What are you baking this week?

[janetmw]

........ keep meaning to try a lime version.

I've done this and also added desiccated coconut along with the zest to the sponge!

[aero280]

Today i was somewhat surprised by a notice in the Weatherspoons pub in Victoria. "Owing to a widespread shortage, we cannot guarantee that any lime juice used is strictly vegan".

[Smitch]

Many citrus fruits are waxed with animal byproducts

[Smitch]

I had a bit of a baking session for the first time in ages.

I made chocolate Guinness cake, lotus cupcakes, chocolate orange brownies and carrot cake cookies. I won’t tell my colleagues it’s all vegan

[Earthmaiden]

What lucky colleagues! I've always wanted to try Chocolate Guinness cake. I love Guinness but is there a slightly bitter flavour to the cake?

[Smitch]

Yes, the cake is more bitter than my usual chocolate cake recipe but not unpleasantly so. You can taste the Guinness but it’s not overwhelming.

It was my first attempt and I’d definitely make it again.

[aero280]

I was supposed to be fixing her car. I got the new battery from Halfords and put it in, and all is working. I was about to look at the original problem before the battery died, and it started raining...

So I came in and di some baking. Partly successful.

I tried Mary Berry's Apple Sponge and that's come out OK. It's a victoria sponge with two apples grated and stirred into the mix. It has a whipped cream filling with lemon curd folded in. I thought I had some lemon curd, but it turned out to be ginger curd. It was quite citrussy, so I used that and it's quite a nice cake, although the apple flavour hasn't come through as much i thought it would.

Then I made the focaccia again, but this time in the right quantity for the tray, so it's thinner. It has come out "OK" but a bit over baked. But it will be fine with soup,

[Earthmaiden]

It all looks delicious, aero. I wonder if our idea of 'apple flavour' usually contains a hint of clove or cinnamon?

[aero280]

I was wondering the same. I thought that some cinnamon might have helped, but may not have mixed with the lemon or ginger in the cream.

[Earthmaiden]

No, you wouldn't want much.

[aero280]

We had some of the focaccia with soup for supper. Definitely over baked. I think I prefer the double thickness one I made before. The recipe referred to a “half baking tray” or something similar. I didn’t look it up until it was too late and found that it has an actual size, which is twice that of my tray a wouldn’t have fitted in my oven, even if I had one!

[slimpersoninside]

I find many apples seem to lack flavour and this doesn't help their use in cakes. Maybe others are right and a bit of spice would help. Sorry the focaccia was a bit of a disappointment.

Made a small batch of Mary Berry's Millionaires Shortbread yesterday, shared half with our daughter. It only served to remind me how much I like it, a very dangerous reminder .

[Uschi]

Apple and cinnamon go so well together ... Yumm!!! I grew up with applesauce with a stick or two of cinnamon in it.

[Uschi]

I tried Mary Berry's scones and on the whole they worked. They spread a bit more than expected, and rose a little less, but they were nice in texture and flavour.
Having no clotted cream I resorted to mixing a bit of creme fraiche and mascarpone, but the strawberry jam was home made.
Now that she will be moving to Norfolk, at least Sabrina has an idea of what a West Country cream tea is like (yes, yes, the clotted cream ... but it was still very good, even a bit more acid than the real thing, but the creaminess was there).

A lemon-creme fraiche cake is in the oven as I type.

[aero280]

Clotted cream is unversally available in all the major supermarkets in the UK. Normally "Rodda's".

[Pepper Pig]

My latest lot was from Aldi. https://groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/p-sp ... 8600011370

[aero280]

Have you ever felt "misled"?

OH bought some "Beer Bread mix" because it was on offer. I thought that I might try it tomorrow. I read the instructions and it said "Empty contents into a large basin and add a beer of your choice". So it's just a bag of flour and yeast. Even on offer it's an expensive way of buying flour.

Some time ago I heard of a "Pancake Mix". The instructions said, "Just add an egg and half a pint of milk". So more expensive flour.

[Earthmaiden]

I sat next to an American woman on a plane to San Francisco who always brought a spare bag on visits to the UK which she filled with packs of Yorkshire Pudding mix (just add egg and milk) ..

[Uschi]

Thanks for the tip! I shall pass it on.

[scullion]

you can buy it in lidl, too, but it might be one of those things that is not available on the continent.
you could always try making it yourself, uschi. all it is is scalded cream.
quick method - https://www.talesfromthekitchenshed.com ... ted-cream/ haven't tried it so don't know how it turns out...
normal way - https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/25773 ... ted-cream/

i would imagine this could be done in a slow cooker in small bowls.

i have nigel slater's carrot cake in the oven (he ain't having it back...)