The Icing On The Cake

05.01.2010 Thought for the day No Comments

Everlasting Step

There is no ladder to climb,

there is only the first step

the first step is the everlasting step.

Life is short

We make it shorter by wasting time

05.01.2010 Recipes No Comments

Creams and Fillings

Butter Cream

Butter               Soft                              250g

Icing Sugar    Sifted                            375g

Vanilla Essence

Method

Cream   butter until soft  and pale in colour

Slowly beat in sieved icing sugar

Add a few drops of Vanilla essence

Rich Butter Cream

Sugar                                                             375g

Boiled water                                               2 tablespoons

Egg Yolks                                                    2

Butter                   Soft                                185g

Flavouring

Method

Place the sugar and water in small saucepan, place over low heat until sugar is dissolved (syrup)

When syrup is perfectly clear, bring to the boil without  stirring  until syrup makes a good thread on the end of a skewer.

Set aside  for a few minutes

Beat egg yolks in a clean bowl,  then pour on  the syrup in a thin stream, whisking all the time

Important From the Cook’s Kitchen:

If the syrup is added too quickly  or too hot, the eggs will curdle

Beat until cool.

Cream the butter and whisk a little at a time into the egg mixture

Important From the Cook’s Kitchen

If egg mixture is too warm then  the creamed butter will become liquid and mixture will no thicken.

Flavour as  desired,  use the butter cream when very cold.

Coffee Butter Cream

Make as for Butter Cream, but omit the vanilla essence   and flavour according to taste with  liquid coffee extract.

Try adding 2 tblsps  finely chopped walnuts also

Chocolate Butter Cream

Flavour either by adding 30g melted chocolate or by replacing 1   tbsps of sugar  with 1 tablespoon of cocoa.

Walnut Butter Cream

Add 2 tbsps finely chopped walnuts  to some vanilla flavoured butter cream

Nutty Butter Cream

Chop 2 tblsps   toasted almonds, finely chopped  and beat well into plain butter cream

Banana Filling

Bananas                                   2

Castor Sugar                         65g

Lemon rind                           grated

A little lemon juice

2 tblsps cream                      stiffly beaten

Method

Sieve or beat the bananas  and add the sugar, a little lemon juice   and the stiffly beaten cream.

Beat all ingredients together very thoroughly.

Nut and Apricot Filling

Walnuts   Chopped                               3 tblsps

Almonds   Ground                                3 tblsps

Apricot Jam  Warmed

Almond Essence (optional)

Method

Mix nuts together, add enough  slightly warmed sieved apricot jam to bind together.

Add a few drop of Almond Essence if required.