Category Archives: CAKES
Vanilla layered cake
This vanilla layer cake is one of our bakery staples that we are frequently asked for and if you make it in a food processor it takes no time at all. As with most vanilla cake recipes, the list of ingredients is fairly standard, but factor in good-quality ingredients, careful measuring and weighing and setting the correct oven temperatures, and the result is fantastic. We use this as the basis of many a birthday cake, not least because it can be iced and decorated to any effect. Vanilla layer cake is a fairly simple dessert to make, and it is certainly cake that will be popular in your family. What makes this vanilla layer cake our favourite is the fact you can use different fillings, different tastes and adjust the recipe to any season to use fresh products.
Rhubarb and ginger crumble
This is a classic rhubarb crumble recipe bit with a little twixt by adding stem ginger and porridge oats to make the best crumble mix ever. It is an absolutely delicious combination of flavours and can be really nicely served with thick Jersey cream or cold custard. There are two different types of rhubarb available: forced and naturally grown. The forced rhubarb is brighter pink in colour, has delicious spindly shoots and is much more tender. Rhubarb dating back to 2000 BC in China, where it was used only for medicinal purposes. It is funny fact, because it is not actually very nutricious – it is mainly made up of water. Wash and trim the rhubarb stems before use. Discard the leaves as they are poisonous. If using outdoor-grown rhubarb, remove any stringy outer layers. Cut into equal-sized pieces to ensure even cooking. Forced rhubarb is very fragile so poach or bake only briefly to prevent it from disintegrating into a mush. Use a thick sugar syrup as it releases a lot of juice. Outdoor-grown rhubarb has a sharper taste and more fibrous texture, so requires a slightly longer cooking. Both varieties of rhubarb are good in pies, tarts, fools, jellies and ices.
Mocha soufflés
Mocha soufflé is is a lightly baked cake made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with coffee granules and cocoa powder. The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means “to blow up” or, more loosely, “puff up”—an apt description of what happens to this combination of custard and egg whites. When it comes out of the oven, a soufflé should be puffed up and fluffy, and it will generally fall after 5 or 10 minutes (as risen dough does). It may be served with the top punctured and sauce poured on (for example, chocolate or vanilla). Soufflés can be made in containers of all shapes and sizes but it is traditional to make soufflé in ramekins. These containers vary greatly in size, but are typically glazed white, flat-bottomed, round porcelain containers with unglazed bottoms and fluted exterior borders.
Queen of puddings
Queen of Puddings is old-fashioned favourite: smooth set creamy custard is flavoured with orange zest, spread with melted jam, and topped with meringue. This is a traditional British dessert, and similar recipes are called Monmouth Pudding and Manchester Pudding. A Monmouth Pudding is said to consist of layers of meringue, jam or seasonal fruit and bread soaked in milk, whilst Manchester Pudding is similar but contains egg yolks (but some have speculated that this name was just a synonym for the Queen of Puddings). As befits such a treat, it is a little more technical than most of the recipes to date, but there is nothing here that requires great skill. It is simply a question of following the steps carefully to produce a brilliantly showy pudding. Queen of Puddings is so worthy of its name, a pudding filled with lovely ingredients and crowned with a layer of soft chewy meringue.
Simple orange cake
This recipe of an orange cake is a fancy dessert you may bake for your regular family evening or present it as a nice treat for your guests. This is the best orange cake recipe for me that you can make fast without spending too much time in the kitchen. You may cook several variations of this cake using suggestions we give you below the basic recipe of orange cake and make your own unique dessert. Using various fillings you may get orange coconut cake or orange poppy seed cake or many other fancy and delicious versions. There are two main types of oranges: sweet oranges and bitter (Seville) oranges. The former can be thick- or thin- skinned, with or without seeds, and has sweet-tasting orange or red-flecked flesh. Bitter oranges have aromatic dimpled skin with very bitter pith and very sour, pale-orange flesh. They always contain seeds. Sweet oranges are widely used in sweet dishes – flavoured with caramel, cinnamon or orange flower water – or as a flavouring for chocolate or rhubarb. Finely grated or julienned orange zest adds a touch of bitterness to cakes and desserts.