London Baking or ‘The oven does as it pleases’

Welcome back me!!

Well I have been absent for AGES, but I made it. I have started my PhD, moved to London and grappled with new technology in the form of a shiny laptop and a much, much older oven.

Yesterday I had the evening to myself, and being young, free and broke I put the books down and thought I would try something I had seen on a lush blog call ‘Forages and Finds’.

http://foragesandfinds.blogspot.co.uk/

What I mean to say is, I had a feeling that my first baking attempt in a new oven would end in catastrophe. So I began with my favourite cake recipe:

Livi’s Chocolate Sponge Cake

200g plain flour

200g caster sugar

200g butter

4 eggs

50g cocoa powder

3 tablespoons of sour cream

splash of vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Its so simple, just mix all the ingredients in the processor, and split into 2 tins. Bake for about 30 minutes :0

So, everything went well until I checked the oven. One cake was cooking perfectly, the other was raw. I couldn’t even believe my eyes, so I just shut the oven and left it. 10 minutes later, one was burnt, the other was cooked.

I took them out, but unfortunately they had somehow burnt on the underside…?? I mean, they burnt through the tin.

I took a small Parks and Recreation break, did some work, had a sleep, came back, and did some cake trimming. Now I had two delicious, but slightly thinner, sponges. Seeing as they actually turned out pretty well I was conflicted, but I really wanted to try the trifle thing, so I froze half and trifled with the other half lolololol.

I made a super easy chocolate mousse, mixed some raspberries and crumbled the cake into layers and finished it with a splash of cream.

Pictures!!

 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 ❤