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Cake, tea and me

Bakealong 1 May 2020

29/4/2020

1 Comment

 

This week we’re making Oat cookies for our bakealong.  A healthier bake, as the oats release energy slowly throughout the day.

If you have got children and are home schooling it’s a great lesson in maths (measuring), reading (the instructions) science (the alchemy) and cooking!
​
As usual, please let me know how you get on. See you at 12pm on Friday on the Warrington Guardian Coronavirus Facebook page.



75g flour, wholemeal is best but plain will be good too!
(if you only have self raising flour leave out the baking powder!)
1 tsp baking powder
75g porridge oats
50g caster sugar
75g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp milk

Makes 10 large biscuits or 15 medium ones – see point 6 for baking

Method
Oven on to 180c and line a baking tray with baking parchment (or grease it well)

Sift the flour into a bowl and add the baking powder, sugar and oats

Melt the butter, sugar and milk gently in a pan (or microwave)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix (option add a small handful of fruit or chocolate here)

Spoon into rounds on your baking sheet leaving space between them as they will spread when they are cooking

TIP = make them the same size or they’ll all cook at different times

Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how big you have made them.

Check after 8 mins if they are smaller. They need to be browned around the edges.  
 
 Cool for 5 minutes before moving them

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Help celebrate our birthday - Bake along cupcakes

20/4/2020

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This Thursday 23 April marks the fourth birthday of local mobile afternoon tea emporium and baking school Room Forty.  As you’ll be aware, I have been doing weekly LIVE bake alongs for Warrington Guardian every Friday at 12.00 via the Guardian’s Coronavirus news Facebook page.

To celebrate the milestone this week the theme will be cupcakes, decorated in any style, as cheerful and tasty as you can make them. Options will be given during the class!

‘We’re really proud to have made it to our fourth year in business, and although we’re not out there doing our vintage teas at the moment we still want to bring joy to people.

I thought it would be a great idea to get people to join our celebration and send in pictures of themselves with their cake creations, with pictures in the next edition of Warrington Guardian!’

Room Forty will also bake 100 cakes and distribute them to key workers for a Friday afternoon treat to say thank you! If you wish to receive some please get in touch via email  hello@roomforty.co.uk

In this recipe I will show you how to make cupcakes and decorate them. If you have an electric whisk that’s great, but if you don’t have one you just need a strong arm!

NOTE: the recipe says 2 large eggs, but if you can’t get them just weigh the eggs you do have and then use this measurement to weigh the flour, sugar and butter! 

Equipment

Paper cases and a muffin tray
Bowl
Wooden spoon (or electric whisk)
Teaspoon
Weighing scales
Jug
Fork or whisk

Ingredients
110g softened butter or margarine
110g caster sugar
2 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
110g self-raising flour

Buttercream
150g softened butter
300g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
food colouring paste of your choice (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)


Method

  1. Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl using your wooden spoon. Mix until it is really light and fluffy
 
The eggy bit…
  1. Break your eggs into a bowl and mix them up with a fork.
    • Add a bit of the egg into the butter/sugar and mix together – it may look weird.
    • Add a bit more egg and mix it in, adding a tablespoon of flour if it looks like it is curdling (separating and not smooth)
    • Add the last of the egg and give it a good mix
  2. Add the vanilla extract and stir in
  3. Sieve your flour into the mixture and CAREFULLY using a large spoon fold in the flour carefully
  4. Grab your teaspoon and fill the cake cases about half way up. Around 2 teaspoons is enough
  5. Put in the oven to bake for around 12 – 15 minutes.  They should be springy when they come out of the oven.
  6. Allow to cool completely.
 
Buttercream recipe
100g butter – soft
200g icing sugar – sifted
1 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
Few drops vanilla or other flavour
 
  1. Beat the butter until it is soft
  2. Sift in half the icing sugar and mix together
  3. Sift in the rest of the icing sugar, vanilla and milk and beat together
  4. Separate into bowls if you wish to make a few different colours of icing
  5. Colour your icing sugar carefully
 
 
 
 





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Baked Doughnuts

20/4/2020

3 Comments

 
Last week in lockdown I experimented with a few recipes. Things that I know I won't be looking for in the shops when my head is down and I'm buying essentials...but I know the kids will love as a treat!  And, best of all I got them to help make them :)  

This was a great recipe, and doesn't use strong bread flour, so I thought it might be one that you like too.  It does however use yeast.   (I think it would work with strong flour too!)

I do plan to try another baked doughnut recipe - for jam doughnuts. The other recipe uses strong flour but doesn't need yeast - it's one or the other! 

I cut holes out using a cutter, but in reality I think you could probably make a decent hole using a spoon in the middle and give it a good wiggle. 

NOTES: because the dough is enriched it does take some time to do the first prove and double in size. I would suggest 2 hours. 

Also, I made mine in the afternoon, knocked it back and shaped them and then put them in the fridge overnight for the second prove. It meant we could have them for breakfast. 

They DO need to be served warm - so just reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds or so. 



BAKED DOUGHNUTS
INGREDIENTS
DOUGHNUTS:
• 1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 teaspoon salt

TOPPING:
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions


1. Place the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and sugar. Add the butter. Mix the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt. Beat the dough with the dough hook attachment (or with a wooden spoon and eventually your hands) for 2-3 minutes at medium speed. Adjust the dough texture by adding flour a few tablespoons at a time or more milk. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and be very soft and smooth but still slightly sticky - don't overflour! Knead the dough for a few minutes (again, by mixer or by hand) and then transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size (the exact time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen).

2. Punch down the dough and roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured counter. Using a doughnut cutter or a 2-3 inch circle cookie cutter, cut out circles in the dough. Carefully transfer the circles to a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. Be sure to make the holes large enough that as the doughnuts rise again and bake, they don't fill in the doughnut hole with the puffiness of the dough. Cover the tray with lightly greased plastic wrap. (At this point, you can refrigerate the doughnuts overnight or proceed with the recipe.) Let the doughnuts rise for about another 45 minutes, until they are puffed and nearly doubled.
3. Bake in a 375 degree F  190 c oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Start checking the doughnuts around minute 8. They should still be pale on top, not golden and browned, and just barely baked through.

4. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes. Dip each one in the melted butter and toss or sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Serve immediately.


Thanks tohttps://www.melskitchencafe.com/baked-doughnuts/e to edit.
3 Comments

FLAT BREADS and PIZZA Bake Along LIVE April 17th, 2020

14/4/2020

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Picture
This is an amazing versatile and tasty flat bread recipe.  It is so quick, doesn't need any yeast and can use almost any flour that you have in your cupboards (today I will try it with gluten free flour and strong flour and update you in advance of Friday if they both work).

It is a great one to get the children in the kitchen, all you will need to do for them is the hot stuff.

The recipe below makes 6 flatbreads, as I will demonstrate LIVE on Friday at 12.00pm on the Warrington Guardian Coronavirus Facebook page.    

I'll be showing you how to make the basic flatbread and then turn it into an Indian inspired bread, a garlic bread and a pizza. Once you have the hang of it I am sure you will  be able to come up with your own inspired flavourings! 

I use butter as I like the flavour it brings to the bread, but you could substitute with olive oil, and similarly with the milk you could swap it for almond milk to make it vegan.

Ingredients
300g plain flour (plus extra for rolling)
1/2 tsp salt
50g butter 
185g milk 
A little oil for your pan

Topping ingredients
Garlic and butter to make garlic bread
Passata or tomato puree and cheese to make pizza. Some dried herbs would be good too. 
Cumin seeds and coriander for Indian inspired bread

Equipment
Weighing Scales
Frying pan
Bowl
Spoon/spatula 
Measuring jug
Rolling pin (or bottle)
Grill - if you want to heat the top of your pizza

Method for the basic bread
Melt the milk and butter in a pan or in the microwave
Mix in the flour and knead lightly for a minute
Split into six balls.  Cover the ones you're not using so they dont dry out
Roll the ball into a bread shape
Heat a tiny bit of oil, and get your pan quite hot
Put the bread in the pan and cook for around 2 minutes or until it begins to brown
Turn it over and cook the other side. 

Watch the video for the other options!  Available here after the LIVE EVENT





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Mug Cakes - Bake along Friday 10 April 2020

8/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Click here to I have been wracking my brain for ideas for you to make when you don’t want to make (and eat) a full cake, but you want a sweet treat.  These recipes also need very few quantities of ingredients, which is great when some items are scarce!  
 
Now these are not the prettiest cakes you’ll ever bake but they are fun and fast to make. We’ve gone chocolatey with an Easter inspired chocolate cake and a vanilla cake that you could use to treat someone special.
 
You’ll need to keep an eye on them in the microwave (this is the fun bit  - watch them rise high over the mug! They do shrink back down…. usually!).
 
 
If you would like to bake along with me I will be live on Warrington Guardians Coronavirus Facebook page at 12.00 on Friday 10th April.

Or you can watch it just afterwards on our Facebook page - or here (after it has aired!)
 
 
 
Nutella Mug Cake
Serves 2 (or one hungry person)
 
  • 3 tablespoons Nutella
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower oil
  • 3 tablespoons plain flour (or Self Raising flour)
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder (leave out if you use SR flour)
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Chocolate eggs to decorate and icecream or cream to serve (optional)
 
 
Equipment
Large mug or jug
Tablespoon measures
Fork, spoon or small whisk to stir
Sieve (not essential but helpful!)
 
 
Instructions
1. In a mug, add in an egg, milk, vegetable oil, and Nutella. Stir until well combined.
2. Sift in flour and cocoa powder. Add in sugar and baking powder. And stir until well mixed.
3. Microwave for 1 minute and check, repeat microwaving for 10 seconds until the cake is done and a toothpick or skewer comes out clean.
 
 
 
Birthday cake in a mug
Serves 2 (or one hungry person)
 
2tbsp butter
1 egg
2.5  tbsp milk
1tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup or 34g sugar
6 tbsp Self raising flour OR plain flour and ½ tsp baking powder
Options, Jam/sprinkles/custard/cream – be adventurous!  
Options – you could also make this coffee or lemon flavoured. Grate the zest of one lemon into the mix, or dissolve 1tsp of instant coffee in 1 tsp of water and mix in.  Add nuts, chocolate chips… experiment with your favourite flavours!
 
 
 
Equipment
 
Large mug or jug
Tablespoon measures
Fork, spoon or small whisk to stir
Sieve (not essential but helpful!)
 
 
Instructions
  1. Melt the butter in your mug. Try 10 seconds in your microwave at a time
  2. Add egg, stir in vanilla and milk
  3. Add the flour and mix well
  4. Put in the microwave for 1 min 20 seconds. Check and cook again for 10 seconds or until baked
  5. I like to serve this one with some jam on the side, or you could serve with custard. Let your imagination run wild.
 
Don’t forget to send us your pictures @room_forty on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!  
 
edit.
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    Author

    Jen Perry; loves discovering beautiful vintage china, eating cake and drinking proper tea.

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  • HOME
    • Contact >
      • About
      • Cakes and bakes
      • Blog
      • Media
  • MENU CHOICES
    • Cream tea
    • Afternoon Tea
    • High Tea
    • Funeral Catering
    • Wedding Catering
    • Corporate Catering
    • Tea
  • Order delivery
  • Vintage Crockery Hire
    • Terms and conditions
  • Crafternoon Tea
  • Baking Workshops
  • Christmas Afternoon Tea
  • Christmas with Room Forty