Chocolate and Beer Cake

When we first tasted Innis and Gunn Rum Finish beer we just knew we had to bake something with this. Because of the depth of the flavour we thought this would work perfectly with chocolate and our prediction couldn't be more correct. You can use any dark flavourful beer but Innis and Gunn Rum Finish just has such a fantastic flavour we really recommend this. You can check out this beer here and you can even order it online now. The beer frosting is a special recipe of ours which just sets this cake off perfectly. There are a few steps to this recipe which digress from some common methods but trust us, we've been developing this recipe for a couple of weeks.

The Ingredients:

Cake:

230ml Innis and Gunn Rum Finish Beer

115g Butter

450g Silver Spoon® Caster Sugar 

180ml Sour Cream

2 Eggs

1tbsp Nielsen Massey Vanilla Extract

250g NEILL'S® Plain Flour

90g Cocoa Powder

1tbsp Bicarbonate Soda

Beer Frosting:

165g Butter

675g Silver Spoon® Icing Sugar

3tbsp Innis and Gun Rum Finish Beer

5tbsp Cocoa Powder

Recommended Equipment:
Food Mixer (Recommended Bosch MUM46A1)

Pyrex Mixing Bowls
Heston Blumenthal Precision Multi-purpose Spatulas

Heston Blumenthal Precision Professional Whisk

The How-To:

Preheat oven to 175c.

Add the beer to a small saucepan. 

Add the butter to this saucepan and begin to heat on a low heat until the butter melts.

Whisk in the caster sugar until completely dissolved. 

Take off the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl allow to cool slightly while we continue with the rest of the recipe.

In the food mixer beat the sour cream, eggs and vanilla until slightly fluffy (about 3-4 mins).

Add the sour cream / eggs mixture to the beer / butter mixture and whisk together until combined.

Sieve the cocoa powder into this mixture whisking with every addition.

Sieve the flour into the mixture in small amounts whisking with every addition again. This is essential to do in small additions to ensure the even combination of the flour into the cake batter without small lumps of white flour developing in the cake after baking.

Pour into two prepared cake tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 15-20 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 10 mins in the cake tins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cake pieces are cool we need to make the beer frosting.

Cream the butter in a large bowl. You can do this by hand using a spatula if you wish.

Slowly sieve in the icing sugar mixing with a spatula with each addition. After half the icing sugar is added sieve in the cocoa powder and 3tbsp of beer.

Mix together with a spatula while sieving in the rest of the icing sugar. Depending on the temperature of the kitchen you may need adjust the amounts to get the spreadable consistency you need. To thicken add more icing sugar and to thin add 1tbsp of milk at a time.

When the cake is completely cool you can spread 1/3 of the frosting on the first half and gently press the other half on top. Spread the remaining 2/3 either just on top or on top and around the sides. There should be enough to do this.

You're Done! 

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Pancake Tuesday - The Perfect Pancakes

Whether its pancake Tuesday or any other Tuesday actually, its hard to resist the traditional French crepe. Some wouldn't call crepes pancakes but these were pancakes for me growing up so I still consider them so. This is a super simple recipe that will only take you a couple of minutes to mix up and then a couple of minutes to make. The melted butter is combined in the pancake batter meaning you do not need any oil in your pan when cooking. We used a new set of Heston Blumenthal equipment in this recipe, their first outing from our kitchen cupboard. We used the Heston Blumenthal Precision Professional Whisk and Precision Multi-purpose Spatulas and were really impressed with their design and utility.

Crepes are a traditional French snack but is so versatile it is also ate as parts of main meals. A crepe is considered by many as a type of pancake. The main difference between traditional pancakes and crepes are crepes have no raising agent or sugar meaning they do not rise when cooked. These delicious thin pancakes are perfect for rolling, folding or eating however you like.




Ingredients:
120g NEILL'S® Plain Flour
120ml Milk
120ml Water
30g Melted Butter
0.5tsp Salt
2 Eggs

Recommended Equipment:

Pyrex Mixing Bowls

Heston Blumenthal Precision Professional Whisk

Heston Blumenthal Precision Multi-purpose Spatulas

The How-To:

Add the flour to a large bowl and add the two eggs.

Add the water and milk and whisk together until combined.

Add the melted butter and salt and beat until the mixture is smooth. We used our new Heston Blumenthal Precision Professional Whisk on its first outing from our baking drawer and were really impressed by its sturdiness compared to the usual silicone whisks we have used in the past.
Make sure to scrape down the edges of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all the flour is combined. We used the new Heston spatula range which actually feel so comfortable in your hand and mould to the edges of the bowl perfectly.

Preheat a large frying pan or crepe pan on a medium heat.

Pour 1/3 of a cup of the batter into the centre of the pan and swirl around so the batter covers as much of the pan as possible.

Cook for about 1min 30sec on the first side.

Turn and cook for a further 1 min until golden brown.

Remove and place on a plate to cool.

The traditional way to serve crepes is either rolled or folded into a triangle. You can be as simple or adventurous with your toppings and fillings. Anything from chocolate, maple syrup, cheese and ham, butter....nearly everything works.

You're Done!

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Adagio Sherlock Fandom Teas

With the 3^rd series of Sherlock just over everyone has gone Sherlock mad! We are massive fans ourselves so were delighted to hear our favourite tea company have created several Fandom teas, and one of them happens to be Sherlock themed!

For those of you who do not know what Fandom is it best described as a subculture of fans who dedicate a lot of their time and enthusiasm into a particular interest such as Dr Who, Sherlock Holmes etc.

The Sherlock Fandom Teas from Adagio Teas come beautifully presented in a gift box and individually packaged in small metal tins, all of which I am positive we will keep long after the tea finishes!

There is no science behind how or why they choose to blend the different tea varieties to match each character but in a lot of cases you can understand some of their thinking.

Sherlock Holmes Blend

Blend – Lapsang Souchong, Assam Melody, Oriental Spice.

There are some teas  which I do not think have been blended with the smell in mind, this is one of them. There is nothing wrong with this as it’s the taste which is most important. To me this tea smells a bit musty, but that reminded me of Sherlock! I imagine his clothes, him and even his apartment smelling a bit musty.  However don’t let the smell put you off. This tea doesn’t taste musty at all. The taste is a little smoky with a hint of spice. I like this tea and am positive I will use up the entire sampler tin.

John Watson Blend

Blend – Irish Breakfast, Cinnamon, Earl Grey Green.

Firstly Irish Breakfast tea is known to be a strong black tea blend so be wary of over-steeping this tea. The cinnamon adds a wonderful warming sensation which conjures up the thoughts of sipping this tea on a cold winter night while sitting beside the blazing fire. I think just a touch of sugar really compliments the Earl Grey and Cinnamon flavours. This is definitely worth a try!

Moriartea Blend

Teas – Ginger, Masala Chai.

The key word with this tea is ‘spice’ but you expect this in a tea which has a chai element. If you prefer a bit more ‘kick’ to the spices you can try brewing it for a little longer. Between the cloves and ginger in this tea blend it really creates a warming sensation perfect for those cold nights.

Mycroft Blend

Teas – Chocolate Chip, Rooibos Vanilla Chai, Cream.

This tea has a sort of natural sweetness because of the chocolate chip tea but I really feel that adding milk and sugar really compliment this flavour and actually enhance it. The Rooibos Vanilla Chai tea in this blend just lends a hint of spice to this tea which works perfectly with the other flavours. I think this tea has a cakey smell which obviously we just love!

The Woman Blend

Blend – Honeybush Vanilla, Dewy Cherry, Lapsang Souchong.

This tea smells wonderful in the tin but its flavours really come out when you brew it. The delicious smell of cherry mixes with an equally mouth-watering aroma of vanilla. There is also a subtle hint of apple which comes from the small amount of apple pieces in the loose tea. This is a very delicate tea but with a lot of different flavours. One of our favourite in this Fandom sampler.

Mrs Hudson Blend

Blend – Assam Melody, Almond.

Ah Mrs Hudson…. You know she isn’t the housekeeper! This tea is full of wonderful flavours. It sort of reminds me of almond cookies but not too overpowering. You can imagine Mrs Hudson sitting in her own little private kitchen sipping a dainty teacup of this tea. I think serving this with milk and just a tad of sugar really highlights the wonderful almond biscuits flavour. I like this tea in the evening when you are trying to unwind. Good old Mrs Hudson!

Molly Hooper Blend

Blend – Chamomile, Dewy Cherry, Snowbud.

The one word which springs to mind to describe this tea is ‘girly’. A tea can be girly right?? The scent to arise first from the tin is of cherry, you cannot really smell much else other than this. But once brewed this tea develops a more of a floral taste with the help of the Chamomile tea. A fairly similar tea to the Mrs Hudson blend but unique in its own little ways. This is another great tea for the evenings or even when you just need to unwind.

Lestrade Blend

Blend – Gunpowder, Pu Erh Dante, Hazelnut.

Just like the Molly Hooper blend was a ‘girly’ tea this must be the ‘manly’ tea in this Fandom sampler set. Dark, earthy yet comforting, this tea has a lot of flavours going on. The immediate aroma from the tin is that of hazelnut but don’t let this put you off (as if it ever would!). Once brewed all three teas in this blend work wonderfully together. Gunpowder tea can be very strong on its own but I think it is the addition of the Hazelnut tea which breaks down this harshness. This tea is not sweet at all so if you have a sweet-tooth  add a dash of sugar.

Anderson Blend

Blend – Grapefruit, Ceylon Sonata, Blood Orange.

I think this tea is either a love or hate blend. Quite like the character really! With its key flavours being grapefruit and blood orange it can be a little bit bitter at first taste but bear with it and give it a chance, you do get use to this. I find a little sugar cuts the harshness of the citrus. Because of the citrus flavours this tea would be delicious iced with a touch of honey for sweetness. So store this one away for summer picnics perhaps!

Sally Donovan Blend

Blend – Chocolate Chai, Mambo, Almond.

I have only recently been convinced by Chai flavours and I must say I’m really quite fond of the cinnamon, ginger and overall spiciness of Chai on a cold morning as it really gives you a wonderful warming feeling. The addition of the chocolate flavours really creates something quite special creating a rich smooth tea. Chocolate and Spice, what’s not to like??

Excuse me while I just go pop on the kettle again…….

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