Simple Danish Pastries (Wheat- and Yeast Free)

Kan du lide at wienerbrød? Continuing with my Central European vibe this week, I present the Danish Pastry!

These crispy treats are known as wienerbrød in their native land. It literally means 'Vienna bread', because all of the yeast risen laminated pastries we know and love, such as croissants and Danish pastries, were originally developed in Austria.

I, however, don't use a yeast risen puff pastry, I just use normal puff pastry. I tend to make my own, which is time consuming, but it means my mother can eat them when they're made from scratch with spelt. If you want the pastry to taste yeasty, however, you can bind the dough with beer instead of water. It's a neat trick.

Danish pastries look a little different in the United States, using fresh berries and sweetened cream cheese fillings. British style Danish pastries, which I'm used to, use more traditional fillings like jam, apple, apricot, and baker's custard, called crème pâtissière.

My pastries didn't rise as much as I'd have liked, because the pastry was warm before cooking, so PLEASE make sure the pastries are nice and cold before baking.

And don't be intimidated by the ingredient list, not by the seemingly complex construction: they're very, very simple, especially if you use shop bought ingredients.

This will be my last entry for this month, because my thesis proposal is due this week. Wish me luck!

INGREDIMENTS
For about 12 pastries, depending on size

• Double quantity of puff pastry, alternatively you can buy a pound (455 grammes) of premade puff pastry
• 1 egg, mixed with a tablespoon of milk
• Flaked almonds, to decorate
• Demerara sugar, to decorate

For the gluten free crème pâtissière,

• 6 fluid ounces (180 millilitres) whole milk
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) cornflour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon (15 grammes) sugar
• Pinch of salt
• About a teaspoon (5 grammes) butter
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence

For the apple filling,

• 1 eating apple, something firm and tart like a Granny Smith, or Pink Lady, or you could use 4 ounces (115 grammes) of any other firm fruit, or berry
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) cornflour
• 2 tablespoons (30 grammes) brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon (1 millilitre) salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon (1 millilitre) ground cloves

Other fillings,

• Brown sugar and cinnamon
• Nutella
• Jam
• Tinned apricots or plums
• Dried mixed fruit

HOW-TO

To make crème pâtissière,

• In a small saucepan, mix together the sugar, cornflour, egg yolk, salt, and two tablespoons (30 millilitres) of the measured milk to make a smooth paste.
• Add the rest of the milk, stir well, and place over medium heat. Bring to the boil, mixing all the time, and boil for about 2 minutes to fully activate the starch.
• Remove from the heat and pour immediately into a bowl. Cover with clingfilm, touching the surface directly, and cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools.

To make the apple filling

• Peel, core, and chop the apple into half inch (1 centimetre) pieces. Place in a bowl or jug, and add the other ingredients.
• Mix very well until the mixture becomes wet and saucy: the starch will draw the water out of the apple and mix it with the other ingredients.

To make the pastries,

• Prepare the pastry, which will take about two or three hours.
• Roll the pastry out to a rectangle measuring 12 by 16 inches (30.5 by 40.5 centimetres), cut into twelve 4 inch (10 centimetre) squares.
• Use each square to make a pastry following the instructions: braids, windmills, turnovers, or crowns. You can use the fillings as instructed above, or you can use shop bought fillings.
• To make the spirals, you need a 4 by 8 inch (10 by 20 centimetre) rectangle, so just keep two squares stuck together for the spirals. Follow the illustration below to make the spirals.
• Lie the pastries on the baking sheets, about two inches (5 centimetres) apart, brush the tops with eggwash, and decorate with flaked almonds or Demerara sugar if you like.
• Place the pastries into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before cooking. While they're chilling, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, Gas Mk.7), and flour two large flat trays.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer gently to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. The apple ones are nice warm, though.

HOW TO MAKE THE SHAPES

Spiral

Take the 4 by 8 inch (10 by 20 centimetre) piece of pastry, and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar, brushing it around with your hand to get it all to stick. Sprinkle generously also with ground cinnamon, Rolling from the short end, roll it up like a Swiss roll. Wrap up in cling film, and then chill for 30 minutes before cutting into half inch (1 centimetre) slices. Brush each slice with egg wash if you like.

Apple Turnover

Take a square, and place about a rounded teaspoon of apple filling in the centre. Imagine the square cut in half diagonally, and brush the edges of one diagonal side with eggwash to help stick. Fold over diagonally, and press the edges together firmly with a fork. Brush the top with eggwash and sprinkle with Demerara sugar.

Braid

Take a square, and visualise it divide into three. Cut the outer two thirds with slightly angled lines, and fill the centre third with whichever filling you like. Working top to bottom, alternately fold the pastry strips over the filling in the middle. Slightly pinch the open ends to close them up.

Windmills (Pinwheels)

Take a square, and cut diagonally into quarters, making sure not to cut all the way though the middle. Fill the centre part that isn't cut, and then take a corner of one pastry flap and fold it up into the middle, over the filling. Work around the pastry until all flaps have the same corner folded into the middle.

Crown

This is the easiest one. Take a square, and fold each corner down into the middle, but not all the way. Place the filling on in the centre, on top of the folded corners.

These are best enjoyed on the day they're made, but if you have any left overs keep in an airtight container for 3 days. These can freeze for up to a month, too.

Nothing on this day in 2016
THIS TIME IN 2015: Tiramisù Mini Cheesecakes (Wheat Free)
Nothing on this day in 2014
THIS TIME IN 2013: Dinosaur Kimberleys (Wheat Free)

Variation on a Theme: Chocolate Chip Wholemeal Banana Bread (Wheat- an Dairy Free)

I haven't done banana bread in ages, and seeing as I have a load of overripe bananas hanging around, it seemed timely...

This banana bread is made with wholemeal flour, with the naughty addition of some milk chocolate chips. You can't always be healthy in this life, and this doesn't have any butter so the odd chocolate chip should be okay!

I used the same recipe as my vegan banana bread, with the totally un-vegan addition of two medium eggs. I mixed them into the bananas, oil, and sugar before adding the dry ingredients. I personally like to add eggs for texture and structure, but you don't have to add any eggs if you want to keep it eggless. I also stirred in some milk chocolate chips for added interest.


If you would like to make the bread yourself, here is how you do it.

INGREDIMENTS
This will yield one 8x4 inch (20x10 centimeter) loaf.

• 8 ounces (225 grammes) wholemeal spelt flour
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) baking powder
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) mixed spice
• Pinch of salt
• 3 large overripe bananas
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) soft brown sugar
• 3 fluid ounces (85 millilitres) sunflower oil
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) chocolate chips, milk or dark, or use dairy free chocolate
• Optional: Golden syrup or honey, for brushing

HOW-TO

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate). Grease and flour a loaf pan.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and spice into a large mixing bowl. In another bowl or large jug, mash the bananas with the sugar and salt until smooth and runny. Beat in the oil and eggs.
• Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the banana mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon only until combined. You don't need to beat it, as the texture will be tough if you do.
• Gently fold in the chocolate chips, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes. Test the loaf with a cocktail stick, and if it's still sticky in the middle, bake for a further 5 minutes. Repeat this process if needed.
• Remove from the oven once baked and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• If you would like to glaze your bread, brush the top of the loaf with some golden syrup of honey as soon as it comes out of the oven.
• Eat when it has fully cooled, and store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Easter Celebration: a Modern-Style Simnel Cake (Wheat Free)

It is Easter! And to celebrate the occasion, I'm back to my usual tricks: layer cake! Almond, raspberry, and lemon edition.

Yesterday, on Easter Sunday, my family gathered for dinner: with my parents, siblings, and our respective companions, there were nine of us all together. There was a lot of food.

Traditionally, the cake eaten at such Easter Sunday gatherings is simnel cake, a rich fruit cake with a layer of marzipan in the middle, topped off with apricot glaze and eleven marzipan balls to symbolise the Apostles without Judas Iscariot.

However, fruit cake and marzipan are heavy eating, associated more with the cold winter months than with the coming of spring. As such, I thought I'd shake things up a bit with some springtime flavours, but keeping the almond and marzipan theme of the traditional simnel cake.

Three layers of almondy sponge cake, sandwiched with raspberry jam and lemon curd. On the top of the cake, I made marzipan shapes to symbolise the Apostles. Of course, one space is empty to show Judas Iscariot's absence. The symbols are:

Andrew: saltire, ie. an X-shaped cross

Nathanael (Bartholomew): knife 

James the Elder: key 

James the Younger: saw 

John: eagle 

Judas: sword 

Matthew (Levi): angel 

Peter (Simon Peter): fish 

Philip: column 

Simon the Zealot: boat 

Thomas: spear

Without further ado, let's get started!

INGREDIENTS
For one three layer 8 inch (20 centimetre) cake

• Three 8 inch (20 centimetre) sandwich cakes, domes cut off, either vanilla or almond flavour
• 1 pound (455 grammes) vanilla buttercream icing
• 5 tablespoons (75 millilitres) raspberry jam
• 5 tablespoons (75 millilitres) lemon curd
• Pink and yellow food colouring
• Marzipan, for modelling

HOW-TO

First, design the symbols.

• The day before you make the cake, make the marzipan decorations. Roll the marzipan to about an ⅛ inch (3 millimetres) thick, and make each one for the Apostles about 1½ inches (4 centimetres) in size. Roll some more to a quarter inch (5 millimetres) in thickness, and make Jesus' cross 3 inches (8 centimetres) in size. Allow the shapes to dry completely, exposed to air.

Then, assemble the cake

• Divide the buttercream into two portions. Add a tablespoon of raspberry jam to one and colour it pink, and then add a tablespoon lemon curd to the other half and colour it yellow.
• Spread a little buttercream on a serving plate, and fix the bottom layer of cake. Put some of the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a half-inch (1 centimetre) star or round tip, and pipe a dam around the edge. Spread the jam, saving a tablespoon (15 millilitres), on the cake, inside the dam.
• Take the next layer, and spread a very thin layer of buttercream on the bottom. Place on top of the raspberry layer, pressing a little to fix it. Again, pipe a dam around this layer, and spread with the lemon curd, again saving a tablespoon (15 millilitres).
• Take the top layer, and spread a thin layer of buttercream to the top of the cake. Place on the cake upside down, so the flat bottom is facing up.
• Ice the top of the cake with yellow icing, and then decorate the sides in a two colour gradient, like in the pictures. Put the excess you scrape off in the gradient icing into a piping bag, trying not to mix the colours too much.
• Pipe a bottom and top border on the cake: pipe 12 rosettes on the top around the edge, and one in the middle.
• Place one Apostle symbol on each of the rosettes, leaving one empty deliberately to symbolise Judas Iscariot's absence.
• Allow to set for at least 2 hours before serving.

Hot Cross Bunnies: a Cutesy Twist on a Traditional Favourite (Wheat Free)

What do you get if you pour a kettleful of water down a rabbit hole? Hot cross bunnies!

I know I shouldn't be so flippant on the day of our Lord's death, but it's a joke I always heard growing up. What better way to interpret it than in edible form?

Traditionally, hot cross buns are eaten on Good Friday, as they are marked with Jesus' cross, and spiced in memory of his embalming. However, they are available throughout the entirety of Lent in most Irish and UK supermarkets. Easter in my household is indeed a religious celebration, and not just a social custom, as it has become for most Irish and British people. As such, I like to honour the traditional Christian practices at this time of year.

My mother for years has been deprived of hot cross buns and, seeing as in the past six months I've properly learnt how to make yeast risen dough, I thought I'd break her fast, pardon the Lenten pun.

I made a batch of sweet bread dough according to this recipe, only added in about 3 ounces (85 grammes) of dried mixed fruit with candied peel, 2 teaspoons mixed spice, and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest. If you don't like dried fruit however (like my companion: he hates dried fruit), you can use the same amount of chocolate chips, or nuts.

I divided the dough into 12 pieces, and roll into balls. I arrange on one or two flat trays, depending on size, about two or three inches (5 to 8 centimetres) apart so that they wouldn't touch each other as they rose and baked, and slightly flattened so they didn't rise into giant balls, but domed as they rose instead. I then proofed until the buns doubled in size. Make sure to roll the dough balls better than I did, however, mine went a little mental and lost their shape because I didn't tighten the surfaces of the dough balls.

Once they doubled, I used scissors the cut the ears out of the bunnies, and pulled them away from the bodies slightly. I then brushed the bunnies with some eggwash. Then, I mixed about 2 ounces (55 grammes) of white spelt flour with enough water, a teaspoon at a time, until it became think and pipe-able, like royal icing. I piped on the crosses on the bunnies' backs using a small baking paper piping cone. Putting the crosses on after eggwashing means the bunnies become golden, but the crosses stay white.

I baked on the centre shelf of an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4) for 15 to 20 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. If the bunnies' ears begin to burn, cover the bunnies with tin foil, but mine were okay. I removed them from the oven and, while they were still warm, I brushed them with golden syrup. You could use apricot jam, or honey, or even just some icing sugar mixed to a syrup with hot water.

They're delicious straight from the oven, but I recommend letting them cool down a little so they're easier to cut open and lather with butter.

These however, don't keep very well. Like with all my other recipes made with sweet bread dough, eat on the day they're made, and toast the next day; on day three, they're only good for bird food.

THIS TIME IN 2016: Buttermilk Scones (Wheat Free)

THIS TIME IN 2015: Carrot and Orange Cake with Fresh Cream Icing (Wheat Free)

There was no blog this time in 2014

THIS TIME IN 2013: Black Forest Gâteau: a Retro Classic? (Wheat Free)

I've Finally Got It! French Macarons, with the help of Kawaii Sweet World (Gluten- and Dairy Free)

Et encore, une recette Française! Pour voutre plaisir, un dessert: macarons!

After about five years of off and on attempting, I have finally, finally managed to make a successful batch of these notoriously finicky little sandwich desserts!

Since before I began writing this blog, I have struggled with these little demons. There was a time where I spent about two weeks straight baking nothing but macarons. I have tried dozens of recipes that I found online. I even bought a book for learning how to make them, but the recipe therein used a boiled sugar meringue which was almost impossible to get right. And every failure was an expensive waste of ingredients.

But after all this time, I've found a recipe that really works!

I used this recipe is from Kawaii Sweet World, scaled down to two egg whites, which made the ingredients 2 medium egg whites, at room temperature, 35 grammes (1¼ ounces) caster sugar, 130 grammes (4½ ounces) icing sugar, 80 grammes (2⅘ ounces) ground almonds, and a pinch of salt. As you may have noticed, the ingredients are primarily measured in grammes, as opposed to the ounces as I usually use. This is because grammes are far more precise, and precision is what you need for macarons. By all means, though, use the ounce measurements.

They turned out really well! The only little problems that I encountered were overly browned tops and slightly sticky bottoms. One of the shells broke in half: the top separated from the bottom which was stuck to the paper. As such, I only got 15 sandwiches, as opposed to 16. Taking this into account, next time I make them, I'll make a little side step from the temperature and cooking time: I might do 140°C (285°F, Gas Mk.1) and for 18 to 23 minutes instead.

See how they lost their bottoms? Oh my.

I then used about 170 grammes (6 ounces) of filling to make sandwiches, using about a teaspoon of filling in each pair. I used some leftover chocolate fudge icing, but you could use chocolate spread, buttercream icing, jam, crème pâtissière, or anything you want. I got 15 sandwiches in total; it would have been 16 were it not for the shell that bit the dust.

I'm really, really, really pleased with how these came out: I've never made successful macarons before, and I was truly amazed with how easy Rachel's recipe was to follow, and how great the results were.

I'll be doing many more macarons in the future, maybe shaking up the flavours, shapes, and combinations. I'm excited to add this illusive treat to my repertoire!

THIS TIME IN 2016: American Style Chocolate Chip Muffins (Wheat Free)
THIS TIME IN 2015: April Afternoon Tea Party: Bollywood Part Two!
No blog this day in 2014
THIS TIME IN 2013: Gingerbread of the Gingeriest Proportions (Wheat Free)

Something Savoury: Bacon and Onion Quiche (Wheat Free)

Bonjour, mes amis! Aujourd'hui, j'ai un repas pour vous: quiche, au bacon et onion!

I did French to leaving cert when I was 17, so by now it's a little rusty. However, my delight in French cuisine has not faded.

Having said that, I've never been the world's biggest fan of quiche. I've always been fed shop-bought varieties that are somehow simultaneously gelatinous and dry. But, my companion loves to eat it as a lunch.

Quiche is something that is quite present in the lives of English (and somewhat English) people, as English cookery is actually quite heavily influenced by French and German cuisine. Seeing that English renditions of European foods tend to be quite heavy and stodgy, I assumed that it was the same for quiche.... until I saw a quiche being made by a French woman.

I have a close friend who I visit often, and her housemate it French. I saw her making a quiche for herself, and when I asked her how she was making it her response was quite simply: It's like omelette in a pastry, and the pastry it has to be made with butter, otherwise it's not good. She didn't seem to be using any scales or measurements either, except to say that you use roughly twice as much milk as egg, and the quiche that resulted looked quite tasty!

Turns out that French people also like stodge, it seems. And it also seems that quiche is quite forgiving, and doesn't need precise measurements.

Although I heard straight from the horse's mouth that the pastry has to be made with only butter, I've never been the biggest fan of all butter pastry in savoury food. It's something I associate with sweet tarts, and find way too heavy going for a savoury dish, especially something as heavy as quiche (sorry, French housemate). As such I use a shortcrust pastry made in part with sunflower oil, which I know it completely blasphemous, but hey ho.

INGREDIMENTS
To make one 9 inch (22 centimetre) quiche

For pastry,

• 10 ounces (280 grammes) white spelt flour, cold
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 2½ ounces (70 grammes) butter, cold
• 2½ fluid ounces (5 tablespoons, 75 millilitres) sunflower oil
• Cold water, to combine

For the filling,

• 4 ounces (115 grammes) bacon rashers cut into little pieces, or lardons
• 1 medium red onion, sliced thinly
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) medium chedder cheese, grated
• 3 medium eggs
• Half an imperial pint (1¼ cups, 285 millilitres) whole milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste

HOW-TO

First, make the pastry

• In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt, and sugar together. Grate in the butter, dipping it in the flour every few strokes and tossing the flour around to stop everything from sticking. Once the butter is grated in, gently rub with your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs. Alternatively, which is what I do, you can keep running handfuls of the mixture through the grater instead of rubbing with the fingertips.
• When the butter is rubbed in, add in the oil. Rub again gently, only to mix the oil through.
• Mixing with the tip of a knife, add the water gradually until it forms a nice soft dough.
• Form into a disc, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for an hour.

Next, prepare the fillings

• In a non-stick frying pan set over the hob with the heat off, add the bacon and turn the heat onto medium.
• Once the pan has fully heated, cook the bacon until well browned and all visible fat is thoroughly cooked.
• Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the oil it has rendered behind in the pan. Add in the onions and cook over medium heat until well browned and fragrant.
• Allow the bacon and onion to fully cool.

Then, blind bake the pastry case

• Roll out the dough on a floured surface and fit into a 9 inch (22 centimetre) straight sided pie dish. My one is ceramic, but a metal or glass one would work so much better.
• Trim the edges, and prick the base and sides all over with a fork. Put in the fridge for about half an hour. 
• While it's chilling, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, Gas Mk.7), with a flat baking tray in the oven on the centre shelf. Make sure the tray is large enough to accommodate your pie dish.
• Now it's time to blind bake the pastry case. Take out of the fridge, and line the whole case with a piece of tin foil, pressing it into every nook and cranny. Crumple any excess into the middle, making sure the foil is still covering all the pastry.
• Place in the oven directly on top of the preheated tray, and bake for about 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake for a further 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden and fully cooked.

Finally, assemble and bake the quiche

• Remove the blind baked case from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4).
• Sprinkle the bacon and onion evenly on the bottom of the quiche, then top with about half the cheese.
• In a jug, beat together the eggs and milk, and season it to taste (I personally have no problem with tasting raw egg, but that's up to you).
• Pour the egg and milk mixture into the quiche, and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
• Return to the oven, on top of the tray as before, and cook for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and crispy, the filling is slightly puffy, and when you touch the centre it feels set and no longer liquid.
• Remove from the oven and cool for about 20 minutes before serving, to let it set a little more. Or, you can let it cool to room temperature, chill it, and serve it cold.

THIS TIME IN 2016: American Style Chocolate Chip Muffins (Wheat Free)

THIS TIME IN 2015: Treacle Tarts, without Breadcrumbs (Wheat Free)

No blog from this time in 2014

THIS TIME IN 2013: Gingerbread of the Gingeriest Proportions (Wheat Free)

Kitchen Experiment: One Bowl Cakey Brownies (Wheat Free)

Today is super sunny, and to celebrate that I'm eating a load of chocolate! Here are some super tasty brownies!

 A few weeks ago, I made some American style chocolate chip cookies. As an experiment, I used the same mixture to make a cheesecake base. I found that the base was remarkably like a brownie, only a little more biscuity.

I thought to myself: how can I alter this recipe to make it more brownie-ish? I decided to up the butter and add an extra egg: the extra butter would make them fudgier, and the extra egg would help to hold them together a bit more.

It was very successful! These are cakey brownies, as opposed to fudgy brownies. I'm still working on a formula for super squidgy, super fudgy brownies, which I what I like.

INGREDIMENTS
For a 9 inch (22 centimetre) square tin,

• 1½ ounces (40 grammes) caster sugar
• 4½ ounces (135 grammes) brown sugar
• 6 ounces (170 grammes) butter, at room temperature
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence
• 5 ounces (140 grammes) white spelt flour
• 1½ ounces (40 grammes) cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) baking soda
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) filling: chopped nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc.

HOW-TO

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4), and lightly grease and flour one 9 inch (22 centimetre) square tin.
• In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar, until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure the first one is completely mixed in before adding the next one. Add the vanilla essence, then stir in the filling.
• Sieve in the flour, cocoa, and baking soda, and mix only until combined: if you overmix the flour, the brownies will be tough.
• Spread the mixture out in the tin, making sure to keep the surface smooth. Place on the centre shelf of the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes. Cool completely in the tin, set on a wire rack.

These are delicious warm, and keep well for up to a week in an airtight container. They also go very well with ice-cream right out of the oven...

THIS TIME IN 2015: Treacle Tarts, without Breadcrumbs (Wheat Free)
No blogs on this day in 2013, 2014, nor 2016

Chocolate Cake with Beetroot, and Coconut Fudge Icing (Wheat and Dairy Free)

Happy 250th blog post! I can't believe I've written so many blogs.

And for this joyous occasion, I present to you my future sister-in-law's birthday cake! A dairy free chocolate extravaganza with a secret ingredient: beetroot.

(In fact, what she actually asked for was a chocolate cake with beetroot and avocado, but I thought adding one weird ingredient would be enough for my conservative tastebuds, and those of my family.)

I know what you're thinking: beetroot? In a cake?! I thought the same thing when she asked me to make one of these for her birthday. But, d'you know what, it's actually way nicer than it sounds.

I hate beetroot. So much. I cannot stand how it tastes or smells. So the thought of putting it into a cake which I would most likely be eating was, at first, abominable. However, having tried it, it's actually nowhere as bad as one might think. It just makes the chocolate taste darker, earthier, and a little more bitter.

I mixed the beetroot with a little carrot to take the edge off. If you like the taste of beetroot, you could use all beetroot.

The icing turned out really well also! I adapted my dairy-free truffles recipe from a few years ago to make a vegan ganache that I could make into a fudge icing. I also made a dairy-ful version when I made a well-done-for-finishing-college-without-killing-everyone cake for my colleagues for the last day of classes last week (I'll be sharing that recipe in a few days when I've written it up.

If one didn't add any water to adjust the texture of the icing, you could easily make some delicious dairy-free chocolate fudge with it too: it has just the right level of density and richness to make a nice sweet.

INGREDIMENTS:

For two round 8 inch (20 centimetre) sandwich cakes:

• 2 ounces (55 grammes) cocoa powder
• 6 ounces (170 grammes) white spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) baking powder
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) ground mixed spice
• Pinch of salt
• 4 medium eggs
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) sunflower oil
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) brown sugar
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) finely grated raw carrot
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) finely grated raw beetroot.You can adjust the ratio of carrot and beetroot to your taste, just make sure you have 8 ounces (225 grammes) of grated raw vegetable in total

For the dairy free chocolate icing,

• 8 ounces (225 grammes) dairy free dark chocolate, such as cooking chocolate
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) coconut oil
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) golden syrup, or honey
• 8 ounces (225 grammes) icing sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 millilitres) water, to adjust texture

To decorate:

• Candy coated chocolate sweets, or any other decoration of your choice

METHOD

First, make the cakes.

• Preheat oven 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mk.4). Grease two 8 inch (20 centimetre) round sandwich tins with a little butter or margarine. 
• In large bowl, sieve the cocoa powder, spelt flour, baking powder, spice, salt, and caster sugar. Take a spoonful of this mixture and use it to dust the tins, returning the excess to the bowl.
• In a jug, beat together the brown sugar, sunflower oil, and eggs until fully combined. Mixing the brown sugar with the wet ingredients makes it easier to dissolve out the lumps.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until it is half mixed, and then add in the carrot and beetroot. Mix until completely combined and smooth.
• Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until springy to the touch and a cocktail stick poked into the centre comes out clean.
• Cool in the tins for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen. Turn out the cakes and allow them to cool completely.

Second, make the icing.

• In microwave proof mixing bowl, or a glass bow set over a pan of simmering water, melt together the chocolate, oil, and syrup. If using the microwave, heat in one minute intervals on the "Defrost" setting.
• Stir well until fully melted and combined, then cool completely until it thickens.
• Once thickened, beat the icing sugar in gradually using an electric mixer, alternating with a few teaspoons of water at a time, until you have a fudgy spreadably icing.

Finally, assemble the masterpiece.

• Cut the domes off the cakes, and sandwich cut sides together with about a quarter of the icing. Use half to ice the top and sides, and then use the rest to pipe a border along the top and bottom edges of the cake. I used a star tip, but you can use whatever shape you like.
• Decorate the top with the sweets, or any decoration of your choice.

Keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks, but it's best eaten within the first five days.

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College Classes are Over! Hoorah! (Chocolate Butter Cake with Simple Fudge Icing)

I have officially finished all my Masters degree classes! Now all that's left is the summer thesis (oh joy), and I marked the occasion with a delicious buttery chocolate cake!

 

I don't often make cakes using the creamed method. In fact, for the last four years of running this blog, I have almost exclusively made cakes using a sabayon (that is, eggs beaten with sugar). Over the years I have lauded the use of this method for producing lighter airier cakes....

Until I realised that all this time I've been creaming my butter incorrectly.

Yes, am now a creamed butter cake convert once more. The trick is beating the absolute bloody hell out of the butter, and slowly incorporating the eggs. So, it's like a sabayon in reverse: usually, I beat the eggs and sugar and gradually add the fat. This time I beat the fat and sugar, and gradually added the eggs.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like the lightness of a whipped egg cake. However, they're not as foolproof: they can shrink, not rise properly, be rubbery, etc., but I now understand why a butter cake, or traditional Victoria sponge, is the go-to for beginners.

Also, I am now also a convert to using icing sugar in fudge icing. For years I was a bit of a purist about using sugar syrup, but it's fiddly as Hell. This chocolate fudge icing uses four simple ingredients, and now fussing with boiling sugar.

The basic formula is 4 parts chocolate, 4 parts icing sugar, 2 parts butter, and 1 part milk. So, it's essentially a traditional buttercream icing, with as much chocolate as icing sugar added. It's really light and fluffy, but at the same time rich and thick.

So, let's get started!

INGREDIMENTS

Makes one two-layer 8 inch (20 centimetre) round cake

For the cake,

• 4 ounces (115 grammes) butter, very soft
• 6 ounces (170 grammes) sugar, light brown or caster
• 4 medium eggs, beaten in their own jug or bowl
• 7 ounces (200 grammes) white spelt flour
• 1 ounce (30 grames) cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) baking powder
• 2 fluid ounces (60 millilitres) milk
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) vanilla essence

For the icing,

• 8 ounces (225 grammes) plain chocolate, minimum 45% cocoa
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) butter
• 2 fluid ounces (60 millilitres) milk
• 8 ounces (225 grammes) icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) vanilla essence

METHOD

First, make the cake.

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F, Gas Mk.4), and grease and flour the inside of a deep 8 inch (20 centimetre) round cake tin. Alternatively, you can use two sandwich tins of the same width.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer or wooden spoon until pale, light, and fluffy. This can take about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Beating all the time, add the sugar in three additions, beating well between each addition. This can take a further 2 or 3 minutes.
• Mix the vanilla essence into the beaten eggs, and add the eggs into the butter and sugar gradually—about four or five additions— beating very well until completely combined after each addition. The mixture shouldn't break, but if it does at any stage add a spoonful of the measured flour and continue beating.
• Put the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into a sieve set over the bowl, and sieve in half of the dry ingredients. Fold them through gently with a metal spoon or wire whisk.
• Add the milk and fold again, followed by the final addition of dry ingredients. Fold gently until fully combined.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the top out as best you can with a metal spoon. Alternatively, split the mixture evenly between the two sandwich tins.
• Place into the centre of the preheated oven and bake one whole cake for 35 to 45 minutes, or two sandwiches for 20 to 25 minutes. Check for doneness with the usual cocktail stick test at the lower time mark, and cook for a further 5 or 10 minutes if needed.
• Once cooked, remove from the oven and cool in the tin(s) for about 10 minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.

While the cake is baking, make the icing.

• In microwave proof mixing bowl, or a glass bow set over a pan of simmering water, melt together the chocolate, butter, and milk. If using the microwave, heat in one minute intervals on the "Defrost" setting.
• Stir well until fully melted and combined, then cool completely until it thickens, about two hours or so. You can speed up this process by cooling it in the fridge and giving it a mix every so often to cool evenly.
• Once thickened, beat in the icing sugar gradually using an electric mixer until you have a fudgy spreadable icing. 

Finally, assemble the masterpiece.

• Cut the domes off the cake and slice in half, and sandwich cut sides together with about a quarter of the icing. Use half to ice the top and sides, and then use the rest to pipe a border along the top and bottom edges of the cake. I used a star tip, but you can use whatever shape you like.
• If using sandwiches, cut the domes off and sandwich cut sides together as above.
• Decorate the top with the sweets, or any decoration of your choice. I iced the top with a simple icing sugar and milk glaze.

Keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks, but it's best eaten within the first five days.

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