22. Chocolate Chip Brownies

I skipped several bakes in order to obey Mum's second request to bake some brownies for the family party. They needed to be suitable for the children, so I've put the more luxurious ones on hold for now! I think this is the first time I've made brownies; they seem to be popular projects for other bakers, so I've always left it to them. However, they make a change from fairy cakes, and one tray's worth produces 24 brownies of a good size, so they're definitely ideal for a party. They were also very simple to make, following Mary's 'all-in-one' method. I was quite shocked by the amount of sugar that went in: 375g! I suppose it's needed to counteract the bitterness of the cocoa powder, but these are real 'a moment on the lips...' treats and not for regular consumption!

They baked for about 40 mins before I checked them with a skewer, and I gave them my obligatory 2 mins more before I took them out. I was disappoined to find that, once again, there was some sinking in the middle. It didn't really matter with these, as they were destined to be cut into squares, but I'm troubled by my ritual sinking. I know that it can be caused by opening the oven, or by underbaking, but I'm sure I'm innocent of both of these baking crimes, so I'm not sure what to do about it! I think I'm going to try baking for the maximum time next time and see what happens. I really need to experiment with the same bakes, but I'm so off-track with my project that I haven't got the time to re-bake things I've already ticked off the list (she says, having baked about five Victoria Sponges!)

Baker's verdict: easy to make, easy to cut into squares, kept well and tasted very good.
Husband rating: 10/10 - best brownies he's had and liked the chunks of chocolate in them.

21. Quick Boiled Fruit Cake

I'm going to preface this entry by saying that this is, without a doubt, the best fruit cake I have ever eaten. It received masses of compliments by the many family members who partook of a slice, and has ignited a new fondness for a 'genre' of cake I could previously take or leave. High praise for what was actually a very straightforward cake to make, hence the 'quick' in the title. What did take a bit of time, as per usual, was the preparation of the ingredients. I keep making the mistake of pre-heating the oven straight off, simply because it's always the first instruction. Oodles of electricity drains away while I faff about lining tins and measuring things, so I need to get into the habit of doing all that first. The oven doesn't really take very long to reach 160 degrees anyway!

As expected, there is a massive amount of fruit in this cake - currants, raisins, sultanas and glace cherries. No sugar is added but additional sweetness comes from the naughty tin of condensed milk which is mixed up with melted butter and the fruit in a saucepan. Stirring a mixture like this always provides a good workout for the arms! Once it was all melted and lovely, I had to leave it to cool for ten minutes while I got on with the 'dry ingredients'. These consisted of self-raising flour, mixed spice and cinnamon, with a couple of eggs chucked in before adding the fruit mixture. I mixed it all by hand (more elbow grease), and was really careful to make sure all the flour was blended in. It's very easy to miss bits I've found!

Baking time was recommended at between 1hr 45mins and 2hrs; I opted for the former but after testing with a skewer I gave it another five minutes. It was nice and golden on the top and smelt divine - all rich and Christmassy. We were heading out, and I hadn't left enough cooling time, so it sat on the worktop under one of those fly pyramid things just in case we had any unwelcome visitors wishing to leave deposits! It was a heavy beast, which I think actually makes it easier to turn out of a tin and move around.

I made this cake at the request of my Mum, who wanted me to make a fruit cake for a family party. The 'quick' element appealed, as did the fact that it didn't need feeding with alcohol or to sit in a tin for a week or two before eating. It's kept very well; it's now a week since I baked it and there's still a bit left - still lovely and moist. As I said, those who sampled a slice were very complimentary; I was surprised by how much of it was eaten, given the plethora of cakey delights on offer. Pitted against chocolate cakes, I'd always think a fruit cake would have less appeal. I think word got around how tasty it was though. My first taste of it was with some mature cheddar cheese - something husband found very 'pregnant' and peculiar, but the combination was lovely.

Baker's verdict: I will add this to my repertoire of regular 'occasion' bakes; quick, simple and bloomin' delicious. I expect to share the recipe with a lot of people!

Husband rating: 7/10 - bloody good fruit cake but I don't really like fruit-cake, so...

Dad rating: 11/10

20. Iced Fairy Cakes

With the remainder of 'Section 1' of my bakes still outstanding, I now find myself faced with a selection of cakes for really special occasions, like Sachertorte. What to bake for husband's birthday then? Something that would travel well on our short getaway to Norfolk. In the end, I plumped for these: basic fairy cakes with basic icing and artistic license to decorate them in whichever way seemed appropriate! I've cracked sponges now - I made a really light, fluffy mixture and the buns puffed up nicely. 

There always seems to be significant deflation, but I console myself with the fact that it makes it easier to ice flat cakes! They do seem to turn out a bit lopsided, but then I don't fiddle about smoothing down the mixture before they go into the oven. I went for 15 rather than 20 minutes, trusting my judgement about the colour rather than worrying about them being undercooked. I've made too many dry cakes over the years! The cakes were fine; the icing was too runny. It's hard to describe the required consistency in words really; evidently one woman's 'thick' is another woman's 'gloopy'!
The result was an icing that was malleable, but did run down the sides of the cases and make the cakes look a bit messy. Mary's photo shows buns decorated with Dolly Mixtures; as a vegetarian, I had to get the best non-gelatine equivalents I could find and used strawberry and fizzy laces and jelly beans. I was very pleased with the bows! The cakes were very tasty, although the delights of the sponge were a bit lost beneath the sticky sweetness of the icing and the trimmings.
Baker's verdict: very easy to make, and great for a quick cake fix when needed.
Husband (and Birthday Boy) rating: 8/10 - really tasty, excellent sponge. Icing not really my thing and the jelly beans didn't really go with it for me, but the laces were tasty.