Showing posts sorted by date for query Scones. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Scones. Sort by relevance Show all posts
I wanted to bake a cake today that would reflect celebrations. There is just so much to celebrate this month! I love apples and my husband loves Spice cakes, so I decided to combine the two.
I am rather fond of spice cakes myself, but I won't be eating much of this. Its mainly for my husband. Today is our 17th wedding anniversary, so in part it is to celebrate that . . . but there is even more reason for celebrations . . .
Today is also the day we I have been waiting for, for what seems like forever. My book is finally out for sale! I am officially an Author! I am really proud of this achievement as you can imagine.
My husband says I have written a beautiful book and I know he is a bit biased, but my Editor also says that, so I guess I have to believe what they say. My friend Tina was here the other night and she fell in love with it, as did the ladies at church last night that I showed it to. I am happy for that.
From the time I was a little girl I had the dream of one day writing a book, and now that dream has come true.
"Learn how to cook the complete
breadth of English cuisine with The English Kitchen. Award winning
blogger and former personal chef Marie Rayner shares 510 recipes to
cover every meal from the famous ‘Full English’ breakfast to late night
treats of cake and biscuits. Every meal that could cross a traditional
English plate is on offer, with modern favourites from around the
British Isles and abroad making an appearance too.
You will find recipes for fry ups, lemon toast, custard creams, honey cake, Bakewell scones, the ultimate chicken Caesar salad, ploughman’s lunch, toad-in-the-hole, pork chops, Lancashire hotpot, hunter’s chicken, gardener’s pie, chips and mushy peas, how to make the perfect Sunday roast, Yorkshire pudding, bubble and squeak, coronation chicken, rock cakes, crumpets, crumbles, roly polys, sticky toffee pudding and more!
Marie also shares her years of experience in running a kitchen, with an entire chapter of Kitchen Wisdom to teach you the hints, tips and secrets behind making it all look (and feel) easy.
Marie came to the UK in the year 2000 and swiftly fell in love with the British culinary style. These are her tried and tested, very best recipes. They don’t have to be fancy, but they are each and every one delicious. Throughout she will educate you with gentle humour and beautiful illustrations, whether you are a native Brit looking for the taste of home, or an anglophile waiting to discover the traditions for the first time."
Hard cover, 724 pages, full colour and filled with lots of tastiness you can buy it on Amazon in either the full print version or kindle version. It is up to you. I believe it is also available from The Book Depository.
Amazon UK
(Available in both Print and Kindle versions)
Amazon US
(Available in both Print and Kindle Versions)
Amazon CA
(At the moment it is only showing the Kindle version here, but I am sure the print version will be available soon)
You will find recipes for fry ups, lemon toast, custard creams, honey cake, Bakewell scones, the ultimate chicken Caesar salad, ploughman’s lunch, toad-in-the-hole, pork chops, Lancashire hotpot, hunter’s chicken, gardener’s pie, chips and mushy peas, how to make the perfect Sunday roast, Yorkshire pudding, bubble and squeak, coronation chicken, rock cakes, crumpets, crumbles, roly polys, sticky toffee pudding and more!
Marie also shares her years of experience in running a kitchen, with an entire chapter of Kitchen Wisdom to teach you the hints, tips and secrets behind making it all look (and feel) easy.
Marie came to the UK in the year 2000 and swiftly fell in love with the British culinary style. These are her tried and tested, very best recipes. They don’t have to be fancy, but they are each and every one delicious. Throughout she will educate you with gentle humour and beautiful illustrations, whether you are a native Brit looking for the taste of home, or an anglophile waiting to discover the traditions for the first time."
Hard cover, 724 pages, full colour and filled with lots of tastiness you can buy it on Amazon in either the full print version or kindle version. It is up to you. I believe it is also available from The Book Depository.
Amazon UK
(Available in both Print and Kindle versions)
Amazon US
(Available in both Print and Kindle Versions)
Amazon CA
(At the moment it is only showing the Kindle version here, but I am sure the print version will be available soon)
Now lets talk about cake!
This deliciously moist cake is filled with lots of warm baking spices . . . cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, cloves . . .
The use of soft light brown muscovado sugar, applesauce and buttermilk also insure it is a moist, moist, moist cake.
There is even more warm spicy flavours in the Cinnamon Buttercream Icing . . . you could also make a cream cheese frosting if you wanted to.
Cream cheese is different over here and I don't like the way it turns out. Icings made with it are always too slack.
This is a moist somewhat dense cake, and deserves an icing that will stand up to that!
It would also be great for the looming holidays . . . that is why I chose to top it with mini mince pies. My husband loves mince pies, and he really enjoyed this addition!
I also thought they looked really pretty, but you can top it with whatever you want to top it with.
However you want to dress it up . . . caramel bits, candied ginger, dried apple chunks . . . crushed gingernuts. All would be fabulous!
*Apple Spice Cake*
Makes 1 (9-inch) layer cake
125g butter, at room temperature (1/2 cup)
495g icing sugar sifted (3 3/4 cups)
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon extract
3-4 TBS milk
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter two nine inch
layer cake pans and line the bottoms with baking paper. Butter the
paper. Set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, and spices together until well combined. Set aside.
Rub
the brown sugar through a sieve into a large bowl. Beat in the
applesauce and oil, using an electric whisk, until well mixed together.
Beat in the vanilla and the eggs, one egg at a time, stopping to scrape
the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in half of the flour
mixture on a low speed, just to combine. Blend in the buttermilk. Stir
in the remaining flour at low speed until well combined. Divide the
batter between the baking pans, smoothing the tops.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops
spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centres
of the cakes comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tins for about 5
minutes before inverting onto a large wire cooling rack. Carefully
remove the baking paper and then allow to cool completely before
proceeding.
If you only bake one cake for the holidays (other than a fruit cake of course, you gotta have one of those) let it be this . . . you are sure to love it, and do be sure to check out my book as well. There are previews and all sorts on the Amazon page . . . you know that option where you can search through this book. Anyways, Bon Appetit!
I've added my cake to the Bake of the Week, sponsered by Helen from Casa Costello and Jenny from Mummy Mishaps.
I always like to bake us something special to enjoy with an afternoon cuppa at the weekend. Sometimes its a muffin, sometimes a biscuit/cookie and sometimes . . . like today . . . its a delicious scone!
We love these Irish Honey Scones. They are like the country cousin of the city scone. They are plain . . . and unassuming . . .
Filled with whole wheat nuttiness . . . and the goodness of real butter . . . the gentle sweetness of honey and milk . . . their simplicity might lead one to believe that they are nothing special.
Add a little frill of a dusting of icing sugar and they start to perk up a bit . . . funny how that goes . . . kind of like a lace petticoat . . . it can turn even the most plain and ripped up denim skirt into something really special.
I used Cobnut Honey and whole milk . . . and served these warm from the oven with cold butter and my homemade pear jam.
I'll be telling you about that jam tomorrow . . . but today . . . its about these delicious scones.
Seriously. Don't pass these by. If you do, you will be missing out on a real gem. Those Irish . . . they know how to make beautiful scones.
They really do. They have the great ability to take something simple and turn it into something that is gorgeously unforgettable.
*Irish Honey Scones*
makes 8
Printable Recipe
Tasty and wholesome scones, sweetened and glazed with honey. Delicious!
115g plain wholemeal flour (generous 3/4 cup whole wheat)
115g plain white flour (generous 3/4 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
85g butter, softened (6 TBS)
1 TBS soft light brown sugar
2 TBS clear liquid honey
3 fluid ounces milk
makes 8
Printable Recipe
Tasty and wholesome scones, sweetened and glazed with honey. Delicious!
115g plain wholemeal flour (generous 3/4 cup whole wheat)
115g plain white flour (generous 3/4 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
85g butter, softened (6 TBS)
1 TBS soft light brown sugar
2 TBS clear liquid honey
3 fluid ounces milk
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a baking sheet. Set aside.
Sift the white flour into a bowl. Stir in the wholemeal flour. Whisk in the baking powder and salt. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the brown sugar. Stir together the honey and milk until the honey is dissolved. Reserving some for glazing, add enough of the mixture to the flour/butter mixture to make a soft dough. Shape into a 7 inch flat round on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly score into 8 wedges with a sharp knife.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the remaining milk/honey mixture on top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven, break into wedges and serve warm with butter.
Sift the white flour into a bowl. Stir in the wholemeal flour. Whisk in the baking powder and salt. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the brown sugar. Stir together the honey and milk until the honey is dissolved. Reserving some for glazing, add enough of the mixture to the flour/butter mixture to make a soft dough. Shape into a 7 inch flat round on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly score into 8 wedges with a sharp knife.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the remaining milk/honey mixture on top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven, break into wedges and serve warm with butter.
I can't wait to sit down have another one of these. I had not baked them in a very long time. As I ate the first one I just had to ask myself why didn't I bake these more often. There's no excuse really . . . I am making a note to myself to bake them more often in the future.
I think of all the scones I bake, these ARE my favourite ones. Bon Appetit! Or as the Irish would say . . . Goile Maith!
(Google translate makes it so easy. 😉)
One thing that North Americans find very confusing is that the British call cookies Biscuits. In North America a biscuit is well, a biscuit! A type of quick bread similar to a scone, but actually quite different. I love biscuits . . . both the North American type and the cookie type!
I'm honest if nothing else. I adore buttermilk biscuits. So moist and light . . . and these Peppered Buttermilk Biscuits are no exception. They are buttery, moist and light!
I love the sparky addition of coarse black pepper to these. You might think it would be over-powering, as there is a full teaspoon of it, but it is not overwhelming in the least. Its just perfect.
Another thing I like about this recipe is that it only makes six, which is the perfect amount for a small family like mine. There are only two of us and so small amounts are what I prefer, unless we are having company.
These are equally at home nestled next to a warm bowl of soup, a stew or along side of a tasty salad, which makes them an all year around quick bread to enjoy!
They are nice served warm, of course . . . with lashings of butter melting down into that peppery tastiness . . .
But they are equally as nice served cold, later in the day with some butter and jam. In short, these are a great all rounder!
They do differ a bit than most biscuit recipes in that they use butter and not shortening or lard. I am all for that. I love butter. And it shows. Meh . . .
Oh well . . . we all have our weaknesses and one of mine is butter . . . and biscuits . . . and chocolate . . . and fried chicken . . . ice cream . . . pie . . . I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
I just plain love to eat. Guilty as charged!
*Peppered Buttermilk Biscuits*
Makes 6
To Glaze:
1 egg, beaten with
1/2 tsp salt
I was going to try to bake bread today, but it got so hot and humid and sticky I gave up on that idea, so I baked biscuits instead. That's another thing biscuits are good for. They are a quick to make alternative to a loaf of bread. Quick, easy, and satisfying. Bon Appetit!
I really adore scones. To me a scone is better than a piece of cake or a pie. It's like a cross between the two, and such a delight to enjoy with a nice hot cuppa.
Don't worry, I only drink herbal infusions which I drink black, so nothing to take away from the delightful flavour of a good scone!
Having said that even when I did drink ordinary tea, I always enjoyed it black and unsweetened.
I am always on the lookout for a new scone recipe. I spied this recipe for Vanilla Scones the other day on a blog called Stuck on Sweet, they pushed all my buttons.
I just knew that I was going to have to bake them!
I adapted the measurements to UK measurements so no worries on that score if you live in Europe or the UK. I did find the dough to be a bit wet, whereas she had said that the dough was a bit crumbly.
That could be a difference in the flour, or the fact that she did not specify a size of egg. I used a large. Our eggs could be even larger over here than they are in North America. I don't know for sure. (That's why baking by weight is so much more accurate folks!)
The sticky dough did not present a problem for me. I simply tipped it out onto a well floured board, patted it into a round and then flipped the round over before cutting it into wedges.
When I say well-floured, I mean well floured. I am sure I had about 1/2 cup of flour on that board, so nothing would stick. It worked beautifully.
I also decided to add some chopped sour cherries to the mix because, one I like them, a lot, and two . . . vanilla . . . it just begged to have some kind of dried fruit added.
I adore sour cherries. They go really well with vanilla.
I also chose to use a mix of pure vanilla extract and some grindings from a vanilla grinder. Oh boy but these smelled heavenly when they were baking.
I ground some of that vanilla into the glaze also!
These are light and sweet with a lovely buttery flavour and lots of vanilla oomph. The tartness of the sour cherries sets that all off beautifully.
Wise choice on my part if I don't say so myself. And yes, I know I just did!
Because my dough was quite damp, I did end up with some craggy bits, but to me that's all the better because it made for lovely little sweet crevices for that glaze to soak into.
All in all . . . these are really prize worthy, blue ribbon winning, delightfully tasty scones!
*Sour Cherry & Vanilla Scones*
Makes 8
170g cold butter, cubed (3/4 cup)
1 large free range egg
1 TBS pure vanilla extract
a few grindings of a vanilla pod (optional)
120ml whole milk (1/2 cup)
75g dried sour cherries, roughly chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper set aside.
Sift
the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in the
sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your finger tips until
crumbly. Stir in the sour cherries. Beat together the egg, milk and
vanilla. Add to the dry mixture and stir to combine to make a soft
sticky dough. Tip onto a generously floured board and pat out to an 8
inch circle. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges. (Cut cross wise
into equal quarters and then cut each quarter in half) Carefully move
onto the prepared baking tray.
Bake for 10 to 14
minutes until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let
cool on the tray for a few minutes before lifting onto a wire rack to
cool.
Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together
until smooth and spoonable. Spoon over the scoons and allow to set
completely before serving.
Its recipes like this that make me really grateful that I live in a fairly temperate climate where you only have a few days in the summer that make turning on the oven unbearable. And if you do live in a climate where its hotter than that, bake them anyways. They are well worth a few minutes of discomfort. Trust me on this. Bon Appetit!
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 love scones and am always looking for a delicious recipe to try. I spied a recipe the other day on a blog called Seasonly Creations for Irish Coffee Cake Scones.
Flaky sweet scones studded with plenty of dried currants and topped with a coffee cake streusal crumb topping.
For the scones:
340g of plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
50g soft dark brown sugar (1/4 cup)
45g white sugar (1/4 cup)
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
115g of dried currants (3/4 cup)
120g cold unsalted butter (1/2 cup) cut into cubes
2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
120ml buttermilk (1/2 cup)
2 tsp almond extract
To glaze:
2 TBS milk
1 large free range egg, beaten
For the streusel:
73g of white vegetable shortening (1/3 cup)
40g chopped toasted pecans (1/3 cup)
50g of soft light brown sugar plus 2 TBS (1/4 cup, plus 2 TBS)
2 TBS white sugar
3 TBS plain flour
pinch salt
To
make the streusel, rub the flour and both sugars together with the salt
to combine and work out any lumps in the sugar. Drop in the shortening
and rub all together with a fork to completely incorporate. Stir in
the chopped nuts. Set aside.
For the Scones sift the flour
into the bowl Stir in both sugars, the baking powder, the nutmeg and
the salt. Rub all together to make sure any lumps from the sugar are
broken up. Drop in the butter, rub it in with your fingertips until you
have a mixture which resembles fine bread crumbs.
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. LIne a large baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
Beat the egg and milk together for the glaze and set aside.
Whisk
together the buttermilk, eggs and almond extract for the scones. Make a
well in the middle of the scone mixture and dump in the wet
ingredients. Stir together with a fork until the mixture begins to come
together into a soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured board and
knead lightly for a few turns. Divide the dough in half and shape each
half gently into a circle which is 5 inches across and 1 inch tall. Cut
each into six wedges. Place onto the baking sheet, leaving plenty of
space in between for rising, spreading. Brush the tops with the glaze
and then spring a heaped TBS of the streusel on top of each.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes. Serve warm with your favourite hot drink!
They looked really good so I thought I would give them a go! What a tasty way to end the month of May!
A basic scone recipe is created and then topped with a brown sugar and nut streusel before baking. It does use a mix of dark brown and white sugars, and plenty of nutmeg which was a bit different.
I thought I would give you an action shot of them ready to go into the oven! Yes, I do end up having to use my table as a preparation surface most of the time as I have almost nil counter space in the kitchen.
There really is only an area about 3 feet in length and by the time you put a toaster, a kettle and a knife block on it, prep surface is minimal at best.
Now back to the scones.
The dough was really easy to put together, most scone doughs are. You can't go wrong so long as you use a light hand.
The original recipe said to cut the fat into the flour, but I have always found that rubbing it in with your finger tips works much better.
It uses buttermilk, which usually makes for great scones. I was a bit nervous about this recipe however, as it did not call for any baking soda, just baking powder.
I always understood that you needed to use some soda with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk in order to get a good rise.
I crossed my fingers and went with the recipe however and hoped that they would turn out like they should.
Hers certainly looked alright!
As you can see however, my worry was for naught as I got a really nice rise! I used some currants that I had in the cupboard from Whitworths, seedless ones, and really tiny.
They worked beautifully and the end result in the finished scones was lovely.
I confess I probably added an addition handful because I like lots of fruit. The only thing I wasn't totally fond of was the use of white vegetable shortening in the crumble topping, and to be honest, it kind of melted a bit.
I had been thinking it would stand up like the crumble on a coffee cake, but it didn't. I am not sure how you could get around that.
And I am not sure butter instead of shortening would make any difference. I checked back at hers on the other blog and they looked the same.
I think if just a bit more flour was added it might make a difference, but I will try that the next time around. Maybe bake one and let you know. They were really very good however and I will be making them again!
*Irish Coffee Cake Scones*
Makes 12
Other than changing a few things about the way I put these together, I basically followed the recipe as per written and I found them to be quite, quite delicious. Even the day after. I do have to say that next time I would leave out the almond extract. I am not sure that it added anything at all to the flavour of the scones, and to be honest it wasn't a very "Irish" addition. Using the dark brown sugar however gave them a beautiful colour. Warm out of the oven, split and buttered, they were utterly devine! Bon Appetit!
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.
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