What To Bake This Weekend
Bank Holiday! 3 days! Let's go!
Living in May in the UK feels like such a treat. Two sets of bank holiday weekends during the month that usually has sprightly, sunny weather? It almost makes up for those 4 PM winter sunsets and that quintessentially British concrete greyness that persists all year round. Also, at this point in the year, we are all still feeling positive about the summer ahead — the promise of good weather, BBQs without anoraks on and ice creams in the park remains plausible.
In these moments of positivity, I also find myself feeling particularly ambitious in the kitchen. Long weekends lend themselves brilliantly to longer projects, to hosting friends, or to whipping up delicious things to pack up and enjoy on a blanket in the local park. So, I’ve pulled together a few of my favourite recipes - some more time-consuming, others just suitable for this lovely weather - for you to look through.
ALSO, I’m happy to say I’ve finally fully updated the Kitchen Projects Recipe Index, and there are over 550 recipes for you to browse — wahooo! That includes over 100 cake recipes, over 70 tarts & pies, almost 100 biscuit & confection recipes, 75 savoury bakes & cooking and over 100 desserts. ENJOY!
Mango-go-go!
Let’s hit the ground running, shall we? It is Indian Mango season, and I’d be delighted to be your guide. From Mango Princess Cake to Yoghurt Pavlovas, Mango curd Stuffed Cakes to Mango Custard Tart, I have got you covered! Even if you can’t get Alphonso’s or Kesars where you are, these recipes will still sing! Click here to make it.
Rice Pudding with Mango
Ok, so I know the first entry was all about mango, but a cold rice pudding feels distinct. YES it’s great with mango, but you could also spoon your favourite preserve, or use the last of the rhubarb on this! Here’s the recipe.
Simple French Fruit Tart
A few years ago I had the joy of going to a friend-of-a-friend’s house for lunch in France - Monique showed us the joy of a simple fruit tart and took the fear away of baking these for me. Keep it simple, or use her 2 minute custardy filling for the most gorgeous centrepiece for fruit — I feel May is the last time we all enjoy eating Apples before the berries and stone fruit come and kick them out of the proverbial bed! Click here to make it
Bronwen’s Texas Sheet Cake
Are you hosting this weekend? Do you need a really big cake? THEN LOOK NO FURTHER than this Texas Sheet Cake, via Bronwen Wyatt. It'sbig, it’s bold, it’s beautiful. Click here to read it.
Buttery onion tart aka quiche
You could call it a quiche, but I much prefer calling it ‘a buttery onion tart’ - from quiche to chic in just a few words. My version is super deep dish with a just-set savoury custard and the flakiest pastry of all time. GET IT HERE!
For a proper weekend project: Croissants and Pain Au Choc
Open up SIFT and you’ll see there’s a HUGE viennoiserie section (a whopping 45 pages!) to teach you absolutely everything you need to know about making viennoiserie at home. From theory to troubleshooting and plenty of recipes to get you going, I can’t wait for us all to make croissants together! It’s right at the end of the book because I do feel that croissants are a confluence of so many skills and techniques. Click here to get a copy
Fancy Cake
What happens when you cross a French Fancy with a Detroit bumpy cake? You get FANCY CAKE! This is such a fun project and equally fun to slice up and share around all your favourite people. Click here for the recipe.
Alessandro Giannatempo’s Baumkuchen
Want to try a very creative and satisfying bake this weekend? Look no further than this beauty by Alessandro Giannatempo, a cake that is cooked layer by layer. The result is a supremely fluffy, soft sponge that is hypnotisingly satisfying to look at. Click here for the recipe.
Doughnuts
If you’re looking for a sojourn into the beautiful world of all things deep-fried and golden, look no further than this recipe for puffy doughnuts that are inspired by my trips to the Minnesota State Fair. Click here to make it
Focaccia three ways
An extra day off = ample time to work on doughs. Plus it’s warmer, which means things move faster! Which way is best? You tell me! I’m so lucky to have a series of focaccia recipes on this newsletter. From super thick, bubbly and airy (in SIFT, page 280) to thin and crispy, to classic ligurian, it’s time to pick your favourite. Each newsletter will teach you about dough strengthening and flavour-building techniques. From cold proofing to pre-ferments, these recipes put you in control of your dough’s destiny. What could be better than that?
I also highly recommend this thin n crispy version aka ‘Strecci’, which is a simpler dough but but still bursting with olive oil and flavour. Perfect for garden dinners. Click here for the recipe.
You could even try this sweet version from Marie Havno Frank’s More Than Sweet, ft brown sugar goo, grapes and rosemary! Click here for the recipe.
Spring onion babka
A savoury bake of dreams, my spring onion babka is one of my favourite projects to date. Airy milk bread swirled with salty-sweet spring onion. Perfect for a picnic or to feed a crowd. Trust me, this will make you fall in love with swirly bread! The recipe for this is also in SIFT! Click here to make it.
Simple Almond Cake
Maybe you just want a really beautiful, elegant slice of cake to nibble on throughout the weekend. I got you — make this almond cake, swoosh a bit of cream up and enjoy its absolute plushness. Click here for the recipe.
Have the best weekend — see you next week!
We need a pop up! Of all of the above!
Thank you for indexing! Since my TBI, all i want to do is bake all the time and i've been deep in the archives. Quick question: will the mango custard keep in fridge or freezer til ready to princess cake? i have a fridge full of mangos