For some people Baking is a relaxing way to cook. It is also one of those cooking methods that require precision and the exact amounts listed in a recipe. You can be creative and adventurous but you have to treat baking like a science and follow the instructions to the letter. Welcome INSIDE THIS ISSUE: What Librarians Eat! NOVEMBER 2013 ISSUE 11 A Brief History of Baking 2 Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies 4 Caramel Fudge 4 Festive Macaroons 5 Chocolate Mousse Tart with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust 6 Apple And Cinnamon Malted Muffins 7 Mocha Mousse Sponge Roll 8 Rainbow cake 9 Ask Us Something! 10 As most of you know, this month the Library will be hosting a Bake sale in aid of Puttinu Cares so we decided to give you some inspiration by dedicating a whole issue to baked desserts.
A newsletter, or Food-letter, about what Librarians from the University of Malta eat and what they like to cook.
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For some people Baking is a relaxing way to cook. It is also one of those cooking
methods that require precision and the exact amounts listed in a recipe. You can be
creative and adventurous but you have to treat baking like a science and follow the
instructions to the letter.
Welcome
I N S I D E
T H I S I S S U E :
What Librarians Eat! N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3 I S S U E 1 1
A Brief History of
Baking
2
Simple Chocolate
Chip Cookies
4
Caramel Fudge 4
Festive Macaroons 5
Chocolate Mousse
Tart with
Chocolate Chip
Cookie Crust
6
Apple And
Cinnamon Malted
Muffins
7
Mocha Mousse
Sponge Roll
8
Rainbow cake 9
Ask Us
Something!
10
As most of you know, this month the Library will be hosting a Bake sale in aid of Puttinu
Cares so we decided to give you some inspiration by dedicating a whole issue to baked
desserts.
P A G E 2
A Brief History of Baking
The first breads produced, around 4000 BC, were
unleavened flat breads, though there was usually some
natural leavening due to the fermentation of noble rot,
wild yeast or steam. The Egyptians are credited with
Preheat the oven to 200°C and Grease 12 cups of a muffin tin.
Sift together the Malted Milk Powder, flour, bicarbonate of soda, and cinnamon.
Add the sugar, apple and walnuts and mix well.
Combine the eggs, water, margarine and honey.
Make a well in the centre of the apple mixture, add the egg mixture, stir until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tins, bake for 25 minutes until golden. If desired, when cool, dust with
sifted icing sugar.
P A G E 8
Mocha Mousse Sponge Roll
Ingredients
SPONGE:
3 eggs, separated
1/3 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup self raising flour, sifted
2 tbsp hot water
MOUSSE:
2 tsp gelatine
1 tbsp boiling water
3 tsp instant coffee
300ml cream
180g chocolate chips, melted
2 tbsp Tia Maria liqueur
Sponge Preheat oven to 200°C and line a 25cm x 30cm Swiss roll tin with
baking paper.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and
beat until dissolved. Beat in the egg yolks then fold in the flour and
water.
Spoon evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 8-10 minutes. Turn out
onto the baking paper, remove the lining from the base of the cake and
carefully roll up the cake with the paper. Stand for 30 minutes until
completely cool.
Mousse Whilst the sponge is cooling, dissolve the gelatine in water, add the
instant coffee and cool slightly.
Beat the cream until thick, fold in the melted chocolate chips, gelatine
and liqueur. Refrigerate until firm.
Carefully unroll the cake and discard the paper. Spread 3/4 of the
mousse over the sponge then re-roll.
Spread the remaining mousse over the sponge and decorate as desired.
NOTE: Allow refrigeration
time.
Rainbow cake A stunning celebration cake of six or seven colourful layers and a buttercream icing - an impressive showstopper.
Ingredients
You'll need 3 x these ingredients for six
sponges
125g butter, softened, plus a little extra for
greasing
225g plain flour
150g golden caster sugar
3 medium eggs (very important to use the
correct size)
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
edible food colouring - red, orange, yellow,
green, blue and purple, plus optional pink
For the icing
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 x 250g tubs cream cheese or mascarpone
350g icing sugar
Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Grease 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
Tip all the sponge ingredients, apart from the food colouring, into a mixing bowl, then beat with an electric whisk until
smooth.
Working quickly, weigh the mixture into another bowl to work out the total weight, then weigh exactly half the mix-
ture back into the mixing bowl. Pick 2 of your colours and stir a little into each mix. Keep going until you are happy
with the colour – the colour of the batter now will be very similar to the finished cake, so be brave! Scrape the different
batters into the tins, trying to spread and smooth as much as possible – but try not to waste a drop of the batter – a
rubber spatula will help you. Bake on the same oven shelf for 12 mins until a skewer poked into the middle comes out
clean. Gently turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool.
Wash the tins and bowls thoroughly, and start again, this time using another 2 colours. Unless you’re making the
optional pink layer, repeat one more time to get 6 sponges, all of different colours. Leave them all to cool.
To make the icing, very briefly beat the vanilla and cream cheese or mascarpone with an electric whisk until smooth.
Sift in the icing sugar and gently fold in with a spatula. Be careful – the more you work it, the runnier it will get,
increasing the chance of splitting.
Smear a little icing on your cake stand or plate – just a splodge to stick the first sponge. Start with the red, then spread
with some icing right to the very edge. Repeat, sandwiching on top the orange, yellow, green, blue and finally purple
sponges. Spread the remaining icing thickly all over the sides and on top of the cake.
Black Forest Cake
“Ask Us Something!” Since this month we did not have any questions we are going to show you how to do a classic Black Forest Cake! A
super rich cake with syrupy cherries, dollops of fresh cream filling and lashings of chocolate glaze.
Ingredients
250g butter, softened
1¼ cups (275g) caster sugar
3 eggs
¾ cup (75g) Baking Cocoa
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
1¾ cups (440mL) milk
50g (1/3 cup) Dark Melts
680g jar morello cherries, drained,
reserving ½ cup (125mL) syrup
Cream Filling:
600mL thickened cream
¼ cup (55g) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Chocolate Glaze:
1 1/3 cups (200g) Dark Melts
½ cup (125mL) thickened cream
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Grease and base line
two 20cm round cake pans.
Using an electric mixer; beat the butter and sugar in a medium
bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating
well after each addition.
Sift the Baking Cocoa and flour; add half to the butter mixture
with half the milk; mix well; repeat with remaining flour and
milk.
Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for
40 minutes or until cakes springs back when touched in the
centre. Stand the cakes in pans for 10 minutes; turn out onto
wire racks lined with baking paper to cool completely. Cut each
cake in half horizontally.
Place the Dark Melts and reserved syrup in a small microwave
proof bowl; microwave on MEDIUM (50%) for 2 minutes or
until melted. Set cherries aside.
To make cream filling:
Use an electric mixer to beat the cream, sugar and vanilla until
firm peaks form.
Place one of the cake layers on a cake stand or serving plate;
brush with chocolate syrup; spread with 1/3 of the cream; top
with 1/3 of the cherries. Repeat with remaining cake layers,
syrup, cream and cherries. Refrigerate while making the glaze.
To make Chocolate Glaze:
Place the Dark Melts and cream in a microwave proof bowl; microwave on MEDIUM (50%) for 2 minutes; stir;
continue to microwave at 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Spread over the top of the cake.
Transport will be organised as follows.
We will have 3 pick up points from Valletta (in front of Phoenicia Hotel), Msida (University Campus) and Mosta (Near the Parish Church).
On the way to Paradise Bay Hotel we will go by coach.
On the way back from Paradise Bay Hotel we will have mini vans sorted by region that will take you to your home!
Those who will make use of transport will have to pay 25 Euro instead of 23 Euro
(2 Euro for the transport, includes both ways)
(Optional), Also for those interested, we have been offered special rates for anyone who would like to book a room and spend the night at the Hotel.
Remember the following day is going to be a public holiday. A room on Bed and Breakfast will only cost 24.50 Euro per person. This is only
optional and if we book 5 rooms we will also receive and extra discount of 10% on each room.
It is important to start letting me know who is coming and pay for the event. Are going to use transport and from which pick up point? And also inform me if you
want to book a room or not?
The deadline for confirmations and payments is Friday 29th November, 2013.