Crochet and Cardamom and cinnamon cake

30th January

Crochet and tequila, is that a good mix?

We are now two thirds through the crochet course and the ladies are becoming ever so slightly rowdy.  I cannot fault them in their crochet skills, who would have thought 28 days ago, they would be so productive and proficient.  I am immensely pleased with progress.  There is much laughter and fun to be had around the table with crocheting taking place most of the time, the odd sip of tea or coffee and the occasionally munch on some cake, but tequila!  That was not on the cards...

This week they learnt a new stitch, the bobble and as often the case some do not like change and are resistant to leave the stitch they are on. But in the end we all seem to get there and be happy in having learnt something new.






Here are some of the blankets to date,
two are missing as I was not able to photograph them last night...

It would appear that crochet is sending us to drink...

So what to dish up to these very deserving ladies... I decided to spoil them with meringues and cream this week and some fresh fruit and so made them a few days ahead.  However, I made a fatal error in wanting to photograph them for another post, see HERE  and left them in the family 'help yourself' jar.  I just wasn't thinking, blogging took over and I had such fun.  On coming down to the kitchen yesterday morning I did experience a heart stopping moment when I noticed the number of meringues had reduced from 24 to 3!  Not enough to feed my cake starved Thursday evening ladies...  I had neither the time nor the inclination to pop to any shops whatsoever, so wracked my brain as to what we had in store.  I came up with another family favourite using yeast and knew as the day ahead was busy I needed to get a shift on.  This may have been my second downfall...

 

Cardamom and cinnamon cake

 

I made the lovely Cardamom and cinnamon cake as usual and then dashed off to complete various appointments.  It was only when dishing it up to said ladies that I felt it was much heavier than normal and although it looked fantastic, if I do say so myself, on delving in was somewhat dry.  It's a good job we drink copious amounts of tea and coffee.  Please do not let this little tale put you off, I have made this cake numerous times and never before have I had a failure.  It was a freak of nature and all began to go wrong when I could not serve up my meringues.  Give it a try, you will really love the lightness of it with the combined taste of cardamom and cinnamon.

 

 

Cinnamon and cardamom cake  

 

You will need:  

 

For the dough:   

                

225ml whole milk

75g butter

300g spelt or plain flour

125g wholemeal spelt or wheat flour

70g caster sugar

2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp salt

10g fast action dried yeast

1 egg, eaten

 

For the filling:

75g butter, softened

50g caster sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

drop of vanilla essence

For the glazing:

1 egg, beaten

sugar to drizzle

A well greased cake tin (8") with high sides.
 

1  Scald milk with the butter until melted and hand warm, do not let it boil
2  Sift all dry ingredients together and add yeast, mix well. 
3  Make a well in the middle and add the beaten egg and hand warm milk mixture.  Stir together to forma sticky dough.
4  cover with lightly greased cling film and leave in a warm place to prove for half an hour.
5  For the filling, cream the butter, sugar and cinnamon.

6  Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to a rectangle to approximately  35x25 cm

7  Spread filing over the entire side.

8  Roll up the dough so it looks like a Swiss roll.

9  Cut seven slices with one perhaps slightly smaller than the others.

10  Place smallest slice in the middle of the cake tin and surround it with the remaining six slices.

11  Allow the dough to prove for another 30 mins in a warm place, covered with Clingfilm

12  Glaze buns with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar

13  Place in a pre heated oven, 180 degrees Celsius and bake on the middle shelf for approximately 20 -25 minutes.

14  Cool on a wire rack

 

 

♥  Happy Friday  ♥