The day I filmed Baking Mad on Channel 4

You may have heard via Twitter or Facebook that I was a contestant on Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard on Channel 4. The link to watch the show is at the bottom of this post. I hope you enjoy it. Here's the story behind the scenes.

Talking to camera before the bake

The bakers

The day I filmed Baking Mad was the culmination of much excitement, anticipation and lots of practice baking. To be honest I was a bit sick of rhubarb pie by the time I came to create my winning masterpiece. I applied to be on the show, hearing that they were looking for more men to bake. After a written application, I had a phone interview and then had to bake a cake and have a one-to-one interview with the production team. I got the call that very afternoon. So when I was given my category - sweet pies. I promptly conducted a straw poll of what pie to bake (amongst family and friends).  In my heart I was thinking it should be rhubarb or apple. I settled on rhubarb and am glad I did. It's quintessentially English and baked properly, balances sweet and tart in a pie - which I thought would appeal to Eric.

Filling the pie with rhubarb

Eric's watchful eye

So after a week's worth of practicing, I came down with flu. And before you say it - this wasn't man-flu - I had the shivers, fever, blocked nose, cough and was off my food. The morning of the show I felt rubbish, so dosed up on cold and flu remedies, I gathered my ingredients and tins and made my way to Cake Boy in Battersea. The film crew were great fun, the other contestants were really nice - nervous too. After a quick coffee - we got under way. There was lots of talking to camera and a few set up shots. The we got baking. We had just two hours, which is quite tough as you don't normally cook to a strict time limit when baking at home. Not everything went according to plan, the ovens didn't heat properly and the pastry didn't like the warmth from the additional lighting of the camera crew. I made a couple of fluff ups - my first roll out of pastry fell apart - thankfully, that was captured on camera. In a flash it was almost over. 10 minutes was called and my pie wasn't browning. I turned the oven up to 240 degrees - MAX. It browned-up and it came out with seconds to spare.

Creating the lattice crust

Rhubarb pie with almond pastry and lattice crust

There was no more to do than wait for Eric to judge. Presenting the pie to Eric was odd as he gave no feedback to you in person - he did speak to camera in private, which you see and he was complementary of my pie. Then he came out and delivered his verdict. I thought I had done well, but then I heard it. The winner is - Mark. Woo hoo. Pie triumph.

Waiting for the verdict

The winner takes it all

I stayed on to do the Masterclass with Eric himself, a Southern Chocolate Pie. I have had so many requests to bake this from friends. It's was a fabulous day and a great experience. I love it and hope you do too.

Tasting the mix

Southern Chocolate Pie

Watch Mark on Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard - 29th March 2012

In Australia and New Zealand?  Watch by clicking here !

 Or in the UK Click here to watch Baking Mad via You Tube

Caramel Cake Recipe

There are not enough recipes for Caramel Cake, most are from the States and I didn't find the ingredients or method satisfactory. I researched, experimented and came up with this. A take on a classic sponge with brown sugar to help create the caramel sponge and then to top it all off, made caramel and stirred in icing sugar for the buttercream icing. Delicious with a cup of tea and worked perfectly as a birthday cake.

Ingredients

·        225g/8oz butter (really soft)

·        225g/8oz light brown sugar

·        4 medium eggs

·        2 tsp vanilla extract

·        225g/8oz self raising flour

·        milk, to loosen

Method

1.     Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2.     Grease and line 2 x 18cm/7in cake tins with baking paper.

3.     Cream the butter and the sugar together with an electric beater until light and fluffy.

4.     Slowly beat in the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in the vanilla extract.

5.     Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little extra milk if necessary, to create a batter with a soft dropping consistency.

6.     Divide the mixture between the cake tins and gently smooth out with a spatula.

7.     Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

8.     Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack to cool.

9.     Sandwich the cakes together with the Caramel Buttercream.

Caramel Buttercream Icing

• 45g unsalted butter
• 70ml semi-skimmed milk
• 165g light, soft brown sugar
• 180g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp good-quality vanilla extract

1. Combine the butter, milk and brown sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and put on the hob over a high heat. Stirring continuously, bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and stir in half of the icing sugar.
2. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then add the rest of the icing sugar and the vanilla extract and stir until it thickens to the desired consistency. It will have a slightly runny consistency, which works well with this cake. If you leave it and it starts to set, place it for a few seconds in the microwave before beating again and, if necessary, add a little double cream.
3. I dusted this with gold edible glitter for a surprise birthday cake. Mmm. 

Hello new friend...Chocolate Extract

When I was recently filming for Baking Mad on Channel 4 (watch out for more on this in the next week or so) I was introduced to a new friend. That friend (and this isn't a sponsored post) is Chocolate Extract. Think about how divine vanilla extract is and essential for so many baking recipes - well this one's a chocolate version. There's two on the market, one by Nielsen Massey and the other by Star Kay White - both produce a whole range of great extracts and pastes for baking. I have Eric Lanlard to thank for this new discovery, he mentioned this whilst baking so I grabbed a bottle and added it to a chocolate brownie recipe and you could really notice the difference. It boosted the chocolate taste and added real depth to it - it tasted more grown up.

It's a pure chocolate extract that's rich and smooth but isn't sweetened. So far I have only added it to cakes and brownies, but it would sit equally well in cookies, icing, custards and puddings. The possibilities are endless. Nielsen Massey has been in the business of making extracts (vanilla was first) since 1907 and it's been a family business since then. If you haven't tried their vanilla extract - treat yourself today. Star Kay White is also a privately run family business and has been around since 1890.  I found the Star Kay White version in Waitrose, but could only source the Nielsen Massey version online. A kitchen cupboard essential.

All you need is love

Love Cafe Menu

And I found it in St Leonards-on-Sea at The Love Cafe.  Proving that there's life in St Leonards, the Love Cafe is one of a growing number of independent shops and cafes situated on the Norman Road. What can only be described as a groovy collection of boutiques and eateries, the love spreads beyond the road itself to the seafront where there's a growing trend for inspired businesses that are the antithesis of the bucket and spade brigade.

Love Cafe pancakes

The Love Cafe has been around for about a year and a half and it's design centres on hand painted chalk board walls. Do you Love potatoes? Love chilli? Or my favourite - Love pudding? There's an eclectic mix of paraphernalia and objects from old cameras, tea pots and film posters with a Spanish feel.  It's so very relaxed and unpretentious and on Friday and Saturday they have a market outside.  It's a hub for art and artists and I feel it has marked out its home for years to come. On our visit we had American pancakes, that were served heart shaped with bacon and maple syrup. In the background they had chilled Buddha-bar style tunes playing and for a Sunday morning brunch you could want for nothing more.

http://thelovecafe.me/

National Marmalade Week

I normally yawn when I hear of yet another "National Week" usually dreamt up by someone like me who works in PR, but this one is different. It celebrates the most delicious of toast toppings - marmalade. Anyone who has read my blog will know that there's a special place in my heart for the sweet and tangy stuff. Call me Paddington Bear if you like, I just love it. So to celebrate this most auspicious week, I baked a cake - a Marmalade Cake. Originally a recipe from Nigel Slater in the Kitchen Diaries. I used my very own homemade marmalade and the grated citrus of a blood orange.Well the proof is in the pudding as the saying goes and here's the pictorial proof - now to eat!

To check out more about Marmalade Week and the World's Original Marmalade Awards (that were held last weekend), follow this link:

http://www.marmaladeawards.com/festival/2012/01/664/national-marmalade-week/

Herman Friendship Cake

I've read about it, thought about it and wished for it, then one day I got it - a Herman Friendship Cake. Well at least the basis of it. A Herman Friendship Cake begins life as a pot of yeasty sourdough mix that is fed, grown and shared around (a little bit like a chain letter). It's a yeast based mix that you stir, keep warm and feed after 5 days, then again in another five, when you split the mixture into 4. Retain one for yourself (to bake with) and then pass on the other three to your friends who repeat the process so that Herman's love is spread around the community. The resulting cake is really rather fab. It's a cake/sourdough bread (but more cake than bread) mixed with fruit and spices. My recipe (that came with him) included sugar, raisins, chopped apple and cinnamon. I have read lots of variants and you can alter according to your taste with chocolate or nuts for example.

Herman is a "he" and don't ask why - I don't know. During your care he will bubble up, you will be required to care for his basic needs (food, warmth and a good stir) and its all really rather fun. It's the closest that K and I will come ever to having children.

It traces some of its history to the Amish. The name Herman is most definitely taken from the Amish sweet cinnamon sourdough bread, whilst the process of sharing the yeasty mix is traced back to earlier colonial times. It's become quite a thing in modern Britain and is a constant source of delight on Mumsnet. Recipes for the Herman starter can be found online, but I was much happier when he came to me. The bake is fabulous warm with ice-cream (as is almost everything) and great cold. It makes a mighty beast of a cake and it was shared with love at work. We have kept an extra quarter of Herman - we rather like him, so in another 10 days of nurturing and love - we bake again.

So look out there could be a Herman living next door to you and he may very well come into your care sooner than you think.

Perfect Pancake Recipe

As Shrove Tuesday (or Pancake Day) fast approaches, people everywhere reach for their tried and trusted recipe for Pancakes. Many will simply run to the supermarket and head for the isle with the packet of pancake mix. Seriously! 5 simple ingredients - (that are in cupboards across the world) and you're there. Take flour, salt, eggs, milk and water. Mix together and hey presto. Pancakes. Here's my recipe I would like to share with you. Enjoy - with Nutella and Golden Syrup (preferably together). Don't knock it until you're tried it.

Perfect Pancakes

Makes: 6-8 pancakes

Ingredients:

• 150g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 125ml milk
• 125ml water
• 1 pinch salt 

 

Directions:

1. Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Mix eggs, milk and water together in a jug. Slowly add to the dry ingredients. Stir until mixture is smooth and free of lumps.

2. Cover and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes.

3. Heat pan, grease well with butter.

4. When the pan is hot, pour 2-3 tablespoons of pancake mixture into pan, swirling batter evenly around pan. Flip when golden.

5. Eat.

Oooh Betty

No, this isn't a personal homage to Some Mother's Do 'Ave 'Em Betty or Betty Turpin (of Coronation Street fame).  I've been baking a Betty. A homely, traditional baked pudding that you can imagine granny making for Sunday lunch (and one that I'm sure Betty Turpin would have loved too).  

So what exactly is a betty?  It's an American dessert that dates back to Colonial American time.  A ‘betty’ is a baked pudding, made with layers of sweetened and spiced fruit and buttered bread crumbs. I have also seen it referred to as a Brown Betty and in my research have discovered that Apple Brown Betty was apparently a favourite of Ronald and Nancy Regan.

For my star turn last Sunday I baked an Apple and Blackberry Betty. Apple and blackberries are cooked in a little butter topped with soft white breadcrumbs mixed with brown sugar and then drizzled with melted butter and golden syrup. For the full recipe you need to consult Nigel Slater's book, Tender: A cooks guide to the fruit garden. http://www.nigelslater.com/tender_volume-two.asp

It was fabulous with ice cream and was more crispy and crunchy than a traditional apple crumble. There was a spoon or two left over and it was just as good served cold, not that there will be many left overs.

Groove is in the Heart...

...at the Dee Light Bakery in Balham. I'd read about this exciting new business on Twitter thanks to a timely tweet by Dan Lepard (who writes a column for The Guardian). Dan has a lot of great things to say about baking, so if he recommends something, I usually want to check it out. So on a cold and sunny Saturday morning I headed off to Balham, South London to investigate. Bread, pastries and lots of lovely quiches are all baked on the premises by Dee and her team.  It was a hive of activity with locals popping in for a freshly baked loaf or a Flat White. The coffee is good and that's a key test in my book, so they won me over with that. They serve Vegemite - tick! And the bread is great. Tick! It's wholesome, substantial and isn't full of air. I also grabbed a Chelsea Bun to go with my coffee that was spicy with cinnamon with just the right amount of fruit and was perfect in every way. Dee Light opened just before Christmas 2011 and I believe in not only supporting local business, but supporting local bakeries (they are a dying breed). You can grab a drink, breakfast, brunch, sandwiches and lunch. The bread is REAL and tastes so, so much better than from a supermarket. It's got a lot going for it, so much so, that I simply has to shout about it. GO TO DEE LIGHT BAKERY!

14 Ritherdon Road, Balham, SW17 8QD

http://www.deelightbakery.com/

Austrian Joy

Kipferl in Camden Passage

Hot Sausage

Walking the savvy streets of Islington (and feeling a lot like I was in Berlin) I stumbled across the coffee house/restaurant Kipferl. Situated in the heart of Camden Passage, it's a compact, modern Austrian eating house with blond rugged tables, cool lighting and not a lederhosen in sight. Cakes and coffee are a house speciality. There's a pantone colour chart for your coffee choice, but on this occasion I opted for a hearty sausage. And hearty it was. There's three choices of hot sausage with salad, bread and fresh horse radish. You can even opt for sauerkraut, but I gave that a miss as I was mindful of it's repercussions. The sausage was heaven on a plate and all for under £7. Washed down with a light pils, this is one treat I'll be repeating very soon. So now my quest for the best hot sausage in London continues. Ideas on the back of a postcard (and if you can't manage that - post in the blog comments). www.kipferl.co.uk

For the love of Marmalade

I love the bright orange glow of a jar of Seville Orange Marmalade. It's warming, citrussy and great on toast. Once again I armed myself with a few kilos of Seville Oranges and scraped, chopped and boiled them up to perfection. Lots of sugar (granulated for a clear texture) and some steady boiling and then hey presto - marmalade. 25 jars later and I'm set for another year of toast heaven. but keep reading as I aim to develop a marmalade cake recipe and will duly share the results.

Cookie Monster of Berlin

Berlin offers lots of fabulous foodie treats. A weekend break is no where near long enough to try them all. Wandering the laneways of the former East Berlin I came across this cookie machine.4 euros for a chocolate brownie whilst on the go. Such a great concept and they look so eye catching. Look out for one if you get to visit. And I highly recommend it.

70 cupcakes later

70 cupcakes, 30 brownies, hummingbird cake, coffee and walnut cake were the top sellers at todays arts and crafts fair. I only had to discount a couple of cupcakes right at the end so I didn't come home with them. That's the last of the Xmas fairs for Smiths kitchen for 2011. The rest of the year is baking for my own belly.

let the mince pie tasting begin

Christmas at MRA PR means but one thing - mince pie tasting. This year we have already give Mr Kipling's a whirl and for mass market - they weren't bad. There was plenty of filling (a touch sweet) and the pastry was a bit crumbly. But all round - they were a nice start to the season. Yesterday's outing was M&S Lattice Butter Mince Pies. I liked the lattice topping as it wasn't all pastry. The pastry itself was fim enough to hold the filling, the lattice looked pretty - there could have been half a teaspoon more mince though. But they got the thumbs up from the office too. Beating Mr Kipling by a few yards. here's a pic.