Autumn is in full swing and Winter fast approaching. Since my last post, here in the UK, we’ve had all sorts of weather: snow, rain, wind, frost, sun and even a rainbow.
The garden is looking brown and drab now. I have to snatch precious glimpses of colour wherever they spring up. Along the side of the house a pretty little cyclamen has grown from a stray seed and our walk-through tunnel has winter jasmine flowers brightening the scene. Scarlet berries glisten on the skimmia and viburnum and the green hellebores are in bud.
We’re feeding the birds of course, now that it’s colder. We have three feeders hanging from the pear tree and a small bird table. The old bird table had to be replaced. The new one has no roof so the bigger birds can perch easily and the squirrels have no trouble reaching the feeders or the table top.
Unfortunately, a mouse has found the Cox apples stored in the shed so we brought a basketful into the house. They’re delicious but not very sweet. I sometimes slice them and eat with peanut butter. A tasty treat. I also love them baked as I mentioned last time.
Indoors, I’ve enjoyed baking cakes with my new mixer. I made a Swiss roll with a coffee cream filling and froze it for a Christmas dessert. It’s good to make something which looks special but is really quite easy to do. It might sound complicated but if you’d like to try it, follow my step-by-step instructions and it will make sense. Here’s how to make it and freeze for Christmas or a special occasion.
You will need a Swiss roll tin (12 x 8 inches/ 20x 30cm approx.) and a roll of greaseproof paper.
Coffee Cream Roulade
3 Large Eggs
75g Caster Sugar
75g Plain Flour
300ml Whipping Cream
1 tablespoon Instant Coffee granules
3 tablespoons Caster Sugar
A few Walnut halves (optional)
Lightly grease a Swiss roll tin and line with greaseproof paper, overlapping the edges a bit.
Heat the oven to 200C/180C for fan oven.
Beat the eggs and sugar until a trail appears in the mixture.
Sieve the flour over the eggs and sugar and carefully fold in with a metal spoon.
Gently spread the mixture in the tin and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Put a slightly larger piece of greaseproof paper on the worktop and sprinkle lightly with caster sugar.
Allow the cake to cool a little, place upside down on the fresh paper then carefully peel back the baking paper from the cake.
Holding the new paper against the cake, roll it up with the paper inside and leave to cool.
When the cake is completely cold, put the instant coffee in a heatproof jug or cup with the sugar. Boil the kettle and add just enough boiling water to dissolve the coffee and sugar. Stir well and allow to go cold.
Beat the cream until soft peaks form. Don't over beat.
Pour some of the coffee into the cream and mix. Just enough to give flavour and sweetness but not to make the cream too wet.
Put another larger piece of greaseproof paper onto a baking sheet.
Unroll the cake carefully on the covered baking sheet. Spread almost half the coffee cream over the inner surface of the cake.
Roll up the cake with the cream inside and place with the open seam underneath.
Spread the rest of the cream on top and down the sides. Rough up the cream with a fork. Decorate with walnuts.
Place the baking sheet with the unwrapped cake in the freezer.
When it's frozen (leave for a few hours) wrap the cake and put into a container or polythene bag and replace in the freezer.
When you want to thaw it's important to remove the wrapping while still frozen and place on a serving plate. This will keep the cream intact.
Serves 4-6. Looks really lovely when it’s sliced and tastes so good. There’s another version and one with a ginger filling in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook. You can find it with this link:
It’s also a good idea to bake some little cakes to freeze. I can pop out a few when I need them and ice the tops when they’re thawed. A bit of Christmassy decoration makes them look tempting and festive. I’m not the best cake decorator but a bit of simple icing tastes delicious and turns them into something a bit more tempting. They’re also good as a base for trifle with a sprinkle of sherry. A regular sponge mixture using four large eggs makes about two dozen.
I haven’t any new crafts in mind this Christmas but I might re-use the little felt stockings I made a few years ago. I put them on the table for our family Christmas meal with a tiny gift inside each. Small penknives or little glass ornaments fit in nicely or bits of jewellery. I will have to get my thinking head on though if I’m to come up with new ideas.
That’s all for this time. I hope your Christmas plans are going smoothly and you’re enjoying the season. With you again in a couple of weeks. Bye for now.
Living a contented creative life. 