Easter Simnel Cake

Rich fruit cakes seem to have gone a little out of fashion in recent years, with modern tastes tending towards lighter cakes. Where once rich fruit cakes were the norm for celebration cakes, now you see a variety of different cakes such as carrot cake, chocolate biscuit cake etc. being used instead for weddings and other special occasions.

 

I love ALL cake, but I do have a special place in my heart for a good fruit cake and I always make one for Christmas every year. I recognise the fact that not everyone is a fan of them, but I honestly believe that is because so many of them are dry and heavy and tend to sit on the stomach.  Also in order to develop their flavour, rich fruit cakes should be made a few weeks in advance and allowed to ‘mature’ to allow the flavours to develop. It is also advisable to ‘feed’ a maturing rich fruit cake from time-to-time by pricking it all over with a fine skewer and sprinkling over a couple of tablespoons of your chosen spirit (I favour brandy).  Provided you store the cake in a cool dark place, securely wrapped in a layer of greaseproof and then a layer of aluminium foil, the cake will not go stale. This is due to the sugar, dried fruit and, of course, the alcohol which all help to preserve the cake.

 

Whether I am making a rich fruit cake or a lighter version, wherever a cake includes dried fruit, I always pre-soak the fruit in a little alcohol or some fruit juice. The helps the fruit to plump up and produces a lovely cake that is not dry. It’s very easy to do… just weigh out all the dried fruit, put it into an oven proof bowl and add the chosen soaking fluid and give everything a good stir. Cover the bowl with some aluminium foil and place in a low oven (e.g. 100C) for about 30 minutes. Remove, give another good stir and allow to cool completely before using.

 

This is a great cake and lighter than a traditional rich fruit cake, which makes it perfect for Easter which brings with it a sense of hope and the prospect of warmer weather and longer days.

 

Traditionally simnel cakes were made by young girls in service who would bring the cakes home to their mothers for Mothering Sunday, having been gifted the ingredients by their wealthy and often titled employers, but it is also a cake that is often associated with Easter and in my opinion it makes a nice change from all the cakes and foods containing chocolate that seem to prevail at this time of year.

 

A layer of marzipan is baked into the centre of the cake and after it has cooled it is topped with another layer of marzipan and 11 balls of marzipan, said to represent the faithful apostles. You sometimes, see the cake topped with 12 balls to include Judas, but I am quite a traditionalist in this regard and only use 11!
 

Ingredients:

Marzipan:
250g ground almonds

200g caster sugar

60g icing sugar, sifted

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ tsp almond extract

Cake:

150g raisins

125g sultanas

75g currants

50g chopped candied orange peel

25g glacé cherries, halved (optional)

50ml Cointreau (or orange juice)

175g butter

175g light brown Muscovado sugar

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

175g plain flour

½ tsp ground mixed spice

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

To finish:

2tblsp apricot jam

1 large egg, beaten
 

Method:

Marzipan:

1. Place the ground almonds and caster sugar in a large mixing bowl and add the sifted icing sugar. Mix together so that everything is well distributed. Add the beaten egg and almond extract and work into the almond mixture using a wooden spoon to create a ‘dough’ with a softish consistency.

2. Turn out on to a clean work surface lightly dusted with a little icing sugar and knead for 1 minute until the marzipan is smooth. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate until required.

To pre-soak the fruit:

3. Place the raisins, sultanas, currants, candied orange peel, glacé cherries and Cointreau in an oven-proof bowl and give everything a good stir so that the dried fruit is coated in the liqueur. Place in the oven at approximately 100C for 30 minutes, checking on it after 15 minutes and giving it a stir. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Cake:

4. Preheat oven to 140C/Fan Oven 120C/Gas Mark 1. Grease and line a 23cm round, deep cake tin with non-stick baking parchment and set aside.

5. Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, cream together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition. Sift the flour and mixed spice together and fold into the creamed mixture along with the grated orange and lemon zests. Add the dried fruit and stir into the cake batter, making sure that everything is well distributed.

6. Take one third of the marzipan and roll out to a 23cm circle about ½ cm thick (This will be the centre layer of the cake). Set aside for the moment and return the rest of the marzipan to the fridge.

7. Spoon half of the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin, smoothing the surface with the back of a metal spoon. Place the prepared marzipan circle directly on top of this, pressing down slightly. Spoon the rest of the cake mixture on top, again smoothing out the surface.

8. Bake in a preheated oven for 90-100 minutes until slightly risen, a deep golden brown and a thin skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (As with all cakes that require a long time baking, check after more than half of the baking time has elapsed and if browning too quickly cover with a little tin foil to protect it).

9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes, before removing from the cake tin. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

To finish:

10. Heat the apricot jam with 1 tablespoon of water in a small saucepan. Bring up to bubbling point and allow to simmer for 90 seconds. Pour the hot jam through a sieve into a small clean bowl, discarding any solids that collect in the sieve. Allow to cool a little before using.

11. Brush the top of the cooled cake with the sieved apricot jam and set aside.

12. Take one half of the remaining marzipan and roll out into a circle large enough to cover the top of the cake. (You can also create a lattice pattern as I have done). Place the circle on top of the cake. Use the remaining marzipan to create 11 small balls and arrange on top of the cake around the edge.

13. Brush the marzipan with a little of the beaten egg. Using a cooks blow torch lightly heat the marzipan until it just colours. Alternatively place the cake on a baking tray and colour under a preheated grill for a minute keeping a close eye on it.

Serves 10.

Restaurant Review: Kai Café + Restaurant, Galway

Having heard some great reports about the food on offer, Kai Café + Restaurant in Galway city has been on my ‘must-visit’ list for a while now so I was delighted to finally get the chance to dine there recently.

 

Approaching the restaurant, located on Sea Road in Galway, you are immediately struck by its charming frontage; a few tables and chairs placed outside suggesting the elusive possibility of dining outdoors should the Irish weather gods ever decide to look down favourably upon us. Unfortunately, it was decidedly chilly on the March evening we visited, so dining indoors was the only option open to us.
 
Although compact, the restaurant is warm and inviting with an unaffected but nonetheless decidedly ‘hip’ vibe about it. The décor consists of bare stonework juxtaposed against walls of wooden cladding which appears to be made from salvaged scaffolding boards. These eclectic qualities follow through to the menu, which although brief, has quirky and often adventurous elements within each dish. This is food rooted in what’s available locally in the West of Ireland but also influenced by the background of Head Chef Jess Murphy who is originally from New Zealand.

Staff are friendly, speak enthusiastically about the food on offer and are delighted to answer any questions about the menu, all of which adds to the relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant.
 

There is an air of vitality about the food, yet it is not too virtuous leaving you with that feeling of slight disappointment which you get when you have eaten food that you know is good for you but lacks the self-indulgence factor.
 

McGeough's Air-Dried Ham

The dinner menu on the night we visited was divided into four, offering a selection of pre-dinner drinks, starters, main courses and desserts. Given our cheery moods we decided to kick everything off with a Blood Orange Bellini. Invented by Giuseppe Cipriani who set up the renowned Harry’s Bar in Venice and named in honour of the 15^th Century Venetian artist of the same name, the Bellini is a cocktail usually containing Prosecco and freshly puréed peaches. Here however, blood orange juice replaced the peach purée and was all the better for it, possessing a zingy freshness that was more seasonally appropriate and perfect as an aperitif. We sipped on the Bellinis and nibbled on a wonderful white sourdough and a robust but extremely tasty brown soda bread.



From a choice of five starters, we chose:

• McGeough’s Air-Dried Ham + Sheep’s Cheese
• John Dory Crudo + Gin + Avocado

In many respects, both these dishes were assemblages of a selection of ingredients but where they really succeeded was in the quality of those ingredients and also the restraint that was shown in how they were treated and presented on the plate. This takes confidence and belief in what you are doing to achieve successfully and here it really worked. Tissue-like slices of air-dried ham in the style of an Italian Parma ham were served with equally paper-thin slices of pear and shavings of Knocklara sheep’s cheese. Everything was lightly drizzled with a barely sweet dressing which contrasted perfectly with the salty tang of the cheese and the underlying savoury tones of the ham. This was a simple dish but a real celebration of the excellent ingredients used.

John Dory

The John Dory was treated in a similarly uncomplicated manner. Presented ceviche style; thin strips of the raw fish were lightly cured or ‘cooked’ in what, at first taste, appeared to be lemon juice but also had a sweetness which suggested the presence of lime juice. Also included in the curing solution was a well-judged amount of gin which leant the dish an almost palate cleansing effect without being dominating. Paired with avocado and thinly sliced apple, this was a beautifully balanced and thought-provoking dish which really showcased the sweetness and delicacy of the John Dory, a wonderful fish too rarely seen on restaurant menus.

 

Moving on to main courses we chose:

• Hake + Barley Tabbouleh + Blood Orange + Almond Aioli
• Brady’s Strip Steak + Café du Kai Butter

Hake + Barley Tabbouleh

Although I was tempted to try the Roscommon Mutton Hot Pot + Green Sauce + Harissa as the mutton had been supplied by Castlemine Farm run by brothers Bernard and Derek Allen who are farm producers with their own butchers shop in my adopted home county of Roscommon I instead chose the hake dish as I was lured by the intriguing sounding almond aioli which it was served with.

Two pieces of perfectly cooked hake were presented on a bed of flavoursome pearl barley along with slices of blood orange. Further flavour was introduced by the inclusion of chopped fresh dill and jewel-like pomegranate seeds which added little bursts of exotic floral fruitiness which married so well with everything else on the plate. The almond aioli was subtly flavoured with garlic which didn’t compete with the almond flavours that were also present. This was a clever dish and although it borrowed much of its character from the food of the Middle-East, it was still, somehow, very much a dish of Galway and the West of Ireland.
 

Strip Steak

Steak was served perfectly seasoned, cooked medium-rare as was requested and accompanied by a wonderful garlic-flavoured butter and salad. Again, the quality of the ingredients used was very much on show and were allowed to speak for themselves without unnecessary additions.  Both mains were served with a sharing dish of moreish crushed potatoes, of which I am not normally a fan, but they were delicious being buttery and full of actual potato flavour!

 

Given the generous main courses we had just eaten, we were fearful that we would not be able for dessert, but thankfully decided that we could be tempted. We chose:

• 3FE Flat White + Hazel Biscotti
• Chocolate & Olive Oil Mousse +Toffee Popcorn

Coffee aficionados will be familiar with 3FE flat white coffee and here it formed the basis for a wonderful coffee ice-cream that was served with dark chocolate ‘bark’ and a hazelnut biscotti. This was a dessert, which despite its simplicity, did not disappoint. Chocolate and coffee is a classic flavour combination and here the contrast of textures between the cold velvety ice-cream, the chocolate and the crumbly biscuit were fabulous.
 

3FE Flat White + Hazel Biscotti

Ordering the chocolate mousse, I was concerned that I would be disappointed by its pairing with olive oil, but let me tell you, although the flavour of the olive oil was definitely present, it just worked; VERY successfully! This dessert was a revelation and the combination of the fruity olive oil was delicious with the slightly bitter dark chocolate that had been used to create the most velvety chocolate mousse I have ever eaten. The accompanying bag of toffee popcorn added a playful note to the end of a meal which had been thoroughly enjoyable.

We washed everything down with a bottle of Domain de Lestang Bordeaux which we felt was reasonably priced at €28. Total cost for the meal, excluding the wine came to just under €110.

 

This was a memorable meal and restaurant worth visiting.

 

Kai Café + Restaurant

20 Sea Road, Galway

Tel: 091 526003



Open:

Café: Mon - Fri 9.30am - 4pm; Sat 10-30am - 4pm; Sun 12 noon - 4pm.

Restaurant: Tues - Sat 6.30pm - 10.30pm.



Chocolate & Olive Oil Mousse



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This review originally appeared in TheTaste.ie

'Dead Bread' AKA Pan de Muerto

I first came across Pan de Muerto whilst browsing through some of the bread books which form part of my ever-growing and already quite large cookery book collection. I was fascinated by the folklore surrounding it and totally intrigued by the appearance of the bread.

 

As my regular readers will know, after doing an evening course on bread making in the Firehouse Bakery, I have recently discovered how much I genuinely enjoy baking my own bread at home. Although I had baked yeasted breads before, I’d had varying success and was never completely happy with the results. It’s hard to describe, but I just didn’t have a ‘feel’ for baking bread.

 

I am a confident cook and baker and if I say so myself, would be more than competent, easily able to learn and put into practice processes that are quite technically challenging. I have mastered macarons and can make my own puff pastry amongst many other things, but when it came to baking my own bread, I just was not achieving the results that I wanted. I found it quite frustrating and in many ways couldn’t understand how people could be so enthused by baking their own bread! However, in one evening, over a period of four hours, that all changed. I learnt so much in those few hours with Patrick Ryan at the Firehouse Bakery and truly came away from it with a better understanding of what baking bread was all about (see my original post written immediately after doing the course here).

 

One of the most remarkable things that I learnt was to avoid adding extra flour to the work surface on which you knead the bread. At first, this is almost counterintuitive because the natural response when faced with a wet or sticky dough is to add more flour to stop it sticking. However, adding extra flour upsets the balance of ingredients in the dough and results in bread which is heavy to eat.  Patrick urged us to keep working the dough (using a bread/dough scraper from time-to-time to prevent it sticking to the table) until it became less sticky and easier to work as the glutens in the bread were developed by the kneading. We also learnt many other tips and tricks of the trade and since then I have been producing loaf after loaf of consistent quality in my own domestic oven.

 

With this new found confidence in baking my own bread has come a desire to experiment and try out different types of bread. I had never heard of Pan de Muerto before, but was enticed by its unusual shape and the description given of it in the book. I knew that I had to try it.

In essence, Pan de Muerto or Bread of the Dead (although my daughter likes to call it ‘Dead Bread’) is a variety of sweetened soft bread, usually enriched with butter and eggs which is traditionally made in Mexico around Dia de Muertos on 31^st October and 1^st and 2^nd November each year to be eaten by the graves/in honour of the deceased.  The bread can be made into one large loaf or, as I have done, into individual smaller bun-shaped ‘loaves’. Before being baked, the bread is usually decorated with extra bits of dough fashioned into bone shapes which are arranged in a cross or circle to represent the circle of life. Freshly baked and still warm from the oven, the bread is brushed with a glaze and also sometimes sprinkled with fine sugar.

 

In many ways this bread is a little like a gently spiced brioche and is addictive to eat. The crumb is soft and yielding and although not mandatory or even, I suspect, traditional, I strongly recommend serving it liberally spread with butter.

 

NOTE: This is a sticky dough and whilst I did knead it by hand you can do so by using a stand mixer fitted with dough hooks. 

Ingredients:

300g plain flour
270g strong flour

1tsp ground cinnamon

10g fine sea salt

50g caster sugar

25g fresh yeast

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

250ml milk

50g butter, melted and allowed to cool slightly

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Glaze:

75g caster sugar

Juice of 1 orange
 

Method:

1. Place the plain and strong flours along with the ground cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and add the salt and sugar mixing with your hands to distribute. Crumble the fresh yeast directly into the flour and add the orange zest. Mix the yeast through the flour. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the milk, melted butter and eggs.

2. Mix everything together with your hands to form a dough, albeit a slightly sticky one! Turn out onto a clean work surface and aided by a dough scraper, work the dough, by stretching and kneading it for about 12-15 minutes, until it becomes more velvety to the touch and stops sticking quite as much to your work surface.

3. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, with cling-film and allow to prove for approximately 2 hours until doubled in size.

Shaping the dough:

4. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knock back. Divide the dough into four. Put one portion aside for forming the ‘bones’ and working on each of the portions, one at a time shape into a round ‘bun’ shaped roll and place on a parchment lined baking tray.

5. Remove of one third of the reserved dough and use to form into three mini-balls. Set aside. Divide the remaining dough into 6 and roll into thin strips with your hands. Make them a little ‘knobble’ to resemble bones. Drape two of these in a criss-cross fashion over each of the large buns, placing the smaller ball in the centre at the top of each bun. Cover loosely and allow to rise for a second time for approximately 60 minutes until almost doubled in size.

To bake:

6. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4.

7. Place the baking tray containing the three breads into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly while you make the glaze.

Glaze:

8. Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring up to the boil over a moderate heat. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly reduced. Brush each of the breads with the glaze using a pastry brush and set aside to cool completely.

 

Makes 3 smallish loaves.

 

 

Blueberry Frangipane Tarts

I love recipes that produce dishes that are so much more than the sum of their parts. Dishes that look like they required so much more effort than they, in reality, did. These Blueberry Frangipane Tarts are a perfect example of this, and if you just take a little care when lining the tart tins with the pastry, you will be rewarded with finished tarts that taste wonderful and look like you have slaved away in the kitchen in order to create them. 

Although I love cooking and baking there are certain tasks which I find incredibly tedious. For example, I hate lining cake tins and dread the beginning of November each year when I have to bake numerous Christmas Cakes for friends and family so that they have enough time to mature before the festive season. Another task that I dislike is having to blind-bake pastry shells. The thing about both these jobs is that they have to be done correctly and with due diligence and care in order to achieve success. What I love about this recipe is that the pastry does not have to be blind baked in advance so happy days!

Frangipane tarts are infinitely adaptable and although I have used blueberries here, you can use whatever fruits are in season. Soft fruits work wonderfully, but you can also use stone fruits, , just half them and remove the stone and arrange on top of the frangipane. Apples and pears can also be used, but slice them relatively thinly if the fruit is a little hard or if you are not pre-poaching them. Otherwise the fruit could be a little too hard and unyielding when the tarts are baked. I particularly love using halved pears and here it is advisable to poach the pears beforehand until slightly softened and allow them to cool before using. As with most of my recipes, I advise you to experiment and use whatever takes your fancy.

 

I have made an almond frangipane here, but you could use different ground nuts when making it. Hazelnut frangipane goes particularly well with pear and a stunning looking tart can be made using a pistachio frangipane and fresh raspberries when in season (see my recipe for Raspberry & Pistachio Bakewell Tart here).

 

I have made individual tarts but you could bake a single larger tart, if preferred. Roll the pastry out to line a 23cm tart tin with removable base and increase the cooking time by approximately 10 minutes.
 

Ingredients:

Pastry:
175g plain flour
50g icing sugar

100g butter, cubed

1 large egg yolk

1tblsp cold water

Frangipane:

125g butter, softened

125g caster sugar

125g ground almonds

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2tblsp plain flour

1tblsp Amaretto (optional)

To finish:

125g blueberries (fresh or frozen)

50g flaked almonds

To glaze the tarts:

50g apricot jam

1tblsp of Amaretto (or water)
 

Method:

Pastry:

1. Sieve the flour and icing sugar together into a large mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and using your fingertips, rub into the flour and icing sugar until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk and water and mix using a fork until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Turn out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly. Form into a ball. Wrap in cling-film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes in order to give the pastry a chance to relax.

Frangipane:

3. Place the butter and caster sugar into a mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, cream together until light and fluffy. Add the ground almond and mix through until fully incorporated. Mix in the eggs and then add the flour and Amaretto, if using. Set aside until ready to use.

To finish:

4. Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan Oven 170C/Gas Mark 5. Roll the pastry out thinly on a clean, lightly floured work surface and use to carefully line 6 x 10cm individual tart tins. Place on a baking tray.

5. Divide the frangipane mixture between the pastry-lined tat tins and spread out using the back of a spoon or spatula so that the surface is level. Sprinkle the blueberries on top of the frangipane, pressing them down very slightly, Scatter over the flaked almonds.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and the frangipane has risen slightly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly while you make the glaze.

Glaze:

7. Put the apricot jam and Amaretto (or water) in a small saucepan and place over a moderate heat. Stirring all the time, bring up to simmering point and allow to bubble for about 2 minutes.

8. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl, discarding any lumps that collect in the sieve. Use a pastry brush to glaze each of the baked tarts with a little of the sieved glaze. Serve the tarts at room temperature with some whipped cream or a little crème fraîche.
 

Makes 6.