Category: Cake

Eve’s Pudding

  • This is a recipe found in many English cookery books.
  • Whenever I tried this – the cake near the fruit was always raw and the apples often not cooked enough either.
  • This was true even if I partialy pre-cooked the apples.
  • I had given up on making for years.
  • Last year when I had so many apples, I decided to look in my Polish recipe books to see if there was a solution – to make an apple dessert which cooked well and was delicious.
  • *
  • I found a solution which at first seemed strange to me.
  • I made this in a square-ish clear Pyrex dish
  • The apples were paritially pre-cooked – as I would have thought.
  • The sponge cake on top was made with plain flour and just risen with beaten egg whites – no baking powder was used!
  • The pudding was baked at a much higher temperature – GM6 – 200°C!
  • It worked – the cake part rose and was fully baked.
  • The dessert was excellent – everyone liked it.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 – 4 Bramley apples to fill the base of a square Pyrex dish
  • Around 2-3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • Large pinch of cinnamon – optional
  • *
  • 3 egg – seperated
  • 80g granulated sugar
  • 40g butter
  • 75g plain flour – sieved
  • 4 tablespoons sour cream

METHOD

  • Peel and core the apples and chop them into quarters or eigths.
  • Place in the bottom of the Pyrex dish.
  • Sprinke the sugar over these.
  • Bake in an oven until they are parcially cooked.
  • Leave to go completely cold before adding the cake part.
  • NOTE
  • You can make the apples the evening before.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200o C
  • Cream the sugar and the yolks till light and fluffy
  • Mix well in the butter and sour cream.
  • Fold in the flour.
  • Whisk the white until they are stiff. (you can have done this beforehand).
  • Fold these into the cake mixture.
  • Put the cake mixture over apples.
  • Bake for around 30-35 minutes.
  • Cool for a few minutes before serving.
  • Can be served hot or cold
  • My mama would never have served hot cake!

Royal Doulton Sonnet Tea Plate

Light Honey Cake

The basis of this recipe is from an English cookery book.

It is lighter on the honey than most of my Polish recipes.

Everyone loved this.

INGREDIENTS

  • 150 butter
  • 115g granulated sugar
  • 175g runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of water
  • 200g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon of mixed spice
  • 2 eggs -beaten
  • *
  • Juice of 1 lemon and icing sugar to make an icing in the usual way.
  • (Note on the photograhs I only used 1/2 a lemon – not enough)

METHOD

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180 0 C.
  • Use a cake liner in a high sided, loose bottom tin – 20cm (8inches) in diameter.
  • Gently heat the butter, sugar, honey and water in a small pan until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Leave to cool for 10 minutes,
  • Mix the flour, baking powder and mixed spice together.
  • Pour in the melted butter mixture and add the beaten eggs.
  • Beat until smooth.
  • Pour the batter into the tin.
  • Smooth the top.
  • Bake in th oven for 40 – 50 minutes, until well risen and a skewer comes out clean.
  • Leave to cool in the tin for at least 3 minutes.
  • Remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool.
  • *
  • Ice with icing made from 1 lemon and icing sugar.

Honeycomb Tin

I recieved another Nordic Ware to review.

This time this one that looks like cells in a beehive.

It is quite large so check it fits into your oven.

You need to brush melted butter into the tin and dust with dried breadcrumbs – bułka tarta

Once baked and turned out of the tin, you should be able to pull each individual little bun/cake apart.

I used a plain Madria style cake recipe but substituted some honey for the full amount of sugar I would have usually used.

You could add some mixed spices – not tested.

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g butter
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons runny honey
  • 3 eggs
  • 225 plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

METHOD

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180 degrees centigrade
  • Cream the butter, sugar and honey till fluffy.
  • Add the eggs, 1 by 1 until well mixed.
  • Mix the baking powder with the flour.
  • Fold the flour into the creamed mixture until uniform.
  • Spoon the cake mixture into the buttered tin.
  • Bake for around 40 minutes
  • Leave in the tin to cool
  • *
  • Turn out onto a large cake rack.

Nordic Ware Wildflower Tin

  • I got a Nordic Ware Tin to review.
  • There were no instructions – except not to overfill!
  • I tried a madeira style cake using 2 eggs and then a cocoa – maderia style using 3 eggs.
  • You need a plain mixture – no bits like currants that will spoil the pattern.
  • The pattern showed up better in the plain cake and the size using 3 eggs was better for the tin size.
  • I used melted butter to brush the tin and then dusted it with dried bread crumbs – bułka tarta.
  • The cake came out easily – no problems.

Ingredients for 3 eggs – plain

  • 150g butter
  • 150g granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 225g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 2-3 drops of vanilla essence
  • *
  • Melted Butter & some bułka tarta – dried breadcrumbs.

Ingredients for 3 eggs – cocoa

As above but 4 tablespoons of cocoa and just 190g plain flour

Method

  • The usual way for this type of cake.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180 0C
  • Cream the butter and sugar.
  • Add in the eggs and vanilla.
  • *
  • Mix the baking powder and flour.
  • Fold this into the creamed mixture.
  • Spoon into the tin – flatten the top.
  • Bake for at least 1 hour – more may be needed.
  • Leave to cool in the tin.
  • Turn tin upside down.
  • It should come out easily with the aid of a little knock.

You can add spices or similar to the cake mixture.

You could have the cocoa cake with a buttercream or icing around around the base – A sea of chocolate – to serve with the cake – (dusting with icing sugar did not work – you lost the design).

Kruszonka – Another Idea

I wrote about kruszonka toppings – crumbles for cakes and buns earlier.

Whilst making the Rhubarb & Custard tart, I came across another idea for this topping and I think it worked well.

In this case the kruszinka mix is baked seperately on a baking tray in a hot oven and used as a topping on the cake or bun.

It can also be used as a topping for desserts such as yoghurt or budyń

  • INGREDIENTS
  • 100g plain flour
  • 70g butter – cold
  • 70g granulated sugar
  • METHOD
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200oC.
  • Mix butter with flour until the mix is like breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar.
  • Spread on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for around 30 minutes – stirring ocasionally.
  • It should be golden and crunchy.
  • NOTE – You can keep it in a airtight box if all is not used straight away.

Fig Roll

  • I made placek with figs 3 a few weeks ago and really liked the filling.
  • I had half of the fig packet(soft type) left and they needed to be used soon.
  • I made the filling as before but without the dates.
  • I decided to make a yeast dough pastry this time.
  • I used the recipe from whinberry buns.
  • Note – you can make buns but I think you will not need as much filling.
  • I used a new long proofing basket but at the end found my baking trays were too long for my new oven.
  • I quickly transfered them to other lightly greased trays and curved the shapes.
  • NOTE – next time I would be prepared and shape the rolls into C, D or S shapes after they prooved or on the trays.
  • They turned out really well – the dough a light yeast dough and the amount of filling to dough just right.
  • My late tatus – dad would have loved these – he loved English fig rolls.

FIG FILLING

  • 175 – 200g dried fig – chopped into small pieces
  • 25g dark brown sugar
  • 75ml water
  • 2 small oranges – fine grated rind and juice
  • 1/4 tea spoon of bicarbonate of soda
  • *
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 medium eating apple – peeled, cored and coarse grated.
  • INGREDIENTS- dough
  • Starter
  • 50g plain flour
  • 150 ml of hand hot milk
  • 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried yeast
  • *
  • Dough – rest
  • 200g Plain flour
  • 60g granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • *
  • Beaten egg white to glaze

METHOD

  • Mix the starter ingredients together.
  • Leave for 20-30mins.
  • *
  • Dough – mix the starter with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Knead 10 minutes – set timer.
  • Leave for 2hrs or more.
  • Lightly knead again.
  • Divide into 2.
  • Shape into rectangles and then roll these out thinly to around 30 x 15cm.
  • Fill with fig filling.
  • Bring the long edges together and then the ends and seal well.
  • Pinch several times.
  • Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
  • Pre- heat the oven to GM6 – 2000 C.
  • Grease or butter a large baking sheet.
  • Brush with the beaten egg white.
  • Shape – curve to fit on your trays
  • GM6 – 2000 C.
  • Bake for around 30 minutes.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Cut into small slices.

Royal Doulton – Counterpoint tea plate.

Brush with

Placek with Figs – 3

  • This is a lovely placek – flat cake – this has similarities to English Fig Rolls.
  • These were biscuits that my Tatus (dad) loved.
  • He would have loved this recipe.
  • Did you know that Jacob’s fig rolls were manufactured from 1903 after a machine in America was invented that made a pastry case over a filling?
  • A fig mixture is sandwiched between 2 layers of shortcrust pastry – Kruche ciasto.
  • The placek is made like placek with figs – 2 – it is the fig mixture which is diferent.
  • You make the fig mixture first and leave it to cool as you have to use it cold.

INGREDIENTS

  • 175g dried figs – chopped
  • 25g muscavado sugar
  • 50g dates* – chopped
  • 75ml water
  • 1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 orange – finely grated zest & juice
  • 1 lemon – finely grated zest
  • 1 small apple – peeled and coarsely grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • *
  • * I will try leaving out the dates next time and just use extra figs.
  • *
  • Shortcrust pastry made from 250g of plain flour

METHOD

  • Chop the figs and dates into small pieces.
  • Add these to the water in a small pan.
  • Add the bicarbonate of soda, the orange zest and juice and the lemon zest.
  • Heat gently and then simmer, stirring as necessary until the mixture is
  • Thick, sticky and jam-like.
  • Leave to cool .
  • Add the grated apple and the spices and mix well.
  • Leave till cold before using.
  • NOTE
  • You can make this earlier and add the apple and spices before using.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190o C.
  • Grease and line a 26 x 21 cm baking tray.
  • Divide your pastry into 2.
  • Roll out 1 piece and use for the base.
  • Cover the base with the fig mixture trying to made this even and as near the edges as possible
  • Roll out the rest of the pastry and cover the fig mixture.
  • Usea fork to make pin pricks over the surface.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes until the surface is golden.
  • Leave to cool on mesh cooling tray.
  • Cut into squares to serve,
  • *
  • Option – not tried – brush beaton egg white over the surface and dust with granulated sugar before baking.

Heathcote cake stand

Rhubarb & Date Cake – 2

Many years ago I had been talking with my old school friend who lives in Leeds and she told me her husband made a lovely rhubarb cake with the rhubarb they have growing on their allotment.

So, I tried it out and it was indeed lovely!

Recently she mentioned a cake she called “Crusader Day” Cake and sent me the recipe.

I found it was nearly the same recipe but had extra Demerera on the top – so I made it again.

The Demerera made a nice crunchy topping.

Ingredients

  • 340g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 170g  butter
  • 230g granulated sugar
  • 450g rhubarb, chopped into small cubes
  • 230g stoned dates, chopped into small pieces
  • 3 eggs
  • 120ml milk (either whole or semi skimmed)
  • *
  • 2 & 1/2 tablespoons of Demerera sugar

Method

  • Preheat the oven to GM 5 – 190°C
  • Line the base of a 23cm round spring-form or loose bottomed tin with baking paper.
  • Or use a cake liner.
  • Place the chopped rhubarb and dates into a bowl.
  • Place the flour and baking powder into another bowl.
  • Cut the butter into cubes and rub it into the flour using your fingertips until you have a mixture that resembles breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar.
  • Stir the chopped rhubarb and dates into the mixture.
  • Combine the eggs and milk in a jug and beat a little.
  • Stir into the cake mix until well combined.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
  • *
  • Sprinkle the Demerera sugar evenly over the top of the cake.
  • Bake for approximately 1 – 1 & 1/4  hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean – best check on it after an hour and cover top if necessary to prevent burning.
  • Leave to cool on a wire rack until the tin is cool enough to safely handle.
  • Remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool completely on the wire rack

Although the cake keeps well, I think it is best eaten when fresh as then the rhubarb taste is strong and the cake delicious.

Crown china tea plates – no pattern named.

Option – This cake is quite big for the 23cm – I would tried it again in a 26cm diameter tin. I used 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons of demerera sugar.

Cake with Poppy Seed Filling

  • Today is the 11th year anniversary of my blog.
  • I started on 4 July 2015.
  • This will be my 725 post.
  • I used to have several recipes per post but have realised that is too much and I now try to have 1 recipe per post.
  • I thought I would use a very Polish ingredient in this post – that is poppy seed.
  • This is really a large version of my small buns with poppy seed filling.
  • I had some poppy seed to use up and wanted to make a simple cake.
  • I used a large cake liner in a 20cm diameter loose bottomed tin.
  • I used a 3 egg version of my sponge cake.
  • I had around 50g of poppy seeds – you can use a bit more.

INGREDIENTS

  • Cake
  • 3 eggs – weighed in their shells
  • Equal weighs of the eggs for – Sugar, Butter and Plain Flour
  • 1 teaspon baking powder for each 100g flour
  • *
  • Filling
  • 50g or more of poppy seed
  • Milk to cover these in a pan
  • 2-3 tablepoons of runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of semolina – optional

METHOD – filling

  • Simmer the poppy seeds in the mix for around 20 minutes.
  • Using a fine sieve, sieve the poppy seeds to remove the milk.
  • Get the poppy seeds as dry as possible.
  • Put them back in the pan and heat gently to remove any move liquid.
  • Add the honey and stir this in well.
  • Stir in the semolina if using.
  • Leave to cool completly.

METHOD – cake

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190o C.
  • Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Cream in the eggs.
  • Fold in the flour and baking powder mixture.

METHOD – to assemble the cake

  • Put the cake liner into the tin.
  • Add just over half the cake mixture and spread to the edges.
  • Put all of the poppy seed mixture on top and stir a little into the cake mixture.
  • Put the rest of the cake mixture on to and spread to the edges.
  • Bake for around 50 minutes – maybe more – until the top is golden and a tester comes out clear.

Serve on a Royal Doulton Sonnet tea plate.

Kefirowe with Raspberries

  • I recently made a cake with raspberries on the top.
  • These tasted so good I thought I would go back to an earlier recipe with fruit and this time just use raspberries.
  • I will give the recipe again here for ease.

This cake made with kefir is lovely to make in summer or early autumn with fresh raspberries equally you can use frozen fruits later in the year.

Ingredients

  • 350g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 175g of granulated sugar
  • 2eggs
  • 400ml of kefir*
  • 125ml of sunflower oil
  • Grated rind of 1 large orange
  • *
  • Around 300g of fresh raspberries OR
  • Frozen fruit should be part defrosted first
  • *
  • Icing sugar to dust – optional
  • *my tub of kefir was 350ml so I added 3 tablespoons of Greek style yoghurt.

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, kefir and rind together.
  • Pour the kefir mixture into the dry mixture.
  • With a wooden spoon or Danish whisk mix well together until you have an even thick batter.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin.
  • Place the fruit evenly over the top
  • Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
  • Leave to cool in the tin on a wire cake rack.
  • *
  • Dust with icing sugar to serve – optional.

Royal Doulton – Counterpoint & Duchess – Bramble Rose tea plates.