Afternoon Tea at the Cutter & Squidge Bakery E-Book

Emily Lui

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

Cutter & Squidge is the ultimate destination for modern and quirky afternoon tea in London. Here, they share their winning formula in over 65 recipes for playful, delicious treats. When sisters Annabel and Emily were looking to make their mark on London's pastry scene and developing recipes in their tiny kitchen, Annabel would cut the dough and Emily squidged it together – and that is how Cutter & Squidge was born! The sisters set out on a mission to create a baking business using only natural colours and flavourings and pioneering the creation of imaginative new treats. Customers now flock to their flagship store in London to sample their cool creations and indulge in their immersive afternoon tea experiences, with themes such as Hello Kitty, Genie's Cave and The Potion Room. The recipes shared in this book include everything from fantasy-themed Clam-shell Pearl Biskies, Galaxy Juice and Genie's Magic Carpet Cookies, to re-imagined classics like Strawberries and Cream Biskies, Smoked Cheese and Black Pepper Scones, Pineapple Chilli and Lime Cake Bars and Maple, Pecan and Carrot Dreamcake, all made achievable for the home cook. Readers can use the themed afternoon tea menus provided or mix and match the recipes to create their own Cutter & Squidge afternoon tea of dreams!

Leseprobe

AFTERNOON TEA

AT THE

cutter & squidge

BAKERY

AFTERNOON TEA

AT THE

cutter & squidge

BAKERY

DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR DREAM CAKES, BISKIES, SAVOURIES & MORE

ANNABEL LUI & EMILY LUI

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLARE WINFIELD

DEDICATION

To Coco, our mascot, you were smart, sassy and determined; all the essential female qualities.

To our family and loved ones who have all been supportive, patient and understanding, enabling us to create and grow Cutter & Squidge into what it is today, and what it will be in the future.

Senior Designer Megan Smith

Commissioning Editor Alice Sambrook

Production David Hearn

Art Director Leslie Harrington

Editorial Director Julia Charles

Publisher Cindy Richards

Food Stylist Tamara Vos

Prop Stylist Alexander Breeze

Illustration Rebecca Rank

Indexer Hilary Bird

First published in 2019 by

Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 East 116th Street

New York, NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All photography by Clare Winfield except page 7 by Richard Fairclough.

Text © Annabel Lui and Emily Lui 2019

Design and photographs

© Ryland Peters & Small 2019

Printed and bound in China.

The authors’ moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

eISBN: 978-1-78879-256-1 ISBN: 978-1-78879-158-8

CIP data from the Library of Congress has been applied for. A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

COOK’S NOTES

• Both British (metric) and American (Imperial plus US cups) measurements are included in these recipes; however, it is important to work with one set of measurements and not alternate between the two within a recipe.

• All eggs are medium (UK) or large (US), unless otherwise specified.

• For best results, all eggs should be used at room temperature. We have included this information in some recipes where it is vital as a helpful reminder.

• When a recipe calls for the grated zest of citrus fruit, buy unwaxed fruit and wash well before use. If you can only find treated fruit, scrub well in warm soapy water and rinse before using.

• For the best flavour, we recommend using vanilla bean paste, but if you can’t find this, then use the same quantity of vanilla extract instead.

contents

Introduction

Signature afternoon tea

Fantasy afternoon tea

Classic British afternoon tea

The orient afternoon tea

Americana afternoon tea

Afternoon tea menus

Index

Acknowledgements

introduction

Writing this book has been both a trip down memory lane, revisiting some of our favourite flavour combinations from over the years, and an exciting opportunity for us to create some completely new, delicious bakes, just for you.

We were first inspired to create Cutter & Squidge after feeling perplexed that the baking world insisted on using bottled food colourings and synthetic flavourings, and wondering why everyone made the same products. We realized that there might be a gap in the market for something different, and from that day, our mission became to create something new that would satisfy both of our cravings. For Annabel – chewy brownies, crunchy, crisp biscuits and soft cookies, and for Emily – cake – any cake! The biskie was then born – two chewy cookie-cake hybrids sandwiching a light, moussey buttercream packed with delicious flavours. Our name also came from the creation of the biskie, when one of us would cut out the dough and the other would squidge it together!

We spent an initial 10 months developing our first recipes to get them just right. Using natural ingredients has always been important to us; in our minds, if we are making something in a particular flavour, then it should actually contain that ingredient rather than an artificial version. We like to celebrate natural beauty, and to us, there is nothing more beautiful than natural colours. We wanted to share with you how easy it is to create an amazing array of colours using natural ingredients, so turn to page 8 to read more about this.

Our repertoire of recipes is a reflection of our oriental heritage mixed with our family’s passion for classic British and French baking. Our father was locally famous for his lemon meringue pies, apple pies and melt-in-the-mouth choux profiteroles – he still makes them now for family gatherings and we LOVE them. The crazy work ethic that our parents instilled in us provided us with the energy and focus to take the first Cutter & Squidge biskie from a Saturday food market at Duke of York Square in Chelsea, to Selfridges and Harrods, to opening a pop-up store, to our first permanent store and café on Brewer Street, Soho, and a second store in the City of London. It has been quite a journey, and as we have grown Cutter & Squidge, we have been lucky enough to work with some amazingly creative and like-minded people, who are also passionate about delicious, all-natural products.

Our Soho store is where we first launched our famous afternoon teas. These began with our signature afternoon tea served in Chinese steam baskets; then came an exciting collaboration with Sanrio to host the first Hello Kitty food concept in Europe – Hello Kitty’s Secret Garden Afternoon Tea. We then created a jewel-encrusted, glittering genie’s cave from the Aladdin fairy tale for our Genie’s Cave Afternoon Tea. After this, a castle dungeon became the setting for our immersive Potion Room Afternoon Tea, complete with a potions master teacher, magical bakes and drinkable potions.

Our afternoon teas give us the opportunity to push our creativity and to create exciting, unique bakes in addition to our staple biskies and dream cakes, and this book enables us to share our favourites with you. We want you to have fun making, sharing and eating the recipes in this book! They range from easy cookies, traybakes and pastries to the slightly trickier layer cakes and our signature biskies. Everything has been written to help you achieve the best results at home – we started Cutter & Squidge from our home kitchen, so it makes sense that you can create our bakes from yours! We have split the book into themes, but we encourage you to mix and match any recipes that catch your imagination to create your own unique and delicious afternoon tea.

natural food colourings

Bottled food colourings often leave an unpleasant aftertaste and the chemicals may not be very healthy, either. We have found that we can achieve a stunning rainbow of colours using plant-based ingredients, many of which are now readily available in supermarkets or health food stores. They generally won’t be as bright as E-number-based colourings, instead they give the natural hues you see throughout this book.

Below are some tips to remember when using natural colourings and a rundown of some of the key ingredients:

1. We usually mix powders with a little water to make a paste before adding to recipes, as this gives a stronger colour.

2. Some natural food colours are not ‘bake stable’, which means that at high temperatures they turn brown or dull. We mostly keep our sponges natural and save the colours for decoration.

3. Due to the natural chemicals in berries, they react to pH levels. If you add lemon juice (acid) to raspberry it will turn pinker. If you add bicarbonate of soda/baking soda (alkaline) it will turn blue-green.

TURMERIC (YELLOW) A root spice with an astringent taste, you’ll be able to taste it if you use too much. Use sparingly as the colour of turmeric develops over time.

CARROT (ORANGE) This must be hydrated with water before use. It will give you a lovely orange hue and can be mixed with turmeric or beetroot/beet powder to make peach or coral. It adds little flavour.

STRAWBERRY (RED) This gives an intense strawberry milkshake colour and a nice, almost sharp, strawberry flavour which balances out sweetness.

RASPBERRY (FUCHSIA PINK) Raspberry powder mixed with a little water will give an intense pink or a paler pink if mixed with buttercream. Its sharp, fruity flavour also helps to balance sweetness.

BEETROOT (RED/PINK) Gives a deep pink/red colour, which leaves little taste. We also bake this in our Red Velvet Cup Cakes and Pink Thumbprint Cookies.

BLUEBERRY (PURPLE) Blueberry powder creates a pretty lilac/purple colour (without much taste), which is stronger when added to light/white buttercream.

GREEN SPIRULINA (FOREST/MINT GREEN) Gives a dark forest green or a cool mint green when added to white. It can taste like seaweed if you add too much.

MATCHA (GREEN) A ground Japanese green tea that gives a vibrant green colour to buttercream or a darker colour and a unique flavour to cookies or cake.

BLUE SPIRULINA (BLUE) Part of the algae family, this makes everything from electric blue to baby blue. It tastes a little, but is hidden with a dash of vanilla.

CINNAMON (LIGHT BROWN) Gives a light toffee brown colour but also a strong flavour, so use accordingly.

ACTIVATED CHARCOAL (GREY/BLACK) Can colour anything black or any shade of grey. It is relatively tasteless.

COCOA (BROWN) Used sparingly, this can give a light brown colour, but will taste more chocolatey the more you add.

BASIC RECIPES

SPONGES

Our fluffy but moist sponge recipes are based on a traditional recipe from the north of England. You can swap the vanilla bean paste for lemon zest or almond extract for a flavour variation.

vanilla cake batter

15-CM/6-INCH CAKE

175 g/1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened

175 g/¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons caster/granulated sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

240 g/1¾ cups plain/all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

85 ml/⅓ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C (350°F) Gas 4.

Put the softened butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla paste in a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour and the baking powder and mix with a hand-held electric whisk (or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), starting at a slow speed and then progressing to medium, for about 1 minute until well combined, scraping down the bowl a couple of times.

In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda/baking soda together until foamy and quickly add to the cake batter. Mix at a medium-high speed until combined; do not overmix or the sponge will be tough.

Divide the cake batter into the pans specified in the recipe and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes for three pans or 30–35 minutes for two pans until golden and springy to the touch.

20-CM/8-INCH CAKE

250 g/2¼ sticks unsalted butter, softened

250 g/1¼ cups caster/granulated sugar

6 eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

340 g/2½ cups plain/all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

120 ml/½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C (350°F) Gas 4.

Put the softened butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla paste in a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour and the baking powder and mix with a hand-held electric whisk (or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), starting at a slow speed and then progressing to medium, for about 1 minute until well combined, scraping down the bowl a couple of times.

In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda/baking soda together until foamy and quickly add to the cake batter. Mix at a medium-high speed until combined; do not overmix or the sponge will be tough.

Divide the cake batter into the pans specified in the recipe and bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes for three pans or 35–40 minutes for two pans until golden and springy to the touch.

chocolate cake batter

15-CM/6-INCH CAKE

175 g/1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened

175 g/¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons caster/granulated sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

200 g/1½ cups plain/all-purpose flour

40 g/½ cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

85 ml/⅓ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C (350°F) Gas 4.

Put the softened butter, sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix with a hand-held electric whisk (or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), starting slow and then at a medium speed, for about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.

In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda/baking soda together until foamy and quickly add to the cake batter. Mix at a medium-high speed until combined; do not overmix or the sponge will be tough.

Divide the cake batter into the pans specified in the recipe and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes for three pans or 30–35 minutes for two pans until springy to the touch.

20-CM/8-INCH CAKE

250 g/2¼ sticks unsalted butter, softened

250 g/1¼ cups caster/granulated sugar

6 eggs, at room temperature

265 g/2 cups plain/all-purpose flour

75 g/¾ cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

120 ml/½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C (350°F) Gas 4.

Put the softened butter, sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix with a hand-held electric whisk (or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), starting slow and then at a medium speed, for about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.

In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda/baking soda together until foamy and quickly add to the cake batter. Mix at a medium-high speed until combined; do not overmix or the sponge will be tough.

Divide the cake batter into the pans specified in the recipe and bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes for three pans or 35–40 minutes for two pans until springy to the touch.

CRUMBS

These crumbs are little pebbles of magic, they have multiple uses in our recipes and provide a great texture to elevate your bakes. You can leave them out, but the results just won’t be the same! If a recipe calls for a smaller amount, you can halve the ingredients or save the rest for another recipe.

digestive

125 g/1⅛ sticks unsalted butter, melted

250 g/1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons plain/all-purpose flour

60 g/⅓ cup minus 1 teaspoon caster/granulated sugar

60 g/⅓ cup minus 1 teaspoon soft light brown sugar

2½ teaspoons salt

MAKES ABOUT 450 G/16 OZ.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C (375°F) Gas 5.

Mix together all the ingredients by hand in a bowl until resembling fine breadcrumbs. Tip onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof baking parchment and bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes until lightly golden. Fork through the mixture as it cools to create fine crumbs.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

chocolate

100 g/1 stick minus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

120 g/1 cup minus 1½ tablespoons plain/all-purpose flour

110 g/½ cup plus 1 tablespoon caster/granulated sugar

70 g/scant ¾ cup cornflour/cornstarch

50 g/½ cup cocoa powder

MAKES ABOUT 450 G/16 OZ.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C (350°F) Gas 4.

Mix together all the ingredients by hand in a bowl until resembling fine breadcrumbs. Tip onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof baking parchment and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until pale but cooked. Fork through the mixture as it cools to create fine crumbs.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

vanilla

100 g/1 stick minus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

170 g/1¼ cups plain/all-purpose flour

110 g/½ cup plus 1 tablespoon caster/granulated sugar

70 g/¾ cup cornflour/cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

MAKES ABOUT 450 G/16 OZ.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C (350°F) Gas 4.

Mix together all the ingredients by hand in a bowl until resembling fine breadcrumbs. Tip onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof baking parchment and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until pale but cooked. Fork through the mixture as it cools to create fine crumbs.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

PASTRY

Our pastry recipes are super simple and don’t take much effort. Puff pastry can be scary but our vegan rough puff pastry is a must try for all vegans and non-vegans alike; the coconut oil gives a crisp, light pastry which tastes divine.

sweet shortcrust

270 g/2 cups plain/all-purpose flour

90 g/scant ½ cup caster/granulated sugar

120 g/1⅛ sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 UK large/US extra-large egg

MAKES ABOUT 600 G/21 OZ.

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. Rub in the cold cubed butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Stir in the egg and bring the mixture together into a dough. Form into a ball with your hands, then wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

After resting, use the pastry according to the recipe. Your pastry may be too firm to roll out straight from the fridge, so leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes to warm and soften slightly before using.

rough puff

125 g/1 cup minus 1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

125 g/1⅛ sticks room temperature unsalted butter (not too soft), cubed

75 ml/⅓ cup cold water

MAKES ABOUT 350 G/12 OZ.

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix together. Roughly rub the butter into the flour, stopping when there are still large butterbean-sized lumps of butter visible.

Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add about three quarters of the cold water. Mix to bring the dough together, only adding the remaining water if needed. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Remove the wrapping and gently knead through; you will see marbling from the lumps of butter. Pat the dough into a rectangular shape. Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin and place the dough with the short side nearest you. Roll the pastry out in one direction (without turning) until it is approx. 20 x 5-cm/8 x 2-inches. Fold the top third inwards, then the bottom third over the top of this (this is called laminating or creating the flaky layers). Give the pastry a quarter turn, then repeat the rolling and folding. Repeat the quarter turn, rolling and folding once more. Your pastry is now ready to use. Wrap and refrigerate if not using immediately or if it has become sticky.

vegan rough puff

125 g/1 cup minus 1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

100 g/3½ oz. coconut oil, at room temperature (but not too soft), roughly cut up

75 ml/⅓ cup cold water

MAKES ABOUT 350 G/12 OZ.

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix together. Roughly rub the coconut oil into the flour, stopping when there are still large pea/bean-sized lumps of coconut oil visible.

Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add about three quarters of the cold water. Mix to bring the dough together, only adding the remaining water if needed. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.