This post will talk a lot about poo, brace yourselves. I had one of those child/poo experiences that made me both glad and sorry Gabe isn't still in nappies. We were visited by the Gastro fairy, a total bitch who give you the shits, makes you tired and then leaves you with a five day malaise to sort out. If that sounds like some one you know, then your friends suck.
When you've spent a weekend wiping your son's backside repeatedly you start to smell poo everywhere. You catch a whiff and think "it's on me, somewhere". Or it's just that your nose is so accustomed to the smell. You can't tell, you are poo de-sensitised.
Gabe was home on Tuesday as the last of the poo ravages left us and so we decided to bake. Because that's fun and we can do it indoors and the weather was pretty damn bad.
Thus the treacle cakes, Gabe wanted cupcakes of course with pink icing. I compromised by putting these little loaves into cupcake tins. So they are meant to be loaf shaped, sue me.
Recipe : (From a CSR advert that I cut out of a magazine)
½ cup (125g) butter
½ cup (100g) Dark Brown Sugar, firmly packed
½ cup (185g) Treacle or golden syrup
1¼ cups (190g) plain flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup (160ml) milk
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170ºC conventional (150ºC fan forced). Grease and line bases of 10 x ½ cup (125ml) mini loaf pans or friand pans OR a muffin pan. I did a thing that looked cool actually, I decided to use squares of baking paper to line the muffin tin as this gave the cakes a home made feel. Which they were. But they looked even more so, EVEN more rustic - if possible.
2. Place butter, dark brown sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 mins. Remove from heat and cool.
The mixture had a very low key boil type vibe happening. This was a sort of hipster boil.
"Chill man, I'll boil, I'll get there, just let me do it in my own time. Don't rush me".
I am always a bit mystified by toffee type mixtures that claim you should boil and then simmer and not stir too much. Why? What's happening in there?
3. Sift flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of dry ingredients and stir egg, milk and cooled treacle mixture until well combined.
I totally inaccurately read the amount of milk to add and put in too much. My mix was a bit lumpy and bitty and then it was definitely a bit wet. So, I decided to get out my electric beaters and help it coalesce. This is it, beaten but not stirred.
Admit it, that looks cool! Don't they look cute, with their little baking paper frills.
4. Bake for 20-25 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the loaves to stand for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack.
Now don't get upset if they look a bit spongy when they come out, really DO insert a skewer as I found that although they looked like they weren't cooked, they were. They were "playing raw" like possums play dead.
When you've spent a weekend wiping your son's backside repeatedly you start to smell poo everywhere. You catch a whiff and think "it's on me, somewhere". Or it's just that your nose is so accustomed to the smell. You can't tell, you are poo de-sensitised.
Gabe was home on Tuesday as the last of the poo ravages left us and so we decided to bake. Because that's fun and we can do it indoors and the weather was pretty damn bad.
Thus the treacle cakes, Gabe wanted cupcakes of course with pink icing. I compromised by putting these little loaves into cupcake tins. So they are meant to be loaf shaped, sue me.
Recipe : (From a CSR advert that I cut out of a magazine)
½ cup (125g) butter
½ cup (100g) Dark Brown Sugar, firmly packed
½ cup (185g) Treacle or golden syrup
1¼ cups (190g) plain flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup (160ml) milk
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170ºC conventional (150ºC fan forced). Grease and line bases of 10 x ½ cup (125ml) mini loaf pans or friand pans OR a muffin pan. I did a thing that looked cool actually, I decided to use squares of baking paper to line the muffin tin as this gave the cakes a home made feel. Which they were. But they looked even more so, EVEN more rustic - if possible.
 |
| Suddenly I'm thinking of poo again.... |
2. Place butter, dark brown sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 mins. Remove from heat and cool.
 |
| Still thinking about poo, why? |
The mixture had a very low key boil type vibe happening. This was a sort of hipster boil.
"Chill man, I'll boil, I'll get there, just let me do it in my own time. Don't rush me".
I am always a bit mystified by toffee type mixtures that claim you should boil and then simmer and not stir too much. Why? What's happening in there?
3. Sift flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of dry ingredients and stir egg, milk and cooled treacle mixture until well combined.
 |
| Come on now, this actually really looks like poo.. |
I totally inaccurately read the amount of milk to add and put in too much. My mix was a bit lumpy and bitty and then it was definitely a bit wet. So, I decided to get out my electric beaters and help it coalesce. This is it, beaten but not stirred.
 |
| You shall go to the ball! But I've nothing to wear! Shazam! |
Admit it, that looks cool! Don't they look cute, with their little baking paper frills.
4. Bake for 20-25 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the loaves to stand for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack.
Now don't get upset if they look a bit spongy when they come out, really DO insert a skewer as I found that although they looked like they weren't cooked, they were. They were "playing raw" like possums play dead.
 |
| Take me, take me now! |
The opening of this post made me so hungry! A very appetizing start.
ReplyDeleteI like lemon icing.
You are a lemon tart.
How can something that looks so wrong, taste so right?
ReplyDeleteI have been lucky enough to experience one of these delightful brown nuggets of goodness, so I can verify that they are moist, well-formed and very satisfying. I've made a copy of the recipe and aim to develop a regular habit of at least one every morning.
If you stir cooking sugar you crystallize it. Grainy sugar syrup/toffee = yuck.
ReplyDelete