A Little Bit O Irish Bread!

“May your thoughts be as glad as shamrocks,

May your heart be as light as song,

May each day bring you bright, happy hours,

That stay with you all the year long."

Have a happy St Patrick’s Day my friends tomorrow!

I bring to you yet another famous product from that beautiful Emerald Isle – White Soda Bread, in honour of St Patrick’s Day tomorrow. I have made quite a few soda breads in my time but this recipe from Rachel Allen’s Bake has to be my favourite. Every recipe I have baked from this book of Rachel Allen’s, has turned out excellent without fail.

Soda bread is a quick bread using bicarbonate of soda for the leavening instead of yeast. The buttermilk reacts with the bicarbonate of soda causing little tiny little bubbles of carbon dioxide. However, this soda bread doesn’t keep as well as its cousin a typical white loaf made from yeast and its best eaten within two days or toasted thereafter smothered in butter!

Ballymaloe White Soda Bread – slightly adapted

Courtesy of Rachel Allen’s Bake.

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
450g (1 lb) plain flour

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 tsp Salt

350 - 425ml (12–15 fl oz) Buttermilk

Method

Preheat the oven to 230°C/fan 200°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in most of the buttermilk (leaving about 60ml in the measuring jug). Using one hand with your fingers outstretched like a claw, bring the flour and liquid together, adding more buttermilk if necessary. Do not knead the mixture or it will become heavy. The dough should be soft but not too wet and sticky.

When the dough comes together, turn onto a floured work surface and bring together a little more. Pat the dough into a roundabout 4cm deep and cut a deep cross in the top.

Place the dough onto a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 200°C/Fan 180°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and bake for a further 20 – 30 minutes. When ready, the loaf will sound slightly hollow when tapped on the base and be golden in colour.

Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.

Lastly, sit back, relax, and sink your teeth into a slice of divine Irish Soda Bread spread with Kerrygold Pure Irish butter - scrumptious!

Luck O The Irish!

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

In the wonderful lush green land of the Emerald Isle where leprechauns, fairies, shamrocks, shalaly sticks and the Blarney Stone exist, come two other great products from Ireland being Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur and Guinness.

Being St Patrick’s Day this coming Tuesday, I have been busy creating cupcakes for this occasion to share with you! Everything is baked from scratch, which hopefully you have come to expect from Baking Cakes Galore. I felt this year the need to incorporate both Guinness, and Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur in my celebration bake. Being a chocoholic also *I’m sure you know which route I’m going down here*, I acquaint you with Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with a lush Bailey’s Frosting.

Now don’t be alarmed by the mixture prior to baking being very loose and liquidly, it is supposed to be like this, and makes for a very light sponge cupcake(s) to sink your teeth into. The icing is a Bailey’s cream cheese affair and depending on personal taste as to how much Bailey’s is added.

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Frosting

Makes 12 normal sized cupcakes

Ingredients
150g (5 oz) plain flour
50g (2 oz) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
150g (5 oz) caster sugar
50g (2 oz) light brown sugar
100g (4 oz) butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
50ml (2fl oz) sour cream
150ml (5 fl oz) Guinness
For The Bailey’s Frosting
100g (4 oz) butter, softened
225g (8 oz) Philadelphia cream cheese
225g (8 oz) icing sugar
2 – 4 tbsp Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur
Decorations (optional)
Edible green glitter
Green sugar shamrocks

You will need a 12 small holed muffin tin lined with 12 paper cases.

Method

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

Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder baking powder into a bowl and leave aside for later. Beat the butter with both white and brown sugar until light and fluffy in colour and texture. Add a little of the beaten egg at a time and beat in well with each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract until combined fully into the mixture. Add the sour cream and beat well in until incorporated then add the Guinness a little at a time beating well in with each addition. Fold through the flour mixture gently with a large spatula or metal spoon until fully incorporated. Divide the mixture (which will be loose and liquidly) equally between the prepared cupcake paper cases. *I used a metal scoop to divide the mixture*.

Place the filled muffin tray into the prepared oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to completely cool.

For The Bailey’s Frosting: In a bowl beat the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy and smooth then add the icing sugar beating this in until smooth. Add a little at a time the Bailey’s Liqueur until you have the required strength of booziness to suit your taste. *Note: if too much Liqueur is added the frosting may become too loose to pipe.*

Fill a piping bag and pipe the top of each cupcake with the frosting, or spread the frosting on each cupcake with a spatula. Sprinkle over the edible glitter and green sugar shamrocks, (optional).

Lastly, sit back, relax, and sink your teeth into this wonderful delight you have baked from scratch!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend – I am planning on a little light shopping tomorrow with Mr R. Sunday if you take a peek, I will be found in my kitchen cooking and baking! I have “The Cake Slice Bakers”, bake to create ready for our annual posting day.