50th Anniversary

up and current cakes

my little fisherman friend

Pavlova with a twist

I have made this on loads of times at the restuarant and did it for a summer birthday party and it got rave reviews.

It is simple to make but the methods are important. You will need very clean equipment so make sure there is no grease on them if unsure, wash them in hot soapy water. You will need a mixer with the whick attachement.
A low heated oven and a oven proof tray lined with silicone, silicone is better if you have it and you can reuse it, by turning it over.

For me i also have a an 8" flan ring, large piping bag and plain 1" nozzle to pipe the meringue out but you dont have to. You can easily use a pallet knife to spread the mixture into a rough circle.

Ingredients serves 6-8

8 eggs whites
2 Tbsp corn flour
450g caster sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tarter

Method

Place the egg whites in the mixing bowl along with the cream of tarter and start to whisk on a medium speed. You want to wait until the whites start to foam before gradually adding in the caster sugar. When they have started to peak and have become all shiny you can add the corn flour and whish for a further 5 minutes on a medium steady spead. At this point it will become thicker in consistency. Your meringue will now be ready.

I place my merinuge in a piping bag with my nozzle and place the flan ring on the silicone. i then pipe in to flan ring to give me my 8"/20cm circle. I make 2 of the meringue circles because i make a stacked pavlova sandwich. Bake at 180c for a fan assisted oven or 160 for gas. for 1 1/2 hours

Filling
4egg yolks
60g caster sugar
2 tbs water
zest and juice of 2 lemons
500ml carton of double cream- whipped to just under stiff peak
250g seasonal berries - fresh or frozen

Method

In a heatproof bowl whisk the egg yolks, sugar and a tablespoon of water together over a pan of simmering water until thickened and frothy.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Whisk until cool.fold in the already whipped cream. and set aside ready to use.


Assembly 

The merginues should be baked and cooled before assembling. Place one 8" meringue on a plate and carefully spoon on the filling with a pallet knife. Add the berries on top of the filling and add a little more fillling of the top so you have a nice layer of berries running throught the centre of the pavlova cream. it doesnt have to be a perfect picture, in fact rustic looks a treat. finally add the 2nd merginue and sprinkle with icing sugar to finish. cover and set in the fridge until ready to serve.

The Avatar movie

I recently went to see The Avatar 3D with my OH and loved it. I would recommed it as an experience, i went there with no expectations of what the film would be like and enjoyed every minute.

There is lots of action in the movie and a love story entwined for the romantics, and its about one man who has nothing better to do with his life so he embarks on an adventure finishing off his brothers lifes work.

Although my niece thought it would be some kind of animation, mocking 2 grown up people for wanting to see it t the cinema she soon changed her mind.

If, you havent seen the trailer ill attached one at the end. I may try and model some of the characters to  see how hard it is. I would love to make a fantasy cake based on the Avatar theme of vivid colours as there is so much scope.

trailer

Fischers in Baslow south yorkshire

part and parcel of being a student chef you get to meet lots of different people, and it was nice to see what you can achieve when you work hard.

One of the things my chef tutor did was take us all down to Fischers which is a michelin star restaurant in Derbyshire. The food was fantastic the atmosphere is very quinticentially English and lovely. Its a good aspirational point for any aspiring chef. One of the guys in my class worked there and although it is hard work the dividends pay off.

If you like what you see so far, here is a link to the offical site.

SHEFFIELD UNITED CAKE

My very first cake for me was a sheffield united themed cake so, being new to it all i was very simplistic with what i made. Now i have another request for a blades cake and i am making the drawings up as we speak so i know what i am making.

Heres a picture of my very first united cake.

peppa pig models

My version of peppa pig and co.

It took me just over a week to make the cake from start to finishes as i was fitting in the modelling around my other job. I never make the cakes too early as i want them to be as fresh as possible when they get eaten.
The pick up is this friday and i am just making the finishing touches to my peppa pig themed cake today so will hopefully have more pictures to post.




Its a 10x10 sponge cake with vanilla buttercream and strawberry filling, i thought it best to keep it simple as it was for small children so i hope they will like it.

It took me a few hours to get the models right and i did them in advance before i started on my cake, the pick up is friday and i am looking forward to saying goodbye to a completed cake on time, as i know mayhem can happen at any moment. so i finished off my cake today and here is the end result. please let me know what you think and share your tips and ideas too.

Feedback from the family was great,the little girls loved it as did mum and dad.