Syrup crunch biscuits

This recipe was on the very last page in the September issue of BBC’s Good Food magazine - talk about ending on a high!

When I see a recipe I like the look of in a magazine I always scan the ingredients to double check that it’s as good as it seems from the photo. The ingredient list for these biscuits is a roll call of deliciousness: butter, condensed milk, syrup, cornflakes, oats AND custard powder? Why BBC, with these ingredients you are really spoiling me! Here are the luscious wet ingredients in a saucepan:

The biscuit mix is made entirely in the saucepan so make sure you pick one large enough!

These are meaty biscuits; obviously I don’t mean they contain meat, but they are substantial. No wispy wafery air-like nothingness here – you know you’ve eaten one! They have the dense texture of a flapjack but with more crunch.

I love the mix of crunch and stickiness. These could just be the perfect biscuit. They keep for several days in an airtight tin too.

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter
200g condensed milk
175g golden syrup
175g cornflakes, plus a few extra – I used Kellogg’s original
175g porridge oats
250g plain flour
100g custard powder
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/fan oven 160˚C/350˚F/Gas mark 4

Line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper.

Place the butter, condensed milk and golden syrup in a large saucepan and heat gently.

Stir occasionally until the ingredients have melted and evenly combined; they should be runny.

In a separate bowl crush the cornflakes by hand – you don’t want them crumbed, just broken up a bit.

Stir in the oats, flour, custard powder and bicarbonate of soda.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mix in the saucepan.

Scoop heaped tablespoons onto the baking sheets, leaving a gap around the biscuits for expansion while baking. I found this easiest by taking the spoonful of mixture into my other hand and gently squeezing it into a ball.

Crumble a few more cornflakes over the biscuits and flatten them a little using your hands.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

Leave to cool, on their baking sheets, on a wire rack. They will be soft on leaving the oven but will firm up as they cool.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.

Apple and blackberry frangipane tarts

About three weeks back (maybe further) Mr CC requested something with pastry that could be served hot with custard. Inattentive wife that I am, I’ve only just got round to it. He requested apple and blackberry so the recent fruity theme of the blog continues for another week!

By placing some of the blackberries underneath the frangipane sponge, the finished tart is similar to a bakewell i.e. almond sponge hiding fruitiness beneath; however, the apple slices on top differentiate it. I left my apple slices quite chunky so that they contributed texture as well as flavour.

Here’s what lies beneath the frangipane, apple puree and blackberries:

Initially, I planned on placing only blackberries under the sponge, but when Mr CC came home with a huge bucket full of Bramley apples grown by a work colleague, I made apple puree and put some of that in too:

I made a huge batch and only used some of it in these tarts. The leftover puree went in the freezer and will be used in a future apple crumble! My method for apple puree uses more water than those I found online; having followed these in the past I find them too dry. Using more water seems to make a lighter, fluffier puree.

I decided to revisit the pastry from Raymond Blanc’s apple tart. It worked so well with apples and had the time saving bonus of not needing to be blind baked in advance of baking the filling.

My flan tins were called “mini flan tins”, but as you’ve probably noticed they were actually quite large – about 10cm across. Anything called ‘mini’ instantly means a single serving to me...I don’t tend to use my eyes in such situations. In truth, half a tart would’ve been plenty!

Pastry, fruit and custard together are the holy trinity of puddings, as far as I’m concerned; add almond sponge into the mix and I’m in heaven! Whisper it softly, but I actually prefer the thicker, darker…dare I say, lower end, type of custard, the kind that coats the back of the spoon with a viscous layer of yellow goodness. The soft vanilla aroma that wafts up from a jugful of custard surely contains endorphins (or something, I’m not a scientist) as it makes everyone happy!

I end with a confession. Having admitted half a tart would’ve been a generous portion I still dished up a whole tart each. The following is photographic proof of why I am The Caked Crusader G.G. Hons (Greedy Guts) – my bowl is on the left; a mortal’s is on the right:

Ingredients

For the pastry:
250g plain flour
125g unsalted butter, diced
1 teaspoon milk or water (I used milk)
1 egg


For the apple puree (puree is never an exact science so make whatever quantity you wish – it freezes brilliantly):
Bramley apples
Sugar – to taste
Water

For the filling:
200g blackberries
140g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
1400g ground almonds
50g plain flour
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/8s – I used Granny Smith apples

Method

Start by making the pastry: pulse the flour and butter in a food processor until you have crumbs.

Add the egg and milk and pulse again until the pastry clumps but does not form a ball – be careful not to overwork it.

Tip the dough onto a sheet of clingfilm and kneed it just enough to form a ball. Flatten, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the apple puree. Take a saucepan of appropriate size – roughly so that the apples will half fill the pan.

Cover the bottom of the pan with water – ideally about 2cm deep.

Peel, core and thinly slice the cooking apples.

Slowly simmer until the apples break down and you have a puree; if the pan looks dry add some more water. You can speed this up placing the pan lid 3/4s over the pan.

Personally, I like my puree with some apple chunks still in it; if you don’t cook until smooth.

Add the sugar right at the end – this is totally to taste so add gradually until you have the right sweetness for you.

Roll out the chilled dough between two sheets of clingfilm. I didn’t need to add any extra flour. Use one sheet of the clingfilm to lift the pastry to line a 20cm loose bottomed flan tin or 4 individual tart tins (mine measured 10cm across). Press the pastry into the tin and use the rolling pin to roll over the top and cut of any excess pastry.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C/fan oven 180˚C/390˚F/Gas mark 6

Spoon 2 tablespoons of the apple puree into the pastry case and arrange the blackberries on top.

Place back in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.

Beat together the butter and sugar until it’s pale and smooth.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, if it looks like it might curdle add some of the flour.

Stir in the almonds, flour and, if using, the extract.

Spoon into the pastry case and level the surface; take care not to disturb the blackberries too much as they need to be evenly distributed.

Arrange the apple slices on the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the almond sponge is cooked – test with a skewer, the same way you would for a cake. If the skewer comes out clean it’s ready.

Leave to cool, in the tins, on a wire rack.

Serve either at room temperature with thick cream, or warm with custard.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.

Cake & Sugarcraft magazine

When the lovely people at Squires Kitchen contacted me asking if I would like to be the first blogger to star in their new "Baker's Blog" feature in Cakes & Sugarcraft magazine I was, of course, flattered. Very flattered.

When I got my copy of the Autumn 2011 (issue 114) magazine I was stunned - nay flabbergasted - to see that my blog had been given a TWO PAGE SPREAD (no, you naughty people, not the centrefold!)

Thanks to Squires Kitchen, firstly for reading my blog, and secondly, thinking it worthy of such attention. Much appreciated...my ego is now the size of a planet!

Cake & Sugarcraft magazine issue 114, Autumn 2011 costs £4.99 and is available in some large newsagents or directly from Squires

Blackberry curd cupcakes

It’s that time of year when Mr CC and I don sensible shoes, dig out our ‘fruit harvesting tupperware’ and venture into the wilds of the Lea Valley park to go blackberrying.

It’s also that time of year when we enthusiastically discuss how we need to learn more about the fruits, berries and leaves surrounding us and how we must go foraging as there’s so much free food on our doorstep. Upshot of this conversation? Nothing (maybe that’s harsh, sometimes I buy a book from Amazon on foraging and identifying plants), until blackberry season comes round again and then we repeat the conversation perhaps with a little more earnestness about how we “really mean it this time”.

Anyhow, we gathered our blackberries and I have used them to make a blackberry curd. Until recently, I didn’t realise you could make curd from most fruits and thought it was solely for lemons. This blackberry curd has a thick curdy texture and comforting sweet edge. To showcase it, I placed some in the cupcake and then beat some more into the Swiss meringue buttercream. I think you could beat it into any type of buttercream; I just like the silkiness of Swiss meringue buttercream…mmm butter!

My bain-marie pan doesn’t get much use but, as I use it for making lemon curd, I gave it an outing for this recipe. The pan is double walled and has a small hole on top of the handle; you fill it with water then use it as a normal pan – a bain-marie in one pan! No more balancing bowls on simmering saucepans!

Something I have learned whilst writing this post: I find “curd” a tricky word to type, not sure why as it only has four letters. I have read and re-read this post as blackberry crud cupcakes do not sound appealing!

Ingredients:

For the blackberry curd (this made enough for the cupcakes, and to spread on one slice of toast!):
225g blackberries
2 tablespoons water
140g caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
35g unsalted butter

For the cupcakes:
125g unsalted butter
125g caster sugar – I used vanilla infused caster sugar
2 eggs
125g self raising flour
2 tablespoons milk (whole or semi skimmed)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract


For the swiss meringue buttercream:
4 egg whites
250g caster sugar – I used vanilla infused caster sugar
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 teaspoons blackberry curd


Method:

Start by making the blackberry curd: place the blackberries in a saucepan with the water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 mins.

Pass through a sieve – use a spoon to push through as much of the puree as possible.

Discard the pulp and put the puree either in a bain marie saucepan, or in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water).

Add the caster sugar, stirring to melt and slowly whisk in the beaten eggs.

Add the unsalted butter and continue to stir until it is melted.

Keep the curd on the heat and continue to stir. Gradually it will thicken, although this can take a while. Mine took at least 15 minutes.

Once the curd leaves a trail on its surface, it is ready. Another test is whether it falls from the spoon in a gloopy blob rather than as a liquid. It will firm up on cooling so take it off the heat just before it reaches the firmness you’d like the finished curd to have.

Spoon into a bowl and leave to cool, when cool store in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan oven 170°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.

Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases.

To make the cupcake sponge beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, flour, milk and vanilla to the bowl and beat until the mixture is well combined and smooth.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Mine took 17 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. The cupcakes can be made a day in advance and stored, when cool, in an airtight container. I made the buttercream on the day I wanted it.

Core the cupcakes and spoon enough blackberry curd into the well to fill it.

Eat the discarded cores of sponge – cook’s perks!

Now make the buttercream: Place the egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and stir constantly to stop the egg from cooking.

After 5-10 minutes the sugar should have dissolved. You will know whether this has happened by looking at the back of the spoon – if you can see any sugar crystals the mix needs more heating and stirring.

When no crystals are visible, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk the meringue mixture until it has puffed up and cooled.

Add the butter and vanilla to the meringue and continue to whisk. The mixture will collapse initially but don’t panic; keep whisking and it will form a smooth, fluffy buttercream. This may take a while so, I repeat, don’t panic and don’t give up! This buttercream will only fail if you skimp on this stage – however sloppy it seems, keep whisking and it will come good. The time it takes varies hugely with the weather (I find) so there are no hard and fast guidelines.

When the buttercream is plump and fluffy, beat in the blackberry curd.

Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag. If it feels very soft refrigerate for 5 mins or so to firm up a little – don’t leave it for too long as piping hard buttercream is not fun!

Pipe on to the cupcakes and decorate as you wish. I went for the simplicity of a blackberry on top of each one.

The finished cupcakes will keep for a couple of days at room temperature. Not that they’ll have the chance!

Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.

Eat.