Tis' the Season to be Jolly

So as you may have noticed I have been missing now for a little while. Between preparing for my impending nuptials on January 4th and getting ready for Christmas 'e-ddoesit' has had to take a little bit of a back seat for a while much to my dismay. I feel I may have underestimated the work involved in preparing for the big day! Needless to say I am making my own wedding cake and so look forward to sharing all the details early in the New Year.

 Although I am baking and cooking away, getting creative with décor and favours has been a priority over the last few weeks. Planning a wedding and all that goes with it has been such an exciting and creative time for me, and frankly I'm a little concerned about what I will busy myself with when it's all over! 

Today I was so excited to put up the Christmas decorations and once again transform my apartment into a winter wonderland or 'Grotto' so to speak. A busy day spent hand making Christmas cards for my nearest and dearest, another Christmas tradition which I grown to love. After a delicious dinner and a few glasses of red wine, it's time to settle down with one of my favourite Christmas movies 'Home Alone' and my favourite person...Molly. The countdown is on 24 days 'til Christmas and 33 days 'til we say 'I do'. A big thank you to all my readers for continued support despite the lack of new posts recently. Really looking forward to getting back to 'e-ddoesit' after this very exciting chapter in my life. Happy December all! x

           

Engagement Celebration Biscuits

The excitement when someone close to you gets engaged in infectious. It's uplifting to see someone so elated and fun to plan and think about all the exciting things that lie ahead. Last weekend I received a heart warming text from a friend sharing those great words 'We got engaged' and it really lifted my spirits. Once I got over the initial excitement of it all I was keen to make something memorable in the kitchen to mark the special occasion. I toyed with the idea of intricately decorated cupcakes or a masterpiece of a cake, but given that whatever tasty treat I was going to conjure up would be brought to work on Monday I reckoned I should make something simple that people wouldn't feel too guilty about eating after the weekend! I settled for this delicious sugar cookie recipe which is one of my favourite biscuits of all time. Lighter than shortbread, with a fantastic texture, these biscuits really have it all. I opted for single hearts, double hearts and the all important engagement ring.

Engagement Celebration Biscuits

Ingredients                                                                  

200g butter at room temperature                                

280g sugar                                                                   

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract                                          

1 egg                                                                              

400g plain flour

a pinch of salt

Method 

1. Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a free-standing electric mixer and cream until light 

    and fluffy (You can also use a handheld whisk). 

2. Add the egg and mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl intermittently to ensure all the ingredients

    are incorporated well. 

3. Add the flour and salt, mixing well. The dough should look light, feel soft and be easy to handle.

    Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out the dough using a rolling pin. Cut out the shapes of 

    your choice ( I chose these heart and engagement rings). Place the cookies on a well greased or 

    lined baking tray (you will need at least two large trays) and using the individual stamps, firmly 

    press the desired letters into the dough. Bake for 10 minutes at 170C.  

4. The cookies should be very light golden on the outer edges and paler in the centre. Once cooked 

    remove the cookies from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

E-D's Notes

- This type of rubber stamp set can be picked up in any good craft

   shop or online. Both Amazon and Etsy sell similar products. This      pack cost me €11.50 in a local art shop. Stamps are a great way

   of personalizing your bake and can of be used similarly to print 

   into fondant icing.

- Removing the biscuits from the tray as quickly as possible will 

  prevent breakages as the biscuits begin to harden.

- The engagement ring cutter was bought in STOCK in Dublin's 

  city centre but is also available here online.

Zebra Print Cake

One of my good friends recently turned 30 and to celebrate I decided to put together this bright, vibrant and funky cake to mark the special occasion  I've always loved the combination of pink and green and the zebra print tier sets this cake off nicely, giving it a really fun and girly feel. All off the decoration was done by layering different shapes and colours of fondant including the fondant bow on top. The cake is made up of two tiers, the bottom tier a 9 inch square cake, topped with a 6 inch cake. Again I opted for a simple lemon Madeira base and sandwiched the cakes together using a delicious zesty lemon buttercream. The colours were achieved using Americolor gel food colourings, with the exception of the black which was bought pre-coloured from Decobake.

Ingredients (for a 9 inch square cake)

For the cake

450g sugar

450g butter

680g self-raising flour

8 eggs (beaten)

3 lemons (juice and zest)

For the lemon buttercream icing

240g butter

500g icing sugar

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Method

For the cake

1. Beat together the sugar and butter until pale and creamy.

2. Add the beaten egg a little at a time.

3. Add the lemon juice and zest of 2 lemons and mix well.

4. Finally fold in the flour and mix gently until all the ingredients are combined.

5. Spoon the mixture into the lined tins and cook in the centre of the oven for 40-50 minutes at 
    180C. To check the cake is ready, dip a sharp knife into the centre of the cake and continue 
    to cook until the knife comes out clean.

For the icing

Mix all ingredients together using a handheld mixer until light and fluffy.

Assembly

Once the cakes have cooled slightly, using a sharp knife and cut each cake in half lengthways. Then spread the bottom half with buttercream before reassembling the cake and sandwiching the two halves back together. Then cover the outside of each cake with the remaining buttercream. Roll out the fondant to size and gently place over the cake, cutting away any excess icing.

E-D's Notes
- Knowing how much fondant to use can be very difficult at the best of times. Rolling fondant out 
  to the right size is an art in itself and I always use a ruler to measure the sides and top of the 
  cake to know the exact diameter or width I need to roll the dough out to.
- Below is a table of the cakes used in this recipe and how much fondant was required for the 
  basic covering (not the extra decorative pieces).

Shape	Height	Size	Amount of fondant needed
Square	3 inches	6 inches	600g
		9 inches	1200g

     





         Wilton also have a great page outlining different cake sizes and the amount of fondant  
  required for different shapes and sizes. Check it out here. 

Lemon Drizzle Funfetti Cake

So I have been in hiding for the last little while, spending time with family and getting some wedding things done and dusted. Finding time to squeeze my blog into my day was becoming impossible and I always feel I should avoid blogging for the sake of blogging. But I'm back with a bag and though I haven't been sharing I have as usual been baking and creating here and there. 'E-D Does It' officially celebrated it's 1st Birthday last week and I made a simple and tasty 'Funfetti Cake' to celebrate. A funfetti cake is an easy but fun cake to make and simply involves the addition of sprinkles to the cake mixture before baking which give the cake a colourful and interesting inside. This technique can be used with any type of cake mixture but I decided to opt for a deliciously zesty lemon drizzle cake.

Lemon Drizzle Funfetti Cake

Ingredients
For the cake
225g butter
225g sugar
225g self-raising flour
4 eggs beaten
Zest & Juice of 1 large lemon
Sprinkles
Fondant Icing Stars for decoration

For the drizzle
Juice of 1 lemon
65g sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line the base of an 8 inch round tin. 
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
3. Next add the beaten egg a little at the time, alternatively with the lemon juice.
4. At this point at the sprinkles to the mixture along with any desired food colouring and  
    mix thoroughly until well dispersed.
5. Finally fold in the flour and lemon rind gently.Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and place 
    in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and springy to touch.

Meanwhile whilst the cake is cooling in the tin, mix the sugar and lemon juice together. Pierce the cake in various spots gently with a fork. Pour the lemon sugar mixture over the cake allowing the liquid to be absorbed into the cake.

E-D's Notes
- I opted to decorate my cake with some coloured fondant which I had left over from a cake 
  venture. Fondant is an easy and inexpensive way of brightening up an otherwise plain looking 
  cake.
- The above quantities for the drizzle may be increased or doubled if you wish to serve extra 
  drizzle as an option for guests to pour over their individual slices of cake.

Chocolate Shortbread Stars

Following a little Summer siesta, I am back this evening after a busy stint in my kitchen. I arrived home this evening with a craving for something sweet. I whipped up my super easy Raspberry Crumble and put it in the oven. As I had the food processor out I decided to throw together a batch of these chocolate shortbread stars to lighten the mood in work tomorrow in preparation for the Bank Holiday Buzz! These biscuits have all the great features of regular shortbread with the added kick of chocolate. I opted for stars, but of course hearts and rounds would work just as well. Sprinkle with icing sugar to decorate, a cosmic combination. What's not to love! 

Ingredients
150g plain flour
50g light brown sugar
115g butter (diced)
2 tsp. cinnamon (extra or less depending on your love of cinnamon 
2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 egg yolk

Method
1.  Preheat oven to 180°C and have two baking trays ready, brush with oil or grease with butter.
2. Put flour, sugar, butter, cocoa and cinnamon into food processor and mix until it looks like 
    breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and form into a dough ball.
3. Wrap in cling film and put in fridge for 1 hour.
4. Knead dough and roll out to 1cm thick. Cut out shapes using a cutter of your choice. 
7. Place on the baking tray and cook for 8 minutes or until golden brown.

E-D's Notes
- If your in a hurry or impatient like myself you can put the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes instead 
  of the fridge for an hour!
- Once removed from the oven, allow the biscuits to cool for 1-2 minutes and then move them 
  slightly so they do not stick to the tray.

Cactus Jacks Dublin

Cactus Jacks has been around now for as long as I can remember, and if in need of  a great value lunch in the vicinity of the Henry Street area in Dublin, it's always somewhere worth a visit.  Newly renovated and refurbished and looking refreshingly bright and trendy, the new décor is a welcome change to compliment the attractive prices on the Cactus Jack’s menu. 

Located in the hustle and bustle of the ‘Italian Quarter’ on Millennium Walkway just off the Quays, Cactus Jack’s is ideally located in close proximity to both Temple Bar and Henry Street.  The new décor is fun and quirky and the place feels brighter, trendier and a lot more spacious.

The staff in Cactus Jacks are always really helpful, pleasant and helpful and welcome questions and queries about the menu. The service is efficient without that awful feeling that your plate could be swiped from you at any moment. On one of my recent visits whilst sitting outside the waiter even brought a dish of water out for our dog as it was really hot, incredibly thoughtful and above and beyond what you would expect from any restaurant.

The menu itself is varied with something for everyone and various lunch and early bird deals which boast incredible value given the quantity and quality of the food. If going for the early bird option I recommend you go hungry as you will leave stuffed. There is a lot of food, and you will be reluctant to leave any behind as everything is really delicious. Don’t feel pressurised though, on countless occasions the staff have been good enough to wrap up the remnants of my meal to bring home!

As the ultimate dessert cones-suer this part of the meal in Cactus never blows me away. The Tequila Lime Cheesecake is tasty, but doesn't pack the punch that it could. That said the starter and main course more than make up for the somewhat underwhelming dessert choices and by the time I get dessert I usually already had to open the top button on my jeans.

All in all Cactus Jacks is a great spot for a gang of gals or guys to catch up and fill up, great with family or as a romantic dinner date for two. The menus are great, as is the service and they must be doing something right as 6 years after my first visit, I’m still coming back for more.

E-D’s Notes

- Early Bird Menu - 3 courses for €19.95

- Lunch Menu - 3 Tapas or 2 courses for €10

- Cactus Jacks also have a Galway Restaurant located on Druid Lane, Quay Street.

- For more information and to have a look at the full menu check out www.cactusjacks.ie

Condensed Milk Chocolate Cookies

The sun may have been hiding behind a cloud or four today, but the heat is still in the air and I am over the moon that this warm and sunny weather is set to continue. It's a welcome change and means lots of time spent catching some rays on the somewhat burnt grass outside. I had a busy weekend between courses and cakes and somehow managed to squeeze a batch of these delicious biscuits in last night before bed.

Tonight's recipe incorporates one of my all time favourite ingredients, condensed milk! I have a love hate relationship with condensed milk as I have absolutely no self-control for the stuff and end up eating disturbing amounts with a spoon from the can when it's left over after this recipe or that. The steep price tag used to deter me a little from buying condensed milk, but now that Aldi are selling it for little or nothing, I'm doomed!

Ingredients
180g butter
65g sugar
165g self-raising flour
150g milk chocolate (chopped)
200g condensed milk

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line 3 two trays with baking parchment.
2. Beat together the butter and sugar using a handheld or free-standing mixer until light and  
    fluffy. 
3. Next mix in the condensed milk and continue to beat until well incorporated. Add the flour 
    and mix on a low speed. Finally mix in the chocolate chips until well dispersed. 
4. Roll tablespoons of dough and place on baking trays, flattening slightly. Bake for 15 minutes 
    or until golden 

E-D's Notes
- This recipe will yield about 18 large cookies, so if you preparing for a big group double the 
  recipe.
- Though I used milk chocolate for the chips, feel free to mix things up and add a little white 
  chocolate or dark chocolate if you prefer.