Last Minute Bridal Shower Gift

I really appreciate handmade gifts...I think because I love giving handmade stuff I appreciate the thought, work and love that goes into making something special.  A colleague of mine is getting married over the summer and we threw her a bridal shower at school this week.  It was a bit of a rush...it is just so busy at the end of term...and I kinda sorta forgot to sort out my gift before everything got on top of me.  

When I finally remembered last weekend I rushed around assessing the materials on hand and wracking my brain for something sweet and girly...but classy, to make.  I found a few balls of organic cotton yarn and got to work knitting up a couple of facecloths. 

Paired with a square bar of glycerine soap (rewrapped in brown paper) and tied together with some bits of raffia and the most perfect ribbon  (leftover from our wedding invitations...I absolutely love it) this last minute gift was complete.  

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Celebrating Midsummer with the Cake Ladies (on a dreary June evening)

I've been spoiled the last couple of months with places at Edinburgh Cake Ladies events, so I was pretty much ok with not getting a spot on this month's event...but those cake gods must have been smiling down on me yesterday.  I happened to check my phone at the right time and discovered a tweet calling on last minute bakers to fill the places of some ladies who didn't want to battle the elements (safety before cake).  I typed furiously back...fingers crossed...and before I knew it I was frantically thinking about what to bake.  

The theme this month was Fruit...I quickly popped to the shop on the way home from school and picked up some odd pieces of fruit and went home to create (quickly). I left the kitchen in a cloud of icing sugar and rushed out to Craigie's Farm in South Queensferry.  

As always the cakes looked incredible and tasted wonderful and there was certainly no danger of any of us not getting our 5-a-day.  Even though the weather was horrible the hospitality of the Craigie's staff and (of course) the wonderful Cake Ladies meant that the evening was warm and inviting.  A record 4 males were in attendance, and there was barely a crumb left at the end of it all.  

I don't normally single out the cake of the night, but I had to share this one with you...

The baker of this cake was a contestant on a popular competitive baking show a couple of years ago and this is the cake that she baked for the show...not only does it look totally stunning (and mirror her personality perfectly...she wouldn't mind me saying) but it tastes incredible. Chocolate layer cake with mascarpone and raspberries slathered in ganache...and pistachios and topped with massive double dipped strawberries, raspberries and a rather deadly slice of pineapple.  Cutting into this cake was terrifying (she had the serve it up for me) but eating it was a delight.  

My own offering was rather less refined...

Swedish Summer Berry Cake, which I have renamed Scandinavian Midsummer Cake.  Layers of sponge with fresh cream and loads of fruit.  There is a version of this cake in all of my scandinavian cookbooks, and even in Nigella's Kitchen.  The recipe I used was from my recent gift The Nordic Bakery Cookbook, but I just used whatever fruit I could get my hands on...A nectarine, an apricot, strawberries, leftover pineapple, a banana and a couple of kiwis. 

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Dining Out...In: An Evening at Charlie and Evelyn's Table

This weekend saw the return of Charlie and Evelyn's Table to the Edinburgh Supper Club Scene and I was lucky enough to snag a spot.  Run by the talented, and lovely, Chris and Rachel Rowley, this supper club is proud to be Edinburgh's first (they started welcoming guests in Jan 2010) and after a move, renovation and the arrival of a baby they are back in the kitchen with a summer's worth of menus.  

It seems like ages ago that I *finally* took the leap into the supper club scene, and since then I have been eager awaiting the return of Charlie and Evelyn's Table...and so, bevvies in hand fellow Cake Lady Michelle and I wandered over...not knowing what to expect.  We had both read (and heard) rave reviews from friends who had been before, so we knew that everything was going to be lovely...but there was still those flutters of anxiety and excitement.  Putting yourself, and your entire dining experience, into the hands of a chef and waiting staff is one thing...sitting down to a table of 12 strangers...is another. 

We were warmly welcomed and made to feel at home and began talking to those who had already arrived.  Promptly the remaining diners joined us and we were officially welcomed by Rachel.  There was a really nice mix of people, some who had been before, some who had read about it months ago in Sainsbury's Magazine, and others (like us) who knew people who had been before (and raved).  Chris came through to talk about the menu and then produced hot from the oven stilton gougeres and wonton soup spoons filled with seared tuna with a wasabi dressing.  We chatted and soon were invited into the dining room. 

When Charlie and Evelyn's Table started diners actually ate around a table that belonged to Chris' grandparents...Charlie and Evelyn.  That table is now Chris and Rachel's family dining table, it sits in their new kitchen and is part of a different side of their life.  Now guests sit around a considerably larger table...with Charlie and Evelyn watching from the mantle piece. 

Our menu was designed around the main course, Individual Beef Wellingtons, which were the special request of some return diners.  As an amuse bouche we enjoyed a tuscan tomato and bread soup, followed by a starter of salmon rillettes with toast, and then onto the main course of beef wellies.  Everything was lovely, and the attention to detail was perfect.  I enjoyed every bit of my meal, but...of course...it was the dessert that got the gold star from me. 

Lemon and Rosemary Tarts with creme fraiche.  This tart was the perfect end to the meal.  The pastry was wonderful and the lemon curd didn't score too high on the pucker scale.  The thing that won me over was the rosemary.  It makes sense when you think about it, lemon and rosemary go well together...with roast chicken and potatoes...but they also work surprisingly well in a savoury dish.

Another wonderful night out...in! A return visit is definitely on the cards. 

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Cardamom Buns with a twist...but without a Twist

On my birthday I was given the very sweet Nordic Bakery Cookbook.  I have been flipping through it practically every day since then, but have only JUST managed bake from it.  What to bake first was a really tough choice...rye bread...tarts...cake...pastries...buns.  In fact it was so difficult I was debating all week.  Finally I called for professional advice from the lovely Signe over at Scandilicious...it had to be buns.

These Cardamom Buns are different from the buns I've made recently.  Although all have been made from an enriched dough, these buns are truly soft and doughy...really soft.  The dough is flavoured with cardamom and sugar (and a good amount of melted butter) and then left to rise.  After rolling out 20 little dough balls you sort of pinch them into a bowl shape and leave to rise again.

The filling is a mixture of Quark (soft low fat cheese), Greek yoghurt and Pineapple, with a couple of eggs, sugar and vanilla thrown in for taste and texture. The recipe makes a lot of filling, too much actually...I would say it doesn't really matter, but since there are eggs in it I couldn't use the leftovers for anything, really. The recipe appears easy to half.  

These buns are gorgeous, they are soft and doughy and full of flavour.  The cardamom works well with the pineapple and cheese but I am thinking about mixing things up next time. Maybe I will make the cheese mixture minus the pineapple and then add some blueberry jam spooned on top? 

Oh! Just about time for a cup of coffee and a bun, perfect for taking my mind off the rain and wind battering my windows. 

Happy Midsummer...

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Crail Food Festival 2012

On Sunday Fiona and I hopped in her car and headed over the Forth Bridge into Fife in the hopes of escaping from the rain and checking out the Crail Food Festival.  We'd been alerted to this small, but bustling, food festival by fellow Cake Ladies and made plans to road trip over together.  

Crail is a really sweet harbour town close to the western tip of Fife and despite the miserable weather the place was heaving with people.  Both Fiona and I had our fingers crossed that we would get to have some lobster or crab freshly caught and boiled...but, sadly, the catch had been gobbled up by the time we arrived.  

Not to fear, there was plenty more to choose from, but...we did have to make our minds up quickly...no mooching back and forth weighing up our options.  The lines for every stall were long, and rightly so.  The first thing that caught my eye, after the "Sorry out of lobsters" sign on the crab shack, was the billowing smoke coming from the Arbroath Smokie stall.  I've never seen fish actually being smoked and then being prepared right there...in front of me.  "I have to have a smokie," I said to Fiona (luckily she loves smoked fish too).  

A smokie in hand we sat on a bench on the harbour wall watching the crowds and taking in the atmosphere.  A musician played a mixture of traditional and folky music, the seagulls screamed every now and then, and we devoured our giant smokies.  

With food in our bellies we wandered around and checked out the other stalls.  I was totally in love with some fab fruit cakes at the Sucre Coeur baking stall, but really didn't need a fruit cake...sigh.  I did, however, need some Caliente Hot Chocolate from the Cocoa Tree.  Rich dark chocolate with a decent hit of chilli...schhhhlurp.

Later we pottered through town, stopping at The Crail Gallery to check out the gorgeous prints, as well as a spectacular lighthouse cake by Sucre Couer.  After tea at The Honeypot we wandered over to Crail Pottery where I picked up the sweetest little red milk jug.  

I really enjoyed my time in Crail and at the food festival.  I might smell like smoke for the next couple of days but I am already looking forward to next year.  

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Banana Crepe Cake

The Euros and David's studying have totally taken over our house, our routine, our everything.  All of that coupled with some pretty miserable weather left me in a total rut this weekend.  Silence is needed in the house during the day and breaks are only taken for lunch and football...yawn yawn yawn.  I begged and I pleaded with David to let me use the kitchen a bit on Saturday (where the studying takes place) and, kindly, he agreed. 

I've been dreaming of making Smitten Kitchen's Banana Bread Crepe Cake with Butterscotch for ages and decided that since it involved a minimum of noise, and no baking, it would be the perfect cake to prepare while poor David was sitting at the table, in silence, studying.  

Layers and layers of crepes sandwiched with creamy filling and topped with a butterscotch sauce...how totally perfect! The crepes are flavoured with mashed banana and banana bread spices...nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves (I used mixed spice).  I love crepes, but I rarely make them at home...only because my dna forces me to make fluffy pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and, to be honest, I rather have a big slice of cake for dessert than a couple of crepes with Nutella.  I have to say it wasn't awesome standing over the stove flipping 16 crepes, but satisfaction did arrive...finally...with the eating.  

The filling for this crepe cake is a mixture of cream cheese, greek yoghurt and sugar for sweetness. It certainly has a tangy taste, from the yoghurt, and I love it.  Perfectly creamy and sharp, with just a little sweetness.  Topped with a smooth butterscotch sauce and walnuts this crepe cake was a beauty to behold, but cutting into it was incredible and hard to resist.  

I let the cake sit in the fridge for about an hour before cutting into it and I think that it helped the creamy yoghurt firm up a bit...meaning that it didn't all come oozing out the sides.  16 layers of crepe and youghurty cream topped with a sweet butterscotch sauce...heaven.  

If you are a fan of banana cake, and crepes, I would highly recommend this recipe.  It is a great weekend treat and it is stunning enough to be a party piece (plus it tastes great).  If bananas and yoghurt seem a bit too healthy for you, check out these other options: Sprinkle Bakes' Chocolate Amaretto  Crepe Cake (complete with amaretto truffles), Martha Stewart's Darkest Chocolate Crepe Cake (death by chocolate), Zen Can Cook's Green Tea Crepe Cake or this Nutella Crepe Cake from Ria's Collection (I know just the person for this one).   

One thing is for certain, this is NOT JUST a stack of crepes. 

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lovecrumbs...a trip to eat cake and restore my sanity

I've had a horrible week.  In fact it was so horrible by Tuesday that I knew that I would have to seek therapy in the form of cake on Friday afternoon.  A few quick messages back and forth with some fellow Cake Ladies and the time and place were set.  

It has been a few weeks since my last visit to lovecrumbs and I just knew that their laid back vibe, excellent cakes and fantastic choice of teas would soothe my soul.  As always, the wardrobe was well stocked with cakes, brownies and shortbread, and the sideboard held a gorgeous selection of tarts and scones. 

I had been dreaming of a large slice of layered cake all week, but...since I managed to force down 2 doughnuts and a meringue at a colleague's birthday brekkie this morning...I decided to go for a scone with jam and cream.  I had been tempted by the cheese scone, but after a millisecond I thought that I didn't really need to go super savoury.  Fruit scone with raspberry jam and cream won out, with a cup of Earl Grey. 

I'd not had the scones at lovecrumbs before, and was very satisfied with the size, texture and fruitiness and it was definitely the right choice.  As always the service was friendly and the attention to detail makes lovecrumbs unlike any old cafe.  It is unique. 

Speaking of unique...my friend sampled this chocolate salt and vinegar layer cake.  It look divine, and seemed to disappear...so I guess it was good! 

I emerged after an hour or so rejuvenated.  Cake with friends is the best therapy.  

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