Tuesday 25 February 2014

Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester

Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester
God I love barbecue. I have worshiped at the alters of Red's True Barbecue, made a pilgrimage to the Mighty Quinn's in New York, sat in the sun at Grillstock and surely sampled all the smoked meat Manchester has to offer. I cannot get enough of the stuff. 

He who shares my DNA has the same affliction - not surprising really, although oddly he hates Haribo? I cannot explain this molecular misdemeanour. He's been a bit crook recently, and not overly mobile since having an op on his foot, so when I suggested we have a trip to Chester with our mum, he jumped at the chance - not literally - that would be foolish in his condition. 

When I asked what sort of food he would like for lunch, I was given a one word brief - barbecue. A quick Google search later and I landed on the banks of the River Dee. A five minute taxi ride from the station is Hickory's Smokehouse; an impressive building overlooking the river, with its very own flaming rhino protecting the gates. 
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester
It was absolutely lashing it down. Even the ducks had buggered off! We quickly retreated inside as we already had a terrible case of damp denim, and we had only walked from the taxi to the door.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester
We were immediately greeted by a friendly lady who showed us to a table with a brilliant view of the river. She brought over a bag of house popcorn, and left us to peruse the menus. The restaurant has a bit of an American sports bar feel, but with nice little touches like noses for doorhandles, and pink piggies in the ladies! The dining room is split into lots of smaller areas and private booths, as well as an open kitchen and bar area.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester
I'm a total sucker for a decent milkshake, because they remind me of happy days in Vegas! Whilst in Hickory's, I sampled the strawberry (always a good barometer) and the Solero shake. Both are packed with real fruit and thick ice cream. They also boast an impressive cocktails list, and a few decent American craft beers too - notably by Goose Island and Sierra Nevada.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester - Milkshake
Although we knew we were likely to overindulge, we decided that starters were a good idea...

Burnt Ends - Tender chunks of smoked beef brisket coated in crispy Cajun rub: These are not like any other burnt ends that I have tried before. They had a coating on them which was similar to Southern fried chicken. Generous in size and very tasty, however I think I prefer the traditional type doused in barbecue sauce.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester - Burnt Ends
Smokehouse Nachos with sour cream, guacamole, melted cheese served and BBQ pulled pork: These were heavenly. Enough cheese to make your doctor nervous and an ample amount of fiery jalapenos.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester - Nachos
Smokehouse Platter Memphis style baby back ribs, hot links, low ‘n’ slow smoked beef ribs, Kansas style spare ribs, USDA beef brisket, BBQ pulled pork, fries & slaw: The reason this comes with two lots of fries, is because it's for two people. My brother ordered this and ate the lot, bar one portion of chips.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester - Platter
Yes, he suffered. Highlights included the beautifully tender beef brisket and the charred beef ribs.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester - Platter
Kansas Style ‘BBQ Glazed’ Spare Ribs - hand-rubbed with a secret blend of spices, pit-smoked 
for 6-8 hours and glazed in Hickory’s BBQ sauce: This is Hickory's best selling dish. It's not the prettiest rack I've ever seen (snigger) but it tasted amazing! Granted, they were not quite as good as those offered at Red's, but then again they are exceptional.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester - Ribs
Smokey BBQ Southwest Chicken Skewers - charred & sizzled, served with fries & slaw: My mum chose these as a bit of a lighter choice after troughing on the starters. This was still huge. Large chunks of chicken and vegetables slathered in BBQ sauce.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester - Chicken
 Mac 'n' Cheese: A lovely crisp top with a thick cheese sauce.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester - Mac n Cheese
Cheesy Chilli Fries: House fries topped with jalapenos, red chilli and a ridiculous amount of cheese sauce - yes - like the one they have in Hooters! I was so I excited I nearly burst!
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester - Chips
Florida Key Lime Pie, chocolate ice cream & berry sauce: This little individual pie was more of a tart to be honest, as it has a pastry base. It was packed with a tangy green filling and topped with delicious torched meringue.
Hickory's Smokehouse, Chester - Key Lime Pie
We walked out of Hickory's like absolute creatures. It was still tipping it down, but the cold rain was strangely soothing after suffering with acute meat sweats for the last fifteen minutes of our visit. We ate an astonishing amount of food between us!

Hickory's has a really friendly atmosphere, and has maintained a cosy feel despite the size of the restaurant. I can imagine that it's even better in nice weather, as the location is surely one of the best in the city.

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Sunday 23 February 2014

Jelly and Ice Cream Bundt Cake

Jelly and Ice Cream Bundt Cake
Yesterday Bolton Clandestine Cake Club turned two. We've spent the past couple of years improving our skills, coming up with crazy cake ideas and making lots of new friends. I made my signature Matilda Bundt Cake for our first meeting, and have baked a bundt for every meeting since, except once when I made Almondbury Cake in homage to T & Cake.

I wanted something a bit quirky, whilst still along the birthday party theme. Last year I made a Cherryade Bundt Cake, but was totally stumped this time. Then my friend Lucie came up trumps with an ace idea. She suggested I pick two ingredients to match our age - it had to be jelly and ice cream! I hadn't had jelly in years!

In my infinite wisdom I decided to make actual jelly to accompany the cake, which proved interesting as I had to transport them to cake club! Crisis averted, I was really pleased with how this one turned out. I made it earlier in the week using just jam as a flavouring, however I found that it tasted too much like real fruit. I wanted an almost synthetic strawberry taste, just like jelly. Mission accomplished.

The 'ice cream' layer is made using vanilla paste, and the strawberry layer using jam and strawberry cupcake flavouring. Topping it with strawberry jelly sweets was literally the icing on the cake.
Jelly and Ice Cream Bundt Cake
Ingredients:
  • 225g butter
  • 450g golden caster sugar
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 350g plain flour + 1 tbsp for later...
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 250ml plain fat free yogurt 
  • 1 tbsp vanilla paste
  • 1 tbsp strawberry flavouring
  • 7 tbsp strawberry jam
  • Red food colouring
  • 300g icing sugar plus 1 tsp strawberry flavouring.
  • Sweets

Method:
  1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
  2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with Cake Release spray and dust with flour.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
  5. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
  6. Pour the yoghurt into a jug.
  7. Sift in a third of the flour mix followed by half the yoghurt. Repeat this until everything is combined. 
  8. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
  9. Split the mix into two bowls.
  10. To the first bowl add the vanilla paste.
  11. To the second bowl, add the red food colouring, strawberry flavouring, 3 tbsp strawberry jam and the extra spoonful of flour to tighten it back up.
  12. Pour the vanilla half the mix into the prepared tin. 
  13. Dollop the remaining jam on top and smooth over.
  14. Cover with your red strawberry layer. 
  15. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
  16. Note - something weird happens now. The red and vanilla layers will switch round, with vanilla encasing the whole thing. This gives the pretty marbled effect. Run with it.
  17. Leave the cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.
  18. When the cake is fully cooled, mix the icing sugar with 1 tsp of strawberry flavouring and enough water to make a pouring consistency - tip it over the cake! Don't worry about making it look pretty, the tin shape does all the work for you.
  19. Top with enough sweets to make you happy.

Jelly - I made these cute jelly shapes with ordinary strawberry jelly in some bundtlette tins. I had two different sizes which were the same shape as my Anniversary tin, so thought they would compliment nicely. I even managed to fit one in the centre of the cake!

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.
Please see my Creative Commons Copyright information for more details. Thank you.

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Saturday 22 February 2014

Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two

Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
What an emotional day! This time two years ago I was cacking myself at the prospect of my cake club just being Amanda and I. Today she hosted our second birthday meet up, and welcomed back the friends we've made along the way. 

Amanda owns Thyme Deli in Horwich. It's where our journey began, and every year we will go back for our birthday bash. She's supported us from day one. We've taken over half of her shop on several occasions, and her team deal with our every need. Today she had even put up some birthday bunting, and drawn us a lovely picture on the chalkboard.

Bolton has always been a popular club, and people never tend to visit just the once. Cake and laughter are an infectious combo... 

Here's our vital statistic from the past two years...
  • 118 members (plus many many visitors)
  • 438 cakes
  • 4 babies
  • 11 venues
  • 1 cookbook
  • Countless laughs
Not bad for a bunch of amateurs... 

Today's theme was 'Two' as that's how old we are! We had a fine crop of celebration cakes, all with a special meaning to its creator. There were 15 cakes in total, which included:
  • Chocolate and Blood Orange Cake
  • Strawberry Milkshake Carousel Cake (a recreation of Lucie's own 2nd birthday cake - see pic!)
  • Chocolate Guinness Cake with cream cheese frosting and port poached apple (made by Heather who didn't bake at all two years ago...)
  • Strawberry Jelly and Ice Cream Bundt Cake
  • Fresh Lime and Coconut Cake
  • Lemon and Thyme Cake
  • Chocolate Orange Chess Cake
  • Lemon Cake
  • Strawberry and Champagne Cake
  • Lemon Drizzle Cake
  • Choconana Cake
  • Tea, Walnut and Orange Cake (T.W.O)
  • Salted Caramel and Chocolate Cake
  • Dense and Dark Chocolate Loaf
  • Fondant Fancy Cake

Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
Picture courtesy of Claire Thomas from Good Egg Foodie
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Two
I love our little club. I love the enthusiasm of our members and their willingness to try something new despite the crazy themes I set them! I love our venue owners who have also become good friends over the last two years, who consistently bend over backwards to accommodate us. More more importantly I love the friendships I have gained from doing this; people I would never have met any other way. It's bloody hard work, but so worth it.

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Friday 21 February 2014

Giveaway - Cake and Bake Show 2014 Tickets

Cake and Bake Show 2014
The Cake and Bake Show is back in Manchester! This year's show will run from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th April at Manchester Central, and promises to be even bigger than last year's extravaganza. Whether you're into cake decorating, need some inspiration, fancy a spot of retail therapy or want to improve your skills - there's something for every baker from novice to expert.

Our Clandestine Cake Club stall will be hosting the Taste the Table competition on every day that the show is open, judged by Britain's Best Bakery presenter, Peter Sidwell. On Friday and Saturday you could win a whopping £100 voucher from bakers' favourite Renshaw, and on Sunday we are doing something that's right up my street...

Nordic WareSunday is Bundt Day! Why not enter to be in with the chance of winning the most amazing bundt collection courtesy of my good pals at Nordic Ware? I'll be there on the stall to offer advice for budding bundters as well as answering questions about cake club in general. Check out the prize below... Devastated that I can't enter...

You will also be in with the chance of meeting some of your baking idols, including contestants from the Great British Bake Off. Star speakers include:
Nordic Ware
  • Eric Lanlard - cake boy...
  • Frances Quinn (GBBO Winner 2013)
  • Simon Rimmer - local lad and foodie's fave
  • Rosemary Shrager
  • Mich Turner
  • Peter Sidwell
  • John Whaite (GBBO winner 2012)
  • Aiden Chapman
  • Paul A Young
  • Duncan Glendinning
  • Glen Cosby (GBBO)
  • Kimberley Wilson (GBBO)
  • Christine Wallace (GBBO)

So want to win some tickets?! I have five pairs to giveaway.

It's easy peasy...
  • Simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below.
  • To be in with a chance of winning you must complete ALL the mandatory fields, and then can move onto the additional entries if you want to increase your chances of winning.
  • All entries will be checked and verified before a winner is announced.
  • You can increase your chances of winning by Tweeting on a daily basis.
  • Rafflecopter will pick a random winner.
  • Each winner will win one pair for a specified day.
  • The competition runs until midnight on 31st March 2014.
  • Please see the Terms and Conditions on the Rafflecopter widget for the rules and more information.

Please feel free to share this giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Twitter: @cakeandbakeshow
Buy tickets

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Victoria Sponge Bundt Cake

Victoria Sponge Bundt Cake
This is a simple classic. Something I have in my arsenal for occasions such as birthdays and whatnot. A few weeks ago our Chief Executive (a keen Tweeter) saw pictures of my bundt cakes, and asked if I would make a cake for our Director Steve. He's a real lover of cake, so when his PA Rosemary told me that he loves a vanilla sponge, I set about my Victoria Sponge Bundt Cake, with a sparkly twist. Steve is over the finance department, so a money themed cake was in order.

This cake has the usual bundt characteristics of a moist crumb with decent sugar crust, but the jam adds a little more flavour to the equation.  Pirate gold is entirely optional... 

Ingredients:
  • 225g butter
  • 450g golden caster sugar
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 350g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 250ml plain fat free yogurt 
  • 8 tbsp strawberry jam
  • 300g icing sugar

Method:
  1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
  2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with Cake Release spray and dust with flour.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
  5. Add the vanilla extract.
  6. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
  7. Pour the yoghurt into a jug.
  8. Sift in a third of the flour mix followed by half the yoghurt. Repeat this until everything is combined. 
  9. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
  10. Pour half the mix into the prepared tin. 
  11. Spoon on the jam then spread evenly across the layer of batter.
  12. Pour the other half of the mix on top and smooth out. 
  13. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
  14. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
  15. When the cake is fully cooled, mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a pouring consistency, and dollop it over the cake! Quickly is best, just like ripping off a plaster... 
Victoria Sponge Bundt Cake
And hey presto! A very simple cake for any occasion.      

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.
Please see my Creative Commons Copyright information for more details. Thank you.

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Thursday 20 February 2014

Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton

Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton
A few months ago, my friend Lucie went to a little place called Thru the Lookin' Glass in nearby Wheelton. She came back with tales of a pretty pink shop with delicious cakes, and was convinced that I would love it. Last weekend we took a trip with our friend Jenny and mini cake maker, April.
Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton
The pastel frontage allows you to see into the tea room on one side, whilst paying homage to its previous guise as The Soft Furnisher on the other - a cutesy home furnishing business which is still operated by the owner on the floors above. You can tell this lady has style! Although the dining room has a vintage chic feel to it, nothing is untidy and all the beautiful crockery is fully intact.
Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton
On the right hand side of the room is a shabby chic dresser topped with spectacular cakes in a magnificent collection of cloched cake stands. The little chalkboard which hangs above lists the day's cakes, and a small teapot on the other side houses the tea of the day, alongside little sample pots so you can try the favoured brew.

When we arrived, a pleasant lady brought over a small tray filled with tea cups, a milk jug and a cake - 'here we go sweetheart'. Granted, it was wooden, but April was happy as Larry as she 'made tea' for Lucie, Jenny and I. Nice touch ladies.
Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton - April
Jenny and I shared a large pot of Palace Breakfast tea (an energising, full-bodied blend of Assam and Ceylon black teas) whilst Lucie tackled the largest cappuccino I have seen in some time.
Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton - Drinks
Lime and pistachio cake with orange blossom, served with greek yogurt and pistachios: This was Lucie's choice. She reported a very moist cake with subtle hints of orange coming through.
Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton - Lime and Pistachio Cake
Apple and blueberry cake with double whipped cream: Jenny was very pleased with her choice; again an ultra moist cake with a slight tang from the fruit.
Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton - Apple and Blueberry Cake
Raspberry and almond cake with raspberries and cream: Bakewell fiend strikes again - I cannot resist this combo. A nice crunch to the surface, soft cake and lovely pockets of fruit.
Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton - Almond and Raspberry Cake
Chocolate brownie: We all took one of these home for our significant others, although I did steal a bite - purely for research purposes... I expected this to be quite stodgy, however I was surprised to find it was actually rather light with a gooey centre. 
Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton - Brownie
Bara Brith: A beast of a cake - not for the faint-hearted! I took this home to enjoy with a nice cup of tea later that evening. I had this slightly warm with butter (as suggested). Absolutely delightful but very filling indeed! Dad-fodder... 
Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton - Bara Brith
After our tea and cake we ventured upstairs to the home furnishing side of the business. Our friend Michelle would absolutely adore this place. It is jam packed with beautiful trinkets and home adornments. They even run interior design themed courses, such as chalk painting.
Thru the Lookin' Glass, Wheelton
We could have quite happily spent all afternoon at Thru the Lookin' Glass. It's as pretty as a picture, but also serves some perfectly executed cakes with a large range of speciality teas and coffees. It also helps that the ladies who run it are utterly delightful. We'll be back here one day, callooh callay!

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