Marmalade and Ginger Cake

Wow….just in the knickers of time! Nearly broke my news years resolution, but here I am, and with an original recipe no less!

This weekend was one of the best. As a house, we are so , upsettingly broke that any weekend activity we decide upon can’t really cost more than four pounds. So on Saturday we walked (yup walked) from Bow to Hackney City Farm, from there to Shoreditch, then to Brick Lane and up to Aldgate East. I spent £3.90, which included an amazing white chocolate hot chocolate from Brick lane Coffee House and a cream cheese bagel from  Beigal Bake, the 24 hours bakery, also on Brick lane.

Hackey City Farm was so cute; just a small scale toy farmyard surrounded all around by large, old school factory conversations. I didn’t see the cats, which was sad, but there was a couple of incredible chilled out pigs, and a seriously happy goat, so it was well worth it- especially for free.

So feeling pretty awesome after a day exercising, seeing more of East London which is swiftly becoming my home and eating bread, I was more than happy to just hang out, and create this cake. Notice- definitely replace half the butter for cream cheese if you are not into sweet cakes…Unfortunately, like all my recipes, this was created from nowhere, and I didn’t write it down, so bear with my whilst I remember it.

Livi’s Marmalade and Ginger Cake.

4oz Butter

4oz Caster Sugar

2 Eggs

3 heaped tablespoons of marmalade

2 tablespoons sour cream

2oz Self-Raising Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

The zest of 3 Clementine

3 tsp of Ginger

3 bulbs of stem ginger in syrup, diced into tiny pieces

Icing

1/2 packet of butter

icing sugar

2 tbsp of the syrup from the jar of stem ginger

1tsp of ginger

Glaze

The juice of 3 clementines

Icing sugar

Method

Cream the sugar and butter

Add the eggs, one at a time

Mix in the marmalade

Add everything except the stem ginger, and mix

Add the stem ginger and fold it in to the mix.

Divide between two greased baking tins and bake at 180c until a skewer comes out clean.

To make the icing, gradually add the ginger and the icing sugar to the butter and the syrup until it has the consistency of buttercream. Beat it to avoid it separating and dimpling, then spread over the cooled cake.

Mix the juice with a small amount of sugar until it because thick enough to drizzle and then……drizzle it (!) all over!

Decorate with ginger or slices of orange.

So…..I am actually really happy with this cake, its so light acos of the sour cream, and the marmalade and ginger go so well, this cake feels medicinal…..Make it and tell me what you think!

Photo’s!

Sorry about my lack of camera, hopefully beautiful pictures will return soon.

❤ Stay Unchained

 

Back to Beautiful Basics

Sometimes a Victoria Sponge is enough.

Livi’s Victoria Sponge

8oz Flour

8oz Golden Caster Sugar

8oz Butter

4 Free-Range Eggs

2 tsps of Vanilla

2 tsp Baking Powder

To Finish:

Whipped cream

Fresh Strawberries

Icing Sugar

Put everything in a food processor, until the mixture drops from a wooden spoon. If the mixture is too dry, add some milk.

Split between two 20cm greased sandwich tins and bake until a skewer comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes.

When cool, fill with whipped cream and strawberries and sieve icing sugar over the top.

Stay Unchained<3

Paris on my mind.

This week I had a bit of  a Paris longing, which I haven’t had for years. Paris is one of my favourite cities on Earth- the pastry, the buildings, the creme brulee, the tart aux fraises, the atmosphere, the croissants, the chocolat chaud, and as I believe I have made clear on several occasions, the macarons. As my American and I have not yet been there together, my memories are largely food, not romance, related.

Staring at some large green cooking apples, I began dreaming of tarte tatin, and whether I could try something a bit different.

Livi’s Apple and Caramel Tart

A couple of large cooking apples

1 cup of Butter

1/2 a cup of Dark Sugar

For the pastry:

6oz Flour

3oz Butter

pinch of salt

In a food processor, blitz the flour and butter until it forms a dough, adding a few tablespoons of water if needed.

Roll, and line a flan tin. Prick with a fork and bake for ten/ fifteen minutes, until golden.

Core and peel the apples, and cut them into thin segments.

Melt the remaining butter, and add the sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring, until a golden caramel forms.

Add half the apples, and cook until soft, fill the case. Save the remaining liquid.

Spread the remaining apples on top in a fan shape, and bake for 20 minutes.

Cover the tart with the remaining caramel, and place under a hot grill for 10 minutes, keeping an eye on it to prevent burning.

Serve with marscapone.

The result is a caramelly applely reminder of the beautiful city of lights (and cakes, cream, pastry, etc). The caramel flood the apples and the pastry and is gloriously messy. Magnifique ❤

Stay Unchained ❤