Vive le upside down

Tarte Tatin par excellence

My French friends are celebrating Bastille Day. Le quatorze juillet is the Fete nationale, commemorating the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on 14 July 1789 during the French Revolution. Festivities are held all over France to mark this event and it’s an opportunity to eat a splendid French dessert.

Grandma knew all about my love of French cuisine from when I lived in France. One of my favourite puddings is the famous ‘Tarte Tatin’. The story goes that the Tatin sisters were cooking an Apple pie but left it too long in the oven. Their rescue attempt involved turning it upside down and, much to their surprise, their guests loved the result. So it just goes to show that you should never be too worried if your baking isn’t quite what you expected it to be!

There are lots of fantastic recipes for Tarte Tatin. Here’s Felicity Cloate’s version of  How to cook the perfect Tarte Tatin. I'd use less sugar just like Grandma!

And it’s Le Tour de France on TV just now and a chance to see the amazing scenery of this beautiful country. Have you got a favourite French dessert?

Happy Fourth of July

It’s the 4th July, otherwise known as Independence Day in the USA. This is day when Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, signed on 4 July 1776. My American friends say it’s like a UK national Bank Holiday and they have family meals, barbecues and various public events. 

A special cake, dessert or pudding which fits the occasion is called for and Key Lime Pie is top of the list. It takes its name from the limes from the Florida Keys. Here is an easy recipe made with Carnation Milk. If you can’t get Key Limes then any varieties of lime will do.

Make the Key Lime Pie biscuit base

Preparing the Key Lime Pie filling 

Enjoy the Fourth of July! What are you having for dessert to celebrate?

You never know what's around the corner

The saying ‘you never know what’s around the corner’ has proved to be quite true for me. I’ve just spent 3 days in hospital undergoing unexpected major surgery. Pleased to say that I am now progressing well at home.

When the anaesthetist and the team were getting me ready for the ‘big sleep’, I started a discussion about the appeal of traditional baking - the simple recipes, the flavour of spices such as cinnamon and ginger together with reduced sugar, as Grandma did in times of austerity and rationing. I soon discovered the team’s favourite cakes.

Chocolate Cake

Victoria Sandwich

Coffee Cake

All this cake certainly took my mind off things as I drifted off into a world of baking bliss.

Back home, I’ve been having lots of  R 'n' R. In fact I’m only allowed to lift no more than a cup of tea. Luckily, a good friend brought me some scrummy homemade scones. It just reminds me how putting the kettle on for a cup of tea and a piece of cake helps deal with all manner of life’s difficulties. And it's so much better if it’s lovingly homemade.

Here's Grandma’s recipe for perfect Scones. I like different varieties but my favourites are fruit scones. Which are your favourites - apple and cinnamon, cherry, cheese.... so many to choose from? 

It’s Elderflower time

As I look out of the window beyond the garden fence, the Elderflowers are just coming out. These are perfect for Grandma’s recipe for Elderflower Cordial. It's a refreshing summer drink to dilute or to enhance fruit salad.

Elderflower Cordial

2 dozen (24) elderflower heads (remove the stalks)

2-3 lemons (use the lemon rind, juice and cut the lemons into slices)

2 oz (50g) tartaric acid or 1 oz (25g) citric acid

3 pints (1.5 litres) boiling water

2 ½ lbs (1.1kg) sugar

Place everything in a large bowl or saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cover with a cloth. Leave for 2 days. Stir from time to time. Make sure the sugar has dissolved then strain through a muslin cloth and bottle into sterilised bottles. The cordial can then be diluted with sparkling water, soda water or lemonade.

Grandma cutting her 90^th birthday cake 

21 June (the longest day) was Grandma Abson’s birthday so it's always a poignant time. She was born in 1886, the second eldest in a family of ten, in a two-up two-down terrace on Ladycroft, Bolton on Dearne.  In her later years, we loved to celebrate her birthday, often with a cake and a party in the garden as the weather was usually glorious sunshine. 

Grandma has a recipe for Elderflower Sparkling wine and soothing Elderberry Syrup for sore throats which are also very easy to make. 

Have you tried making any other fruit cordials? 

Go bananas for Banana Nut Bread

Banana Nut Bread

What better way to give dad a treat than to make a homemade cake or pudding for Father’s Day. Dads usually say they like anything homemade and go bananas for coffee cake, and nuts for chocolate cake. In fact one of @GrandmaAbson followers, Keith said 'If most fathers are like me, a cake should be a bit nutty!' So here's a recipe for Banana Nut Bread which should suit him perfectly.

Banana Nut Bread

8 oz/225g self raising flour

Pinch of salt

2 oz/50g margarine or butter

2 oz/50g caster sugar

2 oz/50g chopped walnuts

1 egg (beaten)

3 oz/75g golden syrup (warmed)

2 bananas (mashed)

Sift the flour and salt. Rub in the margarine/butter. Add the sugar and walnuts. Blend the egg with the warmed golden syrup and stir in the mashed bananas. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Turn into a greased loaf tin. Bake for 1 hour. (350F, Mark 4, 180C)

Meryl says : You could even omit the sugar as the bananas and syrup give it sweetness. It can be made with gluten free flour if you add a bit more liquid (2-3 tablespoons of water or milk) to the final mixture. Don't beat or mash the bananas too much otherwise the cake texture is too heavy.

This recipe is from Nellie Abson, Grandma’s daughter-in-law from Stoke on Trent. She shared a number of recipes with Grandma in the 1950s and 60s. When bananas were available again after the end of rationing, this recipe became very popular. The bananas keep it moist, so you can make it a day or so in advance. 

Have a cake treat with Grandma’s baking for Happy Father’s Day! Let me know which is Dad’s favourite cake.

Ring the bell for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Ringing the bell for  Doncaster Queen’s Jubilee

Doncaster rang the bell the special Jubilee event for Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations  at the Visit Doncaster Tourist Office.

Visitors enjoyed delicious homemade Butterscotch cakes, buns and tarts baked by Doncaster College Catering students. They raised funds for their chosen charity, Teenage Cancer Trust, which is devoted to improving the lives of Teenagers and Young Adults with cancer. Together,we created homemade Butterscotch Tarte, Butterscotch & Orange Cake and Butterscotch & Apricot Butterfly Buns recipes.  Butterscotch and Apricot Butterfly Buns 4 oz (110g) margarine or butter 4 oz (110g) soft brown sugar 1 dessertspoonful golden syrup 5 oz (150g) plain flour (sieved) 1 teaspoonful baking powder 1 teaspoonful bicarbonate of soda ½ teaspoonful allspice 2 eggs 4 oz (110g) dried apricots finely chopped Few drops of vanilla extract A little milk to mix Spread 12 bun cases in a baking tray.  Preheat the oven to 180 C, 350F, Mark 4. Melt the margarine or butter in a pan over a low heat and add the sugar and golden syrup until blended.   Mix together the dry ingredients:  flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, dried apricots and allspice.  Mix together the egg and the milk and add to the other butter/margarine and sugar liquid when slightly cooled. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add all the liquid. Mix well to a dropping consistency.  Fill each bun case with a dessertspoonful of the mixture. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Filling and topping 3 oz (75g) butter 3 oz (75g) demerara sugar 2 oz (50g) flour (or cornflour) 4 fl oz (100ml) milk Icing sugar Butterscotch chips Melt the butter and sugar in a pan (preferably non stick) and stir over a low heat for 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the flour a little at a time, adding the milk alternately. Stir well, using a (non stick) whisk. Allow to cool slightly. Scoop out the top of each bun and fill the hole with the butterscotch filling. Cut the scooped out top into 2 halves and replace them on top of the filling. Sprinkle butterscotch chips over the top. Finally, dust with icing sugar.

Thumbs up for Doncaster Butterscotch recipes

Celebrating the Diamond Jubilee with Doncaster Butterscotch Cake

There’s something festive going on this week. Every shop is decked out with bunting for the Diamond Jubilee of HR Queen Elizabeth II. In my home town of Doncaster, visitors will enjoy a special treat based on the famous Doncaster Royal Butterscotch. Together with Doncaster Tourist and Information Office and the support of Sainsburys & Taylors of Harrogate, students from Doncaster College will be baking and serving up Butterscotch desserts, including Grandma Abson's recipe for Butterscotch and Orange Cake.  

Doncaster Butterscotch & Orange Cake

5 oz (175g) butter

5 oz (175g) soft brown sugar

3 eggs

5 oz (175g) self raising flour (sieved)

Pinch of salt

Grated rind of 1 large orange

Strained juice of ½ orange 

Preheat the oven to 180°C, Mark 4, 350F. Line the bases of 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with non-stick baking paper. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat the eggs and add a little at a time, adding a dessertspoonful of flour with each egg. Fold in the remaining flour, the orange rind and the orange juice. Divide the mixture between the 2 cake tins and bake for about 25 minutes until they start to shrink from the sides and a skewer inserted into the centre comes away clean. Place on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto the rack and leave until cool.

Filling and topping

3 oz (75g) butter

3 oz (75g) demerara sugar

2 oz (50g) flour (or cornflour)

4 fl oz (100ml) milk

Butterscotch chips

Icing sugar

“Melt the butter and sugar in a pan (preferably non stick) and stir over a low heat for 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the flour a little at a time, adding the milk alternately. Stir well, using a (non stick) whisk. Allow to cool slightly. Smear the top of the cake very lightly with a small amount of the filling. Cover the other cake with the filling. Then place the first cake on the top. Sprinkle the butterscotch chips over the top. (They should stick to the cake). Finally, dust the top with icing sugar.”

Grandma’s 3 tips for a perfect sponge cake :

1. Have all the ingredients at room temperature before mixing.

2. Make sure the butter is soft before adding the sugar.

3. The mixture should be a ‘dropping’ consistency so it falls off the spoon.

What is Butterscotch?

Originally used as a treatment for invalids, Butterscotch is made from butter and brown sugar. It’s similar to toffee but is cooked to a ‘soft’ crack rather than a ‘hard’ crack’ and has become very popular in America for cake fillings.  The original Royal Doncaster Butterscotch was by appointment to the Royal Household so provides a fitting local tribute to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. 

How are you celebrating the Diamond Jubilee? Have you got a celebration recipe?

Proud of Doncaster

Every area has its own special attractions which have come about for all sorts of reasons. Doncaster is famous for its fantastic award winning Market where you can get fabulous meat, fish, fruit and vegetables and of course the famous Doncaster Royal Butterscotch.  

Butterscotch is credited with being invented in Doncaster in the 19th century by grocer and tea dealer, Samuel Parkinson who had a shop in the High Street, near to the famous Mansion House which is now The Georgian Tea Room. Doncaster. Butterscotch was by appointment to the Royal Household. It’s a real Doncaster gem. 

I’ve crafted various recipes from Grandma’s collection to celebrate Butterscotch.

Butterscotch Tarte

Shortcrust pastry

4 oz(110g) butter

8 oz (225g) plain flour

Salt

1 egg

A little water (or a little milk and water)

Rub the butter into the flour and salt. When the mixture is like breadcrumbs, make a well and add the egg. Add the water to make a dough. Let it stand for ½ hour in a cool place before rolling out. Roll out the pastry and line a 9 inch flan dish with the pastry.   Line the pastry with baking paper and cover this with dried beans or peas.  Bake the flan for 20 minutes and then remove the paper. This is called ‘Baking it blind’.  Keep the beans or peas to reuse. Allow to cool. Prepare the filling.

Butterscotch Filling 

7 oz (200g) butter

7 oz (200g) demerara sugar

4 oz (110g) flour (or cornflour)

8 fl oz (250ml) milk

Butterscotch chips

Melt the butter and sugar in a pan (preferably non stick) and stir over a low heat for 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the flour a little at a time, adding the milk alternately. Stir well, using a non stick whisk if available. Allow to cool slightly. Pour into the flan dish and leave to set a little. Sprinkle the butterscotch chips over the top.

Meryl says : I’ve discovered that there’s a suburb in Melbourne, Australia called Doncaster. It’s locally known as ‘Donny’ and is situated on the top of a hill called Doncaster Hill.  I'm wondering if they have Butterscotch? Perhaps if you are reading this, you’ll let me know…

Getting the Baking bug

Meryl at Cook N Dine

Who can resist the smell of home made baking straight out of the oven? Well, the customers and staff at Cook 'N' Dine shop certainly couldn’t on a cold and drizzly May Bank Holiday Monday. Cook ‘N’ Dine is an amazing emporium of everything you need to get baking as well as a wide range of cookware, china, dinnerware and glassware.

The staff had worked hard to set up a wonderful welcome with window displays, posters and an area with oven and hob and lots of equipment, so I could show everyone how easy it was to mix up simple ingredients to bake wonderful cakes, buns and scones, all from a few things in your kitchen cupboard. I recreated some of Grandma’s signature afternoon tea time recipes 

MarmaladeSpice Cake 

Scrumptious Scones. 

Butterscotch Cake 

I’ve created this from Grandma’s cake recipes for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.  

Best of all was talking to the customers who came into the store, attracted by the wonderful baking aromas. We chatted about Grandma’s baking and I passed on simple tips from Grandma’s book. 

Within minutes of getting each of the finished products out of the oven, there was nothing left but a few crumbs! What a great experience to share the joys of Grandma’s home made baking. I can’t wait to do it again! 

Bring out the best china

Grandma’s Afternoon tea cake stand

A couple of weeks ago, we went to visit the home of Britain’s best loved china, the Wedgwood Museum. I used to go to the Potteries to see my cousins who lived in Stoke on Trent when they were young but I hadn’t been there for many years as they had left that area a long time ago. So this was a journey back in time. I always like to display Grandma’s cakes and biscuits on pretty plates. I still have her 3 tiered cake stand as you can see which was made in the Potteries. It’s just the thing to show off afternoon tea time treats with from the top Coffee Cake, Fruit Harvo on the middle tier, Coconut Fingers and Butter Biscuits at the bottom. 

Fruit Harvo

Coconut Fingers 

4 oz butter

4 oz sugar

2 eggs (beaten)

4 oz plain flour

¼ oz baking powder

6 oz coconut

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, flour and baking powder. Then add the coconut. Mix well and bake in a flat tin in a quick oven for 20-25 minutes. (375F, Mark 5, 190C) Cut them into fingers while they are still warm, and then leave to cool in the tin.

MS Cake Break is all about raising funds to support research for people affected by  Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I’ve been doing talks about Grandma’s baking to raise money for this important charity. 

I did a ‘Meet the Author’ event at Sheffield Central Library.  It’s great fun as everyone always enjoys talking about and tasting traditional homemade baking.

Get busy baking, bring out your best china, make a cake from Grandma's collection and join thousands of others for Cake Break events. Let me know what you bake!