Red Velvet Cake: a sensory experience

Red Velvet Cake is one of my all time favourite cakes. Everything about it is deliciously indulgent: from the colour, to the layering of the sponge to the frosting.

I made this cake for my Granny’s 80^th Birthday and it went down a treat. It is a relatively unknown cake in the UK, making it a talking point and ideal for a party. Red Velvet Cake looks exquisite when cut, the cream frosting contrasts the four layers of red sponge beautifully providing a feast for the eyes.

I used two Silverwood 9" Sponge Tin to make my cake. The cake cooks quicker, was lovely and moist and came out of the tin without sticking.

Red Velvet Cake

Makes one - 9 inch (23 cm) four-layer cake

Ingredients

Sponge:

2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

2 tablespoons liquid red food colouring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 1/2 (360 ml) cups heavy whipping cream

1 - 8 ounce (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

1 - 8 ounce (227 grams) tub of Mascarpone cheese, room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (115 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in centre of oven. Butter two 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour

.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan.

Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the freezer for at least an hour. (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

Cream Cheese Frosting: In your food processor, or with a hand mixer, process the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and process until smooth. Transfer this mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Then, in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. With a large spatula, gently but quickly fold a little of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream, in two stages. Cover and place the frosting in the refrigerator for an hour or two, or until it is firm enough to spread.

Assemble: With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half, horizontally. You will now have four cake layers. Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing down, onto your serving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting. Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost and stack the cake layers. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Can garnish the cake with sweetened or unsweetened coconut.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do,

Sarah

Dutch Pepernoten

A day at work at the Cookshop is an extremely educational experience. I had a visit from my friend Maarten earlier in the week, who gave me the idea of posting a recipe for Dutch Pepernoten Cookies.

Before I go any further I should explain that he is Dutch and works in the Little Holland pancake house in Bognor Regis (yum! – definitely worth the visit if you’re in the area). Anyway, he was shopping for Sinterklass presents. I didn’t know of this traditional Dutch festival and learnt that Sinterklass is the way they celebrate Saint Nicholas in Holland, and is a bit like Father Christmas but without the stocking and is held in the beginning of December. So, whilst in the UK we don’t get to have our Father Christmas presents until Christmas Day, we can make some Pepernoten and join the Dutch in Sinterklass.

Makes 50 pepernoten

Ingredients

50 g butter (1 3/4 oz)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 cup self raising flour

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground aniseed

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Cream the butter and sugar, then add spice mix (or spices).

Add the flour and milk and make very very small marble sized balls.

Bake for 10-15 minutes at 160 C (320 F) until golden.

You might like to use a Silverwood Baking Sheet for this recipe.

Sarah

Happy Thanksgiving

As you may, or may not know, today is Thanksgiving in USA. Held on the forth Thursday of November, Thanksgiving is a harvest festival that celebrates the expression of gratitude. Much like Christmas in the UK, Thanksgiving has a high focus on food and usually ends in everyone eating a little too much.

Anyone that has eaten a Thanksgiving dinner, or knows an American that has, will know what a joyful day it is and the amazing wonder of the Pumpkin Pie. My friend Natalie (born in Arizona) introduced me to Pumpkin Pie a few years ago, and I still remember the experience vividly. Natalie throws the most amazing dinner parties: from cocktail reception to table arrangement to dessert, everything is charismatic and memorable (not to mention the topics of conversation), and it was during one of these fabulous evenings that I picked the pecans off the top of a pumpkin pie and indulged in a truly gooey, scrumptious moment.

I cannot stress how much I encourage you all to make a Pumpkin Pie. Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, or whether you think you like pumpkin or not, give it a go. I urge you! Please! The spices and combination of ingredients create something truly unique that I just can’t describe.

Here is a traditional recipe for Pumpkin Pie by Claire Ptak. I have taken the recipe from the food section on Guardian.co.uk, which is worth a look if you get a chance.

Claire's pumpkin pie:

Add a little butternut or other sweet squash puree to the pumpkin if you think it isn't going to have enough flavour on its own. Just split the squash in half and roast cut-side down until tender. When it has cooled, scoop out the flesh and process until smooth in a food processor or push through a fine sieve or moulin.

Serves 8 - 10 in a 22 - 25 cm dish

Ingredients:
450g fresh pumpkin puree
3 eggs 100ml double cream
100g light brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp allspice
1t sea salt
Finely grated fresh ginger (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Pastry

Whisk all the ingredients together.

The pie will be silkier if the pumpkin is as smooth as possible, so pour the filling through a fine strainer (even if you have pushed your puree through one initially).

Then taste the filling. At this point you can add a little finely grated fresh ginger along with a good grinding of black pepper. If the pumpkins were not as sweet as you’d hoped, add some freshly pureed butternut squash or if you don't happen to have that, a little extra sugar will do.

Pour the filling into a pie dish lined with an uncooked buttery pastry and bake at 180°C for about 35 minutes or until the custardy filling is just set while retaining a slight wobble.

Cool and serve with lots of chantilly cream.

Make your Pumpkin Pie in a Silverwood 9" Deep-Fluted Loose Base Flan Tin and enjoy!

Sarah

Gooey Gingerbread

This recipe was given to me at a meeting I attended in preparation for Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning and I have been meaning to share it ever since. I think gingerbread is best enjoyed in the autumn, when the warming spice makes a comforting indulgent snack.

Ingredients

• 50g (2oz) Black Treacle
• 50g (2oz) Golden Syrup
• 100g (4oz) Butter or Margarine
• 100g (4oz) Brown Sugar
• 175g (6oz) Plain Flour
• 1 tsp Bicarbonate Soda
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 Egg
• 150ml (1/4 pint) Milk
• 3 Pieces of Stem Ginger (Sliced)

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4 and grease a 2lb loaf tin.

Heat the treacle, syrup, butter and sugar in a small saucepan until melted. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat.

Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger in a large bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients and gradually stir in the syrup mixture, egg and milk, stirring well to form a batter.

Pour the mixture into the loaf tin, arranging the sliced ginger on top. Bake for 60 minutes or until cooked through; allow to cool before then removing from the tin.

I would recommend the Silverwood 2lb Loaf Pan for this recipe as the tin will help the loaf to cook evenly and the sticky loaf should come out of the tin like a breeze.

Sarah

Stir-up Stir –up Christmas is coming…

As Christmas is approaching, it is time to get cooking. Stir-up Sunday is almost here so it’s the time to make a tasty homemade Christmas pud as the perfect way to end the year.

Silverwood Quality Bakeware have made a spherical mould, ideal to produce your own traditional Christmas puddings each year round; each purchase comes with a mouth-watering recipe as you discover more ways to use your mould. If not for Christmas puddings how about, ice-cream bombes, summer puddings or sponge puddings.

Birthday approaching soon and wanting to bake the perfect cake for a son, brother or father? Why not use your spherical mould to bake a football. You will never run out of ideas with all the inventive goodies you can bake. Use your mould to create bodies for a person or animal to put on top of a cake, or slice in half and experiment with icing to make ladybirds.

Happy Baking!

Phoebe

Yummy Beetroot Brownies

Here is the recipe for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Beetroot Brownies as discussed in my post about my beetroot conversion. I take absolutely no credit for their yummy loveliness, and you can get more information about River Cottage on Channel4.com and RiverCottage.net

Ingredients

• 250g/10oz good, dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
• 250g/10oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for greasing
• 250g/10oz caster sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 150g self-raising flour (we used wholemeal self-raising)
• 250g beetroot, boiled until tender, peeled and grated

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a baking tin of approximately 20 x 30 x 3cm and line the bottom with baking parchment.

2. Break up the chocolate into pieces, cut the butter into cubes then mix them up a bit in a heatproof bowl. As the oven begins to warm up, put the bowl onto one of the shelves for a few minutes until the chocolate and butter starts to melt. Stir, and put back into the oven for a few more minutes to melt completely.

3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl until combined, then beat in the melted chocolate and butter until smooth. Gently fold in the flour then the beetroot – be careful not to over mix or it will make the brownies tough.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth over the top with a spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes. A knife or skewer pushed into the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Don't be tempted to overcook them! Remove the tin from the oven and leave on wire rack to cool before cutting into squares.

If you’re like me and like your brownies gooey, or if you find tray-bakes hard to get out of the tin, then why not try our Silverwood Eye-Catcher Brownie Pans. They come in a variety of sizes and the side of the tin slides out for easy cake removal (but they lock together so the sticky mixture doesn’t ooze).

Finally, don’t forget to bake with a light heart. The more care you put into a cake, the yummier it will be.

Sarah