Boston Cream Pie Macaron

Sweets for my sweet...

The plan was to have these ready for Valentine's Day but then we don't really celebrate it, so you see the urgency wasn't there. Understand, I love my husband dearly and like him almost every day of the week but we just don't do the whole gift giving, ceremonious proclamation of love on one specific day, every year. I much prefer that that to happen, on say a Tuesday, when it's been a rough day at school, the house looks like a dump, there's nothing on for dinner, my Masters isn't writing itself and he brings me tea and biscuits in my favourite mug.

Now that ladies and gentlemen, is way better than anything I might get on Valentines Day. It's the simple things right?

But then I had started making these and.. just kinda left them be. So I put them together this morning and went with something for Macaron Monday instead. Husband still got his sweets, they happened to be for after breakfast instead.

EEeeehhhh responsibility me should say... I don't necessarily recommend these as a breakfast, they are very heavy and very sweet but really, who am I to dictate your mornings choices? You follow that sugar laden yellow brick road if you want to. I'm just saying, some bran flakes might see you straight first!

BEFORE try to make these, make sure you have allotted yourself some time. For the cream pie filling I would recommend starting it the day before and just have it waiting for you in the fridge. The macaron take as much time as they need, they can't really be rushed. But giving yourself time here will ensure success, plus you can avoid doing anything in your real life because you're baking, and you have to concentrate.

The Cream Pie Filling

1 vanilla pod
100g sugar
500ml milk
4 egg yolks
45g cornflour
2 tbsp butter

Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and put the pod, plus the seeds in a pot. Add 50g of sugar and milk and gently heat over a low-medium heat. but do not allow it to boil.
In a separate bowl whisk together the rest of the sugar, the eggs and the corn flour. When the milk is hot, but not boiling, remove it from the heat and pour 3/4 of it into the egg mix. Whisk it all together and transfer it back into the pot and back onto the heat. Allow the custard to cook, to become thick and bubbling for about 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and push through a sieve to remove any lumps, into a clean bowl. Stir in the butter and allow to cool before popping in the fridge for at least four hours, or even better over night.

The Vanilla Macaron

4 egg whites (keep the yolks for the filling)

100g caster sugar

150g ground almonds

280g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Start with a clean, grease free mixing bowl and a mixer. (I use the silver bowl and whisk off my stand mixer but, a hand mixer will do perfectly if that’s what you have!)

On a high speed, whip your egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla. Continue whipping the egg whites on a high speed and start pouring the caster sugar into the mixing bowl. I start off with a slow and steady stream and stop after 1/3 has gone in. I let it whip for a while and start again, adding another 1/3 and then stopping pouring sugar. Repeat for the third batch. 

Continue whipping for a further 3-4 minutes until your egg whites form a thick and glossy stiff peaked meringue. 

Sieve together the icing sugar and ground almonds into a large bowl and discard any large lumps or bumps you found were too big to go through the sieve. 

Taking a spatula, fold the egg whites into the almond, dry mixture. Your aim here is to squash out any air in the meringue. You can be rough with your folds, just make sure to keep folding through, making sure all the dry mix has been incorporated into the meringue.

You’re going for, what the internet describes as, a “thick ribbon” consistency. Essentially that means the mix almost falls back on itself in around 10 seconds.

I use a silicone macaron mat to pipe my shells to size. You can print off macaron templates which are very helpful in giving you a good reference for size. Line a few baking trays with parchment, and using your template, pipe circles onto the tray. 

Holding your tray about a foot off above the counter top or table you are working it... drop it! Repeat this procedure a few times to pop any air bubbles left in your shells and allow the circles to settle. 

Leave the shells to rest so that they form a skin and have become dry enough on the outside that you can lightly touch them.  This process could take up to an hour. (TIP: Leave them in a warm part of your house, like the windowsill where the sun is shining in.. they’ll be dry in no time!)

Preheat your oven to 130C/260F or gas mark 2. Once the macarons are ready for the oven,  pop them in for 8 minutes. After the 8 minutes, insert a wooden spoon into the oven door to keep it a little bit open. Continue baking for another 4-6 minutes until the top of the shell is crisp and if you wiggled it, gently, from side to side it should be one piece!

Remove from the oven onto a cooling tray and cool completely before filling. Continue baking whatever other shells are left in the same way. 

The Chocolate Coat

100g dark chocolate (I used 60%)
100ml double, heavy cream

Put the heavy cream and the chocolate in a bowl and pop it in the microwave. You want to heat the cream enough so it will melt the chocolate, but not too hot that it boils in the bowl. I use a medium setting for a minute, then check and stir. Then pop it back in for another minute and stir again until it's completely melted and mixed together.

Set it to one side to cool. It will thicken as it cools. 

Putting it all together...

Match your macarons together so that they are in equal enough sized pairs. Using the top shell, gently dip it into the chocolate coating until it is evenly covered. Be very gentle and only apply a thin coat on the top. Pop into the fridge to firm up.
On the other half of the shell, pipe or spoon out as much filling as you like and once the chocolate coat on the other half of the shell has firmed pop it on.

These are messy as all hell... So I advise storing them in the fridge until you are about to serve/eat them.

Are you a Valentines kinda guy or gal? What did you do? Or are you like me and just act as if it's any other day and sneak some romance into the mundane days...

The Best Damn Lemon Cake?

January is always a tight month in our house. Christmas bills come in and we start replenishing our savings. January is also the month where we try to cut back on our shopping bills, use up what we have in the cupboards and freezer and start a general clear out. A head start on the spring clean if you like. I am partial to a good dose of uncluttering, so the kitchen is my favourite place to begin. However on inspection, my baking cupboards were looking a little bare, a first I think, but nevertheless bare. So I set myself a challenge...

No NAME BRAND baking products this month. 

The budget was set and I opted to buy all store or own brand ingredients. Bakers are always told to buy the best ingredients they can afford but maybe the less expensive ingredients shouldn't be looked over. I wanted to test to see if they were up to scratch. I don't shop in one specific supermarket, I shop around and hit a few of them but this month I decided to buy all my baking ingredients from Lidl*. 

I found I was pleasantly surprised with their baking selection, it has come a long way and offers some lovely choices. The Cake Slice Bakers and I are flying through Maida Heatters Cakes and this month I opted to make "The Best Damn Lemon Cake" on page 21 which perfectly coincides with my bake-on-a-budget idea.

The Best Damn Lemon Cake

The Cake:

125g Bellbake ground almonds

180g The Pantry self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

125g Dairy Manor butter (melted)

225g Bellbake sugar

2 eggs (free range)

125ml Morning Fresh buttermilk

1 bottle lemon essence

finely grated zest and juice of two large lemons

Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180C or Gas Mark 4. Line a a loaf cake tray with a liner, or butter it up and dust it with flour. Tap out the excess flour and leave the tray to one side.

Sift together the baking powder, flour and salt.

Melt the butter and add to the a bowl with the sugar, beat to mix a little.

Add the eggs on at a time until just incorporated.

On a low speed mix in the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk and scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.

Mix in the lemon essence.

Remove the bowl from the mixer, add in the grated zest and fold through the ground almonds.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake for 45-65 minutes until the skewer inserted in the middle comes out with crumbs on it, but dry. Two to three minutes before the cake comes out of the oven, make the glaze.

The Glaze:

155g Bellbake sugar

85ml of lemon juice

Stir the lemon juice and sugar in a small pot over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Do not allow it to boil.

When the cake comes out of the oven, let it stand for a few minutes. 

Brush the glaze over the cake and allow it to seep in. Try not to apply the glaze quickly. Let it soak in before the next application. (Or if you're anything like me and start the glaze as you really need to be heading out the door to swimming, you'll just poke a few holes and pour it over slowly!!)

Allow the cake to completely cool, then pop it in the fridge over night to soak and settle.

This cake is very, very lemony. It is very, very moist and is most definitely DAMN DELICIOUS!! The results from my bake-on-a-budget were a resounding success. The ingredients from Lidl stood up to the test and I am really pleased with how this cake turned out. My cupboards are restocked and I am happy to say that I will be baking with Lidl's products again. 

Moving past all that check out what the other bakers made... And welcome our new members to the group by swinging by and saying hello!

An InLinkz Link-up

* I wasn't, AT ALL, asked to endorse Lidl's products. All the opinions expressed are my own and I have not been paid or sponsored to do this. This is not a review, more of a look-what-I-did (points to lemon cake) while saving some pennies and it paid off. Kind of a for your information post, if you like. It's sharing a bargain, and I love to share a good bargain!!

Peach Winter Crumble

With January well on it's way, I have been finding it hard to get back into things. College isn't back until the end of this month and I think because I had worked so hard last semester, I deserve an elongated break... whether or not that's right, it is what I am telling myself anyway!

I'm not a fan of January, a strange month. An in between month, sort of a no mans land with a tendency to throw up atrocious weather and consequently, varying degrees of boredom. Now you could say here if I started back into college work I could curb some boredom but then.. I wouldn't have time to bake you see, so really it's best I leave that for another while.

I did find in the absence of activity, the need to look into my kitchen drawers and ponder whether or not they will ever look as good as those you see in the magazines. I noticed the half empty packets of bits and pieces and figured I would put them to good use in a fruit crumble. 

Thing is, tinned peaches were all I had in abundance. And with my kids and husband having a strong aversion to any fruit that isn't chocolate, I was making this crumble for myself. Not that that's a real problem per say, but it is a problem when you are trying to reduce your sugar intake or you know, watching your waistline expand. 

Peach Winter Crumble

The Peaches:
2 cans of peach halves

2  tbsp soft brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

Pinch of ground cloves

The Crumble:

140g plain flour

60g ground almonds

100g porridge oats (not instant)

75g cold butter

50g soft brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F or Gas mark 4.

Drain the peaches and pop them into a deep baking dish. Scatter over the sugar and the spices and then toss everything together.

In a bowl, combine the flour, oats, ground almonds and soft brown sugar.

In another bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and pour into the crumble mix. Mix together with a fork until you have a rough crumbly, squidgy mixture.

Scatter over the peaches, then bake for 25-35 mins until golden and crunchy on top.

Allow to cool and enjoy!

How are you getting through January? Or do you like being marooned on no mans land.. I'd love to know what you think!

Orange Loaf Cake

I am just not ready for the holidays to be over.

It feels like they came and went in a blink of an eye and I don't want to leave home, go back to work and start the humdrum again. It seems to go by faster each and every year. Time has a funny way of speeding up when you don't want it to.

But then we all know little tricks to slow it down, just for moments at a time. To catch your breath, realign. Those times for me is coffee and a slice of something nice. I do love a little loaf. There's something very comforting about a slice of loaf cake. It's not too much, overkill or heavy. Just a morsel of mmm... helping me get on my way.

Orange Loaf Cake

125g softened salted butter
225g caster sugar
275g self raising flour
2 large eggs

zest and juice of 2 oranges
125ml buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 180C, 350F or Gas mark 4. Grease a one pound loaf tin with butter and dust with flour. Tap out the excess. 

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale.
Add in an egg, one at a time until the yolks have been disappeared.
Dry whisk or sieve your flour and baking powder together.
Add the vanilla to the egg/sugar/butter combination.
Add half your dry ingredients to the butter combo and then half the buttermilk. Mix until combined and repeat. Be careful not to over mix the batter here as you want the loaf to stay light and fluffy. The buttermilk helps with that too. Just make sure all the ingredients have been mixed together.

Fold in the zest and juice.

Transfer the batter into a prepared tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You'll know it's done as the top will be golden, have a slight spring in them when you gently push down on the top or a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clear!

The citrus in this loaf is not over powering and the crumb is soft and fluffy. The recipe is simple, basic at best, but a great one for a cup of coffee or tea mid morning.

Enjoy a moment to yourself.

Hello 2016...

A wrap it up posts of sorts. No promises, gimmicks or resolutions just a few thoughts and notions about the year that was 2015. I have included some of my favourite bakes over the past few months... For posterity you see. 

I want to start out by thanking each and everyone of you fine folk for dropping by. I always get overwhelmed by the amount of people who pass through, by their kind words and thoughtfulness in their comments. It's been a busy year, this past one. Busy in the best way! So many new journeys and experiences and a lot of things learned along they way...

• Starting a new blog has given my writing a lot more focus
• Focusing on the new blog of late, has been dismal to say the least
• Keeping functional lists is a huge help in controlling anxiety
• Multiple lists can be overwhelming and in fact can add to said anxiety
• Being a one woman show is great
• Allowing those who surround and love you to help out with your one woman show is even greater
• Doubting your ability is one of the easiest and most unproductive things to do
• Genuinely believing you've got this is by far the most liberating option (and also a work in progress!)

But the biggest thing I have learned is that time is so precious. Being present, not just part of the process is something I had never really thought about. I get it now. Between working full time, doing my Masters and my family, there is little time left for other things... but I have noticed the effort I put into my life now is so much more than before. Because I don't have time to waste, not this year. It all counts!

On a side note, and probably one that means nothing to anyone outside of Ireland, owning a really good waterproof jacket ensures you can get away with not having an umbrella. Because I always forget my umbrella but my new snazzy raincoat makes sure I'm covered!!

I want to wish you all  a safe and happy New Year. May 2016 be everything that you hope it to be. That you, your family and all those in between keep well and that we strive to be thoughtful and kind to one another.

While posts may be infrequent, goods will still be baked. They'll have to appear at some stage, I just hope you pop by when you can. The kettle is always on and the cake is always fresh...

Happy New Year!

Zuger Kirschtorte

Back posting a little, shameful blogger, to show you what I made for December' s choice with The Cake Slice Bakers.

This is the second month with our new book Maida Heatter's Cake. I am genuinely loving this book!! I was really impressed with my last choice and I just love how the books reads. It's so straight forward and easy to understand. I do think there are some unnecessary steps, some elements don't need to be as laborious but nevertheless, it's going great!

I opted for the Zuger Kirschetorte, on page 116, and made it for Christmas Day dessert. It was fabulous, but lacked the real cherry bing in the cake layer. I think I needed double the syrup that the recipe called for. I also opted out of using buttercream to sandwich the cake.. I felt it would be too heavy after our dinner and while I am a fan of hedonism, just couldn't bear the thoughts of this being overly sweet or luscious.

This cake is such a treat! From the bottom up it is described as a layer of crisp almond meringue; a thick layer of kirsch whipped cream; a divine, light and airy, buttery sponge; another layer of thick kirsch whipped cream; topped with yet another layer of meringue, then more cream and decorated with meringue kisses.

Not for the faint hearted, definitely for the us gluttons!

Zuger Kirschtorte

adapted from Maida Heatter's Cakes pg 116

The Cake Layer

125g self raising flour
6 tbsp cornflour
5 tbsp soft butter
4 eggs and 3 egg yolks
85g sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F or gas mark 4.
Line, the sides and bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with parchment and set to one side.
Sift the flour and cornflour together.
Cut the butter into small pieces and melt it slowly in a pan over a medium heat, set aside to allow to cool but not harden.
Put the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl and add the sugar. Whisk until the mixture increases in volume, almost tripled, it will look very pale and thick.
Sift about one third of the flour mixture into the eggs and fold in with a rubber spatula, repeat twice, gently folding in the flour.
Add the melted butter in the same way, slowly and gently folding it into the mixture, making sure you keep all the air.

Turn out into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes. Once out of the oven, carefully clip open the spring form, remove the parchment and using your wire rack, invert the cake. Remove the bottom of the pan, but not the parchment.

Leave the cake upside down to cool.

Reduce the oven to 135C/275F, Gas Mark 1.

Meringue Japonaise

85g ground almonds
225g sugar
1/2 tbsp of flour
4 egg whites

Line two cookies sheet with parchment, with a pencil draw two nine each circles on each piece of parchment.
In a small bowl stir the ground almonds and 1/3 of the sugar and the flour together.
Beat the egg whites until they hold a soft shape, gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) add the other 2/3 of sugar and whisk until thick and glossy. Make sure the meringue is stiff, do not under-beat here.
Fold the almond mixture into the meringue in two additions, make sure it is evenly incorporated but do not mix more than necessary.
On your marked out parchment, create two circles using the meringue, keeping the meringue about a 1/4 inch away from the edge of the pencil line. Dollop some kisses on the baking sheets also, if you have any left over.
Pop the baking sheets in the oven for 30 minutes, rotate the baking sheets top to bottom and bake for another 30 minutes.

Turn off the oven and allow the meringue to cool in the oven completely.

Kirsch Syrup and Whipped cream

80ml of water
3 tbsp granulated sugar
80ml kirsch
500ml of single cream
2 tbsp of kirsch

Pour the water and sugar in a small saucepan and over a medium heat allow the sugar to dissolve and the mixture comes to a boil. Set aside to cool, once cooled, stir in the 80ml kirsch.

Whip the single cream to soft peaks and fold through the kirsch. Set aside.

Putting it all together...

Starting with a layer of cooled meringue, place it right side up on your serving plate. Add a thick layer of cream. Place the cake, topside down and remove the parchment piece. Using the kirsch syrup, brush it on to the cake and allow it soak through.

Add another layer of cream on top of the cake and the the remaining meringue layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream and decorate with kisses.

Make sure you stop by the other bakers and see what they made... you'll find them all below!

Emily's Rum and Raisin Cake
Carlee's Cinnamon Buns
Laura's Ginger Ginger Cake
Annabel's Cinnamon Buns
Elle's Cinnamon Bun Wreath

Merry Christmas to you all!

An Irish Whiskey, Pecan Fruit Loaf

Oooh poor, sad, little neglected blog! How you must think me so mean? But I have good reason... There are simply not enough hours in the day.

I did a simple maths equation. I calculated what I need to do each day and how much time each thing would take. In order to successfully accomplish, home, work, study, life, blog, fun, friends etc etc.. I need another 3 point something extra hours per day. Rounded up to 4.

I need 4 extra hours a day to do what I just need to do. Simple.

But that's not going to be happening any time soon. So some things get neglected. Sorry blog...

This cake was baked along with my baking group The Cake Slice Bakers and honoured the start of our new book Maida Heatter's Cakes. It was a simple choice this month.. I'm the only Irish baker in the group, I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to make the Irish Whiskey Cake!

Irish Whiskey, Pecan Fruit Loaf

- adapted from Maida Heatter's Cake pg 169

450g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of two lemons
juice of one lemon
zest of one orange
juice of one orange
140g soft butter (+ 1 tablespoon for after baking)
1 teaspoon vanilla
250g light, soft brown sugar
2 eggs, separated
125ml Irish Whiskey (I used Jameson)
125g raisins
180g toasted chopped pecans

Pre-heat your oven to 180C, 350F or gas mark 4.
Line a large loaf tin with parchment.
Chop the pecans and pop them on a baking tray and into the heating oven for about 10 minutes to toast.
In a small bowl, mix the lemon, orange juice and zest together and leave to one side.
Cream your butter and sugar until soft and and sandy, then add the vanilla and the eggs yolks until mixed well. 
Dry whisk or sieve all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Alternate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using half a cup of whiskey at a time. 
Add the fruit mix and fold it in with a rubber spatula. 
Fold in the juice and zest.
Fold in the toasted pecans.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks have formed. Fold them through the mixture, being careful not to over work the egg whites.
Transfer to you lined tin and smooth out the top.

Bake in your preheated oven for up to an hour. Check it from 50 minutes on. Cover it loosely in tinfoil to stop it over browning on the top if you want to. 

A skewer when inserted in the middle should come out clear or clear-ish. It's a moist cake, you might get some crumbs! Once the cake is out, smear that extra tablespoon of butter on top and allow to cool.

Leave the cake in the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Take it out and allow it to cool fully. I popped this into the fridge over night as the recipe directed and then sliced it cold. I much preferred it at room temperature, so wouldn't bother with the fridge part. But that is up to you...

This book is just wonderful to read through. The tidbits of information as to why things are done a certain way, were just old worlde delightful. But in my current real world terms, not very time friendly.

I have skipped a few steps in the book and left out a few ingredients because I didn't have them to hand. I am sure, the cake made to the exact specifications would have been truly amazing.

This cake was fabulous. It was dense and soft and had all the traditional charm of an Irish fruit loaf. A thick slice toasted and smeared with some real butter made a delicious on the go breakfast. Another one in my cake-for-breakfast category.

Have a gander at what my other lovely baker buddies made.. I think we've got another good year ahead of us!

An InLinkz Link-up