Читать книгу Baking Made Easy - Lorraine Pascale - Страница 7

For me, cakes say cosiness and contentment, home, warmth and love. Whatever the occasion, there’s always room for a cake: there are ‘just like mum would make’ cakes, ‘someone’s getting wed’ cakes, ‘I don’t give a damn’ cakes and pretty little tea cakes. Most people’s first baking memory is of making a cake, side by side with their mother, helping out but ultimately wishing she would be quick and put the cake in the oven so they could get on with licking that spoon or bowl.

‘There is no love sincerer than the love of food.’

George Bernard Shaw

Playwright 1856 – 1950

My big fat

Carrot Cake

A no-holds-barred cake with three moist spiced layers of pure excess. If you don’t fancy making this sky-high cake, which takes a whopping nine eggs, then knock off a third of the ingredients and make a more humble two-layer cake instead. Makes a three-tier 23cm (9in) round cake (V)

525ml (18½fl oz) vegetable oil

9 eggs, lightly beaten

525g (1lb 3oz) soft dark brown sugar

420g (15oz) carrots, peeled and grated

Grated zest of 3 large oranges

525g (1lb 3oz) self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

1½ tbsp mixed spice

Seeds of 1 vanilla pod or 2 drops vanilla extract

Cream cheese frosting

200g (7oz) icing sugar

40g (1½oz) butter, cubed

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Seeds of ½ vanilla pod or 1 drop vanilla extract

115g (4¼oz) low-fat cream cheese, chilled

Handful of pecans or walnuts, toasted to decorate

Equipment

Three x 23cm (9in) round tins

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (325ºF), Gas Mark 4. Prepare the tins by oiling the insides and lining the bases with baking paper.

Put the oil, eggs, sugar, carrots and orange zest in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. If you’re making all three tiers, you may have to do this in batches. Mix the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice together, then sift into the bowl. Add the vanilla and lightly mix everything together until the mixture is uniform but still soft and runny. Ladle into the prepared tins and bake in the oven for 40–45 minutes. Ovens vary so have a peek after 30 minutes to see how the cakes are getting on. The cakes are ready when the sponge springs back up if pushed lightly. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes or so, then turn out onto a wire rack and peel off the paper.

For the cream cheese frosting, mix the icing sugar, butter, lemon zest and vanilla together in a bowl, then whisk well to combine. Stir in the cream cheese. If the mixture looks too runny, put it in the fridge for 10–12 minutes to harden up. When the cakes are cool, take two of them and use a large, sharp knife to slice off the domed tops, leaving them completely flat. Don’t slice the top off the third cake.

Put a dollop of frosting in the middle of a serving plate or stand to stop the cake from sliding. Take one of the flattened cakes and place it on top. Then pop a big spoonful of frosting onto it and spread all over, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) gap around the edge so that the frosting does not squelch over too much when you add the next layer. Put the next flattened cake on top and repeat with more frosting. Put the unsliced tier on the top, cover generously with frosting and decorate with toasted nuts, if desired.

Banana Loaf

with rum & pecans

A classic flavour combination. I love the soft, woody flavours of pecans, but you could always use walnuts instead. Serves 6–8 (V)

Vegetable oil or oil spray, for oiling

Handful of pecans, plus a few to decorate

100g (3½oz) butter, softened

150g (5oz) soft light brown sugar

Seeds of 1 vanilla pod or

2 drops of vanilla extract

3 eggs

150g (5oz) plain flour

Pinch of salt

Generous pinch of ground cinnamon

1 heaped tsp baking powder

2 overripe bananas, slightly mash

Rum sugar syrup

100ml (4fl oz) dark rum

100g (3½oz) soft light brown sugar

Equipment

22 x 10cm (8¾ x 4in) loaf tin

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3. Oil the loaf tin then line with baking paper, making sure it overlaps slightly as this makes it easier to remove from the tin, then brush or spray with oil.

Put the pecans in a frying pan and toast for a few minutes until brown, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat well until it begins to go pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and 1 egg and beat well. Add all of the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and the rest of the eggs and beat for 1 minute. Stir in the bananas and pecans and dollop the mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake in the oven for 55–60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Meanwhile, put the rum and sugar in a pan over a high heat, mix then boil furiously until it begins to get thicker, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and pour over lots of the sugar syrup then sprinkle over some extra toasted pecans to decorate.

Serve with an ice cold daiquiri in a hammock under a palm tree.

‘I just don’t give a damn’

Chocolate Cake

No whisking, creaming or folding for this sponge, just throw it all in the bowl, mix like mad, then wait for the magic to happen in the oven. Thick, dark and lovely, it makes you want to just dive in with a spoon, with no friends invited. Serves 8 (V)

Vegetable oil, for oiling

140g (5oz) crème fraîche

130g (4½oz) very soft butter

230g (8¼oz) soft light brown sugar

Seeds of ½ vanilla pod or

2 drops of vanilla extract

4 eggs

180g (6½oz) plain flour

Pinch of salt

40g (1½oz) cocoa powder

10g (1/3oz) baking powder

Chocolate frosting

80g (1½oz) good dark chocolate (at least 64% cocoa solids)

130g (4½oz) butter, softened

Seeds of ½ vanilla pod or

2 drops of vanilla extract

250g (9oz) icing sugar

Equipment

Two x 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed sandwich tins

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Oil the cake tins then line the bases with baking paper.

Put all the sponge ingredients in a large bowl and beat well for 2–3 minutes with an electric mixer or 3–4 minutes by hand until everything is combined. Dollop the mixture into the prepared cake tins, level the tops and bake for about 25–30 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and is coming away from the sides of the tin. The cake will be super, duper moist. Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for about 5 minutes, then remove from the tins and cool on wire racks.

To make the frosting, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water, and leave to melt. Remove the bowl from the pan and set aside to cool slightly.

Put the butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the chocolate and beat until combined.

Once the cakes are cold, using a palette knife, spread one of the cakes with some of the frosting, then sandwich them both together and spread the rest of the frosting on the top.

Mojito Genoise

-The Genoise is a traditional Italian cake from Genoa, with a very light, buttery texture, and which uses no chemical raising agent. Needless to say, for this cake to work it needs the living daylights whisked out of it. Serves 8–10 (V)

Sugar syrup

150g (5oz) soft light brown sugar

40ml (1½fl oz) water

Finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes

80ml (3fl oz) white rum

Bunch of fresh mint, leaves only

Sponge

260g (9oz) caster sugar

6 eggs, lightly beaten

115g (4oz) butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing

260g (9oz) plain flour

Buttercream

100g (3½oz) butter, softened

200g (7oz) icing sugar

Seeds of 1 vanilla pod or

2 drops of vanilla extract

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime, to taste

Pecan coating

Vegetable oil, for oiling

200g (7oz) granulated sugar

200g (7oz) pecans

To decorate (optional)

Slices of lime

Handful of whole pecans

Equipment

20cm (8in) deep round loose-bottomed sandwich tin

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Grease the cake tin and line the base with baking paper.

I make the sugar syrup first to allow the flavours to infuse. Put the sugar, water, lime juice and rum in a medium pan over a low heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, then boil for 2–3 minutes until the syrup thickens. Add the mint and lime zest and set aside.

Fill a large saucepan around a third full of water. Place over a high heat and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Set a large heatproof bowl over the pan, making sure the base isn’t touching the water. Add the sugar and eggs to the bowl and whisk. This causes them to foam up and gives a lighter, fluffier cake. The egg mixture should be whisked for about 10 minutes, then remove the bowl from the pan and continue to whisk for a further 5 minutes. The mixture is ready when it holds itself well in the bowl and, if you take a spoonful and then drop it back in, the resulting ‘blob’ should take 3–4 seconds to blend back into the mixture.

Once you have reached this ‘ribbon stage’, pour the melted butter into the bowl, around the sides (pouring it into the middle knocks out all the air). Fold the butter into the egg mix, moving the bowl around and scooping down to the bottom to fold the mixture over itself, using as few movements as possible to retain the air.

Next, add the flour and fold in until the mixture is uniform and smooth. Pour gently into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven for about 30–35 minutes. When cooked, the sponge should spring back when pushed lightly, will be a light golden colour and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake will come out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes or so, then remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Once it is cool, slice the cake in half horizontally and set aside.

To make the buttercream, put the butter, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the lime zest and juice to taste.

To assemble the cake, put a dollop of buttercream on a serving plate (to stop the sponge sliding around the plate). Place the bottom of the sponge on the plate and brush with the reserved sugar syrup. Be quite liberal to make the cake really moist. Put a big dollop of buttercream on top and, using a palette knife, spread the buttercream over the cake until it is level. Take the top half of the cake, turn cut side up and brush with the sugar syrup. Turn it back over and put it on top of the buttercreamed sponge. Next, cover the whole cake with the buttercream, including the top and sides, making sure it is as smooth as possible with straight sides and top. Put the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes or so to firm up a little.

For the pecan coating, oil a baking tray. Put the sugar in a medium pan over a low heat and leave to melt, stirring as little as possible. If any sugar sticks to the sides of the pan, dip a pastry brush in water and brush it off. Once the sugar is melted bring the mixture to the boil and cook for 1 minute making sure it does not burn. Add the nuts and pour the mixture onto the prepared baking tray. Leave to cool. Once this has cooled right down, blitz the praline in an electric mixer or put it in plastic bag, smash it with a rolling pin and think of your boss.

Once the praline pieces are the size of breadcrumbs, use them to coat the sides of the cake.

This gateau makes a very different celebration cake for something special. Decorate with lime slices and whole pecans, if you like.

Orange & cardamom

Ricotta Cake

This is not a puffed-up, light-as-air, spongy cake, but a rich, moist, flattish cake enriched with crushed cardamom pods and best served as a dessert. Serves 8 (V)

180g (6½oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

100g (3½oz) caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

100g (3½oz) soft light brown sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

200g (7oz) plain flour

1 egg yolk

1 heaped tsp baking powder

15–20 cardamom pods, seeds only, finely crushed

Finely grated zest of 4 medium oranges

1 tbsp orange blossom water (optional)

250g (9oz) ricotta cheese

Equipment

23cm (9in) springform cake tin

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Grease the cake tin and sprinkle with sugar.

Put the butter and sugars in a large bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy. Add half of the eggs and half of the flour and beat well. Add the rest of the eggs, including the egg yolk, and flour together with the baking powder and beat well. Stir in the cardamom seeds, orange zest, orange blossom water, if using, and finally the ricotta cheese.

Dollop the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 25–35 minutes. The cake will be firm on top but the crumb will still be very moist. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before turning out and serving.

Best served fresh from the oven with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry & mascarpone

Swiss Roll

This is one deliriously decadent pud. A light vanilla sponge with Marsala strawberries and a potently rich mascarpone cream. There is no raising agent in this sponge delight, which instead relies entirely on your whisking powers for its leavening. Serves 6–8 (V)

Strawberry filling

250g (9oz) strawberries, hulled and sliced, plus a few sliced to decorate

2 tbsp granulated sugar

A splash of Marsala or orange juice

Sponge

3 eggs

80g (3oz) caster sugar, plus a bit extra for finishing

Seeds of ½ vanilla pod or 2 drops of vanilla extract

1 tbsp warm water

80g (3oz) plain flour

Pinch of salt

Mascarpone cream

250g (9oz) mascarpone

2 tbsp icing sugar

Seeds of ½ vanilla pod or 2 drops of vanilla extract

Equipment

23 x 33cm (9 x 13in) Swiss roll tin or small roasting tin lined with baking paper

To make the filling, put about a third of the strawberries in a blender or food processor with the granulated sugar and blitz well. Transfer to a bowl and add the Marsala or orange juice. Stir in the remaining strawberries and place in the fridge. The flavour gets better the longer you leave it, so do this a few hours ahead if you can, though if you are ready to go now then a minimum of 30 minutes is fine.

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas Mark 5. Grease the Swiss roll tin and line the base with baking paper.

For the sponge, put the eggs, sugar and vanilla in large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until the mixture is very pale yellow, foamy and mousse-like. Fold in the warm water with a large metal spoon. This helps prevent the Swiss roll from cracking when you roll it later. Sift over the flour and salt and fold in gently with the metal spoon. Don’t overmix here or you will knock out the air and the Swiss roll will lose its sponginess. The trick is to incorporate all the flour with as few ‘folds’ as possible.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level it gently with a palette knife or the back of a large spoon. Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes, or until it has shrunk a little from the sides of the tin and feels springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and turn the cake out onto a sheet of baking paper sprinkled with caster sugar. Leave for 10 minutes, then gently peel the lining paper off the sponge and leave to cool completely. In a large bowl, gently mix together all the ingredients for the mascarpone cream until smooth.

To assemble the cake, trim off any rough edges of the sponge with a sharp serrated knife if necessary to get the sides nice and tidy, then spread the mascarpone cream all over the sponge, leaving a small margin so it does not squelch out when it is rolled. Spoon the macerated strawberries out of the purée and scatter over the mascarpone filling. Drizzle a third of the strawberry purée over it as well (reserving the rest).

Here comes the best bit. With the shortest side facing you, begin to roll up the sponge (away from you) using the baking paper to help. Try to do it as tightly as you can for an impressive-looking finish. Once you have rolled it all up, make sure the join is underneath so it does not come undone. Carefully lift onto a serving plate. You can do this with your hands or use two fish slices or spatulas.

Sprinkle with some caster sugar and decorate with extra sliced strawberries. Serve in slices with the remaining strawberry sauce drizzled over. Best on a hot summer’s day with some fresh lemonade.

Battenberg

I once punked this up for a birthday party – the yellow sponge became black and the pink became a psychedelic shocking pink. A year on, I’m still trying to get the black dye off the kitchen surfaces, but the cake was a great success. Serves 6–8 (V)

100g (3½oz) apricot jam

150g (5oz) cold butter, cubed

150g (5oz) caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

150g (5oz) plain flour

1 heaped tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

3 medium eggs

Few drops of both yellow and pink (or red) food colouring

Icing sugar, for dusting

250g (9oz) golden marzipan

Equipment

Two 22 x 12cm (8¾ x 4¾in) loaf tins

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Line the loaf tins with baking paper. The mixture only came up a third of the way in each, which worked well.

Put the jam in a small pan and heat gently until warm then remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.

Put the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in an electric mixer and mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. If you are doing this by hand, cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl, add the eggs, beating well after each addition, then add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir to combine.

Divide the mixture into 2 bowls and colour one with the yellow colouring and the other with the pink. You don’t need much pink or red colouring, usually only one drop, or you’ll end up with a psychedelic battenburg!

Dollop the yellow cake mixture into one tin and the pink into the other and bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the thickest part comes out clean.

Leave the sponges to cool for 10 minutes. Place some baking paper sprinkled with sugar on a wire rack and turn the sponges out onto them. This will give the sponges a more even top. Leave to cool completely. Once the sponges are cold, peel off the baking paper and with the longest side facing you, cut the sponges in half horizontally, Stick the pieces together with the apricot jam as in the picture.

Dust the work surface with some icing sugar, place the marzipan on the sugar and knead slightly to soften. Roll the marzipan out to a rectangle that is large enough to cover the longest edges of the cake. Place the sponge on the marzipan to measure so you have enough marzipan to wrap around the cake.

To assemble the cake, spread some jam over one side of the cake and place it spread side down at the edge of your rectangle. Then spread all of the remaining 3 long sides with the jam. Roll the cake along the marzipan, pressing gently as you go to make sure it sticks well.