Which means it’s time to bake mince pies and finish decorating the Christmas cake.

With a bit of arm twisting, making mince pies becomes a family affair.    It’s certainly more fun with three helpers in the kitchen and don’t let anyone tell you children don’t like mince pies. You can watch us by following the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a0uywaI6Hs

I always plan to have my Christmas cake finished by mid December, but it ends up inevitably a last minute job on Christmas Eve.  To be fair, the marzipan went on a couple of days ago.  I give below my recipes for apricot glaze, marzipan and royal icing.  I used to buy both marzipan and roll-out icing as they do give a perfectly smooth surface but the taste (I make a point of adding no flavouring whether almond or vanilla to the marzipan to let the taste of the almonds speak for itself) and texture of home-made are far superior even if the decorated cake looks a little home-spun.

I make the marzipan then divide it into two.  Half is for the top of the cake and the other half for the sides. (In fact accurately and greedily because we have two cakes, I make one and a half times the marzipan recipe and divide it into three as one cake is fully decorated whereas just the top but not the sides of the second cake are decorated.  I begin with the top of the cake, coating it with apricot glaze (not the sides yet as otherwise you will get sticky fingers when you pick the cake up).  I roll out a piece of marzipan to a rough circle shape approximately the same size as the cake and invert the cake onto it.  I then trim the edges neatly whilst the cake is still upside down.  Keep the trimmings to mould into marzipan fruit if you’re feeling creative or to stuff Medjool dates with if you’re not.

Next, I turn the cake over and place it in final position on its board.  I then prepare a template out of greaseproof paper, a strip to go round the outside of the cake.  I cut the strip in half as the cake sides will be covered in two pieces of marzipan.  I roll out the second piece of marzipan to a rough rectangle the same shape as my template pieces stacked on top of each other and cut 2 pieces of marzipan using the template as a guide.

Now it’s time to coat the sides of the cake with apricot glaze.  Once this is done, I stick the two side pieces neatly to the cake, trimming and smoothing the seams. I then use my (clean) hands to pat and smooth the marzipan over the cake.  This is what the end result looks like.  Good enough for a wedding cake rather than the rough snow I plan to plaster over it.  Also pictured are my last minute decorations – the sugar pearls I picked up in Paris earlier in the year and some white chocolate snowmen, reflecting the snowy weather conditions outside – it’s all set to be the first White Christmas in ages.

I made the royal icing following my usual recipe.  This is what the starting sugar and egg white mixture looks like before whisking.  The recipe advises that you should add icing sugar to the egg whites “until the mixture falls thickly from a spoon”.

And here is the same icing after 10 minutes’ whisking.  It now holds its shape and forms little peaks.  My long serving Kenwood mixer makes light work of this job.  I think you do need electrical assistance here, whether a hand-held whisk or free standing mixer with whisk attachment.  The icing dries to a deliciously powdery and crisp texture thanks to the air it contains.  Don’t forget the teaspoon of glycerine to avoid the icing setting to a tooth-breaking plaster consistency.

Here’s the finished cake taking pride of place on the Christmas dining table with the white chocolate snowmen gazing out onto the snowy scene outside.

Time to get on with the Christmas dinner preparations now and finally enjoy a little time off.  I’ve concentrated on Christmas baking on the blog this year so you’ll just have to imagine the goose roasted to mahogany crispness appearing out of our oven on Christmas day…

Merry Christmas!

Recipe for apricot glaze

This recipe (which is hardly long enough to deserve the name!) is my own.  It makes enough to cover an eight inch cake, top and sides with some leftover.  Spread what’s leftover on some toasted panettone for a Christmas breakfast or mid-morning treat.

Ingredients

Half standard jar of apricot jam (look for conserve or extra jam with a high fruit content)
2 tablespoons apricot brandy (or your favourite spirit)
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Melt the apricot jam and apricot brandy together in a small saucepan.  Add the lemon juice and stir well.  Rub the mixture through a sieve using a wooden spoon, pressing hard so that as much fruit pulp as possible goes through.

Reheat in a small saucepan boiling until the right consistency is achieved if the cooled glaze looks too runny.

Recipe for cooked marzipan

This comes from Leith’s Cookery Bible, and as the book says, it gives a softer, easier to handle paste than the more usual uncooked marzipan.  A hand held electric whisk is I think essential before you embark on this recipe.  I have removed the suggested almond and vanilla extracts from the list of ingredients in the original recipe as I like the natural taste of the almonds themselves to shine through unadorned.

I have found that the texture of the finished paste is variable.  Sometimes it comes out just right, sometimes a little too soft for rolling.  Presumably this is because of variations in the size of the eggs and the age of the ground almonds.  If this happens, simply add more ground almonds, caster sugar and sifted icing sugar in a 50:25:25 ratio (as per recipe) until the paste is the right texture for rolling out.

This quantity of paste is just enough to cover an 8 inch cake, top and sides.

Ingredients

2 medium eggs
170g/6oz caster sugar (I use the golden variety)
170g/6oz icing sugar, sifted
(if you find, as I did, that there is nothing except granulated sugar in your cupboard and the shops are closed, fear not! I ground the sugar into a coarse powder in my electric liquidiser and used this rather than a mixture of caster and icing sugar.  The end result was good – perhaps even better than using different sugars)
340g/12 oz ground almonds
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Beat the eggs lightly in a heatproof bowl.  Sift the sugars together and mix with the eggs.  Stand the bowl in a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until light and creamy or until the mixture just leaves a trail when the whisk is lifted.  Remove from the heat and whisk until the bowl is cold.

Add the ground almonds and lemon juice.  Check consistency and adjust if necessary as described above.  Lightly dust a board or scrupulously clean work surface with sifted icing sugar.  Carefully need the paste until just smooth.  Do not overwork as the oils will be drawn out resulting in a greasy paste.  Wrap in cling film and keep at a cool room temperature until you a ready to use.

Recipe for royal icing

This recipe comes, like the fruit cake it covers, from Delia Smith’s “Complete Cookery Course”.  The addition of  a little lemon juice which cuts the sweetness of the icing ever so slightly is my own.  I wouldn’t attempt this without an electric mixer of some kind.  Don’t be tempted to add more glycerine than suggested as otherwise your icing may not set.

Ingredients

3 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Approximately 1 lb 2 oz  (500g) icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon glycerine

Place the egg whites in a perfectly clean grease-free bowl.  Stir in the icing sugar, a spoonful at a time, until the icing falls thickly from the spoon (see picture above).  You will probably not use all the icing sugar you have sifted – just spoon it carefully back into its box.

At that point, stop adding any more sugar and whisk with an electric mixer for 10 minutes or until the icing stands up in peaks.  Then stir in the glycerine.  Spooned into a jar, the icing will keep happily in the fridge for several days.

I’ve posted this recipe before calling it American Cookies but I’m British so all my cookie recipes are ‘American’ or I call them biscuits.  When people ask me to make these they ask for “the condensed milk ones” and so I have renamed them.  I’ve also discovered since I first made them just how versatile the basic cookie dough can be.  Today I made the final addition to everyone’s christmas hamper:  Individually flavoured cookies. 

My sister has become obsessed with peanut butter and chocolate and so I made her peanut butter and chocolate cookies.  Dad loves ginger and chilli and so that’s what he got.  Mum was harder as she’s a mum and so says she likes whatever I make her but I know she loves marzipan so she got a sort of bakewell cookie… a fakewell if you will.  I also made myself a batch of chocolate and hazelnut cookies for immediate snacking.  There are no photos of that flavour as my family immediately snacked on them!  The joy of this is I made one batch of dough and then simply divided it into 4 and carried on to do all the different flavours I wanted. 

Makes ~36 cookies

255g unsalted butter, softened
225g golden caster sugar
170g condensed milk
350g self raising flour

For the toppings: (no amounts as it depends how many you make of each flavour)
natural coloured glace cherries
marzipan
flaked almonds
stem ginger in syrup, chopped into eighths
ginger and chilli sauce (I used Tesco’s Finest ice cream sauce but it’s totallyoptional.) 
cocoa powder
peanut butter
chocolate chips
chopped hazelnuts

- First line 5 baking sheets with baking paper and heat the oven to gas mark 4.  (If you don’t have 5 then just prep the paper and then reuse trays as they come free.)
- Cream together the butter and the sugar until soft and fluffy. 
- Mix in the condensed milk. 
- Add the flour and mix until it is all combined in a soft dough. 
- Divide the dough into 4 if making 4 flavours. 

For Chocolate and Peanut Cookies:
- Take 1/4 of the dough and put it into a smaller bowl. 
- Add a few spoons of cocoa powder and knead in until it forms a nice even chocolate colour. 
- Pinch off a walnut sized (and I really mean walnut sized, it’s smaller than you’d think!) bit of dough and roll it into a ball. 
- Flatten into a disc between your hands.
- Add a spoon of peanut butter to the centre. 
- Fold and pinch over the edges so that the peanut butter is completely enclosed in the dough. 
- Place on the baking tray leaving at least 1″ between cookies and flatten slightly and tidy up any really wonky ones. 
- Repeat with the rest of that dough. 

For Ginger Chilli Cookies:
- With the next 1/4 pinch off walnut sized bits and make into balls. 
- Flatten into a disc between your hands.
- Place 4 chunks of ginger in the centre of the disc and fold up the edges of the dough to make a sort of bowl around it. 
- Place on the baking tray leaving at least 1″ between cookies and then pour over a little of the syrup from the jar or some of the chilli ginger sauce. 

For the ‘Bakewell’ Cookies:
- With the next 1/4 pinch off walnut sized bits and make into balls. 
- Flatten into a disc between your hands.
- Pinch off a ball of marzipan about the size of a Malteaser and flatten into a disc. 
- Place the disc in the centre of the dough and fold over the very edges. 
- Place a glace cherry in the centre and then flaked almonds aroung that. 
- Place on the baking tray leaving at least 1″ between cookies. 

For the Chocolate and Hazelnut Cookies:
- With the final 1/4 flatten the dough out and sprinkle with chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts. 
- Knead these in until well distributed throughout the dough. 
- Pinch off walnut sized bits and make into balls. 
- Flatten into a disc between your hands.
- Place on the baking tray leaving at least 1″ between cookies. 

- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.  (I switch over the top and bottom trays after 10 minutes then give them both 5 minutes more.)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes. 
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 NB. These cookies do spread a lot, almost double, so be very careful not to place them too closely together:

I made this a couple of days ago, modifying a recipe to suit my own requirements.

Ingredients

Jar of Mincemeat (it’s really worth paying a bit extra for a luxury one!)
Runny Honey
Marizpan (to roll out for cutting out pieces) 150 g / 5 oz
Butter 150g / 5oz
Self Raising Flour 300 g / 10 oz
Golden Sugar 75 g / 3 oz
Cold Water 2 – 3 tbsp
Milk 2 tbsp

Tools

Square Baking Tin
Cookie Cutters
Rolling Pin

Method

Preheat the oven Gas 4 / 180 C / Fan 160 C.
Make breadcrumbs with rubbing the butter and flour until they resemble “breadcrumbs”.
Add and mix the sugar, water and milk to form dough.
On a floured surface roll out the dough to fit a 12 inch square baking tin. Don’t forget to grease the tin with butter first! (I lined my tin with foil which I greased).
Spread the mincemeat over the dough, and then drizzle runny honey over that.
Again on a floured surface to prevent sticking, roll out the marzipan and cut out what shapes you desire: I had fun choosing Scotty dogs, angels and holly leaves. Decorate the mincemeat with the marzipan shapes and bake for about 35 minutes, until the marzipan is golden. When cooled, cut into slices and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Good Morning and Happy First Day of Winter!

At least winter is living up to its name and giving us 28 degree temps this morning.  I am a little worried about the ice out there, so I am going to try and leave a little early this morning in a low gear.  We officially got 20in on Saturday and broke a ton of records!  As long as the weather is clear for Wednesday night, it can snow as long as it wants.  I always enjoy a white Christmas.

This morning I finally got to make something that has been brewing in my head for a very long time…

BANANA ALMOND CRUNCH OAT BRAN AKA the closest thing to marzipan you can have for breakfast!

• 1/3 cup oat bran
• 1/3 h2o, 1/3 cup skim
• 1 banana, 1/2 mixed in, 1/2 on top
• 1 big splash of almond extract (KEY!)
• 1 tbs of Kashi 7 grain nuggets
• almond butter
• a few raw almonds

When this came out of the mirco I could just smell the fruit shaped candies that I love so dear!

Perfect with a cup of gingerbread coffee!

Almond close up!

OK I need to finish my magical bowl and then get on the icy roads…not need to rush into work today, there will hardly be anyone there!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Good enough to eat

This simple Poinsettia design looks lovely and is not difficult.  You will need some holly cutters which should be easily available from any decent cook shop.  The one’s I used had a veining stamp which makes the leaves look a bit more realistic.  Getting royal icing absolutely flat is a skill which has to be learned like any other, and for this cake isn’t necessary.  A few swift strokes with a wet palette knife are quite sufficient as long as you can get it to follow the line of the cake, as the top will be covered with leaves and the sides with a ribbon. 

You need to leave the royal icing to dry on your cake at least over night, so put the icing on, then make the leaves, then leave the both to dry.  The leaves can then be applied the following day.

Utensils:
1 x large mixing bowl
1 x electric hand mixer
1 palette knife
1 x jug of warm water
2 x holly cutters – 1″ & 1 ½”, ideally with a veining stamp
1 x rolling pin
paint brushes
greaseproof paper

Ingredients:
1 x marzipanned cake
1 x pack royal icing mix
Icing sugar for dusting
1 x pack of ready made red fondant icing
1 x pack of ready made green fondant icing
a tiny bit of cream or white fondant or some mimosa balls for stamens
1 x pot edible glue
1 x pot edible glitter – disco neon electric lime (or similar)
1 x pot edible glitter – disco red
1 length of ribbon

Method:
Make up the royal icing as per the instructions on the pack.  It is important to beat the icing for the prescribed length of time; use an electric mixer or your arm will drop off if you attempt to do it by hand.  And we wouldn’t want that would we?

Using a palette knife, apply the icing to the cake in confident strokes.  Dip the knife into a jug of warm water and it will spread much more evenly.  Make sure that every bit of marzipan is covered and I would recommend a thickness of about 1cm of icing.
Wipe any splodges of icing off the cake board with a damp cloth
Lightly cover your work surface with icing sugar
Roll out about 1/3 of the green icing to a thickness of about 1/8″ / 2mm
Dip the cutter lightly in some icing sugar and proceed to cut out about 20 large leaves and 6 small leaves of each colour
Lay them out on the greaseproof paper
Working on 3-4 at a time, paint each leaf with sugar glue
Using a separate brush, immediately dust each painted leaf with glitter of the same colour
Leave to dry overnight.  Remember to rinse out your brushes.

Paint some sugar glue onto the back of a green leaf and place on the outside edge of the cake, pressing gently into place, then work your way round the edge, placing them at slightly different angles

Apply another layer, slightly further in and overlapping a bit (see photo)
Then do the same with the red leaves, finishing with a few little ones in the middle
Put a few tiny balls of white/cream fondant in the middle to look like stamens
Leave to dry

Finish off the cake with a nice, broad ribbon and glue it in place at the back.  I have just used plain ribbon but you could add a jolly bow.
Place in an obvious place so that everyone who comes to your house can completely unexpectedly admire it

My mother doesn’t let the holiday season slip by without buying chocolate advent calendars, sparkling apple cider, and a loaf of marzipanstollen. Why? Because it’s Christmas. This year I forwent the advent calendar but decided to attempt a homemade vegan stollen to share with her and enjoy myself. She turned out to be much more enthusiastic about the rugelach I made, but I enjoyed my marzipanstollen far more than any store-bought ones I’ve had in the past. It is also very easy and fun to make, as a bread machine takes all the work out of the dough.

Note: I put my marzipan in the dough before folding it in thirds because I am dumb, so it got rolled out flat.

Easy Marzipan Stollen

Adapted from Holiday Inspirations

Makes 2 loaves

Stollen

• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 Ener-G Egg Replacer “egg” (1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer beaten into 2 Tbsp warm water
• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
• 3 cups bread flour (or 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup chopped dried or candied cherries
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds
• 3.5 oz soft baking marzipan (7 oz if you want plenty of marzipan)

Icing

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp almond milk

• Sliced almonds, for garnish

1. Add milk, lemon zest, “egg”, margarine, flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and yeast to a bread machine according to manufacturer’s directions. Select dough cycle. When dough cycle is complete, remove dough from machine. Punch down. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rest 10 minutes.

2. Roll dough into a 12-inch square on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle cherries, raisins, and almonds over dough. Fold over one side of square to the center, then opposite side to form 3 layers. Cut dough in half crosswise and roll into 8×5-inch rectangles.

3. Brush tops of dough lightly with water. Split marzipan in half and roll into two 8-inch logs. Set each log on top of a dough rectangle. Fold a long side over marzipan to within 1 inch of other side; press edges lightly to seal. Place loaves on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double (45-60 minutes).

4. Bake in a preheated 375° F oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cover loosely with foil the last 10 minutes of baking, if necessary, to prevent overbrowning. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

5. Stir together powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond milk until smooth. Spread over cooled stollen loaves and sprinkle tops with almond slices.

Until I get around to posting the nerdy blog post that’s still sat on my computer, I thought I’d share possibly the best to avoid revision two nights in a row.

Day 1
Realise the Christmas cake you’ve been nursing for the past 6 weeks or needs to be covered in marzipan tonight, so as to prevent it going yellow when you decorate it.
Spend half hour kneading and rolling out marzipan, then another 15 minutes getting a perfectly smooth covering on the cake (yes, I know it’ll be covered in icing. I’m a perfectionist).

Day 2
Realise you have lots of leftover marzipan in the fridge that’s likely to be eaten by housemates.
Realise you’ve been promising to take cake/sweets etc into class all term.
Buy chocolate.
Spend another half hour making balls of marzipan and covering them in melted chocolate.
Mix milk and a little Baileys into the remaining melted chocolate.
Blog while drinking the truly stunning micture that’s left.

Merry Christmas

Yay! We have internet at home! F.I.N.A.L.L.Y. No more stealing, no more switching/tweaking/adjusting laptop positions and unlocked wireless networks in order to get connected. Some people (esp. Dennis) might not understand how we three girls have managed to live like this for already half a year (?!?!?!)—actually, now that we have internet, I don’t know how we ever lived without it!

I had already planned on making this Dutch Almond Buttercake before coming home tonight. But now it feels almost like a celebration cake! Calorie-wise, it’s definitely one worth saving for a special occasion.

The recipe is from Almost Bourdain. It really couldn’t have been easier to put together—short list of ingredients; little to no prep, no fancy utensils required and short bake-time. I adapted the original by adding a layer of filling in the middle before baking: 1 part blackberry jam, 1 part unsweetened chocolate and 1 part plain.

I’m not really sure how to categorize this cake. It’s definitely more pastry than cake—crumbly shortbread texture, buttery and firm. It reminds me of a similar French teacake called “Gateau Breton”. However you want to categorize it, this pastry/cake is DIVINE. It’s dense, crumbly and rich in texture—like eating marzipan!! And as for flavor, it’s mildly sweet and SUPER almondy. The added filling is a great addition to the original in my opinion. The tartness from the jam blends well with the buttery crust, as does the chocolate. I imagine that the flavors will continue to blend and improve over time. The filling also provides a pretty layer of color.

Tri-flavored Dutch Almond Buttercake (Amandel Boterkoek) (adapted from Almost Bourdain)

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 egg, beaten (reserve 1 tsp)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

1/4 cup jam (I used blackberry, but any would flavor would do)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and almond extract.
2. Add the beaten egg, reserving 1 tsp for later.
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add to the bowl with the wet ingredients.
4. Layer half the dough in a greased 9-inch springform. Then, spread the melted chocolate onto 1/3 of the tart, repeating the same process for the second-third but with jam.
5. Using a wet spatula and your fingers, carefully layer the remaining half of the dough in the springform until the filling is completely covered.
6. Mix the reserved 1 tsp beaten egg with 1 tsp water. Brush this over the dough, smoothing over the surface of the cake.
7. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until the cake surface is firm to the touch.
8. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

This recipe makes more than enough to cover the previous cake recipe, probably double what you need, but don’t worry I have a way to use it that comes from my mum, an idea which she thought of many years ago and which has become a family tradition. You could of course half the recipe with no problem. It’s a super easy recipe, well worth the little effort required, but you do need to get in there with your hands, because there is no way a wooden spoon is gonna cut it. Whilst this is called almond paste its probably nearer to marzipan but isn’t quite as firm as marzipan and not as smooth or soft as normal almond paste. From what I gather traditional almond paste is usually just ground almonds, water and sugar mixed together and cooked to obtain a smooth consistency. Marzipan has more sugar (normally icing sugar) and egg whites so this recipe kind of straddles the two.

Almond Paste

700g Ground Almonds

350g Icing Sugar, sieved

350g Caster Sugar

2 Large Eggs

Juice of 1 Lemon

1/4 Tsp Almond Essence or Flavouring

1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Tsp Orange Flower Water

2 Tsp Sweet Sherry (or rum or brandy)

1. Mix the almonds and sugars together making sure well combined.

2. Beat the the whole egg and mix in the lemon juice, flavourings, orange flower water and sherry.

3. Using a wooden spoon mix in half the egg mixture and once you have worked it in as well as you can add the second half. Once it becomes to hard to mix get your hands in the mix and bring together until you have a smooth consistent mix. Kept in a bowl covered with plastic wrap this will keep at least a week in the fridge.

Marzipan is applied to a fruit cake to act as a protective seal and a flat surface between a dark, sticky, potentially leaky cake and a crisp, white icing.  If you really don’t like marzipan, it is possible to apply fondant icing directly to the cake, but you must make it very thick or the cake may start to show through and it will be much harder to get the surface flat.

Like anything else, getting marzipan flat and even is a skill, but if you are just starting out, you can easily disguise any small bumps with icing.  The design I’m going to demonstrate does not necessitate perfect flat icing and is therefore ideal for a beginner or someone who simply doesn’t have time to do something more complicated.

One day, I’ll tell you how to make your own marzipan, but not now.  Life’s too short.

Utensils:
1 x rolling pin
1 x flour shaker loaded with icing sugar
1 sharp knife
1 x ordinary knife
1 x cake board – about an inch wider than the cake all round

Ingredients:
2 packets of Marzipan (you may only need one, but better safe than sorry)
Apricot jam (not with chunks of fruit in)
Icing sugar for dusting surfaces
1 rich fruit cake

Method:
Spread some jam quite thickly in the middle of the board
Place the cake centrally on top of it

Cover the cake with jam

Cover the cake in a thin layer of apricot jam

Light dust the worktop with icing sugar
Roll out the marzipan to between ½ and 1cm thick – depending on how much you like marzipan

Using the cake tin in which you baked the cake as a template, cut out a circle in the marzipan

Place marzipan neatly on the top

Place it neatly on top of the cake
Use scraps to fill in any gaps between the bottom of the cake and the board

Use marzipan to fill gaps

Knead the marzipan into a ball

Wrap marzipan carefully round the sides

Wrap the marzipan carefully around the cake, making sure it sticks to the jam

Trim with a sharp knife

Using a sharp knife, dipped in water, trim the marzipan so that it forms a neat edge in line with the top

Using a clean, damp cloth, wipe any scuffs off the top and any stickiness off the cake board

Roll the rolling pin gently over the top to make sure it is nice and flat

Marzipanned!

Some time before Christmas, I make fruitcake.

I soak dried fruit in brandy for a day,

Then combine with batter, now oven-bake.

Even though it’s got a bad rap, I say:

Fruitcake is delicious aged for some time,

Soaked in some liquor; not just any wine.

It’s dense and moist, and much sweeter than I’m–

The perfect end to a feast of roast swine.

Like a vintner, I age my cakes some years,

Sealed in marzipan, they wait in cellar.

Whilst they improve, we all enjoy some beers;

As we dream of a delight so stellar.

Raisins, prunes, currants, spice, and apricots;

I do so like this cake that I begot.

For my book club holiday party last week I decided to make a “Buche de Noel”, or Yule Log cake.  I’ve always wanted to make one, just to see whether I could do it.  It was helpful to watch the how-to video (courtesy of Nick Malgieri, author of Perfect Cakes) at  http://tinyurl.com/ydw4eqo  The marzipan link is http://tinyurl.com/yejoalp  and you can find the other videos for finishing the cake on the same page as these videos.

Most people either love marzipan or hate it.  I don’t feel that strongly about it either way, but it is REALLY fun to play with!  Last week, instead of making it, I bought it pre-made and colored it by kneading in food coloring or cocoa powder.  Then, the kids and I used it to make little mushrooms and pinecones to decorate the Yule Log cake that I made.  It would be great for decorating birthday cakes and cupcakes. 

 Marzipan is made from almonds and sugar, so if your child has a nut allergy, this might not be a project for you.  

The video shows you step-by-step how to make marzipan pine cones, mushrooms and holly.  Even my three-year old could make the berries and smear cocoa on the mushrooms. 

Try it sometime!  You and your kids will love playing with this edible play dough.

Note:  I used Nick Malgieri’s recipe on foodnetwork.com.  The cake was great, but next time I’ll make chocolate buttercream frosting. (The kids didn’t love the espresso and rum in the frosting.)

We made 9 tins of cookies this year!  In addition, there is a container of apricot squares in the refrigerator.  Add the imported German Lebkuchen that my sister Karen sent us and we are ready for the holidays.  Each year I make up “Bunte Teller”.  This is a German tradition and means “colorful plates”.  Years ago, the plates would contain apples, oranges, nuts, cookies, and confections.  Over time we have dispensed with the fruit and nuts and gone straight to the cookies and confections!  Each plate also has a little bag of gold chocolate coins as well as molded candies and marzipan.  There is a plate for each member of the family.  The plates are not readied until the morning of Christmas Eve. 

At 4 PM the German Christmas holiday begins with coffee and cookies. After dark, all good children must go for a ride to look at Christmas decorations.  In the meantime, Santa gets busy and arranges the gifts beneath the tree. When the children return, they must pause inside the door to sing Silent Night.  After that, they are free to open their gifts.  Later on in the evening, a casual supper is served.

On Christmas Day, friends and family gather for the big dinner, often a duck or a goose.   The children play with their toys and the adults enjoy conversation.  If anyone is musically inclined, a family sing-along ensues.  Christmas in Germany is not generally a time for merry-making.  The holiday is quiet and usually a bit reverent.  Most German Christmas songs are about the Christ Child and not about Santa.  It is a wonderful holiday with time for reflection and thanksgiving.

I’ve kept meaning to put another post on this week, but somehow it just hasn’t happened.  I have two children at different schools and every day there seems to be something else that I either have to do, attend, contribute or pay for; Class Hamper, Secret Santa, Christingle, Carol Service, Own Clothes Day, Decorations Day, Nativity Play, Create A New Organised Religion Day (Key Stage 1), Release a Turkey into The Wild Morning and my personal favourite, Camel Care for the Under Fives.   I also now have choir practices and carol services to go to and I have to make the house habitable in order to be hospitable over the Christmas Season.  Can’t wait for the end of term!

This weekend, I am going to marzipan my Christmas Cakes, so look out for a piece on that, which will be closely followed by instruction on how to do a simple but effective Poinsettia design for the icing.

Tonight, it is Alice’s daughter’s birthday and we are all going to see ‘Nativity’ at the pictures.  Alice and I usually go to the pub while the children are watching some hideous, badly executed, poorly plotted cartoon, and we had found that cinema attendance had become a very expensive sleep – Alice actually snored during ‘Monsters v. Aliens’.  But tonight we are going to ’sit in’.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Tomorrow, having been lent a set of brushes, I am going to clean my chimney.  I’ve been awfully good this year…

Built in 1464, The Holstentor (Holsten Gate) is a brick late Gothic city gate symbol of the former Queen of the Hanseatic League.

As Christmas draws near, I get tired of commercialism and would like to enjoy more the heartwarming festive season’s spirit. Hence, this year taking advantage of this past long week-end that we just had in Italy, I headed to Lübeck in Germany and soaked up the cosy and romantic Christmas atmosphere.

 ”World literature and the world´s cultural heritage” is the slogan that nicely describes Lübeck ´s soul. The home-town of Nobel prize winner Thomas Mann is a UNESCO world heritage site with its ensemble of churches, merchant’s houses, warehouses and Gasse (small narrow alleys).

The hearth of the city is the Old Town where the Christmas fair area is located. First mentioned in 1648, the site is an absolute must-do for the city’s visitors, with about 400 merchants selling a variety of good, including toys, decorations, hot spiced wine and food. The smell of the Glühwein (mulled wine), tasty Fischbrötchen (fish sandwiches), delicious marzipan and not mass-produced but craftwork gifts are few of the things I experienced during my stroll around the Old Town.

The old Hanseatic city claims to be the place where marzipan was invented.

Lübecker Marzipan has been protected by an EU Council Directive as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) since 1996. It contains 70% of raw mass, 30% of sugar.

Hospital of the Holy Spirit, one of the oldest social institutions of Lübeck (1260).

Walking down, the Breite Straße ends in the square where the Heiligen-Geist Hospital (Hospital of the Holy Spirit) is located. The German Christmas markets attract visitors from all around the world and they are also organized outside the country. Imagine that you could enjoy this authentic atmosphere in a Gothic Church Hall, where about 150 artisans offer their crafts in stalls which were used as small living rooms by elderly residents three decades ago. No matter if you are looking for special presents, want to enjoy the celestial Christmas feeling or admire the cabins, the experience becomes unique. This is what you get when visiting the world-famous Christmas market in the Hospital of the Holy Spirit.

Just one word of caution, if you can only visit these markets on Saturdays or Sundays be prepared to the shoppers crowd around the stalls. In fact, starting from the earliest hours in the morning, parks are full of buses whilst locals and tourists invade the old town’s streets. Crowd can be fierce but it is all part of the entertainment and add that ‘human touch’ that internet shopping will never be able to offer.

Ideally, one should have baked a Christmas Cake a week ago, but there is still plenty of time if you feed it with brandy twice a day instead of once.  I will do two more posts on how to marzipan the cake and a simple decorative icing.  Also do remember that Christmas Cake is full of fruit and is therefore health food.

Also remember that a small Christmas Cake makes a lovely and welcome gift, particularly for someone who doesn’t have the time to bake, or is perhaps on their own and can’t manage a bigger one.  Adjust the quantities accordingly. 

Lining a cake tin:   When baking a heavy fruit cake, you need to line the tin properly with greaseproof paper. 
Lay out your greaseproof paper on a flat surface and trace round the bottom of the tin twice
Cut out the two circles and set aside
Cut a long strip, the circumference of the tin and about 1″ (2.5cm) deeper than the tin.  Make small cuts at regular intervals all along one long edge.
Grease the tin then place one circle of greaseproof in the bottom
Grease this circle of paper lightly then put the long length of paper around the inside of the tin, snipped side at the bottom so that is overlaps the ready greased circle.
Then place the second circle of greaseproof paper on top of that. 

CHRISTMAS CAKE

Utensils:
1 large mixing bowl
1 x food mixer
Greaseproof paper
Newspaper
String

Ingredients:
8oz soft brown sugar
8oz butter
4 eggs – beaten
1½ tablespoons black treacle
9oz wholemeal self-raising flour
1½ teaspoons mixed spice
14oz raisins
14oz sultanas
12oz currants
6oz glacé cherries – halved
2oz chopped almonds

Method:
Cream the butter and sugar until very pale 
Beat in the eggs, then mix in the treacle
Gradually fold the flour into the mixture 
Once it is all combined, add all the other ingredients.

Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin, leaving a deep indentation in the middle so that it rises flat
Wrap newspaper around the outside of the tin, leaving a good 2” of paper above the top of the tin 
Secure with the paper with string (do not use plastic string as this will melt).
Bake at 150ºC for 2 hours, then at 140ºC for 1 hour
Remove the newspaper, then leave to cool in the tin 
Each day, drizzle half a capful of brandy or rum over the cake until you are ready to marzipan and ice it

It’s amazing how much joy a small comment about something you’ve done, written or made all by yourself can bring.
Always puts a smile on my face!

Or a total irrelevant conversation over MSN which started with something with Maslow’s somethingsomething and ended with flying baby-walkers. Oh, these people knows exactly what to say or do to cheer you up, don’t they?

It was a crappy start on December for me, since I’ve been in pretty much in bed all time after I took the swineflu-vaccine. And if I knew that it would cause so much pain, then I wouldn’t even consider taking it.
But what’s done is done, unfortunately. The headache is almost gone now, so I’ll be back to my desk tomorrow.
I’m a bit nervous about getting all my mock-exams back though, since it’s just about a few weeks ago that I realized that these are the grades that I’m applying on..

Oh well, time will show. I can’t change the grades that I’ve already got on those mock exam anyway.
So it’s about time that I sit down and enjoy the advent!
I’ve got E.C Dahls Julebrus (which is the best one!!!) and Christmasmarzipan (eller julemarsipan om du vil) and the movie Elf infront of me. Yup, should be a good Sunday

*nomnomnom*

]]> http://landgefluester.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/ganz-ehrlich-die-kekse-haben-sich-gegen-mich-verschworen/ Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:59:55 +0000 Frau Landgeflüster http://landgefluester.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/ganz-ehrlich-die-kekse-haben-sich-gegen-mich-verschworen/

Nachdem ich heute bei Frau Sterntau die vielen Plätzchen gesehen und mit ihr ein wenig hin und her kommentiert habe, da wurde mir klar, dass es so nicht weitergeht mit meiner aktuen Backunlust. Also schaltete ich meinen Laptop aus, kroch unter meiner Decke hervor, zog mir eine warme Strickjacke an und ging in die Küche. Dort schnappte ich mir meine Backhefte. Alte Heftbeilagen aus der Zeitschrift, die mit “B” beginnt und mit “rigitte” aufhört. Sie wissen schon, die liegen jedes Jahr zu Weihnachten einem Hefte bei. Ich möchte unbedingt Plätzchen mit Marzipan backen, denn, wenn ich das jetzt nicht verarbeite, werde ich es wohl gar nicht mehr verbrauchen. Tja, und gerade als ich das letzte Heft durchgesehen habe, klingelte das Telefon. Nun gut, ich hatte eh kein einfaches Ruck-Zuck-Rezept gefunden, also erst einmal ans Telefon, an dem mich meine lFF begrüßte. Sie nutzte die Gunst der Stunde, dass der Chef nicht da ist ging ihrer Fürsorgepflicht nach und erhielt gleichzeitig eine Hörprobe meiner lieblichen Stimme. Wie immer haben wir uns nett unterhalten, wichtige Lebensfragen erörtert und auch mein Problem mit meiner Backunlust dem fehlenden Backrezept besprochen.

Nach dem Gespräch war ich wieder einigermaßen motiviert, schaltete also mein Laptop wieder ein, forschte beim Chefkoch nach  Rezepten mit den gewünschten Zutaten. Natürlich sollten sie auch ganz einfach zuzubereiten sein, ist ja klar, Frau Landgeflüster muss schließlich bei Laune gehalten werden. Und stellen Sie sich vor, ich wurde fündig. Also Drucker an, Druck anstoßen, horchen, ob der Drucker das Blatt ausdruckt, Laptop aus, zum Drucker hin, Blatt rausgezogen. Kreiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisch! Nix zu lesen. Tief durchatmen. Zettel zerknautschen. Strickjacke aus, Fernseher an, unter die Decke gekrabbelt, Laptop auf den Bauch. Und zwischendurch immer tief durchatmen.

Also, lieber Herr Michelmann! So geht das nicht. Da will ich mal eine ganz tolle Hausfrau sein und Dich mit tollen Plätzchen überraschen und dann druckt der Dein Drucker nicht. Sorry, ich habe mich echt bemüht. Aber was zu viel ist, ist zu viel. Die Kekse habe sich alle gegen mich verschworen. Oder Dein Drucker.  Oder alle. Wir können gern morgen gemeinsam schöne Marzipanplätzchen backen.  Zu zweit macht das bestimmt richtig viel Spaß. Du kannst mir dann am IwiPhone vorlesen, was ich machen muss und überhaupt: geteiltes Leid Backen ist halbes Leid.

Vielleicht mache ich einfach Marzipankugeln????

I have quite a few things to catch you all up on!

First off,

Matilda, my mother, and I sleeping together in my twin-size bed

Our breakfast for her last day in town.

What was served? I made oatmeal with cinnamon and a bruleed banana + shredded coconut for my mom. She also wanted some of the bread we had gotten from the brasserie with sunflower seed butter. I opted for an end piece with marmalade and butter. I also tried a Heart Thrive. This time it was the raisin flavor and it was so good! It was delicious alone and crumbled over vanilla Greek yogurt + persimmon + cashew butter. We both had cups of warm pumpkin spice soymilk with pumpkin spice! We just dilly-dallied around the apartment and took Matilda on a walk.

Mom's breakfast

And mine

Then lunch time rolled around…

Gluten-free pizza crust with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, portobello, and goat cheese.

After we got ready, we were off to the studio!

Wishing I didn't have to spend my last day with my mom at the studio.

But before I dropped her off at the airport we were able to meet up with one my bests for some coffee.

Beautiful smiles all around!

All three of us

Being silly

I was sad when I dropped my mom off at the airport but luckily I’ll be flying down to Florida tomorrow till Sunday!

Lazy Sundays

I had a Rudi’s Organic English Muffin – these are so good! One half with cashew butter and the other half with Creme of Almonds and Dates spread. I also had vanilla Greek yogurt with marmalade and some slices of bananas. I also saved some banana slices for my English Muffin. My sweet tooth was calling my name that morning and I had a Marzipan candy and I tried a Newman’s Own Organic dark chocolate peppermint cup. This one was so good! I did some things around the apartment and spent most of my day painting.

More pizza!

Yummy dinner

I had some of the baguette from the brasserie with basil pesto, and a mock tuna made with soybeans. I also had a sliced up a carrot and look at that beautiful persimmon! I’m glad I decided to cut it that way.

I tried someone's favorite nighttime snack.

Well not just someone, but I tried Jessica’s favorite! Warmed up applesauce with cinnamon, melted chocolate chips, a crumbled graham cracker, and since I didn’t have almond butter I just used cashew. Girl, now I know why this snack is at the top of your list.

Spreading the love on Monday.

What a great way to start a Monday – with heart-shaped goodies! I tried the date Heart Thrive that morning. The date flavor wasn’t as intense as some of the other flavors I’ve tried. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed off. I had it over vanilla Greek yogurt, a sliced banana, and cashew butter. Mixed in with everything else it was good, but alone I didn’t really like it.

Baguette action

This sandwich was composed of: a beer-brat Tofurky sausage, homemade tomato sauce, red onions, and relish. Yum! I love using a baguette as the bread for a sandwich.

I obviously couldn't get enough!

So later on I snacked on some more with a baked apple + cinnamon, goat cheese, and honey!

I also got an incredibly sweet package in the mail!

From one of the sweetest girls around, Mitri! Her package warmed my heart and kept a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

Little delicious treats and wonders tucked inside.

Thank you so much! Don’t you love acts of kindness? Especially through snailmail! Since Tuesday was around the corner, I spent most of my day kicking major booty in the studio. Tuesday = my final critique of the semester!

Breakfast on-the-go

This is why bars are perfect sometimes! I tried the last 18 rabbits granola bar – Haute Diggity Date. This was incredibly delicious and is right up there with the first one I tried. The one that made me think, “this is what a granola bar is suppose to taste like.” Thank you for sending me these bars to review! I am so glad that I did because I will definitely find myself getting these in the future.

So now I will share with you what my piece for this semester’s final critique looked like. Now keep in mind that being there in person is an entirely different experience – as is with most art. I also had a Nag Champa incense burning which definitely added to the piece itself. I had originally wanted to set it up in various open fields and document my interaction in the space. Then I realized how little time I had, and I was debating doing a performance piece with it instead. However, nothing specific came to mind and I never force myself into anything when it comes to my art. So I just let it be, but I will set it up outside and film that in my leisure time.

Balancing on itself

Mitri’s beautiful box of goodies found its way into my piece! Can you spy it?

Watercolors on fabric + burlap

Interesting angle the stripped branches made.

The whole experience was meditative for me, and the environment I built is meditative as well. What a great place to relax…

Where do you all like to go to relax?

p.s. check out Katie’s amazing giveaway!

]]> http://greenapplesorbet.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/marzipan-monday/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:26:11 +0000 greenapplesorbet http://greenapplesorbet.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/marzipan-monday/ http://thegodscake.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/vintage-christmas-cake-recipes/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:34:29 +0000 Michael http://thegodscake.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/vintage-christmas-cake-recipes/

Recently I bought an old recipe book off ebay for 50p, which I thought was a bargain. To my surprise inside someone had left their newspaper cut outs of Christmas Cake recipes. This included recipes on how make American frosting, almond paste, royal icing and rich fruit sponge. I wanted to share my find with you. I am unsure of the age of the second, but recipes both were published in the Daily Telegraph, and the first is from the 1940s, as on the back it talks about the premiere of Gone With The Wind in Leicester Square, London. The movie was released here in 1940 and ran for 4 years during The Blitz, bombing of London during WWII. This year we are having the christmas cake made as a present so i wont be trying the recipes out yet, but feel free to have a go and show me the results (^-^)

Overly indulgent, vintage delight.

… war das Wochenende, aber sehr schön.
Zu Opossums Geburtstag erschienen alle Gäste pünktlich mit bester Laune. Er bekam schöne Geschenke und viel Geld, von dem er sich unter Garantie wieder Werkzeug oder Zubehör für seinen PC kauft. Ein Bekannter aus Dänemark, der extra angereist war, brachte Marzipan mit. Ich kann euch sagen, absolut lecker. Nicht so süß wie in Deutschland und ganz frisch. Da Opossum kein Marzipan mag, (wie gut für mich) habe ich die nächste Zeit was zu schnökern.
Es gab von der Fleischerei eine Schlachteplatte, außerdem eine Käse-und Fischplatte(Iiiigitt Fisch). Ich habe so viel gefuttert, mir war hinterher richtig schlecht.
Jedenfalls ging es hoch her, wir hatten viel Spaß. In der Nacht rumorte bei mir im Magen die Schlachteplatte, ich bin erst um ca. 6.30 Uhr ins Bett gegangen. Obwohl ich so ungefähr 3 Stunden geschlafen habe, war Muckelchens Geburtstagsfeier um 18.00 Uhr für mich beendet, ich habe schlapp gemacht und bin schlafen gegangen.
Zur Belohnung halte ich seit 2.00 Uhr Maulaffen feil, jetzt quäle ich ein bißchen Emma.
Ich wünsche allen einen angenehmen Wochenanfang, nicht ohne mein übliches, wohlmeinendes:

                                                ”Ich liebe euch doch alle”.