July 14, 2024 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments
A lovely change to a classic Victoria sponge*, it’s the perfect treat to pair with a cup of tea and is incredibly easy to make in only 5 minutes.
Ingredients
To make the cake:
225 SR
225g caster sugar
225g baking spread (straight from the fridge) ie Lurkpak or Fairy (or butter etc)
4 large eggs
2 heaped tsps instant coffee granules – decaf made up
1 level tsp BP
To make the icing
225g icing sugar
75g butter (softened)
1 T coffee essence (carob, espresso, chicory)
Kitchen equipment:
Two round sandwich tins
Non-stick baking paper
Large mixing bowl
Preheat the oven to Fan 160C. Grease sandwich tins, line bases with baking paper.
Place instant coffee in a bowl: dissolve with 1T boiling water – mix until smooth.
Measure out baking spread, caster sugar, SR, eggs & BP into a large mixing bowl. Add coffee mixture and beat until you have a well-blended & smooth batter.
Divide batter evenly between the sandwich tins, bake in preheated oven for 25-30 mins until
well-risen. Leave cakes to cool in the tins a few mins then turn out onto a cooling wire rack, making sure to peel off the baking paper as you do so.
To make the icing, blend the butter, icing sugar & coffee essence tog in a mixing bowl until you have a smooth icing. Once cakes are completely cold, sandwich together with icing and place onto a serving plate. Sprinkle a little icing sugar on the top before serving.
* The secret to making a sponge cake is making sure the butter temperature is perfect before baking. For the cake, the butter or baking spread needs to come cold straight from the fridge while the butter for the icing needs to have sat at room temperature before use.
May 18, 2024 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments
Once you make this American Classic it will soon become a family favorite!
Ingredients
FOR APPLES:
6 med. Fuji/Pink Lady apples (frozen peeled ones work too) peeled, cored & rough-cut .5″-1″
(ie 4.5 – 5 cups of peeled apples)
5 Tabs white sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon or more
CAKE
2.75 cups plain flour, sifted
1 Tab BP
1 tsp salt
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
.25 cup orange juice
1 Tab orange zest
2.5 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
Opt. some nuts
Parchment paper
Bundt pan 12-cup
Preheat oven to 160°C (FF). Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.
(a parchment circle with pull tab will make it easier to remove from the pan).
Prepare the Apples
In a large bowl, toss the chopped apples with the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Prepare the Cake Batter
1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, BP and salt.
In a medium bowl whisk together the sugar, oil, orange juice, zest & vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir to combine with a spatula or wooden spoon.
2. Add eggs to the mixture one at a time, mixing well each time (batter will start very thick, but will get looser & easier to mix as you continue to add the eggs). Scrape down the sides & bottom of the bowl to ensure that all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
3. Add a thin layer of cake batter to the bottom of the pan, then add one-quarter of the apples on top of the batter. (It will not cover all of the apples but will spread when baking). Repeat this process two more times with remaining apples & batter, ending with cake batter.
4. Place cake in preheated oven on the centre rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 1 hour 10-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
5. Allow cake to cool to room temp before serving.* Run a knife along the edges of the cake and the pan to help it release from the pan. Enjoy!
* Let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then carefully remove it from the pan. Letting it cool too long in the pan will make it difficult to remove.