Sometimes I bake for the challenge. Sometimes because there is a deep need in me. Sometimes because the muse calls. And sometimes, just sometimes, because my son says "Make that!".
The pink marble slice is just such a recipe. Whilst we watched "Miniscule" this morning, and the various bugs went through their antics, I thumbed recipe books. Keen to take a little something to a friend we were visiting in the afternoon and also to try something new. Gabe was immediately much more interested in what I was doing.
Gabe: You read this one and I'll read that one
Me: I was reading that one.
Gabe: Read this one.
Me: (Sigh)
Gabe: What's that one you have?
Me: The one you just had.
Gabe: I want it.
Me: You just had it!
Gabe: Look at that picture! That's pink! Make that one!
I have to say, the power of pink is overwhelming. The recipe is easy and frankly, kind of boring, but, but.... it's pink. Pink and white - marbled. I'm a wee bit of a sucker for pink and so is my kid.
Recipe
(From Woolworths Good Taste baking booklet)
(easy as shit)
185g butter at room temperature - chopped. (or take out of the fridge and put it in the microwave)
140g castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs (at room temperature apparently) shaken by a four year old repeatedly.
265g SR flour
185ml milk
Pink food colouring
Icing
1 egg white (also room temp)
2 cups icing sugar
2-3 tsp lemon juice
Method
Preheat the over to 180c. Grease and line a lamington tin, 18x28cm (Mine is 16.5 x 27 and it was fine. Don't buy into the scheme that these bakeware companies have going. Clearly they want us to own 16 different slice tins each one different by 1/2 centimeter. Screw them.).
Beat the butter, castor sugar and vanilla essence for 10 to 12 minutes (are they MAD? Who in their right mind beats anything for this long? What do they think will happen? They want them to be "pale and creamy" - they look that way after a minute. How pale and How creamy? I beat mine for 3 mins in total - seemed fine).
Three minutes and looking ok to me.
Add the eggs one at a time, ok I didn't do that Gabe was at my elbow literally hanging off my left arm and insisting that he got to break the eggs. So we broke them into a separate bowl so I could fish out any shell and then whacked them both in at once.
Stir in half of the milk and flour and then the other half. Divide the mixture between two bowls and add some colouring to one. It says a "few drops", I think I added a teaspoon and I really think it could have been darker again. I think that I was aiming for nightclub chanteuse pink, whereas they were aiming for the light blush high in the cheekbone of a breathless debutante after her first dance.
Pinker! Pinker I say!
Spoon the mixtures alternately into your lamington (slice) tin. I really could have done with a picture here, the two halves had a different consistency by now and so I was slightly concerned. I took a picture for you, because I care.
The pink marble slice is just such a recipe. Whilst we watched "Miniscule" this morning, and the various bugs went through their antics, I thumbed recipe books. Keen to take a little something to a friend we were visiting in the afternoon and also to try something new. Gabe was immediately much more interested in what I was doing.
Gabe: You read this one and I'll read that one
Me: I was reading that one.
Gabe: Read this one.
Me: (Sigh)
Gabe: What's that one you have?
Me: The one you just had.
Gabe: I want it.
Me: You just had it!
Gabe: Look at that picture! That's pink! Make that one!
I have to say, the power of pink is overwhelming. The recipe is easy and frankly, kind of boring, but, but.... it's pink. Pink and white - marbled. I'm a wee bit of a sucker for pink and so is my kid.
Recipe
(From Woolworths Good Taste baking booklet)
(easy as shit)
185g butter at room temperature - chopped. (or take out of the fridge and put it in the microwave)
140g castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs (at room temperature apparently) shaken by a four year old repeatedly.
265g SR flour
185ml milk
Pink food colouring
Icing
1 egg white (also room temp)
2 cups icing sugar
2-3 tsp lemon juice
Method
Preheat the over to 180c. Grease and line a lamington tin, 18x28cm (Mine is 16.5 x 27 and it was fine. Don't buy into the scheme that these bakeware companies have going. Clearly they want us to own 16 different slice tins each one different by 1/2 centimeter. Screw them.).
Beat the butter, castor sugar and vanilla essence for 10 to 12 minutes (are they MAD? Who in their right mind beats anything for this long? What do they think will happen? They want them to be "pale and creamy" - they look that way after a minute. How pale and How creamy? I beat mine for 3 mins in total - seemed fine).
Add the eggs one at a time, ok I didn't do that Gabe was at my elbow literally hanging off my left arm and insisting that he got to break the eggs. So we broke them into a separate bowl so I could fish out any shell and then whacked them both in at once.
Stir in half of the milk and flour and then the other half. Divide the mixture between two bowls and add some colouring to one. It says a "few drops", I think I added a teaspoon and I really think it could have been darker again. I think that I was aiming for nightclub chanteuse pink, whereas they were aiming for the light blush high in the cheekbone of a breathless debutante after her first dance.
Spoon the mixtures alternately into your lamington (slice) tin. I really could have done with a picture here, the two halves had a different consistency by now and so I was slightly concerned. I took a picture for you, because I care.
Like that. Because I care.
Swirl with a skewer if you want, or use your finger and the finger of a four year old.
Bake for 25 minutes. Or 35 if you are me. I just kept popping that skewer in and the centre wasn't done. I hate that. Means the edges are overdone.
Make the icing by beating the egg white until frothy - not until soft peaks form, don't do that, just till frothy, so like, oh I don't know, 60 seconds probably less. Add the icing sugar and stir and then add a bit of lemon juice. It sets really nicely this icing, but tastes a bit like nothing, just sweet. I also made it completely pink. In for a penny, in for a pound eh?
Gabe and I then Cachou'd the fuck out of it. He loves those things, and I have to say, they add a little something. Like a bedazzler.
Outside in the warm sunlight - more glamourous.
Inside light, more serious.
It looks nice doesn't it? It tastes ok, sweet and exactly like something that a kid would love. And they did, the two kids that ate it today were thrilled out of their tiny brains. The pink interior was hard to see, too damn subtle for my liking, next time I'm making it with chocolate and vanilla and heaping it with ganache. Let's face it, ganache makes everything better.
I never thought I'd read a food blog about a recipe without hitting the 'x' in three second or less. You actually made the whole thing extremely entertaining. Don't get me wrong; I'm sure as hell not going to bake this or anything else (other than chocolate chip cookies - tollhouse) but I will laugh at your back and forths with Gabe and common culinary terminology such as "Cachou'd the fuck out of it."
ReplyDeleteI only have a 3 year old to shake the eggs - do you think this will suffice?
ReplyDelete@awkward you totes need to get into cachous they are awesome!
ReplyDelete@gomichild - yes, I believe a three old will also serve admirably. Or you can give the egg to the three year and shake them.. also, quite fun.