Apple and Flaxseed Cake

Back at last to a lovely, loaf cake recipe for this month's blog with refreshing apple and milled flaxseed added to the batter. The apple makes a wonderfully moist and not over sweet cake with a hint of cinnamon. Again, a very simple recipe, based on a tea loaf  with slightly more flour to fat ratio to soak up the apple juices. Adding the nutty tasting flaxseed on top it ; could almost be healthy... in moderation!

I love this flaxseed topping and use it in a variety of bakes but my favourite is the apple cake so far and, on my porridge with a teaspoon of honey in the morning. Flaxseed, also known as Linseed, is one of nature’s richest sources of the essential fatty acid Omega 3 (ALA). It's good to have a healthy ingredient and I really like the slightly nutty taste it imparts to the cake.

The recipe  uses two medium Bramley apples which melt into the batter, giving the cake a juicy apple centre. The apple pieces are quite large to stop them breaking down too fast ; about  2cm by 1cm. If you use eating apples, such as Granny Smith's, make them 1cm cubes but you will need to add 2-3 tbsp of milk to the batter to adjust for lost juice. You can adjust the cinnamon to taste if you prefer a more distinct cinnamon flavour.

This recipe bakes two loaf style cake.

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Ingredients:

250g   Butter

250g   Demerara sugar 

       3  Large eggs

280g   Self raising flour

2 Medium Bramley Apples

1 tbsp Flaxseed for the batter
1 tsp   Cinnamon

Topping
1 tbsp Flaxseed mixed with
1 tbsp Demarara sugar 

Method:

Preheat oven 160c/140c Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3.

2lb Loaf Tin - lined x 2

Cream the sugar and butter together until light, slightly more trying with the larger demerara sugar crystals but just as important to give it a good beating!  Stir in the eggs one at a time. Mix in half the flour, cinnamon and the flaxseed.  Fold in the rest of the flour. Batter should a little stiffer than usual and not fall easily off the spoon - adjust with slightly more yoghurt or milk as needed if using eating apples.

Place a layer of the batter in the tin and start to add 1/4 of the apples ; evenly spaced out. Gently stir the rest of the apples in the batter and put in tin. 

Bake in the centre of the oven until risen and a skewer comes cleanly out. Check after 30 minutes and depending on the type of tin you have chosen lower the oven temperature to 120c if it looks like it is browning too quickly on top. 

Place skewer or cocktail stick through cake and check. This is much more difficult when using larger pieces of fruit in a cake which may get stuck on the skewer and obscure the cooked cake particles. However, retest in a different part of the cake near the centre and make sure cake springs back when touched. Brush the top lightly with boiled water and sprinkle on the flaxseed and sugar topping. Leave cake in tin to cool for 15 mins minimum.

Wrap cake in foil/film to maintain moistness. Wonderful for tea time or any time !

Tangy Cherry and Lemon Cake

Back to a lovely, large cake recipe for this month's blog with a tangy cherry and lemon cake made with yoghurt. This is a wonderfully moist and not oversweet classic for cherry lovers, doused with a lemon drizzle. Using less eggs than an standard Victoria or pound cake recipe and with more yoghurt to add to the tangy flavours. Wonderful for an afternoon tea and the secret to it's success; don't be mean with the cherries!

And when I say mean, I mean 'mean' ....! I had severely underestimated the amount I needed to purchase in a previous cake. I favour 'placing the cherries in the batter' as opposed to mixing them in which is meant to guarantee you getting a bite of the cherry; it was disappointing and you were lucky to get one in a slice. 

So this for friends who love cherries, especially the glacé kind and want a lot please and have been know to pick through fruit cake to hunt them out. I shall not be naming names but you know who you are and I'm glad  you enjoyed this one.

This recipe bakes two loaf style cakes or one large bundt/ring cake.

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Ingredients:

250g   Butter

250g   Caster sugar 

2 Large eggs

180-200g  Plain yoghurt*

260g   Self raising flour

2 large lemons

1 tbsp caster sugar for the lemon drizzle

300 g glacé cherries** (about 1 and half large containers)

*I have used Yeo Valley Yogurt which has a reasonable thick consistency but other yogurts I have used are thinner so you may need to adjust by a few spoonfuls accordingly.

**Glacé cherries- I have tried to be generous with the cherries here and I would encourage you do to the same but again it is personal preference so please adjust if you would prefer.

Method:

Preheat oven 160c/140c Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3.

Cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.  Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Fold in half the flour . Gently stir in the yoghurt and zest of the two lemons. Fold in the rest of the flour. Batter should not be too runny but fall gently off the spoon - adjust with slightly more yoghurt or milk as needed.

Place a layer of the batter in the tin and start to add the cherries; evenly spaced out and repeat this with another layer of batter and more cherries. The batter will rise up over the last layer of cherries so don't worry about pushing them too far in.

Still not enough cherries , imagine a slice and see how many cherries you would get in it !

Bake in the centre of the oven until risen and a skewer comes cleanly out. Check after 20 minutes and depending on the type of tin you have chosen lower the oven temperature to 120c if it looks like it is browning too quickly on top. Check with a skewer again if necessary in the centre and leave to cool in tin for 15 mins. 

Make drizzle topping by juicing the 2 lemons- put juice in microwave with a tbsp of caster sugar and heat for a minute. Stir and heat for another minute. Cool slightly . Prick tip of cakes lightly with a fork and brush drizzle generously over cake. Wrap cake in foil/film to maintain moistness.

Walnut, Plum and Maple Cake

Autumn is well and truly here now and what better to feel warm and cosy than with some warm drinks and an Autumny Walnut, Plum and Maple Cake. Crunchy walnuts in a delicately flavoured  maple and cinnamon sponge with a good tart plum jam in the layers, wakes up the taste buds. All topped with maple flavoured buttercream, walnuts and fondant maple leaves. Maybe a little golden glow from the shimmer spray again !

The maple frosting sweetness is held in check by using yoghurt or cream cheese to balance the sweetness. For a change I made this in a ring mould or you could use a bundt tin. However, I forgot the pleasure of trying to slice through walnuts so you may prefer to do it in two or three separate sandwich tins. 

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Ingredients

250g   Butter

250g   Golden Caster sugar 

4 Large eggs

270g   Self raising flour

125g  Walnut pieces

2 tbsp Maple Syrup 

2 tbsp Milk

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 Jar Plum Conserve

500g Icing sugar
250g Butter 

3 tbsp Maple Syrup
1 tbsp Milk  

1 tbsp yogurt or cream cheese

Decorations as desired eg walnuts  & fondant maple leaves

Method:

Preheat oven 160c/140c Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3.

Grease a ring mould or use two sandwich tins and line bottom with baking paper. Quantities are for a deep ring mould 22 cm or  two 18cm cake tins.

Cream the sugar and butter together. Beat in the syrup. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour and cinnamon. Add milk  to improve consistency.

Place in the centre of the oven. Check after 20 minutes. Cook until risen and a skewer comes cleanly out. Allow to cool.

Chill cake before cutting out  to reduce crumbing.
For cake using the ring mould; the cake was cut into three layers. Cover the two layers with the plum jam, reassemble and chill cake again.

Simple butter cream – whisk butter, and icing sugar and maple together. Add  milk and yoghurt  or cream cheese until smooth enough to be spreadable. Spread on a crumb coat , chill and then spread final layer of buttercream. Decorate as desired. Leave for the buttercream to firm slightly before cutting. Cut into large slices !!

Sunset Layer Cake, So Long Foodbuzz and Awards

Sunset Layer Cake - layers of strawberry, orange and lemon sandwiched together with tart orange curd and strawberry conserve all enveloped in a white cloud of meringue frosting. It's dedicated to the team at Foodbuzz ; herding in worldwide foodbloggers for fun and feasting......... you did didn't you?

 But now no more, they are reforming as DailyBuzz Food.  

It will be just as good, maybe better but some of us have only just got the hang of the old site ><  Well, it's for the best and there's no digger of progress to lay down in front of, more a scramble to follow some of my fellow food buddies via twitter, rss feeds and fb instead. Thank you to those who have found me already! We weren't really that lazy, it's just Foodbuzz used to have all our posts laid out so neatly for everyone to find and comment on. Like your Ma laying your school clothes out ready in the morning but now we've got to be all grown up and do it ourselves.  Mini sulk. We got awards too and got to make friends and feel good. So long and thank you; Rufus, Beth, Eva, Ben and team Foodbuzz. 

So here's your cake which is light and fruity and tangy and sweet and you get to make 2. Yes 2, one for now and one for the freezer, friend or frosting challenge.  If you didn't like my frosting idea you can cover it in simple buttercream or even simpler just put cream on the top. Now for the important actual cake bit:

The secret in this cake is that each layer really has it's own enhanced individual flavour not simply a colour. The orange layer has been enhanced with orange oil as well as juice and zest. I didn't bother with the lemon oil but will use it next time in the lemon layer too, it was definitely outclassed by the orange layer. The strawberry layer was my favourite made with real fruit purée and two spoonfuls of caramel syrup. You can experiment with your own flavours; banana would also work on the yellow layer and mango on the orange. I have used a traditional pound/victoria cake as a base recipe as it freezes and keeps really well. Please use your favourite recipe if you feel inspired and let me know if you've tried lemon/orange oil or the bakery emulsions.

BUT before the recipe I must say  a belated THANKYOU for my blog awards from the following bloggers. 

Emma from http://food-fork-and-good.blogspot.co.uk/

Shari from http://www.thesaucygourmet.net/

Caity from http://www.awkwardkitchenette.com/

Plus a quick confession about the first time I received one of these, a couple of years ago, I didn't know how to play and I may have said, in an Austin Power's voice; ' It's not my bag, Baby'. I don't remember what I did with them but now I what to do and so, 'It is my bag Baby, honestly, pick me, pick me......

And thank you Ashima for picking me for the above; http://myweekendkitchen.wordpress.com/

Was I afraid of the random 7 things about myself that I have to tell the world and will my identity be irrevocably stolen ?  No, apparently not, I do not have to spill the beans and tell you 7 random things that will shock and astound you  or something like that...Well I can't put people off their cake so for now, 7 random loves :

1. I love to daydream far too much ; I dream of food, dance and travel.
2. I have loved to cook since I was a child but at school I was forced to drop the subject in favour of...........Latin, ergo sum ><
3. I love to dance traditional Argentine Tango. Do you know you can dream while your dancing tango in close embrace in someone’s arms? Mmmmmm!
4. I love naughty jokes, I want to be cool and sophisticated but I was bought up on Carry On Films, Monty Python and worse.
5. I love to dress up and still have a dressing up box ;-) Give me a themed party and I’ll be there!
6. I love the history of food and have cooked Roman recipes and onwards. Although I really favour the history of sweets and candy as meat history is a bit grisly, literally!
7. I love 'meeting' people from other countries on the internet so I can do more of no.1, know about your culture from your viewpoint and meet real people I never knew about before, like you ;-) Happy Blogging !

Now the rules say I have to nominate 15 other bloggers to receive the awards but I'm going to do this in a separate post because of I have cunning plan......meanwhile a cake;

Text Only Printable Recipe

Ingredients :

The following ingredients make two Sunset Cakes. Also due to the added fruit puree you will have left over batter if you weigh your cake batter to keep each cake even. These were made in 7 inch (18 cm) cake tins and I put any remaining batter in a few muffin cases.

Preheat oven 160c/140c Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3.

Strawberry Cake Base:

250g   Butter

250g   Caster sugar

4 Large eggs

260g   Self raising flour

200g  Fresh Strawberries Pureed

2 tbsp Caramel Syrup

(Red colouring if desired)

Orange Cake Base:

250g   Butter

250g   Caster sugar

4 Large eggs

2 tbsp milk

260g   Self raising flour

2 tbsp Orange juice

Zest of two Oranges

A few drops of Orange Oil

(Orange colouring if desired)

Lemon Cake Base:

250g   Butter

250g   Caster sugar

4 Large eggs

2 tbsp milk

260g   Self raising flour

2 tbsp Lemon juice

Zest of two Lemons

A few drops of  Lemon Oil

(Yellow colouring if desired)

Curds and Jelly/Conserve to sandwich layers together

2 tbsp for each cake layer x2

Suggested;

4 tbsp Orange Curd,

2 tbsp Seedless Strawberry Jam mixed with 2 tbsp Raspberry Jelly/conserve

Meringue Frosting:

2 Egg whites

15oz (425g) caster or granulated sugar

3 ½ fl oz (100ml) water

2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Makes 2 cakes at a time.

Grease two tins and line bottom with baking paper. Do this for each cake flavour.

Cream the sugar and butter together.  Whisk in the eggs one at a time, add milk if recipe states. Fold in the flour.  Flavour and colour each cake according to type. Divide into two. You can weigh each one to make sure you have the same weight of mixture in both, for two even bakes.

Note: Strawberries vary with the amount of liquid they produce for a puree. If you feel your batter is too runny then put in an extra 10 to 20 g of flour or reduce the amount of puree in the mix. The fruit makes a slightly denser texture to the batter compared to the layers just made with flavouring but I didn’t feel that it detracted from the overall effect.

Place in the centre of the oven. Check after 20 minutes. Cook until risen and a skewer comes cleanly out. Allow to cool.

Layer the cakes with your choice of curds and jelly/conserves.

Cover and freeze one of your cakes at this point.

To decorate your first cake place it on your serving plate/ stand..

Place sugar and water in a heavy based saucepan and allow water to start to dissolve the sugar. In another bowl whisk both egg whites until stiff. Heat the sugar and water syrup until 240°, or to the soft-ball stage. Pour the syrup slowly into the egg whites whisking all the time. The mixture will start to thicken like a thick glossy meringue. If the mixture doesn’t thicken, continue to whisk over a bowl of boiling water. Whisk in the lemon juice and spread over the cake. Leave the icing to dry for a couple of hours, ideally overnight.

Your hidden layers would be ? What would you reveal? 

Butterscotch, Caramel and Chocolate Checkerboard Cake

My love affair with checkerboard cakes continues and I got the pleasure of making this one again last week. Three of my favourite flavours; butterscotch in the golden layer, caramel in the light brown layer and the chocolate in the chocolate brown layer.

The cake rings are joined with a delicious butter caramel sauce and all wrapped in a whipped butterscotch buttercream. Let me just repeat my favourite bit there; whipped butterscotch buttercream !

Also, just to show that you don't need any special equipment to make this fun cake. Directions for this are below or you can go to the Knickerboker Glory Cake - Checkerboard Style for Strawberry, Chocolate and Vanilla version made in June last year. 

Magical Fairy Dust in the Kitchen? or Overuse of Gold Shimmer Spray!

Word of warning on the gold shimmer spray, I got a bit carried away and sprayed it from a distance onto the cake and the particles hung in the air for some time before hitting the floor. ( Yes I have used it before.... ) Whether it was due to the warmth that the shimmer suspended in the air for some time, I'm not sure but I took a quick picture.

However, it was only later in the evening as we got ready with the reflection of the artificial light, I realised that we were all sparkling on our hair and clothes! I'm not sure that it was a good idea to breathe that in either. The cake on the other hand has only a very slight coating of gold....

Text Only Printable Recipe

Ingredients :

Butterscotch and Caramel Cakes :

225g   Butter

225g   Soft brown sugar

1 tbsp golden/corn syrup

4 Large eggs

225g   Self raising flour

2 tbsp Milk

2 tbsp Caramel Syrup for one half

2 tsp Butterscotch flavouring for the other half

Chocolate Cake :

110g  Butter

110g  Caster sugar

1 tbsp golden/corn syrup

2 Eggs

55g Self raising flour

55g  Cocoa powder (light cocoa such as Cadburys)

1 tbsp Milk

6-8 tbsp Caramel Sauce for joining cake rings

Butterscotch Buttercream for inside and outside decoration:

440g Icing sugar

110g Butter

3+ tbsp Milk

A few drops of butterscotch essence to taste

Method:

Preheat oven 160c/140c Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3.

Grease three tins and line bottom with baking paper. Quantities are for three 7 inch /18cm cake tins.

Cream the sugar and butter together. Beat in the syrup. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour.  Divide into two. You can weigh each one to make sure you have the same weight of mixture in both, for two even bakes.

Add butterscotch and 1 tbsp milk to one and add the caramel syrup and 1 tbsp milk to the other.

Make up the chocolate cake batter using the same method but  fold in the flour and cocoa. Add milk to soften batter.

Place in the centre of the oven. Check after 20 minutes. Cook until risen and a skewer comes cleanly out. Allow to cool.

Chill cakes before cutting out circles to reduce crumbing. You can use a special tin or simply use a glass for the centre circles, score with a knife and then cut out. For the outer circle use a saucer  or small bowl to draw around and cut out. Do the same for all three.

Put the colour circles into three different colour sets before you begin to assemble. In the past I have got the wrong combo and not got 3 different colours in each layer and it is very, very messy to take apart.

Put circles onto a wire rack.

Warm the caramel sauce lightly and brush or spoon onto the cut surfaces. Compared to using jam or jelly this was quite a sticky operation. 

Insert circles back into cakes making three layers. If you don't have much room in the fridge use grease proof paper between finished layers before stacking on top of each other to stop them sticky together.

  Chill for 10  minutes.

Make simple butter cream – whisk butter, and icing sugar and flavouring together. Add tbsp of the milk at a time until smooth enough to spreadable.  Spread the icing on top of the first and second layers and place the final layer on top. Spread on a crumb coat of icing. Return to fridge and chill until firm. Finish with final layer of buttercream. The cake was finished with a gold shimmer spray and some gold stars. Leave for the buttercream to firm slightly before cutting. This cake also freezes well. Magic!

Sherlock Holmes and the Hidden Blueberry Chocolate Cake

 

Finding blueberries for this wonderful, moist, dark chocolate cake proved tricky. In fact, I distinctly remember buying at least three boxes of fresh blueberries over the past month. So where did they go and how did I get them into the cake? 

Apologies to anyone who follows me on Twitter; you will know the idea has been with me for awhile. I thought that dark blueberries would look 'hidden' against a dark chocolate sponge not that they would hide from me.

It took all of my detective skills to locate two and then the third box of missing blueberries, eventually. Not quite Sherlock Holmes material but you'd like to know where they were? I had been looking in fridges, freezers, bags, accused children, stores but it wasn't until I went back to the car and had to flip one of the seats up that I found them....a month later.....

Voilà under the seats, hooked in the mechanism that flips the seat up (Citroen C8 MPV). In my defence, I have six seats in there at the moment so they weren't visible until you did this. Unfortunately, not blue blueberries anymore just very, very white and furry! So, feeling that this was a good place to keep looking, I found the third box of blueberries in the passenger door compartment that I had put there to keep safe, these too were a bit too shrivelled after a week. No excuses for that one really.... 

But I was determined to make this cake, I love cherries and dark chocolate in Black Forest Gateau, I love apricot and dark chocolate in Sachertorte so my fourth fresh box of blueberries in you go! This cake did not disappoint. The blueberries weren't that hidden in the end but they looked great bursting into bright, fruity dots all over the cake. It looked like it would make a good tray bake as well but I decided to bake this one for a dessert cake. I carried on decorating with two easy fresh cream and conserve layers then, a cream and chocolate finish. Serve with pouring cream.

Text Only Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Cake :
225g (8oz) Butter

225g (8oz) Golden caster sugar 

1 tbsp Golden Syrup or Corn Syrup
4 Large eggs
200g (7oz) Self raising flour
60g (2 oz) Dark Cocoa powder (Green and Blacks)
125 ml ( ½ cup ) yogurt
100g Dark Chocolate Chips 

115g (4 oz) Blueberries plus 1 


Decoration and Filling

600 ml ( 1 pint ) Double (Heavy) Cream

20g Dark Chocolate Grated
2 tbsp Blueberry Conserve

Method:

Preheat oven 160c/140c Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3.

Grease and line a cake tin ( I used oblong tin size 30cm x 23cm). 

Cream the sugar and butter together. Mix in the golden syrup. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Sift the cocoa powder with flour. Fold in the flour and cocoa. 
Add yogurt to the mix . Stir in the chocolate chips. Toss the blueberries in flour and stir gently into the mix. Put into a lined tin.

Place in the centre of the oven. Check after 20 minutes. Cook until gently risen and a skewer comes cleanly out.  Allow to cool.   Cake needs to be cold before decorating. You can have this cake as a tray bake now or carry and decorate.

Divide cream equally into two containers ; whip one until very stiff and one until spreadable.
Cut cake into three sections.

Spread conserve over first layer and the stiff cream on the next layer. Flip cream layer onto jam one and repeat for the next layer. 

Trim sides. Use spreadable cream for top and sides.

Make light lines over cake using and fork and then flick grated chocolate all over.  Place a piece of grease-proof paper underneath to catch all those chocolate pieces that don't stick the first time.

Use the rest of the stiffer cream to pipe decorations round the edges. Use 1 or more blueberries to add as decoration! Slice and enjoy!

Apart from looking for blueberries I have been busy . 

Yes, it's these guys again, useful aren't they! Come and like on facebook too!

Cupid's Honey Clouds and more Valentine Cupcakes