Genoise and Raspberries and Cream... Oh my!!

There was no way I was going to pass up a Genoise Sponge when I saw it on The Cake Slice Bakers list this month. 

It is one of my favourite sponges, light and airy and perfect with fresh fruit and cream. I was excited to see how Roger Pizey of World Class Cakes made his and followed the instructions in earnest. 

But alas, it was pretty much the same as every other Genoise recipe I have tried. Not that that was a bad thing, but there was nothing a teeny bit special about it. I did not however, use a the sugar syrup mentioned in the recipe. I really dislike, with all my baking heart sugar syrups used on cake layers to keep them moist. My understanding is, if you have to pour sugar water onto your dried out old sponge, then your recipe is wrong. Maybe that's the novice in me and someone can enlighten... I would love to stand corrected. 

Syrups as glazes and flavours, you can proceed, but sugar water.. YUCK!!! 

What the recipe did make for though, was an exceptionally light sponge, that melted in your mouth. There was no need for the sugar syrup in my opinion. The Chantilly Cream, a basic in most kitchens was a lovely accompaniment to the raspberries, not as sweet at this time of year and which happened to be on sale in my local store this week. And good thing too as there are a lot needed for this recipe.

The recipe it self called for one 8' round. Now. looking at the pictures in the book, I did not think the cake displayed was as small as an 8 inch. But I trusted the book.. I should have went with my gut. I opted to split the batter into two 6' pans, which actually resulted in me using three 6 inch pans and then ended up with double height cakes. You will see in the pictures below, they are very deep layers. Again, not a complaint.. the cake was ate up in no time, just something that I felt coming and ignored. 

Genoise Sponge with Raspberries and Cream

6 eggs

200g caster sugar

160g plain flour

25g plain flour

30g butter, melted

500ml Chantilly cream (recipe below)

625g fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325F or gas mark 3. Line two 8 inch round cake pan or three 6 inch with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until white and foamy. Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture has trebled in size.

Sift the flour and plain flour together and fold it, using a large metal spoon into the egg mixture, carefully.

Once incorporated, fold in the melted butter.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pans and bake in a preheated oven for 25-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middles comes out clean.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.

While the cake is cooling make the Chantilly Cream.

Chantilly Cream

500ml double cream

125g icing sugar

Whip the cream to soft peaks, sift in the icing sugar and continue to whip the cream until thick, stable ribbons form. Store in the fridge until needed. 

Putting it all Together

Once the cakes are cooled, spread a layer of the Chantilly cream on the bottom layer before arranging the fresh raspberries in circles on top.

Cover the raspberries with another layer of cream and then place the top layer of cake on the raspberries.

Spread a layer of cream on the very top (and sides if you wish) and place more raspberries. 

Serve.

So what do you think? It's worth a shot for sure.. I know it will be a hit because who doesn't love cake and cream and fruit when the summer is fast approaching!!

Have a great weekend folks!

An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate Chip Banana Blondies

Oh wow May you are sneaking away! You guys, are you still there?!! I can't believe it's been so long since I actually baked for this blog... but I promise- it was something I could not help.

What a whirlwind time March and April have been. To be honest I have no idea where that time even went. I have been baking and baking and eeerr... baking some more and anyone following my Instagram will know that but no I am back here now ... like it's no big thang and I'm just gonna scooch back on up in here like I have never been away!!

But you know, as well as I know, that, that wouldn't be ok if I didn't come bearing some sort of  "hey-guys-remember-me?" cake! So I baked for you fine folks. My first in fun time baking, in a long, long while and I baked it with all of you in mind!

It's one of those early summer time treats that is so good at any time of the day. It has the muffin feel to the crumb, soft and moist, perfect for breakfast. Because ya'll know how much I like cake for breakfast. Lets just say it's a great tray bake cake, very pleasant on the palate and you can eat it whenever you feel you want to! There'll be no judgement round these parts!

I am so glad to be back baking for my little blog. While this time at school is crazy and my own Dolly is heading down the State Exams road, it's going to get busier before it levels off. And I cannot wait until it levels off.

Here's to the resumption of normal!

Chocolate Chip Banana Blondies 

125g soft butter
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
275g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 ripe bananas mashed
1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat your oven 180C/350F or Gas Mark 4.
Line a 9 inch square pan with some parchment.
Mash the bananas in a bowl.
Add the sugar and butter into bowl and mix with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add the eggs and mix. Whisk the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda together and add to the wet mix. Fold through.

Add the milk and the mashed bananas and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to your pan.

Bake in your preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden and crusted or a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clear.

Allow to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes, before removing to a wire rack to cool fully before slicing.

Fully Loaded Brownies

If you like your brownies cut like cake, tasting and acting like cake... then unfortunately these brownies are not for you. If you are counting calories, syns or points, again sadly, these are not for you. But, if you are partial to paddling in the pool of pure profligacy, using up your leftover Easter Chocolate in one foul swoop.. then these guys are for you! Huzzah!!

I shared this post a few months back over on The Taste but feel like they could help those of you staring down the endless bag of Easter Eggs, praying they'll just disappear. 

Starting with a rich, dark chocolate fudge brownie base and topping it with melted marshmallow, crunchy pretzels and salted peanuts, these are the ultimate in junk food. To finish off, the toppings are drizzled in a soft-set caramel sauce. These brownies are not for the faint hearted. They contain pretty much no nutritional value, but honestly I don't even think that matters. 

They won’t take you long to make and an even shorter time to eat! The brownies alone are pretty special but combined with garnishes they exude versatility, allowing you to change up the toppings to suit your own junk food style.

The Brownie Batter

75g good coco powder

120g self-raising flour

¼ tsp of salt

½ tsp baking powder

150g butter

175g good quality chocolate

2 eggs

400g caster sugar

125ml boiling water

Toppings

200g mini marshmallow

125g broken pretzels

65g salted peanuts

The Caramel Sauce

125g butter

180g light brown sugar

200ml double cream

Preheat your oven to 350F, 180C (160C fan) or Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 9x13’ pan with some parchment/greaseproof paper.

Sift the coco, flour, salt and baking powder together.

In a separate bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together. You can do this in the microwave or over a pot of boiling water on the stove. Add the sugar and the eggs to the melted butter chocolate combination and mix until combined. Add the vanilla, mix.

Add the wet mix to the dry mix and pour in the boiling water. Mix until fully combined. Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for 25-30 minutes in a preheated oven.

Make the Caramel Sauce while the batter is baking. Add the butter and sugar to a pot and allow them to melt and come together over a medium heat, stirring often so the mix does not burn. Remove from the heat and add the cream, stirring vigorously until all incorporated. Put the pot back on the heat, allow the sauce to come to the boil and then transfer the sauce to a heat proof bowl to cool.

About 5 minutes before you think your brownies will be done, take them out of the oven. Cover the top completely in the mini marshmallows and pop the pan back in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the marshmallow has melted.

Remove the pan from oven, stand on a wire cooling rack and sprinkle the crushed pretzels and peanuts over the melty marshmallow. Squash them down a little, being careful not to burn your fingers.

Finally drizzle the cooled caramel sauce all over the toppings and allow the whole thing to stand in the baking pan, on the wire rack for at least 30 minutes (ideally longer, if you can wait!)

So what do you think? Worth rounding up the eggs and melting them down right... The kids will love you for it!

Lime and Pistachio Loaf

At the start of this year I decided to be more environmental, that meant,  for me, consuming less and making do with more. More of what I had in the pantry, finishing tubes and potions off to the end before replacing, bringing my travel coffee cup with me everywhere I go so I am not buying a new cup on the go. So far, with a few minor slip ups on the coffee cup front, I have been doing good.

I have helped myself notice how little I need to live with, what little 'stuff' I genuinely need. How content I am with being part of the everyday ebb and flow, taking life as it comes. That's not to say I am some kind of superwoman, converted to this new lifestyle but I feel a lot less anchored to 'stuff' these days. I am definitely learning to live without.

Soooo.. and I'm not going to lie to you, I didn't read the recipe properly on this one.. or did read it ages ago, decided  I was making it and totally flaked on the fact the original recipe calls for lemons too.

My bad.

Going to chalk that down to good old age, brain fuzz and maybe the million other things life throws at you at any given time. But I was going to make it regardless because I had everything else that I needed in the pantry and was content with doing without the lemons.

Lime and Pistachio Loaf- 

adapted from World Class cakes pg 75

3 large eggs
180g caster sugar
225g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
125ml vegetable oil (or 125g soft salted butter)
175g crushed pistachio nuts
zest and juice of two limes

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F or Gas Mark 4. Line or grease and flour a 2 lb loaf pan, or two 1 lb loaf pan. Ideally the 2 lb is better as the mixture doesn't quite make two high sliced 1 lb loaf. I divided it, but retrospectively should have just made one loaf.

Start by beating the eggs until they have doubled in volume and are thick and mousy looking.
Add the sugar, a bit at a time and continue to beat the eggs.

**If  using the butter, cream the butter and suagr together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time scraping down the bowl as you go.**

Add the flour and baking powder, followed by the oil (not required if using butter) and fold through, until one homogeneous mess.
Remove from the mixer and fold through 3/4 of the nuts, all the zest and juice.
Pour into your prepared pans and sprinkle the remaining nuts over the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes on a low shelf, until the center has cracked and a skewer inserted in the middles comes out clear. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, before removing to cool fully on a wire rack.

This tastes so much better the next day... if it lasts that long!

This cake was the perfect breakfast loaf. All my guys here loved it.. I am sure the lemon added another zesty flavour to the loaf but the mixture of salty and sweet was just divine! I will definitely make this one again as I was very happy with the results.

A soft fluffy cake, with a fresh zesty, salty bite! Ticks off everything in my books!

An InLinkz Link-up

Banana Bread and Cream Cheese Frosting

For all of you who are new here, let me just introduce to you what happens round this time every month (and also do a little happy dance and extend the warmest of wishes and hellos that you are even here in the first place!). The Cake Slice Bakers are a group of bake loving maestros who choose a book and bake cakes from said book.  

This month is no exception... March has just flown by and in a frenzy of wedding cakes and birthday cakes and all other bakes, the choice for this month had to be simple! World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey is just  a wonderful book to bake from with different skill levels catered for on every page. While I thoroughly enjoy the idea of challenging myself, March was not the month for that. 

Thus the humble, yet spectacular Banana Bread was baked. I made two minor adjustments to the recipe, one because I didn't have the ingredients to hand and two because I seriously love the Cream Cheese Frosting from the book and thought it'd make a fab pairing with this recipe. Even with my adjustments the bake was a huge success. One taster remarking it was 'the best thing ever' and 'are you going to finish your piece, or will I?' (after his third piece)!!!

Needless to say, there is no excuse for not using up your ripe bananas in what is the easiest bake ever and then enjoying said bake with a big vat of tea, throwing your feet up on the sofa and regaling in your baking prowess.  

Banana Bread- 

adapted from World Class Cakes pg 65

125g soft butter
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
225g self raising flour
50g ground almond
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
125ml butter milk
2 ripe bananas mashed

Preheat your oven 180C/350F or Gas Mark 4.
Line a 9 inch square pan with some parchment.
Mash the bananas in a bowl.
Add the sugar and butter into bowl and mix with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add the eggs and mix. Whisk the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda together and add to the wet mix. Fold through.

Add the milk and the mashed bananas and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to your pan.

Bake in your preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden and crusted or a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clear.

Allow to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes, before removing to a wire rack to cool fully before slicing.

Cream Cheese Frosting 

260g icing sugar

80g unsalted butter, softened

40g cream cheese

Beat together the butter and cream cheese. On a low speed add in the icing sugar, a small bit at a time. 

Mix on medium speed until it comes together. (You could add a little milk if you’ve reached a too stiff consistency.) Keep on mixing until soft and fluffy.

Once the banana bread has cooled, cut them up and swirl on the cream cheese frosting in a zig-zag pattern over each bar.  

I used an 8 inch tin when I made my banana bread bars.. and had enough for four cupcakes also.

I baked up the cupcakes as you normally would, rough chopped 5-6 stalks of rhubarb and stewed it for a few minutes until soft and gooey in 4 tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla.

Once the cupcakes had baked and cooled, the rhubarb had cooled and I had opened a carton of store bought custard.. I layered the different components together in recycled yogurt jars. I had enough cupcake crumbs from one cupcake to use in one jar. Seriously easy way of using in season ingredients and making something so much more entertaining!

Need more baking inspo?? Seriously.. you couldn't get any better than the guys and dolls of The Cake Slice Bakers!

An InLinkz Link-up

Saint Pat's Macs...

Never in a million years would I have called St Patrick's Day, St. Pat's but anything more that St Pat's Macs didn't have the same ring to it, you know!

I was messing about a few weeks back with Swiss Meringue Buttercream and though I needed to pair it with something nice. My boy had asked would I make him macaron. He doesn't like the cream fillings but does go through a fair amount of the shells and I figured, the green macaron, the jar of store bought lime curd I had in the fridge and the coconut SMBC would pair up nicely. And I was right. The lime cuts through any major sweetness in the buttercream and the buttercream itself helps keep the whole mouthful light, soft and silky.

Nothing too traditional here this St Patrick's Day but we are never ones to go exactly with the grain!

Green Macaron Shells

115g ground almonds

230g icing sugar 

140g egg whites, large free-range, room temp

70g caster sugar

pinch of salt

drop of green GEL food colouring

Pre-heat your oven to 140C/280F or Gas Mark 3.

Pulse together the ground almonds and icing sugar in a food processor, until very fine. If any big lumps remain, sift the mix through a sifter and set to one side.

Place egg whites, sugar and salt into a super clean bowl and whip with a whisk attachment on low speed (that’s 4 on my KitchenAid) for 3 minutes. It should look like foam by the end bubbly  and frothy.

Increase the speed on the mixer to medium-high (it’s about a 7 on my Kitchen Aid) for another three minutes. It should start looking like shaving foam. Finally increase the speed to high (which is an 8 on my KitchenAid) for another 3 minutes. It is going to really stiffen up and clumps into the whisk attachment.

Add in the gel food colouring and whip at the highest setting for another minute **Remember, by now if you have not reached a stiff meringue, dump the eggs  and start over with new egg whites and a washed clean bowl.**

Pop the dry ingredients into the meringue and using a rubber spatula gently fold the meringue in through the dry mix.

Use circular folding hand movements, bring in the meringue from the sides of the bowl through the powder mix and through the middle of the bowl. You will need a maximum of 25-30 folds. Stop after this, even it’s still a little lumpy.. it’s ok.

Fill up a piping bag with a couple of spoons on the batter and pipe circles onto parchment lined baking trays in small  discs with gaps of about 3-4 cm in between each.

Lift up the tray once piped and tap it against the counter tops twice, turn the sheet and give it another two good whacks. Pop the trays someplace warm and let them form a skin for at least half and hour. They should be dry to touch before you put them in your oven. Once dry, bake for 12-14 minutes.

They’ll be done when the tops have crisped up and you can gently wiggle them from side to side on the parchment.

Once baked, pull them out and let the shells cool on their trays until cold. Gently remove and fill with your favourite fillings.

Coconut Swiss Meringue Buttercream 

280g granulated sugar
454g very soft unsalted butter
6 large egg whites

1 tsp coconut essence

Place the egg whites and the sugar into the bowl of the mixer and give it a good whisk. It will be thick and gloopy but will thin out as it is cooked. 
Using a double boiler method, over simmering water, heat the mixture until the sugar has dissolved is hot to touch and the mixture is silky to feel, it should reach 130F on candy thermometer.
Remove from the heat and whisk on a medium speed for about 5 minutes.
Move to a faster setting and whisk until think and glossy and stiff peaks form like that of meringue. This should take about 6-8 minutes.

Reduce the speed and add the very soft butter, a spoonful at a time. It will curdle, and this is ok, but just keep mixing until it is smooth. Add the coconut and keep whisking until soft and silky. 

Fill one shell of each macron pair with a swirl of buttercream and top with a dollop of lime curd. Sandwich the top of the shell onto the cream and curd and hey presto.. St. Pat's Macs are ready to go! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my family, friends and to you my lovelies! 

Thank you as always, for stopping by and gracing this little corner with your presence. I hope that whatever part of the world you are in, it's green and happy and that the luck of the Irish spreads your way!!

Beer Batter Cupcakes

Apprehension aside, due to the Irish affliction of not being able to talk positively about your accomplishments without someone commenting about your notions... These cupcakes tasted AH-MAZING!!!

I was totally blown away by the malty, toffee flavour of the ale left over after baking. Not something you usually get when adding pale ale, or light beer to a bake.. my experience has been that the flavour dulls or tends to evaporate altogether!

When tasked with making treats for Super Saturday, the last weekend of the Six Nations, I thought about what folk usually consume when watching sports. Beer and crisps is honestly my go to and possibly the best I could do given my zero interest in sports in the first place. But dwelling on the beer and crisps notion.. I thought why not combine them into a cupcake. Because who doesn't like cupcakes??

Am I right??

Aldi have some really great craft beers in store and I really enjoyed the Dungarvan Brewing Company's American Pale Ale. Being a major fan of Aldi's Okey Dokeys crisps I thought I would lash the two together and see what I got. Re-imagining my own tried and tested very vanilla cupcake recipe, I added the ale and much to my (and literally everyone who tasted them) delight, that malty, toffee undertone stayed true. The beer offset the sweetness of the buttercream and added a nice counterbalance to the bacon flavour of the crisps.

These cupcakes worked out a charm.

Beer Batter Cupcakes 

125g of room temperature butter
225g caster sugar
275g self raising flour
A half a teaspoon of baking powder
2 large free range room temperature eggs
125ml buttermilk
125ml Dungarvan Brewery American Pale Ale

Preheat your oven to 350F/180C/160C fan or Gas mark 4. Line a 12 tray cupcake pan with cases. (I used a 6 tray and made mini donuts for decoration with  my left over batter!)

Cream your butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale. Add in an egg, one at a time until the yolks have been incorporated.

Dry whisk or sieve your flour and the baking powder together. Add half your dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg combination and then half the buttermilk. Mix until combined and repeat. Be careful not to over mix the batter here as you want them to stay light and fluffy. Just make sure all the ingredients have been mixed together.

Fold through the beer, gently.

Fill your cases to two thirds full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You know they are done when the tops are golden, have a slight spring in them when you gently push down or a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clear!

Allow to cool on a wire rack until cold and ready to be used. 

Toffee Sauce

Cook 125g butter and 180g of dark brown sugar in a medium non stick pan over a medium heat for two to three minutes, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Whisk in 200ml of double cream and bring the entire thing to a light boil, stirring constantly.

Turn off the heat and allow to stand until it's cooled slightly, stirring often.

Toffee Buttercream

225g soft, room temperature, unsalted butter
500g sifted icing sugar
up to 60ml cream/whole milk
few tbsp of toffee sauce to your taste

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high until it is very soft and pale. (TIP: pop the butter in the microwave for a few seconds until very soft.)
Add in the icing sugar a few cups at a time.
If the buttercream is very thick, add a tablespoon of cream or milk in until the desired texture has been reached. 
Add a few tablespoons of the toffee sauce.

Mix the whole until light and fluffy. The faster and longer you mix this, the lighter and fluffier it will be. 

Once the cupcakes have cooled and the toffee sauce thickened, pipe the buttercream on in mounds. Garnish with a drizzle of the left over toffee sauce and sprinkle on some bacon flavour crisps. 

Honestly the beer, crisps and sweet combo work really well here! Try it.. you won't regret it!

***Disclaimer: Sponsored Post*** 

Aldi very kindly, provided me with the ingredients to bring this post together.

All comments and views however, are completely my own.