a few. It's my go-to order when indulging in checking out the competition. And I have to say that good coffee cake can be hard to find. Sometimes, the coffee flavour is too overwhelming. Sometimes, especially if walnuts are involved, I find the nuts too bitter alongside the coffee - which can be bitter as well. And I'm not a fan of overly sweet icing. As with most things, I like to be caressed. Personal quibbles, I know, but my tastebuds thank me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">I guess it's all a question of balance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><b><i><u><sub><sup><strike><br /></strike></sup></sub></u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">When I'm baking for Sweet, I like to vary recipes and change things up regularly. Coffee </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">cakes on offer have included <a href="http://foldintheflour.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/mocha-meringue-cake.html" target="_blank">Mocha Meringue</a>, a Chocca Mocca Layer, and sometimes, Cappucino Cupcakes. But by far a favourite in the shop, and one which usually features on a weekly basis at least, is Coffee and Pecan Cake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">I've been making this for so long now that I can't recall where I got the original recipe. I know it was borne out of Delia, Rachel Allen and Miranda Gore Brown, but a bit of all thrown together. It certainly took a bit of tweaking to become something I was truly happy with. Changing the walnuts of the original to pecans for example (I think pecans are the perfect nut - nutty, sweet and buttery with no hint of bitterness). A bit more baking powder here to lighten the sponge. The perfect coffee there (I often use <a href="https://www.coaltowncoffee.co.uk/collections/online-store/products/black-gold-no3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coaltown Black Gold</a> - a wonderful, mellow blend - our favourite brew and the one we use in the shop - that's also artisan roasted in Wales). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">The end result is a lovely, light cake that's not in-your-face. Well, unless you want it to be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><b>Coffee and Pecan Cake</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Ingredients (serves 12)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">450g good quality, room temperature butter </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">450g golden caster sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">8 large eggs, lightly beaten</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">450g self raising flour, sieved</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">2 tspns baking powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">100g pecans, finely chopped plus a few extra to decorate</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">2 tbpsns good quality coffee powder (<i>if I'm using instant, it'll be Nescafe Azeera</i>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><i>Frosting</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">150g good quality, room temperature butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">325g icing sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">1 tbspn good quality coffee powder, dissolved in 1 tbspn water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">A little milk, to slacken if necessary</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">For the cake: Preheat your oven to 160 fan / 180 conventional / gas 5. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia";">Butter and baseline two 20cm (8 inch) sandwich pans. Dissolve the 4 tbspns coffee powder in 4 tbspns of boiling water and allow to cool.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Sieve the flour and baking powder together into a bowl and set aside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy (I use a stand mixer for this, and it takes a couple of minutes on a medium speed).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNS1f6EYwk0MSilS7qJMZBrBTbxqTYlI-3Dj28c71u5NgwzVhQdMFoRJnnXMI51GKrRKbrAIwihk_KAYKRqPrrj4HJ-tHNUMLUCWiz0brgfS2puFsg-wywkfl7OfWwB8XcJj3SaEPEds/s1600/IMG_0903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNS1f6EYwk0MSilS7qJMZBrBTbxqTYlI-3Dj28c71u5NgwzVhQdMFoRJnnXMI51GKrRKbrAIwihk_KAYKRqPrrj4HJ-tHNUMLUCWiz0brgfS2puFsg-wywkfl7OfWwB8XcJj3SaEPEds/s640/IMG_0903.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Add the eggs little by little, mixing in well. If it starts to look a little bit like scrambled eggs, it's a sign you've added too much egg too quickly. Just add a little flour - about a tablespoon - and beat for few seconds before continuing to add the egg.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Once all the eggs have been incorporated, turn the mixer to low and add the flour, a dessertspoon at a time. Once the flour is all in, add the coffee. Now, just give the mix a quick - five second - blast on medium to make sure it's all incorporated. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the chopped pecans, making sure they are evenly mixed in.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5eXklsqZBrvtwRMwPK2LFnlnH7J-ZxukUqhDXcja-uAbbXVB71LoYGQtoZ2m4RnmhMHMrTWEkThl5QUIziFeGLjCkjnPIQn0neSl5jl-OrAUWxbysY5LuMpOUd3W6-OY2kAEAy6ZNY8/s1600/IMG_0904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5eXklsqZBrvtwRMwPK2LFnlnH7J-ZxukUqhDXcja-uAbbXVB71LoYGQtoZ2m4RnmhMHMrTWEkThl5QUIziFeGLjCkjnPIQn0neSl5jl-OrAUWxbysY5LuMpOUd3W6-OY2kAEAy6ZNY8/s640/IMG_0904.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Share the mix between your two buttered pans, and then level the surface. I like to be precise about this and weigh the mix into the pans - usually about 500g in each plus a tablespoon or two extra. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYdnv0BRRsWJIEJu_jIiHXLqH-Fxgd4szEYRCvPwyJotvQOl6QFAdj5g1p1PZ6O35wnmfGBK_t-4pmac_bXAaJMreFCXjzQGsPh-kwj6aMf5nN0lrPVhYIDsOVmROEHmiAH_t2j5jBwE/s1600/IMG_0912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYdnv0BRRsWJIEJu_jIiHXLqH-Fxgd4szEYRCvPwyJotvQOl6QFAdj5g1p1PZ6O35wnmfGBK_t-4pmac_bXAaJMreFCXjzQGsPh-kwj6aMf5nN0lrPVhYIDsOVmROEHmiAH_t2j5jBwE/s640/IMG_0912.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Place the pans in the centre of your preheated oven, and then bake for 30 - 35 minutes until risen, golden and the cakes are just coming away from the sides of the tins a little. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia";">Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSSlhfQNJVGpLbQsaQMAr4JDaWiGaVpW5E_V6W8OQjWWY3g6xMp1h-ftk9H4H5zphtt_kIXF_d0_bbb4F0PUzUAtumPSHeAdR-YoOWCbGknEtSQMRijPtCzLMfoUk_UY8E2lzRQIJeqg/s1600/IMG_0934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSSlhfQNJVGpLbQsaQMAr4JDaWiGaVpW5E_V6W8OQjWWY3g6xMp1h-ftk9H4H5zphtt_kIXF_d0_bbb4F0PUzUAtumPSHeAdR-YoOWCbGknEtSQMRijPtCzLMfoUk_UY8E2lzRQIJeqg/s640/IMG_0934.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a mixer along with the icing sugar. Beat on high until it's smooth and fluffy. Add the coffee and beat again until smooth. If you need to, add a little milk (a teaspoon at a time) to slacken it to make it more spreadable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">One the cakes have cooled, use the frosting to sandwich together and spread a thin crumb coat of icing all over the outside. Place in the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes to set a little, then use the rest of the icing to finish of the cake. I spread a second coat of icing and then use a spatula to trace a rustic spiral.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Vqbqlyc_YdeUHz-J525kpnNYBH1m6B4tgUsOq1qHSsi6lqp7_53nyelT1xTx1_8q2qrgBydWV1Ju-NKIx68zkdlw-kGbx9_2pptyiSvWsnynKvBnpthNf6vuLYfQ2CP_gZi0nNHZtac/s1600/coffee+%2526+pecan+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Vqbqlyc_YdeUHz-J525kpnNYBH1m6B4tgUsOq1qHSsi6lqp7_53nyelT1xTx1_8q2qrgBydWV1Ju-NKIx68zkdlw-kGbx9_2pptyiSvWsnynKvBnpthNf6vuLYfQ2CP_gZi0nNHZtac/s640/coffee+%2526+pecan+12.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Finish off with the reserved pecan as decoration. You can just place them whole on the top, but I like to chop them finely and sprinkle them around the edge of the cake. It just seems a bit easier to eat. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEu2CncxUUHz2SeCJfphyphenhyphen_A-Cwy-SYG-MmjpNw5pqNP5sPMKL5ozl_hf5AcVJQiFeLvfI0AIBkd0Yz_uOwjGrSey-7jjLuPS2eYFEkFZ-oG_12qshTOxRzMaX02-qlt4a8ecj79dnZGk/s1600/coffee+%2526+pecan+15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEu2CncxUUHz2SeCJfphyphenhyphen_A-Cwy-SYG-MmjpNw5pqNP5sPMKL5ozl_hf5AcVJQiFeLvfI0AIBkd0Yz_uOwjGrSey-7jjLuPS2eYFEkFZ-oG_12qshTOxRzMaX02-qlt4a8ecj79dnZGk/s640/coffee+%2526+pecan+15.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><b><i><u><sub><sup><strike><br /></strike></sup></sub></u></i></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">The cake will amply serve 12. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Susie xx</span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-60303513362270851252016-12-31T21:18:00.000+00:002017-08-20T12:08:42.835+00:002016 - That's how the cookie crumbled ...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5m6mHJ-thkbmWIWeD8B1UUfim2DHjspb2ioPhqQFQOQb5NxXYRf4fXDkxiWIbheZ7Y6TPkYTomRdsBJtaASHCoCWJxYXA3b1acNB2e4YTkH5NMwLKoRKd7kyxhLeeCXJLBI0TCppajo/s1600/74833293-0542-4448-B378-2CA5D781A1DF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5m6mHJ-thkbmWIWeD8B1UUfim2DHjspb2ioPhqQFQOQb5NxXYRf4fXDkxiWIbheZ7Y6TPkYTomRdsBJtaASHCoCWJxYXA3b1acNB2e4YTkH5NMwLKoRKd7kyxhLeeCXJLBI0TCppajo/s400/74833293-0542-4448-B378-2CA5D781A1DF.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hmmm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, it's been nearly a year? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My resolutions and good intentions don't seem to count for much, do they?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All I can say is that stuff happened. And look marginally shame-faced, at least. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anyway, if there is anyone left to read this, I thought I'd pop by, wish you a Happy New 2017, and show a few highlights of our 2016. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's been a busy - and complex - year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our coffee shop is still there, nestled in the heart of Whitchurch in Cardiff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We still specialise in artisan cakes and sweet treats (yeah - get me - I think I've started to value my 'talent' sufficiently to call it artisan). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We do other things though, such as paninis and home made soup, and aim to use local Welsh food producers where we can. Our bread is from Brutons - one of the oldest bakeries in Cardiff - and our meat comes from a farm in the Vale of Glamorgan sold at our local butcher. I use Bacheldre Mill flour for baking. Welsh and proud. All good, all good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CxH87c3aUnathtgBVbxaXEF-hvS30csYeW-TOiuWa90-Pxb4WxKZJSTIN7AVJ9kTgXpMJr0tUipqz-ls0O4VTEpzWjPZ0e6JyOE2dQi3HzMm7z4Drzi0zIHCHk4Sehd4rUCVIK_y0Ac/s1600/881276a2-9b66-44ed-bcbe-70c2e9790c6f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CxH87c3aUnathtgBVbxaXEF-hvS30csYeW-TOiuWa90-Pxb4WxKZJSTIN7AVJ9kTgXpMJr0tUipqz-ls0O4VTEpzWjPZ0e6JyOE2dQi3HzMm7z4Drzi0zIHCHk4Sehd4rUCVIK_y0Ac/s400/881276a2-9b66-44ed-bcbe-70c2e9790c6f.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Birthday Cake Order - Fresh Raspberry Buttercream on a Dark Chocolate Sponge</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We've continued to receive fantastic feedback via Facebook and Trip Adviser reviews. And we feel part of the community - something we're honoured by - sufficiently to have received so many heartfelt Christmas and New Year wishes it's been amazingly touching. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_suUQSYai2qM_L6b4L4UwwNMIiJe-8Di8QwOrHRH9eed5QeYZXYz_6LF1ijdIH9WFrLSzWedxTIGqz3PYKF6XR5ew1mhLiJchl7SfAMNW0DoFgxNwoI2ZR-bsqc3i1q5-LrUO7hqICQ/s1600/unnamed+%252831%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_suUQSYai2qM_L6b4L4UwwNMIiJe-8Di8QwOrHRH9eed5QeYZXYz_6LF1ijdIH9WFrLSzWedxTIGqz3PYKF6XR5ew1mhLiJchl7SfAMNW0DoFgxNwoI2ZR-bsqc3i1q5-LrUO7hqICQ/s400/unnamed+%252831%2529.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wedding Favours - 140 'Thank You' Cookies</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We've been part of birthdays, weddings and funerals. It still amazes me that people choose us to provide the cake for their events.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTI7ze1grLuWdQKvzSsKrGTEr3HZXzcyiFTCpbAO7ZhvQI8OnOxpl303qOV5YGNg-Ewy-6EbWoDmxOCmeqvRqlx9vJmso4CzM-DpPYODlYA-T1tWRKIhQ9TghUu67aCr_Sl6aE_Y9lQU/s1600/3e68ccb6-4560-454e-9594-4de0617a4802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTI7ze1grLuWdQKvzSsKrGTEr3HZXzcyiFTCpbAO7ZhvQI8OnOxpl303qOV5YGNg-Ewy-6EbWoDmxOCmeqvRqlx9vJmso4CzM-DpPYODlYA-T1tWRKIhQ9TghUu67aCr_Sl6aE_Y9lQU/s400/3e68ccb6-4560-454e-9594-4de0617a4802.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with handmade decorations - just because</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There have been low points. One of our local competitors yet again trying to mess around with our suppliers. A leaking roof our landlord was slow to fix. Some sad person nicking our summer hanging baskets. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There have been funny points, too. The toddler whose interest in the cafe toy box led to him taking rather too close a look, little legs waving in the air. The lady who thought a whole cake was available to buy for the cost of a slice. (Really? I mean, Really???)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy6ozB93iIwlnX9VKMdj3jtTfVW0x1tCwO3cFumd9r0oEpSGFd6AXeOn6Wb3H0XNBPvLR0PpLLNukF4od3xsyFT2HJFm4S9WgPfE1_bA3Ad2goBOIk_8mH9nPsLyINpOPbOAO2CiR6XI/s1600/rose+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy6ozB93iIwlnX9VKMdj3jtTfVW0x1tCwO3cFumd9r0oEpSGFd6AXeOn6Wb3H0XNBPvLR0PpLLNukF4od3xsyFT2HJFm4S9WgPfE1_bA3Ad2goBOIk_8mH9nPsLyINpOPbOAO2CiR6XI/s400/rose+detail.jpg" width="298" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">60th Birthday Cake</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During the last twelve months, we've raised around £1,500 for local charities, through coffee mornings, afternoon teas, donations and cookie sales.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZQVIImSI061HVsO-zg7qgQdTF0AJeEXDjdfMP15LA0yfpLVWI1S3Cl3bkYovKbMbbF6HUxijvRFq4ktaHH-cEalci0HMFDC-q9zazWuijsE0BtzCj_5ZjVrd6Di0pRmnYVFKtyXGvbM/s1600/bobath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZQVIImSI061HVsO-zg7qgQdTF0AJeEXDjdfMP15LA0yfpLVWI1S3Cl3bkYovKbMbbF6HUxijvRFq4ktaHH-cEalci0HMFDC-q9zazWuijsE0BtzCj_5ZjVrd6Di0pRmnYVFKtyXGvbM/s400/bobath.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our Bobath Bear Cookies - all proceeds go to Bobath Cynru</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And yep, I've had a whale of a time experimenting with bakes. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWc1IMA0jm4eNWovdFqcNzOKahNyh6BKxkcLb3uSQoBuAcObmdvr4cRZ-gOULA1_JAJF9vrgQuWvbKYU2LIz-PbXoyfrBcARIkXWA1uVlqPVF82hMlEFc0A0bjV9KG2460ppdBbnyZ7A/s1600/7b633069-ef18-4e5f-b806-6d364e8eb8b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWc1IMA0jm4eNWovdFqcNzOKahNyh6BKxkcLb3uSQoBuAcObmdvr4cRZ-gOULA1_JAJF9vrgQuWvbKYU2LIz-PbXoyfrBcARIkXWA1uVlqPVF82hMlEFc0A0bjV9KG2460ppdBbnyZ7A/s400/7b633069-ef18-4e5f-b806-6d364e8eb8b9.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cookies 'n' Cream Cake</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYjQVBm8FefGIBL9MYSDamab8fBG49aaP4mQgkZtjVENcrT0GdJRTIgB4fujUNiUUTmwJ-q26ZR8j8XOEg7CrdLxfh3WKmm50NFPrkI4bhlssENOBohamjtAKsHZ2TVTzXluNe7AaY-k/s1600/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYjQVBm8FefGIBL9MYSDamab8fBG49aaP4mQgkZtjVENcrT0GdJRTIgB4fujUNiUUTmwJ-q26ZR8j8XOEg7CrdLxfh3WKmm50NFPrkI4bhlssENOBohamjtAKsHZ2TVTzXluNe7AaY-k/s400/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We've got some exciting plans going forward to 2017.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Part of that includes me returning to blogging. And I've got some great ideas for posts. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Exciting times. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So have a happy - and safe - New Year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">See you on the other side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Susie xx</span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-7160026266575113702016-02-01T00:45:00.000+00:002016-02-01T00:45:49.534+00:00Livin' the dream ...<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Oh my goodness! Where has time gone? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Is it really January? 2016?</span><br />
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I'm so sorry - I'm clearly guilty of neglecting this blog, mainly due to being incredibly tired and/or busy. 12 months' of sleep deprivation got in the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Anyway, as a few of you were kind enough to enquire how things are going (waving to you Gem and Denise), I thought I'd post an update on our foray into small business.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Firstly, the purchase of the shop took much longer than we'd anticipated. It's really not that clear to us why, other than solicitors and surveyors etc seem to operate in an entirely different time zone of their own. Sometimes gobsmackingly so. To give an example, our solicitor had the nerve to say to us in early December: "Oh well, as we won't complete before Christmas now, I suppose there's no rush ...". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">No, it's only that this deal has been dragging on for six months now, and Mike and I need to get on, get with it and hopefully start earning a living. Tsk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We finally took ownership on 21 January 2015. God, there was a lot of work to do. We were having a bit of a re-fit, and our builders weren't able to start for a few weeks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And then the typical builders' estimate of six days, inevitably became three and a half weeks and several thousand pounds more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Finally, we had the place to ourselves. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Then the fun really started as we had decided to decorate the place ourselves. The first hurdle was deciding what colours could possibly mask the horrible orangey-brown combination we'd inherited. The next was teaching Josh and Ben one end of a paintbrush from the other.</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><br />
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Where we started, and where we were going, colour-wise</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Then gradually, what had been (in my view) an orange and brown hell hole of a coffee shop, started to look brighter, as cream, dark grey and teal began to make an impression. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc66-1k86-ikICavLxUEXT5R1MmoOAJrp-O9UhGiszKlmG9al9TN0xCvHqHtildK37VYTiyNapcs8d8C0XrR7jpC2LphBaeEE11Yy2SgW0_JF8bgrL6jsu3rGwve4hhgD6L0d7tC3Bb4c/s1600/sofa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc66-1k86-ikICavLxUEXT5R1MmoOAJrp-O9UhGiszKlmG9al9TN0xCvHqHtildK37VYTiyNapcs8d8C0XrR7jpC2LphBaeEE11Yy2SgW0_JF8bgrL6jsu3rGwve4hhgD6L0d7tC3Bb4c/s400/sofa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The delay at least meant that we were also able to kick on with our recruitment. We received over 70 applications, and eventually whittled them down to four. Four really great people. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Our team was in place and we had our first get-together in the coffee shop on 25 February.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We opened on 3 March - just for a few hours - and then opened full time on 8 March. (That seems so long ago now!). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Within a few weeks, we'd had our anxiously awaited food hygiene inspection.</span></div>
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We achieved a '5' which we were really pleased with. </div>
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And now it's going well. Yes, really well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We've had to learn lots, and there have been a few mistakes along the way. We are sooo tired, with having just a couple of days off since we opened. Mike bears the brunt of this, as when Sam is not in nursery on a Saturday, he has been in the coffee shop while I toddler-sit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And Sundays more often than not are spent either on trips to the wholesaler, or carrying out some maintenance/primping to the shop. Or both. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And there is usually baking that needs to be done so that we have a decent selection of cake available. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Or accounts, or some other form of paperwork.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I could go on, but I guess you're starting to get the picture. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The tiredness makes us tetchy. It's not been great for my stress and depression, and there have been times when I thought we were going to snap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But there are great moments that are carrying us through. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The previous owners had clearly lost interest in the shop by the time they sold it. It was unloved and with a dodgy reputation. We have had to work hard to turn this around, and try to get across that we are an entirely different business. It's a real pick me up to overhear a new-to-us customer commenting that the place is 'so different now' and 'lovely'.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYMuLMN-swQbYGJ-RLnYdmV2NlqaeZwLToM0q5gsx45p80m6LOkeXxZsDXw1ezcSVKQKYA2EDMqHG4mTdF5ZwXyHUgF3eWZKT1JJd1vLaPEhyizXorNbkiZAhpnsVLg1Oe9Q07gP4Opc/s1600/afternoon+tea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYMuLMN-swQbYGJ-RLnYdmV2NlqaeZwLToM0q5gsx45p80m6LOkeXxZsDXw1ezcSVKQKYA2EDMqHG4mTdF5ZwXyHUgF3eWZKT1JJd1vLaPEhyizXorNbkiZAhpnsVLg1Oe9Q07gP4Opc/s400/afternoon+tea.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon Tea - Sweet Style</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's been amazing watching Mike and the boys develop their barista skills. And the relationship with the customers, some of whom were a little, ahem, surly at first, and win them over. We've got a real cohort of regulars now, and we've worked hard to build a sense of community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We've done some fundraising for local charities, and held a bake-off as part of the Whitchurch Festival. Good times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As a keen - yet anxious - baker, it's been an ego boost to get some fabulous feedback. People actually like my cake! People who've actually tasted it! </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> And they come back. Whoop!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrkp3iodd-16o8Mv9xVPjnPIwh7ZXUF7OqjmsLN_lypoDhRRiWI1rfcMwLV_zfduOp5W7h1NabxD0-52ohxk9F7YG9RBeMez2AVc7AeYxFgM7AMWDr9n3-0w-6sH-c3N4fa_NiBQ-gx8/s1600/counter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrkp3iodd-16o8Mv9xVPjnPIwh7ZXUF7OqjmsLN_lypoDhRRiWI1rfcMwLV_zfduOp5W7h1NabxD0-52ohxk9F7YG9RBeMez2AVc7AeYxFgM7AMWDr9n3-0w-6sH-c3N4fa_NiBQ-gx8/s400/counter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We've had our first engagement on the back of some of our Red Velvet Cupcakes. We've seen babies whose first birthday has been celebrated with one of our cakes turn into toddlers. We've had our first Christmas, with lots and lots of twinkling fairy lights, hot chocolate and mince pies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We've been building our social media, too, with Facebook and Twitter, and our website. We've had some reviews - on Facebook, Google and Trip Advisor - which have been really encouraging.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">There's so much more we want to do, but we've needed to take time to learn the business. It's been so much harder than we anticipated, but we're still here, nearly twelve months later. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Hopefully, I won't leave my next post so long. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Susie x</span> </div>
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Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-80308678856157399552014-11-17T22:50:00.000+00:002014-11-17T22:50:19.101+00:00Pistachio and Lemon Cake (with a helping of news on the side)<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Gosh, where has the time gone?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So how've you been? Good I hope.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Great stuff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And Me?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Not so much. But getting there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I've been away a while, I know. Lots of things happening. Some not, but hey, that's life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Since we last spoke, I've left my job of 19 years (health reasons), and that seems scary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Mike's job was victim to a reorganisation, so that gave him the opportunity to take redundancy. That seems scary, too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As they say, timing is everything. So in a burst of mid-life shenanigans, we've decided to start our own business. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A coffee shop. With a bakery - cakery attached.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">O. M. G.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">That seems very freakin' scary! But exciting, too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkX-OA7RM1gcZQIiqyOqUwpXhhdV-clOdyhGHlJwSeB9OizZSgvccsfqjJyMJrtQtPeoI5kzceErJc9KilU00bGNNtMKaKp2UUchqtmoiewDMan8BfVIR7VmxdDGvL7WzbCsjhyphenhyphenhC_RI/s1600/Pistachio+and+Lemon+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkX-OA7RM1gcZQIiqyOqUwpXhhdV-clOdyhGHlJwSeB9OizZSgvccsfqjJyMJrtQtPeoI5kzceErJc9KilU00bGNNtMKaKp2UUchqtmoiewDMan8BfVIR7VmxdDGvL7WzbCsjhyphenhyphenhC_RI/s1600/Pistachio+and+Lemon+7.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Hopefully soon, we'll be taking on the lease of a small shop near us. Fitting it out, and then opening our doors to entice hungry shoppers with the delicious smell of good coffee and freshly baked cakes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It's going to be a lot of hard work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I can't wait. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But I have to. The legalities, you know? Take time. Meh.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So to keep myself occupied I've been practise baking the kind of cakes that we want to offer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Chocolate Cake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Carrot Cake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Lemon Drizzle. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Ginger and Lime Loaf. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">etc. etc. etc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And this one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A Pistachio and Lemon Cake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIZXA-5yGoDqXVzM8mxQCL2HI1UmTz6092Y3qZbPyXi88wnPLq8tlMuH37Y-QhpV1anMsgP3dac4UTn_TNV7iKKgelt7so6k1wc7RQfs21n-AHjcHvUFNLojbF0srBYiBqWQu4G0HsAA/s1600/Pistachio+and+Lemon+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIZXA-5yGoDqXVzM8mxQCL2HI1UmTz6092Y3qZbPyXi88wnPLq8tlMuH37Y-QhpV1anMsgP3dac4UTn_TNV7iKKgelt7so6k1wc7RQfs21n-AHjcHvUFNLojbF0srBYiBqWQu4G0HsAA/s1600/Pistachio+and+Lemon+3.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">There seem to be quite a few recipes around for this cake, all with slightly different variations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This one, from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/LOLAS-Forever-Lolas-Bakers/dp/1849755655/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416263417&sr=8-1&keywords=lola%27s+forever" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lola's Forever</a>, is a gaw-geous cuddle of a cake. Full of ground pistachios and almonds, it's incredibly moist, yet the crust becomes almost caramelised with the heat from the tin. There is a small amount of flour, so it's not a gluten free cake.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Lemon zest and juice in the batter, and the lemon icing act as a counterpoint to the sweet, nutty pistachios. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMaojJyXggrBq8QnEfsHyhnPusCD1X8eYUTbheNU-gtkgEDlbx660o15DBffp-vaSPMOiru75QpKtld1WygKEr1Y4-O1ZsYoaMrZReuUiKrwe28fUw_v2I-vie-MrjCEdsxUH20tD5oWM/s1600/Pistachio+and+Lemon+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMaojJyXggrBq8QnEfsHyhnPusCD1X8eYUTbheNU-gtkgEDlbx660o15DBffp-vaSPMOiru75QpKtld1WygKEr1Y4-O1ZsYoaMrZReuUiKrwe28fUw_v2I-vie-MrjCEdsxUH20tD5oWM/s1600/Pistachio+and+Lemon+8.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">At least it keeps me occupied while I wait.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And wait.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOUJ6ZJf0C0S9OnrZeootFC7DgbwpzJPbOfudM6ofHA-ilmwJ-Junkr0aT-xti0x190RfJSCK7ueCzhhkNKEQuYvdisZcjhCygGjXOdDTun-5XXM_PgXpnKqgUCxBmqYC4_1x4-yClZw/s1600/Pistachio+and+Lemon+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOUJ6ZJf0C0S9OnrZeootFC7DgbwpzJPbOfudM6ofHA-ilmwJ-Junkr0aT-xti0x190RfJSCK7ueCzhhkNKEQuYvdisZcjhCygGjXOdDTun-5XXM_PgXpnKqgUCxBmqYC4_1x4-yClZw/s1600/Pistachio+and+Lemon+6.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a bit brighter, though, so hopefully I'll have more news soon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Susie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">xx</span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-63712380965210681412014-04-29T18:40:00.001+00:002014-04-29T18:40:32.520+00:00Cranberry and Orange Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqni1_SjbDs-2vf_BJ9LqPoREGkQcmkh7Rgi9hJ1NeyVk8LGvkEOhNG8c6wOUMpY8XOw2P0dtBq-mSz-CHJ2uzYSPAQiTBYSrTrcfO9eBbtbmi8TprgdH6oRlJpJzYx5k2_r9woEFyIng/s1600/Orange+and+Cranberry+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqni1_SjbDs-2vf_BJ9LqPoREGkQcmkh7Rgi9hJ1NeyVk8LGvkEOhNG8c6wOUMpY8XOw2P0dtBq-mSz-CHJ2uzYSPAQiTBYSrTrcfO9eBbtbmi8TprgdH6oRlJpJzYx5k2_r9woEFyIng/s1600/Orange+and+Cranberry+16.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the last few months, I've been trying to get organised around the house. That's included having a mega clear out of<em> 'stuff'</em>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All different kinds of<em> 'stuff'</em>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been liberating, but there is still a lot around the house (not that I'm a hoarder or anything ...).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, last week, I decided to weed out the recipes I wanted to keep from a pile of foodie type magazines I'd accumulated. Rediscovering recipes I had forgotten about was fun - and got me back baking again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvS_YIBtoz-eVRfRm8C1sQZt9M16I9eDkn4aXYXyhr4zaL-muDkATac9kbcaYZuHzVN0HsCJt0FwgVQ5J7xapDegCHAJxk3Z6eHWezFKc9qULyqIyBDyRw3EqaeLcXmmLr4ydQ8m_NJ3E/s1600/Orange+and+Cranberry+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvS_YIBtoz-eVRfRm8C1sQZt9M16I9eDkn4aXYXyhr4zaL-muDkATac9kbcaYZuHzVN0HsCJt0FwgVQ5J7xapDegCHAJxk3Z6eHWezFKc9qULyqIyBDyRw3EqaeLcXmmLr4ydQ8m_NJ3E/s1600/Orange+and+Cranberry+9.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This cake is adapted from a recipe I found in an issue of 'Baking Heaven' (the original, though, uses blueberries). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's a great big comfort blanket of a cake - billowy sweet sponge which shakes you up whenever you hit a cranberry. (Yes, I'm one of those people that love the tingly taste of Haribo Tangfastics). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's lovely just warm from the oven. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A scoop of vanilla ice cream would seal the deal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEPARBp_vlW8ZF_GEy8fhh_zSIrx4BdHaxRinng_-cWrgpe3CSnP5R8MjzcX-g8UE792kr9zmA8tQnzLJouK_xVnp6iJyPQmoerMmP_mzsW70o6fxW0gCboq55KB0UUFEdzvFYxmOyxo/s1600/IMG_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEPARBp_vlW8ZF_GEy8fhh_zSIrx4BdHaxRinng_-cWrgpe3CSnP5R8MjzcX-g8UE792kr9zmA8tQnzLJouK_xVnp6iJyPQmoerMmP_mzsW70o6fxW0gCboq55KB0UUFEdzvFYxmOyxo/s1600/IMG_0348.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Cranberry and Orange Cake</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">300g self raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">295g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 medium free range eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">190ml milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">grated zest and juice of one orange</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">130g butter, melted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">200g fresh or frozen cranberries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 Conventional / 350 F / Gas 4. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Grease and baseline a 22 cm (9 inch) spring-form pan. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_TW_C4WmpLMnndRwmMwLCHB2zJSRrFIwG7W_gVCx83xX_ToCQYR6dcbuqppL4W7BQlRhyphenhyphensHmbvct_y1DBS3RUHBdQBuKHF9nYbM3kPKmK_XiR45MHlr2zsXMeYz6QHLR7hWkVt2MkzU/s1600/Orange+and+Cranberry+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_TW_C4WmpLMnndRwmMwLCHB2zJSRrFIwG7W_gVCx83xX_ToCQYR6dcbuqppL4W7BQlRhyphenhyphensHmbvct_y1DBS3RUHBdQBuKHF9nYbM3kPKmK_XiR45MHlr2zsXMeYz6QHLR7hWkVt2MkzU/s1600/Orange+and+Cranberry+2.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>I used a Ruby Orange - love the amazing colour!</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Combine all the ingredients (except the cranberries) in a bowl and mix until combined.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Spoon the mixture into the tin, and then top with half the cranberries.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJxAM7S62RaPZR8i83BkdXiHT_5aputHwrrthNMRF32hUXuz-z9ZvTGN46TmGfxWjiOgDUQzFqOeSKURzOgbxnFAG-TgTXURaPhjtHAsEEdJFAWmmifRgTA_yrHJKMIpy4mzYhGHWGJk/s1600/IMG_0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJxAM7S62RaPZR8i83BkdXiHT_5aputHwrrthNMRF32hUXuz-z9ZvTGN46TmGfxWjiOgDUQzFqOeSKURzOgbxnFAG-TgTXURaPhjtHAsEEdJFAWmmifRgTA_yrHJKMIpy4mzYhGHWGJk/s1600/IMG_0175.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frozen cranberries - you can add these as is (no need to defrost)</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Remove (carefully, as the centre will still be soft), and sprinkle over the remaining cranberries (try and spread the cranberries out, and if you can, press them into the surface of the cake a little - I didn't, and so some that simply sat on the top got a little singed!). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Dgoviv598z2acu-fCkmW7bbnDZVY-E92FzsPvH264ru1_6f-uZan6qK-uDZG7v7xE9z6kqYzWz_CJxHT0LSAI7KCueXoFWe-iblZ8Bzejfrpzd_v0jFkS1xoq9n8AI14GLorNrrv1Ac/s1600/Orange+and+Cranberry+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Dgoviv598z2acu-fCkmW7bbnDZVY-E92FzsPvH264ru1_6f-uZan6qK-uDZG7v7xE9z6kqYzWz_CJxHT0LSAI7KCueXoFWe-iblZ8Bzejfrpzd_v0jFkS1xoq9n8AI14GLorNrrv1Ac/s1600/Orange+and+Cranberry+6.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bake for a further 25 - 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes to cool. Then run a knife around the edge, loosen the spring-form and gently take it off. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukcLpwyjw6OOc6Y9IV_1rGb6d9dLaWg9z8K8VQDeffRnkBDx9z8s5ZyNCYTAFyE_wsLUsFFZgn43atdjmJQYGrELJfRQvKrBc1jhqd0qYh09krXkf7GoyfMdD6fvK36GA7xVOa_xYPBg/s1600/Orange+and+Cranberry+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukcLpwyjw6OOc6Y9IV_1rGb6d9dLaWg9z8K8VQDeffRnkBDx9z8s5ZyNCYTAFyE_wsLUsFFZgn43atdjmJQYGrELJfRQvKrBc1jhqd0qYh09krXkf7GoyfMdD6fvK36GA7xVOa_xYPBg/s1600/Orange+and+Cranberry+8.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is quite a generous cake, so should serve 10 people easily. I enjoyed mine this afternoon, alongside a cup of tea, while staring out of the window at apple blossom being drenched with pouring rain. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In other words, the typical run up to a British Bank Holiday weekend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Susie xx</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Wow! </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>I've actually managed to post something. </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>I'm sorry it's taken me nearly four months to do so. I hope you're still around and reading (and enjoying)! </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Sadly, depression is a complete bugger - you never know when it's going to overwhelm you. I'm finally feeling like I'm making some progress, though, so hope to be around a bit more often. </em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Arial;">'til next time ... xx</span></em>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-64165554413202446202014-01-31T14:58:00.001+00:002014-01-31T14:58:20.898+00:00Devil's Food Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxvGw7FvYm8_Za1_qHr_dq0TTjsjjLID-H9JxoHDp7ybLfNnIQ9Y2Voeju-RkgZJj29LUTVcgcRmkmtJhWrLQLwxqUFns257Zqiu2u6Cg_tgdlk7KjJxoX70fdrgdJLdZJ_hjqjeXq3A/s1600/Devil's+Food+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxvGw7FvYm8_Za1_qHr_dq0TTjsjjLID-H9JxoHDp7ybLfNnIQ9Y2Voeju-RkgZJj29LUTVcgcRmkmtJhWrLQLwxqUFns257Zqiu2u6Cg_tgdlk7KjJxoX70fdrgdJLdZJ_hjqjeXq3A/s1600/Devil's+Food+4.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Grey days deserve roaring fireplaces, comfy sofas, snug slippers, a mug of steaming hot tea, and cake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">An absolutely splendiferous cake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is mine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gDwVLZOMxGlwwio6krOPW6hDY6LPHW4jtTukbNLdRveoioC8h5g6L75uaeNtvwj7qrcBpWe51ySjVZt8P4Fd54CoYpmHmiXhpfp4JIzVSylsU_zheGbiLocLMdwK3Fwg-mDPW-wHL9o/s1600/Devil's+Food+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gDwVLZOMxGlwwio6krOPW6hDY6LPHW4jtTukbNLdRveoioC8h5g6L75uaeNtvwj7qrcBpWe51ySjVZt8P4Fd54CoYpmHmiXhpfp4JIzVSylsU_zheGbiLocLMdwK3Fwg-mDPW-wHL9o/s1600/Devil's+Food+11.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For a cake that contains a mahoosive amount of chocolate, sugar, cream, and cocoa, it balances the flavours perfectly. Moist chocolate sponge, with a fudgy frosting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's not overly sweet, but is very rich, so if you are calorie conscious, the merest sliver will satisfy the cravings of the chocolate deprived.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If, on the other hand, you're a complete greedy guts, *ahem*, you will still get a significant number of portions out of it (think at least 12).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyOoeCve1qQ6XzS-An3QnQoEpNpKxd2L6IHnT4pgFlgwpNNLTDTp17wPaZZPzkQ7YiFjI2W8TTMZ3huk5qB1DhtXU9T2BdbsNTGY65YLDCAG4nljq1WI6jNIjg03mH1Fubn8C3HjO6rM/s1600/Devil's+Food+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyOoeCve1qQ6XzS-An3QnQoEpNpKxd2L6IHnT4pgFlgwpNNLTDTp17wPaZZPzkQ7YiFjI2W8TTMZ3huk5qB1DhtXU9T2BdbsNTGY65YLDCAG4nljq1WI6jNIjg03mH1Fubn8C3HjO6rM/s1600/Devil's+Food+10.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Devil's Food Cake* (makes one 9 inch cake)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">330g plain flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">90g cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 1/2 tspn baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tspn salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">185g unsalted butter at room temperature</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">500g (yes, that's 500g!) soft light brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tspn vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 eggs, each around the 60g mark </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">375ml buttermilk at room temperature</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Frosting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">375g plain chocolate (around 70%), finely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">430ml double cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">125g sour cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">pinch of salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 Conventional 350 F / Gas 4.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grease, baseline and flour three 9 inch (23cm) sandwich pans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Set aside. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In a jug, lightly beat the eggs, and then stir in the vanilla. Set aside. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In another bowl (or stand mixer using the paddle and at medium speed) beat the softened butter until smooth. Gradually add the brown sugar and continue beating until fluffy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gradually, add the egg and vanilla mixture, beating well after each addition.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add a third of the flour mixture and mix on low, then add half of the buttermilk, then a third of the flour then the second half of the buttermilk, and finish with the final third of the flour. Mix gently after each addition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, smooth the tops level,tap them gently on the counter (to dispel any air bubbles - as the mixture is a little runnier than most cake mixes) and then place in the oven. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2uLFBoNGBITnV9H5-cb0czY2qeR8Ep9OPAatUZ46CSecjfwbKCzcB6gvgAvfEBE2qQkZsLrEhyCJhv3ojz_ESP1cBGEFvnmgOS99dojbn0Ga19lVo_MwR69b7IfC-9IXu36gESMD07U/s1600/Devils+Food+Cake+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2uLFBoNGBITnV9H5-cb0czY2qeR8Ep9OPAatUZ46CSecjfwbKCzcB6gvgAvfEBE2qQkZsLrEhyCJhv3ojz_ESP1cBGEFvnmgOS99dojbn0Ga19lVo_MwR69b7IfC-9IXu36gESMD07U/s1600/Devils+Food+Cake+15.jpg" height="400" width="297" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bake for around 20 - 25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Place on a wire rack to cool, and then after about 10 - 15 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the pans, and turn out the cakes. Gently peel off the baking parchment and allow to cool completely.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPLCmPVDdNgLfdIy9BGVnhIMJ9efXNYj7et2XKxUvs4HSy_kaklec4NRP35-s7p1HLx107AKe6-vZGGrVRL3ay8ZLWFHlI8zEmpcx00Bf40CmaBLYBIknG3n7_MhaJt6t7j7FvETu3YM/s1600/Devil's+Food+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPLCmPVDdNgLfdIy9BGVnhIMJ9efXNYj7et2XKxUvs4HSy_kaklec4NRP35-s7p1HLx107AKe6-vZGGrVRL3ay8ZLWFHlI8zEmpcx00Bf40CmaBLYBIknG3n7_MhaJt6t7j7FvETu3YM/s1600/Devil's+Food+8.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To make the frosting, combine the chocolate and cream in a bowl and melt gently over a saucepan of hot water (ensure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remove from the heat, and stir to ensure that it is fully blended. Allow to cool a little, then add the soured cream and salt, stirring until just blended. When it has cooled to room temperature, whisk briefly until lighter in colour and thick enough to spread.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Assemble the cake, by sandwiching the layers together with frosting, and then apply frosting over the outside of the cake.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is not something to be fussy about decoration with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And there is something rather sinful about sinking your teeth into swirled, thick ganache.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Susie xx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">*Adapted from 'The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book'</span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-88740123999633746012013-12-31T19:43:00.002+00:002013-12-31T19:43:58.007+00:00Raspberry Buttermilk Sponge - The Cake That Saved My Baking Mojo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLISy0yTOgWzupPwstW34Jf0khYRlf6ZG8lzLE3q2vusIf4owljAYgRVQOmikvqfPIt6pWHNoEJVsxWX7NGzxO9do06gGoHynXyinV0h59qLqvd1-TbAmdhVbpTSfWlgJldwvV6RsJ2E/s1600/Raspberry+Buttermilk+Sponge+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLISy0yTOgWzupPwstW34Jf0khYRlf6ZG8lzLE3q2vusIf4owljAYgRVQOmikvqfPIt6pWHNoEJVsxWX7NGzxO9do06gGoHynXyinV0h59qLqvd1-TbAmdhVbpTSfWlgJldwvV6RsJ2E/s1600/Raspberry+Buttermilk+Sponge+2.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">That probably sounds a bit dramatic, after all this is only a cake. But it is one of the few cakes that I have made over the last six months. And it's so simple (easy to remember), and so delicious that I've made it repeatedly. As it's New Year's Eve, and tomorrow is supposed to bring the promise of new starts, I thought it was the perfect way to get back to baking on here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When I didn't really feel like doing anything, let alone heading into the kitchen, it's been my comfort food stand-by, and has been something that Mike and I have regularly enjoyed with an afternoon cuppa. It's helped me focus on something, and its simplicity when it delivers such great results, feels like it is one of the keys to getting me back into baking more often.</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The recipe is adapted from one in the Great British Bake Off Everyday book, but having made it once with the original blackberry filling, I then tried raspberries, and have made it that way ever since. The raspberries are deliciously tart against the sweet, soft, fluffy sponge. A sprinkling of demerera sugar over the top before baking gives it a lovely crunch. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I guess you could use any kind of berry, depending on your preference.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Raspberry Buttermilk Sponge</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">125g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g golden caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 medium eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1/2 tspn vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">100 ml buttermilk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">200g self raising flour, sifted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">150g fresh raspberries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 tbspns demerera sugar.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 conventional / 350 C / Gas 4.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Grease and baseline an 8 inch / 20cm spring-form cake pan. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cream the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Add the eggs slowly, and then when mixed in, add the vanilla. Then add a third of the buttermilk, then a third of the flour. Continue until both have been fully incorporated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Turn the mixture out into the pan, and level. Dot the raspberries around and gently push them into the batter a little way. Sprinkle the demerera sugar over the top.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhpZvBH6LSvYjxYDyII4v5augJBf5a0ZpErLhF77wZOk_xNtDcZtbpwSPDrnA9dHXzP6QA_XL8Ieg-YK4alz3-AaMVS6zBV9levas6_deLzEoZgOnw8RnMgEMWz4hCsuq81fFI7jAMJk/s1600/Raspberry+Buttermilk+Sponge+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhpZvBH6LSvYjxYDyII4v5augJBf5a0ZpErLhF77wZOk_xNtDcZtbpwSPDrnA9dHXzP6QA_XL8Ieg-YK4alz3-AaMVS6zBV9levas6_deLzEoZgOnw8RnMgEMWz4hCsuq81fFI7jAMJk/s1600/Raspberry+Buttermilk+Sponge+4.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bake in the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes, until risen and golden, and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Leave in the tin for 10 minutes to cool slightly, then run a knife around the edge. Remove the spring-form and allow to cool completely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This can be enjoyed when completely cold, but in my view is best when still slightly warm. You could even dress it up a bit with some ice cream or cream on the side. The picture below doesn't do it justice unfortunately, as I had to take it in artificial light before the cake totally disappeared. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Be warned though, it's best eaten the day it is made, but will keep for another day if necessary. After that, if there was any left, I've found it had gone past its best. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hope you have a fantastic New Year's Eve, and that 2014 brings you all you wish for,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie :) xx</span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-11322752314352068602013-12-28T23:12:00.000+00:002013-12-28T23:12:46.692+00:00Dare to Bare - Random Recipes #35<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GQAO2h40JY4C0Rp6xfc4ctMkpH5zXbgF9CrV7wkNn6zd1AEBmaeEyOYBuxiv0AlZ_Rkfljv-4IR_y6om1chp2A4a0yZdueo43np_NYNjLc9lonu3x2l99AKO9TOz1wub6Vwadgnzh_o/s1600/randomrecipes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GQAO2h40JY4C0Rp6xfc4ctMkpH5zXbgF9CrV7wkNn6zd1AEBmaeEyOYBuxiv0AlZ_Rkfljv-4IR_y6om1chp2A4a0yZdueo43np_NYNjLc9lonu3x2l99AKO9TOz1wub6Vwadgnzh_o/s1600/randomrecipes.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know this is not exactly a baking post, but being the complete nosey parker that I am, I couldn't resist this month's Random Recipes challenge, hosted by Dom over at <a href="http://www.belleaukitchen.com/" target="_blank">Belleau Kitchen</a>. He dared us to bare our pantries, so that the voyeurs among us can have a good gander. I've really enjoyed reading the posts circulating so far, and as sorting out my kitchen cupboards has been a project of mine over the last few months (I'm afraid I'm turning into an organisation junkie), I thought I could join in on this one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Although I would love to have one of the traditional walk-in pantries, our kitchen does not have enough space for that. We do have quite a few cupboards, and so supplies are spread out between a few of those. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This first one is where I keep breakfast cereals and some baking ingredients like nuts, chocolate, yeast, extracts etc. You get the idea that I am addicted to Kilner jars, yes? To put my addiction into perspective, I've been collecting them for nearly 30 years :-) ! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This next one is all about spices, sauces, oils, vinegars and other condiments. I cook a lot, so there is a lot. Especially Indian spices after I did an evening course a few years back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next is my basics cupboard, with pasta, tins, and some bulk jars of nuts and berries (I get some of these from Costco but it means they need larger storage - just as well I love cranberries!).</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a few other stashes dotted around (like snack-y type things) which I haven't pictured, but the one useful one which I've built up recently is the hot beverage shelf located right above our coffee maker and kettle (you an also see my cake dome which is usually occupied with something handy for elevenses!). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This contains teas, coffees (and whole coffee beans), and our increasing collection of different makes of hot chocolate (Mike and I have begun a ritual of a night-time cup, and we have tried a few different ones to find one we like - strangely, we keep gravitating back to Cadbury's. If you can recommend any, or suggest any recipes, please do!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, there is my baking drawer. This is full of essentials like flours, sugars and the compulsory (at least in our house) chocolate chips.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Right - I shall leave it there for now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hope you've enjoyed this peek into my kitchen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie xx</span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-20514779320321343362013-12-27T21:33:00.000+00:002013-12-27T21:33:38.549+00:00Well that was a year that was ...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... pretty horrendous. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I cannot believe that I'm sitting here typing this more than six months after my last post. My apologies for my silence since June.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">By way of explanation, all I can say is that I have been ill. The stresses and strains of the last few years finally took their toll, and in a way I never expected, I was literally knocked for six within the space of a weekend. While things are slowly improving, the last six months have felt like an ordeal just existing, never mind blogging. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So I must admit that I will be glad to see the back of 2013, and hope that 2014 can see me start to move forward a bit more. Getting back to baking, and blogging, I hope will be part of that process. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I hope that you've had a great Christmas, and that the New Year brings all that you wish for.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'll be back pretty soon with some baking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Until then, take care,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie xx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-88941723490392318922013-06-21T15:45:00.000+00:002013-06-21T15:45:50.680+00:00Classic Victoria Sponge with Rhubarb and Custard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglG2G0olrHLrzfhEMb-xSe-Xr2v3VZs9mpg2flaUfRZPrH88hHTxHMxARb534v9uqmioIQ-PUM3LS1ZGz20Aj7yUT3rt2hUfbhHgwBsYo7P2g3U0-99tF_zY0sgXpndgIFPm6yovhSyoY/s1600/Rhubarb+and+Custard+Victoria+Sandwich+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglG2G0olrHLrzfhEMb-xSe-Xr2v3VZs9mpg2flaUfRZPrH88hHTxHMxARb534v9uqmioIQ-PUM3LS1ZGz20Aj7yUT3rt2hUfbhHgwBsYo7P2g3U0-99tF_zY0sgXpndgIFPm6yovhSyoY/s400/Rhubarb+and+Custard+Victoria+Sandwich+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I suppose that's a bit of a misnomer for a start.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After all, a classic Victoria Sponge, as beloved by the Queen it's named after, is filled with raspberry jam and cream. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But I had some rhubarb lurking in the fridge that I wanted to find a use for. I'd bought it at the weekend. An impulse buy. Partly initiated by the fact that I'd never actually prepared rhubarb myself before. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I remember my mum cooking it when I was little. My granddad used to grow it on his allotment, and so at this time of year, some of the crop would find its way home on the back of his bike. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHLUceeG1hdwwZOinZerWRO2gQ2d2p92I6AeCXVH_8-5h8Tg-BcI-siChF0LJoCArPcDS_2YTMHdcH5isGwBc6u0uyk4WbeHCTEmaAvXgdbEUNeM-g6jySwNb7a4Q-S8vIHu1t9ltW34/s1600/Rhubarb+and+Custard+Victoria+Sandwich+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHLUceeG1hdwwZOinZerWRO2gQ2d2p92I6AeCXVH_8-5h8Tg-BcI-siChF0LJoCArPcDS_2YTMHdcH5isGwBc6u0uyk4WbeHCTEmaAvXgdbEUNeM-g6jySwNb7a4Q-S8vIHu1t9ltW34/s400/Rhubarb+and+Custard+Victoria+Sandwich+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sometimes it would go into a crumble. More often than not, though, it would simply be stewed to an inch of its life alongside the Sunday roast. The rosiness of the rhubarb would glow against it's usual companion of pale golden custard. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As a child, I didn't really enjoy the taste. Now, though, I can appreciate its tartness, especially when tempered with a light sweetness of sugar.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This cake takes a classic sponge and pairs it with rhubarb and some sweetened whipped cream, flavoured with a hint of custard powder. For me, it was just the right balance of sweet and tart. It's adapted from a recipe in Rachel Allen's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cake-Rachel-Allen/dp/0007309058" target="_blank">Cake</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Something I'll definitely be making again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Classic Victoria Sponge with Rhubarb and Custard</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g golden caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 medium eggs, lightly beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g plain flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tspn baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>For the filling</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">100g sliced rhubarb</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">50g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">100ml water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">150ml double cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tbspn custard powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tbspn icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>A little extra icing sugar, to dust</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 conventional / 350 Fahrenheit / Gas 4. Grease and baseline two 7 inch / 18cm loose bottomed cake tins. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">First, prepare the rhubarb by placing it into a saucepan with the sugar and water. Bring to a boil and then simmer gently until softened (about 10 minutes). Turn the heat up a little and boil until it has thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To make the sponges, cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle, until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg a little at a time, until it has mixed in. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and gently fold it in until the mix is just incorporated but smooth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Divide between the tins and smooth the surface. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 minutes, until risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and allowing to cool completely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">To complete the filling, beat the double cream with the custard powder and icing sugar until it is thick, but still spreadable. Swirl through some of the rhubarb, and then spread over the top of one of the sponges. Add a thin layer of the rhubarb (see picture), and then place the second sponge on the top. Dust with a little icing sugar. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Enjoy,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>As the theme for this month's </em><a href="http://themorethanoccasionalbaker.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/alphabakes-june-2013.html" target="_blank"><em>Alphabakes </em></a><em>Challenge is 'R', I'm sending this over to Ros at the </em><a href="http://themorethanoccasionalbaker.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><em>More Than Occasional Baker</em></a><em> and Caroline at <a href="http://www.carolinemakes.net/" target="_blank">Caroline Makes</a>. This month's host is Ros and the round up will appear on her blog at the end of the month. </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>As it's clearly rhubarb season, I'm also entering it into </em><a href="http://www.renbehan.com/2013/06/simple-and-in-season-blog-event-june-now-open.html" target="_blank"><em>Simple and In Season</em></a><em>, run by Ren at </em><a href="http://www.renbehan.com/" target="_blank"><em>Ren Behan.</em></a></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rx6cmZotmz2wW7WsYV7K_eMj4JAy46HFhagtdckvbmck8qYa4-35hz0xFTzK5FNVde9JNX1IBEiIjjzXqAFHhOxN_wBpB-rs55oIaJPb5QEGBfH5NNakCvf7TVSPTpC0ehWAqc5kYXg/s320/SimpleinSeason.jpg" width="320" /></div>
Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-32932054350095529062013-06-18T19:27:00.000+00:002013-06-18T19:27:05.205+00:00Lemon and Lime Poppyseed Loaf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YaZI8w_dZXxo-bnLTzEJTFbzEszteTS4ao6IIs6p7QgfR1WNUth1WBLdDTD6aFbMsyvyTmoldHDMiDcEprceVY7NaW5vIQFzawIN5qgB73-PvNO5TP_kEATtKH2hmKhMbJ9T4LHEx4w/s1600/Lemon+and+Lime+Poppyseed+Loaf+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YaZI8w_dZXxo-bnLTzEJTFbzEszteTS4ao6IIs6p7QgfR1WNUth1WBLdDTD6aFbMsyvyTmoldHDMiDcEprceVY7NaW5vIQFzawIN5qgB73-PvNO5TP_kEATtKH2hmKhMbJ9T4LHEx4w/s400/Lemon+and+Lime+Poppyseed+Loaf+16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes, the simplest things are the best.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Nothing fancy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Just something fairly plain, made with love.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6Cw9xx-MnIB51YmNONfgO9mbc8X2tm334_A894Y9EHLys0kCpkEh-4D7uD-8A8T65dntazz6d9WtqgsKkc6VHoMB8ggM4DEUMtH9cWTFOziknWvZN_oOmfvNsAIqO6NlCgs3pCJF10o/s1600/Lemon+and+Lime+Poppyseed+Loaf+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6Cw9xx-MnIB51YmNONfgO9mbc8X2tm334_A894Y9EHLys0kCpkEh-4D7uD-8A8T65dntazz6d9WtqgsKkc6VHoMB8ggM4DEUMtH9cWTFOziknWvZN_oOmfvNsAIqO6NlCgs3pCJF10o/s400/Lemon+and+Lime+Poppyseed+Loaf+6.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something that sometimes gives back to you in ways you least expect.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But you're probably thinking, this is only a cake, after all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I should explain. I was surprised by how much Sam enjoyed this cake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Given that he has now launched headfirst, it seems, into his toddler days, getting him to sit in one place for longer than a minute or two is an achievement in itself. <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Yet he was very happy to clamber up and sit snuggled on the sofa with me, sharing a slice. </span><br />
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A few precious moments stolen from an otherwise hurly-burly kind of day.<br />
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And that made it really special.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmW0aRicfVwA0DAOBtZyEEu-H1je_FYqrhwGkdZ-E2H-hT4KtrPV2z4jLmE-keY5UVfh_8rrzH06gMo6oQUITvu1ipLxWt1eG0l3cH-NRW4x9YcGgoUd2oefTuxpejplrl1UdW5GPBY8/s1600/Lemon+and+Lime+Poppyseed+Loaf+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmW0aRicfVwA0DAOBtZyEEu-H1je_FYqrhwGkdZ-E2H-hT4KtrPV2z4jLmE-keY5UVfh_8rrzH06gMo6oQUITvu1ipLxWt1eG0l3cH-NRW4x9YcGgoUd2oefTuxpejplrl1UdW5GPBY8/s400/Lemon+and+Lime+Poppyseed+Loaf+8.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I have made loaf cakes before, the results have been a bit hit and miss. I don't know why. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last one I tried (Primrose Bakery's Lemon Drizzle) I simply binned, as although I followed the recipe exactly, something happened and it just didn't turn out right. It sank disastrously in the middle and didn't taste right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This one was a dream, though. Zingy lemon and lime, in a soft fluffy sponge, with the subtlest crunch from the poppy seeds. The icing glaze on the top added just the right amount of tangy sugariness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sometimes, that's all you need.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Lemon and Lime Poppyseed Loaf</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients <em>(for one 2lb loaf)</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g golden caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">finely grated zest of one lime and one lemon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 large eggs, lightly beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tbspn lemon juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g self raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 tbspns poppy seeds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>For the glaze</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tbspn lemon juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbspn lime juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">100g icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 Conventional / 350 Fahrenheit / Gas 4. Line the base and sides of a loaf tin (I used a ready made liner).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQN274aLqXo9kuVL5c9iVKboXHPdOSj4Z1CeWQhDflgOb-wi7Ky67s2r6ckDLUQ_LCunMgZqP2N11dbpkS_Ky3g6BmV3GLzbzkEZPZ5qN09u61recnpSd4N5M4CcgHoi6rGIF8QVN_wLk/s1600/Lemon+and+Lime+Poppyseed+Loaf+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQN274aLqXo9kuVL5c9iVKboXHPdOSj4Z1CeWQhDflgOb-wi7Ky67s2r6ckDLUQ_LCunMgZqP2N11dbpkS_Ky3g6BmV3GLzbzkEZPZ5qN09u61recnpSd4N5M4CcgHoi6rGIF8QVN_wLk/s400/Lemon+and+Lime+Poppyseed+Loaf+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the lemon and lime zest and mix in. Beat in the eggs a little at a time until they are incorporated. Then add the lemon juice. Gently sift and then mix in the flour, just until you have a smooth batter. Fold in the poppy seeds, until they are evenly distributed. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoonfUwe_Tn7LTEzp_vNEsifH28Lt4aZZ6ZpltLHFPVz5zbt3w1wI7Hlsf8Yl4_nlNBFhXo0v8AZRmWYbjtyqiAhcUdn3eOkFLggADPmDkOyyK5_Y2SQeiHVa1v7isrwpQq4tnc3Yr9Rk/s1600/Lemon+and+Lime+Poppyseed+Loaf+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoonfUwe_Tn7LTEzp_vNEsifH28Lt4aZZ6ZpltLHFPVz5zbt3w1wI7Hlsf8Yl4_nlNBFhXo0v8AZRmWYbjtyqiAhcUdn3eOkFLggADPmDkOyyK5_Y2SQeiHVa1v7isrwpQq4tnc3Yr9Rk/s400/Lemon+and+Lime+Poppyseed+Loaf+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Spoon into the liner and smooth the top. Bake for about an hour, until risen and golden, and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then remove and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To make the glaze, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, and then add the lime and lemon juice to make a runny icing. Place the wire rack over some greaseproof paper (to catch the drips) and then spoon the icing over the top. Leave to set.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Susie.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cakes-Cupcakes-Everyday-Easy-DK/dp/1405356464" target="_blank">Everday Easy Cakes and Cupcakes</a> by Dorling Kindersley</span></span></div>
Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-5831629171794113732013-06-16T07:57:00.000+00:002013-06-16T07:57:47.912+00:00Simple Focaccia with Rosemary and Flaked Sea Salt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxGfErPyI4YPs3jBCwEhrAUHy7FFfNifdYlJEDLeg4Fqaoiun496GWykfJUVdatWmC_hURskT9rm35d_4yrqna36fe8yrXSQQy6kTfC3c6Nv8jeotf153IIbzz3uoY6n67Bv8X59ne3A/s1600/Simple+Focaccia+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxGfErPyI4YPs3jBCwEhrAUHy7FFfNifdYlJEDLeg4Fqaoiun496GWykfJUVdatWmC_hURskT9rm35d_4yrqna36fe8yrXSQQy6kTfC3c6Nv8jeotf153IIbzz3uoY6n67Bv8X59ne3A/s400/Simple+Focaccia+4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In a fairly off hand way the other day, Mike commented to me that he loved bread and he didn't think he would ever want to give it up. It might've helped that at the time, he was chomping on several squares of this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But it made me think. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Every so often, Mike and I indulge in one of our favourite little treats: a loaf of freshly baked bread. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Purely for convenience, and because we tend to fuel this urge as it strikes, we tend to rely on our local supermarket for this (it's a great ploy to have in-store bakeries and while there are a few artisan bakeries in and around Cardiff they're, sadly, not easily accessible for us). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sometimes it's a simple Farmhouse loaf, sometimes it's one of those fancy flavoured breads the supermarkets have started to introduce. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">One of my favourites is a Rosemary Focaccia. Freshly baked, it's heady aroma is irresistible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's on the days when I fancy something savoury, rather than sweet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Perhaps when it's a bit wet, grey and windy, and when you just want to curl up with a bowl of something comforting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sometimes that's soup. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Other times (for me anyway) it could be a pasta dish, with a rich, creamy sauce. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Either way, something that's just perfect for mopping up with some ciabatta or focaccia. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd never thought of making Focaccia myself though.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In the past I haven't tended to make too much bread at all. But now, since learning how to make Sourdough properly last October, I have a weekend ritual of making my own. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's been miles better than anything I have managed to buy locally, after I have tweaked the dough and baking to fit in with my preferences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So emboldened by this, I decided to try something else. And therefore what better to try than my own Focaccia?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This recipe is easy (especially using a stand mixer) and for bread, (I think) fairly quick. It produced a lovely loaf which disappeared faster than I had anticipated. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I think you can safely anticipate that I'm going to be experimenting some more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">500g strong white bread flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">7g fast action dried yeast</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">6 tbspns extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">300ml warm water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 tspns fine salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tbspn coarse sea salt <em>[I used Maldon as I love the flaky texture]</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 tbspns fresh rosemary, chopped</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">You'll need a large bowl and a baking tray, both brushed with a little of the oil.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, place the yeast, flour, salt 3 tbspns of the oil and the water. Turn the mixer onto slow, and gradually, as the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium-slow. Leave to knead for about 5-6 minutes, until you have a soft, smooth dough. If it's really sticky, add just a little extra flour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Turn out the dough, and fold the edges down on themselves a few times to try and form a smooth, rounded ball. Place, seam side down in the bowl, brush with a little oil and cover the bowl with cling film. Leave to rest in a warm place (not too hot though) until doubled in size (about an hour).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Place the dough on the oiled baking tray and press out gently to flatten to about 3 cm deep, using your fingertips to make little indentations. Brush over a little oil and then cover with cling film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size again (about 45 minutes). Preheat the oven to 200 Fan / 220 conventional / Gas 7.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Remove the cling film, and then using your fingertips again, press some more indentations into the dough. Sprinkle over the rosemary (tucking some small sprigs, if you have them, into the dough gives a nice touch), and then some of the sea salt. Drizzle over the remaining 3 tbspns of oil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Serve while still warm and enjoy the simple pleasure of freshly baked, home made bread.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><em>* Adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Italian-Home-Baking-Irresistible-Biscuits/dp/1856269787" target="_blank">Italian Home Baking</a> by Gino D'Acampo</em></span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-41163009094983721632013-06-13T20:11:00.000+00:002013-06-13T20:34:59.993+00:00Chocolate Fudge Cake <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eGf6Tu_4OXu2gJwRJO37-57aiQSNBgLI78WNzAgtUDl9ycJ1z4Z5KArz5G_IIwBPWN9r7C5RpuZryxHEOdQd96DxnIlmvPo2TV8CwnIStaeh4-aMtbSm3-U3wNxdNddsIpTSaKEfTmI/s1600/Chocolate+Fudge+Cake+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eGf6Tu_4OXu2gJwRJO37-57aiQSNBgLI78WNzAgtUDl9ycJ1z4Z5KArz5G_IIwBPWN9r7C5RpuZryxHEOdQd96DxnIlmvPo2TV8CwnIStaeh4-aMtbSm3-U3wNxdNddsIpTSaKEfTmI/s400/Chocolate+Fudge+Cake+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dark, fudgy icing on a chocolate sponge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Normally, that would be right up my street. </span><br />
<br />
Yes, I should've loved this cake.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But something is wrong somewhere at the moment. I feel *gasp* as though I have gone off chocolate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Whether it was the effect of some bright sunshine for a change, whether I'm just a bit jaded at the moment, or the amount of chocolate that I've eaten over the last few months - just because it's an 'easy' snack and therefore all too easy to reach for, tsk, tsk - has taken its toll, it just didn't quite hit the spot. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Instead, I've found myself craving sharpness and light. So much so, that I also baked another of the Limoncello Cakes I've posted recently. Now that really got my tastebuds going and it has kept Mike and I in coffee-time treats all week.</span><br />
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And yet, I had been really looking forward to making this cake last weekend, as Chocolate Fudge Cake was by popular request of the boys. I had found a new recipe to try out. So, while it unexpectedly turned out a little disappointing for me, it was still a totally acceptable chocolate cake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I say 'acceptable', because, you see, we did have slightly mixed reactions to it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Mike and I felt as if the sponge was the teensiest bit dry (although the aroma and taste of chocolate was spot on, so I might add a tablespoon of milk to the batter next time). Ben felt it was OK, and definitely acceptable enough to have as an after school snack. Josh, though, absolutely loved it and spent the early part of the week fending off anyone else who showed an interest while he devoured it, crumb by precious crumb. Sam, bless him, after having one little piece which ended up smeared from ear to ear, didn't get a chance to try any more. But judging by his reaction, it went down pretty well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Anyway, for those chocolate-loving teenagers, and toddlers, this is what I did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Chocolate Fudge Cake</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients (makes one 8 inch / 23cm cake)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g golden caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 medium eggs, lightly beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 tbspns golden syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 tbspns ground almonds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">225g self-raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">pinch of salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">40g cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">For the frosting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">225g plain chocolate, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">110g light muscovado sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">225g unsalted butter, diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 tbspns milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1/2 tspn vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 conventional / 350 Fahrenheit / Gas 4. Grease and base line two 20cm / 8 inch cake tins.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To make the frosting, place the chocolate, sugar, butter, milk and vanilla in a heavy based saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until melted. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool. Cover with cling film and chill for about an hour until spreadable. [On this occasion, the muscovado sugar, which took a long time to dissolve, gave me a slightly grainy texture to the frosting. Next time, I'll try something like soft light brown sugar, as its softer and smaller grains would dissolve more easily.]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Place the butter and caster sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat, using the paddle attachment, until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Sir in the syrup and ground almonds. Sift the flour, salt and cocoa into a bowl and then gently fold into the mixture. Add a little milk if necessary, to make a dropping consistency. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and bake in the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes, until risen and springy, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, before turning the cakes out of their tins and allowing to cool completely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sandwich together with some of the frosting, and then spread the remainder over the top and sides. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I then added a few chocolate sprinkles as decoration, but this isn't really necessary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Enjoy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><em>*Recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chocolate-decadent-delicious-homemade-treats/dp/1445487608" target="_blank">Chocolate : Decadent and Delicious Home Made Treats</a> a Love Food book</em></span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-68336191577783356402013-06-09T21:27:00.001+00:002013-06-09T21:27:33.749+00:00Hazelnut, Lemon and Blueberry Layer Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it really June already? Has May been and gone?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Oh, God. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I feel a bit like John Lennon when he told Yoko that he was only going out for a packet of fags. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It seems that time is getting the better of me at the moment. There just seems to be too much to do and not enough time to do it. Anyway, I hope you've all been having a great time - especially as we seem to have had a bit of summer at last.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So after my impromptu break, I managed to get back into the kitchen today and tried my hand at some new recipes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This one is a gorgeously moreish layer cake. It uses spelt flour and toasted, ground hazelnuts to give a lovely, nutty taste to the sponge which is lifted by the tang of lemon zest. I used a cream cheese frosting to balance out some of the sugar, and as you can see, the top is loaded with fresh, juicy blueberries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I really loved the combination of flavours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Very nice with an afternoon cuppa.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Hazelnut, Lemon and Blueberry Layer Cake </strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Bake-Nourish-Healthier-puddings/dp/0857831674/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370811780&sr=1-1&keywords=love+bake+nourish" target="_blank">'Love Bake Nourish'</a> by Amber Rose)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">115g toasted, ground hazelnuts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">260g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">225g white spelt flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 tspns baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4 large eggs, lightly beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">130g golden caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">130g maple syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">finely grated zest of 1 large lemon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>For the frosting</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">150g cream cheese at room temperature <span style="font-size: x-small;">(</span><span style="font-size: small;"><em>I used Philadelphia Original)</em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">100g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">350g icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tbspn lemon juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 tbspns Blueberry Conserve <em>(I used Bonne Maman Wild Blueberry)</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">200g fresh blueberries </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Dusting of icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Pre-heat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 conventional / 350 Fahrenheit / Gas 4.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Grease and base line two 20 cm / 8 inch loose bottomed cake tins. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Place the butter and caster sugar into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until soft and fluffy. Add the beaten egg a little at a time (add a little flour if the mix starts to look curdled), and then add the maple syrup. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gently mix in the flour and baking powder, along with the ground hazelnuts. [You can make your own ground hazelnuts by roasting 115g hazelnuts in the oven for 10 minutes, then piling into a tea towel and giving them a good rub to remove the skins before blitzing them in a food processor. But I managed to get some ready prepared from <a href="http://www.wallysdeli.co.uk/shop/agora.cgi?&product=NUTS" target="_blank">Wally's Deli</a> in Cardiff. Do look out for them on sale. If you can find them they save you a lot of faffing around.]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Share the batter evenly between the cake tins, and bake in the centre of the oven for about 25 - 30 minutes. The cakes should be risen and golden, and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes, before turning out of the tins and allowing to cool completely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To make the frosting, cream the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle for a minute or so, until they become smooth. Add the icing sugar a little at a time, until you have a smooth, spreading consistency. Add the lemon juice. Gently swirl through the jam, and then use to sandwich the cakes together, and the frost the top layer. [The original recipe uses whipped cream flavoured with the jam and some honey, which you can go with if you like. I just fancied something a bit sharper, especially as Mike isn't a big fan of whipped cream.]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Luxuriously pile the top with fresh blueberries, and then give them a little dusting of icing </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">sugar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Enjoy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And just try and keep the smile off your face.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>As there are a number of blogging challenges around this month that this will fit in with, I'm going to enter it in this month's </em><a href="http://www.whatkatebaked.com/2013/05/june-tea-time-treats.html" target="_blank"><em>Tea Time Treats</em></a><em>, which is being hosted by Kate over at </em><a href="http://www.whatkatebaked.com/" target="_blank"><em>What Kate Baked</em></a><em>, and co-organised by Karen over at </em><a href="http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/" target="_blank"><em>Lavender and Lovage</em></a><em>. This month's theme is Layer Cakes, so I think this one fits the bill pretty well.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>I'm also entering it into a new challenge, organised by Victoria at </em><a href="http://kickatthepantrydoor.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><em>A Kick at the Pantry Door</em></a><em>, called Feel Good Food. This month's theme is blueberries, so again, this fits in well there. </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Finally, this month's </em><a href="http://www.dollybakes.co.uk/2013/06/CalendarCakes.html" target="_blank"><em>Calendar Cakes</em></a><em>, organised by Laura at </em><a href="http://lauralovescakes.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><em>Laura Loves Cakes</em></a><em>, and this month's host, Rachel at </em><a href="http://www.dollybakes.co.uk/2013/06/CalendarCakes.html" target="_blank"><em>DollyBakes</em></a><em>, is based around jam. Well, with the fruity blueberry conserve in this lovely frosting, I reckon that just about counts (fingers crossed).</em></span><br />
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Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-90832408827528296402013-05-12T08:48:00.000+00:002013-05-12T08:48:59.566+00:00Chocolate and Vanilla Polka Dot Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1gVOvOqfQYbqL9DN3b7i6-le-t-4et2EJaPjXAX2IGnqdOCgLzNy5H7FpasarpUbBqk8BX8knYSIbhAr0n3-A55QvsOP3D_MFQh7UIL-2AAqang83v0zqbelb1eVcp7fIoLL99Rb0-8/s1600/Polka+Dot+Cake+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1gVOvOqfQYbqL9DN3b7i6-le-t-4et2EJaPjXAX2IGnqdOCgLzNy5H7FpasarpUbBqk8BX8knYSIbhAr0n3-A55QvsOP3D_MFQh7UIL-2AAqang83v0zqbelb1eVcp7fIoLL99Rb0-8/s400/Polka+Dot+Cake+4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love the magic of baking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Particularly when you cut into a fairly innocuous looking cake, and then get this (or at least something like it):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vanilla flavour polka dots, enrobed in chocolate sponge, sandwiched together with chocolate fudge icing, covered in vanilla buttercream, with a final topping of dark chocolate, dripping down the sides.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if all that tastes good, too, then I really shouldn't complain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But, I have to be honest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This cake did not go entirely to plan. And this is version two. And, if I make it again, I will definitely do some tweaking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The idea for the cake stemmed from this amazing cake by Deb at <a href="http://once-upon-a-pedestal.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/polka-dot-cake-from-bake-pop-pan.html" target="_blank">Once Upon a Pedestal</a>. It was doing the rounds on Pinterest in January. Someone at work, who knows about my 'hobby' sent me the link.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">That was it - I was hooked. I started planning, as the idea of dots in a cake was screaming 'Red Nose Day' at me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I even ordered a cake pop pan so that I could execute my grand design. (And I hate to say it, but I just don't see the point in cake pops. I love how they look, but it strikes me that you can put all that effort into them and then in two bites, they're gone. So for me to get a cake pop pan, well.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Anyhoo, sadly, February intervened. And all my thoughts of baking went out of the window. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">By the time I had started to venture back into the kitchen, Red Nose Day was looming and I simply didn't feel like attempting it. I wanted simple bakes; real comfort food. And then anyway, Jude at <a href="http://www.atriflerushed.com/2013/03/red-nose-day-cake.html" target="_blank">A Trifle Rushed</a> did this amazing version. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So back on the back burner the project went.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I dug it out again briefly at Easter for version one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Which was a complete fail. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Well, not completely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I just messed up on the cake pan sizes and, using eight inch pans, didn't have enough dots to fill them. So I scooped the mix and pops all into one and tried baking a single layer cake. And was then fooled by the skewer test (as it must have hit a cake pop, so I thought the cake was more done that it was). Twenty minutes after taking it out of the oven, the centre had collapsed into molten chocolate goo, surrounding some white 'pimples'. The outer edge - which was the only bit properly cooked - tasted nice though. But a bit put off by the experience, I again put it on the back burner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But it's been niggling away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This week, buoyed by the sunshine over the weekend, and with a day to myself, I decided to try again. This was the result.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here's what I did, and what happened.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Chocolate and Vanilla Polka Dot Cake</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">(makes one six inch layer with some mix left over for marbled cupcakes! #winning!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Vanilla Polka Dots</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">100g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">150g self raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">150g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 large eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 tbspns milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1/2 tspn vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Chocolate Sponge</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">225g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">200g self raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">225g soft light brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4 medium eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1/2 tspn baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4 tbpsns cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tbspn milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Chocolate Fudge Icing</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Being lazy, I used a tub of Betty Crocker that I had in the cupboard, but you could make your own (and if I had done that, I might not have had one of the issues I had with this cake). The leftovers in the tub went to ice the top of the cupcakes I made, though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Vanilla Buttercream</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">150g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tspn vanilla bean paste </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">about 250g icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tbspn milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Chocolate Glaze</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">100g dark (70%) chocolate, gently melted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 Conventional / 350 Fahrenheit / Gas 4. Grease your cake pop pan (I used a 12 pop one from Nordicware which I bought from <a href="http://www.johnlewis.com/nordicware-cake-pop-pan-multi/p231619897" target="_blank">John Lewis</a> - the cheapest stockist of this one I could find), and grease and baseline 2 six inch (15cm) sponge tins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">To make the cake pops, measure all the ingredients into a bowl, and blitz with a hand mixer until you have a smooth batter and everything is combined. Spoon into the pan, so that the bottom spheres are full - the cake will rise up into the top spheres to give the ball shaped 'dots'. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes. (Try not to over bake at this stage, as they are going to be baked again in the sponge.) Remove, allow to cool, and then gently remove from the tin (I found a dessert spoon perfect for helping me to prise them out without breaking). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">For the chocolate sponge, again,measure all the ingredients into a bowl and blitz with a hand mixer, until you have a smooth batter. Scoop enough mix to give a thin layer in the base, and then arrange your vanilla dots.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Scoop some more chocolate sponge over and around the dots, but try not to overfill. I found this really hard to judge, as you want to try and cover the cake pops, yet not have it explode over the top of the tins.Here's what mine looked like:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bake in the centre of the oven. Ordinarily, a normal two layer sponge made with this mix would take me just under 25 minutes. But, with the dots, it seems that the heat doesn't permeate through the mix in the same way. Bearing in mind what happened the first time I tried this, I kept checking the cake every few minutes until a skewer inserted into the chocolate sponge did come out clean. In all, the baking took just under 40 minutes. It then looked like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">There was a slight 'lip' over the top edge of the cake tin, which you can see looks a little crusty. I really needed a slightly deeper tin (maybe 3 inch deep) to contain all the mix while trying to make sure the balls were covered. But they had risen a little bit, too, and floated nearer to the top of the cake. Anyway, I let the cakes cool completely in their tins, and when I turned them out, I carefully tried to cut away the crusty bits.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Once they were cooled, I sandwiched them together using the Betty Crocker chocolate frosting. In hindsight, this was a little too soft for the job, and it would have been better with a homemade chocolate ganache. I'd used it as I was running out of time, and I had it in the cupboard. Knowing it tasted good, and that it would mean that the layer through the cake would be chocolate brown - the same colour as the sponge - I thought I'd give it a go. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">To make the vanilla frosting, cream the butter and vanilla together using stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the icing sugar and blend well. If it seems a little dry, you can slacken it again with a little milk. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Unfortunately, even though I chilled the cake for a little, when I applied the vanilla frosting as a crumb coat, the chocolate icing was still too soft, and managed to meld with the vanilla to make a fairly muddy looking cake. At this point I chilled it, so that it would be ready to apply the final vanilla layer. I tried to do this as neatly as possible, but my buttercream was a little thick at this stage, so it splodged rather than glided on. I also could still make out the layer of chocolate icing showing through the vanilla. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">By this point, I'd started to give up, so I just chilled the cake in the fridge overnight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The next day, I melted some chocolate and draped it over the top of the cake, trying to tease it so that it would drip down the sides. Just the chocolate on its own was really a little too thick. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">What I should have done, was to make up a ganache mix (ie added some cream), so that it had a little fluidity and was easier to pour. The chocolate does set up though, and so gives a lovely, crackly layer to the top. (I was a little impatient and cut into it before the choc had fully set - there were some oozy bits of melted choc as a result.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The finished cake cut really well, and both the chocolate and vanilla sponges were dense, but still soft (even the cake pops which of course had had a longer baking time). The vanilla and chocolate together gave a nice flavour, with the bitterness from the dark chocolate adding a different note. Mike and Josh felt it was very sweet, so a small portion worked best for them. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wwHK1UQaxtRZhgUS9PP4FuQuGGOznkoeQOdTMa6fSqSXCH7yXOzUfvKJHqk11DFRDymmTuP-kR0ACrt3qzRQs2t4mNar-2fSTi_K8N3aumzD4_JARf24_oWKgYVKRweFOUaGQYo-x4k/s1600/DSCF6982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wwHK1UQaxtRZhgUS9PP4FuQuGGOznkoeQOdTMa6fSqSXCH7yXOzUfvKJHqk11DFRDymmTuP-kR0ACrt3qzRQs2t4mNar-2fSTi_K8N3aumzD4_JARf24_oWKgYVKRweFOUaGQYo-x4k/s400/DSCF6982.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As I had some left over vanilla and chocolate batters, I made up some marbled cupcakes and used the remainder of the tub of chocolate fudge icing to decorate. Josh really liked these, and they appealed to his teenage appetite. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So what would I do next time?</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">place a very thin layer of mix in the base of the cake tin so it doesn't push the pops up too much;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">make sure I have enough pops for the size of tin - six for a six inch (15cm tin), more for an eight inch (20cm) tin;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">line up the pops in each layer as neatly as possible to get a balanced view when you cut into the cake;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">scoop the batter over the pops so it falls down the sides, rather than try and fill the gaps then smooth it over the pops;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">not overfill the tin (or use a slightly deeper tin); </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">make my own ganache filling (and topping) and make sure I don't push it right to the edge of the layers;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">make the vanilla buttercream slightly thinner so it glides on properly.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I know this has been a long post, but I wanted to set out for you my experience. As by far the most important thing I learnt was to go back and actually read again previous postings about making these cakes, to get exactly these kind of hints and tips. I didn't do this until after I'd made mine, and then I found this fantastic post by Beki at <a href="http://bekicookscakesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/how-not-to-make-polka-dot-cake.html" target="_blank">Beki Cook's Cake Blog</a> which details her attempts to make one (and without a cake pop pan). Kudos to Beki as she made <em>five</em> versions before she felt she'd achieved the effect she wanted. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VD-wQzDohF8Vn_kAxZ2JqUyad2mRk97uuk2Tp-QygSf5BOrSMg5bbZDfMszl53e76XTGFC4aI9op98Q6o4w4rtgkKbUH_7KrNdF01jC_6KXNozwgKLtlt8b4ghs3mRIuJbIXwlmJMgk/s1600/DSCF7012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VD-wQzDohF8Vn_kAxZ2JqUyad2mRk97uuk2Tp-QygSf5BOrSMg5bbZDfMszl53e76XTGFC4aI9op98Q6o4w4rtgkKbUH_7KrNdF01jC_6KXNozwgKLtlt8b4ghs3mRIuJbIXwlmJMgk/s400/DSCF7012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This would be an absolutely fantastic cake for a child's birthday though, so with Sam in mind (hell, who am I kidding, it's <em>my</em> birthday in a couple of weeks), I'll definitely be trying it again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I might just go for coloured polka dots next time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie</span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-3037292243544373832013-05-02T21:20:00.000+00:002013-05-02T21:20:38.537+00:00Lime and Coconut Madeleines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BvpXrBFnbitYporuairaVy_gZZDFXmct2qKBEjWh66MEw8oLbO8FtT7euJ0PGMaXPLklvbbQxfCrYvp55BKOUxJz4WzWIy8thaKy0GIAAPEuSbMmS5BLMtSvM_UPCRfeNNm67pc8G4Y/s1600/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BvpXrBFnbitYporuairaVy_gZZDFXmct2qKBEjWh66MEw8oLbO8FtT7euJ0PGMaXPLklvbbQxfCrYvp55BKOUxJz4WzWIy8thaKy0GIAAPEuSbMmS5BLMtSvM_UPCRfeNNm67pc8G4Y/s400/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+6.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes, I find that inspiration can be lurking in the most unexpected places.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And it strikes at the time I least expect it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I've written recently about my singular lack of baking mojo. So this week, when I got to my day off and had thought that I'd try and get back in the kitchen, I couldn't actually bring myself to bake anything. A weird kind of procrastination had set in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I pottered around the house suddenly finding other jobs to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One involved sorting through some of my latest cookbook purchases and tidying and reorganising the shelves so I could fit them on. I have a 'system' for storing like books together, and try to keep my baking books easily accessible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In practice, this meant simply compiling piles of books and moving them around from shelf to shelf until I was reasonably happy with the arrangement. If you have ever read my post for Random Recipes on my <a href="http://foldintheflour.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/random-recipes-18-cookbooks.html" target="_blank">cookbook addiction</a>, you'll appreciate that this could take me a while. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZykL2Ge29lBxlVqglvXPmDyiKqUmFo9q8F1LjxS1RozZGHnGj2svnau9Or5tsFTViZskd_UslLO3mYZJb5e2797XywpwvD4Zl3-lCgjl7itie0pwE0eRoyJ3_gj1wOgK8aMhBhCx-7s/s1600/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZykL2Ge29lBxlVqglvXPmDyiKqUmFo9q8F1LjxS1RozZGHnGj2svnau9Or5tsFTViZskd_UslLO3mYZJb5e2797XywpwvD4Zl3-lCgjl7itie0pwE0eRoyJ3_gj1wOgK8aMhBhCx-7s/s400/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But it also meant that I rediscovered a few gems I hadn't seen for a while. Amongst them was <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bryns-Kitchen-brilliant-great-ingredients/dp/1856269809" target="_blank">Bryn's Kitchen</a> by Bryn Williams. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Thumbing through it reminded me of the Pistachio Cake that a colleague had brought in to work one day, which was so delicious I bought the book on the back of it (and it helped a little that Bryn is Welsh , too, of course). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But I also found a recipe for Madeleines. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The <b>madeleine</b> (<small><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language" title="French language"><span style="font-size: small;">French</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> pronunciation: </span></small><span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_French" title="Help:IPA for French">[mad.lɛn]</a></span>, <span style="font-size: small;"><span class="nowrap"><small>English</small> <span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English">/</a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="/ˈ/ primary stress follows">ˈ</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="'m' in 'my'">m</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="/æ/ short 'a' in 'bad'">æ</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="'d' in 'dye'">d</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="'l' in 'lie'">l</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="/eɪ/ long 'a' in 'base'">eɪ</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span></a></span><span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English">/</a></span></span> or <span class="nowrap"><span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English">/</a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="/ˌ/ secondary stress follows">ˌ</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="'m' in 'my'">m</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="/æ/ short 'a' in 'bad'">æ</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="'d' in 'dye'">d</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="'l' in 'lie'">l</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="/ˈ/ primary stress follows">ˈ</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="/eɪ/ long 'a' in 'base'">eɪ</span></a></span><span class="IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English"><span style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;" title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span></a></span><span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English">/</a></span></span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_(cake)#cite_note-1"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup>) or <b>petite madeleine</b> (<span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_French" title="Help:IPA for French">[pə.tit mad.lɛn]</a></span>) is a traditional small </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cake" title="Cake"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cake</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> from </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercy" title="Commercy"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Commercy</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverdun" title="Liverdun"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Liverdun</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, two </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communes_of_France" title="Communes of France"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">communes</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorraine_(region)" title="Lorraine (region)"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lorraine</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_France" title="Regions of France"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">region</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in northeastern </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" title="France"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">France</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Madeleines are very small </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponge_cake" title="Sponge cake"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sponge cakes</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with a distinctive </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scallop" title="Scallop"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">shell</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. Aside from the traditional moulded pan, commonly found in stores specialising in kitchen equipment and even hardware stores, no special tools are required to make madeleines.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"A </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A9noise_cake" title="Génoise cake"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">génoise cake</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> batter is used. The flavour is similar to, but somewhat lighter than, sponge cake. Traditional recipes include very finely ground </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_(fruit)#Culinary_definition_and_uses" title="Nut (fruit)"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nuts</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, usually </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almond" title="Almond"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">almonds</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. A variation uses </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_zest" title="Lemon zest"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lemon zest</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, for a pronounced lemony taste." <span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_(cake)" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I've never baked Madeleines before, and intrigued by the recipe, my mind started whirling with the possibilities. So much so that I got straight into the kitchen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9JCCtTTovcQe2V3ACaRV_Xjzl6RIS9elFSsjBrc4TxG7IBWprL50oCkdR2GFSnlJV8SVtmrUdbmIMdA-MTp8aYhwv4kybqR8WDbm7r_5Abeui2C2SRJ1vxXRbTpSla3ICk55JWL4gYA/s1600/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9JCCtTTovcQe2V3ACaRV_Xjzl6RIS9elFSsjBrc4TxG7IBWprL50oCkdR2GFSnlJV8SVtmrUdbmIMdA-MTp8aYhwv4kybqR8WDbm7r_5Abeui2C2SRJ1vxXRbTpSla3ICk55JWL4gYA/s400/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">These gorgeous little light cakes were the result. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I decided to use lime and coconut to flavour them, and to finish off with a dipping of dark chocolate and a dusting of some more coconut. They were easy to whip up, and tasted sensational, going down as a hit with Mike and Sam especially. They are something that I can see myself making again and again.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here's what I did.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Lime and Coconut Madeleines</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients (makes approx 16)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 large eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">100g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">zest from 2 limes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">70g plain flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tspn baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">15g ground almonds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">15g coconut flour *</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">70g unsalted butter, melted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">60g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a little extra coconut flour to sprinkle</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>* The coconut 'flour' I used came from an Asian supermarket and I bought it to go in curries - its a very fine powder, finer than dessicated coconut. See an example </em><a href="http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Fudco-Coconut-Flour.html?kw={keyword}&fl=1000&ci=15820262768&network=pla&gclid=CLWvo6aq-LYCFeXItAodL0kAbg" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZdbDmHMoAWp_fU-nKAUB_gw5cyvI8nuXggasrRdjSj3xOWONDH3gIcDiSqs8-Hm2SL5x4uNWcS3coebZ_z18XevGKbXjUqeaPwMWqSRSlZn8xuqPlLqBpQHO0r_wNCP36ryQoB3h8Sg/s1600/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZdbDmHMoAWp_fU-nKAUB_gw5cyvI8nuXggasrRdjSj3xOWONDH3gIcDiSqs8-Hm2SL5x4uNWcS3coebZ_z18XevGKbXjUqeaPwMWqSRSlZn8xuqPlLqBpQHO0r_wNCP36ryQoB3h8Sg/s400/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add the lime zest, and then sift the flour and baking powder into the mix. Gently fold in. Add the coconut flour and ground almonds, along with the melted butter and gently fold these in, too. Allow to stand for about an hour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 Conventional / 350 Farenheit / Gas 4.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Grease and flour the shells of a Madeleine tray. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Fill each shell about three quarters full. [Mine were, I think, a little overfilled on the first batch (see below), but they still came out great. The second batch, which I didn't fill so much, were better and had the authentic 'mound' in the top - see the link to Wikipedia for a photo of what this looks like.] </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEips7vgsh6Tt_CrQdSBRjCnB5aHsstJF1F-dsO1Fy-WHW698dLpun1IS7SQSstlW49Gn6kaIC85n7HBd-vmKegZj6cCZyil-osRFVMx-CQuZ9QvrEinmcne4ECqcz_fecYGFU9AKIPDJxw/s1600/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEips7vgsh6Tt_CrQdSBRjCnB5aHsstJF1F-dsO1Fy-WHW698dLpun1IS7SQSstlW49Gn6kaIC85n7HBd-vmKegZj6cCZyil-osRFVMx-CQuZ9QvrEinmcne4ECqcz_fecYGFU9AKIPDJxw/s400/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bake for about 10- 12 minutes in the centre of the oven. The Madeleines should be moist and have a lovely golden colour, without being over baked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Turn out onto a cooling rack.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwC4jqcerluQa37l93J0VvADALXNnM0vWwsrirCeSbVmsYhY7LU-kFnKg6SfkLy30kjGanhuxpNH6_VXoRLdUCmLQ5AFkFF4eHynvVx-TW2fdMXFc5qq_BeQh8j79GUPhSxTDo1lNwEkY/s1600/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwC4jqcerluQa37l93J0VvADALXNnM0vWwsrirCeSbVmsYhY7LU-kFnKg6SfkLy30kjGanhuxpNH6_VXoRLdUCmLQ5AFkFF4eHynvVx-TW2fdMXFc5qq_BeQh8j79GUPhSxTDo1lNwEkY/s400/Lime+and+Coconut+Madeleines+3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">To decorate them, I gently melted the dark chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Once it had cooled a little, I dipped the Madeleines into the chocolate and arranged to dry on a baking tray, sprinkling over a little more coconut.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Eat and enjoy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie</span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-47135106927327506952013-04-28T09:41:00.000+00:002013-04-28T09:47:51.323+00:00Raspberry and White Chocolate Cake - and a review of 'John Whaite Bakes'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrHuov34g57lYyH6U6PSIsnxm1w91kDXRQzJZ6gc4A7IpF8_kooIhnaYgsashjp-oKFEOtbQgMVZieQ2XJTcUZiDwddWims8kjz3_fzZ6Px3vgr-OdRziPKDh1-MhipJsPh6YAIZi8OY/s1600/Raspberry+and+White+Chocolate+Cake+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrHuov34g57lYyH6U6PSIsnxm1w91kDXRQzJZ6gc4A7IpF8_kooIhnaYgsashjp-oKFEOtbQgMVZieQ2XJTcUZiDwddWims8kjz3_fzZ6Px3vgr-OdRziPKDh1-MhipJsPh6YAIZi8OY/s400/Raspberry+and+White+Chocolate+Cake+4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I hate to say it but over the last couple of weeks, I really lost interest in baking. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And blogging. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And doing anything that even remotely involved removing myself from the sofa.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I've just had one of those months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's been full of downs with very few ups (apart from Cardiff City FC finally reaching the Premier League as Champions, and my first Clandestine Cake Club meet). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We are still dealing with the aftermath of bereavement, and it is amazing how much there is to do when you least feel like it. Plus I've been ill this week. Scarily ill, in that what appeared to be a minor illness deteriorated rapidly and knocked me for six to the point where my GP began talking about hospital. (That<em> never</em> happens to me so it was a shock but, thankfully, I've improved almost as quickly). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So on Thursday, when my copy of the newly published <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Whaite-Bakes-Recipes-Every/dp/0755365097" target="_blank">'John Whaite Bakes'</a> arrived at my door, I was, like, 'meh'. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Whaite-Bakes-Recipes-Every/dp/0755365097" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyY7nIgB5zY6XjRCvzNC7JQrCIXyYY6uAFRFHPQ0l1_dgBjvoMpZ0pl4MHuWMAmF_lOMeDNTGRmtfZ907WmvDLkol5gwJylie_kUqwcFq6aEUYInXHRDO-umQzt0BUjZEBWJJ-iLqIw4/s1600/John+Whaite+Bakes.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Interestingly, it's tagged as 'Recipes for Every Day and Every Mood'. The chapters are therefore devoted to 'Moods' and the type of recipes John bakes when these times are upon him. For example, when seeking solace, calming nerves, baking for love, nostalgic memories, or for speediness. Introduced by some of John's personal recollections, it gives you alittle insight to his life beyond the mixing bowl.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I must admit, though, I wasn't initially impressed by the concept. The thing is, I guess emotions are by their nature, very personal. At a time when I barely know how I'm going to feel from one minute to the next, I wasn't sure how this would gel with the recipes as set out in John's book. But as I read through it, I decided to ignore the categorisation, and just focus on the recipes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The first thing to say, is that there is much here that intrigued me. The recipes cover breads, cakes, sweet and savoury, small and large bakes. There are some that seem to overtly nod to John's involvement (and triumph) in last year's Great British Bake Off. So, if you can recall the various challenges on the series, there is a white plaited loaf; a 'meat and stuffing' hot water crust pie; a salted caramel rum baba; individual apple strudels; a curried halloumi,spinach and potato pithivier; and a 'hellfire and brimstone' chiffon cake reminiscent of his showstopping finale. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvvzuxPOLa3Z53OluzWiDzJXw5fRElQ5t6zKRvr5kaR8vj0B-MJ8Nc14BzcDgs1HNg-tLx0nWlsYw_ASvJHdNbeSMJT_yZSrblhBGfcmDT88YGegqOp94tABw4IPl4e_LtxPQZ5sATz0/s1600/Raspberry+and+White+Chocolate+Cake+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvvzuxPOLa3Z53OluzWiDzJXw5fRElQ5t6zKRvr5kaR8vj0B-MJ8Nc14BzcDgs1HNg-tLx0nWlsYw_ASvJHdNbeSMJT_yZSrblhBGfcmDT88YGegqOp94tABw4IPl4e_LtxPQZ5sATz0/s400/Raspberry+and+White+Chocolate+Cake+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There are many varied recipes though, and so many that I'd like to try: Big Sue's Tiny Orange Natas (how could I resist with a name like that?); Midnight Blues Tart (blueberry heaven); Caramelised Onion and Rosemary Fougasse. And those are just from one chapter. Some others include: White Chocolate and Lemon Tartlets; Coffee and Walnut Praline Choux Ring; Cranberry, Orange and Macadamia Nut Buns; and Chocolate and Cassis Cake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The book is beautifully photographed (without too many pictures of John - sorry, but I like a recipe to focus on the food) and while not every recipe has a photo to accompany it, most do. Always a plus for me. I think it's definitely a worthwhile purchase and I can see myself dipping into it often.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So with this kind of inspiration, and feeling much better on Friday, I managed to shake off the sofa and get back in the kitchen. Feeling still a bit shaky though, I wanted an easy bake, with ingredients I had already to hand. This is where the Raspberry and White Chocolate Melting Layer Cake came in. With some raspberries in the fridge that needed using up, and some white chocolate lurking in the back of the cupboard, I had everything else to hand. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The recipe is intriguing as it involves melting 200g unsalted butter and 100g white chocolate together, allowing to cool slightly before beating in 4 large eggs and 200g caster sugar. My butter and chocolate mix looked decidedly dodgy, as when cooled the chocolate had sunk to the bottom, and I was worried that it would not come back together. However, beating in the eggs and sugar produced a thickish, creamy emulsion which looked vastly more promising.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEeN4-dJvRT_HsEseF84iy-pxDpGKqqXD-qDjd_BMKv9-WISmXizLhuCtAJgQlHhRRqEtbnaLRM1Sy6s6EUWQaIRY1GwSglQsmeS1e72hgWD9RVA1ewzeeFoz1MWFcvgT9kZcWCZxDnU/s1600/DSCF6858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEeN4-dJvRT_HsEseF84iy-pxDpGKqqXD-qDjd_BMKv9-WISmXizLhuCtAJgQlHhRRqEtbnaLRM1Sy6s6EUWQaIRY1GwSglQsmeS1e72hgWD9RVA1ewzeeFoz1MWFcvgT9kZcWCZxDnU/s400/DSCF6858.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Butter, chocolate, eggs and sugar beaten to form a smooth batter</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You then fold in gently 200g of self raising flour and 175g raspberries, before spooning gently into two 8 inch (20cm) tins that have been greased and lined. The sponges took me about 22 minutes to bake in the centre of a 160 Fan / 180 Conventional / Gas 4 oven. Removed from the oven I was a bit worried that the raspberries had sunk (as I hadn't dusted them with flour before adding to the mix), and I think they had. But as you flip the sponges so that the base is on the top, it showed them beautifully. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Once cooled, you layer the two together using a ganache made from 200g white chocolate and 250g double cream. John warns you that this takes ages to cool to the point where it is spreadable. He does not lie. Mine took about five hours in the fridge (stirring every so often) until I felt fairly confident that it might not just pour out of the cake to drip down the side. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was late at this point, so I left the cake overnight, before finishing it off with some icing sugar ready for pictures. It had held together well, and when Mike and I finally tried it, the flavour was lovely. I was worried that so much white chocolate in it would make it too sweet, but the balance is right. The ganache you could eat from the bowl, but in the cake, it's a glorious counterpoint to the sharpness of the raspberries.The texture was a little dense, but it was moist. It was best tasting a mouthful of sponge and ganache with a little,sharp raspberry nugget. Definitely a good start to the book for me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">While I now feel my motivation to bake (and blog) coming back, I guess the only thing that actually felt depressing about the book, was how it made me feel about GBBO. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's hard to explain, but I've sensed I've become increasingly uneasy about the commercialisation and 'production' that seems to ramp up in volumes with every series. I remember reading some comments on Twitter during the last one about how it was obvious who the winner was going to be (even though they weren't perceived as the most talented) as they fit a certain category and would appeal to a wide audience. For my part, I only had to look at John's <a href="http://www.johnwhaite.com/#" target="_blank">website</a> (which was still in development at the time the series was broadcast but had a clear marketing slant) to know that he would go on to win. [John's tumblr site, 'flour and eggs', is great and you can find it <a href="http://johnwhaite.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">here</a>].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">However, there is no denying that John is an extremely talented baker, and I am in awe at the skill and knowledge that enables someone to be able to create recipes like these. To have to perform and deliver in <em>that</em> tent in front of Mary, Paul et al and the cameras should not be underestimated. Reading the experiences of some of the other bakers, and seeing what John has achieved in this book, simply highlights this. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As much as I might like to think otherwise, I know I couldn't do it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>* My copy of John Whaite Bakes was sent to me by my lovely friends at Amazon. They kindly charged me £12 for this pleasure so you can be damn sure all my opinions are my own. :)</em> </span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-54189886464854186212013-04-15T20:15:00.000+00:002013-04-15T20:15:39.915+00:00Amazingly Chocolatey Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZfdWRtYY8mYN7tCY_8_ST9L07f4boJV3-V0KUcoZ1K-E2O7jt7nj9jusvl5EFMrYHk_WxKB4wrAvne4C7VXGOZF62Y5Rkug5mE6gEhlcb19xowPrnMjlVrASLFnUAVw_rjaUXWgNqGE/s1600/Chocolate+Cupcakes+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZfdWRtYY8mYN7tCY_8_ST9L07f4boJV3-V0KUcoZ1K-E2O7jt7nj9jusvl5EFMrYHk_WxKB4wrAvne4C7VXGOZF62Y5Rkug5mE6gEhlcb19xowPrnMjlVrASLFnUAVw_rjaUXWgNqGE/s400/Chocolate+Cupcakes+9.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In our house, if you want to make something for the boys that will be universally popular, there's really only one thing that will cut it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Chocolate. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And lots of it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">With a little bit more hidden inside, if possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I wanted to try and make a plain chocolate cupcake into something that the boys would love. And they loved these. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Kerching!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QzCj8THHpsLBwMRaVWJTl7MBkmguQcryBTTfIsLlD_Wql4Kpo8vnkkTuOiriFmgimCNqagzY74E8N2NdUbfCGz1k1EIM1YgA6CGBBfMi3EsLP24MvrbIkRLxNOeJWg_Zw2dKlYOAGCc/s1600/Chocolate+Cupcakes+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QzCj8THHpsLBwMRaVWJTl7MBkmguQcryBTTfIsLlD_Wql4Kpo8vnkkTuOiriFmgimCNqagzY74E8N2NdUbfCGz1k1EIM1YgA6CGBBfMi3EsLP24MvrbIkRLxNOeJWg_Zw2dKlYOAGCc/s400/Chocolate+Cupcakes+8.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are a soft, fluffy sponge, with a hidden chocolate sauce centre, covered in rich chocolate buttercream. Not too sweet, they really hit that chocolate spot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Even Sam joined in, as I had enough of the sponge mix and buttercream left over to make 10 little bite-sized cupcakes. Just perfect for a toddler's chubby grip. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LqxddLVGxOJitI2miXoJFRS5a-peg3eu8XR6i-sYTDfMNLlpdriMqhkXJT9kQRS03iqkg8aSWQc4hLb-7W-kKYF3dtAHuht4xprwVlmj04RBoWIn4UhQUrsaQLiCKi7fXlJjK9MRMlg/s1600/Chocolate+Cupcakes+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LqxddLVGxOJitI2miXoJFRS5a-peg3eu8XR6i-sYTDfMNLlpdriMqhkXJT9kQRS03iqkg8aSWQc4hLb-7W-kKYF3dtAHuht4xprwVlmj04RBoWIn4UhQUrsaQLiCKi7fXlJjK9MRMlg/s400/Chocolate+Cupcakes+5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The sponge is my trusty basic chocolate recipe. You can make it as an all-in-one, and chuck the ingredients into a bowl and blitz with a hand mixer. I tend to adapt the method slightly, though, creaming the sugar and butter first. I just think that if the sugar dissolves into the butter properly, it gives a better texture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Either way, I've found the recipe always works for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here's what you do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Amazingly Chocolatey Cupcakes</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients (makes 12 full size and about 10 mini cakes)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">200g self raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1/2 tspn baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4 tblspns cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4 medium eggs, lightly beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">225g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">225g soft light brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">pinch salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tblspn milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Filling</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">bottle Rowse's Dark Belgian Chocolate Dessert Sauce, or similar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>For the buttercream</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">60g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), melted and cooled</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">150g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">260g icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A little milk, if necessary</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 Conventional / 350 F / Gas 4. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake cases.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, salt and sugar for the sponge until pale and fluffy (a good 5 minutes or so). Add the eggs a little at a time, until they are mixed in. Add the flour, baking powder and cocoa and mix gently in until you have a just-combined batter. Add the milk to slacken a little and until just mixed in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Scoop into the prepared cases. I use an ice cream scoop that I know gives a perfect sized cupcake (it's one with a 2 inch diameter scoop). With this amount of batter I get 12 large cupcakes (using muffin cases) and either about another 3 large ones or 10 mini bite-sized ones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bake in the centre of the oven for about 18-20 minutes, until risen and a skewer inserted into one in the middle of the tray comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">While they are cooling, make the buttercream. Melt the chocolate in a bowl - I just heated in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time (on full), sirring between each blast, until it was almost melted. Keep stirring to melt the last little lumps of chocolate, and then allow to cool a little, so that it's tepid if you dip your little finger in. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle, cream the butter and icing sugar until smooth (it was quite thick at this stage). Add the melted chocolate and beat again for a few minutes until it's really smooth. You can add a little milk (say 1 tblspn) if it seems too thick.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">To assemble the cupcakes, take the completely cooled cakes and cut a hollow out of the middle (I used a cupcake corer, but you could use an apple corer, or melon baller - you just need to be careful not to go all the way through to the base). Pour a little of the chocolate sauce into each cupcake, so that you fill the hole. The sauce I used is one from Rowse's 'Signature' range, which I found in my local Asda. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The reason I used this is that it is really quite thick, so there was no danger that it would soak into the sponge too much. To give you some idea, it was so thick, I had to tease it from the bottle using one of those wooden coffee stirrers. Rowse do a fudge sauce as well, which is heavenly and which I use to fill <a href="http://foldintheflour.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/sticky-toffee-cupcakes-with-salted.html" target="_blank">Sticky Toffee Cupcakes</a> in the same way. The little pieces of sponge are chef's perks, so enjoy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Top with the buttercream. You can either pipe swirls or just scoop it onto the top. I *tried* to pipe swirls with a Wilton 2D tip and for the first time, it let me down a little. The little spokes on one side of the star tip had been pushed together somehow - my clumsy washing up probably - so the icing spurted a little out of one side, rather than flowing in its usual creamy ruffle. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I left them plain at that point, but I was toying with the idea of drizzling some melted dark chocolate over them and letting it set. Maybe next time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">For the mini cupcakes, I didn't bother with filling those and just added a little star of buttercream to the top. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The boys went absolutely crazy over them. It was a pretty good - and easy way - of jazzing up some cupcakes into something special.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.whatkatebaked.com/2013/04/april-tea-time-treats.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEDmqtLC5SEaa2y4NcfYQKoGVcvJA7N3sBhB_bN4LoUKszATLHmAv0Umj1cx7BOB0aGKRzi_17cIXrKV5DGsT8-lY3ylNUWRluSzoVFv9lyoSRpKDRiXEMeaUlsTmNzbn3VP26hw-HNk/s200/Tea+Time+Treats.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As this month's <a href="http://www.whatkatebaked.com/2013/04/april-tea-time-treats.html" target="_blank">Tea Time Treats</a> theme is Fairycakes, Cupcakes and Muffins, I'm going to submit these to Kate, at <a href="http://www.whatkatebaked.com/2013/04/april-tea-time-treats.html" target="_blank">What Kate Baked</a>, and Karen at <a href="http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/" target="_blank">Lavender and Lovage</a>. You can check out all the other mouth watering entries over at Kate's blog. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Enjoy,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><em>P.S: In case you're interested the wire cake stand was a fantastic bargain I picked up recently in Hobbycraft for £7.99. I just love the little heart details and it's just perfect for cupcakes.</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></em> </span><br />
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Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-16284054116629534152013-04-04T21:49:00.001+00:002013-04-05T07:46:11.810+00:00Limoncello Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhpttKAyj6A8BRdFZVW8aUpw537A9IQnRyfYcyJ7qMQ3EqKSUArm0nt8Ghbu49QD7VffnwJr1kyNg2zCcGZrrRUTRxk7YX6XgKju1lgYnQv27cf54NsoHX_zZ-oJMRSO_8GfF6xRz5A8/s1600/Limoncello+Cake+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhpttKAyj6A8BRdFZVW8aUpw537A9IQnRyfYcyJ7qMQ3EqKSUArm0nt8Ghbu49QD7VffnwJr1kyNg2zCcGZrrRUTRxk7YX6XgKju1lgYnQv27cf54NsoHX_zZ-oJMRSO_8GfF6xRz5A8/s400/Limoncello+Cake+14.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really love this cake.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I mean <em>really</em> love it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So much so, it's my new best friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's like sunshine on a plate. The citrussy aroma tempts you while the sultry lemony pucker hits you full in the mouth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And who can resist anything with 'Limoncello' in the title? The mere mention of the word transports you to to the Sicilian sun. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's one more reason I have to thank Random Recipes for getting me to delve into my cookbooks. </span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This month's challenge had a bit of a twist. Dom, of Belleau Kitchen (who runs the challenge) created a Randometer thingummy-bob to test us. You had to enter how many cookbooks you owned, and then it would generate a random number. You counted along your shelf to that book, and then entered the number of pages, to generate another number and so find your Random Recipe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The gods must have been looking favourably on me this month, as I ended up with this gorgeous lemon cake, from Peggy Porschen's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Boutique-Baking-Delectable-Cupcakes-Teatime/dp/1849491062" target="_blank">'Boutique Baking'</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's easy to make, although there are five components - sugar paste decorations, sponge layers, limoncello syrup, limoncello lemon curd and buttercream icing - and if you make them all from scratch Peggy recommends that you spread the making over two days. I didn't bother with some of them, adapted others and took a few shortcuts. It still tasted heavenly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It has soft, moist sponge soaked in a lemon and Limoncello syrup, layered and iced in a buttercream that has some lemon curd added to it. It got rave reviews all round in our house. Even from Sam, who at 18 months old surprised me by how much he liked it, given the clear sharpness of the flavour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So here's what I did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Limoncello Cake</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients (makes one 15cm / 6 inch cake)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>For the sponge layers</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">200g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">200g golden caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">pinch of salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">finely grated zest of 2 lemons (unwaxed or washed well)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4 medium eggs, lightly beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">200g self raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Sugar syrup</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">150ml lemon juice (about 3 lemons' worth)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">150g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">50ml Limoncello liqueur</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Buttercream icing</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">160g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">160g icing sugar, sifted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">pinch of salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">80g lemon curd (I used Tesco Finest)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Some sugar flowers to decorate, or make your own</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven to 155 Fan / 175 Conventional / 350 Fahrenheit / Gas 4.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Grease and baseline three 15cm / 6 inch loose bottom sandwich tins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">To make the sponges, cream the butter, lemon zest, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until pale and fluffy. It will take a good few minutes to get it to the stage where the sugar has dissolved. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Add the eggs a little at a time and beat in (if the mixture looks like it's starting to curdle, add a tablespoon of the flour and this should help it hold together). Once the eggs are all incorporated, gently fold in the flour until it has just combined. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Divide the mix evenly between the tins and level the surface. I find it easier to get an even split if I weigh my mixer bowl when empty and again with the mixture to get the weight of the mix. Divide this by three, and that will tell you roughly how much to then weigh into each tin. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Place the tins in the centre of your oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until risen and golden, and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">While the sponges are cooking, make the syrup. Place the lemon juice and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the Limoncello, stirring it in. Leave to cool slightly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When the sponges are ready, remove from the oven and let them cool in the tins for about 10 minutes. While they are still warm, brush the surface generously with the Limoncello syrup. Allow to cool completely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To make the buttercream icing, place the butter, icing sugar, salt and lemon curd into a stand mixer and beat using the paddle attachment until smooth and creamy. [Note: the recipe as given in Peggy's book did not give me enough to cover the whole of the cake, so I doubled the quantities here to allow for sufficient.]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To assemble the cake, trim the layers if necessary so that you have a flat, level surface. Brush the cut surface with a little more of the Limoncello sugar syrup. I trimmed the two lower layers slightly, but kept the top one as it was (so it was slightly domed). This can be a little tricky and is one reason why Peggy recommends making the sponges the day before, then wrapping them in cling film and chilling overnight so that they firm up a bit. This, she says, stops them crumbling as you cut them. However, I did them the same day and as long as you are careful and the cakes are fully cooled, I think you'd be OK.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I then sandwiched together the layers using a little buttercream, and then crumb coated the outside. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes, before adding the final layer of icing. Decorate with some sugar paste flowers, or other of your choosing (I used some sugar flowers from my local Asda). </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.belleaukitchen.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuwEeotkiSgjvjLoD1C4kUVSHtYYJOOhnPsg-GJNeVfZnDIw7DPChE4hz4SqMLWfJTG3HT8Fz5nC98VRcqqcUc3-YfOvBcDQPdXtO4Hw-M7KLLDvWrxRaCxBmqQqkAJjfEMWqkMO46YM/s200/randomrecipes2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So there you go. I may not have discovered this yet if it hadn't been for a random selection. Boy am I glad I did. The April Random Recipes round up will appear on Dom's blog, <a href="http://www.belleaukitchen.com/" target="_blank">Belleau Kitchen</a> at the end of the month. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And if, like me, you love lemon cakes, you'll love this one. It keeps well, and two days after baking was still lovely and moist due to the syrup infused in the sponge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Enjoy,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Susie</span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600201185207533799.post-12801018042816041052013-03-28T19:18:00.000+00:002013-03-28T23:18:06.206+00:00Mocha Meringue Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQE30gBK_v-rN69wLx4zejq28feQeDA_oNRQPy0EcEF_A8CKmZjyxhYXtHcg6AX8ZYOaAAy7DN03jUfteUcKiAAMDI1_TcBHm6rZaw5p35KKo3JEVODad2Dj-awJCTWNUWhLN-rrW3yzg/s1600/Mocha+Meringue+Cake+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQE30gBK_v-rN69wLx4zejq28feQeDA_oNRQPy0EcEF_A8CKmZjyxhYXtHcg6AX8ZYOaAAy7DN03jUfteUcKiAAMDI1_TcBHm6rZaw5p35KKo3JEVODad2Dj-awJCTWNUWhLN-rrW3yzg/s400/Mocha+Meringue+Cake+9.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been a late convert to the joys of coffee. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a child raised in a tea-drinking household, there was a brute strength to the flavour that I just didn't get. And while as an adult I love my daily, frothy capuccino, even now I gingerly dip my toe in anything stronger. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">But I do love a good coffee cake. And this is a <em>great</em> coffee cake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's a soft mocha sponge with coffee buttercream, and with a coffee meringue topping and a coffee icing drizzle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Between the coffee and the sugar rush, it's a real pick-me-up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I've adapted the recipe from one I found in the BBC Good Food magazine some years ago. Entered into a baking competition by a reader it came in third. Personally, I think that may have been a bit of an injustice. It looked gorgeous. You can find the original recipe <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/12980/louise-reads-coffee-crunch-cake" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I've thought about that cake for a long time, but never got around to making it. Today was the day, and I decided to mix it up a bit and temper the coffee with some chocolate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Mocha Meringue Cake</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ingredients (makes one 20cm / 8 inch cake)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">175g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g golden caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 medium eggs, lightly beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">175g self raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tbspn cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tspn baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 tspn instant coffee </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>For the Meringue</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 egg whites</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">100g caster sugar</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>For the filling</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">100g softened unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">150g icing sugar</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>For the drizzle icing</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 tbspn icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Few drops water, if needed</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 Conventional / 350 F / Gas 4. Grease and baseline two 20cm / 8 inch loose bottomed cake tins.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In a small jug, mix the coffe granules with 3 tbspns boiling water and allow to cool. You'll use this in all components of the cake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Make the meringue topping first. Using an electric handwhisk, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Add half of the caster sugar and whisk in. Add the rest and whisk until you have stiff peaks. Gently fold in 1 tspn of the coffee mixture. Set aside while you make the sponge mix.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">For the sponge, beat together the butter and sugar until they are pale and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. Slowly add the eggs and mix in. Add 2 tspns of the coffee liquid. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into the bowl, and mix in. Diivide the batter betwen the two tins, with slightly more in one tin than the other. Level the surface with a spatula. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">For the tin with the lesser amount of batter, gently top with the meringue and spread roughly over the surface of the batter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Place both tins in the center of the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the sponge tin comes out clean. Remove the tin with only the sponge mix and place on a wire rack to cool. Leave the tin with the meringue mix in the oven for a further 20 minutes. The meringue will be crispy. Remove from the oven and place the tin on the wire rack. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To make the buttercream filling, beat the butter and icing sugar together and add 2 tspns of the coffee liquid. Mix well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To make the coffee drizzle, mix the icing sugar with 1 tspn of the coffee, adding a little water , if necessary, to get a thickish, but drizzly icing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Carefully turn the cakes out of the pans. With the meringue layer, as you can't turn it upside down, it's easiest to push the bottom of the pan gently, until you can push the cake out and peel off the greaseproof paper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To assemble the cake, place the sponge on your cake plate and spread the buttercream filling over. Smooth to the edge and level. Carefully place the meringue layer on top. Dizzle the icing over the top.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you can wait, and allow it all to set a little bit, it'll be worth it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Susie</span>Susie @ Fold in the Flourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17431576411095585453noreply@blogger.com22