Gingerbread Pancakes

Pancakes really are the breakfast of champions. When it's cold outside and your bed is just too darn cosy to leave sometimes pancakes are the only thing to lure you out and into the world.  This gingerbread variation is just perfect for those crisp autumnal mornings, so brew up a fresh cup of your favorite coffee and enjoy.  Bacon, of course, is optional but highly recommended!

Gingerbread Pancakes

(from Lorraine Pascale - Fresh & Easy Food)

Ingredients:

225g self raising flour

3 tbsp soft light brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

pinch salt

 ½ tsp vanilla extract

300ml milk

1 medium free-range egg

4 tbsp sunflower oil

8 rashers of bacon

Method:

Preheat the oven to 110C (this will be to keep the pancakes warm as they are cooked in batches).

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt into a large bowl, give them a quick mix and make a well in the centre. Add the vanilla extract to the milk then gradually pour it in bit by bit, stirring all the time to give a smooth mixture. Then beat the egg in well and set aside.

Put a drizzle of oil into a large frying pan on a medium heat and cook the bacon on each side until nice and crisp. Then remove with tongs and drain on kitchen paper. Keep the ham warm in the oven until ready to serve.

Leave the pan on the heat, but reduce the heat to low and add a little bit more oil if need be. Then spoon in four dollops of the pancake mix. Leave to cook for about 1-2 minutes until golden, then flip them over and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Slide them onto a baking tray and put in the oven to keep warm. Then, repeat with the remaining mix to make about 12

Once you have made all of the pancakes, divide them between four plates. Top with crispy bacon and then drizzle with maple syrup

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Holidays are coming

I was recently contacted by Dotcomgiftshop asking to detail the best or worst Christmas gift I've ever received.  Normally I don't bother with posts like this, preferring to focus on food, but I'd like to take this opportunity to shame my naughty mother.

Since moving out of my mothers home seven years ago the thing I miss the most (other than freshly washed and ironed clothes) is Christmas morning.  Every morning I'd get up, pop my special Christmas morning PJs on, grab my stocking and shuffle into my little brothers room.  There I'd plop myself on the floor where myself and the boys would munch our way though our sweetie filled stockings while watching early morning Christmas cartoons until it was appropriate to descend upon the present filled living room.  Since moving out, my lovely family have kept this tradition going. I still drive over at 7am in my PJs, help myself to a stocking hung on my old bedroom door and awaken the boys for Robbie the Reindeer. You'd never believe I'm in my late (cough) twenties, would you..

One year everything happened as usual and we all descended the stairs quickly before launching into our gift wrapped wonderland.  As I was attacking my way through my presents I happened upon a large heavy package, I wonder what this could be I pondered.  I tore away the brightly coloured wrapping revealing the Desperate Housewives board game.  Now, I have never watched this show before in my life and my mother could not be further from a Desperate Housewives fan.  Confused I turned to her and held up the game with a raised eyebrow.  My mothers face went bright red as she tried to stifle her giggles.  After she calmed down and wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes she confessed she received the game from her secret santa at work and thought she could pass it off as an extra gift. 

Desperate Housewives is still a bit of a running joke in our home at Christmas.  I may even wrap up a copy of the DVD for an extra special mammy this year ;)

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Raspberry & White Chocolate French Toast

I was once a weekendless soul.  I'd lie and convince myself that time off through the week was worth much more than a measly weekend but when I thought no one was looking I would gaze at those who sit in their dressing gowns, drinking endless cups of tea and reading the weekend supplements with pure envy, deeply wishing I could be among them.  Now, thanks to the shop, I am!  I am now the person sitting in her dressing gown, cuddling cats and struggling through the times crossword.  Even better, I can now bathe in the sanctity that is the Sunday breakfast.  Something special you couldn't possibly have during the week, something time consuming and ridiculously indulgent.  

This raspberry and white chocolate french toast certainly ticks all of the above boxes.  Delicious, sinful and highly calorific.  Perfect for the first Sunday of Autumn.

Raspberry & White Chocolate French Toast

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

3 large free range eggs

100ml milk

Juice of 1/2 an orange

Zest of 1 small lemon

1tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Butter for frying

100g good quality white chocolate, melted over a pan of simmering water

Handful of raspberries

 

Whisk together eggs, milk, juice, vanilla, zest, syrup and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Melt a knob of butter in a non stick frying pan over a medium heat.

Dip one slice of bread in mixture and allow to soak for 20 seconds, pressing the dry side like a sponge to allow it to suck up the mixture. Place slice dipped side down in the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. While frying, spread a layer of melted white chocolate on the top side of the bread and place a small handful of raspberries over the chocolate. Dip another slice of bread in mixture and press the dry side gently to soak up the mixture. Sandwich this slice over the raspberries, dipped side facing up and press down to seal sandwich together slightly. Carefully flip over and fry the other side of the sandwich for the same amount of time, until golden brown. Repeat with remaining slices of bread, adding another tbsp of butter to the pan for each sandwich. Serve immediately, dusted with a light coat of icing sugar.

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GBBO Showstoppers: Chess Board Cake

Oh blog dearest, how I have missed you.  First of all allow me to explain my absence.  If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you'll understand why I have been so darned quiet. For the last few month I've been the busiest I have ever been in my whole life.  I opened a cake shop named Pet Lamb in the heart of Newcastle with my best friend and partner in crime, this would be enough to keep any normal person occupied but not me.  While pouring all of my heart and soul into my fledgling business I have also been spending every second I had away from the shop writing my book.  To say it's been tough would be a massive understatement but I battled through and I made it through to the other side.  My manuscript is now in the hands of my publishing house and the shop is thriving and growing every day.  I am a very lucky girl indeed!

Now, onto the main event, cake!  You'd think that being a baker by trade I'd be sick of the sight of sponge, I'm not.  Not even slightly, if anything the shop is pushing us harder to keep coming up with new and fresh ideas.  When I was asked if I'd like to receive a copy of the new GBBO Showstoppers book I jumped at the chance.  Show stopping cakes are just what I need for some delicious inspiration.  Upon my first flick through the book this Chess Board Cake caught my eye.  It looked so impressive and so complex but reading through the recipe I was surprised at the simplicity behind it.  

This is the perfect conversation piece that will have people gasping with delight.  Take this darling to a party and you'll have everyone believing your a baking extraordinaire.  Only you will know how simple it really is.

Chess Board Cake
(From GBBO Showstoppers)

Cake:

350g butter, at room temperature
350g caster sugar
3 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
350g self raising flour
pinch of salt
50g cocoa powder
4 tbs milk

Ganache

300g Dark Chocolate

300g Whipping Cream

 

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C and line 3 eight inch pans with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar together for several minutes until creamy.

Add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

Sift in the flour and salt and fold by hand to combine. Put half the batter in a separate bowl and sift in the cocoa powder and two tablespoons of the milk. Stir in 2 tablespoons of milk in the vanilla batter.

Put the two batters into separate piping bags. Pipe a ring of chocolate around the outside of two of the tins, then pipe a ring of vanilla. Keep alternating until the pans are full. In the third pan start with the vanilla first.

Bake for 22-25 minutes (12-15 minutes for a small cake). Run a knife around the edge of the cakes and invert onto a cooling rack.

To make the ganache heat the cream until near boiling and pour over the chopped chocolate.  Leave for a few minutes then fold the mixture until all of the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth and glossy.  Leave to cool until spreadable and use to fill and frost your cake.

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Pet Lamb Patisserie's Grand Opening!

So it's almost here, Pet Lamb is due to open its little doors to the adoring public at 9am Saturday 4th of August and we'd love it if some of my lovely local readers showed their faces!  We'll have fizzy wine and some super special offers for our Facebook fans, so get adding ;)

I hope we see some of your sweet faces on the 4th!  Help us celebrate the culmination of our hard work for the past three years.

Check us out at Unit 165, Grainger Market, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 5QW.  Entrance by Grainger Games, opposite Wilkinsons.

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