3.5 MIXER RECIPES

Steps:

• Butter three 20cm round cake tins and line with non-stick baking paper. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and smooth. Gradually beat in the eggs until combined, then mix in the vanilla. Fold in the flour and baking powder until everything is combined. Stir in the milk to loosen.
• Bake the sponges for 20 mins until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the Swiss meringue buttercream. Put the egg whites and sugar into a heatproof bowl over a small pan of gently simmering water. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk for 3-4 mins until the sugar dissolves. Put into an electric mixer and whisk for 10 mins over a medium-high speed until you have a thick meringue.
• Gradually add the butter into the meringue mixture for 5 mins until incorporated and the buttercream is fluffy.
• Put one sponge onto a plate or cake stand, top it with a few tablespoons of the buttercream and spread into an even layer. Add the next sponge, and repeat. Top with the final sponge.
• Smooth a thin layer of the buttercream around the cake, so all the sides are coated – this is called a crumb coat. Chill in the fridge for 45 mins. Remove and smooth a thick layer of the remaining buttercream around the cake using a palette knife, reserving a little for decoration. Put back in the fridge for 45 mins-1 hr to set.
• Meanwhile, make the ganache. Put the dark chocolate in a bowl and heat the cream in a small pan until just steaming. Pour the cream over the chocolate and leave to melt for 5-10 mins. Stir to make a glossy ganache, then set aside to firm up a little – you want it to be pourable but not too runny. Spoon the ganache over the top edge of the cake, encouraging it to drizzle down the side with your spoon – start at the back of the cake to get the hang of it. Fill in the middle of the top of the cake with chocolate too. Leave to set for 10 mins.
• To decorate, put the leftover buttercream in a piping bag with a round nozzle and pipe little dots on top of the cake. Decorate as you like, remove any flowers before eating.

Steps:

• Combine both flours in a large bowl with the yeast and 1 tsp fine salt. Mix the treacle with 250ml warm water until well combined. Stir into the flour to make a slightly sticky dough. If you need to add more water, splash it in 1 tbsp at a time.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 mins (or in a tabletop mixer for 5-7 mins). Your dough should be smooth and elastic when it’s ready. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, flip the dough over to coat it in oil, then cover with a sheet of oiled cling film. Leave in a warm place until doubled in size – this will take about 1 hr (see note, below). Lightly oil a 900g loaf tin.
• Once doubled in size, knead the dough again for 3-5 mins to knock out the air bubbles – add most of the seeds and work these into the dough as you knead. Shape the dough into an oval roughly the same length as your tin. Place in the tin and leave to prove, covered with oiled cling film, for 30-45 mins until it has nearly doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Gently press a finger into the loaf to check if it has had enough proving time (see tip). When it’s ready, glaze the top of the loaf with the egg yolk and sprinkle over the remaining seeds. Bake in the oven for 40-45 mins until golden brown – if you tip the loaf out of the tin and tap the bottom, it should sound hollow. Leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 mins before slicing.