Sunday 30 October 2011

Mud Pie (AKA heaven on a fork)

I honestly didn't know what to expect from this bake as it didn't have a photo of what it should look like.

From the ingredients I was expecting a brownie type result.

A chocolate biscuit base was topped with a topping made from eggs, sugar, chocolate and cream. This was then baked until firm on top. The recipe warned me the mixture would rise whilst baking but then sink once cooled, which it did.

I had to wait a couple of hours for it to cool completely before I could remove it from the tin. To start with I thought I had under cooked it in the middle as it seemed gooey when I cut into it - I soon discovered the whole pie was this way, and it is how it is meant to be.

The result was not like a brownie at all, in fact it is a chocolate mousse like texture on top.

Within 5 minutes of cutting the mud pie we had devoured two slices!

It is that good!

Surprisingly light for what appeared, at first glance, to be a stodgy bake. It has now been safely locked away in a tin before we eat it all!

Xxx

Saturday 29 October 2011

Millefeuille With Raspberries

OMG!

I could eat these all day!

So the cream came out a little runnier than expected, but it tastes great so that is what counts.

I was surprised that the puff pastry tasted a little bland on it's own, but whoever wrote the recipe knew what they were doing, because as soon as I combined the layers of orange patisserie cream, raspberry sauce, raspberries and puff pastry - WOW

Not too sickly, just sweet enough with a great kick from the raspberries!

Mine look a little wonky compared to the book, but I think that was down to my cream not being thick enough to stabilise it.

A lot of work involved to make all the elements but I would definitely make these again as a treat :-)

Tips - make sure the pastry is cooked all the way through, when the book says better to over cook than under they mean it - my middle two slices were a tad under.

I also have a lot of raspberry sauce left so will freeze it for next time :-)

Xxx

End Result - The Perfect White Loaf

My home smells amazing, you can't beat the smell of freshly baked bread!

After two rising sessions the dough was a pretty impressive size but when I cut the slit on the top (to help it expand) I didn't use a sharp enough knife - so ended up pressing down on the dough and taking some of the air out.

So the loaf isn't as big as I hoped, but the colour is great and it smells amazing. All in all a great first attempt :-)

Xx

The Perfect Puff Pastry & Juggling Multiple Recipes!

While I wait for my bread to rise I am moving on to my other bakes for today.

My perfect puff pastry is currently chilling in the fridge. I have never made this before and was a little bit scared of the process, but actually it is really easy!

After rubbing some of the butter in the flour, another therapeutic activity, I added water to make a dough. This went into the fridge to chill... Then came the best part..,,

Take the remaining butter (a whole pack - this recipe is definitely not approved by weight watchers!), wrap it in clingfilm and bash the crap out of it with a rolling pin (technical term)!

SO MUCH FUN!

You then get to do some lovely technical bits involving wrapping the pastry around the butter and a combination of rolling and turning, with a few stop gaps for chilling in between - actually easier than it sounds.

You then are left with a magnificent block of perfect puff pastry to turn into a yummy, scrummy bake!

Later on I will be turning half of this pastry into Millefeuille with Raspberries and the rest will become cheese straws (not a recipe from the book but has to be done!)

Catch ya later..

Xx

The Perfect White Loaf... Part 1

I have a bread maker, which I use all the time, but I have not really had much experience with baking bread by hand.

This is going to be interesting!

The recipe is designed for two loaves, but as I am a little inexperienced at the hand kneading I split the recipe to make one loaf.

I must say, it was easier than I thought! The instructions advise you to knead for 10 minutes... My advice - whack three great songs on the stereo and sing your heart out while doing it! Makes the time go faster - and it is a great stress reliever! (cheaper than therapy!).

The dough is now in a big bowl ready to rise for two hours.

Will report back later with the results...

Xx

Thursday 27 October 2011

Manic Week!

Not had time to bake this week - been absolutely crazy busy!

Will make up for it this weekend by producing not one, not two, not three, not four - but FIVE bakes this weekend!

I need to make up for this week's shortfall!

Wish me luck! Xx

Saturday 22 October 2011

The First Bake - Cherry Bakewell Cupcakes

I started with a fairly easy bake today - Cherry Bakewell Cupcakes. These cupcakes are extremely cute and look like something from my childhood! An almond cake with a jam filling, iced and topped with a cherry - nom nom nom!

The recipe was very easy so would be perfect for baking with little ones :-)

The only things I would change next time are the amount of mix in the cases (the recipe called for the mixture to be split between 12 cupcake/muffin cases but they rose well and didn't leave much room for the icing). I would also substitute half of the lemon juice in the icing for water as the lemon was taking over the flavour a little.

All in all a great first bake!

Xxx