Toffee Apple Upside-Down Cake: a Simple but Effective Technique

Although November is technically winter here in Ireland, I understand that over the rest of the northern hemisphere it's usually considered the last month of autumn. Whenever we think of autumn, we always think of apples, and by extension, toffee apples. I've always had a fraught relationship with toffee apples: I love the idea, and they are wonderfully visually appealing, but never actually like eating a toffee apple. They're sticky, and inevitably the apple is powdery and manky.

As such, each year I try to make something toffee apple inspired that isn't a toffee apple. This year, I had a nice handful of Pink Ladies and Granny Smiths, and decided to do something nice and traditional, and kinda retro: an upside-down cake.

This is more of a technique than it is a recipe: all you need for this is toffee sauce, apples, and some sponge cake mixture. You can make your own, or use a boxed mix. It really doesn't matter

I used some toffee sauce, one red and one green apple, halved, cored, and cut into thin slices, and some Victoria sponge cake mixture made with 2 eggs and brown sugar instead of caster sugar. I poured the toffee sauce into the bottom of a greased 8 inch (20 centimetre) deep round tin, arranged the apple slices on the bottom to make a nice pattern, and then spooned the cake mixture in on top. I then cooked the entire confection for about 45 minutes in a preheated 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4) oven. I then allowed it to cool slightly before turning out onto a plate and serving warm with custard.

I hope you give this classic technique a try for a truly delicious autumnal treat!

American Style Buttercream: Because Sometimes Cheap and Nasty Is Just What You Need

The other day, I was eating a shop bought cupcake. Sacrilege, I know, but sometimes I can't make them just like you can get from the shops. Which got me to thinking, what makes the icing on top -- and the filling within -- shop bought cakes so cheap and nasty, but so nice?

I decided to look on the back of the packets of shop bought cakes that had 'buttercream', and they predictably contained no butter in the icing: in pretty much every case, it was palm oil, or hydrogenated vegetable fat. So, I took to the internet to see if people make icing with these fairly gross ingredients.

I did a search for 'buttercream with vegetable fat' or something like that, and I was brought to the official Wilton recipe for buttercream icing: it used butter and vegetable shortening in equal quantities, and lots of vanilla essence. At first, I was skeptical, not only because vegetable fat on its own is fairly disgusting, but because the vegetable fat that was being used in the video didn't resemble anything we have here in Ireland.

In the States, it seems, vegetable fat -- or shortening -- is soft and spreadable and bright white; it beats up like butter. Here, we get blocks of hard vegetable lard; it's made of the same stuff, only in a solid brick of a thing. I had utterly convinced it wouldn't whip or be beaten well like the American style stuff.

However, I got some just to try. I softened the butter and the fat to room temperature and used them both to make some vanilla buttercream icing. And, in complete honesty, I was thoroughly impressed.

Advantages

• It is very stable: it's not prone to curdling or splitting like traditional buttercream made with only butter. It also holds its shape very, very well, which makes it perfect for piping
• The combination of vegetable fat and butter is quite bland: it doesn't have as strong a buttery taste, which makes it easier to flavour. You don't need as much essence, powder, or what-have-you.
• It's cheaper: a pound of butter is about €2.40, whereas a pound of vegetable fat is half the price at €1.20. So, if you mix them in equal quantities, you save 60c per pound.
• It whips up really quickly: the vegetable fat catches more air bubbles and makes something akin to whipped cream icing, but it doesn't go off like cream does. It'd make a nice filling for fondant fancies or the like.
• It's pale, therefore easy to dye.

Disadvantages

• The butter and fat take a lot of beating to come together. You need to work them a lot with a wooden spoon and a strong wrist, or with an electric beater. HOWEVER, if going the electric option, use it to mix the butter and fat only until beaten, otherwise....
• It whips up really quickly: if you use an electric beater to mix in the icing sugar, you will end up with something that's more like whipped cream than buttercream. So when adding the icing sugar, switch to a wooden spoon.
• It's a little more greasy in mouthfeel than traditional all butter icing, and doesn't have the smoothness of butter.
• It's fairly bland if you don't add enough flavouring, because it lacks the richness of the butter. You might want to add a baseline of vanilla essence in underneath whatever flavour you're adding in.

Long story short: Make sure the butter and fat are well and tempered to room temperature. Mix the butter and fat together really well on their own first. Don't over mix once you add the icing sugar. Add vanilla essence no matter what flavour you're making it for more depth. Forgive it its slightly greasy mouthfeel.

Banoffee Pie (Wheat Free)

There are a few things in this life that are as good as a classic dessert, like this one: banoffee pie!

Banoffee Pie (originally spelled 'banoffi') was invented by Nigel Mackenzie and Ian Dowding in the early 70s in their resaturant The Hungry Monk, East Sussex, England. Originally it was made with a pastry shell, but over the years a cheesecake style biscuit base has become more popular.

I have never actually, despite it being a classic, made a banoffee pie. I've always though of using it as an element of a dessert mashup, like a banoffee cheesecake or banoffee millionaire's shortbread, but have never got around to making an actual straight-up pie. I was asked to make one for my companion's sister's birthday, and it served as a great excuse to give it a go.

The first one I made was an alright first attempt, but the biscuit base was too thin, and the toffee too chewy; also, the bananas sweated under the warm toffee (I had put them on the bottom) and make the dessert awfully runny. It tasted okay, but the presentation lost it a good few marks in my eyes.

I thought I'd make another one, because Pentecost Sunday was just around the corner, and it is also one of my eldest brother's favourite desserts. Take two was infinitely more successful, with creamier toffee and a thicker biscuit.

I used bought biscuits (a mixture of digestives and gingernuts), and you could too, but if you can't get wheat free biscuits, this recipe includes a recipe for making biscuits from scratch for the base.

FREE FROM

☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat
☑ Nuts
☑ Eggs

CONTAINS
☒ Dairy
☒ Gluten
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS:
Makes one 8 inch (20 centimetre) round pie:

For the base:

• 3½ ounces (100 grammes) light brown sugar
• 3½ ounces (100 grammes) butter, at room temperature
• 5 ounces (140 grammes) 
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) ground cinnamon

Alternatively, you could use 14 ounces (400 grammes) of shop bought biscuits: digestives and gingernuts work best

• 5½ ounces (150 grammes) butter, at room temperature, to mix with the crushed biscuits

For the toffee layer:

• 7 ounces (200 grammes) evaporated milk
• 7 ounces (200 grammes) soft light brown sugar
• 2½ ounces (60 grammes) butter
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence
• Pinch of salt

For the topping:

• 4 small bananas, not too ripe but not green
• 6 fluid ounces (180 millilitres) whipping cream
• Optional: 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence
• Optional: 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) icing sugar
• Cocoa powder, grated or shaved chocolate, for decoration

METHOD

First, prepare the biscuit crumbs for the base,

• If you have a blender, pulse the oats and flour together until it has become evenly blended. If you don't, this part isn't necessary.
• In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients together with your hands, rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients, until you have a crumbly mixture. Spread the crumbles and clusters onto a dry baking tray and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, tossing the mixture three times throughout baking.
• Once cooked, allow to cool on the tray completely. 

Then, prepare the biscuit base,

• Put into a plastic bag and smash into crumbs, as you would with normal biscuits. You could also put the crumbs into a blender to make very fine crumbs for the base.
• Put the crumbs into a bowl and add the room temperature butter. Mash the butter into the crumbs by hand. I prefer doing it this way instead of using melted butter because the resulting mixture is more mouldable, like play dough.
• Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a round sandwich tin, lined with clingfilm. Chill for about 30 minutes.

While the biscuit base is chilling, prepare the toffee,

• Mix all the ingredients, except for the vanilla essence, in a medium saucepan. Cook gently over a low heat until the butter and sugar have melted together fully, then bring to the boil. Boil gently for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens into a creamy saucy consistency, and darkens slightly.
• Allow to cool in the pan to room temperature, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming.

Now, assemble the masterpiece!

• Pour the toffee into the biscuit shell, and spread out evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
• Thinly slice the bananas into discs and place them on top of the toffee to fill the rest of biscuit base. Cut and layer one banana at a time, because you may not need all four.
• Whip the cream (with the icing sugar and vanilla essence, if using) to soft peaks and spread on top the bananas, swirling in a decorative way. Alternately, you can put the cream into a piping bag and pipe it on top of the pie to decorate.
• Decorate with a dusting of cocoa, or chocolate, either by grating or shaving curls onto the cream.
  
  
  

THIS TIME IN 2014: No blog due to family difficulties

THIS TIME IN 2013: Orange Bourbon Creams (Wheat Free)

Strawberry Cream Gâteau (Wheat Free)

Yesterday was my birthday! I was about 284 years old, give or take. Yes; I'm well preserved. And for the party we had a strawberry and cream gâteau!

I remember when I was a teenager, my mother bought a lovely strawberry and cream gâteau from the Baker's Café in Miltown Malbay, which is the nearest town to the field in which I was raised, and it was absolutely lovely: light, fluffy fatless sponge sandwiched with cream and strawberry jam, decorated with cream and crushed digestives around the sides, with rosettes of cream and sliced strawberries on top. There is something absolutely delightful about the squidgy cream and jam in the cloudy soft sponge, and also the classic style of the gâteau, that is utterly satisfying. Over the years, I have remembered it as my favourite birthday cake.

Usually, my brother makes my cake, but this year I broke with tradition and made my own, which was my birthday present to myself, and - I'm proud to say without fear of contradiction or criticism - this was my best cake so far.

For this I used a slightly different sponge recipe: I usually use this recipe, which is sort of like a chiffon cake or a Genoise, but this is a little lighter because it has more eggs and sugar and less flour and oil. It makes it incredibly delicate and light.

I will admit, there is quite a bit of making in this cake, but there's always a good bit of making in a layered cake or a gâteau like this, as with black forest gâteau. It doesn't require any complex techniques or finicky recipes, just fiddling around with layers and spreading jam and cream. But here is how I made it.

FREE FROM

☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat

CONTAINS
☒ Cocoa
☒ Eggs
☒ Gluten
☒ Dairy
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS

For two 8 inch (20 centimetre) sandwich cakes

• 5 medium eggs
• 6 ounces (170 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence, or almond essence
• 5 tablespoons (75 millilitres) sunflower oil
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) white spelt flour
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) cornflour
• Pinch of salt

For the decoration:

• 1/2 a jar (225 grammes) strawberry jam
• 3/4 pint (425 millilitres) whipping cream
• 5 ounces (170 grammes) cream cheese
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) icing sugar
• 7 strawberries
• For the sides: grated chocolate, crushed digestives (or shortbread), or sprinkles

METHOD

• Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F, Gas Mk.5, or moderate). Grease and flour the bottom of each sandwich tin, but not the sides.
• Sieve the flour, cornflour and salt onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until thick, pale, and puffed up to double in size.
• Gradually beat the sunflower oil into the eggs, followed by the essence.
• Gently fold the flour mixture into the eggs, making sure to keep it light and fluffy. Divide the mixture between the tins.
• Bake the cakes in the centre of the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until springy to the touch.
• Remove from the oven and loosen the sides with a knife; allow to cool completely before turning out onto a wire rack.

To decorate:

• In a large bowl, beat together the cream, cream cheese, and icing sugar until it reaches soft peaks. Divide into two: one half for filling, one half for decorating.
• Slice each cake in half horizontally, and put the bottom layer on the serving platter. Spread with a third of the jam, then spread a third of your filling cream in. Place the top of the cake on top.
• Spread jam and a third of the cream on top of this layer, as before, then place the top half of the second cake on top, but upside-down. Spread the jam and cream on top again as before, and top off with the bottom of the second cake, but upside again. This means the top will be nice and flat.
• Now, take the half of the cream you saved for decorating. Spread a third of this on top, swirling with the knife. Spread a third around the sides, too.
• If you like, at this point you can press some grated chocolate, crushed biscuits, or sprinkles onto the sides of the cake, as pictured. The best way to do this is to fill a wide roasting dish with the grated chocolate or sprinkles, then hover the serving plate over the dish while patting the decorations onto the sides.
• Once you have decorated the sides, fit a piping bag with a closed star nozzle, and fill with the last third of the cream. Pipe rosette decorations on the top, and around the bottom, as shown.
• Slice six of the strawberries in half, and arrange them on the top, resting them on the cream rosettes.
• Slice the last strawberry six times, making sure not to cut all the way through the top. Fan out the strawberry, and rest in the centre of the cake. Chill in the fridge for about 1 hour to fully set.
• Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving so it can come to room temperature before eating.

I was very pleased with this cake, and it went down an absolute treat! I also made some mini Black Forest Cheesecakes, which were also a success. Although, I will discuss those in greater detail in another post.

THIS TIME LAST YEAR: Lemon Ice-Cream (Egg- and Wheat Free)

Salted Caramel Shortbread (Wheat Free)

So, today I decided to try out a classic: Millionaire's Shortbread! I don't usually go in for making plain and simple classics, but this week I got a serious hankering for some delicious caramel shortbread.

Recently I've been making a lot of condensed milk (using a new technique which I will share at a later date) and using it to make hot chocolate on these cold winter nights, and as such I used it to make some lovely buttery caramel for my shortbread. To shake it up a little, though, I sprinkled some coarse sea-salt on the top of the chocolate.

I made a small batch using a loaf tin, which is the recipe I will share with you.

INGREDIMENTS
Makes 1 4x7 inch (10x18 centimeter) rectangle, which cuts into roughly 18 pieces

• 3 ounces (85 grammes) spelt flour

• 1 ounces (30 grammes) cornflour or rice flour

• 2 ounces (55 grammes) butter, at room temperature

• 1 ounces (30 grammes) icing sugar

For the caramel topping

• 1½ ounces (40 grammes) caster sugar

• 1½ ounces (40 grammes) butter

• 3 ounces (85 millilitres) condensed milk

• Pinch of salt

For chocolate topping

• One 3½ ounce bar (100 grammes) dark or milk chocolate

• 2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) sunflower oil

• Coarse sea salt

HOW-TO

• Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F, Gas Mk.2½, or very moderate) and line the sides of a loaf tin.

• In a mixing bowl, beat the living daylights out of the butter until soft and creamy. Use a wooden spoon: it needs more elbow grease, but you have much more control over how soft you make your butter.

• Pour in the icing sugar, and cream until light and fluffy. Sieve in the flours and salt and mix until the flour is combined. It will look crumbly, but this is exactly how you want it.

• Press the dough evenly into the sandwich tin, smoothing the top with a spoon, and prick all over with a fork or skewer, and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until set but still soft.

• On removing from the oven, put on a wire rack and allow to cool in the tin completely.

Now, make the caramel:

• In a small saucepan, melt the sugar and butter gently together over low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add in the condensed milk and salt.
• Once fully melted and combined, bring to a rapid boil and cook for about 2 or 3 minutes until thickened.

• Pour in on top of the shortbread. Allow to cool to room temperature before setting for about 30 minutes to an hour or until cool to touch.

Finish off with chocolate glaze:

• Once set, prepare the chocolate glaze. Melt the chocolate and oil together either in the microwave on "Defrost", or in a bowl over simmering water.

• Pour the chocolate over the top of the caramel, and allow to cool to room temperature before allowing to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
• When fully set, remove from the tin and cut into square, chocolate side down, with a sharp knife.

And there you are! Delicious caramel shortbread. The caramel is soft and chewy, and the coarse salt gives little savoury bursts among the sweetness.

Coffee and Walnut Gâteau (Wheat Free)

It was my brother's birthday last week, and as such it was time for a much requested favourite of his: Coffee and Walnut Gateau!

This is one of those old stalwarts of the home cooking repertoire: the coffee and walnut gateau! Technically this is not a gateau, as gateaux are cakes that use fresh cream, chocolate and fruits for filling and decoration, but this has always been known as a coffee and walnut gateau. The corner shop next to my estate, which sadly closed down after nearly 40 years of business last week, made an absolutely delicious rendition of this classic.

There's a lot of making in this cake, but trust me: it's totally worth the whole few hours/overnight wait!

FREE FROM
☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat

CONTAINS
☒ Gluten
☒ Dairy (use ingredients in italics for a dairy-free version)
☒ Eggs
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS:

For two 8 or 9  inch (20 or 23 centimeter) round sandwich cakes

• 7 ounces (200 grammes) spelt flour
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) cornflour
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) ground coffee
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) soft brown sugar
• 5 ounces (140 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) sunflower oil
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) butter or block margarine
• 5 to 7 tablespoons (75 to 105 millilitres) warm coffee

For filling, crumb coat and icing:

• 6 ounces (170 grammes) butter or block margarine, softened to room temperature
• 1 pound (450 grammes) icing sugar, sieved
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons milk or water, or more if needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For chocolate and walnut decoration:

• 3 ounces (85 grammes) white chocolate
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) milk or dark chocolate
• 1 fluid ounce (30 millilitres) sunflower oil
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) finely chopped walnuts
• 20 whole walnut halves

HOW-TO:

First, prepare the cakes:

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate).
• Prepare the cake mixture as per the basic sponge recipe, and pour into two greased and floured 9 inch (23 centimeter) cake tins. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until ready. Allow to cool completely in tins.
• Once cold, cut each cake in half horizontally, and cut the domes off both cakes. Decide how you will assemble the layers, making sure the bottom layer of one cake, bottom side up, is on the top of the pile.

Then, fill and crumb coat the cake:

• Cut a circle of card that's the same size as the bottom of the cake.
• Make the coffee buttercream icing following this recipe 
• Smear a little buttercream on the card circle and stick the bottom layer of cake to it.
• Spread the bottom and middle two layers with half of the filling. Assemble the layers and chill for about half an hour.
• Once chilled, use some of the remaining half of the icing to spread the top and sides with a thin layer of icing to lock in the crumbs. Chill for at least an hour. Use the last of the icing to ice the sides of the cake and make a little dam around the edge of the cake's top; leave a little for attaching the walnuts later.
• Press the chopped nuts into the sides of the cake.

Next, prepare the chocolate glaze:

• In a microwave suitable bowl, heat the white chocolate and 4½ teaspoons (22 millilitres) of the oil in 30 seconds bursts until melted and smooth
• Heat the milk chocolate and remaining 1½ teaspoons (8 millilitres) sunflower oil the same way until smooth.
• Pour the white chocolate glaze atop the cake and spread it out to the dam, making sure it doesn't spill over the edges of the cake.
• Make lines of milk chocolate glaze on top of the white chocolate and marble with a cocktail stick as in the picture.
• Leave to set in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Assemble the masterpiece:

• Once the chocolate marble glaze has set, spread a little buttercream on the underside of each walnut half and arrange them in a ring around the top of the cake.

I'm quite proud of this cake and how it turned out! Especially the marbling: I used a double feathering technique that makes it look swirly...

No-Churn, No-Cook, Practically No-Effort Chocolate Ice-Cream (That's as good as Ben & Jerry's)

Yes, I promised it to some Facebookers and so I shall deliver a recipe for no-churn, no-machine, no-pulling-out-of-the-freezer-every-two-hours-to-mix, no-custard, no-cook, little-effort chocolate ice-cream that is soft and rich with no ice crystals!

I thought seeing as Valentine's day is around the corner it's time to begin the chocolate recipe fest! Also, this recipe will be updated with a video once I have edited it, so stay tuned!

This ice-cream is rich, chocolatey, and completely customisable, made mainly from two ingredients with anything else you want to add for frills. The great thing about this recipe is that the ingredients are cheap enough, it only uses one mixing bowl, and you just bung it in the freezer for 4 to 6 hours without having to do anything to it while it freezes.

Ice-cream that tastes as nice as the leading luxury brand for cheap, minimum effort and hardly any washing up. Every woman's dream I would have thought, except having to wait around for it to freeze. But you could always make it before you head to work so it'll be ready for your return...




FREE FROM
☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Gluten
☑ Wheat
☑ Eggs
☑ Nuts

CONTAINS
☒ Dairy
☒ Refined sugar products
☒ Cocoa (yes, I thought I'd contain it because I was allergic to cocoa for a time)


INGREDIMENTS

• 8 fluid ounces (225 millilitres, 1 US cup) whipping cream, 35%-40% fat content
• 6 fluid ounces (170 millilitres, ¾ US cup) condensed milk
• 3 tablespoons (45 millilitres) cocoa powder (see notes below)
• Pinch of salt
• Optional a
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) espresso powder

HOW-TO

• In a large mixing bowl, pour the condensed milk. Add the cocoa powder and salt and mix well. 
• If you like, you can also add the cinnamon and espresso powder for added taste interest. You can leave it out if you prefer.
• Pour in the cream, while stirring, then stir until it is all combined.
• Using an electric hand mixer, whisk until it is light and a soft-peak consistency. You want to to look and feel like chocolate mousse, basically.
• Pour into a 2 pint (560 millilitre, 2½ US cup) pudding mould with a lid (or you can use a loaf tin and cover with cling film) and smooth out the surface. Cover and freeze for 4 to 6 hours.
• Allow to temper for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve as a sundae with syrups, sprinkles and other nice things, on its own, or with cake.

NOTES

• You can adjust the amount of cocoa powder to your liking, but always have at least 3 tablespoons and no more than 7 tablespoons (105 millilitres, two-fifths US cup)
• If cocoa powder is too rich and dark for you, you could use drinking chocolate powder, or a combination.
• Before freezing, you can gently fold in sweets or sprinkles. You could also gently marble in some syrup.

The idea of making ice-cream by mixing whipping cream and condensed milk together is quite common. Every single brand of condensed milk with have a version of the recipe on their website, Nigella Lawson uses this technique to make coffee ice-cream and pomegranate ice-cream, and every food blogger ever has had their own twist on it. But I like to think that I've found the best ratio of milk to cream for the softest, least icy and most luxurious ice-cream ever. Don't quote me on that, mind.

This makes about 1½ pints (850 millilitres, 3½ US cups) of ice-cream, which is enough to feed about 6 people with a sensible scoop or two, 4 people with a generous scoop or three, or one woman recently bereaved of her romantic partner/suffering with her time of the month... so gentlemen if you want to keep her quiet when she's in pain just make her a batch of this. She will love you forever, if that's what you want of course.

The ingredients to make this amount of ice-cream is roughly €3. So, to put it in understandable terms, a tub of Ben and Jerry's costs around €6.50: for half of the price, you can make almost twice as much yourself... which in the long run makes it quarter of the price. You know it makes sense!

Viennese Whirls (Wheat Free)

I've been in a bit of a baking funk these last few weeks. I suffer badly from mood swings, and sometimes I get stuck in ruts for weeks at a time, and my baking and pretty much everything else suffers for it.

But do you know what is guaranteed to make me feel instantly better? Afternoon tea treats. Even just looking at them makes me instantaneously joyous. As such I recently went to the shop and coveted the Mr Kipling section. I love Mr Kipling cakes so much, especially the French Fancies, but unfortunately he doesn't make gluten free versions because he's a dietist!

So, I thought I'd see if I could make my own versions of his classics! This is a recipe for the basic biscuit of the Viennese Whirls. The Mr Kipling version is sandwiched with chewy jam and buttercream, but when you make them yourself you can sandwich them with anything you like, including my most recent pash orange chocolate spread.

FREE FROM
☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat
☑ Eggs

CONTAINS
☒ Gluten
☒ Dairy (use ingredients in italics for a dairy-free version)
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS:

• 4 ounces (115 grammes) butter or block margarine
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) icing sugar
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) white spelt flour or gluten-free plain flour with xanthan gum
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) cornflour
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of water, if needed

HOW TO

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate). Line one or two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter or margarine until smooth and creamy, then beat in the icing sugar.
• Add in the cornflour, and beat again until smooth. Add in the spelt flour, and beat until
  it becomes a thick mixture.
•  If the mixture looks too thick to pipe, add a teaspoon or so of water and mix again, however add no more than 2 teaspoons of water in total.
• Using a ½ inch (1 centimeter) closed star nozzle, pipe little rosettes, about an inch (2½ centimeters) apart. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before either eating or sandwiching with jam, if wanted.

And there you have it! Go on, give this recipe a whirl! (cue, badum-dum-tsh!)

Minty Millionaire's Shortbread (Wheat Free)

This is post number 40, woo! If anyone has any ideas for post number 50, I'd be happy to know...

Here in Ireland, we have something that is mysteriously yet appropriately named 'Millionaire's Shortbread'. I understand that in other countries it is called caramel shortbread, but it's basically a shortbread base topped with a caramel layer then glazed with chocolate; a far cry from the usual shortbread, which is traditionally associated with poor Scottish folk who couldn't afford fancy ingredients.

It's quite a simple recipe, ingredients and cooking wise, but it's not so easy when it comes to cutting it up as all those three layers have different levels of cutting tolerance. I've found the best way around this is to take the shortbread out of the tin and turn it all upside down - chocolate side facing the cutting surface - on a piece of non-stick paper. This is also made a million times (pardon the pun) easier if the shortbread is pre-cut before layering with the soft caramel layer and chocolate glaze.

For this particular one also, keeping with the minty theme, I marbled the chocolate: milk chocolate and green tinted white chocolate. Remember, though, when colouring chocolate you must not use a water based colour: use an alcohol- or oil-based colour so the chocolate doesn't seize up and go all lumpy and disgusting. I use Sugarflair paste/gel food colours, and they work perfectly.

So, onto the making of said delight!

INGREDIMENTS

Makes 1 8 inch (20 centimeter) round biscuit

For the biscuit base

• 4 ounces (115 grammes) white or wholemeal spelt flour
• 1½ ounces (40 grammes) cornflour or rice flour
• Pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)
• ½ ounce (15 grammes) cocoa powder
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) butter, at room temperature
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) caster sugar

For the caramel topping

• 8 ounces (225 grammes) caster sugar
• 2 fluid ounces (55 millilitres) cream (or just use milk if you don't have any cream)
• 2 fluid ounces (55 millilitres) milk
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) butter
• ½ teaspoon (2½ millilitres)  vanilla essence
• ½ teaspoon (2½ millilitres)  peppermint essence
• A few drops green colour

For chocolate topping

• One 3½ ounce bar (100 grammes) milk chocolate
• Half a 3½ ounce bar (100 grammes) white chocolate
• 1¼ ounces in weight (35 grammes) sunflower oil
• Green paste/gel food colouring

HOW-TO

• Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F, Gas Mk.2½, or very moderate) and line the bottom of an 8 inch (20 centimeter) round sandwich tin, preferably with a loose bottom.
• Sieve together the flours, cocoa and salt, if using, onto a piece of grease-proof paper. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the living daylights out of the butter until soft and creamy. Use a wooden spoon: it needs more elbow grease, but you have much more control over how soft you make your butter.
• Pour in the caster sugar, and cream until light and fluffy. Then add the dry ingredients and mix until the flour is combined; you may need to use your hands as the dough gets very stiff.
• Press the dough evenly into the sandwich tin and prick all over with a fork or skewer, making sure the holes go right to the bottom of the tin. Score into 12 or 16 equal wedges, depending on how big you want them.
• Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until thoroughly cooked and dry. It seems like a ridiculous amount of time, but shortbread isn't so much baked as it is cured.
• On removing from the oven, cut the shortbread in the tin along the score lines to make it easier to cut later. Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool completely before breaking into wedges.

Now, to reassemble the shortbread

• Clean the sandwich tin and re-line, bottom and sides, with non-stick baking paper. If your tin doesn't have a loose bottom, make two thin strips of paper and run them along the bottom and up the sides of the tin, underneath the lining. This will give you handles to lift out your biscuit with once you've caramelled and chocolated it.
• Reassemble the shortbread in the tin, butting it all in and making sure the wedges are in the correct order.
• Prepare the caramel layer using this recipe (yes, it's technically a fudge layer) and the above ingredients. Once you have beaten the caramel mixture, pour in on top of the shortbread. Allow to cool to room temperature before setting for at least 3 hours in the fridge, preferably overnight.
• Once set, prepare the chocolate glaze. Put the chocolates in separate bowls, and add about 1 ounce (25 grammes) of the oil to the milk chocolate, then the rest to the white chocolate. Melt the chocolates either in the microwave or conventionally. Mix a little green into the white chocolate to get a delicate minty shade.
• Using a tablespoon, drizzle a spoonful of each chocolate alternately on top of the caramel layer, not worrying to much about how they land. When all the chocolate is used up, gently tilt the tin all around to level out the surface and get the topping over the whole biscuit. Allow to set completely in the fridge.

To cut, as I mentioned before, turn the whole lot out chocolate side down and cut along the pre-cut wedges. It's much easier this way! This will keep best at room temperature in an airtight tin, but you can keep it also in said airtight tin in the fridge.

Fruit and Nut Flapjacks (Gluten Free)

Flapjacks: oats wrapped in toffee. What's not to like?

I've always loved myself a flapjack, and I would have one every now and again. But once I was diagnosed with a wheat intolerance suddenly they became my main man (that and granola). Anything oaty and caramelly, like Hobnobs or Nature Valley bars were my go-to tea accompaniment for many months before I discovered spelt flour.

But, apart from their wheat-less wonders, they are also shockingly simple, consisting of 4 ingredients only in a easily remembered formula (if you think in ounces, like I do): 1:2:2:4, golden syrup to butter to sugar to oats. Also, you can make them all in one saucepan. Done and done!

INGREDIMENTS

• 1 ounce (30 grammes) golden syrup, or dark corn syrup or honey
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) butter
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) brown sugar
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) rolled oats, check for gluten warnings
• Optional: 1 ounce (30 grammes) raisins
• Optional: 1 ounce (30 grammes) chopped nuts

HOW-TO

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate). Grease and line a 9 inch (23 centimeter) round sandwich tin.
• Melt all syrup, butter and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.
• Mix in the oats and stir until fully coated. You could also add in the fruit and nuts if you want.
• Pour into the tin and flatten out with a spoon. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes until the edges are golden, the it's still soft.
• While still soft, score into eighths. Allow to cool fully in the tin and then turn out. Cut along the score lines with a sharp knife. I've found a pizza wheel works best.

These keep well as they don't really ever get that stale, soft texture. They do, however, go sticky on prolonged contact with the air, so make sure to keep them in an airtight tin.

Black Forest Gâteau: a Retro Classic? (Wheat Free)

I was researching the old Black Forest Gateau recently as a friend of mine - who was celebrating her birthday yesterday - told me it was her favourite cake. Chocolate, cherries and cream: what's not to like? I always thought it was more finicky and complex than chocolate cake, cherry jam and sweetened cream, but I was wrong, it seems. But in my research I came across loads of recipes that quoted the Black Forest Gateau as a 'retro classic', which I thought was odd. Surely, people still eat Black Forest Gateau, it's not like a by-gone thing: my corner shop's bakery makes a mean Black Forest Gateau, and has several on display every day; in fact most bakeries do. Am I missing something?

Anyway! I decided to bundle together the ingredients needed for the cake, but it turns out that Lidl, who used to sell cherry jam, has realised people don't like it and has stopped selling it. If a shop near you sells cherry jam, by all means use it instead of the cherry filling I've devised.

INGREDIMENTS:

For cherry filling:

• 2 x 15 ounce (425 gramme) cans of black cherries in light syrup (or Morello cherries, if you can get them)
• 2 teaspoons cornflour
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• Optional: 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For two 9 inch (23 centimeter) round sandwich cakes

• 5 ounces (140 grammes) spelt flour
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) cornflour
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) soft brown sugar
• 5 ounces (140 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) sunflower oil
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) butter or block margarine

For cream icing/filling:

• 15½ fluid ounces (445 milliliters) whipping cream
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) soft cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar
• Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For ganache topping:

• 2 fluid ounces (55 milliliters) whipping cream
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) dark chocolate

For assembly (optional):

• 1 tablespoon kirsch
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon icing sugar

HOW-TO:

First, prepare the cherry filling (it's best to do this the day before):

• In a saucepan, empty one of the cans of cherries. Bring to the boil, then allow to cook for 10 minutes. If you could only find black cherries, but like the tartness of Morello cherries, add the lemon juice here. If you like the syrupy sweetness of black cherries, leave it out.
• Using a potato masher or fork, gently squish the cherries. You want this to be like jam, so make sure it still has a little texture.
• Take about 1 tablespoon of the cooking liquid and put into a glass. Add the cornflour and sugar and mix into a paste.
• Add the cornflour and sugar mixture back into the saucepan and cook the jam until thickened, about 2 or 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl; allow to cool.
• Once cooled cover with cling film, making sure the cling film touches the surface of the jam, and put in the fridge until set for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Second, prepare the cakes:

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate).
• Prepare the cake mixture as per the basic sponge recipe, and pour into two greased and floured 9 inch (23 centimeter) cake tins. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until ready. Allow to cool complete in tins.
• Once cold, cut each cake in half horizontally, and cut the dome off one of them. Decide how you will assemble the layers, making sure the top-with-the-dome-left-on is always the top layer.

Then, prepare the cream icing/filling:

• A note on whipping the cream: to make sure the cream whips nicely and doesn't split, put the mixing bowl, preferably made of glass, and whatever you will be beating the cream with - whether it be a balloon whisk or the beaters of an electric hand mixer - into the fridge for 1 hour or the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Put the whipping cream, cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla essence into the chilled bowl and whisk together until the mixture holds stiff peaks. This is the ideal spreading consistency.
• Put one third of this mixture into a bowl and set aside for decorating.

Next, prepare the ganache:

• In a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, combine the chocolate (broken up, of course) and the cream. Whisk together until smooth and shiny, then allow to cool to spreading consistency while you assemble the cake.

Assemble the masterpiece:

• Take the cake layers: put the bottom one on the plate you intend to serve the gateau on, set aside the top one for later, and put the middle two on their own plates. This makes the assembling easier, as each piece will be filled and iced individually.
• Take the remaining can of cherries and drain the liquid into a bowl, keeping the cherries in the sieve to drain fully. Take half of the cherries (keeping the rest for another time) and cut each of them in half, bar 12 for decoration.
• Take 9 tablespoons cherry liquid (reserving the rest for another time). If you want, you can mix the kirsch with the cherry liquid, but I don't take alcohol so I leave it out. Sprinkle the liquid evenly across the three cake layers and watch the sponge drink it right up.
• Divide the cherry jam across the three cake pieces and spread in an even thin layer.
• Divide the remaining two-thirds of cream mixture across each cake, spreading around to about an inch (2 centimeters) away from the edge of each cake. This stops the filling squidging out the sides when you put all the layers together.
• Divide the sliced cherries across the three cakes and sprinkle them over the cream.
• Now, here's where you need to take care. Take the two middle cakes cakes and stack them on the bottom cake on the serving platter. Take the topmost layer, which you set aside, and put it on top of all the cakes. Gently press down to cement all the layers together, put not so hard as to squeeze all the filling out of the sides. And there, pretty much, is your Black Forest Gateau, the next steps are for frills.

Decorate the masterpiece:

• Spread the cooled ganache over the top of the cake with a palette knife. You can make swirls if you want, but I like to make streaks.
• Take the cream you set aside and put into a large piping bag fitted with a large closed-star nozzle. Pipe rosettes along the top of the cake, between the layers, and where the cake meets the serving platter, as shown in the photo. Or, you could decorate it whatever which way you want.
• Use the cherries you kept earlier and put between the rosettes. For that extra element of kitch, you could use red glacé cherries instead of the canned black cherries for this bit.
• Dust the sides with cocoa powder, and the top with icing sugar.

And there she is, in all her glory. Of course, you can choose to decorate it however you like, and you may elect to use just plain whipped cream, without the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, and you could use shop-bought cherry jam if you can get your hands on it. This is just how I've made it, and dayum... it tastes delicious!

This is an awful lot of effort, in fairness, but it really pays off in the end because it looks and tastes amazing! I don't have any photos of the inside because a) I'm not the best at slicing cakes, and b) I didn't bring a camera to the birthday party, like a big silly. Next time!