Jam vs No Jam, the great lamington debate!

 

I must declare right from the get go, I am 100% #TeamNoJAM!

Putting jam in a lamington just seems a very unnatural thing to do to me. It may be because of how I was brought up, you would never have seen jam in any of my Nan's lamingtons.

Jam belonged in those "hot bread shop" type bakery lamingtons, you know the type of bakeries where if you were blindfolded you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the cakes as they all tasted the same.

Or worse supermarket long-life packaged lamingtons *Shudder*

Sometimes you have to do things for families you never thought possible.

AB's Dad is 100% #TeamJam so there have been times I have put other's needs above my own and added jam, even if I felt ill doing so.

Now this is where things take a scary turn.

There are 3 foods AB can't stand, chicken with bones, mushrooms and coconut, so making the greatest sacrifice of all for lamington kind I substitute the coconut for grated white chocolate.

The most satisfying part of this adventure is that he is never quite sure if the switch has been made until the tasting.

I believe the best part of Australia Day is embracing all the different viewpoints that come together to make up this great country, even those radical extremists who put jam and cream in their lamingtons! Seriously what is that??


I Can't Believe It's Not Coconut Lamington
Ingredients- makes 12 lamos

• 100g unsalted butter softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 150g self raising flour
• 3 tbsp. milk

Icing

• 250g sifted icing sugar
• 2 tbsp. cocoa
• 5-10g knob softened butter
• hot water 
• 150g white chocolate (cold)

Cake Method

• Cream butter, sugar and vanilla with electric beaters
• Add eggs 1 at a time and beat
• Add flour, milk and mix
• Pipe batter evenly into lined cup cake tin
• Bake at 170°C for about 10 minutes (about 20 minutes if baking as a whole cake)
• Let cool slightly in the tin, then onto a wire rack to completely cool

To make icing

• Add icing sugar, cocoa and butter to a mixing bowl
• Add 2 tbsp. of the hot water and beat with electric beaters
• Add more water bit by bit till icing is glossy and very runny (about 5 tbsp. in total)
• Finely grate the white chocolate into a bowl (having the chocolate cold will help it grate and not melt in your hands)
• Coat 1 cake in icing making sure to remove any excess
• Roll the cake in the white chocolate to coat.
• This is a 2 hand job, 1 hand in the icing and the other in the chocolate. Your fingers will still get messy but it keeps the ingredients separate.
• Repeat with the remaining cakes and then chill them in the fridge for about 30 mins till set.

I bought this tray at Ikea because I liked the shape and had the idea of little toadstool cupcakes. I have never been able to get the patty pans that fit it but lining with baking paper helps them to not stick.

 

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Celebrate diversity if they aren't all even!!

 

 

My Bake Off Birthday

I was going to title this "My Last Birthday Cake Ever" but I thought that may cause a flood of distressed messages.

What I mean to say is that upon my 39th birthday I discovered the cake that will feature at every one of my remaining birthdays.

It is no surprise to anyone that has stopped by before that I am "slightly" obsessed with the Bake Off in all it's guises.

• The Great British Off,
• The Great Irish Bake Off,
• The Great Australian Bake Off,
• The Pretty Good American Bake Off 
• The Disappointing Italian Bake Off

So this birthday I wanted the chocolate cake with the raspberries from the opening titles. 

 Source: Wikipedia

 

Surprisingly I couldn't find the recipe online but thought in reality to film the titles it was probably just polystyrene anyway.

I had lots of recipes for light airy chocolate cakes but I wanted this to be dense and rich so it would stick to your boots!!

This cake was developed after studying various recipes and the contents of my pantry.

The original version was great but this has been polished by making 5 in the past 2 weeks......yeah January diets! (and with Sunday bake club tomorrow make that 6)

You have to include the missing raspberry!

The Only Chocolate Birthday Cake
Ingredients

• 180ml strong espresso (or brewed NOT instant ever)
• 400g caster sugar
• 300g cooking chocolate (see note)
• 250g salted butter
• 60g hazelnut spread
• 140g crème fraîche
• 4 eggs (our girls produce eggs in the mid 50g range)
• 250g self raising flour
• 150g almond meal

For Ganache

• 200ml cream
• 250g dark chocolate
• Tiny knob of butter

3-4 punnets of fresh raspberries to decorate (depending how many are eaten before they hit the cake)

Method

• Add coffee, caster sugar, chocolate and butter to a medium saucepan
• Stir over low heat till the sugar dissolves and the rest is melted and combined (it will be deliciously glossy)
• Remove from heat and let cool to just above room temperature
• In a mixing bowl combine the hazelnut spread, crème fraîche and eggs
• Sift flour and almond meal into the mixing bowl and combine
• Add chocolate mixture and stir through till well combined
• Pour into 22cm round spring form cake tin lined with a high collar and base
• Bake at 150°C for 80-90 minutes till a skewer comes out clean and you can't hear anything from the cake
• Allow to cool completely

 

I could always get a job making those videos that don't always have the highest production values, e.g. haven't turned the phone the right way!!

Ganache

• Add cream, chocolate and butter to a saucepan
• Stir over very low heat till all melted and glossy
• Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes prior to pouring over cake
• Place cake on wire rack over a lipped tray and pour ganache to cover cake
• This recipe makes enough ganache to cover the cake by pouring rather than spreading, this will also have a self levelling affect with the assistance of gravity
• The extra ganache will pool in the tray and is a bonus treat, just in case there wasn't enough chocolate.
• Let the ganache cool and set
• Decorate the top with raspberries

Add some gold leaf just to ensure the lily is sufficiently gilded
This isn't a cheap cake but hey it's a birthday!

Note about Chocolate:

Chocolate, like who you love is very much a matter for the heart.
You just like what you like, it's just that simple.
No amount of "but this brand or type is better" will have an affect on what you like.

So use the chocolate, the brand and strength of dark or milk you like best or combination of.

But not white, that's not chocolate! (can, worms, opened)

I mix the 300g with 200g Lindt 70% and 100g of Cadbury 45% dark chocolate. (not sponsored comment but happy to be sent to Switzerland again hint hint)

I'm also planning to make one using 85% dark just to see how far towards the dark side it can go.
 
Now with coffee it's a different story altogether, this has to be good espresso. If you don't have a machine at home grab some take away from a café.

I pride my home on never containing these 2 items, tracksuit pants and instant coffee, you just gotta have your standards.

Unfortunately I get too preoccupied with eating to take a good sliced shots

 

This was a new years day version, it hadn't quite cooled before I needed to serve it but still just as good.

 

Oh if only!

In My Kitchen - January 2014

Happy New Year, the first day of 2014 so you know what that means only 4 months till Chow Down to Eurovision 2014!!

I hope you all had a great festive season and this new year brings you everything you need.

It will be a quick tour in my kitchen today, very casual, so make yourself a cuppa or a glass of the hairy dog if you "celebrated" last night.

It's almost less In My Kitchen and more a showcase of how good Santa was. I am very grateful to be loved by wonderful people, but then again they are only human!

In My Kitchen....
...are lots of fresh raspberries that are so beautiful they should only be eaten fresh and whole.
It would be a crime to make them into jam or anything that breaks them down. (use the frozen ones for that unless you have your own crop and simply can't eat them all, as if)

My birthday cake was covered in fresh raspberries (recipe coming)

 

In My Kitchen....



.....is a Doctor Who apron and TARDIS mug, and yes I do believe it holds more on the inside.

There is also a matching teapot so you guessed it, I'm off shopping.

 



 In My Kitchen....
...are some lovely gifts of Maha pomegranate molasses, and some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Oh I have some plans in store for these babies.

 

In My Kitchen.....

.....is a little bit of light reading, or as AB calls it "more kitchen porn".

I can't wait to cook my way through these to keep learning more and more with just a little bit of eating as an added bonus

 

 

Thanks to Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting the monthly In My Kitchen, check out the other kitchens.

It's what's inside that counts

3 years ago AB and I hosted our first family Christmas.

I do believe in the go hard or go home philosophy when I comes to Christmas so it had to be better than Ben Hur.

 

Naturally a Turducken was the only way to go!

 

AB gives me a look whenever I mention Turkducken and recounts a tale of sobbing on the floor at 2am when the roasting pan was too small to fit the birds.

 

My version of the event doesn't include the crying but a whole Navy of expletives, words that had never passed my lips till that morning.

 

The draw card to this rolled turkey is my love of a boneless bird mainly because I'm pretty useless when it comes to carving. (Plus AB hates bones)

 

So this year it's our turn again and I've said not to worry about any dramas I'm just doing a rolled turkey......we'll just keep quiet about the duck and the chicken till later on.......it's ok I've got a bigger pan!

 

No matter whether it's a boneless or whole bird "The Stuffing" to end all stuffing is a major star of this show.

 

"The Stuffing"

Ingredients

• 8-10 dried figs
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 500g Italian sausage skin removed or sausage mince
• 1 large brown onion grated
• 1 large red onion grated
• Half a preserved blood orange or lemon finely chopped
• 80g pistachio
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs

Method

• Soak the figs in lemon juice for about 30 minutes
• Fry off the sausages or mince with the grated onions
• When sausage is cooked, add to a mixing bowl and allow to cool
• Slice the figs and add with the soaking liquid to the sausage
• Add the remaining ingredients and combine well

The stuffing is almost like Christmas lights!

• For the boned turkey flatten the stuffing on the meat (skin side down) and then roll the sides in on each other so it looks like a turkey again.
• Cover in bacon to keep the breasts moist.
• Roast covered at 160°C for about 25-30 per 500g, then uncovered for last 20-30 minutes.  

(the bathroom scales may finally get a use after all)

 

Can be joined together with a metal skewer down it's back

The big day will have woven bacon as while I went for quick and easy it would look a million times better.

 

The turkey looks really dry in the photo but it was my hatchet job of cutting and snapping in 3 minutes before I was late for work.

 

This crazy move was purely so I could have it for lunch, I honestly could not wait!

 

It was moist, delicious and we may need to stage a turkey intervention.....again!

 

The Turkey can be made a day ahead and cut cold and reheated in tinfoil parcels with a splash of water, in the oven with the vegetable for about 20 minutes. (careful not to dry it out)

The best thing about this demo bird is I have the most amazing turkey stock in the freezer just waiting to be part of the Christmas gravy.

Here are a few pictures of how I boned the turkey (may be too graphic for some), you could always try and con your butcher into doing it for you.

For me the key is a sharp knife and letting it find it's way through the bird.

Plus take your time, don't start it 10 minutes before it is due to go into the oven.

Ditch the wings, aint nobody got time for that.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Remove the white tendons from the legs

Looks better finished for sure!

Strawberry and Blood Orange Jam

 

Way back in October's In My Kitchen I wrote about Strawberry and Blood Orange Jam, well all things come to those who wait, so here is the recipe.

 

I make jam in small batches rather than having jars and jars of it, as I don't eat jam every day and I like to have varieties when I do.

 

This batch has also made it's way into my Christmas cake!

 

The combination of the berry and citrus flavours reminds me a little of fruit cup cordial.

 

Strawberry and Blood Orange Jam

Ingredients

• 500g whole strawberries, washed and hulled
• 2 blood oranges*
• 250g sugar

Method

• Zest and juice the blood oranges (I like long strands)
• In a large saucepan add the strawberries, zest and juice and sugar
• Stir occasionally
• Simmer on low to medium for about 45 minutes to 1 hour
• Test the jam is ready by putting a couple of small plates in the freezer, add a tsp. of jam to the frozen plate, if it sets, you're done.
• I like the slow gentle approach to keep the strawberries intact
• Now just to whip up a batch of scones and cream, bliss!

*Redbelly Citrus supplied the blood oranges for this recipe.

 

 

 

Store in a sterilised jar in the fridge, my small batches are usually gone in a month.

 

Nutty Christmas Cake

Along with the carols one familiar sound from my Christmas past was the sound of Dad popping open a plastic container then a shriek "Robert! Stop eating the nuts off the top of the cake!"


This was as regular as clockwork till the nuts were, eventually no more. Cashews and Brazil nuts were a particular favourite.


This would go on every year and I would think why don't you just add more nuts??


So then it came to me making a cake for him as part of a hamper, I was very clear on the brief......NUTS!


Right on track the whole top was covered, not a single crumb was visible. 


I must have done ok as this year I had the phone call "you ARE making the cake again?" so I guess that meant I was.


I think there is something to be said about knowing your audience as he is divorced and now married to a bloke called Bruce, let's face it my Dad really, really likes........Fruitcake!


(Where were you going with that sentence?? Filthy!)


Nutty Christmas Cake
Ingredients

• 650g dried fruit (see note)
• 150ml brandy
• 250g butter soften unsalted
• 200g brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 30g treacle
• 30g jam (any kind I had strawberry and blood orange)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon ground (2g)
• 2 tsp. mixed spice (4g)
• 100g almond meal
• 300g plain flour
• 100g nuts (a mix of those listed below)
• Additional hazelnuts, cashews, macadamias, walnuts, slivered almonds to decorate
• Extra brandy for feeding

Method

• Soak the fruit in the brandy for about 24 hours
• Roughly chop the 100g of nuts
• Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl till paler and fluffy
• Slowly add eggs and beat till combined
• Add treacle, jam and spices beat through for 30 seconds
• Stir through flour and almond meal
• Stir through fruits and nuts till mixture is well combined
• Spoon into a lined 20cm square cake time (or shape of your preference)
• Smooth over the top
• Decorate with as little or as many nuts as you like (more is more)
• Bake at 150°C for 3 hours till a skewer comes out clean
• Let cool and then remove from tin
• Brush top with additional brandy about 10-15ml, repeat weekly till ready to serve.
• Store in a plastic container

Note: My fruit mix varies so I think of it as a total of fruit rather than individual quantities of each. It has raisin, sultanas, currents, figs, cranberries, dates, mixed peel, sometimes pineapple or ginger and even the almost compulsory but loathed glace cherry (but only 1, 2 tops!)

 


 


 


 


 


 If your eggs look let they have curdled, as mine because butter and eggs are never the exact some temperature, a tbsp. of the weighed flour will bring it back together.

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 



 


 


 


 You can present the cake with a decorative border either, paper, foil or material, fastened with a pin to be removed before serving.
Some food writers if in a rush may stick it together with a Band-Aid not shown in the picture, but they would almost never write about it.

I had run out of mixed spice (I must have done some baking recently) so whipped up some of my own and used 3 tsp. of this mix.

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1 tsp. of ground ginger

1 tsp. of ground coriander

1 tsp. of all spice

1/2 a nutmeg grated

I may not buy mixed spice again but I will certainly be buying a new spice mill!