Mmmm - That smells good!

[ragdall]

What's on the menu today?

[alliekiwi]

Apple cake today! Or it would be if it wasn't for someone else! I've not had a chance to try the cake I made as it is to take to my editor tomorrow! Hopefully they'll offer me a cuppa whilst I'm there so I'll get to taste the results of my labour.

Allie

[ragdall]

allie,
I love your insect avatar and your signature line. ;D

Did you get a taste of your apple cake? I'm sure it was delicious.

[alliekiwi]

Thanks, rags! The first time I saw that insect, I kept trying to squash it/catch it on my screen because it was annoying me! Hee hee.

It was a lovely afternoon at the publisher, but sadly I left before afternoon tea! However, I've got a new cake tin I want to try, so I think I'll be doing some baking again tomorrow. It's a loaf tin for making lemon loaf, and when you turn the loaf out, it has the imprint of citrus fruit on, rather like a bundt tin.

It's this one (hope the picture works):



The other good thing about the publisher visit was getting to go through the bins with books they're sending to be pulped. 'Help thyself', I was told. So I did. Methinks we'll need new bookshelves soon!

Allie

[ragdall]

allie,
I've never seen a loaf tin like that one. It looks as if it will make a very elegant loaf. You'll have to show us how yours turns out.

Congratulations on your new books! One can never have too many.

[maryinkentucky]

Allie, what is this publisher bit? Are you an author? Can we see your books? Feel free to start another thread so as not to clutter up the delicious smells on this one.

[Pip Freeman]

My real favourite is Porter Cake, the smell pervades the whole house, you can't wait for it to cool.

PORTER CAKE

6 oz butter or margarine
1 lb mixed dried fruit
Grated zest and juice of an orange
6 oz light soft brown sugar
7 fluid ounces Guiness
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 eggs beaten
10 oz plain flour
2 tsp mixed spice

For the topping

2 tbs flaked almonds
2 tbs demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 150c, gas 2, Fan oven 130c
Grease and line an 8" round cake tin.

Put the butter, dried fruit, orange zest and juice, sugar and Guiness in a large pan.
Bring slowly to the boil until the butter has melted and sugar dissolved, stir well.
Simmer for 15 minutes
Cool for 10 minutes
Stir in the bicarbonate of soda (The mixture foams up, don't panic!)
Stir in the eggs
Stir in the flour and mixed spice and mix well.
Pour into tin, smooth surface
Sprinkle the top with the almonds and demerara sugar

Bake for 1-1 1/2 hours-test with skewer.
Cool in tin and then turn out.

It can be eaten straightway, it keeps well and also freezes successfully. I made it as my Christmas cake this time.


And there's only one saucepan to wash up!

[alliekiwi]

Ooh, that sounds lovely, Pip! I do like a bit of fruit cake. I'll have to give that one a go - I usually make one my mother calls 'Blancmange cake' which refers, I think, to the mixture of milk with lemon and almond essences which combines the fruit and dry ingredients together.

Mary, I write children's non-fiction. Mostly it's been short things in compilations, but recently I had a full book of my own accepted by HarperCollins. It comes out in April. Other than that, I edit other people's work.

Allie

[sandrainsydney]

I made a cake (well, my version of a cake)

I'm not a sweet tooth (except for dates & other yummy fruit) so I rarely eat cakey stuff, but 2 friends have relatively un-sweet cake recipes & I've just made one!

so here's my version of Ramona's bread pudding (which will become a birthday cake tomorrow at Craft Group)

Bread Pudding (my alterations follow her ingredients)

10 slices 3 day old bread (I used defrosted wholemeal sultana bread, & tore the slices, then used scissors to make them smaller)
2 cups hot water
1/3 can condensed milk (I accidentally bought evaporated milk)
1 egg, slightly beaten
60 g butter melted
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup mixed dried fruit (I used mixture of sultanas, currents & cranberries cos I had 'em all)
1 tblsp cinnamon (I accidentally mixed this in with the other ingredients)

1. In a big bowl, break bread into small bits
2. Mix milk & water & add to bread.
3. Add egg, butter, vanilla & fruit.
4. Grease loaf pan & fill with mixture (or use baking paper)
5. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
6. Bake in preheated oven (200C) for 30 mins, or until top turns brown.

very tasty & sweet enough as it is, but maybe I'll make it using the condensed milk another time, just to taste the difference!

sandra

Evaporated and condensed milk are two types of concentrated milk from which the water has been removed.

Evaporated milk - Concentrated, unsweetened milk made by evaporating 60% of the water from whole milk.

Condensed milk - Condensed milk is essentially evaporated milk with sugar added.

[ragdall]

Sandra,
Thanks for posting the yummy recipe. Let us know how the craft group enjoyed the cake.

I was surprised that condensed and evaporated milk are so similar. I knew that the condensed milk is very sweet. It's always seemed much thicker, too.

[sandrainsydney]

they liked it! and I have a bit left to give to Ramona tomorrow

not being a cooking person, I was surprised at how the bits of bread & crust became cakish in texture. I saw one bit of crust near the side of the cake, which was the only proof that the yumminess came from torn up bread!

sandra (ps the left-over condensed milk was delicious in my muesli today)

[jennieg]

It's smelling good here today, I am cooking turkey drumsticks in plum sauce in the slow cooker.

[alliekiwi]

Oooh, that does sound good. Home-made plum sauce?

Allie

[jennieg]

Noooooo..........'fraid not...........SPC (Ozzie brand) plum sauce. I had intended adding a little chopped ginger but I'm glad I didn't; the sauce already has ginger in it, and the taste came through when we ate the dish last night. Turkey was cooked in plum sauce with a dash of soy sauce, a squirt of lime juice and a splash of water, a few peeled and sliced carrots and a sliced purple onion, and was served with bread to mop up the sauce, and cauliflower and broccoli. There are leftovers.

It was extremely nice.

[sandrainsydney]

knowing that some of you like chocolate ...

this was sent to me today & I don't eat cakes or chocolate!

I did a google search to find it's origin, but all I can find are 5 reference & all are to the recipe.


THE 5-MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE by Vexta

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
1 small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT! (this can serve two if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only five minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night