Week One Hundred & Thirty Seven – Mary Berry’s New Year Tipsy Cake & Baked Alaska

Posted on Nov 8, 2015 by kimsideas

I can barely believe it but I am typing my final…..yes FINAL baking challenge blog. Yes this is the final two recipes from Mary Berry‘s Baking Bible and my journey has come to an end.

I saved Mary’s New Year Tipsy cake and her “bingate” of recipes- the baked alaska as my final recipes and hopefully finish on a high note rather than consigning either of these to the bin!!! I began with Mary’s new year tipsy cake.

Mary asks you to put some of the eggs plus egg yolks and sugar into a large bowl and whisk over hot water until the mix left a trail. I have been guilty of not whisking this type of mix long enough in the past so I made doubly sure that this mix was thick and mousse like. Once you have done this, whisk the egg whites in another bowl until stiff and fold into the mix with the flours and lemon rind, pour into the prepared tin and bake. Once risen, and yes this cake did rise well, allow to cool and then try and follow Mary’s instructions on how to cut into it so it’s like a flan case with a lid…not easy and I read it a few times before attempting it. Prepare the sugar syrup and add the sweet white wine and brandy and pour some over the sponge, add whipped cream and orange segments, put the top back on, finish the syrup on top, cover with cream and decorate with a few slices of orange. Not the prettiest of cakes but I think I could be tipsy after a slice or two of this!

The second recipe was the dreaded baked alaska. I had watched the bingate Great British Bake Off episode where Ian’s had gone so dreadfully wrong and hoped I would avoid having to do THIS!

I began with the sponge. Mary asks you to whisk the eggs and sugar together until think and creamy and left a trail. Again, I kept on going until I was totally sure that this was as Mary asked. I baked it in the oven and then left it to cool. I then prepared the strawberries and piled them up on top and covered these with some strawberry ice cream and no, i didn’t make my own, nor does Mary suggest you do in this recipe. I then put this into the freezer for a few hours.

After a few hours, I began to prepare the meringue by whisking the egg whites until stiff then began the tedious task of adding the sugar a little at a time until the meringue was thick and glossy. i got my base out of the freezer, smothered the meringue all over it , sprinkled it with some flaked almonds and put it in the pre-heated oven for 4 minutes. I must say, i was amazed with the result and had the chief tasters on standby with their pudding bowls to collect their part. We ate half of this between us and thoroughly enjoyed it but now feel full and a bit icky!

Well it is with a mixture of happiness and sadness that I have finished this baking adventure, I began it having read Annaliese’s challenge rising to the berry and she was my inspiration. I have also watched and loved the Great British Bake Off challenges especially when they have covered Mary’s recipes and one’s that I have done. I would like to thank you all for popping by, either as a one off as you stumble across this blog or as regular readers and visitors. All of your support has been appreciated on this journey. I have learned so much over this time and after having a rest from baking for a while, I will continue to bake but not with such frequency.

I would also like to thank my mum and my other mum and dad also known as my chief tasters along with my hubby. Thank you for being brave enough to sample everything even when it didn’t always look very appetising!

I have had a lot of ups and downs on this journey too and thank you all for bearing with me through thick and thin. I will occasionally pop back to blog about other things and look at the viewing figures which have been amazing.

If you have a dream or fancy a challenge, I would suggest you try it, you never know where it might lead and if you blog about it too, others can join you on your adventures, either as occasional travel companions or some who will be beside you every step of the way.

I would like to dedicate my final blog to each and every one of my gorgeous dogs, past and present, each a faithful and loving companion who spent time with me in various kitchens “helping” in my creations.

Week One Hundred & Thirty Six- Mary Berry’s Gateau Saint Honore & Chocolate Mousse Cake

Posted on Nov 1, 2015 by kimsideas

Week 136 and I am catching up with my blogs all in one go….this week’s dip into Mary Berry‘s Baking Bible brought forth her gateau saint honore and her chocolate mouse cake.

I began with Mary’s chocolate mousse cake and had read the rising to the berry blog to see how this had gone for Annalise – my inspiration for doing this challenge. I read her blog carefully and set off.

I halved all the ingredients so not to make too much and began with the sponge, another whisk the eggs and sugar together and then fold in the flour. This time I made extra sure that it was well whisked first and left a good trail. I poured the mix into two small tins and put them into bake. When the time went, I was really pleased to see well risen sponges and let them cool. I then put them on a cooling rack and got on with the next stage.

The mousse was interesting to make and I read the recipe really carefully and melted the chocolate with some brandy while sprinkling some gelatine on some water to begin to “sponge”. Once the chocolate had melted, I put the gelatine bowl over the hot water to allow this to dissolve gently. I then mixed the egg yolks into the chocolate mix, whipped the cream , folded this in and stirred in the gelatine. Finally I whipped the egg whites and folded them in. The next job was to slice the cakes in half and return the bottom half to the tins, fill with the mousse, add the sponge top and put in the fridge. I left mine overnight.

The next morning I removed the cakes from their tins and the mousse was solid. I whipped some cream to cover the cakes and decorated with chocolate curls.

The second recipe was a really long one – the gateau saint honore. Mary asks you to make patte sucree pastry and when ready, roll it out and cut out a 7″ circle and bake.

The second part of the recipe was to make choux pastry and pipe out a 7″ circle and small walnut sized shapes. Bake these according to the recipe and prick them after baking to allow the steam to escape. The next part of the recipe was making the cream patissiere which involves several steps too. I boiled my milk and vanilla, I beat in the eggs, sugar and flour and returned to the heat and cooked until thickened and then poured into a bowl to cool with cling film on to prevent a skin forming.This recipe was proving to be challenging and I wasn’t even halfway there yet and hoped it would be worth the effort. Once the mix was cool, I had to whip some cream and mix this in with the mix and then chill. Once this was chilled, I put it into a piping bag and filled the choux pastry. Finally I followed Mary’s recipe for the caramel- tricky stuff and began to assemble this dreaded thing!I started with the pastry base and put the choux ring on top, i dipped the small choux buns into the caramel and stuck them in a ring around the edge and filled the middle with the rest of the creme patissiere.

It was not a thing of beauty but it was another recipe ticked off…..the count down had now reached….

Which means that next week is my final two bakes and this amazing journey on my challenge to complete all the bakes in Mary’s Baking Bible will finally be at an end.

I have left the New Year tipsy celebration cake as one of the recipes and …. the recipe that filled the Great British Bake Off contestants with dread…the “BIN-GATE” of all recipes….the Baked Alaska!

The 1 & 3/4 hairy hoolies are in the swing of the baking….but the pesky puppy did manage to run off with a crem pat filled choux bun! They liked the cream though….

and now seem to be becoming good cuddle buddies too.

Tune in next week for the final of Kim’s Cake Challenge!

Week One Hundred & Thirty Five- Mary Berry’s Quick Boiled Fruit Cake & Hot Chocolate Souffles

Posted on Nov 1, 2015 by kimsideas

Week 135 and the end is nearly in sight now…and the puppy is getting bigger…no excuses still, I now had the last few recipes marked with book marks and dipped with some sadness into Mary Berry‘s Baking Bible and came out with her quick boiled fruit cake and chocolate souffles. I was in awe of the souffles as I had watched them on the Great British Bake Off and it did fill me with dread….

Anyhow, I began with the strangely names quick boiled fruit cake. The main stay of this recipe is condensed milk which you pour into a saucepan and add the butter, fruit and cherries. Mary asks you to heat slowly until the butter has melted and then simmer well for five minutes and then set aside.Measure out the dry ingredients, add the eggs and fruit mix and stir well and pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 1 1/2 hours and allow to cool in the tin, then tip out. This cake was quite a contrast from the rich fruit cake and was quite sweet in comparison. I must say I loved this and would make it again.

Now for the hot chocolate souffles. I prepared my ramekin dishes and then began melting the chocolate. I added the milk then removed this from the heat.

In another pan, I melted some butter and stirred in the flour, cooked on a low heat for a short while and then stirred in the chocolate milk, brought it to the boil until thickened and then left it to cool. Finally I beat the egg yolks into the cooled mix, added the sugar, whisked the egg whites and folded this into the mix. Finally, I poured the mix between the souffle dishes and put them in the oven for about 10 minutes. I made a quick call to the chief tasters who were present with spoons at the ready when the souffles came out of the oven.

All I can say is thank you to the Great British Bake off, I think watching the contestants go through it before me helped and they were rather tasty!

The countdown is getting scarily low….it’s now at the head heights of….

The puppy is ever growing and now joins the other hairy hoolie in greeting me when I bring the shopping back but he insists then on laying on all the bags! At the rate he is growing, I guess I know have to say 1 & 3/4 hairy hoolies at the moment!

Week One Hundred & Thirty Four – Mary Berry’s Gateau Moka Aux Amandes & Rich Fruit Cake

Posted on Nov 1, 2015 by kimsideas

Week 134 and I make no excuses for the lateness of these blogs, just blame it on having a puppy in the house! Time just flies by and I have done nothing of substance! This dip into Mary Berry‘s Baking Bible brought forth Mary’s gateau moka aux amandes and her rich fruit cake.

I began with the gateau and read Mary’s recipe through….but obviously not well enough. This is a sponge mix where Mary asks you to whisk the eggs and sugar together until it is “thick enough to leave a trail” (big clue in the recipe there) and fold in the flour. Who only knows what my brain was thinking but I mixed away, folded in the flour, put the mix in the tin and put it in to bake, expecting to see a well raised sponge when the timer went…boy was I disappointed. It was plain to see that I hadn’t spent enough time on the whisking and it looked like a pancake.

I carried on and made the creme au beurre moka and cut the sponge in half….covered it and decorated it. Hubby and I sampled it …took one mouthful each and…..

condemned it to the food recycling bin! Oh well, chalk that one up to experience.

The second recipe, Mary’s rich fruit cake began the night before when I measured all the fruit out and chopped the apricots and cherries and soaked the mix in brandy.

The next day I lined my tin carefully, and measured out the dry ingredients and the soaked fruit and mixed it all together and poured it into the tin. Mary suggests you decorate the top with some blanched almonds and cherries and put it into bake. Hours later, the timer went ping and out came this beautiful cake. I let it cool in the tin and turned it out. Mary suggests then feeding the cake with more alcohol but I thought it was rich enough. I left it in a tin for a few days and sent half to the chief tasters and “forgot” to mention the failed bake of this week!

The countdown continues and there are now……

bakes left.. This is a quick glimpse of the little pickle who is taking up most of my time…and yes he looks like butter wouldn’t melt..but remember, appearances can be deceptive…