I like to pull the stops out a bit at the weekend and bake a treat for my husband. To be honest, I don't bake much during the week because it gets in my mouth too easily and I need to really watch it.
My husband shouldn't be punished for my transgressions however, so at the weekend, I always like to do something special for him.
He really loves the Bakewell Tarts you can buy in the shop. Small short crust pastry tarts filled with jam and an almond sponge and then topped with a sicky sweet icing and half of a glace cherry.
They really are sweet however . . . and nothing tastes better than homemade anything, so this week I decided to bake him some Bakewell Slices, which closely resemble the tart but I think are a lot nicer.
Bakewell is a town in the Peak District here in the UK.
It is located on the River Rye and is quite well known for its traditional and original Bakewell pudding, which boasts a pastry base topped with jam and an almond custard.
And then there is the Bakewell Tart, which is similar. The pudding uses Puff Pastry and the tart . . . short crust pastry.
The pudding has a custard topping and the tart . . . an almond cake topping.
Both are equally as delicious. My recipe today favours the tart in that it has an almond cake topping
The pastry is a very simple short crust pastry. You will want enough to fill a 12 by 9 inch traybake tin.
I roll it out fairly thin and bring it 1/2 inch up the sides. (I hate it when jam touches the sides of a tin and sticks. It is much easier to remove the finished bake if jam hasn't baked onto the tin.)
This is the tin I use. It has a bottom which slides out, which makes it really easy to remove the cake.
You spread the jam over top of the pastry base. You want to be somewhat generous with it, in that you want the jam not to be lost in everything else.
The base is not sweet in the least and so a nice layer of jam is a must.
I use raspberry jam, but some people prefer strawberry jam. Both are equally as delicious.
A simple almond sponge batter is spooned over top of the jam. It can be a bit fiddly to spread this batter out.
What works for me is to dollop the cake batter over top of the jam in small dollops all over. Then I just spread it out with the back of a spoon.
I then use a fingertip to make sure it gets right to the edge of the pastry.
The top is covered with a nice layer of flaked almonds. They toast while the cake is baking to a lovely golden brown.
Yum . . . I do so love toasted almonds.
To finish them off I have drizzled a thick almond drizzle over top. Not as sicky sweet as the tarts that you buy, but just perfect.
It dresses them up nicely and adds just a hint of sweet on an already perfect slice. You can of course leave this off entirely!
Yield: Makes 24
Bakewell Slice
prep time: 15 minscook time: 25 minstotal time: 40 mins
A beautiful slice/square perfect for enjoying with a nice hot cuppa. Do be generous with the jam. No need to line the baking pan with paper as the pastry will not stick. You will need a 12 by 9 inch tray bake tin or roasting tin. (Mine has a removable bottom)
ingredients:
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 175g plain flour (1 1/4 cups)
- 75g butter (6 TBS)
- 2 - 3 TBS cold water
For the sponge mixture:
- 100g butter softened (scant half cup)
- 100g caster sugar (1/2 cup + 1 TBS)
- 175g self raising flour (1 1/4 cups)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 large free range eggs
- 2 TBS whole milk
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
To finish:
- 4 heaped TBS raspberry jam
- flaked almonds to sprinkle
instructions:
- First make the pastry. Measure the flour into a bowl. Add th butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the cold water gradually, mixing together with a fork to form a soft dough.
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle the size of your baking tin. Use this to ine the tin. ( I like it to come about 1/2 inch up the sides.)
- Measure all of the sponge ingredients into a bowl and beat together well until smooth.
- Spoon the jam into the pastry lined tin and spread it out with the back of a spoon. Dollop the cake batter over top and spread it out to cover the jam. (I find this easiest to do it in small dollops all over and then spread it out right to the pastry edge with the back of a clean spoon and finally my finger tip at the end.) Sprinkle flaked almonds over top to cover.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the centre and is golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into slices to serve.
- I often drizzle an almond drizzle icing over top. Whisk together 65g/1/2 cup of icing sugar with a few drops of vanilla extract and just enough milk to give you a thick drizzle. Flick it over the top decoratively.
Created using The Recipes Generator
These really are nice and go down wonderfully with a nice hot cuppa.
I can't think of a better way to enjoy a break on a weekend afternoon, than a hot drink and one of these as I sit at the table with paper and pencil, looking out at the garden and pondering my plans for it in the coming months.
One of the things I really love as a food writer is the opportunity I have to try new things. Its a perk that I never get tired of. I was recently contacted and asked if I would like to try out some bread from GRADZ Bakery, finely crafted artisanal breads, crafted in London by Master Bakers.
This is a cake I mentioned not too long after my mother passed away in January. It was a cake my mother used to make for me when I was a wee, wee girl. A lot of people expressed interest in it, so I thought I would bake it and share the recipe with you.
Its a very basic sponge cake with a lovely moist crumb. Not a large cake at all. Mom used shortening when making it and I did today. I have never made it with butter, but I am sure it would work. In any case there are only 2 TBS of fat in the cake.
My family always called me Alice, which is my second name. Too many Mary's and Marie's in the house so I got called Alice and my sister Cindy although our first names were Marie and Mary respectively. I confess a lot of tears were shed while I was baking this cake today . . . I thought of my mother and how very much she cared for each of us . . .
She was of the opinion that the digestion of a small child could not tolerate certain things in large quantities . . . fats, pastries, etc. That is why this is a very low fat sponge . . . I can remember when my brother was small, and she would make us our favourite lemon pie, she would prepare a separate bowl of lemon pudding just for him . . . so he could enjoy dessert without having to eat pastry.
That is just one of the many examples I could share of how very important we, her family, her children were to her. She went above and beyond for each of us . . . and not just in feeding us. We were well fed, kept clean and had decent clean clothing to wear.
When I was really young, before my sister and brother came along, she sewed all of my clothing, and often what I had matched her own clothes in fabric. I can remember her making me doll furniture out of cardboard and toothpicks for me to play with. She would always say she wasn't very creative, but I could share many examples of her being just that through the years.
Clothing, mittens, embroidery, Halloween Costumes, decorating our bicycles for the annual Bicycle parade are just a few of the examples I could share. She was always willing to help us with our homework, and to quiz us when we were having spelling tests, etc.
In her later years whenever we would talk she would tell me about how when I was a baby, she was such a nervous mother that she took me to the Doctor one time because I kept lifting my legs up when I was in my cot. The Doctor had to tell her that babies do just that, and that nothing was wrong. We would laugh about that.
I remember going to see her in the hospital after she had given birth to my sister, and waving to her through the hospital window. Children were not allowed to visit in hospital back then. We lived in Germany at the time. When she brought my sister home, I wasn't too happy about it. (There is 3 years difference in our ages.) I remember telling her that I wanted her to take the baby back. I didn't want it to stay.
She carefully explained that she could do that if I wanted her to, but she would have to go and stay with the baby because the baby could not take care of itself. It was then I decided that the baby could stay after all . . . and with that I gained a lifelong best friend in my dear sister.
And so this morning, as I was baking this cake I was crying big soppy tears as I remembered all these things and much, much more. I miss my mom. I think about her all the time, and sometimes I cry big soppy tears and my throat aches with the grief of it all. Its Mothering Sunday next week (March 30) here in the UK. I think its going to be a hard, hard day, but I will get through it.
Yield: one 8-inch square cake
Alice's Plain Cake
prep time: 10 minscook time: 25 minstotal time: 35 mins
This is the cake my mother used to make for me when I was a wee girl. Its a plain sponge you can dress up any way you like.
ingredients:
- 2 TBS white vegetable fat (Trex , Crisco or white flora)
- 95g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large free range egg
- 140g plain flour (1 cup)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 120ml milk (1/2 cup)
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line an 8 inch square baking dish with wax or grease proof paper. Set aside.
- Cream together the shortening and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and the egg. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder. Add alternately to the creamed mixture with the milk, making 3 dry and two wet additions. You should have a nice smooth batter when done. Pour into the prepared baking tin.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes until well risen and the top springs back when lightly touched. A toothpick should also come out clean.
- Tip onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- I cut mine in half through the middle and put the two layers together with lemon curd, sifting some icing sugar over top. Mom often split it and filled with jam. You can ice this or not as you wish. Its lovely and moist, and very simple.
Created using The Recipes Generator
So there you have it. Alice's Plain Cake. Created for her daughter from a mother's heart. I hope you will try it. Its a smallish cake, just enough for an enjoyable taste. I split the cake and filled it with lemon curd, but mom often filled it with jam. Its delicious no matter what you do to it, even just eaten plain.
My husband is really fond of all things apple. I had found a recipe for an Apple Pancake in The Breakfast Book, by Marion Cunningham that I wanted to make for him as a surprise one day this week.
I just knew it was something he would enjoy! What's not to love about an puffed apple pancake?
I decided to use my iron skillet as it was the right size and had an oven-proof handle. It came out of the oven all puffed up, but did deflate soon after.
I think this is also known as a Dutch Apple Pancake.
It looked beautiful other than deflating, and I could hardly wait to tip it out onto the platter I had ready to serve it on.
I had a lovely image in my head about how it was going to look . . . the apple slices all golden and caramelised . . . a froth of icing sugar dressing it up to perfection.
I even ran a flexible spatula around the bottom of it just to make sure.
TA DA! Not quite what I had pictured in my mind. Best laid plans of mice and all that.
Life has a funny way of surprising us no?
It came out in pieces, albeit lovely golden brown pieces, with lots of sweet soft apple bits.
Delicious sweet soft apple bits, nonetheless.
I don't think using a cast iron skillet was a very wise choice on my part. You live and you learn . . .
Or maybe I just need to season my pan a bit better?
I wasn't going to throw it away because it wasn't perfect. It looked sort of like this Amish pancake scramble dish I have made on occasion, so I did what any great cook would do . . .
I dusted it with some icing sugar and I served it anyways. I think it looked rather nice with its frosty white coat!
It tasted amazing! Crisp edged pancake bits . . .
Soft and sweet slices of apple, flavoured with cinnamon and cardamom . . .
We ate it just as is and enjoyed. I didn't add any syrup or anything. I don't think it needed it.
I can imagine that breakfast sausage would go wonderfully with this . . .
It was really, really delicious!
Even if it wasn't the prettiest gown at the ball . . . it still made a mighty tasty show!
Yield: 4 (generously)
Apple Pancake
prep time: cook time: total time:
A delicious combination of apples cooked in butter and a great big fluffy pancake!
ingredients:
- 6 TBS butter, divided
- 2 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 3 TBS lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- about 5 TBS Icing Sugar
- 3 large free range eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 70g plain flour (1/2 cup)
- 120ml milk (1/2 cup
- Icing sugar to dust
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 230*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Have ready a 10 inch oven proof skillet. If you need to, wrap the handle of the skillet in several layers of aluminium foil to protect it.
- Melt the butter in the skillet. Remove 2 TBS of the butter and set aside.
- Put the apple slices into a bowl with the cinnamon, cardamom, icing sugar and lemon juice. Toss together to coat. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.
- Turn the heat back on under the skillet. Add the apple slices and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until tender, but still holding their shape.
- Whisk the flour, eggs, milk, salt and melted butter together until smooth.
- Spread the apples out in a single layer in the skillet. Pour the egg batter over top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until puffy and golden brown. Turn immediately onto a warm platter so that the apples are on the top. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I learnt an important lesson from this exercise in taste . . . a light dusting of icing sugar can hide a multitude of sins, and just because something doesn't turn out looking the way you wanted it to, that doesn't mean its no good. This was quite simply delicious!
- Perfect for soups or any liquids.
- Easily attaches and reattaches for continuous use and re-use
- Ideal for serving clients, friends or customers without using more utensils
- Helps avoid messes and reduces cleaning time
If you're looking for something tasty to cook for your family this weekend you can't go wrong with this pancake. Broken up or whole, its simply delicious!
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may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for
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