Nóirín’s Christmas Cake

Posted on 29/10/2011 by

My Granny (mum’s mum) was known for her cakes. All her baking was exceptional but her Christmas cake especially was renowned for its flavour, quantity and most of all its moisture. She used the same fruit cake recipe for wedding cakes and made lots of them. One was transported all the way to Boston on my dad’s knee for a wedding, and the one that comes to mind most often was for my aunts wedding. When the bride and groom cut the cake, the staff took it away to portion it out but shortly came out to tell my aunt that the cake was actually still uncooked in the centre. It wasn’t actually uncooked. That was just the way the cakes were, but for a few moments there was a fear that no one would get cake.

When my gran died we all realised that no more would there be 10 or more cakes baked in her small kitchen around this time of year for her family and neighbours. She always made her cakes early. It allowed the flavours to develop and she could tick them off the list. Anyway, when I was leafing through my other grans recipe book (my dad’s mum) I found Nóirín’s recipe. I was so happy and delighted and had a giggle at the fact that the two wonderful women had obviously sat down and exchanged recipes.

I had to take a couple of liberties when I was making the cake as the recipe as it is written literally has all the ingredients written down with the instructions “Mix, leave for a day and cook” No temperatures or steps. I worked from previous Christmas cakes I have made and it turned out okay.

There are a couple of steps you need to take before making the cake.
You will need a 12 inch tin – square or round is completely up to you.
Grease and line the tin with parchment paper. Then do it again. Around the outside of the tin, wrap a double layer of brown paper and tie in place with string. Cut out a double thickness size sheet of brown paper or parchment paper to sit over the top of the cake. Place all this to one side and start the fun part.

Ingredients

1lb raisins, 1lb currants, 1lb sultanas, 4oz glacé cherries, halved, 4oz mixed peel, 4oz whole blanched almonds, 4oz ground almonds, 2 large cooking apples grated, Juice and rind of 1 orange 1/3 cup brandy, 1tsp cinnamon, 1tsp nutmeg, 1tsp mixed spice, 1lb Butter softened, 1lb soft brown sugar, 1 & 1/4 lb plain flour, 5 eggs.

In a very large bowl add the raisins, currants, sultanas, cherries, mixed peel, both almonds, apples, orange rind and juice, brandy, cinnamon, nutmeg & mixed spice. Mix well ensuring that all ingredients are well combined. Cover and leave for 12-18 hours.

When you are ready to assemble the cake pre heat your oven to 150 C.
Beat the butter and sugar in a mixer until fluffy and light using the paddle attachment. You can also do this by hand but just make sure that the butter is very soft. Add the eggs one by one mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of your mixer at regular intervals to make sure that all the butter is well incorporated. Once the eggs are mixed in, add the flour in three parts again scraping down the bowl after each addition.
When you are ready, add the batter to the bowl of fruit and mix carefully to ensure that all of the fruit has been mixed with the batter.

Transfer to the lined tin and flatten with the back of a damp spoon. Cover the top of the cake with the brown paper and place into the oven for 3 hours and 50 minutes.

Check the cake after an hour and if the top or corners are beginning to brown too quickly, cover the top of the cake with an additional layer of tinfoil.

As all ovens are different, check your cake after 3 hours and then every 10 minutes after that. The cake should be firm to the touch but still have a little give. Test the centre of the cake with a toothpick which will come out clean when ready. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin. If you wish at this point you can “feed” your cake. Pierce a number of holes in the top of the cake and drizzle a 1/4 cup of the brandy you used in the soaking process over the top of the cake.

Once fully cooled, remove the cake from the tin and wrap in a double layer of parchment paper. Then wrap tightly in either tinfoil or brown paper. If you want a very strong cake feed it every week or so until Christmas. If not, leave in a cool, dry and dark place until Mr. Claus has been.

If you wish you can also ice the cake. I don’t like the icing as I find it too sweet but the cake? I would eat it all on my own given the chance.

If you can make your Christmas cake a minimum of 4 weeks before December 25th – it will give the cake flavours time to develop. And it will let you tick one more thing off your list!

Enjoy & Happy Baking
Orls xx

Posted in Christmas | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Sleepless In Seattle – Part One

Posted on 13/10/2011 by

Fall Flowers near Pike Place Market

You know I reckon that whoever wrote the film Sleepless in Seattle was obviously jet lagged. I sit here at 7am, writing this after being awake for the past hour. Like wide awake, no hope of going back to sleep awake. This is a vast improvement on our first night here when I woke at 2am for an hour before dropping off for another couple hours. Heres hoping tonight is a full 8 hours. I am not a great sleeper anyway, but this is just ridiculous.

Back in April or May, after a work distraction that involved pricing flights to the USA for Thanksgiving, Mr. C and I got to talking about taking a trip to Seattle. Why so far I hear you say? Well our dear friends live here and their beautiful son is celebrating his first birthday in a couple of days. As my birthday also falls at the same time of year, we carefully crunched some numbers and thanks to ebookers, a 6am flight from Dublin to Amsterdam followed by 10 hours in a plane, we figured why the hell not. So last Tuesday morning, with just 0.3kg before I shattered my weight allowance for luggage we checked into the shiny new Terminal 2 (I don’t care how much it cost, it is so pretty) and started humming “Leaving on a Jet Plane”

Fast forward 14 hours, some pretty awful food, not nearly enough sleep and me waking the plane while howling laughing at Bridesmaids, and then having a cry during Water for Elephants, we arrived in SEA/TAC International airport. To lashing rain. So we aren’t here for the weather then.

As I mentioned we are staying with our lovely friends, Mrs. D, her husband and their gorgeous, happy and fun son. We are staying in the lovely area of Ballard, which is about a 30 minute bus ride to Downtown. The area is really lovely. It is easygoing, and has an array of lovely, independently owned businesses with lots of coffee shops, bakeries, clothes stores, book shops and record stores. We went for a stroll on the first day, and got our bearings – well as much as you can on your first day in a strange city while battling through serious sleep deprivation.
As is the law in Seattle, we had a coffee. Mrs. D brought us into a lovely little shop called Fresh Flourss which serves strong strong coffee which did its job. While we had eaten before leaving the house, I spotted some Aduki Bean Pastries and brownies that I will definitely be heading back to sample.

I crashed pretty hard at about 8.30pm, which was almost the same time as the One Year Old. After a disturbed night sleep where I was tweeting at 2am Seattle time, I started my holiday the one way I knew would make me feel better. A 4 mile run. Seattle is made for runners. With a lovely runner and cyclist path out of Ballard towards Golden Gardens I ran past the water on one side with amazing views of the Puget Sound. It made me happy. My legs were a little heavy after the travelling, but it set me up for the day.

Mr. C and I headed Downtown to start the sightseeing, and to indulge in a little retail therapy. We started the day with a Duck Tour. Now after spending my J1 in Boston I was very familiar with the sight of WW2 Amphibious trucks driving round the city and quacking, and the Viking Splash tours in Dublin are the same. But for my shame, I had never been on one. I have missed out. We had the lovely Captain Dan driving the boat and it really is a great way to see a city. I would recommend taking the tour on the first day. It really gives you an idea of where you are, what places you would like to see later on your trip and an idea of how to get there. And floating around Lake Union gives you a pretty good view of the city.

Seattle from Lake Union

All the fresh air and lack of sleep meant that as soon as the tour was finished our tummies were rumbling, getting louder and louder so we decided that we would do the total tourist thing and headed for Pike Place Market. Pike Place is where the fish throwing takes place. Handsome young fishermen fling massive salmon and tuna at each other and tourists stand around oohing and aahing. Now call me skeptical, but I reckon these boys are too handsome to be working boats in terrible weather being battered by all the elements. Tanned and smooth skinned? I don’t buy it. Saying that, I know I wouldn’t be able to catch a 30lb fish being hurled at me.

We wandered a little through Pike Place and found ourselves headed towards Lowell’s which has ocean view seats or Market View seats. As you would expect the ocean view seats have a longer wait. We live beside the sea, so decided that the Market View would be fine. It was good to people watch too. While a little on the pricey side for lunch, we figured, we are on holidays and we have been pretty careful about money to make the trip.

Mr. C had a tuna melt with chips, which I settled on the first thing I spotted on the menu- a wild Salmon Filet sandwich, served with artichoke tartare, pickled red onion, field greens and tomato on a grilled kaiser roll. I was speechless through lunch. The fish was cooked perfectly and the pickles added a certain something to the flavour. I also ordered a glass of Merlot but ended up drinking less than one third of it. It tasted great, but I just wasn’t in the mood for wine. Having not drank in 2 months, my tolerance is not what it used to be.

Can we have a minute silence please for the amazing food?

After lunch, we popped into the Seattle institution that is Starbucks for a little pick me up.
We spent the next 2 hours wandering a little, ticking some items off my shopping list (Including a trip to Lululemon for some running/yoga gear)

Tonight, Mrs. D and I will partake in a little more shopping.

Our plans for the coming days include a trip to Vancouver on Sunday for my birthday. Well not for my birthday, it just happens that my birthday is on Sunday and we are headed for Van City on the same day…
Monday will involve me trying not to pass out when we take the elevator to the top of the Space Needle. There will also be a trip to the Chocolate Factory, some more shopping, lots more food, some running and of course the very important first Birthday celebrations of a very special little boy.

Right, I am off to cram some sleep into my day.

wish me luck.
Orls xx

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Raw Cacao Snack Bars

Posted on 09/10/2011 by

Mr C. and I are going travelling soon and part of that trip involves a long flight and a layover for a couple of hours in a mainly business flight airport. Now I don’t know about you but airport food isn’t my favourite thing in the world. It is an awful lot better than it was years ago but it is still mainly overpriced, over processed and not particularly healthy.
For that reason, when I travel I usually stash some food that I know I like and gives more bang for its buck nutritionally than a bun or plastic sandwich.

For this upcoming trip I needed something that was tasty, easy to carry and not smelly. Nothing worse than someone opening their onion and egg sandwiches when you are in a sealed container 30,000 odd feet in the air and you can’t crack a window.

These Raw Cacao snack bars are just the job. Inspired by the Nak’d Cocoa Loca bars they are ready in 5 minutes, are vegan and require no baking. Just a food processor and a parchment lined baking tray.

Ingredients

250g pitted dates, 160g porridge oats, 80g raisins, 60g cashew nuts, 30g cocoa powder, 10g almonds, 10g walnuts, enough apple juice to bind – about 15-20ml.

Place all the ingredients except the apple juice into a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together and is still quite tight. This means that the mixture will ball and will move around the processor bowl.
Turn the processor onto a continuous whizz (that is a technical term!!!) and add a little apple juice through the spout. Add little by little until the mixture loosens up and becomes smoother. You do not want it too wet or it will not set properly.

Once you have reached the consistency you want, press into your prelined baking tray. Leave a lip of about 1-2 inches of parchment over the top of the edge of the baking dish you are using. This will make it easier to lift the bars out of the tray when ready. I use an 8inch by 8inch but have used a smaller one for thicker snacks. Smooth the top of the bars down with the back of a wet spoon and cover in cling before placing in the fridge overnight to set.

When the bars are set, carefully lift them out onto a chopping board. Using a sharp and heated knife, slice the bars into the size you want. I cut mine into small squares. Store in an airtight box, using a sheet of parchment paper to separate the layers.

These bars will travel well. Wrap them in a small piece of parchment and place in a zip lock bag. Enjoy mid flight, safe in the knowledge that your fellow passengers will not hate you for stinking up the plane and may event ask you for a bite.

These bars, as well as being tasty, are healthy with no added sugar (make sure you use apple juice that is unsweetened) meaning that you won’t get any sugar highs or lows.

If you are travelling, you could also bring these Chocolate Coconut Banana Balls which are also a tasty and healthy snack.

Right, I must shoot. I have a mountain of ironing, laundry and housework to do before I even start packing. I am not looking forward to any of them. If anyone has an elf at a loose end who might want to help, then send him my way.

Have a great Sunday.
Enjoy,
Orls xx

Posted in cocoa, Oats, Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spicy Butternut Ginger Soup

Posted on 25/09/2011 by

Last year when I announced I was giving up eating meat, my lovely friend, Mrs. D, for my birthday, sent me a beautiful book called Love Soup by Anna Thomas. Containing 160 vegetarian recipes, the title (rightly) suggests that the book is packed full of amazing recipes for soups – light and chilled summer soups, soups that are almost a meal and zingy, tasty soups that will warm your soul on a cold day. I was in dire need of the latter early this week as the cold that I had been fighting finally took hold. I hadn’t really much of an appetite but I knew that I needed to eat something. I wanted something warm that would stick to my ribs so to speak, but also that had a little kick to try to stave off the stuffiness I was feeling.

Enter stage right, Spicy Butternut Ginger Soup. Ticking all the boxes above just by reading the ingredient list I knew I was onto a winner. And happily, I had all the ingredients in the veg box.
Prepping this recipe is the hardest part. Peeling, scooping and chopping. But it is worth it. Believe me.

Firstly you will need to preheat your oven to about 200C.
Ingredients
900g Butternut squash – Peeled and chopped with Seeds removed. I had a large squash and used nearly all of it. I had about 1/5th of the flesh left.
450g yellow onions- chopped into large chunks
225g potatoes-scrubbed and chopped into 1 inch chunks.
1tbs olive oil
1tsp salt
700ml vegetable broth
3tbsp finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
20g chopped coriander
2tsp rice vinegar (you could use white wine vinegar if you don’t have rice vinegar)
2Tbsp lemon juice*
1-2 tbsp honey *

*used for seasoning at the end, didn’t use either, and needed to add a little more salt as the squash can be quite sweet.

When you have carefully peeled and chopped the squash, potatoes and onions, place in a large bowl. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and toss until all coated. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and toss again. Place on a large baking tray or two medium ones and place in the oven.

Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, then turn the vegetables and reduce the heat to 175C and roast again for a further 20 minutes. At this stage the vegetables should be soft and browning on the sides.

Place the roasted vegetables into a large soup pot with 500ml water, and all of the vegetable broth. Add the fresh ginger, rice vinegar and coriander and simmer everything for about 30 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, or an upright blender, blitz the soup (in batches if needed) until smooth and then return to the pot. Add a little more vegetable broth or water if you think it is too thick. I found I added quite a bit of water towards the end.

Bring the soup back to a simmer and season with the lemon juice and honey if needed. Squashes will be quite sweet by their nature so taste before adding anything. I found I needed a little more salt and pepper as opposed to honey and lemon but tastes are individual so use your own palate for this one. I was keeping this soup for a few hours before serving so I also added a teaspoon of crushed chilli flakes to give it a little more of a kick. Just enough to warm it a little more and not enough to take over the heat from the ginger.

When you are ready to serve, dish up with a spoonful of creme fraiche and some fresh sprigs of coriander & warm brown bread straight from the oven. This soup will fill you up and warm you to the bones. Perfect for cool Autumn days.

enjoy,
Orls xx

Posted in Autumn, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Meals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pumpkin Scones with a Cinnamon Glaze

Posted on 18/09/2011 by

This week has been a bit all over the place for me. Mr. C and I spent the weekend in Kerry last weekend with a gang of friends & their babies. It was wonderful to see everyone, as it was just over a year since we were all in the same room. Without missing a beat, everyone fell into place, catching up with the gossip, eating good food and basically having fun. It was wonderful. The drive to and from Kerry was really long, and I managed to get a good soaking on Saturday morning when I went for a long run around Kenmare, but with some spectacular scenery, I didn’t really mind.

Gorgeous scenery in Kerry - on the Moll's Gap road from Kenmare to Killarney.

Fast forward a week and the cold I have been fighting has caught up with me. This made for a terrible Dublin City Half Marathon yesterday morning, and a craving for something nice that was simple to throw together but also contained Pumpkin – my latest craving. Come this time of year, pumpkin recipes & images flood the American Blogs that I read. And thanks to Fallon & Byrne in Exchequer St, I no longer have to smuggle it into the country when I visit family in the US. I have a recipe for Pumpkin Bread, but wanted something a little simpler. And these scones are perfect.
They come together quickly and the glaze is optional. I also added chocolate chips to the second batch of these I made. Can I have a yum yum?
This is a variation of an old scone recipe I had lying around. Trial and error is where it’s at.

Pre heat your oven to 220C and place a layer of baking parchment or Silpat on a baking sheet. Place to one side and assemble the scones.

If you have a food processor these will come together in a couple minutes. If not, don’t worry. Just use a large bowl and roll your sleeves up!

Ingredients:
300g Wholewheat flour
100g plain flour
100g caster sugar
85g butter – cold and cut into cubes
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp both ground cinnamon & ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional)
180g canned pumpkin (I use the Libby’s Brand available in Fallon & Byrne but in the past have used steamed and pureed pumpkin that you get in the supermarket)
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
75g dark chocolate chips (optional)

Place the flours, sugar, baking powder, spices & salt in the bowl of your food processor or in a large bowl & gently whisk together.
Cut your butter into cubes and add to the bowl. Pulse for approx 30 seconds, until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. If you are doing this by hand, rub the butter into the flour mix with the tips of your fingers until you have coarse bread crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk and pumpkin together. Add to the flour/butter mix and pulse again until the mixture just starts to come together. Do not over mix as this will make the scones tough.If you are making by hand, fold the wet min into the flour and combine until a soft dough forms.
If you are adding the chocolate chips, add them now and gently mix together.

Flour your surface lightly and turn the mix out onto it. Bring together into a disc and flatten out gently. Do not over work or knead the dough or your scones will be like bricks. I have been there. Take it from me!
Make the dough into a rough rectangle about an inch thick. Using your favourite shape, cut out your scones and place on your baking sheet. Leave about an inch between the scones.

Place in the centre of your oven and bake for about 15 minutes. As I say with all recipes, check the scones at about 12 minutes. If you have a hot spot in your oven (where one area of your oven gets hotter than another & tends to burn food) you will need to turn the scones half way through to ensure even cooking.

Fresh From The Oven - B.G (Before Glaze)

Once cooked – golden brown and firm to the touch – remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
While cooling, if you want to, you can make your glaze. This is not super thick. It is quite thin but will add a lovely extra flavour to the scones.
Ingredients;
150g icing sugar
1/2tsp cinnamon
2tbsp milk

Sift the Icing Sugar and Cinnamon into a bowl and gently whisk in the 2 tbsp milk. Whisk together quickly until combined and there are no lumps.

Spoon over the scones once cooled and leave to set.

When ready, gently heat in a warm oven, split open and slather with butter that will then melt all over your hands and chin as you eat it. Believe me, there is nothing that tastes better.

Enjoy,
Orls

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Plum Frangipane Tart

Posted on 04/09/2011 by

I am in the midst of my marathon training again. The Dublin City Marathon will take place on October 31st and I plan on toeing the line with everyone else. This is the time of year that weekends are planned around the LSR, or Long Slow Run (I prefer Long Sunday Run). If you do your long run on a Sunday morning, as I tend to, your Saturday is spent drinking lots of water throughout the day to make sure that you are well hydrated, and eating to make sure that you have enough fuel in your tank, so to speak, to get you through the long miles early on Sunday morning. Early nights and early mornings are also part of the deal. My social life is suffering terribly!

This time of the year is also when the harvest fruits are coming into their own. This recipe uses lovely Italian Plums, the last of the amazing batch I received a while back. However, it would be perfect with sliced apples, or I have even used pears and you could also use some of the plump blackberries that I spotted on my run this morning that are starting to ripen.

I made this tart last week when we had a friend staying, but I have to admit that I used it on Sunday Afternoon, to help refuel and restock some of the 1500+ calories I had burnt off after running 13 miles that morning. Refueling with this tart is definitely one of my favourite parts of marathon training!

You will need to make the sweet shortcrust pastry first and this can be made and blind baked the day before if you wish. I can’t remember where I got this sweet pastry recipe but it is my go to pastry for any dessert tarts that I am making.

You will need;
200g plain flour, 100g butter -chilled and cubed, 1 large egg – lightly beaten, and 1 tbsp icing sugar. For a frangipane crust, I also add a couple of drops of almond essence but don’t add for other recipes or it could change the taste quite a bit.

Place the flour, butter, icing sugar and almond essence in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add half the beaten egg and pulse again. You want the mixture to come together. Add more egg if needed but only add a little at a time as you do not want it to be too wet. Tip out onto a clean worktop and bring together in to a disc. Do not knead. Shape into a large disc about 2cm in height and wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for up to 30 mins.
If you want, you can do this stage by hand. Rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar until crumbly. Add the almond essence and a litte of the egg and bring together with a fork. Add as much egg as you require and tip out onto the work surface, following the steps as above.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out until it is larger than the tin you are using. I used a 23cm fluted tart tin with a removable base. I also roll the pastry out between 2 layers of cling film to stop it from sticking.

Line your tin carefully, gently pressing the pastry into the corners of the tin, and using your fingers, fold the pastry around the top of the tin, leaving about 1cm of a lip.
Line with tinfoil, and bake blind at 180C for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and remove the tinfoil and baking beans. Allow to cool and store in an airtight tin overnight, or set to one side while you prepare the filling.

For the filling you will need;
100g butter -softened, 100g caster sugar, 100g ground almonds, a couple drops almond essence, 2 eggs, 50g plain flour, 5-600g of pitted and halved Italian Plums.

Beat the butter, sugar, ground almonds and almond essence until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and beat again until smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixer and beat again until very smooth.
Pour into the prepared case and smooth out with a spatula. Now place the halved plums into the frangipane mix as you desire.Try to fill all space and while you may think you don’t have room, make room as the plums will lose some size when cooking.
Finally, if you so wish, sprinkle some flaked almonds over the top of the tart and place in the centre of the oven.
Bake at 190C, for 40 minutes. You will need to keep checking from about 25-30 minutes on. You want the top of the tart to be golden brown and firming to the touch, but still with a little give.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before trying to remove from the tart tin.

Place on a pretty cake stand, and replenish those calories with a little fresh cream and a nice strong coffee. This tart is delicious warm or cold. You could also bake this tart in advance and simply reheat in a warm oven for 20 minutes before serving if you had an occasion. Do not, however, reheat in a microwave – you will end up with nasty too hot pastry which will end up soggy and then rock hard taking all the good out of the work you have done.

And on that note, I am off to eat my way through the fridge. I had another long run this morning & I am starving. Its called a marathon effort for a reason you know!

What is your favourite autumn fruit, and what do you like to do with it? What are your tips for fueling pre run, and post run?

Enjoy,
Orls xx

Posted in Autumn | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cheesecake Topped Red Velvet Tray Bake

Posted on 29/08/2011 by

The first time I tasted Red Velvet, I was more impressed than the vibrant red colour in contrast to the show white icing and didn’t really pay much attention to the flavour. The second time I tasted it, I was blown away by how moist the cake was, and how light it was.

I was mooching around the house yesterday looking to pass the time. I had run in the morning and had walked the dogs and done my Saturday morning chores. Mr. C was away working and I was at a loose end. I wanted to bake something but didn’t want something heavy around as I knew I would be nibbling later on.

However, I had a craving for the cheesecake topping that I put on the top of my chocolate brownies. I had a rare moment of clarity (and remembered seeing something similar on my latest addiction Pinterest) and thought that the cheesecake topping would be perfect on a light and fluffy, and terribly tasty red velvet cake.

You will need to grease and flour a 9x13inch cake tin & Make the cheesecake topping first.

You will need 250g Cream Cheese, 75g caster sugar, 1 large egg yoke & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat together until smooth. Set aside and make the red velvet cake.

Preheat your oven to 180C.

You will need;

140g plain flour, 225g caster sugar, 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1/2tsp salt, 1/2tsp baking soda, 1 egg, 180ml sunflower oil, 225ml buttermilk, 1/2tbsp vinegar, 1/2tsp vanilla, red food colouring

Beat the egg into a bowl lightly with a wire whisk & add all the other wet ingredients and enough red food colouring to make really vibrant red. Err on the side of caution and add more as the colour will fade a little during cooking. It is hard to give a correct amount as colour will vary with liquid and paste as well as with various brands.

In a second bowl whisk the dry ingredients until combined. Now add the wet to the dry and whisk together until well combined and smooth.

Transfer into your cake tin and gently tap on the counter to remove any bubbles.
Now, take your cheesecake topping and pour over the top of the cake mix. Using a fork stir and swirl all around the cake mix.

Place in the centre of your oven and bake for approx 35 minutes. As with all cakes, check with a toothpick near the end of the time. Turn the cake half way through to ensure even cooking.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While waiting for it to cool completely, carry out some quality control on slivers of it. This is probably the most important part! Believe me.

Cut the tray bake into squares and store in an airtight tin for up to a week. However, if left lying around, this (below) may happen… just sayin.

This would be a perfect little treat in the lunch boxes of kids going back to school. Or teachers going back to the classroom after their long summer. Poor things.

Enjoy -
Orls xx

Edited on 21/9/2011 – I have changed the quantity of oil in this recipe as Jenn very kindly pointed out that there was an error in the measurements. My bad! You need 180ml oil. In all of my “sympathy” for the teachers and their long breaks, I hit the 2 instead of the 1. Happy Baking!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments