Happy Halloween...from the Great British SPOOK OFF!
HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES
2022 contestant Dawn says: ‘I always find myself last-minute baking for Halloween, so if it’s in the cupboard, it goes in! These cupcakes are chocolate-flavoured with a little bit of aromatic coffee to enhance the chocolatiness.’
YOU WILL NEED
Makes 12
Hands on 1 hour Bake 20 mins
FOR THE CUPCAKES
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
TO DECORATE
Make the cupcakes
Heat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. In a jug, mix the milk with the lemon juice, then set this aside to curdle and thicken slightly.
Sift the flour, caster sugar, coffee powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Add the eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla to the jug containing the milk and lemon juice mixture, then whisk to combine.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients, gently mixing with a balloon whisk until combined and smooth.
Using an ice-cream scoop or dessert spoon, divide the mixture equally between the 12 cupcake cases – they should be about half full.
Bake the cupcakes on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, until golden and risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre of each comes out clean.
Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tray for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Make the buttercream
While the cakes are cooling, beat the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the beater, on medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the inside of the bowl, until pale and creamy.
With the mixer on low speed, add the icing sugar and beat until combined. Turn the speed to medium-high and beat for a further 3-4 minutes, scraping down the inside of the bowl, until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and a few drops of the green food colouring. Continue to beat on medium-high for a further 1 minute, until you have an even green colour.
Prepare the decoration
Using your hands, divide the green fondant into 12 pieces.Shape each into a pumpkin stalk with a flattened base.
Lightly dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll out the orange fondant to about 2mm thick. Use the 8cm cutter to cut out 12 orange fondant circles.
Cover to stop them drying out.
Assemble the cupcakes
Spoon a dollop of buttercream on top of one of the cupcakes and use a palette knife to smooth it into a dome shape.
Carefully lay an orange fondant circle over the top of the dome of buttercream, then lightly press down around the edge so there is no gap between the edge of the fondant and the paper case, sealing the buttercream inside.
Using the handle of a small wooden spoon, lightly press down into the fondant to create pumpkin-shaped sections, then brush each indentation with gold dust to highlight.
Repeat with the remaining cupcakes to make 12 in total.
Put a small dab of water on the base of each green fondant stalk and press one onto the centre of each cupcake to complete the illusion of a pumpkin.
PRUE’S LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Beneath the puffy dome of soft meringue is a double hit of citrus – first, there’s the lemon and then you get the sweet whammy of freshly squeezed orange juice, too. Chilling tempers flavour, so serve the pie warm to enjoy it at its best.
YOU WILL NEED
23cm loose-bottomed fluted tart tin
Baking beans or rice
Serves 12
Hands on 40 mins + chilling Bake 40 mins
FOR THE PASTRY
200g plain flour
A pinch of salt
150g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
25g icing sugar, sifted
1 egg, beaten
FOR THE LEMON FILLING
Finely grated zest and juice of 6 unwaxed lemons
60g cornflour
150ml smooth orange juice
250g caster sugar
6 egg yolks
FOR THE MERINGUE
6 egg whites
½tsp cream of tartar
300g caster sugar
Make the pastry
Tip the flour, salt and butter into a mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the icing sugar and egg, then mix to combine. Bring together to form a rough ball of dough.
Baker’s tip
Baking beans or rice keep the base of a pastry case flat and the sides upright while you blind bake (that is, without its filling).
Make the pastry case
Lightly flour the work surface and roll the pastry to a disc large enough to line the base and sides of the tin and about 3mm thick.
(This is easier between 2 sheets of baking paper.) Lift the pastry into the tin, being careful not to stretch it as you press it into the base and sides.
Trim the excess and chill it for 30 minutes, until firm. Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
Line the chilled pastry case with baking paper and baking beans or rice. Bake on the middle shelf for 15 minutes, until the top edge starts to turn crisp and golden.
Remove the baking paper and beans or rice. Return the case to the oven and bake it for a further 5-10 minutes to dry out and cook the base.
Leave to cool.
Make the filling
While the pastry case is cooling, mix the lemon zest and juice with the cornflour in a small bowl until smooth. Pour 150ml of water and the orange juice into a saucepan and bring it to the boil.
Add the lemon mixture and simmer, stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, then remove the pan from the heat.
In a large bowl, mix the caster sugar and egg yolks together, then pour in the hot lemon mixture, stirring continuously. Pour the mixture back into the pan and stir over a medium heat to a thick custard.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, then pour the custard into the baked pastry case. Chill until set.
Make the meringue
Heat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/gas 3. Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk until soft peaks form.
A spoonful at a time, add the caster sugar, whisking continuously until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Spoon the meringue in a large dome on top of the set lemon filling, creating swirls with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the meringue is pale golden and crisp. Serve warm.
Baking beans or rice keep the base of a pastry case flat and the sides upright while you blind bake (that is, without its filling).
GINGER BISCUITS
2022 contestant Janusz says: ‘Every single time we have a family party, the thing everyone asks almost before I’ve even got through the door is, ‘Have you baked your ginger biscuits for us?’ My partner’s nan absolutely loves them – almost peppery in flavour, they are perfect for her to dunk into her favourite cup of tea.’
YOU WILL NEED
Makes 60
Hands on 25 mins + chilling Bake 12 mins
Beat the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the beater, on a medium speed, for 1-2 minutes until pale and creamy.
Turn down the speed to medium-low, then, a spoonful at a time, add both types of sugar, and continue to beat for 3 minutes, scraping down the inside of the bowl from time to time, until combined. Add the egg and vanilla to the bowl and mix again.
In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground spices, then stir until mixed together. Add the mixture to the wet ingredients and mix to a slightly sticky dough.
Divide the dough into about 60 equal pieces (about 15g each), and roll each one into a ball between your hands. Place the balls onto the lined baking sheets, spaced well apart to allow them to spread during baking, then slightly flatten the top of each one.
Chill for 20 minutes while you heat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5.
Bake for 12 minutes, until the biscuits have spread and started to crisp around the edges. Leave the biscuits on the baking sheets to cool completely and firm up before serving.
APPLE AND ALMOND CAKE
Apples are blessed with both creamy and spicy flavour notes, which is why the cream-cheese frosting and the cinnamon and star anise (in the apple poaching liquid) work so well in this cake. We’ve used tart Braeburns, but a mixture of sour Bramleys, crisp Granny Smiths and sweet Galas would really ramp up the complexity of the apple flavours.
YOU WILL NEED
Serves 16
Hands on 1½ hours Bake 45 mins
FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING
FOR THE APPLE AND ALMOND SPONGES
FOR THE BOURBON DRIZZLE
FOR THE CREAM-CHEESE FROSTING
Make the streusel topping
Combine the flour, sugar and ground almonds in a medium bowl, then add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until everything comes together.
Use a butter knife to break it up into smaller pieces, then stir through the flaked almonds until evenly distributed. Set aside.
Make the sponges
Heat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer, fitted with the beater, on a medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
In a jug, lightly beat together the eggs, almond extract and vanilla. Gradually add this mixture to the butter and sugar, mixing on a low speed until fully combined.
Baker’s tip
Springform tins are deep metal tins with a spring release. They won’t damage the sides of a fragile bake as you remove it.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Add half into the butter mixture and mix on a low speed until almost combined, then pour in half of the milk and mix until well incorporated.
Repeat with the other half of the flour and the remaining milk.
Divide the batter equally between the prepared cake tins and spread it level, leaving the batter slightly higher around the edges. Lay the apple slices concentrically on top of the cake batter and then scatter the streusel topping over the apples.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of each sponge comes out clean.
Make the Bourbon drizzle
While the sponges are baking, combine all of the drizzle ingredients in a small saucepan and place it over a low heat until the butter has just melted. Set aside.
Once the sponges are ready, remove them from the oven and use a skewer to poke holes in the top of each. Pour over the drizzle, then leave the sponges to cool in their tins for 10 minutes, before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare the poached apples
While the sponges are cooling, place the apples into a medium saucepan. Add the spices and pour in the cider. Place a small plate or paper cartouche on top to stop the apples rising above the surface of the liquid and place the pan over a medium heat.
Bring the liquid to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or until a sharp knife slips easily into the apple flesh. Remove the apples from the poaching liquid and leave them to cool completely.
Discard the liquid.
Make the cream-cheese frosting
Cream together the icing sugar and cream cheese in the clean bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the beater, on low-medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until just combined, taking care not to incorporate too much air.
In a separate bowl, use an electric hand whisk to whisk the double cream to stiff peaks. Add the cream-cheese mixture to the bowl with the whipped cream, and beat them together with the electric hand whisk to combine, then chill until needed.
Make the almond brittle
In a large saucepan set over a medium heat, toast the almonds for about 5 minutes, until they begin to colour and smell fragrant. Add the caster sugar and continue to heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has melted into a rich amber caramel.
Pour out the caramel onto a sheet of baking paper or a silicone mat, cover with another sheet of baking paper or silicone mat, and roll it with a rolling pin to about 2-4mm thick. Leave the brittle to cool and harden.
Assemble the cake
The Great British Bake Off: Favourite Flavours by The Bake Off Team is published by Sphere
Take a cooled sponge and top it with just under half of the cream-cheese frosting. Place the second sponge on top, and spread the remaining frosting on top, moving it towards the edges with a palette knife.
Place the poached apple wedges on top of the cake and then break the almond brittle into triangular shards, placing the shards around and in between the apples to decorate.
ENJOY £5 OFF
The Great British Bake Off: Favourite Flavours by The Bake Off Team is published by Sphere, £22, out now. To order a copy for £17 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £20. Offer price valid until 15/11/2022. Text and recipes © Love Productions 2022. Visit mailshop.co.uk/bakeoff
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