ANCIENT SPICED LOAF CAKE

Hello, it's been a while.  I've had a break from blogging but now I'm back and kicking off with this delicately spiced drizzle loaf.  I have to admit that the inspiration came from a slice of cake that I had in the John Lewis Cafe, I loved it and savoured every mouthful trying to distinguish each individual flavour.  It was like the palate test on Master Chef. Anyhow, after a couple of not quite rights I got it and now I'm sharing it with you.  The drizzle makes the sponge extremely moist and the almonds add texture whilst the orange flower water gives it a fragrant turkish delight quality.

The cake in the picture was mostly eaten when it was still warm with a bonus glug of cream and was like a sponge pudding but it was just as exquisite finished off a few hours later cold.  Let me know if yours lasted long enough to taste cold.

You can leave the cake with just the drizzle but I've added chopped pistachios, freeze dried raspberries - available in most supermarkets and dried marigold petals - bought on line and usually used in herbal teas.  I think they really add to its spice trail taste.

CAKE BATTER
170g Butter/Margarine
170g Sugar
150g Self Raising Flour
50g Ground Almonds
1tsp Baking Powder
Zest of 1 Orange
1tsp Ground Cardamom
1tbsp Orange Flower Water
1tbsp Milk
3 Eggs

DRIZZLE
Juice of 1 Orange
30g Sugar
1 tbsp Orange Flower Water



It's as you'd expect and pretty straight forward.  Cream together the butter and sugar till it's light and fluffy.  Now add the remaining ingredients and mix well to combine.  Pour the mix into a lined 2lb loaf tin and level out the surface.  Bake in a preheated oven at 160C fan for 40-50 minutes till cooked, firm to touch and a skewer comes out clean.

While it's baking make the drizzle. Stir the sugar into the orange juice with the orange flower water.  Once the cake is cooked, spoon the drizzle over the loaf while it is still hot, this helps it soak in better then add any decoration you decide on.

FINNISH BUTTER EYE BUNS - VOISILMAPULLA

This summer I discovered these heavenly sweet rolls in Finland where I also learned that Finns love cardamom as much as I do.  On my first day at the breakfast buffet I tried a bit of everything I wasn't sure about and discovered Voisilmapulla - Butter Eye Buns.  They are a sugary sweet bread, a cross between brioche and bath buns with a warming flavour of cardamom. Butter because they are packed with the stuff and eye because of the dimple in the middle which is filled with even more butter.

Don't be scared of the amount of melted butter you have to knead in, a bit like focaccia, you think it's never going to happen, but it does and it's what gives it a light airy texture. I used my freestanding mixer to start it off then finish it by hand.

I've sprinkled mine with sugar nibs but that's optional, I know they're not easy to get in shops here - you could try the internet. We had them with and without in Finland. In the recipe it says 2 tsp of cardamom but you could add more depending on how much you like the stuff, I put 3 in the next time I made them.

This is the recipe my Finnish friend Linda gave me, it makes 18 healthy sized buns, don't worry they freeze well and if you're going to go to the effort of making them, why not make lots. I divided mine in half and made a loaf too which we had toasted with cinnamon butter.





550g Milk, warmed
175g Sugar
2 Eggs
900g Strong White Bread Flour
2 Heaped tsp Ground Cardamom
20g Dried Yeast
200g Butter, melted

50g Butter
1tbsp Sugar
Egg Wash to glaze
Sugar Nibs to finish (optional)




Warm the milk and sugar till the sugar has just dissolved, you don't want it boiling. Now add the eggs and whisk together.

In a large bowl or free standing mixer combine the flour, cardamom and yeast.  Slowly stir in the milk.  If you're doing this by hand, use a knife till it starts to come together.  Once the milk is completely combined with the flour, pour in the melted butter.

This is where it gets really messy, there is a lot of squelching before it starts to resemble the smooth sticky dough you are aiming for.  Once all the butter is incorporated into the dough start kneading.  It will be sticky but try not to add flour,  dust your hands lightly with flour instead.  I always knead for 10 minutes to ensure a good result.

Divide the dough in two and place into floured bowls, cover with cling film or a shower cap and leave  in a warm place to prove for 1 hour.

Once the dough has doubled in size, knock it back and divide into 100g balls.  Shape them and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment with enough room to rise again.  Cover the buns with a clean dry tea towel and leave for 30-45 minutes to prove again.

Whilst they are proving, melt the remaining butter and sugar and leave to one side.  To finish the buns (no pun intended) press a deep dimple into each using your thumb, it will spring back a little, then fill with the melted butter, brush over with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar nibs if using them.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200C / 180C fan for 15-20 minutes.

Hyvää ruokahalua  Xx

HOT CROSS BUNS & BAKING GIVEAWAY - ENDED

Ooh, there's nothing like warm hot cross buns straight from the oven with lots of butter slathered on top so it's all lovely and melty.  Easter seems to give us loads of baking opportunities but this is my favourite.  I've thrown caution to the wind here and messed with a classic recipe but I think it really works.  My inspiration came from Natural Selection Foods and their cinnamon cranberries, they are the perfect addition and you could try them for yourself if you enter my giveaway.  The winner will be chosen on Thursday 5th April

The lovely people from Natural Selection are offering 1 lucky winner an extremely generous hamper of baking goodies that will keep you very busy.  You can also 'like' their face book page and print a £1.00 Off voucher to spend at Asda or Sainsbury's.

The hamper includes:

3 Packs Chopped Apricots

3 Packs Dried Cranberries

3 Packs 5 Fruit Mix

3 Packs Crystallised Ginger

3 Packs Cinnamon Cranberries

3 Packs Chopped Dates

2 Packs Crimson Raisins

A Natural Selection Apron

A Rolling Pin

And A Copy of The Great British Bake Off How To Bake Book

    

All you have to do is :             a) Leave a message on this post

                                                           b) Spread the word on Face Book & Twitter

                                                                c) 'Like' Natural Selection Foods on Face Book

HOT CROSS BUNS

500g Bread Flour                                              CROSSES 

15g Yeast                                                            2 tbsp Plain Flour

60g Butter                                                         1 tbsp Sugar

40g Sugar                                                          Water to Mix

10g Salt                                                              

1tsp Cinnamon                                                     GLAZE

1/2tsp Nutmeg                                                     1 tbsp Sugar

1/2tsp Cardamom                                                 1 tbsp Water

100g Cinnamon Cranberries                     

250ml Warm Milk

2 Eggs

1 tsp Orange Extract

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and rub in the butter and fresh yeast if your using it.  Now add the warm milk, orange extract and eggs.  Because it is such a sticky dough I start it off in my freestanding mixer using the dough hook.  When it has all come together tip it onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 8-10 minutes.  If it sticks to the surface dust your hands with flour till it stops.

It's important that you don't add too much flour so dusting your hands rather than the surface will reduce this.  Remember, the softer your dough, the softer your buns will be - ooh err misses.

Return the dough to a floured bowl and cover with cling film or, GENIUS TIP ALERT! A disposable shower cap - the one's you get free from hotels.

Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour then remove it from the bowl, divide it into 12 pieces and shape into buns.  Put them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, cover with a clean t-towel and leave in a warm place for another hour.

Your buns should be lovely and plump now so mix the batter for the crosses.  You want it pipeable but not so runny it just slides off your buns.  First brush each one with egg wash then pipe on the crosses.  Bake them at 220C for 15-20 minutes.  Keep an eye on them though as sweet bread tends to burn quite easily.

While they are baking warm the sugar and water till the sugar melts.  As soon as they come out of the oven brush the tops with the glaze to give them a gorgeous sticky shine.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE GIVEAWAY 

THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF - WEEK ONE

The Great Brisitsh Bake Off has to have been one of the most exhausting and emotional experiences of my life.  Seven years ago I gave birth to my second son, moved house 250 miles and had Christmas all within 2 weeks, it was a walk in the park compared to 'The Bake Off'.

That said, I would not change a thing, actually, I might alter a few recipes, lose some weight and maybe try not to cry so much, but apart from that, Oh yes perhaps sleep more and stress less.  I wouldn’t change a thing.

The whole experience has definitely made me a better baker and given me the confidence to have a go at anything but better still, create my own recipes.  I used to say I could cook because I could follow a recipe but I didn’t have the expertise to devise my own, I can’t stop myself now and I LOVE IT.

When you watch the programme I really hope it comes across how much fun we all had and how well we all got along, I’ve made some great friends from my fellow bakers, we all clicked from day one, infact on the first day of filming someone asked us if we’d all been away together on a team building exercise when in fact we all met in the pub the night before. 

We are all from different walks of life but like minded when it comes to baking.  It was so weird for me to be talking to a 19 years old student about puff pastry and meringue with the same enthusiasm

Week one began with our signature cup cakes. We had 2 hours to produce 24 cup cakes using two different flavours.  I love cardamom and was determinded to get it in somewhere so my first was a Shrikhand Cup Cake.  Shrikhand is an Indian dessert made from strained yoghurt and flavoured with cardamom.  My version used cream cheese and fresh tropical fruit which makes it light and refreshing.

My second was a lemon meringue cupcake.  On the show I pushed the boat out and made lemon curd from scratch, something I’d never done before.  You could of course use a jar from the supermarket instead, sometimes being a good cook is just a matter of knowing when to cheat.

50g Sunflower Margarine

2 tblsp Lemon Curd

1 Egg

125ml Milk

175g Plain Flour

1 1/2tsp Baking Powder

70g Sugar

Zest of 2 Unwaxed Lemons  

MERINGUE

2 Egg Whites

300g Sugar

4 tblsp Water

LEMON SYRUP

75g Sugar

Juice of 2 Lemons

LEMON CURD

Zest & Juice of 4 un-waxed Lemons

200g Sugar

100g Butter

 3 Eggs

 1 Egg Yolk

If you’re making the lemon curd, start with that to allow it time to cool. Put the zest, juice, sugar and cubed butter in a double boiler and whisk till the butter melts.

In a jug mix the eggs with a fork then stir them into the lemon.  Allow to cook for about 10 minutes stirring till thick and heavy, remove it from double boiler and leave to cool.

Make the cakes.  Melt the butter in a pan and allow to cool

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. In a jug measure the milk and add the eggs, butter and lemon curd.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. You can use an electric mixer for this.  Divide between 12 cupcake cases and cook for 20-25 mins at 160C.  Once cakes are cooked increase oven to 200C.

Make a lemon syrup by heating the lemon juice and sugar together till just beginning to boil.

When the cakes are cooked, pierce each one with a toothpick a few times and pour over a dessert spoon of lemon syrup.  Top each with a tsp of lemon curd.

Make the meringue topping.  I’ve used a method similar to Italian meringue which uses sugar syrup but with this you put all the ingredients into a heat proof bowl and whisk over boiling water with electric hand whisk for 8 minutes till thick.

Pipe the meringue onto each cake and return to the hot oven till browned. This can take just a minute so keep an eye on them.

The Show Stopper Challenge.

We were asked to create a tiered celebration cake in 4 ½ hours.  It was to be an impressive and elaborate creation that showed our talent and skill as a baker and cake decorator.

Making fiddly fussy pretty little things is really not me so I decided to go with something that 15 years in child care has taught me - cutting and sticking.

To practice making this for the show I made one for a Royal Wedding street party.  I was scared that the original colours might be too bold for Mary and Paul so went for pastels on the day.

Another cheat tip – buy the roll out icing, it’s really not necessary to make it unless you have a camera crew lurking over your shoulder.  This recipe makes 1x4", 1x6" and 2x8" cakes

PASSION CAKE

375ml Sunflower Oil

210g Sugar

375g Plain Flour

150g Coconut

3 tsp Mixed Spice

3 tsp Baking Powder

1 1/2 tsp Bicarb

75g Pecans Chopped

6 eggs

3 tsp Vanilla Paste

375g Carrots grated

1 1/2 x 432g Tins Crushed Pineapple drained

FROSTING

600g Icing Sugar

100g Sunflower Margarine

250g Cream Cheese

ICING

4 Ibs Icing Sugar

4 Egg Whites

200g Liquid Glucose

Colour Pastes

Coloured Balls to decorate

Corn Flour for rolling out

Heat Oven to 160c.

Drain the pineapple in a sieve and discard the juice or drink it with lots of ice (and some Malibu!)

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, coconut, mixed spice, baking powder, bicarb and pecans.

In a jug whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla paste,

Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Add the grated carrot, pineapple and lime zest and give it a thorough mix till everything is combined.

Divide between lined tins and bake till cooked through.  Times will depend on the sizes of cake tins you use.  On average a 10” tin will take about 30-40 minutes.

Next make the frosting.  In an electric mixer combine the margarine with the sugar then add the cream cheese and vanilla and mix.  Keep in fridge till ready to use.

If you’re making the icing, combine the icing sugar with egg white and liquid glucose in an electric mixer.  Once it comes together remove it to a surface dusted with corn flour and knead by hand to finish. You can keep this in the fridge to firm up a little till you’re ready to use.

Once the cakes are cooled use the frosting to sandwich them together and to stick the icing to them.  I used cutters to make fondant flowers to finish mine but you could just use the frosting, how you decorate it is up to you.