Cake Demolition

Nine cakes fed thirteen mouths and look how much they left...but it was all shared as we took
a slice of each cake home
or a slice of those we hadn't tasted
or a slice of those that we liked the most!
The wonderful thing about the idea of a CCC for me is that I can be creative and bake a cake,  share culinary success or disaster with appreciative foodies, have a laugh as well as be sensible, see new places, listen to conversation or join in, relax, and find something to learn. It sharpens my mind and allows me to get socially presentably dressed for the occasion and be in good expat sociable company.  It's a cake party! This last venue was a long drive with 100 miles recorded on the car odometer but I am not complaining.  Look at the results of CCC eating!  Thank you to everyone for the pleasure and the difference such an occasion makes to living in France... when a special 'English tea shop' style of eating is necessary for homely creature comforts!

Yumminess in Heaven - not for a waspy waistline

More yummy cakes... some bakers claimed that their cakes were 'catastrophes' and some were second attempts but they all looked magnificent full of Autumn mellow fruitfulness and and all tasted pretty moreish to me.  As there were nine cakes, it was a feat to eat, but I tackled it in three sessions, helped along with rosé wine and Earl Grey tea. Extremely civilised!

Gorgeous Caramel with Quetsches, blackberries and other fruits had an amazing contrast of textures, beautifully presented.

Cider cake with sultanas inside and apples on top was like a steamed sponge sultana pudding needing English custard! Brilliant as I'd never had this sort of cake before!

This one had a layer of cherries sticking to the base... deeeelissshous!

Full of fruits from hedgerows and garden....gluten free and healthy!

This was yummy too... although someone joked in a complimentary way about the foam mousse, I love its voluptuousness.

Oranges heightened the taste of this textured Grasmere ginger cake!

Almonds, lemon and elderflower with a lemony cheesey drizzle. Heaven!

Gosh... a sugar fruit fest!!!!!!! Black, red and mellowlelloyello!

Chocolate, Apple and Vanilla Cake

“Yummy Chocolate, Apple and Vanilla Cake”
for Teddy Bears Picnic Cake
for the Cardinal
at the Clandestine Cake Club

This recipe has been created from inspiration in my favourite cake cookery books and from recipes on the internet.  The quantity of ingredients and actual ingredients are not quite the same as any of the recipes that I studied ... I like to tweak culinary ideas! 

Cream together 225g butter and 225g light brown sugar until creamy. Then beat in 4 eggs previously whisked separately. Add and fold in 200 or 225g sieved plain flour with a large teaspoonful of sieved baking powder or bicarbonate of soda, with 50g unsweetened cocoa powder plus vanilla powder or essence according to taste.  Add 100g small pieces of dark black chocolate. I used POULAIN Noir Extra. Add one and half or two dessert apples, which have been cored, peeled and cut into small pieces. Fold in and beat to a firm batter consistency. You may need to add a little milk. Pour into two Victoria sandwich tins oiled and coated with a layer of flour. Bake in a medium to hot oven for 20 minutes but check and take longer at a cooler temperature if necessary. My oven temperatures are not indicative of others! When cool sandwich together with chocolate butter icing.

The theme of the event was: Picnic Cakes... so the fun parent-teacher part of my past thought that A Picnic Cake has to be for teddies!  So.. what kind of cake shall I make? A brown as the earth cake. A green as the grass cake without colourants! Rummaging in my cake decoration collection there is a green ribbon with clover, and look, here are the teddies - mummy, daddy, older teddy with his dog and younger teddy with his book.  A French fêve from an Epiphany cake models Pain du Miel (honeycake) and three bees amongst the daisies with a couple of fir trees in te background could tell the story! The idea of a tartan ribbon blanket disintegrated, so French squared paper and a red felt pen created the perfect picnic rug... but as it was sticking to the squidgey sponge I found the correct size of laminated card... perfect as the models stood or sat in place. They behaved impeccably whilst Great Granpa Bear removed himself from the piano to oversee the event and to present two chocolate liqueurs to 'a happy couple' who will be wed in two weeks time!

 And it wasn't all eaten!!!

Lets' get Fruity!

... was the theme for the second Clandestine Cake Club event where a colourful spread enticed cooks and guests to eat! There were, I think, 12 cakes, 16 adults plus two children.
My contribution was based on a recipe from a calendar for a Jewelled Box cake but I did not have a square cake tin.  Round it was! I soaked the biscuity cake sponge with creme de framboise overnight. Then the white chocolate ribbon making was a disaster! Abandoning that idea I melted the last of the white chocolate bar and spread it on the top, then a layer of raspberry jam and placed raspberries pointed end up in circles starting on the outer edge!  Eventually, I put a wide band of silver wired ribbon around the edge!  The raspberries were 10 euros a kilo and I used 750g plus the four eggs, flour, sugar, butter, vanilla essence and white chocolate. One pays a price for quality and beauty!
It's lovely to make a cake as well as if it is a gift for a birthday!
There was a beautifully presented Strawberry swiss roll, which was gluten free and made with fresh eggs so the sponge was very yellow.
There was a green poppy seed cake with citrus icing.
There was a Dorset apple cake, a shrunken drunken dried fruits cake, and a banana, date and walnut cake which was an excellent brown, moist and crumbly.
All the cakes were excellent and those that could be transported home tasted even better the following day... but I have been caked out!

English Tea Shop in Angles sur L'Anglin

On the second day of opening Number 15, a Salon de Thé, I sampled green grapefruit tea with an English scone.  Although I make my own there is something very civilised eating one with cream and strawberry jam after a drizzly, morning walk.
With English wallpaper and decor,  a welcoming greeting and a wonderful ambience, the new owners, Nick and Nadia, who, as they say, are on a steep learning curve, provide a little piece of HOME for an expat! or a little English culture for a French resident!
The room is beautifully presented in muted creams and greens with roses in vases on the tables.
The Nina Campbell birdcage wallpaper is a delight as is the pink crockery with tea cups and saucers featuring birdcages.
I wish them every success for the season and hope they may be sometimes open in the Winter!
Postscript:
Cross the bridge to the Low Town and it is on the left! In fact, it has been open for about a month but I have been slow to post!  They serve lunches and beers.
Today I sampled another cream scone AND a chocolate cupcake breaking all my rules as I had been cycling but not far! The sun was shiningly hot. I sat and meditated on how life can be bliss if one does not worry!!!!!!!
I would be delighted to accompany anyone especially if a sturdy walk before or afterwards could be incorporated.  

An Epiphany cake

I was inspired by a reference to an Epiphany cake by Nigel Slater.  He advocates using a machine but making it without is much more fun.  In fact I started it yesterday afternoon but finished it today lunchtime!  I noticed how many this serves but I advise you to make it anyway and freeze half if there is any left!

It’s an enriched yeasted dough with icing or glacé fruits. I didn’t have any, so used dried fruits (I was thinking of les mendiants)  and honey and served it with thick cream.

My own addition of raisins and spices was spurred by the thought of Hot Cross Buns!

If you compare with Nigel’s recipe you can see I have adapted it a little.  Here’s my version.

RECIPE:

200ml water
160ml milk  I used 200ml but this was a mistake making the dough too wet and needing more flour! See below.
one Clementine, tangerine or small orange    I didn’t have any so used orange flower water and orange juice
lemon 1  the zest and juice of one lemon
125g butter
125g sugar
2 eggs
600g plain flour – actually probably about 800g if you add extra milk (see above)

nutmeg, mace, cinnamon  ( my addition)
2 teaspoons dried yeast  I used 2cm cube of fresh yeast.

Pinch of sea salt

A handful of currants or raisins (my addition)
beaten egg mixed with a little milk ….. I forgot
whole crystallised fruits  or dried fruits cut into small pieces as necessary and runny honey.

I used cranberries, raspberries, crystallised ginger, pineapple, papaya, mango, cherries, pear, apricots, cut mixed peel, I nearly added a few nuts but then felt it was already rather crowded on top!

For the Chantilly cream:
mascarpone 250g
whipped cream 200ml

METHOD

§  Put the water and milk into a saucepan with the grated zest of citrus fruits then bring almost to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse until warm.  

§  NB I added orange juice to the flour and yeast mix to avoid curdling the milk. Again this was too much liquid!

§  Meanwhile, cream butter and sugar until soft.  Beat in the eggs.

§  In a separate large bowl, mix yeast and salt with the flour.  Then add the warm milk mixture, beating the liquid into the flour with a wooden spoon.

§  At this stage I let the yeast mixture rise in a warm place. Put a damp tea towel over the top of the bowl. It will take time. 

§  Then when it is nice and warm and showing evidence of rising beat it into the creamed butter, sugar and egg.  Give it a good knead and return to the large bowl. Again leave in a warm place for a few hours to rise to about twice its original size. 

§  Knock it back and at this point I placed it in the fridge overnight in the covered bowl.

§  The next morning after I’d warmed it up near the woodburner it had a beautiful elasticity once it had risen again. 

§  Onto a floured board I kneaded it again.

§  Cut it into two halves and rolled each half into a sausage shape.

§  Then each one was formed it into a ring on its own flat, oiled baking sheet.

§  I could have brushed the dough with a little beaten egg and milk but I was inventing so drooled runny honey around the top of each ring. Then I stabbed the fruit into the surface of the dough.

§  Back to a warm place to rise for about 15 minutes. 

§  Then bake in a HOT oven for 25 minutes or until a knife in the dough comes out clean.

§  Cut into slices and serve cream. It was DELICIOUS.   Won't be any left for the freezer!

Unfortunately, some of the dried fruits got a bit blackened but didn't taste unpleasant. All very yummy for a return to work day when temperatures are falling and we need comfort food. 

For lunch I followed a Prue Leith recipe for fish curry, did my own dry fried turmeric potatoes and invented a carrot ribbon, mint and creme fraiche accompaniment.

Two-bite Almond Buns

Two-bite Almond Buns - that taste a bit like macaroons

1. Buy some ready made marzipan.

2. Sieve 170g flour, some salt and ½ tsp baking powder. Rub in  85g margarine/butter. Mix in 70g sugar and create a paste with one egg. Add another egg if necessary and add more flour if it is too sticky. 

3. Roll the paste into balls. 

4.Roll a small 1cm cube of marzipan into a ball using the palms of the hands. t

5. Wrap a flattened ball of paste around the marzipan ball and seal it in. Repeat…..

NB too much marzipan will seep out of the buns like volcanic lava!

6. Roll the balls in ground almonds or brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with almond flakes.

7. Place on greaseproof paper. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes.