Ways to cater well for Easter visitors

Press, 16 April 1984, Page 14

Ways to cater well for Easter visitors

COOKING with

Celia Timms

Today’s recipes are intended for serving to Easter visitors, the large Banana/ Carrot Cake will remain moist for days and freezes very well. Rich and toothsome Chocolate Fruit Fingers could also be served with after-dinner coffee if cut small; the traditional Easter Simnel Cake and, of course, Hot Cross Buns. Banana Carrot Cake Bananas and carrots both give moisture to a cake mixture and bananas give an additional flavour and both provide nutrition making this a pretty good sort of a cake which gets even more points for its freezability. To make a large cake about 10 x 4 (25 x 11cm) you need: 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon bi-carbonate of soda % teaspoon cinnamon % teaspoon salt 2 cups sugar 3 eggs l’/4 cups vegetable oil 2 cups mashed or pureed bananas (about 5 medium size) 2*/4 cups finely grated carrot 2 teaspoons vanilla essence Method: Sift flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl beat eggs with electric beater until frothy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to beat until mixture is thick and light in colour (about five minutes). Beat in oil slowly. Add sifted dry ingredients a third at a time, beating at low speed just until blended. Add banana puree, carrots, and vanilla, and beat at high speed just until thoroughly mixed. Spoon batter into wellgreased tin, preferably a ring pan, and level top with spatula. Bake at 180 C for 75 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched with finger. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes before turning out. Cool thoroughly and dust lightly with icing sugar.

Chocolate fruit fingers Deliciously rich, these can be cut into finger lengths or squares, and are cooked in a shallow pan measuring about 11 x 4ins. You need: 125 g plain dark chocolate 50g glace cherries 125 g seedless raisins 50g walnuts 50g butter 125 g castor sugar 1 egg 125 g coconut Method: Break chocolate and place in bowl over hot water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove bowl from heat and spread chocolate evenly over base of greased baking tin. Leave until chocolate has hardened. Tin can be lined with foil. Chop cherries, raisins and walnuts. Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy; beat egg and add gradually. Stir in fruit and nuts and the coconut. Spread over chocolate in tin. Bake at 180 C for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and leave until completely cold. Additional chocolate can be melted and spread over the top. Allow to set firmly before cutting. Simnel cake What originated as a cake for Mothering Sunday, came to be regarded as a traditional Easter Cake. It is a fruit cake With a centre of Almond Paste or Marzipan and can be decorated with marzipan or icing topping and marzipan fruits. You need: For Almond Paste: 225 g ground almonds 275 g castor sugar 175 g icing sugar

2 egg yolks or 1 whole egg Juice of Vi lemon; M teaspoon vanilla */4 teaspoon almond essence 1-2 teaspoons orange flower water For Cake 225 g flour Large pinch each of salt and baking powder 50g ground rice 225 g sultanas; 125 g currants 125 g glace cherries 25g candied peel 225 g butter Grated rind of 2 lemons; 4 eggs 225 g castor sugar Method: For Almond Paste: Place ground almonds, sifted icing sugar and castor sugar in bowl. Beat eggs with lemon juice and the flavouring essences and add. Knead with the hands until smooth. For Cake: Sift flour with salt, baking powder and ground rice. Halve cherries and combine with sultanas, currants and peel. Cream butter with lemon rind until soft, add sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy, then beat in eggyolks. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold one third of the flour into batter and then fold in the beaten eggwhites alternately with remaining flour and fruit. Put half of the mixture into paper or foil lined Bin cake tin, spreading it a little up the sides of the tin. Take just over a third of the almond paste and roll it into a smooth round to fit cake tin. Place it on top of cake mixture in tin and cover with remaining mixture. Bake at 180 C for 2 hours; reduce heat to 150 C, cover cake with double thickness of brown paper and continue cooking for about 30 minutes or until cake is cooked when tested with skewer. Leave to cool in tin. Decorate with remaining almond paste as desired. Hot cross buns~ For those who have either mislaid or lost their recipe for these essential accompaniments to Easter. They can be made

and kept in the freezer until needed. To make about 2 dozen, depending upon size, you need: 450 g flour 75g sultanas 75g currants 25g mixed peel 2 teaspoons mixed spice 1 teaspoon salt 75g sugar 25g compressed yeast About */3 pint milk 1 large (or 2 small) eggs 75g butter, melted Sugar for glaze; self-rais-ing flour for crosses Method: Using a large bowl, warm the flour slightly then make a well in centre and sprinkle the fruit, spice, salt and half of the sugar around the edge of flour. Crumble the yeast into the centre and sprinkle the remaining sugar over it. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the milk and make a little batter of yeast and milk in centre. Allow to stand for 15-20 minutes until the batter ferments then add the beaten eggs, the lightly warmed milk and melted butter. Mixed in the flour from the sides and make into a soft dough. Turn onto floured surface and knead well, (10 mins); return to warm basin. Slash dough across top with sharp knife and leave in warm place until doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes. Turn dough out on to floured surface and cut into required number of pieces (16-24). Knead into buns. Place on warm greased tray in warm place and leave to rise until twice the size (about 10-15 minutes). Mark the top of each bun with a cross with back of knife and fill with piping batter, or pastry strips. Bake at 200 C for 15 to 20 minutes. To Glaze: Dissolve 4 tablespoons sugar in half cup of water, add a little cinnamon or spice and boil together for 10 minutes, cool and brush on buns as soon as they come out of oven. Crosses: Strips of shortcrust pastry can be used or a piping batter can be made with 2 rounded tablespoons of self-raising flour mixed into thick paste with water and piped with small plain nozzle into crosses on buns.