• Sophie Likes Cake
  • Ask Me Anything
  • Blog
  • Cakes & Sweet Treats
  • Ice Cream
  • Savoury & Meals
Menu

Sophie Likes Cake

Ok so sometimes I make a little more than just cake but I love creating and sharing it with you here
  • Sophie Likes Cake
  • Ask Me Anything
  • Blog
  • Cakes & Sweet Treats
  • Ice Cream
  • Savoury & Meals

Baby Ginger, Date and Walnut Loaves

May 22, 2016

I wish I had saved one of these for myself. Before I could think about whether or not I would want one in the future I gave them all away to friends and family. 

I am pretty stoked though at how far these went and all the joy they brought. Five to my flatmate to take to his parent's place. Two to my flatmates, four to my own family, three for my friend for her birthday and two for my other friend as a thank you. Not a bd effort for a single batch. So whilst sure I would have loved one once the rain started pouring this afternoon I do not begrudge the enjoyment they gave other people. I compensated by shoving my face full of cheese scone when I turned up at Mum and Dads.

Last weekend I went to the farmers market in Christchurch with Dylan. If we go there on a Saturday morning we always seem to get cake for breakfast. It's great. First stop is the coffee stand followed by a warming meat pastry (cue greasy sausage roll or cornish pasty). After a full round or two of the stalls we succumb to the array of beautifully decorated cakes at one of them. The cakes made by a particular young woman known as Anna from Cakes by Anna are delicious. We had this lovely dense ginger loaf with cream cheese icing, butterscotch walnuts and I think dried apple on top. 

I decided to try and recreate these loaves using my own spin on Dylan's favourite ginger loaf recipe as practice so I could make them for him next time I see him. Like sure regular ginger loaf is great but who doesn't love cream cheese icing, candied walnuts, salted caramel and extra crystallised ginger? 

One question though, what is the difference between a loaf and a cake? This loaf is pretty much like cake. Add icing and it is a cake. Like what if I put this into a cake tin? Would it become a cake? Would the same happen with banana loaf? Someone please enlighten me. 

Usually the recipe for these loaves makes two large loaves and takes well over an hour at 150 degrees. By reducing the loaf size to a fraction you can increase the temperature to 170 degrees and reduce the time in the oven to just 25 minutes. Also icing these is a whizz, just three piped blobs of cream cheese icing - zero skill required, just a round tip nozzle and a piping bag. These loaves are best baked the day before. The overnight rest makes the texture a little more sturdy and helps the flavours to develop just that little bit more. If you are lacking a mini loaf pan then a muffin pan would work just as well - serve the muffins upside down, put one great big blob of icing and let the salted caramel flow down the sides like lava. Nom.

The salted caramel recipe will make way too much for the loaves here. Never fear though, this keeps in the fridge for weeks. Serve it warm on top of ice cream or use it to decorate cakes. 

 

Baby Ginger, Date and Walnut Loaves

Makes 20 (this is very easily halved)

Wildly adapted from Al Brown's recipe here

 

For the loaves:

2 cups plain flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/3 cups golden syrup

225g butter

2 eggs

1 cup milk

100g dates, soaked in boiling water until soft, drained then mashed lightly

70g packet of walnut pieces

75g crystallised ginger, each piece cut in half

 

For the icing:

50g butter

125g cream cheese

400g icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 

 

For the candied walnuts:

1/3 cup white sugar

70g walnut halves

 

For the salted caramel:

1 1/2 cup white sugar

300ml cream

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon plus more to taste salt

 

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees on bake. Take a mini loaf pan tray, spray well with cooking spray then line the bottom of each with a rectangle of baking paper. 

Sieve together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar and spices until all the lumps are gone (you may have to use your beater to get all the sugar lumps out). 

In a saucepan on a low heat, gently melt the butter then stir through the golden syrup. Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix on a slow speed then add in the eggs and milk. Stir in the mashed mushy dates.

Fill each loaf pan until about two thirds full then sprinkle a couple of pieces of the chopped ginger and walnuts into each. Bake for 25 minutes then remove and cool for about fifteen twenty before very carefully prying out of the tin. Wipe out the tin of any loaf residue then re-grease, re-line with paper and repeat with the rest of the batter. 

Leave to fully cool or better yet, leave them overnight before icing and assembling.

To make the caramel heat the sugar and water together in a medium sized saucepan. Begin to warm the cream in a separate saucepan but be careful not to boil. Bring the sugar and water to the boil without stirring and continue to heat until it turns a bright amber colour. This should take around 7 minutes. I recommend wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands from the steam for the next bit. Remove from the heat and gradually pour in the warmed cream stirring with a spatula as you go.  Make sure you scrape down the bottom of the pan dissolving all the sugar into the cream. Once the caramel is smooth, start adding the salt and tasting it with each bit you add (make sure you blow well on the spoon first!). Leave the caramel to fully cool. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge. It will last a few weeks in there.

To make the candied walnuts, take a medium sized frying pan and place on a medium heat. Place a sheet of non-stick baking paper on the bench. Pour in the sugar and shake the pan to smooth it to a thin layer. Wait for most of the sugar to melt and turn a golden colour. At this point toss in your walnuts and stir to coat them with sugar with a spatula. Before they have a chance to set solid try and take them out individually and place on the baking paper. Worst case scenario you end up with a lump of candied nut but thats ok, you can break it up later. Leave for half an hour to harden.

To make the icing, beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually start mixing in the icing sugar then pour in the vanilla. Beat on high until fluffy and smooth. 

To assemble, place your icing in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle. Pipe three blobs of icing onto each loaf. Onto each loaf place a segment or two of candied walnut and more crystallised ginger. Using a teaspoon, finally drizzle over salted caramel onto each loaf. 

Enjoy,

 

Andy my flatmate was sure excited to eat one..

DSCF7560.JPG
Tags ginger, ginger loaves, mini cakes, dates, walnuts, Salted caramel, Winter warmers, baking, ginger date and walnut loaves, cream cheese icing
3 Comments

Massaman Roast Beef

August 16, 2015

I got really excited at Pak n Save the other day. Every time I see a beef roast on the cheap I buy it without really thinking. I always slow cook my beef roasts so this one has been sitting in my freezer for a few weeks now while I thought of ways to make it slightly more interesting than my typical stew.

Read More
Tags dinner, beef, Slow cooker, Winter warmers, Thai, Massaman curry, curry, healthy
Comment

Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)

August 2, 2015

I went to Vietnam last November, as you do. I took all these photos of ALL the food I ate but the whole thing was too overwhelming to even think about writing about it here. Since I got back I have been meaning to make pho, my favourite Vietnamese dish. Pho, pronounced 'fa' is a clear broth soup full of noodles, herbs, chilli and the meat of your choice. It is really healthy and has flavour enough to knock your socks off.

Read More
Tags pho ga, pho, chicken pho, chicken, noodles, Soup, Vietnam, Vietnamese, healthy, cheap eats, Winter warmers, gluten free, Asian
1 Comment

Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles

July 26, 2015

I saw a recipe for these noodles. I became fixated on these noodles. I studied the ingredients list, almost committing it to memory. I spent three days curating the materials required to bring these into fruition. I made the chilli oil in advance for optimum infusion. I even did a test run to make sure I got the method down perfect. I wanted noodles.

Read More
Tags cheap eats, noodles, Sichuan dan dan noodles, Chinese, Winter warmers, Asian, beef
Comment

Not Your Regular Roast Beef

July 22, 2015

I am pretty much only writing this post so that my friend Alix could read it and be taught how to make this super easy slow roasted beef. She specifically requested this yesterday whilst at the supermarket so here I am following through with my promise. 

Read More
Tags dinner, Winter warmers, meals, easy, beef, roast beef, Slow cooker, pulled beef
1 Comment

Sweet Sweet Lemon Cake

July 19, 2015

I once read a book called The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. It was about a girl who one day developed the ability to taste the feelings people had felt whilst making food.

Read More
Tags lemon cake, yoghurt cake, gluten free, lemon, almond cake, sweet sweet lemon cake, Winter warmers
Comment

Spicy Roasted Winter Vegetable and Lentil Salad

July 11, 2015

My raging Saturday consisted of buying vegetables, visiting my Nana, cooking vegetables, going to see an animated Pixar movie with my parents where I then wept when the imaginary friend got forgotten and then coming home and giving myself a wax. It was so raging. I could have joined the party upstairs but instead I put my ear plugs in and went to bed so that I would be well rested for my early morning spin class. Judging by the number of people who liked my look how raging my life is..not  post on Facebook it would suggest I am not alone. 

Read More
Tags salad, Ripe: A fresh batch, Angela Redfern, healthy, lunch, cheap eats, chicken, Winter warmers, roast vegetable, lentil, gluten free
Comment

The Ultimate Cauliflower Cheese

June 28, 2015

My dinner consisted of two members of the brassica family doused in cheese. It was smoked Havarti cauliflower cheese and broccoli and blue cheese soup.

The highlight of my day was scoring some eco store vanilla and coconut body wash from the showers at the gym.

I am listening to Justin Bieber, in my room, by myself.

Read More
Tags Cauliflower Cheese, Depot, Cauliflower, Vegetables, Cheese, Winter warmers
1 Comment

Roast Beetroot and Sweet Kumara Soup

June 17, 2015

As women I think we say sorry too much. Unless of course you are my friend Sophie M.  

Someone steps in your way, you say sorry. When we ask for something we say sorry. You gently bump someone else crammed up next to you with your elbow when blow drying your hair at the gym, it wouldn’t have hurt but yet we say sorry. When we tell guys who don’t treat us well that they are dicks and that you are over wasting your time with them we then apologise afterwards. Sorry for having standards, sorry for wanting to speak up, sorry for the way I look.

WHY?!

Read More
Tags Soup, Beetroot, Beetroot and Kumara Soup, Kumara, Sweet potato, Winter warmers, Junk Free June, healthy, Refined sugar free, Vegetarian
Comment

Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup

June 14, 2015

Some broccoli soup came up on my Instagram feed the other day and the vibrant bowl of green caught my eye. I just had to have some. Conveniently the Universe agreed and made all the greens required super cheap at my local vege shop

Read More
Tags Soup, healthy, Winter warmers, Broccoli and blue cheese soup, Junk Free June, Broccoli, Kumara, Courgette
Comment
Older Posts →

What do you feel like?


Want it straight from the oven? Subscribe here.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner


On my bench now: latest and greatest

Sophie Likes Cake
Bubble Friendly Eclairs (Chocolate Eclairs with Custard)
Bubble Friendly Eclairs (Chocolate Eclairs with Custard)
about 3 years ago
Lockdown Chutney: Feijoa and Date
about 4 years ago
Sweet Lemon and Thyme Marmalade
Sweet Lemon and Thyme Marmalade
about 4 years ago
Brown Butter Pear Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing
Brown Butter Pear Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing
about 5 years ago
Strawberry and Rhubarb Filled Cakelets With Not Too Sweet Mascarpone
Strawberry and Rhubarb Filled Cakelets With Not Too Sweet Mascarpone
about 5 years ago

Fresh off the feed: 

Instagram

Recipe number 40 is rather special. A week ago today Nana left this earth. To celebrate her life we all gathered in Matamata and of course there was afternoon tea. The Aunties and I all made something of hers. I was on cheesecakes. Welsh cheesecakes
Dylan and I made this @katherine_sabbath stunner yesterday to celebrate Chris’ birthday. Needless to say it went down an absolute treat 🍳🌽🍡
Apologies for the crap photos but I’d like to share the recipe for this family favourite. I’ve written about Dad’s favourite veggie casserole over on TheSupperClubKitchen.com under recipes worth sharing. It’s 90s nostalgia at
We’ve always seen making our own croissants as a pretty daunting task. I feel like there is a lot of mystique around their making that only trained experts can get their heads around. Since we had little else to do we (Dylan) decided to give ma
Proud as punch for actually completing 
@bonappetitmag’s best ever bread recipe. It only took us three days but we’re here. Having this tonight with Ima’s chicken soup. Just call me Henny Penny.
Dylan put some words together about the long lunch we cooked ourselves last weekend. You can find it over on thesupperclubkitchen.com

Twitter

  • Sophie Edmonds
    Thai Inspired Slaw Salad https://t.co/5hcHE04G4F
    Nov 16, 2015, 12:05 AM
  • Sophie Edmonds
    Praise @CriticTeArohi for finally raising all that is scary about #fitspo!
    Apr 8, 2015, 3:36 AM
  • Sophie Edmonds
    RT @JamieLowryMe: Hi @Sophie_edo! I made your banoffee cupcakes today!! Still working on my icing but they taste incredible! #thankyou http://t.co/qIg3w4tbfu
    Mar 20, 2015, 6:49 AM

Powered by Squarespace