Kefirowe

My Polish friend who lives in Leeds sent me a copy of a recipe from an old Polish cookbook for kefirowe – this is a cake made with kefir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• I tried it out and it is super – a soft moist cake made with sunflower oil and cocoa as well as kefir.
• I made it twice, once with a darker chocolate icing and the second time with a milkier chocolate icing.
• It would be good with a wide range of different flavoured icings.

Ingredients

• 350g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
• 200g granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons of cocoa
• *
• 2 eggs – beaten
• 500ml of kefir
• 250ml sunflower oil

Method

• Grease and line with one piece of greaseproof a 32x22cm baking tray.
• Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C
• Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
• In another bowl mix the eggs, oil and kefir together.
• Pour the kefir mixture into the dry mixture.
• With a wooden spoon mix well together until you have an even thick batter.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin.
• Bake for 30 – 35 minutes.
• Leave to cool in the tin on a wire cake rack.
• *
• Ice with the icing of your choice.
• Cut into squares, rectangles or lozenges to serve.

 

Coffee set and tea plates – Greenway by John Russell 1960s

Chocolate Icing Ingredients

• 100g butter
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 200g icing sugar

Method

• Melt the butter gently in a small saucepan.
• Stir in the cocoa powder and the water.
• Mix and cook gently for a couple of minutes.
• Remove from the heat.
• Mix in the icing sugar, bit by bit until you have a thick icing.
• Ice the top of the cake.

Milk Chocolate Icing Ingredients

• 60g butter
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons of hot milk
• 250g icing sugar
• 1-2 drops of vanilla essence

Method

• Heat up some milk in a small pan (I use a bit more than is needed and measure it out after heating).
• Melt the butter in a pan.
• Blend in the cocoa powder.
• Stir in the icing sugar, milk and essence (I add the sugar in stages -aiming  for a slightly runny icing) and beat until it is thick and smooth – adjusting with icing sugar and extra milk as necessary.
• Ice the top of the cake.

 

 

Tea plates are Las Palmas – Aynsley from the 1960s

Jug by Buchan Pottery, Portobello near Edinburgh from the early 1960s.

What if you cannot get kefir?

• Should you not be able to get any kefir you can use 3 parts yoghurt to 1 part milk instead.
• I tried this out in the recipe and used 375ml of yoghurt mixed with 125ml of milk.
• It worked very well.

I used a white chocolate icing on this cake.

White Chocolate Icing

• 100g of white chocolate (I like Green & Black best)
• 3-4 tablespoons of hot milk
• 200g icing sugar (you might not need it all)

Method

• Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pan of hot water.
• Heat up some milk in a small pan (I use a bit more than is needed and measure it out after heating).
• Mix 3 tablespoons of the hot milk into the heated chocolate.
• Stir in the icing sugar (I add the sugar in stages – aiming  for a slightly runny icing) and beat until it is thick and smooth – adjusting with icing sugar and extra milk as necessary.
• Ice the top of the cake.

Tea set by Royal Doulton – Carnation 1982 – 1998