Mulled Cider Bundt Cake

It was my daddy's birthday this week. He's the only person I know who could out-cake me, if push came to shove. Saying that, I have two sets of cake eating genes, as my grandad on my mum's side is a world class cake eater too. To celebrate our John's birthday, I always make a cake; something warming, without it being too 'spicy'. I should note here that my dad thinks pepper is spicy. Hold the ginger. 

Earlier that week I'd been daydreaming about what to make. I'd convinced myself that the day had come where I had genuinely run out of ideas. After a brief mental brainstorming session, I decided it just had to be mulled cider. It's so 'Autumn/Winter Collection' I could burst. Baked on National Bundt Day, it had to be the Golden Crown bundt tin to celebrate Nordic Ware turning 70.

For the past couple of weeks I have been on the Body Coach plan, which involves lots of muscle building food, which is rigidly prescribed. Baking this cake nearly killed me dead. The aroma in our house was off the scale! If I could bottle it I'd make my fortune, and my friend Vicki would be bankrupt. Nothing beats a spicy bundt baking long and low.

My dad absolutely loved it, and promptly sent a slab to my grandad for testing!

Cake:

• 225g butter
• 450g golden caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 350g Homepride plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 250ml Toffee Apple yoghurt - I used Onken. Vanilla will do if you can't find it.
• 100ml good old fashioned cider - the strong stuff! Save the rest for the icing.

Topping:

• 300g icing sugar
• More cider 
• Crystallised apple
• Gold cake glitter (optional)

Method:

My dad with his cake

1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with melted butter 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 spices.
6. Pour the yoghurt into a jug, and add the cider and vanilla extract.
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. Pour the mix into your prepared tin. 
10. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
11. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
12. When completely cool, mix the icing sugar with enough cider to make a very runny icing. You want it to be quite sheer on the cake.
13. Tip it over your cake and let it drip down the cake. 
14. Decorate with chunks of crystallised apple and a little gold glitter if you're feeling fancy. I was.  

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.

Halloween Cocktails

So when thebar.com challenged me to create a cake recipe based on one of their cocktails, I jumped at the chance. I thrive on a challenge, and absolutely love Halloween, so this combo was perfect. Some of my favourite recipes recently have been my take on classic drinks, and they always seem to go down well with my tame tribe of cake testers.

They gave me a list to pick from, all of which sounded right up my street to be honest, but I changed my mind on the last minute from a Zombie bundt to a Smirnoff Ghoul's Goblet. The ingredients in this drink lend themselves perfectly to a delicious cake. Vodka and ginger with a citrus twist are my idea of cocktail perfection. 

If you want to make the drink version, I've added a link to the recipe above, however if you would rather stuff your face with cake, follow this instead... (my personal recommendation would be to do both). This recipe is the right size for a standard bundt tin, or two 2lb loaf tins, however I urge you to find one of the spooky options out there like my 3D skull tin! These are available from Nordicware. 

Ingredients

• 225g unsalted butter
• 100g of vegetable fat 
• 650g golden caster sugar
• 6 medium eggs
• 450g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Zest of half an orange
• 200ml Schweppes ginger ale
• 50ml Smirnoff vodka
• 5 tbsp shredless marmalade
• Jelly worms, snakes or laces to decorate - the choice is yours!

Method

1. Grease and flour a regular sized bundt tin (2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch - or see options explained above).
2. Soften the butter and vegetable fat and then cream in the sugar in stages.
3. Add the eggs one at a time on a slow setting.
4. Add all the remaining dry ingredients to a large bowl.
5. Add the zests and the vodka to the ginger ale, and give it a good stir.
6. Sift in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the liquid. Repeat until all the flour and liquid is used up. Fold it in gently...
7. Tip: at this stage it will look like death. Breathe... it will all magically work when whizzed up.
8. Give the whole thing a quick mix for about 10 seconds or until well combined. It will no longer look like a zombie threw it up.
9. Spoon the mix into the prepared tin and give it a good whack on the worktop. Because the cake has fizzy stuff in, it will hold a lot of air bubbles. Too many may mean the tin design is lost.
10. Bake at gas 3/160 C for about 2 hours. Just turn it after about an hour and a half.
11. It should be shrinking from the sides and a skewer should come out clean.
12. Let it cool in the tin for ten minutes then turn it out. 
13. Allow to cool fully before glazing. 
14. To make the glaze, warm the marmalade in the microwave until runny - keep an eye on it though, and do not touch it! It'll be hotter than hell... Brush it over your cake for a lovely orange flavoured glaze.
15. Surround your creation with as many jelly worms, fake bats, top hats or spiders as you see fit. 

Disclaimer: This post was written in conjunction with thebar.com.

Review: VonShef Stand Mixer

I was recently approached by Domu.co.uk to review one of their VonShef stand mixers. It's like they had hard my recent conversations... A friend and I were discussing the astronomical cost of stand mixers after her sister-in-law's bit the dust, prematurely. Just like its competitors, this one is available in a range of different colours (11 to be precise), and follows the same format of multiple attachments, variable speeds and a whole lot of power. So I put it through its paces.

Before we start, here are some mixer facts for you:

• 1200W motor and planetary action. 
• 6 Speed Settings and Pulse Function
• Chrome dough hook - for mixing dough and heavier cake mixes.
• Silicone flat scraper beater - for whisking egg whites, creaming butter and sugar, mixing lighter cake mixes and ensuring ingredients don’t stick to the bowl.
• Chrome balloon whisk - for cream, egg whites and light batters.
• Splash guard which fits around the bowl.
• 5.5l stainless steel mixing bowl (2kg max. mixture preparation and 5 litre liquid capacity). 
• Silicone lid and a dust cover with storage pocket to keep the stand mixer protected when it’s not in use.
• Non-slip rubber feet to stop it moving when in use.

The dial and locking mechanism feel sturdy, and I particularly liked the fact that you can either pick a speed setting by number, or by selecting 'flour', 'egg' or 'P' for pulse. These illuminate when selected, and show which beaters may be used. I loved the little suckers on the base of the mixer, which prevent any unwanted movement, therefore making it safer too. The only obvious difference in build quality is the outer casing is made from heavy plastic rather than metal, but so is the Kenwood Titanium Chef. In terms of beating, it's not too loud, and has enough power to beat you butter and sugar into a fluffy mix in minutes.

A little while back, I did a comparison of the two most popular mixers amongst my baking pals (see the full article here). I've done a quick comparison for you below. As much as I love my pink Kitchenaid (incidentally, the VonShef is available in baby pink too), I have to say that I would think twice about spending £400 on another, when there are such cost effective alternatives. 

Kitchenaid Artisan Mixer

• Power 300W
• Capacity 4.83 litres
• Dimensions 35.3 x 22.1 x 35.8
• Guarantee 5 years
• Price £399.99 RRP

Kenwood Titanium Chef

• Power 1400W
• Capacity 4.6 litres
• Dimensions 29.7 x 22.7 x 40.0
• Guarantee 5 years
• Price £649.99 RRP

VonChef Stand Mixer

• Power 1200W
• Capacity 5.5 litres
• Dimensions 39 x 35 x 19 cm
• Guarantee 2 years
• Price £114.99 RRP

I'd definitely recommend this mixer based on my own experience. It's about time there was a more cost effective, yet stylish alternative.

See the mixer on the Domu website here.

Disclaimer: I was sent a mixer to review. I was not asked to write a positive review - Domu were interested in my honest feedback.