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“I
adore the smell of a cake baking in the oven, its one of those heartwarming
aromas that remind us of a better time and the comforts of home.”
“The secret ingredient in
light-and-fluffy sponge cakes is air”
There is nothing quite as satisfying as serving up a generous wedge of
home-baked cake, bread or a satisfyingly sweet pastry..and let’s be honest, its difficult to beat the taste of something that’s been baked at home, whether it’s a simple
sponge, a banana cake or even warm freshly baked bread. Baking at home seems to be more
and more popular these day’s and its easy to see why, it is relaxing, rewarding
and great fun.
The simple truth is it’s really not difficult to produce great results at home, but you will have to follow a few basic rules. Here are my top tips for perfect baking cakes.
The simple truth is it’s really not difficult to produce great results at home, but you will have to follow a few basic rules. Here are my top tips for perfect baking cakes.
1: Always read the recipe in full before beginning.
This sounds really obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had
a complete and total disaster in the kitchen because I didn’t realize a certain
step was coming up. Reading ahead will help you know the how, why, where, and
when of what you are about to do. It will take you 1-5 minutes max and could
save you from wasting your ingredients on a failed dessert.
2: Always have your ingredients prepared before beginning a recipe.
Read through the ingredients and get them prepared and ready on your
counter. There is very little room for error when you begin recipes this way.
Trust me.
3: Weigh the ingredients carefully.
You wouldn’t believe how much can go wrong just because ingredients have
been weighed incorrectly. If you’re just a little bit out it can have a
catastrophic effect on flavour and consistency, yet it’s one of the easiest
things to get right. Just concentrate at the start because any errors will only
be amplified going forward!
4: Avoid using cold eggs & butter
Most of know to bring the butter to room temperature, but it’s just as
important for eggs—otherwise the mixture won’t emulsify properly.
5: Cooking times should only be used as a guideline
Because all ovens vary and the number on the dial isn’t always the true
temperature, an oven thermometer is a good tool. Conventional and gas ovens are
hottest at the top, so it’s best to bake on the middle shelf to avoid burning
things before they’re cooked through.
6:Keep your oven door closed
You now know how the oven’s temperature can ruin a recipe. But what can
completely throw off the oven temperature is constantly opening and closing
that oven to peek at your baking cupcakes or sponges.
WALNUT-COFFEE CAKE WITH VANILLA CREAM
Prep time: 20
mins
Cooking time: 30
mins
Ingredients
200g unsalted
butter
200g sugar
65g walnut pieces
4 eggs
200g plain
flour
4 teaspoons instant
coffee powder
2 ½ teaspoons
baking powder
½ teaspoon
bicarbonate of soda
Vanilla-coffee
cream topping
1 vanilla pod
350g icing sugar
180g unsalted
butter, softened
3tsp instant
coffee powder
10 walnuts to
decorate
Preheat the oven
to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Line the base of
two 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed sponge tins with baking parchment.
Beat the butter
and caster sugar until light, pale and fluffy with an electric mixer.
Crack the eggs
into a bowl, break them up with a fork, then add them a little at a time to the
butter and sugar, beating well after each addition.
Combine the flour
and baking powder and gently mix into the butter and sugar on a slow speed. Dissolve
the coffee granules in a tablespoon of boiling water, then stir into the
mixture. Chop the walnuts and fold them in
gently.
Divide the cake
mixture between the two tins, smooth the top lightly and bake for 20 to 25
minutes - the cake should be springy to the touch and a skewer inserted inside
should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the topping and filling
Pulse the icing
sugar in the food processor until it is lump free, then add the butter and
process to make a smooth icing. Dissolve the instant espresso powder in 1
tablespoon boiling water and add it while still hot to the processor, pulsing
to blend into a smooth cream. Spread half the coffee cream over one of the cake
halves and sandwich the cakes together. Smooth the remaining coffee cream over
the top and garnish with walnuts.
Raspberry and yoghurt teacake
Prep time: 15
mins
Cooking time: 65
mins
Ingredients serves
6
250g plain flour
25g ground
almonds
2 tsp baking
powder
a pinch of salt
120g soft butter
250g sugar
zest of 1 large
lemon, finely grated
2 large eggs
100g full-fat
plain yoghurt
1 tbsp white
sugar
Preheat the oven
to 180C./350ºF Grease a 23-centimetre loaf tin and line with baking paper.
Sift together the
flour, baking powder and salt.
Cream the butter
and sugar in a food processor for five minutes until pale and fluffy, then beat
in the lemon zest. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the
sifted flour with the second egg. Gently fold in the remaining flour and the
yoghurt until the mixture is smooth, then fold in the ground almonds.
Spoon one-third
of the cake mixture into a loaf tin and scatter with one-third of the
raspberries. Repeat twice, finishing with a layer of raspberries.
Bake for 45
minutes until the cake is nicely browned, then cover loosely with foil and bake
for a further 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out
clean.
Remove the cake
from the oven. Cool for five minutes and carefully remove the cake from
the tin and put it on a wire rack to cool. Serve in thick slices.
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