Posts by The Pink Whisk:
Aaaarggghhhh! I’m Having One of Those Weeks…
July 4th, 2012You know the ones, when nothing goes quite the way it should. More importantly for you lot my ability to bake has flown clean out the window.
It happens.
Recipes you’ve baked faultlessly time and time again suddenly let you down, you leave out the sugar by accident, cakes sink, biscuits stick to the tray rendering them useless once they’ve been chiselled off with a palette knife. Yikes! I know it’s a lack of concentration and failure to pay attention on my part but I feel like I’ve been dropped into the Bermuda triangle, at least my baking skills have been.
I have baked all sorts of everything, none of which have turned out right, the house is in a tip, I am being driven mad by the teen’s grunting from beneath his hood, the little boys are attempting to kill each other squabbling and poor Mr Clemens is tiptoeing around me like his wife has been replaced with a four headed monster (with a very sharp forked tongue)
Oh dear….
In times of trouble
There’s more important things in life to worry about than baking going wrong! So could you all please cross your fingers that my baking ability has got itself a nice little suntan and comes winging it’s way back to me soon and tomorrow I’ll share with you my rhubarb pie recipe, I can’t face attempting another version of Strawberry and Rhubarb Muffins it may cause me to spontaneously combust, surely even I can bake a pie…can’t I??
Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire (but not this week)
Churros & Chocolate Sauce
June 26th, 2012
I’ve been meaning to make these for what seems like forever. The recipe for them is pretty standard whereever you look so there’s no tom foolery with the basics here. They’re easy to do, and I’ve added in my usual hints and tips (the bits the books leave out!)
Ingredients:
250g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
50g butter
250ml water
20g caster sugar
A little extra caster sugar for dusting.
1 litre sunflower oil for frying (or the use of a deep fat fryer)
I bought a deep fat fryer with doughnuts in mind, Read the rest of this entry “
Jam Jamboree – Pimp My Jam
June 18th, 2012This week it’s the JamJamboree, a celebration of all things fruity and jammy that comes in a jar!
Jam is experiencing something of a revival thanks to JamJamboree founder Clippy McKenna, who is the Queen of pimped up jam. Checkout the recipes for her Tutti Frutti, Raspberry Ripple and Toffee Apple jams, it’s clear that jam-making isn’t just enjoyed by the WI, but is funky and a lot of fun!
Pimp My Jam is an annual competition as part of the JamJaboree and the theme this year is Afternoon Tea – which is why you’re all perfect for it. And whilst I’m not a well seasoned jam maker I think I might know afternoon tea inside out!
So, do you have a Pimped up Jam recipe that will blow people’s socks off? Then get entering! Read the rest of this entry “
How to Scale Up a Cake Recipe
June 14th, 2012Not a recipe today after all the wedding cake antics I have a lot of catching up to do!
A question I get asked a lot is how to change a recipe to bake it in a bigger or different sized tin.
I have a full set of recipe sizes for Madeira, Chocolate and Fruit Cakes in The Busy Girl’s Guide to Cake Decorating from 6″ all the way through to 12″ round cakes.
But, I needed a 14″ round madeira for the wedding cake so I thought I’d do a post on how to work it out.
To scale up a recipe you first need a basic recipe and the tin it should be baked in.
You also need the tin you want to bake it in. Both should be roughly the same depth.
Here is my recipe for a 12″ round madeira cake
700g Butter
700g Caster Sugar
10 Eggs
530g Plain Flour
175g Self-raising Flour
105ml Milk
and here is the 14″ tin (it seemed like such a good idea at the time!)
Tale of a Wedding Cake
June 13th, 2012Hello all – please forgive me for the lack of recipes of late I have had a huge project on the go…
A wedding cake for my sister Charlotte and her husband!
It’s all over and done with and whilst I considered blogging each step for you the design of the cake was a surprise for Mr & Mrs Rodgers so I couldn’t give the game away.
Of course I need to share it with you so here it is. More detailed tutorials on the elements will be making an appearance in due course!
I started with this….
Red Velvet Swiss Roll
May 25th, 2012
In keeping with all the Jubilee baking that’s about at the moment I bring you the Red Velvet Swiss Roll! Based on a Jaconde sponge which is flexible and perfect for shaping (and swiss rolling), this is my red velvet version filled with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Go on, you know you want to… Read the rest of this entry “
Blueberry & Vanilla Battenberg
May 18th, 2012
A Battenberg with a subtle nod to the Jubilee – Battenberg goes red, white and blue!
Ingredients:
200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
200g self-raising flour
90g blueberries
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or the seeds scraped from one vanilla bean pod. Read the rest of this entry “
Carrot Cake
May 11th, 2012
A traditional cake but still one of my favourites, it’s good for feeding the masses too!
Ingredients:
225ml sunflower oil
3 eggs, large
120g golden syrup
150g soft light brown sugar
240g self-raising flour
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice (if you don’t have allspice you can just leave it out!)
½tsp ground ginger
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
300g grated carrots
Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting
May 11th, 2012
This is the perfect recipe for cream cheese frosting. It’s pipeable, spreadable and will set just nicely for you without running all over the place, but there are a few things to remember. Read the rest of this entry “
Pineapple and Raspberry Cupcakes
May 3rd, 2012
Zingy fruity cupcakes packing a taste of sunshine and perfect for adorning with your own Pineapple Flowers.
Makes 12.
Ingredients:
200g butter, softened
100g soft brown sugar
75g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
200g self raising flour
140g fresh chopped pineapple
80g raspberries, frozen
1 x batch of Cream Cheese frosting recipe here
12 x Pineapple Flowers to decorate – instructions here
Preheat oven to 160c (fan)/180c/Gas Mark 4.
Cream together the butter and sugars.
Add the eggs and half of the flour and beat well.
Fold in the remaining flour. Don’t overbeat it at this stage otherwise the cakes will be tough – you want to keep them as light as a feather.
Chop the pineapple into small pieces and gently crush the frozen raspberries.
Fold the fruit through the mixture.
Divide the mixture between 12 cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 35 minutes until golden.
Because they are packed with fruit the cupcakes can feel fairly moist. It’s important to check that they are fully cooked by testing with a skewer which should come out clean. If not bake for a further five minutes and check again.
Allow to cool for five minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Mix up the cream cheese frosting as per the directions here. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large closed star nozzle.
Pipe a ruffle of frosting onto the tops of the cupcakes and top with a beautiful pineapple flower.
Pineapple and Raspberry Cupcakes
Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire
