Choo Choo Chai Cake

Here is another recipe from "The Clandestine Cake Club"  called the" Choo Choo Chai Cake" by Janet Currie which I had to try as it sounded very unusual . The first part of the recipe was straight forward and so I didn't photograph it but recorded the next stages so you can see the result.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

200g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

200ml soured cream

1tsp vanilla extract

200g self-raising flour

2tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1tsp ground cloves

1tsp ground cardamon

1/2 tsp bicaronate of soda

Soaking Milk

200ml double cream

200ml sweetened condensed milk

100ml chai syrup(or 4 tbsp strong chai tea)

Topping

250ml whipping cream

1tbsp icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/   Preheat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas mark 4.  Grease and line a 23cm round, loose bottomed cake tin.

2/    Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add two of the eggs and 1/2 of the sour cream, beating well to combine, then add the other two eggs and the remaining sour cream, then the vanilla.  I must add that mine curdled badly at this stage!

3/   In another bowl mix the flour, spices and the bicarbonate of soda and sift over the cake.  Fold in until combined.  I found that my mixture still looked curdled and so I put it back under the mixer and whisked it some more and  I ended up with a lovely light cake mixture. 

4/   Transfer the mixture to the tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.  I actually found it took 1 hour and 20 minutes in my oven, though I turned my oven down a little to stop the top from burning.  Leave the cake to cool in the tin and then turn out onto a cooling rack.

5/   Line the cake tin with cling film place the cake into it.  Prick the top all over with a tooth pick.

6/   Mix the cream, milk and chai syrup  into a jug or bowl and then pour all over the cake.  Cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or over night.

7/   Take the cake out of the tin and place onto a dish with a lip to collect any of the soaking liquid that has has not soaked in.  Whip up the cream with the icing sugar and spread over the top.  Lightly dust with some more cinnamon.

We loved the cake at home and our visitors also liked it. I will definately be making it again as a dessert served cold from the fridge. It has a very moist consistancy with a lovely spicy, creamy flavour. We were left with some half tins of the milks and some cream and so I made the most yummy creamy rice pudding which was an added treat!

Cardamom, Rose and Rhubarb Cake

I particularly love the taste of cardamom and could not resist making the Cardamon, Rose and Rhubarb Cake by Vanessa Kimbell, from "The Clandestine Cake Club" cookery book, though without the icing and in three layers.  My cake did not look as lovely as the one in the book below but it was extremely yummy.  I also used my  homemade Bluebarb Jam (rhubarb and blueberry) which worked well.  I will share that favourite recipe another time.

The jam had nice chunks of rhubarb in which made the centre quite uneven which I liked.  I finished off my cake with icing sugar and dried raspberry bits.












Recipe

Cardamon, Rose and Rhubarb Cake by Vanessa Kimbell

Serves 8

250g softened butter or soft margerine
250g caster sugar plus 1tsp of ground cardamom
4    large eggs
250g self-raising flour

Rose Filling

300ml double cream
3 drops of rose essence
50g icing sugar, sifted
200g rhubarb jam

Glace Icing

150g icing sugar
warm water to mix

1/     Preheat the oven to 190c/fan  170c/gas mark 5.  Grease and line two, 20cm round sandwich tins.       (I used 3).

2/     Beat the butter and sugar using a wooden spoon or electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and adding a tbsp of the flour with the final egg to prevent  it curdling.  Sift in the remaining flour and fold it in with a large metal spoon until combined.

3/     Divide the mixture between the cake tins, spreading it evenly.  Bake in the oven for 20- 25 minutes, until firm to the touch.( It needed slightly less time with 2 tins).  Turn the sponges out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

4/     When the cakes are cool, make the filling.  Whip the cream with the rose essence and the icing sugar until thick.  Spread the jam over the base of one of the sponges, (I did 2) then cover with the whipped cream and place the remaining sponge on top.

5/      Make the glace icing by sifting the icing sugar into a bowl and then gradually adding 1 to 1 1/2 tbsps of warm water until you have a runny mixture.  Pour the icing over the cake and leave to set.

High in happiness calories!

Cook Books and Cooking

When I named this blog I felt that I had to include some foody bits as the subject is never far from my thoughts and when I am involved in any textile endevors there is usually some sort of cake calling to me.

I do have a weakness for cakes and pour over my many cookery books, though tend to cook straightforward recipes most of the time.  All of my books have little slips of paper sticking out with all the recipes I am going to make someday, and I love to experiment. I tend to cook with lots of herbs and spices and love a good curry, especially when my sister Sonia cooks her South African lamb one. (Hint hint!). 

When I am feeling in the need of comfort, its to my cake books I go, and one of my favourites is "The Clandestine Cake Club"  by Lynn Hill.  The photographs are wonderful and so are all of the cakes I have made from this book.  The Clandestine Cake club are groups of people all over the country who make cakes to taste and share but don't know where they are going to meet until the last minute.  This club sounds like my idea of heaven, but my hips and thighs could not take the strain unfortunately!

I made the Cardamon, Rose and Rhubarb cake recently and will share the recipe in the next blog.

  As you can see I have quite a few cookery books. I am afraid this is not the lot as I have a few more dotted round the house as well, just in case I need sudden  inspiration.  It is easy to forget good recipes and  finding one again in a book is like hidden treasure. I nearly always write in my books, so I know when I liked something, or what went wrong.