Jubilee Union Jack Battenberg Cake

Well here it is, my attempt at a Union Jack Battenberg! “EPIC” as my eldest son would say – or did say when I was making it last night! Rather stressful but worth the effort I think. Not one for the faint hearted!

If you would like a simpler Jubilee Battenberg with a great wow factor, have a look at my May Recipe Post!

This is for the Homemade by Fleur, Blogging Jubilee Baking Competition http://wp.me/p1UMex-o3 sponsored by Appliances Online

 

Jubilee Battenberg Cake

Available to order for your Jubilee Party! £10 – email: retrobakes@caferetro.co.uk

Based on a traditional Battenberg recipe on the BBC Good Food website, this version is inspired by the suggestion of my youngest son and is perfect for a Jubilee party. Did you know the Battenberg cake was invented for the marriage of one of Queen Victoria’s daughters to a Battenberg Prince? I have avoided making a “Union Jack” with the sponges inside (as I have yet to see a picture of a decent one).

I have been making Battenberg for the Cafe for the past month and it is always a fight to get it away from my children who love the moist sponge & deliciously sweet marzipan – once tried you will forever forgo those dreadful packet ones. There is no reason why you couldn’t leave out the almonds altogether and colour & flavour the sponges to your own tastes using jam to match. I think I shall be making a chocolate/orange one for Halloween! Watch this space!

May Recipe: Jubilee Battenberg Cake

First pre-heat the oven to 180ºC and grease & line 2 x 1lb or 2lb loaf tins (to ensure neat corners, lightly grease the tin then cross over two strips of measured baking parchment)

Mix together using an electric whisk or mixer:

175g Soft Butter or Cooking Margarine

 175g Golden Caster Sugar

125g Butter (I use cooking margarine)

125g Golden Caster Sugar

140g Self-raising Flour

50g Ground Almonds

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

3 Free-range Eggs

Put half the mixture (approx 315g) into a separate bowl with a few drops of Almond essence & blue food colouring.

To the remaining mixture

add 10g cocoa powder (optional) and red food colouring.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT FOOD COLOURING: you must not skimp on the colouring or you will end up with a pink & green cake!!!! Make sure you have a definite colour before you bake. (If you add cocoa to the red sponge it will go darker with cooking – like a red velvet cake. If you want a brighter red then leave it out). This means that paste colourings work far better than liquid as the mixture will become too runny.

Put the mixtures in to the loaf tins and place in the oven to bake for about 15-20 minutes until an inserted skewer/toothpick comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack and wait until cold.

When the sponge has cooled, take the smallest one first (I rarely get two sponges exactly the same size!) and slightly trim all round the edges. Then cut in half lengthwise (you may need to measure this) & cut both strips level across the top. Put one strip on the other to check the width. Then take the other sponge and repeat – using your first sponge as a guide.

When the cake is ready to be assembled: melt 200g Smooth Apricot Jam until runny (in a pan or the microwave)

Roll out 500g block of White Marzipan onto a sheet of baking parchment which has been liberally dusted with cornflour. (This is the Naughty Cupboards’ top tip as Icing Sugar makes the Marzipan sticky!). Make sure your marzipan sheet is large enough to wrap completely around your cake and is no thicker than 0.5cm (although I prefer mine thinner).

The idea is to assemble the sponges alternately in a square, covering all sides of the strips with apricot jam. Make sure you leave enough marzipan around the sponges to allow you to ‘wrap’ it afterwards.

When the sponges are in place, wrap the long edges of marzipan around by picking up the baking parchment and pressing it tightly round and secure the seam at the bottom neatly. Then wrap slightly around the small ends trimming off the excess & fold the last bit neatly and secure to the bottom.

Put cornflour on your hands before turning your finished Battenberg the right way up (or the marzipan may come away with your fingers).

I usually leave mine plain, however I did add a marzipan & edible pearl crown for this jubilee theme. Finally: wait for an audience before cutting!

 

Chocolate Coffee ‘Tiramisu’ Cake

I have chosen this delicious cake which falls in to the ‘very easy to make’ category and is a popular afternoon tea choice at the Cafe. This is based on a recipe by the fabulous Mitzie Wilson whose book I used constantly as a student – baking for my flatmates to brighten up our days. Instead of Mitzie’s Marscapone Icing I tend to use Cream Cheese frosting (a cheaper ingredient for a poor student which has now stuck!). I also think this keeps better in the fridge as a Marscapone topping can look pretty sad the next day & nobody wants a sad-looking cake.

Recently voted by one of our customers: the best cake she has EVER had. You can’t beat that for a recommendation! Here’s how I make it:

April Recipe: Tiramisu Cake

First pre-heat the oven to 170ºC and grease & line a cake tin

Dissolve 1 tblsp instant coffee in 1tsp boiling water then put into a large mixing bowl with:

125g Self-Rasing Flour

1 tsp Baking powder

125g Butter (I use cooking margarine)

125g Golden Caster Sugar

60g Grated Dark Chocolate (or coarsely chopped in a processor)

2 Free-range Eggs

Mix together then pour into the prepared cake tin.

Place in the oven to bake for 25-35 minutes until springy to the touch.

Leave to cool then pour over Brandy (you could also use Rum or Marsala) and leave to soak in.

Make your Icing: whisk together 100g cream cheese, 150g icing sugar, 100g butter (margarine)  until smooth.

Spread this over your sponge and then dust liberally with cocoa powder

They also make delicious & unusual cupcakes and you can booze them up as much as you like for a grown up party!

NB: For the version I make at the Cafe, I make two of these sponges (using decaf coffee) soaked in a slightly Brandy flavoured sugar syrup then sandwiched together with some of the frosting.

 

Mushroom Soup

With the weather getting chillier what could be better than a delicious warming, filling soup full of natural goodness and VERY simple to make! Perfect heated up in one of our thermal Bento boxes ready for lunchtime. As with all soup, really take your time with the first steps – don’t rush it – as all the flavours should be there before you add the liquid. For all our mushroom soup fans, here’s how we make it:

January Recipe: Mushroom Soup

Makes 1 litre of Soup

Fry 1 finely chopped Onion in a pan with 50g Butter until soft and golden

Add 500g sliced Mushrooms and fry until golden brown

Add 1 litre Vegetable Stock, Season to taste with Salt and Pepper and add a pinch of dried mixed herbs

Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes

Add a splash of Double Cream (or Soya Equivalent) and heat through gently before Blending with a hand blender or processor

SERVE WITH: crusty bread

I always have a pot of Vegetable stock at home in the freezer made from all those left over & wrinkly veg boiled up in seasoned water then strained. I would however recommend getting some Marigold Vegetable Stock Powder (also available as Vegan) for your store cupboard.

 

Christmas Pudding Ice-Cream

An Ice-Cream with all the flavours of a Christmas Pud & a kick of booze: what’s not to love about this delicious recipe! A fantastic alternative to Christmas Pudding which to be honest I find rather heavy, especially after the other festive treats.

A popular recipe at the moment, I had a version of this in the restaurant at Highgrove earlier this week. This version is tried and tested as it was devised by my father many years ago. The best part about it is that it is just as easy to make using Soya ice-cream, so perfect for those with a dairy intolerance.

December Recipe: Christmas Pudding Ice-Cream

Mix together in a bowl then cover closely & set aside for a few hours (or overnight):

60g sultanas

60g currants

60g raisins

120g chopped glace cherries

60g chopped mixed candied peel

30g chopped stem ginger ( or glace pineapple)

60ml Brandy

When ready, soften 1 litre vanilla ice-cream (perfect for ice-cream straight from the shop!) then mix in your Brandied fruit, 150ml double cream, 25g toasted flaked almonds and 60g chocolate chips (these are optional as they go VERY hard in the ice-cream)

Spoon into a 1.8 litre (3pt) pudding basin, cover with freezer wrap & put in the freezer

When you are ready to serve: remove the wrap then dip the basin in hot (NOT boiling) water for 30 seconds, then tip out of the mould onto a plate. Dust with Sifted Cocoa Powder & let soften slightly before serving.

Easy Peasy! I’ve made some using sweetened dried cranberries for a change instead of the cherries… Although I am also toying with the idea of inventing a”stollen” ice-cream – boozy fruit, almonds & marzipan balls perhaps?

 

fruity? nutty? boozy? it’s Christmas Mincemeat!

I have just realised that there’s not much time left until Christmas and I haven’t made any Mincemeat yet. This recipe is perfect to make now as it only really requires two weeks until it’s ready to eat.

The best thing about making your own is that you can adjust the ingredients to suit your own taste (I like it with lots of nuts in and I generally spend the next two weeks opening the jars & pouring more brandy in!).

Think of the recipe below as a guideline for your own preferences 

This is so easy and knocks the spots off the shop bought stuff, make it now and let it stand for a few weeks for the best mince pies you have ever tasted!

November Recipe: Mincemeat – makes 6 (jam size) jars

Roughly chop (or quickly blitz in a food processor) 250g raisins, 250g sultanas & 125g mixed peel

Then mix this together with:

400g currents,
125g chopped nuts (traditionally almonds – but any will do)
1 finely chopped apple (dessert or cooking, cored but with skin on)
400g soft brown sugar,
180g shredded Vegetarian suet (this is an optional ingredient, my sister omits it from her mix)
Rind from 1 orange & 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1/ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Finally pour in:

Juice from 1 orange & 1 lemon
6 tablespoons Brandy (or rum or whisky)

Put into your clean, dry jars & wait two weeks…

When you are ready to cook them, use either homemade or shop bought Shortcrust pastry rolled out to less than half cm thick. cut out circles & put into a greased bun/muffin tin & prick the bottoms, fill with mincemeat then either leave open or cover (remember to prick the lid) & brush with melted butter. Cook at 200°C for 8-10 mins (for mini ones like mine) or 15-20 mins (larger ones) until they are golden. Serve hot or cold sprinkled with icing sugar!

This mix should keep well for 6 months if stored in a cool, dark place.

Christmas Mince Pies made to impress

 

We went Pink

Thank you so much to everyone who came in for cakes this morning in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer! It’s such a worthwhile cause – I am always amazed at how many people have been touched by this dreadful disease. After a slow start, we raised a wonderful £70 with more donations pending & we still have a few ribbon cupcakes for sale in the cafe… get them while you can!

For the lovely lady who wanted some recipes, the chocolate brownie one (yes, I agree they ARE the best in the world) is also on this site. Here’s how I made the sponge for the cupcakes (or any cake for that matter!)

Simple Failsafe Cake Recipe

This recipe uses the same weight of everything: EGGS, BUTTER, SUGAR, FLOUR

Decide how large you want your cake & choose your number of eggs accordingly – 2 eggs for a small cake/cupcakes, 3 or 4 eggs for a larger cake

Weigh your eggs whole, this is the weight you need for all the ingredients

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease & flour your cake tin

Whisk the butter (or you can use margarine or sunflower oil) with the caster sugar until creamy

Add the eggs one at a time and mix each one in well (if the mixture starts to split, add a spoon of your flour)

At this stage you can add any flavours such as vanilla essence or cocoa powder. My favourite is crushed cardamom pods with lemon zest.

Fold in the self-raising flour

Pour into the cake tin and cook for 20-25 mins until a skewer comes out clean (Cupcakes only need approx. 12 minutes cooking time)

Cupcake tip: For perfect round cupcakes the mixture shouldn’t touch the sides of the cases, the easiest way to do this is to pipe the mixture gently into the middle of the cases.

 

Ribbon Wreaths & Bra Bunting: Breast Cancer Coffee Morning this Friday!

Well my head has been in a whirl of all things pink as October is officially “Go Pink”" Month in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

I am planning lots of wonderful things to bake and decorate – pink ribbon runouts, bra bunting and pink cowgirl cookie mix in a  jar. It’s not just for me it’s all in aid of our Go Pink Coffee Morning on Friday October 21st with all profits going to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

I think everyone must know someone, either a family or friend who has had breast cancer, and yes men can get it too… So come along with your friends and support a great cause.

Upstairs at Cafe Retro Friday 21st October 2011: 9.30am -  12 noon

for cakes, biscuits, coffee & tea all for a great cause

Ribbon topped Cupcakes, Coconut Macaroons, fresh Strawberry Cream Gateau, Cake Pops & Brownies!!!

 

New Ideas & Bento bonkers

Well, it was an interesting day yesterday at the ‘Lunch’ trade show in Billingsgate. Always great to meet up with existing suppliers as well as sourcing new ones. It does make you realise how different the whole business is in London and how you need to translate current trends for your customer. One thing we won’t be doing is getting the one oven that cooks everything: from steamed rice to steak – you can put different food on different shelves & it’s cooked by the oven not by a chef. Apparently they are all the rage in the chain restaurants. We’ll stick to the chefs thanks!

London (Take-Away) Food Trends:

Packets of loose nuts, seeds & dried fruits

Take-away hot ‘pots’ of soup, stew & the healthy ‘pot noodle’ made with

          Quinoa & Bulgar Wheat or Couscous

Pre-packed one portion food

Drinks packed with vitamins, fresh fruit or yoghurt based.

 

So definitely a healthy slant dominating the market, but what will work for us? Well, we’ll definitely be stocking some delicious nut/muesli bars which scored well in my personal taste test! We also LOVED the loose nuts although we may get packs in to jazz up the salads & soups in the Cafe.

We also liked many of the pots of soups & stews and although I realise that consumers do go for the ‘branded packaging’ – the products just don’t compare with our delicious freshly made soups & stews that we make here. So bring in your Bento pots & get them filled!

 

Avocado and Crispy Bacon Salad

It’s that time of year when our Lunchtime Specials menu is full of delicious salads and one of this year’s most popular choices is the classic bacon & avocado combo – with a Retro twist if course!

Here’s how we make it:

July Recipe: Avocado & Crispy Bacon Salad

serves 4 people

Fry 150g of Pancetta Cubes for 5 minutes until crispy (you could also used chopped bacon)

Peel & dice 2 ripe Avocados this can be tricky at home as you have to time your avocados somewhere between bullets and stringy brown mush

Make the dressing

(yes, this is the recipe for our world famous Sweet Basil Dressing)

Blend together:

Bunch of fresh basil

1 garlic Clove

200ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tblsp Wholegrain Mustard

2 tblsp honey

1 Chilli Pepper

Salt & Pepper to taste

Prepare your salad: arrange mixed Salad Leaves (Endive, Lollo Rosso etc) with 1 sliced yellow or red Pepper, 2 Tomatoes cut into wedges and half a sliced cucumber

Sprinkle the warm, crispy pancetta & cold avocado on top & then drizzle the dressing

SERVE WITH: garlic ciabatta & a glass of rosé please!