United Cakedom: coffee cake

Showing posts with label coffee cake. Show all posts

Coffee & Walnut Cake {inspired by the Brenda and Effie series by Paul Magrs}

It's the best when you read a great book and are inspired by what you find in the pages of that book. For me it's usually food related, but that's not always it. But it is for this post.

Paul Magrs wrote a book called Never the Bride about an older woman who lives in a little English sea side town where weird things happen to her and her best friend. She's not all that she seems and I suspect neither is her friend. He then followed it up with Something Borrowed, it was in this book after Brenda and Effie (the two heroines I just mentioned) saved the day yet again and were celebrating in there favorite cafe, The Walrus and the Carpenter, with coffee and cake. Not just any cake an English classic more specifically this cake.

Coffee Walnut Cake:

225g caster sugar
225g soft unsalted butter (plus some for greasing)

4 large eggs

50g walnut pieces, chopped
200g plain flour
4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 - 2 tbsp milk

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan and line and grease two 20cm / 8inch cake tins.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs one by one until just mixed. Mix the flour, espresso powder, baking powder, bicarb and walnuts into the batter and mix until just combined. Add the milk a little at a time until the batter is drop like constancy.

Divide the mixture between the tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the sponge feels springy to the touch. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, before turning them out onto the rack and peeling off the baking parchment; once they are completely cool you can make the buttercream.

Frosting:
350g icing sugar
175g soft unsalted butter
2½ tsp instant espresso powder (dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water)
approx. 10 walnut halves (to decorate)

Place the butter into a mixing bowl and beat for a minute or two before shifting in the icing sugar and espresso mixture. Beat until smooth and lighter in color.

to finish: Place one layer on your stand/plate and spread about half of the frosting on the first layer and then place the other layer on top and frost it before decorating the edges with the walnut halves.

page from Something Borrowed by Paul Magrs

Up next in the Brenda and Effie series is Conjugal Rites and I can't wait to see what they get up to next!!

Note: The recipe is loosely adapted from a Nigella recipe from her book Kitchen, also found on her website here.

Apple Crumble Muffins {recipe}

Whenever someone says they don't know how to bake or they aren't good at baking I always try to encourage them to start with muffins. You cannot go wrong with muffins and if you comment and say yes you can I fucked some up one time. I will stand corrected, but I assure you that they are pretty easy and straight forward.

In the past 9 months or so I have become somewhat of a bookstagrammer. What is a bookstagrammer? Well, it's a made up word that smooshes book and instagrammer together and indicates people who share pictures of books and talk only of books.

And it is through this lovely amazing community that I have met some fun people a couple in person. One lovely person (find her here) and I did a book swap and along with the book she sent me a recipe for these Apple Crumble Muffins.

So, I just had to try them out! I am glad I did, they turned out great and the bonus was that my flat smelt like apples and cinnamon.

Apple Crumble Muffins:

Crumble -

150g plain flour
150g light brown sugar
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
85g salted butter, melted*

Whisk the dry ingredients together before mixing in the melted butter, use a fork or a whisk to sort of mash it together until it resembles crumbs. As seen in the pictures. *I didn't have salted butter so I added a pinch of salt.

Apple Muffins -

100ml veggie oil
85g light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
130ml buttermilk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
300g self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
approx. 2 apples, peeled and chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 190C or 170Cfan and line your muffin tin with paper liners.
Whisk the oil, brown sugar, caster sugar, and buttermilk together until just combined.
Add eggs one at a time and whisk until just combined. Stir through the vanilla extract.
Gradually add the flour to the mixture and mix until just combined, you don't want to over mix. Fold in the apples.
Divide the batter between the paper cases, about 3/4 full. Then generously add the crumble topping to each muffin press down lightly, otherwise while baking it can just fall off.
Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on your oven, I know I have a tricky spot in one corner of my oven so after 10 minutes I rotate my muffin tin.

While you are waiting for them to bake, take my advice and clean up so you don't have to deal with that shit later and get your coffee and book ready!

Cake. Crumb Cake {an international cake of mystery}

The question everyone is asking is what is a crumb cake? Well, it's a cake with crumbs on top. Mystery solved. Well, I suppose not 100% solved as the next question is - is it any good? and the answer is yes. Yes, it is an amazing cake!

I was craving cinnamon the other day. Yup, not really sure where it came from, but I thought I wonder what that means if I'm craving cinnamon and according to the internet it means that I am going to die.

I know an over done joke, but it did say that craving cinnamon might be a sign that my body needs help regulating insulin and then further said it might be a sign of bigger health problems like diabetes and/or liver or kidney failure. Nothing to really joke about, but kind of feel this was a one off thing. I suppose if I start craving cinnamon on a regular basis I will pay a bit of attention.

It's not one of those things you can just eat. Cinnamon is best in baked in cake or cookies. It's a fact. Not that it's good if my body is trying to regulate insulin..... anyway!

Now, this crumb cake isn't the most cinnamon-y baked good out there, but it served it's purpose and fulfilled my craving of cinnamon. Now I have practically a whole cake left... I am sure I can find people to help me eat it!

As you aren't close by to have a slice here is how you can make it at home! Thanks to the boys at Outsider Tart... I've made very little changes to their recipe, but I did things the way I know how to do them.

Crumb Cake

crumb
225g unsalted butter, melted
380g plain flour
225g dark brown sugar
115g light brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a free standing mixer and using the paddle attachment beat until they form crumbs of all sizes. Don't over beat; it makes the crumbs tough. Set aside.

cake
525g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
225g unsalted butter, softened
340g caster sugar
3 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
340g natural yogurt

Heat the oven to 180C and line a tray bake tin (30x23cm) with grease proof or baking paper. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda, and salt. Leave to the side while you beat the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. I tend to beat the eggs in with a whisk as it gives it a less chance of separating the batter. Fold in the vanilla. Pour in a third of the flour and beat until just combined, follow with half the yogurt again beat until just combined. Follow with flour, yogurt, and last the rest of the flour. Spoon into the prepared pan and spread flat and fill in the corners before sprinkling half the crumb topping on top and gently press down into the batter before sprinkling the rest on top.
Bake for 45-60 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Towards the last few minutes place foil over the top to stop the crumbs from getting too dark and over cooked.
Use a skewer to test if the cake is done.
Cool in the tin before eating.

last notes: As mentioned this recipe was adapted from Baked in America by the David's at Outsider Tart! But in no way sponsored by them please see my contact/policy tab above! I got to meet them once I wrote about it here and if you ever want to know what it's like at their baker then check out this post! My friend made this cake too and shared it here!

Bipartisan Cake {apple crumb cake}

Hello. Last night I baked Bipartisan Cake (Apple Crumb Cake) from Baked in American by the David’s owners of Outsider Tart (London). Having already baked a several things from the book I won’t be sharing the recipe with you, but it’s yummy to look at!

I didn't just choose the Bipartisan Cake (pg 126) because of the apples (of course I did). I choose it because the David’s conceived the cake the week Barack Obama first took office 4 years ago. Obama has a thing for caramel apple cake apparently? It also evolved from an Alaskan recipe, where Sarah Palin is from. Hence why the cake is called Bipartisan (Bipartisanship involves trying to find common ground) Cake. Now that Obama has just had another victory I thought I’d make it and share it with friends, but unfortunately not with you…. unless you have the book. Sorry, I am mean like that.

The cake is has a caramel apple filling mixed in a cinnamony cake batter, topped with lots of crumbs mixed with pecans (or walnuts your choice). I like this cake, it’s perfect with a cup of coffee or tea which ever your preference is! It also works as a dessert cake: top it with ice cream or cream (again depending on taste or culture preference), caramel drizzle or a simple glaze.

Boulder Bundt Cake {Baked in America/Outsider Tart} #AugustBreak

Last August (August Break 2011) I bought a copy of Baked in America by the Davids [Outsider Tart]. This August I am showing you the Boulder Bundt Cake (pg 144) from said book.
If you are a coffee/toffee lover this is the cake for you! It's amazing. My bundt/tube pan wasn't big enough and it was overflowing and a tiny part of it at the top was under done, but it is amazing.
I love coffee flavored stuff and this has hit the spot! If you have the book then by default you own the recipe and if you have trouble finding coffee extract as I did, no worries, just make it yourself!!
I am sorry that I am not sharing the recipe with you, but I have already shared a few recipes from this book. I have my own rules of sharing recipes from books. I really love this book, it's one of the few I have baked a lot from. It's an all around good book has a little bit of everything you would ever need!

For those of you in America you have your very own version coming out soon! You get a cool cover...the UK cover isn't as exciting and the cake on the cover isn't even in the book! A gripe of many Amazon reviewers! lol. It's also has a different title- Piece of Cake: Home Baking Made Simple. I think this cover is way better!! I thought it was a brand new book and almost pre-ordered it! I would buy it just for the cover; yes, I judge books by their covers. I try not too, but I love art and book covers are a form of art. :0)

Blueberry Crumb Cake

This recipe is my favorite kind of recipe. It was passed to me from my friend, whose mother made it for her.

When I was about 13, I stayed the night at my best friends house. Typically you could find me at her house or her at my house most weekend nights.

One night, after walking home to her house from our junior high school, her mom made this Blueberry Crumb Cake.

It was one of the best things I had ever tasted at that point in my life. I remember I politely asked for seconds.... then thirds. Her mom chuckled but let me indulge in this wonderful dessert.

Years later, when my friend and I had kids of our own, she passed the recipe to me. Now I make it whenever I can get my hands on wonderfully plump blueberries! I hope you enjoy this cake as much as my family does! ~ Janet

Blueberry Crumb Cake

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

10 tbsp butter/room temp

3 lg. eggs

1 1/4 cups sour cream

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Butter a 9in square baking pan; set aside.

In an electric mixer with the paddle, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 min. Add eggs, one at a time until well combined. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour mixture alternating with sour cream, ending in flour until well combined. Fold in 2 cups blueberries. Spoon batter into pan. Toss remaining cup of blueberries with the crumb topping. Sprinkle over cake. Bake until golden brown. 50-60 min.