Christmas Countdown: Day 4: Apple and Blackberry Streusel

Another autumnal cake thing today, with blackberries and apples again... bit of a running theme apparently... oh well...

This is similar to something that I have made before... which I can't remember the name of...

Anyway, it is like a cake, with a fruity compote and then a crumble layer on top. What I have realized as I write this is that it is basically a crumble with a cake layer. The fruit used can be substituted with any fruit you want really, plum would be nice.

The cake is basically a normal sponge, a recipe to which is here. The fruit is then added on top, you don't have to do anything to it, all you have to do is rest it on top of the sponge. You then sprinkle a normal crumble which is made by mixing butter, sugar and a bit of cinnamon to give it that festive punch.

I don't have much to say about this as it is not my own recipe except that you should definitely try it as it is very warming as a pudding so perfect for this time of year.

Christmas Countdown: Day 2: Lemon Macaroons

No, not the most festive of treats, but treats none the less.

Anyway, for those who don't know a macaroon is basically a meringue with ground almonds and extra sugar mixed in to it, it is then colored, pastel shades normally, and then piped in to small discs. The discs are then stuck together using a butter cream or other paste.

I chose lemon flavor as that is what John Whaite makes. However, from what I can gather, the flavor comes mainly from the filling, not the macaroon itself, meaning that I made a yellow macaroon with lemon butter cream. Simple.

I have never attempted macaroons before, and to be quiet honest it was very hard and I nearly cried while trying to put the mixture in to the piping bag. WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT?!

I had, also, never eaten a macaroon before in my life, ever. So I don't actually know what it is supposed to taste like. But on a general cake scale they were yummy.

Mine were a little irregular after the whole piping disaster, which concluded with my having cake mix up my arm and on the verge of tears, but they were fine in other ways, and it's what is on the inside that counts!

Well that's what I tell myself anyway...

Christmas Countdown: Day 1: Gingerbread

HAPPY ADVENT!

In the run up to Christmas, I am going to post every single day.

So to start it all off... Gingerbread...

Usually when one thinks of gingerbread, one thinks of a gingerbread man and family altogether happily in their little gingerbread house. Or if you are of my generation (but mainly if you are younger), Gingi from Shrek...

(property of es.shrek.wikia.com)

Anyway this is not gingerbread like the above, this is proper gingerbread, as in bread-like consistency gingerbread, the hard core stuff.

The main difficulties with making gingerbread is that it contains black treacle, which is a pain to get hold of and rarely have in your cupboards so you have to go and buy it specially. However as luck would have it, there was a tin of it already in my kitchen cupboard....weird...

Gingerbread is made by heating butter (150g) with muscovado sugar (110g), ginger from a jar, sliced, (2tsp), cinnamon (1tsp) and a hell of a lot of golden syrup (200g) and black treacle (200g) together over a low heat so that they melt.

You could also add a bit syrup from the ginger jar to make it more sticky and gingery.

*QUICK TIP: Pour a bit of oil over the spoon which you are going to use to measure out the treacle as then it doesn't stick, it just slides off!*

Put 1tsp of bicarb in 2tbsp of hot water until it has dissolved and is cool. Then mix with 2 eggs and 230ml of milk. Add this to the mixture which has just cooled. 

Beat the liquid ingredients in to 300g of plain flour, sifted. Mix this thoroughly until there are no pockets of flour as I have found in the past that the flour tends to clump together, which isn't so nice when eating... 

Pour in to a greased rectangular tin of about 30x20x15. And bake for 45 mins.

Then I find that if you pour a lemon glace icing over the top using water, lemon juice and icing sugar. Left to set, the lemon cuts through the musky ginger flavor making a nice contrast, and decreasing the heaviness.

Perfect to get you in to the festive spirit.