Victoria House Bakery

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On my previous post 5 Minute Chocolate Cake for One, I mentioned that I had not yet tried the recipe.

Well, now I have not only tried the recipe (and it worked, by the way), but I modified it because Geoff (my hubby) doesn’t like chocolate cake.

This is 5 Minute Pecan Cake in a Mug!

This recipe works well, too.

I want to let you know that this cake is denser than a regular cake that you would bake in the traditional manner. But, it’s still pretty good if you need a quick cake fix. And don’t we all, from time to time.

Here’s how I modified the recipe to something Geoff would like:

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons Flour
• 2 tablespoons Raw Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 3 tablespoons Milk
• 3 tablespoons Oil
• 2 tablespoons Pecans, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
• 1 large coffee mug (microwave safe)

1. Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.
2. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
4. Add the pecans and almond extract and mix again.
5. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
6. The cake will rise ove the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed. (This is really cool to watch! I was sure that it was going to spill out of the mug and all over the microwave, but it didn’t.)
7. Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate, if desired.
8. EAT! (You may want to share as this is really quite filling.)

Next? I plan to try to alter the recipe to make a 5 minute Coffee Cake – made with real coffee. So, it will be coffee cake in a coffee mug.

I’ll post again to let you know how it works out.

Baking

Chocolate Cake for One - 1

Chocolate Cake for One - 2

Chocolate for One - 3

I just received this recipe from a wonderful friend and simply had to share it.

I have not yet tried it but I can certainly see it in my very near future.

It’s a personal chocolate cake made in a large mug. What a fabulous idea!

Here are the instructions that came with this email:

• 4 tablespoons Flour
• 4 tablespoons Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Cocoa
• 1 Egg
• 3 tablespoons Milk
• 3 tablespoons Oil
• 3 tablespoons Chocolate Chips (optional)
• A small splash of Vanilla Extract
• 1 Large Coffee Mug (microwave safe)

1. Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.
2. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
4. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract and mix again.
5. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
6. The cake will rise ove the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed.
7. Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate, if desired.
8. EAT! (This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous)

This could possibly be the most dangerous cake recipe in the world! Why? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Many thanks to my good friend for sending this to me!

Baking

Baklava-inspired Oatmeal Squares

When my husband, Geoff, was craving something like an oatmeal cookie, but a little bit more exotic, he mentioned a taste “something like baklava”.

That got me to thinking. I knew honey needed to be a big component and I always love to add nuts and raisins to my baking.

Oatmeal is also one of my favorite things to bake with because of both texture and taste.

I could find lots of oatmeal square and oatmeal cookies recipes, and a few baklava recipes, but nothing that combined the best of both worlds.

So, after a few tries the Baklava Inspired Oatmeal Squares Recipe emerged.

Give it a try. They really are very tasty.

Baking

Chunky Potato Salad

A salad buffet makes a terrific summer dinner for effortless entertaining. This Chunky Potato Salad Recipe helps round out a cold buffet.

It’s always nice being able to visit with your guests instead of working in a hot kitchen putting finishing touches on the meal.

Planning a cold buffet lets you do any of the cooking ahead of time and then you can serve everything cold and let your guests help themselves.

Just be sure to have lots available. It’s never good to run out – especially of the most popular dishes.

Generally, I don’t have that problem. I tend to overdo it just a bit. But, that’s okay. The last summer buffet we had, Geoff and I had pre-made lunches for the next three days!

This Chunky Potato Salad was only one of dishes we prepared. We also had chopped romaine lettuce with plenty of dressings available such as Blue Cheese, Creamy Italian and Oil Olive & Balsamic Vinegar.

In addition to that we prepared a Southwestern Style Black Bean Salad that had tomatoes, red onions, corn, sliced black olives and TexMex spices.

To round things out there were chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, carrot sticks, a selection of cheeses, some freshly baked baguettes and a traditional three bean salad.

For a cool, refreshing, summertime drink we chose a chilled Sangria with fresh orange slices floating on top.

It was an easy and relaxing summer meal.

Salads

Geoff's Cherry Walnut Bread Pudding with Dark Rum Sauce

Geoff (husband, webmaster and amazing cook) developed this bread pudding recipe for a dinner party we had recently.

The addition of walnuts and dried cherries gave a different flavor and texture over a traditional bread pudding. But, it was the amazing rum sauce that added a tropical twist to the recipe.

Our guests certainly enjoyed the dessert and encouraged Geoff to develop more recipes.

Check out the complete recipe for Geoff’s Cherry Walnut Bread Pudding with Dark Rum Sauce.

Baking

Baked Beans

Over the years I have made many batches of baked beans from many different recipes. But, no single recipe satisfied my expectations.

So, that lead me to develop my own recipe for Baked Beans.

I like to collect recipes from all over the world, so some of those recipes are expressed in imperial measurements and some are metric.

In this recipe I show the measurements in both Imperial and Metric so all my readers will be able to use the recipe easily.

And, truly, this is a fairly easy recipe. Once you’ve put it all together you just let it bake – very, very slowly – for several hours.

This recipe can be baked, in an oven-proof casserole, in a traditional oven or you can use a slow-cooker.

In the summer I tend to use the slow-cooker so that I don’t heat up the house. I did find, though, that in the slow-cooker it takes a little longer, so plan for 8-10 hours in the slow-cooker on low.

You can substitute the type of beans in this recipe if you have to. I prefer to use navy beans but if you can’t find navy beans you can substitute white pea beans or even blacked peas.

Give the recipe a try and let me know what you think.

Cooking

How to Make the Best Pastry EVER!

It’s a bold statement, I know, but it’s absolutely true.

Making this pastry is not for the squeamish. You simply MUST use lard or you will not get the results you want. That’s right – lard – yes, I know – cholesterol!

But, hey, pastry is not diet friendly anyway, so, if you’re going to make it, you might as well make the best.

I’d really like to take credit for developing this recipe, but I just can’t.

I first found the recipe on a package of Tenderflake Lard – a uniquely Canadian brand.

I have been baking for a lot of years (in excess of 40 – and that’s all I’m going to admit to!).

I have tried many different pastry recipes and not one has even come close to the perfect, tasty, flaky pastry that this recipe gives you.

Can you make it with vegetable shortening? Well, yes, but the results won’t be the same.

I did find a kind of compromise that works well. I have found a shortening that is part vegetable fat and part lard. If you can’t find pure lard, then you could substitute this type of shortening, but you still won’t get the full experience of the perfect pastry.

Okay, I think I’ve made my point. Use this Perfect Pastry Recipe with pure lard and you won’t be disappointed.

This recipe makes a lot of pastry, but it freezes well, so I often use a portion of the pastry for whatever I’m baking and freeze the rest to use later. Just double wrap the leftover pastry in plastic wrap and freeze it until you need it.

Baking Baking, pastry recipe, pie baking, tart baking