Humingbird Bakery

Humingbird Bakery

Today I went into London. I saw the Christmas lights along Oxford street, the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, the beautiful window displays in Selfridges and best of all I visited the Hummingbird Bakery, as I am hoping Santa might bring me their cookbook!

The window was filled with a grid of boxes hanging from the ceiling and each box had a different cupcake inside. Most importantly everything inside the shop looked delicious! Apon entering the bakery it was like heaven with cakes, cupcakes, whoopie pies and rocky roads on display. The walls of the shop are painted brown with bright pink cupboards. The displays were very simple, with cakes on elegant glass cake stands and the cupcakes displayed on baking trays. But the window display was a different story.

I was though a little disappointed with the flavours of the cupcakes, as they were very simplistic and there was nothing that I thought was special or exclusive to the hummingbird bakery. They had cakes such as red velvet, vanilla, chocolate and some plain vanilla cakes with Christmas decorations. I was expecting a few more eccentric flavours or christmassy flavours such as a mince pie cupcake.

From the array of delicious treats I choose the red velvet cupcake. The store packaged the cupcake in a cute Chinese takeaway sought of box and stuck a hummingbird bakery sticker on top. I thought that this was a brilliant idea, as putting a cupcake with frosting in a paper bag wouldn't work well!

Even though the cake was simple it still tasted pretty good! After my lovely visit I was inspired to create my own christmassy creations. I thought that I would stick with the vanilla cupcake and focus on the decorations.

Citrus Poppyseed Cake

This is one of my all time favourite recipes! The light and fluffy cake combined with the tangy citrus flavours and the nutty texture created by the addition of the poppy seeds. For a twist the cake uses lime as well as lemon to create the citrus flavours.

The recipe for this cake uses the basic sponge cake recipe with a few alterations. For one there is one less egg, but to help make the mixture wet enough yogurt is used. The exclusion of another egg makes the cake more light and fluffy. Also extra flour is used (to bind the cake together better) and there is the addition of the poppy seeds, lemon rind and lime rind.

Citrus Poppy Seed Cake
Makes 1 20cm cake or 16 small cakes.

Mini Citrus Poppy
Seed Cakes

Ingredients:

175g butter, softened

175g castor sugar

3 eggs

250g self-raising flour

50g poppy seeds

grated rind of 2 lemons

grated rind of 2 limes

4 rounded tablespoon natural yogurt

Cream Cheese Frosting:

100g unsalted butter
100g cream cheese
300g icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to C150. Butter and line a 20cm tin.
2. Place all ingredients into a bowl of an electric mixer and mix until smooth.
3. Poor the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40 - 45 minutes for a large cake or 20 minutes for small cakes.
4. Take cakes out of the oven when they are cooked. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
5. To make the icing; put all the ingredients into a food mixer and whisk until smooth and creamy.
6. Spread the icing over the cooled cake and decorate with the rinds of a lemon and lime.

The Birthday!

Chocolate Carrot Cake

So knowing me not everything went perfectly! The cheesecakes were yummy and the carrot cake was exquiset but the brownies. When I made the brownies I was tring so hard not to over mix the mixture that I didn't mix it enough! The brownies came out of the oven with parts that were not the colour the brownies should have been. Also they didn't hold thier shape and turned into a crumbily mess when I tried to cut them. On a positive note they still tasted really good!



Chocolate Carrot Cake



 

For the recipe for Passion Cake (Chocolate Carrot Cake) CLICK HERE.

For the recipe for Brownies CLICK HERE.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

These are irrestabily peanut buttery goodnes. They remind me of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. I made a large cake and then cut out mini cheesecakes and piped whipped cream on top just before serving. Another idea is to drizzle dark chocolate over the top as this will contrast nicly with the rich peanut butter.

Chocolate Carrot Cake in
 foreground, Peanut Butter
Cheesecakes behind and
Brownies in the background.

Ingredients:
For the base:
500g chocolate chip digestive biscuits
100g butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk

For the Filling:

210g crunchy peanut butter

125ml double cream

250g cream cheese

110g castor sugar

Method:

1. Grease a 24cm round loose based flan tin.
2. To make the base: Whiz the biscuits in a food processor until  fine. Add the melted butter and milk and whiz on a high speed until combined. Once combined pour into the prepared tin. Using the back of a fork press into the base of the tin. Place in the freezer until needed.
3. To make the filling: Combine the peanut butter and cream in a small saucepan and place over a low heat. Mix together until the mixture is smooth. Cool.  Beat the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the peanut butter mixture into the cream cheese mixture and beat until combined.
4. Remove the base from the freezer and pout the peanut buter mixture on top. Smooth out and then place in the freezer for another 3 hours before serving.
5. To serve drizzle with chocolate or whipped cream.

American Desserts

So my mom's birthday is coming around again. I was trying to think of an interesting idea for a birthday cake. Over the years I have created the chocolate cakes, the cupcakes, the pies, the sponge cakes etc. So I wanted to so something new, interesting and different.

I am a big fan of mini cakes and desserts. Soon  after lots of deliberating and flicking through cookery books, I came up with the idea of using a tiered cake stand and filling it with lots of mini desserts. But the next question was which desserts should I choose?

Again I went back to the cook books. After looking through the cookbooks I came up with the idea of doing an American themed 'thing'. Next I did some research into what are the top American desserts. From this I choose to make Chocolate Carrot Cake Cupcakes (Passion Cake), Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecake and Brownies. These are quintessential American flavours / treats and all have a running theme of chocolate so they will compliment each other in flavour.

Therefore the idea is to fill a tiered cake stand with these desserts and then decorate with candles. Sounds easy? We'll see! Check back on Monday to see the results!

Sponge Cake

Today the phrase 'sponge cake' is a very broad term. It basically means a plain cake made from the four basic ingredients; sugar, butter, eggs and flour.

One might believe that there are millions of different types of cakes and methods of making cakes. But actually there are three main methods of making cakes that form the basis of a range of different flavours and textures of cakes. By tweaking the amount of one ingredient in a recipe or adding an extra one (e.g. flavouring) the outcome of the cake can be completely changed. The three main methods are CREAMING, FOAMING and LIQUEFYING (as I like to call it!).

Creaming involves creaming the butter and sugar together. It produces a dense cakes like a pound cake or biscuits. The creaming process pushes the sugar crystals through the fat (butter) forming a tunnel of air. This process breaks down the sugar until it is eventually dissolved into the butter. The tunnels of air expand during cooking and therefore the cake rises.

Foaming involves whipping the sugar and eggs together creating a foam; hence the name! Foaming produces lighter and airier cakes like a genoise sponge. Eggs have a very special protein structure called albumin, which  is viscous yet stretchy. When the eggs are whipped the albumin is loosened and stretched into a web strong enough to hold air bubbles in it. The more the eggs are whipped the more air bubbles that are incorporated. When the mixture is cooked the air bubbles expand with the heat which causes the rising of the cake.

Liquefying is the method which doesn't use a creaming or foaming method. This method produces a type of cake called a Financier. Here the egg yolks are emitted and powdered sugar is used. Although the egg white has the same amount of stabilising proteins as the egg yolks they contain a higher percentage of water. Therefore when the whites are whipped they will incorporate air but won't foam and will stay as a liquid. The butter is melted and added at the end. Powdered sugar is used as it can dissolve more easily without the need for creaming or whipping.  

The master ratio for making these cakes is  half liquid to half solid. But watch out as butter and sugar are classed as liquids and flour and eggs are classed as solids. This is because when sugar is heated up it turns into a liquid and butter is also a liquid when warmed; therefore when the batter is cooked the butter and sugar melt and are absorbed by the solids. Whereas eggs are liquids at room temperature but when they are heated they solidify. Also they have a very strong structure, as they are packed with proteins.

 

Anzac Biscuits

It is very difficult to find a truly Australian recipe. After Australia was discovered in the 17 century people from different countries moved there are brought with them thier own recipes from thier country.

Anzac biscuits are seen as an Australian biscuit but it is thought that the Anzac biscuit was based on Scottish biscuit recipe using rolled oats. Anzac biscuits were orginally called Soldier biscuits but the name was then changed to Anzac biscuits when soldiers landed in the Gallipoli Islands.  In WW1 Australian and New Zealand wives sent Anzac biscuits over to soldiers who were fighting abroad. Anzac biscuits use basic ingredients and have a very long shelf life. You may notice that there is no egg in Anzac biscuits this is because at a time a war there was a shortage of poultry farmers so eggs were scarse. They are therefore ideal to send over soldiers and make during a war.

Anzac biscuits are very simple to make. The method is very similar to how muffins are made as you mix all the dry ingredients together and the wet ingredients together and then the all together.   

Anzac Biscuits

Makes 20 biscuits



Anzac Biscuits



 Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 plain flour

1/2 self raising flour

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup brown sugar

125g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to C150. Line 2 baking trays.
2. Put the oats, both flours, coconut and sugar into a large bowl. Mix together.
3. Place the butter and golden syrup into a pan, over a low heat. Once the butter has melted set aside.
4. In a jug mix the bicarbonate of soda with 2 tablespoons boiling water.
5. Pour the bicarb mixture over the butter mixture and mix together. The mixture should foam up. This is a sign that the bicarbonate of soda is reacting with the butter and golden syrup.
6. Pour the butter, golden syrup, water and bicarbonate of soda mixture over the dry ingredients and mix together.
7. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place onto the baking tray (remember to allow for spreading). Press the balls to flatten them so they are about an inch high.
8. Cook in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Cook on the tray for around 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Dinner Party Distasters!

I wanted to create a black forest cupcake, instead of the usual Black Forest Cake. A Black Forest Cake usually consists of a chocolate cake filled with whipped cream and cherries and the sides of the cake are cover in flaked almonds. I wanted to make this into a cupcake by spooning the middle out of a cupcake and filling it with cherry jam. Then to pipe whipped cream on top, and sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds (as this gives the almonds more colour against the white whipped cream) and finally to place a cherry on top.

I used one of my favourite chocolate cake recipes from Peggy Porschen's cookbook. I have used this recipe many times before and therefore know that it works. When I made these cupcakes I didn't read the recipe correctly, and therefore added some of the ingredients in the wrong order; which had a big effect on the outcome of the cupcakes. I also added a 50g too much sugar; as I was lazy and poured the sugar straight into the pan of milk and a bit too much came out. The cupcakes didn't rise but spread out over the cupcake case. Also some of the cupcakes stuck  to the pan and didn't gel together but crumbled when turned out. If a cookie has too much sugar in it then it will spread out on the baking tray and not rise; which is exactly what happened to me!

To save the cakes I decided to layer them in a glass. The bottom of the glass was filled with a layer of chocolate cake and then some cherry jam. This was then covered with more chocolate cake. The top was finished with whipped cream, a sprinkle of flaked almonds and a cherry.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 24 mini cupcakes

Ingredients:
FOR THE CAKE:
75g dark chocolate
100ml milk
225g light brown sugar
75g salted butter, softened
2 eggs
150g plain flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 bicarbonate of soda 
FOR THE TOP:
100g cherry conserve / jam
300ml double cream
2 tablespoons castor sugar
24 fresh cherries
50g toasted flaked almonds

Method:

1. Grease 24 cupcakes holes. Preheat the oven to C160.
2. Put the chocolate, milk and half of the sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Take off the heat.
3. Put the butter and other half of the sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat for 3 - 4 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into the egg mixture and whisk at a low speed until just combined. Pour in the mixture from the saucepan slowly into the other mixture whilst whisking at a low speed.
5. Once combined spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling the cases to about two thirds full.  
6. Cook for 13 - 18 minutes or until golden at the edges. Cool.
7. Pour the double cream and sugar into the bowl  and whisk until soft peaks are formed.
8. Using a teaspoon spoon out part of the middle of a cupcake and fill it with a small blob of cherry jam. Next pipe whipped cream on top, and then sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds and finally place a cherry on top.

Teacher's Gifts

Brownies but as a cookie!

Every year at the end of term, many parents ponder on whether to give the teachers gifts and if they do decide to give them a gift what do you give them?My simple answer to this is to give some yummy scrummy home baked gifts as a token of appreciation to the teachers. 

I chose to make the 'Brownies but as a Cookie' cookies as they are so irresistibly yummy! As long as the teacher likes chocolate these are the perfect gift. I put my cookies into a clear plastic bag (you can buy these from Lakeland) and then added a tag and some pretty ribbons. But the best thing is that you can eat a few cookies yourself!

Chocolate Victoria Sponge

Chocolate Victoria Sponge

The usual summer afternoon cake is a classic Victoria sponge; a plain sponge filled with either strawberry jam or strawberry jam and whipped cream, then dusted with icing sugar. I do like this wonderful cake but as you know my loyalty lies with chocolate! So to update this classic summer cake I altered the recipe slightly. The best summer flavour to put with chocolate is strawberries; a match made in heaven! So instead my cake consists of a chocolate sponge filled with the classic strawberries and whipped cream and then dusted with cocoa powder instead of icing sugar. The cocoa powder gives the cake a rich chocolate flavour which contrasts with the sweet whipped cream and fresh English strawberries and finishes it off beautifully!

Chocolate Victoria Sponge

Ingredients:
FOR THE CAKE:
225g margarine
225g Castor sugar

Chocolate Victoria Sponge

4 eggs

2 tablespoons milk
225g self raising flour
25g cocoa powder
FOR THE FILLING:
250ml double cream
2 tablespoon Castor sugar
200g fresh strawberries diced and halved
Cocoa powder for dusting

Method:

1. To make the cake: Preheat the oven to C180. Grease and flour two round 20cm cake tins. 
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy. 
3. Add the eggs one at a time mixing at a low speed after each addition. Add the milk with the last egg. If the mixture curdles don't worry as when you add the flour it will become uncurdled. 
4. Add the flour and cocoa powder and mix at a low speed until just combined. Be careful not to over mix as this will produce a tough cake.  
5. Split the mixture evenly between the two cake tins. Using an off-set spatula spread the mixture evenly around. Make the mixture higher at the edges as the middle will always rise higher then the edges. This helps to produce an even cake. Place in the middle shelf of the oven and cook for between 20 mins - 30 mins. Until the edges of the cake are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool for around 30minuites.
6. To make the filling: Pour the cream and sugar into a large bowl and mix with a large whisk until the cream is at a stiff peak consistency.
7. Put the bottom layer of the cake onto a plate and then spread over half of the cream. Arrange the strawberries around the edge of the cake and then place the rest of the strawberries in the centre of the cake. Spread the other half of the cream over the top of the strawberries and level out. Place the other cake on top and then dust with cocoa powder.
8. ENJOY!

The Masterpiece

Well, I had an image in my head of a beautiful cake looking very professional, but it didn't quite turn out to be that way! I think I still need a bit more practise to get to Peggy Porschen's standards! The cake was moist and the flavours were amazing; the rich dark chocolate with the slightly acidic orange were a very good combination. When the cake was cut the different colours or icing against the cake looked really good. 

The final outcome of the cake wasn't completely what I had hoped for. I found that the sugar paste (which I covered the final layer of the cake with) wasn't as easy to work with as it cracked and broke as I tried to lay it over the cake. I guess next time I need to keep the sugar paste more moist to help prevent the cracking and the icing drying out.

I used Peggy Porschen's basic Victoria sponge cake recipe and add some orange peel to give the orange flavour. I also used Peggy's Porschen's recipe for an English butter cream, which was equal proportions of butter and icing sugar beaten together. I made all the butter cream and the cakes the day before so they had time to infuse with their flavours and were all ready to start icing the next day.

Peggy Porschen's Victoria Sponge
Makes two 20cm round cakes

Ingredients:
For Cake:
400g Castor sugar
400g unsalted butter
6 medium eggs
400g self raising flour
Zest of 2 oranges
For Sugar Syrup:
75g sugar
5 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to C180. Line and grease two 20cm round cakes tins.
2. Cream the butter in a bowl of an electric mixer, until softened.
3. Add the sugar into the butter and cream until light and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved into the butter.
4. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk together. Slowly pour the eggs into the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time mixing at a low speed after each addition.
5. When the mixture is combined add the flour and orange zest. Mix at a low speed until just combined as being careful not to over mix the batter.  
6. Pour half of the mixture into one tin and half into the other tin. Cook for around 20mins to 30mins.
7. To make the sugar syrup put the sugar and the orange juice into a pan and bring to the boil and then take off the heat and cool.
8. Cool the cakes in their tins for 15 minutes before pouring over the sugar syrup. Let the sugar syrup infuse into the cake for about 30 minutes before removing from the tins. Later remove the cakes from their tins and wrap in cling film until they are very to use.

Peggy Porschen's English Butter cream
Makes enough butter cream to cover the cake in orange flavoured butter cream and to ice the middle of a 20cm round cake with chocolate butter cream.

Ingredients:
For Chocolate butter cream:
125g dark chocolate
125ml single cream
125g unsalted butter
125g icing sugar
For Orange butter cream:
375g unsalted butter
375g icing sugar
Zest of 1 large orange

Method:

1. For Chocolate Butter cream: Break up the chocolate into small pieces into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan and bring to the boil. Once it has reached boiling point pour it over the broken chocolate and whisk until smooth. Be careful not the over whisk it as this could cause it to separate. If you ganache separates then read this post: 'Help, my ganache has separated'. Leave the ganache to cool at room temperate, do not put in into the fridge or freezer as this will cause it to separate. Meanwhile beat the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Pour the cooled ganache in slowly to the butter cream whilst the mixer is on a low speed. When fully combined put the icing into the fridge until it has hardened.
2. For Orange butter cream: Put the butter, icing sugar and orange zest into a bowl of an electric mixture and beat until light and fluffy.

To Construct the cake:
You will also need 450g sugar paste to cover the outside of the cake and some icing sugar and water to pipe onto the cake.

1. Cut the top of the cake so that it is straight with a large serrated knife, then cut each cake in half. So you know have 4 different layers of cake.  Choose the flattest and straightest cake to be for the very top layer and a semi straight one for the bottom layer.
2. Place one layer of cake onto a board and spread one third of the chocolate butter cream onto the layer making sure the icing doesn't go down the sides of the cake. unless the next layer of cake is completely straight try to build up the butter cream along the outer side of the cake so that it is flatter. Place the next layer of the cake on top of the icing. Repeat this process until the all the layers have been used. Place the cake into the fridge for 30 minutes to harden it before icing the outside of the cake.
3. Remove the cake from the fridge and ice the top and outside of the cake with the orange butter cream.
4. Place in the fridge to harden for 30 minutes whilst you roll out the sugar paste.
5. Take the cake out of the fridge and using the rolling pin lay the sugar paste over the cake. Cut off the excess sugar paste at the bottom. I tied 2 ribbons around the bottom of the cake to cover up the un-tidiness!