pick me, pick me

When I first started the cake club I didn't realise I would be the first cab off the ranks. Really. That would require me to be far too organised. I'd even lost the email with the list of dates on it and had to get it sent to me again.

Which makes it rather difficult in some ways, because now I have to decide what I'm going to post. Will I post everything that everyone brings? Or just one thing from everyone? And if it's one thing, do I pick it or does the cook? Lordy, had I know this was going to be such an ethical quagmire, I may not have started in the first place.

I have decided this time to post everything (but in two posts). Maybe I can let the individual decide (or I will just decide, deep down I am - after all - a brutal dictator).

Today I bring a sweet and a savoury.

Savoury is garlicy green pea crostini. These are a no brainer and come from Nigella Lawson's How to Eat. Simply roast a head of garlic (slice the top off the head, keeping the body intact, make a little tin foil cradle for it, drizzle generously with olive oil and roast in a moderate oven till the cloves are golden and gooey), cook some frozen peas and blend together with butter and freshly grated parmesan. I love these because of the colour. Normally I serve these as a combo with some mushrooms ones and some liverwurst ones, but due to the abnormal amount of cake, I only had time to do the pea ones.


Next is a Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake. This recipe comes from the divine Peabody of Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. Peabody certainly knows how to bake, and to eat, and if her blog is anything to go by beat up other people on the ice hockey rink. Go Peabody!


The recipe has many steps, but don't be fooled. It's pretty easy to do. It was easier for me as Dr Space Junk joined me for the cooking frenzy - and bought the pizza and helped with the dishes. Cheers DSJ! You can check out the whole recipe on Peabody's site, but this is my, probably shortened version. I have a reputation for shortening recipes, so be warned!

Cinnamon Roll Batter
2/3 cup caster sugar
120g unsalted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups plain flour
2 tspn baking powder
vanilla essence and salt

First preheat to 180 and grease a spring form tin
Then cream butter and sugar until creamy (3 minutes in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Far too long by hand).
Add egg, milk and vanilla and scrape down after mixing. The sift the flour, salt and baking powder in and mix on low speed until combined.

Then you need to get the sucker in the pan. Only use half, save the other half for later. To get it in the pan I doused my hands in vegetable oil and pushed it out until it evenly covered the base.

Cheescake Filling
450g soften cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 tblspn plain flour
3 eggs
vanilla

In the mixer that you've just cleaned the bowl and paddle for, cream the softened cheese and sugar for 2 minutes on high speed. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down after each one (make sure the mixed in well and not just a semi-coagulated mess in amongst bits of cream cheese). Then add vanilla and sugar and when combined, pour on top of the cake base

Cinnamon Filling
mix 85g of melted butter with 1 cup of brown sugar and 3tspn ground cinnamon. when well combined, drop spoonfulls of this on to the cake mixture. Then get the rest of the cake batter and do likewise. Then use a knife to swirl them together.

Then get the sucker in the oven for 50-55 minutes. It will be luscious and golden and your whole house will smell like cinnamon rolls.

Bring it to room temp after taking it out of the oven before refrigerating for at least four hours.

Make an icing mix from 50gm cream cheese, 40gm butter, 1 cup icing sugar 1tblspn lemon juice and a little milk if needed. You can see from the pictures that Peabody is a much better icing dribbler than I. In my defence it all go swished about a bit in the car on the way to work.

So there you have it, the first in transit Cake Club post. My other offerings were German plum cake and Apple Kuchen. Very Teutonic I know. I'll put them up a day or two.