There has been some Very cold weather around here lately , so the fire has been lit most nights.
Some of the best things in the world according to O are a real fire and a Chocolate cake. I tend to agree.
Now I must admit to being a lot more proficient in the cupcake making department.
I tend to burn large cakes a lot !
Not sure why as my scones, cookies and other baking are usually OK, some of it I'm told is very good.
So I saw 2009 as the year to conquer my fear of the CAKE !!
Luckily for me one of my Christmas presents was "Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer" by the ingenious Jane Brocket. While following her blog Yarnstorm I had always admired her cake making expertise. Jane's cakes were never runny in the middle and burnt to a crisp at the edges like mine.
Book in hand I accepted the challenge from O to attempt the Bruce Bogtrotter Chocolate Cake. The ideas for the recipes in Jane's book all come from children's fiction. They can all be found either being made or eaten by the characters in stories that we all know and love.
The origin of the Chocolate cake is from Roald Dahl's "Matilda" were Bruce Bogtrotter is made to finish eating a large chocolate cake by miss Trunchbull as punishment for stealing. My children have always loved this story and were delighted at the thought of having a slice of the cake from "Matilda".
The resulting cake I'm glad to say was a complete success. I'm so pleased that at last I have found a chocolate cake recipe that works for me and my oven.
Another Christmas present was the pastry tin to make these pretty buns.
They are made using the Garden Gang cake pan from Lakeland. Available here. Small buns are much more familiar territory for me . The tin is made of really heavy aluminium. I was apprehensive that it would be difficult to remove the cakes in one piece after baking, but the tin works beautifully and gives a beautiful result.
6 comments:
Oh, your little cakes are amazingly decorative and sweet! Well done!
~Emily
That book is darling. It has a vintage look. I would love to have that cake tin too! :)
Take care,
~Salina
Oh, yum - any chance you could pass a slice or two over here?
Cele', the cookbook looks like a good one...I have to go find it! And your wee little cakes? So sweet!
Warning: weird comment about to follow....
Growing up here in Canada (Newfoundland, specifically) in the 1970s, the first time I ever heard ginger ale referred to as 'ginger beer' was during a broadcast on the CBC of some British children's sci-fi movie or serial--possibly a Children's Film Foundation production. A young fellow is aboard a spacecraft or in a parallel dimension or something, and his host asks him if he would like something to drink. 'Ginger beer, please,' responds the boy, and the drink 'magically' appears. I know you have fond memories of children's telly and cinema, so I was wondering if you could remember the exact programme or film that contained this scene--it's been bubbling in the back of my mind for years!
Cheers!
I got Jane's book for Christmas too, but still just enjoying reading it. Haven't actually gotten round to making anything out of it yet.
Post a Comment