Icing on the cake

CLAIRE PTAK had planned to move to London with her English boyfriend Damian when she was offered a job as pastry chef at the famous Chez Panisse in Berkeley in California.

This is any chef’s dream job — working with beautiful seasonal ingredients and a passionate team of foodies to bounce ideas off. So she took the job and began a long-distance relationship.

The desserts at Chez Panisse are not wild and fancy concoctions incorporating a trillion elements. They are simple fruit tarts, cake, fruit salads, fools and mousses that reflect the seasons and the produce of the local farmers and farmers’ markets. Alice Waters of Chez Panisse has been known to serve just one perfect peach in pristine condition from Frog Hollow Farm for pudding.

Claire finally married Damian and now lives in London where her cupcakes have attracted a big following. She sells nine different varieties at her Violet Cakes stall at Hackney Farmers Market every Saturday morning.

There are perennial favourites like Vanilla Bean, Valrhona Chocolate and Salted Caramel and her signature cupcakes with violet essence buttercream icing and decorated with crystallised violets. She has added an elderflower cupcake, raspberry, strawberry and cherry and blackberry will soon follow.

Recently she came along to the school and enchanted the students with her beautiful cakes.

The melt-in-the-mouth pressed chocolate cake was decorated with fragments of gold leaf. The tender little poppy seed cake was iced with elderflower icing and served with a green gooseberry compote.

Claire chose her favourite Devil’s Food cupcakes with marshmallow icing to share with the students.

Oreo Cookies are the quintessential American cookies. Claire made a delicious home-made version and sandwiched them together with espresso and vanilla bean filling. She also made two scrumptious sandwiches — radish and sea salt and garlicky egg mayonnaise toasts.

Next time you are in London at the weekend, why not pop out to Claire at Hackney Market and join the queue for her cupcakes. Alternatively you could make your own or seek out Phillip Dennhardt’s Stolen Diamond stall at Mahon Farmers’ Market on Thursday or Midleton on Saturday.

www.violetcakes.com

Hot tip

L’Atmosphere Restaurant, Waterford: Arnaud, Mary and Patrice Garreau run this great little French restaurant with delicious keenly priced food. It’s like eating in a good French bistro with an early bird menu, daily specials, a la carte menu and good French breads. Arnaud runs his own French bakery selling delicious desserts. The service is friendly and children are welcome; 19, Henrietta St, Waterford, 051-858426

Cooking Classes with Rory O’Connell at Snugboro, Ballycotton, Co Cork, are now booking for the autumn. A day of cooking and gardening, September 12 & 13; and Autumn Cooking, October 16. Special courses also arranged; www.rgoconnell.com, [e-mail], 086-8516917

Midleton and Area Chamber present an Exclusive Midsummer Party at the Capella Resort and Spa, Castlemartyr on Sunday July 27, from 5pm till late. The five-star evening is not to be missed! Sumptuous BBQ and fine wines, renowned 10-piece band, Brass & Co, and much more, plus special accommodation rates. Tickets available at 021-4613483.

Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Fluffy Marshmallow Icing

For the cupcakes:

220g (8ozs) self-raising flour

125g (4½ ozs) cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

2¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

450g (1lb) caster sugar

4 free-range eggs

2¼ tsp vanilla extract

350ml (12fl ozs) buttermilk (or semi-skimmed milk and 3 teaspoons of lemon juice)

140g (5ozs) melted unsalted butter

100ml (3½ fl ozs) brewed espresso or strong coffee

100ml (3½ fl ozs) water

For the Icing:

3 free-range egg whites

450g (1lb) icing sugar

120ml (4fl ozs) water

4-5 tsp golden syrup (can be used instead of corn syrup)

pinch salt

4 tsp vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean

Decoration: Candied flowers to decorate, rose petals, violets or Johnny jump ups.

Cupcake tins and paper cases

For the cupcakes, sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and bicarbonate and set aside.

Whisk together the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Mixture will be very runny.

Add the melted butter to the measured out coffee and water, and then into the egg and buttermilk mixture. Whisk all together and sift in the dry ingredients and whisk again to incorporate fully. Pour the mixture into a small jug, a few cups at a time and use the jug to pour the mixture into your prepared cupcake tins. Fill half way up.

Bake at 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2 until springy and firm. About 10 minutes for mini cakes and 15-20 for standard cupcakes.

For the Icing: In a heatproof (pyrex) bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients and place over a saucepan of boiling water (do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl). Heat until hot to touch, remove and beat with an electric mixer until stiff.

Put the icing into a piping bag with a large round tip and pipe large blobs onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate with candied flowers.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Gold Leaf, Chartreuse Cream and Chocolate Sauce

Serves 8-10

For the cake:

100g (3½ozs) unsalted butter

120g (4ozs) dark chocolate, chopped into smallish chunks plus an extra chunk for decoration

3 organic free-range eggs, separated

100g (3½ozs) caster sugar

Pinch salt

Cocoa powder for dusting

Real gold leaf for decoration, available from art supply shops (optional)

For the chocolate sauce:

100g (3½ozs) dark chocolate (at least 66% cocoa solids) eg Valrhona 70%

1 dstsp water

2 dstsp cocoa

1 dstsp vanilla extract

For the cream:

280ml (9½ fl ozs) double cream

6 tsp caster sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

3-6 tsp chartreuse

1 x 16cm (6¼ inch) round and 6cm (2½ inch) deep cake tin

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 (no fan). Butter the sides of a 16cm (6¼ inch) round cake tin and place a round of baking parchment in the bottom.

Place the butter and chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl over a bowl of just simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl, until just melted.

Remove from the heat and let it rest in an area of the kitchen away from any draught, which will cause the chocolate to seize up.

Place the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a hand whisk) fitted with the whisk attachment.

Whisk on medium speed for 1 minute then add half of the caster sugar (reserving the other half for the egg whites) and beat until light and fluffy. This will take a few minutes.

Scrape the yolk and sugar mixture into the chocolate and fold together gently. It will be swirled, which is what you want. Don’t be tempted to over-mix at this stage.

In a clean, dry bowl, start whisking the egg whites in the same manner as above. Once the sugar has been added, whip up to almost stiff peaks.

This will also take a few minutes. Fold this into the chocolate mixture and transfer to the prepared cake tin.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the top of the cake rises up, cracks slightly, and feels firm to the touch yet with a wobble. The skewer test does not work with this cake, because it wants to be quite wet inside when it is done. Overbaking it will only dry it out. Let cool in the tin. The cake will sink quite a lot, which is what you want. Run a knife around the edge and place a plate on top of the cake before inverting it. Remove the tin and peel back the parchment paper before placing the cake on your desired cake stand or serving dish.

Turn the kettle on and boil some water. Place your extra little piece of chocolate in a ramekin or small heat-proof dish. Fill a slightly bigger bowl with about 2 cm (3/4 inch) of boiling water and place the dish with the chocolate inside that. This is an easy way to melt a small amount of chocolate without burning it. Dust the cake with a little cocoa powder, scoop the melted chocolate into a little button on the top of the cake and let it cool and firm up. Take a piece of gold leaf the same size as your drop of chocolate and rub onto it or delicately lift it off of its paper and place on the chocolate. Use an art brush or pastry brush.

For the chocolate sauce: Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water. Whisk in the cocoa, water and vanilla.

For the chartreuse cream: Lightly whisk the cream and add all the other ingredients. Stop whisking before you think it is done, as it will get a little thicker as it sits. Keep soft.

To serve: Drizzle a little sauce and place a piece of cake on top of that and add a dollop of cream alongside.

Foolproof food

Butter and Radish Sandwiches with Sea Salt

Very much like cucumber sandwiches, but with that little bite that radishes have. If you can get really fresh bunches from your farmer’s market with dark green stems intact, use the greens in your sandwiches as well. When they are young, the greens have a wonderful flavour of their own.

Serves 6-8

2-3 bunches of the freshest baby radishes you can find

Fresh unsalted butter, softened

Sea salt, such as Maldon

Small loaf of sliced white bread

Undo the radish bunches, put them in a bowl and cover with cold water. The sandy dirt will sink to the bottom and the cold water perks up the leaves if you are using them. Set aside.

Lay out your slices of bread and spread a nice even layer of butter on each.

Remove the radishes from the water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Cut off the greens and either set aside or discard. Slice the radishes into thin discs.

Arrange the radishes, slightly overlapping on half of the bread slices.

Sprinkle with salt. Lay a couple of green leaves on each slice (if using), then place the remaining buttered slices of bread on top to form the sandwiches.

Cut the crusts off with a serrated knife and cut each sandwich into three strips. Serve immediately.