This week’s challenges included traybakes, tuiles and towers of biscuits. No-one in their right mind would make biscuits into a tower, so most of the week’s entries have been traybakes.
K has pushed out all the stops with his version of Chatsworth Farm Shop’s Passionate Carrot Cake:
The thing about the Chatsworth cake is that the fruit is REALLY juicy. I used raisins and plumped them up by soaking in Whisky for a couple of hours before making the cake.
I really fucked up on the cream cheese butter icing – have you ever noticed how similar corn flour and icing sugar look? Second time around there wasn’t enough Philadelphia, so I sharpened the butter icing with lemon juice. it worked very well, producing a lighter topping. There were of course 12, but they wouldn’t fit on the cake stand, and anyway, two had already gone missing.@Miketd burst into Boney M, “Star Baker, she taught all her sons, Star Baker, to handle their buns….“
Asta made lemon and raspberry squares, but the twitter bot offended her and she didn’t send us a picture. You can take a sneaky peek here, though. Just check out the size of those raspberries!
I made sidneys (always a roaring success) and earl grey shortbread (awful). Unfortunately I accidentally deleted the photographs. I also made bad cheese and thyme scones, and an acceptable, if lopsided, cottage loaf. You can see that:
I nominate Asta as star baker, to make up for the cheeky bot. Tonight’s episode is sweet dough week, so we’re looking forward to trying a tea loaf in the next few days.
Congrats to asta – looks wonderful. My personal Star Baker dispatched me to the village shop (which is also the village pub) to source some replacement Philadelphia. There was one tub left. Mercifully, the pub landlady intervened at the point of purchase, asking if I was really sure that I wanted “Philadelphia with salmon and dill.” Oops, nearly ended up with fishy carrots. I must also correct the Boney M quote, which has been mis-transcribed by my beloved. Star Baker taught all her sons, to HANDLE their buns. (I’d do the stutter, but cba on an iPhone.)
Correction Made, Mike.
That ballyragging bot has all the charm of a boiled boot.
Nevermind… I may have inhaled too much lemon juice. Thank you for indulging me.
I’m afraid my mind has shifted into music mode now– Pop Montreal starts in hours and I’m busy figuring out how to be be everywhere all the time. Also– if you ever wanted to know anything from/about–Tony Visconti, (Bowie, T-Rex,) Shuggie Otis or Bernie Worrell — let me know between now and Thursday.
Oh and because I won’t be around to see this week’s episode, I have had to Google to find out what a tea loaf is and have just made one. I’ll let you know if it’s edible.