Cooks' Corner

[annew]

Well done, Lesley!
John, try melting the chocolate and cream together (very gently), then allow it to cool and chill before whipping it.

[johnw]

Lesley & Anne - Thanks so much.  I had it in my head that you cannot heat whipping cream as it then loses it's whipping capability. Thanks for straightening me out on that.

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

In NZ we don't distinguish between whipping, double or any other kind of cream. Cream is cream is cream and it all whips, better if a day or two old than absolutely fresh. The only kind we really have, is fattening, but that word doesn't appear on the bottle.

[Anthony Darby]

Congratulations Lesley. Must get down and visit you there!

In NZ we don't distinguish between whipping, double or any other kind of cream. Cream is cream is cream and it all whips, better if a day or two old than absolutely fresh. The only kind we really have, is fattening, but that word doesn't appear on the bottle.

We have stopped buying cream because you can't buy single cream here.

[Lesley Cox]

Well if our cream isn't single cream, single cream must be extremely thin, hardly worth using in fact.

[Susan]

Actually there is a "lite" cream with a blue top as opposed to red. As I found out one Christmas day (when all the shops were closed)  it does not whip. It says on the label that it has reduced fat.

Tony, you could try that.

Susan

[Anthony Darby]

Thanks Susan, I'll look for it.

[Lesley Cox]

I really DO mean to post 2 choc cake recipes very shortly but I'm taking my new oven very slowly and trying out all the functions gradually. Don't know why I should be scared of it. It's the same oven as the one I've thrown out except it's 2011 version instead of 1990. A NZ brand, Fisher and Paykel, now made in Italy instead of 10 kms down the road at Mosgiel, all in the name of cost saving, but hundreds of jobs were sacrificed in the process.

 Ginger Shortbread
4 ozs butter
4 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder

Cream butter and sugar, add egg then sifted dry ingredients. Press into a shallow tin and cook in slowish over (150C) for about 20 mins.

Icing
4 tbsp icing sugar pressed through a sieve
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp ground ginger

Melt all this together in a small saucepan but do not let it boil. Stir to an even caramel. Pour over the shortbread as soon as it comes from the oven.

Now the additions and alterations. I always do one and a half quantities, including 2 eggs, working on the premise that an extra egg or half egg never hurt anything. Because this is an old recipe it's in ozs instead of grams but all good cooks can make the conversions easily. I tend to use more of everything rather than be too finnicky about accuracy. 3 large tbsp golden syrup, 6 really heaped tbsp icing sugar. I never weigh butter, just cut it off the block at about the right place, and always use heaped tbsps sugar, good one and a half cups flour and always at least twice as much ginger as the recipe says, in both the cake and the icing.

The cake, if you can't resist and cut it while warm is almost spongey, a little firmer if cold. It never lasts more than until next day in this household.

And now, dammit, I realize I've got it in the wrong thread. Should be in Cook's Corner. Maggi can you help here please and transfer it?

[Anthony Darby]

Three jiffy bags arrived in the post today from my sister-in-law back in Scotland. They were for three different people in my family. I wasn't one of them! The ones to the children each contained a (broken) piece of tablet large enough to sink the Titanic! On the customs label was written "treat sweet"!

[Lesley Cox]

I have just posted a choc cake recipe and two pics both of about 260 kbs and had the whole lot wiped away because the file size was too big. I'll have to start again. Can't the pic sizes be up to 300 each?

[Lesley Cox]

Trying again. I hadn't downsized the second pic.
No pretensions here to competing with Erika's superb creations, just basic home baking. This recipe is on the paper wrappr of Anchor brand 500gm butter pack.

Chocoholic Chokkie Cake

125 gms butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1 and 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking poder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soada
1 cup milk, warmed
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Grease and line a 22cms round tin, reasonably deep. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla and jam. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Dissolve soda in milk. Fold dry ingredients into butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Fold in choc chips. Pour into the tin and bake at 180 deg C for about 45 mins or until a skewer comes out clean and the cake has slightly left the side of the tin.

When cold, ice with chocolate icing (sifted icing sugar, large dab of butter and dribbles of very hot water, added carefully) and decorate as desired. I used chocolate hail and slivered almonds.

I added too much jam (3/4 cup) and the result was almost a dessert rather than a cake. It was beautiful and delicious but difficult to handle because of being too soft. It is very rich.

[Brian Ellis]

I don't know how I missed your Ginger Shortbread Lesley, thanks for that I shall try it next week, and the Chocolate Cake too.  We are garden visiting from Wednesday to Sunday in the West, we should have a day at Shrewsbury Flower Show on Friday, the (second) best thing about garden visits is getting to taste such a wide variety of cakes

[David Nicholson]

..........we should have a day at Shrewsbury Flower Show on Friday........

Tell us what you think of it Brian. I went last year for the first time for 10 years and was most disappointed (albeit that it poured down all day!) they seemed to have forgotten that it's a Flower Show and plants were not paramount!

[Lesley Cox]

The ginger shortbread was especially for you Brian so I'm pleased you've found it. You'll enjoy it for sure.

[Brian Ellis]

The ginger shortbread was especially for you Brian so I'm pleased you've found it. You'll enjoy it for sure.

I surely will