On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

The 6th January is Nollaig na mBan: Women’s Christmas. Also known as Little Christmas and Celebration of the Epiphany. A litany of names for the last of the 12 days of Christmas and the day on which the Three Wise Men are supposed to appear for the first time in the Crib. They rarely do of course, since January 6th is also traditionally the day the decorations finally come down.

Kevin Danaher’s classic text The Year In Ireland: A Calendar has a short entry on the date. He suggests that the name “Women’s Christmas” is explained by “the assertion that Christmas Day was marked by beef, and whiskey, men’s fare, while on Little Christmas Day the dainties preferred by women – cake, tea, wine, were more in evidence”.

In honour of the tradition I baked one of my favourites – Jessie Tweedle’s Tea Loaf which I’ve blogged about before.

Just a reminder (if you didn’t read about this delight before), if you can resist, leave it for a few days before eating as it is so much the better for it. Enjoy a slice with butter and/or a little jam.

Jessie Tweedle’s Tea Loaf

• 100g butter
• 100g brown sugar
• 200g dried mixed fruit
• 1 Teacup cold tea
• 1 level teaspoon baking soda
• 200g Self Raising Flour
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 egg

1. Simmer the butter, sugar, fruit, tea, baking soda for 20 minutes.
2. Allow to cool and add the egg, flour and spice.
3. Pour the mixture into a lined loaf tin.
4. Bake in a loaf tin at 180C or the equivalent until skewer comes out clean (approx 30 minutes).

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It’s Beginning to Feel a lot Like Christmas!

December is here again, and lurking temptingly around the corner is Christmas. For the foodies amongst us this spells a time of intense activity – cakes, puddings and preserves to be made, meats to be sourced, food orders to be placed; and, on top of that all the present buying and organising too, not to mention the decorating of the tree! But, what fun will be had whilst this all goes on.

A few weeks back I was approached by a PR company on behalf of Merchant Gourmet to see if I would be interested in entering a competition they are holding: to come up with a recipe using their ready to use whole chestnuts.

Sure enough I said yes and set too, planning several recipe ideas, before finally settling on a cake.

I went for ‘Festive Cupcakes’ that would suit as either a cake with a ‘wintery feel’ or a lighter alternative to the traditional, heavy Christmas cake.

The cake was based around a standard fruit cake recipe, but had a percentage of the regular plain flour swapped for chestnut flour (chestnut flour is gluten free – great news for coeliacs. and can be used in place of plain flour but is usually used in conjunction with other flours as it is very dense), and included the Merchant Gourmet chestnuts roughly chopped and folded through the mixture, along with dried raisins and cranberries. A double whammy of chestnut joy

Chestnuts are shiny brown nuts whose thick casing has long, sharp, needle-like spikes (burrs). There are usually two to four nuts per casing. Unlike other nuts, chestnuts have a high starch and water content but low protein and fat levels. They’ve never been as popular in British kitchens as in Continental ones, but they’re a versatile and flavourful storecupboard ingredient, that I feel we should make more of. Chestnuts are available fresh, ground (flour), dried, puréed or vacuum-packed.

This is the non-cake makers cake, it is ludicrously simple to make, a complete breeze of a task amongst the stress of the festive season. I have included a jar of homemade no cook marmalade in the ingredients, but, should you wish so it could easily be swapped with a jar of shop bought marmalade of your preference.

These cupcakes have everything going for them, everything that is except staying power. That is to say that unlike the more traditional of Christmas cakes, these cupcakes will not take well to sitting in a tin prepared weeks in advance – they need to be eaten fresh, within a couple of days of baking.  No hardship let me tell you.

Decorate the cake as you wish – Royal icing for the traditional route, or go contemporary as I did and use a white chocolate cream cheese frosting.

With the snow falling, making the countryside look like a winter wonderland, and the smell of these festive chestnut cupcakes (and a few traditional Christmas cakes) wafting from my kitchen, it certainly is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas … what’s the betting though that we’ll have all the snow now and none on Christmas day?

Festive Chestnut Cupcakes

• 125g butter, softened
• 250g dark muscovado sugar
• 400g marmalade
• 2 eggs
• 100g raisins
• 100g dried cranberries
• 150g self raising flour
• 120g chestnut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 2 tablespoons brandy

1. Preheat the oven to 160C or the equivalent and line a cupcake tray (12) with cases.
2. Put the butter into a large saucepan and heat gently, allowing the butter to melt.
3. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
4. Remove from the heat.
5. Add the marmalade and stir.
6. Add the eggs and mix well.
7. Stir in the raisins and cranberries.
8. Gradually add the flours, baking powder and spice, stir gently to combine.
9. Add the brandy.
10. Spoon into the cupcake cases and bake for around 30 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch.
11. Allow to cool on a wire rack before proceeding to decorate as you wish.

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Melt in to the Months of Mist & Mellow Fruitfulness

With yet another overflowing bowl of apples gracing my kitchen table I had to come up with some way of using them up. I didn’t really want to make a pie or a crumble, though I couldn’t exactly say why – sure we’ve had cold enough weather for it recently. I wanted something lighter, yet still comforting and reminiscent of nursery food. Apple snow it was.
Apple snow is an old English classic. The first snow was a favourite Elizabethan dish made from whipped cream and sugar, piled onto an apple with a rosemary sprig inserted to look like a snow covered tree. By the middle of the seventeenth century, egg whites were beginning to be whisked into cream for a dish of ‘snow cream’, which remained popular until the eighteenth century. Apple puree began to be added to make ‘apple snow’ but other seasonal fruits were sometimes used – rhubarb is particularly good.

With such a light dessert, surely a biscuit was required? I thought about making shortbread fingers again, but then I spotted an old favourite recipe – Rachel Allen’s melting moments.

Melting moments really do live up to their name: they melt in the mouth. The reason for their extra special crumbliness is the addition of cornflour. The flavour of the butter also comes through really strongly, so please do use the best quality butter you can get. Feel free to add a little vanilla extract or other flavouring of your choice too.

Apple Snow

• 750g apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 80g caster sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 egg whites
• 100 ml double cream

1. Put the diced apples in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water, two-thirds of the sugar and most of the ground cinnamon. Cook over a medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the apples are very soft. Transfer to a food processor and blend to a purée. Set aside to cool completely.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the remaining sugar and keep whisking until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, whip the double cream until soft peaks form.
3. Gently fold the cooled apple purée into the egg whites, then fold in the cream until just combined.
4. Spoon into glasses or dishes and serve.

Melting Moments

• 175g self raising flour
• 125g corn flour
• 50g icing sugar
• 225g butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 160C.
2. Put all the ingredients into the food processor and blitz until just combined and forming a dough.
3. Make 40 small balls the size of a large marble and place onto baking trays. There’s no need to grease or line the trays. Flatten down each ball with a fork – only a little bit though.
4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until still very pale in colour but slightly firm.
5. Remove the biscuits from the tray carefully because they’re really fragile, and cool on a wire rack.

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The Taste of Scotland

Firstly, I think I need to say sorry to my loyal readers. I’ve been incredibly busy of late and as such this place has suffered, for that I am sorry but I suppose there are times when life just gets in the way of blogging.

I’ve been meaning to blog about this crumbly lavender shortbread since the early summer months.

I’ve grown rosemary and lavender for several years but until recently have only used the rosemary in culinary ways. The lavender plant is so beautiful when it’s in bloom and though I’ve come across many recipes containing lavender I haven’t much used it.

Shortbread is one of my favourite nibbles to have with a good cup of tea. I like mine to be relatively pale in colour, but several Scottish recipe books I own say to ‘brown’ it. One rule I do always obey and implore you to do the same is always to use good quality butter – if you wouldn’t slather a slice of bread with it, don’t bake shortbread with it!

The story of shortbread begins with the medieval “biscuit bread”. Any leftover dough from bread making was dried out in a low oven until it hardened into a type of rusk: the word “biscuit” means “twice cooked”. Gradually the yeast in the bread was replaced by butter, and biscuit bread developed into shortbread.

Shortbread was an expensive luxury and for ordinary people, shortbread was a special treat reserved just for special occasions such as weddings, Christmas and New Year. In Shetland it was traditional to break a decorated shortbread cake over the head of a new bride on the threshold of her new home. The custom of eating shortbread at New Year has its origins in the ancient pagan Yule Cakes which symbolised the sun. In Scotland it is still traditionally offered to “first footers” at New Year.

Shortbread has been attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots, who in the mid 16th century was said to be very fond of Petticoat Tails, a thin, crisp, buttery shortbread originally flavoured with caraway seeds.

There are two theories regarding the name of these biscuits. It has been suggested that the name “petticoat tail” may be a corruption of the French petites gatelles (“little cakes”).

However these traditional Scottish shortbread biscuits may in fact date back beyond the 12th century. The triangles fit together into a circle and echo the shape of the pieces of fabric used to make a full-gored petticoat during the reign of Elizabeth I. The theory here is that the name may have come from the word for the pattern which was ‘tally’, and so the biscuits became known as ‘petticoat tallis’.

Shortbread is traditionally formed into one of three shapes: one large circle divided into segments (“Petticoat Tails”); individual round biscuits (“Shortbread Rounds”); or a thick rectangular slab cut into “fingers.”

Adding a little lavender just gives a gentle fragrance, trust me, it isn’t overly floral or soapy. Well it isn’t unless you add too much lavender – go easy with it, you can always add a little more the next batch you make.

Next time I think I’ll try drizzling some melted chocolate on the cooked and cooled shortbread or dip the tips in the melted chocolate.

Lavender Shortbread

• 250g very soft butter
• 250g plain flour
• 75g cornflour
• 70g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon lavender flowers, dried and ground in a pestle.
• 50g caster sugar (for the top)

1. Preheat the oven to 160C.
2. Mix butter with salt, sugar and lavender.
3. Sift flour and cornflour onto butter and just mix until a smooth dough is formed.
4. Press the dough into a 15cm square tray until flat and even.
5. Bake 30mins until top and bottom are light brown then sprinkle with a thin layer of caster sugar.
6. Cool in the dish and cut into portions with a thin knife when just warm but let it go completely cold before removing from the dish
7. Keep in an airtight container.

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My first Fresh From the Oven challenge was hosted by Wendy, and we made Chelsea Buns.

Chelsea buns were created at The Chelsea Bun House, an establishment which was situated on the borders of Chelsea and Pimlico, London.

The Chelsea Bun House was in business for the best part of a century; eventually closing it’s doors in 1839. At the height of its success in the 18th century it was frequented by high society, including Kings George II and III, who apparently would call in for a bun en route to the nearby Ranelagh Pleasure Gardens. The Bun House was also noted for its hot-cross buns. Legend has it that on Good Friday in 1829, 240,000 hot-cross buns were sold, and crowds of over 50,000 thronged outside the shop in anticipation of delicious buns hot from the kitchen’s ovens.

Sources disagree about the exact historic location of the Bun House – either Grovesnor Row or Jew’s Row according to what you read. Neither exist now, but in today’s Pimlico there is a Bunhouse Place, which is within strolling distance of the remains of Ranelagh Pleasure Gardens.

Chelsea buns are made from enriched bread dough, filled with dried fruit, coiled into a distinctive spiral shape, and then smothered with a sticky glaze. Sounds good? Jane Grigson in ‘English Food’says that Chelsea buns are, “the best of all buns, on account of their melting buttery sweetness.”.

Whilst I wouldn’t go so far as Grigson to say they are the best of all buns, they were rather good.  Would I bake them again? Probably not in a great hurry – too many other things would take preference.

I’ve also submitted this post to the fabulous YeastSpotting, an event I’ve missed for far too long.

Chelsea Buns

• 225g strong white bread flour
• 25g caster sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 25g softened butter (for the dough)
• 1 1/2 tsp fast action dried yeast
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 90ml warm semi-skimmed milk
• 25g butter really softened, but not melted (for the filling)
• 65g light muscovado sugar
• 115g (4oz) dried fruit

1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast into a mixing bowl (I used my KitchenAid as usual). Make a well in the centre and add the softened butter, egg and milk. Mix to make a soft dough.
2. Knead until smooth.
3. Cover and prove until doubled in size.
4. Generously butter and line a 7″ square tin. Make sure it’s not a loose bottomed one, or you’ll get problems later on and loose your filling.
5. Flour your work surface, and roll out the dough, (no need to knock it back) to a rectangle measuring about 12 x 9 inches. If you get the edges as square as you can it will help to make your buns look even, but I quite like the squiffy homemade look. Well, that’s my excuse and I’m damn well sticking to it!
6. Spread the softened butter as evenly as you can over the dough. Sprinkle the sugar and the dried fruit on top, and gently press it into the butter.
7. Now, roll up the dough along the long edge, as though you were making a Swiss Roll (and don’t tell me you haven’t!) Seal the edge. I find that smoothing it down with the flat side of a paring knife can help here, but don’t get too ocd over this bit.
8. Turn the roll over so that the seal is underneath and divide the roll into 9 equal buns.
9. Place the buns, cut side down, into the buttered and lined tin, and leave to prove until the dough has doubled in size, and they have all joined together into one big Chelsea bun muddle.
10. I baked mine in a 180 degree oven, for about 15 minutes, but I’ve got a particularly hot and fast cooking oven. You know your oven better than I do, and I suspect most of you will need to set the oven slightly higher, and /or cook for a little longer. Some recipes suggest covering the buns with parchment or foil, but the fan is so strong in my oven this has never worked for me.
11. Once cooked, cool on a wire rack, and eat them as soon as you dare. Or, of course, cover them in icing first.

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Salt of the Earth

Millionaire’s Shortbread, is also known as Wellington Square and according to Darina Allen, Protestant Cake. Whatever you call it, it is a firm favourite of mine.

Biting into one of these delectable bars is like enjoying both a cookie and a chocolate bar at the same time, I suppose they’re a bit like the home made version of a Twix.

Millionaire’s shortbread is a mix of refinement and indulgence, but it’s one of those things people tend to buy rather than make.

Having a recipe means you can push the envelope with the different elements. After all, fresh shortbread is delicious, and you can make the caramel-and-chocolate layers as thick or thin as you wish. Eat as a biscuit with tea, or serve as a dessert with ice cream.

You can either make your own caramel or  do as I’ve done here and take the easy option of reheating a jar of dulce de leche.

Adding a bit of salt to something outrageously sweet makes it incredibly addictive. Nigella Lawson once claimed her favourite indulgence was a chocolate bar in one hand and a packet of crisps in the other.

In this bake I’ve used salted butter in the base and added a little sea salt to the caramel. The brackish hit is subtle but alluring.

The shortbread keeps for up to a week in the fridge. It actually tastes better after a day or two, so make it in advance if you’re expecting guests.

Salted Caramel Millionaire’s Shortbread

Base:

• 150g salted butter chilled and diced
• 75g caster sugar
• 220g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel

• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 x 397g tin dulce de leche
• 1/3 teaspoon fine sea salt

Topping:

• 200g dark chocolate (you could use milk if you preferred).

1. Have ready a 20cm square baking tin such as a brownie tin.
2. Place all the ingredients for the shortbread in a food processor and whiz to a dough. Butter the tin and press the shortbread mixture into the base (you can lay a sheet of clingfilm over the top to help smooth it). Prick the base with a fork, loosely cover with clingfilm and chill for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 160C or the alternative and bake the shortbread for 25-35 minutes or until very lightly coloured, then leave it to cool.
4. Place all the ingredients for the caramel in a large wide nonstick saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until melted and amalgamated. Reduce the heat slightly so the top is still bubbling nicely all over and cook for 8-9 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour the caramel over the shortbread base and leave to cool for at least an hour until set.
5. Break the dark chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl set over a pan containing a little simmering water. Smooth this over the top of the caramel.
6. Put aside in a cool place until set but still soft, then cut into squares and leave to set completely in a cool place. If chilling, remove from the fridge 15-30 minutes prior to serving.

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This week is National Cupcake Week here in the UK. It runs from 13th – 19th September. It’s only the second year of this event organised by the British Baker Magazine to highlight the joys and delights of all things cupcake.

Truth be told I’m not really a cupcake fan. I’d rather munch on a slice of cake or a biscuit. The trouble with cupcakes is that the cake seems to fall by the wayside – it is all about the frosting. And in many cases that frosting is sickly sweet and garishly coloured.

Regardless of that I decided to make some cupcakes yesterday. Well given that it is cupcake week, I had to, didn’t I?

With a bowl of limes waiting eagerly to be used up and a hankering for some Floridian sun my recipe choice was simple – lime cupcakes. I’ve named them Key Lime Cupcakes after one of my all time favourite desserts: Key Lime Pie.

I did however, leave the garish food colouring well alone and let the natural flavourings shine through.

As the name would imply these delicate sponge bites have a tangy but sweet flavour.

The frosting is a most basic cream cheese one. I added a couple of tablespoons of pavolva magic, a rather magic ingredient which my lovely friend Gail sent me from Australia. It isn’t necessary to add it you will still get a delightful frosting but this powder takes it another dimension altogether, metamorphosing it into a light, marshmallowy, pillowy consistency.

Quick. Simple. Lush!

Key Lime Cupcakes

For the cupcakes

• 140g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 285g golden caster sugar
• 120ml sour cream
• 3 medium eggs
• 170g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 55g ground almonds
• Finely grated zest of 1 lime
• Juice of one lime

For the icing

• 110g unsalted butter, softened
• 110g cream cheese, room temperature
• 450g icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons pavolva magic (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180C or the equivalent.
2. Line a 12-hole non-stick cupcake tin with paper cases.
3. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat the sour cream into the eggs and then stir into the sugar mixture, add the lime juice.
5. Add the lime zest, flour, ground almonds and baking powder to the batter and gently mix until all the ingredients are incorporated.
6. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases so that they are three-quarters full. Bake the cakes in the centre of the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until they are firm and springy to the touch.
7. Remove from the oven and place the cakes on a wire rack to cook.
8. To make the icing, cream the butter and cheese in a bowl. Gradually add the icing sugar until you have a good piping/spreading consistency, beat in the pavolva magic if using.
9. Pipe or spread onto the cooled cupcakes.

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Cooking From The Hart

I must admit I have never been a big fan of nuts in brownies. They’re usually included to provide a crunchy contrast to the brownies fudgy underbelly. But, a really good brownie is nice when it’s fudgy through and through and doesn’t need a contrast besides a glass of cold milk.

The history of this favourite treat isn’t clear. The recipe first appeared in print in the early 20th century; the first mention was in Fannie Farmer’s 1906 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. The following year Farmer’s protegée Maria Howard modified the recipe for Lowney’s Cookbook, adding an extra egg and more chocolate, taking the recipe a step closer to the richer, chocolate brownies society seems to love today.

Why then did I get a huge craving for brownies studded with slivers of pistachio nuts? Perhaps it was because I’d just been reading an article about the health benefits of pistachio nuts?

Of course the addition of lots of chocolate and butter wouldn’t render the nuts unhealthy would it? No? That’s alright then.

My personal view is that you can never have enough brownie recipes – sure you’ve only got to do a search on here for brownie related posts to see that. But if you only want to use the one recipe, I’d highly recommend it is Alice Hart’s “Best Brownies” from her lovely book Alice’s Cook Book, which I reviewed a little while ago.

Alice’s recipe yields incredibly squidgy little brownie bites with that perfect, almost papery, crisp top. That papery top? Well according to Martha Stewart the key to a cracking brownie crust is to beat the eggs and sugar for several minutes, until pale, pale, pale and fluffy. Basically, you’re creating a meringue, and the more you beat, the crustier your brownies will be.

Alice’s Best Brownies

• 300g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 250g unsalted butter
• 4 eggs
• 200g caster sugar
• 150g light brown soft sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 120g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 20g cocoa powder
• 50g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped (not in the original recipe)

1. Line a 23x32cm brownie (or 5cm+ deep baking) tin with baking parchment.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C or the equivalent.
3. Melt 200g of the chocolate with the butter in a small saucepan (or in a bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave), stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside to cool.
4. Beat the eggs, sugars and vanilla together until thickened and velvety – the easiest way is to use an electric whisk/freestanding mixer.
5. Sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt and stir in gently.
6. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat briefly to combine before stirring in the remaining chopped chocolate.
7. Scrape into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, until almost firm in the middle. Leave for at least 15 minutes before turning out and cutting into squares.

NB: Apparently these will last for up to four days in an airtight tin … but they certainly wouldn’t here, too greedy

Large square of brownie + glass of ice cold milk + a few great magazines = a heavenly afternoon (or anytime come to that) treat.

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If Life Gives You Lemons …

If life gives you lemons … make old fashioned lemon bars from Jim Fobel’s Old Fashioned Baking Book.

Jim refers to these bars as a real taste of childhood. Well they weren’t a taste of mine, maybe that would have been different had I grown up across the pond – after all Jim Fobel’s book is sub-headed “Recipes from an American Childhood”.

This is a recipe I’ve skipped past many times, thinking it looked a little dull and drab. What a shame. They are a treat indeed.

The only reason I decided to give them a go was the fact that I’d two eggs and some lemons that needed using up that day. My actual intention was to find a blondie recipe or chewy cookie recipe but every time I opened the recipe book it fell to this recipe. It must have been fate.

Having now made and eaten them I don’t think I’d ever  be able to tire of them. It is the combination of buttery shortbread and tangy lemon filling that makes them so irresistible. I love how the shortbread crust is all crisp and crumbly and how the lemon filling separates as it bakes. The top has a thin cake-like crust and underneath the lemon filling is all soft and yummy.

Despite being baked in two sections the recipe isn’t complex, labour intensive or time consuming. The ‘eggy’ topping can be made while the base cooks. I was lazy and used a hand held electric whisk to beat the egg and sugar mixture but it would be no hardship to do it by hand really.

I added a dash of lemon oil to the mix as my microplane grater snapped (no blood spilt) when I began to zest the lemons; hence I had very little zest and the tangy oils that would be released are essential to this bake – adding a tidge of oil made sure I didn’t loose out.

When choosing lemons make sure to look for ones that are fragrant with bright yellow skins. They should be firm, plump, and heavy for their size. Try to avoid lemons that have blemishes, soft spots, green spots, or are hard and wrinkled. Lemons consist of a yellow outer rind (zest) that contains the fruit’s oils and perfumes. This outer rind, of varying thickness and graininess, can have either a bumpy or smooth glossy texture, either way this is where most of the zesty flavour is trapped.

Lemon Bars

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Drop lemon oil (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt

1. Postion a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 180C or the equivalent.
2. In a medium bowl stir together 1 cup of flour and 1/4 cup icing sugar. Cut in the butter until it resembles a coarse meal and work it with your fingertips till it holds together. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 8 inch (square or round)  pan.
3. Bake about 15 minutes, until light golden brown. remove, but leave the oven on.
4. Meanwhile, in a meduim bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the eggs until frothy. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice, beat at a high speed for 10 minutes, until smooth and slightly thickened.
5. On a sheet of waxed paper combine the remaining 2 tablespoons flour with the baking powder and salt, gradually beat into the egg mixture, beating just until smooth.
6. Pour over the baked layer and bake about 20 minutes longer, until set and lightly browned. Cool in the pan on a rack. Sift the remaining icing sugar over the top and cut into bars or in pie shaped pieces

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The Baking Guru of Israel

A few weeks back my fabulous and incredibly generous Israeli friend, Francesca, sent me a copy of Sweet Secrets by Carine Goren.
Carine Goren is Israel’s best known pastry chef. According to my friend her book Sweet Secrets and accompanying television show of the same name were massive hits. So much so that Carine is often called the Baking Guru of Israel, and the Hebrew version of her book was on the bestseller list for a humongous 150 weeks.

Flitting through this book it isn’t hard to see why. Carine’s recipes shine with warm personality and each is accompanied by a “sweet secret” that reveals a professional tip or trick that will make baking like a pro that little bit more achievable to the home cook.

Picking the first recipe to try was a hard job. I want to try them all, work my way through it from cover to cover. I went for the Five-Minute Coffee Cake, well, more to the point I went for an adapted version of it. I took the basic recipe and added my own flavours and flair.

How could a “five minute” cake not appeal? Some days you need cake and you need cake ultra fast – this could be that perfect cake.

This simple cake is made with cream instead of butter, lending it an exceptionally soft and luscious texture.

Using cream also has the additional benefit of meaning that the batter is ultra easy to make by hand, negating the use for a food mixer or processor and thus making the washing up quick and easy too.

I added some fabulous Valrhona cocoa, rose water and cardamom to the mix.

I topped the cake with the most moreish chocolate frosting ever. The secret? Condensed milk! Yes, really, condensed milk. Amber nectar, stuff of the Gods, that I could all too easily, if not rather guiltily spoon directly from tin to mouth. Resist that urge and make this super silky, velvety rich, frosting!

The finishing touch? A dusting of Max Brenner rose scented white chocolate powder, another gift from the lovely Francesca.

Rose & Cardamom Chocolate Cake

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup double cream
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa

1. Preheat the oven to 160C or the equivalent.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, sugar, rose water, cardamom and salt for 1-2 minutes until the sugar has disolved and the batter has thickened.
3. Gradually add the flour and cocoa, and beat until a smooth batter is formed.
4. Pour into a lined 20cm spring form cake tin and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the cake springs back to the touch and a cake tester comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs present).
5. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the tin.
6. Leave to cool fully before icing.

Condensed Milk Chocolate Frosting

• 200g dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Melt the chocolate and butter together over a low heat.
2. Mix in the condensed milk, syrup and salt.
3. Cover and set aside until the mixture reaches room temperature – it will thicken as it cools.
4. Use as required.

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