Herman the Cake

My sister came to visit the other week and presented me with a jar which inside had some weird beige substance. I was then told it was the beginnings of a cake. Many people have heard of the German Friendship Cake but for me this was my first meeting with the man in the jar called 'Herman'. Yes the cake does have a name.

Even though this cake takes a little bit of work, it tastes lovely at the end of it. I took it into work and it  was all consumed very quickly. Don't worry if you get to step 9 and you don't have anyone else to give some of the mixture to, just keep following the steps you will just end up with enough mixture for two cakes. If you do this make sure you add lots of flavouring otherwise you'll still have that doughy taste left. I added about 8 teaspoons of cinnamon and I still think it could have done with some more. Also, because it is a very moist cake, after 40minutes in the oven, I turned it off but left the cakes inside. This allowed it to be cooked through properly without burning. When my mum baked this cake hers came out soggy in the middle so I think it's best left inside the oven to avoid this.

What's great about 'Herman' is that you can add any ingredients to him at the end to transform him into any cake you want. Apple and Cinnamon, Pear and Ginger, Choc and Nut-anything. I give the recipe 7.5/10. Have a go and see what you think...


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Hello, my name is Herman.

I am a sourdough cake. I'm supposed to sit on your worktop for 10 days without a lid on.

You CANNOT put me in the fridge or I will die. If I stop bubbling, I am dead.

Day

1. You get Herman and put him in a large mixing bowl and cover loosely with a tea towel.
2. Stir well
3. Stir well
4. Herman is hungry. Add 1 cup each of plain flour, sugar and milk. Stir well.
5. Stir well
6. Stir well
7. Stir well
8. Stir well
9. Hungry again. Add the same as day 4 and stir well. Divide into 4 equal portions and give away to friends with a copy of these instructions. Keep the 4th one.
10. Herman is very hungry. Stir well and add the following:

• 
  1 cup sugar
• half tsp (teaspoon) salt
• 2 cups plain flour
• 2/3 (two thirds) cup of cooking oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 cooking apples cut into chunks
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 heaped tsp cinnamon
• 2 heaped tsp baking powder

Mix everything together and put into a large greased baking tin. Sprinkle with a quarter of a cup of brown sugar and a quarter of a cup of melted butter. Bake for 45 minutes at 170-180C. When cold cut into finger pieces. Cake freezes well and is also delicious warm with cream or ice-cream.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city I've always wanted to go to. I've been to Europe on quite a few occasions and Amsterdam has never been on the itinerary until this year. One specific trip to this famous place and it disappoint.

Even though the weather was pretty bad 75% of the time, there still was enough to keep me amused and happy. The unique start to the trip started off with my accommodation. Cheap and cheerful and by no means normal. I decided to stay on a house boat that was owned by a lovely chap called David. Although it was not on the central canals it provided a much needed sanctuary after busy days walking around soaking up the Amsterdam atmosphere and alcohol. That phrase really did sum up my trip. A few days of pottering around markets, galleries and museums. Mixed in with brewery tours, distillery visits and coffee drinking.

This may seem terribly British but one of my highlights was the Heineken Experience. Not only did you get to smell and taste all the lager ingredients but you also could be brewed. Yes, brewed! There was a great virtual ride which let you see the process of how the beer is brewed and bottled. Because of a moving platform, special effects and music you were transported through all the motions and became a bottle of beer. It sounds a bit naff but it actually was a really clever and lateral way to liven up an otherwise boring story. Well done Heineken and well done to the 1.5 litres of free beer! Definitely worth a visit.

If you want something slightly less shallow here is always the Anne Frank and Van Gough Museums. Be warned, they are very popular so there is pretty much always a queue. One thing you never have to queue for is charisma and excitement. That is everywhere you go in Amsterdam. There was always a little path or a canal walk that caught me eye that I wanted to wander down. Four days wasn't quite enough time to discover all of what the city had to offer but I made the most of it.

A visit to Amsterdam isn't complete without a trip to the red light district. If you can see past the boozy Brits and the American backpackers it's a really interesting place. Sex shows, hookers, porn shops, sex museums, it caters for all kinds of tastes all along the pretty canals. In some ways it's quite sad going there. I'm as guilty as others but I believe tourists have made it into a seedier place than it really is. Too much of a good thing. The tourism excess has blighted another one of Amsterdam's pulls; it's liberal laws about drugs. Soon tourists will no longer be able to smoke cannabis in coffee shops in a bid to clamp down on 'drug tourism'. Just another sign of how the city is changing.

Despite the changes, the beer is still good and the cheese is great! Well worth a visit and I would certainly go back. I couldn't leave Amsterdam without some tulip bulbs. I have no idea how they will grow in England. I'll plant them in Autumn so I can bring my Amsterdam memories to life. They'll be a constant reminder of what a brilliant time I had in Holland.

I can't believe it's December

December has been cold and snowy but full of mulled wine and gin so everything is ok. Our little hen Myrtle has survived the sub zero temperatures and remains chirpy and up beat. Now all we need is some new chickens so she can have some friends, as she gets a bit lonely sometimes.

Christmas provided all the usual Yule time festivities. Christmas Eve at the Wheatsheaf pub, Midnight Mass with the family, members of my family being slightly too merry and pudding’s and monopoly at the Millards.

I managed to create Pheasant Pie on Christmas day that was lovely. I went pheasant beating back in November so I’ve had it in the freezer skinned and gutted ready to be cooked. I put together two recipes that I found online so in total it contained leeks, mushrooms, chestnuts, a lick of cream and a slurp of orange juice- and of course some lovely bits of pheasant. It was a treat. I’m hoping next year I can make another one and by then my home made sloe gin will be ready-can’t wait.

The snow has finally begun to melt in Wiltshire and once more I can see the grass in the fields. As I look out my window a worrying shade of grey lingers in the sky. There is a mist that needs to be shaken off. The last few days of December need to shake off the lasting bitter dew.

Jamie's Italian, Briohny's Disappointment

I finish work and head into Cardiff city centre to meet me friend for a coffee. But hey it’s nearly half six and there isn’t a queue at Jamie’s Italian. As they have a ‘no book’ policy I decided for a treat it might be a good idea to take advantage of the quiet Wednesday evening and go for dinner. I wish I hadn’t.

My friend and I were taken up stairs to where the light was dim I could hardly read my menu. Great. I was pretty hungry so decided to order a hearty pasta dish for my main ‘Mushroom Panzerotti’ and some chips and a selection of Italian bread to keep me going in the mean time.

Let’s just say the chips and bread were more style than substance. I think I counted about twenty chips. Just the fact that I could count them disappointed me. They were nice don’t get me wrong, but for the price they were, one may have expected a few more! Now, the bread. Is it just me that remembers a time when bread was just brought to your table? No charge, no ordering, just a nice crusty selection to nibble on whilst your choosing what to have. This tradition seems to have vanished in many restaurants and Jamie’s is no different.

On the plus side, my main meal came pretty swiftly. After just a few minutes of munching on chips and bread along came my pasta dish- described as ‘Home-made half moons filled with our mate Mike the woodman’s brown cap and porcini mushrooms, ricotta and parmesan, with crispy fried sage and gremolata.’ I’d quite like to know who this Mike is, I’ve never met him before. The dish arrived tepid. If it wasn’t for the fact I wash pushed for time I would have sent it back so that next time around the food may have actually been hot rather than being on the cooler side of warm. I was not impressed. The meal was alright, nothing extraordinary. It wasn’t as flavoursome as I thought it was going to be especially because it had Mike’s mushrooms in it. The crunchy sage was lovely, probably the best part of the dish! But once again, there wasn’t a great deal of this dish. I’m not someone who enjoys eating massive portions but I do like a meal that fills me up and doesn’t leave me still feeling hungry. But that’s exactly what I was after finishing my main meal.

On a positive note, because I was still feeling rather peckish I ordered pudding, and I’m very glad I did. ‘Awesome Chocolate and Espresso Tart with sticky glazed figs and orange crème fraiche.’ It truly was awesome. A rich chocolate taste with the dark bitterness of the coffee settling in the mouth, lovely. I’m a big fan of figs and I think they go with any dessert so I was a happy bunny. The tart pastry was thin and light, perfection. The tart’s texture was unbeatable. Smooth and dense, it never failed to satisfy with every bite.

I think I’ve learnt my lesson-enjoy Jamie’s desserts, just not his Italian.