Wednesday 31 July 2013

Cartoon Time - Chip 'n' Dale

We haven't seen Cakeyboi's chocolate chip dog Chip lately...


(if you are not from the UK - the man is TV presenter Dale Winton...)

Monday 29 July 2013

Bumbleberry Eton Mess


We had friends over for dinner recently and I wanted to make something relatively simple for dessert, but something tasty of course.

As it is summer and the berries are bountiful at this time of year I picked up a punnet or two of berries – strawberries, raspberries and blueberries to be precise. Now what to do with the berries?



Then I thought – Eton Mess. I’d never made it before, but thought it would be quite straightforward, and I wasn't wrong. Whipped cream, crushed meringue and berries.



The term bumbleberry is apparently what you call a variety of berries being used in a recipe. Bumbleberry pie is quite common in the States so I've read. So why not call my berry medley dessert Bumbleberry Eton Mess? It has a certain ring to it, right?

Some recipes out there call for flavours such as ginger or pomegranate to be added to the cream, but I wanted the thick cream flavour coming through – so added just a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. Also, I used store bought meringue nests, so easy! As for the berries, go for anything you like, blackberries, even cherries!

The berries I pulverised most of, but kept a few intact to decorate. Here’s how I made it:

Yield: 4 generous servings

Ingredients:
600 ml double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
5 store bought meringue nests, crushed
500 grams of mixed berries

Method:
In a bowl, mash most of the fruit with a fork to get liquidy berryness. Keep a few back to garnish.



In the bowl of a mixer add the cream and vanilla and whip until the cream just begins to hold it’s shape. Add the berry mush and stir through. Lastly add the crushed meringue and fold it through.





Spoon into chilled glasses and top with a few of the whole berries and more crushed meringue. It’s really that simple! Enjoy – as our guests and we did! 


Saturday 27 July 2013

Introducing Captain Cakeman - and a plea for all of your problems!

Meet Captain Cakeman...


Cakeyboi's superhero alter-ego! And he is looking for your baking problems and queries - no matter how big or small.

Please get in touch with any query you may have regarding baking, for example 'how do I separate eggs easily' to 'why are measuring cups used more in the US, not in the UK'? Anything at all, fire away...

Captain Cakeman loves to try and help, so email (mrcakeyboi@gmail.com), facebook (facebook.com/cakeyboi) or tweet @MrCakeyBoi your problems or questions.

Go on 'Ask Captain Cakeman'!





Thursday 25 July 2013

Mallow Banana Ginger Bites


I shouldn't tell you this, but sometimes I really lack inspiration and struggle to decide what to make. And this bake is a result of that! Except there is no baking involved here. Just some butter melting and some blowtorch action. I was wandering about the supermarket doing my ‘monthly shop’. I picked up a few random ingredients, which I thought would work well together, and came up with these Mallow Banana Ginger Bites. 

I also realised that some of the ingredients may differ, depending on which side of the pond you are on. For Angel Delight, American readers, substitute Banana Pudding mix. And Ginger Nuts are called Ginger Snaps in the US.

 


The banana mix uses half of the milk recommended to make it thicker and holds it shape in the bites. The ginger and banana flavours are a great combination and the mallows give a nice gooey texture. Here’s how I made them…

Ingredients:
140 grams ginger nuts, crushed
60 grams melted, unsalted butter
1 package Banana Angel Delight or Banana Pudding mix
½ milk recommended on Angel Delight (or Pudding) pack
1 pack mini marshmallows

Method:
Line a 8”x8” pan with foil. Mix the melted butter and crushed ginger nuts until well combined. Place into the foil-lined pan and press down to get an even layer. Place into the fridge to set for a couple of hours.



Meanwhile, prepare the Angel Delight or Banana pudding with half the amount of milk the instructions on the pack tells you. Pop into the fridge to chill a little bit. Then spoon this onto the biscuit base and spread with a knife to get a nice even layer. Pop into fridge to firm up, for an hour.




Lastly cover the top of the banana mix with mini marshmallows, on their sides. Press down slightly to embed them. 



Then take a kitchen blowtorch and lightly melt the mallows, trying not to brown too much (I did, they catch very quick!). Remove the foil and cut into squares. Your Mallow Banana Ginger Bites are ready to devour! Enjoy!!


Wednesday 24 July 2013

Baby Cartoon Time

Well, I'd made a Royal Baby Cake, why not a baby-themed cartoon too?


Monday 22 July 2013

Chocolate and Marzipan Cookies



A couple of weeks ago I was sent a box of goodies from Renshaw to make a Royal Baby cake. I had to use at least one of the ingredients in the box. I opted to use the sugar icings as truth be told I am not a huge fan of marzipan.



I never really grooved on the almond taste when I was younger. However  I do remember a couple years back, one Easter, my mum bought me a tin of cookies from TK Maxx. There was no description of the cookies but, you know me, I tucked in anyway! They turned out to be little chocolate and almond cookies and I was surprised at how well the two flavours really complimented one another.

With this in mind, and feeling guilty for not using all the ingredients, I set about making these chocolate and marzipan cookies. I actually popped the marzipan in the freezer for 30 minutes, then I grated the amount I needed. The freezing made this process much easier.



And to get perfect equal sized cookies I used the OXO goodgrips trigger scoop that I was recently sent. So much more than an ice cream scoop!

Yield: 12 large cookies

Ingredients:
113 grams, unsalted butter, softened
100 grams granulated sugar
110 grams dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
185 grams plain flour
20 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon bicarb of soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
85 grams grated marzipan (plus some extra for sprinkling)

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180oC. Line a couple of baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, bicarb, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until creamy and paler in colour. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until the mixture thickens ever so slightly. Add the flour mix and with a spoon mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Add the pre-grated marzipan and carefully mix this evenly through the cookie dough.



With your cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the baking sheets, leaving space in between each one, as they do spread. With wet fingers, press each one down slightly to help them cook evenly. Lastly sprinkle more grated marzipan on top of each cookie and bake for approximately 15 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.




Transfer to a cooling rack. They cookies are quite puffed when taken out of the oven, but do flatten into a more familiar cookie when cooled. These are delicious, with a delicate taste of almond mixed with the yummy chocolate cookie. If you do make – enjoy!


I am entering this cookies into 'The Biscuit Barrel' challenge - hosted by Laura at I'd Much Rather Bake Than...


I am also entering these cookies into We Should Cocoa, this month the theme being - cookies! Hosted by Choclette of Chocolate Log Blog, and this month's host Rebecca of BakeNQuilt



Disclosure Statement: I have not been paid for this post. Any views expressed are my own.

Saturday 20 July 2013

The Cakeyboi Alphabet - Z

And so we come to the end of the Cakeyboi Alphabet (thank god, I hear you cry!).

Z is for Zest...


The zest of a fruit, such as a lemon or lime, is taken from the part of the peel before you get to the pith, it’s called the flavedo. It is where the essential oils are in citrus fruit. Zest is widely used in cooking and baking.

Thursday 18 July 2013

Cake Batter Ice Cream



You may remember my recent fixation with birthday cake flavoured treats – krispies and bark to be exact. Well, after being sent an OXO Good Grips trigger scoop to try out (and the fact it was my 40th birthday recently) I thought cake batter flavoured ice cream would be perfect.



I had recently tried Cake Batter ice cream in New York at the Cold Stone Creamery and tried it with cherry pie filling, sprinkles and gummi bears. It was lush – so I set about making my own.

I ‘d purchased an ice cream maker earlier this year and had been waiting for better weather to try it out. I think we are having our summer now in Scotland (two consecutive days of sunshine counts as that) so perfect timing.

Making the ice cream was a relatively easy process. I made a custard type mix the night before (tweaked from a BBC Food recipe) and chilled this in the fridge overnight. The next day I dug the frozen bowl from my freezer, clicked this into the maker. I added dry cake mix to the custard, poured it into the maker and let it churn away. It took about 15 minutes to get a nice soft scoop ice cream. I could then blend in the cherry pie filling, the rainbow sprinkles and the gummi bears. I transferred this to separate plastic tubs to freeze for another few hours (at this stage it was too runny to enjoy properly).

Ingredients:
4 large egg yolks
100 grams caster sugar
300 ml double cream
300 ml full-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
100 grams dry vanilla cake mix
75 grams cherry pie filling
100 grams gummi bears
A few teaspoons of Sprinkles

Method:
The night before making the ice cream, make the custard base. Whisk the sugar and egg yolks together in a bowl until pale and creamy. In a saucepan, heat the cream, milk and vanilla until just coming to a boil. Remove from the heat immediately. Pour slowly onto the egg yolk mix, whilst constantly. Transfer back to the pan and on low heat, stir constantly until a lot of steam appears and the mix is thicker. This may take several minutes. Sieve this custard into a jug and allow it to come to room temperature. Pop into fridge overnight.



The next morning, stir the dry cake mix into the custard. Make the ice cream as per your ice cream machine instructions. When it comes to a soft serve stage, add in the cherry pie filling, gummis and sprinkles. Transfer to containers and freeze for at least two hours before eating.



The OXO scoop was perfect to get nice generous scoops of ice cream, and the metal edge glided through the frozen treat with ease. I always find trigger scoops much easier to use as they release all the ice cream without any fuss. I also like them as they are good when making cookies – you can scoop equal amounts of cookie dough with them, again with little fuss (or mess).




The ice cream itself? I sprinkled a few more gummi bears and sprinkles on top when ready to serve. It was as good as the Cold Stone Creamery version even if I do say so myself. If you make – enjoy!

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Cartoon Time - Donna Summer

Channeling a bit of Donna Summer today...


Monday 15 July 2013

Cinnamon Stacked French Toast (kinda like IHOP)

Cinn-A-Stack French Toast
When we were in New York a few weeks back, we went to the International House of Pancakes  (or IHOP as it’s commonly known) for breakfast on our first morning. We were both intrigued by their Cinn-A-Stack pancakes and French toast. So Disneyboi plumped for the pancakes and I had the French toast (see below).



This was basically three slabs of French toast (or pancakes), spread with a delicious cinnamon butter concoction, layered on top of each other. Then a drizzle of cream cheese frosting and a swirl of whipped cream to finish things off. A very decadent breakfast I know, but it was our holibobs! The picture I took really didn’t do it justice.

And I knew I wanted to try and recreate this when I got back home. So I looked online for ideas, tweaked some recipes I found, and tried to make the dish a little healthier! First thing I did was do away with the cream – that was really too much at brekkie. I substituted the real butter for butter like spread – you know, the one no one can’t believe it’s not. I used granulated sweetener in place of some of the sugar. And as we don’t get half and half in this country, I went for good old semi skimmed.
Plus cinnamon has many great health benefits on it's own. Here’s how I made it.

Yield: 2 servings
French Toast Ingredients:
2 eggs
125ml milk
2 tablespoons of granulated sweetener
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla
6 1” slices of white bread
1 tbsp butter or marg

Adapted from Good Food Channel

Cinnamon Spread Ingredients:
60 grams butter-like spread
150 grams brown sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¼  teaspoon salt
 Pinch of ground cloves
1 tablespoon flour

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
60 grams light cream cheese
1 tablespoon granulated sweetener
Couple of teaspoons of milk
Dash of vanilla extract

Both adapted from IHOP at Home

Method:
The night before, slice your white bread and leave out to stale up a bit. I used a white bloomer. Brioche would be nice here too. Prep the cinnamon butter too. In a bowl add all the ingredients and mix to a smooth consistency. Cover with plastic wrap and pop in the fridge to firm up a bit. 



Make the cream cheese frosting by mixing the cream cheese, sweetener and vanilla. Add enough milk until you get a dribbling consistency. I put mines in a squeezy bottle to make it easier to pour.



The next morning, In a large glass dish, mix the eggs, milk, sweetener, cinnamon and vanilla. Place the bread in the custard mix, turning over after 5 minutes, until it has all been absorbed. Now you’re ready to get cooking, so place a large frying pan on medium heat and melt the tbsp of butter or marge. Fry the bread until golden brown on both sides, making sure not to burn it too much.



Spread each slice of the French toast with a generous amount of the cinnamon butter mix and layer three slices of the bread on top of one another. Lastly drizzle as much cream cheese frosting over the top as you like. We added more as we worked our way down the slices!


Disneyboi actually said this was better than his pancakes, so that was praise indeed. If you give them a try – enjoy!

Saturday 13 July 2013

The Cakeyboi Alphabet - Y

Yes, you might be thinking why? But Y stands for Yabba Dabba Doo, for no other reason except I love the Flinstones and I once made Bedrock Bars! Don't worry - last one next week...




Thursday 11 July 2013

'Heart to Home' Giveaway and Discount Code


A company called ‘Heart to Home’ recently contacted me asking if I would like to mention them here on Cakeyboi. They specialise in items for the kitchen and dining room, all designed in Britain. I took a look at their website and knew that you, dear Cakeyboi readers, would love to see their wares.

‘Heart to Home’ are based in Yorkshire and offer lots of great items such as aprons, crockery, tea cosies, tea towels, that sort of thing.  They recently moved to new shop premises in Wetherby and have a website where you can browse all the goods on offer, and order them direct to your front door. They even offer free delivery on items over £10.

I loved the fact their items are categorised by names such as Animal Magic, A Taste of Summer, Cosy Cushions – that sort of thing. Please pop over and take a look - you will be impressed. I particularly liked the Dachsund cooking apron and dog door stop ( I love dogs) and their owl tea cosy. 



I also loved the cup and saucer below called ‘Lay a Little Egg for Me’ by designer Sophie Allport, and the chicken napkins also designed by Sophie. These would be very useful with a freshly baked Cakeyboi treat and a fresh pot of hot tea.



And Heart to Home have very kindly offered Cakeyboi readers a 10% discount on purchases made on the website. Simply enter the word CAKEYBOI where it says 'Apply Discount Code' at the checkout to receive it! I have been reliably informed that you can use this code as many times as you like. No snags other than a one-year expiry date. Not bad eh?

And this is not all!! I am please to announce a giveaway from Heart to Home. You can win 4 of those lovely chicken napkins (worth £11) and the ‘Lay a Little Egg for Me’ fine bone chine cup and saucer (worth £17) by entering via the Rafflecopter thingy below. This giveaway is open to all UK residents and runs from 11th July to 8th August giving you 4 weeks to enter. Good luck and thanks to ‘Heart to Home’!

Disclosure Statement: I have not been paid for this post. Any views expressed are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Follow Cakeyboi on Bloglovin

As you may know, Google Reader has ceased to exist, so if you are so inclined I'd be really happy if you'd follow Cakeyboi via Bloglovin....thank you!




Monday 8 July 2013

Salted Fluffer Cupcake Cones


If you read my recent post on my Ice Cream adventures in New York, you will remember my visit to the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop there. Disneyboi and I traipsed through near rivers on the pavements and roads to reach the shop. I had seen the shop a few times on the Food Network and read about it in magazines.



I think I am right in saying that they started off with a Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, which went around the streets of Manhattan. They then opened a shop and recently another. They make delicious frozen confections – with wacky names and delicious flavours. These include a Bea Arthur (ice cream, dulce de leche, nilla wafers), Mermaid (ice cream, key lime curd, graham crackers and whipped cream), Cococone (vanilla ice cream and toasted curried coconut) to name but a few. The one treat I had read about and saw on TV however was the Salty Pimp. This is a wafer cone filled with soft-serve vanilla ice cream, swirled with dulce de leche caramel, sea salt grinded over the top of this,  the ice cream is dunked in chocolate which sets hard. When you bite in, the chocolate cracks, you taste the cold ice cream, the warm caramel and salty overtones. Delicious!!



This inspired me to create a cupcake using the Salty Pimp as my inspiration. I later contacted the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop to ask if I could use the name, but as I suspected it is copyrighted. So my homage to the Salty Pimp is called a 'Salted Fluffer Cupcake Cone'. I use flat bottomed ice cream cones, bake vanilla cupcakes in the cones, then when cooled I make marshmallow frosting. I pipe this on top, as high as I can, drizzle with caramel and grind sea salt over the top. Lastly I dunk them in chocolate which I then let set hard before devouring them. Here’s how to make them...

Yield: Approx 15 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:
Ice-Cream Cone Cups
100 or so chocolate chips
200 grams unsalted butter, softened
225 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 medium eggs
250 grams self-rising flour
120 ml milk

Marshmallow Frosting Ingredients:
250 grams granulated sugar
3 large egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Store bought caramel sauce or dulce de leche (I used Carnation caramel)
Sea Salt

Chocolate Topping:
500 grams plain chocolate
4 tablespoons vegetable oil


Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 180oC. Lay out 15 cones onto a baking sheet, no need to line, and sprinkle a few choc chips into the bottom of each one. Sift the flour and set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat through. Next add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined. Continue to beat until the mixture appears slightly thickened. Add one third of the flour and stir to combine then add one half of the milk. Mix this through and repeat with the flour and milk, finishing with the last third of flour. Spoon the batter into each cone, two-thirds full. Bake in the oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre. Allow to cool completely.





Make the marshmallow frosting, only when the cupcakes are cool. Place the sugar, water, egg whites, cream of tartar and salt into a bowl, over a pan of simmering water (don’t the let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). With an electric whisk, beat the contents of the bowl at high speed for 5 minutes. It will puff up and go marshmallowy. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, then beat for another 2 minutes. Transfer this frosting to a piping bag, fitted with a ½ inch star shaped tip and pipe onto the top of each cupcake cone, as high as you can. Place the piped cones into the fridge and allow to chill for at least half an hour. 



Remove and drizzle with the caramel, then grind sea salt over the top of each one. The amount of salt is purely to taste. Place back into the fridge and chill for an hour.



After the hour prepare the chocolate topping. Place the broken up chocolate into a bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave. When melted, add the vegetable oil and stir until thoroughly combined. Cool for about 5 to 10 minutes (the oil keeps it malleable). Place this into a tall narrow cup (wide enough for the cupcakes). Take each cupcake cone and carefully dunk the marshmallow topping into the chocolate, allowing any excess to drain off. This can be tricky with the cones upside down, but you get better as you go along. Again, place the cones into the fridge, this time until the chocolate has hardened, about 20 minutes to half an hour.



There you have Salted Fluffer Cupcake Cones. These are delicious and great fun to eat at the same time. The bonus of the moist vanilla cupcakes is that you get to eat their case too! And the chocolate chips at the bottom add a little ‘bite’. The topping is hard on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside with the great flavours of vanilla, caramel and salt.

I just hope the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop approves of my homage!



I am also entering this cupcake creation into a cupcake competition being run by Rangecookers.co.uk. This is to win a Select 90 dual fuel range cooker. Pop over and have a look at the competition page. Why not enter your own creation too?!