World Baking Day: Strawberry Cream Gateaux

Happy world baking day guys. Time for you to bake something you’ve never baked before. I was going to attempt to make macarons, which I can shamefully say I’ve never made before, but I was unprepared so I decided to make this Gateaux. Complete with lashing of whipped cream, strawberries and cats tongues. Yes you read it correctly! Cat tongues. I wouldn’t want to eat or make anything with that name to be honest, so we’ll call it by it’s other name langue du chat, which admittedly sounds much more appealing

I love, love, love strawberries. In fact I love most berries, sweet, sharp, sticky and juicy. Although over the years I have transformed myself into more of a raspberry person, I still can’t resist a good juicy strawberry. Preferably dipped in chocolate please. This cake is a typical summer delight. Light delicate sponge, with airy whipped cream and summers finest strawberries.

This cake could be made with raspberries, blackberries or blueberries. The cream could be flavoured with alcohol, chocolate or anything else your heart desires. This cake is your canvas. Do as you please.   The base of the cake is a genoese sponge filled with layers of strawberry whipped cream finished with more cream, strawberries and cats tongues langue du chat if you please. If you can’t be asked to make the cats tongues you could use lady fingers, vanilla wafers or just leave the edge covered in cream.

For the sponge…
8 eggs
150g caster sugar
150g flour
75g butter, melted

Line and grease 2 x 8inch cake tins with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Over a pan of hot water, whisk the eggs and sugar together till sugar has dissolved and the mix is beginning to get fluffy.
Remove from heat and whisk vigorously till the mix has doubled in size.
Gently fold in the flour and melted butter and divide between the cake tins.
Bake for 15-2omins and allow to cool in tin slightly before moving to  cooling rack

For the cat tongue biscuits…
4 eggs, separated
120g icing sugar
100g butter
100g plain flour

Cream butter and sugar together. Add half of the flour and half of the egg whites
Mix thoroughly before adding the rest of the flour and egg whites.
Pipe on a lined baking tray using a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. To get the height required, I stack the cold cakes on top of each other and measure. That way the biscuits will go right to the top of the cake.
Bake in an oven set to 190°C for 10-12minutes

For the whipped cream…
350ml double cream
50g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds of 1 vanilla pod
100g strawberries, diced

Whip the double cream with the sugar and vanilla extract till it forms soft peaks.
Using 1/4 of the cream, fold in the strawberries.
Leave chilled until ready to assemble

For assembly…
2 baked sponges
1 batch of langue du chat
1/4 batch of strawberry cream
3/4 batch of chantilly cream
Strawberries

Trim any domed tops off the sponges.
Spread a nice generous layer of strawberry cream and top with the other sponge layer
Cover the whole cake with cream, getting an as even layer as possible. You could pipe some rosettes of cream if you wish, complete with halved or sliced strawberries

Oh So Sweet Baker x

Pros & Cons to Being A Chef: Savarin aux fruits

So the past few weeks have been hectic for me to say the least. Work, uni, gym, repeat! I’ve been all kinds of exhausted to the extent where this is the first time I’ve actually had time to sit down at the laptop. If you follow me on instagram, you’ll see that I have made quite a few things over the past few weeks. Just haven’t had a chance to share it with you all.

I’ve always known, or had some idea of what I want to do in life and have been very driven towards that goal. But as I am coming to the end of my studies, I am beginning to question if being a chef is REALLY what I want to do. I’m not saying I don’t want to work with food, I am just contemplating whether or not being a ‘chef’ is what I want to do. When in doubt, write a list.

Pros to being a chef:
I love cooking
A chance to be creative. Food is art and the plate is the canvas
Get to travel the world, although you may not see it as you’ll be in the kitchen 95% of the time
Spontaneity
Always something to do. I hate being bored
You’ll hardly be out of work. People will always need to eat
Knowing that someone out there is smiling because of the food you’ve cooked
A chance to experiment
Free FOOD unless your work is stingy
Endless career opportunities

Cons to being a chef:
Stupid long hours, as in 50 hour weeks.
Awkward timetables. Early starts, late finishes, Split shifts and pointless long hour breaks- Monday 8am-11pm Tuesday 7.30am-2pm 4pm-8.30pm
No social life. WHAT SO EVER
Feet and back problems
Huge male egos
Male dominated environment
Working Christmas eve/day, New Years, Easter
High risk of injuries. Cuts, burns, scalds
Stupid amount of stress
Always something to do. Sometimes I would like to go home on time!
Front of house team can be so stupid, then we are in the shits for their screw up.
People not knowing the meaning of PREP! If we are low on something prep some for the next day. I don’t want to come in the next day and have to prep a whole load of stuff  for something due within the next hour
Being in the shits!

I have to admit writing the cons was easy, they literally flew onto the screen. The pros on the other hand. Well I had to think long and hard. Although, the cons outweigh the pros, I can’t help the fact that all I think about is food and that working with food is something that I definitely want to do. Just not too sure what.

A savarin is a rich yeast cake, similar to a brioche which is usually soaked in a rum sugar syrup topped with a variety of fruit and cream.
For this recipe you will need to have a savarin mould and preferably a mixer with a dough hook.

For the savarin… Makes 8
200g strong flour
10g of dried yeast
130ml milk, warmed
2 eggs
50g butter, softened
20g sugar
1tsp salt

Dissolve the yeast and half the sugar in the milk and leave to one side till bubble appear on the surface
Combine the flour, salt and remainder of the sugar in the bowl. On a medium speed gradually add the eggs and milk and mix/knead for 5-8mins till it forms and elastic dough.
Place cubes of the soft butter on top of the dough and leave in a warm place to prove, covered with a clean tea towel
When doubled in size, knead the butter into the dough and pipe/spoon into greased savarin moulds.
Allow to prove again for 35mins and bake in a 200°C preheated oven for 15-22mins.
Remove from the moulds and allow to cool slightly whilst making the syrup

For the sugar syrup…
220g caster sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1tbsp water
A few strips on lemon rind
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2tsp black peppercorns
50ml rum

Dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice and water. Add the rest of the ingredients excluding the rum and simmer for 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the rum.
Soak the warm savarins with the warm syrup, till most of the syrup has been used up

For the garnish…
150ml double cream
25g caster sugar
1 1/2tsp of vanilla extract or seeds of 1 vanilla pod
Variety of fruit such as berries, apricots, peaches, kiwi, mango,  figs or plums

Whip the cream with sugar and vanilla till it forms soft peaks. Place in a piping bag with a star nozzle.
Pipe a swirl into the centre of the cooled savarin, and arrange the fruit on the edges of the cream.
Brush a little of the cooled syrup onto the fruit to make them shiny.

Oh So Sweet Baker x

Salted Caramel Popcorn Cake

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Cherry, Plum & Almond Galette

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