Movember 2014

Now, the observant among you will have noticed it’s November...or Movember as it’s known in Caked Crusader Mansions.  Mr CC has manned up again and is currently sporting a fairly sparse collection of whiskers that will shortly amount to a fine ‘tache...we hope!  If you wish to donate to a fabulous cause (fighting prostate and other male cancers) please visit Mr CC’s Mo space.  I know there are many competing charities all tugging at our purse (or wallet) strings but – please – anything you can donate will make such a difference.

Anyone who donates – wherever you are in the world - will be entered into my prize draw for this incredible brand new Nordicware  Heritage bundt worth over £30.  You get to do good AND have a chance of winning one of the best cake tins ever....it’s win win!  Please leave your name (or blogger name if you prefer) in the comments section when you make your donation and I will enter you into my prize draw.  I will draw the winner at the end of November and announce it on my  blog.

To reiterate: because it’s such a good cause I will send the tin anywhere in the world so please don’t feel you can’t join in if you’re outside the UK; last year’s prize went to Poland.   Every donation helps, and justifies Mr CC sporting a bandito moustache through my and his mother’s birthday party photos every year!  Thanks for any donation you can make.

You donated an awesome amount of money last year – I thank you in advance for your donations this year.

Nutella pecan brownies

Nutella pecan brownies...there’s not a word to dislike in that!  I loved these!  The nutella adds a richness and roundness of flavour to the brownie that compliments the chopped pecans.  I think they are up there as the most flavoursome brownie I’ve tasted....and I liked how the nutella added to the squidginess too.

I used dark chocolate for the brownies, where usually I’d be tempted to use milk or half milk/half dark.  The nutella is milky and sweet and I didn’t want to overdo the sweetness as I like a brownie with a strong hit of cocoa goodness!

Brownies are one of the few things that Mr CC and I disagree on (also on that list are Michael Buble, how interesting science is, coffee and capers).  He can’t get past the texture, which for me is the whole point of a brownie!

Footnote: this could actually be the footnote for any brownies I have ever made....Mr CC took the leftover ones into work for his colleagues...he tried one...and he liked it.  But he doesn’t like brownies.  Except for all those brownies in the recent past he has tried and liked.  Men are funny!

Ingredients

150g unsalted butter
100g nutella
100g dark or milk chocolate, broken into squares (I used dark)
3 eggs
150g caster sugar
80 self raising flour
50g pecan nuts, chopped finely plus a further 12 pecan halves for the top

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Line an 18cm (20cm will work too) square pan with baking paper.

Place the butter and nutella into a small saucepan and place over a gentle heat.  Stir occasionally.

When the mixture is melted and smooth turn the heat to the lowest setting and add the chopped chocolate.

As soon as the chocolate starts to melt, turn the heat off and leave the chocolate to melt into the butter mix.  Stir occasionally until the chocolate has completely melted.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar until it is light and whippy.

Pour in the chocolate mix and beat together.

Fold in the flour and chopped nuts.

Pour into the prepared tin and gently sit the pecan halves on top – space them out evenly as this will help you to cut the brownies later.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the brownies are almost baked.  There’s no right or wrong here – it depends how squidgy you like your brownies.  Make sure you take them out just before they are how you like them as they will continue to cook and firm up as they cool.

Leave the brownies to cool for 20 minutes in the tin before lifting out and cutting into 12 brownies.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.

Sultana spice cake with quince curd – and Movember news

There is something about quince that I find appealing.  The last time I tried to describe it I ended up calling it a pregnant apple  and I still think that stands.  It’s almost a hybrid – the offspring of an apple and pear.  It has a gentle fragrance and a softly gritty texture (like a pear).

The one thing about quince that puts me off using it is how hard it is to chop.  But not this time!  I was very kindly gifted a knife sharpener by the nice people at Handpicked Collection and I decided to test it out with this task.  All I can say is – wow!  I leant on the knife expecting it to be a struggle to get through the, frankly massive, quince and almost lost my balance as the knife sliced through it without any strain.

I adapted the cake from one of my favourite recipes using brown sugar and mixed spice.  It really is a cracking cake and would be a good last minute Christmas cake if you want something lighter than the traditional fare.  It keeps like a dream too.

At the last minute I changed my mind about using the curd to sandwich the cake.  The reason for this was that it would’ve meant the whole cake needed refrigeration and I wasn’t sure the cake would keep well like that.  I served it on the side, as you would cream, but it would also be nice to spread it on the cake like butter.

Now, the observant among you will have noticed it’s November...or Movember as it’s known in Caked Crusader Mansions.  Mr CC has manned up again and is currently sporting a fairly sparse collection of whiskers that will shortly amount to a fine ‘tache...we hope!  If you wish to donate to a fabulous cause (fighting prostate and other male cancers) please visit Mr CC’s Mo space.  Please leave your name (or blogger name if you prefer) and I will enter you into my prize draw to win this:

Yes!  A totally awesome Nordicware bundt tin.  Because it’s such a good cause I will send the tin anywhere in the world so please don’t feel you can’t join in if you’re outside the UK; last year’s prize went to Poland.  I will draw the winner at the end of November.  Every donation helps, and justifies Mr CC sporting a bandito through my and his mother’s birthday party photos every year!  Thanks for any donation you can make.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g golden caster sugar
125g light brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons mixed spice
320g sultanas
375g plain flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
170ml buttermilk

For the quince curd:
400g quince – peeled, cored and chopped.  400g is the prepared weight.  This will amount to one huge, or 2-3 normal quinces
65g lemon juice – I needed 2 lemons
125g caster sugar
4 eggs
75g unsalted butter – straight from the fridge

How to make:

Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/315°F/Gas mark 2-3.

Line a 23cm round springform tin with baking paper.  Make sure the paper comes up above the height of the tin.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This is a big cake that uses large quantities of ingredients so it will take longer to cream the butter and sugar. Don’t skimp!

Gradually beat in the egg and mixed spice. If the mix looks like it’s curdling add some of the flour.

Stir in the sultanas.

Fold in a third of the flour and baking powder, then a third of the buttermilk, then a third of the flour and so on until both are fully combined.

Spoon into the prepared tin and level the surface.

Bake for 1 - 1 ¼ hours or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took 1 hour 5 minutes.  Cool for 30 minutes before removing from the tin and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cake is baking and cooling you can make the curd: place the chopped quince in a saucepan and cover with cold water.

Bring to the boil then simmer until the quince is soft – mine took about 40 minutes, but as all fruits will be different I’d start checking it after 20 minutes.

Drain the quince and puree, while still warm, to a pulp.

Place the pureed quince into a glass or metal bowl and rest the bowl over a pan of simmering water, taking care that the water doesn’t touch the bowl.

In a separate bowl beat together the lemon juice, caster sugar and eggs.  You only need to beat until they are combined – you’re not looking to add volume to the mix.

Pour the egg mix into the quince and cook – stirring very regularly – until the mixture thickens.  This may take 20 minutes or more.

Once cooked, remove from the heat and stir in the cold butter.  This will make the curd shiny.

There is no harm in passing the curd through a sieve at this stage - just in case there are any eggy bits.

Leave to cool before refrigerating.

Up to this point, the cake can be made a day in advance of serving.

Assemble the cake when you’re ready to serve it: either slice the cake through into two or three layers and then sandwich with the curd, or cut slices and spread the curd on as if buttering it.  I decided to serve it on the side, like you would whipped cream.

Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.

Eat.

Vanilla butter biscuits

 

I’ll admit these don’t look much, but they taste delicious; such a light crumbly texture fragrant with vanilla and so buttery your mouth comes alive!  They would’ve looked better if I’d managed to pipe them all but I wasn’t up to it – the dough was just too thick for my puny grip to control.  I tried to soften the mix with hand heat, only putting half the mix in the bag etc...but nothing helped.  My grip let me down; I always sympathise with competitors who suffer the same affliction on World’s Strongest Man (a Christmas programme I have adored since early childhood!).

Before my hands packed up, I managed to pipe four and they do look prettier.  Next time I might add a dash of milk to the mix to slacken it.  A wide star nozzle is best for this task.

I thought it might be timely to feature this recipe because, not only are they lovely to eat with a cup of tea, but they are the perfect biscuit to serve alongside mousse type desserts.  We are fast approaching that time of year (I won’t use the word, in case it causes upset!) when such desserts might be made and served.

I used vanilla paste because I love the little flecks of seeds visible in the finished biscuit.  Vanilla extract would give the same flavour and many now contain the seeds.  Use whatever you have; no point getting precious about it!

I was tempted to drizzle a little melted chocolate across the biscuits to jazz them up, but time got the better of me.  I think they are an excellent blank canvas and could take many different types of decoration or additions.

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
140g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste – you can use vanilla extract if you prefer
300g plain flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C/ fan oven 150°C/ 325°F/ gas mark 3.

Line two baking sheets with baking paper or non stick foil.

Beat together the butter and sugar until very soft and creamy.

Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla – you cannot overbeat it at this stage so, if using, while the mixer’s doing its work prepare your piping bag with a large star tip.

Stir in the flour.

Now, at this point you have two options: you can put the mix into a piping bag and pipe into pretty rosettes (use a big star nozzle), or take scant teaspoons and roll into balls, flattening them once on the baking sheet.  I found the dough too thick to pipe but I have grip issues with my hands so it might have been me being puny!

Leave a little space around each biscuit – they only expand a little during baking.

Bake for 12 minutes and then turn the trays.  They may need a further 5 minutes, or until they are golden and feel firm to the touch.  They will continue to firm on cooling.

Leave to cool on their baking sheets.

When cool, store in an airtight container.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.