A splendid celebration of baking

Tea and cakes were the order of the day as we celebrated the launch of  Grandma Abson's Traditional Baking  book. Dearne Valley College  kindly hosted the event at College’s Training restaurant, The Griffin Restaurant, Wath on Dearne, Rotherham less than half a mile from where Grandma was in service. Catering and Hospitality students made up a delectable array of homemade baking treats from Grandma’s recipe collection for guests to savour. 

Bridlington cake

 

Banana Nut bread

Ginger snaps

Marmalade Spice cake

Raspberry buns

Victoria sandwich

My good friend, John Foster MBE, Managing Director at Fosters Bakery, also spoke about how Grandma’s recipes not only celebrate our baking heritage, but are highly relevant for all of us today and in the future, with food shortages and increased in the prices of foodstuffs. John has always encouraged and supported me and given me fantastic advice about this project.

It was a great day for me to revive Grandma’s legacy of baking, and once again I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who made it possible : students and staff at Dearne Valley College for their delectable baking, Mark and his team at FCD for combining design flair with meticulous attention to detail, Cathi at YPD for her generous advice and expertise in taking me through the publishing process and numerous family and friends, in particular our children, Katherine, Kate and Patrick and my chief quality control expert husband who have all supported me brilliantly in testing out the recipes, proof reading and myriad suggestions. Let the #baking begin!

The heavenly taste of Paradise Cake

Just under one week to go to Grandma Abson's Traditional Baking book launch and the tension is mounting. I never realised how much energy and effort goes into getting a book and ebook into the marketplace. The process was so different thirty years ago when I produced a booklet of Grandma Abson’s Yorkshire recipes.

Putting Grandma's collection of recipes together has been a real labour of love. I love baking and, better still, my family and friends love consuming what I bake. Although we are driven by new technology, there’s a distinct culinary nostalgia to look back to times past. In Grandma’s recipe book, you’ll find out about traditional home baking as well as something of her life in the Edwardian period to the late 20th century.

I've chosen Paradise Cake to feature on the front cover of Grandma’s book. This cake fits perfectly in Grandma’s rich repertoire and her philosophy of simple, baking to delight our taste buds. It’s a very easy fruit cake recipe which is lighter than traditional fruit cakes and perfect for a summer’s afternoon tea with a hint of lemon.

Paradise Cake

9oz/250g flour

6oz/175g margarine or butter

6oz/175g sugar

2oz/50g nuts

8oz/225g raisins

2oz/50g mixed peel

2 oz cherries

3 eggs

Lemon extract

½ tsp baking powder

“Sieve the flour and baking powder. Beat the margarine or butter and sugar until white. Beat the eggs lightly and add to the mixture. Mix well and add the flour gradually, keeping out a little in which to mix the fruit and nuts. Add this and lastly the lemon essence. Bake for 1 – 1 ½ hours in a moderate oven.” (350F, Mark 4, 180 C)

I’m delighted that the launch of Grandma Abson’s book is at the Rockingham Training Centre, Dearne Valley College just a short distance from the street where Grandma was in service in Wath on Dearne in the early 1900s. The Catering & Hospitality students are busy selecting which of Grandma’s 200 recipes to make for the guests. I’m intrigued to find out which ones they’ll choose. I’m looking forward to a splendid celebration of traditional baking and I’m sure Grandma will be watching from her heavenly kitchen to make sure they bake to perfection!

Exchange and bake

Chocolate Cake

I’ve been having saxophone lessons from my music teacher friend Maria for about 6 years now. It’s always fun and my repertoire is much extended now to include latin, soul and jazz. My best pieces are Dos Gardenias para ti, Blueberry Hill, Summer time and Unchained Melody. Maria is a very sympathetic teacher and always writes words of encouragement and praise in my lesson book, even when I give her a million excuses why I haven’t practised my scales and arpeggios. She writes ‘lovely playing’, ‘smooth musical performance’, ‘very expressive’.  The highlight of my year is when I get to play with her school band at the Christmas concert at Doncaster Minster.

And I've been passing on some of Grandma’s tips in exchange for lessons when Maria said she hadn’t much baking experience. We’ve had one to one cookery lessons and made a whole range of tasty dishes including Vegetable Soup, Shortcrust Pastry and Grandma's Chocolate Cake. 

Chocolate Cake

6 oz/175g margarine or butter

6 oz/175g sugar

6 oz/175g self-raising flour

2 tbsps cocoa

A pinch of salt

3 eggs

2 tbsps black treacle (warmed)

½ tsp vanilla essence

½ cup milk

“Cream the margarine (or butter) and sugar. Mix the cocoa and flour together with a pinch of salt. Beat the eggs. Add alternately to the mixture with the flour. Add the treacle and vanilla to taste. Add a little milk to give a soft consistency. Bake in a moderate oven for ¾ hour.”  (350F, Mark 4, 180 C)

I’ve devised a memo for Maria to jot things down to remember as she goes along. Maria says ‘I didn’t think baking would be so easy and so much fun. Meryl is a great teacher and has given me so much confidence in the kitchen.’ I am delighted she has got into baking. Now back to the saxophone practice – where were we with those scales?

Here is a picture of Maria and dance partner Steve and the rest of the participants strutting their stuff at the fabulous Not so Strictly Come Dancing event last weekend at Sheffield City Hall to support the work of the Safe at last charity with young runaways in the Yorkshire region.

Countdown to Grandma’s book launch

Grandma Abson’s original baking folder

I’m soon to launch Grandma Abson’s Traditional Baking. I’m telling the story of my Grandma’s life and baking tips and recipes. I’ve agreed the final details and we’ve pressed the print button to roll off lots of copies. This project has required lots of baking to get it off the ground. 

The York Publishing Services folk love cakes with chocolate. It must be the Rowntrees chocolate legacy in the city. Last week, I baked Grandma’s recipe for Chocolate Cake and added sour cherries to the chocolate butter cream filling. Cathi said ‘The cake was delicious! The cherries are perfect – it takes a little of the sweetness out and makes it lovely and moist’.

 

Chocolate Cake with cranberries

While the printing is being done, I’ve been busy arranging the launch in early June. Staff at Dearne Valley College have very kindly agreed to host it.  I am so delighted about this as it’s very near to where Grandma worked in service and a couple of miles from where she lived in Bolton on Dearne. Catering and Hospitality students from the College are baking recipes from Grandma’s book.  It will be fantastic to see some of the people who remember Grandma. So in answer to the question ‘Have you got a copy of your Grandma’s recipes?’ I’ll be able to proudly say ‘Yes!’

A bit of a do ......

A celebration cake for a christening

Grandma’s Celebration Fruit Cake recipe is getting well used this year. My niece Sara and her partner Graeme had their lovely baby, Niamh, christened recently. At the church, our proud family and friends gathered to support the new addition to the family circle. The minister triumphantly poured water into the font from a great height, all adding to the drama. Our group all watched intently as Niamh was the first of the three babies to be christened. She cried out lustily when the minister poured water over her forehead and we all drooled affectionately and then clapped heartily when her turn was over. Ah!!!!!!  Niamh quickly recovered her composure and after the photos we all went off to a buffet lunch at a nearby pub.

  

The focus of everyone’s attention (as well as the beautiful baby) was the cake. Sara had requested a traditional fruit cake and her mum used Grandma Abson’s traditional Celebration Fruit cake recipe - but double the quantities - to make a large square cake. Another friend did an amazing job with the icing and decoration.  

Celebration Fruit Cake (8 inch /21 cms)

8oz/225g brown sugar

8oz/225g butter

1 tbsp black treacle (warmed)

1 tbsp golden syrup (warmed)

5 eggs (beaten)

9oz/250g self raising flour

3-4oz /100g glace cherries

4oz/110g mixed peel

10oz/275g each of sultanas, raisins, currants

1tsp each of cinnamon and mixed spice

2oz/50g nut mix +1oz/25g ground almonds or 3oz/75g ground almonds

1/6 pint/100ml stout 

Cream the butter and sugar and add the treacle and golden syrup. Add the eggs and half of the flour and spices. Beat the mixture. Stir in the almonds and cherries and then the rest of the flour and dried fruit. Add the stout. Bake for 3 – 3 ½ hours. Start warm for 30 minutes and then gradually reduce and finish in slow oven. (325F, Mark 3, 170C to 250F. Mark ½ 130C)



Proud mum and dad with Niamh 

We all love ‘a bit of a do’ in Yorkshire!

Designing Grandma Abson's Traditional Baking book

Mark (and me) fine-tuning Grandma's book

I've written before about the book of Grandma Abson's Traditional recipes which I am launching this summer. This is not the first time that Grandma's recipes have been in the bookshops. Thirty years ago, I published a booklet of her popular recipes which sold like hotcakes across the North of England. I’m hoping to tell Grandma's story again with a fuller selection of her favourite recipes with the release of the new book and an ebook too and really keep that baking legacy alive. 

I’ve been working on the book cover and page layout with a local design company FCD. The Creative Director, Mark and his colleagues have come up with some fantastic ideas to visually convey Grandma's story.

We've spent the past few weeks working on the cover, the text and photos inside, and now they've sent it across to York Publishing Services who are now doing proofs. Needless to say, I have made lots of cakes and biscuits for them to try to really get a feel of what the book is all about.

I'll be pressing the print button in the next few weeks, so watch this space for updates.

A right Royal Wedding Cake

Kate and William’s amazing wedding cake  

I have to admit that I am not a fervent monarchist but, I suspect like many folk, I did spend the day watching the wedding coverage. Of course, I had a sneaking fascination to see what the bride was wearing. I was also keen to see the cake and pick up a few tips from Leicestershire baker, Fiona Cairns. Kate and William’s cake was a traditional multi tiered one with the edible flowers representing the 4 nations. It was an amazing creation.

The history of wedding cakes goes back to early medieval times and later Tudor cakes which were largely bread and dried fruit.  More recent tradition came from Queen Victoria who had the first 3 tiered wedding cake weighing over 300 lbs, described as a ‘triumph of architecture.’  Wartime wedding cakes in the 1940s relied on family and friends saving ration coupons to donate for the ingredients. Couples sometimes had a cardboard cutout cake with a tiny cake hidden beneath.

Our family always marks big events in family life by making a cake. Grandma Abson’s niece, Ivy, made the wedding cake for Grandma’s eldest great granddaughter, Rachel when she married Greg in 2004 and decorated it with some superb iced flowers.

 

Rachel and Greg’s stunning wedding cake

I’m keeping up Grandma Abson’s tradition by making the wedding cake for my daughter in October. Once they make the final decision about the design, I’ll be working to a timetable starting with making the fruit cake tier using the recipe for Bride's Cake from Grandma's recipe book. Here it is :  

Celebration Bride's Fruit Cake 

8oz/225g brown sugar

8oz/225g butter

1 tbsp black treacle (warmed)

1 tbsp golden syrup (warmed)

5 eggs (beaten)

9oz/250g self raising flour

4oz/110g glace cherries

4oz/110g mixed peel

10oz/275g each of sultanas, raisins, currants

1tsp each of cinnamon and mixed spice

2oz/50g nut mix +1oz/25g ground almonds or 3oz/75g ground almonds

1/6 pint/100ml stout 

Cream the butter and sugar and add the treacle and golden syrup. Add the eggs and half of the flour and spices. Beat the mixture. Stir in the almonds and cherries and then the rest of the flour and dried fruit. Add the stout. Bake for 3 – 3 ½ hours. Start warm for 30 minutes and then gradually reduce and finish in slow oven. (325F, Mark 3, 170C to 250F. Mark ½ 130C)

You need to make fruit cake in advance so it can mature. Then every week or so prick the top and pour a few teaspoonsful of brandy to help the process. Two weeks before it's needed, cover the cake with homemade almond paste. Here is Grandma’s recipe :

Almond Paste

8oz/225g ground almonds

12oz/340g caster sugar

 4 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice 

2 tablespoonsful of water instead of the egg 

Mix all the ingredients and bind the paste together. You can also substitute a 1 tablespoon of sherry instead of 1 of the water. You can also substitute half of the caster sugar with icing sugar.

With Grandma's recipe, I know my daughter's wedding cake will taste as good as the royal cake. Congratulations and good luck to the happy royal couple!

Just the thing for a picnic or street party food

With a cluster of bank holidays and wonderful weather, we don’t need an excuse to get out and party with friends and family. This painting by Harold Sharman Henson depicts a scene of what traditional street parties used to be like.

You don’t need a permit to serve food as long as you’re not selling it at your street party. But it’s important that the food is prepared in a safe and hygienic manner so see my tips for Baking and Hygiene.  We used to have sandwiches, scotch eggs, sausage rolls, cooked meats, home made cakes and biscuits for street parties or picnics. 

This Easter Sunday, after a lovely walk around our local parkland it was warm enough to have a picnic so I served up an Easter version of Grandma's Simnel Cake as a scrumptious treat.

Go Dutch to celebrate Easter

Easter Celebration Stick

There is a significant Dutch influence in Yorkshire cooking since Dutch engineers came across to build the dykes to drain the flood water from the fields in the Vale of York and on the banks of the Humber. My Dutch friend, Cobi, who has lived in Yorkshire for over 30 years, remembers her Grandma’s baking. She writes …

‘My Grandma was born in a small village, in the North of Holland, in a county called Friesland and lived there all her life until she died. She was married to a fisherman and they had their own fish shop. Grandma only baked on birthdays and special days like Christmas and Easter because there was very little money and baking was classed as a luxury. Grandma was always busy in the fish shop selling the fish Grandad had caught. Friesland had its own language. In Dutch the word for grandma is Oma (I'm Oma to my grandson), but the Fries word for Oma is Beppe and that is what my brother and I called her.

This is Oma’s recipe for Celebration Stick. It’s delicious!

For the marzipan (almond) filling:

125g ground almonds

125g sugar

½  egg

Finely grated rind of a lemon

Juice of a lemon (If a stronger flavour is preferred, then use more lemon zest).

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, cover and leave to stand for an hour or so.

For the decoration:

Apricot jam

Glazed cherries

Strips of orange peel

For the pastry:

Puff pastry is used in this recipe, so make your own or use readymade frozen puff pastry.

Roll out the pastry thinly, about ½ cm thick, into an oblong shape of about 35-40 cm long and 12-15 cm wide.

Roll the almond mixture (marzipan) into a long sausage shape, slightly shorter than the oblong.  Place the almond mixture on the pastry oblong and roll the pastry over the marzipan. Slightly wet the edges and stick together.  Do the same with both ends.  Place the long roll on the baking tray with the stuck side down. Brush with beaten egg and place in a hot oven, about 225C, 430F, for about 30-40 minutes or until baked.  Do not open the oven for the first 15 minutes.  Take out and allow to cool. 

When completely cold, warm 4-5 tbsps of apricot jam in a pan until very runny.  Spread the runny jam over the baked roll.  For final decoration use glazed cherries and orange peel strips. Decorate with Easter eggs or Easter chicks.

Cut into small slices

Happy Easter!

Diamonds are forever Part 2

A Diamond Wedding Party Cake   

Last week was P and C’s Diamond wedding party. They invited 25 family and friends to lunch in a restaurant near their home. We ate their Diamond Celebration cake as a dessert after the speeches.

I did two tiers with the bottom tier as a fruit cake, as I showed you in the recipe in Diamonds are Forever Part 1. The second tier was a Victoria Sandwich so everyone had a choice. I followed Grandma Abson’s recipe for a traditional Victoria Sandwich with Raspberry Jam and butter cream filling. 

I covered the fruit cake with homemade marzipan/almond paste and then covered both cakes in 'ready to roll' icing.   This way of icing cakes is a real life saver as I’ve never done intricate icing unlike Grandma and her niece Ivy, who both excelled in producing amazing sugar craft flowers. I used a cake polisher to give a smooth and shiny finish to the icing.  

Kay at Flowers by Kay made a lovely Lily of the Valley decoration for the top of the cake. The shimmery green ribbon and the sparkling ‘60’ gave a final flourish to the masterpiece! I can tell you that we all had a great time celebrating their 60 years together.

The happy couple ready to cut the cake!

Simnel Cake for Mothering Sunday

A jewel of a Cake for Mother’s Day

We all think of Simnel Cake decorated with almond balls, chocolate eggs and fluffy chicks for Easter but it’s also a tradition on Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day. Young men and women away from home took gifts to their mothers. Traditionally, they gave them Simnel Cake and violets. An ancient rhyme tells of the old custom of ‘going a mothering’: “When at Mid-lent thou dost wake, to thy mother beat thy cake. She will prize it for thy sake”. Simnel Cake probably owes its tradition to Latin ‘siminellus’ which signifies the finest wheat flour, so the cake would be made with the finest ingredients.  

Simnel Cake

4oz/110g butter

3oz/75g sugar

1 tbsp syrup

2oz/50g ground almonds

2 large eggs (save some of egg white)

1lb/450g mixed fruit

2oz/50g chopped peel

2oz/50g glace cherries

Grated rind of one orange or lemon

8oz/225g self raising flour

¼ tsp mixed spice

2-3 tbsp milk

1lb/450g almond paste  

Mix all of the ingredients together. Turn half the mixture into a well greased tin and on it place one third of the almond paste, rolled out slightly smaller than the cake measurement. Turn the remaining mixture onto this and bake for 2 - 2 ½ hours in a slow oven. ” (300 F, Mark 2, 150 C) “Allow to cool. Then brush the top of the cake with the apricot jam. Roll out the remaining almond paste and place on top of cake. Place under a hot grill or in a very hot oven for 1- 2 minutes to allow top to brown. Then decorate as you like with Glace Cherries.  

For an Easter Simnel Cake, shape the remaining almond paste into 11 balls and arrange them around the edge of the cake and brush with egg white then grill as before.  

Whatever the occasion, Simnel Cake is a great one to enjoy!