been in a mood for baking and it's a season for rhubarb,

so made this

and how did I make it? easy:

shortcrust pastry:
250g of flour
1 tsp of baking soda
220g cold butter
100g light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tbs of ginger
                           
mix together, can be in a blender form the ball and chill for at least 30 min.

In a mean time make vanilla creme patissiere
600 ml of milk
100g of vanilla sugar
6 big egg yolks
40 g of plain flour
40 g of starch or corn flour

mix about 100 ml of milk with sugar, flour, starch and egg yolks. Boil the rest of the milk and then add the mixture and boil for half a minute. Make sure there are no lumps. take of the heat and cover with cling film so no skin will form.

Take a half to the dough and line a tray, bake it for approx 20 min until lightly golden in 180C.
When it's in the oven prepare rhubarb, about 600g of it. Cut  in a cm pieces, dust it with starch or corn flour, sugar and cinnamon.

Take the tray form the oven, spread rhubarb and cover it with creme patissiere, then cover it with the rest of the dough (can grate it to make even layer) and bake for further 40 min.

Cut, serve with coffee and enjoy.

Chocolate cake in a middle of the week.

Because why not?

for cake
200 g butter
200 g caster sugar
4 large eggs
250g self-raising flour
125g dark (80%) chocolate- melted

Cream butter and sugar together until smooth, then add eggs and flour and mix. On the end add melted chocolate and mix some more. Put into a lined round baking tray - not too big, approx 20cm diameter. Bake in 180C for 45 min, or until stick comes out clean :-).

Once is baked cool it a bit, then cut in at least 2 layers, 3 are better but its your choice.

Filling
300ml double cream
200g dark (80%) chocolate- melted

Whip the cream, when it holds its shape add melted chocolate and whip some more. Just not too much (double cream likes to change into butter if whipped for too long).

Put the layer of the cake, cover with cream mix and repeat as long as you have cream to put on the top.

Put the cake in a fridge for at least 2 hours, then enjoy with some coffee.

Daughters new bedroom and other activities

So after half a day of blood, sweat and tears (most of it from nearly 10 year old) daughters bedroom was finally finished. Resulting not only in putting new bed in and reorganising layout.

Several bin bags of rubbish and another 4 of clothes she doesn't want to wear or don't fit in any more and lots of books. So we embarked on a trip to charity shops to make donations, and to shopping centre to soothe those feeling that got hurt in a process.
I needed few basics (cotton pads, shower gel etc) young madam had a time of her life in Primark. Came out with 2 pairs of sunglasses, hat, flowery head band, and I don't know what else.
To soothe the Daddy's feelings (who had to put new bed together) we visited Hotel Chocolat. And believe me folks, every penny spent there is worth it. Best chocolate I have ever tasted. Rich, smooth, not too sweet.  Especially their dark selections. Daughter got him chilli penguins, he is going to enjoy that. I got this naughty, not so little packet and I intend to enjoy every piece of it (might share).

When we got back I made the dinner (jerk chicken and sweet potatoes with green beans) and made bread. In our home we often bake our bread, it's great for destressing.

Only minus is we often eat the first loaf straight from the oven. It's so delicious when warm.
And now, when I finish this post, I need to seriously do some studying. Exams very soon and  passed last year with first, would be embarrassed to go below that.

Birthday cake in the making :-)

So decision made, and because any recipe is just a suggestion I decided to mix and match.

My cake is going to be 2 tier thingy, bottom made of chocolate sponge and top of a poppy seed one. Where I came from poppy seed cakes are essentials for Christmas and Easter, so given my birthday is just a week from Easter - why not. Both cakes will be layered with white chocolate ganache and blackcurrant jam made by my friend. And maybe some of my raspberry curd (homemade of course).
So chocolate sponge:
6 eggs (separated)
150g caster sugar
115g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
40g melted butter (cooled)
pinch of soda bicarb
Vanilla (paste, extract or whatever you want)
All ingredients must be in a room temperature (not straight from the fridge- eggs, or boiling hot- butter).
Whip the egg whites till stiff, in separate bowl whip the yolks with sugar till creamy and light in colour, add melted butter top yolks and keep mixing. Add yolks with butter to whites and gently mix, add flour, cocoa and soda. Mix until smooth but still with lots of air. Prepare the baking tin, line it with paper or parchment. Put the mixture in a tin and bake @180C (gas mark 5) for about 30 min (or till stick comes dry). Then cut it into 3 layers. Et Voila.

Poppy seed sponge
5 eggs (separated)
150g caster sugar
2 tbs ground almonds
120g fine sponge flour
2 tbs corn or potato flour
1 tbs of baking powder (I give 1 heaped tsp of soda)
200g dry poppy seeds (blue ones)

Whip the whites till stiff, add the caster sugar, make sure its properly mixed. Add the egg yolks, keep mixing. Sieve the flours, powder and almonds, add poppy seeds, mix gently not to knock out the air from egg whites. Put in a baking tin (lined again) and bake for 45 min (or till stick comes dry) @180C (gas mark 5). When baked cut it into 3 layers again.

Then, spread jam on the chocolate cake, then put cream on it, and next layer.

And again, and again until you use all the cake layers, or cream, or it will get too high to fit in your fridge. Then spread cream on the top layer, decorate it the way you want and can. Enjoy.

ps. Poppy seed cake can be very dry,so it would do it good if you moisten it with alcohol of some sort (brandy is good) or lemon juice mixed with water and maybe some syrup.

pss. My ganache is definitely my take on recipe, as everywhere they say that you should melt chocolate in cream and the whip it when cool, with white chocolate it was always dieseaster. So I whip the cream until firm then add melted chocolate. At least it keeps its shape.

Birthday Cake

I know it's unorthodox to bake oneself a birthday cake, but here we go again. I don't like shop bought stuff (I like to know what exactly goes in it), and noone in my family can do it yet. My Daughter is too young (despite her best efforts to cook), and my husband who can cook - can't really bake. So I am off again, trawling internet for inspirations. My fave recepies website is http://www.mojewypieki.com/ it's entirely in Polish, but google translator can help a long way. So now I just need to decide which one to bake. And then in two weeks time I will have to bake another one, as it will be my husbands birthday :-) yummy.