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Icing on the cake for a lovers' feast
This Valentine’s Day
spell out just how much you love your amour, says Clare Latimer
FEBRUARY is generally a pretty dull month. On the catering front
it is the least popular time to have a party although I quite
often have a party on February 14 just to show my friends that
I care about them, and it is a good excuse to cheer everyone
up around these dull dark cold days.
However it is a time for valentines so lets encourage a little
romance into the week. As a member of the Primrose Hill Scrabble
Club (a very small gathering at the Albert Pub in Princess Road)
I thought this would be a good present to give your lover and
see them work it out.
Buy or make a pretty little box and then make the letters of
the phrase ‘I LOVE YOU’ in biscuit mix. This mixture
is good because it is easy to pipe out which saves waste from
cutting out alphabet pieces and is quicker. Your amour will
then get the letters in the box and have to work out what it
says – then watch their faces when they realise the outcome.
At Clare’s Kitchen we always have large orders for pretty
Valentine cup cakes which are either topped with the letters
as above for each cup cake or we decorate them with red hearts
and other decorations with a heart theme as illustrated.
As Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday, you have got the
weekend to play around with these recipes; the perfect thing
to do on a cold winter’s day.
Piped Biscuits
These are good for birthdays as well as Valentines as you can
write out other messages, and even get-well messages are very
popular. You will need a piping bag with a smallish nozzle.
Makes about 20 letters
Ingredients
125g of butter.
25g of icing sugar.
150g of plain flour.
Preheat the oven 190C 375F gas mark 5. Grease two baking trays.
Cream the butter and the icing sugar until soft. Stir in the
flour and then put the mixture into a piping bag with a smallish
nozzle.
When piping remember that the mixture will spread whilst cooking.
Pipe out the letters that you wish to write leaving space between
each one. It may be best to do one trial one in the oven to
see what happens.
Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until pale golden brown. Leave
to cool and then place very gently into a bag or box.
Hearty Cup Cakes
Cup cakes have become the trend at the moment so what could
be better than this present? The cup cake papers, roll out icing
and colouring can be bought at any supermarket. They will keep
fresh in an airtight tin for at least three days especially
if they have been iced to the edges.
Originally they were made with nutmeg and brandy so I have added
some. If adding the brandy then add an extra teaspoon more flour.
Makes about 8-12 cakes
Ingredients
50g of butter.
50g caster sugar.
One egg.
50g of self-raising flour.
One desert spoon of brandy, optional.
A little grated fresh nutmeg, optional.
For the icing
50g of butter.
125g icing sugar.
A little milk.
One packet roll out icing.
Preheat the oven 190C 375F Gas 5. Put the butter, caster sugar,
egg and self-raising flour into a bowl and beat well until fluffy,
smooth and light. Spoon into each paper case filling each to
three quarters.
Bake in the oven for about six to 10 minutes until light brown
and just firm to touch. Leave to cool.
To make the icing, beat the butter till pale and then carefully
beat in the icing sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Add a little
milk to make it spread easier.
To ice the cakes, fill a cup with hot water and then using a
pallet knife, gently spread the icing right over each cake and
smooth with the knife being dipped into the warm water to give
a smooth surface.
To make the shapes mix some colouring into the roll out icing
and then roll out and cut the shapes placing them on the top
of each cake.
Clare’s Kitchen
41 Chalcot Road
Primrose Hill, NW1
Tel: 020 7586 8433
www.clareskitchen.co.uk
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