English Rose Jam Cake Stacks Food

PACZKI WITH ROSE JAM

Steps:

• 1. Add yeast to warm milk, stir to dissolve and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together sugar and butter and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla and salt until well incorporated.
• 2. Still using the paddle attachment, add 4-1/2 cups flour, alternating with yeast-milk mixture and beat for 5 or more minutes until smooth. If the dough will be slack and have a sheen to it, but if it looks too sticky, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour, but no more.
• 3. Place dough in a greased blow, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk (1 to 2-1/2 hours). Punch down and let rise again.
• 4. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Pat or roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, gathering scraps and re-rolling to cut and use all the dough.
• 5. Heat oil to 350 degrees in an electric or heavy skillet. Place donuts top-side down in the oil a few at a time and fry 2-3 minutes and fry until golden brown. Flip them over and fry another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Be careful not to let the oil get too hot as it will burn the outside of the donut before the center is fully cooked.
• 6. Drain on paper towels and roll in granulated sugar while still warm.
• 7. To fill donuts, poke a hole in the side of the donut (I used a chopstick), fit a pastry back with a medium sized tip, and pipe filling into the center of the donut.
• 8. ROSE JAM: Pick clean, chemical-free roses.The color roses you chose will determine the color of the jam. Pull the petals from the roses and clip off the white ends. Pack a one cup measuring cup with rose petals. Put petals in a blender, add water and lemon juice. Blend until smooth, then gradually add sugar. Run blender until sugar is disolved. In a pan stir pectin into water. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into rose mixture, 1/8 cup at a time with the blender running on low, until you achieve the desired consistency. Pour into clean glass jars, cover and refrigerate. Will keep for one month.
• 9. This recipe and picture of Paczki comes from: http://whatscookinginyourworld.blogspot.com/2011/06/day-143-poland-paczki-polish-donuts.html
• 10. Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 6 minutes 2 rises: 3 hours Total Time: 3 hours, 51 minutesYield: 2 dozen Polish Paczki

OLD-FASHIONED STACK CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses and buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Drop 2 scant 1/4 cupfuls of batter, at least 7 in. apart, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. With well-floured fingers, pat each into a 5- to 6-in. circle. Bake 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter., To assemble, place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 2 tablespoons apple butter. Repeat layers 4 times; top with a sixth layer. Repeat to make 2 more stack cakes. Refrigerate, covered, until serving. If desired, serve with additional apple butter.

ENGLISH ROSE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line the base and sides of 3 x 20cm round loose-bottomed cake tins with baking parchment. Tip all the ingredients for the cake into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until well combined. Divide the mixture between the 3 cake tins and smooth the tops. Bake for 45 mins, swapping the tins halfway through so they cook evenly. Leave to cool for 10 mins in the tins, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the rose syrup, put the sugar in a pan with 100ml water and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bubble for 1-2 mins, then remove from the heat. Add the rose water: start with 1 tsp and taste, as some varieties are much stronger than others - just be careful as the syrup will be really hot. Spoon half the syrup over the 3 sponges and set aside.
• Add 2 tbsp of the syrup to the raspberries and crush them with a fork. Push the raspberries through a sieve into a bowl and discard the seeds. Sift in the icing sugar and mix to a smooth icing. In a second bowl, add another 2 tbsp of the syrup and the vanilla to the cream and whisk until it holds soft peaks. Chill until needed.
• To assemble, place one cake, flat-side up, on a plate or cake stand, and top with half the cream and a third of the remaining raspberries (see tips, below). Sandwich another cake on top and add the remaining cream, another third of the raspberries, then the last cake. Smooth the raspberry icing over the top, letting it drizzle down the sides. To decorate, we used a mixture of rose petal pieces (available from cookshops or online), homemade crystallised rose petals (see step-by-step, above) and the reserved raspberries.