What's the greatest test on a new friendship of two very anxious people? Making difficult, time consuming recipes from GBBO. Before we even knew we wanted to start a podcast Jacqueline had the brilliant idea that we should have a baking day and because we were obsessed with Michael and Henry we clearly had to make their recipes and tag them in them... spoiler alert they did not see them and still do not know that we exist, but we and our friendship survived and we had a pretty good time doing it.
HENRY’S APPLE & CINNAMON STREUSEL CAKE
INGREDIENTS
For the sponge:
4 jazz apples, peeled, cored and cut into 5mm dice
1 tbsp lemon juice
380g self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
100g golden caster sugar
125g light muscovado sugar
125g dark muscovado sugar
1 tbsp vanilla paste
3 eggs
280ml vegetable oil
140g set natural yogurt
200g pecans, roughly chopped
For the streusel topping:
25g light muscovado sugar
25g golden caster sugar
20g plain flour
20g unsalted butter, chilled
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground ginger
30g pecans, finely chopped
For the dried apple slices:
3 jazz apples
juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp golden caster sugar
For the caramel drizzle:
100g light muscovado sugar
20g unsalted butter
1 tsp sea-salt flakes
50ml double cream
25g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra to decorate (optional)
EQUIPMENT
You will need:
23cm 1.75–2-litre bundt tin, well greased
Baking sheet lined with baking paper
Mandolin (optional)
METHOD
Make the sponge. Heat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/325°F/Gas 3. Toss the apple pieces in the lemon juice and set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices together into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugars, vanilla, eggs, oil and yogurt. Slowly beat the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then stir in the apples and the pecans.
Spoon the mixture into the tin, and bake for about 65–75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the streusel topping, place both sugars, flour, butter and spices in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the pecans, then spread the mixture out on the lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool, then crumble it up and set aside.
For the dried apple slices, reduce the oven temperature to 120°C/100°C fan/Gas ½. Very thinly slice the apples (with a mandolin if you have one) and place them in a bowl with the lemon juice and turn to coat (this will stop them from browning). Pat the apple slices dry with kitchen paper, then place them on the prepared baking sheet, dust them with the cinnamon and sugar and bake for about 40 minutes, until the edges curl up and they are slightly browned. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.
Meanwhile, make the salted caramel drizzle. Heat together the sugar, butter, salt and cream in a small pan over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, cook for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened, then remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Beat in the icing sugar, then drizzle the mixture over the top of the cake, allowing it to flow down the grooves.
Scatter over the streusel topping, then arrange the dried apple slices overlapping in a ring on top of the bundt. Dust with icing sugar to decorate, if you wish.
MICHAEL’S LEMON & ROSEMARY BISCUIT BARS
INGREDIENTS
For the shortbread:
2 tsp chopped rosemary needles
60g caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
60g plain flour
60g self-raising flour
115g unsalted butter
50g cornflour
For the lemon curd:
2 large eggs
100g caster sugar
juice and finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
60g unsalted butter, diced
For the shells:
450g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
For the meringue marshmallow:
2 platinum-grade gelatine leaves
85g egg white
150g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for the egg white
1 tsp glucose
1 tsp Sicilian lemon extract
To decorate:
50g icing sugar
1 tbsp gin
12 rosemary sprigs
EQUIPMENT
You will need:
2 baking trays lined with baking paper
sugar thermometer
8 x 3.5cm bar moulds x 12
large piping bag fitted with medium round piping nozzle
medium piping bag fitted with a small round piping nozzle
METHOD
Put the rosemary in a medium bowl along with the sugar, lemon zest and both flours. Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat. Pour it gradually into the bowl, using a wooden spoon to mix everything together to a firm dough. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disc and wrap in cling film. Chill while you make the curd.
Place the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes, until thickened. Pour the curd into a lined baking tray and chill until thick and spreadable.
Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured work surface to a rough rectangle about 6mm thick. Using a sharp knife, cut out 12 rectangles, each measuring 8 x 3.5cm. Place the biscuits on a lined baking tray and bake for 12–15 minutes, until the edges are turning golden. Remove from the heat, trim the edges to fit the moulds and leave on the tray to cool completely.
Temper the chocolate for the shells. Melt 350g of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water until it reaches 55°C/131°F on the sugar thermometer. Remove one third of the melted chocolate to a separate bowl, and put the remaining 100g solid chocolate into the remainder over the pan of water. Stir it in and cool the chocolate to 28°C/82°F, then add back in the small amount of melted chocolate and mix until the chocolate reaches 30°C/86°F. Remove from the heat and, using the pastry brush, use the tempered chocolate to coat the insides of the 12 bar moulds, then chill to set.
Make the marshmallow. Pour 4 tablespoons of water into a shallow bowl, add the gelatine leaves and leave to soften for 5 minutes. Put the egg white and the 1 tablespoon sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk.
Place the 150g of sugar, along with the glucose and 35ml of water in a medium pan over a medium heat. When the sugar reaches about 116°C/241°F on the thermometer, begin whisking the egg whites to soft peaks. Keep an eye on the temperature of the sugar and when it reaches 120°C/248°F, remove the sugar immediately from the heat.
Squeeze out the gelatine and add to the pan with the melted sugar. Immediately pour the sugar syrup in a thin stream down the side of the mixer bowl into the egg whites, whisking for about 6 minutes, or until the meringue is thick and glossy and forms stiff peaks. Add the lemon extract, then transfer the mixture to the piping bag fitted with the medium round nozzle. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, or until thick enough to pipe and hold its shape. Then, pipe a 1cm layer of marshmallow into the base of the moulds and leave to set. (You will have lots of marshmallow left over – see the tip below for how to use it.)
Spread a little lemon curd over the marshmallow, then press a biscuit on top of each. Try to make the biscuits level with the top of the mould.
Spoon the remaining tempered chocolate (you may need to re-melt it) over the top of the mould tray to cover the biscuits, then scrape off the excess with a palette knife, evening out the tops to complete the chocolate shells. Chill for 1–2 hours, until set, and turn the bars out of the moulds.
To decorate, mix together the icing sugar and gin to a thick, piping consistency. Spoon the icing into the piping bag fitted with the small round nozzle and pipe diagonal lines over the corner of each bar. Decorate with a sprig of rosemary to finish.
Tip: To use up the leftover marshmallow, dust a 20cm square shallow cake tin with 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of cornflour. Pour the remaining marshmallow on top, then dust with another 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of cornflour. Leave to set, then cut into squares and serve as sweets.
댓글