Cake carriers -a review

Cake tins are all very well but while they are great for storing cakes, they aren't much use for carrying them, unless you're just putting a cake tin straight in the boot of car. And even then, you're limited on the size of the cake, or if you're transporting frosted cupcakes, which can't be stacked on top of each other, you can usually only get half a dozen in a cake tin. I don't know how long 'proper' cake carriers have been around, but to me they are a Godsend. When I transport cakes it is almost always on the train - either into work, or to see my friends or family - and I also have to walk to the station. So I need a cake box with a handle that is easy and comfortable to carry, and will keep my cake or cupcakes upright and safe. I have invested in a few cake carry cases over the past couple of years so thought I would share them with you.

Square Cake Carrier

Description: A square cake carrier with long clips along two of the sides to fasten the lid to the base. Inside there is a removable slatted plastic base that sits on the actual base of the box, to provide a non-slip surface. I sometimes take this out if the cake is already on a cake board.

Dimensions: About 11 inches square and 7 inches high.

I got it from: I think it was from Lakeland, though it was several years ago so I can't remember, and I can't find this exact one on their website. However when I bought it, I remember thinking there weren't many of these around, and Lakeland is usually ahead of the curve when it comes to baking innovations!

Price: I think it cost either £30 or £40 - it did seem a little expensive but as I said, there weren't many places that stocked this kind of thing - now you can find all sorts of cake carry cases online of different prices. I still think what I paid was a bargain given how much use I've gotten out of this.

Advantages: Big enough for a decent sized cake but small enough to fit on my lap when I'm sitting on the train. The non-slip base means the cake doesn't slide around unless you really tip the box. The carrying handle is comfortable and it's easy to carry this and keep the cake flat.

Disadvantages: If you use this for cupcakes there is nothing to stop them from falling over; otherwise I can't fault it.

Three-tier cupcake carrier

Description: A very large three-tier carry case for cupcakes. Each layer has deep muffin-sized holders and takes 12 cupcakes per layer, so 36 in total. You could also remove the cupcake trays and use this to transport a very tall cake.

Dimensions: About 14 inches long, 11 inches wide, 10 inches high.

I got it from: Back in October 2010, I heard about a cafe that was running a bake sale and allowing amateurs to sign up and sell their wares in the cafe. I was raising money to go out to Africa with the Bobby Moore Fund for a school building project, and thought this would be a good way to make some extra cash for the charity. I turned up at the cafe with the above cake box filled with cupcakes, as that was all I could carry on the tube, and spotted a girl with one of these three-tier cupcake carriers (and a couple more boxes besides, that she had roped in one of her friends to carry). I approached her to ask where she had got the three-tier carrier, we hit it off and one thing led to another... and a few months later, Alphabakes was born. Yes folks, the girl in question was Ros of The More Than Occasional Baker, and that's how we met and became friends. I also became good friends with the guy who had helped carry her cakes, but that's another story. Anyway, right after meeting Ros and realising how useful this type of cake carrier would be, I went online to buy one for myself.

Price: £40 - you can now get them for £35 but you still have to pay postage. 

Advantages: A brilliant way to carry cupcakes; they sit separately from each other and the holes are deep enough that they won't fall over. You can carry 36 which is more than enough and it's good having a box of this height if you want to transport a taller cake.

Disadvantages: The box is pretty bulky and when it's full can be very heavy; it's also a bit difficult to manoeuvre on a packed train as it's far too big to go on your lap or under a seat. It also takes up a lot of storage space at home - I've since come across cupcake carry cases that are collapsible. I don't know if they are quite as good and they don't transport as many, but if space at home is at a premium that might be a better idea. The cupcake indentations are so deep it can be a little hard sometimes to remove the cupcakes without smudging the icing.

Small Oblong Cake Carry Case

 Description: A small oblong carry case with a simple plastic base and see-through lid.

Dimensions: 12 inches long, 5 inches wide, 6 inches high

I got it from: it was a gift from my boyfriend's mum; I don't know where she got it from

Price: Don't know

Advantages: It's small and so easy to store and easy to carry. It's big enough for about eight cupcakes or a loaf-tin cake.

Disadvantages: If you use it for cupcakes there's nothing to stop them sliding around or tipping over. The small size also plays against it in that it's actually harder to keep this flat when you are walking along.

Large Oblong Cupcake Carry Case

Description: A large oblong cupcake carry case with a removable reversable base, which has slightly raised edges to keep cupcakes in place. One side is marked out for 12 large cupcakes, the other side for 24 small cupcakes. You can also remove this and use it for a loaf-tin cake or any shape other than a round cake which would not fit.

Dimensions: 18 inches long, 12 inches wide, 4 inches high

I got it from: Asda Direct

Price: £6 plus postage - a real bargain

Advantages: It's a good in-between size, if the small oblong carrier is too small but you don't want to use the huge three-tier carrier.

Disadvantages: The length of the handle actually makes it harder to carry this flat when you are walking along - a shorter handle means you can only grip it in one place but a longer handle makes it easier to hold slightly off centre and the whole thing will tip. The raised edges that mark out each cupcake position are not high enough to actually hold the cupcakes in place or stop them falling over.

Individual Cupcake Holders

Description: A thick plastic case that clips together to hold one cupcake. It's a great way to take a cupcake into work or school for your lunch.

Dimensions: 3 inch diameter, 3 inches high

I got it from: Ebay

Price: £3.99 I think

Advantages: The perfect way to transport an individual cupcake; I like the colours they come in as well (I bought pink and purple). They are also easy to wash.

Disadvantages: They are big enough for quite large cupcakes so if you had a slightly smaller cake, it might move around inside the container and the icing could be spoiled - but generally these are very handy.

I'll update this post if I buy any more cake carriers - in the meantime, if you have one that you think is great, why not let everyone know?

Restaurant Review - Byron

Restaurant name: Byron
Location: Old Brompton Road, London
Description: Gourmet burger chain
Reason for visit: Dinner before going to the nearby Science Museum Lates one evening after work
I ate: One of their specials - I can't remember the name but it consisted of two 3oz burgers with double cheese, onions, burger sauce and in a potato bun, with fries. I also had a coke float - coke with a scoop of ice cream, which really takes me back to my childhood.
My companion ate: 6oz hamburger with American cheese and fries

The food was: Really tasty. I found my burger very filling and couldn't finish it; I thought that was because it was a double burger so was surprised when the waitress said it was two 3oz patties and their standard burger is one 6oz patty so exactly the same amount of meat! The potato bread bun tasted quite similar to normal bread but did start to fall apart while I was eating it.
The atmosphere/service was: Good, it's a nice casual chain and always a pleasure to visit
Price range/value for money: Good - a classic burger is £6.95 and a cheeseburger is £7.95. Fries are £2.95.
Would I recommend it? Yes, I've been here several times, they do a really good burger, there aren't too many choices or strange flavours on the menu so it's easy to choose and good for a quick meal before a show or when you haven't got a lot of time but want to sit down somewhere nice.

Spanish Paella

 I was given some Spanish chorizo recently by a relative of my boyfriend's who came over from Gibraltar, and decided to use it in an authentic paella. You can adjust the flavourings however you like, but this is what I used, to serve two:

2 chicken drumsticks

2 chicken thighs

150g chorizo, sliced

150g prawns

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/4 tsp dried red chilli flakes

250g rice

1 pint chicken stock

1 tsp paprika

125ml dry white wine

1/4 tsp saffron strands

oil for frying

To begin, fry the chicken drumsticks and thighs in a large frying pan, or if you have one a paella pan - I brought one back from a Spanish holiday a few years ago.

Add the onion, garlic and red pepper and fry.

Here's the chorizo I was given - for a real Spanish flavour

Add the sliced chorizo to the pan and fry. Add the paprika and chilli flakes to the pan and mix.

Spoon the rice into the pan and fry for a minute to allow it to absorb the flavours. Meanwhile mix the saffron strands with a little of the chicken stock and add to the pan. Keep adding the rest of the stock gradually until it has all been absorbed and the rice is tender.

When the paella is almost cooked, add the prawns and fresh thyme

Serve and enjoy

Slow Cooker (Crockpot) BBQ Chicken

I got a slow cooker (crockpot) for my birthday back in April and I've been enjoying trying out different dishes. I really like the fact that I can put it on in the morning and come home from work to find my dinner cooked. I have a slow cooker recipe a book (two now, in fact) but have also been looking online for recipes. I can't find where I got this recipe from any more but it's very straightforward.

To serve two, you need: 

4 chicken thighs (they shrink when slow cooked)

1 cup ketchup

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 pint chicken stock

Put the ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and soy sauce in the slow cooker

Add the chicken stock and mix

Add the chicken breasts - you don't need to brown them first.

The heat and timer settings will depend on your slow cooker; I have a setting called "keep warm" which cooks on high for 3-4 hours then keeps the food warm until you turn it off, so it's ideal for making when I am at work. I came home to beautifully tender chicken and a tasty sauce.

The chicken definitely shrinks when you cook it for this long and slow cookers are probably better for larger joints of meat but I still think this turned out well.

Serve with vegetables and mashed potato. If you want or have time, you can reduce the sauce in a saucepan and add a little cornflour to thicken it, and serve over the chicken.

I'm sending this to the slow cooker challenge, hosted by Janice at Farmersgirl Kitchen, as her theme this month is barbecue.

Restaurant Review - The Folly, Gracechurch Street, London

Restaurant name: The Folly
Location: Gracechurch Street, London
Description: City bar and restaurant with quirky decor - there was a pot of basil on our table like you might have a pot plant, there were big trees indoors in pots, a chintzy area, an area with angel wings and fake grass seats, a little deli/takeaway area at the back, and a huge downstairs space.
Reason for visit: Lunch with my boyfriend - it was half way between our offices before he changed jobs recently. I hadn't been there before and thought it looked interesting.

I ate: Maryland buttermilk chicken burger, £9.95 with fries -I chose it because my company's head office is based in Maryland and I love buttermilk fried chicken.
My companion ate: Cheese and bacon burger with fries.
The food was: Nice burger and really good chips, served with a little bowl of rock salt, but the piece of chicken in my burger wasn't very big. The chips were served in a terracotta flower pot which was cute.
The atmosphere/service was: I think the place is pretty busy in the evenings; it was fairly quiet at lunchtime so I was surprised given the number of empty tables that we were crammed into a small space between another couple at the next table and a pillar. We had to do a bit of shuffling and pulling the table out in order to be able to sit down, and then the waitress bumped me every time she walked past. The service itself was good though.

Price range/value for money: Really expensive for what it is. My boyfriend's burger was £8.95, which sounds reasonable, but the cheese and bacon were charged as extras, at £2.55, and the chips were £2.95, making nearly £15 for burger and chips. A burger, fries and drink each plus the 12.5% tip they added came to £40, which seemed a lot for not very much.
Would I recommend it? Not as a place to eat lunch - there are plenty of other options in this area where you get better value for money. I haven't been in the evening but I know people who do really like this as a bar.

Cat and Mouse Birthday Card

I'm not sure I like this card all that much but I thought I would share it anyway - maybe someone has a suggestion for how it could be improved. I used a little wooden cat and mouse, which are three-dimensional but flat on one side so you can stick them onto the card, and some cardboard button stickers. I also have a small cat hole punch which I used to punch cat shapes along the bottom of the card. I mounted the cat and mouse on a piece of spotty blue backing paper and added a 'happy birthday' outline. The only problem is that the size of the cat and mouse means this card isn't a standard price to post and counts as a 'large letter'!

Meal Planning 2013- Week 37

I wanted to post something today so I don't skip a week in numerical terms - this is week 37 and I will just get confused if I leave it out! But there is no meal plan this week as I'm on holiday in Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia. See you next week!

Restaurant Review - The Landor, Clapham

Restaurant name: The Landor
Location: Clapham, London
Description: Gastropub with its own theatre upstairs. It has a nice outdoor area partly under cover with leather sofas and wooden tables.
Reason for visit: Watching a play based on a novel by Sophie Kinsella at the Landor theatre and meeting Sophie at a book signing- so the obvious choice was to eat here as well.
I ate: Lamb burger topped with halloumi, £9.95
My companion ate: "Pasta of the day" - I forget what the actual dish was.
The food was: Really tasty - though it's worth pointing out that four of the seven items on the main course menu are burgers (the other items are steak, fish and chips and pasta or risotto of the day). I think there was a specials menu as well but there's not a huge amount of choice. That's not actually a bad thing as what this pub does serve, it does really well.
The atmosphere/service was: Very friendly, a nice relaxed pub and service was fast - we told them when we arrived that we only had an hour before the show and that was no problem.
Price range/value for money: Pretty good
Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely if you are going to the Landor Theatre (which I also recommend) - and even if you're not, it's a nice pub and the food is good.

Slimming World Chicken Korma

My boyfriend likes curry and it's easy to make a low fat version that is a lot healthier and cheaper than takeaway; I also like making us curry as it's a change from meat and potatoes. It's also a meal that we will both eat, but I can fill up on vegetables while he can have a naan bread.

This is a diet-friendly chicken korma from the Slimming World book Curry Heaven which I adapted slightly.
You need:
2 chicken breasts
half an onion, diced
Fry Light
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp crushed cardamom seeds
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp mild curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
200g tin chopped tomatoes
100ml chicken stock
3 tbsp. fat free natural yogurt

 

 

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and fry in Fry Light

 

Remove from the pan when cooked, then fry the onion and garlic and add the spices; fry for a couple of seconds then pour in the stock.

Add the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and tin of tomatoes and cook until reduced a little

Return the chicken to the pan and stir in the yogurt

Serve with rice and vegetables or a naan bread on the side. This is much better for you than using a jar of korma sauce!

Spicy Salmon with Watermelon Salsa

When I bought a big slice of watermelon recently I made several different recipes; this is the last one that I hadn't blogged about yet. The recipe comes from the Food Network; I adapted it slightly to fit the ingredients I had in the house.

Serves 1
salmon fillet
For the watermelon salsa, you need:
Half a small red onion, diced
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp sweetener
cubes of watermelon
chopped chives

For the salmon glaze:
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp paprika



Mix the ingredients for the salsa and marinate for about an hour.
Mix the ingredients for the glaze in a small pan and heat gently. Brush the marinade onto both sides of the salmon, place the salmon in a lightly oiled frying pan and pour the rest of the marinade over the top. Fry the salmon gently on both sides until cooked and serve with the salsa.

Salmon and Dill Quiche

I made this for a picnic I had with some friends during the summer - I don't normally like quiche, as I'm not keen on that much baked egg, but I found a recipe in an old copy of Weightwatchers magazine that used soft cheese as well as the egg. It turned out to be really nice - this was the first time I've made quiche but I would definitely make it again.

You need:

500g shortcrust pastry (though you won't use all of it)

small bunch of spring onions, chopped

100g smoked salmon, cut into strips

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

2 eggs

200g low fat soft cheese

You can make your own pastry but I didn't have much time before the picnic so used a packet of Jus-Rol.

Roll out the pastry and cover the base and sides of a cake tin. A loose-bottomed tin is easiest.

Line with greaseproof paper and fill with ceramic baking beans, or dry rice if you don't have baking beans. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for ten minutes.

Remove the paper and beans and leave to cool. Chop the salmon, spring onion and the dill.

Scatter the salmon, spring onions and dill over the pastry case.

In a bowl, mix the eggs and soft cheese and beat well.

Pour the mixture into the pastry case and sprinkle more dill on the top.

Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until set.

The quiche sliced easily and tasted delicious. It would be easy to change the flavours by using different ingredients, like asparagus or bacon, and the cheese mixed with the eggs gives a lovely flavour.

I'm entering this in Alphabakes, the blog challenge that I host along with Ros from The More Than Occasional Baker, as the letter we are baking with this month is Q.

Restaurant Review: Josephine's Filipino Restaurant, Charlotte Street, London

Restaurant name: Josephine's Filipino Restaurant

Location: Charlotte Street, London (off Tottenham Court Road)

Description: Small independent Filipino restaurant full of photos of famous people who have dined there

Reason for visit: A friend and I had been to a bloggers event round the corner and this seemed like a good place to have dinner.

stuffed crab

I ate:/my companion ate: We shared the dishes, and ordered stuffed crab - a crab shell filled with sauteed crab meat mixed with spices and topped with "wine and spicy sauce", £10.95; chicken adobo, a traditional Filipino dish with chunks of chicken in a "tangy South Sea sauce", £8.10; steamed vegetables, rice and chips.
The food was: The chicken was nice but neither of us liked the crab; there wasn't much of it and the sauce on top was very overpowering. It's a shame to say the dish I probably liked the most was the chips (which we had ordered as a cheap extra as we weren't sure how large the main courses would be).
The service/atmosphere was: We had a wobbly table and the waitress was very good about trying different things to even it out. To get to the toilets you had to go downstairs past the kitchens; I know space is at a premium but I prefer not to be wandering around in the workings of a restaurant when I want to use the bathroom.

chicken adobo

Price range/value for money: Most dishes were reasonable but the crab was expensive for what it was, I wouldn't really have called that a main course.
Would I recommend it? Not especially, unless you specifically want Filipino food as there aren't many restaurants specialising in that; otherwise there are so many restaurants in this area I would go somewhere else next time.

Meal Planning 2013 - Week 36

I ended up changing my menu a little last week so there are a few things I didn't make, which I've put on the meal plan for this week. I lost the pound last week that I had put on the week before which was good - though I'm on holiday next week so the diet will go out the window!

Monday
Breakfast yogurt
Lunch Chicken risotto
Dinner My choir rehearsals start again tonight so I'll take a sandwich and probably have some toast when I get home; the other half will go to his mum's.

Tuesday
Breakfast yogurt
Lunch sandwich
Dinner  crabcakes with sweet chilli sauce for me, (The no-waste meal planner p.34) chicken kievs for the Other Half

Wednesday
Breakfast cereal
Lunch leftover crab cakes with noodles
Dinner I've got a work night out to welcome new joiners (which I have to attend as I'm on the organising committee); the OH will go to his mum's as she goes on holiday tomorrow

Thursday I'm working from home today so will have a bit more time to cook
Breakfast boiled egg and toast
Lunch pasta
Dinner  slow cooked beef I planned for Sunday but didn't make (we ordered a pizza in the end!)

Friday
Breakfast yogurt
Lunch sandwich
Dinner Thai green curry with the leftover beef

Saturday
Brunch/lunch  probably a sandwich as I am then going to a birthday party - not sure what time I will be back
Dinner maybe takeaway depending on when I am back

Sunday
Breakfast cereal
Lunch stuffed jacket potatoes
Dinner Steak with macaroni cheese and bordelaise sauce from Galvin Cookbook de Luxe p.168

Alphabakes - September 2013

We're continuing to work our way through the alphabet for Alphabakes, and there aren't all that many letters left... X, Y and Z are still to come as well! But you're safe this month from the very end of the alphabet... though I'm sure this one will leave some people struggling for ideas as well.... hopefully you can all come up with something! The letter we are baking with this month is.....

Q

We've also got a fantastic prize on offer this month, for one entry picked at random (the more times you enter, the more chances you have to win!). 

The nice people at Hotel Chocolat have kindly offered me these salted caramel chocolate canapes to give away - perfect after dinner or as a treat with your coffee. The giveaway is only open to UK or US entrants, so if your location isn't obvious from your blog please let us know when you email in your entry.

Read on for a reminder of the rules - and if you haven't seen last month's roundup, where we were baking with the letter G, visit my co-host Ros over at The More Than Occasional Baker.

I am away for part of September so please bear with me if it takes a little longer to reply or if I do not see your Tweets. I'll be back in plenty of time before the end of the month to round up all of your entries.

1. Post your recipe on your blog and link it to The More than Occasional Baker andCaroline Makes, stating the relevant month's host. If you do not have a blog, email us a picture and a brief description of your entry which we will include in the round-up at the end of the month. 

2. You can use your own recipe or someone else's recipe. The recipe can be sweet, savoury or a mixture! Anything goes as long as the random letter is predominantly featured in the recipe as one of the main ingredients or flavours or in the name of the bake itself (i .e . not as a garnish , or using 'flour' for the letter F!) You can also republish old posts/recipes but you must include the information for this challenge as stated in these rules. 

3. Add the logo to your post and add 'alphabakes' as a label to your post. 

4. Email your entries to alphabakes@gmail.com by midnight (GMT) 25th of each month. Please include: 

• Your name (that you want included in the round up or we will use the name of your blog)
• Your blog post URL
• Recipe title
• Photo of recipe (to be included in the round up)

5. You can submit as many entries as you like.

6. You do not have to participate every month to join in.

7. You may submit your entry to other challenges as long as it complies with their rules.

8. If you use twitter, please use the tag #alphabakes and mention @bakingaddict and @Caroline_Makes. We will retweet all those that we see.

9. Have fun! :)