Cakes, cakes and more cakes….

This week I am going to devote my entire column to cakes and baking, this was prompted by a recent delicious encounter at Philip’s bookshop in Mallow, Co Cork. Philip, Catherine and June O’Flynn invited me back to celebrate 30 years of business. They reminded me that I had first come to their shop in 1990 when I had brown hair and huge red glasses, to sign copies of my Simply Delicious cookbook.

The photos of that event are still up on the wall behind the tills. There I was in my flowery apron making Ballymaloe cheese fondue in their original book shop, the new premises on the Main Street is much larger. It was such a fun trip down memory lane, to flick through their photo albums….

This entrepreneurial trio had planned lot of excitement for the 30^th anniversary celebration, including a baking competition. Contestants could choose a cake, biscuit or bun recipe from any of my 18 now 19 cookbooks.

Three whole tables of cakes awaited when I arrived, Peter O’Meara, of Savill’s Auctioneers fame and, I had the unenviable task of judging the best entries. As well as many luscious cakes there were brownies, cupcakes, buns and a gorgeous swiss roll oozing with raspberries and cream. The standard was fantastic, every item was absolutely delicious, I was blown away by how each contestant had reproduced my recipe to perfection. Some of the baking had been done by children and teenagers, which always gives me a special ‘whoops in my tummy’. Wonderful to get the kids into the kitchen, they often start with baking and then gradually move onto salads and savoury dishes. It is super important to pass on cooking skills to the next generation, so they are equipped with the basic techniques to feed themselves. It’s also high time we changed our attitude to cooking and hospitality as a career of lesser value – how ridiculous is that!

All I could do initially was scramble eggs and with that one skill, considered by many as of lesser importance than any of the STEM subjects, I have had a hugely enjoyable career and have had the opportunity to bring joy and share my knowledge with thousands of others.

A few little words about baking. As ever, buy the finest ingredients, always use butter, not margarine and organic or at least free range eggs. Check that nuts are not rancid and use fat juicy dried fruit and real candied citrus peel if a recipe calls for it.

There are many, many baking recipes scattered throughout my books but here are some of the recipes chosen by the customers of Philip’s bookshop who were awarded a rosette and copy of my new One Pot Feeds All Cookbook, which I am excited to tell you has just won Book of the Year at the Listowel Food Fair, what an honour.

Pearl McGillycuddy’s All in One Buns

Makes 24

I’ve never bothered to make buns by hand since Pearl gave me this recipe over 25 years ago. It’s most depressing, because even though they only take seconds to make they are actually better than the ones I used to make laboriously by hand. These buns are made by the All in One method in a food processor.

8ozs (225g) soft butter, chopped

8ozs (225g) castor sugar

10ozs (285g) white flour

4 eggs, preferably free range

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.

Chop up the butter into small dice, it should be reasonably soft. Put all the ingredients into the food processor and whizz for about 30 seconds. Clear the sides down with a spatula and whizz again until the consistency is nice and creamy, 30 seconds approx. Put into greased and floured bun trays or paper cases and bake in the hot oven. Reduce the temperature to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 as soon as they begin to rise.  Bake for 20 minutes approx. in total. Cool on a wire rack and decorate as desired.

The young girl who made them decorated them with a white icing and a sprinkling of hundreds and thousands.

Butterfly Buns

Cut the top off the buns, cut this piece in half and keep aside. Meanwhile put a little homemade raspberry jam and a blob or cream on to the bottom part of the bun. Replace the two little pieces, arranging them like wings. Dredge with icing sugar and serve immediately.

These buns may be iced with dark chocolate icing or coffee icing. They are also delicious, painted with raspberry jam or redcurrant jelly and dipped in coconut.

Chocolate Brownies

Makes 12

275g (10zs) chocolate

275g (10ozs) butter

5 eggs

350g (12ozs) sugar

175g (6oz) self-raising flour

110g (4ozs) chopped walnuts or hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 180º/350ºF/Gas mark 4

Line a deep Swiss Roll Tin 12”x 8”x 4” (30cm x 20cm x10cm) with parchment paper

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a gentle heat.  Whisk the eggs and sugar together until it’s a light mousse.  Gradually add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mousse.  Fold in the flour to this mixture.  Finally add the chopped nuts.  Cook in the preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes until the centre is slightly wobbly. Leave to sit in the tin to cool and set.

When set, turn out by flipping the tin carefully onto a board. Peel off the parchment paper. Place another board on top of the brownies and turn carefully back again to show the “top side”. Cut into squares.

Aunt Florence’s Orange Cake

When my Aunt Florence brings a present of this delicious cake, people suddenly emerge out of the woodwork pleading for a slice. It was chosen to celebrate the anniversary of the European parliament.

Serves about 8–10

225g (8oz) butter

225g (8oz) caster sugar

finely grated zest of 1 organic orange

4 organic eggs

225g (8oz) plain white flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablesp freshly squeezed orange juice

1 or 2 pieces Candied orange Peel optional

Orange Butter Cream

110g (4oz) butter, soft

225g (8oz) icing sugar

finely grated zest of 1 organic orange

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

Orange Glacé Icing

juice of 1 orange & some zest

300g (10oz) icing sugar

2 x 20cm (8 inch) round cake tins or 1 x 28cm (11 inch) in diameter and 5cm (2 inch) deep

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Grease and flour the cake tin or tins. Line the base of each with silicone paper.

Cream the butter and gradually add the caster sugar. Whisk until soft and light and quite pale. Add the orange zest. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well between each addition.

Sieve the flour and baking powder together and stir in gradually. Mix lightly, then stir in the orange juice.

Divide the mixture evenly if using two tins, hollowing it slightly in the centre. Bake for 35 minutes or until it is cooked. Turn out on to a wire tray and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, make the orange cream. Cream the butter; add the sieved icing sugar and orange zest. Whisk in the orange juice bit by bit.

To make the icing, simply add enough orange juice and a little zest to the icing sugar to make a spreadable icing.

When the cakes are cold, split each one in two halves and spread with a little filling, then sandwich the two bases together. Spread the icing over the top and sides and decorate the top, if you like, with little strips or diamonds of candied peel.

Classic Coffee Cake

This is a splendid recipe for an old-fashioned coffee cake – the sort Mummy made – and we still make it regularly. Everyone loves it. I’m a real purist about using extract rather than essence in the case of vanilla, but in this cake, I prefer coffee essence (which is actually mostly chicory) to real coffee.

Serves 10–12

225g (8oz) soft butter

225g (8oz) caster sugar

4 organic eggs

225g (8oz) plain white flour, preferably unbleached

1 teaspoon baking powder

scant 2 tablespoons Camp coffee essence

Coffee Butter Cream

150g (6oz) butter

330g (12oz) icing sugar, sieved

5-6 teaspoons Camp coffee essence

Coffee Glace Icing

450g (1lb) icing sugar

scant 2 tablespoons  Irel or Camp coffee essence

about 4 tablespoons boiling water

To Decorate

Caramelised Walnuts

20cm (8in) square cake tin

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Line the base and sides of the tin with greaseproof or silicone paper. Brush the bottom and sides with melted butter and dust lightly with flour.

Beat the soft butter with a wooden spoon, add the caster sugar and beat until pale in colour and light in texture. Whisk the eggs. Add to the mixture, bit by bit, whisking well between each addition.

Sieve the flour with the baking powder and stir gently into the cake mixture. Finally, add in the coffee essence and mix thoroughly.

Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. When the cake is cooked, the centre will be firm and springy and the edges will have shrunk from the sides of the tins. Leave to rest in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Remove the greaseproof paper from the base, then flip over so the top of the cake doesn’t get marked by the wire rack. Leave the cake to cool on the wire rack.

To make the coffee butter cream, whisk the butter with the sieved icing sugar and add the coffee essence. Continue to whisk until light and fluffy.

When cold, cut the cake in half lengthwise, then cut each half horizontally creating rectangular layers, 4 in total. Sandwich each sponge layer together with ½ of the coffee butter cream, forming a loaf shaped cake. Place half of the remaining  buttercream into a piping bag, fitted with a medium star shaped nozzle. Spread the sides and top of the cake thinly with the last of the butter cream and place into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to chill. This technique is called crumb coating.

Next make the Coffee Glace Icing. Sieve the icing sugar and put into a bowl. Add coffee essence and enough boiling water to make it the consistency of a thick cream.

To Decorate:

Remove the cake from the fridge. Pour the glace icing evenly over the top of the cake, gently spreading it down the sides with a palette knife. Allow to set, 30 minutes (approx.). Decorate with piped rosettes of buttercream and garnish with the caramelized walnuts.

Swiss Roll

Swiss Roll may be rolled lengthwise or width wise depending on the thickness required.

Serves 8

4 ozs (110g) plain flour

4 eggs, organic and free-range

4 ozs (110g) castor sugar

2 tablespoons warm water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons warmed homemade raspberry jam

1 x 10 inches (25.5cm) x 15 inches (38cm) Swiss Roll tin

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5.

Line a large Swiss Roll tin with greaseproof paper cut to fit the bottom of the tin exactly.  Brush the paper and sides of the tin with melted butter, dust with flour and castor sugar. 

Whisk the eggs and castor sugar together in an electric mixer until light, fluffy and voluminous .

Add the water and vanilla extract.  Sieve about one-third of the flour at a time and fold it into the mousse using a long handled large metal spoon.

Pour the mixture gently into the tin. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.  It is cooked when it feels firm to the touch in the centre.  The edges will have shrunk in slightly from the sides of the tin.  Lay a damp tea towel on the work top, put a sheet of greaseproof paper on top and sprinkle it evenly with castor sugar.  Turn the swiss roll on top of the sugared greaseproof paper.  Remove the tin and greaseproof paper from the bottom of the cake.  While the cake is still warm, spread it sparingly with homemade raspberry jam.  Mark the swiss roll with a knife.  Catch the edge of the paper closest to you about 3/4 inch (2cm) from the edge and roll up the swiss roll away from you. 

Suggestions for other fillings

There are many other fillings you might like to try, but roll the greaseproof paper into the Swiss Roll while warm and unroll it later when cold to fill if you are using whipped cream.

1. Fresh raspberry or sliced strawberries and cream
2. Mashed banana with lemon juice and whipped cream
3. Melted chocolate and whipped cream
4. Fresh strawberries or raspberries mashed with a little sugar and whipped cream
5. Kumquat compote and whipped cream.

Lemon drizzle cake

Serves 8 – 10

6oz (175g) soft butter

5oz (170g) unrefined castor sugar

2 eggs, preferably free range

60z (175g) self-raising flour

Zest of 1 organic lemon

Lemon Drizzle

Freshly grate rind of 1 organic lemon

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 organic lemon

3oz (75g) castor sugar

8” round cake tin, well-greased or lined with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Put the soft butter, castor sugar, eggs and self-raising flour in to a food processor. Whizz for a few seconds to amalgamate. Spread evenly into the greased tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes approx. or until golden brown and well risen.

Meanwhile mix the ingredients for the drizzle. As soon as the cake is cooked, pour the glaze over the top, leave to cook and transfer to a wire rack.

Note:

In winter when the butter is harder to cream, we add 2-3 tablespoons of milk to lighten the mixture and texture.