Anyone enter cookery classes at honey shows?

[Queens59]

I have been persuaded to enter the cookery classes at a local show this coming week - should be interesting, mainly cakes but one preserve.

Anyone got any advice??

 

[Mike a]

If your baking a cake, cook it on the day of the show. A show judge advised me that she would rate an average looking fresh baked cake higher than a beautiful cake which is a day or so old and starting to go stale.

 

[Queens59]

I wish - I have to have them in place by 9am!

 

[Adam]

I wish - I have to have them in place by 9am!

And? All that means is it's an early start! Honey cakes tend to burn on top, so their is a tendency to get them out to early - only for the centre to be uncooked. I bake two, and repeatadly check the second one until such time I'm happy it's done, then use the other one for the show.

Even so, they still get very dark golden on top.

Ada,

 

[Queens59]

Unfortunately we have 'house rules', as we share with F-in-L. No activity in the kitchen until 7am...and no changing the rules...

I can cook up until about 9.30-10pm - that will have to be good enough...

 

[Adam]

Unfortunately we have 'house rules', as we share with F-in-L. No activity in the kitchen until 7am...and no changing the rules...

I can cook up until about 9.30-10pm - that will have to be good enough...

Negotiate with the second cake

Adam

 

[Queens59]

Thanks - worth a try, although I don't hold out too much hope. I'll remember about the dark tops though, does covering help?

 

[Queens59]

AArrgghh!!! I wish the people who set the criteria knew how hard it is to buy a pair of 7" sandwich tins - 48 miles, 6 shops, and a recycling centre later...

8" everywhere, but 7"? Nope - 'no call for them, old fashioned, no longer produced'...now if I wanted a balti pan, tagine, rumtopf, savarin mould...no problem!! Exhausted already!

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Thornes sell a 8" to 7" sandwich tin converter for only £39.99

 

[Queens59]

Thornes sell a 8" to 7" sandwich tin converter for only £39.99

 

[Adam]

I got those type of tins at my local food utensils store, that specialises in all sorts of posh stuff. So it is possible to get them at short notice.

Judges do check!

Adam

 

[Queens59]

Yeah, got them eventually. If I was living near my Mum it wouldn't have been an issue. Mine were all 8", so the search began. I also checked that my flan tin was the right size & the jam jar for the preserve!!

They don't say whether to label the preserve though...

Now all I need is a child's lunch box!

 

[Lois]

Carrot cake

I make quite a few cakes and this one is my familys favourite, you can make it a couple of days before but dont put the topping on until the evening before.

Carrot cake

Ingredients

For the cake

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cooking oil
3 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups of plain flour
½ teaspoon of salt
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda (or Bicarbonate of soda)
1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon
2 cups of grated carrots


For the icing

125 grams cream cheese (philli or similar)
¼ cup of butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups of icing sugar

Method

Beat together the sugar and oil, beat in eggs, one egg at a time, add vanilla. Measure in next 5 ingredients -: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Turn into a 9x13 inch tin (22x33 cm) bake in a pre heated oven @ 180 °c for 35 -45 minutes.

Cream cheese icing

Beat cheese, butter and vanilla well, add sugar gradually, beat until fluffy, and spread on cooled cake.

Eat quickly before ‘someone’ else does!

 

[Queens59]

Thanks - that looks jummy - yours will be Sunday tea I think...Unfortunately for the show they specify the recipe etc. Bit worried, I've only got one Vic. sandwich recipe that doesn't end up as a biscuit - so it could be an interesting experiment!!

 

[freckledbeck]

I reckon you are much better off making the cakes the day before, then putting them in an airtight tin, it gives a much 'moister' result!
(I'm always baking birthday cakes etc and find they tend to be slightly drier if eaten the same day)
Don't make any icing/frosting/topping until the day of the show though.
Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[Queens59]

Yes! Thanks, I used to decorate cakes for a living, but bought sheet sponge from a local bakery. This will be my first show entry - hence the panic...

 

[oliver90owner]

I am told by my (much better half) wife that these recipes are ratios, and the egg is the fixed variable. Last time she did one like that she won. It was lovely and light, but she won even thought the egg was slighty too large. Too technical for me!

Regards, RAB

 

[Queens59]

I am told by my (much better half) wife that these recipes are ratios, and the egg is the fixed variable. Last time she did one like that she won. It was lovely and light, but she won even thought the egg was slighty too large. Too technical for me!

Regards, RAB

Never was any good at science - but I think you mean use a bigger egg?

 

[freckledbeck]

Yes! Thanks, I used to decorate cakes for a living, but bought sheet sponge from a local bakery. This will be my first show entry - hence the panic...

Wow! You should be fine, bet you have the best looking cake there!

Re the eggs, I think they make a massive difference to the end product. I'm lucky we have our own ducks/bantams free ranging, so top notch eggs on tap, but commercial eggs, (even the 'organic' ones you buy in the supermarket) don't taste the same. I prefer to bake with the duck eggs, I think you get a much better result. If you were a bit closer I'd let you have some!

 

[oliver90owner]

What I was referring to was the recipe. The actual size of the cake would depend on the size of the egg, as that would be the unit for the butter, flour milk, etc. ie the egg would be the 'weight' on the 'weight pan' of the balance type kitchen scales.

Forgot that a lot out there will never have seen a simple set of scales, with simple weights that pile up as a pryraid by 'nesting'.

The quality of the ingredients is taken as read!

Regards, RAB