Profiteroles

Having said only last week that I didn’t want to be faffing around making a croquembouche in the run up to Christmas, this week I found myself making choux pastry...me and my big mouth!  However, I didn’t make a tower and left my little buns at the profiterole stage.

I’d never made choux before and it’s become a long running joke between Mr CC and me that whenever I ponder what to make he says, ‘choux’ before adding that I can’t consider myself a proper baker having never attempted it (he certainly knows how to goad me!).  So I attempted it.  I did what I always do in times of kitchen troubles...turn to Delia.  Her profiterole recipe interested me because she says to spoon the choux onto the baking sheet rather than pipe it.  I realised why when my choux was so runny it fell off the spoon without any encouragement.  Shamefully, I started to doubt Delia and question her recipe.  See how runny it was:

But I should know better by now than to doubt Delia.  Of course they worked just fine and puffed up into pretty little balls.  For the Fanny Cradock fans out there I am happy – and proud - to report that there was no goo.

Delia’s recipe fills the profiteroles with whipped cream, which is lovely, but I decided on a halfway house between cream and crème pat with my cheaty custard cream filling.  It really is yummy and tastes like so much more work than merely adding some pre-made custard into whipped cream.  Here they are just after I piped the cream into them.  I found using a metal nozzle allowed good control to stuff that little bun full:

What struck me with choux is how much you get for so little.  Look at the quantities in the ingredients listings – they’re tiny, yet I got a good 22 profiteroles from it.  I was surprised at how quick they were to make too.

Of course, the only concern I have now is what will replace Mr CC’s choux-demands?  I only hope it’s something easy!

Ingredients

For the choux:

60g plain flour
1 level teaspoon caster sugar
150ml cold water
50g unsalted butter – cut into small cubes
2 eggs, beaten

For the cream:

300ml whipping cream
300g vanilla custard – the good quality, ready made stuff from the supermarket chiller cabinet

For the chocolate:

225g chocolate – I used a mix of milk and plain

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Line two baking sheets with baking paper or non stick foil.  Grease very lightly.

Tear off a sheet of baking paper or foil and lay it flat on the work top.  Sift the flour and sugar on to it – you must do this now so it is ready for when you need it.

Place the water and butter in a saucepan and melt together over a medium heat.  Stir.

As soon as the butter is melted and the temperature is reaching boiling, remove from the heat and tip in all the flour and sugar.

Beat like mad (I used an electric whisk) until the paste is smooth and a unified ball that leaves the side of the pan.

Beat in the eggs gradually until you have a thick glossy paste.

Flick some water onto the baking sheets – this will create steam and help the pastry to rise.

Spoon teaspoonfuls of choux onto the baking sheet leaving a 2cm gap between the buns.

Bake for 10 minutes and then increase the heat to 220°C/fan oven 200°C/425°F/gas mark 7 and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until the buns are crisp, light and golden.

Pierce the side of each bun to allow the steam to escape and leave to cool.

For the filling I whipped the cream and then added the custard a spoon at a time.

Cut a slot in each bun and pipe or spoon the filling into the cavity.  Do this as close to serving as possible because the cream will soften the pastry.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water taking care that the bowl does not touch the water.

When melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before spooning over the profiteroles.

Serve immediately. (NB. I did put mine in the fridge and you lose the gloss on the chocolate but they’re perfect otherwise).

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

Eat.

No-faff chocolate truffle cheesecake

Christmas is fast approaching and, much as we all like to spend October and November fantasising about the joyful expressions on our family’s faces when we bring a 3 foot tall croquembouche to the Christmas table, by December reality has kicked in and the croquembouche recipe is tucked away not to be looked at again until maybe next November.

This is where recipes like this earn their keep – delicious, minutes to prepare and – with the right presentation – wow factor.  Lakeland very kindly sent me their small hemisphere pans to try and I knew I wanted to make something that looked like Christmas pudding but wasn’t (I’m not a fan).  Chocolate cheesecake was the answer (when isn’t it?) and this one is perfect for a special occasion because it tastes like chocolate truffles with a cheesecake tang.  I’m sure you could use it for a truffle filling – it’s that good!

These are the hemisphere pans – if you use two, you can join them to make a perfect ball.  It’s an optical illusion, the pan on the left looks so much bigger but it honestly isn’t!

The joy I feel when Lakeland ask me to sample stuff can only be expressed with the following analogy: just conjure up that feeling you get when the boy/man you have that outlandish unrequited crush on at school/college/work/wherever talks to you, knows your name and is really friendly.  That feeling.  Lakeland like me!  My love is no longer unrequited!  Joy!

I lined my hemisphere mould with cling film to ease the turning out process.  It does mean that you don’t get the perfect smooth finish but many a good pud can be ruined by a messy turn out, so for me it was a worthy compromise.  To make the clingfilm adhere better to the metal, I rubbed a thin coat of oil on first.  Even with that prep, I still needed to give the tin a quick dip in warm water to encourage the cheesecake out, as it sets firm.

Because this recipe is so simple, it really does live or die by the quality of the chocolate you use – pick a chocolate you like eating because that will be the overriding taste of the finished cheesecake.

If my hemisphere pan was the equivalent of Lakeland knowing my name and being friendly, then the hamper can only be the equivalent of a bouquet of flowers.  I think I might be dating Lakeland.  I love a good hamper – and this is a goodie.  All killer no filler (as I believe the phrase goes).  It contains tea, jam and biscuits (Mr CC has developed a passion for the strawberry and clotted cream shortbread) and the hamper itself is a wicker teacup and saucer.  So often with hampers I’m left with a nice box that doesn’t seem to have a purpose; not this one.  I had already bought my Christmas poinsettia and the teacup (lined with foil to stop leakage) made an instant container - how cute does it look?

As you have probably guessed my cake tin and hamper were provided by Lakeland.  Regular readers will know that I have long worshipped at the altar of Lakeland - and diverted large and regular chunks of my salary in their direction - so please don’t think I’m promoting Lakeland just cos I got some freebies...my love for them is genuine, deep and rather moving.

Ingredients

The quantities set out below will make a 20cm round springform tin cheesecake or two of the Lakeland small hemisphere pan cheesecakes.  If you are making a classic cheesecake, make the base first, then the topping.  If a hemisphere cheesecake, topping first, then base.

For the cheesecake:

300g milk chocolate
100g dark chocolate
300g cream cheese – I used Philadelphia
200g mascarpone

For the base:

175g digestive biscuits
75g unsalted butter

Method

Line two 13cm Lakeland hemisphere tins with clingfilm – a light rub of oil helps the clingfilm adhere to the metal.

Stand the moulds in dishes so they are stable.

Place the chocolate in a bowl and sit above a pan of simmering water, taking care that the bowl does not touch the water.  Leave to melt slowly – no need to fuss over it or stir it.

Put the cream cheese and mascarpone in a mixing bowl and beat together.

Beat in the melted chocolate.

Spoon into the prepared moulds and level the surface; the cheesecake should not come to the top of the tin as you need room for the biscuit base.

Now make the biscuit base: place the biscuits and butter into a food processor and blitz until you have the texture of wet sand.  If you prefer, you can place the biscuits in a bag and crush manually with a rolling pin.  Melt the butter and stir the crumbs into it.

Spoon onto the cheesecake and ensure it is evenly spread.

Cover the base (which is currently the top) with clingfilm then place a plate with a weight on it.  This will press everything down and ensure it holds its shape on turning out.

Refrigerate (with the plate and weight still in place) for at least 2 hours or – ideally – overnight.

Turn out onto the serving plate.  A quick dip in hot water will encourage it out, if needed!

Spoon a dollop of thick cream on top and then decorate with a holly – voila!   Cheesecake pudding!

Serve in generous wedges with extra cream.  If you want the true chocolate truffle sensation serve it straight from the fridge.

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

Eat.

Famous Faces’ Favourite Fancies – Rainbow cake

 

I didn’t realise it at the time, but there was a definite theme, particularly for the ladies I wrote to for my Famous Faces’ feature.  I can only describe it as they all are women I would be delighted to sit down, share a pot of tea and cake, and have a right good natter with.  Therefore, it’s no surprise that I wrote to world famous author Jilly Cooper.

I love Jilly Cooper – I hope she won’t mind me calling her a true English eccentric (I mean it as a compliment – they are always my favourite people!) and an animal lover.  She’s also written moreinternational bestsellers than I’ve had hot dinners (NB.  That is a lie.  I am not known for skipping hot dinners.  I am using hyperbole to indicate that she has written lots of books!) I’m sure you will have heard of them ...particularly if you were a teenager in the late 1980s and desperate to read something a little racy (how we struggled in those pre-internet years!).  Riders?  Rivals? The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous? Polo?  Admit it...you’ve read at least one!

Jilly sent me a lovely response in which she reminisced about something called Rainbow cake that she had enjoyed during the (second world) war years.  She remembered it being pink, yellow and golden brown and described it as fascinating and haunting her, not least because she couldn’t imagine its ingredients during rationing!  I had a hunt for this recipe but found nothing, so hope that Jilly will be pleased with a modern rainbow cake.  I’ve wanted to make one of these for a while but the necessity of food colouring put me off, until I found the Dr Oetker natural gel colours.

I used disposable foil tins to bake my cakes and it meant I could prepare them all together rather than bake two cakes, wash the tins, bake the next two etc.  They came out well.  I kept the layers of sponge thin to stop it becoming the world’s tallest cake, but it still came out large...but as long as it fits on a cake plate, I consider it acceptable!

You might all have realised this yourself and roll your eyes as I share my latest discovery, if so, pretend I’m not the last person on the planet to work this out: tall cakes are a nightmare to cut and the layers can slide.  This is a cake that’s kept in the fridge – because of the cream cheese frosting – so cut slices straight from the fridge as the cold cake is far more stable and rigid.  Put the cut slices on their serving plates and let come to room temperature.  I can’t believe I’ve been baking every weekend for over seven years and have only just thought about doing that!  Oh well, better inspiration strike late than never......

Even the crumbs of rainbow cake are pretty:

Ingredients

For the cake:
375g unsalted butter, at room temperature
330g caster sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 eggs
120ml milk
450g self raising flour
Natural gel colours in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet – I used Dr Oetker gel colours

For the frosting:

270g unsalted butter, at room temperature
225g icing sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
675g cream cheese – I used Philadelphia

Method

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

Line six 20cm round disposable foil tins with a disc of baking paper.  If you have six loose bottomed sandwich tins then use those.

Weigh your empty mixing bowl.  I know this sounds weird but you will be glad of it later!

Start by making the sponge: Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Don’t skimp on this stage as this is when you get lots of lovely air into your sponge.

Beat in the eggs gradually, add some of the flour if it looks like it might curdle.

Beat in the milk.

Stir in the flour until the mixture is smooth and well combined.

Weigh your mixing bowl full of batter.  Deduct the weight of the empty bowl to find the weight of your batter.  Divide by six to find how much batter to allocate to each tier – this will ensure even layers.  This was my calculation:

Empty bowl – 789g
Bowl full of batter – 2,429g
Therefore batter weighs – 1,640 (i.e. 2,429-789)
Batter divided by 6 – 273g.  Each colour needs 273g of batter.

Weigh the batter out into six small mixing bowls – I used my cereal bowls.

Add the colours to each bowl – you will find you need more of some colours than other.  For strong colours like red and blue, I needed the whole tube.

Spoon into the prepared tins and level the surface.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the sponge comes out clean. Another good sign is if the sponge is just pulling away from the edge of the tin.  I could only fit four tins in my oven at a time, I did the remaining two afterwards – there didn’t seem to be any issues from the batter sitting around.

Leave to cool completely.

Now make the frosting: beat together the butter and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl (I used my kitchenaid).

Beat in the vanilla extract.

Beat in the cream cheese, adding it a spoonful at a time, until your frosting is smooth and well combined.

Use about half the frosting to sandwich together the layers of sponge.  Make sure you get them in the right order – from the bottom up: violent, blue, green, yellow, orange, red.

Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides. 

Refrigerate until you wish to serve, ideally removing from the fridge about 30 minutes beforehand.  Here’s my top tip for getting a crisp slice from such a tall cake: take the cake from the fridge about 30 mins before you wish to serve and cut it while it’s cold.  Place the slices on plates and leave to come to somewhere between cool and room temperature.  It’s so much more stable to cut when cold.

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

Eat.

Movember charity prize draw winner

The ‘tache was grown, the donations gladly received and now a winner must be announced!  If you’re wondering what I’m on about it’s my prize draw that anyone donating to Mr CC’sMovember appeal was automatically entered into.

These are the prizes up for grabs for one lucky winner:

Thank you to everyone who donated and left messages of support.  In these troubled financial times – and in the run up to Christmas – we were thrilled at the level of response and raised over £80 for the Movember appeal just through that blog post.  Thanks – you are wonderful people!

So – who is the winner of the ‘tache and Christmas themed goody bag....drum roll please....

Krystyna Chodorowska...you have won!

(In your message you said that you comment on the site using the name ‘Morri’)

Please email me (using the email button on the right hand side of my blog) your address and I shall post your prize as soon as possible - if we get it posted quickly it should be with you before Christmas, wherever you are in the world.  Congratulations!

Thanks again everyone – you’ve done good!