Dwight's Beet Bundt

I'm always plotting new bundt flavours. It's always on my mind. Yesterday, my husband joked that I should make a Beet Bundt after watching several hours of the American version of The Office back to back. Our favourite character is a chap called Dwight Schrute; a beet farmer from Scranton.

Dwight Schrute (photo NBC)

Now then. Beetroots are my mortal enemy number two, therefore this would always be a bit of a challenge. I would need to touch them and maybe even taste them in the cake. I know most people like them, but personally I think they taste and smell like soil. I had my independent taste tester do a quick appraisal after I didn't manage more than a mouthful, to which he concluded this is a beautifully moist cake with a soft texture, which isn't overly sweet.

The addition of cocoa powder, melted chocolate and chocolate chips gives this cake the look and feel of a chocolate fudge cake, just with a bit of a twist. The beetroot also gives the cake an amazing dark colour. Perhaps a sneaky way of getting children to eat vegetables... as long as you don't mind a shed-load of chocolate being in there too!

Ingredients

• 110g unsalted butter
• 50g of good quality cocoa powder
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 60ml maple syrup
• 4 medium eggs
• 300g of cooked and pureed beetroot (I bought it ready cooked in a vacuum pack)
• 100g milk chocolate broken into chunks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 100g milk chocolate chips

Method

1. I used a standard sized bundt tin (10 inches, 10 cups or 2.4 litres) - prepare by greasing and dusting with cocoa powder. It's best to use a fairly plain tin, as the chocolate chips can disguise detail. 
2. Mix the butter and sugar until it is well combined then add the maple syrup. It's easier to start by hand as it's a bit sloppy!
3. Whisk the eggs together in a jug. Start to add to the mix gradually. It's a real bugger for curdling! Don't worry too much if it does though, the flour will help.
4. Melt the solid chocolate using either a Bain Marie or by popping it in the microwave and put to one side.
5. Measure out the flour, cocoa, salt, bicarb and cinnamon into a bowl.
6. So in front of you, you now have your main mixture, the melted chocolate, the pureed beets and the flour mixture.
7. Pour half of the beet mix and the all the vanilla extract into the main bowl and give it a quick mix until combined. 
8. Now add the all of the melted chocolate and mix again.
9. Sift in half of the flour. Fold it in.
10. Add the rest of the beets and mix lightly.
11. Sift in the rest of the flour. Fold it in.
12. Now fold in the chocolate chips.
13. Pour the whole thing into your bundt tin and bake for 1 hour on 180 C/Gas 4.
14. When the cake is shrinking from the sides of the tin and a skewer comes out clean, the cake is done.
15. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then turn out.
16. Once cool, dredge with icing sugar.

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Thyme Deli, Horwich

Have you ever had one of those moments where something is so obvious that you could just kick yourself? Me too. This morning. Thyme Deli is one of my favourite places. It's comfortable, the staff are great, the food is fantastic, they sell things I love and it was where cake club was born. So why have I never reviewed it? Dimbo.

We've been going here for years. Thyme is in a prime location at the top of Winter Hey Lane, at the crossroads with Lee Lane in Horwich. It reminds me of a cafe that my grandad took me to as a little girl. We had hot toast with real butter, and he said hello to everyone we saw. I thought he knew the whole of Horwich! It's more likely that folk were just friendlier back then. My favourite childhood cafe closed, later became Max Max, and is now Siam Balcony. Incidentally if anyone knows what it was called, I would be very grateful! 

For years Horwich was filled with crappy caffs pumped with the smell of grease and cigarette smoke. Many a General Studies lesson was spend inhaling these noxious fumes, but then in 2003 Amanda Biggs decided to take the bull by the horns and follow her dream. She left her job and opened Thyme Deli. I've said it before and I shall say it again. Russ Abbot put it best... I love a party with a happy atmosphere. People who go to Thyme are a friendly sort; pottering round, meeting friends or just relaxing. They smile at you when passing. When we have had cake club in the lounge, they have come through for a chat and to admire the cakes. Nice people go here. 

Thyme is also an Aladdin's cave of pretty cookware and kitchenalia, locally sourced jams and chutneys, and condiments galore. I often pop in for a spot of baking inspiration, just as I did today. Of course it would be rude not to have some breakfast whilst we were there! They brain needs food in order to be creative you know...  

Photos from www.thymedeli.co.uk

Thyme's full English is to die for. Two slices of toast, two bacon, two sausages, cherry tomatoes, a fried egg and mushrooms (or beans if you're me). The sausages are a tour de force. Tasty chipolatas with a nice crunch to the skin. There is nothing greasy about this. I can never manage a full one, so my husband normally ends up eating half of mine too! However, he is being very well behaved at the moment after a festive season of excess, and opted for the healthier option of scrambled egg on wholemeal toast. Whilst he had coffee to wake himself up, I cannot go to Thyme without having one of my favourite drinks ever; Fentiman's Dandelion and Burdock. Not the obvious breakfast choice, but I'm sure it'll catch on.

The food is consistently good at Thyme Deli. We never seem to leave without something new for my baking collection, jarred edible delights or at the very least a little inspiration. If you're going during the day I suggest you try the sticky sausage and Lancashire cheese wrap (Adam will argue baguette...) and a slice of cake. There is always a huge list of cakes on the menu so the hard part is choosing!

The next time you find yourself with a bit of free time, pop and see Amanda and the team. Spend an hour or so letting the world pass you by. I like to sit in the window and watch people shopping on Winter Hey Lane, mainly because I'm a nosy Parker who loves nothing more than people watching. Thyme is a great little place. I've never met anyone who has been and not liked it. It's just not possible.

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The Eagle and Child, Ramsbottom

I am such a demick. A couple of months ago we went to the Eagle and Child in Ramsbottom for the first time. We loved it so much, we went again a couple of weeks later. I thought I had already written about this, but clearly I was blinded by excitement and completely forgot!

We had driven past this building countless times en route to either Park Farm or the Fisherman's Retreat. It always looked a little bit shabby and unloved (think Trampy from the Shoe People). Not long after, metal shutters were put up and the gardens became overgrown. A sad story indeed until there were signs of life once more... Within a few weeks we noticed that the Eagle and Child was open for business. 

It can't have been long after that when a friend at work asked if I had been yet. She had been with her family and insisted that I go to sample the 'weird dessert'. She said it was tiramisu in a unique form. She wouldn't tell me any more than that! My first guess was wrong. I can probably bet a tenner that yours is too... I heard they grew their own vegetables and had some chickens too. Sold to the greedy girl!

I would definitely recommend booking. We turned up without a reservation at about 5.30pm on a Friday and got the last table! There is a small onsite car park, but there are some bays off the main road opposite the pub too. We were both hungry like the wolf when we arrived, so thought we would get some nibbles whilst we waited for our mains. Nibbles. The pictures below show the massive bread board and scotch egg we ordered. My husband also had a beer tasting board! We were pretty full by the time we had polished these - yes, we ate the lot. The bread comes with some beautiful tomato relish, pesto, oil and balsamic vinegar. The scotch egg is accompanied by home made piccalilli. All nibbles should take this form... So much bread... So happy.

By the time our mains arrived we were suffering a little. But then we saw them. I chose the gammon steak with egg and chips (one of my all time favourite foods) and my husband had the steak and ale pie. Portions are generous with emphasis on flavour rather than fluff. Attention to detail in a rustic form; the food was well seasoned and tasted fantastic. It's weird how that full feeling can conveniently leave you the second something mouth-watering is put in front of you.

By now we were suffering from mild death, having devoured what felt like all the carbs in the world. But then I remembered. The tiramisu... Now I cannot stand coffee flavoured things. Except coffee. So I did what I had to do... I made my husband order it. Sorted. I on the other hand decided that sticky toffee pudding and ice cream might just assist in settling my already bursting stomach. 

Sure enough, several 'oohs' and 'ahhs' piped up when a little plant pot arrived at the table. This was not the shape I had imagined... After all, this is a family restaurant. In my defence, she had built it up to be something outrageous! The menu should have given it away, describing the dish as 'terramisu'. This was a creamy coffee flavoured dessert topped with crumbly chocolate (possibly cake...) and a few leaves and flowers. Simple yet rather amusing!

My sticky toffee pudding was a dense, sticky pile of wonder. As Mary once said, practically perfect in every way. I'm confident I could drink a pint of that toffee sauce. 

We hit it off with the Eagle and Child. A relaxed atmosphere with excellent food and chatty staff. We couldn't wait to go back! So, a couple of weeks later we rang them on a whim to see if they had any spaces for Sunday lunch. Bingo! We decided to try different nibbles this time, so got a sausage sharing platter between us. The 'snag bangers' come with tomato relish and grain mustard mayo. You also get two mini loaves and butter as standard if you don't order the bread board. Just as wonderful as the pictures suggest.

There was never any doubt that I would have the beef roast, but my husband decided on the duck legs with white beans and black pudding from the specials. We had a fantastic meal first time round, but this time was arguably even better. I got a huge piece of beef rib with a gargantuan Yorkshire pudding. Hiding under this is a pile of veggies and assorted potatoes.

For dessert we had a Manchester tart and a strawberry cheesecake. God that cheesecake was out of this world. It was dense in texture and had a wonderfully strong strawberry flavour. I was devastated that I left a tiny bit!

I urge you to try the Eagle and Child. Yet another wonderful eatery pops up in Ramsbottom, and gives me another reason to visit this bustling little town regularly.

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