Free Cakes For Kids - Ealing Young Carers Project Christmas Party

There is a fabulous network called Free Cakes For Kids. As with a lot of great things the idea is very simple. It's a network of people who love baking who offer to make birthday cakes for children who otherwise wouldn't get a cake. It's so sad to think some children might not have the simple joy of getting a birthday cake and so simple to fix! Details can be found on the Free Cakes for Kids website
http://www.freecakesforkids.org.uk/

There wasn't already a group in existence in West London so my sister and I have been busy setting one up over the last few months. Today some children who are young carers from the Ealing Young Carers Project will be enjoying our cakes as part of their Christmas party.

My sister made the cakes. The recipe is a basic chocolate cake with chocolate chips topped with dark chocolate icing piped with a Wilton 2D nozzle with a few topped with holly leaves made from fondant icing, red and green food colouring and a holly leaf shaped cutter.

Here they are boxes up and ready to go



This fits in quite well with both #letsmakechristmas and Random Bakes of Kindness #RBOKindness.

Recipe
100g margarine or butter (I use Stork)
100g caster sugar
75g self raising flour (I use supreme sponge flour)
25g cocoa powder
1/2tsp baking powder
2 eggs

Beat all the ingredients together. Once fully incorporated carefully spoon the mixture to half fill muffin cases placed into muffin tins. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on the top of each.

For the icing just add some slightly cooled melted dark chocolate. I use about 100g to regular buttercream. Have a look at my previous posts or let me know if you want the detailed recipe for buttercream.

Random Bakes of Kindness 4: Thank You to the Doctors and Nurses

Since reading about Random Bakes of Kindness on @vanessakimbell blog I have tried to do one every month and this month's effort is for probably the most deserving cause yet. My wonderful nan recently passed away, the post can be found here, and the doctors and nurses who cared for her during her short stay in hospital were nothing short of amazing, both to her and to my family whilst we stayed with her. Enough to restore your faith in the NHS!

To say a small thank you I wanted to take them some baked goodies and made some cupcakes, a tiramisu cake and a lemon drizzle cake. Now this probably sounds like a very large Random Bake of Kindness, however I was helping my sister make a three tier celebration cake and 100 cupcakes for her work's 10th anniversary party so it wasn't very difficult to make enough extra batter and play with the flavours where necessary.

For the tiramisu cake I used a 10oz mixture of vanilla sponge cake. See the full recipe here http://sarahskitchendiary1.blogspot.com/2011/10/tiramisu-cake.html?m=1. Unlike my last blog post I decorated the edge with chocolate coated biscuits and the top with a few chocolate covered coffee beans.




For the cupcakes I used about 4ozs of vanilla sponge and decorated them in a similar way to these
http://sarahskitchendiary1.blogspot.com/2011/10/bridesmaids-cupcakes.html?m=1 However due to the season I substituted the surprise strawberry for a spoonful of homemade raspberry jam and topped with white chocolate icing. Made in the same way as the previous post but adding 100g of slightly cooled melted white chocolate at the end.









I had to make a lemon drizzle cake as it was my nan's favourite. I've never posted the recipe before but it's very simple. I used about 4ozs of sponge batter before the vanilla went in and added the zest of one lemon instead. Once cooked but while it was hot and still in the tin I made holes all over the cake with a skewer and poured over a mixture of the juice of one lemon with granulated sugar mixed in.

If a cake isn't going to have icing in the middle I always use these fab liners from Lakeland. They save lining the tin, transport well and look professional if it's for a gift. Win win!

Random Bakes of Kindness 3: Cake and Cookies

I've been promising to take some baked goodies into work for ages so decided a Random Bake of Kindness was in order. I had the oven on anyway so it was easy to make a little extra.

I started by making some Millies Style Double Chocolate Chip cookies. They are always a crowd pleaser and very quick and easy to make. I forgot to take any photos but it is the same recipe as my very first post and there are photos there if anyone wants to take a look. The full recipe is below but basically you cream the butter and sugars together, add an egg and then add flour, cocoa powder, salt and chocolate chips. I always chop a bar of chocolate up as I prefer chunks to the small drops. I also tend to use white as I like the contrasting colour, but any chocolate works or even nuts, raisins or chunks of toffee. Bake them in an oven pre-heated to 180C for 7 mins before cooling on a wire rack. Don't be tempted to cook them for any longer if you want the lively chewy middle. Even if you don't think they're done I promise they will firm up! Once cool either serve as they are or drizzle with a little melted chocolate.

I also wanted to take a cake, but wanted to try a new recipe. Here in the UK there is definitely an autumnal feeling in the air. The nights are drawing in, the weather is getting colder and the leaves are falling from the trees. This time of year always makes me think of spices and warming flavours so it is the perfect time to try a recipe I've fancied making for a while. It's a Spiced Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting and is adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days recipe book and also used some of the many apples I have waiting to be used.

The full recipe is below but you start by cooking the grated apple, sugar, spices and apple juice in a pan. While it cools a little cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time followed by half of the dry ingredients the soured cream and the rest of the dry ingredients. Finally mix in the apple mixture and the walnuts. Put the mixture into two 8'' tins. Make sure they are lined and greased especially well as I found the cakes very sticky once baked. Bake for about 30 mins until a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. I found the cakes to be very sticky and crumbly so handle them carefully.

In the meantime make the icing. Put the egg whites and sugar in a heat proof bowl (make sure the bowl is scrupulously clean and no yolk sneaks in otherwise the whites will not whip) and place over a pan of water, taking care that the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk on a high speed for about 8 mins until the mixture forms stiff peaks and allow to cool for about an hour.

Once everything is cool sandwich the two cakes with approximately 4 tablespoons of icing and use the rest to cover the top and sides of the cake.

It was a really unusual cake and everyone was very complimentary. Especially about the icing which was very yummy!




Millies Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

125g butter, softened
100g light brown soft sugar
125g caster sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
175g self raising flour
50g cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
200g choc chips

preheat oven to 180
cream butter & sugars, then add egg
sift in flour, cocoa & salt, then choc chips
roll into walnut sizd balls or cut slices
place on ungreased paper
bake for 7 minutes for doughy cookies or 10 for golden edges
take out of oven & leave for 1 min before transferring to wire rack.

Spiced Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Icing

For the cake:
140g (5oz) unsalted butter or margarine
50g grated granny smith apple (around 1 apple)
60ml (2floz) apple juice
250g (9oz) soft light brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp ground nutmeg
1/4tsp ground ginger
2 large eggs
230g (8oz) plain flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
60ml (2 floz) soured cream
150g (5oz) walnuts chopped

For the icing:
3 large egg whites
125g (4 1/2 oz) soft dark brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 170C (325F, gas mark 3) and line and grease two 8'' cake tins

1. Melt 20g of the butter with the grated apple, the apple juice, spices and 75 g of the sugar until the liquid has reduced by about three-quarters
2. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add one egg at a time
3. Stir in half of the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt
4. Stir in all of the soured cream
5. Stir in the remainder of the dry ingredients
6. Stir in the apple mixture and pecans
7. Divide between the two tins and cook for about 30 mins until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean and then cool on a wire rack before icing
8. Make the icing by mixing the egg whites with the sugar in a heat proof bowl (ensure the bowl is scrupulously clean and no egg yolk gets in otherwise the eggs will not whip).
9. Place the bowl over a pan of water but make sure that the bowl doesnt touch the water. Whisk on a high speed for 6-8 minutes until it forms stiff peaks. Set aside to cool for about an hour.
10. Once cool place about 4 tbsp of icing onto one cake and then sandwich the other on top. Use the remainder of the icing to cover the top and sides of the cake.

Adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days

Autumn treats and Random Bakes of Kindness

I've spent the weekend at my parents so decided to go blackberry picking. Luckily the spot I picked had been well designed by mother nature and had wild apples growing next to the blackberries. My neighbour had also given me some walnuts from a tree in his garden.












I decided I'd make some blackberry and apple muffins with a streusel topping. I just made a basic sponge but used soft light brown sugar and added some cinnamon (4oz self raising cake flour, 4oz light soft brown sugar, 4oz butter or margarine, 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp baking powder and a scant teaspoon of cinnamon). I lined the tin with baking parchment rather than using muffin cases for a more rustic finish and once I'd put the mixture into the tins I popped a few blackberries and some diced apple on the top of each, picture below.






I then sprinkled with some streusel topping (equal amounts of butter and flour rubbed together until they resemble breadcrumbs, stir in the same amount of dark soft brown sugar, a few oats and chopped walnuts and another teaspoon of cinnamon). Here they are ready to go into the oven.





Then baked at 180 degrees for about 15-20 mins. Next time I think I'd add the streusel topping half way through the cooking time to get a better rise. They still tasted yummy though!

I had some leftover streusel topping so used it to make a blackberry and apple crumble by putting blackberries and diced apple in an oven proof dish and then sprinkled to streusel topping all over and baked for about 20 mins until golden.

I packed up some of the muffins and gave them to my 90 year old nan who doesn't bake for herself anymore and tends to buy rubbish cakes from the supermarket. She always appreciates homemade treats so
perfect for my first Random Bake of Kindness for the month :)

I also picked some rosehips and rowan berries so will blog about them once I've turned them into something edible!

Random Bakes of Kindness Two - Spelt Sourdough

I make most of my own bread as I prefer the taste and like to know what has gone into it. I decided to make a sourdough from Peyton and Byrne's British Baking book as I had some Doves Farm organic wholegrain spelt flour I wanted to try. I thought I'd take the opportunity to complete another Random Bakes of Kindness as suggested by @vanessakimbell

Sourdough is a really simple bread as there is no yeast and no kneading. You just mix it all up, working it as little as possible and shaping it into a loaf before baking.





Once out of the oven I had a lovely craggy loaf and two rolls. Delicious with some of the plum jam mentioned in my previous post. The two rolls I'm going to package up and give to my local big issue seller #RBOKindness

Random Bakes of Kindness

I have been meaning to start a blog for a long time and finally got the push I needed when @vanessakimbell started the idea of Random Bakes of Kindness #RBOKindness. It is so simple but such a lovely idea. I couldn't wait to give it a go. Basically you bake a few extra goodies and give them to someone deserving.

Last night I was making some triple chocolate cookies so I decided to make extra, parcel them up and give them to a friend of a friend who is going through a tough time at the moment. Well worth the small extra effort needed to put a smile on someones face!

I don't seem to be able to attach a photo to this post on my phone so for now will put the photo on twitter @skitchendiary.

I think this may well become a regular event...

Photo added!