Birthday treat at Teacup Kitchen

Yesterday was my birthday. I won't divulge how old I was, but let's just say I was one step closer to 40!

For the last few years, I've used my birthday as an excuse to make a cake that I've wanted to try for a while. But this year I was kinda caked out. Last week was a busy one in the Bakehouse.

So we went to Teacup Kitchen on Thomas Street in Manchester.

My children (aged 5 and 7) had a large piece of Rainbow Cake between them. The cake slices are BIG, so one between them was more than enough.

It was like a battenburg style cake, jam in between the layers and wrapped in marzipan. And it certainly pleased the children :)

The other half and I plumped for cream tea with two different flavoured pots of tea, which also comes with free refills. There is a substantial range of teas to choose from, and we learnt ours needed four minutes to brew, being provided with an on the table egg style timer to make sure we left it for the optimal time. A very nice touch :)

The scone was delicious...

 

And certainly made a good replacement birthday cake!

 

I'd love to return here with some girlfriends, and we could try a selection of the cakes, the afternoon tea also looks very tempting!

 

 

 

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Experimenting with Lakeland's agar agar (part two)

Well, after the success of the panna cotta recipe, I decided to give marshmallows a go! I've wanted to make these for ages, so this was the perfect excuse. Like the panna cotta, I thought it was going to be a difficult process and take a long time, but quite the opposite was true.

 

Homemade marshmallows are quite unlike ones that you buy in the shops. Soft, fluffy squidgy, melt-in-the-mouth clouds of sweet vanilla-y yumminess. I don't think I'd describe shop bought ones in the same way!

 

 

So here's the recipe:

 

Homemade marshmallows

3 egg whites (I used Two Chicks)

250g sugar

100ml water

1 tbsp. honey

1 tsp agar agar powder

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

icing sugar

pink food colouring

 

 

Method

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the agar agar powder in the water.

2. Pour this into a saucepan, with the sugar and honey and warm to a medium to high heat until the syrup mixture has reached 121 degrees.

3. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until they are firm.

4. Add the food colouring and the vanilla bean paste.

5. When the syrup is ready, pour it slowly into the egg whites and continue to whisk.

6. Line an 8" x 8" baking tin with parchment paper, and pour the marshmallow mixture in the prepared tin and use a spatula to spread it.

7. Allow it to dry for 10 hours. It's usable after a couple of hours, but will firm up more if you leave it for longer.

8. Cut it into squares and roll in the icing sugar.

 

I found that it was better if I allowed the icing sugar to dry off a bit, and then rolled again in the icing sugar.

 

Looks yummy doesn't it? I have to admit, it is quite sticky so if you were thinking of giving it as a gift, you might need to roll it in the sugar again, or even pack it in layers of sugared parchment paper.

And if you think squares are a bit on the boring side, how about cutting shapes instead?

I know, almost too cute to eat right? Almost....

You can buy agar agar from Lakeland here.

I was given the agar agar product to use by Lakeland, but all views are my own.


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Review of Lakeland's Say It With Biscuits Kit

Instalment number two of this weeks' Lakeland product reviews! And this time I got to play with gingerbread dough and stamps!

 

This is the Say It With Biscuits Kit. Three silicone stamps, the wooden 'handle' that they fit on to for easy stamping, a cutter, recipe booklet and 6 very sweet gift boxes should you be able to bring yourself to give them away! It all comes packaged in a cute box so would make a great present for a baker.

 

I used my own gingerbread dough recipe, but the booklet does contain some lovely looking recipes. It includes a sable (basic) biscuit recipe, that you could easily flavour using a splash of vanilla or almond extract, or grated zest of lemon or orange for further biscuit flavours. There is also a ginger biscuit recipe, a chocolate one (that will definitely get tried in this house, chocoholics? Us?!), and recipes for oat and raisin, choc chip, and even a savoury cheese one. There are also ideas and recipes for filling the biscuits, should you wish to sandwich them together.  So definitely lots of ideas to get you started!

 

If you have your own favourite biscuit recipe you could also use that of course, but it needs to be a dough which can firm up when chilled, so the pattern doesn't spread when baked. The instructions recommend chilling the dough before baking, but I'd also recommend chilling after cutting the biscuits for at least 20 minutes, especially if you are re-rolling the scraps of dough after the initial lot of cutting, as the warmth of your hands will warm the dough up too.

 

Using the stampers is easy. They fit snugly onto the wooden handle, and you can use this to push the stamper into the dough. I would say you need to push it quite firmly into the dough to make a good deep imprint. You need to bake them for the time according to the recipe, so check that for details.

 

 

 

You can see I have two sizes of biscuits on the picture above. The larger ones are made using the cookie cutter that comes with the kit, but I also had a go with a smaller round cutter I have to see what it would look like. I think they both look great. And if you were feeling generous and were going to give more than one away as a gift, I think the mixture of sizes would look lovely in a kilner jar with a ribbon tied around it.

 

 

 

And if you fancy a bit of extra indulgence, how about sandwiching two together with milk chocolate ganache? Mmmmmmm!!

 

I haven't tried it yet, but I would also imagine that you could use these stampers with sugarpaste to make toppers for cupcakes, you would probably just need to add a smear of vegetable fat like Trex to the silicone stamper before using it to make sure it didn't stick.

 

The stampers have three different patterns: hearts, flowers and a Made For You stamp. They could be used on their own or together, and would make a good gift for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and birthdays....and many other occasions in between. If you like to make homemade gifts and are handy in the kitchen, this could be a good investment for you. With so many variations of flavours, stampers, shapes, and how you could package them you could produce a different gift every time!

 

You can buy the kit here.

 

Although I was given the kit for free to review, all the views and opinions expressed are my own.

 

 

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Valentine's collection 2014

The Valentine's Collection for Marie's Bakehouse is now available for ordering.

 

Chocolate chip heart shaped cookies, available in white, milk or dark chocolate, and covered in heart sugar sprinkles.
6 wrapped in a gift box, £5, one flavour choice for order.

 

 3 fudge hearts wrapped in a gift box £6.50.

Available in many different flavours including milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk choc and orange, white choc and lemon, milk choc with fruit and nut, dark choc and peppermint.......and many others besides.....one flavour choice per order.

 

 3 Tiffin hearts £6.50
Both available in a variety of flavours such as Malteser, Mint Aero, Orange Aero, Rolo, Smartie.....

or another one of your choice.
  Order consists of one flavour choice.

Tiffin hearts also available in a large size, same flavours available as before.

Gift wrapped for £13.

 

Large fudge hearts, flavours available as previously, gift wrapped for £13.

Large Brownie Heart- Crispy on the outside, dark and gooey on the inside.

My daughter's favourite thing that I bake!!
Gift wrapped for your Valentine! £12

and finally.....

 

Let me know if you would like to order! Last orders taken on Sunday 9th February.

 

Marie x

 

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Review of Lakeland's Fairytale Village Mould

I already own the Lakeland Fairy Tale Cottage Mould, which I had great fun using and putting together this Christmas themed chocolate house...

 

 

...but this house is big- I used 1.6kg of chocolate and chocolate paste to make and decorate. So when I was sent the Fairy Tale Village Mould I was interested to see whether it would be as easy working with the chocolate house mould in miniature.

 

The mould has enough parts to make four teeny houses, either in chocolate or gingerbread (of course I chose chocolate, yes you know me well!) with mini people and also some trees.

 

Top tips for using this smaller mould would be to use a cocktail stick or similar to ease the chocolate into the tiny gaps for the people's arms and legs. And also, when you are pushing the chocolate out of the moulds, made sure you do it straight away when you take it out of the fridge. If you have hot hands, or the kitchen is warm, the chocolate can start to melt straight away on these smaller parts as you handle them. I made the mistake of leaving mine out for a while before I tried to remove it, and left some of the people's legs behind- hence them being stood in a mould of 'snow' in the picture.

 

I've decorated my house using sugarpaste in red and white because I love those Christmassy colours together, but the possibilities are endless. My two girls are looking forward to decorating the other houses with sweets at some point before Christmas.

 

So here's the house...

 

To give you some idea of size, it's sitting on a 7" square board.

 





I would recommend this mould. They would make a lovely centrepiece for a dessert table displayed altogether on one board, or would make great gifts individually like this one. You could even fill it with sweets before you seal the roof.

I also think this would be great for other times of year. They'd look great in white chocolate, decorated with pastels and made into an Easter Egg hunt theme, or even lined up like beach huts for a summer dessert table.

This is definitely a product I'll be using again.

You can buy it from Lakeland here: http://www.lakeland.co.uk/18207/Fairy-Tale-Village-Mould

I was not paid to write this review, but was sent the mould free of charge. All views are my own.


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Review of Lakeland's Silicone Chocolate Box Shapes

Another Lakeland toy to play with? And it involves chocolate? Definitely count me in!

I've had experience with making chocolates with a hard plastic chocolate mould before, but not with silicone, so it required a bit of thinking about how to go about it, as the methods I used for a rigid mould wouldn't work so well with a flexible one.

I decided to apply the melted chocolate with a paintbrush which helped get the chocolate in all the places required, especially with the more intricate designs. In hindsight, it may have been better to let this harden, and then apply a second coat, as a couple of the chocolates didn't come out without breaking, but that's something to try next time.

I made a caramel sauce, and poured it into the chocolate mould once they had been in the fridge for about an hour (I was busy doing other things at the time, I don't think it necessarily needs this long). I left a space at the top of each mould- I didn't fill it completely to the top.  And then popped the mould back into the fridge.

After about half an hour, I melted more chocolate and added this on top of the caramel, then it went back in the fridge again to set. I tried to pop them out after half an hour, but this perhaps wasn't quite long enough as a couple of them cracked on coming out, so I chilled them for a bit longer (this could have been down to having too thin a coat and not the chilling time- I will need to experiment with this).

Second time lucky, the rest popped out without a problem, by pushing the mould from underneath.

I'm really pleased with how they look!

 

Not perfect, but pretty fab for the first attempt I think!

 

I'd definitely use this mould again. The chocolates would be great for presents, not just at Christmas time, but for birthdays, Mother's Day, and I'd also think about using them on my dessert tables.

I'm looking forward to trying out different flavour combinations- I think salted caramel and a chocolate orange ganache will be two I'll be trying out soon!

If you fancy giving them a go, you can buy them from Lakeland here: http://www.lakeland.co.uk/16442/Silicone-Chocolate-Box-Shapes

I was not paid to write this review, but was sent the mould free of charge. All views are my own.

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Peppermint Bark Mould from Lakeland

I love making new things in the kitchen. I get terribly bored doing the same thing over and over again. So an opportunity to play with a new toy is a definite winner. Team that with chocolate, and the fact it's from Lakeland, a shop that regularly does serious damage to my bank balance, well it's got to be a win-win situation!!

The Peppermint Bark Mould is incredibly easy to use. It comes with two sections, so you can make two lots at the same time, but do be aware that the instructions on the packet are for one side, not both, so double up if you are making two.

Melt 200g of milk chocolate, and pour half in each side of the mould, making sure it spreads out to all corners. Pop it in the fridge and go and do something else for a bit. Then melt 200g white chocolate and pour on top of the milk chocolate, half on each side. Bash up 4 or 5 candy canes in a plastic bag, and sprinkle the broken pieces on top of the white chocolate. Push it gently into the chocolate and pop it back in the fridge. After an hour it'll be hard enough to pop out of the mould.

 

And there you have it! And they fit perfectly in a clear Lakeland presentation/gift bag.

Brilliant for gifts this holiday season!

 

If you'd like to give it a go yourself, you can buy it here: http://www.lakeland.co.uk/18503/Peppermint-Bark-Mould

 

I was not paid to write this review, but was sent the mould free of charge. All views are my own.

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How to make a stripy vanilla and chocolate bundt cake

 

I've seen a few stripy cakes around recently, and after treating myself to a bargain bundt tin this week (£1.99 from Home Bargains!!!) I decided I needed to use it, instead of putting it in the cupboard and not using it for months. Not that I EVER do that with new equipment. NEVER. *ahem*

 

So here's the recipe for the stripy vanilla and chocolate bundt cake!

 

What you need:

280g butter or baking margarine

280g caster sugar

5 eggs

280g self raising flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

100ml double cream

200g milk chocolate (I used Cadbury's Dairy Milk for this recipe)

 

What to do:

 

1. Cream the butter/baking margarine and sugar together.

 

2. Add the eggs one at a time beating thoroughly.

 

3. Add the vanilla extract and the self raising flour and beat again until thoroughly combined.

 

4. Take half the mixture and put it in another bowl.

 

5. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining half and beat until it has mixed fully.

 

6. Grease the bundt tin. I used Wilton Cake Release, and can't recommend it highly enough.

 

 

7. Add a dollop of the vanilla mixture to the tin.

 

8. On top of the vanilla mixture, add a dollop of chocolate mixture.

 

 

9. Next add another dollop of vanilla, on top of the mixture already in the tin. The mixture will start to spread.

 

 

10. And then another dollop of chocolate. Keep adding alternate dollops of mixture until you have used all the mixtures in both bowls. If it doesn't spread as well as you need it too, just shake the tin a bit and encourage the mixture to spread round to the other side of the tin.

 

 

11. This is what it will look like when you have finished adding the mixtures.

 

12. Bake for around 30 minutes at 160 degrees. Check around 25 minutes- your oven may bake differently to mine.

 

 

13. Leave it to cool for about 20 minutes in the tin, then turn it out onto a wire wrack to cool fully. (How fab does that look?!)

 

14. Once the cake is cool, chop the chocolate into small pieces and put it all in the bowl, and heat the cream until it just reaches boiling point, and pour the cream over the chocolate. Leave it for about 30 seconds to start to melt the chocolate, then beat it together until it has combined to make a smooth ganache. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and leave to set.

 

15. Stick the kettle on, cut and slice, put your feet up and enjoy :)

 

I am definitely going to make this again, but try different flavour combinations too. Chocolate and orange, coffee and caramel, white chocolate and lemon, dark chocolate and mint......so many new ones to try!!

 

If you make it, I'd love to hear what you thought!

 

 

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