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Dear world:
If your "recipe" reads: make up cake mix according to box, cook
...then it is NOT a recipe.
Either that, or the fact I can microwave "sweet and sour chicken and rice" must make me a masterchef.
Situation is: I want to make cakes for work, because a colleague is raising money for when she runs the London Marathon and people have been donating cakes to help out, and I WANT IN. Anyway.
One colleague said "Oh I just go 8884" (8 flour, 8 margarine, 8 sugar, 4 eggs) but I didn't get time to ask her for the rest of the details. So instead, I go looking for "cupcake recipes". Simple enough task, right? Google gives me a million and one results. Awesome!
...99.99999% shouldn't have the nerve to call themselves recipes, you know? It's not a "recipe" if your instructions are "make up cake batter mix as per packet, cook".
The other fraction of a percent are American, and want things like "buttermilk". Does that even still exist as a "thing" you can buy in the UK? (After Googling around a bit, I think they might have it in Sainsbury's. I'll poke my nose in on the way home from work tomorrow.)
(It's like when Jill posted her delicious-sounding cornbread, I had to run off to Google to work out what name we sold "cornmeal" under. Turns out it's "polenta".)
If your "recipe" reads: make up cake mix according to box, cook
...then it is NOT a recipe.
Either that, or the fact I can microwave "sweet and sour chicken and rice" must make me a masterchef.
Situation is: I want to make cakes for work, because a colleague is raising money for when she runs the London Marathon and people have been donating cakes to help out, and I WANT IN. Anyway.
One colleague said "Oh I just go 8884" (8 flour, 8 margarine, 8 sugar, 4 eggs) but I didn't get time to ask her for the rest of the details. So instead, I go looking for "cupcake recipes". Simple enough task, right? Google gives me a million and one results. Awesome!
...99.99999% shouldn't have the nerve to call themselves recipes, you know? It's not a "recipe" if your instructions are "make up cake batter mix as per packet, cook".
The other fraction of a percent are American, and want things like "buttermilk". Does that even still exist as a "thing" you can buy in the UK? (After Googling around a bit, I think they might have it in Sainsbury's. I'll poke my nose in on the way home from work tomorrow.)
(It's like when Jill posted her delicious-sounding cornbread, I had to run off to Google to work out what name we sold "cornmeal" under. Turns out it's "polenta".)
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But yeah, most of my recipe books are American and the ingredients are weird.
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Sponge drops sound brilliant. XD What do you do, just whack blobs onto a flat baking sheet?
(My modem ate this reply the last time I tried to post it. Let's see if it lets me post this time.)
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Re: online receipies: I was looking up what the heck analouise sauce was (it's a Belgian thing) and found a receipy that goolge helpfully translated:
"Step One: Clarify the eggs being careful to separate the seeds"
Oh Google... you will not take over the world with that level of translation.
8884, I would assume you don't work it together -too- much and just try to get the big lumps out.
Or try Madeira http://www.odlums.ie/index.php?page=madeira-sponge-cake
(actually... since Odlums sell flour, they might be a good receipy archive. No pre-mix worries)
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That is quite reassuring, though, I might stand half a chance of finding it in the little Sainsbury's down the road from me. I used to think it was "just some American thing" because I've never seen it used in recipes before. I'm assuming it'll be with the spreads or something?. *plots* Failing that, I read somewhere that half-and-half milk-and-yoghurt is a good approximation.
I have a vague recollection of needing to cream together the sugar and fat, then fold in the flour, then the eggs... or is it the other way around? I don't have an electric mixer and I sense it will take forever to get the lumps out if I don't. XD Madeira cake looks good, though, I might just try that if "8884" goes disastrously wrong. (Annnnd it probably will, I haven't done any baking in... about 15 years? At least since before Uni.)
Hahaaa, Google. XD That's some awesomely literal translation, there.
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http://www.rte.ie/food/2008/0818/quartercake.html
...pretty damn simple. Well, if you have an electric mixer.
Also, buttermilk is usually the Yellow milk carton. With the rest of the milk.
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That and... well it's not really a RECIPE if all you have to do is add an egg or a dollop of buttermilk. XD