Lemon Cupcakes on Like Mam Used to Bake

Posted on May 16, 2012 by rosanne

I made these cupcakes a few weeks ago for Mr. LMUTB’s office.  They vocalised to him that it had been a while since I had baked something nice for them.  People get a bit cheeky like that when it comes to cake, give them a taste for it and they’re not backwards in coming forwards with requests.  They were really nice and went down just as well as the batch of brownies I sent in with them so I kept meaning to make them again for the blog.  I couldn’t find the recipe though, searched everywhere knowing that on some random scrap of paper I had scribbled down the quantities and steps I made up as I went.  I finally found it though, tucked safely in between the pages of one of the many notebooks I have cluttering up the place.  I hope you enjoy them.

Lemon Cupcakes

(makes 12)

175g Unsalted Butter, softened and diced

Zest of 1 Lemon

175g Caster Sugar

3 Large Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract

200g Plain Flour

20g Cornflour

1tsp Baking Powder

2tbsp Buttermilk

1.  Preheat the oven to 170C/340F/Gas Mark 4.  Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

2.  Put the butter into a large bowl and cream it for 1 minute using a hand-held electric whisk/standalone mixer.  Add the sugar and cream for around 3 minutes until paler in colour and fluffy.

3.  Add the eggs one by one and mix after each one is added.  Don’t worry if the mixture appears to have curdled a little, it will come back together when you add the flour.  Add the vanilla extract and give it a little mix through.

4.  Sift the flour, cornflour and baking powder into the butter mixture and gently fold it through so as not to knock out all of the air.  Finally, add the buttermilk and fold through.

5.  Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 paper cases, approximately 2 and a half heaped tablespoons per case should do it.  Give the tops a little smooth down with the back of a spoon.  Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a clean skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean and they are golden brown.

6.  Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.  Decorate with the buttercream icing below.

Lemon Buttercream Icing

227g Unsalted Butter, softened and diced.  (Now I know this is an odd number, 227g, but it’s a block of butter so rather than shave off 2g just chuck the lot in.)

500g Icing Sugar

Juice of half a Lemon

1tsp Vanilla Extract

Yellow food colouring, the quantity will depend on the type you use, I use gel so it was a couple of squidges but you can judge it by eye yourself

A quick note on buttercream:

I’ve made quite a lot of buttercream in my kitchen so through a process of trial and error I’ve come up with a recipe that works best for me.  I have found that using a ratio of 2:1 sugar to butter is a pretty good one, and it’s easy peasy to remember.  Take the butter out of the fridge as far in advance as you can, it will save tears, trust me.  Making buttercream with hard butter is a futile exercise, I’ve tried many times on a winter’s day when softening butter is mission impossible.  Add the icing sugar in stages, it will save you from being shrouded in a cloud of sugar.

1.  Place the butter into a large bowl and cream for 1 minute using a hand-held electric whisk/standalone mixer.

2.  Add the sugar in stages while continuing to whisk.

3.  Once you have added all of the sugar add the lemon juice, vanilla & yellow food colouring and continue to beat for 5 minutes until the buttercream is light and airy.

4.  Spoon or pipe onto the cupcakes.

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Il Valentino Café & Bakery on Like Mam Used to Bake

Posted on May 10, 2012 by rosanne

Last Sunday I was lucky enough to be part of a group of Irish food bloggers who attended Il Valentino Café & Bakery to sample their wares and have a peek behind the scenes at their 24 hour bakery.  Although I follow Il Valentino on Twitter I hadn’t yet made it to them for a visit so was delighted with the opportunity.  Situated on the corner of Pearse Street and Grand Canal Harbour it is in a beautiful location overlooking the water, and we were blessed with some rare sunshine permitting us to eat al fresco.

A selection of some of the deliciousness on offer

Once we had chosen a pastry from the mouth-watering selection, I chose a cannoncini (I think), beautiful pastry filled with a sweet pastry cream, we sat an listened to owners Owen and Valentina.  At the time of opening the ‘coffee shop’ scene in Dublin was heavily saturated but Owen and Valentina felt that the baked goods on offer fell below standard.  Too many shortcuts were being taken to produce an end product that satisfied cost as opposed to quality.  With this in mind the decision was made to open Il Valentino and to concentrate on a high quality artisan product made with the finest ingredients and without chemical additives or preservatives.  All that was left to do was to hope that customers would appreciate this approach to food and return time and time again.  They did, and while there we witnessed a constant stream of people popping in for coffee, cakes and breads, most of whom Owen greeted by name.

My cannoncini and Hausbrandt coffee

Once we had finished our pastries we were brought downstairs to see the bakery and introduced to Morgan, head baker, and Raffaello, pastry chef.  Morgan and Owen talked to us about the ovens that they use, I can’t remember the names of them now what with my shocking bad memory, and the process they use to make the bread.  It’s fairly simple really, it’s all done by hand, just like back in the good old days.  The bread contains 4 ingredients, flour, yeast, salt and water.  That’s it, no names that I need a degree in science to pronounce.  It’s bread as bread is meant to be.  Each loaf proves for 72 hours to ensure the very best taste and texture.

That oven in the background is the one I can’t remember the name of

Raffaello decorating with some fresh berries, beautiful! 

We could smell the care and attention in the air, and I mean that literally, the smell of dough as we descended the stairs was enough to convince my stomach that it hadn’t just been fed a pastry.  Good job Morgan had some still warm fresh from the oven croissants and pain au chocolat to hand, I might have passed out with the hunger otherwise.  I don’t eat croissant very often, it’s not that I don’t like them, I actually quite love them.  The problem is they make me feel a bit sick and so I have to stay away.  It would have been rude to refuse one though so I had one, a pain au chocolat to be more precise, and it was heaven.  Each of the 32 layers (they’ve counted) of pastry was crisp and buttery, oh so very buttery and then the ooze of melted chocolate in the centre.  Oh my.  And it didn’t make me sick, not one bit.  There is a lot of talk these days of wheat intolerances, and also a high rate of coeliacs disease in Ireland.  For me personally I find that it is most probably the chemicals used in some baked goods that cause me ill effects, as I can eat bread that I bake at home without any nasty upsets.  And while those suffering from coeliacs disease should avoid the gluten in wheat at all costs, those with a milder intolerance may find bread baked with only the essential ingredients easier on the digestion.  Strip things back to the bare minimum and you not only produce a bread/pastry that tastes better but also one that is better for the body.

The laminator

Fresh croissant and pain au chocolat just asking to be scoffed

Pain au chocolat, the next bite revealed a puddle of melted chocolate

With the official tour over I ordered another coffee to sit outside and chat with the other Irish food bloggers.  Again a steady stream of customers flowed as we chatted and sipped and indulged in more treats.  We were in no hurry to leave and the staff were in no hurry to throw us out.  I also brought home some pastries for Mr.  LMUTB to try, and eh one for myself.  It is very refreshing to see a business willing to slow things down, and strip things back to offer customers the choice of a healthier product, one that I very much believe is made with love.  I for one could definitely taste a difference and I hope that if you take the time to visit Il Valentino to sample their artisan breads, pastries and cakes that you will too.

Thank you very much to Valentina and Owen for the tour of Il Valentino and also the beautiful pastries and coffee.  Thank you also to Clare for organising the trip.  

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Farmhouse Rolls on Like Mam Used to Bake

Posted on May 4, 2012 by rosanne

I have been on a bit of a mission of late, well I’ve been on a lot of missions, but the one that has occupied my brain the most over the past couple of weeks is the quest to bake a great white bread.  You know the type, perfect for dipping in some soup, or to enjoy warm from the oven as a little pre-starter.  The kind of bread that makes you want to eat the whole thing in one sitting just slathered in real butter.

I’ve tried many recipes in the past and have mostly been a bit underwhelmed.  A few weeks ago I was making a nice fish stew for dinner so yet again whipped up a recipe for a white loaf, meh, it was the same as the rest.  I gave up on recipes and decided just to read about bread making instead.  The problem with this is that there are many different techniques cited by many different people as being the best.  Between numerous recipe testing and days of reading I have come up with a recipe that I think is pretty good.

I left the dough to rise for a couple of hours and so it had a lovely flavour thanks to the yeast having time to develop.  I also had no table salt to hand and so added in some coarse sea salt, while the granules played a bit on an escape game while kneading they also added a wonderful saltiness to balance out the sweetness of the yeast.  I made the dough into small round bread rolls as I was making some of Donal Skehan’s pulled pork burgers(from his book Kitchen Hero) for dinner.  They were perfect for this, soft and light on the inside with a soft but slightly crisp crust.  YUM!!! I am going to experiment with the dough and cooking temps/times in the future so I will update with my findings with regards crust etc.  I hope you enjoy these rolls.

P.S.  I tried one fresh from the oven, insanely good.  I might love my chocolate cakes but I have a huge weakness for freshly baked bread and some great Irish butter, it really is one of life’s greatest pleasures, you should give it a try.

Farmhouse Rolls

(makes 6)

500g Plain Flour

2tsp Salt

300ml Warm Milk

7g Sachet Yeast

1tbsp Honey

1tbsp Oil, I used rapeseed

Additional oil for ummm well oiling

Additional flour for dusting

1.  Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt, give it a little mix with a wooden spoon. and then make a well in the centre for the liquid.

2.  Add the yeast to the warm milk, just make sure the milk is not too hot as this may inhibit the yeast activity, and give it a stir to dissolve the yeast.

3.  Pour the milk into the well in the flour and add the honey and oil.  Give it all a stir with a wooden spoon until it has come together.  Don’t worry if there are some stray dry bits, you can add them in as you knead.

4.  Pour a little oil into your hand, about a teaspoon should do it.  Rub the oil on your hands and then rub your hands onto a work surface to lightly oil it.  Tip the dough out onto the oiled work surface and knead it until smooth and elastic.  This should take about 10 minutes and a little bit of muscle power but it will be worth it, and think of those lovely toned arms.

5.  Pour about a tablespoon of oil into the bottom of the bowl, pop the dough in and turn it so that it has a light covering of oil all over.  This will just stop it from sticking to the sides of  the bowl while rising and make it easier to take out.  Cover the bowl with clingfilm or a clean tea towel and pop it in a warm, draught free spot for a couple of hours.

6.  Generously dust a baking sheet with flour.  After a couple of hours the dough should have at least doubled in size and smell absolutely divine.  I was very tempted to get stuck in there and then.  Tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead to knock the air out.  Now divide the mixture in half, and then divide each half into 3 equal pieces.  Gently knead each piece into a ball, place onto the floured baking sheet and just slightly flatten it down with your hand.  Leave at least an inch but preferably 2 between each dough ball as they still have to rise and they will also grow a little in the oven too.

7.  Loosely cover the dough balls with a lightly oiled piece of cling film and put them back into that nice warm, draught free spot for at least an hour.

8.  Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7.  Remove the cling film from the dough balls and slash the top of each one a couple of times with a very sharp knife.  Place them into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes until nicely risen and a deep golden brown in colour.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, if you can wait that long, before devouring.

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Rhubarb Curd on Like Mam Used to Bake

Posted on May 3, 2012 by rosanne

You might have noticed that I have been a bit quiet over the past couple of weeks.  I’m blaming the weather.  We’ve just entered the month of May and the last weeks of April were miserable.  Temperatures were more suited to December and the rain, well the rain fell in buckets.  Honest to God, even the ducks wouldn’t go outside.  So while my mind naturally wandered to summer recipes the view out of my window screamed winter, and so my poor brain became all conflustered and couldn’t think what to make next.

On Tuesday I was a little under the weather thanks to all of the damp air, and an asthma attack confined me to the sofa.  Snuggled under my blanket my mind was full of lovely ideas of things to make.  I had a hankering to make some lemon curd, but with a twist as I already have a recipe on the blog.  I pondered and pondered but couldn’t think of anything to do to make it all that different.  My mind then wandered to the rhubarb plant out the back that has been causing me sleepless nights, it won’t grow you see.  Then it came to me, I wondered if a rhubarb curd would work.  Only one way to find out I suppose.  So off I set to the supermarket yesterday morning before busying myself in the kitchen in the afternoon.

The result, while not the prettiest in colour, is a lovely sweet curd bursting with that delicious rhubarb flavour.  While I was making it I did a quick taste test and felt it was a little too sweet so I added the juice of half a lemon.  This was just enough to just take the edge off the sweetness without completely overpowering it.  We enjoyed it with some meringue and whipped cream last night and debated whether or not it was too sweet, in the end we decided it was lovely.  If you want though feel free to add the juice of a whole lemon if you want a more tart flavour.  I don’t think the jar will last long and I can see it topping scones, ice cream, being stirred through some natural yoghurt and I’m sure we will find other uses for it too.  I’ve also told dad that I have a jar with his name on it so he can’t wait to see me now.  Enjoy!

Rhubarb Curd

(Makes 3 x 1lb/350ml Jars)

Notes:

You will need 3 x 1lb/350ml sterilised jars.  To sterilise the jars wash in warm soapy water or run through the dishwasher on a hot cycle.  While they are wet place them in the oven at 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2 for at least 10 minutes.  Fill and seal the jars while both the jars and the mixture are still hot to create a vacuum.

To be sure that this recipe is gluten-free please check that the cornflour you use is marked ‘gluten-free’.

For the stewed rhubarb:

5 stalks Rhubarb

100g Caster Sugar

Juice of 1 Lemon

2tbsp Water

1tsp Ground Ginger

For the rhubarb curd:

4 Egg Yolks

225g Unsalted Butter

350g Caster Sugar

1tbsp (heaped) Cornflour

Juice of half a Lemon

1.  Trim the ends off the rhubarb stalks and discard.  Chop the stalks into 2cm pieces and place in a medium-sized saucepan.

2.  Add the sugar, lemon juice, water and ginger to the saucepan.  Bring the pot to the boil & then turn down to a low heat and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes.  You want the fruit to break down completely.  Strain the excess liquid, don’t discard it though as you can use it to make a lovely rhubarb lemonade, place the rhubarb in a bowl and mash until it is nice and smooth.  Don’t worry if there is the odd piece still intact so long as it is mostly smooth.

3.  Give the pot a quick wash or use a separate medium-sized saucepan.  Place the egg yolks in the saucepan and whisk with a balloon whisk.

4.  Add the rest of the ingredients, including the mashed rhubarb, and place over a medium heat.

5.  Use the balloon whisk to whisk continuously until the mixture thickens slightly, approximately 5 minutes.

6.  Turn the heat down to low and allow the mixture to simmer for a further minute while continuing to whisk.

7.  Remove from the heat and immediately pour into hot sterilised jars.

8.  Cover with waxed discs (you can buy these in baking supply stores but if you don’t have any use some parchment paper), seal while still hot and allow to cool before labelling.  Store in the fridge and consume within a couple of weeks once opened.  It won’t last that long though, we scoffed half of a rather large jar between the pair of us last night.  All in the name of research you understand.

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Stewed Rhubarb on Like Mam Used to Bake

Posted on April 17, 2012 by rosanne

I planted some rhubarb in our back garden two years ago.  Last year the yield from it was quite small but I had expected this.  This year I had high hopes though and had visions of me baking weekly rhubarb delights as it spat out stalks at an unprecedented rate.  It hasn’t quite happened like that.  I know it is still early in the season for outdoor rhubarb and the weather has been bitterly cold (as I type hail stones are lashing down from the heavens) for so late in the year so I am hoping things will improve over the next few weeks.  I got fed up waiting for the 3 stalks currently growing to reach a decent size and on Sunday I bought some from the supermarket instead.  I just couldn’t wait any longer to make something nice and Mr. LMUTB has been requesting stewed rhubarb as soon as I pillage our little plant out the back.

Growing up we had a tiny back yard, with an even tinier plot of soil.  Nothing much grew there other than a yellow rose-bush, ivy, potatoes and rhubarb.  In rhubarb season there seemed to constantly be a pot of stewed rhubarb on the hob.  Dad would eat big bowl full of it, absolutely smothered in thick, creamy custard.  My preference now.  I didn’t eat rhubarb back then, when it was plucked straight from our very own back yard and cooked up instantly in a little pot on the hob.  I waited until recent years to try it and really am sorry that I wasted so many rhubarb eating years.  I can’t wait to cook up the first of this years haul from the back garden, but for now I will have to settle for shop bought to satisfy my craving.

Stewed Rhubarb

Apologies, but I forgot to weigh the finished product, but I reckon it yields enough to make dessert for 4 people.

5 Stalks of Rhubarb

100g Caster Sugar

Juice of 1 Lemon

2tbsp Water

1tsp Ground Ginger

1.  Trim the ends off the rhubarb stalks and discard.  Chop the stalks into 2cm pieces and place in a medium-sized saucepan.

2.  Add the sugar, lemon juice, water and ginger to the saucepan.  The lemon and ginger add a nice zing to the stewed rhubarb, helping it to hold onto its tart flavour, but if you prefer yours sweet you can simply leave these out and just use the sugar and water.  Bring the pot to the boil & then turn down to a low heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.  The fruit should be soft and break up easily when you stir it with a spoon.  Give it a nice vigorous stir to break it all down until it is a consistency you are happy with.

3.  Serve the rhubarb warm or cold with custard, cream, ice cream or even some natural yoghurt.

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Kenwood Kitchen App on Like Mam Used to Bake

Posted on April 16, 2012 by rosanne

An email dropped into my inbox on Friday to tell me that Kenwood have launched an app, Kenwood Kitchen, for iPhone and iPad users in Ireland.  Being a curious soul I downloaded it to see what it’s all about.  It’s quite a nifty little app with over 80 recipes.  Features include a recipe book, product range, picture gallery, my favourites and video gallery.  Recipes are broken down into categories including soups and starters, vegetarian dishes, main courses, desserts, breads and tarts, and drinks.  You can also create shopping lists, and my favourite function is if you choose a machine from the product range it brings up a list of recipes that you can make with it.  The app is free and available to download now, just search ‘Kenwood’ in the app store, so I though it might be of interest to you.

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Farok’s Simnel Cake on Like Mam Used to Bake

Posted on April 5, 2012 by rosanne

Mr. LMUTB and I honeymooned in New York, and then sailed off around the Caribbean on a big cruise ship for a few days.  It was on board the ship that we were lucky enough to meet Pam and Farok.  We were at the same table for dinner in the formal dining room each night and happily chatted about our day or our lives in Ireland, us, and America, them.  Pam and I exchanged addresses so as to keep in contact following the trip, and we did, for a while.  I then get a bit distracted with other things and my correspondence became, well, delayed would be an understatement.  I was delighted a little while back to find a message from Pam in my Facebook account.  Since then we have become reacquainted on Twitter and it is lovely to tweet with her weekly.

A couple of weeks ago Farok popped up on the scene with tweets of a mystical cake he had enjoyed some time ago.  He didn’t have a name for it but remembers multiple layers of marzipan and lots of dried fruit in a dark and dense cake.  I was a bit stumped and the only thing that I could think of was a Simnel cake.  He wasn’t sure if this was it but was adamant that it contained multiple layers of marzipan so I told him I would come up with a recipe and if he is lucky Pam might just bake it for him.

I already had plans to bake a Simnel cake for the blog so adapted it slightly to suit Farok’s wishes.  I have roughly based this recipe on my Christmas cake one.  Instead of the traditional layer of marzipan baked into the centre of a Simnel cake I have baked 3 layers inside, and then topped it with a single layer as you would normally.  I was very curious to see if the marzipan layers would still be visible once it had baked.  When I removed it from the tin one of the layers had oozed slightly out of the side of the cake, it was delicious and gooey and sticky, almost toffee like in texture.  When I tried a slice the marzipan had settled in little pockets, moist and sweet and dense, in amongst the fruit.  The cake sliced rather eh rustically shall we say as it is very moist, perfect with some custard or cream and a nice big spoon.

It also looks very impressive and would make a beautiful dessert to present to the table on Easter Sunday, tall and dark, topped with a beautiful golden round of marzipan, stunningly festive.  Don’t forget to decorate it with 11 marzipan balls too, 1 for each of the apostles.  We leave Judas out of this one, what with him being a big dirty traitor and all of that.  You can finish it off with one larger marzipan ball in the centre if you like, to represent the good lord Jesus himself.  And sure if that doesn’t float your boat why not decorate it marzipan shapes to your liking, flowers, lamb, bunnies, eggs, the choice is yours.

Just a few notes before we get stuck in to the recipe:

Weigh your bowl before you add anything to it and jot the number down.  I’m not crazy, you’ll understand why when we get to it.  Use the largest bowl that you have.

This cake is easy to make in terms of technique, it’s just a bit of mixing and rolling, but it is a big mixture and it has a few ingredients so give yourself about an hour for the prep before it gets to the oven.

Be organised.  Have your tin lined and ready, and all of your ingredients weighed and prepped before you start mixing.

In the ingredients list I say ‘dried fruit’, I used sultanas and raisins but feel free to add currants, dried cranberries, some chopped up dried apricots to the mix.  So long as all of your dried fruit together weighs 900g you can use whatever you like.

This cake is a little bit boozey so might not be to the tastes of smaller people.

You will need:

1 x 10″/25cm round cake tin

1 x Baking sheet

Brown Paper/Newspaper

String

Farok’s Simnel Cake

900g Dried Fruit

300ml Strong Warm Tea

100ml Whiskey/Brandy

350g Unsalted Butter, very soft and cubed

6 Large Eggs

4tbsp Black Treacle

350g Dark Brown Sugar

425g Plain flour

1tsp Ground Cinnamon

1tsp Mixed Spice

100g Stem Ginger in Syrup, finely chopped

Zest of 2 Lemons

1250g-1500g Marzipan, I had a little left over from 1500g but I would say buy or make this amount to be sure that you have enough.

Some flour & icing sugar to dust

2tbsp Apricot Jam

1.  Weigh your bowl.  Place the dried fruit in the bowl and pour over the warm tea, followed by the whiskey/brandy.  Give it all a good stir to make sure all of the fruit has some nice boozey liquid on it.  Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave the fruit to soak for at least one hour, but ideally 24hrs or 48hrs.  Stir the contents every now and then so that the fruit soaks up the liquid evenly.

2.  Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2.  Line the base and sides of the baking tin with a double layer of parchment paper.  Cut a strip of brown paper long enough to wrap around the outside of the tin.  Fold this in half lengthways twice so that you have a strip that is four layers of paper, I hope that makes sense.  finally cut a circle of parchment or brown paper the same size as the tin to use as a template for cutting the layers of marzipan.

3.  Add the butter, eggs, treacle and sugar to the fruit mixture and give it a really good stir.  Don’t worry if it looks a little bit lumpy as the lumps will work themselves out once you add the dry ingredients.  This is a very big mixture so I just find it easier to add and mix the ingredients in 2 stages.

4.  Sift the flour and spice into the wet mix and add the ginger and lemon zest.  Now it’s time to really flex your muscles.  You will need to stir this for 3-5 minutes to get it nice and smooth.  Just when you think it’s perfect scoop the spoon right down to the bottom of the bowl and I’ll bet you’ll find some liquid lurking down there, so give it another good stir to incorporate all of that.

5.  Weigh your bowl again, this time with all of the contents in it.  Subtract the weight of the empty bowl from the weight of the full bowl, and divide the answer by 4.  This is the weight of mixture that you want to add to the tin for each layer of cake.  For me each layer worked out at approximately 722g.

6.  Add a quarter of the mixture, whatever weight you calculated that to be, to the bowl and smooth it out.  On a work surface dusted with flour roll out 250g of marzipan to a thickness of about 5mm, cut it into a circle using the paper template that you made earlier, and place this on top of the cake mixture.  Follow this with a quarter of the cake mixture, 250g of marzipan rolled out, a quarter of the cake mixture, 250g of marzipan rolled out and finally the last of the cake mixture.  It might come very close to the top of your cake tin, but don’t worry, it won’t rise (much) when baking so it’s fine.  Wrap any leftover marzipan in clingfilm to stop it from drying out, you will need it to decorate the cake.

7.  Place the cake tin onto a baking sheet, wrap the brown paper around it and secure it in place with some string.  The baking tray will make it easier to lift in and out of the oven all wrapped up.  Place it into the preheated oven, on the bottom rack, and bake for at least 3.5 hours.  Check on it after 90 minutes and pop a circle of brown paper with a hole cut out of the middle on top of it to stop the top from browning too much.  To check that the cake is done insert a clean skewer into the centre, if it comes out clean but just smeared with some marzipan it is done.  If there is still some brown cake mixture coming out on the skewer return it to the oven and check on it at regular intervals.  Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely in the tin.  This will take a few hours.

8.  Once the cake has cooled completely remove it from the tin and carefully peel away the parchment paper.  Pop an upturned plate on top of the cake and then flip the whole thing over.  Remove the parchment paper from the base of the cake, the bottom will now be the top as it is a nice smooth surface to work on.  On a surface dusted with icing sugar roll out 500g of marzipan to a thickness of 10mm.  Using the paper template that you made cut it into a circle for the top of the cake.  Warm the apricot jam a little and spread a thin even layer on top of the cake.  Place the marzipan disc on top and gently pat down to secure.  If you like you can crimp the edges for a scalloped look.  With the remnants of marzipan make 11 balls to decorate the top of the cake.  Make a 12th slightly bigger ball to sit in the centre.  Place the whole cake under the grill for a couple of minutes to brown the top.  Keep a very close eye on it as you don’t want it to burn.  Once you see the tops of the marzipan balls starting to wrinkle it’s almost done, allow it to brown just a little before removing it.

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Chocolate Nest Cupcakes on Like Mam Used to Bake

Posted on March 31, 2012 by rosanne

I didn’t realise that Easter was quite so close until yesterday so I decided it was about time I got my Easter bake on.  I had an awful longing on me yesterday for something naughty and chocolatey and it seems like an age since I baked any cupcakes so chocolate cupcakes it was.  In keeping with the Easter theme I decided to decorate them with some birds nests and mini eggs.  Really simple and very effective I think.

A few weeks ago I bought some cupcakes from Clodagh McKenna’s cupcake pop up shop in Arnott’s.  I bought a chocolate one for me, natch, and a red velvet one for Mr. LMUTB.  Both were beautiful but the chocolate one really was amazing, I think it is the best cupcake I have ever bought, and I’ve bought a lot.  The cupcake was huge, with a deliciously dense base and topped with a mountain of rich chocolatey buttercream.  I really wanted to bake something similar at home so when I tasted my chocolate loaf a couple of weeks ago I knew it would be the perfect mix to produce similar cupcakes to Clodagh’s.

I was really pleased with the results of the cupcakes.  If I were to bake them just for adults in the future I might add a smidge more cocoa powder to make them extra rich but they are perfect for kids and adults as an easter treat.  I have decorated them with an Easter theme but feel free to decorated them as you wish to suit other occasions or simply smooth on some Nutella or chocolate buttercream for an any old day treat.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Nest Cupcakes

Makes 12

3 Large Eggs

175g Dark Brown Sugar

175ml Rapeseed Oil

1tsp Vanilla Extract

150g Plain Flour

25g Cornflour

50g Cocoa Powder

1tsp Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

50ml Buttermilk or regular Milk

1.  Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3.  Line a 12 hole cupcake/muffin tin with paper cupcake cases.  Now the reason I have said cupcake cases there is because is such a huge array of paper cases out there and they all come in different sizes.  Muffin cases are that little bit too big and bun cases are just a little bit too small so if you can get cupcake ones they are perfect.  I can’t give you a specific size because even within those 3 main categories they all seem to vary ever so slightly.

2.  Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl and add the brown sugar.  Using a hand-held electric whisk/standalone electric mixer beat them for around about 5 minutes until the colour is paler and they have grown in size.

3.  Add in the oil and the vanilla extract and beat for a further minute or so until the mixture has thickened up slightly.

4.  Sieve in the flour, cornflour, cocoa powder and baking powder.  Add a pinch of salt and fold the lot through gently, so as not to knock out all of the lovely air you have added.

5.  Finally add in the buttermilk or milk and again gently fold this through.

6.  Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases, approximately 2 tbsp’s per case, place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.  A clean skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes should come out clean when they are done.  Remove from the oven and leave in the tin to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, before removing them from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the buttercream:

500g Icing Sugar

180g Unsalted butter, softened and cubed

4tbsp Milk

1tsp Vanilla Extract

4tbsp Cocoa Powder

Green Food Colouring

Mini Chocolate Eggs to decorate

1.  Put the icing sugar in a large bowl and add the butter and beat together using a hand-held electric mixer/standalone mixer.  I highly recommend covering the bowl and top of the mixer with a tea towel if it doesn’t have a shield as the icing sugar will go everywhere for the first couple of minutes.  Once the mixture has come together and is smooth add in the milk and vanilla and then beat it for at least 5 minutes.  It is very important to beat it for a good few minutes to give a nice light buttercream.

2.  Remove half of the mixture and place in a separate bowl.  To one half of the mixture add the cocoa powder and gently mix through.  To the other half add the green food colouring drop by drop and gently mix through until you have a colour you are happy with.  The type of colouring you use will determine how much you need, I used gel colourant and needed 3 drops.

3.  Insert the nozzle of your choice into a piping bag.  I used a very wide star-shaped one.  Fill the bag with the chocolate buttercream.  Starting at the centre of each cupcake pipe a spiral shape.  Leave a gap of at least 1cm around the edge.  Now pipe one circle on top of the edge of the spiral to form the sides of the nest, leaving a hollow in the centre for the eggs to sit.  Repeat until all 12 cupcakes are done.  And don’t worry if they aren’t perfect, they look more nest-like if they are a bit wonky.

4.  Insert the nozzle of your choice into a piping bag.  I thought I had a nozzle for grass but I didn’t so instead I used a flower shaped nozzle.  Pipe grass/flowers around the edge of the nest.

5.  Pop 2 or 3 mini eggs into each nest and press them down slightly to secure them.

6.  Alternatively, if you do not have any piping nozzles you could just make all of the icing chocolate buttercream, spoon it onto each cupcake and create a little hollow in each for the eggs to sit.

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Pavlova on Like Mam Used to Bake

Posted on March 28, 2012 by rosanne

I know that I have posted this recipe before, but I have made Pavlova A LOT lately and so I thought that I would post it again.  Also, I thought I might explain it as some people have asked what it is.  Pavlova is quite simply a meringue covered in a layer of whipped cream, topped with strawberries or other berries.  The meringue is usually baked in a circle and can be a large one to share, or individual portions.  The dessert was created in a hotel in New Zealand, the hotel name is not known, for the famous Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova.  It’s appearance represents a ballerina’s tutu and so it was named in her honour.  So there you go, that’s a Pavlova.

Aside from Christmas cakes and puddings, Pavlova is the thing that I remember being baked most often as I was growing up.  It was always baked on a rectangular tray, because that’s what mam had, and it was always perfect.  Mam would bake one most years in August for my sister’s birthday.  This was a great time for it as Irish strawberries were at their best.  But it wasn’t saved for special occasions.  I would often walk into the kitchen to find one cooling on the counter top, just because mam had bought some nice strawberries and they would be lovely on a Pavlova.  I don’t remember ever seeing her making one.  They just appeared as if by magic and out of thin air.  She would have one whipped up and in the oven in a jiffy.  For this reason it never seemed like a big deal to make, until I started to make them.  Friends would remark that they had given up on them as they just never turned out.  I couldn’t quite understand it but they explained that they never seemed to manage to cook them right through.  Recipes vary greatly in cooking instructions for meringue and Pavlova.  I follow my mam’s recipe, I have adjusted it slightly to include an extra egg white, and bake it in the oven for half an hour and then turn the oven off and leave the meringue in the residual heat for a further half an hour and have never had any trouble.  I hope this helps, enjoy!

Pavlova

serves 8

5 Large Egg Whites

200g Caster Sugar

2tsp Cornflour

1tsp Distilled Malt Vinegar

1tsp Vanilla Extract

Whipped cream, to serve

300g Strawberries, hulled and quartered, or berries of your choice

1.  Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Place the egg whites in a large bowl and beat with a hand-held electric whisk/standalone electric mixer until soft peaks form.  If you lift the egg whites with a spoon a small peak will form and hold its shape for a few seconds.

3.  Add the caster sugar in 3 stages, continue to whisk as you do so, until stiff glossy peaks form.  If you lift the egg whites with a spoon peaks will form and hold their shape.

4.  Add the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla extract and whisk for a further minute or two until the mixture is thick and glossy.

5.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and gently shape it into a circle.  It will hold it’s shape so don’t worry about it running off the tray.

6.  Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes turn off the heat but leave the meringue in the oven for a further 30 minutes, or over night if you want to make it in advance.  To check if it is done simply lift the bottom of it away from the parchment paper, if it is white the whole way through it is cooked.

7.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking tray.  Once it is cool spread the whipped cream over the top, followed by the strawberries.  You can finish it with a dusting of icing sugar before serving if you wish.

 

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Jacob’s Creek ‘Wine & Dine Experience’ Roadshow on Like Mam Used to Bake

Posted on March 22, 2012 by rosanne

Like a glass of vino with your dinner?  Sure why not.  Jacob’s Creek have a nice treat for 50 lucky people in Dublin, Cork, Galway & Waterford so.  Following the success of last years event in the Crypt Christchurch they have decided to take the ‘Wine and Dine’ experience on the road, so that people from all over the country can take part.

This March and April, award winning Australian wine brand, Jacob’s Creek is encouraging food and wine enthusiasts across Ireland to ‘See Beyond The Label’. The brand is inviting guests to let their senses run wild to explore the true character of wine and food at a special free ‘Wine & Dine Experience’.

Using only their senses as a guide, guests will be taken on a virtual whistle stop tour through the Jacob’s Creek winery by top wine expert TV3’s David Whelehan, who will use the quality portfolio of Jacob’s Creek wines to reveal classic tips like how to understand a wine label and how to identify different grape varieties and wine styles. Throughout the evening, David will conduct blindfolded wine tastings to help guests develop their sense of smell and recognise the aromas of different wines. An award winning chef in each county will create a three course dinner menu using the Jacob’s Creek wine range for inspiration. Food on the night is guaranteed to tickle the taste buds and further tantalise the senses.

The Jacob’s Creek ‘Wine & Dine Experience’ will take place over the following dates: Dublin 27th March, Cork 4th April, Galway 19th April and Waterford 26th April. To request a reservation at these special culinary events, logon to facebook.com/jacobscreekireland and enter your details on the ‘The Wine and Dine Experience’ tab or email jacobscreek@idl.ie with Jacob’s Creek ‘Wine & Dine Experience’ in the subject line, your name, date of birth (as drinks will be served), and contact details for you and a guest. Also please include which county event you would like to attend. Places are limited and guests will be chosen at random.


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