Cake, cake, cake!

My company has two offices in Edinburgh, about 5 minutes apart. For a while, I've been sitting in the developer office, which has been excellent (smart people, a great view and Playstation with SSX Tricky - all you want from an office, really!), but as duty called me back to my old office, I thought I'd mark the day (celebrate and/or commemorate) with cake in both places. So I baked!

Traditional Apple Pie

Pastry:
200 g plain white flour
110 g unsalted butter
2-3 tbsp cold water


Filling:
700 g cooking apples, peeled, cored and cubed
2 tbsp lemon juice
3-4 tbsp water
100 g sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
25 g butter

Rub the flour and butter together until they look like breadcrumbs, or mix in a food processor. Work as quickly as possible to avoid heating up the mixture. Add cold water until everything binds together. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While the dough rests, simmer the apples with lemon juice and water until soft, approximately 10-15 minutes. Add sugar and cinnamon, stir carefully until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, add butter and leave to cool.

Roll out half the pastry to cover a pie dish, adding a bit more if you're struggling. Roll out the rest to form a lid, or (like me) if you find you can't cover it all, cut thin bars for a grid pattern instead. If covering, ensure you cut air holes in the pastry, and decorate with leafed edges.

Brush with milk and bake at the top of the oven at 220 C for 20-25 minutes, until the pie moves when you shake the pie dish. Serve with ice cream.

Carrot Cake

(This really is the world's best carrot cake, incredibly moist and gorgeous. Never mind all the oil - with all the carrots, this is obviously healthy!)

4 eggs
300 ml sugar
300 ml flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla sugar
150 ml sunflower oil
450 ml peeled and grated carrots

Whisk eggs and sugar into soft, white peaks. Mix bicarbonate, cinnamon, salt and vanilla sugar, sift over the egg mixture. Carefully fold in oil and carrots until the mixture is even and smooth. Bake in a large, round cake tin for 50 minutes at 190 C at the bottom of the oven. Cool on a wire rack.

Cream cheese frosting

100 g cream cheese
50 g butter, softened
125 g icing sugar

Mix cheese and butter together. Add in icing sugar until smooth, even and spreadable. When the cake is cool, spread the icing evenly on top, and decorate as you like. (Marzipan carrots with parsley greenery is particularly fetching!)

Mamma's Perfect Brownies

125 g butter
125 g chocolate
2 ggs
250 ml sugar
250 ml plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100 g chopped nuts

Melt butter and chocolate over simmering water in a pan. Whisk eggs and sugar until stiff. Fold in chocolate mixture, sift over flour and baking powder, and fold in carefully with the chopped nuts.

Bake for 20-30 minutes at 180 C.

Drizzle icing sugar on top for decoration. Serve with hot berry sauce and ice cream or whipped cream if you're feeling fancy.


--

I also brought the leftovers of a quick, easy cinnamon cake, but that recipe will be for later!