Old style Baking ingredients

candlelight_2013

Maryanne, what a good idea I am going to try that. I am diabetic so I am very restricted with cakes (meaning I only have a slice as a treat). Thank you for that.

Candlelightx

billieboy_2

candlelight_2013 wrote: »

Maryanne, what a good idea I am going to try that. I am diabetic so I am very restricted with cakes (meaning I only have a slice as a treat). Thank you for that.

Candlelightx

This recipe for Molly Cake (courtesy of Waitrose website) doesn't have eggs, sugar or fat, although it does have a lot of dried fruit! I've made it for my diabetic MIL and it goes down well.

Molly Cake recipe

Ingredients:
250g stoned dates, roughly chopped
300ml water
85g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground mixed spice
85g wholemeal flour
500g mixed dried fruit of your choice
50g ground almonds
80ml orange juice

Method:
Preheat oven to 170°C/gas 3 and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment (I use a square tin).
Put the dates and water in a pan and bring to the boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Sieve the plain flour, baking powder and mixed spice into a bowl.
Add the wholemeal flour, mixed fruit and ground almonds and stir to combine.
Stir in the wet date mixture and the orange juice. Mix well.
Spoon into the loaf tin.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Turn out onto a wire rack and cool.

LameWolf

I find the baking ingredients I get from Ald! to be perfectly good; I do use butter a lot (because we like it!) but they have some at 98p a block, so it's not too bad.:o I never buy caster sugar; if I really need a fine sugar, (like for my Choccie Mousse) I shove a bit of granulated in the pestle & mortar. In fact, the sultanas I get from Ald! are extremely nice, imho (have to stop myself nibbling a few when I'm making cakes with them in ). The only thing I can't get there is veggie suet; have to go to Mr T for that.:(

browneyedbazzi

meritaten wrote: »

Rape seed oil - now here you have to be careful - a lot of people can be allergic. and tbh for high temp cooking such as stir fries - it stinks, literally.
I tried it - and quite honestly I haven't bought any since. I prefer to use sunflower oil and olive oil and REAL butter. I can taste the difference between a sponge made with butter and one made with oil.
Studies are now starting to show that butter isn't as bad for you as previously thought. (just another example of scientists getting it all wrong).

That's interesting - I've never known anyone to have an allergy to rape seed oil and it isn't an allergen that needs to be declared on labels for packaged foods.

As for the taste being different - I've never had complaints and actually won 'best cake' at a competition (judged by a pastry chef from a Michelin starred restaurant) using a cake made with canola oil. I do think the texture is a bit different in a cake made with oil (usually a softer, finer crumb) but I prefer that to 'traditional' sponge recipes. Like so many things, it comes down to a matter of taste - what you love I may not.

There's been a lot of talk about butter being healthier than once believed - and I think there is good evidence that it is healthier than the trans fats and chemical spreads a lot of people have swapped to, but equally I think canola/rape seed oil is healthier than butter and doesn't come with the down sides of trans fats. And being 'healthier than once believed' is far a far cry from 'being healthy'!

terra_ferma

I use value products or buy from aldi/lidl.
I use sunflower oil instead of butter when possible, but will not use any margarine/blocks that have a lot of additives in them.
When I cook I just can't bring myself to add products with lots of unnecessary chemicals/additives, margarine/blocks and stock cubes are a pet hate of mine.:)

tillyenna

I always use the cheapest ingredients possible for baking - and here's a tip, Morrison's Saver 'Spread' (aka margarine) is hugely cheap and DAIRY FREE great for those of us with allergies or vegans wanting to do a bit of baking (I'm not a huge fan of it on sandwiches, I'll buy the more expensive dairy free spreads for that, but it's ACE for cooking)

Can't vouch for other supermarkets, but I'm sure it's worth checking if you're a no-milk person

myonlysunshine

candlelight_2013 wrote: »

Fat free fruit loaf.

Pour 300ml of boiling water on to a teabag, leave for 3 or 4 mins.
Remove teabag and add 300g. mixed fruit to tea mixture. This can be anything you have in at the time. Cover and leave overnight if possible, if not at least 4 hours.

Add 160g. sugar
225g. S/F
1 tsp. mixed spice or cinnamon
2 medium size beaten eggs.
Mix thoroughly.

Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake for approx. one and a half hours. Test in the usual way.

This is a lovely moist fruit loaf, and you can spread with butter if you wish but I have it without.

Enjoy

Candlelightx

Hi Candlelight! Just baked the cake and my house smells divine!!!

I have burnt it though:(...cooked at just below 180 for 1 hour 15 minutes in fan assisted oven and it's a lovely black colour on the top and sides and that's using a liner and putting some foil over after 49 minutes just to be on the safe side!!!!

Il let it cool properly then try the inside...thanks though even if this doesn't turn out this time it's so easy to make!

myonlysunshine

Too impatient to cool properly!

candlelight_2013

Oh dear Sunshine, not to worry you will know to adjust the timing next time. My oven isn't fan assisted so presumably makes a difference. It does smell gorgeous doesn't it.

Well done anyway you can always pour some custard over it to disguise the colour:)

Candlelightx

[Deleted User]

craigywv wrote: »

hI JACKIO if making savoury pastry do I just omit the sugar in your recipe thanks

yes if I'm making a quiche I sometimes add a handful of mixed dried herbs or some grated cheese and leave out the sugar.This pastry has never let me down yet and is cheap as chips to make.