Unseasonal Simnel

In Marzipan Judas, I said that the morals to the story were 1.) Don't forget your icing sugar; 2.) Don't forget the egg glaze; 3.) Don't get cocky and bend over carrying a cake in one hand. On the first two points, see below, but as regards the third... it seems that I am destined to drop simnel cakes.  I did not bend over carrying this one.  No.  This one made it all the way to its final destination, up some stairs and back down them, and then SPLAT.  Perhaps it's the weight of the fruitcake that causes the fall, but it's also the weight that saves it.  As the sole witness to my (second) slip-up said: 'It bounced'.  Well, there we are.

The only relevant wisdom I have to instill in this update, really, is that icing sugar certainly does make the going less tough, and that brushing the marzipan with an egg wash before grilling it does improve the cake's appearance.  I maintain, however, that a kitchen blow torch would be an improvement on the grill, because even with the wash the grilling is still unevenly distributed due to the top of the cake being higher at points and lower at others; the taller points will always burn faster, and the lower points persist in developing pale, crusty spots.  A blowtorch would allow much more control.  In terms of making a photogenic cake, I also found that making one and a half times the recipe gives the cake a very good height.  It also means more to eat, of course, so where's the downside?

I also learned that while eleven or twelve marzipan balls are traditionally used to decorate the cake, representing the eleven apostles, or the eleven apostles plus Jesus, some families will also make a thirteenth marzipan ball.  This thirteenth ball, representing Judas, is not to be put on the cake, but is divvied up and eaten before the cake is cut.  #CakeKnowledge.  Speaking of which, if you're wondering what that poster is - good!  Watch this space.

Not So Dense After All

I promised recipes with almond, so here's another one!  It was my first attempt at baking scones, and while they were very light and fluffy, I almost felt as though they should have been a little more dense.  It seems to me that the best scones I've had had a little bit of weight to them - that being said, maybe I've just been fooled by the copious amounts of clotted cream and jam that I pile on top of them.

I used a basic recipe from BBC Food, and adapted it to include the almond extract and chocolate chips.  My version is in the Recipe Box.  Start by mixing the flour, baking powder and salt.  Next rub cold butter into this mix.  Cutting the cold butter into chunks will make rubbing it into the flour mix easier and faster, but take care not to melt all the butter into the flour while rubbing it in - it's the butter bits that will melt and form air pockets in the scones while they bake, making them airy.  As I write this I realize that I've just complained about this very quality, but do as I say, not as I do, or some other such adage...

Once you've rubbed in the butter, mix in the sugar, followed by the almond extract and the milk.  At a 1/4 tsp the almond flavour and scent was detectable but not powerful; if you want to emphasize the almond more I'd recommend increasing the amount to a 1/2 tsp.  The dough will be wet and sticky.  Turn it out onto a floured surface, and lightly knead in the chocolate chips.  I'd been wondering if I'd under-kneaded the dough and that accounted for the lightness of the scones, but upon checking some scone baking tips they are all pretty consistent about not over-kneading the dough, and that light and fluffy scones are the goal.  However, they also warn not to twist when cutting out the scones, and I definitely did that... but now I'm getting ahead of myself.  Once the dough has been kneaded, pat (it will probably be too sticky to roll) it out to about 3/4" thick, then cut out the scones.  I used the open end of a mug to cut mine, but you could similarly use a jar or a lid or a biscuit cutter if you have one.

The recipe should make 8-12 scones (I got 11).  Place the cut-out scones on a lightly-greased baking sheet, and if you wish to glaze them (it looks pretty) beat one egg and brush it over the scones using a pastry brush or paper towel.  The original recipe suggests milk as an alternative glaze, but I don't think this will give the same level of browning and sheen.

Bake at 425F (220C) for 12-15 minutes.  I took mine out right at 12 minutes and they looked perfect.

I've been a busy baking bee, because I also (unseasonally) made another simnel cake.  An update on that will be coming to a blog near you.*

* This blog.

A is for Almond, B is for Butter...

I have an excess of almond extract (I couldn't help myself when an 8oz bottle of the good stuff appeared on sale), so expect it to be included in many recipes in future.  Also almond is delicious.  So is brown(ed) butter, which brings me to Brown Butter and Almond Cookies.

I adapted a simple sugar cookie recipe, adding the brown butter and almond and also turning them into a slice-and-bake variety because I wanted the edges of the cookies to be rolled in ground almond.  I consulted this slice-and-bake recipe for the thickness of the sliced cookies and the temperature, although it might also have behooved me to use icing sugar as it suggests instead of caster sugar.  It's an excuse for another go anyway!

The recipe is in the Recipe Box.  Start by browning the butter over medium heat, stirring continuously once melted to keep it from burning.  Keep stirring the butter over heat until it is brown and emitting a nutty aroma.  I took the butter off the heat when it smelled right to me, but once it was out of the pan I thought I should have left it longer, the butter could have been browner.

I stuck it in the freezer instead of in the refrigerator because I was in a hurry (no time to wait when cookies are at stake!), but I left it a little too long - the butter froze.

I let it thaw, but the butter was still quite cold when I creamed it with the sugar.  It's probably better to wait for the butter to be at room temperature before creaming it, but as you might have noticed, I have issues with patience...  While waiting for the brown butter to set - or waiting for it to defrost as the case may be - mix the dry ingredients and set them aside.  When the butter is set, cream it with the sugar, beat in the egg and extracts, and stir in the dry ingredients.  Roll the dough into logs, and then firm them up by rolling them tightly in parchment paper or wax paper.

Once all the dough is rolled, refrigerate it for a couple hours, or freeze it for 20-40 or so minutes (don't freeze it solid, unless you want to save it for use another day).  When the logs are ready, take them out and roll them through ground almonds.

After the logs have been coated in ground almonds, slice off cookies about 1/3" thick.

Bake at 350F (180C) for about 8 minutes.  I baked my first batch for longer, until they were a golden brown, and they came out very crunchy; not a bad crunchy, a bit like a biscotti, but still, you'd not want to bite into them if you had dentures...

If at first you don't succeed, bake some more!