Rhubarb crème brûlée

Rhubarb crème brûlée.

By Jules

March is a tricky month for the foodie. Trapped in 'The Hungry Gap'; the time of year when fresh fruit and veg are thin on the ground, the seasonal chef is found scratching her head, scouring the store cupboard for ingredients. Cue the arrival of robust rhubarb - the bright pink stems shoot through the hard earth to brighten up these bleak winter days.

And with the arrival of rhubarb comes the inevitable craving for custard. This Christmas, the new toy in the Keston Kitchen was a a chef's blow torch. It didn't take long to conclude that this very British flavour combination could add a twist to an old French classic. The divine Creme Brulee (a posh name for egg custard with a crunchy sugar crust) is fun to make and even more fun to eat: firing the sugar then tap taping the crust with the back of your spoon to delve into the cool creamy custard. The hit of tangy pink rhubarb is the surprise hiding beneath.

This recipe requires a bit of patience and attention. I know to my cost that the cream can quickly bubble over and, if it is too hot when you add it to the egg, it will have a curdly consistency rather than the longed-for creaminess. But the treat is worth it in the end. And if you don't have a blow torch, you can get similar results by putting the custards under a very hot grill to burn the sugar crust.

What better way

to spend a cold winter's day

than making creamy and delicious

rhubarb creme brulee?

Ingredients

4 stems of rhubarb, cut into 1cm slices.

4 egg yolks

450 ml double cream

10 tablespoons caster sugar

1 vanilla pod (sliced lengthways and seeds scraped out)

4 large ramekins or 6 smaller ones.

Preheat the oven to 180C and put the rhubarb in the roasting tin and sprinkle over 4 tablespoons of the sugar to coat. Roast until soft (20-30 mins). Divide between the ramekins and chill.

Whisk 4 tablespoons of sugar and egg yolks together until pale.

Heat the cream and vanilla seeds over a medium heat until the cream bubbles at the edges. Be careful not to overheat!

Gently pour the warm cream into the egg mixture whisking until smooth. Pour back into the saucepan and stir over a low heat for 20 mins until the custard is thick. This needs patience and attention - you don't want the cream to boil over or burn.

Pour into the ramekins and chill for 6 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle the remainder of the sugar over the custards and - the fun bit - fire with a chef's blow torch.

Alternatively place under a very hot grill until glazed. Allow the crust to cool and harden for a moment then serve to your guests who are eagerly waiting to get cracking.

Read More

Chocolate Guinness Cake

This very indulgent cake has been made a few times in the Keston Kitchen to mark special occasions and I have intended to post the recipe for ages. It being St Patrick's day and the key ingredient being Guinness, I thought it was appropriate that I finally got round to writing about it today.
We have tried out other Guinness cake recipes which have also worked well but this Nigella version is the easiest (and definitely the naughtiest - the amount of sugar in this recipe is outrageous!).
The creamy icing is delicious and when spread on top of the dark rich cake it completes the cake like the head on a pint of Guinness.

Most recently I made this cake last week, it was Pierre's birthday (Keston Kitchen calendar photographer). We arrived at the pub in Camberwell where the festivities were taking place to find that he already had one chocolate birthday cake (and a selection of novelty moustaches which his guests were sporting)! We lit the candles on both cakes and everyone tucked in.
I think the Guinness cake was well received as I returned home with an empty plate.
This recipe is great if you are looking for a rich, moist chocolate cake, I have to say you can't really taste the Guinness but we have never had any complaints from its recipients!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Rachael xx

Ingredients for the cake:
250ml Guinness
250g unsalted butter
75g cocoa powder
400g caster sugar
142ml sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
275g plain flour
2.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:
300g cream cheese
150g icing sugar
125ml double cream or whipping cream



Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180C and line a 23cm round cake tin with baking parchment (grease the paper with a little butter).
Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter in pieces and heat until the butter has melted. Then, whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder.
In a separate bowl beat the eggs with the sour cream and vanilla extract and then add it to the rest of the mixture in the pan.
Finally mix in the flour and bicarbonate of soda, a bit at a time (you may need to decant the mixture into a bowl before adding the flour if you pan is not big enough).
Pour the cake batter into the lined and greased tin and bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes (mine took a good hour). Once cooked (a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake), leave it to cool in its tin. Because it is such a sticky, damp cake don't try and take it out of the tin too soon as it may not stay in one piece.
To make the icing, put the cream cheese in a bowl and stir in until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar and mix them together. Then add the cream and beat until it thickens into a spreadable consistency. Once the cake is cool, cover the top with the icing.

Read More

Welsh Cakes

Welsh Cakes - for St David's Day (or ANY other day of the year)

by Charlotte, fan of the biscuit house

Two things happened last week; I realised it was St. David's Day (1st March), and I got given an unexpected gift - a small china cottage to keep biscuits in. The said biscuit house has caused a divide as two members of the kitchen (they shall remain nameless) do not like it. So, Welsh cakes were made and the biscuit house was filled much to the delight of everyone.

Try this recipe out for size - it is easy and quick and the fact that you cook them on a griddle really made the whole experience rather exotic.

Ingredients:

225g/8oz self-raising flour, sieved

110g/4oz (preferably Welsh) salted butter

1 egg

Handful of sultanas

Milk if needed

85g/3oz caster sugar

Extra butter, for greasing

Preparation method:

Rub the fat into the sieved flour to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, dried fruit and then the egg. Mix to combine, form a ball of dough, and use a splash of milk if needed.

Roll out the pastry until it is a 5mm thick and cut into rounds with a 7.5-10cm fluted cutter.

You ideally need a griddle but a frying pan will do the job. Rub it with butter and wipe the excess away. Put it on to a direct heat and wait until it heats up, place the Welsh cakes on the griddle, turning once. They need about 2-3 minutes each side. Each side needs to be caramel brown before turning although some people I know like them almost burnt. They cook quick keep your eyes on the pan!

Remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while still warm. Some people leave out the dried fruit, some people use cherries instead of sultanas, and some people split them when cool and sandwich them together with jam!

Read More

Rainbow Cake

Last weekend we were celebrating the birthday of one of the ladies of the Keston Kitchen. The party theme that Julia decided upon was 'the skys the limit' (themes and fancy dress are compulsory at all Keston parties). We were most impressed with the assortment of pilots, clouds, deities, birds and other creative costumes that turned up at our door. The birthday cake had to of course also fit the theme, it didn't take long before I decided a rainbow cake was called for, with a different colour for each layer of the cake. I consulted Abbie (office baking expert) and she advised using the trusty Madeira cake recipe which I had used for the Keston kitchen cake in November as it is nice and solid and easy to pile high.
I remembered that Philippa (friend from school) had put pictures on facebook of a rainbow cake she had made, she advised using food colouring paste rather than the normal liquid stuff which isn't as effective (i tried making a green velvet cake with normal food colouring once but it came out rather grey!). Apparently Hobby Craft stocks the pastes but I don't have one near me so I bought some online instead, you don't need to use much so they will last me for years.

Rainbow Madeira Cake

The following ingredients will make 2 layers of your cake (so you will need 3 times the ingredients if making 6 layers), my layers were quite big so if I made it again I might use less cake mixture.

175g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
175g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
225g self raising flour
Zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
Splash of milk
A little bit of food colouring paste (i reckon about 1/4 tsp per layer), the brand I used was Wilton and the colours I used for the 6 layers were red-red, golden yellow, leaf green, royal blue, violet and I made orange by adding both red and yellow.

Method:
Assuming you make two layers at a time, line two 7inch cake tins with baking parchment and pre-heat the oven to 170C.
Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together with a fork making sure the ingredients are fully combined and the mixture has a paler appearance than when you started.
Whisk in the eggs. Fold in the flour a bit at a time. Then add milk a little at a time until your mixture has a soft drop consistency.
Put half the mixture in another bowl and then add a different colour paste to each bowl. The food colouring paste is gloopy in texture so I just added it a drop at a time until I decided the batter was a suitable shade.
Scrape the mixtures into separate cake tins (which you lined), make sure the mixture is level in the tins so it rises evenly and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. When cooked a skewer will come out clean, don't worry if you cakes look an odd colour as when cut open their true glory will be revealed!

Ju was busy in the kitchen in the lead up to the party and I didn't want her to cotton on to what I was making so I did some serious mid-night baking on the friday and hid the cake before going to bed. I then waited until the party was in full swing on saturday, banned the birthday girl from the kitchen and recruited Fern, Ceri and Tessa to help with the icing.

I used a thin layer of strawberry jam and whipped cream to glue the layers together and then we slapped on the blue cream cheese icing (cream cheese, butter and icing sugar). As I said it was quite late on in the party and I didn't measure the ingredients so the sky blue icing was somewhat runny but it did manage to hide the cakes beneath. I topped the cake with a yellow sun made from roll out icing and a few white clouds on the side which immediately started to slide downwards!

This cake was somewhat of an undertaking but definitely worth it just for the look on Julia's face when she sliced into the tower of cake having no idea what was inside. It also went down well with the rest of the party too!

Rachael x

Read More

Keston Kitchen Birthday Cake

This month is the one year anniversary of the Keston Kitchen blog! In order to celebrate our first birthday I decided to make a cake to mark the occasion.

If you have read Julia's previous post about the exciting calendar announcement you will have seen the fabulous new logo which has been created for us by Nick Ritchie. The logo was the obvious choice for the birthday cake design.

I knew it needed to be a fairly substantial cake to do the logo justice, so I turned to my friend Abbie in her capacity as the office baking expert and general wizard with icing for advice. Abbie suggested making a Madeira cake and text me the recipe her and her mum use for many of their cake creations.

Madeira was definitely the right choice as the result was a sturdy cake that was easy to cut in half to add a filling and it provided a nice flat surface for icing. Although solid, it was not too heavy and had a lovely subtle lemon flavour.

The ingredients below are for a 7 inch round or 6 inch square tin, I was filling a 9 inch square tin and so used 7 eggs instead of 3 and adjusted all the other quantities accordingly.

Ingredients:

175g butter (room temperature)

175g caster sugar

3 eggs

225g self raising flour

pinch of salt

dribble of milk

grated zest of 1 lemon

Method:

Line a 7 inch round cake tin with greased baking parchment and pre-heat the oven to 170C.

Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together with a fork, making sure the ingredients are fully combined and the mixture has a paler appearance than when you started.

Whisk in the eggs and then fold in the flour a bit at a time.

Finally add a little milk until the cake mixture is a soft drop consistency.

Scoop the mixture into the lined tin and make sure it is levelled off so it does not rise unevenly.

Place in the oven and cook for 1-1.25 hours until a skewer comes out of the centre of the cake clean (the larger cake took about 1.5 hour)

By the time the cake had cooled last sunday, I'd run out of energy for the icing part (plus we had to fit in watching an episode of the Wire that evening) so the cake lived in a tin for a couple of days before completion.

I sliced the cake in half and filled it with strawberry jam and whipped cream. I then heated a bit more jam with a splash of water to make a glaze to help the icing stick to the cake.

I used a packet of white icing which comes ready to roll. I used a 1kg packet for this cake but if you are making a 7 inch round cake a 500g packet would do.

After covering the cake in a layer of icing a few mm thick I cut out the design from the remaining icing using a stencil I created from a print out of the logo. Abs advised me to paint the food colouring onto the icing rather than mixing it in to produce a more vivid colour.

I left the painted icing letters to dry before putting them on the cake (just using water as glue) and so finished it hastily in the morning before work. We had a quick candle ceremony before I chopped it up to distribute to the other Keston Kids and the office where I work.

I was concerned the it may not have been as enjoyable 3 days after it was baked but the Madeira cake was still yummy and by the end of wednesday at work there were only a few crumbs left as evidence.

Thanks for your help Abbie (and Mrs M)

Rachael x

Read More

Perfect Pud for Autumn - Poached Pears in Red Wine.

Love pears - these ones were for Charl and Matt x

I made this as the dessert for Charlotte's birthday meal. After Rachael's deliciously rich and creamy garlic tart (our last post), I felt the need for a lighter pud. I have to say, this dessert surprised me - how can you make pears in red wine taste like anything other than pears in red wine? Well, by infusing them for hours in a sweet, spicy, warm liquid so that it soaks through the flesh and transforms the humble pear into a succulent, delicately flavoured morsel of delight - that's how!

It's a fairly easy pud to make. However, you do need to prepare the pears the night before - trust me, it's worth it as it means that the pears are entirely soaked through and also frees you up to make the main course/starter when it comes to the day.

One downside to this dessert - if you have a foodie who is somewhat impatient hanging around (aka Charlotte), they can become a bit whiney. Charlotte arrived home from her romantic birthday meal with Matt (at St John, no less - if you nag her she'll do a review), by which point the smell of mulling wine had transfused the house. Cue the whining. No Charlie, I know it's your birthday today but you really do have to wait until tomorrow. And then, after she had tasted the fruit, the whining intensified: Ju - leeeene! When are you going to make those pears again? When?

Well, it's lucky Charlotte's got such a pretty face. It just so happens I can't resist the English pears that are in the shops at the moment, and have some stowed away in the cupboard. Maybe if she's a good girl at the weekend…Jules xxx

This recipe below is based on a Heston Blumethal - but with unnecessary fancy bits taken out. It is the only Heston recipe I have ever made, as I generally consider him to be out of my culinary league… but do not fear, this one really is quite easy.

Pears poached in red wine

You will need a casserole large enough to fit the pears in one layer.

Serves 6-8

8-10 ripe pears (allow 1-2 pears per person depending on their size)

1 bottle red wine

200ml crème de cassis

(NB I didn't have any creme de casis, but I did find a random cherry liqueur in the cupboard that seemed to work very well! If you don't have any appropriate booze, use an extra 100g sugar)

200g sugar

1 cinnamon stick

6 cloves

1 star anise

zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon

Bring the wine to a boil, flame it to reduce some of its acidity and add all the other ingredients.

Meanwhile prepare the pears. Peel them and remove the core so that they will cook evenly the whole way through. To do this, insert the tip of a normal peeler into the base of the pear, just on the edge of the core, push it into the fruit and turning the peeler around the core, cut it out.

The liquid will have cooled down a little. Place the pears side by side and top with a disk of greaseproof paper, the diameter of the pan, with holes pierced in it. Press down slightly so that some of the poaching liquid comes through the holes made in the paper, keeping the pears submerged during the cooking. If the liquid does not cover the pears, add a little water until it does.

Place the casserole back on the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. As soon as this happens, turn the heat down and cook at a very gentle simmer, just enough to form the odd bubble on the surface of the water.

Cook until the pears are done; you can test this by inserting a small pointed knife into the flesh. If it goes in with little resistance, they are ready. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool. When cold, carefully transfer the fruit to a sealable container. If you have added some extra water now reduce the liquid to the required consistency and taste.

Pour the liquid over the pears in their container and store in the fridge for at least one day. The pears will keep for a week in the poaching liquid. Serve hot or cold and adjust the consistency of the liquid as required.

Read More

3 Cousin Canadian Pie

The Keston Kitchen...... on location

This edition of midnight baking comes to you live and direct from Vancouver, BC.

I am in the Kitchen of Mrs Gemma Stobbe – cousin, cook, mum of two and all round domestic goddess. We are also joined by cousin number two, the gorgeous, athletic Mrs Amy Jonston-Kakebeke, who has come from her downtown apartment to the sleepy suburbs of White Rock for a dose of domesticity.

Holidays are a great time to try a little baking – mainly because you have some time and don't have to do it at midnight. But also because you can experiment with the delicious local ingredients or your new surroundings... and in Beautiful British Columbia I have struck gold. A drive into the country on Sunday yielded many fruit - we screeched the car to a halt beside a roadside stall selling huge blueberries, juicy peaches and succulent apricots. All freshly picked that morning without a pesticide or supermarket insight.

(And for Rachael and Charlotte's sake I just have to mention the corn that also grows in BC– rows of super-sweet corn as far as the eye can see. De-lish.)

Returning home with more fruit that we could eat, there was only one thing to do – bake a pie (which, I was assured, is a very Canadian dish - as well as being a classically British pud, I reminded the ex-pats).

We used a combo of BC fruit, substituted some of the sugar for maple syrup – and voila – a very Canadian pie. Or a 3 Cousin Canadian Pie, as us ladies like to call it. And I am pleased to announce that it was enjoyed equally by adults and the under-5s alike. Best served warm with some real vanilla ice cream. AWESOME – as the Canadians would say.

Oh, and as I feel duty bound to be honest on this blog, I have to confess that the home-made pastry was a bit of a nightmare. Note to self – never try to make pastry in 35 degree heat. Just buy it from the store! The end result tasted good even if it did look a little rustic. And if I had mastered the fine art of pastry this early in my baking career, where would I go from here?!

A big thank you to my two gorgeous co-chefs – for help with the pie AND for a totally awesome holiday.

Jules in BC signing off

xxx

3 Cousin Canadian Pie

Ingredients

For the filling:

3 cups of pitted and sliced fresh peaches, nectarines, apricots (or whatever juicy fruit you have in the bowl)

2 cups of fresh blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup flour

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces.

(A cup is ½ a pint)

For the pastry:

Buy some – if you want an easy life! A 500g pack of short crust should do the trick.

Otherwise, Delia helpfully takes you through, step by step: http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/baking/how-to-make-shortcrust-pastry.html

Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a shallow loose-bottomed 25cm pie dish. Make sure the pastry comes above the rim - it may shrink in baking and the filling could spill. Chill for 30 minutes.

NB – if you want some decorative pastry on top of the pie, cut out some shapes with pastry cutters (or your own design with a knife if you are feeling creative – a la my maple leaf!) and chill those in the fridge too.

Prick the base of the chilled pastry case all over with a fork, then line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes. (You do not need to pre-bake the pastry shapes that will be on top of the pie). Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before filling.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, mix the f ruit, lemon juice, sugar, maple syrup, flour and spices.

Spoon the filling into the pie shell and dot with the pieces of butter. Place the pastry shapes on top (if using) and brush with milk.

Bake for 5 minutes, reduce heat to 180 and bake for a further 30 minutes until the filling is tender and bubbling and the pastry is golden.

Read More

Summer time and the baking is easy....

Lemon and Blueberry Loaf.

This cake is perfect for the summer months: it is quick and easy to prepare, so you don't have to spend warm evenings in a hot kitchen and are free to return to your gin and tonic outside while the cake bakes.

A hot summer means your baking should be light; lemons always seem to lift a cake. The burst of blueberries as you bite in adds to the fruity moistness of this loaf.

Once again, I have my old chefing pal Miss Katie Green to thank for introducing me to this recipe, which she found in the ever-inspiring Good Food magazine. This summer I have baked it to commemorate the first bbq of the summer in April, a birthday garden party in July, and then brought it to the office to celebrate a run of birthdays/leaving dos/general end-of-term levity.

I predict this beautiful summer to stretch long into september... so roll up your sleeves and enjoy.

Jules xxx

• Ingredients
• 175g softened butter , plus extra for greasing
• 500ml tub Greek yogurt (you need 100ml/3.5fl oz in the cake, the rest to serve)
• 300g jar good lemon curd (you need 2 tbsp in the cake, the rest to serve)
• 3 eggs
• zest and juice 1 lemon , plus extra zest to serve, if you like
• 200g self-raising flour
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 200g punnet of blueberries (you need 85g/3oz in the cake, the rest to serve)
• 140g icing sugar
• edible flowers , such as purple or yellow primroses, to serve (optional)
• 
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a 2lb loaf tin and line with a long strip of baking parchment. Put 100g yogurt, 2 tbsp lemon curd, the softened butter, eggs, lemon zest, flour and caster sugar into a large mixing bowl. Quickly mix with an electric whisk until the batter just comes together. Scrape half into the prepared tin. Weigh 85g blueberries from the punnet and sprinkle half into the tin, scrape the rest of the batter on top, then scatter the other half of the 85g berries on top. Bake for 1 hr 10 mins-1 hr 15 mins until golden, and a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean.
• Cool in the tin, then carefully lift onto a serving plate to ice. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in enough lemon juice to make a thick, smooth icing. Spread over the top of the cake, then decorate with lemon zest and edible flowers, if you like. Serve in slices with extra lemon curd, Greek yogurt and blueberries.

Read More

When puddings meet politics: 2010 Election Special

A coalition of delicious desserts - no wonder people have trouble deciding on one.

Election '10: historic events witnessed in the Keston Kitchen. Never before has there been such a coming together of different flavours; with such unpredictable results.

This was an election of ground-breaking moments. The first: the arrival of Newnham's famous Chocolate Yoghurt at Downing Street.

The occasion was the second of the live televised Leaders' debates. As the focus was foreign policy, it seemed only fitting for the team at work to watch it en masse in the boss's office. The Leaders performed pretty well, but let's face it, all eyes were on the cake.

The yoghurt lends this cake a light, moist texture. The mums of the shire will be pleased to know that this timeless classic went down a treat. We owe the recipe to Jacqui Vivian, who was an amazing cook. Also thanks to Val and Bev for ensuring it appeared at every birthday party I've ever been to in their homes.

Now, I did offend some of team because of the EU focus of my baking (we also cover 'Global Issues'). So, not to be outdone, the G8 / G 20 team baked these amazing cookies (with some outside help from enthusiastic family members, I believe).

Clare also made this amazing Election Cake-u-lator

Then Decision Day arrived (or so we thought). I was honoured to host the election party. Luckily for me, the coverage didn't start until 10pm - which gave me plenty of time to be characteristically late with the preparations and rope all my guests into helping.

The girls set to work on the red velvet Milibands.

Wishing to reflect the true impartiality of the civil service, I had a strict rule of one pudding per party (the big three). I also allowed a little homage to the greens (a big night for them too).

So the menu was:

Red Velvet Milibands (aka the cupcakes that have previously featured on Later with Jules)

Libdemon bars a delicious recipe, also from the hummingbird bakery

Eton Mess (with blueberries)

And Green Party Jelly

It was a night to remember, thanks to many contributions. Frances fashioned an incredible PM-0-meter (which had more mileage than anyone could have expected). Aurelia's election cocktails were an inspired, if dangerous, contribution to the party. The BBC's election party pack provided much entertainment (including election bingo). I have to congratulate Tess and Jess for still being there on the sofa (if snoring) when I got up in the morning. And finally, my housemates were remarkably unperturbed by the sudden influx of civil servants into the living room, and thoroughly embraced in the election excitement.

2010 will be a year to remember, If not for the politics, then for the puddings.

Jules xx

Chocolate Yoghurt Cake

250ml sunflower oil

250ml plain natural yogurt

4 tablespoons syrup

3 eggs

6 oz sugar

8oz SR flour

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 oz cocoa

Mix 1^st 5 ingredients together then add rest and mix well

Cook for 45 mins – 1hour at 150 degrees

Icing

2oz butter

3 tablespoons milk

8oz sifted icing sugar

2 tablespoons sifted cocoa

Melt butter, add milk

Take off heat and add rest and mix well

Read More

Later with Jules: earn some brownie points

lemon drizzle

chocolate brownies

strawberry cheesecake cupcakes

In the first ever Later with Jules, I explained that baking was entirely compatible with full time employment. I have since discovered that, as well as being compatible, the two are perfectly complementary. A slice of cake brightens the day of even the most overworked or underpaid. And let's face it, when it comes to the crunch, you're far more likely to be remembered for your chocolate brownies than for that innovative new filing system you designed...

I would like to provide you with a menu of options that all lend themselves nicely to the workplace.

Occasion 1: leaving a job.

For someone like me, who moves between jobs fairly frequently, perfecting the art of the leaving cake is essential. You should always leave on a high and, if you've failed to reach the peak of professional excellence thorough your day job, a cake can make your mark.

Now, as this is the last taste of your work your colleagues will have, I would play it safe. Better to go for an old time favourite than more experimental baking on this occasion (you could end up being remembered as 'that girl who made that strange cake'... a fate worse than death for a midnight baker). My personal view is that playing it safe means either:

a) chocolate (who doesn't love it?) or

b) lemon (entirely inoffensive, and light enough to tempt even the most weight conscious of colleagues)

Or, better still, both.

Which is exactly what I did when I left my last job. A delicious yet oh-so-simple lemon drizzle cake (every midnight baker should master this all-time-favourite) AND the chocolate brownie - a winner every time.

There a many variations on the chocolate brownie theme (all of which are infinitely better than the shop bought variety). This time I went for a Jamie version - which contains fruit and nuts - not strictly speaking 'classic' enough for a leaving cake but, as I made lemon drizzle as well, I felt confident that I would not alienate the nut allergic / fruit phobic folk that are sure to lurk in every office out there. Rich in flavour moist in texture... the brownie is a wonderful thing.

Occasion 2: the celebratory cake (birthdays / significant achievements / pregnancies etc)

It wasn't long into my new job that word got out about midnight baking and I was facing increasing pressure to produce the goods. Luckily, we soon had a 'thank f**k that's over' moment. After getting a big piece of work out of the way, an enormous slice of cake or stiff drink is definitely the order of the day, preferably both.

This time I went for the cupcake option, which is good because they can be shared around an office, but admittedly slightly more labour intensive. This time, reader, I made a fatal miscalculation of timing. Being a bit blasé about the possibilities of midnight baking, I foolishly went to the pub and returned beyond the midnight baking deadline. I then attempted to make double quantities of cupcakes AND pack for the easter hols. The result? I was icing cupcakes at 3.30am. This is NOT good. In fact, it is quite ridiculous. However, I happen to believe it that the happy cake filled faces in the office the next day made it all worthwhile, which may tell you something about my priorities in life.

I think it is fair to say that strawberry cheesecake cupcakes are by far the best cupcakes I have ever tasted. They are from the Hummingbird bakery book, and I have Miss Penny to thank for making them her signature dish, and inspiring me to emulate her success.

Subject: "I have baked a cake"

Click: "Reply all"

Before you know it everyone's

Stampeding down the hall

Exclamations of delight

as they happily tuck in

See, you can do something right

So lift up your chin

And hold your head high

You've made their day for sure

And off they trot back to their desks

Happier than before

Lemon drizzle cake

Ingredients

225g unsalted butter , softened 225g caster sugar 4 eggs finely grated zest 1 lemon 225g self-raising flour

FOR THE DRIZZLE TOPPING

juice 11⁄2 lemon 85g caster sugar

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. Sift in the flour, then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined. Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.

2. Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle - the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve.

bloomin' brilliant brownies

ingredients

• 250g unsalted butter
• 200g dark Fairtrade chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken up
• optional: 75g dried sour cherries
• optional: 50g chopped nuts
• 80g cocoa powder, sifted
• 65g plain flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 360g caster sugar
• 4 large free-range or organic eggs
• optional: zest of 1 orange
• optional: 250ml crème fraîche

dessert recipes | serves 20
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts, if you’re using them, and stir together. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares. These make a fantastic dessert served with a dollop of crème fraîche mixed with some orange zest.

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

120g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter, room temperature
140g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
120ml whole milk

1 egg
12 large strawberries, chopped into small pieces
200g digestive biscuits

For the cream cheese icing:

300g icing sugar (sifted)

500g unsalted butter, room temp

125g cream cheese, cold.
Makes 12 (big american style) or 18 normal cupcakes
Preheat oven to 170 (350 F, Gas mark 3).
In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder & salt. In a large bowl cream together butter & sugar until light & fluffy. On low speed add flour mixture and beat until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract and beat on a medium speed until everything is well mixed. Add the egg and beat for a few minutes to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.
Divide the chopped strawberries between the paper cases. Spoon the cupcake mixture on top until 2/3 full and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 mins, or until light golden and the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Leave to cool slightly before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Roughly break up the digestive biscuits and process in a food processor until finely ground (or just bash)
To make the icing, in a large mixing bowl, beat the icing sugar and butter together with electric whisk on a med-slow speed until well mixed. Add the cream cheese and best until incorporated. urn speed up and beat until light and fluffy (at least 5 mins) Do not overbeat, as it quickly can become runny.

Spoon on top of the cupcakes and finish with a sprinkling of ground digestive. You can decorate with a slice of fresh strawberry if you wish.

Read More