Baking up a Storm........

Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars)
One of the more interesting things about having parents of different nationalities is that high days and holidays are celebrated with a mixture of the traditions from both countries. Not only does it keep both parents happy, but as a child I enjoyed the best of both worlds. I believe that it is the mother who marks out the traditions in the household, and fortunately for her, my English father was more than happy to celebrate Christmas German style, and wouldn't have had it any other way.
Celebrations started on Christmas Eve evening with the exchange of presents, as is the German way, with Christmas Day being a bit more low key. However, in keeping with British traditions, lunch was turkey and all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding, if there was any room.
We also had a mixture of English and German baking. Mince pies and Christmas cake nestled against Stollen and all the Weihnachtsplatzchen (Christmas biscuits) that my mother and I made.
In Germany, Christmas is absolutely not Christmas without a never ending supply of these specially baked goodies that women (and maybe a few men) spend hours making. These are not large flat cookies, or biscuits that you might dunk in your tea, but small, dainty mouthfuls of indulgence that are often decorated with chocolate, jam, or nuts. There are hundreds of varieties, and in Germany there is no end of magazines devoted to the platzchen in the run up to Christmas.
Each family has their own recipes, and they are often handed down. My mother still makes those that her mother made (and the ones I grew up with), and I make six varieties that have been tried and tested over the years since my late teens. For several years I would try a new recipe each year and if I liked it enough it would stay in my repertoire. If not, well, you live and learn - there is always next year. Add to that there are the two types of mince pies that I make, because I do also like to embrace my English side.
You might be thinking that all of this baking might seem a bit excessive given that in Britain mince pies and Christmas cake are the backbone of the Christmas tea-time table. It might be, if I was to eat them all by myself. But they are also gifted to special friends, as well as being exchanged with family.
The first two weekends in December are given over to baking. I must admit that some years I can get in the zone and bake, bake, bake. And other years it can be a labour of love. But one thing it always is, is worth it.
Zimtsterne (or Cinnamon Stars) are one of my favourites and an absolute classic. No biscuit assortment would be complete without them. I have been making them since my teens and if I can remember back that far, they were the first variety I made. The recipe came from one of the aforementioned magazines. In fact, I think all of my biscuit recipes were sourced from them. Where they are now, I have no idea, but that doesn't matter much now as I have them all written in a small book that gets dusted down every Christmas. I love these because although a little fiddly to make, the end result is a delicious mix of cinnamon, nuts, crunch and chew.
There is still time to make them if you fancy adding a little Continental flavour to your baking. Or if you want to give a personal hand made gift to someone, they would be very welcome, I am sure.
The original recipe uses only ground almonds, but I have always added ground hazelnuts because they add flavour, colour and texture. However, if you find ground hazelnuts hard to get hold of, and don't fancy making your own, it is absolutely fine to just use all ground almonds. Indeed, many recipes do.

Recipe
4 medium egg whites, at room temperature

350g icing sugar, sifted (plus extra for rolling out)

250g ground almonds

250g ground hazelnuts

2 tsp ground cinnamon

You will also need 2 - 3 baking trays, lined with baking parchment, and a star shaped biscuit cutter

This mixture makes about 60 biscuits

1. Whisk egg whites until stiff.

2. Add the icing sugar in 3 batches and whisk in each addition for a couple of minutes until thick and glossy.

3. Put aside 6 tablespoons of the mixture into a bowl and cover with cling film or foil.

4. Add the almonds, hazelnuts and cinnamon into the remaining mixture and using a wooden spoon stir until you have a dough. It can be quite sticky at this stage, so there is no harm in adding a little more icing sugar (especially on your hands), if necessary to make it easier to handle.

5. Wrap the dough in cling film or foil and put it in the fridge for about an hour or two until it firms up a little. Doing this makes the dough easier to handle, I find.

6. Preheat the oven to 150C / 300F / Gas 2.

7. When you are ready to make the biscuits take the dough out of the fridge and divide into quarters. Dust the surface of your work surface and rolling pin with icing sugar, and a quarter at a time, roll out the dough to a thickness of  5mm.

8. Cut out star shapes using the biscuit cutter and place onto the lined baking trays. Press the off cuts together into a dough again (do not knead) and re-roll and cut until you have used it all. Then use another quarter and do the same.

9. Brush each cookie with the meringue mixture that you have set aside and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the meringue is set. and hopefully not too coloured.

10. Leave to cool on the tray for about 10 minutes. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely and store in an airtight tin lined with foil.

Baking Notes

You don't have to make 60 biscuits. Halve the mixture and make a more manageable 30 if you prefer.

Ideally, the idea of the meringue is to stay white (to look like stars), but in the years I have been making these this has never happened. They usually turn a very light golden colour, which is fine for me. Just keep an eye on them though so they don't colour too much.

You will also find that the base of the biscuits don't look cooked. They are. As long as you can pick each biscuit off the paper easily, they are done.

I hope you will give these a try and I would love to know if you do and what you think of them.

 

'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas......'

Guinness Gingerbread

Oh my gosh......December is here and I don't know how that has happened. Where this year has gone, I have no idea. I think I blinked and missed it. Christmas is just around the corner and the next couple of weeks are going to be focused on getting ready for it. Braving the crowds to find the perfect present, wrapping, and writing cards. It doesn't really stop. Come the big day (and not wanting to sound like the Grinch), I am rather relieved that it is almost over. And happy to have a couple of days where all I am expected to do is peel a few potatoes and not much else.
I love Gingerbread because it is the most perfect cake for this time of year. Not only is it chock-full of ginger, cinnamon and cloves, those warming and wintry spices that you can't help but associate with Christmas, but it is also super quick to make and is therefore brilliant if you are short on time and still want to whip up a sweet treat. The smell that permeates the home while baking can't help but make you feel a little bit festive. It is the cake that I turn to if I need a quick bake, because, to be honest, by the time I have finished all of my traditional baking, I am all baked out.

I have a friend, Miss B, who each time I feed her cake, always loudly and with great gusto proclaims that it is her new favourite. This always amuses me, because although I know she is being absolutely genuine, I am not sure how that is possible. However, one thing I do know, is that she absolutely loves Gingerbread, and that has always remained a constant. This recipe is therefore dedicated to her so now she can make and enjoy it at any time she likes.

I hope you find this Gingerbread just as it should be; damp and sticky and full of spicy flavours. Don't be put off by the Guinness. Even if it not your favourite tipple, you don't actually taste it. I think it adds a richness and an ever so inviting deep, dark colour.
This cake is also versatile. Cut it into small squares and enjoy it as is, or cut the squares larger and drown in custard for a delicious pudding. After a roast. On a Sunday.
 

For the Cake

(from Nigella's Kitchen by Nigella Lawson)

150g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the tin

300g golden syrup

200g dark muscovado sugar

250ml Guinness

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

300g plain flour

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

300ml soured cream

2  medium eggs

Square baking tin 23cm square, greased and lined with baking paper, or a foil tray tin 30 x 20 x 5 cm, greased and lined as before.

1. Preheat the oven to 170C / 325F / Gas 3. 

2. In a large pan put in the butter, syrup, muscovado sugar, Guinness and spices, and melt over a low heat. When melted, take the mixture off the heat.

3. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda together in bowl and then add to the melted mixture, whisking until no lumps of flour remain.

4. Mix the soured cream and eggs together in another bowl, pour into the mixture and whisk again until you have a smooth batter.

5. Pour into your prepared tin, and then bake for about 45 minutes, until it is risen in the centre, and the sides are coming away from the tin.

6. Leave the gingerbread to cool before removing from the tin and cutting into as squares. I used the square tin and it made 36 fairly small but quite deep squares.

Baking Notes

There is no reason why you couldn't adapt this recipe and add some extra goodies. I have made this before with some chopped stem ginger mixed into the cake to add texture and a little extra heat. Chopped walnuts or pecan nuts would add crunch. In addition, drizzle with a simple icing made with icing sugar, ginger syrup and a little water, and sprinkle liberally with some more chopped ginger or nuts for decoration.

If you want to make this in advance, then do so as it keeps brilliantly in an airtight tin for (in my case) five days.

Just a little note re the styling of my photographs. I would love to lay claim to their originality but unfortunately I can't. I watched Nigella Lawson make this cake and decorate it like this on one of her programmes. I loved it so much I that I just had to re-create it for myself. I can't resist a bit of retro kitsch, especially at Christmas, and these decorations take me back to when I was a child and my mother and I would decorated the cake with very similar. 

 

A Pumpkin is not just for Halloween

Chocolate, Pecan and Pumpkin Cake

Pity the poor old pumpkin. Abundant and plentiful in the two weeks before Halloween when everybody wants to be its friend, only to be granted 'billy no mates' status the day after, and disappearing into the great pumpkin graveyard in the sky.

It did make me think that surely we, and I, could do more with a pumpkin at than just turning it into a lantern. With perfect timing a few weeks ago when pumpkins were everywhere, I came across this unusual spiced chocolate cake by accident, and it immediately intrigued me. Pumpkin I have used to make soup (yum) and pie (not that fussed, to be honest), but never cake. I love chocolate in all its forms and am always drawn to rich, dark chocolate cakes which are a little out of the ordinary. 

Chocolate, pumpkin, and cinnamon are all flavours that work in any combination, so it makes sense that they all work together. Pumpkin adds a richness and sweetness, as well as moisture to what is quite a solid, but not heavy, cake. Pecans add crunch, while cinnamon lends a spicy and exotic warmth that is so right and comforting at this time of year. 

This is a proper, dark, grown up chocolate cake and I think a slice of this is best served on a cold afternoon, cosy under a blanket, watching a black and white movie, with a cup of tea, and as always, a dollop of whipped cream.

For the Cake

(adapted from Chocolat by Eric Lanlard)

125g pecan nuts

225g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped

150g unsalted butter

3 medium eggs

275g dark muscovado sugar

275ml water

3 tsp vanilla extract

250g self-raising flour, sifted

3 tsp cinnamon

100g peeled, deseeded pumpkin, grated

To Decorate

extra whole pecan nuts (optional)

Cocoa powder or icing sugar for dusting

You will need a 23cm / 9in diameter springform cake tin, greased and lined with baking paper

 
1. Preheat the oven to 170C / 150C fan / 325F / Gas 3.

2. Toast the pecan nuts in a dry frying pan over a low heat for about 10 minutes until they have deepened in colour slightly and begin to release their nutty fragrance. Keep an eye on the nuts during this time as they can easily burn. A little moving around with a spoon or shaking the pan from time to time doesn't hurt. Leave them to cool, and then roughly chop.

3. Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of barely simmering water until melted (make sure that the surface of the water does not touch the bowl). Beat the melted mixture until combined.

4. In a bowl whisk the eggs and sugar together for about 5 minutes until thick and creamy. Continue whisking while adding in the melted chocolate and butter, and then add in the water and vanilla.

5. Stir the cinnamon into the sifted flour, and fold into the chocolate mixture until smooth, followed by the grated pumpkin and chopped pecan nuts.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and decorate with whole pecans if you wish.

7. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. When the cake is cold, wrap it in cling film and foil and keep at room temperature for at least 24 hours before eating, and before serving, dust with cocoa powder or icing sugar.

Baking Notes

The original recipe calls for a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to be stirred into the pecan nuts before toasting, but I actually omitted this, mainly because it didn't really appeal. However, when I make it again, I will be brave and add it. You never know, it might be a 'taste sensation'!

Noted in the ingredients list is that you can use butternut squash as an alternative to pumpkin. It does exactly the same job, and the bonus is that it is more readily available than pumpkin, and so much more easy to cut.

If you decide to try this cake I would love to know what you think of it. And if you do add the cayenne pepper.....well done!

Revisiting Old Favourites

Fresh Pear Shortcake
I recently decided that I was going to put myself on a self imposed ban on buying any more cook books, and more specifically, books on baking. There are so many in my collection that I don't use on a regular basis that I really want to revisit them all to uncover some hidden (and forgotten) gems.
I predict, though that this will not be easy. I can become so enthused by a new cooking show on the television that I want to rush out and the buy the accompanying book, only to read it (usually in bed), ear mark pages of recipes, make a couple of them, and then leave it to gather dust while something else catches my eye (I am sure I am not alone in this).

Consequently, space is currently in short supply in which to house them all. In reality, how many books on baking do I need, and how many recipes can one person make in a lifetime? There are so many sources now in which to find recipes that I really need never to buy a baking book again.
I am a keen browser of the internet and magazines for recipes and inspiration, and as I have mentioned before, I have a large file of recipe printouts and tear outs which I enjoy giving a good old perusal now and again. Therefore, if I am to buy a new book now, then I need to be very specific about its content, and question whether it is different enough from what I have already in my collection. In fact, when I think about it, this is how I approach buying a new handbag. I just need to apply this to all sweaters that are either grey or striped. 
To kick start my new thinking, this seasonal Fresh Pear Shortcake was a favourite pudding from my first cookbook* that I received for my 18th birthday and one I haven't actually made since.....gosh, I can't remember when.

I have tweaked the recipe slightly. Not by much, but when I made the shortcake for the first time a couple of weeks ago I thought that the addition of ground ginger to the 'buttery biscuit base' and almond extract to the topping would be very welcome. Both flavours are very good friends with pears and when I made it again I thought it worked quite well.
One word of advice though about the pears you select if you are going to make this. Please make sure that they are ripe to ensure they soften during the cooking time. If they are not ripe, or indeed, too hard, they will never soften in the cooking time. I know this from experience, and semi-cooked pears, although edible, are not the ideal. I also think that this dessert is better the day after making as the flavours will have developed. Keep it in the fridge overnight, and then bring it up to room temperature before serving.

 

For the Base

150g self raising flour, sifted

25g ground rice (or rice flour, which I used because I didn't have ground rice)

Grated rind of 1 lemon

50g dark soft brown sugar, sifted to remove any lumps

150g cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 tsp ground ginger

For the Topping

3 ripe large pears, all even in size, and about 450g in weight

125g full fat soft cheese

1 medium egg

1 tsp almond extract

2 tbsp flaked almonds (optional)

You will also need a 20.5cm(8 inch) loose based fluted flan tin, greased 

This will serve 6 people

1. Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F / Gas 5

2. Put the flour, ground rice or rice flour, lemon rind and ground ginger into a bowl and stir until well mixed.

3. Stir in the sugar and rub in the butter until a dough forms.

4. Put the dough into the tin and press down using your fingers until you have an even layer over the 

base. Mark into 6 portions and prick with a fork.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin while you prepare the pears 

and topping. 

6. Turn the oven down to 180C / 350F / Gas 4

7. Peel and halve the pears, and then scoop out the cores. You can use a teaspoon to do this, but I found that a melon baller (how very retro) works brilliantly. Also remove the stringy part that runs vertically from the top of the pear to the core, as that is not much fun to eat.

8. Score each pear half crossways in narrow but even sections and then place a half within each marked portion.

9. Mix the cream cheese, almond extract, and egg together until smooth and spoon evenly over the pears making sure it covers completely the fruit and shortcake. At this stage you can scatter the flaked almonds over the top if you like. I do like to do this because it adds a little crunch and makes the tart look pretty.

10. Return the tin to the oven and bake for a further 40 minutes until the pears are soft and cooked through, and the top is golden brown. (To check the pears, insert a skewer and if it goes in without any resistance, then they are done).

11. Take the shortcake out of the oven, and cool for about 10 minutes and remove from the tin.

12. Serve warm or cold, as you prefer, or the day after as I recommend.

 

 

Baking Notes

Ground rice, or rice flour are not ingredients you might have readily to hand, and I imagine that if you don't then it can be replaced with the same quantity of flour, but its inclusion gives the base a wonderfully short texture.

*I have mentioned the book before in a previous post, but it is the Good Housekeeping Cookery Book 'the classic cookery book, completely revised'. My version is from the mid 80s, which can be found here, but there are updated versions, should you prefer something a little less old fashioned. 

Small but Perfectly Formed

Baci di Dama
I had intended September to be all about biscuits ever since a friend at work told me that it was National Biscuit Month. Well, that clearly hasn't happened since we are now a third of the way through this very month and it is only now that I am posting a biscuit recipe. This month is actually an American celebration, and their biscuits are more like our scones, rather than the snack that you might dunk into your tea (or not). However, a small matter of  how a word is interpreted, or geography, makes no difference to me if it means I can bake.
I don't make biscuits that often, other than at Christmas (when I make a LOT) but I really wanted to bring you the most delicious, melt in the mouth, hazelnutty morsels, Baci di Dama, or, 'Ladies Kisses'. These biscuits are traditional to the Piedmont area in the northwest of Italy and are so named because the two halves are like lips kissing. The beauty of these is that they use very few ingredients - butter, sugar, flour, chocolate and hazelnuts - to make something truly special.

I think you all know by now about my love affair with almonds in a cake. Well, hazelnuts have the same effect on me in a biscuit. They have such a sweet, buttery flavour which works brilliantly with so many different other flavours such as chocolate, apples, raspberries and coffee, and that flavour and scent only deepens upon heating. 

Toasting and grinding whole nuts creates an infinitely superior product to pre-ground and when a biscuit uses so few ingredients, every one needs to count.
These biscuits are fairly simple to make if a little time consuming but don't let that put you off, as the results are worth it. Every step is there for a reason, so please don't be tempted to deviate from the method. The butter and dough have to be cold and the oven cool as it is this what ensures the balls sink into the characteristic domes to be sandwiched together. Dark chocolate is usually used for the filling, but since I had a great big jar of chocolate and hazelnut spread in the cupboard I used that instead, and it was perfect.

 For the biscuits
(adapted from food52.com)

100g whole hazelnuts, shelled and blanched

100g cold unsalted butter, cubed

100g caster sugar (I used my favourite golden caster sugar)

100g plain flour, sifted

For the filling

100g dark chocolate (melted and cooled), or 4tbsp of chocolate hazelnut spread

This recipe makes about 20 - 25 biscuits

1. Start by preparing the hazelnuts. Put them in a dry frying pan over a low heat and toast  
until they turn golden brown and start releasing their oils and fragrance, about 5 minutes. I would recommend that you stir the nuts while toasting to encourage even browning and
avoid burning, which can easily happen if you don't keep a careful eye on them.

2. Leave the hazelnuts to cool completely, place in a food processor and blitz until they are 
very finely ground.

3. Put the ground hazelnuts into a bowl with the sugar and flour and give it a stir to combine. Add the cubed butter and rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 

4. Press the mixture together until you have a dough. You should find that it comes together very easily, and requires virtually no kneading. 

5. Wrap the dough in foil and put in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight. 

6. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll teaspoons of the mixture into balls. Place them onto baking trays lined with baking parchment, a couple of centimetres apart, and return to the fridge for a further couple of hours. 

7. Preheat the oven to 150C, and bake the biscuits for 15 minutes until the balls have become domes. They should be pale in colour. 

8. Take the biscuits out of the oven and leave to cool completely on the baking trays so they become firm enough to handle.

9. To assemble the biscuits, using a teaspoon place a small amount of chocolate or spread on the flat side of one biscuit, and then top with another biscuit to make a sandwich.

10. Keep in an airtight tin for 4 - 5 days. If they last that long.

Hallo Autumn.....

Bavarian Plum Tart (Zwetschgen Datschi)

....and goodbye summer. See you next year.

 

Autumn is probably my favourite season of the year. Not just because I am an Autumn baby, but also because I love the change in the light in the morning, the change in the colours of leaves on the trees, and layering up in cosy sweaters and scarves. And of course, it means that, (dare I say it), Christmas is not so far away.

With a new season brings seasonal produce to inspire my baking. Of course, you can buy most fruits and vegetables virtually all year round, but I much prefer to use them when they are truly in season. I like that it makes then certain cakes and bakes rather special as they can be seen as a representation of that season on a plate.

The one bake that absolutely signifies early Autumn to me is the delicious and very traditional Bavarian plum tart, known in Bavarian dialect as Zwetschgen Datschi.

Simply speaking, this tart is made from a yeast dough or sweet pastry, pressed thinly onto a baking sheet, covered with stoned and sliced plums and sprinkled generously with cinnamon sugar. When the plums cook the skin colour runs red and deepens and just looks so pretty.

Whenever I have visited Bavaria at this time of year, it is always what I have chosen from the bakery to have with my afternoon tea. What makes it so special is that the particular variety of plum used is only in season for a very short time. They are oval as opposed to round and have a very dark purple skin. I haven't seen them here in the UK, but while researching an equivalent, the Damson plum was suggested. However, I am not a patient sort and don't always have the time nor inclination to go a-hunting a specific ingredient when the same result can be achieved with an alternative. Therefore, I have used the darkest skinned plum that I could find for this tart. I would say though not to use the Victoria variety. Not because they are not delicious, and they are, but because their skins are not dark enough to give the colour that is so specific to this tart.

The recipe comes courtesy of my Grandmother, and I hope I have done it justice. She uses  the sweet pastry option for her version, for which I am thankful. Pastry I can make. Yeast dough is for me is......a little more of a challenge.

I hope that you give this a try and find it as delicious I do, and please, serve it with whipped cream. It is an absolute must. Lighter than double cream, it just works beautifully with this tart, and is how my Grandmother always enjoyed it.
 

 

 For the Pastry

300g plain flour, sifted

100g golden caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

150g cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 large egg, beaten

For the Filling

500g dark skinned plums

1 tbsp demerara sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

I used a 9" loose bottomed square flan tin, greased, but you could just as easily use a swiss roll tin if that is what you have available.

1. Make the pastry by putting the sifted flour, caster sugar and baking powder into a bowl and stirring until combined. Add the butter and using your fingertips rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Make a well in the centre, add the egg and stir using a fork until the mixture starts to come together. Using your hands, press it into a dough. 

3. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in foil and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to rest.

4. Take the dough out of the fridge and allow it to come back to room temperature.

5. Put the dough into the centre of the prepared flan tin and press it down using your hands so it evenly covers the base and sides of the tin. Put the tin in the fridge while you prepare the plums.

6. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4

7. Cut each plum in half, remove the stone and then cut each half into 4 and so that each plum gives you 8 segments.

8. Lay the plum segments lengthways across the pastry base in rows until all they all are used up.

9. Mix together the Demerara sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle liberally over the plums.

10. Put the tart into the oven and bake for 25 minutes until the fruit is cooked and the pastry is golden brown.

11. Cool in the tin before removing the tart. 
 

Baking Notes

If you want to make the pastry ahead of time then you can, as I did. I made the pastry the day before I made the tart and put it in the fridge. The next day I took it out and brought it back to room temperature before using it, which caused it no harm at all. You could also make the pastry in a food processor if you prefer. Just put the dry ingredients into the processor bowl, and the butter and whizz them altogether until you have the requisite fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and pulse until a dough just starts to form. Then take it out and continue with the method from step 2.

 

 

 

A Taste of Provence

Lavender, Lemon and Honey Cake
(adapted from Love, Bake, Nourish by Amber Rose)

Lavender. I have bathed in it. I have scented my house with it. I have even spritzed my laundry with it, but, I had never tasted it. It is a flavour that had always intrigued me as I thought that it might be akin to eating a bar of soap. Which, when I recently tried some (bought) lavender shortbread, it was. I have to say that it was a flavour that I didn't think that I would be hurrying to try again as I found it quite unpleasant. So much so that my biscuit remained unfinished. 

However, that opinion changed when I saw this cake. Although lavender, the lure of the other ingredients proved strong enough for me to want to give it a try. There is something about cakes that include almonds that I love. Perhaps it is the taste, or maybe it is the squidgy dampness that they impart that I am addicted to. I don't know what it is, but if a cake is heavy on almonds then I am a fan. Polenta is used in place of flour in this cake which, being made from corn, makes this cake gluten free, and therefore perfect for those who cannot eat wheat or are trying to reduce it in their diet. 

This cake is my first foray into a beautiful book called 'Love, Bake, Nourish' by Amber Rose, which had been on my radar for a while, and which I finally acquired only recently. If you like cakes and baked goodies that use seasonal ingredients and healthier and nutritious alternatives to refined sugar and wheat flour then this book is for you. 

The recipes are not vegan as they do use butter and eggs, but instead of white sugar you will find honey and maple syrup, and in place of wheat, nut, buckwheat, and spelt flours.

It is an amalgam of two recipes, the cake being from one, and the icing, another. Of course there is nothing to stop you from just making the cake au naturel, but I just think a little adornment stops it from looking naked.

So, how did the cake turn out? Very well indeed! It is very soft and moist, which is to be expected  from all of those almonds, and the polenta adds an unusual crumbly grainy texture, which I found rather moreish. It is also beautifully light and two pieces are easily wolfed down without realising it (or feeling guilty).

However, I cannot say that I really tasted the lavender. Perhaps I chopped it too small, or maybe I should have been brave and used a little more. I am not sure until I make it again and tweak the amount. What does come through though is the lemon (which is always a good thing in my opinion) and there is no reason why you couldn't replace the lavender with extra lemon zest, or replace the lemon with orange zest and juice. You could even go one step further and use a mixture of both to make a super-citrusy cake.

 

For the cake

2 teaspoons dried lavender, finely chopped

100 g golden caster sugar

225g unsalted butter, softened 

225g ground almonds

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

Grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons

Juice of half a lemon

75g honey

110g polenta

1/2 tsp baking powder (Dr. Oetker make a gluten free option if wheat cannot be eaten)

Pinch of salt

For the icing

30 ml lemon juice 

3 tsp honey

125g icing sugar

1 - 2 tsps dried lavender, chopped

Preheat the oven to 160C.

Grease and base line a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment.

1. Cream the butter, sugar and lavender in a large bowl until very pale in colour and fluffy in texture. I usually whisk with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes for the mixture to get to this stage.

2. Add in the ground almonds and vanilla extract and stir until incorporated.

3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until well mixed, and then gently fold in the zest, juice, honey, polenta, baking powder and salt with a metal spoon.

4. Pour into the prepared tin, and with the back of a spoon level the surface.

5. Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes until a cocktail stick comes out clean when inserted in the centre.

6. If you think the cake is becoming a little brown, cover the surface for the last 10 minutes of cooking with a circle of greaseproof paper.

7. Take the cake out of the oven and leave in the tin for about 15-20 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Remove the baking parchment layer.

8. To make the icing, mix the lemon juice and honey in a medium sized bowl, and add in the icing sugar in two batches. What you are aiming for is a thick icing that can be poured and drip prettily down the sides.

9. Spoon over the cake and sprinkle with the chopped lavender.
10. If you wanted to, make this the day before you need it and wrap it in greaseproof paper and foil, un-iced, and it will be even better for it.

 

 

From my Grandmother's Table

Kirsch Kuchen (Cherry Cake)
I was recently in Germany for a whistlestop family visit. As is usual with my family (and I am sure, many others) no sooner had we walked in the door on the afternoon of our arrival, then we were sitting down drinking coffee and eating cake. And no sooner had we finished that, we were sitting down to a traditional, and very delicious, Bavarian meal prepared by my cousin. Sausages, cucumber salad, warm potato salad (the German kind made with hot vinaigrette, not the American version. Far too heavy on the mayonnaise for my liking), rye bread and German mustard were on the menu, all washed down with a beer. It was a very wonderful welcome.
I only tell you this as it reminded me of all the times I spent visiting my Bavarian grandparents, when every day revolved around food. First there was breakfast, then elevenses, lunch, a spot of kaffee und kuchen in the afternoon, and if we were still hungry after all of that, there was a light supper. Not surprisingly, I always came back from my German holidays a few pounds heavier.
However, although we ate cake, pudding was rare. Maybe occasionally some gelato from the Italian ice cream parlours that are on every corner during the summer, but mostly we always had fruit, and it was no different during my recent visit.
On the table was a large dish of the biggest, plumpest, reddest and juiciest cherries I have seen in a long while. This got me very excited as I absolutely love cherries. They are by far my favourite summer fruit, and I can happily chew (and spit) my way through a punnet or two with ease.

Seeing these cherries reminded me of a recipe for Cherry Cake that I had seen in my grandmother's handwritten cookery book. She was a fantastic cook, and at some point in the early sixties she wrote her own personal recipe book. All categories were covered, from cakes, puddings, and Christmas baking, to savoury starters, main courses and drinks, all written in her beautiful handwriting.
My mother now has the book in her possession but I have borrowed it for inspiration. It is funny, but in all the years I have been baking, I don't think I have ever baked anything German, other than the goodies I bake at Christmas. Perhaps it is because my mother always made her mother's recipes, and so I never felt the need to.

However, I don't think she ever made this one, and as we are in cherry season, it was the perfect time to give this cake a try. I have made a couple of changes to the recipe and added a few more details that were missing from the original version. My grandmother wrote a wonderful book, but reading it, well, you can tell that she wrote it for herself, as on occasion the methods are a little vague. For example: make the batter, put in a cake tin, bake for an hour.
Yes, that is all very well, Granny, but HOW do you make the batter? WHAT size should the tin be?, and at WHAT temperature?! You see, vague.
This is a super cake, very light, and not at all dry. There is a background note of lemon, but this could easily be replaced with almond extract if you wish since almonds and cherries are perfect partners. I was tempted to do this, but as this is my grandmother's recipe, it is only right that to do it justice I should follow the recipe as written. What did surprise me about this cake is that in my opinion, it has a 'German' flavour. I wish I could explain what that means, but I don't think I can. Perhaps it is just knowing the cake's history that it makes sense that it should taste of her homeland.  

For the Cake

200g unsalted butter, softened and at room temperature

200g icing sugar, sifted

200g self raising flour

4 large eggs

zest of 1 lemon (or 1 tsp of almond extract)

450g cherries, stoned and kept whole if possible (see the notes below)

Icing sugar for dusting

You will also need a 22cm (8 1/2") springform tin, greased and base lined with baking parchment

1. Preheat the oven to 160C / 150C fan / 325F / Gas 3-4.

2. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until very fluffy and pale in colour, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Beat in the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of the sifted flour to prevent curdling.

4. Beat in the lemon zest and then fold in the flour gently. Don't over beat as you want to keep in as much air as possible. Once all of the flour is incorporated, stop mixing.

5. Put half of the mixture in the prepared tin, and then lay the cherries in one layer over it. They will sink to the bottom but don't worry about this.

6. Cover the cherries with the remaining mixture and level the surface. 

7. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour. My grandmother says to bake for an hour, but mine was ready in 50 minutes. Therefore you could open the oven door after 50 minutes if you wish, to check if it is done, and if not, then every 5 minutes or so until a skewer or cocktail stick comes out clean.

8. Take the cake out of the oven and leave it in the tin for 15 minutes. Remove from the tin and put onto a cooling rack. I would add to be careful with the cake as it is quite delicate while warm.

9. When the cake is cold, drench in sifted icing sugar and devour. I recommend with some whipped cream!

 

  

 

 

Baking Notes
Stoning cherries is very laborious and very dull, and unless you have time on your hands I would strongly suggest that you use a cherry stoner. I cannot say that it makes the job any more interesting, but it certainly makes light work of it, and keeps the fruit whole, which adds to the look of the cake when cut. Feel free to use tinned cherries (in juice, not syrup), or those in a glass jar, but do make sure that they are very well drained before you use them, and any excess liquid removed with kitchen paper. 
 

Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land!

Vanilla Cupcakes

It can't have escaped anybody's notice that the 12th June 2014 saw the start of the month long '22 men kicking a football around on a green pitch' marathon, otherwise known as the World Cup. To be honest, I have very little interest in 'the beautiful game', but when it comes to this tournament, I can get as excited as the next person. Maybe it is because it comes around only every four years and therefore makes it something special, or maybe it is because I just enjoy all of the razzmatazz that goes along with it. I suspect it is the latter.

It is the only time in which I will actively sit and watch a football match, even though I couldn't tell you the finer points of the game, and please don't ask me about the offside rule! Not every match however, only those in which my two teams of England and Germany are playing. Of course I would like both to do well, but I think I can safely say that one team will get much further than the other, and won't go out on penalties. However, should both teams play one another, then I become like Switzerland. In other words: neutral. It is the only way not to upset either parent.

As I think you all may have realised by now, I do like a theme, and something, anything, makes me want to celebrate it with something sweet. Therefore, why not mark the occasion of the World Cup with a cake? Or more specifically, represent your favourite team's colours in edible form? I chose the English flag over the red yellow and black of the German because the colours are prettier and, if I am honest, I prefer it.

I chose cupcakes simply because I thought I could have a bit of fun decorating them. Mini fondant flags, red flowers (not quite the red rose of England, but you get the idea), and red and white buttercream sitting atop a vanilla cupcake is my interpretation.

To be honest, I don't make cupcakes very often, but there is definitely a place in mine, and your baking repertoire for a good, simple vanilla cupcake and buttercream, which you can make to celebrate any occasion. These are my favourite recipes out of all of those I have tried over the years, and are actually fairly recent discoveries. Why? Because the cakes are light, moist, and delicious with vanilla, and the buttercream, although sweet, is not so sweet that you have to leave it uneaten on the plate. 

I think I first became aware of the cupcake during an episode of the New York set, US 

comedy show 'Sex and the City' when two of the characters, Carrie and Miranda, were munching on one outside of the now famous Magnolia Bakery. This was like the dainty British Fairy Cake on acid. It was huge. Triple the size of said Fairy Cake with buttercream so high that it had to be eaten sideways if you didn't want your nose in it. This episode was at least 10 years ago, and with like so many things Stateside, the cupcake landed on our shores and never left.

My feeling is that often they promise much more then they actually deliver. I have bought many a cupcake (and from well known bakeries) in the name of (ahem) 'research', but often I am disappointed. The cake is either too dry, or tastes of.....not much, and the amount of buttercream is too much, and so sweet that it is rendered inedible. But, they always look so beautiful, and the flavours so enticing that it is hard to resist that little piece of indulgence. And I know that I will always keep on 'researching' in the hope that one day, the taste will match the look.

My preferred cupcake option is therefore more cake with enough icing to set off the decoration. I would say that my piping skills (in the words of many a school report) are satisfactory, at best, so I take the alternative option of using a small palette knife with which to spread on the buttercream. My cupcakes will therefore never look like those in the bakeries, but there is nothing wrong with that homely artisanal look. Indeed, they can look just as inviting as those professionally finished.

For the Cake

(adapted from The Cake Book by Cupcake Jemma)

This recipe will make 24 cakes

250g self raising flour

250g golden caster sugar (or use regular white caster sugar)

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

250g unsalted butter, softened

4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp whole milk, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 170C (fan) / 375F / Gas 5

Line a 12 hole muffin tin with your choice of cupcake cases

1. In a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients, and then add in the butter and eggs.

2. Mix together until well combined, but don't over mix, and then add in the milk and vanilla extract and  beat again until all mixed in.

3. Fill the paper cases about 2/3 full with the cake mixture and bake for 20 minutes until they spring back when touched. I also insert a cocktail stick and if it comes out clean then it is cooked.

4. Leave to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes and then put on a wire rack to get completely cold before decorating.

For the Vanilla Buttercream

300g unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp whole milk, at room temperature

675g icing sugar, sifted

1. Put the butter into a large bowl and using an electric mixer beat for 5 minutes until it becomes very soft, pale and fluffy.

2. Add the icing sugar in 3 batches, beating well after each addition, and then mix in the milk and vanilla extract.

3. Beat for a further 5 minutes until the icing is very smooth, and again, very pale (almost white), and fluffy.

4. Decorate the cakes with the icing either using a piping bag and nozzle or a small knife.

.

Baking Notes

Having made these two recipes a few times now, I would say that for best results, the butter needs to be very soft in both cases for two reasons:

1. The cake is made by the all in one method and soft butter will enable you to mix it in super easily.

2. The softness of the butter is crucial to a smooth buttercream. You may think that to beat the icing for what seems like an eternity is unnecessary once all the icing sugar is mixed in, but please don't omit this stage as it is the only way to ensure a light, airy and fluffy (almost whipped in texture) buttercream, which is just as lovely to use as it is to eat. 

If you try these cupcakes, I would love to know what you think of them, and how you decorated them.