The Power of Poppy Pendle (24 page)
Read The Power of Poppy Pendle Online
Authors: Natasha Lowe
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 300 degrees, until filling is set. The
filling should not be liquid in the center, but a soft jiggle is okay.
10. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. This is hard to do, and
Charlie has been known to eat the bars, warm and crumbly, straight from the oven!
11. Sift powdered sugar on top and then cut into bars and eat.
12. These are best eaten the day they are made, but are still delicious
when a few days old. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
*
If you want to make a smaller quantity of lemon bars, simply halve all the
ingredients for the crust and filling and bake in an 8 × 8 pan. You may need to ask an
adult to help you work out the math for this! The most difficult measurement to halve is
1
3
/
4
cups of flour. Half of this would be
3
/
4
cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour.
Makes 12 regular-size cupcakes or about 36 mini cupcakes
Poppy dreamed up these delicious cupcakes after drinking her first cup
of French-brewed coffee at Marie Claire’s bakery. This makes a rich, espresso cupcake
topped with coffee buttercream and a coffee-flavored chocolate bean on top.
~ INGREDIENTS ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (found in the coffee aisle of most
supermarkets)
1
/
2
cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1
/
2
cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3
/
4
cup plus 2 tablespoons self-rising flour (or all-purpose flour mixed with
1
1
/
4
teaspoons baking powder)
1
/
4
teaspoon salt
~ METHOD ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Pour the tablespoon of milk into a little dish (a small china ramekin is
ideal), and warm it in the microwave for about 10 seconds. If you don’t have a
microwave, just warm some milk gently in a saucepan and measure out 1 tablespoon into a
little dish. Then sprinkle the espresso powder over the milk and stir to blend.
3. If there is a food processor in your home, ask an adult to help you set
it up, then whiz all the cake ingredients together, including the espresso-flavored
milk. Then go directly to step 7.
4. Otherwise, put your stick of softened butter into a large bowl, and
using a handheld mixer, whiz the butter around until it is nice and fluffy. Pour the
sugar on top, and beat together with the butter until well blended. Go slowly at first,
because you don’t want sugar flying all over the counter.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. You can
ask an adult to help you with this if you like, because you don’t want bits of eggshell
in the batter. Add the vanilla extract, then the self-rising flour (or all-purpose flour
and baking powder) and
1
/
4
teaspoon salt and mix quickly again. You don’t want to overmix
the ingredients or your cakes will be tough.
6. Now mix the powerful espresso-flavored milk into your cake batter,
scraping around the little dish to make sure you get it all in. The batter will turn a
rich coffee color and smell delicious.
7. Arrange 12 paper cupcake wrappers inside a muffin tin, or if you want to
make miniature cupcakes, you will need about 36 mini paper wrappers for a mini muffin
pan. Fill each cup half full with cake batter and bake 16 to 20 minutes for regular
cupcakes, or 9 to 14 minutes for minis. You might want to ask an adult to help you get
the cupcakes into and out of the oven. Let cool on a wire rack.
8. Frost with Coffee Frosting when cool.
You can make this while the cupcakes are baking.
~ INGREDIENTS ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
2
1
/
2
tablespoons milk
1
1
/
2
teaspoons espresso powder
1
/
2
cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1
1
/
4
cups confectioners’ sugar
~ METHOD ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1. Pour the milk into a little dish. Warm the milk in the microwave for
about 10 seconds, and sprinkle the espresso powder on top. Stir to blend.
2. Put the softened butter into a large bowl and shake the confectioners’
sugar over it. Using a big wooden spoon or a handheld mixer (I like to use a handheld
mixer because it makes the frosting really smooth and creamy), gently stir the
espresso-flavored milk into the mixture, and blend together until soft and creamy. Go
slowly to begin with; otherwise, you will have sugar all over your counter! If you want
a softer frosting, just add a drop or two more milk.
3. Using a dinner knife, smooth the frosting on top of the cupcakes, and
decorate with a coffee-flavored chocolate bean.
4. These are so scrumptious you probably won’t have any left. If you do,
store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
A Really Delicious Orange Cake
Makes 1 loaf
This is an excellent teatime cake. It is moist and orangey, with a
lovely orange icing drizzled on top. It’s a favorite with the villagers of Potts Bottom,
and unlike Mrs. Pendle’s version, it doesn’t contain any canned salmon!
~ INGREDIENTS ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1 large organic orange
3
/
4
cup (1
1
/
2
sticks) butter, softened
3
/
4
cup sugar
3 large eggs
1
/
4
cup apricot jam
1
1
/
3
cups self-rising flour (or all-purpose flour mixed with
2
teaspoons baking powder)
1
/
4
teaspoon salt
~ Method ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Using a lemon zester, grate the rind off the orange. If you don’t have a
lemon zester, you can use the small holes of a cheese grater to grate off the orange
rind. Squeeze out
5 tablespoons of the orange’s juice.
3. The easiest way to make this cake is to whiz all the ingredients
together in a food processor. Ask an adult to help you with this if you decide to use
one. Then go directly to step 8.
4. Otherwise, put the butter and sugar into a large bowl, and using a
handheld mixer, blend them together until light and fluffy. (This is called
creaming.)
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
6. Mix in the grated orange rind and apricot jam.
7. Carefully stir in the self-rising flour (or all-purpose flour and baking
powder if using it) and salt. Don’t overmix if you can help it, because overmixing will
make your cake tough. Now add the 5 tablespoons of fresh orange juice.
8. Butter a 6- to 8-cup loaf pan, and pour in the cake mixture.
9. You might want to ask an adult to help you take the cake in and out of
the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until light golden and the top feels spongy when
you press it. If you poke a sharp knife into the center, it should come out clean. Check
after about 30 minutes. If the top is browning too much before the cake is cooked
through, cover it with a piece of foil.
10. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for a few minutes. Then run
a knife around the inside edges of the pan to loosen the cake, and bravely turn it out.
Don’t worry if some bits of cake have stuck to the bottom of the pan. They are delicious
to eat, or you can scrape them off and put them back on top of the cake. Cool the cake
completely before drizzling over the frosting.
~ INGREDIENTS ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1
/
2
cup confectioners’ sugar
1
1
/
2
tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice (You should have enough left over
from the orange you squeezed for the cake.)
~ METHOD ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1. Put the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and slowly stir in the
orange juice. Add a little bit at a time until you get the desired drizzle consistency.
You are not after a thick, gooey frosting here, but a tasty orange drizzle. Pour over
the cooled cake and let set.
2. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Poppy
has been known to enjoy a slice of orange cake for breakfast!
Mrs. Plunket’s Rainy Day Brownies
Makes about 12 2-inch squares
This recipe was given to Poppy by PC Plunket’s mother. One taste and
Poppy was smitten. These are the easiest brownies in the world to make, and the most
delicious. Like Mrs. Plunket, Poppy makes them only on rainy days, and they are a
favorite with the Ruthersfield girls.
The ingredients listed below make enough for an 8 × 8 pan, but Mrs.
Plunket always doubles the recipe to fill a 9 × 13 pan. If you like brownies, this is an
excellent idea. PC Plunket has been known to polish off an entire batch in one
evening!
~ INGREDIENTS ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1
/
2
cup (1 stick) butter
2
1
/
2
ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1
/
2
cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1
/
2
teaspoon espresso powder
1
/
4
teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
~ METHOD ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Put the butter and chocolate into a bowl and melt together in the
microwave. This will probably take about 1
1
/
2
minutes. If you don’t have a microwave,
balance the bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water to melt (like a double boiler).
Ask an adult to help you with this.
3. Once the chocolate and butter have melted, stir them together to blend.
A wire whisk works well for this, or a big wooden spoon. Then add the rest of the
ingredients, one at a time, cracking the eggs in last. Mix everything together well.
4. Scrape the mixture into a greased 8 × 8 square pan. Rubber spatulas are
great for this. Cook for 25 to 35 minutes. Check after 25 minutes. You do not want to
overcook these. A little squidge in the middle is a good thing. If you like your
brownies cakey, keep them in a little longer. You might want to ask an adult to help you
take the pan out of the oven.
5. Let the brownies cool in the pan on a wire rack, and try not to burn
your mouth in your eagerness to eat them!
6. There are never any leftover brownies at the bakery or at the Plunkets’
house. If you are lucky enough to have some, store them in an airtight container at room
temperature.
Marie Claire’s Little Warm Almond Cakes
Makes about 24 little almond cakes
This was the first thing Poppy ever ate. Moist, light, and almond
scented, they are a small taste of heaven. Marie Claire always cooks these in a special
shell-shaped pan called a madeleine pan. It makes the little cakes look really pretty
when you turn them out. If you don’t have a madeleine pan, don’t worry; a mini cupcake
pan will work just as well, and the cakes will taste delicious even if they don’t look
quite as beautiful.
~ INGREDIENTS ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1
/
2
cup (1 stick) butter
7 ounces almond paste
1
/
4
cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1
/
2
cup all-purpose flour
1
/
4
teaspoon salt
1
/
2
teaspoon baking powder
~ METHOD ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Butter your madeleine pan or mini cupcake pan well and sprinkle the
inside with flour. Turn the pan over and tap out any extra flour over the sink.
3. Melt your butter in a little dish in the microwave. You can also do this
in a little saucepan on the stove, but the microwave is easiest. It should take 45
seconds to
1 minute. Put the butter aside to cool.
4. You can make this batter in the bowl of a standing mixer (ask an adult
to set this up for you) or with a handheld mixer. Beat the almond paste and sugar
together. Do this slowly so bits of almond paste don’t go spattering out all over the
counter. It may still look sort of pebbly, but don’t worry about this; when you add the
eggs, it will smooth out.
5. Now add your eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Stir in the vanilla extract.
7. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder with a
fork. Then gently stir this flour mixture into the batter.
8. Now stir in the melted butter.
9. You can let the batter rest in the fridge for a bit, or use it right
away. The cakes will hold their shape better if you let the batter chill for an hour (or
overnight if you prefer).
10. Spoon batter into each mold. If you are using a madeleine pan, heap the
mixture up in the middle so the cakes will have a rounded hump.
11. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until spongy to the touch and
very lightly golden. You might want to ask an adult to help you take the pans out.
12. Cool the cakes in their pans for a few minutes on a wire rack. Then
slide a knife around each cake to loosen it, and gently lift them out. Cool completely
on the wire rack.