Cake House

CHIPPLE PIE Another traditional Cornish pie dish. I took this recipe from the ladies of the WI, although I am sure there are other versions out there. I will look forward to hearing about them! For the uninitiated, Chipples are what our forebears called Spring Onions [Scallions] or very young shallots. For the authentic look, you do need a proper metal pie plate, easily available these days as retro seems to be popular. A pie plate is very handy in your cupboard as they do make great pies [lovely for an apple pie]. They cook the base so well and you won’t get a soggy bottom with a pie plate! Pre heat your fan oven to 200C. Butter your pie plate. Shortcrust pastry. Of course you can buy some in Sainsburys, but make sure it is all butter. I never rub in these days, too many arthritic finger joints and happily use a food processor. It takes but a minute. 8 oz plain flour 4 oz cold butter pinch salt and white pepper 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoon cold water I also added half a teaspoon dry mustar...

P apada boli is a crispy, crunchy deep fried snack which can be enjoyed along evening tea. This is a traditional snack item which can be easily found in the local tea stalls or hotels throughout Kerala. This is neatly stacked in the glass cupboards of small tea stalls all over Kerala. As I grew up in Andhra, I used to love the snacks of Kerala and always I used to have them whenever I visited my native. When our close relatives used to visit us from Kerala, I remember asking them to bring this boli which were my all time favorite snack. Though it got crushed in the package, I loved it in any form. In this, a rice batter with all the spices is mixed and the papads are dipped in the spiced batter which is then deep fried till crisp. I never thought that I will try making this at home and even if I make this, it won’t be so crisp as we get in the hotels, but I tried, made it and got it all crisp, crunch and tastier. Just soaking the rice and all the other things are done within minutes. ...

CORNISH BUNS Here is a very special recipe that I have found. Initially I was extremely doubtful when I saw it in the WI Recipes from Cornwall book from the 1960s. A bun with saffron in it, and not yeast based???? Well, I thought I would give it a go anyway, and am very pleased I did! They are absolutely wonderful!!! I have not given a measure for the saffron. In the olden days, it was measured by how much you could afford, saffron being so costly. But I wanted the mixture to be flavourful and yellow, so used a fair bit. I always buy online and that is often Iranian or suchlike, and much cheaper, but just as good. Did you know that in the 15thC, records show we used to grow our own saffron in Cornwall? Pre heat your fan oven to 170C. I used a 12 hole muffin tin, although you could use paper cases, of course.  Our forebears probably used bun tins with cases, but they produce just a small mouthful, [with my husband it would be like feeding an elephant strawberries!]  so I used t...

MELTING MOMENTS Another old recipe from the pre war Be-Ro booklet. I can recall my mother making these and had completely forgotten all about them. The biscuits are so light and crumbly and melt in your mouth.  Pre heat your fan oven to 160C and butter a large baking sheet. You can vary the biscuits by rolling them in either coconut or rolled oats. I will do half and half! 5 oz SR flour 3 oz caster sugar 2½ oz butter 1½ oz lard half an egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or bean paste Rolled Oats or desiccated coconut, on plates ready to roll Glace cherries, halved or quartered [or any other you fancy] In a medium bowl, cream the fats and sugar and beat in the ½ egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour and mix well. Dampen your hands with water and form the mixture into balls the size of large marbles, then coat with the oats or coconut. Place on your buttered baking tray and press ever so slightly. Pop a piece of cherry on the top. Or for a modern up date, try some dried cranberries, little ...

E nchilada is a corn tortilla, filled with a stuffing of meat or vegetables and covered with chili sauce and cheese. These enchiladas can be stuffed with meat, cheese or vegetables. I heard a lot about these enchiladas. Once when I was googling something, I stumbled upon these enchiladas which I thought will make a perfect dinner. Kids are definitely going to love this as this dish contains loads of cheese. For the calorie conscious persons (like my husband), this can be made without adding any cheese and bake it as we make the normal enchiladas. Then too this tastes good. In most of the recipes, they were adding enchilada red sauce or green sauce. We get it ready-made in stores, but I made the sauce at home and we can store the remaining sauce if any left in the refrigerator. You can make the tortillas at home, as I had leftover tortillas, I thought of finishing it off. These enchiladas have turned out perfect. The whole process of preparing looks prolonged, but if everything is kept ...

W e love anything made out of oats and my daughter will fall head over heels for these cookies as this contains all of her favorite ingredients like the chocolate chips, raisins and most importantly oats. She loves homemade granola bars , which I made earlier and always asks me to make batches as soon as they get over. These oatmeal cookies have turned right by which I mean soft, chewy and perfectly baked which are loaded with the generous amount of chocolate chips and also raisins. Kids will hang around these cookie jars till it gets over and will demand more. Old fashioned oats have a lot of health benefits including low cholesterol and reducing certain diseases. They are nutritious food that can easily be incorporated into your daily diet. Include oats in your life and feel healthy. This cookie recipe is a no-fail dish and do not overbake them. Just try this out and everybody will love this. Ingredients: Butter-6 tbsps Sugar- ¾ Cups All-purpose Flour- ⅓ Cup Whole Wheat Flour- ⅓ cup ...

Guiltless Lemon Cupcake I love cupcakes. I wish I could tell you that I love them because they are the perfect size and that eating one of them satisfies my sweet tooth. I can't say that. I don't eat just one. So, to minimize the guilt of eating several two cupcakes, I created these. They are just a bit healthier because they are made mainly with whole wheat flour and these are lower in fat and sugar than a regular cupcake. Still, they are moist and light and very lemony! So, pucker up, have a couple of cupcakes and feel guiltlessly rewarded! Guiltless Lemon Cupcakes 1 1/2 C. whole wheat pastry flour 1 C. all purpose flour 1 1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt 2 eggs 1 C. sugar 1/2 C. almond milk 1/2 C. vanilla yogurt 1/4 C. canola oil 1 t. vanilla extract 2 T. lemon juice zest of half of a lemon Glaze 1 1/2 C. powdered sugar 1 t. vanilla extract 1 T. lemon juice 1 T. almond milk zest of the other half of a lemon Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake p...

Orange Fruit Cake All my friends know I collect old recipe books and clippings. The older the better. This unusual recipe comes from such a source and I have to thank Rick and Maureen for this. The newspaper clipping is very yellow and aged although I have no idea exactly how old. Well before Celsius and the terms used suggest around 1950s. I have updated it slightly to suit modern times and ingredients. The original recipe tells you to bake it in an “angel cake” tin, explaining it is one with a hole in the centre. This must have been a novelty in those days! I used one of my bundt tins. No photo can do this cake justice, or capture the most wonderful flavour. Keeps well too. Butter well your tin and pre heat your fan oven to 160C 4 oz softened butter 8 oz caster sugar 2 large eggs 5 fl oz sour cream 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 8 oz plain flour 6 oz sultanas 4 oz chopped walnuts grated zest of 3 oranges, then juice the oranges 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or bean paste 6 oz icing suga...