Raspberry and Vanilla Madaleines

It's been a while since I posted.  Sorry peeps! My new job has taken up a lot of time but I have really enjoyed it.  It's great to be involved in so many new projects there.

But things have quietened down slightly and as it's a bank holiday baking was on the agenda.  I made a raspberry angel delight cheesecake with an Oreo crust. And these Raspberry and Vanilla Madaleines.  An adaptation of a traditional Madaleine recipe from Michel Roux Jnr. I have recently purchased a Madaleine tin so this was an excellent opportunity to try it out. 

Makes about 15

Ingredients
100g Plain flour
100g Butter melted and slightly cooled
100g Caster sugar
1tsp Baking powder
2 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla extract
About 15 raspberries

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180. Beat eggs and sugar till fluffy. Grease tin and dust with flour lightly.

2. Add vanilla extract, baking powder and flour. Pour in butter. Beat to a thick batter.

3. Leave batter to rest for about 30 mins.

4. Fill tin mould 3/4 full. Pop a raspberry in the centre of each and gently push down.

5. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden around edges and risen.

6. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Chocolate Fridge Cake

So my last day came and went on Thursday. I was sad to say goodbye to a number of people I now call friends. But onwards and upwards and my new job is a promotion so too good to turn down! As I said I would I made cake. Always a good thing in my book! TheVictoria Sponge was similar to the recipe I made for cupcakes last month. The cornflake and jam tart however was an epic fail I brought wheat and rice flakes, not cornflakes. The result did not taste very good! So I will have to try again with the right ingredients! I did make the Chocolate Fridge Cake though. Recipe below:

Ingredients:

100g Butter

200g Milk or Dark Chocolate - whichever you prefer!

4-5 squeezes of Golden Syrup (about 4 - 5tbsp)

225g Chocolate Digestives - roughly chopped

A bag of Malteasers (the sharing bags about 135g) - roughly chopped

A bag of Munchies (the sharing bags about 125g) - roughly chopped

Method:

1.   Line a square tin with parchment.

2.   In a heavy bottomed pan melt together the milk chocolate, syrup and butter on a low heat until melted and glossy. Set aside to cool slightly.

3.  Add all your chopped ingredients to the melted chocolate and mix. Pour into a tin and set in the fridge.

4.  Cut into squares.

Vanilla and Jam Cupcakes

I had two celebrations this weekend - my friend Caroline moved to Northampton and I accepted a new job offer. So I decided to bake some cupcakes (any excuse for cake!). One of mine and Caroline's favourites is Victoria Sponge so I decided a cupcake with Vanilla Icing and Jam in the middle would be a winner.



Makes 12

Ingredients:

Cupcakes -
180g Self Raising Flour - sifted
180g Caster Sugar
180g Butter or Stork - softened
1tsp Baking Powder
3 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
Your favourite jam

Icing -
200g Unsalted Butter - softened
400g Icing Sugar - sifted
Colouring or decorations if you want



Method:

Cupcakes -

1.   Preheat oven to 180/ 350/ Gas 4. Line a tin with cupcake cases. Set aside.
2.   Cream butter/ Stork and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract.
3.   Add in eggs a little at a time. If mixture curdles add a little flour.
4.   Fold in flour and baking powder.
5.   Put a heaped tbsp of mixture into each cupcake case. Bake for a couple of mins This will help seal the bases so the jam wont sink too much.
6.   Put half a tsp to a tsp of jam in the centre of the cupcake base (amount depends on the size of your cases). Top with more cake mixture until about 2/3rds full.
7.   Bake for approximately 20mins until golden and fluffy. Cool completely.

Icing -

1.   Beat sugar and butter until combined. If a little stiff add a couple of tsp of milk. Add colouring if using.
2.   Spoon or pipe icing onto cupcakes and top with chosen decorations.

***Don't make the mistake I did if premaking your icing in advance - take it out to soften before you need to ice the cakes. I didnt and struggled as a result!

***You'll notice I also topped some with good old chocolate spread! An easy stand by for cake toppings!

My Mum's Pastry

Everyone’s mum has a particular dish that they are amazing at and no one else’s compares. Well for mine it’s not baking... She’ll admit that one lol! But her pastry is pretty special and for occasions like Christmas I prefer using hers to buying it in. Taught by her dad who was an army chef it’s something I’ve never really mastered. So if I’m doing a bulk load of stuff I ask her to make me a job lot and freeze some.

As it’s the lead up to Christmas it’s a useful thing to have in the freezer. I use it for sausage rolls (using good quality sausage meat and some apple sauce). But it’s equally good for mince pies and meat pies!

It makes easily enough for 25 mini Sausage rolls or 1 large Meat Pie with leftovers!

Ingredients:

4oz Lard

8oz Self Raising Flour

1 Egg – lightly beaten

Water

Method:

1. Sift flour into a large bowl and chop up the lard into it.
2. Using your fingertips combine the flour and lard until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Pour in the egg.
4. Add water in bit by bit and enough to form a firmish dough.
5. Knead on a floured surface until smooth.
6. At this stage it can be frozen if you wrap it well.

Banana Bread

I had a few bananas and eggs that needed using up, so decided banana bread was on the days agenda. The smell when it's baking is amazing! Really easy to make, give it a go.

Ingredients:

140g Butter , softened, plus extra to grease  
140g Self Raising Flour                                        
140g caster sugar                                                                                               
2 large eggs , beaten
1tsp Baking Powder  
2 Ripe Bananas - mashed
2tbsp Golden Syrup (optional)

This time around I added a handful of white chocolate chips because they were lying around. Milk and dark ones would work too. Or leave plain!                                        

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160/180/ Gas 4. Grease and line a loaf tin.
2. Cream butter and sugar till fluffy.
3. Fold in eggs and flour.
4. Add golden syrup and baking powder. Combine.
5. Tip in mashed bananas and chocolate if using. Combine.
6. Pour into tin and bake for about an hour. But check after 45mins as it will depend on the tin you're using. A skewer or knife should come out clean.
7. Serve warm with butter or maybe some vanilla ice cream - yummy!

Raspberry Tray Bake

As is tradition at my work when it's your birthday you bring cake in for everyone (Really who started that tradition?!) Lately it appears that everyone has taken to baking their own cakes. Now I am a little competative and didn't want to be out done. So I went with traybakes as they're so much easier to transport to work than cupcakes!Imade these and Nigella's brownies.

Raspberry Jam Tray Bake

Makes 16 to 24 squares

500g Shortcrust pastry (I used Sainsbury's Dessert one)

Enough Raspberry Jam to cover the bake (about 7tbsp)

200g Softened Butter

200g Caster Sugar

4 Eggs

100g Ground Almonds

100g Self Raising flour

1tsp Almond Extract

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to fit into a 12 by 8 or a 9 inch square baking tin. It ideally needs to fit the base and a little up the sides.

Place the pastry into the pan and then spread the jam evenly over all.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until they light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding 1/3 of the ground almonds after each addition.

Add the flour and the remaining almonds. Mix well.

Stir in the almond extract.

Pour the mixture over the jam, spreading to make an even layer.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until well risen, firm and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Leave in the tin. Turn out when cool and cut into squares.

Nigella's Snow Flecked Brownies (THE only brownie recipe you need)

I'm a MASSIVE Nigella fan and the only brownie recipe I use is hers. I adapt it depending on what I feel like. I've put Oreo's in it, chopped Mars Bars.You name it. But the basic recipe is below and it's a great one to have handy!

 

Snow-Flecked Brownies
From Nigella Lawson's 'Feast'.

190g Butter

190g Dark Chocolate (I use good old Bournville)

3 Eggs

175g Caster Sugar

1tsp Vanilla Extract

115g Plain Flour

1/2tsp salt

125g White Chocolate Chips or Chunks

Icing Sugar for dusting.

1. Preheat oven to 160/ Gas 3.
2. Line the sides and base of a small rectangular brownie pan (mine is 24cm x 27cm) with baking parchment.
3. Melt the butter and the dark chocolate over a medium heat.
4. In a bowl beat the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract.
5. Allow chocolate mixture to cool a little, then add the egg and sugar mixture. Beat well.
6. Fold in the flour and salt. Stir in the white chocolate chips/chunks.
7. Pour the mix into the prepared tin and bake for about 25 minutes. If you stick a skewer in the middle it will come out with a few crumbs on it. You want it to be a little squidgy in the middle.
8. When cool dust with icing sugar.

 

 

 

Basic Lemon Biscuits

I had a lemon sitting in the fridge that needed using up and with the other ingredients in my cupboard and fridge I decided to make some lemon biscuits.Very basic, light ones just to go with a cup of tea. It's a really easy recipe and you could substitute the lemon for orange or any other flavour. They only take about 30 minutes.


Ingredients:

100g Softened Butter
100g Caster Sugar (though I will admit I only had granulated, but whizzed it up in the food processor and it worked fine!)
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 Beaten Egg
340g Plain Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
1-2tbsp milk

1. Grease baking tray and preheat oven to about 180/ Gas Mark 4.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the lemon rind.
3. Beat the egg with the lemon juice and beat into the sugar mixture.
4. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the mixture and combine.
5. Add in milk to form a dough.
6. Roll out on a flour dusted surface to about 1/2 cm thickness and cut using whatever shape you fancy.
7. Place on baking sheet and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden.
8. Cool. I then dusted mine with some vanilla icing sugar I randomly have in my cupboard.

Nigella's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake - Gluten free!

I am in the process of testing out some new baking recipes in preparation for my birthday in November. As is a tradition across the country I have to provide cake on my birthday. This year I will not be beaten by others and will bake my own rather than resort to the supermarket!

One of our Senior Management team at work is gluten intolerant and I always feel a little sorry for her when all the lovely treats come out and she can’t have any due to the dreaded flour! I managed to catch Nigella Lawson’s Nigellissima on Monday night and she had a Chocolate Olive Oil Cake made with ground almonds rather than flour – perfect for gluten intolerant folk. So I gave it a practise run this weekend.

The result was actually really nice. It is a heavier, denser cake than you can expect if you use flour instead of ground almonds but it’s worth a go. I will be making it again. I served it warm with a little cream – marvellous!

Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Serves 10

Ingredients

150ml regular or light olive oil

50g cocoa powder – sifted

125ml boiling water

2tsp vanilla extract

150g ground almonds

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Pinch of salt

200g caster sugar

3 eggs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170/325/gas3. Grease and line a 23cm spring form tin.
2. Sift cocoa into a bowl or jug and whisk in water until it forms a slightly runny paste. Whisk in anile and set aside to cool a little.
3. In another bowl combine almonds, bicarbonate of soda and the salt.
4. Put the sugar, oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer ad beat for a few minutes. Or if you don’t have one like me in a large bowl and use an electric whisk. It should take about 4 minutes to become pale and thickened.
5. Turn speed down a little and add cocoa mixture. Tip in the almond mixture. Beat.
6. Pour mixture into the tin (it will seem runnier than a normal cake mix) Bake for 40 -45 minutes - it should look like the sides are set, but the middle is slightly damp. If you use a tester it will come out mainly clean with a few crumbs on it.
7. Cool for 10mins in the tin then remove.
8. Serve warm or cool completely.

Chocolate and Cherry Birthday Cake

For a friend's birthday this year I decided to bake a cake containing 2 of their favourite foods – chocolate and cherries. The cake resulted in him eating a bit too much of it and not being able to move. He then attempted to eat some for breakfast until I stopped him. So I’ll take that as a good sign!

Chocolate and Cherry Birthday Cake

Makes 1 x 20 cm cake – I used a springform tin for ease and I greased and lined it with baking parchment.

Ingredients

Cake:

2 tablespoons cocoa

3 tablespoons boiling water

227g margarine

227g caster sugar

4 eggs

227g self-raising flour

2 tsps baking powder

A jar of Morello cherries in syrup

3 Packets of Milk Chocolate Fingers

 

Icing:

150g plain or semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces

75g unsalted butter, diced

2 tbsp milk

3 egg yolks

150g icing sugar, sifted

 

Topping:

Large Handful of fresh cherries - destoned

75g White Chocolate – melted and slightly cooled

75g Dark Chocolate – melted and slightly cooled

(Set aside a chunk of each chocolate to grate over)

Method

Cake:

1. Pre-heat the over to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease cake tin.
2. Blend the cocoa and water in a mixing bowl then leave to cool slightly. Beat    margarine and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and best till combined. Sift in flour and baking powder beat until thoroughly blended. Add the cocoa and mix well. Pour into tin and level out.
3. Bake for about 25 minutes or until well risen. Leave to cool in tin for a few minutes before turning out.
4. When cooled slice cake in half.

Icing:

1. Put the chocolate, butter and milk in a medium heatproof bowl.
2. Place over a pan of just-simmering water until the chocolate and butter have melted – the mixture should be warm but not hot. Remove from the heat and beat until smooth.
3. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating until well combined. Add the sugar, a third at a time, beating to a thick, smooth spreading consistency. If you need to add more sugar to thicken do it a spoonful at a time.

To Assemble:

1. Drizzle cherry syrup from the jar over base layer of sponge (Use the half of the cake which has a slight upward bump. It would have been the top of the cake initially. Save the flattest layer for the top of the cake for ease of icing).
2. Spread a third the icing over base.
3. Cover with a layer of the cherries from the jar and place top half of cake on top.
4. Using remaining icing cover top and sides of cake.
5. Working quickly place chocolate fingers vertically around the cake using the icing as a glue. Push them in slightly to seal well.
6. Trim stalks off the cherries and dip half in the melted white chocolate and half in the melted dark chocolate.
7. Arrange cherries on top of cake. Drizzle over any remaining melted chocolate. Sprinkle over grated chocolate. Leave to set and then serve.