Showing posts with label Cake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cake. Show all posts
One cake which I fell totally in love with when I moved to the UK was the Traditional Battenburg Cake. This was not a cake which I had ever heard of prior to moving there.
There really is no end to the varieties of traditional and regional cakes and goodies amongst those fertile green and septred isles! With it's church window appearance, delicious texture and flavours, the Battenburg was one of my favourites.
After the holidays we are firmly entrenched in Winter, and with Covid, this year can be feeling especially depressing to you. We are all stuck in our homes, and our natural freedoms have been somewhat curtailed, and for good reason.
We may find ourselves in need of a "Pick Me Up" maybe more than ever. One thing I really like to do in the Winter months is to plan and prepare a small Tea Party, even if it is just for one or two people.
A Tea Party is one way to perk up your days and bring a bit of sunshine into your life! Are we not all in need of a bit of a lift?
You don't need anything special, or a load of people to attend. Some of the best tea parties of
all happen when there's just two of you, and I have been known to really enjoy an intimate tea party for just one. And why not?
All you need is a table spread with a fine cloth and some tea . . . in a
pot of course, (today we had blackberry and mint and it was
delicious!) and cups and saucers. You also need some delicious foods, although they need not be overly complicated.
The perfect afternoon tea (or High Tea as it is also called) should begin with some delicious savouries . .
. finger sandwiches, sausage rolls, little toasts, savoury pastries . .
. followed with scones (if you wish) and a selection of small fancies and
cakes.
You don't need a lot of sandwiches, only a few different types will do. I think we all have things in our cupboards and larders to make up a few sandwiches. Egg Salad. Ham. Cheese and pickle. Tomato. Cucumber (very traditional). There is no end to the types we can make.
Sausage rolls and tiny turnovers are also very popular. We had some in the freezer leftover from Christmas. Even Deviled Eggs can be quite welcome! I adore Deviled Eggs. You can find my recipe for those here.
For dainties all you need is a selection of a few bits and bobs. I am sure we all still have things leftover from Christmas. Shortbread cookies, squares and the like.
You don't really need a lot of them, one or two per person is quite sufficient. Even fancy chocolates are a treat. Just choose a few bits that really strike your fancy and give you a small bit of pleasure.
Of course the star of any good Tea Table will be a fresh baked cake. You won't get much nicer than a beautiful Battenburg Cake. If you love almond, then this is the cake for you.
A firm favourite on
the traditional English tea table, this is a very pretty two coloured
sponge cake, put together like a pink and white checker board pattern. I think you may actually be quite surprised as how very easy it is to make one of these delicious cakes!
You only need to create a simple sponge cake batter. The sponge batter is divided in half with one half being coloured pink with a bit of pink food colouring.
These get baked in the same tin. If you like you can separate the two batters with a strip of aluminium foil, or bake them separately in small loaf tins. .
Personally, I never have a problem baking them both in the same cake tin however.
They stay largely separate and you will be trimming the edges once the
cake has cooled, so it is very easy to separate the two colours.
Once cooled each colour is separated, trimmed and cut into two long strips. These strips are then sandwiched together in a checkerboard pattern, using seedless raspbery jelly and vanilla buttercream as a glue.
Its quite simply really. If your cake is completely cold you only need a good and sharp serrated knife to do the job. Just cut and trim as needed.
You don't have to put jam and butter cream between each layer if you don't want to, although that is traditional. On this day I did jam one way and buttercream the other way. Feel free to use a good quality store brand if that is what you have.
Raspberry jam and butter cream are traditional, but do feel free to use something else if you are not fond. This is all about creating a pretty cake that everyone will enjoy.
Once you have your checkerboard created you will need to brush the whole cake in more jam and then wrap it in a thin layer of marzipan. The marzipan gets rolled out very thinly on a layer of granulated sugar, which helps to prevent it from sticking to the cutting board/counter and adds a delightful crunch.
If you are really feeling keen and industrious you can stretch this a bit and make a Hazelnut Battenburg Cake. This is a wonderful riff on the traditional, composed of a chocolate hazelnut batter layered with the white cake.
As you can see this is also very pretty. The layers are sandwiched together with chocolate hazelnut spread. I use nutella.
It is incredibly moreish. Especially if you enjoy chocolate!
When cut into slices this is a beautiful cake. I think it is really quite amazing looking. It is very impressive and not all that difficult.
It does require a little bit of
patience, but it's well worth any effort taken. It may take a bit of
practice to get the marzipan as tight as you would like it, but do
persevere as it is most beautiful when done
If you are looking for a mighty fine cake to serve at your teatime table, then this is the one to choose. Pretty and delicious. What more could you want??? Nom! Nom!
Yield: 6
Battenburg Cake
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 45 Mintotal time: 55 Min
This is a traditional cake that has appearing in British cookery books for over two centuries. The finished cake resembles somewhat a church stained glass window. This is a real treat for almond lovers and not as hard to make as it would seem!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3/4 cup (175g) butter, softened
- 1 cup minus 2 TBS (175g) caster sugar
- 3 large free range eggs, beaten
- 1 1/4 cups (175g) self raising flour
- a little red food colouring
You will also need:
- 2/3 pound (275g) of natural almond paste (marzipan)
- warmed seedless raspberry jam (about 3 TBS)
- vanilla buttercream icing (about 3 TBS)
- granulated sugar to dust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter a 7-inch square cake tin and line with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter together with the sugar until very light and fluffy.
- Add the lightly beaten eggs and the flour, a little at a time, beating until smooth.
- Divide the cake batter in half, placing each half in a different bowl.
- Tint one half with a bit of red food colouring to give you a pink batter.
- Spoon the pink batter into the left hand side of the tin, and the normal colour into the other side. Smooth the top gently.
- Bake in the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or until firm when lightly pressed in the centre.
- Carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before proceeding.
- When the cake is completely cool, trim the edges of the cake and then divide it equally into 4 long sections, with two being pink and two being white.
- Using a little of the butter cream and some of the warmed raspberry jam, place one of each colour on the bottom and the remaining two on top. alternating the colours to give you a chequer board pattern and having some butter cream and jam between each. You will not need much, only just enough to make them adhere to the other.
- Dust the counter top with some granulated sugar and then roll out the marzipan on top. You need to roll it thinly into an oblong roughly the length of the cake and large enough to roll around the cake.
- Spread with a thin layer of jam and then place the sponge checkerboard on top. Roll the marzipan around the cake and seal with a bit more jam.
- Trim the edges neatly at each end. Place onto a plate with the "seam" underneath and lightly mark the top in the traditional criss cross pattern.
notes:
Make Your Own Self Raising Flour:
You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I wanted to share another one of my classic recipes this morning. You can't get much more classic than a basic Victoria Sandwich Cake. And, I have to say, you don't get much more classic than by using Mary Berry's Recipe.
The original recipe is one I have adapted from her "Ultimate Cake Book." This was one of the very first books I bought when I moved over to the UK. I adore the Cherry Almond Cake recipe in it. It is quite simply fabulous!
This cake is always my go-to cake when I am craving a cake to enjoy on any occasion. Generally speaking, I will bake at least one of these every week. (Don't judge me, I love this cake!)
It is simple to throw together, moist, and delicious. And lets face it, when it comes to cake success, you don't get much better than Mary Berry.
It uses the all-in-one method. By that I mean all of the cake ingredients get measured into a bowl and beaten together. Its that simple! You don't get much simpler.
Well, I suppose you could use a cake mix, but let me tell you right now. A cake mix wouldn't even begin to touch this cake when it comes to texture and flavour. From scratch is always infinitely better. Trust me on this!!
The most concise way of baking has always been to bake by weight. By that I mean weighing out the ingredients. I have included both measures of course, so don't fear. You can also do this cake by cups, etc.
I started baking by weight when I moved over to the UK however, and I have to say it is now my preferred method of baking. It is so much more accurate. I will never again want to be in a kitchen without a set of kitchen scales.
For this cake everything is in equal measures. Flour. Sugar. Butter. Eggs. All the same weight. Knowing this means that you can bake this cake any size you require. Just make sure everything is weighed out to the same weight.
I have given measurements for 6-inch, 7-inch and 8-inch sizes. It is a two layer cake. Often if I am just making it to have a cake to enjoy with a cup of tea I will make the 7-inch one.
Another thing I really love about this cake is its simplicity. I enjoy it filled with jam, usually a red jam. Strawberry is my favourite, but raspberry is also very, very good.
My mother always filled our cakes with jam. With jam in the middle a
cake needs no other adornment. Especially if you use really good jam.
And I always do.
My father always loved cake with jam in the middle and it was something we all enjoyed. My jam of choice has always been Bonne Maman. It just has the nicest consistency and the right amount of fruitiness!
The topping is also very simple. Dusted with caster sugar. Caster sugar is a finer grain of granulated sugar. I is used in baking because it melts quickly into batters, etc. Have you ever seen a cake which looks a bit speckled on top?
Its very easy to make your own caster sugar. Simply pop regular granulated sugar into a good food processor and blitz it for 30 seconds or so to grind it down. Easy peasy lemon squeasy.
In the summer months, or for really special occasions such as a tea party, this cake is fabulous simply filled with whipped cream and berries. Strawberries or raspberries are both excellent choices.
Of course if you have chosen to fill it with whipped cream and fruit, you will need to eat it on the same day. This goes without saying.
It is also excellent with a layer of vanilla butter cream added to the filling. Simply make your favourite buttercream recipe and spread a layer of it on the bottom layer and then top with the jam, placing the other layer on top.
I have to say this is a real favourite of mine. You can make a simple butter cream icing by beating 3 TBS of softened butter together with 1 TBS cream or milk and about 2 cups (260g) of icing sugar. Simple. You can add a few drops of vanilla if you wish.
The texture of this cake is perfect. It has a nice even and moist crumb as you can see. It is not crumbly or dry in the least. That is a perfect cake. Nobody wants a dry cake.
You could add a few drops of vanilla when you are beating it up, but really this cake is perfect when made just as is. When you are talking perfection, you really don't need anything else!
I have to tell you also that lemon curd also makes an excellent filling for this cake. I make a really simple and delicious lemon curd from scratch. You can find that recipe here.
Lemon curd is really quite simple to make. Once you have made your own from scratch, you will never settle for store bought again. It is that delicious! I could eat it with a spoon! Yummy yummy!!
This is a cake that can be as simple as you wish. It can also be as elaborate as you wish. It suits all occasions.
Yield: Vary according to size of cake baked
Mary Berry's Victoria Sandwich Cake
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 25 Mintotal time: 35 Min
This is a tried and true classic. The cake of choice for birthdays or just to enjoy with a hot cuppa. You can never go wrong with this. I have given amounts for three sizes of cake. This cake uses the all-in-one-method.
Ingredients
For the 8-inch layer cake:
- 1 cup (225 g) softened butter
- 1 cup + 3 TBS (225 g) caster sugar
- 4 large free range eggs
- 1 1/2 cups +1 TBS (225 g) self-raising flour
- 2 level tsp baking powder
- 2 x 20cm (8in) greased and lined sandwich tins
For the 7-inch cake:
- 3/4 cup (175g) of softened butter
- Very scant cup (175g) of caster sugar
- 3 large free range eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (175g) of self-raising flour
- 1½ teaspoons of baking powder.
- 2 x 18 cm (7 in) greased and lined sandwich tins
For the 6-inch cake:
- 1/2 cup (100 g) of softened butter
- 1/2 cup (100 g) of caster sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 3/4 cup (100 g) of self-raising flour
- 1tsp of baking powder.
- 2 x 15cm (6 in) greased and lined sandwich
To fill and serve:
- a quantity of strawberry or raspberry jam
- caster sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter the two cake tins and line the bases with baking paper.
- Measure all of your cake ingredients into a bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer until thoroughly blended and smooth.
- Divide the batter between the two cake tins, leveling it out.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until well risen and the tops spring back when lightly touched. The layers should have also pulled back a bit from the sides of the tins.
- Allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack to cook completely.
- Once cooled sandwich the layers together with some jam. Dust the top of the cake with some caster sugar to serve.
- Cut into wedges and serve with a hot cuppa for the ultimate experience!
notes:
Make Your Own Self Raising Flour:
You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour.
I don't think you can really go wrong by serving this kind of a cake. It goes down a real treat for any occasion! What is your favourite kind of cake?
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
You know it is autumn when the temperatures start to dip and the kitchen starts to smell like sugar and spice and all things nice. Cinnamon. Cloves. Nutmeg. Yep, a Tomato Soup cake is in the oven!
Tomato Soup Cake? What the heck? Say what? Today I am tipping my hat to this fabulously retro recipe which dates back to days of old. I got the recipe from my Canadian MIL. I am sure she got it from a tin of tomato soup!
People are always really surprised when you give them a slice of this delicious cake and are told what kind of cake it is! You can almost guarantee their eye brows will rise in question. Almost like they have heard you wrong.
Nope, you tell them. It is Tomato Soup Cake. And then you can see them kind of nervously dipping their forks into it. Not quite sure of what to expect.
They raise their fork to their mouth and you can almost see them cringing. They are not sure what to expect but it can't be good right?
WRONG! They are almost always pleasantly surprised and have no problem digging their forks into the cake for a second bite. This is love at first bite, every time.
Tomato Soup Cake is a spicy sweet classic that has been gracing tables across North America for a great many years, back to the 1930's and the great depression. This simple spice cake is also known as Mystery Cake.
The secret ingredient, a tin of condensed tomato soup, has kept people guessing to no avail as to just what it is. You cannot taste any tomato soup in it. It just tastes nice and spicy.
I can only guess some really brave housewife happened upon the idea of using tomato soup to help cut back on butter and eggs which were really scarce at the time, along with wages. There is some, but not a lot.
What a wonderful way to think outside of the box! How very innovative. Whoever it was, I thank them very much!
In all truth it was probably a dietitian working for one of the soup companies who came up with it as a way to sell more tinnd soup. It doesn't really matter. The end result is one very delicious cake!
I had never heard of it before my MIL gave me the recipe. It was not something my mother had ever made. The first year I was married my MIL gave me a little handwritten notebook filled with all of her tried and true recipes. This was one of them.
I confess, I, too, was quite sceptical when I first saw it. It was my ex husbands favourite cake however and so what was a good wife to do. Eager to please, I baked it for him.
It smells heavenly when it is baking. All spicy and warm, like autumn. Your house will smell amazing.
To me, this is the smell of Home Sweet Home. Homecoming. Changing leaves. A briskness in the wind. Crisp and cooler mornings. The smell of spice and woodsmoke.
This tender and moist, spicy cake is to be honest, simply wonderful. It is very similar to my Applesauce Spice Cake both in looks and in flavour. They both smell fabulous when baking.
The applesauce cake is not quite as dark in colour. Both recipes are a nod to the ingenuity of the cooks and bakers of days gone by, when nothing was ever laid to waste and every scrap was used.
I have added a cream cheese icing to my MIL's recipe. Hers was always plain. Where she used to bake hers in a square pan, I like to bake it in a loaf tin. I think it turns out much moister baked in a loaf tin.
The cream cheese icing really adds a special touch I think. A certain richness. I have had to fiddle a lot with my cream cheese icing since moving here to the UK. Cream cheese here is wetter I think. It took me a very long time to get it to work out properly.
It is a fine balance between butter and cream cheese, and I do find it takes me a lot more icing sugar to get it to the right consistency here, which does result in more icing, but you can freeze the extra. Or keep it in the refrigerator for a short time if you know you are going to be using it up soonish.
You can leave it plain if you wish, or just make a vanilla butter cream. Plain it is lovely toasted lightly and spread with butter.
Yes, I do know how to add extra calories to just about everything. What can I say? Guilty as charged.I guess I just know how to put the good in taste. And my hips don't lie. They are the proof of the pudding.
This spicy moist cake is studded with sweet sticky raisins. You can leave them out if you want, but if you are a raisin lover, I highly recommend you leave them in. You could use chopped dates in their place if you wanted to, or even both.
Same with the walnuts. Leave them in and do toast them first if you can. It does make a difference. You could probably use pecans in their place, but I have just always used walnuts. Where I come from if a recipe calls for nuts, its usually walnuts.
I really hope you will bake this. Don't tell your family what it is until after they have fallen in love with it and then watch for the surprised look on their faces.
Tomato Soup Cake
Yield: 1 (8 by 4-inch) loaf
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 45 Mintotal time: 55 Min
This sweet and spicy classic loaf cake is studded with sticky raisins and crunchy toasted nuts. A cream cheese frosting is its crowning glory. You know its autumn when one of these is in the oven!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter
- 1 cup (195g) sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 (10 3/4 oz)(295g) tin of condensed tomato soup, undiluted
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 1/2 cups (210 g) sifted all purpose (plain)flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup (50g) raisins
- 1/3 cup (40g) toasted walnuts (coarsely broken)
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 2 1/2 TBS butter, at room temperature
- 4 TBS cream cheese, at room temperature
- few drops of vanilla extract
- 1 cup (130g) icing sugar sifted (or enough to give you the consistency needed) (In the UK it may take considerably more)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 by 4 inch loaf tin and line with baking paper. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Beat in the tomato soup.
- Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder and spices. Add to the creamed mixture and mix together just to combine. Fold in the raisins and nuts.
- Spread in the loaf tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. (Here in the UK, mine took an additional 10 minutes.)
- Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- When the cake has cooled make the frosting. Beat everything together until smooth, adding enough icing sugar to give you a smooth, thickish yet spreadable frosting. Spread over the top of the cake.
- Cut into thick slices to serve.
How are you coping with all of the changes in Blogger? I am having a heck of a time myself. I have never been one much for writing code etc. Like a car, I just want to get behind the wheel and turn the key. This sure is different! I suppose in time it will become old hat! Things are not quite looking the same on my home page, but I am hopeful that they will sort themselves out in due time.This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The
English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are
reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you
may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come
I used some of my precious flour this weekend to bake us an Italian Lemon Cream Cake. I had a lemon that was close to spilling over to unusable and some cream which was also close to being unusable as well.
I hate it when that happens.
Several months ago, I am ashamed to say . . . losing such things wouldn't really have bothered me overly much, although I have always tried to use everything.
Over the last few years, I have probably not been as diligent as I could have been. Not proud of that.
These days I am much more aware of waste and shortages. Flour (for one thing) and sugar are in short supply and I don't have regular access to fresh ingredients either.
For as long as we are bothered by this Covid 19 pandemic my days of simply popping to the shops or sending Todd when I need something are over, and in fact I am not sure if I will ever live like that again.
Did you know you can keep flour in the freezer indefinitely. Actually, you can keep it in your refrigerator for up to two years before it will go rancid.
So long as they are stored in airtight containers, that is. A timely tip there!
I had recently been sent some lovely Italian flour by an online supplier of authentic Italian foods, Cibilia. I have been storing it in my freezer and decided to use some of it today. There was a semolina flour and 2 types of soft wheat flours, both perfect to make things like shortbreads, scones, biscuits, cookies and so on.
The flour has been produced by Zilletta Di Brancia - Apulian Stone Mill, which is the only artisan stone mill existing in all the Tavoliere delle Puglie. It is also a family owned mill. For this Cake I used TIPO 1 which is an Organic all purpose flour.
As you can see I had beautiful results. Look at the beautiful crumb which resulted after baking! I was so impressed.
That crumb is the sign of a good cake. And good flour helps to create a great crumb.
The cake itself is a very simple cake. It is light and beautifully flavoured and as you can see has a very light crumb and is very moist.
I love simple cakes. They are my favourites.
You beat three large free range eggs together with an additional large free range egg yolk, lemon zest and a quantity of confectioners sugar to make a light and fluffy mixture.
This mixture almost doubles in volume. This is a part of what adds to that beautiful texture of the cake.
Once you have done that you fold in a mix of the flour and some baking powder, alternating with heavy cream . . . rich and moist . . .
A quantity of melted and cooled butter gets folded in at the end along with some vanilla, melted butter, and lemon juice . . . creating a beautiful cake.
You need to be careful when you are folding it in so that you don't knock out much of the air that you have beaten into it.
I baked it in my 9 1/2 inch bundt tin. Do make sure you grease the tin really well and dust it with flour. I thought I had done a really good job of that, but my cake still stuck in a few places.
I needed to use a knife to run down the sides to loosen it and I really hate doing that with my bundt tins. I absolutely dread scratching them.
In any case if you are looking for a lovely simple cake that is moist and delicious, delicately flavoured with lemon with a beautiful crumb . . . this is YOUR cake!
Italian Lemon Cream Cake
Yield: 10
A moist and delicious cake with a delicate crumb. Flavoured with Lemon. Tthis cake is wonderful on its own but would be equally as delicious served with some fresh berries in berry season.
Ingredients:
- 100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled (7 TBS)
- 280g plain flour (I used a TIPO1 Italian flour) (2 cups)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large free range eggs
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 230g icing sugar (1 3/4 cups) sifted
- 160ml double cream (2/3 cup heavy cream)
- the zest of one unwaxed lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- Icing sugar to dust on finished cake
Instructions:
How to cook Italian Lemon Cream Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Grease a 9 1/2 inch bundt tin and flour it well, tapping out any excess flour.
- Melt the butter and allow it to cool completely.
- Measure the sugar, lemon zest and eggs, plus egg yolk into a bowl. Beat with an electric whisk unti it becomes very light in colour and doubles in volume.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gently fold into the creamed mixure, alternating with the cream, until thoroughly blended in. Gently fold in the lemon juice, vanilla and melted butter. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate and allowing to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
I simply dusted it with some icing sugar, and then decorated it with a couple of viola blooms and some fresh mint leaves. I thought it was quite pretty. You can't get much prettier than Mother Nature I don't think!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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