Archive for Cake

Neil’s 60th Birthday cake

February 5, 2015 at 4:06 pm · Filed under Birthday, Cake ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Yesterday was Neil’s big 60 birthday.  We had a lovely day, visiting a Matisse exhibition in Honiton in the morning and stopping for coffee and cake.  Then in the afternoon we saw a film “The hundred step journey” with Helen Mirren which was a feel good movie and good fun.  In the evening we went to the Candlelight Inn for a meal which was delicious, but also I made Neil a lovely fruit cake for his birthday.

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We lit the candles and Neil blew them out.  I thought numbers would be less of a fire hazard than 60 individual candles.

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The recipe was the same as I used last year see https://lodgehousebandbsomerset.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/my-hubbys-59th-birthday-cake/ except I didn’t have any cherries so used chopped dates and apricots, sultanas and raisins for the fruit. And I topped it with vanilla buttercream icing this time.

Anyway we had eaten too much to cut into it yesterday so we are having some today instead.

Chaos still abounds at Lodge House and the B&B is closed at the moment whilst the builders are in.

http://www.lodgehousebandbsomerset.co.uk

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My Hubby’s 59th Birthday Cake

February 6, 2014 at 4:32 pm · Filed under Cake, recipes ·Tagged , , , , ,

It was my Hubby’s 59th birthday, so I baked him a cake.  I used a recipe for a light fruit cake that I used before, but used a few different ingredients.  I don’t like mixed peel so I didn’t put any in, and when I went to my store cupboard I found I didn’t have any currants so I used other dried fruit.  These are the ingredients I used:

  • 175g      light muscavado sugar
  • 175g      butter softened
  • 175g      self raising flour (I used wholemeal)
  • 1           teaspoon baking powder
  • 3           large free range  eggs
  • 2           tablespoons of  milk
  • 465g mixed fruit I used:
  • 110g      sultanas
  • 55g        dried sweet cherries, quartered
  • 85g        dried apricots, snipped into small pieces
  • 110g      raisins
  • 55g        dates, chopped into small pieces
  • 50g        dried cranberries
  • 1             teaspoon of mixed  spice
  • 2            teaspoons of ground ginger

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I cut up the dates and apricots into small pieces:

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I prepared the flour, sugar, eggs and milk.  I ran out of light muscavado sugar so had to top up with light brown sugar, but I don’t think it makes that much of  a difference if you just add a little.

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Preparation:

  • Heat the oven to 160C/320F/gas3
  • grease  and line the base and sides of an 8 inch round cake tin with baking parchment
  • beat the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy
  • add the eggs one at a time and beat
  • add the milk
  • add the flour and all the dry fruit ingredients and fold in
  • tip the mixture into the prepared cake tin

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  • place the cake in the oven and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours or until golden brown and a skewer or knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

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  • place the cake on a cooling rack to cool before removing from the tin
  • decorate  as required (I put marzipan and icing and candles on mine)

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Here he is just about to blow out the candles:-

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And thoroughly delicious it was too!!

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Birthday “Bee” Cake

February 4, 2013 at 10:09 am · Filed under Bees, Cake ·Tagged , , , ,

Last night we  had friends over to dinner to celebrate 3 birthdays in 2 days.  Neil’s birthday is today so we are looking forward to a nice day pootling about, generally chilling out and not doing too much.  But last night one of our friends arrived with a birthday cake for Neil shaped like a bee hive with little bees.  It was really brilliant.

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It was a honey and lemon cake to boot which made it even more appropriate.  The little bees she had made our of marzipan and liquorice with almond flakes for wings.  Very creative and what a lovely surprise!!

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Simple pleasures – homegrown and homemade

August 25, 2012 at 3:56 pm · Filed under Cake, Rain, recipes, vegetables ·Tagged , , ,

During a brief respite in the rain (it has poured here for 2 days solid), I managed to get out and pick runner beans.  The beans love the rain and have been growing like mad.

runner beans picked today

We have so many beans I am taking some to a friend tonight and I have already posted some to my Dad!!

I also noticed that our second row of peas have started to swell in the wet weather, so I picked some today, just enough for tonight’s dinner.

today’s peas

Whilst I was out picking veggies, my little cakes were baking in the oven.  I just used one egg, weighed it, and used equal quantities of butter, castor sugar and flour, then added ginger powder and sultanas.  Really simple little cakes that only take 18 minutes at 200 degrees C to cook.

Little ginger and sultana cakes

We’ve just had a cup of tea and a little cake still warm, lovely.  So simple pleasures for a wet weekend.  Now I must go and get on with some ironing, not such a pleasure!!

visit us at www.lodgehousebandbsomerset.co.uk

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My Dad’s 90th birthday cake

July 2, 2012 at 5:57 pm · Filed under B&B, bed and breakfast, Cake, recipes ·Tagged , , , ,

This is my 100th blog, so what better way to mark this occasion than by telling you about my Dad’s 90th birthday.  We went to visit him  last week (4 hours drive away), and take him out for lunch for his special day, but also I made him a cake.  I made a lovely rich fruit cake but without nuts.

Pa’s 90th birthday cake

This is the recipe I used:-

Ingredients:

  • 175g      light muscavado sugar
  • 175g      butter softened
  • 175g      self raising flour (I used wholemeal)
  • 3      large free range eggs
  • 2      tablespoons of milk
  • 110g      sultanas
  • 110g      cherries, quartered (and dipped in some of the above flour)
  • 110g      dried apricots, snipped into small pieces
  • 110g      currants
  • 25g        raisins
  • 1      teaspoon of mixed spice
  • 2      teaspoon of ground ginger

Preparation:

    1. Heat the oven to 160C/320F/gas3
    2. grease  and line the base and sides of an 8 inch round cake tin with baking parchment
    3. beat the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy
    4. add the eggs one at a time and beat
    5. add the milk
    6. add  the flour and all the dry fruit ingredients and fold in
    7. tip the mixture into the prepared cake tin
    8. place the cake in the oven and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours or until golden brown and a skewer or knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
    9. place the cake on a cooling rack to cool before removing from the tin
    10. decorate  as required (I put marzipan and icing on mine)

This made a lovely moist fruit cake, not too heavy.  My Dad loved it and here you can see him blowing out the candles.

My Dad blowing out the candles on his cake

All my B&B guests are offered a piece of cake with a cup of tea when they arrive, so if you want to try my cake visit us at http://www.lodgehousebandbsomerset.co.uk

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Marble cake

May 14, 2012 at 4:39 pm · Filed under bed and breakfast, Cake, recipes, Uncategorized ·Tagged ,

Today I made a marble cake.  There’s nothing like a bit of baking when the weather is not so good, and also when you’ve got friends coming over.  It’s an easy recipe, but looks impressive.

my marble cake

Ingredients

  • 225g butter , softened ( I used “Utterly Butterly”)
  • 225g caster sugar (I used golden castor sugar)
  • 4 eggs
  • 225g self-raising flour (I used wholemeal flour)
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

Heat the oven to 180C.  Line an 8 inch round cake tin with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together and then gradually beat in the eggs.  Fold in the flour and then divide the mixture into 2 bowls.

In one bowl add the vanilla extract and stir in.  In the other bowle add the cocoa powder and the milk, and mix until evenly distributed. (I have in the past split the mixure into 3 and done the 3rd bowl pink!!).

Spoon the mixture into the cake tin, alternating between the cocoa mixture and the vanilla mixture.  Take a knife and swirl through the mixture to mix the colours and create the marbled effect..

Bake in the centre of an prewarmed oven for 45 to 55 minutes.  The cake is cooked when a scewer or knife comes away clean from the centre of the cake.

Leave on a cooling tray for 15 minutes before easing out of the cake tin.

When you cut into this cake you will have a delightful pattern of cocoa and vanilla coloured sponge.  should keep for 3 or 4 days in an airtight container.

Cut Marble cake (from BBC Good Food)

Want some cake?? visit us at www.lodgehousebandbsomerset.co.uk

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Little Easter Fairy Cakes

April 11, 2012 at 11:41 am · Filed under B&B, bed and breakfast, Cake, Easter, Eggs, recipes ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Today was my turn to make small cakes for the “Golden Age Group” that I help out with.  This is a club for elderly people in Churchingford every fortnight.  They have a speaker, then a high tea of sandwiches, scones and cakes.  As we have just had Easter I decided to make my fairy cakes with an Easter theme.

Little Easter fairy cakes

It’s a simple recipe.  You weigh the eggs and then add the same of sugar, butter and flour.  I used 3 eggs that weighed 200g, so beat together 200g of butter and light brown sugar, then added 200g of self raising flour.  I split the mixture into 2, and into one bowl I added a teaspoon of mixed spice and half a teaspoon of ginger powder and a generous sprinkling of dried currants.  Into the other bowl I added 4 teaspoons of cocoa powder, then turned them into individual cake cases.  Popped them in the oven at 200 degrees for 15 minutes, and left them to cool. I made some icing out of icing sugar and water, and for the chocolate icing added more cocoa powder, and then topped them off with mini chocolate eggs.  I’m always making cakes, as I like to offer my B&B guests cakes when they arrive.  see us atwww.lodgehousebandbsomerset.co.uk

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