Baytree Cookery Class

Here at the Baytree we run cookery classes every week for the girls. The class has proven to be a success and one of the most popular classes. In the last autumn term the cookery theme was 'World Cookery' which were all savoury dishes. The girls explored a variety of international dishes such as Greek style baked chicken with feta, Chinese sweet and sour chicken and our famous old spaghetti bolognese from Italy.

The girls have been really enjoying learning to bake and cook the various recipes. This term the girls are baking. So far they have done muffins, Victoria sponge cake, chocolate fudge cake, fairy cakes, chin chin biscuits; which in is an African style of biscuits.
Today the girls are making Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing and white Chocolate Mud Cake (yum!).

If you are interested in baking any of these yourselves check out the recipes on the next page...

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

 Ingredients:

310g sifted plain flour

11/2 tsp baking powder

100g butter

300g of caster sugar

4 tbsp of cocoa powder

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

235 ml buttermilk

1 tbsp distilled white vinegar

For the cream cheese Icing:

250g cream cheese, softened eg philidelphia

125g butter, softened

150g sifted icing sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract

Method:

Prep: 30 mins Cook: 30 mins

*Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4*

*Grease the cake tin with margarine or butter, and line the tin with greaseproof baking paper. It's not essential to cover 100% of the tin but make sure that it lays as flat as possible on the inside of the tin*

1. Cream butter and sugar well until light and fluffy. Once creamed, add eggs and continue to beat well until light and fluffy.

2. Make a paste of cocoa and red food coloring. Add to creamed mixture

3. Mix vanilla extract and buttermilk together. Bit by bit, add flour to milk mixture and stir well. Once mixed, add this mixture to the creamed mixture.

4. Mix baking soda and vinegar and FOLD INTO CAKE BATTER. DON'T BEAT OR STIR NOW.

*The vinegar-baking soda mixture is what makes the cake rise. This is a delicate leavening method because it does not last long. Get the vinegar mixture into the batter quickly and gently and get it in the oven FAST, or you will have a heavy cake*

5. Bake for 20 minutes until moist. Test with a skewer

To make cream cheese icing:

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the cream cheese. Store in the refrigerator after use. Do not ice cake until cake is completely cool

To make buttermilk:

235ml of skimmed milk

1 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice

Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line. Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.

White Chocolate Mud Cake

Ingredients:

300g white chocolate (eg Cadbury Dream white chocolate)

200g butter (if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon fine table salt with the butter)

250ml (1 cup) milk

165g (3/4 cup) caster sugar

2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

100g (2/3 cup) self-raising flour

150g (1 cup) plain flour

raspberries or strawberries, to decorate

Sour Cream and White Chocolate Ganache

200g white chocolate

88g sour cream

Method:

Prep: 20 mins Cook: 1h 10 mins

*Preheat the oven to 160C/fan 145C/gas 3*

*Grease cake tin with margarine or butter, and line the tin with greaseproof baking paper. It's not essential to cover 100% of the tin but make sure that it lays as flat as possible on the inside of the tin*

1. Place chocolate, butter, milk and sugar in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently

2. Remove from heat when chocolate and butter have melted, and stir mixture until completely smooth. Allow mixture to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.

3. Add vanilla and eggs to chocolate mixture and stir until well combined.

4. Stir flours together in a large bowl. Add one cup of chocolate mixture to the flour and stir until a smooth paste forms.

5. Repeat with another cup of the chocolate mixture.

6. Add remaining chocolate mixture and stir until mixture is smooth. This gradual method of combining the wet and dry ingredients helps prevent lumps.

7. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

8. Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. When the cake is ready, a skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come out without any batter attached.

9. Loosely cover cake with greaseproof paper or a clean tea towel and allow it to cool to room temperature in pan.

10. The cooled cake can be iced with the white chocolate ganache immediately (see directions below), or stored and then iced on the day of serving.

Sour Cream and White Chocolate Ganache

Melt white chocolate in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently. When chocolate has completely melted, remove from heat and quickly stir in sour cream. Use immediately, or if your ganache is quite runny, set it aside at room temperature to thicken slightly before using.

Decorate with fruits, optional

 Today's cookery class was great. The girls decided to do the Red Velvet Cake with a twist. They used black food colouring instead of red

This is the end result of the cakes

White Chocolate Mud Cake

Black Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing