Mantecadas from Spain

Mantecadas from Spain


We prefer proper Scones with butter, but if you like lard....


Shopping List for about 25 Mantecadas:

375 gr plain flour
200 gr lard
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
the juice of 1/2  a lemon
2 tablespoons sambuca or 1 teaspoon anise extract
2 eggs, free range
a bowl of sugar to dip them in straight out of the oven


Put the flour and baking powder in a bowl and mix. Make a little hole in the center of the flour mix. Whisk the eggs in a seperate bowl for 1 minute until light and add the lard (room temperature) sugar, lemon juice, the eggs and the sambuca in the flour mix.

Mix it well with your hands and form a ball. Then cover it with clingfilm and leave it to rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime preheat your oven to 150C.  Roll out the dough on your worksurface covered with a little flour and extra to put some on your rolling pin. Cut out the cookie shape with a 5-6cm fluted cookie cutter.

Lay them on your oventray lined with baking paper and bake them in your preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes until slightly brown. Whilst warm put them in a bowl of sugar.
let them cool completely on your wire rack.

I have to say it is a required taste and maybe you need to wash them down with sambuca.....Oh well.


                                                                "Enjoy"

Sansa's Lemon Cakes ( Magdalenas)

Sansa's Lemon Cakes                                            (Magdalenas) (Spanish Sweet Cakes)



Game of Thrones'  Sansa likes her lemon cakes very much.  Here is the recipe:


Shopping List:

4 eggs, free range
220 gr granulated sugar
160 gr butter, melted
200 gr plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
zest of 1 fresh, clean lemon
1 tablespoon milk



Preheat your oven to 180C.  Put cupcake cases in your muffin tins, about 18.
Take 1/4 of the 220 gr sugar and set aside.

Beat the eggs with the rest of the sugar in a medium bowl until light and airy.
Slowly pour in the melted butter and mix thoroughly. Stir the lemon zest and the milk into  the mixture.

Put the flour in a seperate bowl adding the baking powder and stir well.

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and again mix well.

Divide the batter between the paper cases, filling each cupcase half full. With a teaspoon you can divide the reserved sugar on top of the batter.

Bake your lemon magdalenas in your preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and your skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out and leave them to cool completely on your wire rack.


                                                            "Enjoy"

Lady Baltimore Cake from South Carolina

Lady Baltimore Cake



This is s recipe by Mrs. Mayberry from Charleston, South Carolina



Shopping List:
A Candy thermometer

For the cake:

110 gr butter, softened
300 gr soft white sugar
2 large eggs, free range, seperated
220 gr cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
230 ml milk

For filling nr. 1:

100 gr sugar
54 gr ground walnuts
60 ml water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

For filling nr. 2 and for putting the cake together:

400 gr sugar
125 ml water
2 large egg whites, beaten until it peaks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
150 gr raisins, chopped
100 gr walnuts, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat your oven to 190C. Spray or grease and line two 20 cm round tins or springfroms.
Cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. Seperately: Beat the egg yolks until light, then beat them into the butter mixture. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, ending with the flour mixture. In a clean bowl: beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the whites into the batter.

Divide the batter into your prepared tins and bake them into your preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Use your caketester to see if it comes out clean. Take them out of the oven and let them cool in the tin for about 10 minutes. Turn them out onto your wire rack to cool completely.

While the cakes are baking and cooling you can make the fillings.

For filling nr: 1 : Put the sugar, walnuts and water in a small saucepan and cook over a medium heat without stirring to: very soft ball stage on your candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and let cool just a little. Stir in the extracts and beat until slightly thickened.
Spread Filling nr. 1 over the 2 cake layers.

For filling nr. 2 :  Dissolve the sugar in the water in the heavy saucepan. Don't stir at this point. Bring to a boil over a medium heat. Cover and boil for 3 minutes. Then you remover the lid and boil until the mixture HOT! reaches the firm ball stage on your sugar thermometer.

Now slowly! pour this hot syrup into your beaten egg whites whilst beating all the time and continue doing so until it has cooled down a little. If you pour it in too fast you will end up with cooked eggs nasties!
Then you quickly add the extracts, raisins, nuts, and the lemon juice.

Spread a little of the filling 2 over the filling nr. 1 on each of your cake layers, then you put one layer on top of the other. Pour all of the filling nr 2 over the assembled cake and cover the sides nicely with you palette knife. You can decorate with figs if you want to, but i did not want to wander from the original recipe as it is.


                                                           "Enjoy"

Lamingtons from Australia

Delicious Chocolate-Coconut Lamingtons                           It's an overnighter!




Shopping List:

For the cake:

125 gr butter, softened
150 gr soft white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, free range
250 gr plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt ( half of 1/4 teaspoon)
120 ml milk



Coating:

450 gr icing sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon butter (14-15 gr.) melted
120 ml milk
200 gr dessicated coconut






Preheat your oven to 190C. Grease or spray a square tin (20x30cm) but do not line.
Powder it with flour if you want.

Sieve the flour, bakingpowder and salt over a bowl, mix and set aside.

Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and stir all the time.
Add the flour mixture and the milk first the one and then the other and again and mix.

Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake for 30-40 minutes in your preheated oven until golden and the caketester comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin, then turn out upside down on your wire rack and leave it to cool completely. Leave the cake for a night so as it can firm up before you put on the coating.


The next day:

For the coating you mix the icing sugar and the cocoa in a big bowl. Heat the milk and add the butter. Let the butter melt into the milk, mix well and pour the milk into the sugar mixture.
Mix very well until the coating is liquid but firm.

Cut the cake in squares, 24 or less. Put the dessicated coconut in a shallow plate or tray.
Prick a fork into a little cake, dip it in the chocolate coating and then roll it through the coconut.
Put the little cake on a wire rack for it to dry. Repeat this procedure until all the cakes are done. Pour some warm milk into the chocolate coating if it dries out or gets to sticky.

Tip: The coating will drip on your work surface, so maybe it's an idea to put some papertowel or baking paper underneath your wire rack to catch the drips.



                                                               "Enjoy"

Kladdkaka from Sweden

Kladdkaka




A delicious big brownie chocolate cake from Sweden !



Shopping List:

200 gr butter, softened
200 gr dark chocolate, preferably with 70% cocoa solids
4 eggs, free range
200 gr fine white sugar
250 gr self-raising flour


Preheat your oven to 200C. Spray or grease but not line your 23-24 cm round springform tin.

Melt the butter in a pan on a low heat. Crack the chocolate into little pieces and add them to the melting butter whilst stirring.
Beat the eggs and the sugar until light and fluffy. Mix the chocolate-butter mixture into it and gently fold the flour through it.  Pour into your prepared tin.

Bake the cake in your preheated oven for about 25 minutes. The cake should be a little soft in the middle when you take it out of your oven.

Leave it in the tin for about 5 minutes before turning it out and moving it onto a serving plate.

Serve it with fresh - frozen red fruits, cream and a nice hot cup of coffee.


                                                          "Enjoy"

Boston Créme Cupcakes

Boston Créme Cupcakes



Shopping List:

For the Cupcakes:

125 gr butter, softened
125 gr soft light brown sugar
2 eggs, free range
150 gr self-raising flour
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 small ice cream scooper ( the one with a little metal band in it to squeeze  the mixture out) and 12-16 paper cupcases
Muffin tin


For the Filling and Topping:

Packet or box of Instant Vanilla Pudding ( Dr. Oetker, Bourbon Vanilla)( Or other)
150 gr double cream
150 gr chocolate (39%) chopped in small pieces



Pre- heat your oven to 180C. Put the paper cases into your muffin tin. Beat together the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the flour and the milk, and the vanilla.  Divide the mixture into the paper case using your ice cream scooper.

Bake them in your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until your cake skewer comes out clean.
leave to cool for 5 minutes, then gently turn them on onto your wire rack to cool completely.

Make half of the pudding mix as instructed on the back of the packet/box. Cool completely when done. Give it a good stir.

Scoop the middle of the cupcakes out with a cupcake scooper or a teaspoon and fill the little holes full of the pudding mix. You can use a little spoon or a piping bag.


Heat the double cream in a small heavy sauce pan over a medium heat until it starts to bubble around the edges. Take the pan off the heat and add the chocolate bits to the pan. Whisk/stir until smooth. Spoon or drizzle a glaze over the cream filled cupcakes. Or you can dunk them into the pan with the chocolate. Refrigerate until set. This will take about an hour.

Sprinkle with icing sugar.


They are so good they should be forbidden.



                                                          "Enjoy"

Raspberry & White Chocolate Traybake

Raspberry & White Chocolate Traybake


Shoppinglist:

For the sponge:
225 gr butter, softened
225 gr caster sugar
275 gr self-raising flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs, free range
4 tablespoons milk

For the topping to blob:
150 gr mascarpone
85 gr ground almonds
100 gr white chocolate chopped in morsels
150 gr raspberries (defrosted)


Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease or spray and line a traybake (30 x 23 cm or roasting tin.
Make sure the paper sticks up a bit as the traybake  rises.

Measure all the ingredients for the sponge into a large bowl and beat until it is all well blended. Turn the mixture into your prepared tin.

In a seperate bowl mix together the mascarpone, almonds, white chocolate ( which isn't really chocolate) and the raspberries as best you can. Put blobs of this onto the mixture you already have in your tin.

Bake this in your preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes until set and golden and your skewer comes out clean. Leave the traybake to cool gradually.

When completely cooled, take it out of the tin, take off the paper, slice off the rough edges and cut nice slices to present on a plate. Serve with Ice cream or whipped cream and a cup of hot espresso.



                                                               "Enjoy"

Sweet Orange & Walnut Flapjacks

Sweet Orange & Walnut Flapjacks


Marathon Runners: Delicious!!!


Shopping List:

To go in a big enough pan:

250 gr butter, diced
250 gr light brown soft sugar
175 gr golden syrup ( read the tip down below)

Weigh:
425 gr porridge oats
50 gr walnuts, chopped
finely grated zest of 1 large Orange

3 tablespoons fine-cut orange marmelade



Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease or spray and line a 28x 8cm shallow baking tin or something that looks like it.

Melt the butter, sugar and syrup over a medium heat, stirring all the time. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the oats, walnuts and orange zest. Or if you don't have a big enough pan, pour from the pan into a bowl containing the oat mixture. Together the mixture should be soft.

Pour the mixture into your prepared baking tin and level the top. Bake it in your preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the edges are brown and the centre is a little bit soft.

Remove from your oven and slice it but not all the way through into the amount or size pieces you want.  Let it cool down.

Heat the marmalade with 1 tablespoon of water in a little pan and brush this glaze over the flapjacks. Leave to set. When it is cool you can cut it through to proper pieces, the size that you want.

Tip: If you pour your syrup straight from the jar, try putting a coffee filter over it. Cut the bottom to fit the neck of the jar. If you lift your jar back up again the dribbles should be on the filter and not your fingers.

                                                                 "Enjoy"

Easy Apple and Blackberry Crumble

Easy Apple and Blackberry Crumble



Shopping List:

For the crumble topping:

120 gr plain flour
60 gr caster sugar
60 gr butter, softened, diced


For the fruit filling:
300 gr cooking apples (not to sour) weight is cored and peeled
30 gr demerara sugar
30 gr butter
115 gr blackberries fresh or defrosted
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ice cream to serve with it ( optional)



Preheat your oven to 190C. Put the flour and the sugar into a large bowl. Add the butter and then rub into the flour using your fingertips to make a breadcrumb texture.
Sprinkle this mixture evenly over a baking sheet and bake it in your oven for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden.

In the meantime we peel and core the apples into approx 2 cm dice. Put the butter and the sugar in a saucepan and melt together over a medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes until a light caramel colour. Stir in the peeled apples and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the blackberries and then the cinnamon and cook for 3 minutes more. Turn off the heat and leave the apple mixture 2-3 minutes in the pan with a lid on top.

Spoon the warm fruit into an ovenproof dish and top with the crumble mixture and reheat in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

You can serve it with vanilla ice cream or cream or anything you like really.



                                                           "Enjoy"

Dutch Spiced Orange Carrot Cake

Dutch Spiced Orange Carrot Cake


There is no butter in this cake and it can be frozen without the topping on


Shopping List:

175 gr light brown sugar
175 ml sunflour oil (tournesol)
3 large eggs, (free range) gently beaten
140 gr grated carrots or bought already Julienne
100 gr raisins, light or dark
zest of a large Orange
175 gr self-raising flour
1 teaspoon biacrbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg


For the topping:

about 175 gr icing sugar
1 and a half to two tablesppoons of Orange juice


Preheat your oven to 180C. Spray or grease and line your 18cm square cake tin.

Pour the sugar in a large mixing bowl and pour the oil in. Add the eggs. Mix lightly with a wooden spoon and stir in the grated carrots, raisins and Orange zest.

Mix the flour, bicarb and the spices together and add to your egg mixture. Again mix lightly together until everything is smooth.

Pour your mixture into your prepared tin and bake it in your preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes until firm and springy to the touch. Let it cool in the tin for about 5 minutes and then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on your wire rack. This would be a good moment to think about freezing it.

For the topping: Beat together the sugar and the juice until smooth. Lift the cake gently on what you want to serve it on and drizzle the icing in a zig zag mode over the top. Don't worry if it drips down the sides. You can use a little food colouring for the icing to make the icing even more orangy.

Cut in little squares to serve.


                                                          "Eet smakelijk"

                                                                "Enjoy"

Chocolate Simnel Cake

Chocolate Simnel Cake

Shopping List:

100 gr white chocolate
100 gr dark chocolate (70%)
175 gr butter, softened
3 eggs, free range
100 ml milk
175 gr fine caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
200 gr self-raising flour
2 tablespoons very strong coffee or Instant.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


For the topping:

250 ml whipping or double cream (not whipped)
200 gr dark chocolate (70%)
50 gr white chocolate to melt
a bag of white chocolate balls ( maltezers)


Preheat your oven to 180C. Spray or grease and line 2- 20 cm sandwich tins.

Break the white and dark chocolate into their own small bowls and melt them over their pans of simmering water. Or microwave them.
Put all the ingredients, but not the vanilla and coffee, into your large mixing bowl and beat it all until it is creamy smooth.

Divide the cake mixture in two bowls and add the coffee and the melted dark chocolate into one bowl and the vanilla and melted white chocolate into the other bowl. Stir them until mixed through and then pour the mixtures into your prepared tins.
Put them in your preheated oven and bake them for about 25-30 minutes or until risen and shrunk from the sides of the tin. Then cool them n the tins for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto your wire rack.

For the topping: Break the chocolate into a large bowl and heat the cream in a pan. When the cream is just boiling you can pour it over the chocolate and leave it for 5 minutes. Then stir it thoroughly until it is smooth and then leave it until it is a little thicker and cool.

Cut the cakes in half horizontally with a bread knife and layer up the pieces of cake, sandwiching and topping them with the chocolate topping.

Spoon the melted (au bain Marie) white chocolate into a piping bag with a small nozzle and zig-zag it over the cake. Put 11 white chocolate balls on top. ( The Apostles) ( without Judas) Or white Maltezers.

It tastes the best on the day the cake is made, but you can keep it for up to 3 days in an airtight container.


                                                           "Happy Easter"

                                                                 "Enjoy"