I think I might have told you before that I love cake! I like eating cakes, I like baking cakes and more than anything else I like to force everyone else to eat cake! There is always a homebake in my kitchen and everyone who steps foot into my house gets offered cake, and you are not allowed to leave until you have had some. If it’s your birthday you get a cake! I’m also very popular with the two houses of students as whenever I visit I take a car boot full of cakes. I know what everyone’s favourite is and they all eagerly await my arrival with the cake tins.
Now why do I like baking and to whom do I owe my baking talents? Well it’s this lovely lady, my beautiful late Grandma Kathleen:
Here she was reading her newspaper in her deckchair on the beach. Always immaculately turned out in her lovely dress and handbag even though she’s on the beach. Every Saturday without fail from being tiny until being in my teens I spent the entire day with my Grandma Kathleen. My Dad used to drive me over to Grandma and Grandad’s straight after breakfast and then pick me up after dinner in the evening. Looking back now I can see that it was so Mum and Dad could have a day a week on their own. Now I’ve had my own children I can see the appeal of shipping them off to the Grandparents every Saturday. However, looking back I am so glad they did as these were precious times that hold such happy memories. When I’m a Grandma if I can be just half the Grandma that she was to me I’ll be happy. She had an infinite amount of love to give and patience to bestow. She taught me how to knit, to sew, to cook, to bake, to press flowers and all sorts of other things. We had our own little routine every Saturday that we liked to do together and it went like this: A game of tennis in the park if the weather allowed, she was an excellent tennis player; a walk to visit Frosty the farm horse in his paddock to feed him the left over vegetable peels she had collected for him so that I could feed him on a Saturday; a stop off at the newsagents where she would collect me my Bunty comic and give me twenty pence to spend on pick and mix sweets (you could get a lot for twenty pence in those days); and finally an afternoon of baking! I adored baking with Grandma. We always made pastry as Grandad liked a meat and potato pie for dinner but then we always made some buns, cakes and biscuits. When I look back it must have taken her all day on Sunday to clean the kitchen as there was flour everywhere! She never complained, or took over from me, she just used to let me make as much mess as I wanted while she supervised and encouraged me. It was always such good fun and whenever I bake I think of her, especially this week as 26th November was her birthday and had she still been with us I would have baked her the biggest birthday cake just to say thank you for the unconditional love and encouragement and for teaching me all the things she did.
Over the last few weeks I’ve had lots of baking to do so it really has been the ‘Great British Bake Off’! We’ve had fundraising for Children in Need, a visit to the students with a car full of cake, visits from friends and all sorts of events that required cake so I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite bakes that I made over the last two weeks and my favourite baking book.
Now this one is not for the students or Children in Need…………this one is for ME!!!!! It’s my favourite! Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I’ve also managed to convince myself that as it contains carrots it’s healthy!
Next up, the Lunettes. That’s what they call them in the book anyway……..to me they are Jammy Dodgers! These are the favourites of my big student. Made with icing sugar instead of sugar so that when you bite a piece off they just melt in your mouth. The jam can be any flavour but I like home made strawberry or raspberry best of all.
Another student favourite and so quick to make, Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are my emergency bake if I get a visit announcement at short notice. I always have the ingredients for these in the cupboard. All the ingredients whizzed together in the Magimix, dough in the fridge for 30 minutes and then 12 minutes to bake…….perfect! The essential accompaniment to a cup of ‘Yorkshire Tea’.
Now who does not like a chocolate brownie. If you like dark chocolate you’ll love these. I love dark chocolate but the boys prefer milk so these aren’t their favourite……so that just means more for me. These were just perfect…….the top was firm and crusty and the centre was so soft and gooey. I do find brownies a bit hit and miss though. The timing has to be just perfect. There’s nothing worse that a really soggy brownie, or a really dry brownie and just a couple of minutes the wrong way in the oven and they are ruined.
Coconut Macaroons………..another favourite of the big student, and also my Dad who loves coconut. Not my favourite and quite a bit of effort for not very many buns but I’m told they are worth it. Like a soft, chewy meringue texture with a dollop of jam in the middle. Another melt in your mouth one to go with a cup of tea.
Another one of my favourites ( I have lots of favourites when it come to cake)………Flapjack. Again, if you ignore the butter, sugar and golden syrup and just focus on the porridge oats they are quite healthy! These are good fuel for a run or long walk, that quick fix of carbs and sugar, so one often gets popped in the backpack for that midway snack.
Now you are never too old for a Butterfly Bun! Just a simple vanilla cupcake with the top cut off and split to make two wings. Filled with a dollop of jam, topped with buttercream, the wings carefully placed back on top and sprinkled with icing sugar…..delicious!
One of my favourite desserts, Pecan Pie. Nice crisp, sweet pastry filled with a gooey centre and lots of pecan nuts. In my opinion best served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Last but not least, the favourite of the little student and the staple offering if you come to visit me is the Chocolate Tearoom Victoria Sponge with a chocolate ganache top. The short term answer to any problem…….half an hour at my kitchen table with a slice or this, a cup of tea and my ear to listen. This one gets baked often and a slice of this makes any day better.
So my favourite baking book – Annie Bell’s Baking Bible – my go to book for all my baking. I so love this book, all of the above recipes are in it and although I have so many baking and cookery books, for my sweet treats this is my number one book. It’s never let me down yet and everything turns out just as it looks on the lovely pictures.
So that’s about it on the baking front over the last two weeks. Looking back I don’t know how I’ve had time to go to work and fit everything else in! But baking is not a chore to me, it’s a passion and when I’m in my kitchen baking I’m in one of my happy places thanks to the greatest grandma ever! Happy Birthday Grandma!