My oldest daughter is coming for a sleepover tonight. I am really looking forward to it. This is something we have been talking about for quite a while now. I am happy that we have finally gotten to a point with this virus that we can do that.
Before I moved back to Canada, Eileen had saved enough money to fly over to the UK to visit me. She had bought tickets for both her and her brother to come over in April of 2020 but alas Covid happened and the trip did not.
And then I returned to Canada later that year for good and Covid was still raging, so we were still limited in the contact that we could have with each other as she was not considered to be a part of my family bubble which included my father, sister and brother in law.
We have had a few get togethers but not many over this past year. Its sad really but I know most families have been in the same position.
Admittedly I am nervous about her coming here overnight when I really think about it. I am hoping we will be okay. We've both been vaccinated and boostered, but still, there is that niggling doubt as to whether we will truly be safe or not. I am working really hard to overcome those feelings. Things are opening up a great deal now and so we should be safe-ish.
I wanted to make us something special to celebrate this time we are going to spend together and we had always talked about having a tea party. I won't be able to do that today, but I was able to make some Butterfly Cakes.
The recipe comes from a cookbook I have entitled The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook. I thought it quite fitting, and we will probably enjoy a hot cuppa with one or two of these after she gets here!
I am sure you are asking yourself, what is a Butterfly Cake when its not at home? To put it simply, it is the posh British cousin of the American Cupcake!
Small individual cakes topped with a buttercream or whipped cream and a dab of jam, with some cut cake placed on top in a way as to duplicate a butterfly's wings. I will tell you exactly how to do this!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BUTTERFLY CAKES
I can assure you, no butterflies were hurt in the making of these delicious cakes or will be hurt in the eating of them!!
- 1 2/3 cups(215g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
To top:
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whipping beaten until stiff with 1 TBS of icing sugar OR 1 cup of vanilla buttercream icing
- 1 TBS of strawberry or raspberry jam
- additional icing sugar to dust
You can use unsalted butter if you wish, but it was not specified in the recipe. I basically only keep lightly salted butter in my home. If you are worried about the salt content, by all means cut back on the amount of salt required in the recipe.
You can use either stiffly whipped sweetened cream to decorate these cakes, or vanilla buttercream frosting. Either homemade or readymade.
I used a small pot of strawberry jam. One small pot was enough to decorate all the cakes. Bonne Maman. I love this jam.
HOW TO MAKE BUTTERFLY CAKES
You might be tempted to think that making these lovely little cakes is a bit complicated, but I can tell you right now that nothing could be easier.
So cute and then so easy to do. Trust me on this. You will begin by mixing and baking the cakes. You will need a medium muffin tin for this.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
Beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the sugar at medium high until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, at medium speed, one at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl occasionally. Add the vanilla with the final egg. Beat until well combined.
Add the flour, half at a time, alternating with the milk on low speed, just until blended evenly. Divide between the lined muffin cups.
Bake for 17 to 19 minutes until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to cool in the muffin tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then lift out of the tin and onto the wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare your whipped cream or buttercream.
Using a serrated knife cut off the domed top of each cupcake. Cut the domed top in half crosswise to form two half moons.
Spoon or pipe some of the whipped cream or butter cream onto the center of each cupcake. Put a small dollop of jam onto the center of the whipped cream or buttercream.
Gently push "wings" cut side down and at a slight angle into the cream/buttercream, positioning them on either side of the jam. Lightly dust the tops with icing sugar if desired.
And that's it! Your Butterfly Cakes are ready to serve. If you use whipped cream on them, obviously they will only be good on the day and best put together just prior to serving.
The use of buttercream means that you can make them a bit ahead of time and any that are not eaten can be safely stored in an airtight container.
I love that they are delicious and yet so simple to make! I think you will too!
Butterfly Cakes
Yield: 12 small cakes
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 17 MinTotal time: 32 Min
The Posher British cousin of the North American Cupcake. How can you not love something called a Butterfly Cake!
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups(215g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
To top:
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whipping beaten until stiff with 1 TBS of icing sugar OR 1 cup of vanilla buttercream icing
- 1 TBS of strawberry or raspberry jam
- additional icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the sugar at medium high until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, at medium speed, one at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl occasionally. Add the vanilla with the final egg. Beat until well combined.
- Add the flour, half at a time, alternating with the milk on low speed, just until blended evenly. Divide between the lined muffin cups.
- Bake for 17 to 19 minutes until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to cool in the muffin tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then lift out of the tin and onto the wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare your whipped cream or buttercream.
- Using a serrated knife cut off the domed top of each cupcake. Cut the domed top in half crosswise to form two half moons.
- Spoon or pipe some of the whipped cream or butter cream onto the center of each cupcake. Put a small dollop of jam onto the center of the whipped cream or buttercream.
- Gently push "wings" cut side down and at a slight angle into the cream/buttercream, positioning them on either side of the jam.
- Lightly dust the tops with icing sugar if desired.
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen (Marie Rayner). Any posting or misuse without prior permission is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it as such to mariealicejoan at aol dot com Much appreciated.
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I want to start off by warning you. This is a snacking cake that you are going to absolutely fall in love with. Seriously.
Just the title alone. Browned Butter, Pecan and White Chocolate cake. What in that title is not to love! This is the penultimate snacking cake! Your life will never be the same!
This is a dream made in heaven. Lovely and moist from the use of yogurt in the batter and filled with lots of toasted pecan nuts and white chocolate.
More nuts and chocolate are sprinkled on the top along with a bit of demerara sugar for crunch. I love demerara sugar.
The star of this show is the browned butter however. The smell of that browned butter is enough to get my taste buds tingling.
Combine that with the brown sugar and my taste buds went into heavenly overload. Even if it wasn't the most delicious snacking cake on the planet I would bake this cake again and again just to smell that combination! Seriously!
This recipe was adapted from the baking book by Yossy Arefi entitled Snacking Cakes. I cannot recommend this book enough. Every recipe I have baked from it has been excellent.
HOW TO BROWN BUTTER
Browned butter has a toasty, nutty flavor and enhances just about everything it touches especially cakes. Some people might find the idea of browning butter a bit intimidating. I know I used to, but its really a very simple process.
You want to use a saucepan with a light colored inside bottom. This is so that you can see the color of the butter changing as it browns. A ceramic non-stick coated pan works beautifully as everything just slides out when its done.
Put your butter into the sauce pan and then heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, scraping up the bits from the bottom and the sides of the pan if necessary. This will take about 3 minutes. The butter solids will turn golden brown and the mixture will smell nice and nutty.
Take the pan off the heat immediately as the butter will continue to brown in the pan. I recommend tipping it out of the pan right away and into a heat safe bowl. That way your butter won't burn. You can let it cool while you gather the rest of your ingredients together.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BROWNED BUTTER, PECAN & WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Simple baking ingredients. With the exception of the white chocolate you will probably have everything you need in your kitchen to bake this delicious cake today.
- 1/2 cup (120g) lightly salted butter
- 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 3/4 cup (165g) whole milk yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) all purpose plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup (75g) toasted pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup (85g) chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
- 1 TBS turbinado sugar (demerara)
She recommends unsalted butter. I cannot afford to keep two kinds of butter in my single person kitchen and so I keep lightly salted butter and cut back on the salt required in the recipe. European style butter like Lactantia is the best. Oh how I miss Danish butter.
I always use large free range eggs. It is a personal choice for me and if I can get brown so much the better.
Don't be tempted to use low fat plain yogurt. This is one recipe where you want to go full fat all the way. Rich and silky.
I used a bar of Green & Blacks Organic white chocolate for this. It is infused with vanilla and makes for a very delicious result, but you can use ordinary white chocolate chips if you wish. I just find them to be a bit sweeter and so prefer the white chocolate bar.
HOW TO MAKE BROWNED BUTTER, PECAN & WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Its a very simple cake to make once you have browned your butter. Most snack cakes are. Begin by preheating your oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter your 8-inch cake tin and line with a strip of parchment paper which hangs over two sides for ease of removal after the cake is done.
Brown your butter as above and pour into a bowl. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
Add the brown sugar and the eggs to the melted butter and beat until frothy and well combined together. Beat in the yogurt, vanilla, salt and nutmeg, beating in until smooth and well emulsified.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk into the wet mixture until smooth and well combined.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in 6 TBS (37g) of the toasted pecans and 1/4 cup (42g) of the white chocolate.
Spread into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bang on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Sprinkle the remaining toasted nuts and white chocolate over top. Finally sprinkle with the turbinado sugar
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Leave in the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before lifting out onto the wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. This is an excellent cake to serve for snacks or even a simple dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Well, maybe you won't thank me . . . because it is a pretty hard cake to resist. It is a cake you will find yourself thinking about at 3 a.m. and sneaking down to the kitchen to have a tiny nibble of. Trust me. Highly moreishly addictive, if only for the smell alone.
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
Browned Butter, Pecan & White Chocolate Cake
Yield: One 8-inch cake
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min
The balance between the flavors of the browned butter, toasted pecans and white chocolate in this cake is perfection. One of the best snack cakes I have ever baked.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120g) lightly salted butter
- 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 3/4 cup (165g) whole milk yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) all purpose plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup (75g) toasted pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup (85g) chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
- 1 TBS turbinado sugar (demerara)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking tin and line with a strip of parchment paper which hangs over two sides.
- Melt the butter in a light colored saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir over medium heat with a wooden spoon until the butter solids turn golden brown and smell nice and nutty. This will take about 3 minutes. Pour into a bowl. Leave to cool slightly.
- Add the brown sugar and the eggs to the melted butter and beat until frothy and well combined together. Beat in the yogurt, vanilla, salt and nutmeg, beating in until smooth and well emulsified.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk into the wet mixture until smooth and well combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in 6 TBS (37g) of the toasted pecans and 1/4 cup (42g) of the white chocolate.
- Spread into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bang on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Sprinkle the remaining toasted nuts and white chocolate over top. Finally sprinkle with the turbinado sugar
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Leave in the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before lifting out onto the wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.
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One thing which I have loved for a very long time and fell in love with even more when I lived in the UK was Chicken Curry. The first proper curry I ever tasted was cooked for me by a gal from Liverpool back in 1979.
I remember watching her make it. She poured a whole bottle of curry powder into it and I remember thinking oh boy, this is going to hurt.
I was wrong. I fell in love and have been in love with it ever since! It was simply delicious!
Next to fish and chips, is one of the most popular dishes in the UK. There are Curry houses all over the country. It was introduced to English cuisine in the 17th century and has been gaining popularity ever since.
I believe even Queen Victoria loved a good curry! She had an Indian man servant, Karim, who introduced Indian food to her and I have read that she was particularly fond of chicken curry with dal and pilau.
National Curry week is celebrated every October in the UK and in 2001 the British Foreign secretary at the time Robin Robin Cook declared Chicken Tikka Masala to be a "True British National Dish."
There are said to be more Curry Houses/restaurants in greater London than in Mumbai and Delhi combined. Mind you, it has largely been adapted to suit British tastes.
This recipe which I am sharing with you today is nothing like the curries you will find in an Indian restaurant. It is, however a great way to introduce someone to the taste of curry for the first time, having a very mild and sweet flavor.
Not only is it very simple to make, but it uses only five ingredients all told, including the chicken. The original recipe is one I have been making for a very long time and serves 4 - 6 people. I have downsized it today to serve 2 generously.
Like I said only five simple ingredients, not including salt and black pepper.
- 1 TBS butter, melted
- 3 TBS liquid honey
- 1 TBS curry powder (I use a medium)
- 1.2 TBS prepared mustard (I use French's)
- 2 chicken leg quarters (you can skin or not as you prefer)
- salt and pepper
You don't have to use chicken leg quarters in this recipe. The original recipe specified a whole chicken cut up. I happen to think, however, that this recipe is well suited to the leg/thigh portion.
Use a good honey for it. I like to use a clover honey, which is mild flavored and light in color. It has a flavor that goes well with all of the other ingredients.
You can use any kind of mustard you like. I am fond of Dijon. I do not recommend English mustard which is very potent and, in the quantity required for this dish, would render the dish almost inedible in my opinion.
I use a medium strength curry powder, which makes it a bit spicy, but not overpoweringly so. If you are used to it you can by all means use a stronger one and if you are new to the flavor of curry I recommend a mild one to dip your toes into the curry water!
HOW TO MAKE HONEY CURRIED CHICKEN
I will begin by saying that this is not your typical curried chicken, which is usually heavy on the sauce. Some creamy, some more gravy like. All delicious.
This is more like a dry curry, but with finger licking sticky qualities. This version could really not be easier to make however.
Begin by preheating the oven to 350*F/ 180*C/ gas mark 4. You will need a casserole dish large enough to hold your chicken pieces in one layer.
Wipe and pat your chicken pieces dry and season them with salt and black pepper. Lay them into the baking dish in a single layer. I sometimes make deep cuts into the surface of the chicken so that the flavors really penetrate, however I did not on this day.
Whisk together all of the remaining ingredients until they are well combined and emulsified. Pour them over the chicken pieces, turning them to coat them in the sauce.
Cover the casserole dish tightly with some aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for half an hour. Uncover and bake for a further half hour, at which time you should be rewarded with lovely tender, juicy and flavor filled pieces of chicken!
I actually served this to my sister and her partner the other night and they licked the platter clean! It was declared delicious! I was not surprised because . . . it is!!
Honey Curried Chicken
Yield: 2
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
Five simple ingredients, one delicious chicken recipe. All you need on the side is some rice and a vegetable. This goes together lickety split!
Ingredients
- 1 TBS butter, melted
- 3 TBS liquid honey
- 1 TBS curry powder (I like a medium blend)
- 1/2 TBS prepared mustard (Dijon or American)
- 2 chicken leg quarters
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*C/180*F/ gas mark 4. Pat your chicken dry and place into a casserole large enough to hold both pieces in a single layer.
- Whisk together the butter, honey, curry powder and mustard to combine and emulsify completely.
- Lay the chicken pieces into the casserole dish. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces, and turn them to coat in the mixture. Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 30 minutes. You should not have tender and incredibly tasty chicken!
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
Thank you for visiting! Do come again!
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