Fresh Blueberry Swiss Roll

I wasn't planning on making this swiss roll, but made a batch of batter up, intending to use as a sponge flan base, but realised it wasn't enough, so made swiss roll instead! ( I made another double batch and made sponge flan base, which is in freezer ready to fill at weekend)

For the Sponge:

3 Eggs (separated)  
75g Castor Sugar
75f SR Flour (sifted)

Grease and line swiss roll tin with greased proof paper.

Whisk egg whites until form peaks.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until creamy and aerated. 
Whisk half of the yolk mix into the egg white mix.

Fold the flour into mix gently by hand with spatula, then fold in rest of egg yolk mix.

Spread cake mix into prepared tin, and bake Gas 5, until started to turn golden brown.

Allow to cool for just 5 minutes, then remove from tray, keeping the greased proof paper on.
Gently roll cake including the paper and allow to cool on wire rack for a further 10 minutes.

Gently unroll cake, remove paper, then spread jam or fruit of choice.
Roll cake up again, with seal at bottom.

Enjoy!

Blueberry and Coconut Cake

The amount below made 2 x small loaf tin cakes.

8 oz Castor Sugar
8 oz Margarine
8 oz SR Flour
4 Eggs ( beaten with 1tbsp milk)

1 Cup fresh Blueberries
3 tbsp Desiccated Coconut

Grease and flour cake tins.

Simmer blueberries in a pan for 10 mins, with a little water and sugar. Strain, and keep berries separate from juice.

Make cake by creaming together sugar and marg until light and fluffy, beat in egg mix a little at a time, ( with a little flour, to prevent curdling).
Fold in rest of flour with 2 tbsp of coconut.

Spread half of mixture into bottom of tins, put a line of the blueberry mix along middle, then put rest of cake mix on top, sealing edges.

Bake in centre of oven, Gas 5, until risen and golden brown, use skewer to test cake is ready.

Leave in tins and place on cooling rack, while still warm spread a little of the blueberry juice over cakes, and sprinkle with some coconut.
Leave until nearly cool before removing from tins.

Enjoy!

Fatless Victoria Sponge

This is a sponge done without butter or margarine, lovely and light in texture, filled with chocolate ganache and strawberry filling.

3 Eggs (separated)
75g Castor Sugar
75g SR Flour


Whisk egg whites until peaks form.
Whisk in sugar half at a time, and bring back to peaks.
Whisk in eggs yolks until just combined.
Sift flour TWICE, then fold into batter mix with spatula.

Pour mixture into greased and lined 8" round tin, and bake Gas 5 till risen and starting to turn to golden brown.

Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

When completely cool, slice in half and fill with ganache and strawberry filling.
(You can use any filling you like, whipped cream and jam goes well.)

Dust top with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Pies

This is an easy way to make pie fillings with any fruit you want to use up.

Make pastry from this page shortcrust pastry

I greased and lined 4 x 3" pie tins with shortcrust pastry.

Make filling by adding blueberries into saucepan with 2 tbsp of water, and simmer for couple of minutes to release juices.
Add 1 cup of sugar, bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Mix a little cornflour with cold water, and add a little at a time to the blueberry mix until it gets to the required thickness.

Share pie filling between pastry cases, and add pastry topping of your choice. 
Brush with beaten egg, and bake in oven until golden brown.
Remove and sprinkle with a little castor sugar, then after 10 minutes, remove from tins, and allow to cool on wire rack.

Best served warm with ice-cream or fresh cream.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Viennese Fingers

These are same recipe as my Viennese Biscuits on a previous page as below:

viennese recipe :- 

Put mixture into large piping bag with large open star nozzle, and pipe fingers onto greased baking tray, leaving space for spreading.

Bake until ridges are starting to brown, remove from oven and allow to cool still on tray for a while, before using palette knife to remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Melt chocolate in glass or steel bowl over pan of simmering water.

Dip half of fingers into chocolate gently ( they are delicate), then shake a few sprinkles on if desired.
Place on baking parchment and leave till chocolate set.
Store in air tight tin, between layers of parchment paper to kitchen roll.

Enjoy!

Molten Chocolate Pots

Something I've never made made before, but always wanted to try...
This was my 2nd attempt, all I did, was reduce the cooking time by 3 minutes.

Makes 2

60g Good Dark Chocolate
60g Butter
50g Castor Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
40g Plain Flour
Cocoa powder

Grease the 2 individual basins with butter and dust with the cocoa powder.
Heat the butter and chocolate in pan gently till melted, then remove from heat,
Stir in the sugar with wooden spoon till smooth.
Whisk in 1 egg and yolk of the other with essence.
Add the flour and beat in with wooden spoon till smooth.

Place in moulds on baking tray, and bake in centre of oven, Gas 6 for exactly 12 minutes.

Remove from oven, then slide knife around inside of mould and turn into bowl.
Serve immediately with a scoop of ice-cream or cream.

Yummy!!!

Enjoy!

Comparing Cupcake Methods

Thought I would try 2 different methods of making a cupcake mixture, one the creaming method, and the other a rubbing method, to see what difference there is?

Creaming:  Yielded- 12

4oz Margarine                        

4oz Castor Sugar
4oz SR Flour
2 Eggs (beaten)+ 1tbsp milk

Beat sugar and marg until light and fluffy, add beaten eggs a little at a time, with a little flour, fold in flour.
Put 1 tbsp of mix in each of 12 cupcake papers.
Bake Gas 6 till risen and golden brown.

Rub In:  Yielded 8

Use the same ingredients above:   

Put flour and sugar in bowl and mix together.
Put softened marg in and rub in till resembles breadcrumbs.
Beat in egg and milk mix till smooth.
Put 1 tbsp of mix into 8 paper cases, and bake as above.



The obvious difference is that you get more cupcakes with the creaming method, as the eggs are beaten more.
I also found the creaming method cakes are a lighter cake, and rise better.

If you particularly want a flat cupcake, depending what decoration you are going, then use the rubbing in method.

Its up to you, I found they both tasted the same, I will continue to use the creaming method, as I believe it is more evenly mixed.

Have a try....

Enjoy!

Delicious Caramel Filled Profiteroles

I was inspired watching Masterchef USA the other day, and decided I would try making profiteroles, something I've never got round to making before, OMG I'm so glad I did!
These were easier than I thought.
They are filled with caramel cheese cream, and topped with caramel.
This recipe made about 4 trays, I filled half of them, and the spare shells were frozen.

For the pastry:

6oz Butter
7 1/2oz P Flour
6 Eggs (beaten)
3/4 pint of water (400mls)

For Filling:

large tub of mascarpone 
1 dessert spoon of milk
1tbsp icing sugar

1 sml tin of Nestles caramel

Draw 1" circles onto parchment paper, the turn over and place on baking tray, dampen slightly with water.

Cut the butter into small pieces and put in large pan with the water.
Heat gently until butter melted, then bring to boil quickly, remove from heat immediately.
Beat in sifted flour until the mixture is smooth and leaves the side of the pan.

Allow to cool...

Then beat in eggs a little at a time, keeping the mixture stiff.

Put in large piping bag with large plain nozzle, and pipe onto marked parchment.
Press down any peaks gently with damp small brush.

Bake in oven Gas 6 until risen, golden brown and has a crispy shell.

Don't take then out the oven too soon, as they will deflate.

For the filling, beat together mascarpone, milk and icing sugar, (add 1tsp caramel flavouring if you wish).

As soon as profiteroles are cool, poke small hole in bottom, and pipe filling in, making sure they are filled.
Dip top in caramel.

Spare shells, allow to cool, the freeze, also the finished profiteroles can be frozen, place flat on tray with parchment, and place in freezer, once frozen, you can put then in bags or boxes, and back in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Lemon Drizzle Cake

This is always a firm favourite, a tangy, sweet and light cake, the recipe below makes 2 small loaf tins, but you can use any you like.
Be careful when you use the grater to get zest from lemons, I ALWAYS manage to grate my thumb lol

8oz Margarine
8oz Castor Sugar
8oz SR Flour
4 Eggs (beaten)
2tbsp Milk
Juice and zest of 2 lemons

Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, milk and half of the lemon juice, a little at a time, adding a small amount of the flour at the same time, to prevent curdling of the mix.

Scrape down bowl, the bowl, then gently fold in flour and lemon zest.
Add to greased and floured loaf tins, and bake Gas 5, until risen and golden brown. Test centres with skewer or knitting needle to test if centre cooked.

Remove from oven, and immediately poke several holes into cakes and pour over the rest of the lemon juice, then sprinkle with castor sugar.

Enjoy!

Basic Cookie Dough

This is my basic recipe for cookies, you can add whatever you like to flavour or decorate, add cocoa powder and choc chips, for double choc chip cookies.

10oz Sugar
5oz Butter
1tsp Vanilla extract
2 Eggs
8oz SR Flour

Cream softened butter and sugar.
Mix in beaten eggs with vanilla or other flavouring.
Mix in flour.

Use floured hands to make dough into size of a golf ball, (this is quite a soft mixture, so may need to be liberal with the flour)

Place on greased baking tray, well apart (they will spread), and flatten down slightly.

Bake Gas 5

for 10-15 mins, until light brown.

Leave on tray for 5 mins, then place on wire rack to cool.

Don't worry if they have spread into each other, if you want to tidy them up, use a large cookie cutter to reshape, as soon as they come out of the oven.

I also put a pack of Smarties in mine, as kids love them.

Enjoy!

Banana Nut Loaf

This is a variation to a date & walnut loaf, but much lighter.

6oz Castor Sugar
4oz Butter
2 Eggs (beaten)
3tbsp Milk
1tsp Bicarb
12oz SR Flour
2 Very Ripe Bananas
6oz Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
1tsp Banana Flavouring (optional)

Grease 2 x 1lb loaf tins.

Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs and beat well.
Mash bananas and add them to mix, with flour, bicarb, and flavouring.
Then fold in nuts.
Divide mix between loaf tins, and bake Gas 5, for aprox 30-40 mins.

Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Lovely sliced and served with butter.

Enjoy!

Ginger Biscuits

To redeem myself from yesterday I've made some ginger biscuits.


8oz SR Flour
4oz Butter
1tsp Bicarb
3 tsp Ground Ginger
4oz Soft Brown Sugar
2 large tbsp Golden Syrup

Add flour, ginger and bicarb into bowl, then rub in butter.

Add sugar and warmed syrup, and mix well till stiff consistency.

Roll into equal sized balls with floured hands, and place on greased tray, well apart, as they spread.
Flatten with a fork, and bake for aprox 10 minutes, Gas 5.

Remove from trays while still hot, and place on wire rack.

Don't worry if they spread together and misshape, use cookie cutter while still on tray to tidy up if you want.

Enjoy!

Blackberry and Vanilla Cupcakes

Loving these new Russian piping nozzles! So many ideas I want to try, watch this space!....

For cakes:

4oz Castor Sugar
4oz Margarine
4oz SR Flour
2 eggs, beaten with 1tbsp milk
1tsp Baking Powder
fresh blackberries
purple food colouring

For Icing:

2oz Margarine
2oz Butter
8oz Icing Sugar
1tsp Glycerine

Make cakes by creaming margarine and sugar till light and fluffy, add eggs a little at a time. add vanilla.
Fold in flour and baking powder.

Put half mixture in another bowl, and add a little purple food colouring at a time until colour required.

Put half a dessert spoon of each mix into 12 cupcake papers. add 1 blackberry in centre of cupcake.
Bake in oven Gas 6, aprox 20 mins until risen and centre springs back.
Place on wire rack to cool.

Beat together marg, butter and icing sugar till light and fluffy, beat in 1tsp vanilla essence.
Add half buttercream to another bowl, and add a little purple colouring at a time, until colour required.
Add white buttercream into one piping bag, and purple into another, then place both piping bags inside of another one, with nozzle of choice.
Pipe swirls on each cake,add blackberry in centre and dust with a little icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Floured Baps

Lovely soft bread buns/baps

1lb Strong bread flour
7g sachet of fast acting dried yeast
1/2 pint lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Place all dried ingredients into large mixing bowl.

Using the dough hook, add warm water gradually to form soft dough.

Place on floured surface and knead until smooth, and place in bowl in a warm place with damp cloth over bowl till double in size ( roughly)

Remove dough from bowl and divide into 8 equal size portions.

With floured hand, cup each piece and make circular movement on bench until ball form.

Place these buns on greased tray in warm place, with damp cloth over again, for 30 minutes.

When risen, remove cloth and bake in oven middle/top shelf, Gas 7, aprox 15 minutes until tops start to colour.

To test if cooked inside, lift one and tap bottom, should have hollow sound.

Best served with real butter! yum!

Enjoy!