How can something so pretty taste so bad?

.

The frosting I mean, there is nothing wrong with the cupcake itself actually the cupcake is really nice, the frosting however leaves something to be desired. It was my first attempt at boiled or 7minute frosting, and to be honest I can ever remember tasting it in the past. I wanted something that would give the illusion of marshmallow on top of my graham cracker and chocolate chip cupcake. I was going for a s'mores theme but sadly the frosting was so disgusting I gave up. These are not the cupcakes I will be entering in the Iron Cupcakes contest tonight. Really anything that tastes as bad as this did should not be allowed to look as cute as my little cupcake looks. I even "toasted" some of the frosting with a kitchen torch to get the whole roasted marshmallow effect, it did not improve upon the flavor. I think the next time I do it I will add a %#*$ load of flavoring into the frosting so you don't get that whole sickly sweet meringue flavor. Watch this space either to night or tomorrow I will post the pictures from Iron Cupcakes I am now going to contemplate that I made that monstrosity above

Yank Cooks!

So anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I can bake at a slightly above average level, but yes Yank can cook too, sort of. Yank chooses not to most of the time because Mr. Y in E is a chef so why waist that talent. A few weeks ago though Yank wanted Mr. Y in E's yummy gammon soup which requires boiling off gammon and having dinner of that one night and then making soup with the stock and left over gammon. Due to schedules if Yank did not boil off the gammon the soup would not get made. So never one to shy away from a large hunk of meat Yank Cooked.

1 Gammon,
2 pepper corns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1bay leaf

All Rough chopped
1 carrot
1/2 onion
1 leek
2 stalks celery



Cover with just enough water to cover the gammon and bring to a boil.
Gently simmer until temperature probe reads 145F

Transfer Gammon into casserole dish and cover with a glaze of brown sugar, maple syrup, and water (sorry did not measure just made it up)

Bake in oven continually basting until all the glaze is cooked off.

Remove from oven bask in glory of the large piece of pork you just cooked and then eat.

Goes well with warm potato salad and crispy garden salad.

Dear. . . .

Bob Crow
General Secretary
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
Unity House39
Chalton Street
London NW1 1JD

Dear Mr. Crow,

Earlier this week I wrote an angry letter to you in regards to the strike taking place by members of your union in regards to pay and benefits on National Express East Anglia line. In the letter I compared you to the Antichrist, but after much thought I decided not to send it. I certainly believe that workers should have the right to strike when working conditions and pay are bad. I however don't believe that in the current financial climate asking for a 2.5% raise above inflation and a four day working week is very sensible. Never the less in the spirit of your right to strike I have dealt with the longer train journeys on a train line that is not as easily assessable to where I live ( I don't drive). I am however disappointed that after all of the hardship your union members are putting me through so they can have their strike that I have not seen one picket line either at the station located near me or at Liverpool Street Station in London. I do understand that due to the strike and the lack of train services a number of your union members are probably having a difficult time making it to London but I would enjoy the sight of them at my local train station, which is Southend Victoria should you care to ask a few people to picket for my pleasure.

On a side note after having journeyed home on the C2C line last night and enjoying a train service that was air conditioned, ran on time, and a lot smoother ride maybe you could mention this to the big bosses at National Express East Anglia. I know it is not your concern about customer service I am just thinking that maybe if you came up with some ideas of how to draw more customers to the line so they could make more money and then in turn be able to pay for your 2.5% pay raises and 4 day working week they would be more willing to negotiate.

I do hope that you and your union members enjoy your four day weekends (five days over the bank holiday sweet!) for the rest of the summer, funny how that all worked out for you. While I am no longer upset enough to compare you to the Antichrist I would not worry about leaving your diary open for dinner party invites or keeping you eye out for a card at Christmas.

Kind Regards,

Yankee in England

Whats up with Yank?

I know I have not been blogging very much lately and I just suck that way. Sorry can't help it. So what has Yank been up to?

One of these has come to live at Casa de la Yank. Great bargain found second hand for less that half of retail price. Always makes you feel good.

Two of these have been ordered to adorn either side of the fire place. Not second hand but on sale feels good but not as good at above.

Spending lots of time reading and studying this. As well as practical lessons, have learned I have no desire to own a Mini Cooper.

Started reading this as everyone say I HAD too it was SO good. I am not taken at the moment but not that far into it. I think I might be getting old as I don't really relate with the teenage character.

Been trying out lots of recipes for these. Next Monday is the third Iron Cupcake competition I think I have found my entry but I have one more recipe to try later this week before I make up my entries this weekend.

Been loving this blog and this blog at the moment.

Gave up these like a month ago I think I don't know not making a big deal of it and so I am not counting days, weeks, months, hours, minutes, seconds. Just bought a whole round of patches and I guess when there gone then I'm done. Going low key this time.

In a cross over from my craft blog I have been really digging Jennifer's Tutorials on how to use Tim Holtz products and have been buy a product or two as I can and have started playing with them. Hopefully one day soon they will make it onto Yankee Crafts in England.

So I think you are all up to date for the moment.

Yank gets Domestic

I have never felt very domestic, yes I bake and yes I paper craft but that it the extent. I don't sew, my housekeeping skills leave something to be desired, I can cook at a push but am not amazing. It is not from lack of trying to teach me on my mothers part she can sew, she can cook, she can knit, she put what I like to think my mighty fine ironing skills to shame. She did try to teach me to sew I don't think I ever finished the project. She tried to teach me to knit, this caused serious emotional damage to the both of us. So I wander through life being undomestic and for the most part I am quite happy to shell out the cold hard cash for services I am unable to preform but on Friday when the hem on my work skirt decided to come undone I had enough, that was it, I was going to fix it all by myself I was not going to shell out £15 to have it done professionally. Boosted on by a blog article I had fortuitously read a few days earlier on Fabulously Broke I headed out this weekend to the local haberdashery shop and picked up some wonder web and away I went.
The skirt in question, wonder web, iron, and damp rag

Measuring the wonder web for the part of the hem that had come undone

I tucked the wonder web under the hem covered with my damp cloth.

Then pressed with iron

Viola a fresh hem.

So maybe I am just a little bit domestic after all.

Yank Bakes for Iron Cupcakes London

So yesterday was the second meeting of Iron Cupcakes London and this months theme was summer fruits. After a few attempts I gave up and just did a version of the fruit filled Madeira cake I made a few weeks ago. I was not overly impressed with my attempt so was quite excited to come in fifth.

My attempt

The winner's cupcake


A shot of the judges tables before they tucked in 20 entries in all!

When the cupcakes win and you can't eat another bite

Yank Bakes Madera Cake with Summer Fruits

After many failed attempts at summer fruit themed cupcakes I was drowning in excess summer fruit that was moments away from going off. I had found this cake recipe a few weeks ago on The Caked Crusader and new it would be sturdy enough to hold up to all the fruit and a mascarpone crème filling so off I trotted.


Madeira Cake

Ingredients:

180g unsalted butter, at room temperature

175g caster sugar plus an additional 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top

3 eggs

165g self raising flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract



How to make:- Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/315°F/Gas mark 2-3.

- Line a 20cm spring form tin with baking paper.

- Start by beating together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

- Beat in the eggs gradually, adding a little of the flour if the mix looks like its curdling.

- Beat in the vanilla.- Fold in the flour.

- Spoon into the prepared tin and level the surface.

- Sprinkle the additional caster sugar over the top.

- Bake for approximately 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Mine took 50 minutes.

- Leave to cool for 20 minutes in the tin before turning out and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.

- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.

- Eat.

Martha Stewart’s Mascarpone Frosting:

1 pound mascarpone cheese (used 8 oz)
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (used ¼ cup) 1-1/4 cups heavy cream
(I wanted a very creamy very easy to spread filling more than frosting)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (I didn't have this and just used the regular beaters), beat the mascarpone, cream and confectioners' sugar until medium-soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Be careful no to over beat. Use immediately.

Various Summer Fruits

I used:

3 peaches that I had to cut some bad parts out
½ a punnet of strawberries
Almost a whole punnet of blueberries





Assembly:

After the Madera cake had completely cooled I cut off the top ¼ of the cake leaving as much bottom as possible to soak up all the juices. I then put the base back into the spring form pan I had used to bake the cake. I spread the bottom with around 3 TBS of some strawberry puree I had left over. I then started layering cut up fruit on the cake; I layered peaches the strawberries and then threw in the blueberries. In hind sight I would have 1. mixed all the fruit together and then tossed it on top or 2. put the strawberries down first. I think the flatness of the peaches covering the base of the cake did not allow all the juices from the strawberries to soak into the base of the cake but that is just my unfounded humble opinion and since I was making this up as I went along I have no idea. I then put the Mascarpone filling on top and spread towards the edges. Finally I put the top layer of the cake back on and delicately but as hard as I thought the cake could handle smooshed everything down.