Cake'n'Bake Easter Baking Competition

The deadline for entries to our Easter competition has now passed, and we had five wonderful and very different recipes submitted. Now it's time to pick our favourites!

Each member of the club, plus a few extra special judges who have very kindly agreed to give their time, will be asked to vote for one recipe based on the following criteria:

Which of these recipes would you most like to make for your family, friends (or as an indulgent treat for yourself) this Easter?

The overall favourite recipe (based on number of votes) will win 1st prize which will include a bundle of baking goodies, plus one of Eric Lanlard's recipe books and a signed copy of Cake Wrecks. Two runners up will also receive baking bundles.

The recipes are listed below, in order of submission, and the winner will be announced here on Monday 2nd April, 6pm UK time.

Until then, Happy Baking!

• Sarah's Easter Magic Chocolate Cake
• Jaymes' Polish Easter Mazurek
• Lorna's "Healthy" Hot Cross Buns
• Katrina's Chocky Easter Cupcakes
• Stacey's Easter Carrot Cake

Sarah's Easter Magic chocolate cake

It’s almost Easter and once again we’ve gone a bit Baking Mad! We decided to run a little competition in the club this month – to bake and blog about an Easter themed recipe. The favourite recipe(s), as voted by our club members and a few special guest judges would win a bundle of baking goodies. We’ve also submitted all of these recipes to BakingMad.com, to join their excellent selection of Easter recipes, such as Hot Cross Buns, Easter Cakes, Cake Pops and more! 


Sarah’s Easter Magic Chocolate Cake

Here is my submission for the Easter themed competition bake.
Why not delight your family, adults and children alike with
this creative and seriously chocolaty Easter Magic cake!

It comprises of a deep chocolate sponge filled with a rich
white chocolate cream centre, smothered in a dark and milk chocolate ganache,
decorated with cute handmade chocolate figures.

Ingredients for the
cake

175g self-raising flour
50g cocoa
225g golden caster sugar
225g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 tbsp milk

Ingredients for
the filling

125g white chocolate
125ml double cream

Ingredients for
the topping

200g dark chocolate
100g milk chocolate
225ml double cream

To decorate – can be brought in or hand-made in
chocolate moulds

Chocolate bunnies, chicks, eggs, mini sugar shell
eggs, basic icing

Method for the cake:

· Preheat your oven to 180 degree c/gas 4
· Grease and line an 18cm (7”) deep cake tin or 2
sponge tins
· Sieve the flour and cocoa together into a bowl
· Beat the butter and the sugar together until
light and fluffy
· Add one egg at a time to the creamed butter and
sugar with a little flour/cocoa mix and beat in between each addition
· Fold in the remainder of the flour and cocoa – being
careful not to “knock” out the air which has been beaten into the mixture
· Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin or 2
tins (make sure both tins weight the same if you are using two)
· Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins, keeping an eye
and not opening the oven whilst baking.
· Leave the cake/s to cool before turning out on a
rack to completely cool.

Method
for the filling:

· Whilst the cake/s cools, melt the white
chocolate and cream together in a bowl over a pan of hot water stirring occasionally
to combine.
· Be careful not to let the chocolate overheat as
it can turn grainy. Once melted, stir gently and leave the cool and thicken
slightly before spreading it onto one of the cakes or one half of the cake.

Method
for the topping:

· Melt the dark and milk chocolate and cream
together in a bowl over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally to combine.
· Be careful not to let the chocolate overheat as
it can turn grainy. Once melted, stir gently and leave the cool and thicken
slightly before spreading it onto the cake, covering it completely.
· Use a hot pallet knife to smooth off the
surface.

Decorate the top and sides of the cake with chocolate figures which you can make
yourself by melting chocolate and using moulds. You can also add mini “mini
eggs” or a variety of other decorations to finish it off.

PS - this recipe will also be submitted to http://www.bakingmad.com/ideas/easter-baking  - so keep an eye out for it there!

Sarah's Chocolate Guinness Cake

Makes 12 Slices

For the Cake:
250ml Guinness
250g unsalted butter
75g cocoa
400g caster sugar
142ml sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
275g plain flour
2 1/1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the Topping:

300g Philadelphia cream cheese
150g icing sugar
125ml double cream

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degree/gas mark 4, butter and line 23cm loose bottom/spring form tin
Pour Guinness into a large saucepan and add the butter and heat until the butter has melted then whisk in the cocoa and sugar into the melted mixture.
Beat in a separate bowl the eggs, sour cream and vanilla then pour onto the brown, buttery, beery mixture and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
The batter will be very wet - do not be alarmed, this is what gives the cake the very moist texture.
Pour the cake batter into the lined tin and bake for 45mins-1 hour. Mine took 1 1/2 hours - I kept checking mine with a skewer until I was satisfied with the texture.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin until completely cold.
Whilst this is taking place you can make the topping.
Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, add the icing sugar and then the cream and beat until spreadable. Do not over mix the mixture as the cream will turn grainy.
Top the cake with the mixture either by piping, or by smoothing on. You can if desired draw a shamrock on the top.

Happy baking!

Sarah's Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with a Cream Cheese filling

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:

295 grams SR flour
30 grams cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
170 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
200 grams caster sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
180 ml buttermilk
1 teaspoon liquid red food coloring (can add more for a more intense colour)

Cream Cheese Filling:

113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
227 grams cream cheese, room temperature
345 grams icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

For the Whoopie Pies -

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (can also use a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Add the egg beating well.
Beat in the vanilla extract.
Mix the buttermilk and red food coloring in a separate bowl.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
Drop heaping tablespoons (can also use a small ice cream scoop) of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
With moistened fingers or with the back of a spoon, smooth the tops of the cookies.
Bake for about 9-10 minutes or until the tops of the cookies, when lightly pressed, spring back (or a skewer inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean).
Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Filling -

Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.
Beat in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the icing sugar, and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.

To Assemble -
Take one cookie and spread a heaping tablespoon of the filling on the flat side of the cookie. Top with another cookie. The assembled cookies can be stored, covered, in the fridge for several days.
Makes about 17 sandwich cookies.

Happy baking!

Sarah's Sausage Roll Filling

Here are my suggestions in making a more exciting sausage roll.

In general, I use anything I have laying around to make the sausage meat more exciting. For example, various types of mustard/mustard seeds, pepper corns, chutney etc. You could use onions, nuts, fruit, pickled veg to add a bit of bite.

At christmas, i like to use a nice fruity chutney which I have made - maybe something with a little kick just to bring out the flavour of the sausage meat. I also like to use a good quality sausage meat and generally I get mine from a great butcher who is at Wimpole christmas craft fair. Also, the trick with sausage rolls is not to over fill them with sausage as they do expand and can split which means all the lovely juices spill out and bake onto the tray, rather than being trapped inside the roll.

That's about it - happy baking!

Sarah's rough puff pastry

I thought it easier to just give the recipe for the pastry as so many of you enjoyed it! It is pretty simple and gives a fantastic quick and easy alternative to puff pastry. It can be used for anything as well, sweet, savory, pies tarts etc.

Ingredients

450g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
large pinch salt
375g cold butter/block marge, cut into cubes
250ml cold water

Method

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and add the butter. Mix the butter around with a large metal spoon to coat it in flour - do not rub in the butter like short crust pastry recipes.

Pour two thirds of the water into the flour and butter mixture.

Using a round-tipped knife, cut across the contents of the bowl several times, turning the bowl continuously as you chop the butter into the flour, until the dough comes together.

When the dough has come together as a loose lump, tip it onto a lightly floured work surface and quickly shape it into a thick slab, roughly the dimensions of a house brick.

Flour the work surface and roll the dough out to a rectangle.

Fold one-third of the dough to the centre, then fold the other third over that. Roll the pastry out again. Fold in exactly the same way again.

Rotate the pastry a quarter turn and repeat. Continue rolling, folding, pressing and turning a quarter-turn 3-4 more times. Don't worry too much if the butter oozes through the dough occasionally.

After the last folding stage, wrap the pastry in cling film and place into the fridge to chill for several hours, preferably overnight.

When ready to use, if the pastry is very firm, allow it to warm in the room for a few minutes before using. (You can freeze this pastry for up to six weeks)

Any questions, just ask! Wednesday night's sausage rolls were my first ever attempt at rough puff - so give it a go and don't be afraid!

Sarah's Chelsea Buns

This is the recipe for the Chelsea Buns I would have made for Novembers signature bake. They are great fun to make and look and taste great. However, they can be a bit timely with the process but they are quite simple to make.

Chelsea Buns

Makes 12

500g White bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
50g softened butter
75g caster sugar
1 tsp dried yeast
225ml hand-hot milk
1 egg, beaten
For the filling:
25g melted butter
115g sultanas
25g chopped mixed peel
25g currants
25g light brown sugar
1tsp mixed spice

For the glaze:
50g caster sugar
5ml orange juice

1. Combine flour and salt, then rub in butter.
2. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and add the milk and egg. Mix and kneed for 10 minutes.
3. Allow to prove until doubled in size, then knock the dough back.
4. Lightly grease a 23cm square cake tin.
5. Roll out the dough into a square, measuring about 30cm.
6. Brush the dough with the melted butter leaving a 1cm border along one side.
7. Evenly spread sugar, spice and fruit over the buttered area before rolling the dough up in the style of a Swiss Roll.
8. Cut the roll into 12 pieces and place cut side up in the cake tin.
9. Cover with oiled cling film and allow to prove again for 30-45 minutes.
10. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes or until well risen and golden all over.
11. Leave to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack.
12. Gently heat the sugar and orange juice and brush generously over the warm buns.

Happy Baking!