Rich Gingerbread Cake

Well I've been baking loads recently and I have loads of things to post up so I'll start with this one first!! It's getting much much colder over here, I swear it's like arctic temperatures...or maybe it's just my weak resistance to the cold hehe, so winter baking is definately needed and now that it's into December Christmas baking is all that's going to be getting done!! Christmas cakes, cakepops and cookies galore, especially as soon as I break up from 6th form I plan to live in the kitchen.
Anyway back to the gingerbread cake, its extremely warming, dense and gingery, perfect for a winter's night in with a bowl of custard, my dad got one half and my grandma got the other, since they are both big ginger fans, once again I didn't get a try but according to my dad it was the best cake he's ever tasted!! And that says a lot coming from him. If you're into ginger cakes then I think you'll love this :)


Gingerbread Cake

125g butter
100g soft brown sugar
125g golden syrup
100g black treacle
50g Ginger Preserve
125g plain flour
100g self-raising flour
1 level tsp ground ginger
1 level tsp mixed spice
½ level tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 large eggs
125ml milk

1.Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper. Put the butter, sugar, syrup, treacle and ginger preserve in a pan and heat gently, stirring, until the butter melts. Pour into a bowl and leave until just warm.

2 In another bowl, sift together the plain and self-raising flour, ground ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Put the eggs and milk into a separate bowl and whisk with a fork.

3 Mix all ingredients together and pour into the loaf tin. Ask an adult to put it in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.








Yum! With Custard!

Tarte Tatin

I've been fancying making something a bit different for a while, something a bit more challenging that I haven't tried before, I decided that Tarte Tatin was just the thing. The well known upside down apple pie I suppose! The apples get added to the pie dish first before being topped by pastry, it then gets cooked in the oven and has to be turned out onto a plate immediately...now I was worried about this bit, I'm a clutz at best times in the kitchen so I had visions of me missing the plate and apples going all over the floor, or the apples not having stuck together and just ended up with a big mound on top of the pastry..pretty much I thought it was going to go drastically wrong!! I was so surprised when it actually worked out and it managed to turn out on the plate without disastor!! I'm not a big fan of apple desserts to be honest, but my dad and Grandma loved this!! I think if I was going to make it again I would make it using different apples as for me the Bramley Apples I used were a bit too sour for my liking...but then again I don't even like apple desserts so who am I to say hehe!! Enjoy :D

Tarte Tatin
Pastry
110g/4oz butter cut into small pieces
175g/6.5oz plain flour
2 tbsp castor sugar
1 egg
2-3 tbsp water or milk

1.Work the butter very well into the flour and sugar then add the egg and enough water or milk to bind the soft dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Apple Filling
60g/2oz unsalted butter
A squeeze of lemon
5 heaped tbsp sugar
8 large Bramley apples

1.Melt the butter in a 25cm (10 inch) round metal mould over a low flame. Add the lemon juice and sugar and stir until it turns brown, be sure to cook the caramel until it has a good smell and is dark brown.
2. Peel, core and slice the apples. Arrange a layer of concentric circles over the caramelised butter and sugar and fill with layers of the rest of the sliced apples.

Assembly
1.Roll the dough out on a floured board with a floured rolling pin and cut a circle to fit inside the tin (mould). Lift it gently and lay it over the apples, pressing down on them gently. Bake at 230 Deg C/450 Deg F/Gas Mk 8 for 30 minutes or until it is lightly browned. Remove from the oven, cut round the edges and invert it quickly onto a flat serving dish.







A slice!!


Yummm!

Black Forest Gateau Cupcakes

Ooh it's getting cold now, starting to feel really wintery so I thought something like this would be really warming. I've been wanting to do these for a while and I've had a tin of morrello cherries just sitting waiting to be used in the cupboard, nom nom nom. The chocolate cakes were so moist and springy when coming out of the oven, probably thanks to the Hershey's Chocolate Syrup I bought when I was in America, ahhh I wish they did some of that stuff over here :(. I then cored out the centre of each cupcake and filled it with the morrello cherry pie filling, which was so good by the way!! You just wanted to eat it out of the tin!! I then topped them with vanilla buttercream and chocolate flakes to give a wintery gateau feel :). Hope you enjoy the recipe.

Black Forest Gateau Cupcakes
makes 18

Chocolate Cupcake

180g butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
220g white sugar
250g self raising flour
50g cocoa powder
4 tablespoons Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
3 tablespoons milk
Morrello Cherry Pie Filling

1. Preheat the oven to (180C/160C fan assisted) and line muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, this should take from 3-5 minutes.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour if the mixture shows any signs of curdling.
4. Add milk/flour and cocoa, alterating, beat in on a low speed until just incorporated. Add the Hershey's Syrup,mmmm and fold in with a spatula, and divide mixture between baking cases.
5. Bake cakes for 20 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the centre and comes out clean, cool on a wire rack.
6. Core out the centres and fill with morrello cherry pie filling.

Vanilla Buttercream
150g butter
500g icing sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.Beat the butter for as long as possible, to ensure the buttercream goes as white as it can be, to provide the best contrast for the cakes.
2. Add the icing sugar a bit at a time, alternating with the milk when needed.
3. Finally add the vanilla extract and pipe onto cakes.






Cuppie Cake mmm


Cross section of the cake, apart from it started to cave in a bit :(