Thursday 21 October 2010

Christmas... yes, it's time!

With a new baby on the way in Jan, I'm trying to get really organised before the end of the year... including getting ready for Christmas.  So, with it being very late October, it's probably time to start thinking about Christmas cakes!   Rich, moist, brandy-soaked fruit cake, covered with marzipan and snow-white sugarpaste... great for giving as presents or, just for munching over the festive period!


                                           7"         6"
Decorated Christmas cake.... £25       £20
Covered cake only................£20       £15
 
Please get in touch to order now ------------ Other sizes/ styles available!

Tuesday 19 October 2010

Baby Shower Cake

Although I'm not the biggest fan of novelty cakes, somehow it seems just right for a baby shower cake....!  The sex of the baby isn't known yet, so a neutral gold ribbon was used and multicoloured blocks for the bears to play with. 

Monday 5 July 2010

Gluten Free Baking Class

Unfortunately, the GF baking class with Loaf Cookery School had to be cancelled - hopefully another class can be organised soon.

Craig

Next month, I will be running our first Gluten Free Baking Class, in association with Loaf Cookery School in Cotteridge, Birmingham.  This promises to be a great evening making GF bread, cakes and pastry, sharing some GF baking tips and enjoying some lovely GF food! 


The class will take place in the HQ of Loaf Cookery School, which also doubles as Loaf director Tom Baker's home, so places are limited. You can read more about the class here: http://www.loafonline.co.uk/cookeryschool/introduction-to-gluten-free-baking/


The class will run from 6.30 - 9.30pm on Mon, Aug 9th - hope to see you there!


Hopefully this will be the first of many, so if you can't make this date, please get in touch and I can let you know plans for future classes.




Craig

Tuesday 30 March 2010

Gluten Free bread

Anyone who has tried to make gluten free bread will know how difficult it is. Many a rubbery loaf has ended up in the bin or thrown out for the birds. So the advent of fresh GF bread (Genius, of course!) in our supermarkets has been a revelation for all coeliac sufferers.  Fresh bread on the shelves, gluten free? it hardly seemed possible a year ago. Now even Starbucks are offering a tuna sandwich on GF bread- very impressive.

But it is possible to make gluten free bread at home that doesn't resemble a small house brick. The premise is that your expectations have to be adjusted somewhat before you start! Forget the rules for 'normal' bread - there's no gluten here to knead! And with a bit of care, you can produce a very tasty, light textured loaf, that slices well and - as with most GF breads - toasts well.

This recipe is one I've had some success with, giving a nice brown crust, good texture and slightly sweet taste. It uses fairly readily available ingredients that can be found in your local health store.

Ingredients
120 ml warm water
2 tsp sugar
4 tsp dry yeast
300g white rice flour
225g tapioca flour
50g sugar
4 tsp xanthan gum
75g millet flakes
1.5 tsp salt
360ml water
4 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp white wine vinegar
3 eggs

Instructions
makes 2 loaves

1. Place warm water, sugar and yeast in a small bowl, mix well and set aside for 15 minutes
2. Sift together the flours, sugar, xanthan gum, millet flakes and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
3. In another bowl, combine the water, melted butter, vinegar and eggs
4. Add the butter and yeast mixtures to the dry ingredients and beat well, preferably with an electric mixer, until well mixed. It will be very moist and sticky.
5. If you can knead it, do so, otherwise divide it between two, greased 450g loaf tins. Put them in a warm place to prove for about 30 minutes. The dough will rise slightly, but don't expect too much.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, gas mark 4
7. Brush the top of the loaves with some vegetable oil and sprinkle on a handful of golden linseeds/ millet flake mix. This will give a nice brown crust with some texture as most GF flours tend to produce a whitish crust that isn't particularly apetising.
8. Bake the loaves for 30-35 minutes until golden brown, or until a skewer comes out clean, and cool on wire racks.
9. Best eaten on the day or within a few days. If freezing, slice it first and freeze on the day you make it.

Thursday 25 February 2010

Sweet fig and white chocolate

This is a fantastic looking cake - ideal for special occasions (such as my mother in law's birthday, which is what this is for!) The white chocolate edging and fresh figs on top look amazing. Gluten Free recipe adapted from Jane Price's excellent Home Guide to Cake Decorating book
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