Spooky Afternoon Fun Revisited

The kidlets had another go at decorating more Halloween cookies. This time I think they got a bit more creative. The recipe made quite a few cookies, about 4 dozen, so it was great to have them tucked away in an air tight container in the refrigerator until the kidlets were looking for something to do. And what better way to kick off Halloween with decorating spooky cookies the day before.

                                        Bats, cats and pumpkins... Oh my! 

                                                  Black gingham bats

                                         Dots and stripes suit this pumpkin


Happy Halloween everyone! - JW 

Spooky Afternoon Fun

Yesterday we were having a bit of fun in the kitchen. Making spooky cookies for Halloween. I may have had a hand rolling out the dough and turning out the cookies however it was entirely the kidlets that decorated them as they wished. I gave them an arsenal of icing, sprinkles, and candy to which they feverishly decorated in the most inhibited way. 

Have a good weekend everyone! -JW      

Camp Coffee and Banana Streusel Coffee Cake

This is another Italian Centre find here in E-town. My husband remembers Camp coffee, as for myself I am slightly not as well versed. I was curious and the picture was a bit intriguing to me so I thought why not purchase a bottle. And let my baking be infused. 

Camp coffee, according to the bottle, is a product of England. However when you search for information regarding this product it comes up as being a Scottish food product. Which began it's production in 1876 by Paterson & Sons Ltd. The plant was located at Charlotte Street in Glasgow. The original drawing on the bottle was by William Victor Wrigglesworth. Although it seems to have merged and changed ownership throughout the years. It could very well be produced and manufactured in England by now. 

Camp coffee is fluid however the texture is an opaque and molasses-like one. This sticky brown substance consists of water, sugar, 4% caffeine-free coffee essence, and 26% chicory essence. It also may be used as a substitute for coffee. Mix with warm milk much the same way as cocoa or add it to cold milk and ice for an instant iced coffee. Camp coffee is commonly a baking ingredient and therefore used in coffee cake recipes. 

When there is a new baking product in the house I can not contain myself for too long before I have to crack it open and give it a whirl. Yesterday I decided to make a streusel banana coffee cake. I replaced the 1 teaspoon of vanilla with 1 teaspoon of Camp coffee. It gave it more of a rich flavour than a sweet and warm flavour. 

Banana Streusel Coffee Cake 

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1 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup mashed ripe banana (approximately 3 bananas)

1 teaspoon Camp coffee or vanilla

1 1/2 cups of cake flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder 

Topping: Mix together 1 cup of chopped pecans, 3 table spoons of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. 

Note: I omitted the pecans and just went with the brown sugar and cinnamon. However when the coffee cake had cooled I made a simple icing sugar drizzle to go on top.

Preheat the oven to 350º F and grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan. 

Peel and mash the bananas.

In a separate bowl mix the flour and baking powder together, set aside.   

In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg is well incorporated before adding the next. 

In another bowl place the sour cream and mix the baking soda into the sour cream. Then add to the butter mixture until well combined. Stir the bananas into the butter mixture. Add the Camp coffee and stir. Add the flour mixture and stir well. Spoon a portion of the coffee cake batter in to the prepared square pan. Loosely sprinkle some of the topping over the batter and then add the remaining batter over top, smooth as best you can, and sprinkle with the remaining topping. 

Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Note: I checked the coffee cake periodically while it was baking. I did set a timer and with just a little over 3 minutes remaining in baking time I ended up pulling it from the oven because it was done. 

A rich delicate flavour that was sweet with a cup of coffee seemed to disappear fast.  

Hope everyone is having a great week. - JW 

Welsh Cakes in the Afternoon

The kidlets have a school in-service day so I made Welsh cakes to pass the playful time away. These made for a yummy mid afternoon treat that were gobbled up in seconds. It was my first time making them. Always thinking that they may be complicated to make this was one item on my baking bucket list. However I have tasted a Welsh cake or two before. Memories came flooding back from years ago when I participated in a bake exchange and low and behold I was on the receiving end of some very scrumptious Welsh cakes. All of which sparked a culinary fondness for such said cakes. 

WELSH CAKES

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1 2/3 cups self-rising flour, sifted

A pinch of salt

2oz shortening, e.g. Crisco, softened

1/2 stick butter, softened

Generous 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Scant 1/4 cup currants

1/2 egg, beaten

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Superfine sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat a griddle or heavy frying pan to a moderate, even temperature. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the fat. Add the sugar and currants and mix with the egg and milk to a soft dough. 

2. On a floured board, roll out to a thickness of 1/4 - 1/2 inch and cut out circles using a 3 inch cutter. Place on the griddle and cook both sides until light golden. Lift onto a wire rack to cool and sprinkle with superfine sugar before serving. 

Notes:

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I omitted the Crisco that the recipe calls for and added 2oz of butter instead so a full stick of butter, which is 1/2 cup.

I did not use a 1/2 beaten egg, I used 1 whole egg. I was not quite sure on how to make an egg, half an egg, when raw.

Also I found that I need to add more milk... roughly about 3 more tablespoons. 

Cally's Teas

Last week I went to the newly renovated Cally's Teas. I treated myself to two pots of organic Cream Earl Grey and a plate of cucumber sandwiches. Cally's Teas is full of unique gift ideas in the front, with all their selections of teas in the middle and the charming tea house situated at the back. The atmosphere is relaxed and the staff are very friendly. I even spoke with the owner, Cally, a few times regarding her shop and life. She is a very interesting lady. 

I was queen for a bit of the afternoon with the dainty cucumber sandwiches and the organic Cream Earl Grey tea. Very regal! On one of my other visits I tried the brioche with jam very delectable because it was straight out of the oven. They do have a quaint high tea menu.  

Cally's Teas carries an impressive selection of tea. They also carry tea wear too. The top shelf was covered with many more tea cozies weeks ago than pictured here. I found my time relaxing. Cally's Teas is located at 10151-82 Ave (Whyte Ave) - JW