Tiers of the Cake


A tasty slice of inspiration...

Hello foodies,

A huge warm welcome to Red Velvet Baking, the blog! I have been baking since I can remember and I have always wanted to share my experiences and tasty flair beyond the walls of my own home. In summer 2011 I launched this little blog. I blog as a celebration of my achievements and dedication to my culinary passion, alongside an overflow of my enthusiasm, with a few added delicious recipe ideas. Pictures and tips galore, sure enough to sink your teeth right into and to get your mouth watering. Delicious beautiful baking can put a smile on anyones face.

Summer 2013 saw me train for a month at Leiths, gaining a distinction in practical cookery and last summer I ran a culinary arts course in the USA, specialising in baking.

I am now back in the UK, writing for my blog from sunny Yorkshire. 2015 is going to be a big year for Red Velvet Baking, so keep posted!

Keep calm, enjoy and most importantly BAKE!


Jessica

xox

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Find the missing sprinkle...

Eat

Recipes

Just a couple of my all time favourite recipes. Sadly, as I have now launched Red Velvet Baking as a business, I cannot give all the tips of the trade, however I will keep sneaking a few in, here and there, just for you! I also post tips mainly on the blog page, so keep posted. :)
Feel free to request recipes, advice and most importantly share your beautiful creations!
Keep calm and get stuck in, 
Jess xo

Lasagne, Just Like Mama Used to Make

Ingredients

  • 500g lean mince steak
  • 2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tube (1 small tin/ 2 heaped tbsp) tomato puree
  • 2 beef oxo cubes
  • 100g salted butter
  • 3tbsp cornflour (more may be needed to thicken)(plain flour can be substituted - but more may be needed)
  • 250g grated cheddar
  • 1pt semi skimmed milk
  • 1 box of standard lasagne sheets
  • salt and pepper seasoning
  • 11/2 tsp oregano
  • 11/2 tsp basil
Magic in the Method

1. Heat a fan assisted oven to 180C. Brown the mince in a large frying pan. Once browned crumble the two oxo cubes into the pan.
2. Reduce the heat on the mince, add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, seasoning, herbs and leave to simmer.
3. In a separate saucepan melt the unsalted butter. Remove from the heat and add cornflour to make a paste, before adding about a pint of milk, seasoning and add back to a low heat. I would recommend stirring, almost continuously, whilst it thickens. (Using a small whisk helps to avoid lumps)
4. Once the sauce has started to thicken add in half of the grated cheese and when melted remove from heat.
5. To start layering your lasagne, now the mince and sauce are ready, put a thin layer of mince on the bottom of a 9x13in lasagne dish and cover with pasta sheets. Pour on the sauce till covered and then add another layer of pasta. Repeat the pattern once more, before scattering the top with the remaining cheese.
7. Place in the oven for around 30mins or until golden brown and bubbling. Serve with salad, garlic bread and/or boiled/jacket potatoes.

EASY PEASY :)

Variations
Try adding finely chopped fried onions to the meat for extra flavour. Also, you could add chopped vegetables such as softened carrots or peppers. If you like a little heat, a tsp of chilli powder can add a nice little kick to the mince or if you're feeling italian a clove or two of crushed garlic would taste delicious. Or if you're being especially healthy, try topping with a combination of crushed garlic, greek yogurt and a small handful of cheddar, for an alternative creamy topping.

Double Chocolate Roulade


This is one of my favourite and most trusted recipes. It's fantastically simple, tastes divine and is so versatile to suit the situation!

Ingredients
200g (7oz) plain chocolate (54% cocoa solids plus preferably), broken into pieces
150g (5oz) golden caster sugar
5 medium eggs, separated
1tsp vanilla escence
2-3tbsp icing sugar, sifted
100g (4oz) white chocolate (Green & Blacks works fantastically)
284ml (10floz) double cream
150g (5oz) raspberries or blackberries for decoration
Extras may include white or dark chocolate curls/stars

Magical Method

1. Heat a fan assisted oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4). Melt the plain chocolate in a bain marie (bowl over a pan of simmering water). In a separate bow whisk the sugar and egg yolks for around 4 minutes, until pale and thick, before folding in the melted chocolate.

2. In another separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Then, carefully beat 2tbsp of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Proceed by gently folding in the remainder egg whites, being careful not to overwork the mixture.

3. Line a swiss roll tine (33 x 23 cm/ 13 x 9in). Pour the mixture onto the parchment and bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, until risen and firm to the touch.

4. Whilst the meringue roulade is baking, melt the white chocolate in a bain marie and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Then, whisk the cream until forming soft peaks.

5. When the roulade is ready to be taken out of the oven, prepare a large sheet of greaseproof paper sprinkled with icing sugar, for the roulade to be turned out onto. Once turned out, cover with a clean damp tea towel and allow to cool.

6. Return to the cream and white chocolate and combine. Sometimes you may need to rewhip the cream slightly to keep the stiff texture.

7. Once the roulade has cooled, remove the tea towel and smoother with the white chocolate cream. Some people like to add some raspberries/blackberries at this stage to the filling of the roulade, however it is just as delicious to use them more for decoration.

8. Using the greaseproof paper as a guideline, roll the roulade from one short end to the other. Between rolls use the greaseproof to tuck the roulade right under itself, shaping a neat roll and don't worry if it cracks, this is a rustic dessert after all! Once rolled, roll up in the greaseproof and tighten the ends, before chilling. This will keep it in perfect shape, ready for serving with fresh berries, chocolate curls or whatever you fancy, to suit the occasion.



To show off a roulades versatility it would be rude not to show off some variations...

White Chocolate & Raspberry
Replace the dark chocolate with white chocolate and use creme freche and crushed raspberries for the filling for a slightly lighter delight!!


Black Forest Roulade
Make the chocolate roulade as above. Once cooled drizzle two tbsp of Chambord (raspberry liqueur) or Kirsch (cherry liqueur) over the roulade. Use double cream, whipped like before but scatter 100g of chopped morello cherries over the cream before rolling. Decorate with morello cherries and dark chocolate curls.


Rich Chocolate Yogurt Cake


This cake is great as a base for a tiered creation or beautiful plain just on its own. The cake is your canvas...

Serves 1 deep 8in round tin (30-40mins), 2 7in round cake tins (40-50mins) or 1 Large Heart Shaped tin (1hour+)
  • 5floz Vegetable Oil
  • 5floz Natural Yogurt
  • 4 Level tbsp Golden Syrup
  • 6oz Caster Sugar
  • 3 Medium Eggs
  • 8oz Self - raising Flour
  • 3 Rounded tbsp Cocoa Powder
  • 1/2 Level tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 Level tsp Salt
  1. Prepare a 160deg.c oven, from cool and line/grease your chosen tin (base and sides).
  2. Place the oil, yogurt, syrup, caster sugar and eggs in a bowl and beat (with a wooden spoon) until a smooth, pale paste like consistency is formed.
  3. Next, sift the flour, cocoa powder, bi carb, and salt into the liquid mixture and combine until well mixed.
  4. Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin(s) and bake in the centre of the oven. Times for tins given above. In the latter half of the baking period, test the cake with your fingers by pressing lightly on the sponge - if the cake bounces straight back after the pressure is removed, it is done. Another method is to use a skewer - if it comes out clean, the cake has baked through.
  5. Leave the cake in the tin to cool, before turning it out onto a wire rack.
  6. Decorate the cake as you wish




Simple Decoration Suggestions

  • Melted galaxy/green and blacks chocolate (and sprinkles/smarties/dragees)
  • Sugar-paste designs (flowers, animals etc)
  • Split in two to make a buttercream sandwich and also top with buttercream (flavours such as butterscotch, chocolate, vanilla, raspberry and coffee would work fantastically)
  • Or eat plain as a rich tea cake - this cake is quite dense and very moist due to the butter being replaced by the oil and yogurt. I believe this cake works just as well straight from the oven.




Variations

I have altered this recipe to make a golden syrup yogurt cake. By replacing the oz of cocoa with additional flour, you can remove the choclateyness of the cake and the cake will be flavoured by the syrup. This works particularly well as a tea cake also, but is equally as nice with a fresh cream and jam filling or with fresh fruit or even a syrup based buttercream!








1 comment:

  1. I love that you measure your ingredients in ounces and grams. We learned in Culinary School it is the only way to bake! Happy Baking!

    ReplyDelete