*** Don't miss my giveaway to win a Red Nose Day apron and colouring book ! ***
As I told you a couple of weeks ago, ahead of Red Nose Day (which is on March 24th this year), HomeSense have partnered with Comic Relief, filling their shelves with a Red Nose Day range that includes leather journals and colouring-in books, as well as exclusive tea towels and aprons designed by renowned fashion and portrait photographer Rankin.
The apron features a selection of unique animal portraits including Rankin’s own dog and a whole host of celebrities have been photographed by Rankin wearing the apron to support the cause - The Hairy Bikers, Nadine Coyle, Nadiya Hussain, Jodie Kidd, Susanna Reid, Kimberley Wyatt, Lesley Joseph & Linda Robson, Una Healy, The Hemsley Sisters, Ella Mills (Deliciously Ella), Will Poulter, Fay Ripley, Vogue Williams and Tim Lovejoy, to name but a few.
If you fancy joining in with a Bake Sale to raise funds for the charity, here are some recipes to inspire you. Get your Red Nose Day aprons at the ready !
Parsnip and orange spiced cake
Serves 10
Now, before you say it – yes, there are parsnips in this cake. My parents love a good carrot cake, but when it’s the only thing they ask me to bake because they are not adventurous enough for much else ... well, I had to change it up just for my own creative sanity. Carrots may give colour, but parsnips add a similar flavour and sweetness with a whole lot more fragrance, so this isn’t as bold and daring as it might sound from the title. It’s a moist and delicious cake, and an excellent alternative to carrot. You could also give this recipe a go with courgette or beetroot. They all add different things and work equally well.
For the sponge:
230g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground mixed spice
200g caster sugar
100g walnuts, chopped, plus extra for topping
3 medium eggs
150ml sunflower oil
500g parsnips, peeled, ends trimmed and coarsely grated
zest of 2 oranges, plus extra for decoration
For the frosting:
50g unsalted butter, softened
200g full-fat cream cheese
150g icing sugar
zest of 1 orange
Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 30 minutes
Sponges can be frozen
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C. Grease and line the base of two 20.5cm sandwich tins with baking paper.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice. Add the caster sugar and chopped walnuts, mix through with a wooden spoon, and set aside.
Put the eggs and sunflower oil in a different bowl, and beat for a few minutes. Now mix all the dry ingredients into the egg and oil mixture, along with the grated parsnips and orange zest. Mix everything together until you have a thick batter; about 2 minutes.
Divide the mixture between the two cake tins, and level it off using a spatula. Bake for 25–30 minutes. The cakes should be golden, and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Leave the cakes in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack and peel off the baking paper. Leave to cool completely.
To make the frosting: In a bowl, beat the butter with a wooden spoon then add the cream cheese and icing sugar. Beat until it all comes together, but be careful not to overdo it, or the frosting will become runny.
Leave the frosting in the fridge until you need it, if your kitchen is really warm.
Take your cooled cakes and sandwich them together using the frosting. Top the cake with lashings of frosting and sprinkle with walnuts, and some extra orange zest.
Nadiya’s Kitchen by Nadiya Hussain is out now (Penguin, HB, £20). Photographer: Holly Pickering
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| Photographer: Richard Hill |
Victoria Sponge with Blackberries and Spiced Cream
Recipe taken from The Hairy Bikers’ Comfort Food (BBC1)
For the sponge cakes:
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g self-raising flour
2 tbsp lemon juice
For the blackberries:
A punnet of blackberries
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp crème de mure (optional)
For the cream:
250ml double or whipping cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground mace
Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter and line 2 x 20/21cm sandwich tins. Using a hand held electric whisk or a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy – it should be almost mousse like. This should take a good 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of the flour, mixing lightly between each addition, then add the remaining flour. Add as much lemon juice as necessary to give a dropping consistency, then divide between 2 tins. Bake in the oven for between 20-25 minutes until the sponge has shrunk away from the sides slightly, is springy to touch and a very light golden brown. Leave to cool in the tins for at least 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
For the filling, put the blackberries in a bowl and sprinkle over the caster sugar and crème de mure if using. Leave to marinade for a short while – they will give out some juices.
Whip the cream then fold in the icing sugar and spices – the cream needs to be just beyond the soft peak stage – then pile this onto one of the sponges. Top with the blackberries and pour over any juices. Place the remaining sponge on top. Dust with icing sugar or caster sugar and serve.
HomeSense has partnered with renowned fashion and portrait photographer Rankin to create exclusive aprons for Red Nose Day 2017 and help people living incredibly tough lives across Africa and here in the UK. The apron is part of a Red Nose Day 2017 range of products available in HomeSense stores nationwide.
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