MM5 - Brown Sugar Chocolate Cake

This is the second of my 'things to do with a tin of condensed milk' mini series. The first can be found here - double chocolate blueberry cookies. It's also resurrecting a series I started a very long time ago, 'Marked and Made' - things that have, for one reason or another, been languishing on the 'to bake' list for far too long. I guess it's just my way of acknowledging having finally made them. Interestingly, I don't actually make all that much that I've bookmarked - I seem to be far more influenced by things that I've seen recently and I suppose that if I haven't made something pretty soon after I've seen it, the chances are it'll have to wait far longer than I ever expect.

This brown sugar chocolate cake is a case in point. Dan Lepard first published the recipe for it in November 2005 - five and a half years ago..... even I hadn't realised it had been that long! I think I also avoided making it because there had been an extensive discussion on Dan's message boards about people who had had spectacular failures with this cake. I hate a failure, and often won't give something a go if I think it won't turn out well. But Dan's careful step-by-step photo guide gave me more confidence and when it was successful, people raved about it. I was still a little nervous though.

I decided that I would use half and half self raising and plain flour, and a very scant tsp of baking powder. I left the cake for 50 minutes initially, which I think has slightly overcooked it, and I was slightly worried that the top would taste burnt as it looked very dark. As you can see from the picture above, my cake had obviously risen too much in the oven, and had already collapsed back on itself by the time I took it out of the oven. Thankfully, it didn't sink any more while it was cooling, so I ended up with a flat, but not sunken cake. Given the history of the recipe I wasn't expecting peaks or massive rising, so I was a happy bunny indeed!

And what made me even happier was the divine taste of this cake. The 'burnt' top I thought I saw, wasn't burnt at all, for which I was very thankful! The first thing to say is that it is extremely delicate, but I'm sure that actually this is part of what makes the cake so delicious. It is a moist, chocolatey, melt in the mouth loaf with a beautiful soft crumb and I wouldn't hesitate to make it again. Next time I think I'll use all plain flour. Suelle at Mainly Baking has also made this recently (which was another prod to my memory that I ought to make it) and wasn't 100% about it, having made a couple of changes but I thought my relatively unchanged version was truly delicious. I think it would be great with vanilla icecream and a chocolate pouring sauce too, but it was fabulous at tea break time. My colleagues were really pleased with it too - I gave it to some colleagues who rarely get my baking these days and they were very happy!!!

Forever Nigella 5 - Moonblushed tomato and goat's cheese salad

I think I'm sneaking this one in just in time..... again. I always plan to be more organised, but then somehow, time seems to run away with me and before I know it it's the end of the month, deadline day and I still haven't submitted my entry. This month the theme is salad, which is unfortunate given the weather we've been having. I suppose casserole as a theme in May just wouldn't have seemed right in the northern hemisphere! This month's Forever Nigella, founded by Sarah at Maisoncupcake, is being hosted by Dom at Belleau Kitchen.

My salad is based on one given by Nigella in Nigella Express. I only purchased this book fairly recently and although I've bookmarked many recipes in it, I've yet to actually make any of them. Whilst flicking through my many Nigella books in search of salad, I spied Nigella's moonblush tomatoes and although the weather isn't playing nicely at the moment, we do at least have the first of the new season's tomatoes to play with. The recipe is followed by one for moonblush tomato and goat's cheese salad, which is what I have adapted here.

I didn't much fancy green leaves so left those out and my goats cheese is a firm one rather than soft. I also didn't moonblush my tomatoes - not organised enough, but I was roasting lots of things so added some tomatoes too. I have to confess though, that I wasn't really a big fan of the thyme on the tomatoes. I might use oregano next time. The goats cheese I used was Inglewhite which wasn't too strong and goaty. It paired nicely with the tomatoes.

In the background of the photos you can see the soda bread I made to accompany the salad. It was absolutely divine - recipe to follow!

The Fairy Hobmother and a weighty issue

The Fairy Hobmother (aka Ian from Appliances Online) has been very busy recently, appearing on many blogs granting wishes. I left a comment on a post by Jacqueline over at Tinned Tomatoes, very cheekily asking for a new cooker!!! Well, although Appliances Online, who sell cookers (link removed at request of Appliances Online 22/09/13) and other white goods, couldn't quite run to a cooker (which I wasn't expecting in the slightest) I was very pleased to have my other wish granted, and am now the owner of a shiny new set of kitchen scales.

I haven't had a lot of luck with kitchen scales. I have a set where one of the legs has come loose, which bizarrely enough still weighs things accurately. I also have a set which seem to eat batteries, and then continues to refuse to work, and finally a set where there appears to be no external problem at all, but a 250g packet of butter weighs about 500g..... hmmmm, successful cakes this will not make. The set I recently recieved from the Fairy Hobmother are to replace yet another set where you have to press firmly (actually you have to squeeze and jab at the right time in just the right place) for the scales to come on at all, which is a bit rubbish really. Here's hoping this shiny new set are the answers to my weighty issues...

If you would like the Fairy Hobmother to visit you, leave a comment below, preferably with contact details if they aren't obvious on your blog! I know that the Fairy Hobmother has given out Amazon certificates too, so presumably being abroad doesn't exclude you.

Double chocolate blueberry cookies

Sorry about the lack of activity round here. I've got lots and lots to post but have been unexpectedly without internet access for the past few days - I was staying in a hotel that I'd expected to have wi-fi and had been planning to catch up on some posting, but there was no wi-fi, so obviously no posting! Never mind, I'll try and make up for it now. Starting with 101 uses of a tin of condensed milk. Well, perhaps not quite. When I made these caramel muffins I not only found Carnation Caramel, but tins of condensed milk too, my cupboards truly are a voyage of discovery sometimes!

A recipe in the current issue of the Sainsbury's magazine (June 2011) had caught my eye, and required 2 tbsp of condensed milk. Obviously it's not ideal to open a can for just 2tbsp (unless you want to risk eating the rest just as it is....) so this post is the first of a mini series using condensed milk. Onto the recipe...

Double chocolate cookies
Ingredients
125g butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 tbsp condensed milk
125g self raising flour, sifted
50g cocoa powder, sifted *
100g plain/white chocolate, cut into chunks or 50g each dark chocolate and dried blueberries

* I think I used slightly less cocoa, because 50g is an awful lot, and then just added a little more flour to substitute. I think I used about 30g cocoa powder.

Method
- Preheat the oven to 150C/gas 2. Line a couple of baking trays with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the condensed milk and then add the flour and cocoa and mix. Stir in the chocolate and blueberries.
- Roll into 12 walnut sized pieces (I got about 25) spacing well apart on the baking tray. Flatten slightly then bake for about 25 minutes** (I did 20 and they were overdone) until firm at the edges but soft in the middle.
- Leave to cool for a few minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.

**Gas 2 seemed very cool, so I used gas 3 and baked for 20 minutes. I forgot that because the recipe was only supposed to make 12, so mine were effectively half the size, that they'd need less time anyway. They weren't burnt, but they were definitely overdone - lovely cookies, but too crispy. 

Originally from Sainsbury's magazine, June 2011.

These were nice cookies, but as I say, I definitely overcooked them, and they deserve another chance. I do like the combo of dried blueberries and chocolate. I used quite big chunks of chocolate rather than choc chips, and it was nice to hit a big lump of chocolate; I bet they'd be great warm, or dipped in coffee! They aren't as good as the world peace cookies though! Other flavour variations suggested in the recipe are: White chocolate and cranberry, Zingy ginger and lemon, Maple syrup pecan, Oats and honey, Cherry and flaked almond and Toffee fudge chunk. I quite fancy trying them with maple syrup and cranberry, in a combination of the flavours they suggest!

Orange sandwich cake - Random recipes #4 Just desserts

I've been meaning to join in with Dom's random recipe challenge since he first announced it a few months ago, but for various reasons haven't managed it. This month, however, I was determined that I would make the recipe before the deadline. And, by happy chance the theme for this month is 'Just desserts' - perfect for my blog!

I've been having a bit of a tidy up recently and decided that instead of having all my recipe books scattered around the house, I would move them all into one bookcase. The trouble being, of course, that I don't have a bookcase big enough for all of them. So a trip to blue and yellow hell, sorry IKEA, was in order (actually, I don't mind IKEA, you just have to pick the right time to go). And so after much huffing and puffing (do you know how much flat pack bookcases weigh???) I have ended up with these. Plus a couple of bruises to tell me that it's a really bad idea to pretend you're stronger than you are and try to up-end said flatpack using your thigh as a fulcrum. Ouch.

Anyway, the point of that little story is that all my cookery books are now together and as I've organised them so that dessert books are in one section it was easy to run my finger along the spines and stop, randomly. I chose Cakes Regional and Traditional, by Julie Duff. I have actually baked a couple of other things from this book, and was quite pleased to have picked it, because I know that there are a lot more recipes in there that I want/ought to try. Next to choose the recipe.... flicking through the book with my eyes closed and stopping yielded Orange sandwich cake. I was one happy bunny. No cheating required!!!

A slight problem though. Recipe requires two 6"/15cm cake tins. I own one. Never mind, thought I, I will buy another of the same style from the same shop where I purchased the original. Nowhere to be found. Hmm. Ah well, buy another that seems to be the right size. Or not. See evidence below.

The same size?

Not the same size :-(

So I actually made the recipe in two batches, one cake, bake, second mix, bake. For the record, I used the slightly larger silver tin. Was it worth the palaver? Yes!

Orange sandwich cake

Ingredients

115g butter, softened

175g caster sugar

175g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs, lightly beaten

zest and juice of 1 large orange

Filling

175g icing sugar

75g butter

zest of 1 orange

juice of orange

Method

- Preheat the oven to Gas 4/180C. Grease and line two 15cm/6" sandwich tins.

- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

- Add the eggs and orange juice, sift over the flour and baking powder. Mix well to combine.

- Zest the orange into the mixture and fold in to mix (I find if I add the zest while using electric beaters it clings to the beaters like a clinging thing, making it not very well distributed in the cake mixture)

- Divide between the two tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and firm to touch. Mine were done after 20 but very pale, so I left them a little longer.

- Allow to cool on a wire rack.

- For the filling, beat together the softened butter and icing sugar with the zest and juice until very light and fluffy and pale in colour. Electric beaters are an essential in my opinion for this.

- Sandwich the cake with half of the buttercream and spread the remaining buttercream on the top.

- Enjoy!

Serves 8 (but I got 10 smaller pieces out of it quite easily)

So delicious. I do love a light, moist sponge cake sandwiched together with buttery, orangey buttercream. Mmmmm! Perfect for a slice with a cup of coffee to beat the mid afternoon slump! This really was a moist and light cake, and I enjoyed the orange flavour, which came through very well. I think next time I might grate the zest for the buttercream more finely, but other than that, this was a perfect cake, and I love the way it looked so neat, like a cake you'd buy from the WI stall at a craft fair or some such (yes, I am deluded.....)

All gone, just as a good cake should be!