When my head PROPERLY falls off, I tend to find that the best therapy is ‘distraction to the point of exhaustion’ which largely covers how I’ve handled this week. I’ve carried out a series of pointless chores – cleaned the kitchen windows, cleaned the metal grate thingies on the cooker hob, descaled the coffee machine (a perilous ordeal I should add – the number of warning signs on the fluid they provide in nothing short of TERRIFYING, I nearly donned a full gas mask and coverall just in case!!), cleaned out more kitchen cupboards – AND churned out a factory’s worth of cakes for absolutely no reason other than to soothe my head and soul (the neighbours have done extremely well and my diet has consisted of 90% cake this week, that’s fine right?).
They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, well, I can now confirm that a cake* a day keeps the worries at bay.
*Specifically, homemade but any cake will probably be pretty decent.
I’ll give you a proper run through of my cake exploits in a moment – culminating in the show-stopping trifle layer cake that I keep banging on about!
Some other little thought-morsels that have floated through my mind this week:
I don’t know how to write this without sounding arrogant, but I wanted to mention it because, well, it meant so much to me… I received a direct message from someone earlier in the week – she thanked me for sharing my struggles publicly and the ways I find joy despite my battles… she told me I was inspiring and that I’d touched her and her family in such a wonderful way.
Apart from the fact that this message was unbelievably lovely to receive, AND that I’m baffled to think I have this affect simply by sharing the realities of my chaotic little life, it also made me think…
Firstly I thought thank you – thank you SO MUCH for being so kind and for taking the time to message me. Second, it makes me think that maybe my newsletters are a bit worthwhile; I often worry that my rambles on here are too gloomy and boring, and I don’t always have solutions or answers for snapping out of the hole I’ve fallen into or making things a bit more rosy, and so often I feel invisible and alone with my thoughts, but to think that they are appreciated or help in some small way is genuinely all I ever wish for.
This applies specifically to the person who sent this message but to all of you too, for your endless support… I’ll keep doing what I’m doing for as long as you’ll have me, and hope it continues to help a few of you along the way.
RIGHT… now for the Cake DEBRIEF…
CAKE 1 (and 2): I made not one but TWO mini chocolate cakes using my OG buttermilk choc fudge cake. Firstly, chocolate cake makes EVERYTHING better, (it’s a scientific fact)… except your sleep, it doesn’t help that. I was hilariously WIRED on Monday evening - literally bouncing off my bedroom walls, I really am Donkey from Shrek! I filled and coated the cake with a plain version of the ganache buttercream and when I’d eaten a couple of mouthfuls cold, I microwaved it for 15 seconds and enjoyed hot choc cake drowned in a puddle of chocolate lava – if you’re not running to make this now, I don’t know why not - it was HEAVEN and you will undoubtedly feel magical having eaten some (the batter also tastes great – double win).
CAKE 3: Next, I went in for another go of Nicola’s Chamomile and toasted flour chiffon cake – you may recall a few weeks back that I mentioned a few challenges I faced during my first attempts… well… GUYS IT WORKED THIS TIME AND I’M SO HAPPY ABOUT IT.
The major pickle I got in during attempt one was that the base kept lifting off the bottom of the tin – I ended up with a crater in the base of the cake – not cute. Well, I *think* I may have got to the bottom of this. My go-to 6-inch tin doesn’t have a loose bottom and is VERY deep (I think it’s 4 inches deep). Instead of this, I used a loose bottomed tin which meant I didn’t need to worry about lining the base, it was also a little shallower than my standard tin (only 3 inches deep) so the cake didn’t have as far to travel up the sides of the tin (another potential contributor to the crater situation according to one article I read). The final thing I altered was the oven temperature – I really don’t advocate bulldozing recipes – particularly when a genius like Nicola has come up with them… BUT hear me out, I have previously baked chiffon cakes at a lower temperature than that suggested in the recipe, and wondered if this would additionally help me in mitigating disaster; I figured the lower temperature may be preferable as we’re not shocking the sponge with heat causing a dramatic rise and more potential for shrinkage/craters. Thus, I dropped the temp to 160C/140C fan and baked for 45 minutes – it was near on perfection. The sponge did still crack a bit on top which initially worried me, but this less cute top was easily trimmable and this tirmmage is elite snack material!
Having admired my handywork and prodded this cake way more than is normal (it’s just so dreamily FLUFFY and light, I’m ridiculous I know) - I cut into two layers and sandwiched it with a whipped honey cream and strawberry jam. It was magical and I had a lovely time inhaling a slice!
I genuinely am so obsessed with this style of sponge and LOVE the use of both toasted flour and chamomile in this recipe. My conclusion from this (probably quite dull) story? a) you HAVE TO try making a chiffon cake if you haven’t already, b) this specific one is wonderful for its unique flavour profile!! Amen.
CAKE 4: THE Trifle cake – you’ve heard about this before in previous newsletters, and I can’t rave about it enough – a fluffy, light genoise sponge is drenched in sherry syrup, filled with tart raspberry jam, fresh raspberries and pastry cream and coated in a whipped mascarpone cream, then topped with almonds. The layers are left to fuse together for a few hours in the fridge for MAX flavour - it’s the perfect summer dessert cake!
CAKE 5: Finally… Guys, I can’t believe I haven’t told you this yet - I’m going to be a God Mother to my best friend’s daughter… from today - yes mild anxiety at the responsibility of this role, do I have to be a respectable adult? Apart from the fear that I may not be up to the job, I’m obviously so overwhelmingly honoured and delighted… and for the special occasion I’ve made a cheeky little vanilla layer cake with strawb jam and vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream – always, always always such a winner right?
Other baking/food news:
Last Sunday, I decided to play around with flours (as you do) – I ended up making some white choc chip and rye shortbread cookies and was very pleasantly surprised with how magical they turned out. Rye flour has a low protein content, and which made these them lovely and tender, I also baked them for a little longer which resulted in a slightly crumbly texture AND the white chocolate caramelised a bit in the oven = BIG FLAVOUR!!! Note to self – play around with flour more often!
Last week’s crackers have really matured – can’t stop snacking on them!!!
Ate a raw garlic clove on Wednesday by accident – thought it was a chunk of celery (not a vast upgrade I know… anyway, the whole ordeal was understandably HELLISH!). I regretted it for the rest of the day – garlic LINGERS!
I’m nearly done, I promise, but my final few titbits…
Inside out 2 is out… I HAVE TO SEE THIS SOON!
If you need some light entertainment, go and watch Lottie’s reels/videos (whatever they’re called) on insta – the recipes look fab, but she’s also hilarious - I can very relate to her kitchen ordeals!!!
I want a Camp snap camera – they seem SO cool (I’ve been totally #influenced by my friend Evie).
I’m halfway through the James blunt documentary – love it, love him, love his songs!
The sun was bursting through my window on Tuesday evening, and it was OH SO stunning… (a lovely glittery little moment).
FINALLY… but most importantly (I know I mentioned it above but I’m good at repeating myself)… OMG PEOPLE, it’s like a teeny bit warm and sunny! Summer, is that you? I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up … but EEEK! YES PLEASE!!
OK, I’m done … I really hope you’re all doing ok and if you’re not… I know it’s shit, but you’re going to be ok, however bad it seems now, it will improve… the improvement may not last forever, maybe just 5 minutes, we’re always riding a wave, aren’t we? But we can never lose hope because a switch will flick, and we’ll be riding on top of the wave again soon… and it’s gonna be magical!
Sending hugs as always,
Loads of love,
Steph X X X
Trifle layer cake
I’m not going to bang on about this cake too much - I think it speaks for itself! However, I do have a few things to mention (of course I do!!). I’m starting with a disclaimer: this a isn’t trifle - it’s a cake… if you want trifle, have trifle. However, it’s a trifle inspired cake full of our favourite things - fluffy sponge, boozy syrup, tart jam, raspberries, custard and cream - so I’m pretty sure you’ll be into it!
Now for a little breakdown of the recipe:
First off, the sponge - it’s a light, genoise sponge that is enriched with a little butter and oil combo for flavour and softness. For a deep dive into the wining technique for genoise, I’m outsourcing to Nicola - read her article here, it’s a great insight into achieving success with foam-based sponges like this one!
Next - the pastry cream - this is a THICK, velvety, smooooooth pastry cream. The purposefully thick texture mitigates the risk of seepage and creates a nice layer between your slices of cake. Also, I think I have mentioned this before but if you find pastry cream a challenge, I highly recommend this article on serious eats - it explains exactly what is going on when you make it to help you achieve success. My recipe deviates a bit from this one as we’re using it for a layer cake, but the science and method is still relevant!
I recommend a homemade tart raspberry jam - the recipe below will make more than enough but it tastes amazing stirred through yoghurt and stuff, so you won’t be sad about the excess! If you can’t be bothered, raspberry jam also works fine - it’s just a bit sweeter!
For the syrup, use it all and if you’re not a fan of the booze, just omit it!
Finally, I suggest a whipped cream stabilised with some mascarpone for structure and also GREAT flavour - I’ve used proper crème fraîche as an alternative before too, it also works really well. Be REALLY careful about over whipping this cream - take it to a soft/just medium peak and no further - it continues to thicken as you pipe/spread it!
Right, I think that’s all the info you need, now RUN AND MAKE IT QUICK!
Ingredients
Sponge
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