Gingerbread Cake

I saw Gretchen Price making gingerbread in a bundt cake baking tin and I thought I would like to make this American cake to see how it would compare with an English gingerbread.

However, I do not have those American ingredients such as molasses and others and I therefore use what I have at home.

Instead of all purpose flour, I use a French flour - Francine Farine Supreme.  I do not have any plain flour or all purpose flour in my cupboards!  LOL I do not use such flour for baking.  

For molasses, I use Tate and Lyle treacle - but as this is more viscous than the American Molasses, I have decided to use less and I will therefore be using 300 grams [7/8 of a cup] of treacle and Golden Syrup instead of Gretchen's 1.25 cups of molasses. 

Instead of light brown sugar, I use Billington's natural molasses sugar and I have reduced the amount of sugar from 200 grams to 113 grams or 4 ozs.

So here is my revised list of gingerbread cake ingredients

4 ozs [113 g] unsalted butter
4 ozs [113 g] Billington's natural molasses sugar
7/8 cup Tate and Lyle treacle and Golden Syrup = 300 grams [260 grams of treacle and 40 grams of Golden Syrup]
2 eggs - I have increased the number of eggs by 1 and I use medium size eggs
2.5 cups [350 grams] Francine Farine Supreme flour
1 tsp bi-carbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
1.25 cups [10 fl oz or half a pint] hot water [off the boil] - same temperature as in making coffee at around 80 C

1. Weigh the butter and molasses sugar in a bowl and set aside
2. Measure the flour and the other dry ingredients and sift them twice
3. Grease a 12 cup bundt baking tin with butter and flour - I use NordicWare 12 - 15 cups bundt baking tin and I am therefore presetting my oven to 165 C with fan switched off 
4. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy and then add the treacle and Golden Syrup and mix well until all the sugar has dissolved. 
5. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine well.
6. The add the dry ingredients and hot water alternately ending with dry ingredients, and mixing well after each addition.
7. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared bundt baking tin and bake at 165 C convectional oven for 50 to 55 minutes - and it took 53 minutes to bake. The idea is not to over bake your gingerbread cake. 
8. Leave the gingerbread cake to cool in the bundt tin. 

As for the icing glaze, I followed Joy of Baking and used 150 grams of sifted icing sugar and 2 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

I personally think the icing is too thin and it does not look too good. So here is the transformation!

I rather like the variegated moss green leaves - and the colour was given to me by Vero - and thanks Vero! 

Questions and Answers

I do not have a bundt baking tin. What should I do?  You could use a 9 inch [23 cm] square or a 10 inch round baking tin instead.

I have a bundt tin but not a Nordic Ware Bundt tin. What temperature should I bake the cake?  Nordic Ware advises people to bake their cakes at a lower temperature if they were to use their platinum range baking tins as the metal they use to make these tins is a very efficient conductor of heat.  If you have an ordinary baking tin, may it be a 9 inch square baking tin or other makes of baking tin, then you need to read the manufacturer's instructions. This cake would normally be baked at 175 C or 350 F. 

I do not have that Francine flour.  What flour should I use?  Use plain flour if you are in the UK.  If you are in other countries, you may use all purpose flour.  The Francine flour has 9 % protein and do not use flour which has a protein contain more than 11 %.  AND I am unlikely to go to Holland Park to buy all purpose flour from an American shop just to make this cake.  

I cannot find natural molasses sugar.  What sugar can I use?  You can use any brown sugar - light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, or any muscovado sugar or even caster sugar.

I do not have treacle in my country. What should I use?  The Americans use Grandma's Molasses - Yellow brand - the original version.  You can use this if you can purchase it.  In London, a 12 oz jar of Grandma's Molasses costs nearly £5 and if I were to buy it from Amazon, it would cost over £7.  As for a pound weight of treacle only costs £1.18.  Therefore it is not economical for me not to use Tate and Lyle treacle.

Why did I use such odd quantities of treacle and Golden Syrup?  It is rather late at night and it is too late for me to go to the shops to buy more treacle. I therefore made up the quantity I wanted with Golden Syrup.  I am making this cake for Deacon David's birthday and I have to make the mixture tonight to bake the cake tomorrow morning as the birthday party is tomorrow.  LOL

Why am I using 2 eggs and Gretchen uses one egg?  This is because Grandma's website uses two eggs for such proportion of ingredients to make a gingerbread cake. 

Other recipes have salt and why is there no salt in this recipe?  I have a dislike of salt in my sweet creations - cakes, biscuits and others. I just cannot imagine why people like salt and sugar in the same food item - like cakes and biscuits. I do not mind having salt and sugar in my sweet and sour but not cakes and biscuits.

Evaluation

The cake served 9 people after dinner tonight and everybody loved the cake.  They said the cake was moist and they liked the flavour of the cake.  The ginger was not over the top and the cake was not too sweet.  I served the cake with sweetened whipped double cream and this really went well with cake.  There is no need to change this excellent recipe and may God bless America as this is an American cake!


27 December 2014

Made the cake again for Dominic's baptismal agape and used the following ingredients.

113 grams unsalted butter
113 grams molasses sugar
188 grams treacle
145 grams Golden Syrup - total syrup 333 grams just under 1 cup of syrup
2 large free range eggs
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0.5 tsp ground cloves
350 grams mąka tortowa
1.25 cups of hot water

Icing Glaze: 150 grams icing sugar & 5 tsp of lemon or orange juice and this gives a much better glaze. 

November Cupcakes

A group of people from my parish are meeting tonight to reflect on 'Jesus, My Lord' and at the end of the meeting, we are having a shared meal and I agreed to bake some cakes to share. 

I have made cupcakes early this morning for this event - some mini cupcakes and some standard American size cupcakes.

I made 24 of these mini cupcakes and some have already been eaten! LOL

These were piped with Ateco 6 point star piping tube / nozzle number 34 and I used Italian butter cream which was not too sweet.

And there were 12 standard American size cupcakes as well for those who are not on a diet!

And these were piped with Kaiser 15mm 51-0 piping nozzle using Italian butter cream.

Green butter cream - piped with Kaiser 16 mm 45-9 piping tube

Light Fruit Cake

English fruit cakes are made with pound cake recipe – 1 lb of eggs, butter, sugar and flour each.  However, as one adds more fruits, as in rich fruit cakes, then one has to increase the proportion of flour.  For rich fruit cakes, one would not have any raising agents and bake at 140 C.  However, I have found that by lowering the baking temperature and thereby increasing the duration of baking, one gets a more moist cake.

As for light fruit cake, I prefer to use self raising flour, which is McDougalls Supreme Sponge premium self raising flour.   Technically, you can use plain flour and add a little raising agent.   One would bake a light fruit cake at 160 C, for a shorter period.

I am baking three different light fruit cakes this Christmas – one for my cousin Margaret who wants only sultanas in her cake, one for Sissi, a friend who is taking the cake to Nigeria, and she wants a range of different fruits including ginger but not apricots and one for myself to share with my friends. 

Technically, you can add any type of dried or preserved fruits you want into your fruit cake. 

For Sissi who will take the cake to Nigeria next week.

6 oz  butter

6 oz caster sugar

3 large eggs

7 oz Supreme Sponge flour

2 oz naturally glacéd cherries – quartered

5 oz raisins – halved 

5 oz sultanas – halved

2½ oz ginger in syrup – julienne

2 oz flaked almonds

½ tsp orange oil + ½ tsp vanilla extract + ½ tsp lemon oil

1 tbsp Golden Syrup – this inverted sugar will keep the cake moist

1 tbsp ginger syrup

3 fl oz vodka to soak the fruits for a day or two + more to inject into the cake after baking

This the bottom of Sissi's cake - you can see the smooth finish because I have used parchment paper with the 'Pushpan' baking tin. The manufacturer of the Pushpan instructs users not to line their baking tin and I disagree with the manufacturer's instructions. 

      

Sissi's cake for Nigeria - There is an improvement on the side because I manage to use some parchment paper but the top has an indentation and it took 2 hours 50 minutes to bake. If you are worried about the top's indentation, then add a spoonful of flour to the cake mixture and this will stop this. 

For my Cousin Magaret who will take the cake with her to Canada - this cake was baked in a German spring form baking tin and it took less than 2 hours 15 minutes to bake. 

• 3 large free range eggs
• 6 oz butter
• 6 oz sugar
• 7 oz Supreme Sponge flour
• 14 oz sultanas – halved – soak in 4 tbsp vodka for a couple of days
• 1 tbsp Golden Syrup
• 1 tbsp any inverted sugar syrup 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp of vodka to soak the fruits + more to inject into the cooked cake

These pictures are of the cake for Canada [for my cousin] and it is the last of the three cakes to be baked.  You can see the top of the cake is flat and the side of the cake has a better finish than the 'pushpan' baking tin. In addition, it took less time to bake - less than 2 hours 15 minutes.  Perhaps this German spring form tin has a metal which allows for faster baking. 

This the bottom of the cake baked in the German spring form baking tin.  It has smooth bottom and side, perfect for icing or covering with marzipan. 

and for myself and my friends

6 oz  butter

6 oz caster sugar

3 large eggs

7 oz Supreme Sponge flour

3 oz naturally glacéd cherries – quartered

4 oz soft dried apricots – diced

1 oz mixed peel + 1 oz homemade orange peel – diced

6 oz sultanas – halved

½ tsp orange oil + ½ tsp vanilla extract + ½ tsp lemon oil

1 tbsp Golden Syrup – this inverted sugar will keep the cake moist

1 tbsp ginger syrup

3 fl oz vodka to soak the fruits for a day or two + more to inject into the cake after baking 

Sissi's and my cakes will be baked in a 7 inch round 'PushPan' baking tin and my cousin in a 6.5 inch round spring form baking tin.

Method

1. Prepare fruits and soak fruits in 3 fl oz of any alcohol or any flavoured vodka for a couple of days, stirring occasionally.
2. Double line a 7 inch round baking tin and use baking strip to protect the cake.  If a ‘pushpan’ baking tin is used, then line the bottom only with parchment paper and grease with butter and flour the sides.
3. Cream butter and sugar lightly
4. Add the eggs one at a time, and hand mix after each addition.
5. Flour the fruit mixture and set aside.
6. Add the syrups, vanilla extract and other flavourings to the cake mixture and hand mix.
7. Fold in the flour – and do not over mix.
8. Hand fold in the floured fruits and place the cake mixture into the prepared baking tin.
9. Refrigerate the cake over night prior to baking.
10. Wrap the outside of the baking tin with baking strips before baking.
11. Bake the 7 inch in a pre-heated 160 C convectional oven [fan switched off] for about 2.5 to 2 hrs 50 minutes hours, on the bottom shelf on top of a pizza stone. 
12. When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the baking tin.
13. Then inject the cake with 4 tbsp of alcohol while the cake is still warm. 
14. When the cake has cooled, remove all the parchment paper and wrap in new parchment paper and store in an airtight container for at least six weeks prior to serving or decorating.. 
15. It is a good idea to freeze the cake for a week or s o before eating, as this process makes the cake more moist. 

This cake is for me and my friends - the first to bake and it took 2 hours 25 minutes to bake.  I am not happy with the sides and when I bake Sissi's cake, I will line the side of the baking tin with parchment paper. 

From the pictures above, you could see I have used a 'PushPan' baking tin.  This baking tin does not like one to line the tin with baking parchment.  The cake will go out of shape if I were to line the tin.  

If you want the sides of the cake to have a smooth finish, then you have to use traditional baking tins and not this new technology baking 'pushpan' baking tin.  

I followed the instructions of the manufacturer for their Pushpan by not lining the baking tin and because of this I have the above terrible outcome.  I baked my own cake first and I was really disappointed that I had followed the instructions of the Pushpan manufacturer.  So, if you were to have a Pushpan and you wanted your cake to have smooth sides and bottom - then line your Pushpan baking tin with parchment paper!

However, when I cover the cake with marzipan and icing, nobody can see the state of the cake.  LOL  But this is besides the point!  

This is a traditional English recipe and I therefore have used Imperial Measures.  However, if you were to use metric units, then you could follow the following approximate conversions.


3 large free range eggs
170 grams butter [or 6 oz]
170 grams sugar [or 6 oz]
200 grams flour [or 7 oz]
400 grams of a mixture of any dried fruits [or 14 oz] - according to your own choice
1 tbsp Golden Syrup
1 tbsp syrup from the ginger preserve
flavours - ½ tsp orange oil + ½ tsp vanilla extract + ½ tsp lemon oil
3 tbsp any alcohol for soaking fruits and 4 tbsp alcohol for injecting into the cooked cake

And if you were really lazy, then you could even put the butter, sugar, flour, eggs, syrups and flavourings into a Kenwood Chef bowl, and you could use a K beater to mix the ingredients into a batter and you could fold in the floured fruits, and you would not find any difference between this method and the creaming method. 

And finally feeding the cake with alcohol.  In the old days, one would feed the cake with a teaspoon over many days / weeks.  However, we have large syringe for food use nowadays - syringes which holds about 40 ml of alcohol at any one time.  So I inject the cake with alcohol nowadays - just once, while the cake is warm, so it can absorb the alcohol easily.  I then wrap the cake, store it in a Ziplock bag in an airtight container, in a cool room - away from your central heating hot pipes - and the best place would be your larder or basement - if you have one.  The cake will keep for at least six months.  

I would recommend injecting the cake from the top in several places and allow the cake to stand with the top of the facing up for a number of weeks [a minimum of six weeks - and the longer the better].  

When it is time to cover the cake with marzipan, then turn its bottom up, where there are no holes or blemishes and cover the cake with marzipan / icing accordingly.  You will of course have to brush the cake with warmed apricot glaze  before covering it with marzipan, so the almond paste could stick to the cake. 

Emilie's birthday cake

Today is Emilie's tenth birthday.  I have made and decorated a sunflower cake to celebrate her birthday. Apparently, sunflowers are the happiest of flowers - so I read somewhere.

Here are the pictures of the birthday cake.

Here is a picture of a side of the cake. The side of the cake has some writings adapted from a German children's song.  

How wonderful you were born, we would have really missed you otherwise.

How blessed we are together today, we congratulate you, Emilie, birthday girl! 

as well as Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday Emilie! 

Christmas Fruit Cake

My friend Mercedes and I made Christmas rich fruit cakes today 7 November 2014.  This is a standard English recipe. 

Christmas fruit cake should be packed with fruits, normally all vine fruits. 

One could use any dark brown sugar but I particularly like muscovado sugar, for it has a strong molasses flavour. 

As for flavourings, one can others including vanilla extract such as orange oil and / or lemon oil.

         8 ozs unsalted butter

         8 ozs dark muscovado sugar

         4 large free range eggs

         9 ozs plain flour - not self raising flour and no raising agent

         4 ozs ground almonds

         2 tbsp Golden Syrup + 2 tbsp treacle

         1 dsp mixed spice

         ½ nutmeg – grated - optional

         2 tsp vanilla extract
     2 lbs of any vine fruits for example 

         8 ozs sultanas

         8 ozs currants

         8 ozs raisins

         4 ozs mixed peel

         4 ozs cherries – natural colour

         4 ozs toasted flaked almonds

         1 cup of brandy to soak the fruits + more to feed the cake after baking

1. Prepare the fruits and soak them in brandy for a few days, stirring each day to make sure all the fruits are well soaked.
2. Double line two 6 inch round baking tins with parchment paper and brown paper.  Reserve some brown paper to wrap the outside of the cake while baking.
3. Lightly cream the butter and sugar, and add the eggs one at a time.  Add the spices, syrups, flavours and mix well.
4. Roll the soaked fruits in some of the flour.
5. Fold in the ground almonds and the rest of the flour into the butter mixture.
6. Fold in the floured fruits and nuts into the cake mixture.
7. Bake the cake in the prepared baking tin at 130 C for 3.5 hours or until cook, using bottom shelf of the oven and allow the cake to cool in the baking tin.
8. Inject enough brandy into the cake, wrap the cake well and return it into the baking tin and store it in an airtight container for at least a month to 6 weeks before icing the cake. 

Christmas Cake 2014

I have finally baked this year's Christmas cake and here is a recording of what I have used and done.

Christmas cake 2014

        8 ozs raisins – halved

        8 ozs sultanas – halved

        6 ozs cherries – quartered

        6 ozs mixed peel

        8 ozs dried apricots in lieu of glazed pumpkin – diced

        4 oz stem ginger in syrup – but without syrup – julienned

        4 oz [½ jar] ChowChow in syrup – plus syrup – 蜜什菓 – mélange au sirop – sliced, julienned or diced according to type of fruit / vegetable

        8 ozs soft figs in lieu of dates – diced

        4 fl oz of vodka – cranberry flavoured vodka – for soaking the fruits 

        2 oz [50 g] homemade orange peel – julienned

        4 oz diced cashew nuts – used 130 grams

        8 ozs softened butter

        8 oz caster sugar

        2 oz dark brown sugar

        8 oz semolina [added 250 grams] dried fried until light brown and allowed to cool + 2 heap tbsp flour [no raising agent] – then sifted

        12 large egg yolks

        1 cup or 6 large egg whites – whisked + ¼ tsp cream of tartar + + 4 tbsp sugar for egg whites

        2 tbsp Golden Syrup

        2 tbsp honey

        1 tsp vanilla extract

        1 tsp vanilla paste

        ½ tsp orange oil

        ½ tsp lemon oil

        1 heaped tsp mixed spice

        ½ nutmeg – ground

        7 oz [½ jar]  apricot jam or orange marmalade or strawberry jam or any jam 

        150 ml or 10 tbsp vodka to inject into the cake after baking and also just before wrapping

1.      Prepare fruits and soak fruits in 4 fl oz of vodka for about a week.

2.      Dry fry the semolina and set aside to cool.

3.      Mix the butter and sugar with a pedal attachment lightly and add the egg yolks one at a time.  Then add the jam and flavourings.

4.      Mix the spices, homemade peel with the semolina and flour. Mix the fruits into this mixture.

5.      Whisk the egg whites with cream of tartar and then add the sugar [4 tbsp] until soft peaks.

6.      Fold the whisked egg whites into the butter egg yolk mixture.

7.      Then fold (6) into the semolina fruit mixture (4).

8.      Pour the cake mixture into a prepared baking tin [9 inch square tin] and bake as per (9), and protecting the outside of the tin with cardboard.

9.      Place the cake on a pizza stone, on the bottom shelf in a preheated oven – of 140 C – with fan switched off.

10.  Total baking time 5¾ hours – first 3½ hours at 140 C, and the rest at 130 C  

11.  Covered the top of the cake with aluminium foil after 3½ hours or when the top of the cake begins to brown.  

12.  Allow the cake to cool in the baking tin and when the cake has cooled, after several hours, remove the cake from the baking tin and inject 150 ml or 10 tbsp of vodka into the cake.

13.  Wrap the cake well with parchment paper and return it to the baking tin and store it in an airtight container for a month. 

When the cake matures, then the cake is reformed into 2 by 1 inch sizes and package accordingly.  The 2 by 1 inch cake pieces are wrapped with parchment paper, then with tissue paper and then placed inside food grade cellophane bags.

Butter Cream

My friend Carrie, Emma's mother, has asked md to share the butter cream recipe I used for the cupcakes in the last post.  

200 grams egg whites - 5 egg whites
275 grams caster sugar
450 grams unsalted butter - cut into cubes 
2 tsp clear vanilla extract

1. Heat up the egg whites with the sugar until it reaches 80 C.
2. Whisk the meringue at high speed for some 8 minutes or so until the bowl is not longer hot but just slightly warm.
3. Then add the vanilla extract to the meringue and continue whisking at high speed.
4. Then add the butter cubes a little at a time until all the butter has been added and continue to whisk at high speed to make sure the butter cream does not curdle.
5. There is enough butter cream to pipe about 30 standard American cupcakes - that is those with 2 inch bottom.
6. Any leftover butter cream can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerate for a week or frozen for a month.   When you want to use the butter cream again, bring it to room temperature and beat the butter cream using a pedal attachment, like a K beater or a creaming beater, until the right consistency is achieved.  
7. If you want to use any colouring with the butter cream, you need to use paste or gel colouring and NOT liquid colouring 

Emma's 10th birthday cupcakes

Happy Birthday Emma!

My God daughter celebrated her 10th birthday this weekend and I have made these cupcakes for her.

I use butter icing for most of the cupcakes and for some I have used fondant icing to cover the cupcakes.

Emma - I hope you like these cupcakes.

Madeleine - mini French butter cake

Lemon and Vanilla Madeleine 

[will make 18 large 3 inch Madeleines] 

3 large free range eggs
half cup caster sugar - 100 grams
1 cup Supreme Sponge cake flour - 130 grams - sifted
113 grams [4 oz] melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon oil or rind of one lemon

Green Tea Madeleine 

[will make 18 large 3 inch Madeleines] 

3 large free range eggs
100 grams caster sugar
1 cup Supreme Sponge cake flour - 130 grams - sifted
1 level tbsp of matcha - green tea powder
113 grams [4 oz] melted butter

Melt the butter and set aside
Whisk eggs and sugar until light in colour and fluffy
Add the vanilla and lemon oil and continue to whisk - omit this for Green tea flavour Madeleine 
Fold in the sifted flour [for green tea flavour - add 1 tbsp matcha to the flour prior to sifting]
Fold in the melted butter 

Turn on your oven to 180 C [375 F or gas mark 4] and use the second shelf from the bottom 
Butter and flour your Madeleine baking tin
3/4 fill each Madeleine mould with a spoon or use a piping bag or small ice cream scoop 

3/4 fill each Madeleine mould

Bake the Madeleines until the sides are slightly brown and the top is firm to touch for about 12 - 14 minutes - depending on your oven
Remove the Madeleines from the baking tin and serve with a cup of lovely English or Chinese tea

Lemon and Vanilla Madeleines - baked on the same day

Green tea Madeleines - baked the next day

Green tea Madeleines

Made from batter chilled over night

A display of Madeleines made from over night batter