Victoria Sandwich (Large/ All In One)

Merry Christmas

Christmas  2013 was my first Christmas with my partner’s family! It was fantastic! My best Christmas ever! It has been a long time since I felt the Christmas spirit, but only until then did I feel truly happy.  I made the family a Victoria sponge decorated as a Ghana flag with a Christmas hat! It was a last minute gift and last minute design.  I could not go to see them empty handed.  I wanted to make the best possible impression.  My partner is one of the most important people in my life so I spent extra long on this cake trying to make it as perfect as possible.  I had to use a different picture because I did not want to show names for obvious reasons.

This recipe was adapted from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

225g softened butter, 225g caster sugar, 4 large eggs, 225g self – raising flour, 2 tsps baking powder, strawberry jam, 300ml double cream.

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Grease 2 x 8 inch sandwich tins and line with baking parchment.  (Remember that you can use various shapes depending on the decoration, this is for the basic sponge.)
3. Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy.
4. Beat in the eggs gradually.
5. Sift in the flour and baking powder.
6. When blended well divide the mixture into the cake tins.
7. Bake in a pre heated oven for 25 – 35 minutes.
8.  When the cake is well risen, browned and springs back when lightly pressed leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes.
9. Peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
10. When completely cold whip the cream until thick.
11. Sandwich the cake with jam and cream.
12. Decorate as you wish.

Easy Christmas Shapes:

1. A Christmas Tree
2. A Snowman
3. A Star

Peanut Butter Cocoa Cookies

Easy Christmas Extras

I was not going to become rich by Christmas and this made me sad because I love to give.  Cookies are perfect gifts to give to people.  Wrapped up well and made with the receiver’s favourite ingredients, cookies are a guaranteed winner.  Peanut butter and chocolate is a popular flavour with children as well as adults and you can add your own decoration on the cookies when cooled to make them more appealing.

This recipe was adapted from Lorraine Pascale’s Baking Made Easy (Harper Collins Publishers, 2011).

Ingredients:

100g butter, 30g thick peanut butter, 25g cocoa powder, 200g soft light brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 small tsp vanilla extract, 200g plain flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda.

Method:

1. Put the butter and sugar into a large bowl and cream together until pale.
2. Add the egg and the vanilla and mix together well.
3. Stir in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder.
4. Gently stir in the peanut butter.
5. Form the mixture into a dough ball.
6. Divide the dough into equal pieces, using your hands roll each one into a ball.
7. Place on a large baking tray and pre heat the oven to 170 degrees C.
8. Flatten each one slightly with a fork.
9. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown.

Peach and Vanilla Dessert Cake

Scrumptious

This cake is really lovely to taste and fill your house with a luxurious aura.  You will not need to light a special candle when you make this cake.  When I took a bite I got a lovely glow in my tummy.  And I felt calm for about a minute before going to back to my Christmas cake preparations.  This cake is not a centerpiece show stopper, but it not every cake has to look expensive or worthy of a royal wedding.  If a cake tastes as though it was made with an abundance of love it is still worthy of a smile and standing ovation.  And if everything is done the Birdspeed way you will be giving yourself standing ovations very very often.

This recipe was adapted from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible  (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

225g self – raising flour, 1 1/2 tsps baking powder, 225g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tsps vanilla extract, 150g butter (melted), 200g tinned peach slices (drained).

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 160 degrees C.
2. Grease a cake tin no bigger than 8 inches.
3. Measure the flour, baking powder and sugar into a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla extract together.
5. Stir the eggs and vanilla into the dry ingredients.
6. Stir in the melted butter.
7. Stir through thoroughly.
8. Pour in half the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
9. Chop the peaches and scatter into the cake tin.
10. Spread the rest of the cake mixture over the peaches.
11. Bake in the pre heated oven for 50 minutes.
12. When the cake has become golden brown and has started shrinking from the side of the tin leave to cool for 15 minutes.

Saffy’s Serving Ideas:

1. Thick Cream and flaked almonds
2. Home-made custard & Apricot jam

Pasta with Tomato and Brie

Cooking 101

Not being able to cook pasta is like an owl not knowing how to see in the dark.

This recipe was adapted from 101 Cheap Eats (BBC Books, 2003).

Ingredients:

300g wholemeal pasta spirals, 2tsps oil, thinly sliced cooked artichokes, 2 tbsps lemon juice, 2 beef tomatoes (chopped), 140g brie (chopped), 2 tsps garlic powder.

Method:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, filled half way.
2. Cook the pasta until tender.
3. Drain the pasta.
4. In a large saucepan heat the oil on a low heat.
5. Add the artichokes and tomatoes to the pan.
6. Add the pasta to the vegetables.
7. Add seasoning, garlic powder, lemon juice and season to taste.
8. Heat the pasta through and divide the portions.

Brie Quesadillas

No Dieting 

So for a whole year I have rarely eaten foods considered unhealthy, but as is my usual tradition I taste sweet and gooey delights to celebrate.  Birthday cake, crepes, chocolates and fruity goodies.  I have had mango quesadillas before which were beautiful and so I have decided to try a new quesadilla recipe using peaches.  Who would have thought that brie, peach and chilli would be such an exciting combination.

This recipe was adapted from just five ingredients, (BBC Books, 2009). 

Ingredients:

Soft tortillas, 300g brie (chopped), 200g cooked breasts, (sliced and chopped), slices of mango, 1 tsp chilli flakes (per quesadilla), spring onions, salt and pepper. 

Method:

1. In each quesadilla scatter a handful of chicken breasts over the quesadilla.
2. Place a few pieces of brie and mango around the chicken slices.
3. Wash and chop up the spring onions and scatter on the chicken, mango and brie.
4. Season with the chilli flakes. 
5. Pre heat the oven.
6. Finish arranging the quesadillas sandwiching them with another tortilla. 
7. Grill for 5 minutes on both sides until browned and the cheese has melted. 

Blueberry Pancakes

Birthday Breakfast

I was unable to cook a week before my birthday.  As soon as it became December I caught a cold and a series of nasty migraines.  I was grateful that the cold came a week earlier, so as I rested I thought about a perfect birthday breakfast.  It had to be fruity, filling and… pink/ purple.  It had to be blueberry pancakes.

This recipe was adapted from Gordan Ramsey’s Ultimate Cookery Course (Hodder & Staughton, 2012).

Ingredients:

125g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt, 1 tbsp caster sugar, 2 eggs (separated), 100ml whole milk, 125g ricotta cheese, 100g blueberries, oil for frying, runny honey and Greek yoghurt to serve.

Method:

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl.
2. Make a well in the flour  and tip in the egg yolk.
3. Gradually add the milk and mix slowly.
4. Combine all of the flour.
5. Fold in the ricotta and the blueberries.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they reach soft peaks.
7. Fold the whites into the mixture.
8. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
9. Fry the pancakes in batches and cook on each side for about 4 minutes.
10. Divide onto plates and serve with Greek yoghurt and runny honey.