Edd Kimber's top tips for the perfect Jubilee cake
We chatted to `the boy who bakes' about cakes, and got some top tips to ensure your baking doesn't fall flat on the big day.
Chances are you might do a spot of baking this weekend. After all, what food says ‘celebration’ more than cake. So much so, that Edd’s teamed up with Bart’s spices to create great a special jubilee cake.
Edd Kimber’s Jubilee sponge recipe
However, if you’re worried about things going pear shaped in the kitchen, Edd’s on hand with a clutch of handy tips and tricks to ensure everything is tickety boo on the table at tea time.
Top tip one
Get your eggs and butter at room temperature, that way they'll combine a lot easier.
Top tip two
I don’t like the ‘all in one’ method, so I cream the butter and sugar separately, But you need to do it properly – at least five minutes. You want it to be an almost pale white. Also use caster sugar, not granulated.
Top tip three
Your batter should fall of the spoon, if it’s too thick and gluey, add a few teaspoons of milk to thin it out.
Top tip four
When making my Jubilee sponge, you need to cut each cake in half. The easiest way is not to move your knife very much. Place your hand on the cake, and turn the cake gently round cutting just a little bit of the way through, then once you’ve gone all the way round, cut deeper into the cake using the first cut as your guide.
Top tip five
When making the filling, whisk the cream cheese mixture by hand with a whisk rather than an electric whisk, you’ll have much more control over it and it won’t be over whipped. My mum called it ‘the dollop stage’. It’s tastier that way, and has a nicer feel to it.
If you make Edd’s cake and upload it to Bart’s Facebook page, you could win a place at one of Edd’s bakery classes. Finally, here's a selection of some of our favourite British cakes.
Rock Cakes
A proper rock cake should be golden brown, flecked with ample dry fruit, and leave a lot of crumbs behind. This recipe from The Great British Book of Baking gives a slightly moist bake, which means you won’t need to coat them in butter.
Carrot cake
The original and best vegetable cake, here made by Stella McCartney with the addition of walnuts, desiccated coconut, raisins and maple syrup. Everyone has their favourite carrot cake recipe – this one is most definitely ours.
Scones
The ultimate summertime bake. Ed Baines adds fresh raspberries to his dough, giving his scones fantastic streaks of red and added texture. The question is: do you put clotted cream on your scone first and then jam, or the other way around?
Swiss Roll
Probably the fiddliest cake in our collection, but also the lightest. Try filling your swiss roll with homemade lemon curd instead of jam, and remember to let the greaseproof paper guide you when it comes to the rolling part!
Blackberry bakewell cake
Like the tart, only better. TV favourite Gizzi Erskine makes her cake butter-free, instead using a whole boiled orange to bind the ingredients together. There are a lot of ground almonds in there too, to keep the cake moist and true to its Bakewell name.
Eccles cakes
Chef Tristan Welch packs his eccles cakes with plump sultanas (as opposed to the usual currants), spices, orange zest and walnuts, encasing it all with golden puff pastry. Remember to sprinkle your eccles with sugar before baking, to give a sweet crust.
Banana bread
Always trust a Rachel Allen recipe. Here she makes a wonderfully moist tea bread with bananas, walnuts, chocolate chunks and orange zest. Perfect with a cuppa, or bake a loaf and take it into work – you’ll be employee of the month.
West country cake
A bramley apple sponge topped with pretty glazed strawberries. Let’s all go to the West Country for cake! Did you know that strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges, are high in fibre, and are a good source of folic acid?
Gingerbread
A sticky slab of gingerbread is just the ticket for an afternoon treat. Peter Sidwell based his recipe on a childhood love of ginger nut biscuits, and it includes black treacle and spices to give that rich, warm sweetness we all know and love.
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