CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CAKE: INDULGENCE, butter-free batter,

Another scrumptious cake for political volunteers or a family gathering...

Nothing healthy about this: just rich moist chocolate cake, laced with caramel  
 flavours, covered with creamy caramel icing & bits of caramel chocolate bars
'True and luscious hit! People have helped themselves to repeated slices.' Taster

Everyone loves chocolate cake, especially dark rich yummy chocolate cakes like Grandma used to make. 

Every baker has a favourite chocolate cake recipe (or two) that can - with a few simple twists - be turned into a completely different taste sensation.

This Chocolate Caramel Cake is one of those recipes.

Based on the mother-of-the-florist-friend of tv chef Ina Garten, it is -- in its original iteration -- a beautiful tender-crumbed chocolate cake that serves many.  

But with 67's addition of natural caramel flavour, a rich decadent not-too-sweet caramel icing, and some chopped up currently-on-offer chocolate caramel bars*, it's a taste sensation.

OK, the cake does seem to have a shocking amount of sugar but the rest of the ingredients more than outweighs them.   Sugar also seems to help the cake retain its moist, tender texture for at least a week (if you're lucky!) and to taste better as time goes by.  

The original recipe is posted under Beatty's Chocolate Cake and was posted not long after the Blog started.  It was classed as a Cake for Busy Grannies because it's so easy to put together.  Some 7 years on, the simplicity of preparation is still a vote-winner.

Chocolate Caramel Cake does require light vegetable oil but only 120ml.  (Some Vegan bakers recommend melted vegan margarine but 67 has not tested this substitution.)

Cost: £4-5.00'ish

Portions: recommended 24

Ingred:
    150gm/5.3oz plain flour
      60gm/2.1oz wholemeal flour
    250gm/8.8oz white sugar 

      100gm/3.5oz soft brown sugar
      90gm/3.5oz cocoa powder(not drinking chocolate)
    2 tsp baking soda
    1 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp salt

    240 ml buttermilk, shaken
    120 ml light vegetable oil
    2 eggs at room temperature
    1 tsp good vanilla essence
    240 ml freshly brewed hot coffee (enhances chocolate flavour)

    

Icing:

75g/2.6oz very soft butter
3/4 cup icing sugar

3/4 tsp caramel flavouring (near the vanilla in the bakery section) 

1 tbsp milk

          1/2 x 120g/4.2oz chocolate caramel bar, chopped in small pieces

Method:

ULTRA-FRUGAL RICE CONGEE/STEW: triple duty; uses up leftovers; easy; prep ahead

Waiting-for-payday comfort food that costs pennies but is tasty, nutritious, filling and low-carb... 

Oriental ultra-frugal & nutritious thick Rice Congee/Stew

67goingon50 hesitated before posting this recipe, fearing that it is too frugal for most households even in these straightened times.  

But the Ultra-frugal Rice Congee (stew) is a favourite chez 67 and apparently amongst women needing to balance a tight budget, a low-carb diet and daily nutritional needs.  It's also very soothing and easily digested after overdosing on rich foods.

Congee is a thick porridge of mostly disintegrated rice cooked in water or stock.  It's popular in Asian countries, for breakfast but also for lunch with side dishes.  

It can also be served - as with this 67 recipe - with added protein and flavouring to make it a meal on its own.  

While it is ideal for people who are ill, rice congee has a cult following amongst  aspiring businesswomen, models and actresses trying to surviving healthily on tight budgets.  

The great things about this congee are:

• it requires only 100g/3.5oz protein (meat, fish or tofu)
• it needs no more than 1/2 cup rice 
• it requires 7-8 cups of water or stock, making a large amount 
• this recipe simmers for a couple of hours, maximum, instead of the usual 8-10 hours or overnight
• it's versatile: eaten as is (the blogger's favourite), or with vegetables added or on the side

This congee provides all the necessary amino acids for good health, carbohydrates for energy, fibre for gut health and a flavoursome stock.  

It will last a singleton 3 days, topped up with water or stock as it thickens.  A shot or two of hoisin or oyster sauce or chiu chow chilli oil adds oomph.  

It's a great stop-gap when food budgets are strained and is an interesting Oriental take on 67's other recent ultra-frugal dish, Splendid Split Yellow Pea Soup (with or without ham/pastrami). 

This recipe does, however, require rice frozen in advance.  (67 packages up washed rinsed rice in 1/2 cup portions and stores them in the freezer.)

Costs:  depending on protein, about £2.50 (2022)

Makes: 1 litre

Ingreds:

1/2 cup brown rice (preferred but white will be ok), washed, drained and frozen at least overnight

3 tb peanut or light veg oil, divided (not olive)

3-4 med dried shiitake mushrooms (opt but adds unique flavour) PLUS/OR fresh shitake OR oyster OR white mushrooms to make a total of 113g/4oz 

4 spring onions, greens & white divided (if avoiding fodmap foods, use double the amount of green and use the whites elsewhere)

113gm/4oz meat mince OR fish, seafood or tofu in small cubes

1 tb grated ginger

1/2 tb grated garlic

1/2 tb soy sauce

1/2 tb sherry or grape juice

Method:

1. If using dried mushrooms, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water; leave for 30 mins; save juices but strain through a clean j-cloth and set aside;  remove stems of mushrooms and and slice thinly
2. Fresh mushrooms: slice thickly
3. Heat 2 tb oil in a large saucepan pan over medium high heat; add mushrooms, cook, stirring occasionally until golden & crisp (6-8 mins)
4. Thinly slice onions; reduce heat to med-low; add  onions to mushrooms; cook stirring 1-2 mins until fragrant but not brown; push to one side; turn heat back up to med
5. Add 1 tb veg oil, stir in protein, breaking it up with the spoon; add with soy sauce, sherry, grated ginger and garlic; leave 1 min until light brown
6. Add 7 cups of water to pan; bring to a boil; add frozen rice; return to boil stirring to scrape up any brown bits
7. Turn heat down to med; cover pan leaving a small gap, bubble gently, min 20 mins, max 2 hours (an hour was about right for 67) or until rice is soft and close to disintegrating; about a third of the liquid will have been absorbed - feel free to replace with water or stock
8. Garnish with more thinly sliced green shoots of spring onions and serve with soy, hoisin or oyster sauce and, if liked, chiu chow chilli oil or equivalent
9. Refrigerate leftovers; rice will continue to swell; when reheating add more water or stock to thin the congee plus if you like extra protein.  Eat within 3 days.

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This recipe  has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.  

REDUCING MEAT BILLS WITHOUT CUTTING FLAVOUR

Courtesy of Good Food Team: licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Updated April 2022

 

Supermarkets are pulling out the stops to meet the needs of shoppers looking for a choice of cheaper, less tender cuts of meat and offal.   Cheeks, necks, shins, shanks, hocks and liver may no longer be available at rock bottom prices (thanks to clever trendy restaurants) but they are still good value.  

The BBC has a great site on getting the best out of cheap cuts of meat including pork, beef and lamb; also the Mirror.  

Both are worth a look, as is a visit to Sainsbury's -- their meat counters have a good selection of non-run-of-the-mill cuts.  

Waitrose, too is in on the act -- their butcher's counter often has surprisingly good offers.  Last week skirt steak and shin of Angus Angus beef were well priced - both about £8 per kilo.  Cooked low and slow, either will  provide plenty of fork-tender beef and conversation-stopping glossy gravy.  Some of the pieces are large but can be cut and frozen.  A Waitrose card gets a 20% discount.

Chicken livers (try to get organic) are another good value meat; ounce for ounce they are almost pure meat.  If you love chicken liver,  the excellent Indian-style Spicy Chicken Livers with Figs* (or other fruit) is a real treat.   Also try sautéing chicken livers with bacon, onions and a tin of tomatoes -- served over pasta or rice, it goes down very well.

If the household's a bit iffy about livers, add them to meat pasta sauces; the liver cooks down and is unrecogniseable but adds depth and intensity.   Adding small cubes of liver to tomato-based soups adds texture and another level of flavour

Also consider supermarkets specials like beef roasts; they regularly have something like topside on offer at but you have to be fast.  Even if you're lucky enough to bag one at the bargain price, it's wise to be careful how they are cooked.  Some can be surprisingly tough if roasted and slow-cooking may be a better option.

This recipe for Beef Ragout - adapted from 60's celebrity chef Robert Carrier - is an old favourite.  The 67 cookbook is so battered the title page has long disappeared; sadly it is out of print.

Courtesy of Dreamstime:  © Copyright Paul Cowan and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
(Sorry for  stock photo; camera failed)

Cook a day ahead. 

Cost: about £6.00
Feeds: 6-8; leftovers freeze well

Ingred:
   500gm/17.6lb shin or casserole beef (which usually comes in chunks but you can cut up a 'bargain' joint) 

   50gm/2oz flour, seasoned lightly with salt & pepper
   3-4 slices back bacon, fat removed, cut in batons (opt)
   a large yellow or purple onion in med to large dice
   1 lb/500gm carrots, thickly sliced 
   1 tbsp butter
   1 tbsp olive oil
   1/2 pint/300ml dry red wine or red grape juice
   1/2pint/300 ml good stock*
   1/2 pint/300ml tomato juice or passata
   1 clove garlic, finely grated
   
   6oz/170gm mushrooms, quartered if large (opt)
   1 tsp flour
   
   1/4 bunch of fresh parsley, coarsely chopped 

Method:

1. Put flour into a bag, add beef; toss till all pieces coated
2. Over medium high heat, saute bacon until it starts to crisp; drain on paper towel; set aside
3. Reduce heat to med low; add onions and carrots to pan; partially cover with a lid & cook until until lightly coloured - about 15 mins; drain; set aside
4. Add  butter & olive oil; turn heat back up to med-high; add beef; saute until brown; drain off fat
5. Add bacon and veg, wine, stock, tomato juice and garlic; bring to the boil scraping at the bottom of the pan; bubble gently 5 minutes
6. Pour into slow cooker; cook on low 5-6 hours or until meat is nearly falling from the bone 
7. Remove meat with tongs; set aside; when cool separate meat from fat or gristle
8. Remove veg with slotted spoon; set aside
9. Pour juices into a flattish dish; cool one hour then refrigerate for a few hours or overnight; the fat solidifies and can be lifted off
10. When ready to serve, pour meat, veg & fat-free sauce into a heavy saucepan; 
11. The ragout will likely be quite thick.  If so, add 1 tsp butter; if not, mix butter with an equal amount of flour; mix into the ragout 
12. Add mushrooms if using; bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer; leave 20-30 mins.  
13. Garnish with plenty of freshly chopped parsley
14. Serve with rice, potatoes (baked are easy-peasy) or noodles

Tips:

• for variety, replace half the carrots with swede 
• if there isn't stock in the freezer or time to make some, 67 uses Marigold Vegan granules

*Adapted from Anjum Anand

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This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission 

3-INGREDIENT BISCUIT CAKE IN A HURRY

If when baking you're after a life of ease a new cookbook might be the answer to your prayers.

Simple 3-ingredient Biscuit Cake (but not as we know it, Jim)
with 67's not-too-sweet fluffy buttercream icing

Eloise Head has gathered together a bunch of 3-ingredient recipes that are simplicity itself to put together in a Book called Baking It Easy.

The cakes, biscuits and puddings are not exactly 'from scratch' - many use a packet of biscuits or a jar of  spread as a base.  But they will appeal in an emergency...or if the kids want to bake and you want to just let them get on with it!

67 adapted the recipe for a Chocolate Biscuit Cake when baking for political volunteers.  The result required one extra ingredient -- some 67 'buttercream' icing was thrown in for good measure.

Readers/bakers....it wasn't half bad!  And it went down well with volunteers.

Cost:£1.50

Makes: 12 large or 18-20 small portions

Ingreds:

350g/12.3oz chocolate covered digestives (or graham crackers)
2 tsp baking powder

350ml room temperature milk

1/4 tsp essence of peppermint (near the vanilla in the supermarket)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/70fan/350F
2. Line 20cm/8in or square or equiv tin with greaseproof paper (67 used a 19x30cm/7.5in rectangle, which worked very well)
3. Place biscuits in strong plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin to a crumb...a few small bits of rubble are ok
4. Using a whisk, mix in baking powder till fully distributed
5. Add milk & peppermint essence, folding in with a spatula; the mix will be lumpy
6. Pour into tin and level out
7. Bake 15 min; cool 10 mins
8. Ice with Chocolate Peppermint Icing
9. Cut into squares

Chocolate Peppermint Icing (a variation on 67's buttercream icing)

50g very soft butter
1/2 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp essence of peppermint

generous tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tbsp milk

Method: 

1. If you can, start with a hand whisk and add icing sugar gradually.  Don't use a portable mixer until the end or you will have icing sugar all over the kitchen and yourself.
2. Blend butter & icing sugar together; it will resist at first then soften into something more spreadable
3. Add essence of peppermint, whizz with electric beaters
4. Add cocoa, beat slowly
5. Add milk, beat until creamy
6. Spread over cake

Comments:

'Delicious!' Local Candidate 

Tip:

Mix in a handful of crumbled Mint Matchsticks OR peppermint wafers to amp up the minty flavours.

Please leave a Comment in the box below

This recipe has been adapted from Baking It Easy by Eloise Head by B  Lee/Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.