How about my modern Christmas crowd pleaser for your Christmas celebrations?

It’s easily adaptable  and you can add your own Christmas twist!

Keep your eyes peeled for versions that some other fab bakers have made in the lead up to Christmas.  All the recipe and how to information right here on Bake with Stork for you.

xx

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

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The post Christmas Chocolate Ombre Cake first appeared on Baking, Recipes and Tutorials - The Pink Whisk.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned my family popcorn addiction in the past so this festive gingerbread version is going down a storm here!  Christmas Movies and a big bowl to share is just what we love at this time of year.

Ingredients:

125g popping corn

1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

115g butter

100g soft brown sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup

1 tbsp black treacle

2 tbsps water

2 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp milk powder (optional but does add a lovely creamy gingerbread latte type of taste)

Begin by adding the oil and popping corn to a large pan with a lid.

Heat until the corn pops, take it off the heat once the popping stops!

Line a large roasting tin with foil and then non stick baking paper – or use 2 disposable foil trays.

Tip the popped corn into the tin.

In a small pan gently melt together the butter, soft brown sugar, syrup, treacle, water, ginger, cinnamon and milk powder, stirring until well combined.

Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 120c(fan)/140c/Gas Mark 1.

Take the gingerbread caramel mixture off the heat and pour over the popcorn.

Using 2 spatulas turn the corn to coat it all well.

Now into the oven for 45 minutes in total, every 15 minutes take the tray out of the oven and turn the popcorn with your spatulas, then back into the oven.

Once the 45 minutes bake time is up take it out of the oven , as it cools keep turning, splitting up any clumps of popcorn that are stuck together.

Now it’s time to dig in!  Great eaten just warm or once cooled store in an air tight container for upto 1 week.  And, if you’re a popcorn fan like me, then you won’t go wrong with my toffee popcorn recipe or go all out and bring some vintage vibes with a retro popcorn machine, I’m hoping Father Christmas has it on my list

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

The post Gingerbread Popcorn! first appeared on Baking, Recipes and Tutorials - The Pink Whisk.

My full tutorial for Bake with Stork complete with step by step pics right here

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

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Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

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Such a perfect little bite to eat – these little bites of loveliness are just right whether they’re a snack for hungry hoards after school or gracing the table at an afternoon tea.

Just one word of warning from me, do not eat one warm from the cooling rack, you won’t be able to stop at just the one and half will have disappeared before anyone else gets a look in!

Ingredients :

Pastry

225g plain flour

100g butter, cold diced

Pinch of salt

1 egg, medium beaten

1-2 tbsps cold water

Filling

80g sweet tomato relish

200g thick cut bacon (approx. 4 rashers)

50g Gruyere cheese, grated (use a good strong cheddar if you’d prefer)

100ml single cream

1 egg, medium

Salt and pepper

Oven Temp:       180c(fan)/200c/Gas Mark 6.

Makes: 12 tartlets

Freezing:  Suitable for freezing for upto 1 month.

Method:

To make the pastry place the flour and cold diced butter in a large mixing bowl or for speed in the bowl of your food processor.

Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips  or blitz with the processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Stir through the pinch of salt and make a well in the centre.

Add the beaten egg and work into the mixture until the pastry begins to come together, adding a little extra water if necessary.

Knead lightly  until smooth.

Cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While the pastry rests prepare the filling.  Grill the bacon and allow to cool.

Yes I have 5 rashers, the extra one is going on a sandwich for my lunch!

Trim away the fat and dice into small pieces.

In a jug beat together the single cream and egg and season well with salt and pepper.

Once the pastry has chilled grease the recesses of a 12 hole bun tin.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured worksurface to approx. 4mm in thickness.

Cut out 12 rounds using a pastry cutter and use to line each recess of the tin.

As you cut them out set them on the top of the recess and then carry on cutting out.  As the pastry relaxes it will start to shape into the hollow.

Once all 12 are cut out, press them very lightly so that they line the recesses neatly.

Add ½ teaspoon of tomato relish to the base of each pastry case.

Divide the bacon pieces and grated cheese between each.

Pour the cream mixture into each case, taking care not to overfill, you just want to surround the fillings.

Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes until golden.

Release from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm or cold.

Bacon Gruyere and Tomato Tartlets

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

The post Bacon Gruyere & Tomato Tartlets first appeared on Baking, Recipes and Tutorials - The Pink Whisk.

With the exclusive launch of the KitchenAid Mini Stand Mixer at John Lewis in September I was asked if I would review this new mini version for readers of the blog.  As always I’m happy to try out new baking kit and see what works and what doesn’t.  But not only do I have the review for you I also have a KitchenAid Mini in Hot Sauce to giveaway to one of you lovely bakers too!

****COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED – THE WINNER IS K. RIDDELL, EDINBURGH WHO IS NOW THE PROUD OWNER OF A FABULOUS NEW KITCHENAID MINI Thank you to everyone who entered xx****

In a nutshell, the Mini is 20% smaller and 25% lighter with the same design as it’s big brother and has an RRP of £399.  The Mini fits the regular KitchenAid attachments – spiralizer, food grinder etc, in the same manner as it’s larger counterpart.  It’s equipped with the same powerful motor too so there’s no compromise on function.

The bowl has a 3.3litre capacity – 8 egg whites, 2kg of mashed potatoes or a 1.6kg cake mix (that’s roughly the size of a 10” cake).

And of course it comes with a full 5 year warranty.

The model I’m reviewing is in the Honeydew colourway but it’s available in other options – Matte Black, Matte Grey and Hot Sauce too.

First impressions from me are that the bowl has no handle and there’s no splash guard included.  I soon got used to the no handle situation and I’ll be testing the mixer without a splash guard with trepidation!

It is much lighter, noticeably so.  If you’ve lugged a stand mixer round the kitchen you’ll know that these are pretty hefty pieces of kit so the lighter version is a plus.  It means you could put it in and out of cupboard to store if you’d prefer, without putting your back out.  It takes up less worktop space -if you’ve a small kitchen then this will be a useful attribute.

The mini has the attachments you’d expect included – a flat beater blade, whisk and dough hook. A bowl with handle, splash guard and flex edge beater are optional accessories which would need to be purchased separately.

So to test it out I’ve spent a couple of weeks with this new Mini version,  I bake a lot (obviously) and I bake in pretty big sizes usually.  I have to admit I was pessimistic that a smaller version, 3.3l versus the 4.8l full size, was going to work in The Pink Whisk Kitchen…so how did I find it?

Cakes – yep all great, mixed up cake batters in no time at all and with good end results, it made a mix for a 3 layer 8” cake with no trouble at all.

The beater blade rubbed butter into flour for the making of pastry with ease, and importantly without any of the mixture jumping out of the bowl all over the worktop.

Yes it really does whisk 8 egg whites and sugar for a family sized pavlova, producing glossy thick meringue ready to do with it what you will.

A regular bread loaf dough is kneaded successfully and without any huge effort, in fact no effort on my part, and the mixer didn’t move an inch whilst doing it – none of this walking across the worksurface malarkey.

So my last test, and here is where I was sure I would find the Mini’s downfall, at least at the scale I sometimes bake.  Beating up a big batch of buttercream – 500g butter and 1 kg icing sugar.   With no splashguard I was prepared for a huge cloud of icing sugar to cover the Mini and the kitchen.

No holds barred here’s the video – will I be covered in icing sugar or will the KitchenAid Mini win this one too?

Well okay I have to admit there was no-one more surprised than me!  Not a speck left the bowl, the cleverly designed deep and slim bowl meant that the contents were just beaten together and not flung into the four corners of the kitchen.

So the KitchenAid Mini definitely has a place in my kitchen, lighter and easier to move around when I need it, a bowl that is easier to fit into the dishwasher amongst a plethora of other baking washing up and the fact that it copes with any quantity that I need it to means that the mini is a surefire winner with me, beating it’s bigger counterparts into relegation plus it doesn’t need that splashguard!  The only downside is that it doesn’t cost any less than the bigger version, but ultimately it is housing the same motor and inside workings as a 4.8l standard size version.  It’s a pricey investment at £399 but if you’re looking for the classic iconic style of a KitchenAid Stand Mixer but want that to take up less space then you won’t go far wrong with the Mini.

So now to the extra good bit – fancy a KitchenAid Mini Stand Mixer in your kitchen?  I have one in Hot Sauce red to giveaway,  all you need to do to be in with a chance of winning it for yourself is leave a comment on this blog post telling me what #minimoment of baking loveliness would you mix up and bake in yours?

The giveaway closes at midnight on Monday 10th October 2016.  One winner will be chosen at random from all the valid entries received shortly after and contacted directly.  Prize will be sent directly from KitchenAid.  Giveaway open to UK residents only.  Full T&Cs can be found here.

Please remember if you’re reading this via email you will need to come to the website and leave your comment on the blog post – click on the pink title in the email and it should take you directly there.  Comments are left by scrolling to the end of the article and leaving your comment in the box by Leave a Reply.

Good Luck!

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

The post KitchenAid Mini Stand Mixer – Review & Giveaway! first appeared on Baking, Recipes and Tutorials - The Pink Whisk.

I can feel Apple & Blackberry Turnovers in the making here – what would you make with yours?

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

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The post Rough Puff Pastry – Here’s How first appeared on Baking, Recipes and Tutorials - The Pink Whisk.

Ingredients:

330g self raising flour

75g butter, cold diced

40g caster sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

120g blueberries, frozen

180ml milk

Juice of 1 lemon

2 heaped tablespoons of icing sugar

Makes:  6 large scone slices

The blueberries in this recipe are best frozen, which stops them completely disintegrating and bleeding too much on baking,  buy them fresh and then simply pop them in the freezer before you get going, you don’t need to buy them ready frozen.

Preheat the oven to 200c (fan)/220c/ Gas Mark 7.

Place the self raising flour in a large bowl.

Add the cold diced butter and rub in using your fingertips.  Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the lemon zest, caster sugar and frozen blueberries – lightly stir through.

Make a well in the centre and add the milk.  Work the scone dough together using a table knife.  Using a knife instead of your hands helps to stop the dough toughening so its definitely work doing this way.

Work it together with the knife until it is just coming together, then tip it out onto your worksurface, adding a light dust of flour if it’s on the sticky side and very lightly knead it together, remembering to be gentle and try and keep the light airy feel of the scone dough.

Shape it by hand into a rough rectangle approx. 1” thick.

Cut into 6 (or more if you’d prefer them smaller) using a sharp knife.  Transfer to a lined or well greased baking tray, allowing room between them to allow them to rise and spread.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden on top.  (remember if you’ve made them smaller then they’ll bake faster so check them from 14/15minutes)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little.

Mix together the lemon juice and icing sugar and whilst still warm from the oven paint over the tops of the scones.

Serve!

Lemon and Blueberry Scone Slices

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

The post Lemon & Blueberry Scone Slices first appeared on Baking, Recipes and Tutorials - The Pink Whisk.

The set comprises of a wall mounted knife rack, a hand-held knife sharpener and three essential kitchen knives; a bread knife, a 16cm cooks knife and a 10cm vegetable/paring knife.

In my new kitchen I’m trying to limit what actually sits out on the worksurface, in all honesty I find that really quite difficult but in the aim of persevering then a wall mounted knife rack is probably the best way to go.  It holds up to 8 kitchen knives and is extremely secure and steady.  It holds the knives firmly and does just what you’d expect.  It’s also relieved the danger kitchen drawer and rummaging through the drawer is now a pretty safe experience.

I’ve also been ruthless with my motley collection of knives and retired the most of them out of service.

There’s a handy removable clip that can be positioned anywhere along the length of the rack that holds the knife sharpener in place.  It’s certainly a handy addition and works well in reminding me to keep these knives nice and sharp, running them through after they’ve been through the wash each time.

I’ve certainly managed well on just the three knives, they cover all sorts of kitchen chopping jobs and are a pleasure to use.  Easy to hold and comfortable to work with.  I reach for the 16cm cooks knife all the time, chopping veg for Sunday roast and it takes no nonsense – a breeze for chopping even the toughest of veg.

The vegetable/paring knife is for more detailed jobs and does exactly what it should.

Slicing cakes with the bread knife is superb too, in just the same was as a crusty loaf, the serrated blade stops the cake/bread being compressed and keeps it light and fluffy just the way it should be in good controlled slices too.

So yes, I’m a convert.    Robert Welch knives are the business and this Signature Magnetic Knife Rack Bundle at £125.00 is a great starting set, if you’re looking to upgrade your knives or starting from scratch then this is a great way to go.

I’ll definitely be expanding my collection of good knives, the investment is worth it and I’m sorry that I’m only just convinced of this now. First on my wishlist would be a Santoku cooks knife with an Asian style blade, a carving knife and a serrated tomato style knife but in the meantime these three little treasures cover every job and are here to stay, they currently share pride of place on the knife rack with my next most used implement – my palette knives!

If you fancy winning yourself a Signature Magnetic Knife Rack Bundle then get yourself in the giveaway draw right here, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!

And of course you can check out the full range of cutlery, kitchen knives, utensils and tableware by Robert Welch on their website here.

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

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Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

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