Churros

Hey Everyone,

After batter week of the Great British Bake Off, I've decided to make the Showstopper challenge, Churros! They're a really tasty street food and it's amazing to see them made by the street vendors, freshly cooked on the stand; I've always wanted to try to make them! They can be any size or shape, though typically they'll have a ridged surface because churros are piped through a star-shaped syringe-like tool called a "churrera", though a star-shaped nozzle on a piping bag is a suitable substitute.

Churros are believed to be originally from Spain and they are fried until the outside is crunchy, and then they're sprinkled with sugar (I added cinnamon to my sugar for extra flavour!) and they can often be found dipped in chocolate.
As the batter of the churros is quite wet in this recipe, the ridges in them mayn't be so obvious. This doesn't mean the taste isn't still amazing though!

They were very similar to a doughnut in taste and texture, as well as them being easier to make, so for those people who want to attempt making a doughnut, this may be a good place to start!
I found this recipe in my "big baking collection" set of books which means that anyone can make them! All the recipes in the collection have been tried and tested, and designed for children to make; they are surprisingly simple to make!

Churros - From "Mini cakes" in "The Big Baking Collection"

Ingredients -

• 25g Unsalted Butter
• 200g Plain Flour
• 50g Caster Sugar
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Litre Sunflower Oil, for deep-frying
• 1Tsp Cinnamon

1. Measure 200ml boiling water into a jug. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Sift together the flour, half the sugar and the baking powder into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the hot butter mixture, beating continuously, until you have a thick paste; you may not need all the liquid. Leave the mixture to cool and rest for 5 minutes.

2. Pour the oil into a large saucepan to a depth of at least 10cm, and heat it to 170-180 Degrees Centigrade. Keep the correct sized saucepan lid nearby and never leave the hot oil unattended. Regulate the temperature, making sure it remains even, or the churros will burn.

3. Place the cooled mixture into piping bag. Pipe 7cm lengths of the dough into the hot oil, using a pair of scissors to snip off the ends. Do not crowd the pan, or the temperature of the pan will go down. Cook the churros for 1-2mins on each side, turning them when they are golden brown. When done, remove the churros from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Switch off the heat.

4. Mix the remaining sugar and the cinnamon together on a plate, and toss the churros in the mixture while still hot. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving still warm.

Please Enjoy!!!

Dampfnudel!

Hey Everyone,

So, Bread Week of the Great British Bake Off and once again I've decided to do the technical challenge; this time dampfnudels!
For those who don't watch the Bake Off, a dampfnudel is a sort of sweet dumpling, served usually with plum sauce and a vanilla sauce. The dough also has a slight taste of orange too, so that flavours all compliment each other very well!

 Dampfnudels are originally from Germany (though they are popular in Alsace, France) and they are unusual because instead of being baked in the oven, they are steam over the hob. They're very famous in Freckenfeld and Kandel, Germany where they have the dampfnudel city gates!
The ones that I made were very tasty and where definitely better warm. I'd advise that if you make them, to have plently of people ready to eat them, as the recipe makes twelve and dampfnudels are surprisingly filling Also, whilst making them, don't lift the lid off the pan until very near to the end of your time cooking or the dampfnudels won't rise enough!

Before watching the Bake Off, I'd never heard of a dampfnudel before and didn't have a recipe for one, so I went on the BBC Food website and found the Paul Hollywood recipe which I found worked really well!

Dampfnudel - By Paul Hollywood

Makes 12

Making Time - 1-2 Hours

Cooking Time - 30 minutes to 1 hour

Ingredients -

• 500g Strong White Bread Flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100g Caster Sugar
• 7g Fast-Action Yeast
• 150ml Milk, warmed
• 2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
• 70g Unsalted Butter, melted
• 1 Lemon, finely grated zest only
• Vegetable Oil

Plum Sauce

• 4 Ripe Plums, roughly chopped and stones removed
• 1 Medium Orange, juice only
• 50g Demerara Sugar
• Pinch Ground Cinnamon

Vanilla Sauce

• 150ml Milk
• 150ml Double Cream
• 3 Large Egg Yolks
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1 Tsp Plain Flour
• 50g Caster Sugar

Poaching Liquid

• 25g Unsalted Butter
• 150ml Milk
• 25g Caster

1. For the dampfnudel, tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar to one side of the bowl and the yeast into the other. Add the milk, eggs and butter and turn the mixture round using your fingers until you have a rough dough and have picked the flour from the sides of the bowl.

2. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 mins. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin. Scatter the lemon zest on top of the dough and knead until evenly incorporated.

3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for at least 1 hour until doubled in size. Meanwhile, for the plum sauce, tip the plums and orange juice into a large saucepan. Sprinkle over the sugar and cook over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil for 10 mins, squashing the plums using a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the cinnamon. Leave to cool slightly, then blend to a thick sauce. Set aside.

4. For the vanilla sauce, heat the milk and cream in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat to just below boiling point then remove from the heat. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, vanilla paste, flour and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Pour over the warmed milk, whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a very low heat for 3-4 mins, stirring continuously until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside. Cover the surface of the sauce with cling film, to prevent a skin forming.

5. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Turn inwards repeatedly until all the air is knocked out. Divide the dough into twelve pieces and roll into balls. For the poaching liquid, heat the butter, milk and sugar in a large sauté pan with a tight fitting lid over a medium heat for 5 mins or until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and, taking care not to burn yourself, add the dough balls, ensuring that they are all sitting on the base of the pan. Leave to stand for 15 minutes until doubled in size.

6. Reduce to a low heat and cook, covered, for 25-30 mins (keep an eye on them as they will burn easily, so check them towards the end of the cooking time and add a little milk if they start to catch). Remove the lid and cook over a low heat for a further 5-10 mins until the bases are golden brown and caramelised. Meanwhile, gently reheat the plum and vanilla sauces.

7. Remove the dampfnudels from the heat and carefully lift the pan with the golden crust upward, with the warm plum and vanilla sauces alongside.

Please Enjoy!!!

Passion Fruit Viennese Whirls

Hey Everyone,

So week two of the bake-off was Biscuit Week! This time I've decided to attempt making the technical challenge, the Viennese Whirl, though this version has a slight twist as it has less traditional flavour of passion fruit instead of strawberry! Instead of using jam, the cream is flavoured with the juice of the passion fruit.

I found the recipe in the Waitrose Magazine from March and they are very simple to make with amazing results, as both the cream and the biscuit itself is flavoured to ensure that it has the best taste possible! As I couldn't find any fresh passion fruit at my local supermarket, I bought passion fruit juice instead as an easy alternative which gives just a just as delicious finish as the fresh fruit would have done!

The biscuits had a very soft texture to them and the mild flavour of the passion fruit was subtle, but still very moreish! If you find it difficult to pipe your biscuits, the mixture is most likely a little too thick, why not try adding some more juice (if you have some) to loosen it up more!

Passion Fruit Melting Moments - From "Waitrose Magazine, Issue 72 March 2016 Edition"

Makes 14

Making Time - 25 Minutes, plus cooling
Cooking Time - 25 Minutes

Ingredients -

• 4 -5 Large Passion Fruits
• 250g Salted Butter, room temperature
• 60g Icing Sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 230g Plain Flour
• 75g Cornflour

Buttercream

• 100g Salted Butter, room temperature
• 150g Icing Sugar, sifted

1. Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees Centigrade/Gas Mark 4. Halve each passion fruit and scoop the flesh out into a sieve, pressing down with the back of a spoon to release the juice (you will need 4 1/2 tablespoons in total).

2. For the biscuits, cream together the butter and icing sugar with electric beaters (or in a freestanding mixer) until pale. Sift in the flour and cornflour and add 2 1/2 tablespoons of the passion fruit juice and add 2 1/2 tablespoons of just boiled water. Beat until the mixture comes together; scrape down if needed.

3. Attach a large star nozzle to a piping bag and fill the bag with the mixture. Pipe 28 x 5cm rosettes onto parchment-lined baking sheets, about 3cm apart. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then cool fully on a wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, make the passion fruit buttercream by beating together the butter, icing sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons of passion fruit juice until pale and fluffy. Sandwich the biscuits together using a generous amount of buttercream and finish with a dusting of icing sugar.

Please Enjoy!!!

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Hey Everyone,

Sorry for not updating in so long, but as it's my holidays I've been away or busy!
So, as (hopefully) most of you are aware, the Great British Bake Off has started again and I've decided that every week I'm going to make either the signature bake or the technical challenge from episode two weeks before...
Therefore, I'm doing the signature bake from week one, which was Lemon Drizzle Cake.

The recipe I'm using is one that I borrowed from my Mum's friend Anne, which she said was foolproof and isn't too sweet from the combined sugars in the cake and the drizzle, as well as it having a very distinct lemon flavour!

The cake itself was moist and very light, taking only 30 minutes to bake, the prep time taking only 15 minutes as well. Also, it's possible for the lemon to be substituted for orange, making a slightly tangier than the lemon, though the flavour is slightly more subtle.

Anne's Quick and Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake

Making Time - 10 Minutes
Baking Time - 30 Minutes

Ingredients

• 6oz Butter, melted
• 3oz Caster Sugar
• 6oz Self-Raising Flour
• 1 Large Egg or 2 Small Eggs
• 2 Lemons zest

Drizzle

• 3oz Granulated Sugar
• 2 Lemons Juice

1. Set the oven at 180 Degrees Centigrade/Gas Mark 4, then mix the melted butter and caster sugar together. Add the eggs and lemon zest to the butter mixture.

2. Sift in the flour and mix thoroughly. If the mixture is too thick then add a bit of milk. Now pour the mixture into your prepared cake tin. (An 8 inch spring-form tin is the ideal size.)

3. Meanwhile, squeeze the juice from the lemons into a bowl with the granulated sugar. Mix well. Once the cake is baked, allow it to cool briefly, before you prick the top of the cake with a skewer. Then spoon the lemon juice and sugar mixture over the cake after it has been removed from the tin. Let it cool further before eating.

Please Enjoy!!!