Tag: baking

How to make a Pastry Cheese, and Rosemary Christmas Tree

How to make a Pastry Cheese, and Rosemary Christmas Tree

This Cheese, and Rosemary Christmas Tree is a terrific addition to any Christmas party, and best of all its quick and easy to make. Use it to form a centrepiece for your party table. Each branch of the ‘tree’ breaks off to become a cheese straw ready to be dipped into a suitable sauce. I like to use my Tomato and Chilli jam as a dip. But it could be anything you like.

Make our Stunning Christmas Pudding Soufflés.

Make our Stunning Christmas Pudding Soufflés.

Serve these Christmas Pudding Souffles to you guests and you will instantaneously be seen as a culinary genius. People are always impressed by a served a souffle, in fact they are a lot easier than people imagine.

Baking Simple Scones, Everything you Need to Know, 4 Recipes.

Baking Simple Scones, Everything you Need to Know, 4 Recipes.

Baking Simple Scones at home is easy and very rewarding.  Homemade scones are always a winner whatever time of year, but particularly pleasing enjoyed in front of the fire when the weather is disappointing.

Every part of Britain has a different opinion on how a scone should be made.  None are wrong, it’s just a matter of preference. Personally, I take the view that the topping decides the type of scone to be used. Indulgently rich toppings like clotted cream need a simple neutral scone with a touch of sharpness. If all you’re going to put on top or your scone is a lick of butter, then a richer scone base possibly with added fruit is ideal.

Fruit Scones.

Buttermilk Scones.

Yoghurt Scones.

Cheese Scones.

Where Did Scones Come From?

Scones are thought to have originated in Scotland in the 1500s. And today there are still various type of scones in common use.

Girdle Scones are cooked on a flat plate or stone over the fire and were the forerunner of the modern scone. They were a type of quick bread usually made with oats would have been more savoury than the modern version. Bannock is the term for a round flat unleavened bread similar to a girdle scone. Most people today are more familiar with a Selkirk Bannock. Which is a buttery mix closer to a fruitcake than a scone.

Tattie Scones are a flat scone again cooked on the girdle and are used for breakfast.  Made using cooked potato, flour butter and egg. They are reheated in the pan used to cook the bacon, so they absorb all the flavour. I can feel my arteries closing as I write this!

Other parts of Britain quickly developed their own variations and recipes. A notable version from Wales been the Welshcake. They are excellent, look up our post on how to make Welshcakes and give them a try.

Baking Simple Scones, The How and the Why?

To get light well risen scones we need to make a moist dough that has not allowed the gluten to develop. Part of the rise in the dough is due to steam generated in the dough. But the main ‘kick’ is due to the baking powder in the recipe producing gasses that force the dough to rise.

Why Don’t My Scones Rise?

This could be due to any, or all of the following.

Not Rubbing in the Butter Correctly.

Just like making good short pastry the butter need to be rubbed into the flour. There should not be lumps of butter visible in the flour. But neither should the butter be fully incorporated with the flour. Using your hands to rub in the butter can cause it to melt into the flour and make the dough biscuit like. I always use a machine or a pastry knife to rub butter, or any fat into flour to avoid problems.

Using the Wrong Type of Flour.

You must use plain (soft) flour with added raising agents known as Self Raising Flour. Chefs will sometimes use ordinary plain flour and add the raising agents themselves. For home use it’s much easier to just to use off the shelf self-raising flour. Look up A Guide to Flour and Uses for more info.

Overworking the Dough.

By all means use a mixer or food processor to do the rubbing in if you wish. But I would always mix and form the dough by hand. The more the dough is worked and the longer you take the tougher it will become. If the dough is tough and stressed its impossible for the gasses to lift the dough and lighten the scone.

I always prefer to pat out the dough with my hands rather than use a rolling pin to keep things as light as possible

Too Dry a Dough.

A dry dough finds it difficult to rise.  Like an overworked dough the gasses cannot do their job and of course there is less steam to help things out. Some types and brands of flour will absorb different amounts of liquid. You egg may be larger or smaller than needed and if using yoghurt its thickness will have a marked effect on the amount used. Add a little more liquid if you think the dough needs it. Aim for a dough that is sticky but not gooey and don’t use too much flour to pat it out.

Bad Cutting Technique.

Always use a clean cutter dipped in flour to cut out the dough. Check the cutter after each cut and clean if needed then dip in flour before use. Using a dirty cutter will weld the sides of the scone together and prevent the dough rising. Don’t pick the cut scones up with your fingers. Lift each one onto the baking tray with a pallet knife or fish slice.

Well, that’s the problems out of the way, so let’s get on with it.

Baking Simple Scones – You Will Need.

  • Baking trays
  • Non-stick baking paper
  • 7cm pastry cutter
  • Spare flour for cutting out
  • Small liquid measure
  • Pastry brush
  • Rolling mat
  • Pastry knife or food processor/mixer
  • Pallet knife or fish slice

Baking Simple Scones The Basic Method.

baking Simple Scones - The dry scone mix
The dry scone mix

Sift the flour with the baking powder into a large bowl then mix in the flour and sugar. Rub the diced butter into the dry mix, avoiding leaving any chucks of butter but keeping the mix as light as possible. A food processor makes an excellent job of this and is easier on the fingers. Make a well in the mix and put aside.

baking Simple Scones -cutting in the butter

Pour 90% of the wet mix into the centre of the flour / butter mix and begin the mix with a spatula lifting the dry into the wet turning the bowl as you go. From now on the success of our scones will depend on how much care is put into the mixing and cutting, we need to work quickly but lightly.

Handle with Care

Just before all the dry mix is worked in turn the contents out onto the work surface. Don’t be tempted to throw down lots of flour before tipping out as this will simply dry out our mixture. Carefully bring the mix together, if too dry add a little more of the egg mixture. The aim is to have a dough that feels slightly too wet but does not stick to everything it touches. Don’t worry if you have a little of the dry mix still on the work surface, better not to overwork the dough for the sake of a few grams of dough.

Forming the Scones.

Scone dough patted out to 2.5 cm thick
Scone dough patted out to 2.5 cm thick

Using your hands pat the dough out to 2.5cm thick. Dip the pastry cutter into some flour then cut out the first scone. Carefully lift the scone with a pallet knife and lower onto the baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Avoid touching the sides of the scone as this may hold that side of the scone back from rising in the oven. Cut out more scones ensuring the cutter is clean each time and dipped in the flour before each cut. Keep at least 2cm between each scone on the tray. When all the dough is cut take the off cuts and carefully bring together (do this as lightly as possible). Pat out and repeat the cutting procedure. Take the off cuts once more and bring together, pat out and pop the offcut onto a spare space on the tray. That’s your bonus for all your hard work.

Many a chef’s tea break has been lifted by some welcome leftovers!!!!

The Baking.

The urge now is to get the scones into the oven as quickly as possible – Don’t.

The raising agents in the flour need a little time to work and form gasses in the dough.

Popping the scones directly into the oven will set the outside and hold back the rising of the dough. Leave the scones to sit for 10 minutes on the baking tray. In fact, my advice is not to turn on the oven until you have the scones sitting on the baking tray. This will force you to give the scones time to rise. The images below are the same scones before and after resting.

Cut scones before restingCut scones after resting
Before and after resting for 10 minutes

Light brush the surface of the scones with a little milk, (I find egg gives too dark a finish). Bake then leave to rest on a cooling wire before serving.

Now after all that, let’s get baking,

Baking Simple Scones, the recipes

Baking Simple Scones – Fruit Scones.

  • 450g               self-raising flour
  • 110g               unsalted butter (diced)
  • 50g                 golden caster sugar
  • 110g               sultanas or raisins
  • 2tsp                 baking powder (generous)
  • 150g               plain yoghurt
  • 40g                 milk
  • ¼ tsp              salt
  • 2                      large   eggs
  •                         Milk to mix

Weigh the plain yoghurt into a bowl. Take a second smaller bowl and place onto the scales. Zero the scale then break the eggs into the bowl and add the yoghurt. Take the milk and make the total weight up to 300g.

Exactly how much of the wet mix you need will depends on a number of factors. The flour you are using, moisture content of the butter and thickness of the yoghurt.

Bake @ 200c for 18 mins (standard oven) or 185c for about 15 minutes (fan oven)

Baking Simple Scones – Buttermilk Scones (great with clotted cream)

  • 225g               plain flour
  • 1tsp                bicarbonate of soda
  • 1tsp                cream of tartar
  • Pinch              salt
  • 300ml             buttermilk

These are a lighter scone with no butter in the basic dough. That lack of fat in the scone makes it a little crisper, just dying to be lathered with jam and clotted cream!

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then bring the dough together with the buttermilk. Don’t throw it all in at once. Add 90% and start mixing, exactly how much you need will depend on the thickness of the buttermilk.

Baking Simple Scones, Yoghurt Scones

  • 350g               self-raising flour
  • 3tbsp              caster sugar
  • 85g                 cold diced, unsalted butter
  • 1tsp                 baking powder
  • ¼ tsp              salt
  • 125ml             plain yoghurt
  • 150                 milk

These are slightly richer scones. Sieve the flour and baking powder together, then add the sugar and salt.

Rub in the butter as you were making pastry. Then whisk the milk and yoghurt together and add to the bowl. Bring the dough together and cut out. Bake for 13 minutes at 190c.

Baking Simple Scones – Cheese Scones

  • 450                 self-raising flour
  • 110                 unsalted butter
  • 1tsp                baking powder
  • 70g                 extra mature Cheddar (grated)
  • 25g                 Parmesan (grated)
  • 1                     large egg
  • 150ml             milk
  • ½ tsp              salt
  • ¼ tsp              ready-made mustard
  • 4turns             of the black pepper mill
  • spare Cheddar and Parmesan to top scones

The success of these scones depends on using good strong cheddar. Don’t use the plastic stuff, find a good crumbly extra mature cheese.

Mix the flour, baking powder, pepper, and salt together, then rub in the butter as outlined above. Crack the egg into a jug then add the milk, and mustard. Whisk everything together and put to one side.

Fold the two cheeses into the flour, then add the liquid, keeping a little back until you are sure you need it. Create a soft but not stick dough and form the scones.

Any remaining liquid can be used to glaze the scones, then sprinkle then with some extra cheese.

Home made scones with Blackberry Jelly
Home made scones with Blackberry Jelly

F.A.Qs.

I would love to be able to serve fresh scones to my guests, but I don’t want all the mess. Any ideas?

Yes. You can make the sones in advance and freeze them. Make up the scones as outlined above and leave them to rest. Then place the baking tray into the freezer. Once frozen the scones can be stored in a plastic container. Put a layer of baking paper between each layer to stop them sticking together.

To serve simply take them out of the freezer and allow them to defrost before baking. They may need and extra couple of minutes in the oven if they are still very cold. Your guest will think the baking fairies have visited!

Now all you have to do, is get baking!

Enjoy Life!

John.

Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.

Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.

If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here

© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024

How to Make Cheese, Bacon, and Red Onion Muffins.

How to Make Cheese, Bacon, and Red Onion Muffins.

Cheese, Bacon, and Red Onion Muffins are great served as finger food or taken on a picnic. In fact, they are great all year round and are one of my regular contributions to village social events.

Muffins are easy to make, and once you have mastered the basics there is a wealth of ingredients that can be added, both sweet and savoury. Let me take you through the process, and lets get baking!

How to make, Individual French Apple Tarts

How to make, Individual French Apple Tarts

For these tarts we are using two distinct types of apples. Bramley apple for full on flavour, backed up with a dash of good cider. Green apples, Granny Smiths of French Golden delicious provide texture and a hint of freshness to the tarts. These tarts can be made the night before and stored in the fridge. The trick is to glaze and seal the apple with melted butter and lemon to spot the apple discolouring.

How To Be A Shortbread Expert, 3 Recipes

How To Be A Shortbread Expert, 3 Recipes

How To Be A Shortbread Expert. There are thousands of recipes for shortbread, and an equal number of opinions as to the ingredients, methods, and baking. I suppose really you could think of shortbread as posh pastry, uplifted to celebrity status. The fundamentals of making shortbread are very like pastry and it would be worth reading our post on ‘Getting to grips with pastry.’ To put things into perspective.

    So, what do we need?

    Flour,

    The big barrier to getting crisp, light shortbread is gluten so a low protein plain flour, maximum 10% must be used. Shipton Mill do a nice Organic Soft Cake and Pastry White Flour with just over 9% protein.

    A lightening agent,

    This is a gluten free agent added into the flour to further reduce the protein in the flour and make it lighter.

    Cornflour, always on hand and disappears into the flour perfectly. Use if you need a biscuit with a good snap Overdoing the quantity can make a dry powdery finish in the mouth.

    Rice flour gives a rougher texture to the dough with a crumbly nature.

    Ground almonds, make the dough crumblier, but also heavier. They also need a dash of almond essence to boost their flavour.

    What sugar can I use?

    Some people like granulated sugar to give a gritty texture, but I’m not a fan.

    Caster Sugar is a common choice and gives a good result. Golden caster offers a little more flavour in the dough.

    Icing sugar is my preferred choice, unrefined sugar could also be used.

    Use the best Butter.

    Use the best unsalted butter you can. The lower the water content of the butter the better the shortbread will be. While it may seem counter intuitive some chef’s lower quality use a pastry butter / margarine instead of superior quality dairy butter. This is because the pastry butter has an exceptionally low moisture content. The shortbread is crisper, but the flavour suffers.

    Options and additions.

    True shortbread dough should be au natural, but I sometimes use a little vanilla to enhance the flavour of the butter. You could also add some chocolate chips or citrus zest if you like. Try sprinkling demerara sugar on the surface of the dough before cooking to add a sweet crunch.

    Be A Shortbread Expert, the Recipes.

    Shortbread
    Shortbread

    John’ Superlight Shortbread.

    Makes 20 biscuits.

    • 250g                                       unsalted butter (at room temperature)
    • 125g                                       icing sugar
    • Good Dash                           vanilla essence
    • 250g                                       plain Four
    • 125g                                       cornflour
    • ½ tsp                                      baking powder
    • pinch                                      salt

    Some small tweaks here to make the lightest shortbread.  I use a two to one mix of plain flour and cornflour to really reduce the gluten content. I also like to add a touch of baking powder to help the dough rise in the oven and become airier. Finally, we use icing sugar to make a nice smooth dough. I like to roll the dough into logs and then slice the biscuits off (see below). This minimises stretching, and toughening the dough.

     Sandy Shortbread

    Here the rice flour helps lighten the dough. The texture of the rice flour is coarser, hence the ‘Sandy’ nature of the shortbread

    • 230g unsalted butter
    • 260g plain flour (sifted)
    • 110g golden caster sugar
    • 70g ground rice
    • pinch of salt

      Almond shortbread

      This recipe uses ground almonds to reduce the gluten content of the flour. Along with the egg yolk this makes the shortbread richer abet slightly heavier.

      • 200g               unsalted butter
      • 230g               plain flour (sifted)
      • 125g               ground almonds
      • 95g                 icing sugar
      • 2-3drops almond essence
      • 1                     egg yolk

      Making the dough.

      Soften the butter
      Soften the butter

      Mix the butter icing sugar, vanilla, and salt (Unless you’re using salted butter) on low speed in the mixer until smooth.  Increase the speed of the mixer to medium and cream the butter mix for three to four minutes. The mix should become soft and lighten.

      Cream the butter and icing sugar together
      Cream the butter and icing sugar together

      Bring the speed of the mixer back to low and add the sifted flours mixing only just enough to incorporate the flour. Take extra care not to overwork the dough! It is better to finish the mixing of the dough by hand The lighter this is done the better the final shortbread will be.

      Gently fold in the flour
      Gently fold in the flour

      Rolling out the dough.

      Rollout the dough carefully dusting with a little flour as you go. Don’t be too vigorous with the rolling and turn the dough as you go. This will Roll the dough to the required thickness according to use and cut out with a cutter dipped in flour on each cut.

      The remaining dough can be brought together once more then re rolled and cut again. Discard and dough left over from the second rolling.

      How to Be a Shortbread Expert
      How to Be a Shortbread Expert

      If you can’t be bothered with all that rolling, and don’t mind slightly rustic biscuits there’s another option. Bring the dough together and split into two. Roll each dough into a log 4cm in diameter and wrap in greaseproof paper. Chill for 15 minutes, then slice into 1cm rounds.

      Baking the shortbread.

      Pricking the shortbread with a fork
      Pricking the shortbread with a fork

      Lay the biscuits out onto a baking sheet and prick with a fork. Leave to rest for about 15 minutes, use that time to heat up the oven read for baking. Bake the shortbread in the centre of the oven at 160° for roughly until light golden brown around the edges.

      As the biscuits are removed from the oven dust with caster sugar and allow to cool before storage.

      A finishing dusting of sugar
      A finishing dusting of sugar

      F.A.Qs.

      I don’t own a food mixer, will a processor do?

      If you don’t have a food mixer you can make the dough in a food processor, or by hand. The processor makes a decent job of the creaming, but great care is needed not to overwork the dough when the flour is added. I would recommend using the processor just to cream the butter and sugar and then work in the flour by hand.

      Can I freeze the raw dough?

      Yes, the best way of doing this is to carefully roll the dough into a log about 5cm in diameter. Wrap the log in greaseproof paper, then freeze on a tray. To bake, remove the cling film from the logs and slice into 5mm thick discs. Lay the biscuits out onto a baking tray, then place in the oven for around 8 minutes, until nicely golden brown.

      Is it essential to cream the butter and sugar?

      I always do, but some people choose to use the rubbing in method. Mix the flour and sugar together then rub the cold diced butter in with your fingers or a pastry knife.

      This will make a very crumbly shortbread with very little snap.

      How do I make shortbread fingers?

      Easy, make the dough as described above. Line a rectangular baking tin with baking paper leaving a good overlap at the sides. Press the dough into the tin to a dept of 2cm than prick the dough all over with a fork. Leave the dough to rest for 15 minutes then bake as above. When cooked, remove from the oven, and let cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Then using the paper overlap, carefully lift the shortbread out onto a chopping board. Take a cook’s knife and using a guillotine like motion cut the shortbread into fingers. Let the shortbread cool completely before removing from the paper.

      Enjoy Life!

      John.

      Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.

      Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.

      If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here

      © Copywrite, John Webber. 2024

      © Copywrite, John Webber. 2024

      Make Your Own Easy Flatbreads

      Why Not Make Your Own Easy Flatbreads at home?  It’s much easier than you think, and makes an impressive addition served with snacks and dips when entertaining

      How to make Ricciarelli Biscuits, an Italian Christmas Treat

      How to make Ricciarelli Biscuits, an Italian Christmas Treat

      These Italian delicate almond cookies with a melt in the mouth centre are usually enjoyed during Christmas time in Tuscany. Try them out as an alternative to or in addition to mince pies when entertaining guest over the holiday.

      Irresistibly Easy, Chocolate Custard Cookies

      Irresistibly Easy, Chocolate Custard Cookies

      These Irresistible Chocolate Custard Cookies are so easy to make. Which is a good job as they don’t last long when people start tucking in. They are great just served as a cookie, adults and children both love them. Alternatively serve alongside a dessert that needs some added texture such as a Crème Brûlee. The dough can be kept in the freezer ready to bake as a useful standby when needed.

      You will need.

      • Mixing bowl or food mixer.
      • Spatula
      • Fine flour sieve
      • Greaseproof or baking paper.
      • Baking tray
      • Pallet knife
      • Cooling wire

      Chocolate Custard Cookies.

      Makes about 20 to 25.

      Oven Temp 175˚c

      Chocolate Custard Cookies. Ingredients
      Chocolate Custard Cookies. Ingredients
      • 115g                            unsalted butter  
      • 115g                            golden caster sugar
      • ¼ tsp                           vanilla essence
      • 40g                              white chocolate drops
      • 40g                              dark chocolate drops
      • 180g                            Self-raising flour
      • 30g                              custard powder
      • 100ml                          ready to eat custard

      Making the Chocolate Custard Cookie Dough.

      Creaming the butter and sugar together
      Creaming the butter and sugar together

      Make sure your butter is at room temperature and soft enough to spread. Place the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl or food mixer then cream the two together until the mixture becomes light and creamy, (about 3-4 minutes).

      Adding vanilla and chocolate chips.
      Adding vanilla and chocolate chips.

      Using a spatula fold the chocolate drops and vanilla into the mix. When combined sieve the flour and custard powder together into the butter/sugar mixture. Don’t beat the flour in just gently fold together.

      Adding the custard
      Adding the custard

      When the flour is incorporated add the ready to eat custard, again folding gently.

      Forming the dough

      Rolling the Cookie Batter in Paper
      Rolling the Cookie Batter in Paper

      Break off a sheet of greaseproof paper roughly the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Turn the paper landscape format then spoon half of the dough just above the bottom edge. Using the pallet knife form the dough into a sausage of about 4cm in diameter.

      The rolled batter.
      The rolled batter.

      Roll the bottom of the paper up and over the dough, tightening the wrap as you go. Twist the ends of the paper to resemble a Christmas cracker then repeat the process with the second half of the dough.

      The dough now needs to go into the fridge for at least half an hour or can be frozen for later use.

      Cooking the Chocolate Custard Cookies.

      Baked Chocolate Custard Cookies
      Baked Chocolate Custard Cookies

      To cook, take the dough from the fridge and unwrap. Slice the dough across into discs 6mm thick. Place the biscuits onto baking paper and cook in a 175°c oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

      Teatime Chocolate Custard Cookies
      Teatime Chocolate Custard Cookies

      When cooked the biscuits should be golden and still be moist inside. Let the cookies stand for 5 minutes then place on a cooling wire and let them cool completely. Store the cookies you haven’t already eaten in an airtight tin for up to four days.

      Enjoy Life!

      John.

      Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.

      Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.

      If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here

      ©John Webber. 2023

      Want to be Baking your own Bread? Your Questions Answered.

      Want to be Baking your own Bread? Your Questions Answered.

      Baking your own Bread at home can be a puzzle, let us help you answer your questions. All you need to know to bake great bread at home is here.

      Make Your Own Amazing Buttermilk Bread Rolls

      Make Your Own Amazing Buttermilk Bread Rolls

      These Buttermilk Bread Rolls will really impress your dinner party guests. They go well with most starters that don’t require crispy rolls served alongside.

      Easy, Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake, With Mascarpone Cream

      Easy, Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake, With Mascarpone Cream

      This Easy Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake is one of my favourite cakes. Great for making in advance as the flavour develops over a couple of days. The cake also becomes moister as the sugar in the cake absorbs moisture from the air. I sometimes make two at once and freeze one for later use.

      It seems odd to many people that carrots find their way into desserts and baking. In fact, carrots were used in the Middle Ages as a source of sweetness. Recipes for carrot-based puddings can be found both in European and Asian cooking. Today the main examples remaining been Carrot cake, Christmas pudding and Indian Gajar Halva.

      You will need.

      • Mixing bowl
      • Medium bowl
      • Scales
      • Fine sieve
      • Silicone spatula
      • Whisk, hand or electric
      • Coarse grater
      • Measuring jug
      • Measuring spoons
      • Chopping board
      • Knife
      • Vegetable peeler
      • Loose bottomed Cake tin 20 x 10 cm
      • Baking parchment
      • Cooling wire

      Easy Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake.

      Carrot and Walnut Cake
      Carrot and Walnut Cake

      Serves 8. 

      Wet Mix

      • 170ml             vegetable oil
      • 325g               light soft brown sugar
      • 3                     large free-range eggs
        • finely grated zest of 1 large orange

      Dry Mix

      • 165g               plain flour
      • 1 ¼ tsp           baking powder
      • 1 ¼ tsp           bicarbonate of soda
      • ½ tsp              ground cloves
      • 1 ¼ tsp           ground cinnamon
      • ½ tsp              ground cardamom
      • ½ tsp              sea salt
      • 90g                 chopped Walnuts
      • 325g               carrots, peeled and grated

      Conventional oven175˚c/340˚f

      Fan oven  160˚c/325˚f

      Preparation.

      Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. Take your eggs out of the fridge well in advance to warm up. Then line a 20cm (8in) springform cake tin with baking parchment.

      Tip. – Lightly greasing the baking tin before lining will help keep the paper in place. And make life a lot easier.

      You can make this cake by hand, but an electric whisk will take all the hard work out of the mixing.

      Wash the carrots then top, tail, and peel them. Grate the carrots using the coarse plate of a box grater until you have 325g.

      Sift the flour raising agents, salt, and spices into a bowl and mix well.

      Ground cardamom in spice grinder
      Ground cardamom in spice grinder

      If you can’t find ground cardamom, break down cardamom pods and pass then through a fine sieve. The best way of doing this is an electric spice, aka coffee mill.

      Pick eight perfect walnut nut halves and put to one side for the decoration. Once you have done that, roughly chop the remaining nuts.

      When all that’s done, turn on the oven to pre heat ready to receive the cake.

      Making the batter- My method.

      Adding orange zest to egg batter
      Adding orange zest to egg batter

      Put the eggs, orange zest and sugar into the medium bowl and whisk until well mixed, about two minutes. Slowly add the oil to the eggs whisking all the time.  When all the oil has been added you should have a thick-ish batter.

      Most recipes of this type simply mix the sugar and oil together in one go. I think this works better. Its more work, but the fat binds with the egg better if worked in slowly.

      The final mixing.

      Sifting the dry ingredients
      Sifting the dry ingredients

      Put the whisk to one side then sieve the flour/spice mix over the egg batter. Fold the flour into the batter using a spatula. Make sure you get right to the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the flour.

      Adding carrots and walnuts
      Adding carrots and walnuts

      Fold the chopped walnuts and grated and carrots and mix well.

      Carrot and Walnut Cake ready for the oven
      Carrot and Walnut Cake ready for the oven

      Pour in the cake mixture and bake in a preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. I prefer to use a conventional oven but a fan oven is fine. You may need to protect the top of the cake with tinfoil if the fan is very strong.

      If you have a probe thermometer the core temperature should be between 93˚c (just cooked) and 98˚c (nearing over done).

      Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the tin, before removing.

      Finishing the Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake.

      Traditionally the cake is usually finished with a soft butter cream icing which should be kept in the fridge. I prefer to finish the cake with an orange water icing and serve mascarpone cream dusted with walnut dust alongside the cake.

      By using the water icing the cake can be kept in a box at room temperature which is the best way to serve it. Keeping the cake in the fridge will dry it out and spoil the texture.

      To make the orange icing.

      Orange water ice ingredients
      Orange water ice ingredients
      • 9tbsp              sieved icing sugar
      • 1tbsp              strained orange juice
      • 16                   perfect walnut halves

      Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl. Gradually add the orange juice and mix until you have a thick batter.

      Glazing the Carrot and Walnut Cake
      Glazing the Carrot and Walnut Cake

      Spread onto the cake with the back of a spoon and set the walnut halves into the wet icing. Let the icing dry uncovered for at least half an hour before storing.

      Finishing the Carrot and Walnut cake
      Finishing the Carrot and Walnut cake

      Mascarpone cream.

      Mascarpone cream ingredients
      Mascarpone cream ingredients
      • 100g               whipping cream
      • 50g                 icing sugar
      • Dash              vanilla essence
      • 180g               mascarpone cheese.

      If the mascarpone is quite wet, drain in a sieve for 15 minutes to remove any excess liquid. Be careful the keep the cheese as cold as possible.

      Add the icing sugar to the cheese and beat until the cheese becomes quite soft.

      Creaming Mascarpone and sugar together
      Creaming Mascarpone and sugar together

      Add the vanilla to the Mascarpone then stir in the cream.

      Whipping the Mascarpone Cream
      Whipping the Mascarpone Cream

      Take a whisk and beat the mix until it holds a peak for a second then falls back. Take care not to over beat the t mixture or it may curdle. When you serve the cream give it one or two more beats of the whisk before use.

      .

      Can I freeze the cake?

      Yes, the uniced cake freezes well. Fully defrost the cake before use and let the top dry before adding the water ice. The recipe multiplies up easily. So, bake a few at a time and freeze what you don’t need at once. That way you will be saving both energy and effort!!

      Can I use the mascarpone cream on the cake instead of the icing?

      Yes, use the recipe below, using butter instead of cream gives us a stiffer icing. Add the zest to the butter with the sugar. Then fold in the cheese and whisk well.

      65g                 unsalted butter, softened

      Good dash    vanilla extract

      125g               mascarpone cheese

      250g/8¾oz    icing sugar

      Finely grated zest of ½ an orange

      Do I have to use Walnuts?

      No, pecan nuts are a good alternative. Try sultanas soaked overnight in a drop of rum in place of the nuts, or just leave them out.

      Want more ideas with carrots? look up http://britishcarrots.co.uk/

      Enjoy Life !

      John.

      Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.

      Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.

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      ©John Webber. 2023

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