I have never really considered myself to be a baker, per se. My sister was the one who was always very good at baking things . . .
I was probably better at cooking savoury things. At least that is what I always thought. This has changed as I have gotten older however, and in my dotage I am finding that I really do enjoy baking.
I guess I am what you might call rustic. I leave the fiddly stuff to someone else. This cake is very rustic and not at all fiddly, at least I don't think it is.
After all those years of baking and cooking at the Manor, I lost my taste for fiddly stuff.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cardamom, cloves, allspice and ginger . . . mmmm . .. just the smell of those as you mix them into the batter sets my taste buds to tingling . . .
I do so love the warm baking spices.
Serves 6 to 8
Makes one 9 inch cake
Delcious vanilla cake, marbled through with a lovely spiced batter and topped with a spicy white chocolate crumble. What's not to like?
For the crumble topping:
1 TBS molasses
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen around the edges using a small sharp knife. Release and remove the sides of the tin. Place the cake on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Carefully loosen the bottom using a fish slice or palate knife and slice the cake onto a plate to serve.
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!
Combine the sugar, flour and apple pie spice for the custard in a bowl, mixing together well. Add the remaining ingredients, blending in well. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar for the cake filling. Beat in the buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Beat this into the creamed mixture until smooth. Pour this mixture into the pie crust lined pie dish, smoothing it out. Carefully pour the custard over top.
Bake for 50 to 65 minutes, until the centre springs back when lightly touched and the top is golden brown. The custard should have sunk to the bottom.
Whisk the icing sugar together with enough coffee to give you a drizzle icing. Drlzzle over warm pie. Let set.
Serve pie warm, cut into wedges, with or without whipped cream or ice cream.
I am no stranger to Scones here in the English Kitchen having successfully baked about a bazillion of them over the years! I have baked everything from the classic English Scone to the zany, and a whole bunch in between.
I have my favorites and thought I would share those with you today, but not before sharing a few fun facts about scones that you might enjoy!
IS IT SC-ON OR SC-OWN?
There has been much debate through the years on the proper pronunciation of the word, and sometimes very heated. I think wars have been fought over less. Even the Queen has weighed in on the matter. The simple fact is neither is wrong and has more to say about where you are from than anything else. A rose by any other name and all that, what does it matter. They are delicious either way!
Scones are closer to a pastry than a bread. They contain no yeast and are put together in a very similar way, with almost identical ingredients. What differs is the ratio of fat to flour, with pastry using more. Also Scones will use either a leavening such as baking powder or self-raising flour, whereas typically a pastry will use none.
Are Scones and North American Biscuits the same thing? They might look very similar, but that is where it ends. Tall, flaky and golden brown, they are both made with flour, fat, a leavening agent and a liquid. The two have very similar ingredients, but vary in ratios of ingredients and mix ins. Biscuits have an extra fattiness which helps to create nice flaky layers. Scones are a bit sturdier and sweeter by and large. Both are delicious, so why quibble.
Scone ingredients prefer to be kept cold. This is a sure way to success when making a scone. The temperature of your hands and fingertips can also make a difference believe or not. Having the fat rubbed in without it melting makes for a much nicer scone.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "Scone" was was first used in 1513.
The most famous Scone in the world is the "Stone of Scone." Also known as the "Stone of Destiny," it is an oblong block of sandstone which has been placed beneath the throne during the Coronation of Monarchs of Scotland and England. It lives at Edinburgh castle but is made available for coronations when needed.
There is a proper time to enjoy a Scone, which is after 3PM, and usually with copious amounts of hot tea. If you are like me, however, you will not stand on ceremony and be up for a scone any time of the day!
And now, to the scones! These are a few of my favorites and I think they will become favorites of yours as well!
CLASSIC ENGLISH SCONES - Lets begin with the best. These are the classic scone that you will see on offer in most tea rooms all across the UK. Tall, light and studded with raisins, these are beautiful served with clotted cream, jam and steaming hot cups of tea. These are scone perfection and I have included a complete tutorial on scone making. You cannot go wrong!
CHERRY AND VANILLA SCONES - Simple to make and studded with glace cherries. You could also use maraschino cherries if you cannot get the glace cherries. There is no eggs or cream in these lovely scones. They are delicious served with butter and jam.
OATY CINNAMON SCONES - These smell heavenly when they are baking. These scones are filled with the goodness of whole wheat and rolled oats, as well as the other ingredients. They are flaky and delicious! They are also glazed with a cinnamon glaze that you apply while the scones are warm and fresh from the oven. Just pour it over. Let it get into all of the nooks and crannies . . .
NAN'S SUGAR SCONES - These are quite unique. A typical scone dough with a difference. A sugar cube soaked in lemon juice is pushed down into the center before baking creating a delicious almost lemon curd filling. Can you say scrumptious?
CARROT CAKE DROP SCONES - These are everything a great drop scone should be. Light and fluffy, no fuss, no muss. Simply mix and drop. Filled with sweet carrots, warm baking spices and sticky raisins. Sweetly glazed. These are a real favorite.
MAPLE GLAZED BLACK PEPPER SCONES - This is a small batch recipe which makes two very large scones. They have that sweet and savory thing going on. Short and buttery, studded with the heat of black pepper and sweetly glazed. Who know that maple and pepper got along so well! Simply fabulous.
RHUBARB AND GINGER SCONES - Tart rhubarb and sticky sweet bits of candy ginger play perfect partners in these deliciously different scones. These are really pretty scones studded with bright scraps of red rhubarb and zingy sweet bits of candied ginger. More candied ginger is sprinkled on top giving a bit of sweet crunch. Delicious served with strawberry jam and the rich Devonshire cream. (recipe included)
TENDER PEACH AND VANILLA SCONES - These wonderful peach scones are tender and delicious served warm from the oven. They use simple pantry ingredients. Things which we probably all have in our cupboards. They are super fast and very easy to make. You can opt to use fresh peaches in them or tinned peaches, perfect for the winter months. Both work beautifully.
SPICED BLUEBERRY SCONES - Beautifully buttery and short, with just the faintest hint of spice . . . cardamom and cinnamon . . . and topped with sweet wild blueberry preserves . . .then baked until crisp and brown on the edges.
STRAWBERRY & MINT SCONES - I am fairly certain that when you bite into one of these you will be in scone heaven. The dough is buttery and short, with just the faintest hint of mint throughout. The strawberry jam is like a sweet surprise in the centre and that lemon drizzle, well . . . it's just the perfect capper! I bet you can't eat just one! I dare you to try! These are scones . . . but not as you know them. mmmmm . . . so delicious!
IRISH COFFEE CAKE SCONES - A basic scone recipe is created and then topped with a brown sugar and nut streusel before baking. Made with buttermilk and studded with plenty of sweet sticky dried currants. These are lovely served warm and buttered with a nice hot cuppa.
HONEY & DATE SCONES - Buttery and flaky, flavored with honey, and filled with stick bits of sweet dates. These are beautiful served with clotted cream and dulce de leche, or caramel spread. Betcha can't eat just one!
CHRISTMAS OAT SCONES - Hearty and delicious oatmeal scones. Filled with soaked raisins or do as I did and use David Leibovitz's mincemeat. Fabulously tasty, especially with butter and jam!
VANILLA GLAZED GINGER SCONES -These are simply spiced with ground ginger and cinnamon. They are also flavored and sweetened with brown sugar, molasses and maple syrup. A trinity of good taste. Glazed with a vanilla icing and decorated with minced candied ginger, these are perfectly lovely.
CINNAMON ROLL SCONES - If you like cinnamon rolls, you will love these. I like to think they are a bit healthy in that they use whole wheat flour. Please don't burst my bubble. Scone dough rolled up with layers of sweet cinnamon sugar, cut into triangles, baked to perfection and then sweetly glazed.
I also have a variety of savory scones on here, but I will save those for another day. I thought for today (just in time for the weekend) you would enjoy something more on the sweeter side!
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@aol.com
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Deep, Dark & Delicious Gingerbread
ingredients:
- 250g butter (1 cup +1 1/2 TBS)
- 250g soft dark brown sugar (1 1/4 cup, packed)
- 250g molasses or dark treacle (9 fluid ounces)
- 300ml whole milk (1 1/4 cups)
- 2 large free range eggs
- 5 knobs of preserved ginger in syrup, chopped finely
- 375g plain flour (2 1/2 cups + 3 TBS)
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
instructions:
How to cook Deep, Dark & Delicious Gingerbread
- Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter a 9-inch square baking tin and line it with baking paper. Set aside.
- Put the butter, sugar, and molasses into a saucepan. Cook over low heat to melt the butter and sugar. Whisk in the milk. Set aside to cool some.
- Whisk together the flour, soda, ginger, allspice and cardamom in a large bowl. Stir in the chopped glace ginger. Make a well in the centre.
- Beat the eggs into the liquid ingredients thoroughly. Pour into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, stir together, gradually drawing in the dry ingredients from the side of the bowl until you have a smooth and thick batter. Pour into the prepared baking tin.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, until well risen and firm to the touch. Do NOT be tempted to open the door prior to that time or the cake may sink in the middle. Once an hour has passed, check the cake. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. If it doesn't cook for a further 10 minutes and try again. The cake is done when the skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool completely in the tin. Once cold remove from the tin and either wrap tightly and store in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Optional Icing - Whisk together 65g of sifted icing sugar (1/2 cup) and enough ginger syrup to give you a smooth drizzle icing. Drizzle decoratively over the cold cake.
NOTES:
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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