Get cooking with The Great Jewish Bake Day
Get your aprons and rolling pins at the ready, as The Great Jewish Bake Day launches next Wednesday. Whether you love baking biscuits in your spare time or your cheesecakes are to die for, why not show off your culinary skills and help raise funds for Jewish Care by hosting a bake sale at your home, office, school or local synagogue? To get involved, visit www.jewishcare.org/bakeday, call 020 8922 2810 or email bakeday@jcare.org.
Here three top chefs share their recipes for you to try ahead of The Great Jewish Bake Day:[divider]
All-In-One Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe: Cakes by Rachel Rachel
Recently voted the nation’s best loved cake, this is probably one of the easiest cake recipes there is. Totally fool-proof, absolutely delicious and a real family favourite, this can be made by even the most novice baker and is an ideal offering at any bake sale. It is best enjoyed with a cup of tea in the sunshine with friends, family, or a good book.
Serves: 10
Preparation time: 15 minutes (cake), 5 minutes to fill
Cooking time: 25 minutes, plus cooling
Ingredients:
225g self-raising flour
225g softened butter
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
2tsp baking powder
For the filling:
4 tbsp (approx 55g) good quality strawberry jam
Buttercream icing – recipe below
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 170°C
- Grease and line two 20cm (8ins) baking tins
- Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl, add all other ingredients
- Beat thoroughly until mixture is well blended, smooth and glossy
- Divide mixture evenly between tins and level out
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for around 25 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and golden, and spring back when lightly pressed with a finger
- Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely
Basic Buttercream icing:
Ingredients
- 100g slightly softened butter
- 225g icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
To make the buttercream:
- Beat the butter until smooth and creamy
- Gradually beat in icing sugar to give a thick, creamy texture.
- Beat in vanilla extract
To fill the cake:
- Carefully spread the jam over the top of one of the sponges
- Top with buttercream and place second sponge on top
- Dust with a little icing sugar before serving
Keep in an airtight container and eat within 2 days[divider]
Fudge Brownies: Asher Budwig, Lola’s Cupcakes
A yummy chocolate cupcake recipe your Bake Day guests can’t refuse.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
190g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
130g soft butter, cubed
250g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
60g chopped nuts (optional)
60g white chocolate (optional)
Milk chocolate sauce to drizzle
12 small cubes of home-made brownie (for decoration)
Caramel Chocolate Ganache:
100g caster sugar
¾ tsp lemon juice
225ml pouring or whipping cream
300g milk chocolate, finely chopped
Method:
Muffin pan lined with 12 muffin cases:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring, until the chocolate melts and you have a smooth, glossy mixture.
4. Remove from the heat and beat in the sugar and vanilla with an electric hand mixer
5. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat briefly until just combined.
6. Reduce the speed to low and add the sifted dry ingredients. Beat briefly again until just combined. Stir in the chopped nuts and white chocolate, if using, then divide the mixture between the muffin cases.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven. Cool completely before decorating.
While the cupcakes are cooling down make the Caramel Chocolate Ganache:
1. Put the sugar, lemon juice and 60ml water in a saucepan and stir.
2. Cook over a medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, then cook without stirring until dark caramel in colour, about 7-10 minutes
3. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cream and stir briskly to combine – beware that the sugar syrup will be dangerously hot and will bubble and spit when you pour the cream in!
4. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Allow to cool completely (about 1 hour), whisking occasionally.
5. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, whisking occasionally
6. Spread the frosting over the cold cupcakes using a spatula. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and top with a cube of brownie.[divider]
Granola Bars: Roy Levy, head baker at Gail’s Artisan Bakery
The granola bar is a great alternative to a flapjack but much healthier. It’s packed full of seeds, nuts and oats, as well as dried fruit – delicious and not too sweet. You can make big sheets of them, so it’s great for a bake sale!
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 25 to 30 minutes
Serves: 9
Ingredients:
Butter, 175g
Clear honey, 140g
Demerara sugar, 150g
Oats, 350g
Cinnamon, 1 ½ tsp
Pecans, 85g
Sultanas, 85g
Sour cherries, 85g
Sliced apricots, 85g
Pumpkin seeds, 85g
Ground almonds, 50g
Sesame seeds, 50g
Method:
- Preheat oven 170°C
- Grease a rectangular tin, 20x 30cm.
- Line the tin with baking paper and grease again.
- In a small sauce pan over a low heat, melt butter, honey and sugar.
- Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.
- After sugar dissolves, increase heat, bring to a boil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly till consistency is thick, then remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients and fruits.
- Pour the hot honey mixture over the seeds, nuts and fruits and stir with a wooden spoon.
- Pour the whole mixture into the baking tin and carefully press into place. Use the back of a wet wooden spoon to press mixture evenly and prevent sticking.
- Bake for 15 minutes until just beginning to brown around the edges.
- Take out of the oven and press the mixture once again.
- Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Leave to cool completely and cut into bars.
To get involved, visit www.jewishcare.org/bakeday.
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