Picnicking on the Harry Potter Train

Holidaying in Scotland can be unpredictable so when me and my friend Grainne finally booked the trip on the Harry Potter Train (otherwise known as the Jacobite Train) that we’d been planning since university, I decided not to leave things to chance and ordered a spectacular picnic lunch from the lovely Wendy at Inside Out Chef.

From the off, Wendy knew exactly what I was after: nothing short of a banquet in picnic form!  Given the news that one of the diners was pescetarian, one didn’t like sponge cakes and everyone loved cheese, Wendy came up with the menu below.  She even lent us a coolbox which we could plug into the car to keep everything cool on our journey to Fort William and an impressively pristine vintage picnic set to use if the weather allowed.

Harry potter train picnic Menu

Tuna, carrot and balsamic vinegar sandwiches

Red onion tart

Cheese platter with 4 different Scottish cheeses, crackers, homemade banana chutney and fruit

Cheese and dill scones

Strawberry crumb cakes

Strawberries with chocolate dip

The gorgeous vintage picnic set that we borrowed from Wendy for the weekend. Unfortunately, because of the rain and the cold we didn’t get a chance to use it.

Unfortunately in the haze of rain and excitement, I forgot to take photos of the delights of the picnic but I can assure you that Wendy had thought of everything: knives for the scones, forks for the strawberries and chocolate, napkins, printed menus, tea and coffee, labels on everything… If I had prepared the picnic, we’d have been lucky to get enough food for everyone, nevermind cutlery and napkins!

If only we could dine like this every day!

A wee extra: a selection of scones and banana loaf to keep us going on the journey.

Finally the time came to tuck in! The weather may have been shocking but we set up camp on a table in the train and enjoyed a lunch fit for a king!

Finished in style: fresh strawberries and chocolate dip!

And finally, here she is: the Harry Potter Train (aka The Jacobite). What a beauty!

Unfortunately, this was our view from the train for most of the journey. The picnic certainly made up for it!

A huge thank you to Wendy for preparing our picnic. It made all the difference to a dull and dreich day in Fort William!

Wendy also provides afternoon teas, freezer fills and luxury hampers.  For more information check out her website www.insideoutchef.com.

MS Society Cupcake Bakeoff

Wow! What an afternoon! At 1:30pm this afternoon the Cupcake Bakeoff organised by myself, Victoria and Katey kicked off. We had 14 bakers, over 160 cupcakes and a lot of very, very generous people in attendance!  All of these factors together meant that we were able to raise an amazing £460 to help beat MS!

A huge thank you to everyone who baked and to everyone who attended. We couldn’t have done it without you!  I’ve included a couple of photos of the cakes below but unfortunately I can’t comment on how they tasted! Things got slightly hectic and cake-tasting became a little difficult. It certainly didn’t stop me admiring the talent and effort that went into every one of those gorgeously decorated cakes! Thank you! (Thanks also to Alison for the photos!)

The winning cupcakes: Alison's white chocolate and raspberry cupcakes

In 2nd place were Helen's cracking cupcakes (complete with a chocolate case!)

And in 3rd place: Stephanie's peaches and cream cupcakes

Cakes, cakes and more cakes!

MS Society Cake Break

The Cupcake Bakeoff was organised as part of the MS Society’s Cake Break.  If you’d like to organise your own cake event (I’m more than happy to come along!!), you can order your free Cake Break pack containing all the information you’ll need to organise an amazing event! It’s as simple as inviting your friends, family and neighbours, providing them with plenty of cake and then watching the donation boxes fill up.

Scotland has one of the highest prevalences of MS in the world, with over 10,500 people in Scotland living with the condition.  The MS Society is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to enabling everyone affected by MS to live life to their full potential and secure the care and support they need, until we ultimately find a cure.  As a voluntary organisation we rely on the generosity and support of people like those attending the Cupcake Bake Off.

Baking for the First Minister

This morning I had the pleasure of being back in the wonderfully modern kitchen at Tennent’s Training Academy in Glasgow.  Instead of taking part in a course however, I had been invited to help prepare a few sweet treats for the First Minister, Alex Salmond, who would be visiting the Academy before opening the new bottling plant at Tennent’s Brewery.

When I received the call from Stephanie at Tennent’s Training Academy, I was a little excited to say the least.  Not so much about meeting the First Minister (I leave the politics to my other half who is very close to finishing his PhD on the subject), but more about the fact that someone had actually thought me worthy of an invite. I am but a modest baker (with blossoming ideas of turning professional one day) and was flattered to be offered the opportunity to bake for the head of the Scottish Government.

I arrived promptly at 8:30am and was presented with a crisp set of chefs whites that matched the rest of the chefs in the kitchen. Although similar in appearance, there was one large difference between me and the others: a professional kitchen is not my normal habitat. I didn’t know where anything was, how much I was expected to get involved or the rules of a kitchen that wasn’t my own.  Would I be entirely responsible for the deserts? Should I be referring to Head Chef John Quinn as Chef John? Was I supposed to shout “yes chef!” in response to orders à la Masterchef?

Despite these uncertainties, I decided to treat my novice status as more of an opportunity than a hindrance.  I took every opportunity to have a nosy at what the others were doing and asked as many questions as they would let me. While the others were engaged in preparing all manner of dishes for a VIP buffet lunch (including grilled oysters, haggis tempura and endless other fabulous dishes), my task for the day was to help prepare three sweet dishes: fresh fruit shortbread towers, chocolate fudge cakes with chocolate sauce and lemon and ricotta cakes, all of which I had made at the baking course in March.

The first of these three was to be presented to the First Minister on his tour around the Academy kitchen when he would meet everyone involved in the day’s cooking.  When I was introduced to the First Minister as “Fiona, who has her own blog”, I was most surprised that The FM immediately made the connection between my baking blog and a film he had seen recently on a similar topic: Julie & Julia.  Anyone who is able to link from my very own modest baking blog to one of my all-time favourite films in just one step will quickly win me over!

I unfortunately can’t really take much credit for the other two deserts which were to be served to the remaining VIPs at lunch. While I did help to measure out the ingredients, I was in fact whisked off to the official opening of the new bottling plant while Head Chef John Quinn took over the baking of the deserts.  Upon my return, I found myself in what, to me, felt like a genuine professional kitchen.  There was an urgency to everyone’s movements, plates crying out to be dressed, dishes being expertly served and the occasional moment of narrowly avoided stress when things didn’t go to plan.  I was glad to be able to stay out of the way and observe the dance the others seemed to be performing while assembling and decorating the remaining deserts at my workstation.

When I eventually emerged from the concentration of assembling and decorating my dishes, everything had been miraculously completed and served.  Plates had started to reappear in the kitchen empty as the VIPs in the room next door relished in the supreme quality of both the ingredients and the cooking.  I may not have been able to contribute much to the day but I certainly appreciated the opportunity to be part of it.  I have absolutely no doubt that I will be back at the Tennent’s Training Academy very soon.  I just have to choose my course!

Black velvet cake

After the success of my red velvet cake a few weeks ago – (it was devoured in a matter of minutes when I took it into work!) – I thought I’d try my hand at a black velvet cake for St Patrick’s day.  I had a black velvet cupcake when I was in the gorgeous Sugarland in Chapel Hill, North Carolina last year but I’ve been unable to find out exactly what’s in a black velvet cake.  As such, I’ve adapted a recipe that I first tried when my mother-in-law made it: Chocolate Guinness Cake.

If you’ve never tried Guinness cake before, don’t worry. I have never and will never enjoy the taste of Guinness so I can promise you that this cake does not resemble the famous Irish beverage in the slightest.  The Guinness does however lend this cake a richness and makes it wonderfully moist.  If you’ve never tried it, give it a go. I have workmates who will bite your hand off for a piece!

Guinness cake

For the cake
240ml Guinness (I used Guinness original but I’ve been told it’s best to use normal Guinness)
225g butter, softened and cut into cubes
90g cocoa powder
2 eggs
160ml soured cream
250g flour
450g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp bicarb
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the icing
500g icing sugar
200g full-fat cream cheese
175g butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan and grease and line three 8 inch cake tins.
2. Pour the Guinness into a large pan and add the butter.  Bring to just below boiling point over a medium heat and continue heating until the butter has melted.  Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cocoa and sugar until smooth. Set to one side and allow to cool.
3. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, soured cream and vanilla.  Once the Guinness mixture is cool, pour into the eggs and stir until smooth to create a thick dark liquid.
4. Finally fold in the flour and bicarbonate of soda until combined.  Divide the mixture equally between the three greased cake tins and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.
5. Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Take care when taking the cakes out of the tins.  They will be very moist and therefore fragile when warm.
6. To make the icing, whisk the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl until combined.
7. Place one of the cakes on a serving plate and spread with icing.  Sandwich another cake on top, spread with icing and place the final cake on top.  Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining icing.

Baking course – Tennent’s Training Academy, Glasgow

Chef John Quinn

With little information about the course on the website, I wasn’t sure what to expect from my baking course at Tennent’s Training Academy.  I was lucky enough to have had a peek at a couple of cookery demonstrations by chef John Quinn at the 50 Plus Show in Glasgow in November last year (I was exhibiting, not attending!) and had chatted to the staff on the stand about the courses they offered so I was delighted when I found vouchers for the Academy in my Christmas stocking.

As a home cook and baker (who may want to branch out into something more professional in the years to come!) who is eager to learn as much as possible, one of John’s mottoes stuck with me:

“Become a cook before you become an artist”

Well said! I always have an idea of what I want my cakes to look like but if they happen to be slightly lopsided, a tad caramelised or a wee bit different to my expectations, as long as they taste amazing and bring a smile to the faces of everyone eating them, I’m happy!  It’s for exactly this reason that John’s courses highlight three things: flavour, flavour and flavour.  It’s all well and good attending a course and learning how to create gourmet food with all the gadgets of a professional kitchen if you then face the frustration of not being able to recreate the same product at home.  With that introduction, the day got off to a very good start!

I must admit that I spent the first 15 minutes just looking around me but unfortunately have very few photos to show. On display around the kitchen are not only the fresh, vibrant ingredients used for the more savoury courses but also an array of state-of-the-art kitchen gadgets including Kitchen Aid mixers, Magimix food processors and a hand blender that looked big enough (and powerful enough) to power a small boat.   I was lucky enough to be the only person taking part in the course and as such had very little time to stop and capture the moment.

Shortbread and raspberry tower between two lemon ricotta cakes topped with homemade lemon curd and fruit

The concept for the day was an Afternoon Tea in Miniature with classic recipes perfected and reduced in size. On the menu were:

Shortbread
Foccacia (which was made into goats cheese, tomato and basil sandwiches)
Croissants
Parmesan pastry (for mini chicken pies – by far my favourite thing we made!)
Lemon ricotta cakes
Lemon curd
Chocolate fudge cakes
Lemon meringue pies
Meringues
Brandy snaps

Meringue with a brandy snap, chocolate croissant, lemon ricotta cake and fruit filled brandy snap basket

John had certainly set up a challenge to get through all of this in just 7 hours but we succeeded! My favourites from the day were undoubtedly the mini chicken pies with parmesan pastry and the lemon ricotta cakes.  I can’t describe how unbelievably tempting the parmesan pastry smelled as it was cooking and all the way home as it sat next to me on the bus.  As my first attempt at making pastry, I can guarantee that I’ll be making this one again.  The lemon ricotta cakes are equally delicious. Despite having a distinctly heavy feel, they are in fact gloriously light and very moreish!

Goat's cheese and tomato foccacia, mini chicken pie, lemon meringue pie and a brandy snap

A very happy pupil!

I was given all of the recipes that we made on the day to take home and hopefully recreate in equal splendour but I won’t be sharing them on here.  If you’re keen to know how to make the dishes above, you’ll just have to go and see John yourself!

As well as their trade courses and more intense leisure courses, the Academy has also branched out into a more accessible form of cookery courses, including Cook, Curry and Comedy, Cupcakes and Cocktails and Saturday Night is Steak Night.  These shorter courses combine creating your own culinary masterpiece with having a few drinks with friends and even heading out on the town.  Perfect for those who are looking for a different night out.

Edinburgh Cake Ladies – The Year of Cake

Despite having a major rush to get out of the office on Tuesday afternoon and completely forgetting that I needed eggs to bake a cake – you’d think I’d know these things by now – I finally made it to my second Edinburgh Cake Ladies event: the Year of Cake.

A huge thank you must go to Allison for organising the event and to Earthy Foods for hosting us ladies. I had never been to Earthy before and will definitely be popping in to pick up some bergamot oranges and other such exciting seasonal produce.

As ever, it was lovely to catch up with familiar faces and meet some of the newer faces. It was also great to hear that the Glasgow Cake Ladies will soon be holding their first event. Everyone clearly wants a big fat slice of the cakey action!

So without further ado, here are some of the photos from Tuesday night’s event. I was unfortunately a little preoccupied with sampling the exquisite cakes so may have missed a few. As such, apologies for any problems with the photos; they were taken after I had consumed a large quantity of sugar! Enjoy and try not to drool on your computer/phone!

Terri's lemon and passionfruit cake - a spectacle just to look at

Katey's espresso chiffon cake with baileys mousse - it says it all

Kirsteen's orange and almond cake proves that the Glasgow Cake Ladies will enjoy the same high standard of cakey goodness as their Edinburgh counterparts

Michelle's raspberry ripple cake was finger-licking good (quite literally in my case!)

Susan's beetroot and seed cake - with so many "healthy" ingredients, there surely can't be any calories in it, right?!

Sharon's satsuma cake - absolutely stunning and tasty to boot!

Chiara's chocolate and strawberry cake - another "healthy" cake which satisfied my craving for fruit, albeit bathed in chocolate!

Gillian's spicy parsnip cake - yum! I didn't know what to expect from parsnip in a cake but it certainly didn't disappoint

Catherine's chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream and chocolate fudge frosting - a must for fans of salted caramel

Helen's red velvet cake - absolutely divine! It disappeared quickly as you can see!

Lea's tipsy trifle cake - another stunning cake that disappeared extremely fast

Susan's carrot cake - a classic that I will never grow tired of

Victoria's dead apple cake - I have a piece waiting for me at home which I promise I will try!

Manuela's posh German apple tart - looking good!

Janis's ginger and orange cake - I have only recently been introduced to the ginger and orange flavour combination and I am wholeheartedly convinced that it's a winner!

Red velvet cake

I’ve written a recipe for Red Velvet Cake for the Broughton Spurtle.  Check out the full recipe here.

Gluten-free orange bites

I’ve written a recipe for gluten-free orange bites for the Broughton Spurtle.  Check out the full recipe here.

Oreo cake

After moving house, housewarming parties and all the inevitable shenanigans that go with both, I am eventually starting to catch up with myself. Apologies to anyone who asked me for this recipe at our housewarming party. Better late than never! It’s one of my favourites and I know quite a few people at our housewarming Pudding Party were partial to it too!

I was originally inspired to make this recipe in cupcake-form after a trip to the States in August this year.  Previously, I’d never really indulged in the quintessential American sweet treat but since experimenting with Oreo cupcakes, I have continued to have a stash of Oreos in my biscuit cupboard, just in case of emergency.  In my opinion, the icing is what makes this recipe such a hit.  I challenge you not to eat more than you should when making this recipe!

Oreo Cake
Serves 8-10

Ingredients
175g butter
175g soft brown sugar
3 eggs
100g plain flour
115g self raising flour
2tbsp milk
25g cocoa powder
6 oreos, crushed

For the icing:
200g full-fat cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
500g icing sugar
175g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
6 oreos, crushed
mini oreos to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (170 degrees fan) and grease and line two 8 inch sandwich tins.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add the flours, cocoa and crushed oreos and gently fold.
5. Add the milk and mix. The mixture should be of a consistency to drop off the spoon when held up but not runny.
6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and bake for around 25-30 minutes or until the cakes are risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
8. Now comes the difficult part: To make the icing, cream together all the ingredients in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  It is essential at this stage to try the icing to make sure it has the right balance of flavours but be careful not to eat the whole lot! This is where I struggled!
9. Once the cake is cool, spread the icing on top of one of the cakes and place the other cake on top. Spread more of the icing on top of the cake and smooth with a palate knife.  If you have a particularly sweet tooth, you can also cover the sides of the cake. I, unfortunately, ran out of time for this.
10. Decorate the cake with mini oreos in a pattern of your desire!

If an entire slice of oreo goodness isn’t quite your cup of tea, check out my oreo cupcakes – a more manageable size of oreo goodness!

Lemon & blueberry ricotta cake

I recently found a selection of recipes that I had written while at university which triggered memories of endless procrastination and very little money. One particularly memorable recipe was the lemon and blueberry ricotta cake that I made for one of my first Pudding Parties (a gathering much like the recent Edinburgh Cake Ladies event).  Memories of a light fluffy lemon sponge punctuated with fresh, sapphire-coloured blueberries came flooding back.  Starting to salivate over mere memories, I made up my mind as to my next culinary adventure.

It seems that I had adjusted the original recipe from the Pudding Party to make it suitable for my coeliac ex-flat mate.  Convinced by my own scrawled comments at the top of the recipe about how moist the coeliac cake is, I resolved to try the version which replaced the flour with ground almonds and fine ground polenta.

The first step to ensuring the light, fluffy sponge was to cream the butter and sugar until they became light and fluffy themselves.  To this mixture was then added all the other ingredients, including the ground almonds, polenta, lemon zest, orange zest and ricotta cheese.

In a separate bowl, I whisked the eggs whites (by hand, for once!) to what I hope were soft peaks and gently folded these into the rest of the mixture.

I then baked the mixture for around 45 minutes in a 23cm tin or until the top of the cake showed slight signs of cracking.  I think it was baked for around 45 minutes as I stupidly managed to turn the timer off on my phone half way through the process.  A cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake after the 45 minutes came out clean so I decided not to risk any further cracking and removed the cake from the oven.

Once cooled, I dredged the cake with icing sugar and served up two large slices.  If my memory had served me right, the cake would be sweet, light and moist enough to not need further embellishments such as icing or cream so a wee sprinkling of icing sugar was all it needed.

A gentle aroma of lemon had filled the kitchen and when I sliced the cake, the claims made by my 19-year old self about the moistness of the cake were proven correct.  Unfortunately, the taste left something to be desired.  The almonds overpowered what was supposed to be a light, fluffy cake and even managed to dominate the lemon flavour.  The centre of the cake was definitely cooked but it seemed almost too moist. I would love to find the recipe for my light, fluffy lemon and blueberry cake but this clearly wasn’t it.