❅ all is bright

this month at Cake Club 

the idea was to bake something you'd

like to trial for Christmas

this recipe was in a book owned

by my friend Cheryll

and it ticked all the boxes!

despite all the seemingly complicated steps

it's really easy to make and proper delicious

as the ladies of cake club will agree ....

they renamed this cake

sexy log! 

apple & butterscotch {sexy} log

you will need ....

for the sponge ~ 

75g caster sugar

85g self raising flour

4 large eggs separated

preheat oven to 180c/ gas 4

line and grease a swiss roll tin {25 x 38cm}

sift the flour into a bowl

in another bowl

beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale

sift the flour once more onto this mixture 

and fold in gently

beat the egg whites to stiff peaks

add a third to the yolk mixture

then gently fold in the rest

pour into the swiss roll tin

and bake for 6-8 minutes until golden

cool in the tin for 2 minutes 

then place on a rack and cover with a tea towel

for the caramel apples ~

2 apples

a small knob of butter

50g soft light brown sugar

peel & core the apples and cut into 1cm cubes

add them to a pan with the sugar and butter

cook on a high heat for 10 mins or so

until apples are slightly soft and brown

cool completely

for the butterscotch cream ~

450ml double cream

100g butter

200g soft light brown sugar

50g icing sugar

place 150ml of the cream, butter and brown sugar in a pan

bring to a boil then lower to a simmer

cook for 5-10 minutes

until thick and golden

leave to cool completely

put the remaining cream and icing sugar

in a bowl and whisk until thick

fold in the cooled butterscotch sauce

putting it together!

carefully remove the baking paper from

the sponge, either put it onto the tea towel

or cut a fresh piece of baking paper

spread a thin layer of butterscotch cream 

all over the sponge

then spoon the apples along one edge

using the tea towel or paper to help

start to roll up the log

tightly as you can

once rolled, cut a piece off at an angle

this will be a 'branch'

put the log onto a plate or board

cover it in the remaining butterscotch cream

using a fork or skewer to make bark effects!

adorn with festive pieces 

shower with icing sugar

happy holidays!

☼ seasons

when your local market or supermarket 

sells good things

it's time to find a recipe to bake

not with these huge juicy grapes 

but with figs

fig & almond torte {gluten free}

you will need ....

2 figs, thinly sliced

75g unsalted butter ~ heated in a pan, browned and cooled

150g ground almonds

80ml honey

a teaspoon ground ginger

a dash of vanilla extract

an egg yolk

flaked almonds

grease a 7" round loose bottomed tin

then

in a large bowl mix all the ingredients

except for figs and flaked almonds

put this mixture into the greased tin

spreading it evenly

top with the sliced figs 

sprinkle with flaked almonds

and put in the freezer for 30 minutes

preheat the oven to 150c/ gas 2

bake the torte for 25-30 minutes until golden

leave to cool completely in the tin

 delicious on it's own or with cream

recipe from London Bakes

~

▹► your mother should know

 did I tell you I've been going to cake club?

once a month, local ladies meet up

to eat our bakes

this months theme was Mothers Favourites

now mine likes lemon drizzle

but I decided to make it with the flavours I like

after all I am a Mama too :-)

lime, ginger and coconut cake

you will need ....

200g butter

175g caster sugar

200g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

50g coconut

1 tsp ground ginger

3 eggs

lots of limes {I used 4}

4 balls of stem ginger {chopped}

2 tbsp milk

a pinch of salt

for the drizzle ....

3 tbsp of the syrup from the ginger

3 tbsp caster sugar

the juice of two limes

heat the oven to 180c/gas 4

line a loaf tin with greaseproof

in a large bowl

mix butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy

add the eggs one at a time

beating well in between each

add the grated zest of 3 of the limes

and the pinch of salt

stir in chopped ginger and coconut

then fold through flour, baking powder,

the juice from 2 limes and the milk

until smooth

spoon into prepared loaf tin and bake for an hour or so

test for doneness with a skewer

cool the cake for about 5 minutes 

meanwhile mix together sugar, ginger and lime juice

make holes in the top of your loaf 

and drizzle drizzle drizzle 

cool in the tin completely 

then remove and cut and devour!

happy mothers day

๛ long time no cake

goodness it's been a while since 

I posted a recipe hasn't it?

it's easy to resort to old favourites when baking

but when you have ingredients to use up

then it's time to invent

cherry & ginger loaf

you will need ....

175g plain flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground ginger

75g soft brown sugar

75g butter

4 or 5 balls of stem ginger ~ chopped

1 tablespoon of the syrup from the jar

50g glacé cherries ~ chopped

6 tablespoons milk

line a loaf tin with baking parchment

preheat the oven to 180c/gas 4

put all the dry ingredients into a large bowl

 rub in the butter until it looks like sand

stir in the chopped cherries and ginger

add the milk and ginger syrup

 mix to a stiff dough

gently push into the tin 

bake for 1 hour then leave to cool

delicious!