Cakes and all other things baked

When good bananas go bad – Part two – the banoffee souffle

Yes, it’s happened again. There they were looking fresh, yellow and appealing and overnight they turned from innocent fruit in to guilty, squashy criminals that could not be tolerated.

This my friends is another classic case of what happens when good bananas go bad…

One solution was to make banana loaf, which is indeed a noble answer but I really do think I have come up with the best solution ever, so prepare yourselves for …

When good bananas go bad – the sequel.

Banoffee Soufflé, yes get very excited. This is honestly one of the easiest and best dishes I have come up with and I cannot recommend it highly enough

All you need isFor the soufflé:

2 medium bananas, mashed with a little lemon juice
4 egg whites
110g/4ozs caster sugar

Butter to grease the dishes and icing sugar for dusting

For the toffee sauce:

100g unsalted butter
150g dark soft brown sugar
125ml double cream
Seeds from a fresh vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

Preheat your oven to Gas 6/Fan 180 non-fan 200

Generously butter 6 to 8 (depending on size) ramekins
Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and leave peaks
Slowly add the sugar, bit by bit and whisk until really thick and shiny
Gently fold in the mashed banana with a metal spoon, taking care to keep as much air in as possible
Spoon the mixture in to the ramekins and then run either a knife or your finger round the edges (about finger nail width) so that they can rise
Pop them in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are well risen and browned
Whilst the soufflés are in the oven, make the sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat
Add the vanilla and brown sugar and stir for a few minutes until it has all combined and is lovely and thick
Stir in the double cream and it is ready to serve
Once your soufflés are ready, serve and then when they are at the table carefully make a hole in the top and pour some toffee sauce in to the centre reserving the rest for people to add as they wish. This is so easy and it also utterly delicious. Try it!

Have a happy Easter with amaretto soaked simnel cupcakes

You will need: 225 g unsalted butter, softened, 225 g sugar, 4 eggs, 225 g plain flour, 120 g sultanas, 120 g currants , 220g chopped fresh dates, Amaretto liquer (optional, grated zest of 2 oranges, grated zest of 2 lemons, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons sour cream (or plain yoghurt, or buttermilk), 250 g almond paste, cut in half – half rolled in to small balls, other half cut in to fine slices, 24 cake cases

For the icing: 400g icing sugar, 200g unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon almond essence

Place all the fruit in a bowl with enough amaretto to cover the top

Pre-heat oven to 180°C /160oC Fan/Gas 4.

Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, orange zest, lemon zest and cinnamon in a food processor and whizz until blended
Strain the fruit but keep the amaretto
Add the fruit and the sour cream to the cake mixture and stir well

Place a teaspoon full of the mixture at the bottom of each cake case

Add a slice of marzipan
Top with a remaining spoon of mixture so that the marzipan is coverd

Place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately prick all over with a cocktail stick.

Add a teaspoon of amaretto to the top of each cake so that it soaks in. Allow to cool

Whilst the cakes are cooling, throw the icing ingredients in to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Ice each cake with a swirl of almond icing and place a marzipan ball on top

These little cakes are so delicious, the idea is that you bite in to them and then hot the secret layer of marzipan. they are far too good to save just for Easter time.

What the Halloween shall I do with all that pumpkin? Cupcakes and spooky soup, of course!

It’s that time of year again, when Katy and I carve pumpkins, just because we can and it’s such fun and we hope that the “Trick or Treat” brigade don’t throw bricks if not donated with sufficient amounts of chocolate (It was worrying last year how many of them had voices that had already broken). Disappointingly, no Halloween parties or discos this year, but on the plus side it means we don’t see Josh in his red velvet devil costume (Yes he really does, the minx, be grateful it’s Katy in the photo).

However, the biggest question on everyone’s mind is not “Paranormal 1” or “Paranormal 2”, it’s what the heck do you do with all that scooped out pumpkin? Well, Ellie’s recipe for a really good curried pumpkin soup to use up the flesh and for roasted pumpkin seeds is always a winner. I’ve included those further down as they are very easy to make and delicious. However, making cakes with vegetables is still the new black, so never one to resist a fashion trend, I present to you my Pumpkin Cupcakes.

PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

100g unsalted butter, softened
190g caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
120g cooked, mashed pumpkin
275g self-raising flour plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder
Splash of milk if the mixture looks a little stiff
50g chopped walnuts plus a few for decoration

For the icing: 100g unsalted butter, 200g icing sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence all beaten together until pale and creamy

For the Cupcakes: Pre heat the oven to Gas mark 4/160 fan/180 electric. Cream the butter and sugar together (I chucked them in the food processor) once they are pale and creamy, add the eggs followed by all the spices and the mashed pumpkin. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently, add a little milk if very stiff. Stir in the chopped walnuts and place in twelve large cupcake or muffin cases.

Place in the oven for 25 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean. Decorate as you wish, I used vanilla butter icing (Literally, combine all the ingredients until creamy) and sprinkled with bright orange glitter, or get as spooky as you like with black icing etc. The pumpkin really does make these cakes lovely and moist, in fact if you have left over mashed butternut squash or parsnip it would be just as nice.

Ellie’s Spooky Soup

You will need: The innards of one pumpkin, (less a little bit for your cupcakes!) flesh chopped into manageable chunks.

One onion, chopped.
A couple of cloves of garlic, chopped.
One chopped up chilli).
A big pinch of dried curry leaves, or a big spoonful of curry powder.
Approximately 750mls of vegetable stock – made from 2 Kallo Organic chicken cubes
Salt and pepper to taste.
A big dollop of double-cream or half-fat crème
A splash of the oil of your choice.

Method

Heat up your oil in a big pan and throw in the onion, garlic and chilli. Cook until it all starts to soften but not go brown.
Chuck the pumpkin chunks in with it, add all the seasoning, and cook the lot until it’s going a bit golden and gooey (about 5 minutes).
Pour your stock in over the top, bring to the boil, and then simmer over a low heat for maybe 20 minutes, until the pumpkin has gone really soft.
If you have a hand blender (the kitchen gadget of champions, in my humble opinion), then whiz it up in the pan until it’s smooth; otherwise, obviously, you could stick it in a proper blender; if you are not lucky enough to own either of the above, a masher and a lumpy soup will still be tasty.
Dollop in your creamy component of choice, and then give it another whiz and heat it again for another minute or two. Serve with some sort of bread.

Toasted Pumpkin seeds

Take your pumpkin seeds (you can use butternut squash seeds as well, which is also good made in to Ellie’s soup as a pumpkin substitue). I tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon paprika.

Pre-heat your oven to low – Gas Mark 1 120 degrees C for fan assisted, C140 not
Rinse your seeds and then pat them dry with some kitchen roll
Place in a bowl and stir in the oil, salt and pepper and paprika
Line a baking tray with aluminium foil
Spread the seeds out on the tray and place in the oven for around 15-30 minutes until golden brown or until your hear them start to pop

These are great on the top of the soup, but also lovely hot from the oven with a glass of wine. Experiment with curry powder, worcester sauce, garlic or chilli oil.

Have a lovely Halloween!

Delightful Dorset….I’ve come over all “Famous Five” and feel the need to cook Apple Cake

Apologies everyone, there has been no blogging for a while, because one of the most fabulous things about Dorset is that there is no mobile phone signal nor wireless to blight our lovely, traditional English holiday. Now that I’m home contemplating my belly, maybe all those cream teas and pasties were a bit of a mistake, but oh dear what is it about the English seaside that makes you yearn for “High Tea” even if in these post-Enid Blyton days that consists more of cheesy chips rather than bloater paste and fruit cake?

We were in Dorset to celebrate my mother’s 80th birthday and celebrate we did…my god, there was dancing. I promise to post reviews of local restaurants (Oh, Hive beach cafe I miss you already) and a general review of Dorset as a holiday venue, but in the meantime, here is a replay of my own recipe for Dorset Apple Cake, which really is both easy and delicious. Go on try it…you’re worth it and it is definitely worthy of a spiffing, famous five style high tea.

Kim’s Dorset Apple Cake (as cooked by Kim and Louise for “Taste of Dorset” last year)This spicy, moist apple cake can be served warm with custard or clotted cream or sliced cold. It is moist and delicious and best eaten within 2 days. Ingredients

450g/1lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced  Juice of 1 lemon
100g/4ozs unsalted butter     175g/6ozs dark soft brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten      3 tablespoons of golden syrup
25g ground almonds      225g/8ozs plain flour
5ml/1 teaspoon mixed spice     5ml/1 teaspoon cinnamon
10ml/2 teaspoons baking powder    3 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
1 tablespoon of clear honey     1 tablespoon of Demerara sugar

Equipment: Mixing bowl, hand mixer (optional), sieve, 18cm/7inch round cake tin, greaseproof paper

Method
1. Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 3/170Cor 150C for a fan oven
2. Line the bottom of your tin with greaseproof paper and butter the sides
3. Weigh out your flour, spices and baking powder in to a separate bowl
4. Peel, core and chop your apples in to small pieces and place in a bowl with the lemon juice – stir thoroughly to make sure all the apples are coated so that they do not go brown – set aside
5. In your large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar using your hand mixer or by hand until it is fluffy and creamy
6. Add the eggs gradually, mixing thoroughly as you do so
7. Add the golden syrup and ground almonds
8. Place your hand mixer aside and using your sieve, sieve the flour baking powder and spices in to your large mixing bowl
9. Using a spoon or spatula gently fold the flour in to the mixture
10. Fold in the buttermilk and the apples – DO NOT OVER MIX AS YOU WANT TO KEEP AS MUCH AIR AS POSSIBLE IN THE CAKE
11. Turn the mixture in to your prepared tin and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours depending on your oven. It should be well risen and firm to the touch
12. Turn out on a rack to cool
13. When the cake is cold, brush it all over with the clear honey and sprinkle with Demerara sugar

OPTION: For a very grown-up version, whilst the cake is still warm, turn it upside down and make some holes in the bottom with a skewer and drizzle amaretto or brandy in to the cake

Jam today, plus a brilliant sponge …..and please make it with English strawberries

Apparently this year’s crop of strawberries has been the best for years, and I have to agree that the flavour of them is amazing, so sweet and well, strawberry-ish! Apart from eating them with a touch of balsamic vinegar and vanilla sugar (try it, it’s delicious!) and of course, not forgetting putting them in to your glass of champagne, please make your own strawberry jam. It is so easy to do, and you will be rewarded with beautiful jars of jewel-like jam that will give you pleasure every time you look at them and remind you of that beautiful summer flavour.

It couldn’t be more simple, all you need is:

1kg fresh strawberries; 1kg preserving sugar (I sometimes use the type with pectin as a “belt and braces” approach”) and the juice of a lemon.

Wash and hull (that is pull out the stalk!)your strawberries,
Place in a saucepan over a low heat until they have gone soft and mushy
Add the sugar and lemon juice and when all the sugar is dissolved add a small knob of butter to keep the foam down

Boil rapidly for a few minutes until it has reached setting consistency (test it on a saucer with a little cold water on top).If you want to be absolutely sure it will set, you can cheat by adding half a bottle of commercial pectin at the end, but use 1.4kg of sugar at the start.

Sterilised jam jars

Pour in to clean jam jars, that have been sterilised by placing in the oven on Gas mark 4, 180 electric for 10 minutes
Place small waxed circles on the top (this helps reduce the chance of them going mouldy) and place lids(sterilised in boiling water) on the top.
Label and store. they should keep for a year, but mine never last that long

The other really good thing to do with strawberry jam (or marmalade or any other kind of jam) is a microwave sponge pudding. It takes about 15 minutes and is like a cross between a steamed sponge and a cake. Served with custard or ice cream it is heavenly, but it doesn’t keep well, unfortunately so you have to eat it straight away. You will need:

50g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
50g self-raising flour
1 large egg
2 tablespoons of buttermilk or yogurt
3 tablespoons of jam, marmalade or syrup
A little butter for greasing the pudding bowl

Method:

Stick all ingredients except the jam in a mixing bowl and usign a handblender, mix until well combined.
Using a microwave safe pudding bowl, grease the dish first with a little butter
Add the jam, then place the sponge mixture on top
Cover the top with cling film and place in the microwave
Cook on full power for 3 to 4 minutes, but the top should start to look set
Leave to stand for 1 minute and serve hot

Simnel Cupcakes, Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Last year I posted a recipe for simnel cupcakes, which was my version of the traditional Easter Simnel Cake. Simnel cakes were made for mothers by their daughters for Easter, so get baking Ellie and Katy! My cupcake version is really simple, and the joy of amaretto soaked fruit combined with marzipan is honestly worth doing. There is very little that doesn’t translate well in to a cupcake, although probably not liver pate, although my dog Lily would definitely disagree with that! Bake these for Easter, or just because you can, they really are worth it!You will need: 225 g unsalted butter, softened, 225 g sugar, 4 eggs, 225 g plain flour, 120 g sultanas, 120 g currants , 220g chopped fresh dates, Amaretto liquer (optional, grated zest of 2 oranges, grated zest of 2 lemons, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons sour cream (or plain yoghurt, or buttermilk), 250 g almond paste, cut in half – half rolled in to small balls, other half cut in to fine slices, 24 cake cases

For the icing: 400g icing sugar, 200g unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon almond essence

Place all the fruit in a bowl with enough amaretto to cover the top

Pre-heat oven to 180°C /160oC Fan/Gas 4.

Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, orange zest, lemon zest and cinnamon in a food processor and whizz until blended
Strain the fruit but keep the amaretto
Add the fruit and the sour cream to the cake mixture and stir well
Place a teaspoon full of the mixture at the bottom of each cake case
Add a slice of marzipan
Top with a remaining spoon of mixture so that the marzipan is coverd

Place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately prick all over with a cocktail stick.

Add a teaspoon of amaretto to the top of each cake so that it soaks in. Allow to cool

Whilst the cakes are cooling, throw the icing ingredients in to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Ice each cake with a swirl of almond icing and place a marzipan ball on top

These little cakes are so delicious, the idea is that you bite in to them and then hot the secret layer of marzipan. they are far too good to save just for Easter time.

Passionate about Puddings…Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding

Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding

Well, it’s Sunday again and I have woken up determined to cook a traditional British Pudding to follow our garlic and rosemary roast lamb. Don’t ask me why, but these things just get me sometimes! Today I am passionate and pudding-driven – do you think that’s a recognisable mental ailment? Probably, and even my childish delight at a little alliteration is probably right up there, too!

So what’s it to be? My friend Joyce makes wonderful Bread and Butter pudding and given I have half a loaf of white bread knocking around, from when I was too lazy to go to Waitrose to buy any decent stuff and went to the garage instead, this seems the perfect solution. However, I spy a bottle of my home-made marmalade (Seville orange recipe to come next week!) and wonder what will happen if I combine the two. Let’s find out shall we?

You will need: 6 slices of white bread with the crusts cut off, butter, marmalade, a handful of raisins, 1 tablespoon of Demerara sugar (use white granulated if you haven’t got any), 15fl ozs milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, three eggs, 1 tablespoon of caster sugar.

Method:

Grease a shallow baking dish with a little butter
Spread the bread generously with butter and then marmalade and cut in to quarters
Place half of the quarters on the bottom of the baking dish (marmalade and butter side up) and sprinkle a few raisins over them
Place the remaining bread quarters on the top, marmalade side up and sprinkle with a few more raising
Whisk the caster sugar in to the milk, and continue to whisk in the eggs and the vanilla essence
Pour all over the bread slices and top with sprinkled Demerara sugar
Cover with cling film and leave aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the custard mixture (yes, that’s what you’ve just made!) to soak in to the bread
Place the dish in the oven, Gas Mark 5, 190 degrees non-fan, 170 fan for 30 to 45 minutes or until the top is all crispy and caramelised. Serve with plain vanilla ice-cream. This was SO simple to do and tasted just delicious, other alternatives would be to mix a little whisky in with the marmalade, or add some chunks of crystallised ginger.

Is a Canadian butter tart actually better than a traditional mince pie

At a fabulous supper party at my next-door neighbour, Catherine’s house she proved once again that not only is she stunningly beautiful and talented but also an amazing cook (You’d really have to hate her if she wasn’t a truly lovely person as well – trust me she has it all). She had cooker her mother’s recipe for Canadian butter tarts and I was absolutely blown away by how delicious they were. This is not her exact recipe, but I have tried to emulate hers and have cooked these for our traditional Christmas Eve drinks party tomorrow.

After that has finished, I will have the answer as to whether my guests think they are as good or better than mince pies, that is if they can still string a sentence together which is unlikely if last year was anything to go by. Anyway, here is my recipe for these deliciously simple tarts and yes, I cheated and used ready-made pastry…mea culpa!

Butter tarts -( makes 36 mini pies)

Ingredients: 2 packets of ready rolled shortcrust pastry, 2 large eggs, 175g light muscovado sugar, 100g raisins, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 50g butter, 4 tbsp double cream, 50g chopped pecan nuts.

Method: Pre-heat the oven to Gas 5, Electric 190/ or 170 Fan. Using a tart cutter,I cut 36 circles and placed in a miniature mince pie tray. Use the remaining pastry to cut small stars, or any other decorations you wish.

To avoid washing -up, I beat the eggs straight in to a non-stick saucepan and then added everything except the pecans. I then mixed throughly and placed over a medium heat, beating all the time until all the butter had melted and the mixture was thick and gooey and just starting to bubble. this can stick easily, so keep on mixing.

I spooned the filling in to the shells and placed starts on top of as many as I could, then placed in the oven for 15 minutes. Leave them in the tin for 5 minutes then remove gently and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cold.

Dorset Food Week kicks off with Apple Cake and a hangover

Last Saturday 23rd October, I had the great pleasure of doing a live cooking demonstration for the launch day of Dorset Food Week.

9.30am in Dorchester High Street, there I was trying to beat cold hard butter in to soft brown sugar whilst smiling and attempting to look authorative about all thinks baking. It was at this point, that I began to wonder whether the rather over-enthusiastic approach to the chablis the night before with my lovely cousins had been appropriate? Oh well, cake and hangover – ideal for a Saturday morning! I was ably assisted by Louise, who did a sterling job of battling with noisy generators and cold washing up water. We survived, despite the over-heating oven which helped me to produce “well-caramelised” muffins (a euphemism for slightly burnt!) Thank God I had made some in advance! Anyway, a lovely crowd were very supportive and watched whilst I produce my version of Apple Cake followed by Apple Muffins and a Hot Toffee Apple Pudding, they were definitely put in a better mood after we distributed tasters of our champagne and limoncello cocktail, which despite it being mid-morning got a good reception. Check us out on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iqrDpFg4Vk or the lovely review that Sonia at the Maidenhead Advertiser has written

http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/leisure/article-18428-watch-tv-contestant-launches-own-food-blog/

The Farmer’s market was excellent and touring the stands afterwards I bought some beautiful cheeses and honey, local ham and pates. What a great event, more places should support their local producers like that. Anyway, if you’d like a go at making Dorset Apple Cake…here is the recipe. Muffins and Toffee Apple Pudding to follow later in the week.

Kim’s Dorset Apple Cake

(recipes also available on http://www.whatkimcookednext.com/)

This spicy, moist apple cake can be served warm with custard or clotted cream or sliced cold. It is moist and delicious and best eaten within 2 days

Ingredients: 450g/1lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced, Juice of 1 lemon, 100g/4ozs unsalted butter, 175g/6ozs dark soft brown sugar, 2 large eggs, beaten, 3 tablespoons of golden syrup, 25 ground almonds , 225g/8ozs plain flour 5ml/1 teaspoon mixed spice, 5ml/1 teaspoon cinnamon, 10ml/2 teaspoons baking powder 3 tablespoons buttermilk or milk. For the topping: 1 tablespoon of clear honey, 1 tablespoon of Demerara sugar

Equipment: Mixing bowl, hand mixer (optional), sieve, 18cm/7inch round cake tin, greaseproof paper

Method

Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 3/170Cor 150C for a fan oven
Line the bottom of your tin with greaseproof paper and butter the sides
Weigh out your flour, spices and baking powder in to a separate bowl
Peel, core and chop your apples in to small pieces and place in a bowl with the lemon juice – stir thoroughly to make sure all the apples are coated so that they do not go brown – set aside
In your large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar using your hand mixer or by hand until it is fluffy and creamy
Add the eggs gradually, mixing thoroughly as you do so
Add the golden syrup and ground almonds
Place your hand mixer aside and using your sieve, sieve the flour baking powder and spices in to your large mixing bowl
Using a spoon or spatula gently fold the flour in to the mixture

10. Fold in the buttermilk and the apples – DO NOT OVER MIX AS YOU WANT TO KEEP AS MUCH AIR AS POSSIBLE IN THE CAKE

11. Turn the mixture in to your prepared tin and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours depending on your oven. It should be well risen and firm to the touch

12. Turn out on a rack to cool

13. When the cake is cold, brush it all over with the clear honey and sprinkle with Demerara sugar

OPTION: For a very grown-up version, whilst the cake is still warm, turn it upside down and make some holes in the bottom with a skewer and drizzle amaretto or brandy in to the cake.

Ginger Spice…and I don’t mean Geri Halliwell

No, I am talking about the most luscious, moist ginger cake you have had in a long time, worthy of being either in an Enid Blighton novel (spiffing cake!) or served at the Ritz with afternoon tea. Not that I really have anything against Geri Halliwell, although that exercise video….

Anyway, we recently visted our lovely friends Tanya and Al and their even lovelier daughters Savannah and Imogen for the weekend and had only been in their house for five minutes before being given a large slice of this delicious cake. So this is Tanya’s recipe, which really does deserve to be tried and it is a really easy one, which makes it even better.

Sassy and Immy’s Lovely Ginger Cake

You will need 10 oz self raising flour, 7 oz soft brown sugar, 1 egg, 4oz unsalted butter, 3 teaspoons ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 1 tablespoon dark treacle, 2 tablespoons golden syrup (Tanya had actually run out of Golden syrup so used maple syrup instead which she thought made it even moister) 1 cup boiled milk

Method: Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl, except milk. Bring milk to the boil then pour over other ingredients and stir well until evenly mixed. (I would be tempted to place all the ingredients except the milk in a food processor and mix them first and then add the hot milk)

Pour into a loaf tin lined with baking parchment (Lakeland do some great, loaf tin shaped paper cases that are perfect for these cakes) and bake in the oven 130 degrees C (fan oven), 150 for a non-fan oven or Gas Mark 2 for 1 hr. Allow cake to cool in tin before turning out.

Icing is nice on this cake, and a simple glace icing is perfect. Take 4 to 6 ozs of Fondant Icing Sugar, and add a very small amount of cold water a teaspoonful at a time until a really thick glossy mixture is formed, then pour on the cake. Do not let it get too thin or it will not set. You could use lemon juice instead of water to make the icing, if you wished as lemon and ginger do taste lovely together.

Send me more cake recipes like these! I love them and they deserve to be shared