…and another Christmas-themed cross stitch made. This time in the form of a Christmassy dove holding holly. The kit came free with issue 271 of CrossStitcher and was fairly easy to stitch together. It used soluble canvas again and this time the rustic linen used to sew on didn’t feel as stiff as the felt did for the owl I made using the same method. The design isn’t overtly Christmassy so I may hang it on display soon.
A while ago CrossStitcher gave out self-cover buttons with issue 236 of the magazine. I put them to one side not really sure what I would do with them as the idea of self-cover buttons didn’t really appeal. However, after flicking through my Storyland Cross Stitch the other day I came across some patterns for self-cover buttons and decided to stitch up four the five designs. I still don’t know what to do with them so for now they are pinned to my noticeboard for inspiration.
…and I have already made the majority of my Christmas cards! After last year’s disastrous attempt at making all of my Christmas cards and ending up with only 3 I decided to start them early. I made the cards from a kit which came free with an issue of CrossStitcher. It was meant for gift tags but I decided to stick the gift tags onto cards for somewhat different greetings cards.
My favourite card is the pair of mittens!
Autumn isn’t even officially here yet and I have already been blackberrying three times and will probably go again. From my blackberry haul my mum has made one of her delicious blackberry and apple crumbles and I have made some blackberry jam from a book my friend bought me called Jams and Chutneys: Preserving the Harvest by Thane Prince. I have been wanting to try out a recipe from this book for ages and I am definitely going to make a Christmas chutney for my Christmas hampers from this book.
Blackberry and apple crumble
Blackberry and Apple Crumble
Originally, this recipe is from Delia Smith’s How to Cook: Book Two. It started as an apple and almond crumble but my mum, instead of using 925g of apples uses equal amounts of apples and blackberries and reduces the amount of cinnamon in both the filling and the crumble topping.
For the filling
For the crumble
Oval ovenproof baking dish
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Prepare the apples by peeling and cutting into thickish slices. Put into a bowl with sugar, cinnamon and ground cloves, then place in the baking dish and put to one side.
To make the crumble put the butter, sifted flour, cinnamon and sugar in a food processor and whizz until it resembles crumbs. Next add the almonds and process again. Sprinkle the crumble mixture all over the apples, spreading it right up to the edges of the dish, and, using the flat of your hands, press it down firmly all over. Finish by lightly running a fork over the surface.
Bake the crumble for 35-40 minutes by which time the apples will be soft and the topping golden brown and crisp. Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Warming the sugar, blackberries and lemon juice
Blackberry Jam
Wash the berries, then drain them well, spreading them out on a tea towel to ensure as much water as possible is absorbed. Alternatively, leave to drain in a large sieve or colander.
Put in a large preserving pan with the lemon juice and sugar. Warm over a gentle heat, stirring from time to time, until the sugar has dissolved and the berries have softened and released their juice.
Cook at a full rolling boil for 3 minutes. Stir in the pectin and boil for a further 2 minutes, then test for a set.
Once the jam has reached setting point, pour into hot sterilised jars, seal and label.
Whenever I am planning to bake a special cake for a significant event there are 4 books I always turn to; The Hummingbird Bakery: Home Sweet Home, The Hummingbird Bakery: Cake Days, Mary Berry’s Baking Bible and Baking Made Easy by Lorraine Pascale. The event in question was my boyfriend’s birthday and the cake I chose was from The Hummingbird Bakery: Home Sweet Home. I really wanted to bake an indulgent and over-the-top chocolate cake and I thought that the Chicago Fudge Cake fitted these requirements perfectly. I was also pretty keen to try out this bake as the recipe calls for making your own fudge, frosting and 3 cakes. The cake took pretty much a full day to make but it was totally worth it and so much fun. Quite often Hummingbird recipes can be quite long but they are so detailed that following them is a piece of cake! This recipe was also accompanied by 4 pictures of how to ice the cake which was very helpful. One thing which did go wrong with this cake but which ended up tasting delicious was the icing; we over-whipped it so it turned into a kind of chocolate mousse! To counter this we put it in the fridge to harden and it ended working fine and tasting excellent so no harm came from the mistake. The cake also ended up being thinner and larger in diameter because we used a bigger tin.
Our beast of a cake!
The fudge for the centre of the cake
Chicago Fudge Cake
For the fudge
For the frosting
For the sponge
Three 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich tins and a sugar thermometer
Preheat the oven to 170C and line the cake tins with baking parchment.
To make the fudge: line a baking tray with baking parchment. Mix the butter, caster sugar, light brown sugar, cream and vanilla extract in a medium pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Then cook over a low heat, without stirring, until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage (when a drop of boiling syrup immersed in cold water cracks) about 150C on a sugar thermometer.
Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour the syrup onto the prepared tray. Allow to cool completely. When cool, break the fudge into rough small pieces. Set aside.
To make the frosting: mix the double cream, vanilla extract, butter and golden syrup in a medium pan and bring to a gentle simmer over a low heat. Remove from the heat.
Place the chopped dark chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot cream onto the chocolate, stirring until all the chocolate has melted and is smooth. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for a couple of hours until set but still soft enough to spread.
In a medium bowl, mix the cocoa powder and hot coffee together well with a whisk to ensure the cocoa powder is fully dissolved in the coffee. Allow to cool.
In a jug, mix the cooled coffee mixture, soured cream and vanilla extract together. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.
On a slow speed, add the dry ingredients. alternating with the soured cream mixture. Mix until the batter is smooth and glossy.
Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared cake tins and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when lightly touched. Allow to cool completely in the tins before frosting.
Once the sponge layers feel cool to the touch, you can assemble the cake. Place the first layer on a plate and top with 3-4 tbsp of frosting. Smooth the frosting out using a palette knife, adding a little more if necessary. Sprinkle a handful of the fudge pieces over the frosting. Sandwich the second layer on top, then add more frosting and fudge pieces, followed by the third layer of cake.
Next frost the sides and top of the cake, covering it completely so that no sponge is showing. Finally, decorate the top of the cake with the remaining fudge pieces.
Handy how-to of how to ice a 3-tier cake
The restaurant I work for is taking part in Macmillan Cancer Support’s coffee morning and, as I was unable to attend, I made some cookies for it. The recipe is taken from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible. All across the UK these coffee mornings are being held in late September/early October for people to attend and buy cakes and coffee in order to raise money for Macmillan. It’s such a worthwhile cause and if there is one being held near you you should definitely attend.
Double Chocolate Cookies
Lightly grease 3 baking trays. Break up the chocolate and gently melt it along with the butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, stir occasionally. Stir in the condensed milk, take off the heat and cool.
Mix in the flour and the chocolate buttons and chill the mixture until firm enough to handle. Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
Place large teaspoonfuls of the mixture spaced well apart on the baking trays. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. The cookies should still look soft and will glisten. Don’t overcook as they will be come very hard. Carefully remove with a palette knife and cool on a wire rack.
For more information on Macmillan Cancer Support and the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning go to their website.
Another update on my welcome banner. I am so pleased with it so far and it is definitely beginning to take shape. I am nearly ready to move the material and stand work on the right section of the pattern.
The gigantic pattern!
CHRISTMAS!
Okay it’s definitely not but now that summer is nearly over I am already beginning to think about the things I want to make over the autumn and winter months in time for Christmas. Last year I overt-stretched myself with university work, my job and crafts and didn’t get to make everything I had planned. This year, however, is different as I no longer have university to worry about and I am going to start making cards and bits and pieces very soon.
Christmas supplies
There are several sources I am going to turn to in order to decide what to make the Christmas.
First of all are last year’s issues of CrossStitcher. The Christmas and winter issues of this magazine are packed full of ideas for decorations and gifts.
I also have a book of Scandi-style cross stitch which came free with an issue of CrossStitcher which contains 3 patterns I am definitely going to stitch up for my Christmas hampers.
For cards I am going to stitch up some designs which came in a free gift with an issue of CrossStitcher. They are meant to be for Christmas gift tags but I thought they would make great designs for Christmas cards. I also have a free gift which came with this month’s CrossStitcher to stitch up a Christmas decoration to get the house into the festive spirit.
My main source for gift ideas will be from my “book of Christmas ideas” I made last year. I also have several additions, such as chutneys, pickles and cookies to add into the mix; pickled onions, pickled red cabbage, pickled gherkins, apple, plum and onion relish, and mint chocolate thumbprint cookies.
What will you be making this year over the festive period?
I have really been enjoying baking this year which has influenced me to make my own Christmas cake but the only question is which recipe do I use?
There are three options open to me
All three are tried and tested recipes which promise excellent results. I am more drawn towards the third recipe because it has been handed down through the family yet the Mary Berry recipe also appeals to me because her recipes always, without fail, work and produce outstanding bakes.
My family recipe
Autumn is my favourite time of year. I like the colder weather but not so cold your fingers feel like they will fall off, the leaves falling off the trees, the autumnal colours and the home-baking to make you warm. It feels like autumn is almost here especially when me and my sister went on our first walk and came across our first crop of blackberries. Most of the bushes we found were full of unripe berries but we managed to get a fairly big haul for early September. I have been scouring my recipe books and folders already for ideas of how to use my blackberries. My mum always makes a lovely crumble and this year I fancy doing a jam.
Our haul
Collecting blackberries
We also came across some mushrooms
If you have any suggestions for blackberry recipes, sweet or savoury, I would love to hear them!
crossstitchandkeepsakes 