Wednesday 30 May 2018

Snow Cake on a spring evening


Here’s the final recipe from Cusworth Hall's recent Museums at Night event. It was a fine late Spring evening with no snow in sight other than Snow Cake another recipe from one of my Grandma’s old recipe books called The Best Way. 
Snow Cake
110g/4oz arrowroot (cornflour)
110g/4oz plain flour
110g/4oz butter
50g/2oz ground rice
110g/4oz caster sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Lemon extract
2 tbsps milk

Pre heat the oven Mark 4, 350F, 180C. Cream the butter, caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Mix in the arrowroot (cormflour), flour, ground rice, bicarbonate of soda and a few drops of lemon extract. Add enough milk to soften the mixture. Grease a 7 inch/ 18cms cake tin. Bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes until risen and firm on top.

Meryl says : This cake is very similar to a recipe for Ground Rice cake from Grandma’s collection. Ground rice gives a cake a grainy texture so it’s not a soft sponge like Victoria Sandwich.  Since it already has a hint of lemon flavour, it would be good to serve with homemade lemon curd or raspberry jam.

Here are all the recipes from the Museums at Night event.

You’ve heard of wine tasting but cake tasting is just as much fun! What’s your take on Snow Cake?

Monday 28 May 2018

Make it special with this French Gingerbread


Cake tasting at Cusworth Hall's Museums at Night event continued with a French take on gingerbread during the time of Queen Victoria. The recipe came from one of my Grandma’s old recipe books called The Best Way.
Special French Gingerbread
450g/1lb plain flour
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
50g/2 oz soft brown sugar
340g/12oz (black) treacle
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsps warmed milk

Pre heat the oven Mark 2, 300F, 150C. Mix the spices in the flour. Warm the treacle and the sugar in a pan until the sugar is dissolved. Gradually add the treacle and sugar mixture into the flour mixture. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the milk and add this and the eggs. Mix well. Grease a 9 inch/23cms square tin. Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes until firm on top.
Meryl says : It’s a very dense gingerbread but once the visitors got used to the texture, the majority loved the spicy taste of the ginger. 
I’ve one more recipe to complete the ones I baked so keep a look out. You’ll find the other recipes from Cusworth Hall's #MuseumsatNight by clicking on the links below.

It’s all about tasting something new today, even if these recipes were all the rage over 120 years ago! What do you think?


Thursday 24 May 2018

Cake tasting at Cusworth's Museums at Night

Visitors to Cusworth Hall's recent Museums at Night event had the chance to taste some of Queen Victoria’s favourite cakes including the cake named in her honour 
I baked some lesser known ones but popular at the time. I reminded visitors that Queen Victoria had a very European family including her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg so it was quite natural to see the European links.
I adapted a recipe for Coburg Cake from one of Grandma’s old recipe books called The Best Way. It’s a simple cake made with golden syrup and flavoured with cinnamon and ginger spices. 
Coburg Cake
75g/3oz butter
75g/3 oz caster sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
3 dsps golden syrup
175g/6 oz plain flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ oz/12 g baking powder
2 dsps milk to mix

Pre heat the oven to Mark 4, 350F, 180C. Cream the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and syrup. Mix in the flour, spices and baking powder. Add a little milk to soften the mixture. Grease an 8 inch/21cms cake tin. Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes until risen and firm on top. 
Meryl says : Coburg cakes can also be baked as small cakes or buns. I’ll be adding more of the recipes I baked at the event soon so keep watching out for my next post.