Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Jam and Cream Swiss Roll

My mother used to always make us the best birthday cakes as children. My favourite was a princess castle I got for my 5th or 6th birthday (I think). I also recall ballet slippers, bumble bee and a caterpillar. They were amazing. We were never allowed to see them though until they came out with candles on them at our parties but that didn't stop us looking high and low for them. Anyone who grew up in an Irish household may (or may not) have had a good sitting room and an every day sitting room. Well we were only allowed in our good sitting room for Christmas but this was where I spotted my princess castle cake that year.. I saw it through the window in the back garden and I was in awe! As we got older though we grew out of the novelty cakes and having big birthday parties so I remember as teenagers we would have a family dinner and after dinner we would have a cake purchased from the local bakery. My favourite was a jam and cream swiss roll. A light and fluffy sponge filled with strawberry jam and fresh whipped cream. Delicious! For this recipe I used a strawberry jam that had 'no bits' as its just the one I prefer but you can use any jam you want. You can also leave out the cream if desired or add more than I have put in here. To bake this I used a 37 x 27cm silicone flexi-sheet from lakeland but you can use any swiss roll tin or shallow baking tin you have. As you may notice the flour and caster sugar quantities are the same and there is one egg for every 25g of flour and caster sugar so if you do have a smaller baking tin just adjust your quantities as desired!

Ingredients

(as shown above)

125g Self-Raising Flour

125g Caster Sugar

5 Eggs

150mls Fresh Cream (whipped)

Jam

Prepare

Preheat your oven to 200^oC / Gas Mark 6

Line and Grease your Swiss roll tin or a shallow baking tray

Method

Begin by placing the caster sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisking on high speed (if you have an electric mixer) until light and fluffy. This may take about 2-3 mins. If hand mixing this may take longer.

Then fold in the flour until well incorporated. Be careful not to over mix as you will lose all the air you have whisked into the sugar and eggs. 

Place the mix into your prepared tin and spread out to all the edges and smooth. Place in your preheated oven and bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown and springs back to touch. 

Remove from the oven and place on another sheet of grease proof paper that has been sprinkled with caster sugar. Leave to cool for a few moments and then roll up (from the shortest edge) with the grease proof paper and leave for another few moments before rolling out and leaving to cool completely before filling.

Because this is a relatively thin sponge it won't take that long to cool. You can use this time to prepare your fillings. Depending on the size of your sponge I used about 3 heaped tablespoons of jam. I placed the jam in a bowl and stirred it to loosen. If your jam is very thick or just out of the fridge place in the microwave for about 10 seconds before stirring. Spread the jam over the sponge  covering the sponge but leaving about 2cm around the edges and repeat with the whipped cream. Leaving those spaces free around the edge of the sponge will prevent your filling from over spilling.

Now this is completely optional but I trimmed about 1cm off the long edges of the sponge before folding it. This just tidies up the edges a bit before you roll it. Now with the shortest edge facing you, begin folding using the paper to help you and roll tightly. 

Sprinkle with icing sugar when serving. Don't be too worried if your sponge splits; It adds to the character of it I think :-). I hope you all enjoy baking it as much as I did. Let me know if you try it or if you have any questions for me? You can find me on twitter and instagram. 

Happy Baking!

O x

Triple Chocolate Chewy Brownies

They are exactly as the title says: Triple Chocolate Chewy Brownies. My mouth is watering just writing that. I chose this recipe to be my first recipe post because they are by far my favourite thing to bake and not just because they are so so simple to make. It is because they taste so unbelievably good and you can easily add your own favourites to the recipe. I've added chocolate chunks and hazelnuts to this recipe and I know a friend of mine adds walnuts when she bakes them. Baking these brownies also fills the kitchen with the most amazing smell. Don't believe me? Why don't you try for yourself...

I always get all my ingredients prepared before I start any recipe. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have began baking something only to realise I have forgotten to weigh out an ingredient and then I panic and get all flustered. Not good! So weigh out all your ingredients and have them ready to just pop into the mix. 

If you would like to leave out the milk and white chocolate chunks and just have plain chocolate brownies that is completely up to you. I have done them both ways and both ways are still really yummy! 

I have been making these brownies for years now and have made them for many occasions and they are a big crowd pleaser. 

Ingredients 

(as shown above)

3 Eggs

325g Caster Sugar 

175g Butter 

130g Plain Flour 

200g Plain / Dark Chocolate 

100g Milk and White Chocolate Chunks mix (optional)

2 Tbsp Chopped Hazelnuts (optional)

Prepare

Preheat your oven to 170^oC / gas mark 3

Line a 12" x 8" x 2" baking tray with parchment paper

Method

  Begin by melting the chocolate and butter together over a Bain-Marie. A Bain-Marie is basically a fancy word for a hot water bath. Place a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. It is extremely important that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water as it will scald the chocolate and it will burn.

Once the butter and chocolate have melted you will be left with a glossy chocolaty mixture. Take this off the heat and gradually stir in the caster sugar and mix until well incorporated.

Now add in the flour. Once the flour has been well incorporated add the eggs and mix until you have a thick and gooey mix! Stir in your chocolate chunks and hazelnuts if you have decided to add them to your brownies.

Spoon the mixture into your lined baking tray. Try and ensure you have some parchment paper hanging over the edge of your baking tray as it makes it easier to grab and lift the brownies out of the tray when cooked.

Now, when I cooked the brownies this time I sprinkled the chocolate chunks on top thinking they would sink down into the mix. I would not recommend this as they only partially sunk into the brownie and unfortunately some of them burned at the tips from the heat of the oven. I have just added this picture because it looks so yummy!! Also a good example of the parchment paper coming out over the tray.

Bake your brownies in your preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes. When cooked the brownies will be flaky on top but soft in the centre. A cake tester or toothpick inserted into the centre of the brownie should return wet with crumbs. Be careful not to over cook as the edges will become hard and crunchy.

Remove the brownies from the baking tray and cool on a wire rack. When cooled  completely cut to size and sprinkle with icing sugar if desired. 

These brownies can be served cold but I have also served them warm as a desert with vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream. Just blast in the microwave for 15-20 seconds on full power. 

Check out that soft chewy centre...!!

As I mentioned in my welcome post, technology and me don't really mix and when I began preparing for this post I realised my camera had no battery! Case and Point! I took these photos with my phone and I have to say I really don't think they turned out too bad..!! 

Let me know if you try out this recipe and how it worked for you. You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram  so please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Happy Baking!

O x

Welcome!

For my first post I am going to begin by telling you a little bit about myself and how this blog came to be. My name is Orna and I grew up in a small town in Co.Waterford, Ireland. I heard the big city calling so I moved to London in 2012 and I fell absolutely head over heels in love with this city and now consider it my second home. 

I have been baking for as long as I can remember. Both my grandmothers were fantastic bakers so it is most definitely in my genes. My earliest memories are baking 'Queen Cakes' with my Nana. I remember standing on a chair at the kitchen counter helping (but probably being more of hindrance than a help) and waiting for the buns to go into the oven so I could get on with the all important task of licking the spoon. Nowadays I bake whenever and wherever I feel. When I'm upset, I bake. When I'm angry or stressed, I bake. When I'm happy, I bake. I think you get the picture. I can easily say I am at my happiest when in the kitchen baking and nothing beats the feeling of someone really enjoying your baked goods or the look on someones face when they see the cake you've spent hours creating for them.

I have been told for years I should start a blog but technology really isn't my forte so I could just never get the hang of it. Then there is also the fact that I am a self confessed lazy bones! But seeing as baking is such a passion of mine I thought it was about time I started. As mentioned before I am a bit technically challenged so please bear with me as I get this thing up and running!

I hope that through reading this blog my passion for baking rubs off on you and you get as much joy from recreating my recipes as I did putting them together. 

Happy Baking!

O x