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Clandestine Cake Club Bolton News...
Bolton Clandestine Cake Club - Pump Up the Jam!
I've been mega excited about this meet up since I announced the theme. I love preserves. They are so versatile in baking, so I knew we would get some right corkers. Not a plain Victoria sponge in sight.
This month's club was held at Delicieux in Bolton. Debbie and the team are the newest eatery on the block, and after a fantastic breakfast back in January I knew this one would be popular with the club members. We were booked into our own private room upstairs, so I was giddy as a little kipper!
As I walked up the stairs, there was a lovely hand drawn banner welcoming us to the venue. Debbie's daughter had decorated the room for us - it was just beautiful. Polka dots, bunting, mismatched china and shabby chic accessories. I have considered moving in. She even created cake 'chill out areas' in the corners out of scatter cushions. The light bounced through the skylights onto the cakes and chilled out music played in the background. It was all kinds of ace.
We had lots of new members on Saturday, so the spacious venue was perfect for mingling and chatting. Tea was served from pretty pastel tea pots and the hot chocolate was made of real melted chocolate! Corinne's been under the weather, so it was just the tonic.
Although lemon was a clear favourite amongst the bakers, they also provided preserve based cakes in a wonderful array of flavours, including peanut, rhubarb, banana, plum, apple, pineapple, lime, orange, fig, apricot, raspberry and strawberry. Our cake table consisted of:
This month's club was held at Delicieux in Bolton. Debbie and the team are the newest eatery on the block, and after a fantastic breakfast back in January I knew this one would be popular with the club members. We were booked into our own private room upstairs, so I was giddy as a little kipper!
As I walked up the stairs, there was a lovely hand drawn banner welcoming us to the venue. Debbie's daughter had decorated the room for us - it was just beautiful. Polka dots, bunting, mismatched china and shabby chic accessories. I have considered moving in. She even created cake 'chill out areas' in the corners out of scatter cushions. The light bounced through the skylights onto the cakes and chilled out music played in the background. It was all kinds of ace.
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Bundt
- Lime Curd Sponge
- Fig and Apricot Jam Cake
- Rhubarb and Custard Layer Cake
- Lemon Layer Cake
- Chocolate Orange Cake with Orange and Whiskey Marmalade
- Chocolate and Jam Cake with White Chocolate Icing
- Pineapple Jam Cake
- Rhurbarb and Custard Hexagon
- Banana Cake with Chocolate Drizzle
- 'Jam Butty'
- Luscious Lemon Curd Cake
- Plum, Apple and Cinnamon Jam Cake
- Lemon Jammy Dodger
- Raspberry Rice Pudding Cake
- Sally's Sticky Marmalade Cake
I gave them a challenge, and they delivered! Some even made their own jam. The cakes produced on Saturday have to be some of my favourites so far. Our 'troughs' were pretty impressive, and there was still cake left over. We suffered for our cause; many went home with terrible cake-ache, a couple already had the sugar induced headache, and nearly all of us took takeaway goodies from downstairs for later. We needed savoury you see... it's all about the sweet/savoury balance. Science.
Thanks to everyone who came, and especially to the staff at Delicieux for going to so much effort when they were really busy! My husband and I enjoyed our Cumberland sausage scotch egg, Fidgit pie and Natas later that night! We may have had a little cake too...
Bolton Clandestine Cake Club Visits the Women's Institute...
A few months ago, Lucie, Jenny and I decided to join our local Women's Institute. We expected crochet, baking, jam and Jerusalem. We got the Jerusalem bit, but our ladies are more active in the fields of charity work and worthy causes. Together we could be amazing... So a couple of months in, we were asked to do a presentation to the group on Clandestine Cake Club.
Not long after this was decided, I got a phone call from the lovely Lucy at WI Life Magazine. She was doing an article on the popularity of the club, our new book and the WI members who had recipes published. They printed the wonderful article below, complete with my bright pink bundt! I was thrilled.
Last night we did our little talk to a packed audience at Horwich Conservative Club. I gave a brief history of how it all started, how the Bolton branch was born, how gatherings work and explained the rising popularity of the club. Jenny went into detail about the interpretation of the themes we have, whilst Lucie showed the group some of her amazing decorated cakes, and talked about why she wanted to join.
We decided that the best way to show the ladies how things work was to have a cake club as part of the show. We invited some of our baking buddies and even had a new recruit on the night. How torturous would it be to speak of cake but not eat any? Not on my watch! So as usual, I set a theme for our club, which was 'When I was just a little girl'.
I asked bakers to remember the great british classics from our childhoods. I'm not sure who was more nervous... the cake clubbers who feared baking for the WI, or the WI members who wanted to make a good impression on the bakers!
We had a wonderful array of cakes considering there was only a handful of bakers! Our cakes included:
- Apple Streusel Cake
- Cornish Clotted Cream Layer Cake
- Golden Lemon Drizzle Bundt Cake
- Frosted Carrot Cake
- Lemon and Poppyseed Cake
- Lemon Layer Cake
- Strawberries and Cream Heart Cake
- Toffee Layer Cake
We were a little worried at first that there wouldn't be enough cake to feed around 35 hungry ladies, but as usual there was plenty! We even had enough for them to take some home.
If you are interested in joining the Women's Institute, please visit the website. The Horwich WI are also on Twitter @Horwich WI and Facebook at Horwich Women's Institute. We meet on the second Monday of the month at Horwich Conservative Club at 7:30pm.
Likewise, if you want to join the Clandestine Cake Club, please visit the website, Twitter
Bolton Clandestine Cake Club - One
I consider myself to be one lucky lady. I've met many new friends through our club, some of whom I would never have come into contact with any other way. I have had four of my recipes published in the Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook, learned new skills and have encouraged lots of local people to start a new hobby. We even have a regular 'Meat Up' where we just go out for burgers and cocktails...
- Cherryade Bundt Cake
- Strawberry Lollypop Cake
- 'Pineapple and Cheese on Sticks' Cake
- Chocca Mocha Hedgehog Cake
- Blueberry, Honey and Strawberry Cake with whipped cream
- Princess Cake
- Iced Raisin Loaf
- Sweet Potato and Bourbon Cake
- Orange and Cardamom Cake
- One Way or Another Orange and Lemon Cake
- Dandelion and Burdock Cake
- Oreo Cake
- Rainbow Birthday Cake
- All in One Lemon Cake
- Blueberry Layer Cake
Bolton Clandestine Cake Club -There's No Place Like Home
Friday morning was a little chilly here in Bolton. The weather forecast had been wrong all week. On Monday it was supposed to be heavy snow, but we got a mere dusting. We had an amber weather warning for snow from 3pm on Friday, but few of us took it seriously. I went to work wearing my Cath Kidston pumps and we joked about getting stuck at work in Snowageddon.
Karma got us back. Whist we jested about the white stuff, the bellies of the clouds over Bolton were swelling. As I travelled home at about 4.30pm, the snow had just started to get cranky. By the time I got to Horwich (which is famous for having its own crackers eco system) it was sticking... I wasn't too concerned about cake club, as the main roads seemed well gritted.
By 7pm it was about three inches thick. By 9pm, probably five inches, and by the time my husband and I decided to go out for a snowy walk at midnight it was pushing a foot in some places. Trees were falling over under the weight of the snow on their leaves, cars couldn't get out of Horwich, and cake club was very much off.
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| Snow in Horwich Friday 25th January 2013 |
I had been plotting 'Plan B' all night... just in case. Many of us make our cakes the night before, so I knew members would want to come, but it just wasn't safe. After seeing cars sliding all over the show I just couldn't risk it. Most had already admitted defeat and cancelled their place, fearing the icy roads.
I virtualised our meeting! Our venue was in a remote place, so was totally out of the question. I asked our friend Amanda at Thyme Deli in Horwich whether a handful of us could congregate there. As always, the helping hand was extended! Adam, Phil, Clare, Lucie, Kev, April and I met at Thyme as we live nearby. Huge thank you to Amanda and her little crew!
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| Clockwise: Clare's Ginger Carrot Cake, My BL3 Honey Nut Bundt, Lucie's Apple Cake, Phil's Chocolate Mint Cake and our cake table. |
Even though there were only seven of us at Thyme (one being a baby...) we still ate lots of cake and managed to take big wedges of each home in our 'troughs'. Adam was a huge fan of the honey bundt, so took a massive wedge! Haha! Busted...
Over the other side of Bolton, Little Mo, Corinne and Michelle held their own meet up and Bev, Jenny and Matt sent pictures of the cakes they had made. All day we have tweeted, Facebooked, texted and spoken on the phone when we have been unable to meet in person!
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| Clockwise: Corinne feeding her face, Little Mo with her Chocolate and Lime Cake, Michelle with her Carrot Cake, Corinne with her Cherry Bakewell Cake and their lovely spread. |
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| Clockwise: Bev with her Death by Chocolate Cake, Matt's Bury Black Pudding Cake and Jenny's Carrot Cake |
Despite the fact today's meeting was 'cancelled', we still managed to get people baking, eating and talking about cake, just not all in the same place! We are a club who will be not be beaten! The show must go on, even if it is a little unconventionally... Our cakes rose to the challenge, and celebrated our local producers and traders. We made:
- Carrot and Walnut Cake - made with carrots and walnuts from Preston Market
- BL3 Honey Nut Bundt - made with honey from BL3 area of Bolton purchased from Thyme Deli, Horwich.
- Spiced Apple Cake - served with Horwich Allotment Society Spiced Apple Butter.
- Ginger Cream Cake - made with eggs laid in Blackrod purchased from the Salad Bowl in Horwich.
- Chocolate Mint Cake - this must have the award for 'Most Local' cake! Eggs from the Fruit Shop, Chocolate, Cocoa and Flour all from Thyme Deli, double cream from Greeley's Butchers, butter and mint from the Salad Bowl and mints from Ye Olde Toffee Shoppe - all Horwich.
- Cherry Bakewell Cake - made with eggs bought from one of Corinne's neighbours who has chickens and ducks!
- Chocolate and Lime cake - made with fresh limes bought from Bolton Market
- Carrot Cake - made with eggs and carrots from Hulton's Estate Farm in Westhoughton
- Bury Black Pudding Cake - don't worry... it was ginger... made with eggs from Bury Market
- Death by Chocolate Cake - made with Pennine Hills eggs from Bolton Market
Not bad for a cancelled cake club... Dedication eh?
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Bolton News December 2012
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Jingle All the Way!
This was always going to be a bit of a special gathering. I kept this one quite small so I could use one of my favourite cake club venues; we went home to Thyme Deli. This was a members only event and our theme was Jingle All the Way.
Thyme's owner Amanda has been a supporter of our club since day one, and even opened specially for us. I was really eager to have our meeting at Thyme because it's always beautifully decorated during the festive season, and they sell a wonderful array of seasonal foods and kitchen accessories. It was perfect.
Fifteen of us attended the meeting, which felt very small compared to our usual soirees! The cakes came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and not two were the same. Everyone had different interpretations of our theme; from happy memories to family favourites. A special mention has to go to Heather who made the most amazing stollen. This is particularly outstanding seeing as she has just had an operation to fix her poorly shoulder and because this time last year she didn't bake!
Our cakes included:
I will bore you no more... on with the show!
Thanks to everyone who who took time out of their busy festive schedules to attend, Amanda for being a fantastic host (yet again), and to her boys for doing such a spectacular job of dealing with leftover cake.
If you fancy joining us for January's meeting, please visit the Clandestine Cake Club website and join up. If you're already a member, please email me at dollybakes@gmail.com.
Thyme's owner Amanda has been a supporter of our club since day one, and even opened specially for us. I was really eager to have our meeting at Thyme because it's always beautifully decorated during the festive season, and they sell a wonderful array of seasonal foods and kitchen accessories. It was perfect.
Our cakes included:
- Ginger Beer House
- Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake
- Ferrero Rocher Cake with Nutella Buttercream
- Chocolate Snowball Cake
- Almond, Amaretti and Amaretto Cake
- Stollen Ring
- Chocolate Mud Christmas Pud
- Chocolate and Chestnut Truffle Torte
- Orange and Almond Cake
- Christmas Chocolate Fruit Cake
- Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Orange and Brandy Winter Berry Cake
- Chocolate Log
- Black Forrest Roulade
- Redcurrent and Tangerine Cake
I will bore you no more... on with the show!
If you fancy joining us for January's meeting, please visit the Clandestine Cake Club website and join up. If you're already a member, please email me at dollybakes@gmail.com.
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Bolton News November 2012
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Wherever I May Roam...
What a day. I had a killer headache. Then I had about 15 cake cancellations, mainly because the inhabitants of Bolton are riddled with the lurgy. When I arrived at the venue, more problems arose. They hadn't realised we were using the room, so there were no plates or cutlery and no bar. Just as people started arriving... CRASH... cake/floor interface.
However... the show must (and will) go on. Luckily, I had done all the required panicking before people arrived, so it was all out of the way and dealt with toot sweet. Ella (Duty Manager and lover of cake) pointed me in the direction of the kitchen where I could help myself to whatever was available. Plates, forks, knives and napkins acquired. Next, drinks! Beauty and the Beast was on upstairs (we were at the Albert Halls) so there were refreshments. Ella brought some cold drinks down stairs and hot drinks were available upstairs. I quickly mobilised the cakey troops; Deborah taking one tribe up to the refreshments counter and Adam leading another regiment to Costa across the road. Now I did mention a cake/floor interface. Having dealt with such abhorrent incidents in the past, both layers were quickly retrieved from the lid of a tin and pushed back into position. Crisis averted. And breathe...
And so business as usual. Our theme for this month was 'Wherever I May Roam'. I asked our members to bake cakes inspired by their travels; whether it be the cafe down the road or some far flung shore. We also had Sharon from the Pudsey Club and Emma from Manchester in attendance. Corinne and Michelle landed in Manchester at 7am this morning, and had a cake ready for 1pm. Now that's cakey dedication!
As per usual, there were some amazing cakes with a really creative interpretation on the theme. We also had six bundts, much to my utter delight! There were twenty two cakes in total, which is amazing considering how many people were unable to make it. They were big too... They included:
- Key Lime Bundt - Florida
- Easy Peasy Holiday Chocolate Cake - New Zealand
- Banoffee Cake - USA
- Guinness Cake - Ireland
- Pina Colada Bundt - Cuba
- Cornish Cream Tea Scone Cake - Cornwall
- Banana Bread Cake
- Root Beer Bundt - Florida
- Trinidadian Nutmeg and Rum Drizzle Cake - Trinidad
- Plum and Marzipan Cake - years as a student...
- Sunken Apple, Pecan and Bourbon Cake - Prague
- Buddah Good Tropical Cake - Thailand
- Gateau Basque - France
- Torta di Riso al Profume D'Arancio - Italy
- Dandelion and Burdock Bundt - trips to the chippy as a youngster
- Anchor Porter Beer Bundt - San Francisco
- Banana Cake - dad took it to work
- Poppy Day - Remembrance parade
- Caramel Chocolate Cake
- Caraway Seed Loaf
Please leave your comments below... x
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Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Bolton News October 2012
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Monster Mash!
I was working in the kitchen, late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster cake from his slab, began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise
He did the mash, he did the monster mash...
I knew this one was going to be a belter. Today's turnout is one of the best I have ever seen in terms of creativity and people pushing their 'safety' boundaries. Hell, one of them isn't even a baker and he knocked up a fantastic chocolate slime cake just to be part of the fun.
Bolton Clandestine Cake Club has now been running for eight months, but it feels like I've done it for years. I've met some great new friends and we've had new members join us every single month. Some people come every time, others just when they can. Today was a fantastic meeting of friends old and new. We even had Sam and April who were still bumps at our first meeting!
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| Dressed for the occasion... |
We held our meeting at the Rivington Pub and Grill on Station Road in Blackrod. What fantastic hosts! It's a beautiful venue which has recently been refurbished since it was the Ridgway Arms. Everyone was commenting on the pretty decor and welcoming wafts coming from the kitchen. The staff seemed as excited about the cakes as we were! Don't worry, we left some cake for them too.
The cakes were effing brilliant. Club members really did excel themselves! We had everything from zombies to eyeballs and neon cakes bright enough to light the room. We had around 25 massive cakes to chose from; monster in theme and size! They included:
- Sour Snot Cake
- Monster Poppy Seed and Lemon Cake
- Gruesome Graveyard Cake
- Giant Spider Cake
- Cookie Monster Chocolate Cake
- Toffee Apple Pumpkin
- Terry the Chocolate Orange Monster
- Spider's Web Cake
- Brain Cake
- Pumpkin Roulade
- Pumpkin Eye Monster Cake
- Spooky Sponge Cake
- Shrieking Sponge Cake
- Pendle Witches Brew and Chocolate Cake
- Vanilla Tombstone
- Chocolate Slime Cake
- Evil Carrot Cake
- Pumpkin Graveyard
- A Monster of a White Chocolate and Lemon Cake
- Screaming Fruitcake
- Moshi Monsters Mash Cake
- Zombie Cake
- Dalek Cake
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| Cake paparazzi... |
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| Just look at these horrors... |
Please leave your comments below... x
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10 comments:
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Back to School
It's amazing what a little support from your friends can to to instantly calm the anxiety and stop those tears toot sweet. After all feeling the pressure a little yesterday, we sat down to enjoy what we all love about being part of theClandestine Cake Club, and that's a good natter with friends old and new.
Our theme for September was Back to School. I asked our bakers to take inspiration from schoolday favourites or recipes packed with nostalgia. This could be in the form of decoration, inspiration, the recipe or one of the ingredients.
We had a spectacular venue for our September meet. The lovely folk at the Albert Halls in Bolton had heard about our club and offered me their spacious Lancaster Suite. They put out a huge table for our cakes as well as our own bar. It was also noted by our members that they had the best disposable napkins we have ever seen! We even had our own event manager. Ella is a keen baker and told us wonderful stories of making a hundred doughnuts using over fifty egg yolks! She may be joining us next time...
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| Loads of room for cakes on the longest table in the world! |
- Cherryade Cake
- Giant Chocolate Doughnut Cake
- Stop Children! Lollypop Sign Cake
- Lemon Love Cake
- Harriet Hedgehog Cake
- Jammy Wagon Wheel Cake
- Alphabet Baking Coconut Carrot Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Banana and Pink Custard Sponge Cake
- Cheer Up Cherry Cake
- Sticky Toffee Cake
- Jam Sponge and Custard Cake
- Fairy Liquid Cake - Ginger Loaf with Ginger and Lime Icing
- Spotted Dick and Custard Cake
- Conkers and Marbles Cake
- Sticky Toffee Traybake
- My Pencil Case Cake
- Eton Mess Cake
- Cinder Toffee Cake
- Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
- Staff Room Jaffa Cake
And of course... I have some pictures too...
Next month's theme is Monster Mash, so I'm certain there'll be some fantastic cakes!
If you attended, please leave your comments... If you didn't let us know your thoughts!
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Americana
I have been looking forward to this meeting for ages! I often get ideas for club themes from song titles, and since bundts hail from the USA I decided on Americana for August. I knew instantly that it would be a hit! The cake ideas started rolling in, but seeing them in real life was fantastic!
We held our meeting at The Courtyard in Horwich. It's a recently refurbished bar and has lots of nice seating areas including a garden at the back.
This month's cakes included some absolute belters! My favourite had to be Lucie's burger cake (below). The amount of work and skill which went into this was unreal! We had 27 cakes at the meeting, which I think might just be a record. The others included:
- Chocolate Oreo Cookie Cake
- Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Rich Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
- Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Hawaiian Coconut Cake
- Hershey's Chocolate Cake
- Baked Cheesecake Chocolate Cake
- Pecan, Maple Syrup and Bacon Cake
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Starrs and Stripes Cake
- Mississippi Mud Cake
- Texas Forever Cinnamon Swirl Bundt
- Captain America Cake
- Cola Cake
- Walnut Flag Cake
- Giant Oreo Cookie Cake
- Brooklyn Blackout Cake
- Florida Orange Cake
- Mississippi Mud Pie Cake
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
- Boston Cream Pie
- Pillsbury Americana Bundt
- Chocolate Cherry Cake
- Apple Pie Cake
- Coca Cola Cake
- Pink Lemonade Cake
- M&Ms Cake
Once again, thank you to everyone who came and to the venue for being such great hosts. Next month is 'Back to School' and is in a large venue, so will be a bumper meeting with god knows how many cakes! Please click here for more information.
Please leave your comments for the bakers below... x
4 comments:
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Amazing meet! Cake standard just gets higher and higher. Met some lovely new bakers too. Loved it!ReplyDelete
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This looks really amazing - lovely cakes! Really must check out my local CCC - sadly the dates of their meetings haven't been kind to me, but hoping I can make the next. Hope it's as good as this. :)ReplyDelete
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Sweets For My Sweet
We held our meeting at Suzanna's, in Blackrod. It's just off the beaten track and surrounded by fields. With wonderful views from every window, lots of space, beautiful decor and good coffee, it's the perfect venue for a gathering of cake fans. The staff were great too. When I got there they had already set up a long table for the cakes and sorted plates and cutlery. They were on hand for our every need! There was a buzz of excitement from the kitchen when all the cakes started to arrive...
The theme meant no 'classics' appeared this month. Everything was a custom made marvel! At last count I saw 25 cakes, all in varying sizes, shapes, colours and some even had sound effects! I don't think I have ever seen such excitement at the club. The cakes included:
- Sherbet Lemon Cake
- Strawberries and Cream Cake
- Pear Drops Cake
- Chocolate and Liquorice Cake with Marzipan All Sorts
- Bubblegum Sparkle Giant Cupcake
- Liquorice Cake with Sherbet Dip
- White Chocolate Jazzie Cake
- Chocolate Lime Cake
- An Explosion of the Woolies Pick n Mix Counter Cake
- Midnight Magic Cake
- Walnut Whip Cake
- HumBIG Cake
- Curly Wurly Cake
- Naturally Sweet Cake
- Frosted Marshmallow Cake
- Coconut, Raspberry and Marshmallow Cake
- Coconut Mushroom Cake
- 'Sugar for My Honey' Chocolate Honey Cake
- Strawberry Jelly Cake
- Bassett Fruit Salad Cake
- Limoncello Lemon Bon Bon Cake
- Popping Orange Cake
- Love Heart Special
Please leave your thoughts and comments below...
6 comments:
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Droooooool! The pic & mix cake looks Divine!ReplyDelete
You really need to get Colgate to sponsor such events!!
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Droooooool! The pic & mix cake looks Divine!ReplyDelete
You really need to get Colgate to sponsor such events!!
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What a fantastic theme! If I was there I would have gone home with a massively aching belly as I would have to try every cake :)ReplyDelete
By the way I think that's my favourite bundt cake of yours to date. The pink is brilliant!
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - All Rise... The Diamond Jubilee
- Four Nations of the Republic
- Marvellous Marble Cake
- Best of British Rhubarb Cake with Orange and Almond
- Union Jack Battenberg
- Royal Red Velvet Cake
- Strawberry Layer Cake
- Summer Berry Drizzle Cake
- Jubilee Victoria Sponge
- English Cherry Cake
- Not So Red Velvet Layer Cake with Strawberry Frosting
- Gilded Strawberries and Cream Castle Bundt Cake (you guessed it...)
- Queen Elizabeth Cake
- White Chocolate Celebration Cake
- Lemon Crowning Glory Cake
- Coronation Chicken Inspired Cake (no, there was no chicken in it...)
- Jewelled Madeira Cake
- Strawberry Celebration Cake
- Triple Chocolate and Raspberry Cake
- Ganache Marble Cake
- Apple and Calvados Caramelised Pageant Cake
- Berry and Coconut Iced Battenberg
- Duchess of Cornwall Clotted Cream Cake
Here are some pictures of the ones I managed to snap before the pack got them!
It all got a bit much for H though... Poor girl didn't move off this sofa for about half an hour after everyone else had gone! It's a bad do when holding your phone is a chore...
Interested in joining your local Clandestine Cake Club? Click here for details...
Please leave your comments, suggestions and 'best bits' below... x
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - The Great Village Show
Today's theme was the Great Village Show, so I asked members to take the traditional show categories as inspiration for their cake. This might include jams, fruit, flowers, a well presented sponge or indeed best beast! The Bolton members are a creative bunch, and didn't disappoint me!
Once again, we had novice bakers, seasoned pros, new members, old friends, people from near, some from afar... but everyone had a great time and ate lots of cake! I must reiterate that we are really not here to judge. We just like to sit and have a natter over a brew and a slice (or 10...) of cake. At no other place is it socially acceptable to stuff your face with cake - several times in one afternoon, then take a massive box of it home. I took a bit of every cake on the table. Yes, that is over 20 pieces of cake. Hear my roar!
Here is a picture of some of the cakes - there were 22 in total.
- White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake
- Chocolate Courgette Cake
- Chocolate and Beetroot Cake
- Orange and Hazelnut Cake
- Cinnamon Cheesecake
- Coffee and Pistachio Gateaux
- Best of British Apples Bundt
- Chocolate and Peppermint Farmyard Cake
- Victoria Sponge
- Meringue-a-Tang Cake
- Toffee Apple Cake
- Blueberry Cake
- Spiced Sticky Toffee Apple Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Lemon Curd Cake
- Spiced Raspberry Cake
- Lemon and Blueberry Drizzle Cake
- Fruity Loop Fruit Cake
- Rhubarb & Custard Tea Cake
There were others, but I don't have their names! Here are a few close ups...
When is the next meeting I hear you all cry? Well, it is on 9th June and the theme is 'All Rise... The Diamond Jubilee'. And... I have booked the July one as well! This is on 21st July and the theme is 'Sweets for my Sweet'. Email me at dollybakes@gmail.com to book your place.
Thank you to everyone who came for putting in so much effort and for loving our little club as much as I do! Cake ache has well and truly set in. And just for the record, eating chips when you get home is not a remedy. Definitely not.
Members - please leave your best bits below!
All - please feel free to leave comments.
Clandestine Cake Club Bolton - Sugar and Spice
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We had our meeting at Harvey's Cafe Bar in the centre of Bolton. I knew this meeting would be a big one, so it was ideal. Dominic, the general manager was extremely accommodating (despite us creating ten tonnes of crumbs...) and the staff catered for our every need. They even managed to produce a pile of kitchen knives any serial killer would be proud of... Lots of people who were already in the venue came asking questions, and one has already signed up to the next event.
Our theme for this meeting was Sugar and Spice, and boy those attendees were on feugo! The spread was outstanding! Some of the cakes included:
- Ukranian Honey Cake
- Calorie Free Chocolate Cake (ish...)
- Lemon Pepper Cake
- Kitchen Front Ginger Cake
- Almond sponge layer cake with raspberry jam and burnt butter frosting
- Deliciously Moist Ginger Cake
- Squidgy Spice Apple Cake
- Spiced Apple and Pecan Streusel Cake with Vanilla Cream
- Mincemeat Cake
- White Chocolate and Cardamom Cake
- Samoan Bundt Cake
- Pink Rainbow Cake
- Captain Morgan Spice Cake
- Chilli Chocolate Cake
- Cherry Bakewell Cake
- Spiced Apple Streusel Cake
- Chai Tea Loaf
- Chocolate and Mixed Spice Cake
- Chocolate Gingerbread
There were others, but they were the ones I can remember! (or I stole the tags from...)
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| There was a table under there at some point... |
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| Heather enjoying her first taste of cake club |
The next event is on the 19th May at 3.30pm and the theme is the Great Village Show. It's limited to 25 places due to the size of the venue so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Please leave your comments below...
5 comments:
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Beautifully summarised! Was an excellent event in a great location with good tea, essential! Well done Dolly!ReplyDelete
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The Secret Cakestand15 April 2012 20:17A lovely afternoon with like minded cake bakey people and amazing cakes, thankyou Dolly for organising a great cake gathering xReplyDelete
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ooh liking the sound of chilli chocolate however they all look so delightfully different yet terribly inviting. Choice would be difficult. Well doneReplyDelete
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The first ever Bolton Clandestine Cake Club
What an amazing afternoon! I’m utterly exhausted, and coming down off a bit of a cake induced sugar high.
Today was the first meeting of the Bolton Clandestine Cake Club. I held it at one of my favourite spots, Thyme Deli in the centre of Horwich. I was really keen to hold it there, and thought I might have to bribe the owner Amanda into letting me take over half her venue. But, alas she was more than accommodating of a group of cake fanatics who like nothing more than a brew, a slice (or ten) of cake and a natter. It was perfect.
There had been quite a bit of interest in the club after the Bolton News and BBC Radio Manchester did pieces on the upcoming event. Bakers saw and heard. They came in droves. At one point I feared it would be standing room only! I don’t think we could have fit one more person in, but it didn’t matter. It was just lovely that so many people wanted to come. Including guests, we had about 30 people in total.
A few facts about the first event:
- There were 22 massive cakes
- There was a big tub of home-made lemon curd
- We had two pregnant ladies - one due next week!
- We had one gluten free cake
- A monkey apron was purchased
- Lots of Fentiman’s Dandelion & Burdock was consumed
- We had a visit from the WI
- One cake was from a total baking novice
- One cake had a picture of gangsters on it
- Twitter friends met in person for the first time
- We had almost every flavour of cake; lemon, chocolate, carrot, banana, vanilla, spiced, coffee, coconut, red velvet, orange, ginger, fruit and guinness.
- Cake-ache set in at about 4:45pm
- We all took lots home with us…
I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who attended. I’ve already had lots of emails asking when the next one is and what the theme will be, so I had better get my thinking cap on! In the mean time, here are some pics from the day…
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| Photo - Amanda Biggs |
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| Photo - Amanda Biggs |
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| Photo - Corinne Nurtney |
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| Take-away... (Photo - Corinne Nurtney) |
Please see more information about the venue at Thyme Deli.
For more information on the Clandestine Cake Club, or to watch out for future events, click here.
Thanks everyone!
Recipes from 25th February 2012 - 'These are a few of my favourite things...'
These are the ones I have so far. If you would like to add yours, please email me at dollybakes@gmail.com.
Victoria Silcock - Banana Cake
Serves: 10
- 125g butter
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 190g self raising flour
- 60ml milk
- Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. Melt butter, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan over a medium heat.
- Remove from heat and add the mashed bananas, mix well.
- Add the egg, mix well.
- Stir in the flour and the milk.
- Pour into the prepared tin, sprinkle with a tablespoon of demerara sugar to give a crunch topping if liked.
- Bake at 150 C fan oven (or 170 C regular, Gas mark 3) for 35 mins, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool and enjoy!
Pam Corbin - Toffee Apple Cake
Ingredients:
- 3 – 4 medium apples. Cox’s Russets etc
- 125g dark soft brown sugar
- 175g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 175g golden caster sugar
- 175g butter or marg
- 3 eggs
- 1 tin condensed . Place in large saucepan cover completely with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours. Keep topping pan up with boiling water as water evaporates. Boil 2 0r 3 cans at a time for future use – will keep up to a year.
- Equipment
- 2 x 20cm sandwich tins lightly greased and base lines with baking parchment.
- Method
- Preheat oven to 180 C gas 4. Core peel & quarter the apples then slice each quarter into 4 or 5 thin slices. Place the brown sugar in a bowl and toss the apples in it until well covered. Arrange the apple slices over the base of each tin.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the caster sugar, butter and eggs and beat together until creamy and well blended.
- Divide the mixture equally between the apple lined tins and level out. Bake for about 25 minutes until lightly golden and spring back to shape when gently touched.
- Leave cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the tims and then turn out onto a wire rack. Remove the parchment and allow to cool completely.
- When cold sandwich the two layers together with the apples in the middle and a generous layer of the caramel cream.
- The cake is best eaten within a couple of days.
Lucie Ingham - Chocolate Orange Cake
Cake:
- 320g caster sugar
- 320g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 8 large eggs
- zest and juice of 2 oranges
- 1 tsp natural orange extract
- 320g self raising flour
- 240g cocoa powder
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 80g dark chocolate melted
- 3 greased and lined 20cm/8 inch sandwich tins
- Orange zest and Terry's chocolate orange segments to decorate
- 150g sugar
- juice of 1 orange topped up with water to 150ml
- 1 tsp natural orange extract or dash of orange liqueur
- 450g icing sugar
- 225g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2.5 tbsp orange juice (sieved)
- 1 tsp natural orange extract
- Orange colouring
Preheat oven to 180c
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Add the orange zest, juice, extract and finally the melted chocolate
- Slowly beat in the eggs one at a time
- Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into the mix in stages and fold until well combined
- Divide the cake mix between the 3 tins (I weigh the mix to ensure even sized layers!) and bake for 25-30 mins or until cooked through
- Allow the cakes to cool in the tins covering them loosely in foil so they don't loose moisture
- Add the sugar, juice and water to the pan and allow to boil. When all the sugar has dissolved and the volume of liquid has reduced slightly add the orange extract or liqueur and stir well
- Use a skewer to make holes all over the cakes and drizzle the syrup over. Wrap in cling and leave (ideally overnight) to soak in. For an extra moist cake, turn the cakes over and drizzle over the other side too!
- Mix together the icing sugar and butter - I find doing this by hand first creates less mess!
- Add the orange juice and extract and beat well
- Gently add colouring until the buttercream turns a pale shade of orange
- Stack the cakes with a thick layer of the buttercream between them (and some under the base to hold the cake to the board/base/stand)
- For a pretty effect pipe the edges of each buttercream layer and the top with a large star piping nozzle (Google image search for Miette 'Tomboy' cake)
- Use a small spatula to smooth the icing in the centre of the cake and decorate with Terry's chocolate orange segments and orange zest
Rebecca Stokes - Chocolate Tiramisu Cake
Cake:
- 100g (70%) dark chocolate
- 100g butter
- 3 eggs (separated)
- 100g caster sugar
- 100g ground almonds
- 3tbsp Tia Maria or strong coffee
- 250g mascarpone
- 2tsp icing sugar sifted
- 2tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1tsp hot water
- Grated dark chocolate & handful of maltesers to decorate
- Heat oven Mark4/180C
- Grease 20cm heart shaped tin & dust with coco powder.
- Melt chocolate with butter in bowl (in microwave or over pan simmering water).
- Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- In separate bowl whisk egg yolks & sugar till thick, stir in the chocolate mixture
- and fold in the almonds. Then fold the egg whites until smooth.
- Pour in tin & bake for 20-25 mins until set & risen
- Remove from oven & allow to cool for few mins then transfer
- Drizzle with the liqueur or coffee
- Beat together the mascarpone, instant coffee & icing sugar & spread over cake.
- Grate dark chocolate & crushed Malteser over cake.
Deborah Garretty - Never Fail Fruit Cake
- 100g/4oz glace cherries
- 175g/6oz soft brown sugar
- 220g tin of pineapple in juice
- 225g/8oz self-raising flour
- 100g/4oz butter
- 2 eggs
- 350g/12oz mixed fruit
- Chop cherries and pineapple (keep the juice). Put in a pan with the pineapple juice, butter, mixed fruit and sugar. Heat to melt the butter, but do not boil. Leave to cool, and then beat in the flour and eggs. Mixture will be quite runny.
- Preheat oven to 170C/150C fan oven/Gas 3. Line a 20 cm /8 inch round tin with greaseproof paper, put in mixture and bake for about 1½ hours until firm and a skewer comes out clean. Remove cake from tin and allow to cool on wire rack. When cold, wrap in foil to keep fresh.
Denise Silcock - Denise's Guinness Cake
- 125g Butter
- 250g Light Muscovado Sugar
- 175g Plain Flour
- 50g Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 3 Eggs (beaten)
- 200ml Guinness
- 25g White Chocolate Curls (to decorate)
- 200ml Double Cream
- 200g White Chocolate (broken into pieces)
Method:
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until smooth.
- Using a separate bowl sieve the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and mix together gently.
- Gradually add alternate spoonfuls of egg, flour mixture and Guinness into the creamed butter and sugar. Beat together until the mixture is smooth.
- Spoon the mixture into a lined baking tin and bake for about 45 mins until top is cracked and well risen.
- Leave to cool for about 10 mins before removing from tin.
- Take out of tin, remove lining paper and leave to cool on a wire rack
- Measure half of the cream and put in a small saucepan, heat until almost boiling.
- Remove from heat and add white chocolate pieces.
- Leave for 10 mins until melted then stir and chill for 15 mins.
- Whip the other half of cream and carefully whisk in the chocolate cream until thick. Chill for another 15 mins.
- Spoon the frosting over the top of the cake.
- Decorate with white chocolate curls.
Nina Brookfield - Red Velvet Cake
- 23cm (9in) cake
- 350g (12oz) butter, softened
- 350g (12oz) caster sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1/2tsp vanilla essence
- pinch salt
- 300g (10oz) plain flour
- 50g (2oz) cocoa powder
- 15g (1/2oz) baking powder
- good dollop red colour paste
- Preheat oven to 180C, Gas mark 4.
- Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Gradually beat in eggs, vanilla and salt and half the flour.
- Add remaining flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and mix well.
- Add red paste and mix well.
- Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 1hr 15mins.
- Cool, then slice in half to fill.
- 300g icing sugar
- 50g unsalted butter at room temp
- 125g full fat Philadelphia
- Beat icing sugar and butter together until well mixed.
- Add Philadelphia and beat for about 5 mins.
Bev Speers- Bounty Bar Cake (Chocolate & Coconut)
- 50g desiccated coconut
- 150 ml coconut milk
- 150g SR flour
- 25g cocoa powder
- 150g caster sugar
- 150g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened
- 2 eggs
- To finish- Chocolate creme fraiche and chocolate buttons. Choc creme fraiche recipe at the end.
Method:
- Put the desiccated coconut into a bowl and mix with the coconut milk. Leave for a couple of hours to rehydrate. Preheat the oven to 180/Gas 4.
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and mix until evenly distributed, then add the butter and eggs. Using a hand held electric whisk, beat for about 1 1/2 minutes til the mixture is light and creamy. Carefully stir in the coconut along with any residual liquid, mixing well til combined.
- Spoon the mixture into a prepared tin (loaf tin, 20 x 10 cm or a 20cm round cake tin). Level the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in the centre of the oven, allowing 40 mins for a loaf tin and 25-50 mins for a round tin. When done, the cake should spring back into shape when lightly pressed.
- leave to cool for 10 minutes before turning onto a rack to cook completely.
- To finish, spread the choc creme fraiche topping evenly over the top of the cake and decorate with chocolate buttons.
- Chocolate creme fraiche:
- 125g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
- 125g creme fraiche
- Melt the chocolate and leave to cool. Beat into the creme fraiche.
Priya Chauhan - Coffee and Walnut Cake
Cake:
- 225g butter
- 175g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 175g SR flour
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons coffee, dissolved in water
- 125g walnuts, chopped
- 275g butter
- 125g icing sugar
- 3 teaspoons coffee, dissolved in water
- extra walnuts to decorate
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