While the cake is cooking, make the drizzle. Squeeze the juice from the lemons into a small pan and stir in the remaining 170g of golden caster sugar. Pop the pan on a medium heat and cook for around 4–5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and you have a thick syrup. Leave to one side to cool.
When the cake is ready, leave it in the tin for 5 minutes before placing it on a cooling rack. Pierce the top of the cake repeatedly and evenly with a skewer, then drizzle over the cooled syrup. Leave the cake to cool completely, and serve.
My Favourite Citrus Cake
PRALINE ORCHARD PIE WITH BOURBON
As I mentioned in a previous chapter, I just don’t think you can go wrong with a pie. They are perfect for times when you want to zone out, unwind and put your focus on just one thing. They’re also such a wonderful gift: no one can say no to a pie. And this recipe is worthy of all that – it’s familiar but has been taken up a notch. The hazelnutty pastry and crunchy praline top give it a fantastic edge, and don’t be put off by the bourbon – it cooks away but leaves the pie with a gorgeous caramel richness.
SERVES 8
100g hazelnuts
250g cold unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
440g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
50g icing sugar
1 large egg
75ml bourbon or whisky
a good pinch of sea salt
750g Bramley apples
300g firm pears
½ lemon
125g light soft brown sugar
125g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon mixed spice
1 fresh bay leaf
75ml milk
proper custard, to serve (see here)
Blitz 60g of the hazelnuts in a food processor until you have a fine powder. Cut 200g of the butter into cubes. Sift 400g of flour into a large bowl with the ground hazelnuts and icing sugar, then rub in the cubes of butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (alternatively you can do this in a food processor). Beat the egg with 50ml of bourbon (or whisky) and a pinch of salt, and mix most of it into the butter and flour until you have a ball of dough – be careful not to work it too much. Reserve the unused egg mixture to brush the pie lid later. Lightly flour the dough, wrap it in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
While your pastry is chilling, preheat your oven to 180°C/gas 4. Peel the apples and pears and cut them into 2½cm chunks. Put all the fruit into a big bowl and toss with the juice from the lemon half then leave to one side.
In another bowl whisk together 50g of the granulated sugar, all of the soft light brown sugar, the remaining 40g of flour, the cinnamon and the mixed spice.
Put the remaining 40g of hazelnuts on a baking tray and pop into the oven for 6–8 minutes, until golden and toasted. Remove from the tray (but do not turn the oven off), leave to cool and then roughly chop. Grease a shallow 26cm pie dish with butter and leave to one side.
When the pastry and filling are ready, dust your worktop with a little flour and cut the pastry almost in half with one piece slightly larger. Roll out the larger of the pieces to ½cm thick, and line the base of the buttered pie dish. Mix the fruit with the sugar mixture and bay leaf and spoon into the pastry-lined pie dish. Brush the edges of the pie with a little milk, then roll out the second piece of pastry to 1cm thick and lay it over the top of the pie. Trim the excess edges, then, with your fingers, crimp together the edges of the pastry base and top. (Alternatively, use a cookie cutter to cut your chosen shapes out of the pastry and cover the pie with them.) Cut a slit in your pastry lid and brush the top of the pie with the remaining egg wash, then cover it with foil and place the dish directly at the bottom of your preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 35–40 minutes, until golden on top.
When the pie is out of the oven, make the praline topping. Melt the remaining 50g of butter in a small saucepan with the remaining 75g of granulated sugar and 25ml of bourbon. Gently bring to the boil, then leave on a medium heat for 6–8 minutes, until you have a golden caramel. Make sure you swirl the pan rather than stir, otherwise the sugar will crystallise. Drizzle the caramel over the baked pie and scatter over the chopped toasted hazelnuts. Make sure you leave the pie to cool for at least 30 minutes, before serving to give the filling a chance to thicken, then serve with a large jug of vanilla bean custard or ice cream.
Praline Orchard Pie with Bourbon
BRITISH SUMMERTIME STACK
I thought of a million names for this cake and none of them do it justice. If I could bottle up England in the summertime and bake it? This would be it. Think jugs of Pimm’s in the sunshine, deckchairs, Wimbledon and bowls of Eton mess, all rolled into one. A sunny, crowd-pleasing number.
SERVES 10–12
150g butter, plus extra for greasing
490g caster sugar
5 large eggs
1 orange
1 lemon
150g self-raising flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2–3 tablespoons milk
700g strawberries
125ml Pimm’s, plus extra for brushing
200ml double cream
1 vanilla pod
200g fat-free Greek yoghurt
icing sugar, to serve
fresh mint leaves or flowers, for decorating (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Grease two 20cm round cake tins and line with greaseproof paper.
Cream the butter and 150g of sugar in a free-standing mixer until pale. Separate the eggs, and add the yolks to the mixer (keeping the whites to one side for later). Finely grate in the zest of the orange and lemon and beat. Fold in the flour and baking powder, followed by enough milk to give you a smooth, creamy batter. Evenly divide the batter between the tins and spread out. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look enough – it will be, I promise. Pop the tins into the oven and bake the cakes for 25 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and leave to cool completely.
Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/gas 2. In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then slowly pour in 250g of caster sugar. Keep whisking for around 6 minutes, until the whites are glossy and stiff.
Cut two pieces of greaseproof paper, big enough to line two baking sheets, and draw around the cake tins with a pen. Turn the sheets over and lay them on the baking sheets, sticking them down in the corners with a little meringue. Divide the meringue between the two circles (you should be able to see the outline faintly through the paper) and spread it out so it is just within the circles – the meringue will spread a little as it cooks. Smooth the top of one of the meringue discs and peak the other with the back of a spoon to give you a pointy texture – this will be the top. Bake for around 70 minutes, until cooked through but not too dry. Leave to cool on the baking sheets.
While the meringues are cooling, make the fruit filling. Hull and chop 500g of the strawberries and place in a small pan with the Pimm’s and the remaining 90g of sugar. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat a little and leave to bubble away for 8–10 minutes until you have a sticky strawberry Pimm’s compote. Leave to cool. Hull, quarter and slice the remaining 200g strawberries.
When you are ready to layer your cakes, whisk the cream until soft peaks form, scrape in the vanilla seeds, and fold in the yoghurt. Place one of the sponges on a board or cake stand and brush with a spoonful of Pimm’s. Drizzle over half the strawberry compote and top with the un-peaked meringue. Spoon over most of the vanilla cream and most of the sliced strawberries. Top with the second sponge, brush with another spoonful of Pimm’s and most of the remaining compote, and add the final peaked meringue layer.
Top with a few dollops of the cream mixture, a drizzle of strawberry compote and the remaining sliced strawberries. Sieve over a little icing sugar and decorate with mint leaves and edible flowers, if you like.
British Summertime Stack
This cake started out as a gift for my dentist and it got everyone talking – presumably because of the sugar content for a dentist. However, I can report back that they loved it, and not a filling in sight. I’ve made it a few times since and it’s a total winner; my entire family love it and they’re a tough bunch to please. It’s a great ‘gift’ cake, as it keeps really well and stays moist for a few days.
SERVES 10–12
150ml olive oil (or other flavourless oil)
½ tablespoon good-quality vanilla extract
2 large eggs
75g natural yoghurt
4 large or 5 medium very ripe bananas
a squeeze of lemon juice
100g soft dark brown sugar
60g caster sugar
3 tablespoons milk
225g wholemeal or plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
a good pinch of fine sea salt
125g butter, at room temperature
125g smooth peanut butter (or almond butter works wonderfully too)
250g icing sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Preheat your oven to 180°/gas 4. Line a 1 litre loaf tin with greaseproof paper and leave to one side.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vanilla, eggs and yoghurt. Mash the bananas in a separate bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice. Mash in the dark brown and caster sugars, then whisk into the oil mixture and add 2 tablespoons of the milk. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into the bowl, and tip in any roughage from the flour that’s left in the sieve (if using wholemeal). Fold into the banana mixture with a large metal spoon and pour into the lined loaf tin.
Pop the tin into the middle of the oven and bake for around 50 minutes, until the cake is cooked through. Check with a skewer, but be prepared for a little residue, as the cake is naturally quite damp. However, if it still looks a little raw, pop it back into the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin for around 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, make the buttercream. Beat the butter and peanut butter in a free-standing mixer (or with an electric hand whisk) for a few minutes until pale and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar, add the remaining tablespoon of milk and beat for a further 5 minutes, until incredibly pale and smooth. If it still feels a little thick beat in the remaining 25ml of milk, then ripple in 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
Once the cake is cool, spread it with the peanut butter frosting, drizzle on the remaining maple syrup and it’s ready to go.
Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
PUMPKIN AND GINGER LAYER CAKE
If you like carrot cake then this is for you – damp, spiced and delicious. The use of yoghurt and puréed pumpkin gives this sponge a velvety smooth yet light texture.
SERVES 16
4 large eggs
250ml olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g natural yoghurt
250g caster sugar
150g soft light brown sugar
300g puréed pumpkin (see instructions here)
475g plain flour
2 heaped teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of sea salt
a little spiced rum, for brushing
FOR THE FROSTING
40g pumpkin seeds
500g icing sugar
250g butter, at room temperature
200g cream cheese
3 balls of stem ginger
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Grease two 20cm springform cake tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, olive oil, vanilla, yoghurt, caster and soft light brown sugars and the pumpkin purée until you have a smooth mixture. Into another bowl, sift the flour, ground cinnamon, mixed spice, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then fold into the pumpkin batter. Divide evenly between the two tins and bake on the middle shelf of your oven for around 45 minutes, or until cooked through. Check with a skewer – it should come out clean. If the cakes are still a little raw, bake for a further 5–10 minutes. Leave the sponges to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
While the oven is still on, caramelise the pumpkin seeds for the frosting. Rinse them in a sieve, then toss them in 1 heaped tablespoon of the icing sugar until lightly coated. Spread out on a baking sheet and pop into the oven for 10 minutes, until caramelised and crunchy. Remove and leave to one side to cool.
While the cakes are cooling, make your frosting. Cut the butter into cubes and put them into a free-standing mixer with a paddle attachment (or just use a large mixing bowl and handheld mixer if you don’t have one). Beat for 3–4 minutes, until pale and light. Drain any excess liquid from the cream cheese and beat into the butter, only just enough to mix the two together – too much and it becomes runny. Sift half the remaining icing sugar into the mix, and when fully combined sift and beat in the remaining half. Keep beating for around 4 minutes, until pale and smooth. Finely chop the stem ginger and add it to the frosting with a little of the syrup from the jar. Place the bowl of frosting in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
When the sponges have cooled completely, carefully cut them in half horizontally and layer them up on your serving board or cake stand with the cream cheese frosting, brushing the layers with a little spiced rum as you go. You can leave the cake like that, or use the last bit of frosting to give your cake a scant frosting around the sides and top. Decorate with the caramelised seeds, and pop back into the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving – just to give the frosting time to firm up.
TO MAKE THE PUMPKIN PURÉE
Peel around 400g of pumpkin or squash and cut into chunks. Boil until cooked through. Drain and leave to cool, then blitz in a food processor with just enough water to make a purée.
Pumpkin and Ginger Layer Cake
CREAMY RICE PUDDING WITH SHERRY AND ROSEMARY POACHED PRUNES
This recipe is pure nostalgia. I’m sure I’m not the only one who grew up eating baked rice pudding and tinned prunes in the ’80s. Gone, however, are the syrupy, painfully sweet prunes. And in their place are prunes poached with bay, rosemary and sherry and blitzed to a flavour-packed purée. Rippled into creamy, risotto-esque rice pudding, this is homely comfort food at its best.
SERVES 6
1 orange
100g pitted prunes
1 fresh bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary
60ml dry oloroso sherry
4 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
1 litre full-fat or semi-skimmed milk
175g pudding rice
a good pinch of sea salt
150ml double cream
Finely grate the orange zest and keep to one side. Place the prunes, bay leaf, rosemary and sherry in a small pan. Add 2 tablespoons of the soft light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Pop the pan on a medium heat and gently bring to the boil. As soon as it starts to bubble up, reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer for 5 minutes, until lightly syrupy. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
Once completely cool, pour the prunes and syrup into a food processor and squeeze in the orange juice. Blitz until completely smooth, adding a splash of water if it is a little thick, then spoon into a bowl. You are looking for a thick but spoonable texture. Alternatively, just keep the prunes whole – my mum loves them like that.
Pour the milk into a large saucepan with the pudding rice, and place on a medium-high heat. Bring to the boil, give it a good stir, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Leave to gently cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and cook for a final 5 minutes, stirring it almo
st constantly, until rich and creamy. Stir in the salt, the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and the double cream, and remove from the heat.
Ladle the rice pudding into bowls and ripple through the puréed prunes. Finish by sprinkling over the grated orange zest, and serve.
Creamy Rice Pudding with Sherry and Rosemary Poached Prunes
MALTED MILK CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY TART
This tart is inspired by a combination of treats we had as kids: malted biscuits, milky hot chocolate and sticky homemade jam tarts. It requires a little time and patience but manages to be both elegant and comforting at the same time. You could of course serve it for pud at a dinner party, finished with a few fresh berries, a dollop of crème fraîche and a delicious dessert wine – however, for me it is just screaming for a glass of milk and a blanket.
SERVES 16
125g cold unsalted butter
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
40g icing sugar
3 tablespoons malt powder, such as Horlicks (be sure not to use the ‘light’ kind)
2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
200ml milk, plus a splash
200g raspberries (you could use blackberries too)
75g caster sugar
400ml double cream
400g good-quality milk chocolate, plus extra for serving
a good pinch of sea salt
Cut the butter into cubes. Sift the flour, icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of the malt powder into a large bowl, then rub in the cubes of butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Beat the egg yolk with a splash of milk and mix into the butter and flour until you have a ball of dough – be careful not to work it too much. Lightly flour the dough, wrap it in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Stirring Slowly Page 14
