I was made for more!

So that a big step, coming out of the silence and talking about difficult stuff: diet.
At this time of the year everything is about diet. But what I am talking about is more profound that the occasional fast track weight loss.
For years I have been battling with weight. I have done numerous diet, lost a lot, once I was even a size ten. I announced loudly that was it, I threw all my old clothes but 2 years later I was at the biggest I ever been. OK I had a baby but it doesn't excuse. And I was so ashamed... I had let myself down ... I had not been strong enough...
Until I decided to change perspective, to not do it for body image but for my relationship with God.
I started this devotional "made to crave" and slowly I am changing my way of thinking. The problem is not that I have a sweet tooth or no willpower , the real problem is a spiritual weakness. Filling the gap with food but not with God.
So one step I took was prioritising. I stopped baking so much because to be honest if I bake , I eat...
So here we goes I am more than this and starting a journey of being more healthy spiritually and physically.

Pizza!!

 Pizza!

At last a new post!

So it has been nearly a month since the last post... so much for the weekly baker, might need to change the name of this blog!

Anyway things have been pretty busy with moving into the new house, settling with new routine and longer commute and now T boy has chicken pox...

Even though I have not posted a lot, I have been baking. Just need to go back into the groove of it.
Sometimes ago, I decided to go back to great British bake off book as I still have a lot of recipes to go through. I had some family coming over so decided to make the pizza.
The recipes is pretty simple:

For the dough:

500g strong white flour

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (or like me table salt)

1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast

300 ml lukewarm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

You mix all the dry ingredients then add the liquid in a "well" slowly while incorporating it. You then kneed 10 minutes by hand or 4 in mixer with dough attachment,  then let it proof for an hour.

I did not really follow the recipe for the topping  (which called for artichoke and goats cheese )because I wanted to make a simple one for the kids and I fancied pepperoni!
For the tomatoes base I used passata as it is smoother and I pre-cooked it with some herbs and seasonings.
I went for a thinner crust, using the very (not) traditional way of pulling the side while not making hole. I found the best way was lifting it and making it do circle while letting the gravity do it's work.
The base could have done with more cooking but the troups were hungry and this gaz oven... (By the way it's gone).

This is my little secret for quicker rising:

 Survival cover! I got mine in the pound shop, they help keep the warmth and can divide rising time by two! Always great when you are in a hurry.

First sale: 60th birthday cake

I am back! In a new kitchen and with the dream kitchen tool:

Early christmas present

It has not been used yet but will get it's baptism this weekend, when I bake for a little get together.

This week, it's all about the first cake that I sold. 

A friend asked me to bake a cake for her mum 60th birthday. We agreed on a yogurt cake with vanilla buttercream. I used the following recipes for a cake for about 20 people:

For 20 persons minimum:- 4 pots of yogurt
- 4 yogurt pots of sugar
-12 yogurt pots of flour
-12 eggs
- 28g baking powder
- 3 pots of oil

And I used this buttercream recipe for filling, covering and borders: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/basicbuttericing_73263

I used two layer of buttercream to cover the cake.

For the borders I decided to use two different style . 

The bottom one was great to make it neater. I used this tip:

For the top one I used a close star tip, and in the same way it helped to make it neater especially on the edge. 

  

The yogurt cake make a crust that can be scratchy (very technical term here!). 

For the roses I decided to use shop bought buttercream as I thought it would be firmer and easier. Well it wasn't... Once I had mixed in the icing it was quite loose and roses were not holding. I tried putting it in fridge but wasn't having it... Then I checked internet and found a tutorial that was mentioning adding icing sugar. And it worked great, after 2 frustrating hours I was able to make roses. 

I used this tutorial on you tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YKzh8jWJQY

Was quite proud of the result!

Week 11, part 2: Sainsbury's icing nozzles trial

 Icing nozzles trial

Another late post, I guess life is taking over. Things are getting quite busy. After 7 month, we finally exchanged on the house and we should be moving around the 8th of December... I can't wait to get my new big kitchen with lots of work surface and most importantly I will be able to get my stand mixer of my dream!
Over dramatic.... Maybe slightly...
For this week post, I decided to try out the icing nozzles that I found in Sainsbury's. It was £10 for a pack of 7 big nozzles, looked like a good price.

Because of this I had to make cupcakes. Hard life isn't it....
I made vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing.

 

 I used another of the hummingbird bakery recipes, really love this book. Make great cupcakes!
Back to the icing. Bellows are the pictures of the different style I was able to do with the different nozzles. I am far from a expert in icing so any suggestions are welcome.

I like the big nozzles as I feel it gives a better finish. I particularly like the open star and round one. I feel you get the style that you see on pictures!

With the nozzle that do wicker basket type icing (photo n°6), I think you could also do scallop style but needed a bigger surface.
I am baking my first paid cake this weekend so will try it on it.

Week 11, part 1: Victoria sponge

Victoria sponge

This weekend was a bitter sweet bake.

I was baking a cake to take to a friend's house as there were doing a get together before moving out of the area.
Sweet because it was an occasion to see friends that I had not seen for some times, and bitter because I am sad to get further away from my good Irish friend!

I decided to do a Victoria sponge as I felt a classic was suited to the occasion and it fitted very well with her antiques cups.

The recipes from the book call for beating butter and sugar first before adding eggs little at a time. I decided to use a wooden spoon to avoid curdling which worked until I added too much egg at the time. As I was aware that it might happen, I was quick to respond to the emergency and added a bit of flour before putting the last of the eggs. Disaster averted!
I was worried that I hadn't beat in enough air so I have to confess, I added a bit of baking powder...
But it's still a beautiful Victoria sponge isn't it?

Week 10, part 2: Birthday cake and icing

 Birthday cake and icing

This week was my lovely sister in law birthday. We were all invited to the restaurant and I decided to surprise her with a little birthday cake.
I got some help from Tboy but he was not happy that he could not get to eat it straight away!

I made a simple yogurt cake (recipe her: http://theweeklybaker.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/week-7-part-2-icing-and-yoghurt-cake.html) then filled it and covered it with dolce de leche (caramel sauce). I then covered it with marzipan as I love the almond taste and did a number of icing decoration. I used moulds, cutters and made some roses.

Turned out fairly nice although I still need to get better at making flowers and smooth covering of the cake.

Week 10, part 1: attempt at a lemon tart

Lemon tart trial:

After last week epic bake, I decided to take it easy and to do something that looked pretty simple: lemon tart. This is part of the great British bake off book. 

I had done sweet pastry previously pretty well and the lemon filling looked straightforward as not a lemon curd. That what I thought anyway...

So I set up to do the pastry, followed the instruction... It said to chill if butter was not cold, mine was and to be honest didn't want to wait... So I spread it, lined it, covered the hole... Because yes, it was too soft to spread properly... Then I chilled it.
I then discovered that I didn't have any baking paper, another lazy moment and decided to use foil. That should do... Well, it didn't... It stuck to the pastry and gave it a funny texture. Oh, I also over baked it because I hadn't read the whole recipe (lazy moment number 3)... I took it too far before taking the baking beans out so then the side were burned.

I carried on anyway, at this point too much effort had gone in. I then went one making the filling which was straightforward except I didn't have double cream so used crème fraiche instead. As I poured it in I saw that some piece of pastry ended up in the filling.

Came out looking alright, let it rest then served it for dinner.

This was husband face:

First question was: What did you put in it?....

To be fair didn't looked great, and worst when I cut in it. It was like the filling got mixed up with the pastry... But it tested really nice really sharp..

So conclusion of this baking: lazy day is no good for baking day.