Chocolate Swiss Roll

Chocolate Swiss Roll with Buttercream filling & Salted Caramel

So the Great British Bake Off has started up, and there is totally a guy stealing my vibe coughIaincough. Now a great many of you pestered me last year about applying, my friend Matt even said he was going to send in my application for me. I didn’t, and I am glad I didn’t. Yes, I can bake, but what I bake is all relatively niche and just the very first episode of this years highlighted a few things to me. I am not experienced at a great many of the more traditional techniques and bakes which are seen as “standard” things to bake.

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My first example of this, the Swiss roll. I haven’t really considered making one before, and it wasn’t until they did last week that I thought; “You know what? I’m gonna give that a go.” So I’m starting with a simple one. None of the faff that some of those entrants attempted (I assume in a desperate attempt to be “impressive” in the season opener), but simply a standard chocolate Swiss roll. I’ve even gone and bought a new tray and everything.

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I am pretty pleased with how it turned out for a first attempt. It cracked a tiny bit while I rolled it, partly due to rushing it and partly due to (ever so slightly) overbaking. It still held very well and rolled properly in about 95% of it. I’ve a decent amount of Salted Caramel leftover so I think I’m going to try again later in the week. I’m also tempted to give some of the biscuits a go from this week’s episode. I’ve made Caramel before on the blog but wanted to go for the saltier kind this time around.

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Chocolate Swiss Roll
 
Prep time
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • For the Caramel:
  • 200g granulated sugar
  • 90g salted butter
  • 120ml heavy cream
  • Salt to taste
  • For the Swiss Roll:
  • 3 large eggs
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 50g plain flour
  • 25g cocoa powder, plus extra to dust
  • For the Buttercream
  • 75g butter, at room temperature
  • 125g icing sugar
Instructions
  1. Start with the caramel, preferably the night before. In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt the sugar. Stirring with a rubber spatula. Lumps will form but keep melting and stirring until it becomes a see through syrup. Be careful not to let it burn.
  2. Add in the butter, it will bubble at this point so be careful. Stir until it completely melts and combines.
  3. Pour the cream in slowly, again, it will bubble. Mix and boil until it reduces slightly. Be careful not to let it catch. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. This will last in an air tight container for a couple of weeks in the fridge.
  4. For the Swiss Roll. Preheat the oven to 200°C(180°C fan assisted) and line a swiss roll tray with paper. Whisk together the sugar and eggs for 5-10 minutes until it forms a pale, creamy mixture. The whisk should leave trails.
  5. Sieve in the flour and cocoa powder and mix well. Be careful not to knock the air out but make sure it is well combined with no clumps.
  6. Spread the mixture out evenly into the prepared pan. Using a palette knife to ease it into the corners. Place in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes (or until the cake is springy to the touch. I could have baked mine for a minute or so less).
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan, covered with a damp cloth. In the meantime, lay out a large piece of greaseproof paper and dust with cocoa powder. Transfer the cake to this.
  8. While it cools on the new parchment, make the buttercream. Cream the butter until smooth and add the icing sugar. Beat until combined.
  9. Using a palette knife evenly spread the buttercream onto the cooled cake. Top with the caramel, again smooth evenly.
  10. Using the greaseproof paper, slowly roll it up.
 

 

Strawberry Drizzle Cake

SUMMER. STRAWBERRIES. FOOD. BAKING. EXCITED NOISES. Yeah, I wanted to do something a little different to last summer’s Strawberry and Cream cupcakes but still strawberry based. So I spent some time looking around this here internet thing (i.e. I did a few googles) and all I was coming across was “such and such topped with strawberries and cream” or “tort with strawberries” and the like. It wasn’t really what I wanted. Until I came across a recipe on the waitrose website, that’s right, waitrose. It of course is “use all of our own brand things to make this cake”, so I went to Tesco, or Asda, or whichever supermarket it was and got all the ingredients cheaper. I’m poor, sorry. Anyway, the recipe is for a Strawberry Drizzle cake. Something, which even when I had decided to make it I was still unsure would work. Strawberry drizzle to me, sounded like it would either be glorious or a bit mushy and odd.

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Fortunately it was glorious.

Strawberry Drizzle Cake 01

 

The cake is wonderfully light, so perfect for the summer, doesn’t use too much sugar and is loaded with strawberries. So it’s healthy, right? (I say this as I am half way through eating the second one in two weeks). Pressing the juice out of the strawberries may make the cake look like it’s soggy at first impression but it’s far from it. Staying moist for a couple of days (it does need to be fridged though, and yeah I know you shouldn’t fridge cake).

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Strawberry Drizzle Cake 06
 

Also, I booked my flights to Chicago today to go to RiotFest in Chicago in September. Can’t wait. Can anyone recommend some stuff to do while I’m there? My current plans involve getting fat(ter), drinking a lot and maybe a tattoo.

Strawberry Drizzle Cake
 
Prep time
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Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 100g Salted Butter, at room temperature
  • 200g Golden Granulated Sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling
  • 1 large Egg
  • 120ml Milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200g Self-raising Flour
  • 400g Strawberries, halved
  • 50g icing sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC(160ºC fan oven) and grease and line a 23cm cake tin.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, or by hand, cream together the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the egg and the milk. Beating until well combined. Add the vanilla then the flour, beating until well combined and there are no lumps.
  4. Spoon into the prepared tin, shaking slightly to make sure it’s even.
  5. Set 6 of the strawberries aside (these will be used for their juices later) and position the remaining halves, cut side down, on top of the cake. Sprinkle some golden granulated sugar on top of the strawberries afterwards.
  6. Place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean.
  7. Meanwhile, cover the strawberries you set aside with 1tbps of the icing sugar, and leave for around 15 minutes.
  8. Press this through a fine sieve into a bowl to get the juices out. Combine 1tbps of the juices with the remaining icing sugar, whisking until they are combined and leave to thicken.
  9. Once the cake has been removed, allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack.
  10. Drizzle the juice mix over the top of the cake.

Strawberry Drizzle Cake 02
 


Strawberry Drizzle Cake 03

 

Cinnamon Buns

The last couple of weeks have been really busy. Which means I’ve not been on top of baking new things. I baked for a charity bake sale in Otley, so did some of my older classics, like my brownies and peanut butter cookies as well as some Oreo truffles and a ginger loaf with lime frosting. Unfortunately the charity fair itself flopped a bit, but it was great practice for me doing large orders and I got to take some of the leftovers to my friend’s birthday party.

Peanut Butter Cookies
 
Pistachio Brownies

Then I had an order of brownies for my friend Katie’s final year photography exhibition. I couldn’t make the night myself but apparently there were none left, that’s got to be a good sign right? I was supposed to be climbing a mountain in Scotland this weekend for Wateraid200 but unfortunately lots of people dropped out last minute, meaning it wasn’t possible anymore. We are hopefully re-arranging for a later date when more of us can actually manage it. I raised over £100 so I really don’t like the idea of letting people down.

Cinnamon Buns
 

Because of that being cancelled I had an extra weekend which I wasn’t expecting. This gave me some time which I’ve been using to get my life together a bit. And also to do some baking. I’ve been wanting to make Cinnamon Buns again for a long while, but they take a fairly long time to bake, due to the rising/proofing stages. As I was completely plan-less I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to make them. The last time I did make them, I made them far too large. But I managed to get these ones just right.

Cinnamon Bun Dough

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Cinnamon Buns 05

 

Cinnamon Buns
 
Prep time
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • For the buns:
  • 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 50g/1¾oz light brown sugar
  • 15g/1oz fresh yeast or 1½ tsp dried yeast
  • 75g/3oz butter, softened
  • 200ml/7fl oz milk
  • 2 free-range eggs, plus one egg yolk, for glazing
  • flavourless oil, for oiling
  • For the filling:
  • 75g Granulated brown sugar
  • 50g granulated white sugar.
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 50g butter, melted.
Instructions
  1. Mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Stir in the dry yeast (or crumble in fresh, I personally have a store of dry in).
  2. Work the butter into the flour mix until there are no large lumps remaining. Do this with your fingers or using a mixer on a low speed. It doesn’t have to be as fine as breadcrumbs.
  3. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk and one of the eggs. Mix together using a spatula or your hands. It’s quite a sticky mix but keep on mixing and the flour in the mix will slowly absorb the excess liquid.
  4. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface (lightly floured if necessary). Knead the dough for 10 minutes. By the time you are done you should be able to cut a small piece off and stretch it out thin enough to see light through it/the shadows of your fingers.
  5. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and place somewhere warm to rise for around 80-90 minutes (until it has roughly doubled in size).
  6. Towards the end of this time, make the filling. To do this mix together the sugars and the cinnamon. Add a small amount of the melted butter and mix.
  7. Knock back the dough onto a lightly floured surface and, using a rolling pin, roll out into a rectangle about the thickness of a pound coin.
  8. Using a pastry brush coat the dough with the melted butter then spread the cinnamon mixture over the top.
  9. Roll into a log shape carefully. You don’t want to squash it too much. Divide the log into 12 equal pieces buns.
  10. Place these into a greased pan, spacing them apart for when they rise. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to proof for about 45 minutes. While they are rising, preheat the oven to 200°C(180°C fan).
  11. Before placing in the oven, beat together the remaining egg and the yolk. Brush the top of each bun with this.
  12. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then drop the temperature to 180°C (160°C fan assisted) and bake for a further 20 minutes.
  13. Once you have removed them from the oven, transfer to a wire rack to cool.
 
Cinnamon Buns 02

Gluten Free White Chocolate and Pecan Brownies (Diabetic Friendly)

I’ve had requests from a lot of people for some stuff that’s a bit “different”. Well, that’s not really the right word. To sum it up I’m going to do a series of bakes to fit into a “free from” range. Once a month I will do something that could be classed as “free from” i.e. Vegan, gluten free, diabetes friendly etc. To kick things off I’ve gone for a double whammy, which is Gluten Free Diabetic Friendly White Chocolate and Pecan Brownies. I told my friend Steph ages ago that I’d do her some diabetic friendly bakes so this one took priority. Gluten Free White Chocolate Brownies 03   This is the first time I’ve tried my hand at an intentionally gluten free recipe. But damn, it’s good. The brownies are wonderfully chewy and flavourful. The white chocolate (despite being a fairly small amount in comparison to many brownie recipes) comes through well as do the pecans. This is the first time I’ve baked with rice flour. It’s also the first time I’ve baked with just plain margarine instead of butter/oil for ages.
Gluten Free White Chocolate Brownies 01


Gluten Free White Chocolate Brownies 05


It took me a couple of tries to get these just right and a couple of points I’m going to raise now are these. You *have* to line the bottom of the tray to make sure that you can get these out without them sticking to the bottom. Also, they will look like they are done after about 20 minutes, but make sure you bake them for the full 30 minutes! Gluten Free White Chocolate Brownies 02 Gluten Free White Chocolate Brownies

Gluten Free White Chocolate and Pecan Brownies (Diabetic Friendly)
 
Prep time
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Ingredients
  • 75g (2¾oz) gluten-free white chocolate
  • 75g (2¾oz) polyunsaturated margarine
  • 175g (6oz) light soft brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • A few drops vanilla extract
  • 50g (1¾oz) ground almonds
  • 1 heaped tablespoon rice flour
  • 100g (3½oz) pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan assisted). Grease and line a brownie tray of 18x28cm.
  2. Melt the chocolate with the margarine (I used a bowl over hot water). Stirring constantly.
  3. Stir in the remaining ingredients one at a time. Mix well.
  4. Pour in to the prepared tin and place in the middle of the preheated oven.
  5. Bake for about 30 minutes.
  6. Remove and leave in the tin. Allow to cool in the tin until completely cool.
  7. Remove and divide up how you please.
 

Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Loaves

December is here. That means one thing. Cinnamon. On everything. The festive season is great, mainly due to the food. I always put on a ridiculous amount of weight. But man is it worth it. I’ll be baking my Cranberry & Orange Loaves as gifts for a bunch of people, but other than that I’ll be keeping things fairly themed. These Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Loaves are just as delicious. They have just enough cinnamon for it not to overpower everything. The recipe, which I found on Sally’s baking addiction (the things she can do with cinnamon!) is fantastic. So I thought I’d kick off my festive baking with this. The loaves are perfect to go with a cup of hot tea or coffee. They are warming and moist.

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I haven’t much more to say about these (I’m having a bit of writer’s block at the moment), other than you really need to try them.

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Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Loaves
 
Prep time
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Total time
 
Ingredients
  • 250g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 120g mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 150g light brown sugar (or dark brown)
  • 50g granulated sugar
  • 240ml buttermilk
  • 80ml vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the Cinnamon Swirl
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 175°C(155°C fan) and grease a loaf tin (I used butter but a spray works just as well.
  2. Mix together the ingredients for the swirl and set aside.
  3. Mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and chocolate chips until combined, set aside.
  4. Whisk the sugars and egg together until there are no lumps of brown sugar left.
  5. Whisk in the buttermilk, oil and vanilla.
  6. Slowly pour the wet ingredients in to the dry. Mixing until they have only just combined. Be very careful not to overmix as it will lead to a very tough bread.
  7. Pour the first half in to the prepared pan. Using about ¾ of the cinnamon mixture, cover the top evenly.
  8. Add the rest of the batter, using the remaining cinnamon on top along with any extra chocolate chips, if desired.
  9. Cover (very) loosely with foil and bake for between 45 minutes and 1 hour. It can take anywhere between this time. It’s done when a tooth pick inserted in to the center comes out clean.
  10. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
 

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