Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
Cherry Topped Fairy Cakes. How can you not fall in love with something called a Fairy Cake? And when they are topped with glace cherries, so much the more!
A fairy cake is the name given to small buttery cakes in the UK. They are generally much smaller than a cup cake and rather than a buttercream icing will have a simple thick sugar and water glaze.
They are delightfully simple to make and are a great way to introduce children to the art of baking. Simple and very forgiving, and yes, very delicious!
You just have to love the names that they give to their baked goods in the UK. I used to love reading Enid Blyton stories when I was a child and a huge part of the appeal was the name of the food that the children ate in the books.
Cherry Cakes, Crumpets, lashings of Ginger Beer, boiled sweeties, etc. it all sounded very exotic to me. I wanted to experience all of it. Midnight feasts, picnics, tuck boxes and adventures. Sign me up!!
This fairy cake recipe that I am sharing with you today comes from the cookery book entitled Vintage Cakes, tremendously good cakes for sharing an giving, by Jane Brocket. There are over 90 recipes in the book and I have enjoyed every one that I have baked thus far.
These fairy cakes were deemed good enough to be portrayed on the cover. As you can see mine did not look all that different from the ones in the book! That's one of mine sitting there on the cover just above the plate of cakes, covering the Victoria Sponge.
The photographs in the book are beautiful and the recipes are really well written. They are written by weight, which is a much more accurate method of baking in my opinion. I started baking by weight when I first moved to the UK.
All recipes over there are done by weight. I had to sink or swim and so I bought a set of scales and just got stuck in to doing it. I still bake by weight, even though I am back in Canada. As I said, it is much more accurate. The potential for error is very small.
For instance cup sizes can vary greatly. Have you spooned your dry ingredients into the cup and leveled it off? Or have you scooped the cup down into them. Those two things alone can make a huge difference, whereas a gram is always a gram is a gram.
Not all cups are created equally either. I have found differences in different kinds of measuring cups, etc. So now I weigh everything. I have, however, provided cup measures for this recipe, as I do all my recipes. I try to make everything easier for all of my readers on both sides of the pond!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHERRY TOPPED FAIRY CAKES
Simple baking cupboard ingredients. Wherever possible I have endeavored to provide adequate substitutions for anything that might be difficult to find.
For the cakes:
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tsp (125g) butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (125g) fine granulated sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1 cup (125g) self raising flour
- few drops vanilla extract
- 1 -2 TBS milk
For the finish:
- 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
- 2 1/2 TBS water (as needed)
- 6 glace cherries, washed, dried and halved
The original recipe called for caster sugar, which is a fine granulated sugar. You can use regular granulated sugar so long as it is not really coarse. If it is coarse, it will be helpful to blitz it for a few seconds in a food processor to make it finer.
Self rising flour is an ingredient that is very commonly asked for in British recipes. Self rising flour is a flour that has leavening already added to it.
It is very easy to make your own self rising flour. I make my own, 3 or 4 cups worth a a time. For every cup (140g) of flour, whisk in 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt. Easy peasy.
If you cannot get glace cherries (which are candied cherries) you can use maraschino cherries. Just rinse them and dry them really well before using.
HOW TO MAKE CHERRY TOPPED FAIRY CAKES
These are some of the easiest cakes to make. That is why they are such a good thing to make which children. Children love to bake and this is a very forgiving recipe.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a 12 cup medium muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. If it starts to curdle you can add a spoonful of the flour, but its not really necessary.
Stir in the flour, folding it in with a metal spoon until well combined. Stir in the vanilla and enough milk, as needed to give a soft dropping consistency.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling no more than 2/3 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until well risen and golden brown on top. The tops should spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Remove to a wire rack and cool slightly before removing from the tin completely.
Once they are cold you can make the icing. Sift the sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the water a bit at a time until you have a smooth thick spreadable type of icing. Spread some on top of each fairy cake and top each with 1/2 cherry.
Leave to set the icing before serving. Delicious! Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
You can use orange juice or lemon juice instead of water when making the icing to add a different depth of flavor to it. You may need to use a bit more icing sugar in that case and it may tint the icing a tiny bit so that it isn't pure white.
Sugared flowers are really pretty on top of these and make them a beautiful addition for a tea party or a special picnic. Children love cake sprinkles and candies when used to decorate the cakes.
These are best eaten on the day, but will keep for a day or two in an airtight container in a dark cool place. They are great for children's parties, or picnics, and properly decorated, they are a beautiful addition to an afternoon tea party.
With their buttery fluffy sponge texture and that lovely hint of sweet to the tops, they are fabulous when served with hot cups of tea, or glasses of milk, or cold glasses of lemonade!
The next time you are invited to a get-together bake a plate of these and watch everyone's eyes light up when you bring them in. They delight children and adults alike!
Some other small traditional bakes here in The English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:
QUEEN CAKES - These lovely little cakes are traditionally baked for Mothering Sunday in March and were said to be a favorite of Queen Victoria. They are rich and buttery and studded with plenty of dried currants. You can also use chopped raisins if you can't get currants. A dusting of icing sugar is the only adornment needed.
SCOTTISH SNOWBALL CAKES - How can you not love something called a snowball cake! Its impossible. Two buttery small cakes, sandwiched together with some jam. The filled caked are then rolled in glace icing and coconut. They look like little snowballs. Delightfully delicious!
CUPCAKE MADELEINES - These English Madeleine cakes are very different from their French counterpart. These buttery little cupcakes are brushed with warm jam and rolled in coconut. A glace cherry half decorates the top of each. They are the perfect teatime treat!
Yield: 12 small cakes
Cherry Topped Fairy Cakes
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
Ingredients
For the cakes:
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tsp (125g) butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (125g) fine granulated sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1 cup (125g) self raising flour
- few drops vanilla extract
- 1 -2 TBS milk
For the finish:
- 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
- 2 1/2 TBS water (as needed)
- 6 glace cherries, washed, dried and halved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a 12 cup medium muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. If it starts to curdle you can add a spoonful of the flour, but its not really necessary.
- Stir in the flour, folding it in with a metal spoon until well combined. Stir in the vanilla and enough milk, as needed to give a soft dropping consistency.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling no more than 2/3 full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until well risen and golden brown on top. The tops should spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Remove to a wire rack and cool slightly before removing from the tin completely.
- Once they are cold you can make the icing. Sift the sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the water a bit at a time until you have a smooth thick spreadable type of icing. Spread some on top of each fairy cake and top each with 1/2 cherry.
- Leave to set the icing before serving. Delicious!
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I am a huge fan of the blondie style of cookie bar. They are right up there with brownies in my estimation! Both have the moreish chewy texture that we all love, but blondies have a really delicious caramel/toffee flavor!
It is the brown sugar in blondies that give them that lovely chewy texture and caramel flavor, whereas in brownies, the flavor comes from the addition of melted chocolate or cocoa powder.
If you are a fan of coconut, then you will fall in love with these delicious bars. The coconut inside the blondie stays all lovely and chewy, almost macaroon-like.
The coconut which is sprinkled on top gets all nutty and toasty! A most wonderful combination of textures and flavors!
I adapted this Blondie recipe from one that I got in an e-mail the other day from Barefoot in the Kitchen. The original recipe made a 9 by 13-inch pan. My version makes an 8-inch square version.
If you are wanting the larger recipe, do check out Mary's page for the full list of ingredients. If you are like me and are a small family, this recipe is more than ample!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE COCONUT COOKIE BARS (SMALL BATCH)
Simple baking ingredients. These bars use things that we all have in our kitchens most of the time anyways!
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
- 1 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/2 TBS vanilla
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups (95g) shredded sweetened coconut, divided
- scant cup (170g) dark, bittersweet, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
I just use regular salted butter and actually Mary didn't specify one way or another. There is also only a pinch of salt in the recipe. You do need a little bit as the salt helps to enhance the caramel like sweetness of the blondie.
You can use dark, bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips. I like to buy the best chocolate chips that I can afford. Usually I buy the Kirkland brand. I just think they are really good chocolate chips.
Shredded coconut is long strands of grated coconut. They are still a bit dry, but not as dry as desiccated coconut. I suppose you could use sweetened desiccated coconut for this if that is all you can find, but I really recommend you using coconut with longer strands.
In the UK you can get shredded coconut on Amazon. I found several different kinds. You can also find it at Morrisons.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN SWEETENED SHREDDED COCONUT
If you can't find sweetened shredded coconut you can absolutely use the unsweetened with a few additions. Unsweetened coconut is too dry for most sweet baked goods and its not sweet enough. Adding more sugar and honey to the recipe without actually sweetening the coconut itself just does not work.
For one cup (75g) of coconut, measure 4 TBS of water and 4 tsp of sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut. Leave to stand until the sugar syrup has been completely absorbed.
Presto! Once totally cold you have sweetened shredded coconut that you can use in any baking recipe requiring this specific ingredient!
HOW TO MAKE COCONUT COOKIE BARS (SMALL BATCH)
These are one of the easiest cookie bars to make. Everything just gets stirred together and spread in a baking tin! It is important to use the right size tin for perfect results.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking tin and line with baking paper, leaving enough of an over-hang to lift the squares out with when cold.
Combine the melted butter and brown sugar in a bowl, beating well together. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the salt.
Add the flour slowly until all mixed in. Stir in 1 cup (75g) of the coconut and the chocolate chips.
Spread the dough into the prepared baking tin evenly, leveling it off. Sprinkle the remaining coconut over top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, (mine took an extra 5 minutes) or until the bars are golden brown around the edges and set in the center. Leave to cool in the tin before lifting out and cutting into bars.
These coconut cookie bars were incredibly moreish and delicious. Nice and chewy. A bit sweet, but that's why they go so well with milk!
They also freeze beautifully. I wrap each bar individually and then pop them into an airtight zip lock baggie. That way I can take one out whenever I am wanting a little bit of a treat!
Looking for more small batch baking recipes? Why not check out these!
SMALL BATCH CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS - Your favorite cookie in a bar. I bake these in a loaf tin lined with baking paper to remove the finished bars with ease. I cut them into triangles for interest, but they can also be cut into fingers. Crisp, buttery and deliciously loaded with chocolate chips!
SMALL BATCH BAKEWELL BLONDIES - These are my all time favorite cookie bars. With a brown sugar blondie base, studded with white chocolate chips and almond flavors, they are topped with sweet raspberry jam, flaked toasted almonds and a sweet almond glaze. Irresistible!
Yield: 8
Coconut Cookie Bars (small batch)
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
Semi-sweet chocolate and toast coconut stuffed inside a chewy moreish blondie. These are fabulous with an ice cold glass of milk.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
- 1 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/2 TBS vanilla
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups (95g) shredded sweetened coconut, divided
- scant cup (170g) dark, bittersweet, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking tin and line with baking paper, leaving enough of an over-hang to lift the squares out with when cold.
- Combine the melted butter and brown sugar in a bowl, beating well together. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the salt.
- Add the flour slowly until all mixed in. Stir in 1 cup (75g) of the coconut and the chocolate chips.
- Spread the dough into the prepared baking tin evenly, leveling it off. Sprinkle the remaining coconut over top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, (mine took an extra 5 minutes) or until the bars are golden brown around the edges and set in the center. Leave to cool in the tin before lifting out and cutting into bars.
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One of my all-time favorite cakes has been the Classic Pound Cake. Simple and yet delicious. Not fancy, there is no pretense there. Its pretty basic, most of the classics are.
Easy to make and even easier to eat. If you have a pound cake in the larder, you have the makings of something really tasty. It can be enjoyed and eaten simply sliced and served with a hot cup of tea, or sliced and adorned with fruit, cream, etc. to make a really fabulous dessert.
When I was growing up my mother would often buy a slab of pound cake. (That is how it is sold here in Nova Scotia.) She would sliced it up into thin slices and we would have it for dessert with some tinned fruit or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
It was always my favorite of all the cakes. Dense. Buttery. Delicious.
I don't recall my mother ever baking one herself. We didn't mind. We were just happy to have cake! It was not a frequent occurrence in our home.
Its not something I have baked for myself either, now that I am all on my own. Baking a whole pound cake seems a bit excessive for only one. Until now.
I discovered this Mini Pound Cake recipe on a blog called One Dish Kitchen. I was intrigued. Could a person really bake a pound cake for one. Is it even still pound cake? I had to try it.
Classic Pound Cake is a recipe that dates back to the 1700's. The original pound cake recipe was composed of equal parts of flour, sugar, eggs and butter. Each one being one pound in weight. Hence the name, "Pound Cake."
Modern pound cakes are quite a bit different from these early cakes, most containing a flavoring of some sort, but I think the basic consistency remains the same. And its delicious, which is what matters most.
Initially this cake is a cake that would have weighed four pounds when done. Using one pound of each ingredient also mean you would need an awfully big pan, or at the very least more than one loaf tin. Much more cake than most modern families can consume.
I have heard it originated in France. I have also heard that when Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake," she was referring to bread, but could it be that she was actually referring to pound cake? Hmmm . . . we shall probably never know!
All we really need to know is that it is a very delicious cake, dense with a tight crumb, and most enjoyable to eat. As you can see, this cake is very true to the original pound cake in that it also boasts a dense, tight and moist crumb.
And it is most enjoyable to eat. MOST. Add to that the fact that it is a small more manageable size for the smaller family and we have a winner here.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE POUND CAKE (SMALL BATCH)
Every day baking ingredients, and not a lot of any of them. Certainly not a pound of each!
- 1/4 cup (57g) butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (94g) all purpose, plain,unsifted flour
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
And so I used full fat milk. It worked fine. No problems there.
My eggs are always large and free range. I only use pure vanilla. Not a lot of lemon juice, but you can freeze the rest of the juice from your lemon to use another time. Just pop it into an ice cube tray. and then, once frozen, pop the cubes into an airtight container, ready to use any time you need fresh lemon juice.
HOW TO MAKE POUND CAKE (SMALL BATCH)
This is a really simple cake to make. My baking dish is a ceramic baking dish which measures 4 by 6 inches in size. You could also use a 5-inch square baking dish.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 4 by 6 inch baking dish really well and line with baking paper so that you have an overhang on both long sides for lifting out. Place the dish on top of a baking sheet.
Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and lemon juice, until combined
Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.
Add the flour to the creamed mixture, mixing to combine, alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions.
Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish, smoothing over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and tests done. A toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the dish for 10 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cut into slices to serve.
The original poster of this recipe suggested this cake was at its best served warm. You are certainly free to do that. I left mine overnight and cut it when it was stone cold and I have to tell you it was fabulous.
I dusted it with some icing sugar and cut it into 1 inch thick slices. It went beautifully with a hot cup of mint tea. I may channel my mother and serve some with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert tonight.
Oh, just a suggestion. Pound cake is also very nice toasted.
Some other small batch baking recipes in my English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:
GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM -This is a beautifully moist and perfectly spiced Gingerbread cake perfectly sized for two people. Its wonderful served warm, split and buttered with a nice hot cuppa, or as a dessert with a nice dollop of lemon cream on top.
AMISH SUGAR COOKIES - This fabulous cookie recipe makes only 2 1/2 dozen perfectly soft and delicious, puffy and incredibly edible sugar cookies. You can ice or not as you wish. I also like to pop a bit of jam in the centers of some. These are fabulously tasty!
Yield: one 4X6 inch cake
Pound Cake (small batch)
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
A classic cake transformed into a buttery, tender, golden mini pound cake. This is delicious and perfectly sized for one or two people.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (57g) butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (94g) all purpose, plain, un-sifted flour
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 4 by 6 inch baking dish really well and line with baking paper so that you have an overhang on both long sides for lifting out. Place the dish on top of a baking sheet.
- Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and lemon juice, until combined
- Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.
- Add the flour to the creamed mixture, mixing to combine, alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish, smoothing over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and tests done. A toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the dish for 10 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Cut into slices to serve.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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