Agency.com Cake Club

2008-05-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

A Tragic Day

Ruth J leaves ACOM.

I don’t know where to start – to me this company is not going to be the same again. It is a disaster for cake club as we have lost one of its key founding members.

I wrote you a song to express how we feel….and it goes like this……………….

Near far wherever you are… I promise. the bake will go on
Once more you open the door (of the oven)
And you're here in our hearts
And the cake will go on and on

Hope you like it,

Martina

Whoopie Pies

2008-03-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

FOR THE CAKES

5 Tablespoons Crisco (find in Partridges www.partridges.co.uk)
1 Cup Sugar
5 Tablespoons Cocoa
1 Cup Milk
1 Egg
2 Cups Flour
1 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
Mix and shape into small balls on a baking sheet as you would for a cookie (a large spoonful). Bake about 15 minutes with the oven on 350 F (I think that's around 177 C)

FOR THE FILLING

3/4 Cup Crisco
3/4 Cup Icing Sugar
6 Tablespoons Marshmallow Fluff (find in Partridges)
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix and, once cakes are cool, spread a small amount of the filling over one cake, then put another cake on top to form a sandwich.

Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips

2008-02-19T03:49:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

75g/3oz melted butter
250g/9oz self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
115g/4oz caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large, ripe bananas
2 medium eggs
125ml/4fl oz milk
10 walnut kernels (optional)
White and Milk chocolate chips

To serve
2 bananas, sliced
50g/2oz walnut kernels
2 tbsp crème fraïche or yoghurt
2 tbsp runny honey

Method
1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Melt the butter and allow to cool. Mash the bananas well. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through.
2. With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and chocolate chips and stir through.
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring roughly with a fork (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.
4. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter and spoon in the mixture until almost full. Top each one with a walnut kernel if you like.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes before serving.
6. Serve the muffins with sliced banana and a dollop of creme fraiche, scattered with walnuts and drizzled with honey (or with Caramel yoghurt).

Dee's Forest Fruit Cobbler

2008-02-05T03:50:00.000-08:00

Fruit Cobbler

This is a fantastic American recipe equivalent to our crumble. Particularly good with strawberries and rhubarb, but you can use any fruit combo you like; about 680g/1Vlb of fruit should do it..

Serves 6

For the fruit
1 punnet of blackberries
1 punnet of blueberries
1 punnet of raspberries
(or 2 big cartons of frozen fruit - easier to find in winter)
5 tablespoons sugar
a good glug of balsamic vinegar

For the topping
6 heaped tablespoons butter, chilled
225g/8oz self-raising flour
70g/2Voz sugar
a large pinch of salt
130ml/4Vfl oz buttermilk
a little extra sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 1901⁄4C/3751⁄4F/gas 5.
Put the fruit into a pan with the sugar and the balsamic vinegar, put the pan over the heat, and cook gently until the juices begin to run from the berries. Pour into an ovenproof dish.

Meanwhile make the topping. Rub the cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and salt, stir well, then add the buttermilk to form a loose scone-type mixture. Spoon this over the hot fruit (to get a cobbled effect, flick balls of dough randomly over the fruit), sprinkle with a little caster sugar, and bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Low fat Panna Cotta with berry jelly

2008-02-05T03:41:00.001-08:00

To make the panna cotta
2 3/4 cups lowfat milk
3/4 cup lowfat or non-fat buttermilk
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup Splenda
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

To make the berry jelly
1 cup of raspberries,
1 cup of blackberries
1 cup of strawberries
I sachet of Quickgel
Tin of strawberry juice

Method
1. Pour 1 cup of the milk in a small saucepan. Add the gelatin, stir, and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
2. Put the saucepan with the milk and gelatin over a low flame. Add the sugar and vanilla and heat until the gelatin and sugar are completely dissolved.
3. Transfer the mixture to a blender (or food processor, but a blender is better), and add the rest of the milk, the buttermilk (Don’t add the buttermilk directly to the hot mixture as it might curdle. Add the other ingredients first.).
4. Blend until smooth.
5. Pour into ramekins (makes 6 small) and refrigerate until set, at least three hours. Serve alone or with fresh fruit.
6. Put sachet of quickgel in a saucepan with water and stir until set.
7. Chop raspberries, strawberries and blackberries and place on top of each panna cotta. Pour quickgel over and leave to set.

Pefectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake

2008-01-24T03:34:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Here's the recipe I used to make the Chocolate cake from Monday. I made three layers using shallow cake pans, but have made it in the past using two deeper pans. The recipe uses US measurements - so I used convertit.com to modify them (however I found a set of measuring cups at John Lewis that were in cups).

Personal touch: I never bake a cake without playing my favourite cake baking song - Cake by the B-52's. Lyrics follow the recipe.

Enjoy! - Nathan

Ingredients:

* 2 cups sugar
* 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup milk
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 cup boiling water
* FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost. 10 to 12 servings.

FROSTING

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

Cake Lyrics:

Take a little, take a little nip,
Take a little sip, take a little more.
Spread icing nice and thick between the layers.
Ooh let it drip down the sides. who cares.
Done with the batter.

I am watching it drip down the sides
(if you want a better batter better beat it harder.)
I am watching it drip down the sides
I said according to my recipe, you put it on a slow bake
According to my recipe, you put it on a slow bake.

I am watching it drip down the sides
(if you want a better batter better beat it harder.)
I am watching it drip down the sides
I said according to my recipe, you put it on a slow bake
(takes a long time for it to rise)
According to my recipe, you put it on a slow bake.
(let it drip right down the sides)
According to my recipe
(who cares)
I can't wait to put the icing on the cake.
I-i can't wait to put the icing on the cake.
Caaaake.

Hey, you know what i'd really like to do?
Say wha'?
I feel like makin' a cake
Ooh wah what kind of cake do you want?
Umm, how about ... pineapple upside-down cake?
Maybe a chocolate devil's food cake.
Wah, nothin' like a chocolate devil's food cake.
Ooh, how about an angel cake?
Umm, some cinnamon?
Yea, sure.
Sugar?
Yea, uh huh. i swear.
You got a pan the right size?
A pan?
It says in this cookbook it takes a long time to rise.
I read that. now, beware.
Let's get this thing in the oven.

Take a little, take a little nip,
Take a little sip, take a little more.
Spread icing nice and thick between the layers.
Ooh let it drip down the sides. who cares.
Done with the batter.

I am watching it drip down the sides
(if you want a better batter better beat it harder.)
I am watching it drip down the sides
I said according to my recipe, you put it on a slow bake
According to my recipe, you put it on a slow bake.

Hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah ...
I can't wait to put the icing on the cake.
Hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah ...
250 strokes to beat it, i just can't wait to eat it.

Chocolate Tartlets - Dee

2007-11-26T03:46:00.000-08:00

Bittersweet Chocolate Tartlets

makes (8) 4-in tartlets or about (24) 2-in mini tartlets

Crust

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling

1 cup cream

2 tablespoons sugar

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (between 50% to 60%), chopped

1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour. Mix until just blended. The dough will be very soft and moist.

Gently press the dough into tartlet pans. Medrich calls for (8) 4-in wide by 3/4-in deep fluted tarlet pans. I used a mini muffin tin with (24) 2-in wide by 3/4-in deep cups. Press in the dough as thinly as possible.

Place pans in the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the crusts are golden brown (they should be fully baked).

While the tartlet shells are baking, heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan to boiling. Pour over the chopped chocolate and whisk together until combined.

Whisk the egg into the chocolate mixture right before the shells are finished baking.

Remove shells from the oven and turn off the oven. Pour the filling into the shells. Return the tartlets to the oven and leave them there for about 5 to 10 minutes, or when the filling is just beginning to set about the edges.

Place tartlets on a wire rack to cool. If you used individual tartlet pans with removable bottoms the tartlets should be fairly easy to unmold. If you used a muffin tin like me you may have a more difficult time unmolding them, especially if the shells are very thin. If the filling has completely set, you can try placing a sheet pan across the top of tin and flipping it over to unmold them.

Just before serving, sprinkle toppings of your choice on the tartlets, such as: cocoa nibs, chopped nuts, dried cherries, anise seed, chili powder.

Butter cake video

2007-11-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

Che's Oatmeal Biscuits

2007-10-16T03:21:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
100 g oatmeal flakes
1 cup (100 g) 4 oz plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
20g of castor sugar
3/4 stick or 100 g butter or margarine
1 beaten egg
20ml of water
2 bars of melted dark chocolate (optional)
50g pistacho nuts (optional)

Equipments
circular cutter
non stick baking sheets
rolling pin

Method

1. Heat the oven to moderate, 180°C, Gas 4.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together and rub in the fat.
3. Mix the egg with the water and use this to bind the dry ingredients together into a stiff paste. You can use a blender to blend it till the past is even before spreading.
4. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to just under 2 - 3mm thick making a large rectangular flat sheet.
5. Cut into rounds with a 5-6 cm cutter. Peel off the edges gently so that you get slightly uneven edges.
6. Placed all the biscuits on a lightly grease baking sheet and press a flat baking sheet over the biscuits before putting in oven to prevent the biscuits from turning too brown during baking.
7. Bake all the biscuits at one go for 15-20 minutes. Do not over bake as it will be too hard or brown.
8. Decorate the biscuits with some melted dark chocolate and pistachio nuts. (optional)

Makes 22-25 approx.

2007-10-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

2007-10-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Roll with Creamy Orange Mousse

Ingredients
2 chocolate Swiss rolls
12 oz (350 g) cream cheese, such as philadelphia
2 tablespoons caster sugar, plus one extra teaspoon
1 tin Mandarins
1 pack orange jelly
1 carton cream
1 orange yogurt

Method
1. Cut chocolate Swiss rolls into slices and dip one side of each slice into a plate of mandarin juice until moist.
2. Line the inside of cheesecake tin with Swiss roll slices.
3. Whisk yogurt, cream, Philadelphia cheese and mandarin segments together (save 4-six pieces for the topping).
4. Melt jelly in remaining juice of mandarins and ¼ cup of water. Leave to cool.
5. Add jelly to the mix once it is cool.
6. Pour the mix into the cheesecake tin with Swiss roll slices.
7. Leave in the fridge for 4-6 hours until set.

2007-10-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

Beetroot and Hazlenut cake - Dee

2007-09-17T03:44:00.000-07:00

Beetroot and Hazelnut Cake

* Preparation Time: 25 minutes, , plus cooling
* Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

* 200ml vegetable oil
* 250g golden caster sugar
* 150g raw beetroot, grated
* 100g Walnuts, chopped, plus extra to decorate
* 100g chopped toasted hazelnuts, plus extra to decorate
* 3 Eggs, separated
* 1 tsp Baking powder
* 2 tsp Mixed spice
* 3 tsp Milk
* 200g Flour
* 4 tbsp apricot jam

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas 6.

2. Pour the oil and sugar in a bowl and whisk.

3. Mix in the beetroot, walnuts and hazelnuts, then add the egg yolks, baking powder and mixed spices and whisk in.

4. Mix in the milk and the flour.

5. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until firm peaks form.

6. Fold the whisked egg white into the beetroot mixture.

7. Place the mixture in a greased 20cm cake tin and bake for 30 minutes in the oven.

8. Cool on a wire rack. Heat the apricot jam and glaze the cake with it.

Lemony lemon curd cake - Greg

2007-08-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Lemony lemon curd cake

Ingredients
As rule of thumb, for proportions, use half the amount of eggs to oz of flour, sugar and marg) eg. Tiny cake 6 oz. flour, marg and sugar, and 3 eggs

For a large cake (square or large round 2 layers)

For the sponge cake:
6 medium eggs
12 oz. Stork margarine
12 oz. caster sugar
12 oz. self raising flour
Generous tablespoon of pure vanilla extract (not essence)
Approx half a jar of the best lemon curd you can find – I used Tesco Finest…crap lemon curd is rubbish!

For the icing and decoration:
Icing sugar (loads)
1-2 Egg whites
1-2 massive spoons of lemon curd
2 lemons

Turn oven to 180°, and line the bottom of your two tins with slightly greased greaseproof paper (or if you are cooking the two cakes - bottom and top separately if you’ve only got one tin – will have to do this twice!)

Measure the ingredients out.

Add the sugar and margarine into a bowl, and beat together until a creamed consistency, best to do with an electric whizzy whisk for about 2 minutes.

Crack eggs into a separate small bowl and beat with a fork or whisk.

Next add the beaten egg and sieve flour to the creamed sugar and marg mixture. But it is key to add a little of both at a time. A bit of egg and a bit of sieved flour and electric whisk it for a minute, until all is added. This prevents flour going absolutely EVERYWHERE too.

Then add the vanilla extract and whisk a bit longer, for about two minutes or so solidly, until you are happy everything is mixed in and a creamy airy cake consistency, to ensure the cake will be light and fluffy!

Spoon half of the mixture into each of your two cake tins evenly, so same amount is in each to make the top and bottom of the cake, and spread into the corners with a spoon so none of the greaseproof or gaps can be seen.

By this time your oven should be preheated, and time to pop in to oven towards the middle. It should take roughly 18-25 mins. YOU MUST keep an eye on them to make sure they do not overcook or burn, and they should be golden/golden brown on top when cooked. To test it’s cooked, put a knitting needle in through the centre, if it comes out clean it is cooked, if not a needs a bit longer. The cake works better in wider tins so the mixture is a lot shallower depth rather than a small tin and having very deep mixture – otherwise the top burns and doesn’t cook evenly throughout.

Take out and leave to cool on a wire mesh tray.

When totally cooled down, spoon lemon curd onto your middle cake, and spread with knife or pallet knife. If you are icing the whole thing including sides of the cake, then don’t overload with lemon curd to the edges otherwise all spills out when you press top cake on. And it gets messy. If not icing whole thing – feel free to load to edges so it dribbles over the edges – yummy!

Place top cake on top of the middle cake that you have just spread with lemon curd and lightly press together.

Prepare the icing by separating 1-3 egg whites into a bowl depending on how much icing you like (read on). In a separate larger bowl sieve icing sugar.

I am never good at strict quantities on icing as it’s a trial and error process I find, just need to add the egg white into the sieved icing sugar and beat with a spoon until shiny and smooth and thick. If it is runny, you need more sugar; if it is a bit too firm and solid, and hard to spoon through, you probably need more egg white. I think I used about half a big square box of icing sugar to ice sides of and top of a square cake generously, but its entirely up to you.
NB. Using egg white instead of water makes the icing sets rather than still be watery hours later after spreading it on the cake. Also add one to two tablespoons of the lemon curd too as part of your “liquid content” to make it extra lemony without being too sharp.

Add the icing to the cake with a spoon in blobs evenly and use a pallet knife to spread. Have a mug of warm water to dip the pallet knife into spread the icing smoother and not get stuck to the knife. You will have to pallet knife the sides which can be tricky but persevere until you feel your iced masterpiece is done.

Grate the rind of 2 large lemons and sprinkle on top of the icing. The more lemon rind – the more lemony goodness will infuse your icing…

Optional – when iced – feel free to melt white chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water in a pan, and fill decorative moulds and place in fridge for added swanky decoration…

Your masterpiece is created and all that is left is to eat it.

Che's Financier Tiède aux Poires et Chocolat

2007-08-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

150g of melted butter (cooled)
500g of dark cooking chocolate
300g of plain flour
300g of ground almonds
300g of caster sugar
1.5 can od pears in syrup, drained and blended
7 medium eggs, seperated
150g of finely chopped pistachio nuts

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer.
Add in the melted butter, ground almonds, pear and flour. Whisk the mixture to ensure the ingredients are well mixed.
In a seperate mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites till stiff peaks are form.
Gently add in the whisked egg whites into the mixture above using a fork.
Mix the egg whites well but take care not to overdo it. (The air bubbles inside the egg whites gives the spongy texture to your cake).
Pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish and place in the oven to bake for 40-45 mins.
Allow the cake to cool once it is taken out of the overn.
Heat the chocolate in a pan until a thick liquid is formed.
Spoon the hot chocolate mixture onto the cake slowly. Make sure, the chocolate mixture is spread evenly to form a smooth glossy layer.
Sprinkle the chopped pistachio on top of the chocolate before it hardens.
Cool the cake before serving.

Cake Club Enjoy! time

2007-08-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

FruityTutty Fruit Loaf by Julia Fenby

2007-08-04T06:22:00.001-07:00

Hayden's Strawberry Love Express Pie

2007-08-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

Martina's Coffee Cake

2007-07-10T01:46:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

For the sponge cake:

1½ level tablespoons instant coffee mixed with 2 tablespoons boiling water
3 oz (75 g) walnut halves
6 oz (175 g) self-raising flour
1½ level teaspoons baking powder
6 oz (175 g) softened butter
6 oz (175 g) golden caster sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature

For the syrup:

1 level tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder
2 oz (50 g) demerara sugar

For the filling and topping:

100g/4oz Butter
225g/8oz Icing Sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Teasp Instant Coffee

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C).

You will also need two 8 inch (20 cm) sandwich tins, 1½ inches (4 cm) deep, lightly greased and the bases lined with silicone paper (baking parchment).

First of all you need to toast all the walnuts, so spread them on a baking sheet and place in the pre-heated oven for 7-8 minutes. After that, reserve 10 halves to use as decoration later and finely chop the rest. Take a very large mixing bowl, put the flour and baking powder in a sieve and sift it into the bowl, holding the sieve high to give it a good airing as it goes down.

Now all you do is simply add all the other cake ingredients (except the coffee and walnuts) to the bowl and, provided the butter is really soft, just go in with an electric hand whisk and whisk everything together until you have a smooth, well-combined mixture, then fold in the coffee and chopped walnuts. This will take about 1 minute but, if you don't have an electric hand whisk, you can use a wooden spoon and a little bit more effort. What you should end up with is a soft mixture that drops off the spoon easily when you give it a sharp tap; if not, add a spot of water. Divide the mixture between the prepared sandwich tins, spreading the mixture around evenly. Then place the tins on the centre shelf of the oven and bake them for 30 minutes.

While the cakes are cooking you can make up the syrup and the filling and topping. For the syrup, first place the coffee and sugar in a heatproof jug, then measure 2 fl oz (55 ml) boiling water into it and stir briskly until the coffee and sugar have dissolved, which will take about 1 minute.

Next, for the filling and topping, place the softened butter in a mixing bowl and sift the icing sugar over the top. Dissolve 1 teasp instant coffee in 2 teasp hot water. Cool and then add to the mixture. Cream all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until well blended. Use as required (see below).

When the cakes are cooked, ie, feel springy in the centre, remove them from the oven but leave them in their tins and prick them all over with a skewer while they are still hot. Now spoon the syrup as evenly as possible over each one and leave them to soak up the liquid as they cool in their tins. When they are absolutely cold, turn them out very carefully and peel off the base papers – it's a good idea to turn one out on to the plate you're going to serve it on. Then spread half the filling and topping mixture over the first cake, place the other cake carefully on top and spread the other half over. Finally, arrange the reserved walnut halves in a circle all around. It's a good idea to chill the cake if you're not going to serve it immediately.

Noelia's Panettone Pudding

2007-07-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

50g butter, softened (optional)
250g panettone (about 5 medium slices)
2 eggs
142ml carton double cream
225ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp caster sugar
icing sugar, for sprinkling
softly whipped cream, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 3/fan 140C and grease a 850ml/1½ pint shallow baking dish with a little butter. Cut the panettone into wedges, leaving the crusts on. Butter the slices lightly with the rest of the butter. Cut the slices in half and arrange them in the dish, buttered side up.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, vanilla extract and sugar and pour evenly over the panettone.
Put the dish in a roasting tin and pour hot water around it to a depth of about 2.5cm/1in. Bake for 35 minutes until the pudding is just set - it should be yellow inside and nicely browned on top. Dust with icing sugar and serve with spoonfuls of whipped cream.

Massive Apologies!!

2007-06-11T01:31:00.000-07:00

Good morning cake lovers!

So, it was my turn to bake this week so I got myself to tesco's early yesterday to get the ingredients for the brownies I thought would be easy to make. Well I have disaster after disaster.
Firstly, I forgot to add the butter at the correct time so added it at the end. i don't think it made a massive difference but who know
Secondly, I used a pan too small so after the 30 mins baking time was over... the mix was still gloopy and some had overflowed. My lovely boyfriend saved the day by separating the mis into two baking trays and helping my clean the oven(which was now smoky)
and then... thinking nothing else could go wrong I over cooked the damn brownies. ahhh
I couldn't then get them out of the pan either :-(

I do have what I managed to salvage with me... something between a brownie biscuit and a brownie. If anyone would like to try one, come and see me. they honestly are not that bad and are not burnt- just a little flat

Sorry for leaving you cakeless today

What a day...

Cake Club members enjoy another week

2007-05-30T07:42:00.001-07:00

Carolyn's rhubarb & orange tart/chocolate brownies

2007-05-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

Che's controversial Tea-ramisu

2007-05-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
Serves 12

2 packs of Italian fingers
200g of Powder Green Tea
3 table spoons of maple syrup
4 large eggs, seperated
Mascapone Cheese (low fat)
150g of caster sugar

Method
- Make green tea using 100g of green tea powder and a glass of warm water.
- Add in the maple syrup and stir until the syrup dissolves.
- Find a large serving dish.
- Dip the fingers into the green tea and lay them out them evenly at the bottom of the dish. Be careful not to over soak the fingers, just a light dip for 2 seconds is good enough.
- Put the seperated egg whites in to a large mixing bowl and whisked the whites till they are stiff.
- Spoon in the mascapone cheese and sugar slowly and whisk the mixture until they are thick and smooth.
- Spread a thick layer of the mixture on top of the soaked Italian fingers.
- Lay another layer of soaked fingers and spread the remaining cheese mixture on top of the fingers.
- Refrigerate the dish for 12-24 hours.
- Springle the remaining green tea powder on top before serving.

Preparation time: 30 mins

cake club members

2007-04-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

Miranda's Lemon Tarts & Carrot Cake

2007-04-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

Ruths Choclate Slab

2007-04-10T03:23:00.000-07:00

Dee's Butterscotch bars

2007-03-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

140g butter, plus extra for the tin
2 large eggs
350g light muscovado sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
250g self-raising flour
100ml bar milk chocolate (we used Green & Black's), cut in big chunks
100g macadamia or pecan nuts, coarsely chopped
icing sugar for dusting

Method

Preheat the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Melt the butter in a small bowl and leave to cool. Butter a shallow tin about 20 x 24cm. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Melt the butter, then add to eggs with the sugar and vanilla. Tip in the flour and stir in with the chocolate and three-quarters of the nuts. Don't over-beat.
Spread the mixture in the tin, scatter over the rest of the nuts and bake for 25-30 minutes, then cut into 12 bars. Dust with icing sugar.

Prep 15 - 20 mins

Cook 25 - 30 mins

Kiddle Fairy Cakes

2007-03-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Annmarie had made some marvellous fairy cakes for her daughter's birthday and she had generously offered some of them for us to sample!

Ingredients:

125g self-raising flour
125g caster sugar
125g soft unsalted butter
2 eggs Half a teaspoon real vanilla extract
Approximately 2 tablespoons milk
1 packet instant royal icing food colouring – for preferencecolour pastes specialist cake decorations of choice e.g. wafer roses, sugar flowers, dolly mixtures, and sprinkles
1 x 12-bun muffin tin 12 muffin papers

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 200C and line the tin with the muffin cases.
It couldn't be simpler to make cup cakes: just put all the ingredients except for the milk in the processor and then blitz till smooth.

2) Pulse while adding milk, to make for a soft, dropping consistency, down the funnel. Or using a bowl and wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time with a little of the flour.

3) Then add the vanilla extract and fold in the rest of the flour, adding the milk to get the dropping consistency as before. I know it looks as if you'll never make this scant mixture fit 12 bun cases, but you will. I promise you this mixture is exactly right to make the 12 cup cakes, so just spoon and scrape the stuff in, trying to fill each case equally, judging by eye only of course.

4) Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cup cakes are cooked and golden on top. As soon as bearable, take the cup cakes in their cases out of the tin and let cool, right way up, on a wire rack.

5) Once they're cool, make up a big, uncoloured batch of royal icing, and then remove a few spoonfuls at a time to small bowls.

6) Using a bamboo skewer, add small dots of colours from the paste-tubs, stirring with a teaspoon and then adding more colouring, very slowly, very cautiously (pastel works best here, whatever your everyday aesthetic) until you get the colour you want. Use teaspoons to coat the cupcakes with icing and leave each a moment to dry only slightly, on the surface, before sticking on a rose, daisy or whole stash of decorations.

Emily's Chocolate Brownies

2007-03-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

Jo Simon's Spiced Muffins

2007-03-19T07:27:00.001-07:00

Ruth's apple strudel

2007-03-09T03:40:00.000-08:00

Noelia's Apple Crumble Delight

2007-02-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

Crumble:
-300g/10½oz plain flour, sieved
-pinch of salt
-175g/6oz unrefined brown sugar
-200g/7oz unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
-Knob of butter for greasing

Filling:
-450g/1lb apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm/½in piece
-50g/2oz unrefined brown sugar
-1 tbsp plain flour 1 pinch of ground cinnamon

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Place the flour and sugar in a large bowl and mix well.
3.Taking a few cubes of butter at a time rub into the flour mixture.
4.Keep rubbing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Place the fruit in a large bowl and sprinkle over the sugar, flour and cinnamon.
6.Stir well being careful not to break up the fruit.
7. Butter a 24cm/9in ovenproof dish.
8.Spoon the fruit mixture into the bottom, then sprinkle the crumble mixture on top.
9. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the crumble is browned and the fruit mixture bubbling.
10. Serve with thick cream or custard.

Cake Club Launch Date:Monday 29th January

2007-02-13T02:24:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a marvellous turnout at launch of the cake club today. Word of the free homemade strawberry cheesecake spread fast around the office and in a matter of 10 minutes the Kitchen was full with people pretended that they were coming to make tea and acting surprised to see two cheesecakes on the table….I love it coz I would do the same myself. 16 people in total ate and enjoyed.

Until next time happy baking peope,
Martina x

Strawberry Cheesecake recipe

Ingredients

For the base

75g butter
10 digestive biscuits, finely crushed

For the filling

450 g full fat soft cheese (Philadelphia)
1 cup (225 g) 1/2 lb caster sugar (superfine granulated)
300 ml double or whipping cream
1 pack of jelly (organic and suitable for vegans…off course)
1 strawberry yogurt (optional)
Tin of strawberries.

Method:

First make the base:

1. Crush digestive biscuits into a powder (place them in a bag or cloth and hit repeatedly with a rolling pin).
2. Melt butter and mix thoroughly into the crumbs to make a dough for the cheesecake base.

3. Press the dough into the bottom of a greased 9 inch Pie Dish.

4. Place in the freezer for 45 minutes.

Second make the filling:

1. Add yogurt and strawberries to the cheese mixture.
2. Beat the jelly into the cheese mixture. Leave on one side until the mixture is on the point of setting.
3. Once 45 minutes is up remove the Pie Dish with cheesecake base from the freezer and pour in the filling.
4. Chill for 4-5 hours or until the filling is set.
5. Pipe with the whipped cream and decorate with fresh whole strawberries.