Initial Bakes
As the semester kicks off and the baking society is back at it again, our bakers were first challenged with baking a treat that begins with the same letter as their name ..... it was Jennifer's Jaffa Cake Cheesecake that won us all over! Here are some of the recipes :)
Chloe’s Vegan Croissants
Ingredients
2g Salt
400g Bread Flour
50g Sugar
115g Soy milk (You can use a different type of non-dairy milk)
115g Water
8g Active Dry Yeast
225g Miyoko’s Vegan Butter (2 Sticks of Earth Balance butter works well too)
Method
Day 1: Make the Dough
In a mixing bowl, add in warm water, warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Stir the ingredients and let it proof for 10 minutes. (You can simply warm the milk and water in the same container by putting it in a microwave — the temperature should be around 100F to 110F.)
Add in flour and salt and stir until most of the flour absorbs the yeast mixture. Then transfer it to a work surface and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and no longer sticks to the work surface.
Roll out the dough out to 9 inches by 7 inches (23 cm by 18 cm). Cover and make sure no dough is exposed to the air.
Making the butter sheet
Grab a large piece of a parchment paper and make the square fold of 15 cm by 28 cm (6 in by 11 in). Make sure that each side of the parchment paper is big enough to cover all the butter.
Cut the butter into the thin slices and lay the sliced butter in the centre. Fold the parchment paper in to cover the butter. Flip parchment paper over and use a rolling pin to gently press down into the butter and roll it to all four corners, then top to bottom, until the butter is spread evenly throughout the surface of the rectangle. Refrigerate the butter sheet with the dough overnight. (8-20 hours, or longer if you want.)
Day 2: Lamination, shaping and baking
Transfer the dough to a work surface and roll the dough out to 30cm by 30 cm by (12 inches by 12 inches). Take off the parchment paper and place the butter sheet in the centre of the dough. Fold in the dough from each side — it’s alright if the dough overlaps.
Pinch the two sides of the dough together and the open sides from the top and bottom.
First fold: Roll the dough out to 20 by 36 cm by (8 inch by 14 inch). You don’t have to be too precise with the measurements on the first and second folds.
Fold in the right side of the dough and follow with the left side of the dough. Make sure the open side is facing to the right. The open book style. Cover the dough and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
Second fold (Repeat the same step)
Third Fold (Repeat once more!) This time, try to be as precise with the measurements as possible.
Shaping the Croissants
Take the dough out from the freezer and transfer to a work surface dusted with flour. Roll the dough out to 46 by 28 cm by (18 inch by 11 inch). This time make sure that the length of the dough is properly measured. If the dough is resisting you from rolling, cover the dough and put it back in the freezer for another 10-15 minutes. Don’t try to keep rolling it, this will damage the layers and will turn your croissant into brioche. Tip: Rotate the dough each time you roll. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface. Be patient and roll it out precisely!
Once you roll the dough out to 46 by 28 cm by (18 inch by 11 inch), cut the dough into long triangles. *You can use a previously cut triangle as a template for the next one. Make a small cut on the bottom centre of the triangle.
Gently pull the bottom of the triangle outward and stretch the croissant dough forward. Gently roll the croissants and tug the tip of the triangle on the bottom of the croissant. These steps will prevent the croissant from unfolding during proofing and baking.
Brush the dough with plant-milk and cover to let it proof for 1 hour.
Baking
While the dough is proofing, preheat the over to 375 F. After the dough is done proofing, brush again with plant-milk and bake in the oven for 20 – 24 minutes. Rotate the pan half way during baking.
Remove the baked croissants from the oven. (Optional: Brush it with simple syrup right away)
Madeleine’s M&M Cookies
Ingredients.
125 g Unsalted Butter/Stork
100 g Light Brown Sugar
100 g Granulated Sugar
1 Medium Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
25 g Cocoa Powder
175 g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
225 g Chocolate M&Ms
75 g Milk Chocolate Chips
Method
Preheat your oven to 190C/180C Fan/375F and line two or three large baking trays with parchment paper, leave to the side!
Mix together the Butter, Light Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar until light and fluffy and thoroughly combined – using an electric mixer is far easier for this because it gets very fluffy and perfect!
Mix in the Egg, Vanilla Extract, Cocoa powder, Plain Flour, Bicarbonate of Soda, Baking Powder and Salt and beat again until a thick paste/cookie dough is formed.
Fold in the M&Ms and Chocolate Chips and spoon the mixture onto the trays! I use a cookie dropper/ice cream scoop to make them identical sizes.
Make sure they are suitably spread out on the trays so they stay separate! I usually fit 6 on each tray to be safe. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until spread out perfectly crinkly. They might seem slightly under done still, but they will continue to cook when cooling so don’t worry!
Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling off completely! Then, gobble them all up!
Jennifer’s Jaffa Cake Cheesecake
Ingredients
Jelly Layer
1 Packet Orange Jelly Cubes
400 ml Water
Biscuit Base
300 g Digestives
150 g Unsalted Butter (melted)
Cheesecake
500 g Full Fat Cream Cheese (Philadelphia or Mascarpone)
100 g Icing Sugar
2 tsp Orange Extract
300 ml Double Cream
Decoration
100 ml Double Cream
100 g Dark Chocolate
12 Jaffa Cakes
Method
For the Jelly Layer
Add your Jelly Cubes to a bowl, and pour over 200ml of boiling water. Whisk to dissolve the cubes.
Once dissolved, pour in 200ml of cold water, whisk again. Leave to cool for 10minutes or so.
Line a shallow round dish with several layers of clingfilm. It's important to use one thats smaller than your cheesecake tin. So I used a 6" wide tub.
Pour the jelly in and add the tub to the freezer so it cools and sets quicker. Once its set, continue with the rest of the cheesecake.
For the Biscuit Base
Add your biscuits to a food processor, or bag, or bowl, and bash/blitz them up to a fine crumb.
Add in your melted butter and stir/blitz to combine.
Pour into an 8”/20cm Deep Springform tin, and press down firmly.
For the Cheesecake
Add your Cream Cheese, Icing Sugar, and Orange Extract to a large bowl or stand mixer and whisk till smooth.
Pour in the Double Cream and whisk again till nice and thick.
Spread 1/3 of the mixture onto the biscuit base, and add on the set Jelly Layer as carefully as you can, and as centrally as you can.
Pipe/spoon the cheesecake mix around the edge of the jelly, and then spread the rest of the cheesecake mix on top. This makes the hidden jelly layer have a yummy cheesecake surrounding.
Set the cheesecake in the fridge for 5-6 hours, or preferably overnight to make a better set.
Decoration
Add your 100ml of Double Cream to a pan, and bring to just before boiling point.
Chop your Dark Chocolate up finely and add to a bowl. Pour over the hot cream, and leave for five minutes without stirring.
Once the five minutes are up, stir the ganache till smooth and leave to cool for 10 minutes or so.
Spread it over the top of the cheesecake, and add some Jaffa cakes for decoration. I do one per slice!
Leave to set the ganache slightly before serving, and then enjoy!
Kavita’s Kumquat Cake
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
175g non-dairy butter
175g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
175 g self raising flour, sieved
1 level tsp baking powder
Vanilla Kumquat Compote
Thoroughly cleaned kumquats
Sugar (30~50% of the kumquats in volume)
Vanilla beans
Juice of half a lemon
Candied Kumquats
Kumquats (Deseeded and thinly sliced)
Simple Syrup (Equal parts water and sugar)
Whipped Cream
2x 250ml bottles Lactofree Cream
Method
Vanilla Kumquat Compote
Thoroughly scrub the kumquats with baking soda and rinse well with water.
Remove tips, then halve the kumquats and remove seeds. You can chop the kumquats up into smaller pieces if you prefer a less chunky compote.
Place kumquats in a large bowl and mix in sugar and vanilla beans. Wait until the moisture from the kumquats dissolves the sugar (Toss the mixture a few times to speed up the process).
Boil for 10 minutes on medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Sponge Cake
Combine all cake ingredients (butter, caster sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder) in a bowl and mix until well incorporated, 2-3 minutes.
Divide evenly among two greased and bottom lined 8-inch (20cm) cake tins.
Bake in centre of pre-heated oven at 170°C, 160°C fan, Gas mark 4 for 30-35 minutes.
Leave to cool and then turn out of cake tins.
Candied Kumquats & Whipped Cream
Whip the cream up (You can add sugar or vanilla extract if you like) and keep in fridge until ready to use.
The candied kumquats were just for decoration, so I don’t have an accurate recipe for them! I thinly sliced and deseeded the kumquats, and simmered them in simple syrup for 10-15 minutes.
I stuck half of the kumquats in the freezer, and put the other half in the oven at a very low heat for an hour or so (…I ended up using both for the decoration).
Assembly
Sandwich the whipped cream and the vanilla kumquat compote in between the two cake layers — make sure to leave some whipped cream for decoration! You must work quickly, as the cream will start to melt as soon as it’s left the fridge. I put the cake back in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to help keep its shape.
Decorate with the candied kumquats and the rest of the whipped cream (I also chopped up some pistachios and sprinkled them over the top just for an extra pop of colour!)
Malik's Mousse Cake
Ingredients
25g/1oz cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
3 tbsp boiling water
100g/3½oz caster sugar
100g/3½oz self-raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
2 large free-range eggs
100g/3½oz margarine, plus extra for greasing
2 tbsp brandy
For the mousse
300g/11oz dark chocolate (no more than 40-50 per cent cocoa solids), broken into squares
450ml/16fl oz whipping cream
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease the tin with margarine and line the base and sides with baking paper. You need to line the tin right to the top even though the sponge will not fill it.
For the chocolate cake, measure the cocoa powder into a large bowl. Pour over the boiling water and mix to a paste with a spatula. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and the eggs and margarine and beat until smooth using a hand-held mixer.
Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the surface with a palette knife. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the cake feels springy to the touch.
While the cake is still hot, brush the brandy over the top of the cake. Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
Meanwhile, for the mousse, place the chocolate in a bowl and melt over a pan of gently simmering water (do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water). Stir continuously, taking care not to let the chocolate get too hot. Set aside to cool a little.
Whip the cream until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Carefully fold in the melted chocolate until smooth and not streaky.
When the cake has cooled, and while it is still in the tin, spoon the chocolate mousse on top and level with a palette knife. Cover the cake tin with cling film and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, and preferably overnight, until the mousse is firm.
To serve, carefully remove the cake from the tin and transfer it to a flat plate. Dust the top with cocoa powder, then pile the raspberries and blueberries into the centre. Finish with a light dusting of icing sugar. Cut into wedges and serve with pouring cream.
Maebh's Meringues
Ingredients
2 large free-range egg whites
60g caster sugar
60g icing sugar
A little melted dark chocolate or a writing icing pen
Method.
Put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment fitted and whisk to stiff peaks – when you lift out the beaters the egg white forms peaks that don’t flop over at the tip
Mix the caster sugar with the icing sugar, then add to the egg whites 1 tbsp at a time, whisking back to stiff peaks after each addition. Continue until all the sugar is incorporated, then transfer the mixture to a piping bag.
Pipe the ghosts on to a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper – it’s fun to make a range of sizes, then bake at 120C/100C fan/gas ½ for 1 hour 30 minutes until crisp.
Cool completely, then pipe faces on to the ghosts with a little melted dark chocolate or a writing icing pen.