Cinnamon & Orange Tea Cake

In yesterday's post, I wrote about how to make the most tasty glazed ham. I also wrote about how this beast took nearly 4 hours to cook in total, with a long waiting period of 3 hours in the middle. Seeing as between us we had the ingredients for something cake like, we thought we would rustle one up. 

I always have a cupboard load of cinnamon, I put it on most things - cereal, porridge, hot chocolate, most hot drinks and I could go on. We also had some leftover oranges from the ham glaze. Voila - cinnamon and orange cake was born. 

This was the most perfect cake to compliment the sweet, juicy ham of dinner time. We all sat down with a big cup of tea, put our feet up and admired our efforts for the day, over a nice slab of cake :)

Unsure as to why there is a lack of marg in this photo (sorry).

For this delicious cake, you will need:

• 6oz margarine or butter, whichever you prefer. We used marg.
• 6oz Self Raising Flour 
• 6oz caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 orange
• 1tsp cinnamon
• Extra sugar and cinnamon for the topping
• Large mixing bowl
• Cake tins or high sided baking tray if you want to make it into a tray bake
• Cup of tea to enjoy it with once cooked :)

N.B. The ingredients for this cake can be substituted for their 'free from' cousins. I know for a fact that it works just as well with wheat/gluten free flour and dairy free margarine. Thought I would let you know so that most people can join in! I'm not sure of an egg substitute but will keep an eye out.

How to:

The beauty of this recipe is how easy it is to make. No more creaming butter and sugar etc. just all of the ingredients in one bowl. You don't even need a blender.

First things first, preheat your oven to 180C and recruit someone to grease your cake tins/baking tray.

Then, in your large mixing bowl, throw in the margarine/butter, flour, sugar, eggs, zest of the orange, juice of half of the orange and the cinnamon into a bowl and then beat well together until smooth and creamy. If, like us, you cannot find an orange zester, you can always use a potato peeler to take off the zest, and then chop this up finely.

Once all evenly blended, divide between baking tins as you wish. This amount of mixture nicely fills your normal sized cake tins.

Bake in the oven for around 20-30 minutes, checking at 20. The age old test is always a winner, pop a clean knife in to the centre, if it comes out clean, then the cake is done. If it does not, then pop in back in for another 5. Repeat until ready.

Once you have taken your tins out of the oven, pop them on a heatproof side, still in the tins. Pour the juice of the rest of the orange over the cake while it is still warm.

Leave in the tins until the cake is cool enough to handle, by which point you can turn them out on to a cooling rack.

Mix together even quantities of caster sugar and cinnamon, depending on how much cinnamon you like to have (I like a lot!). You will most likely need around 2tsps of each. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the cake.

Sadly, seeing as this cake was something of an afterthought, we didn't have anything to hand to use as a filling. I would suggest perhaps a lovely orange buttercream filling or even some plain whipped cream. Instead, we ended up with two round, deliciously light tea cakes which was great. Both in taste terms, and also for our waistlines!

All that was left to do now, was put the kettle on, grab a still warm slice and enjoy.

E x

Bank Holiday Ham, with Marmalade & Honey Glaze

So in the spirit of a true bank holiday, my housemates and I took the opportunity to do a spot of cooking. We had a ham bone in the freezer for a while that was initially intended for a soup, but we decided it would be best put to use as a yummy bank holiday dinner. One of my favourite things about Christmas is actually the ham that we have, filling the house with delicious smells of honey and spices, so I was more than agreeable. 

First things first, the obligatory chef hats were made.

Now, on to the ham. We followed a recipe from the Hairy Bikers.

You will need:

For the gammon/ham -

• 6kg/13lb 3½oz gammon joint
• Fresh orange juice, to cover
• Water, to cover
• 8 cloves, plus extra for studding the gammon
• 2 onions, peeled, halved
• 4 large bay leaves
• Chunky bread is optional, although it makes for a great sandwich

For the glaze -

• 120g/4oz soft brown sugar
• 3 oranges, zest of three, juice of two
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• 3 heaped tbsp orange marmalade
• 3 tbsp wholegrain mustard

Preparation method:

For the gammon, place the gammon into a large, deep pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and drain.

Return the gammon to the pan, then pour in enough orange juice to cover half of the gammon. Pour in enough cold water to cover the gammon completely. 

Push two cloves into each onion half and add to the pan along with the bay leaves. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook gently for three hours, adding more hot water to the pan as necessary.

When your time is nearly up, preheat the oven to 180C/360F/Gas 4.

Remove the gammon from the pan and place into a roasting tin. Be careful at this point because the meat will be a bit fragile and may fall away from the bone in transit from pan to pan. 

Remove the skin, leaving behind a thin layer of fat. Score the gammon in a diamond pattern with the tip of a sharp knife. Stud the centre of each diamond with a clove (if yours ends up a little mis-shapen, like ours, do not fear and poke the clove in as best you can. It all tastes the same in the end!).

For the glaze, mix together all of the glaze ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Spoon the glaze evenly over the gammon.

Roast the gammon in the oven for 45 minutes, basting frequently with the glaze and pan juices, until the gammon is cooked through and golden-brown all over.

Set aside to rest, then carve into thick slices to serve. Alternatively, the gammon can be eaten cold. The Hairy Bikers suggest that you should serve this with apple compote and pickled red cabbage, but I went for the more traditional roasted new potatoes and broccoli. For the potatoes, just pop them straight in the oven in a heatproof dish, with a splash of oil and a sprinkling of salt. They take about 30 minutes and come out lovely and fluffy, and just a little bit crispy around the edges - just how I like them. They are a great summerly alternative to a full on roast potato and compliment most meals.

This meal does take a bit of time but it is actually fairly little effort for something that tastes AMAZING - the oven does most of the work. I cannot describe how gorgeous the house smells the whole time this is cooking. All of the spices and then the honey and marmalade make for a mouthwatering scent. A perfect way to finish off what has been a most lovely bank holiday weekend :)

If you are lucky, you will have a bit left over - perfect for tomorrow's sandwiches.

E x

Weekend #10

It feels rather strange to be doing a weekend round up, when it isn't actually over yet. Long live bank holidays! This one has been absolutely lush, I have fallen in love with London all over again!

After work drinks on Friday meant a nice long lie in on Saturday morning was needed. Following this, I tootled up to Chiswick High Road to meet a friend for lunch and a poke around the charity shops. You never know what you can pick up in an area like this, the throw-outs of all the wealthy Chiswick-ites! We were having a lovely time when the heavens well and truly opened so we sought refuge in Cafe Rouge and stayed for a glass of wine and their lunch menu - will do me! This was all fine and good until the water started pouring down the wall behind us, creating puddles on the floor all around. We promptly got the bill and headed to the shops, despite the thunderstorm going on! 

Saturday evening was incredibly glamorous. Housemate and I popped to Sainsbury's to pick up some treats. Once fully stocked on ice cream we devoured it on the sofa whilst watching good old Twilight - proper girls night in, we know how to live ;)

Today, after another lie in, a couple of housemates and I popped in to Central and winded our way up Regents and Carnaby street for a spot of shopping. Prices, a far cry away from the charity shops, meant I came home empty handed, but I still enjoyed a good browse. Lots of things on the mental wishlist for a payday treat (maybe)!

Lunch was spent in a brilliant little spot which happened to be having a beach party, complete with sand all over the floor, buckets and spades, and shells on the table! Felt very strange to have sand between your toes and still be in Central London. This weekend I have so much love for our capital city. It never fails to amaze me and I love taking the time to explore. We went all over, we even took ourselves for a poke around Sloane Square, somewhere I had not been before.

On the walk back we caught a glimpse of the filming for the new Diana film, potentially spotting Naomi Watts, but she was running so it could very well have been her stunt double. Will have to have a see when the film comes out!

This evening, back home to finish last nights ice cream with a marathon film sesh including Beethoven, Beauty and the Beast, and Atonement. That will do me. Tomorrow will be filled with more housemate fun, we are cooking a ham joint and baking some cakes. No doubt there will be more films in the evening and a glass of wine or three - perfect.

Whilst getting our bake on, I plan to listen to this song. A lot. I first heard this when played by Radio One's Dev and loved it. It is by Zedd, a German electronic dance producer and DJ. A bit different to my normal Sunday Sounds but is definitely one to get you up out of your seat and do something. Dancing around whilst getting ready is my number one choice ;)

I challenge you all not to get itchy feet when you listen to this.

E x

The Best Value Pizza In Covent Garden

So I just thought that I would share with everyone, what I think to be one of Covent Garden's most amazing treats! You can pick yourself up a 12", freshly prepared, stonebaked ready to order, real Italian pizza - for £4! You read right, only four squids. Just thought I would let you know in case you are ever in the area and stuck for an idea for lunch :)

This amazing treat, was discovered by a chap in our office and can be picked up from an quirky little place, called The Express Coffee Company (ECCo) at the Holborn end of Drury Lane. Ever since he had it for lunch one day, it seems to have become something of a Friday tradition in the office. 

This place doesn't look like much from the outside but inside holds what I think are some of the best value pizzas, baguettes and assorted sandwiches on the block. As I mentioned, the pizzas are £4 and the sandwiches range from about £1.50-£3 for a large sized carb and protein feast. You can also get yourself pizza of the day which is a bit more fancy, but still only a mere £5, or a plain margherita is only £3.50 - barg!

Things also happen super fast in here, if you are going for a pizza, you pick your topping off a basic list behind the till and order from one of the enthusiastic staff, barking "next please". You are issued your order number along with your change and bustled out of the way of the queue to wait for said number to be called. The whole thing happens in under 10 minutes, you are handed your delicious lunch in a traditional pizza box, and you are on your way. My personal fave is to head to one of the secluded 'parks' (5sq m bit of grass with some trees and flowers) hidden around Covent Garden and munch it down.

Not the best snap, taken on my iPhone, but you get the idea! Lots of yummy toppings - lovely :)

Just as a tip, I usually go for the ECCo Special - black olives, prosciutto, artichoke hearts and tomato and basil sauce, topped with cheese of course. Lots of my favourite foods, all in one place! 

E x