Tag: recipes

Apple Cake with Sultanas

  • I have a bumber crop of Bramley apples this year.
  • I know I watered the fruit trees early on in the year before we had our hosepipe ban.
  • This recipe is my Mama’s best recipe with added sultanas.
  • My father did not like this addition so it was a version she did not make.
  • It is equaly delicious.
  • *
  • I will be trying out new apple recipes this year – look out for them soon.

Apple & Sultana Filling – Ingredients

  • 5 to 6 Bramley Apples
  • Granulated Sugar to taste – keep it slightly tart
  • A little water
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 100g of sultanas
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Method

  • Make the apple filling first, even the day beforehand as it needs to be cold before you use it.
  • Peel and core the apples and cut them into thick slices or chunks.
  • Stew the apples gently with some sugar and very little water. You can make this in a saucepan on the stove or place the apples and sugar in a dish in the oven.
  • Do not add a lot of sugar at the beginning as it does not want to be too sweet, you can adjust the sweetness at the end.
  • Do not make it too much of a purée, cook so that you have some soft apples but with some harder less cooked chunks as well.
  • Leave the mixture to cool and then add the ground cinnamon. 
  • Add the sultanas and leave for at least 30 minutes so the sultanas plump up.

Cake – Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 3 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 200g butter
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 1 egg yolk (save the white for the topping)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and water
  • Method
  • You need a round tin with a loose base or a spring form tin or you will not be able to get the cake out.  I always use an loose base anodised aluminium tin, 22cm in diameter and 8 cm deep, which does not rust.
  • Grease the tin well.
  • Rub the butter into the flour to make fine crumbs and add the sugar and baking powder.
  • Add the egg yolk and the lemon juice and water as needed and mix together to make a soft “dough” (try not to add more flour),  handle it as little as possible.
  • Leave it to chill for about ½ an hour as this makes it easier to handle.
  • Pre heat the oven to GM5 – 190oC.
  • Take slightly more than half the dough and press it into the cake tin.
  • Spoon the apple & sultana mixture on top of this.
  • The rest of the dough will go on top of the apple & sultana mixture.
  • I use a rolling pin to make a circle that is smaller than the tin diameter and then place this on top.
  • Do not worry if the dough falls apart, just place it on with the breaks nearly touching.

Topping – Ingredients

  • 1 egg white and caster sugar
  • Slightly beat the egg white with a fork and brush this over the top of the dough.  You will not need it all.
  • Liberally sprinkle caster sugar over the egg white.
  • Bake for around 45 to 50 minutes until the top is a golden brown.
  • I tend to check the cake at 40 minutes and will cover the top with greaseproof if it starts to brown but is not yet cooked through.
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  • Leave to cool before getting the cake out of the tin.
  • Loosen the side with a spatula.
  • Use a tin can and put the cake tin on this and slide the side of the cake tin down.
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  • Do not put the cake in a air-tight covered container as the apples absorb moisture and you loose the crispness of the cake.

Honey Loaf

  • I got this recipe from an English friend who lives in Harrogate.
  • It is easy to make and is a bit different to my Polish honey cakes – miodownik or piernik.
  • But I think it could be served over the Christmas period.
  • This recipe does NOT use any eggs nor butter nor oil.

Ingredients

  • 225g plain flour
  • 115g granulated sugar
  • 115g runny honey, plus around a tablespoon to glaze
  • 150 ml hot water
  • 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
  • Zest of 1 lemon

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM3 – 160ºC.
  • Use a liner to line a 1lb loaf tin.
  • Use a little oil or butter on the liner as the cake is quite sticky.
  • Mix together the flour and the sugar in a large bowl.
  • In a saucepan melt together the honey and the water.
  • Sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda over the honey mixture and stir.
  • Add this to the dry ingredients.
  • Add the lemon zest.
  • Mix everything well together till all is uniform.
  • Turn the mixture into the loaf tin.
  • Bake for 50 – 60 minutes.
  • Check at 50 minutes and cover the top of the loaf with greaseproof or foil  so it does not burn.
  • Remove the loaf from the tin and allow it to cool.
  • Heat the honey (with a little but of water if not so runny) slightly.
  • Brush the top of the loaf with the honey.

  • Option – different size.
  • Use a 26 x 16 cm baking tray.
  • Grease and line – 3 sides with one piece of greaseproof.
  • Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

St Martin’s Croissants

  • St Martin’s Day (swietomarciński) is 11 November.*
  • These rogaliki – crescents or horns  or Marcińki are traditionally eaten around that day.
  • The recipe originates from Poznań – but the bakeries in Gdańsk had many for sale at the end of October when I was there.
  • The ones in the bakeries were much smaller than ones I have made in the past – see photo at the bottom right hand side.
  • *
  • The pastry is a flaky yeast pastry.
  • The filling is a poppy seed and dried fruit filling (some recipes add chopped nuts as well).
  • They are delicious.
  • White poppy seeds are often used  – I have not seen these here in England.
  • * Since 1918 – 11 November is also Independence Day
  •  

INGREDIENTS – Filling

  • 100g poppy seeds
  • 300ml milk
  • 2 tablespoons of runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of semolina
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 50g mixed peel
  • 75g sultanas

Method

  • Put the poppy seeds and milk into a saucepan and simmer then together for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop any sticking or burning.
  • The aim is to cook the seeds and adsorb as much of the milk as possible.
  • You need to watch this carefully and keep adjusting the heat to stop the mixture burning.
  • Keep stirring and heating until the milk is absorbed.
  • The poppy seeds then need to be crushed, I use a hand held blender for about 5 minutes which I find is the easiest way.
  • Once crushed, add the semolina, mixed peel and sultanas
  • Whisk the egg yolk and honey together until this is thick and creamy and then add this to the mixture.
  • Leave to cool before using.

Ingredients – Pastry

Leaven – Starter

  • 150g plain flour
  • 200ml warm milk
  • 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 1 pkt of dried yeast (= 1 tablespoon)

Rest of Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 100g butter
  • 2 yolks
  • *
  • a little more milk might be needed 
  • Egg white to glaze
  • For layering
  • Around 180g of butter

Method

  • Mix the yeast and sugar into the hand hot milk.
  • Put 150g of flour into a bowl and mix in the milk mixture until it is like double cream.
  • Cover the bowl and leave it to rise.
  • *
  • Rub the butter into the 300g of flour until it is like breadcrumbs.
  • Add the egg yolks and the yeast starter.
  • Mix till you get a soft dough – you might need to add a tablespoon or so of milk – depends on the flour.
  • Knead the dough till you have a nice smooth ball.
  • Leave in a bowl, covered, to rise and double in size.
  • *
  • Place the butter into a dish and leave at room temperature to soften.
  • Knead the risen dough lightly for a few minutes.
  • **
  • Roll out the dough out thinly into a large rectangle.
  • Spread a around a sixth of the butter over 2/3rds of the surface.
  • Fold the dough without the butter over a third of the dough.
  • Fold the rest of the dough over this – making a rectangle.
  • Turn the dough by 90°.
  • Repeat the rolling, butter spreading and folding
  • Leave to rest for around 10 minutes.
  • ***
  • Repeat from ** to *** twice.
  • *
  • Cover the dough in greaseproof paper and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes or longer if you do not want to use just straight away.
  • When you want to use the dough take it out of the fridge for 20 minutes first.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 4 – 180°C
  • Grease two baking sheets.
  • Roll the dough out into a rectangle to use.
  • *
  • With a knife or pizza cutter divide the dough into 8 or 16 triangles.
  • Place a teaspoon of filling at the fat end.
  • Roll up the triangle from the fat end to get the horn shape.
  • You can curve it slightly.
  • Place them on a baking sheet – as far apart as possible.
  • Repeat with the rest of the dough.
  • Brush the tops with egg white.
  • Cover loosely and leave for about 15 minutes.
  • Bake for around 14 – 15 minutes.

NOTE

Placek with Dried Fruits

  • Placek is a thin flat cake.
  • Dried fruits are called bakalie in Polish – fruit from the Balkans.
  • If this were a loaf shaped fruit cake it would be called a “keks” – however it works better in this thin version.
  • Dried apricots are used, which is a bit different.
  • The apricots are soaked overnight in brandy – so you have to start the cake the night before.

INGREDIENTS

  • 175 dried apricots – chopped
  • 3 tablespoons of brandy
  • 175g butter
  • 175g granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs beaten
  • 175g plain flour
  • 225g raisins
  • 225g currants
  • 225g cherries*
  • *
  • *Or a mixture of cherries and mixed peel if you are short of cherries

METHOD

  • Put the apricots and brandy in a small bowl.
  • Cover and leave overnight.
  • *
  • Pre the oven to GM3 – 160°C
  • Line 3 sides of a 32 x 22 baking tin.
  • Mix the apricots with the other dried fruit.
  • Cream the sugar and the butter.
  • Add the eggs and beat together.
  • Mix in all the dried fruit.
  • Fold in the flour.
  • Spread the cake mixture into the tin.
  • *
  • Bake for 50  –  60 minutes.