Yummy Raspberry Jam!

Why do raspberries always ripen at once? After picking two kilos in one day, I decided to make some jam and was not disappointed. How can something so simple taste so good?

Equal quantities of fruit and Granulated sugar are used for this jam, so if you have two cups of fruit, you will need two cups of sugar, two kilos of fruit, two kilos of sugar!

I prefer my jam a bit tart so I added some freshly squeezed lemon juice. If like yours sweet just leave it out.

My very large cooking pot contained two kilos of raspberries, squashed with a potato masher to release the juice but leaving a few whole so the finished jam has fruity chunks!

Choose a big saucepan because when the jam achieves a rolling boil it doubles in volume.

Put your raspberries on the heat and boil for a couple of minutes before adding two kilos of sugar and lemon juice if using. The juice of one lemon to about 500g of fruit works for me.

Stirring constantly, bring to the boil and keep it boiling, this is called a rolling boil, for how many minutes is going to depend on the amount you are making.

My two kilos took about 20 minutes, a smaller amount will get hotter quicker so will be ready in less time.

The setting point for jam is 220F or 105C, the best way to check for this is with a sugar thermometer, it can be clipped or rested on the side of your pan with the end in the mixture. When the correct temperature is reached your jam should set.

Pre heat your oven to 120C before washing your jars in hot soapy water and rinsing well, place in the oven on a baking sheet until they are completely dry. This sterilises the jars helping to preserve the jam and prevent it from going mouldy.

If like my son, you don't like seeds in your jam, it can be put through a metal sieve.
A sieve made of anything else is going to melt as the mixture is very hot so be very careful when potting up your yummy jam!

Leave to cool before sealing on the lids and store for later use, if you can't eat it all in one go!

How Do You Colour Cake Batter?

 How to make bright eye catching cake batter and bake them into bright eye catching sponge cakes!

A basic sponge mix is best for this purpose as you will need to beat the colour into the batter, if you make a genoese for example, the beating action will disperse all the air and you will end up with a brightly coloured biscuit!

Basic Sponge Cake Recipe

225g (8oz) Self Raising Flour
225g (8oz) Butter, at room temperature
225g (8oz) Caster Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Method

Preheat oven 180C / gas mark 4 and line 2 x 8" round cake tins.
Mix all the ingredients together in one bowl then divide the batter into two.

Now you are ready to add your chosen colour, the brighter the better.

I've opted for orange and purple.

Add a teaspoon of colour before beating together until evenly distributed.

It is important to use bake stable food colour, this will ensure the colour you have chosen is the colour you will get.

Add the coloured batter to your prepared cake tins levelling with a spatula before baking for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove from the tins and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

You may think at this stage that the colour is not very bright, but don't be fooled, trim off the bake crust and "voila" fab intense colour, marvellous!

How To Use A Silicone Lace Boarder Mould

This tutorial shows you how to use a silicone lace boarder mould using a mixture of modelling and sugar paste/fondant icing.
It's very easy to use and can be added to the sides, base or top of your cakes to give a vintage effect result.
The lace can be made in any colour or have colour or lustre added to it to achieve many different looks all with the same mould.  

White "Roll n Cover" sugar paste has been used mixed with left over flower or modelling paste to a ratio of 50:50, this ensures detail definition and enables you to bend and move the lace around your cake without it cracking or breaking.
Non stick knives are very useful with any silicone moulds as they will not sharp enough to cut or cause any damage, they are also great for trimming off excess sugar paste from the base of your cake without damaging your cake board or drum.

How To Make Shapes On Wires

This tutorial shows you how to use flower and modelling paste to make Snowflakes, Stars and Hearts on wires for adding height and the WOW factor to your cakes!
It's surprisingly easy, all you need is some shaped cutters, metallic wires, edible glue and glitter and some flower or modelling paste.

I've used metallic Gold and Silver modelling paste to make the hearts and stars in this video as well as White flower paste for the snowflakes.
The Glitters used are Hologram White, Hologram Gold and Hologram Silver these are non edible, non toxic, which is fine to use on these decorations as they are on wires and it is always advisable not to eat them because of the health and safety issue.
They look fabulous all glittery and sparkly adding a touch of glamour to any celebration cake!
The Snowflakes are great for Frozen cakes to give that frosty, Icy effect.