tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87624718978266014422024-02-19T00:55:48.081-08:00Totally Caked OutCakes make the world go round, as long as there's a nice cup of tea nearby. I'm an amateur baker, and organiser of the Stamford Clandestine Cake Club. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-82066898584244290792015-08-31T12:22:00.000-07:002015-08-31T12:23:11.493-07:00Mini coffee and walnut loaf cakesThis weekend's bake was mini coffee and walnut loaf cakes. They are far too cute to be eaten - although, they are extremely moreish so you might have more than one at a time...<br />
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When I came to make the buttercream, I realised I didn't have enough icing sugar, and the shops were closed. I can assure you they taste quite alright without the buttercream! But extra good with it.<br />
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A simple recipe:<br />
<br />
6oz butter<br />
6oz golden caster sugar<br />
3 eggs<br />
6oz self-raising flour<br />
1tsp baking powder<br />
50ml cold brewed coffee<br />
Dash of milk<br />
Handful of chopped walnuts<br />
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Cream the butter until smooth, then slowly add the sugar, and beat until really fluffy and light.<br />
Add the eggs one at a time, with a bit of flour to prevent splitting.<br />
Add the rest of the flour, mix gently, then add the cold coffee and milk.<br />
Stir in the chopped nuts by hand until evenly mixed.<br />
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Pipe into the mini loaf moulds with a piping bag. This mixture made a bit too much for 12 mini loaves, so I ended up with 8 mini cupcakes too.<br />
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Bake at 170 degrees for 15-20 minutes.<br />
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To make the buttercream, cream 40g of butter with 125g of icing sugar, and a tablespoon of Camp coffee mixture. Mix until really fluffy and no grains of sugar can be felt.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-63188285011034560012015-08-24T10:29:00.000-07:002015-08-24T10:30:10.171-07:00Stamford cake club dodges the rainThis month, I risked the British summertime and planned an outdoors cake club in Stamford. I was watching the weather all week long, and it looked like it would be fine... There was the risk of rain at 4pm on Sunday but we should have been finished by then.<br />
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So, we all met on the Meadows in Stamford and scoffed a range of cakes baked to the theme 'A Novel Idea'. The bakers all found this theme a bit tricky - ironically, all the members who had requested this idea weren't able to make this meeting. But we had a good variety of cakes:<br />
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Bruce Bogtrotter's chocolate cake from Matilda by Roald Dahl<br />
Chocolat by Joanne Harris cake<br />
Harry Potter Butterbeer cake<br />
Sponge cake shaped into 'Sophie's World' by Jostein Gaarder<br />
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We were surrounded by artists partaking in the Great Stamford Brush Off watercolour competition - I wonder how many of their artworks featured us in the background.<br />
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My cake was a simple Victoria Sponge traybake, covered in rolled icing and piped icing to look like a cake. It wasn't amazing, and reminded me why I normally focus on taste rather than decoration. But everyone enjoyed it, which is the main point.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-78790343357423566622015-01-17T06:56:00.000-08:002015-01-17T06:56:15.876-08:00Snickerdoodle cookie recipeMerry Christmas! Yes, yes, I know I'm a little late writing this post, but just because Christmas was nearly a month ago doesn't mean you can't still enjoy these sugary, cinnamon cookies. These are generally thought of as an American festive cookie, and that the name is just a whimsical made-up concoction; but there is some thought that they originated from the German Schneckennudel, a type of pastry. Either way, they are delicious!<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
60g butter or marg<br />
160g caster sugar<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla paste<br />
1 egg<br />
240g plain flour<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
<br />
For the coating:<br />
1 tbsp caster sugar<br />
1/2 tbsp cinnamon<br />
<br />
Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla paste until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg and mix well.<br />
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into the mixing bowl, and fold in. Mix well until a dough forms.<br />
Place the bowl into a bowl, cover with cling film, and place in the fridge for half an hour.<br />
Preheat the oven to 170C.<br />
Mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the coating.<br />
Make walnut-sized balls of dough, and then roll around in the cinnamon sugar to totally coat. Place on to prepared baking trays, and bake for about 12 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-lsfYeWTcFZ9U7izzT8CoG0q6_kxGnuqsYoFerQ-K5cPU-oLCCo93md6iZF0MTrSdO0GbXs1P_a533bI4nFbYTUA0J8vFJZYL0YuNcfPrSHabFIXqQam64_Un47r5FsCe7hCd65cOA/s1600/IMG_1550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-lsfYeWTcFZ9U7izzT8CoG0q6_kxGnuqsYoFerQ-K5cPU-oLCCo93md6iZF0MTrSdO0GbXs1P_a533bI4nFbYTUA0J8vFJZYL0YuNcfPrSHabFIXqQam64_Un47r5FsCe7hCd65cOA/s1600/IMG_1550.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini doughnut-looking Snickerdoodles</td></tr>
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Before baking, these cookies look like minature doughnuts - good enough to eat even more they're baked. Once baked they are quite doughy and best eaten with a cup of tea to sip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVu-KkKFGymIq0E8bKf1tJ8tBQ-99ppezY2F25p7ojU8wfCCaPYdFUQWIVw3qoCf52fpDzLI5Lm9jBKDNXrZuG5Z-9ZUZ8k3I7x-7G4GaGSsCH2UOKh39e1nYR7n0k479da2lbowpTOw/s1600/IMG_1551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVu-KkKFGymIq0E8bKf1tJ8tBQ-99ppezY2F25p7ojU8wfCCaPYdFUQWIVw3qoCf52fpDzLI5Lm9jBKDNXrZuG5Z-9ZUZ8k3I7x-7G4GaGSsCH2UOKh39e1nYR7n0k479da2lbowpTOw/s1600/IMG_1551.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked Snickerdoodle cookies</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-35979041104499743082014-12-08T11:56:00.000-08:002014-12-08T12:00:04.777-08:00Guinness fruit cake recipeIf you're a fan of sticky, rich fruit cakes, then this recipe for Guinness fruit cake will suit you. I made this for the last meeting of the <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/groups/stamford/recent-posts/" target="_blank">Stamford Clandestine Cake Club</a> - the theme was 'Boozy Bakes'. The recipe came from the <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/clandestine-cake-club-cook-book/" target="_blank">CCC Cookbook</a> although I adapted it slightly. This would make a good base for a Christmas cake I think - although I didn't make one this year, next year I might dust off this recipe.<br />
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300g mixed dried fruit - my mixture was sultanas, raisins, and dried cranberries<br />
330ml Guinness or other stout<br />
2 eggs, beaten<br />
100g soft light brown sugar<br />
100g dark muscovado sugar<br />
270g self-raising flour<br />
1tsp mixed spice<br />
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Marinate the dried fruit in the Guinness for a day if possible, or at least 3-4 hours to make the fruit plump and sticky.<br />
Stir the beaten eggs into the fruit and Guinness mixture. Add the sugars, and then sieve in the flour and spice, and mix well. Be careful not to leave any big lumps of dark sugar.<br />
Pour into a prepared loaf tin (900g).<br />
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C (160C fan), for at least an hour, until a skewer comes out clean.<br />
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I think this would be really good served with a nice knob of butter spread over, a bit like a malt loaf. I might like to try it with icing on too. This is a rich and warming cake, with a lovely deep flavour from the Guinness.<br />
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I recently wrote about <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/2014/12/07/why-we-love-christmas-cake/" target="_blank">why we love Christmas cake</a> over on the Clandestine Cake Club website - please have a read! Please comment below and tell me why you love Christmas cake, and what sort you've made this Christmas.<br />
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<a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" target="_blank"><img alt="Clandestine Cake Club" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDlCgZEMvTRb6jeFLmgOhNG2QqyMDUxzXoNNH3mnRfUyzgnxpJxAegDPZzzp0WmDps6zXAxeYmllf5JUe3SftzMl_B0xeRiE33piYDfnZhSr34bllZN3rWmdn3PN-x_9kwMYh8ijTzA/s1600/ccc.jpg" title="Clandestine Cake Club" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-31021137365924292302014-11-02T07:11:00.001-08:002015-01-21T11:45:04.379-08:00Classic Victoria Sponge and a review of the Oregon Scientific kitchen timerI was recently sent a <a href="http://store.oregonscientific.com/uk/dual-kitchen-timer-with-clock-led-alert-white.html" target="_blank">Oregon Scientific</a> kitchen timer to review for this blog. I was undecided about what to bake for a review post, when I realised, what's more of a test than a classic Victoria sponge cake? Not only is this a delicious, simple, wonderful cake to eat, but it is also a traditional challenge for the home baker. If you can't make a good Vicky sponge, there's no hope. Something that was captured on this year's Great British Bake Off in the final.<br />
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The recipe I used was your classic and simple Victoria sponge:<br />
6oz butter<br />
6oz caster sugar<br />
6oz self-raising flour<br />
3 eggs<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla paste<br />
Dash of milk (semi-skimmed)<br />
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I don't follow Mary Berry's rule of bung it all in together and mix - I stick to the traditional creaming of butter and sugar, add the eggs and paste, sift in the flour and baking powder, and add a bit of milk.<br />
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Here comes the science bit - bake for 22 minutes at 170C degrees.<br />
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I decided it was a good idea to figure out how the Oregon Scientific kitchen timer worked before making my cake - I didn't want all the air to sneak out of the mixture while I was frantically pressing buttons. But I needn't have worried, as it was really simple to set up. There are two windows, as you can set two timers at once - this will be really handy for Christmas dinner when you're cooking a million different dishes at once. You can use one window as a clock too, and there's a stopwatch option too.<br />
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Thankfully setting the timer didn't mean a hundreds beeps - unlike the timers used on GBBO (one of my favourite memories of this year's show was Chetna pressing her timer a thousand times, I think because of Jo Brand's An Extra Slice). I was impressed with how easy the timer was to use.<br />
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It was accurate and certainly rousing - I wandered off into our lounge to see how easy it was to hear the timer from across the house - nothing to worry about there, as it was louder than our smoke alarm. I would like to see more of a volume control, as I'm sure the neighbours knew my cake was ready too. There is a switch to select mute, quiet, or loud, but I didn't dare try the 'loud' button as I'm sure the local fire engines would have arrived. I'd like more control over the volume.<br />
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The only other downfall was the strength of the magnets - the timer wouldn't sit happily on the front of my fridge, but kept slipping down. But I wouldn't keep it on the fridge anyway, so that wasn't really an issue.<br />
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Oh, and the cake was delicious, by the way...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Oregon Scientific kitchen timer was given to me in return for a review on this blog; this is not a paid-for blog and all opinions are my own. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-3553202093906863742014-10-13T13:04:00.000-07:002014-10-13T13:04:01.123-07:00Stamford Clandestine Cake Club - Signature bakes at the William CecilWe've all been loving the Great British Bake Off, and this month we were inspired by the show to make our Signature Bakes for our meeting of the Clandestine Cake Club. We visited <a href="http://www.thewilliamcecil.co.uk/" target="_blank">The William Cecil</a> and were hosted in the Darcy and Bennet rooms - how very Pride and Prejudice!<br />
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For my signature bake, I made <a href="http://totallycakedout.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cake-club-absence-and-review-of-ragdale.html" target="_blank">Devil's Food Cake</a> - and I got in a bit of trouble for announcing it to be my favourite of the month! However, once the ruckus had died down, everyone did admit that cake is a very personal thing and we all have our own preferences. And Devil's Food Cake is my preference.<br />
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Here's a list of the cakes we baked this month:<br />
<br />Devil's Food Cake - Sophie<br />Double Chocolate Loaf Cake - Vicky<br />Lemon Meringue Cake - Louise<br />Malteaser Cake - Kerry<br />Lemon Drizzle and Fizzle Cake - Sammy<br />Green Tea and White Chocolate Opera Cake - Simon<br />Sticky Marmalade Cake - Rhoda<div>
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We had a few absences this month due to work commitments and illness, which was a shame, but a smaller group always means a more intimate discussion. And it means you can try ALL of the cakes without feeling too sick. </div>
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Read more about the <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Club</a> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-21975826433832221242014-09-07T10:08:00.001-07:002014-09-07T10:08:42.771-07:00Birthday coffee and walnut cakeFor my dad's 70th birthday, I was thinking of making an elaborate 70-shaped cake with rolled icing and hours upon hours of decorating. However, my dad simply wanted a coffee and walnut cake. And what the birthday boy wants, he gets. So, a simple coffee and walnut cake it was.<br />
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8oz marg<br />
8oz caster sugar<br />
4 eggs, beaten<br />
8oz self-raising flour<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
3 tsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water<br />
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Cream the marg and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, then sift in the flour and baking powder, before adding the coffee. Pour into 2 prepared round tins. Bake at 180C (160 fan) for about 30 minutes until golden and coming away from the sides of the tins.<br />
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I decorated the cake with coffee buttercream, using a pack of butter, about 600g icing sugar, and 3 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water - but let the coffee cool first else it'll heat and melt the butter.<br />
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I covered the cake in a thin layer of buttercream before piping roses over the sides, then adding walnuts to the top. For such a simple recipe, this coffee and walnut cake is delicious - proving yet again that simple is best. Dad was really chuffed, and there was loads left over for me to scoff too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-22599982939915586282014-09-07T10:00:00.000-07:002014-09-07T10:00:18.245-07:00Apple loaf cake for Stamford Cake ClubWhat to bake for a fairy tale-themed cake club... I decided upon a Snow White-inspired apple loaf cake for the latest meeting of the Stamford Clandestine Cake Club, finished off with Snow White icing and apples on top. We met at Burghley Park, with the wonderful <a href="http://www.burghley.co.uk/" target="_blank">Burghley House</a> as the backdrop for our fairy tale cakes.<br />
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The recipe is quite simple and easy to knock together. I did worry about the look of the mixture before it was baked, as there seemed to be far too much apple and not enough cake - but it turned out great in the end. Fluffy and moist without being soggy, tart apples, and sweet icing on top.<br />
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200g self-raising flour<br />
75g marg<br />
100g light brown sugar<br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
2 Bramley apples, peeled and cored<br />
3 eggs, beaten<br />
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Put the marg and flour together in your mixer, and blend until you have fine breadcrumbs (you can do this by hand too). Mix in the sugar and cinnamon.<br />
Add the eggs, and the apples, and gently mix.<br />
Tip into a large loaf tin (I think mine might be a 2lb tin).<br />
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C (160C fan) for about an hour. You could also split this into two smaller tins, but bake for less time.<br />
To finish, make normal icing with icing sugar and hot water - not too runny, but loose enough to drip down the sides a bit.<br />
I made some apples out of <a href="http://www.renshawbaking.com/gb" target="_blank">Renshaws </a>red paste, making one red and green for the poisoned apple.<br />
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I would recommend this cake heartily as it was really delicious.<br />
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It was a smaller group at Cake Club this month, with several drop-outs and a few no-shows, but the smaller groups are often my favourites. They give you a chance to talk as a group without feeling like you're holding court. And even if it was just me and one other baker at cake club, I'd still be happy. If you haven't signed up for the <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Club</a> yet, why not!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-33718995369722908862014-08-10T12:47:00.001-07:002014-08-10T12:48:44.408-07:00Total caketastrophy!My latest attempt to make an <a href="http://totallycakedout.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/earl-grey-tea-cake.html" target="_blank">Earl Grey tea loaf</a> was a total caketastrophy - I've never had such a cake disaster! All was going well, the mixture tasted lovely when I licked the spoon, but when I went to take it out of the oven all hell broke loose. It had collapsed in the middle, like a volcano. I can only assume it developed a huge air pocket in the middle which exploded. I nearly cried. But the bits around the side still tasted pretty good. Note to self: knock the air out of the tin before you bake!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-76129870062114365212014-06-12T13:06:00.000-07:002014-06-12T13:06:00.465-07:00Stamford cake club at Love StamfordThis month, I took the Stamford cake club to the new venue <a href="http://lovestamford.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Love Stamford</a>. This is a great community venture, mixing shops with a cafe, and a children's play area, plus craft, art, and allsorts of fun stuff. I love the atmosphere in this open-plan venue, and knew it would be perfect for our cake club.<br />
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The owner, Andraya, laid out her gorgeous unique armchairs and sofas around little tables for our cakes. It was a great afternoon and everyone enjoyed themselves. Not only did we get the chance to scoff 11 different cakes baked to a Stamford theme, but we also got to do a bit of shopping too - I came away with a new foxy scarf from The Little Scarf Co.<br />
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Cakes this month were:<br />
Daniel Lambert <a href="http://totallycakedout.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/strawberry-swiss-roll.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Strawberry Roly-Poly Swiss Cake</a><br />
Georgian vanilla baked cheesecake with almond biscuit base<br />
Dundee cake<br />
Chocolate mousse cake<br />
Chocolate box church cake<br />
Stamford Stone ginger cake<br />
Scripture cake<br />
Daniel Lambert chocolate cake with buttons and belt<br />
Coconut cake with blackcurrant jam<br />
Coffee and walnut cake<br />
Gingerbread cake<br />
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All delicious. To find out more about <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Clubs click here</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-37694125906558004942014-06-11T12:25:00.000-07:002014-06-11T12:25:18.883-07:00Strawberry Swiss RollThe recent Stamford cake club theme was quite literally Stamford - find a recipe inspired by the Georgian town itself. I related to the fattest man in England, Daniel Lambert, who's a notorious character in Stamford. He died in 1809 weighing 52 stone. So, I thought, he was a bit roly-poly... Now, I couldn't make a Jam Roly Poly pudding for cake club, so instead I made a Strawberry Roly Poly Swiss Roll Cake.<br />
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A simple recipe:<br />
<br />
4 eggs<br />
100g caster sugar<br />
100 self-raising flour<br />
Dash of vanilla paste<br />
<br />
Whisk the eggs and sugar together until very light and fluffy, leaving a trail when you lift up the whisk.<br />
Carefully fold in the sifted flour, and drizzle in the vanilla paste.<br />
Pour into a Swiss roll tin prepared with butter and greaseproof paper.<br />
Bake at about 200C for 10 minutes, until nicely brown and coming away from the sides.<br />
Turn out on to another piece of greaseproof paper dusted with more caster sugar. Peel off the greaseproof paper from the back, scour a line an inch in from a short end with a sharp knife.<br />
Spread good-quality strawberry jam over the sponge while it's cooling, cover with chopped up fresh raspberries, and roll.<br />
(NB don't leave it to cool for too long before rolling, as I mistakenly did, as then the outer layer will stick to the sugar and the greaseproof paper and will come off. However, if that happens, just cover it in icing sugar like I did!)<br />
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To find out more about <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Club click here</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-65580549111301786002014-05-26T13:29:00.004-07:002014-05-26T13:29:58.746-07:00Chocolate raspberry fudgey cakeIf you're in need of a decadent dinner party dessert, or just a delicious weekend bake, try this chocolate raspberry fudgey cake. It's much like a rich brownie, and is great served with fresh raspberries - it would also be brilliant warm with some vanilla ice cream. Rich, fudgey, delicious - I'll definitely be baking this again!<br />
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<br />
240g marg<br />
5 tbsp raspberry jam<br />
75g cocoa powder<br />
300g caster sugar<br />
3 eggs, beaten<br />
3 tsp kirsch<br />
100g plain flour<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
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This is an easy recipe. Melt the marg and jam in a large saucepan over a low heat. Remove from the heat, then sift in the sugar and cocoa. Beat the kirsch into the eggs, then add gradually into the mix. Sift in the flour and salt, and stir in.<br />
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Pour into a prepared tin (mine was a 20cm round loose-bottomed tin). Bake for 15 minutes at 180C, then turn down to 160C for another 40 minutes.<br />
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Leave to cool, then serve with a dusting of icing sugar and cocoa powder, with fresh raspberries on the side.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-61290736255115634172014-05-14T11:58:00.000-07:002014-05-14T11:58:49.670-07:00Pear Drops cakeFor the latest Stamford Clandestine Cake Club meet, the theme was <a href="http://totallycakedout.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/stamford-cake-club-at-sweet-shop.html" target="_blank">sweet shop</a>, and I'd seen this cake on <a href="http://www.dollybakes.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dolly Bakes</a>' blog a while ago and wanted to give it a go - Pear Drops cake. Rachel (aka Dolly) made this as a proper bundt in a 10 cup bundt tin, but my ring tin isn't a proper bundt tin and is about half the capacity - this means I get a nice big cake plus lots of little cakes too.<br />
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For the full recipe, please visit <a href="http://www.dollybakes.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dolly Bakes</a>. The only difference I made when baking was to use just butter, rather than a mixture of butter and vegetable fat.<br />
<br />
The M&S Pear Drops fizzy pop is definitely worth a try if you're a fan of these retro sweets - but be warned, you might need dentures after a glass of this sugary treat.<br />
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<a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here for more information about the Clandestine Cake Clubs.</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-13587037261311281232014-05-13T14:35:00.001-07:002014-05-13T14:35:41.075-07:00Stamford cake club at the sweet shop<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
The
gorgeous cricket pavilion of <a href="http://twitter.com/BurghleyPark" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Burghley Cricket Club</a>, in the grounds of
stunning <a href="http://www.burghley.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Burghley House, Stamford</a>, played host to the Stamford CCC on
May 12. The venue was especially clandestine this month, as most members
couldn’t find it – I had to act as traffic steward, waving everyone the
right way. At the end of the night, the park gates had been locked so
we couldn’t leave… We thought of knocking on the door of Burghley House
to ask for a few beds for the night, before we were rescued by the
cricket captain. As member Sarah said, “It all adds to the magic and
excitement that is cake club!”</div>
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Our
theme this month was a diabetes-inducing ‘Sweet Shop’ and we had an
amazing array of sugary cakes. Everyone really pushed the boat out this
month with some great flavours, imaginative ideas, and super
decorations.</div>
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The roll of honour was:</div>
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Pear Drops cake – Sophie</div>
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Fruit Salad battenburg – Anthea</div>
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Confetti cake – Kat</div>
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Kit Kat and Smartie cake – Celia</div>
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Coconut mushroom cake – Rhoda</div>
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Sweet treats cake – Jo</div>
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Rhubarb and custard – Alice</div>
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Pineapple cube cake – Lisa</div>
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Curly Wurly cake – Sarah</div>
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Walnut whip cake – Deborah</div>
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Coconut cake – Kerry</div>
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Rhoda’s
coconut mushroom cake was brilliant. Actually made up of lemon sponge
and carrot cake, the bottom stalk of the mushroom was likened to Nora
Batty’s tights, but (luckily) didn’t taste of them. Deborah’s Walnut
Whip was full of fantastic marshmallow, and we urged her to enter it
into the CCC Book 2 – Lynn, keep your eye out for that one. Top trumps
to Alice’s rhubarb and custard cake, which everyone loved, and we all
agreed it would be really good warm with a bit of cream. I think
everyone needed dentures after the sugar attack of my Pear Drops cake
(made with Pear Drops fizzy pop from M&S). All the cakes looked
brilliant and thanks to all the bakers for their hard work.</div>
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The
setting was beautiful, looking over the cricket green into Burghley
Park, surrounded by grazing sheep (we had to stay on ‘sheep watch’ to
make sure they didn’t get on to the wicket), and managed to miss the
monsoon downpour happening nearby but instead were treated to a lovely
pink sunset over the Georgian rooftops of Stamford. Oh, how I love our
cake club…</div>
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To find out more about <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Clubs click here</a>. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-12587262884113089062014-04-10T12:05:00.002-07:002014-04-10T12:07:09.854-07:00Stamford Clandestine Cake Club Spring Fling<div class="MsoNormal">
Just as Spring has been springing into life in our
gardens, so too did the Stamford Clandestine Cake Club, with our Spring
Fling themed event on Monday, April 7. We had 12 tasty Spring cakes to
sample in the upstairs room at <a href="http://www.thecrownhotelstamford.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Crown Hotel, Stamford</a>.
We met here just over a year ago when there were only 7 members; this
month, we had 15 attendees with 12 cakes, ranging from a chocolate
orange marble cake to two lemon and poppyseed bundts.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GByahJUZ7MRTSmYXYhEN7WHvpwwd-vWuqEiLOrqsMjzHsG0IpJmwBmXgC_Il7mawvaR7jhZNkMPxIFOq7qLxVH3ZC3eXicwZ7YQ4-XTGwZXAFhxb72xiPoEXwpMEvnohe73kDArk_A/s1600/DSC02579.JPG" imageanchor="1" left=""><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GByahJUZ7MRTSmYXYhEN7WHvpwwd-vWuqEiLOrqsMjzHsG0IpJmwBmXgC_Il7mawvaR7jhZNkMPxIFOq7qLxVH3ZC3eXicwZ7YQ4-XTGwZXAFhxb72xiPoEXwpMEvnohe73kDArk_A/s1600/DSC02579.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately I couldn’t taste the two chocolate
cakes we had this month, as I gave up all things chocolate for Lent.
Stupid idea! I did accidentally lick my finger on which was resting a
smidge of chocolate cream but we’ll overlook that
indiscretion. I have told member Victoria Sponge that she needs to make
me her chocolate nest cake with Cadbury Mini Eggs for Easter!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRIdXshx9DNjhLjWQF8gX_EH0_nKpCJ5UHjcxuOqVLtA1L8d-CnyGWuZH61UN1pxD8RaMv62NQPC-0zY4VYele6_oOj4moQ__KLB1nX_CdMzIqwwGbg3mm1WRqjGP_a7HVCBfcLnjCw/s1600/DSC02561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lemon poppyseed bundt cake" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRIdXshx9DNjhLjWQF8gX_EH0_nKpCJ5UHjcxuOqVLtA1L8d-CnyGWuZH61UN1pxD8RaMv62NQPC-0zY4VYele6_oOj4moQ__KLB1nX_CdMzIqwwGbg3mm1WRqjGP_a7HVCBfcLnjCw/s1600/DSC02561.JPG" height="150" title="Lemon poppyseed bundt cake" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAjhuheZ7oTJGuDDzR4rE8z9CcFjjx6PFNlx1oE00y2BN6fWDQjeByadvvGI8-SyrReBYtecJjUQwe8mQmIL3s-bubY02BtosPWfAImE_hceNE-7A3Z083Al8fBAgdxZo0d8VfqMElg/s1600/DSC02574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Flourless chocolate nest cake" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAjhuheZ7oTJGuDDzR4rE8z9CcFjjx6PFNlx1oE00y2BN6fWDQjeByadvvGI8-SyrReBYtecJjUQwe8mQmIL3s-bubY02BtosPWfAImE_hceNE-7A3Z083Al8fBAgdxZo0d8VfqMElg/s1600/DSC02574.JPG" height="150" title="Flourless chocolate nest cake" width="200" /></a></div>
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The roll of honour was as follows:</div>
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Two lemon and poppyseed bundts – Sophie and Louise<o:p></o:p></div>
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Flourless chocolate nest cake – Vic<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lemon sherbet cake – Anthea<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ginger and lime layer cake – Simon<o:p></o:p></div>
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Citrus sunbeam cake – Kerry <o:p></o:p></div>
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Lemon parsnip and hazelnut cake – Vicky<o:p></o:p></div>
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Violet and orange posy cake – Lisa<o:p></o:p></div>
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Apricot and almond cake – Sarah<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lemon meringue cake – Alice<o:p></o:p></div>
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Chocolate orange marble cake – Celia<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lemon sponge with lemon curd – Ros<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lots of lovely lemon cakes but no lemon drizzles –
hurrah! I’m always impressed at how hard the Stamford members try to
bake a new and different recipe, and everyone says it’s great to have a
challenge of a theme.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61UxiYA8qxYEM-ExTWPQqb_azguGEbx_BlwXwnvchAUMLGwU2epkOoc8j-NxdvIzi3YUCEXoPFrPL1eh-09GQrdnAXUlqKK2yiUm7eHj7CtyTq6DBys50nZ_ZEFpQUDh1WAntF0qlLA/s1600/DSC02563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ginger and lime cake" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61UxiYA8qxYEM-ExTWPQqb_azguGEbx_BlwXwnvchAUMLGwU2epkOoc8j-NxdvIzi3YUCEXoPFrPL1eh-09GQrdnAXUlqKK2yiUm7eHj7CtyTq6DBys50nZ_ZEFpQUDh1WAntF0qlLA/s1600/DSC02563.JPG" height="150" title="Ginger and lime cake" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjbzp4sXsk3tFCGzFge9SNwVaj0-ME8z2yTGKuaW1Ks6DZ3dLcIMdpmIqFaJm8ywsrmEA8HL476agpacLO2Ohg9Hg-5EbSGj8otb0_E97cL_NE-a86mjfnDFo1_TR75wj7vHT8UtF2w/s1600/DSC02570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lemon sponge with lemon curd" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjbzp4sXsk3tFCGzFge9SNwVaj0-ME8z2yTGKuaW1Ks6DZ3dLcIMdpmIqFaJm8ywsrmEA8HL476agpacLO2Ohg9Hg-5EbSGj8otb0_E97cL_NE-a86mjfnDFo1_TR75wj7vHT8UtF2w/s1600/DSC02570.JPG" height="150" title="Lemon sponge with lemon curd" width="200" /></a></div>
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We enjoyed a lovely evening of chat and cake in The
Crown and the bar staff really loved the plates of cake we provided.
Looking forward to the next event, on May 12th. </div>
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For information about the <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Club click here</a>. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-68943969782761217032014-03-07T11:30:00.000-08:002014-03-07T11:30:00.050-08:00Chocolate and raspberry opera cake<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the March meeting of the <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Club</a> in Stamford, the theme was 'Such drama' and I plumped for an opera cake. I thought it would be a challenge - and it certainly was.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5O1aNztmzXcNlfxpGIoMFQrjDPMrINGUOvZppO0RcsnCFtG6GGMuTCTTVvBM_7m7KAczdjoLJbrwrjTW3ejvZZM4N8p_D8e0q2YVLdHcw4RFQBHVhNugu4xFN9DIip8brrNVurMFMg/s1600/image_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5O1aNztmzXcNlfxpGIoMFQrjDPMrINGUOvZppO0RcsnCFtG6GGMuTCTTVvBM_7m7KAczdjoLJbrwrjTW3ejvZZM4N8p_D8e0q2YVLdHcw4RFQBHVhNugu4xFN9DIip8brrNVurMFMg/s1600/image_1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I can easily say I won't be rushing to make this sort of cake again. It took about 7 hours from start to finish, and I was knackered by the end of it - and I didn't enjoy the process. The cake was fine to make, but the French buttercream - what a faff. It was divinely smooth, but oh-so-rich - too buttery for my liking. And a real skill to master (I think I bodged it in the end). You might also notice a deliberate mistake from the photograph - I ran out of raspberries. Although several people at cake club thought it was meant to look like that - modern art if you like - I could've got away with it!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ingredients:</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>For the kirsch syrup</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">100g caster sugar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 tbsp kirsch</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>For the sponge</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 egg whites</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">15g caster sugar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">100g ground almonds</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">100g icing sugar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 eggs</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">30g plain four, sifted</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">30g butter, melted</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>For the chocolate ganache</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">100ml double cream</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">100g dark chocolate</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>For the French buttercream</b> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 egg yolks</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">75g caster sugar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">225g butter, cubed and softened</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 tsp vanilla paste</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>To decorate</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">60-ish raspberries</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">200g seedless raspberry jam</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Preparation method</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-7eaee502-9423-5ccf-d8cf-b7f5781be952" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the kirsch syrup, tip the sugar into a small pan. Add 200ml water and cook over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the syrup has reduced by half. Remove from the heat, add the kirsch, stir and leave to cool completely.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the sponge, heat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C. Grease and line a 33x23cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Add the caster sugar, one teaspoon at a time, whisking between each addition to make a glossy meringue. Cover with cling film and set aside.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tip the ground almonds and icing sugar into the bowl of a food mixer and add the whole eggs. Whisk together for 3-5 minutes, or until doubled in volume. Fold in the flour, and then gently fold in the meringue in three separate batches. Pour the melted butter down the side of the bowl and fold in, until incorporated. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 5-7 minutes until pale, golden-brown and springy to touch.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Place a sheet of baking parchment over a cooling rack and turn the cake out onto it. Peel off the baking parchment from the base of the cake and leave to cool completely.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the chocolate ganache, pour the cream into a small pan and heat until just bubbling. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth and glossy. Pour into a bowl and leave to set.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the French buttercream, place the egg yolks in the bowl of a food mixer. Whisk until pale and fluffy. In a pan over a gentle heat, dissolve the sugar in three tablespoons of water and then boil it steadily until the syrup reaches 110C on a sugar thermometer. With the food mixer running, slowly pour the syrup over the egg yolks. Continue whisking until the mixture is thick and mousse-like. Add the butter, a little at a time, whisking continuously and finally add the vanilla paste.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Make sure the sugar isn’t too hot. If it is, it will solidify the second it hits the bowl or the whisk. This happened to me the first time - I had a second go, making sure the sugar didn’t get too hot (I think my sugar thermometer is unreliable so I just watched it). </span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To assemble, slice the cooled sponge horizontally so you have two 33x23cm sponges. Cut each of the sponges in half vertically, so that you have four sponges.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Place one of the sponges on a cake board and brush with some of the kirsch syrup. Spread over some of the French buttercream with a palette knife. Top with another sponge and brush with kirsch syrup, then spread over the chocolate ganache.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Top with a third sponge and brush with more kirsch syrup. Spread over more French buttercream. Top with the final sponge. Brush with the remaining kirsch syrup and spread with the remaining crème au beurre.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Arrange the raspberries over the top in rows and brush over the melted jam to glaze. Refrigerate the opera cake for at least two hours to set the layers and make it easier to trim. Trim the edges using a sharp knife to reveal the layers.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a recipe from <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/opera_cake_04536" target="_blank">BBC Food</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I won't be making it again, although everyone thought it was lovely. It was too rich for me. Give me a <a href="http://totallycakedout.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/victoria%20sponge" target="_blank">Victoria sponge</a> any day. <br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-7eaee502-941d-7fd8-e0cd-9a5b48c5b757"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-54888273526436584882014-03-05T13:11:00.000-08:002014-03-05T13:11:30.026-08:00Drama at Stamford clandestine cake club<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #434343; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The venue for the Stamford CCC on March 3, 2014, was the Stamford Corn Exchange, in the Green Room of the Lounge Bar. With such a theatrical location, our theme reflecting the dramatic nature of the building – and our fabulous bakers didn’t disappoint. It was a tricky theme but the range of inspiration was brilliant – from Murder She Wrote, to opera, to Macbeth, Mamma Mia, and razmataz.</div>
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We snuck into our little room past the Stamford elderlies playing bingo – they didn’t know what had hit them! – and had a great close-knit meeting. With several last-minute cancellations out of our control, we made the most of our more intimate group this month and had a good natter. It was great having a smaller group as we could all join in discussions together!</div>
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We shared a range of baking disaster stories this month, from my new-found hatred of French buttercream and staggering lack of raspberries, to Simon’s Yorkshire-pudding-esque creation, Vic’s flatness, and Rhoda’s not-enough-Drambuie-ness. But despite our concerns all the cakes were as delicious as ever!</div>
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Much gravitas goes to Vic, for her Angela Lansbury cake (“Don’t cut her head off!”), Sammy, for her amazing cauldron of delights, complete with black lace and jelly snakes, and Alice’s brilliant popcorn box. A warm welcome was given to Ros with her fab chocolate theatre masks.</div>
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The cake roll of honour:<br />Chocolate and raspberry opera cake – Sophie<br />‘Sticky situation’ date cake – Vic<br />‘To BEE or not to BEE’ or ‘Honey, Honey’ cake – Vicky<br />Razzle dazzle lemon roulade – Anthea<br />Green tea kasutera cake – Simon<br />Popcorn box cake – Alice<br />‘Hubble bubble, toil and trouble, fire burn and chocolate cauldron’ Macbeth cake – Sammy<br />Passion(fruit) and Drama(buie) cake – Rhoda<br />Madame butterfly cake – Sarah<br />Chocolate and raspberry theatre cake – Ros</div>
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To find out more about the <a href="http://www.clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Club, click here</a>.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-84445993364694586982014-02-13T11:22:00.000-08:002014-02-13T11:22:00.187-08:00St Petersburg restaurant, PeterboroughI have to share with you the delights of the St Petersburg restaurant in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. I haven't yet visited this establishment (I actually picked up the menu while waiting for my table at the curry house over the road, <a href="http://thebombaybrasseriepeterborough.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Bombay Brasserie</a>, which is a personal favourite). Some of the names of the dishes are brilliant! I'm sure I'll be taking a trip to the St Petersburg restaurant very soon.<br />
<br />
Top attractions on the menu include:<br />
Breakfast, for him (ham, cheese and onion omelette)<br />
The hungry man's dream (omelette with prawns and vegetables)<br />
Stepmother's whim (pasta with salmon, cream, and spinach)<br />
A man's dream (pork strips in tomato sauce with kidney beans)<br />
Bear roast (grilled pork with mushrooms)<br />
Dragon tongue (pork with coleslaw)<br />
Beer pizza (cheese, cumin, and garlic)<br />
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I am equally pleased and disappointed that the bear roast isn't actually bear.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-54821670741989635852014-02-10T12:11:00.000-08:002014-02-10T12:11:00.059-08:00Baby shower ombre mini loaf cakes <style>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For a friend’s baby shower recently (more
on that subject later) I took the opportunity to use one of my Christmas
presents, a mini loaf tin from <a href="http://www.lakeland.co.uk/Homepage.action" target="_blank">Lakeland</a>. I’d been itching to put it into practice.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">I made some very simple little sponges,
with the basic 6-6-6-3 recipe, with a little vanilla paste thrown in. I then
decorated them with pink ombre icing, using three varieties of pink, from pale
to blushing. They looked quite cute when finished. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">I love the tin and think mini loaf cakes
are a great idea. However I did struggle to get them all out in one piece, and
so they were a little crumbly around the sides. I did butter and flour the tin
before I put the batter in (which, with the loose bottoms for each hole, was a
bit of a feat in itself) as I didn’t trust its claims to be non-stick. Maybe
that was my error – next time I’ll try not greasing them and see what happens. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">I detest baby showers, I’m afraid to say.
While I love to embrace the miracle of new life and am excited about the new arrival,
I do not enjoy sniffing nappies full of melted chocolate that ‘looks like poo’,
or tasting baby food, nor do I want to melt the ice in that shot glass
containing a toy baby. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">But most of all, I don’t want to spend the
entire afternoon defending why I don’t yet have children, why I don’t want any
tomorrow, and why I’m not sure whether I want any at all. I think it’s a very
personal question, ‘do you want children?’, and I don’t like the judgement on
people’s faces when I say ‘I’m not sure, actually’. What would that person say if
I answered ‘I can’t have children’? I got fed up of explaining that at the
moment, it might not be the right thing for me, although yes I’m thinking about
it for the future, but no I’m not desperate for children tomorrow thanks all
the same, and that is OK. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">With all the politicians wading in at the
moment about how irresponsible young women are for not starting a family until
30 or later, I wish people would just leave us non-mothers and our clanging
ovaries alone. There are a million reasons behind everyone’s decision to have
children, or not. My reasons are wound together in a mess of finding the right partner, money, employment, mental health, career, family, house, and worry, worry, worry about everything. I refuse to apologise for my current lack of children. I hope the powers that be look down on me and Steve and we are lucky enough to have a child in the future, but that is none of anyone else's business, quite frankly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; mso-spacerun: yes;">Suzanne Moore wrote a recent <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/15/having-children-not-define-divide-women" target="_blank">article in the Guardian</a> about such things, give it a read. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-41374311196580980292014-02-06T12:07:00.000-08:002014-02-06T12:07:00.217-08:00The power of cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
It's amazing, the power of cake. It can bring friends together and open up things that were difficult to talk about without the lubrication of sugary loveliness, it can introduce strangers and make them companions, it can heal wounds through the patience and focus required in the baking stage, and it can be a treat for a loved one.<br />
<br />
Baking a cake for friends, family, and lovers cheers me up no end. It creates such smiles and gratitude that a present you hurridly bought from the shop at lunch just can't do.<br />
<br />
Sharing out slices of homemade cake to colleagues on a Monday morning brings a little brightness into an otherwise very Monday-like office. Baking a favourite cake for a boyfriend's birthday makes his lunchbox (that's not a pun, and yes I make his lunchbox every day) a bit more exciting. Making your mum an old recipe from my grandmother might get a bit of a tear, but probably just an appreciative 'Mmmmmm' as she remembers the original.<br />
<br />
Sharing a cake, slicing it up, handing the pieces out, really brings people together in a way that cupcakes and whoopie pies just can't do. They have their own places in the baking world, granted, but we love cake. It can't be individual, it can't be impersonal, it has to be shared and loved by other people together.<br />
<br />
If you agree, pop over to the <a href="http://www.clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Club website</a>, as this is what we believe in. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-61978267557931124542014-02-03T11:34:00.000-08:002014-02-03T11:34:00.381-08:00Chocolate mocha fat-free cakeThe latest theme of the Stamford Clandestine Cake Club was 'On a health kick' - our task was to bake healthy cakes, or rather healthier than normal. I plumped for a fat-free chocolate mocha cake, which was a great success - it only has about 180 calories per slice, and serves 8, so that's quite a large slice for your calories. It was really easy to make and I'll definitely be doing this again.<br />
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<br />
Ingredients:<br />
3 eggs<br />
85g caster sugar<br />
70g plain flour<br />
1 tbsp cornflour<br />
2 tbsp cocoa powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
<br />
For the filling:<br />
100g lightest cream cheese (I used Philadelphia Lightest)<br />
100g 0% fat Greek yogurt<br />
25g dark chocolate<br />
2 tbsp strong coffee<br />
2 tbsp icing sugar<br />
<br />
Beat the sugar and eggs, for about 5 minutes in a table-top mixer such as a Kitchenaid mixer, until the volume has increased four-fold (ish) and it leaves a trail when you take the whisk out.<br />
Sift in the dry ingredients and fold in carefully with a large metal spoon.<br />
Carefully divide into two prepared cake tins about 18cm.<br />
Bake at 180C (160C fan) for about 20 minutes.<br />
Beware, once you take the cakes out of the oven, they will collapse quite a bit, but that's OK!<br />
<br />
To make the filling, melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, with the coffee. Mix until smooth.<br />
Mix together the cream cheese and yogurt, and sift in the icing sugar, and whisk together to get any lumps out. Divide into two bowls.<br />
Add the chocolate and coffee mixture into one bowl of filling.<br />
Sandwich the cakes with the plain filling, then smooth the chocolate filling over the top of the cake. Decorate with a few chocolate flakes.<br />
<br />
The filling on this is delicious - really moreish and tangy. You wouldn't think it was so light on calories - a definite must-bake-again. It went down well at cake club - there wasn't much left at the end, which is always a good sign.<br />
<br />
For more information about cake club, visit the <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Club website</a>. Join today for cake and friendship - and more cake. And a bit more cake.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-22868783751031864102014-01-30T12:31:00.000-08:002014-01-30T12:31:00.432-08:00Stamford Clandestine Cake Club - healthy cakesCan cakes be healthy? Probably not, but they can be healthier. This month's meeting of the Stamford Clandestine Cake Club was full of slightly-better-for-you-than-normal cakes, featuring plenty of your 5-a-day, lacking in sugar and fat, and generally feel-good baking.<br />
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<br />
On January 27, we met in the Melbourn Brothers pub in Stamford, also known as the All Saints Brewery. It's also called 'the secret pub' by many Stamfordians, as it doesn't really have a signpost and goes unnoticed by many tourists and locals alike. A secret pub befits the secret cake club. It's a fun pub full of character and charm, old dusty beams and charming nooks and crannies. We holed up in the top room, a perfect size for our group. The staff were really attentive and helped me set the room up well, providing us with lots of cutlery and plates, and in return they loved the plate of treats from us. For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MelbournBrothersPub" target="_blank">Melbourn Brothers Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<br />
We had 15 members with 12 healthy cakes this month. The roll of honour was:<br />
Chocolate mocha fat-free cake - Sophie<br />
Apricot oatmeal cake - Sam<br />
Mashed potato lemon drizzle (gluten-free) - Alice<br />
Fat-free Angel cake with passionfruit coulis (a change to my label, which says mango!) - Simon<br />
Apple and ginger cake - Anthea<br />
Sweetcorn, lime and coconut cake - Kerry<br />
Low-fat lemon roulade - Vic<br />
Fat-free fruit sponge - Sarah<br />
Banana bread - Karen<br />
Low-fat pumpkin loaf - Ali<br />
Swiss roll with home-made apple and blackberry jam - Celia<br />
Mango and lime yoghurt cake - Vicky<br />
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The surprise of the night was Alice's mashed potato lemon drizzle - you would never have guessed the ingredient, it was a lovely, light lemon drizzle. Definitely one for the recipe books should you have gluten-intolerant guests round. Anthea's apple and ginger cake was delicious with a great ginger tang, and also included squash (extra healthiness). Vic and Sarah filled us with fat-free cake and lots of fresh fruit, while Celia impressed with her lovely jam filling, coupled with her broken arm - heaven knows how she managed to roll her roll up with one arm, well done Celia! Altogether the cakes were delicious and healthy (sort of), a great start to our cake club year.<br />
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For more information about why Clandestine Cake Clubs are so amazing, visit the <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">CCC website</a>.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-83859143028581437652014-01-29T12:58:00.000-08:002014-01-29T12:58:13.526-08:00Hummingbird Bakery red velvet cakeFor my birthday this year (January 3, please note, put it in your diaries for next year) my brother bought me a <a href="https://hummingbirdbakery.com/" target="_blank">Hummingbird Bakery</a> red velvet cake - how lucky am I!<br />
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It was delicious from the first bite. Thick, creamy, smooth cream cheese buttercream on the outside, a fluffy sponge, brilliant colour... And massive. It went on forever - it lasted for days, even with my appetite.<br />
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It was my first taste of a real Hummingbird Bakery cake - not living in London means I just get to read the books and try to recreate their magic in my own kitchen. I will definitely be visiting the Bakery next time I'm in London, even just for a cupcake rather than a massive large cake.<br />
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I was tempted to take it to cake club and pretend it was my own - joke, of course...<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-58546865946365588972013-12-12T13:26:00.000-08:002014-12-08T05:35:14.992-08:00Stamford Clandestine Cake Club does Christmas<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin baked a cake... I recently wrote a guest post on the Clandestine Cake Club website about <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/2014/12/07/why-we-love-christmas-cake/" target="_blank">why we love Christmas cake - read it here</a>! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Christmas came early to the Stamford Clandestine Cake Club on December 9, as we gathered in the Tallington room at the Tobie Norris for our festive meeting.
The theme was 'C is for Christmas, cake, and...' and we had 13 wonderful cakes to try. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The venue was brilliant – really festive, with beams hung with holly, mistletoe, and evergreens, and there were lots of baubles, and some super mulled wine. The staff we really helpful when I panicked over the missing cake labels, and their eyes lit up when I presented them with a huge platter of cake to taste. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Tobie Norris is renowned amongst Stamfordians as being the best purveyor of home-made pizzas in the town. Although we didn't have room for any pizzas after all that cake, they certainly smelled excellent. We made the ladies in the room next door, eating their florentines, very jealous with all the cake. For more information, visit the <a href="http://www.tobienorris.com/" target="_blank">Tobie Norris website</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">This month's meeting was relaxed and cheerful, and time flew past. We each introduced our cakes briefly, in an attempt to help us remember everyone's name, and also explaining a bit about our bakes. Newbie Celia made an apple crumble loaf, using a new type of apple, the Opal, which is grown locally in Wisbech. Vic's clementine loaf was so healthy and 'without' so many ingredients (flour, butter...) that we wondered what was left in – but there was plenty, as it was delicious. Becky's cake was a Yule log with a difference, featuring crunchy peanut butter. Rhoda's Carribean banana cake was fabulous, if a little difficult to slice up at the end (my apologies again, Rhoda, for slicing it up so that it looked like I'd kicked it!). The race for the cake trough at the end of the night was like bees round a honey pot. The icing Christmas tree atop my cake was made using skills I learned at the CCC 3rd birthday bash up in Liverpool, of which I was quite proud. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been a fantastic year for the Stamford CCC, with some amazing cakes baked, and some real friendships formed. Here's to an equally brilliant 2014 for our club.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">The cakes were:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Cranberry and pear loaf - Sophie</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Clementine cake - Vic</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Apple crumble loaf - Celia</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Caribbean banana cake - Rhoda</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Coca Cola cake - Kerry</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Chocolate yule log with peanut butter - Becky</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Cranberry and orange drizzle - Vicky</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Chocolate brownie cake - Sarah</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Chocolate caramel cake - Alice</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Cranberry and orange stollen - Karen</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Cranberry and marzipan cake - Ali</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Christmas gingerspice cake - Sam</span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Courgette and chocolate cake - Katrina</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762471897826601442.post-26624452571994139712013-12-11T13:57:00.000-08:002014-12-08T05:35:50.680-08:00Cranberry and pear loafFor this month's Stamford <a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Club</a>, the theme was 'C is for Christmas, cake, and...' I couldn't help but want to share the <a href="http://totallycakedout.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/cranberry-and-pear-muffins.html" target="_blank">recipe for cranberry and pear muffins </a>with the group, but obviously couldn't make muffins. So I crossed my fingers, made the mix, bunged it all in a loaf tin and hoped for the best.<br />
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It turned out really well, very tasty, and everyone approved. It didn't have the lightness of the muffins, and I ran out of icing sugar so it didn't have as much as it should have, but I was quite pleased.<br />
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I also made a Christmas tree out of Renshaw's sugar paste. I learned this technique while at the CCC 3rd birthday bash up in Liverpool at the weekend. A lovely lady from Renshaw gave us a demonstration on how to make an icing Christmas tree and I was excited to try it out. Easier that I thought it would be, it made a cute addition to my cake. Thank you, <a href="http://www.renshawbaking.com/" target="_blank">Renshaw</a>, for the skills!<br />
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The cake at the CCC birthday bash was amazing - featuring models of founder Lynn Hill and three other founding cake club organisers. It was a great afternoon, spent eating lots of cake and meeting other organisers and members from around the country.<br />
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<a href="http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/2014/12/07/why-we-love-christmas-cake/" target="_blank">Read my guest post on the CCC website: Why we love Christmas cake</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14080979775829845076noreply@blogger.com2