Busy Day

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For the first time in weeks I actually had some time to myself yesterday while my parents took my brother to Uni (god how time flies, I can’t believe he’s starting Uni – so pleased for him getting into Liverpool, he did so well). So I took advantage of that and the good weather. Popped out for a couple hours sorted out a parking issue for an event I’m running next week and while I was there went in Morrisons. 60 tulip bulbs and 1 Helebore Christmas Rose later and home I came. I’ve already been getting spring bulbs and now have over 100 to plant (hehehe so much fun). So far I have 12 Snowdrops, 20 Chinodoxia Snow Glories, 5 Hyacinths, 50 Alliums, the 60 tulips and god knows how many bluebells I’ve managed to dig out of the garden over the past few months.

Got home and since the sun was actually shining had a pleasent hour or so in the garden planting bulbs in the section of border by the deck. I’ve already planted the Hyacinths and a few Chinodoxia’s in a pot on the deck. Just need to get something to keep the blasted squirrel out, damn thing was digging up my herbs the other day grrr. Still loads left to do yet but I was loosing the light and needed to do some baking so I packed up. Am hoping the weather is good enough to go out a few nights in the week.

When I’d packed up and washed up I got busy baking. Been meaning to bake some cakes for work for the past month or so, celebrate my exam results and to thank everyone for their help in getting those exam results. So a few hours later and we had 1 Marscapone and Lime Torte, 1 Apple cake (made with home grown apples) and god knows how many Fairy Cakes. This was the end result (not including fairy cakes):

Couple of recipes for you, both of which seem to be well recieved by my colleages, especially the torte.

Marscapone and Lime Torte:
Ingredients:
2 × 250g tubs Marscapone Cheese
40g Icing Sugar (sifted)
Lime and Zest of 3/4 limes
200g Ginger Nuts (crushed – a quick whizz in the food processor works brilliantly)
50g Melted butter

Method:
1. Mix the crushed ginger nuts and melted butter together
2. Press firmly into the base of an 18cm spring sided loose bottomed cake tin and chill (I tend to forget to chill at this stage, it doesn’t seem to make much difference)
3. Beat/cream together the marscapone cheese, icing sugar lime zest and juice.
4. Spread evenly over the ginger nut base.
5. Chill for at least 30 mins before serving.

Easy. We used to get a couple of fresh mint leaves, spread melted chocolate over them and chill. Once the chocolate had hardened we would carefully peel away the mint leaves and voila mint chocolate decoration. Otherwise a bit of grated chocolate or a bit more lime zest works well as decoration.

Apple Cake
Ingredients:
225g self raising flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
75g butter
150g caster sugar
1 large egg
150ml milk
500g/2 large bramley cooking apples
25g melted butter (I don’t always bother)
50g granulated sugar
1 level teaspoon ground cinamon
Lemon juice

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl.
3. Add the butter in pieces and rub together until the mixture resembles fine crumbs
4. Stir in the sugar
5. Combine the egg and milk and mix with a fork to break up the egg
6. Add to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
7. Beat the mixture well for 1 minute to get a soft cake batter
8. Turn the mixture into the cake tin (30 × 20x 2.5cm well buttered)
9. Prepare the cake mixture by brushing melted butter over the mix (I tend to forget this step)
10. Thinly slice the apples and place on the cake mix in neat overlapping rows to cover all the batter.
11. Brush lightly with lemon juice (to taste and to stop the apples turning brown)
12. Mix the granulated sugar and ground cinamon in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the whole surface
13. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 – 15 minutes.

The recipe suggests also scattering pecans over the cake (before the sugar and cinamon). I don’t since I can’t stand Pecans. Quick note, you may want to reduce the amount of granulated sugar. It always seems to be a huge amount of sugar to me.

Enjoy :)

• 19 Sep, 2011
• 8 likes

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