Baking

Simnel Cake

Simple Cake

One of the oldest Christian festivals, Easter marks Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

Simnel cake has at some point been adopted as a traditional Easter cake.

The 11 marzipan balls on the
top represent the apostles,
minus the treacherous Judas.

Simnel Cake

  • Servings: 11 slices
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print

Calories 722 per portion
Fat 30g (13.2g sat) per portion
Suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients

  • Butter 250g (9oz), softened
  • Light muscovado sugar 250g (9oz)
  • Eggs 4
  • Plain flour 300g (11oz)
  • Baking powder 1 tsp
  • Ground mixed spice 2 tsp
  • Ground almonds 50g (2oz)
  • Luxury dried mixed fruit 500g (1lb 2oz)
  • Lemon 1, finely grated zest and 2 tbsp juice
  • White marzipan 500g (1lb 2oz)
  • Apricot glaze or sieved apricot jam 2 tbsp

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2 and line a 20cm (8in) cake tin with baking parchment.
    Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour along with each egg. Sift in the remaining flour, baking powder and spice and fold the almonds, dried fruit and lemon zest and juice into the mixture. Spoon half into the cake tin and smooth the surface level.
  2. Roll out one third of the marzipan until it’s a circle, just smaller than the cake tin, and lay it on top of the mixture in the tin. Spoon the remaining mixture over the top and level the surface.
  3. Bake the cake in the centre of the oven for 2–2¼ hours, or until a skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the cake. Cover with a sheet of baking parchment if it starts to brown. When cooked, remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool.
  4. Remove the cake from the tin and peel away the lining paper. Spread the apricot glaze or jam over the top. Roll out half of the remaining marzipan to fit the top of the cake. Place it on the cake and smooth down, taking care not to trap any air pockets underneath. Pinch around the edges.
  5. Divide the remaining marzipan into 11 pieces and roll each into a ball. Brush a little apricot glaze or jam onto the base of each and evenly space around the top of the cake. Place under a hot grill to brown the marzipan lightly. Remove from the grill and leave to cool before serving.

Cook’s tips
The cake will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
If you have a choice of marzipan, choose white marzipan, which has a more natural flavour than golden marzipan.

Recipe of the Week; Easter Egg Cake Pops

 

Easter Egg Cake Pops

Easter Egg Cake Pops

  • Servings: 10
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Calories 291 per portion
Fat 15g (6.5g sat) per portion
Suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients

  • Plain Madeira cake 285g pack
  • Chocolate spread 5 tbsp
  • White chocolate 225g (8oz), broken into pieces
  • Lollipop sticks 10 x 15cm (6in) Neon sugar sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Trim off brown edges and crumble cake into a bowl. Add half the chocolate spread and mix well with your hands. Add remaining spread a tablespoon at a time until you have a mixture that can be squished and rolled into 10 tightly packed 30g (1oz) egg shapes.
  2. Place on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper and chill for 1 hour.
  3. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring often.
  4. Dip end of each stick into chocolate and insert into eggs. Place in a cake pop stand or glass and leave to set. Dip cake pop into chocolate and slowly rotate until evenly covered. Hold over a plate and sprinkle with decorations. Leave to set as before. Repeat with other pops.
  5. If giving as an Easter gift, pop into a cellophane bag and tie with a pretty coloured ribbon.

 

 

#easterrecipe

 

Banish the Blues Part 2

Marvellous Easter Makes Made Easy

.

Marvellous Easter Makes Made Easy

(and other tongue-twisters)

With the wind still whistling around our ears, rain pelting the windows and the clocks waiting another few weeks before they go forward, it’s easy to get despondent.

Lift the mood by creating something
lovely for Easter, and maybe give
one of your creations as a gift.

I have been recipe testing for the next diary recently and to save my waistline from ‘just one more taste’ I have been giving out little parcels of food to neighbours and to teachers/acquaintances at the school gate. People have been genuinely thrilled to receive something unexpected (and yummy of course!) and it really brightens my (and hopefully their) day.

So…..here are three ideas for easy Easter treats to share:

 

Easter Egg Cake Pops

Easter Egg Cake Pops

  • Servings: 10
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Calories 291 per portion
Fat 15g (6.5g sat) per portion
Suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients

  • Plain Madeira cake 285g pack
  • Chocolate spread 5 tbsp
  • White chocolate 225g (8oz), broken into pieces
  • Lollipop sticks 10 x 15cm (6in) Neon sugar sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Trim off brown edges and crumble cake into a bowl. Add half the chocolate spread and mix well with your hands. Add remaining spread a tablespoon at a time until you have a mixture that can be squished and rolled into 10 tightly packed 30g (1oz) egg shapes.
  2. Place on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper and chill for 1 hour.
  3. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring often.
  4. Dip end of each stick into chocolate and insert into eggs. Place in a cake pop stand or glass and leave to set. Dip cake pop into chocolate and slowly rotate until evenly covered. Hold over a plate and sprinkle with decorations. Leave to set as before. Repeat with other pops.
  5. If giving as an Easter gift, pop into a cellophane bag and tie with a pretty coloured ribbon.

 

Woven Easter Card

Woven Easter Card

Materials

  • Selection of narrow ribbons
  • Card with oval hole
  • Scissors
  • Sellotape

Instructions

  1. Choose a selection of ribbons in similar colours. Cut into strips slightly longer than the length of the oval.
  2. On the reverse of the oval attached a piece of ribbon (at the top left only) with a piece of tape. It should hang vertically down the length of the edge of the oval. Attach a second ribbon next to it to create a ribbon ‘fringe’ behind the oval.
  3. Cut more ribbon slightly wider than the width of the oval.
  4. Attach a piece of ribbon at the top of the oval but this time horizontally. Weave the ribbon in and out of the other ribbons to create a woven effect. Attach to the back with tape. Repeat until the oval is filled with the woven ribbon pattern.

 

Mini Egg Rocky Road

Mini Egg Rocky Road

Ingredients

  • Butter 110g (4oz)
  • Milk chocolate 110g (4oz), chopped
  • Digestive biscuits 110g (4oz)
  • Chocolate mini eggs 110g (4oz)
  • Marshmallows 110g (4oz), chopped
  • Dried cranberries 25g (1oz)

Instructions

  1. Line an 18cm (7in) square baking tin with cling film.
  2. Place butter and chocolate in a large bowl and microwave for about 1 minute, until melted, checking frequently.
  3. Put biscuits into a strong polythene bag and bash with a rolling pin until broken up. Stir into chocolate with mini eggs, marshmallows and cranberries.
  4. Press into tin and refrigerate for at least an hour until firm. Remove from tin and cut into 16 squares.

 

#easterrecipe

 

Recipe of the Week

Cherry Bread Pudding

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Cherry Bread Pudding

Moist, sticky and scrumptious, with glistening succulent fruit. This Cherry Bread Pudding recipe is delicious served warm, or just as tasty served chilled. A Dairy Diary recipe. For more delicious recipes visit the Dairy Diary Recipe Collection.

CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE

#tripletested

#recipeoftheweek

Recipe of the Week: Cheddar & Chorizo Scones

Chorizo & Cheddar Scones

Cheddar & Chorizo Scones

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Serve these amazing scones warm with real butter for a comforting winter treat.

Calories 151 per portion
Fat 7.3g (4.3g sat) per portion
Suitable for freezing

Ingredients

  • Self-raising flour 225g (8oz)
  • Butter 50g (2oz)
  • Cheddar cheese 50g (2oz), grated
  • Chorizo 40g (1½oz), chopped
  • Milk 150ml (¼ pint) plus extra to glaze

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 230°C(210°fan)/450°F/Gas 8. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Sift flour into a large bowl, then rub in butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  3. Stir cheese and chorizo into flour. Then add milk and mix to a soft but not sticky dough.
  4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
  5. Roll out to 2cm (¾in) thick and cut out rounds with a 7.5cm (3in) circular cutter. Repeat until dough is used up.
  6. Place on baking sheet and brush tops with milk. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

Read Cheddar & Chorizo Scones on the Dairy Diary website

 

A Dairy Diary recipe.

Bake Box – the treat that keeps on giving. And win, win, win!

 

The Bake Box

It’s easy to feel flat at this time of year when the excitement of Christmas is long gone and the days are short.

How about treating yourself to regular surprise? 

In these modern days of email and social media (remember letter writing?) it’s rare to receive something unexpected through the post. With the fabulous new Bake Box you get every an exciting box of goodies every couple of months.

Bake Box is the brand new subscription box designed for blossoming bakers to build up a brilliant repertoire of new skills as well as a collection of great baking equipment.

Bake Box is the first of its kind available in the UK and
includes recipe cards for 6 stunning bakes and the tools
needed to transform any cake into a showstopper.

The contents of each box are kept secret – so each package is a surprise!

The Bake Box

With a subscription to the Bake Box you automatically receive complimentary access to the gorgeous Bake Club site. Here you can check out masterclass videos, enjoy fortnightly bonus recipes, expand your knowledge of ingredients and techniques and show off to your fellow bakers!

Bake Box won’t break the bank either. At £14.99 per box it’s great value for money as each box contains at least £40 worth of equipment. Wow!

Sign up here now. I already have!

THE BAKE BOX

 

And for 3 VERY lucky people we have a fabulous Bake Box to give away.

To be in with a chance of winning  enter now.

ENTER

 

#treatyourself #bakeclublive #win

 

 

 

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