Hazelnut Meringue Roulade.

I'm posting this delicious summery dessert in the hope that it will encourage the spring sunshine to actually emerge... I just can't wait for it to be strawberry/raspberry season again! 

Another recipe from Mary's "Baking Bible", which is becoming my actual bible all too quickly!

This recipe was a huge success and made the ideal summer dessert after a neighborly barbecue. (we can only pray for the weather to be nice enough this year for another opportunity to make this!)

140g shelled hazelnuts
4 large egg whites
250g caster sugar
A few drops of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
300ml whipping cream (for the filling)
225g raspberries (for the filling) - I used FAR more than this!
Icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (170 Fan). Lightly brush two 20cm sandwich tins with oil then line the base of each tin with baking parchment.

Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and put in the oven for about 10 minutes, then tip onto a clean tea towel and rub well together to remove the skins. Grind the nuts in a food processor.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add the sugar, a teaspoonful at a time, whisking well between each addition. Whisk until the mixture is very stiff, stands in peaks and all the sugar has been added. Whisk in the vanilla extract and vinegar then fold in the nuts. Divide the mixtures between the prepared tins and smooth the top with a palette knife.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, but no longer. The top of the meringue will be crisp and the inside soft and marshmallow like. Turn out of the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Whisk the cream until thick and use about two thirds to sandwich the meringues together along with about two thirds of the raspberries. Spread the remaining cream over the top, scatter with raspberries and dust with icing sugar.

Swiss Not-Quite Roll

Introducing, the Swiss not-quite-a-roll and the "giant lemon slug" (thanks Dad.)

Needless to say, my Swiss roll technique definitely needs work. These roly-poly disasters have been made on various occasions throughout the last few years, no matter how appalling my rolling technique is, they are always in high demand as they just taste so good!

The recipes are from Mary Berry's "Baking Bible," and are as follows:

4 large eggs
100g caster sugar
100g self raising flour
4 tablespoons of raspberry or strawberry jam (for the filling)

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (200 for a fan oven.) Grease a 33 x 23cm swiss roll tin and line with baking parchment.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is light and frothy, and the whisk leaves a trail when lifted out. Sift the flour into the mixture, carefully folding it in at the same time. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and give it a gentle shake so that the mixture finds its own level, making sure it spreads evenly into the corners.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the sponge is golden brown and begins to shrink from the edges of the tin. While the cake is cooking, place a piece of baking parchment a little bigger than the tin on the work surface and sprinkle it with caster sugar.

Invert the cake onto the sugared parchment whilst still hot. Quickly loosen the parchment from the bottom of the cake and peel it off. Trim the edges of the sponge with a sharp knife and make a score mark 2.5cm in from one shorter edge.

Leave to cool slightly, then spread with jam. Roll up the cake firmly from the cut end.

To make the lemon swiss roll, add the finely grated rind of one lemon to the sponge mixture before cooking. (I also like to add a little bit of juice for extra lemoniness, but Mary doesn't!) Spread with lemon curd instead of jam. 

A really traditional British tea time treat and very impressive to look at; whether its for the right reasons or not!

One a penny, two a penny...

Hot cross buns!

It IS Easter after all, how could I not?

This was my first attempt at these delicious traditional buns, so don't judge too harshly.

I followed Mary Berry's recipe, which is as follows:

450g strong white flour
1 level tsp salt
1 level tsp ground mixed spice
1 level tsp cinnamon
1/2 level tsp freshly grated nutmeg
7g sachet fast action yeast
50g caster sugar
50g butter, melted and cooled
150ml tepid milk
5 tbsp tepid water
1 large egg
75g currants (although I used 100g)
50g chopped candied peel (I could not find this ANYWHERE so mine are unfortunately, without.)
2tbsp granulated sugar (to glaze)
2tbsp water (to glaze)

Lightly grease two baking trays. Measure the flour, salt, spices, yeast and sugar into a large bowl and stir to mix. Make a well in the centre and pour in the melted butter, milk, water and eggs, adding the currants and peel to the mixture last.

Mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise until the dough has risen and doubled in size, about an hour and a half. (Because this is enriched dough, it will take longer to rise than plain dough.)

Pre-rise dough

Post-rise dough

Turn the risen dough out on to a lightly floured work surface again and knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape each one into a round bun. Make the cross on top of each bun with a knife, then place onto the prepared baking trays, cover with cling film and leave to rise again in a warm place until doubled in size. This should take about half an hour.

Post-rise buns

Preheat the oven t0 220 degrees Celcius (fan 200)/ Bake the buns for about 15 minutes until brown and hollow sounded when tapped on the bottom. While the buns are baking, dissolve the sugar in the water over a gentle heat. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush them with the syrup to give a sticky glaze.

Ta-da!

Toasted and slathered in butter; perfect.