I'm so sorry but it truly has been manic, fabulous but a little crazy just lately. My poor boys I'm sure are wondering where their mumsy mum has got to! Especially when i'm running out the door early light and back after dark shouting there's pizza express pizza's rocket and dough balls in the fridge.
On the up side lots of bakes are happening and will be for the foreseeable future as development of recipes needs to take place.
I always hated the idea of coffee and walnut, to be honest I always felt it was a bit of an old granny cake. That was until my audition for Bake Off where we had to make one and they are quite yummy.
Unless it's just I'm becoming an old granny, oops oh no!
8oz S/R flour
8oz stork
4oz caster sugar
4oz soft light brown sugar
4 eggs
1tsp baking powder
2 tsp coffee granules mixed with 2 tbsp of hot water
2oz finely chopped walnuts
1. Mix flour, butter, sugars, eggs baking powder and coffee together in a freestanding maxine until well combined.
2. Fold in chopped walnuts
3. Spoon into 2 prepared sandwich tins
4. Bake at 170 for 25-30 mins or until springs back when top is touched
5. Cool in tin for 10 mins
6. Then finish cooling on wire racks.
Buttercream
500g icing sugar
125g unsalted softened butter
3tbsp milk mixed with 2 tsp coffee granules
Beat all together until light and fluffy.
Once cakes are completely cool sandwich together with a third of the buttercream, then top with another third, put the last third into a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle and pipe little rosettes to mark each slice.
And top with some chopped walnuts.
I love Victoria sandwich, it's one of those cakes you always have the ingredients for a bit like an old good friend, never lets you down, and is very versatile, I think most people have given this one ago and with the addition of the extra yolk it has a lovely depth of flavour.
Victoria Sandwich
8oz S/R flour
8oz caster sugar
8oz stork
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
4 eggs + 1 yolk
1. Mix all the ingredients together until well combined
2. Spoon into 2 prepared sandwich tins
3. Bake at 170 for 25-30 or until ready
4. Cool in tins for 5-10 mins
5. Turn out and finish cooling on wire racks.
Fillings
Buttercream
300g icing sugar
75g unsalted softened butter
3-4 tablespoons of milk
Beat all of the above until light and fluffy (about 5 mins in freestanding whisk)
Sandwich cakes together with 3 large tablespoons of strawberry jam and the buttercream. Finish off with a sprinkle of either caster or icing sugar.
To make into a lemon cake just add the zest of a lemon to the batter, then instead of Jam add lemon curd.
To make into a Orange cake add the zest of an orange to the batter and mix a couple of tablespoons of orange marmalade into the buttercream.
Coconut Cake
This is a lovely cake that i've been baking for the last 15 years, which actually tells me i'm getting on a bit, that's obviously why I like the coffee and walnut now ekkkkk
4oz Butter
40z caster sugar
3 eggs whisked
7oz S/R flour
2oz desiccated coconut
zest and juice of a small lemon
Topping
2 tbsp of desiccated coconut
2tbsp of caster sugar mixed together
1. Mix sugar and butter until light and fluffy
2. Add eggs a little at a time
3. Fold in flour, coconut, lemon zest and juice
4. Spoon into a prepared 7inch cake tin
5. Scatter sugar and coconut over the top
6. Bake for 70 mins at 180
7. Cool in tin for 10 minutes then turn out and cool on a wire rack.
