Big Boys Ice Cream Sandwich

So these recipes are not filled with nostalgia for me and I have no long formed happy memories of them. They were not made by my mam when I was a child, but more recently by me for my husband.

You see he is a bit of a fitness freak, not a pick of meat on his bones the fecker and he eats rings around himself, who moans every time I bake something special for him. "Ah no, you shouldn't have made that for me, I can't be eating all of those calories when I'm in training." Now don't ask what he's training for, a cake eating contest is quite possible, because despite all of his protestations I always wake the next morning to find a generous slice has disappeared. And he always throws in a little negative comment about the cake in hand - "it's a bit dry/rich/chocolaty etc. for my liking", yet he manages to scoff the majority of it proclaiming it's to prevent it going to waste. Waste! Not likely, there is always someone willing to take a slice of caca milis off my hands if it happens to be going a beggin', but he is such a little trooper he sacrifices himself for the cause and manages to squeeze in another slice.

I decided to treat him over the weekend as he is carrying a bit of an injury. I say bit, I mean he is only a breath away from passing over to the other side. Last week he mentioned to me that he had a 'twinge' in his back. Not much was said following this comment and so a few days later I asked him to bleed the rads, all shocking exciting stuff. So there he was bent over the rad in the kitchen doing the macho job to please his helpless little wife when all hell broke loose. Water started spraying up the walls drowning the place while he was writhing around howling like a banshee. After a couple of seconds in shock, speed dialling Noah and his team of Ark builders and getting the digits scalded off meself trying to get the nut (no, not the hubby) back into the rad I managed to decipher the screams coming from him and they went something like this - "aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwww meeeeeee baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkkkkkk, meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!" Apparently, whilst bent over the 'twinge' turned into a major spasm which lead to the very dramatic display I was now witness to.

Now when I find myself in a severe amount of back pain(which I have done in the past) I tend to stay still to avoid aggravating the situation further, but it would seem he is of the Premier League Football school of pain and quite obviously attended a masterclass with Ronaldo judging by the show he put on. If I had it on camera and put it up on You Tube I'd be shocked (seriously) if he wasn't up for an Oscar come February. Since then I have had a bit of a busy week running hot baths which always seem to be a little hot for his delicate skin (Jaysus he's an awful baby), getting heat packs, picking stuff up that he can't bend over for, running up and down the stairs for all the crap he has forgotten and moving furniture so he doesn't strain himself watching the aul' telebox! Honest to God, the carry on of him. Now obviously he's perfectly capable of all these little tasks when he thinks I'm not looking but as they say, why bark eh?

But you know how it goes when the man in your life is struck down with man flu or some such ailment, you have to lavish them with love and sympathy. So, I did what any dutiful wife would do and I made his favourite toffee sauce to go with his favourite honeycomb ice cream and as an extra special treat some scrummy chocolate chip cookies that he has been happily dunking in his tea since, sitting on the now jauntily angled sofa and grinning at me like a prize winning gurner. Well, if he's happy he's not moaning which means I'm happy, so every one's a winner baby!!!

Toffee Sauce

• 100g/4oz Butter
• 175g/6oz Brown Sugar
• 100g/4oz Caster Sugar
• 275g/10oz Golden Syrup
• 250ml/8fl oz Single cream

Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and boil for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly until the sauce is smooth.
(Place in a sterilised jar in the fridge and it will keep for a few months, well supposedly)

Honeycomb Ice Cream

Walk to your nearest supermarket/gelateria and buy a tub. I have a lot of time on my hands but unfortunately not that much!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Will yield 2 dozen + depending on size

• 300g/12oz Butter (at room temperature)
• 1 Egg
• 375g/15oz Caster Sugar
• 450g/18oz Plain/Cream Flour (sieved)
• 1/2tsp Baking Soda
• 250g/10oz Chocolate Chips

1. Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper, preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3.
2. Beat the butter, egg and sugar in a food mixer using the paddle attachment until combined.
3. Mix in the flour, followed by the baking soda.
4. Add in the chocolate chips.
5. Wrap the cookie dough in some cling film and pop into the fridge for 1 hour.
6. Roll out the dough onto a floured board to a depth of 5mm.
7. Cut out the cookies using a pastry cutter and place on baking sheet.
8. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden. (It is OK if the cookies are a little wobbly in the centre, they will cool with a delicious chewy texture.
9. Cool on a wire rack if you can resist the urge to eat immediately!

I combined all of the above to make a delicious ice cream sandwich drizzled with the toffee sauce (generously drizzled that is).

Chicken Soup for the Soul, Chocolate Cake for the Monday Blues

Well, I finally managed to find a spare hour that nobody hijacked this afternoon. So without haste I dusted off the apron and rooted out the baking tins to rustle up a chocolate delight to brighten up a dreary Monday. I'm not Mondays biggest fan, I would rather skip right through to Tuesday each week. But, that not being an option the next best thing to do is eat chocolate cake. Deliciously moist, with a crisp chewy shell and moreish butter cream filling chocolate cake.

I have mentioned before the cake my Mam would bake when I was a little girl, the one for which I do not possess a recipe. So I had to pop on the aul thinking cap and transport my self back to the four or five year old girl I remember enjoying said cake with such gusto.

I can still see to this day in crystal clear clarity, or HD if your a big tech freak, the bottle green floral carpet I lay outstretched, belly down, on. I can hear yis all muttering to yourselves, 'bottle green, Jaysus!' I know it was probably as horrendous as it sounds, but sure back in the 80's it was only massive. Well it must have been, cos Mam was a bit of a stylish wan, it's where I got my impeccable taste and all round general fabulousness from, well that & my gorgeous little Daddy who wouldn't be caught dead leaving the house unless his tie and handkerchief are matching. Anyways, I remember lying there as I have said, in front of the three bar electric fire scorching the left hand side of myself while the rest of me stayed shivering. Them yokes were brutal altogether for giving out heat, unless you were no more than five inches from it you may as well forget about it. The place would be like Siberia even if you splashed out and but on all three bars together, a very rare occurrence let me tell you, it was always just the two bars unless it snowed. So I'm there with my legs swinging behind me, staring from the big orangey pattern (I know, it just gets worse) on the carpet to the old Grundig tele, remember the ones with the wooden frames and the twisty knobs instead of buttons. Honest to God, you'd swear from the get up in the house that I'm ancient but I'm not, I'm only a child. I'm practising me writing at the mo for the upcoming annual correspondence with your man Santa. So back to the carpet and the 19 o splash Grundig special and the three bar electric heater. Mam is singing away in the kitchen as always, a habit I have inherited much to the protestations of all around me, and the oven is on working its magic on the muddle of ingredients inside. Oooooh, and when it was ready I'd sit myself up and fold me little legs (no change there unfortunately) in front of myself all yoga like and clutch the chunk of loveliness in my hands before devouring, delicious!!!

And so it was with these fuzzy headed memories that I set about the task of recreating this true piece of comfort food to banish the Monday blues. Where to start with no recipe to work from? It was quite a simple creation so I decided a madiera base would be as good a place as any. And would you believe, it was! The addition of some cocoa powder did just the job to produce a moist, light chocolate sponge. Now for the butter cream. This is the part I remember best from the original, but I decided to (Jesus I hope she doesn't get wind of this) aim for a minor improvement. Instead of chocolate butter cream made with cocoa powder I decided on, you'll never believe this, a bit of chocolate instead. Who'd have thought it. Nothing but the best 70% cocoa solids chocolate melted and lovingly mixed in hit the nail squarely on the head. It was only gorgeous, and when it was combined with the sponge, sure it was nothing less than a match made in heaven. At the risk of you all electromocuting yourselves sitting there salivating over your keyboard I shall divulge the recipe without further ado. Enjoy, well it's only Monday once a week after all.

Little Hands Chocolate Sponge Sandwich

Serves 6-8

• 175g/6oz Unsalted butter(softened)
• 175g/6oz Sugar(normal granulated)
• 3 eggs
• 2tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 225g/8oz Plain Flour
• 1tsp Baking Powder
• 2tbsp Milk

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3. Grease the sides of a 20cm/8" round, 18cm/7" square cake tin and line the bottom with a piece of grease proof/parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter in a mixing bowl. (The butter should be softened and not used straight from the fridge to ensure a light sponge)
3. Add the sugar and cream for a further minute.
4. Add the eggs one by one, beating continuously.
5. Add the cocoa powder and beat lightly to combine.
6. Sieve the flower and baking powder into the mixture and fold to combine, then add the milk.
7. Place the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes.
8. When a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean the cake is ready.

For the Butter Cream filling:

• 250g/9oz Icing Sugar
• 125g/4½oz Butter, softened
• 30g/1oz Plain Chocolate (70% cocoa solids), melted
• 1-2 tbsp Milk or Cream

1. Cream the butter and sugar together.
2. Add the melted chocolate and fold in.
3. Add the cream an stir.
4. Once the cake has cooled cut it in half and spread the bottom half with the butter cream filling. Put top half back in place and dust lightly with cocoa powder.

Pavlova (GF)

OK, so you all know how it goes. You make an executive decision to tackle that pile of ironing and the phone goes, and natch it's your sis/bezzie mate with nothing much to say really but you natter away for the obligatory hour. So the ironing, ah crap I forgot about the ironing. Are you nodding in agreement yet? Then you get yourself all set again and the doorbell rings and it's the lovely ladies calling on behalf of the parish priest. You know, to welcome you (AGAIN) and offer you a miraculous medal and have a little chat with you about how you could involve yourself more in the parish for the greater good of yourself, the community and of course the parish priest himself. You see the Sunday collections aren't quite what they used to be and sure they'll do anythin' to get you through them doors and rootin' around in your phoca for a few bob for the 'roof repairs'. Jaysus, they must make the roofs outta paper these days cos there all on their last legs. So anyway, you can't be rude and refuse the old medal on the bit of blue string and then sure you have to listen to their little spiel, and nod politely and by God keep that smile plastered across your choppers. By the end of it with all that nodding and smiling and not listening to a word of it you're signed up to meals on wheels (delivering, not receiving of course) 3 times a week, choir practice of a Tuesday and of course you'd be delighted to bring up the gifts every Sunday at 10 o'clock mass. Now you're no good for anything but a cup of tay and a chocolate Kimberley to steady the aul nerves and that ironing can feck off if it thinks it's gettin' done today. Oh no, you're not the better of all that excitement so it'll just have to wait till tomorrow. I think you get where I'm coming from now.

I had this lovely idea, I'll write this little blog and sure I'll be baking a cake a day and stick it up there for all the lovely peoples to have a good old goo at. Well, needless to say that will not be the case as I haven't had a minute to bless meself let alone bake up a storm since. So I thought I'd ease myself in with my old faithful. This is always a hit, can be adapted to any occasion and can be whipped up in a jiffy.

You know those nights when you're on the phone and you have a brainwave and say 'sure we haven't seen you in ages, why don't you come over tomorrow for your dinner and bring the seventeen kids with you'. You get up the next morning and the place looks like a bomb site, there's not a morsel in the house, the garden is like a jungle and exactly when was the last time that you waxed, plucked or dyed anything on your body. So you have three hours to go and a mammoth task to perform but sure worry not cos the dessert will be only gorgeous and it won't break a sweat to make. And what prey tell is this magic dessert? It is none other than a humble Pavlova.

A wha'? Sure you can buy a pack of them meringue nest yokes in the supermarket and call them a pavlova can't ya! Well yes you can but I always find they resemble a lump of sugary plaster of paras in a bowl and when you try to break into them you end up sculling the person sitting opposite you. Then there's all sorts of talk of concussion and law suits and while you would hope your own Dad won't actually sue you, you wouldn't put it past him either.

The homemade pavlova you see is a completely different kettle of fish. Its beautifully crisp outer shell is as delicate as a breath and you only have to look at it to break through to the sticky, wondrous cloud that lies beneath. And, then by the time you dollop on that blob of smooth whipped cream and sprinkle it generously with strawberries and raspberries sure you would be weak at the knees for the longing of that first spoonful. And then it won't be long before you here the smacking of satisfied lips and the clanging of spoons against empty bowls and them all sitting there gawping at you with a touch of the Oliver Twists about them. So I shall say no more and simply relay the recipe and hope that it brings as much pleasure to you as it has to me and all who have been lucky enough to have been on the guest list.

Pavlova
Serves 4-6
(depending on the size of the gob)

5 Egg Whites
200g/7oz Caster Sugar
1tsp Vinegar
2tsp Corn Flour*

* To ensure GF the label should not say wheaten cornflour

1. Preheat oven to 150°C/285°/Gas Mark 1. (temperatures may vary from appliance to appliance so please use temperatures provided as a guide and adjust if necessary)
2. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and set aside.
3. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft white peaks and then gradually add the sugar whilst continuing to whisk until stiff and glossy in appearance.
4. Once they have reached this consistency I like to whisk for an extra couple of minutes until it takes a bit of effort to move the whisk through as I find it gives a delicious, chewy Pavlova.
5. Add the corn flour and vinegar and gently fold through.
6. Using two large spoons transfer to the lined baking sheet. This can be done in large dollops for individual portions, or one whole round or rectangle, this is completely down to personal preference.
7. Place in the pre heated oven and bake for half an hour (check that the bottom has cooked through after this and if not turn the oven back on for a further five minutes and check again), and then leave sitting in the hot oven for a further half an hour.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
9. Dress with the toppings of your choice immediately before serving to avoid becoming soggy.

Serving suggestions
In summer I love to eat pavlova with whipped cream, strawberries, raspberries and any other berries available.
In winter when berries are not available locally I serve it with a liqueur based whipped cream and a selection of sweets ie. maltesers, rolo, crushed crunchy bars, munchies.
These suggestions are merely my personal preference so please experiment (as I have done) and find a favourite of your very own.

By jaysus, me stomach feels like me throat has been slit with all this talk of food and not a morsel passing the lips. Happy baking and I will post a recipe again very soon, so long as those miraculous medal wielding aul wans stay away from the door that is!

Let's start at the very beginning

Lets start at the very beginning shall we. Why? Well as the song says it's a very good place to start, natch! One of my earliest memories of home baking is me lying on my belly, feet swinging back & forward & head cradled in my hands, on the sitting room floor in front of the three bar electric fire. My mam was in the kitchen singing away to herself as always, mixing up a chocolate sandwich cake with chocolate butter cream icing in the middle. Now it has been many years since I have tasted one of those cakes, possibly 20 or a little more, but I can recall that cake to the very last detail. The light texture of the sponge, the generous, thick layer of butter cream that oozed out with each bite and each squeeze from a little girls hand and the dusty cocoa powder that would catch in the back of your throat if you inhaled at just the wrong time. Now this was no gourmet creation, it was made very simply from store cupboard basics and was a weekday treat when there was an hour to kill and Mam wanted to give her girls a special treat. She loved to treat her girls and, could you kill with love we were all goners because she administered it in what would have been lethal doses. Now that I am all grown up I find that I have a real passion for baking. I love everything about it. I relish in a night curled up on the sofa with a stack of recipe books by my side scouring them for my next experiment, trawling the bakery aisle in the supermarket makes me positively giddy, measuring and laying out the required ingredients brings with it a sense of calm before the mayhem of flour puffing up my nose and into my eyes and eggs breaking onto counter tops. Then there is the anticipation as the creation rises, fingers crossed, in the warm glow of the oven. The temptation to open the oven door and stick my head in for a quick goo half way through is almost too much to fight, and then, joy of joys that little beep, beep, beep from the timer calls out to say its ready. Wohooo! The final stage and probably my most favourite is the destruction of the lovingly made masterpiece. Serving up generous chunks of cake or individual tarts and listening to the oohs and aahs of satisfaction from all assembled is what makes a busy days baking such a wonderful, glorious joy. I think you get the picture now, I loooooovvveee to bake, love to taste the mouthwatering creations the oven spues forth and love to sit around the table with family and friends and share that joy with them whilst loving and laughing. While I lay in bed last night pondering a million and one different things the memory of that simple but delicious chocolate cake came to mind. I don't have a recipe for it and unfortunately do not have the luxury of asking my mam for it. But, what I do have is a love for baking and a love for chocolate and I think with those two combined I will surely be able to rustle up something similar that will be enjoyed by all with equal gusto. And so, I resolved today to do that very thing and also to document my attempts and their success' or God forbid disasters. Sure while I'm at it I may as well document all of my baking and culinary forays and all that goes hand in hand with them. That is when I remember and probably more importantly when I can be bothered, because I am a bit of a lazy cow at times. So this is the very beginning, now lets see where we shall go from here.