Weekend Cooking: Lime and Buttermilk cake

A few years ago now, I bought a cookbook which was written by regular finalist in the Country Womens Association of Australia baking competition. I have made a couple of recipes from it, but it has been a while since I tried anything new.

I do now have good reason to try new things though! I was very excited to get a stand mixer for my birthday, so now I have no reason not to try making all the things that I couldn't possibly make before. Now don't get too excited. It wasn't a KitchenAid or anything flash, just a run of the mill stand mixer but I love it. In fact, it does tend to come with me when I go to the boyfriend's house for the weekend whenever we have anything planned. He's even attempted freshly made bread rolls (so delicious!!).

Whilst I would say that I am an average cook there were some things in this recipe that I have never done before. For example, I have never whipped egg whites separately before. And I was able to delegate things like zesting and juicing the limes to my assistant, and he does a great job of cleaning up too!

 I haven't got the texture quite right yet, but I will! It does taste delicious!

Lime and Buttermilk Cake

250g butter at room temp
1 cup white sugar
finely grated rind of 2 limes
3 eggs, separated
200ml buttermilk
2 tbsp lime juice
2 cups self-raising flour
Icing
1 cup icing sugar
1.5 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp water

1. Preheat oven to moderate (170 degrees C) and grease a 22cm (base measurement) round cake in tin and line the base with baking paper.

2. Use electric beaters to cream butter, sugar, lime rind until white and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Add half the buttermilk, half the lime juice and half the flour and then fold through. Add the remaining buttermilk, lime juice and flour and then fold through. Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites into soft peaks, Fold into the cake mixture and spoon the mix into the tin. Use a knife to smooth the surface.

4. Bake for 50m or so or until springy to a gentle touch in the centre. Leave in tin for 5m and then turn out onto wire rack to cool.

5. Icing: Combine all ingredients until smooth and then spread over the cooled cake.

Weekend Cooking: Scones

Over the last couple of Weekend Cooking posts I have been talking about recipes that intimidate me. Today, I am posting a version of a recipe that used to intimidate me just a little until I actually tried to make them. The recipe that I made last year was a different version to this one, but it was just as easy to do, and hopefully one day, when I try this version, it will be as tasty.

So why did the idea of making scones intimidate me? I think it is because when you have a really good scone, there is nothing better especially with some jam and cream, but when they are dry and crumbly even jam and cream can't save them.

I think it is interesting to see how the brain works. Last week I mentioned that I was going to post a scone recipe and I think my subconscious has been thinking about this ever since. This morning I met up with the Victorian branch of the Sharon Kay Penman Fan Club and I knew even before I got to the meeting that I was going to be having the Devonshire tea. Didn't even have to look at the menu really! Fortunately, the scones that I was served were delicious. Fluffy and light on the inside with a little bit of crunch on the outside. Delicious!

I should mention the morning tea that a couple of the other people had. At the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) at the moment they have the Melbourne Now Art Tea. The idea is that you get a biscuit that is decorated like a painting frame and you can make your own art on using various treats and sauces as your materials and it is all edible. In addition you get a couple of sandwiches, a scone and a class of sparking wine. One of the two people who were having this in our group made a sun out of the bits of marshmallow and macaron which represents Sunne In Splendour, one of Sharon Kay Penman's books. Lots of fun, even just as an observer!

Art tea - in the background you can see the sauces and treats that
 you use to make your masterpiece

Anyway, back to the scones!

This recipe for scones comes from Merle Parrish's latest cookbook Merle's Country Show Cooking and Other Favourites which I reviewed last week.

Before the recipe though, I have a very important question. It is, of course, the age old pronunciation question!

Are your scones like stones or are your scones all gone?




Scones

3 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp cream
1–1/4 cups milk, plus extra to brush
Jam and cream to serve



Preheat oven to hot (220°C) and lightly grease a baking tray.

Sift the flours, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Use a butter knife to mix in the cream and enough milk to make a soft dough.

Gather the dough together and turn out onto a lightly floured bench. Knead gently and briefly until smooth. Don’t overwork the dough or you will have tough scones.

Use a rolling pin to roll out to about 1.5cm thick. Cut out rounds with a 5cm round cutter and place slightly apart on the tray. Brush tops lightly with milk, and bake for 12–15 minutes, until risen and lightly browned.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with jam and cream.

Makes 15

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.

Weekend Cooking: Merle's Country Show Baking and Other Favourites by Merle Parrish

A couple of years ago I reviewed Merle Parrish's first cookbook. I  had originally borrowed it from the library but I liked it so much that I ended up buying it. Now if only I could find it, but it is here somewhere.

Firstly, here is a little bit of history about Merle Parrish. She first entered a country cooking show at 7 years of age and has competed for more than 70 years winning many prizes for her baking. She is also now a judge. Whilst I am sure she was known within her circles, she came to prominence when she appeared as a guest on Masterchef a couple of years ago.

On the back of that appearance, she got a book deal for the first book and now she is back with second cookbook at 81 years of age!. This time the book features many classic cakes that are entered in to the cooking competitions at the shows. but also some of her favourites. As you read through the book all of the recipes which are show recipes are clearly marked so in theory you could keep on practicing and start entering yourself if you really wanted to!

The great thing about this book is that there are many simple yet delicious looking recipes that nearly anyone can do, including some of those intimidating recipes I mentioned last week like sponge cakes, a pavlova roll, and lots of recipes where she gives instructions on how to make your own pastry.

The book itself is broken into a number of different sections:

Baking hints,
Cakes, Bread,
Scones and Muffins,
Pies and Tarts,
Biscuits and Slices,
Jams, Marmalades and Jellies,
Savoury Preserves
Confectionery.

At the beginning of each section there are various tips on the basic techniques that will be required in the chapter. Some of the recipes that caught my attention included Apple and Rhubarb Pie, Lemon Curd, Apple Crumble Cake, Capsicum and Chilli relish and Sponge Cake. You would definitely be able to work through some of the classic recipes until you had the techniques down!

One thing that did amuse me about this cookbook is in the introduction to each chapters there was more than once when she said something like I am not that keen on this particular recipe but my husband/kids loved it so I have included it here. Not sure I can name many cookbooks where you would see that kind of thing said.

If I knew where the first book was I would go and have a look to see how much repetition there is in terms of recipes, because I do have a feeling there is some. If I had to pick between the two, I would say that the first book was a keeper, but this one certainly has merit too.

When deciding which recipe to share for this post it seemed like it would be a bit odd to go past the recipe which bears her name so here is Merle's Slice. For my own purposes I am going to be sharing the scones recipe next week (or at least that is the plan right now).

Merle's Slice

Slice

1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
125g butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla essence

Icing

1 cup icing sugar
40g softened butter
cup lemon juice
desiccated coconut, to sprinkle



Preheat the oven to moderate (180C). Grease a 26cm x 16cm (base measurement) slice tin and line with baking paper, hanging over the two long sides.

Combine the flour, coconut, brown sugar and salt in a mixing bowl, and make a well in the centre. Add the butter and vanilla and mix until evenly combined.

Press into the prepared tin, smoothing the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool completely.

To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the butter and lemon juice. Use a wooden spoon to beat until smooth. Spread over the slice and sprinkle lightly with coconut. Leave for about 20 minutes, to set.

Lift out of the tin, and cut into fingers to serve.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.

Weekend Cooking: Merle's Kitchen by Merle Parrish

For someone who didn't really watch the last season of Masterchef Australia, I do find it kind of interesting that today I will be talking about my second Masterchef related cookbook in three weeks! A couple of weeks ago it was Kate Brack's The Sweet Life. Kate was the winner of that particular season, but one of the people to make a big impression was a person who was a guest and not an actual contestant.

Her name is Merle Parrish and she was a 78 old woman when she appeared on Masterchef who started competition baking from the age of 7. Over the years she won many Country Women's Association cooking contests. Most Australian homes would have had a CWA cookbook or two in their house or at least one from a similar type of organisation. Even if they don't have one now, either their mother or grandmother would have.

Merle was invited to Masterchef to represent the Country Woman's Association and was given the chance to compete against one of the Masterchef contestants. For her Masterchef appearance, Merle cooked her Peach Blossom Cake and won!  From there, this cookbook was born.

Here is a look at the Peach Blossom Cake recipe Merle cooked to win the challenge:

This cookbook is chock full of classic recipes - sponges, puddings, biscuits, cakes and scones. There are no fancy flavour combinations or overly chef-fy techniques just honest cooking that will be useful in any home. In fact, this book would make an excellent gift if you have youngsters moving out of home for the first time who want a good variety of different types of recipes from Never Fail Spongecake to Banana Slice to Jam Drop biscuits and much more!

I probably wouldn't really have even looked twice at this cookbook in the shops except for the fact that Bree bought it, and then made a recipe from it which she was very impressed with. I have been trying to suggest to Bree that she should post about it as a Weekend Cooking post, but it hasn't happened yet.  I am pretty sure however that I am going to buy this cookbook next time I am in the bookstore because there are lots and lots of recipes that I can see myself making at some point in the future.

This week I have to take cake to work and I am thinking that I might make the Bung-in Chocolate Cake from Kate Bracks' book and from this book I am going to make Raspberry Slice (recipe below). Actually, I  don't have to make cake. I could buy them and that might end up happening yet, but if I am going to make anything it will be these two recipes.

Raspberry Slice

Base


90g butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
1 tspn vanilla essence
1 egg
2/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup raspberry jam*

Topping

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup white sugar
2 cups dessicated coconut


1. Preheat oven to moderately slow (160 celsius). Grease a 28x18cm (base measurement) slice tin and line with baking paper, hanging over the two long sides.

2. Use electric beaters to cream the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla together until white and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Mix in the sifted flours, and press evenly into the tin, using the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Bake for 15 minutes.

3. Spread jam over the base. Combing the topping ingredients and spread over the jam. Bake for a further 20 minutes until golden. Cool, then cut into squares to serve.

*Jam being the equivalent to jelly in the US I believe.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.