Weekend Baking Challenge: How to make traybakes
Coffee & Walnut Squares
When baking in a panicked state, there is a reason why people reach for a traybake recipe. There will be no showstopper unveiling, so it does not matter if you don't get the decoration quite right, and that lowers stress levels considerably.
Traybakes are wonderful for many reasons. The sheer quantity they produce — often around 20 squares per tray - makes them the obvious choice for parties. Mistakes can be simply sliced off when portioning - a tin of cake off cuts stored in a cupboard is a very welcome midweek treat!
There are a few rules that will help your traybakes almost foolproof. Cool for at least half the cooking time in the tin - this will allow the structure to firm and make it less likely to fall apart when you transfer to a wire tray to cool completely.
When applying a liberal dose of a drizzle to your traybake (which is always a good thing), do it when the cake is warm, but not hot. This will ensure maximum soakage throughout the cake.
If you are making your traybake a day or two ahead, store it in the tin that you cooked it in, sliced and double wrapped. Both of these recipes will keep happily on a countertop for a day or two, as long as they are tightly covered.
- 1 large mixing bowl
- Electric whisk
- Swiss roll tin or large roasting tin
- 225g softened butter, plus extra for greasing
- 100g caster sugar
- 80g soft brown sugar
- 300g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 organic, free-range eggs
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tbsp Camp coffee essence
- 100g softened butter
- 300g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 2 tsp Camp coffee essence
- 20 walnut halves, toasted hazelnuts or whole pecans
Heat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
Grease and line your tin with a little butter and line with a sheet of parchment paper that comes up over each side.
Put all the cake ingredients into a food processor. Whizz just long enough to combine. Spread the cake mixture evenly over the lined tin and smooth the top with a palette knife. Bake for 20–25 minutes until well risen. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely in the tin.
To make the buttercream, cream the butter and beat in the icing sugar, followed by the milk and coffee extract.
As soon as the cake has cooled, use a palette knife to spread the coffee buttercream evenly over the top. Cut into squares and decorate each with a half walnut, toasted hazelnut or whole pecan. Alternatively, pipe a rosette of coffee buttercream on top of each square and top with a toasted nut.
If you can't find coffee essence, brew a very strong espresso and add that instead. If you don't like nuts, grate dark chocolate over the icing. In fact, you could make the traybake a mocha cake by adding 2 tsp of cocoa mixed with 2 tsp of boiling water to the buttercream mixture.
- From One Pot Feeds All by Darina Allen, published by Kyle Books
- 175g really soft butter
- 150g caster sugar
- 2 eggs, preferably free-range
- 175g self-raising flour
- Freshly grated rind of 1 lemon
- Freshly squeezed juice of 1-2 lemons
- 110g caster sugar
Heat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
Grease and line your tin with a little butter and line with a sheet of parchment paper that comes up over each side.
Put the butter, sugar, eggs and self-raising flour into a food processor. Whizz for a few seconds to amalgamate. Spread evenly in the well-buttered tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes approx. or until golden brown and well risen. Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the glaze.
As soon as the cake is cooked, pour the glaze over the top, leave to cool. Cut into squares.
In winter when the butter is harder to cream, we add 2-3 tablespoons of milk to lighten the mixture and texture.
If you want to ice the cake, like in the picture, mix equal parts icing sugar and lemon juice and scatter from a height, over the cooled cake. Use whatever citrus fruits you fancy in this zingy cake. Grapefruit and orange are a match made in heaven, as are lemon and lime. If using non-organic fruit, be sure to give them a good scrub in warm water before you zest them. — Darina Allen
