Georgina Hayden

Feeding since 1982

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Maple and Caramelised Pancetta Crepe Cake

02.17.2015 by georgie // Leave a Comment

HAPPY PANCAKE DAY!

I’m a big fan of pancake day, of everything it stands for and the pancakes themselves. Shrove Tuesday came about as a way to use up all the fats and dairy before Ash Wednesday, when people would traditionally start their fast for lent. I do try and give up something every year for lent, however last year I was pregnant so it seemed mean and unfair to deprive myself! I knew if I couldn’t have something I’d just crave it more. This year however I do want to give something up. It’s hard as I’m not a huge chocolate eater (obvious choice), or drinker, so I’m not sure what to do. I’ve given up cheese before, that was hard (I should probably do it again). My other weakness is caffeine, so maybe this year I’ll do that, give up coffee for lent?! I feel sorry for Pete… this is going to be worse for him than me I fear. I’ll keep you posted.

Maple and Pancetta Pancake Stack
Maple and Pancetta Pancake Stack

Tonight we have a few friends coming over for pancakes and to be honest I’m keeping it old school. Lemon and sugar, and some savoury cheesy ones (with spinach and ham). However last spring I made this bad boy for a Jamie Magazine feature, and it went down a storm. So if you fancy something a little different this pancake day (or any day) give it a whirl. I promise it won’t disappoint.

Continue for recipe…

Categories // Baking & puddings, Cake decorating, Celebration Tags // Baking, Birthday, Cake, Maple Syrup, Pancake, Pancetta, Sweets

Sweet potato layer cake with ginger frosting

01.08.2015 by georgie // 2 Comments

As much as I’m a little bit glad the festive season is over, I’m not quite ready to let go of all the festive flavours just yet. I love anything laden with spice: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom… and it’s the perfect time of year to eat them. With that in mind I decided to have a little play with a slightly lighter, more interesting spiced sponge – and because, lets be honest, the world and their dog are on diets at the moment so if you can shove a vegetable in a cake it’s healthy, right?

It was my dear friend Laura’s birthday this week, so unfortunately she ended up being my guinea pig. I say unfortunately, but actually I think this cutie went down rather well! My new favourite vegetable cake, it’s really rather nice.

Sweet potato layer cake with ginger and chocolate frosting
Sweet potato layer cake with ginger and chocolate frosting

SWEET POTATO LAYER CAKE WITH GINGER FROSTING

Serves 12

  • 280g plain flour
  • 2 heaped teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 150g butter, at room temperature
  • 150g soft light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, free range or organic
  • 260g pureed sweet potato*
  • 100g natural yoghurt
  • A little spiced rum, for brushing

Frosting

  • 150g butter, at room temperature
  • 400g icing sugar, sifted
  • 150g cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped stem ginger
  • 75 melted dark chocolate (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180. Grease and line the base of 2 x 6″ spring form cake tins.

Sift together the flour, ground cinnamon and ginger, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the sweet potato puree and yoghurt.

Using a freestanding mixer, or electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Stop occasionally to scrape the mixture off of the side of the bowl with a spatula. Add the vanilla to the butter and cream the eggs in one by one. Add the dry ingredients and slowly mix in, until just combined, don’t over work it. Fold in the sweet potato and yoghurt mixture then divide evenly between the two tins. Bake on the middle shelf of your oven for around 35 minutes until cooked through. Leave the sponges to cool in the tins for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Whilst the cakes are cooling make your frosting. Clean your freestanding/ electric mixer and cream the butter until pale and light. Drain any excess liquid from the cream cheese and beat into the butter, only just enough to mix the two together – too much and it becomes runny. Beat half the sifted icing sugar into the mix, and when fully combine beat in the remaining half. When its smooth beat in the chopped stem ginger, with a little of the syrup from the jar and leave to one side. If your frosting has become a little runny, pop in a bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. If you want to use the chocolate (and it is delicious) swirl the cool but melted chocolate into the frosting and mix together. I keep mine a little rippled so that it has an interesting pattern when I frost the cake.

How you decorate your cake it up to you! Just remember to brush the sponges with a little spiced rum as you go. You can keep it as two cakes, frost them together and coat. Cut the sponges with a round biscuit cutter and make mini layer cakes (I cut rounds from the large cakes, and then slice those in half horizontally to make 4 layer mini cakes – see below). Or slice to two large cakes in half horizontally and create an open sided layer cake. The choice is yours.

* To make the sweet potato puree I peeled a couple of sweet potatoes, cut them into chunks and boiled them until cooked through. Drain and leave to cool and then blitz in a blender with just enough water to puree.

 

Naked cake
Naked cake

 

Categories // Baking & puddings, Cake decorating, Celebration, Vegan and Vegetarian Tags // Baking, Birthday, Cake, Christmas, Ginger, Sweet Potato, Sweets, Vegetarian

My favourite chocolate cake

11.30.2014 by georgie // 3 Comments

This week I had the privilege of making a special birthday cake for the lovely Jools Oliver. Working for Jamie means I have known Jools for quite a few years now; she is such a lovely lady, incredibly down to earth and a wonderful inspiring mother. She has been very supportive since we lost Archie, her kind and heartfelt words have meant a lot. So when I bumped into Jamie a few weeks ago I mentioned I would love to make her a cake, as a gift for her 40th birthday and a way of saying thank you for her support. When I asked her favourite flavour, I was told ‘chocolate and coffee’. Dream combo. So I took that and went from there…

Needless to say there were a lot of chocolate and coffee components! Including salted pretzel coffee bean caramel, shards of marbled chocolate with chocolate honeycomb pieces and torched homemade marshmallow to finish.

I’ve never made a cake I haven’t delivered myself, so when I let this creation go I was so nervous. I knew it wasn’t being given to Jools until the following day and I just prayed it would make it and stay in one piece! I’m glad to report it did, minus a bit of broken chocolate shard, but I can deal with that. It was a potential mudslide of a cake I was worried about!

So for this blog post I am sharing the base of this creation, the recipe for my favourite foolproof chocolate cake. I use this recipe for all sorts, I even used it as part of our wedding cake. It keeps really well and freezes perfectly too.

Jools' birthday cake
Jools’ birthday cake
Chocolate coffee layer cake
Chocolate coffee layer cake

 

MY FAVOURITE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Serves 16

  • 275g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 150g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
  • 300g golden caster sugar
  • 6 large eggs, free range or organic
  • 150g self raising flour
  • 30g good quality cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • A shot of espresso or tablespoon of vanilla extract (optional)

Preheat your oven to 180/ gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm spring form cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.

Bash up the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl with the butter and sugar. Pop the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water. Give it a little stir from time to time, until it is all melted, glossy and smooth. Remove the bowl, and leave it to one side for 10 minutes to cool slightly.

Whisk the eggs in jug, and once the 10 minutes is up gradually whisk the eggs into the chocolate mixture. Do this bit by bit, and whisk vigorously between each addition. Once the eggs are all incorporated sift in the self raising flour, cocoa and sea salt, then fold them in with a large metal spoon until just mixed together. Stir in the espresso or vanilla, if using, and then pour the cake mix into your prepared tin.

Bake in the middle of your oven for around 50 minutes, or until just cooked through. A skewer should come out clean, but still look like the cake is moist. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 – 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. I then slice my cake into 3 even rounds, and finish however my heart desires! Sea salt caramel and cream, black forest gateau, with boozy cointreau and orange frosting… the possibilities are endless.

 

Categories // Baking & puddings, Cake decorating, Celebration, Starters & sides Tags // Baking, Birthday, Cake, Chocolate, Coffee, Sweets

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Georgina is an award winning food writer, cook and presenter from North London.
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