Rated: Sweet Tooth Factory’s Boston Cream Pie.

Neither creamy nor Pie-like

What? This was something I’ve been waiting to have for some time, but never seen anywhere else in London town.

It was my first ever taste of Boston Cream Pie: not a Pie in the traditional sense, but a sponge with Dark Chocolate Icing, and a Vanilla Custard seam.

So was it worth the wait?

Well, while it was light and reasonably tasty, it just wasn’t the Cream-filled yum-fest I’d hoped for.

Perhaps that’s just the way with BCPs, but a Pie without Pastry seems like no kind of Pie to me…

Where? This specimen came from the Sweet Tooth Factory stall

How Much? £3.20

Rating? 5/10

Nice – but nothing special (and fairly pricey with it). Their Salted Caramel Cheesecake is a much more impressive bet…

Rated: Madame Macaroon’s Fab Florentines.

Yes, Ma’am!

What? Believe it or not, you are currently looking at THE most delicious Florentine that this Pud-Hog’s ever eaten.

As far as luxury biscuits go, it ticked all the boxes and then some: a generous dose of Almonds, juicy Glacé Cherries, scraps of moist Mixed Peel, and a very decent slathering of Chocolate.

The best thing about it by far, however, was the texture: crispy where it mattered as well as super chewy.

Overall, it seemed more like a Cookie than the harder, toffee-like Florentines made by bakeries such as Fudges – and was, in my view, all the better for it.

Impossible to leave alone, I took mine out of its bag for a taste, then found I just couldn’t stop

Where? Track one down at Madame Macaroon’s stall, loitering in various London locations every Sunday (check the M.M. website and Twitter for details)

How Much? Just ONE of your English pounds (bargain!)

Rating?

9/10

Madame Macaroon? More like Queen Florentine

Recipe: The Dark Chocolate, Berry & White Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake.

Putting the ‘goo’ in ‘damn good’

I do not exaggerate, Ogglers, when I say that this is THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE I think I’ve ever had – and all thanks to my pal Mimi (she of the Cinnabon Substitute).

Adapted from a few different recipes that have been expertly fused together, it was made for me as a belated birthday present – and was extremely well received.

With a sponge not unlike a Chocolate Fudge Brownie (moist and slightly chewy at the edges), plus a filling so creamy and perfect it hurts (the berries! The cream cheese! The chocolate!) , I defy you to bake one and leave it alone.

Indeed, so bereft was I when I finished my first, I had to make me a second the very next day.

I kid you not.

Anyway, a million thanks to Mimi for curating the recipe – and for letting me share it with you lot via this blog.

Trust me, Ogglers: homemade cakes don’t get much better than this…

The Dark Chocolate, Berry & White Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake (makes a sponge big enough to feed 10 in one go – or 2 over several sittings)

Something to berry your face in

Ingredients:

For the Dark Chocolate Sponge:

• 125ml cold water
• 200g broken dark chocolate (the best you can afford)
• 200g butter
• 1tbsp dried coffee
• 85g self raising flour (or 85g plain with ¾ tsp baking powder)
• 85g plain flour
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g golden caster sugar (white caster sugar’s fine too, if that’s all you’ve got in your cupboard)
• 200g brown muscovado sugar (light, preferably)
• 25g cocoa (or drinking chocolate – though reduce the sugar content by 50g if using the latter)
• 3 eggs
• 75ml buttermilk (I used natural yoghurt in its absence – no probs)

For the Berry, White Chocolate & Cream Cheese Filling:

• 300g icing sugar
• 250g cream cheese
• 150g softened butter
• 100g white chocolate
• A handful of berries for garnishing – if using fresh raspberries, this works out at about 20 or so. Alternatively, you can also use 3 to 4 tbsp of mixed berries (i.e. blackcurrants, blueberries, redcurrants, etc). Whatever you fancy for extra juice and tartness…

Method:

To Make the Sponge:

1. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin and line with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees C (fan assisted) or Gas Mark 3
2. Add the coffee to the cold water and stir well
3. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the buttermilk/natural yoghurt. Put aside for later
4. Pop the dark chocolate, butter and coffee solution into a saucepan. Warm gently and on a low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to stop the bottom burning
5. While the chocolate mixture is melting, put the flours, bicarb, sugars and cocoa together in a large bowl, using your hands to stir out the lumps (a spoon will do the same job if you’d rather not get messy)
6. Add the egg mixture and the melted chocolate mixture to the flour mixture, then stir the whole lot until it’s smooth and runny
7. Pour into the tin and bake for approximately 1 hour 20 minutes (until a knife comes out clean when poked through the top)
8. Keep the cake inside the tin for a few minutes, then carefully turn it out on to a wire rack

The cake cannot be iced until it has cooled, so take a break and then get to work on the cream cheese frosting…

To Make the Filling:

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl until the whole thing is fully blended
2. Using either a microwave or a saucepan, gently melt the white chocolate.
3. Stir the melted chocolate into the butter and cream cheese
4. Sift the icing sugar and beat this in with rest
5. Try to refrain from eating the lot until the cake is cool (tempting though it might be)

To Assemble:

Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?

1. Using a long, sharp knife, carefully cut the sponge in two, then smear half of the frosting in the middle
2. Dot this with about three-quarters of your berry rations, scattering them evenly throughout
3. Pop the upper sponge on top, then cover it with the rest of your icing and berries, hiding any cracks that might have appeared while the sponge was baking
4. Hey presto: bring out the cake forks!

NB: This is one of those sweet treats that improves after 24 hours or so. However, if you don’t think you’ll be able to eat the lot within a few days, slice up the surplus and freeze it in airtight containers.

When you’re ready to eat, allow at least four hours for your slices to defrost (leaving them out overnight works for me…).

Happy Hogging!

P-H x

Rated: The Rhubarb and Hazelnut Tuffet.

It’s a Tuffet, Jim – but not as we know it

What? Never tasted a Tuffet before?

That’s hardly surprising, given that Tuffet is usually a word for a low seat (of the type perched on by Little Miss Muffet).

Recently, however, Tuffet has started to mean something else; reclaimed by Jacqui of Saucy Puds, in order to name her tasty homemade creations.

These Tuffets are a lot like Muffins, but covered in baked sugar and flat on the top (all the better for sitting on, I suppose).

Made using seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients, the Tuffet I went for was flavoured with Rhubarb and Hazelnuts.

Despite its humble appearence it was truly delicious: moist with Rhubarb strands (but not bitter), and crunchy with chopped and whole Nuts.

A pleasure from start to finish, it tasted like a real Cake of the Earth: golden, light and wonderfully wholesome

Where? The Man and I saw Saucy Puds at Marylebone Farmers Market (not far from the stall with that mutant Manor House Fruit Cake). They’re there on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of every month

How Much? £1.75 each

Rating?

9/10

Not even the scariest spider could tear me away

Rated: (New and Improved) Fudges Flapjacks.

New, you say? Improved? Better try another to be sure…

What? Golden, chewy, oaty squares, half-dipped in Belgian Dark Chocolate.

Made by a company of genius Dorset bakers, they were recently ‘improved’ through the addition of Agave Nectar and certainly taste more impressive than before.

Not that they used to be bad, of course – they just weren’t nearly as juicy.

Indeed, the new batch I tried seemed suffused with syrup, making for a very moist mouthful.

The Dark Chocolate coating, meanwhile – both crisp and deliciously thick – worked well at keeping the sweetness in its place.

YUM.

I reckon there’s still room for extra goo and squidginess – but there always is where Flapjacks are concerned

Where? You can find Fudges products at most major supermarkets (I always say ‘hello’ to them in Waitrose)

How Much? Just under £3 for 300g (a box of 8 smallish squares)

Rating?

8/10

Fabjacks!

Down at The Donut Shop, Natchez.

Crullers and Fritters and Rolls, oh my!

As an English Pud-Hog driving on American roads, it can sometimes be confusing to stay on the right-hand side.

For eight days, however, I’d been managing pretty well – until we spotted The Donut Shop.

Having heard about his long-established Natchez institution online, I almost performed an emergency stop right there and then. Instead I kept my cool long enough to turn the car around – and suddenly found myself on the wrong side of the road.

As cars zoomed towards us I could think of one thing and one thing only:

Must – try – DONUT.

And so I sped up.

It was reckless, Ogglers, I know, but I can’t say I regret it. I’m still here, after all (no one even had to swerve) – and the Donuts were well worth a near-death experience.

The range alone was staggering: rows and rows of what looked like every variety – most of which would have dwarfed your average puppy.

However, having recently digested lunch (in the skirts of Mammy’s Cupboard no less), the Man and I shied away from the bulkier items, settling on something smaller (but hardly small): a knobbly homemade Fritter.

BEHOLD

It had Apple. It had Cinnamon. It was glazed.

And it was glorious.

So fresh it was still warm (and impressively non-greasy), the two of us ripped through it in record time – and found ourselves tempted to buy a few more.

After all, at a bargain 91 cents for one, we could have probably filled our cases with Donuts and still had plenty of money left over.

We didn’t though, Ogglers – somehow, infusing our luggage with sweet treats destined for staleness didn’t seem like the best idea at the time.

Then again, speeding along the wrong side of the road probably wasn’t my brightest plan either.

Hmm. I guess you never can tell…

Rated, Y’all: Chocolate Meringue Pie from Mammy’s Cupboard.

The old two-fork trick: one for each hand…

What? The tallest slice of Pie I’ve ever had – with Meringue coiffed higher than Elvis’s quiff at its bounciest.

Homemade at Mammy’s Cupboard – a Natchez roadside restaurant housed inside a black woman’s skirt (!) – it’s also the first slice of Chocolate Meringue I think I’ve ever seen (though they do sell the Lemon variety there as well).

I have to say, it made for a great introduction, with a flaky, slightly salty Pastry base, a pleasingly gooey layer of Chocolate Blancmange, and a soft egg-white mountain which topped it like sweet, fluffy clouds.

Only the addition of real Chocolate – in chunks or some kind of Ganache – could have made it more desirable.

As it was, if I hadn’t already been stuffed with Grilled Cheese and Sweet Tea, I might well have gone for seconds…

Where? You’ll find Mammy’s Cupboard south of Natchez – just look for the huge red skirt

How Much? $3 per slice, without tax

Rating?

8/10

Sometimes mammy does know best

Rated, Y’all: The Pecan Cobbler.

Read it and weep

What? A truly dreamy dessert of Pecans, thick Syrup and crunchy Crumble, crowned with a scoop of Praline Ice Cream, which gradually turned to a lovely nutty puddle as I went.

I knew I was on to a winner before I even started eating (that smell, Ogglers! MON DIEU!).

As for the texture, I swear it had it all – plus more Pecans than a Pud-Hog could wish for (and you know how much I love Pecans…)

Rich, sweet, soft and creamy, it made me so happy I swear I actually cried.

Pathetic? Possibly.

Such is the power of pud…

Where? From the excellent Carriage House restaurant in Natchez, MS

How Much? $6 before taxes

Rating?

10/10

Oh, my sweet Cobbler: where have you been all my life?!

Rated, Y’all: The German Chocolate Cake.

Cocoa + Nut + Cake = Good.
Coconut + Cake? Not so much…

What? A three-tiered layer of Chocolate Sponge and Coconut-Praline frosting.

Apparently created by a Mr Sam German back in the 19th Century, this recipe has nothing to do with the land of sauerkraut and sausage – for which, I propose, the Germans should be very grateful.

In a buffet selection crammed with tasty Cakes and Pies, this proved to be the least delicious option – and all thanks to the abundance of that dreaded shredded Coconut.

Soapy, gritty, and present in every mouthful.

Too much, I say. Too much

Where? The dessert section of the Grand Casino’s evening buffet (in Biloxi, South MS)

How Much? The buffet was $19.99 per person (with a 2-4-1 deal on the Monday we made our visit)

Rating?

2/10

Moist – and yet most disappointing

The King Cake Chronicles.

Ruler of my tongue (and tum)

Not long ago it was Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, and the Pud-Hog was getting a piece of the action.

How?

Through the continuous consumption of King Cake, of course.

Now, for those of you who have not yet had the good fortune to try it, King Cake is a Mardi Gras staple, bought, sold and eaten from Twelfth Night (i.e. 5 January) until Fat Tuesday (which, this year, fell on 12 Feburary).

As sweet treats go, it is, quite frankly, delicious: a large hoop of Cinnamon pastry, often filled with flavoured Cream Cheese, and sprinkled with gaudy granules of sugar in Mardi Gras colours of green, gold and purple.

A regular fixture in cafes and bakeries around New Orleans and Southern Mississippi, each one contains a small plastic baby, planted somewhere in the dough. Get one in your slice and tradition dictates that the next King Cake is on you – as long as you don’t choke on baby, that is.

Our first exciting taste of the stuff was in Biloxi: a shop-bought slice filled with Strawberry Cream Cheese.

It. Was. MAGNIFICENT.

And from that goo-filled moment on, my mission became to try it at every juncture.

The King Cake had such an excellent texture: the Pastry was fluffy, soft and chewy; the Sugar was extra crunchy, and the Cream Cheese filling was moist and… well… creamy.

No doubt each piece was suffused with a large dose of e-numbers too (making sugar that bright can’t be easy), but what the heck – it probably just helps you party that little bit harder.

With sugar this colour, who needs drugs?

My second King Cake opportunity arose at the Lost Love Lounge – a dingy Vietnamese restuarant, attached to an even dingier bar.

Despite the unlikely setting, the food was exceedingly good, and their King Cake (though not made onsite) was only $2 a slice.

This time there was no Cream Cheese filling, but again it tasted wonderful. Lubricated with some sort of Cinnamon Jelly, it slid down my gullet in record time, making me hungry for more…

I did not have to wait too long, thank goodness, for the next day, at the Cake Cafe, I managed to buy two lumps of the homemade variety.

I say ‘managed’ because it was bloody hard: two times I attempted to buy some before I came up trumps.

The first time I was two hours late, and all the day’s stock had sold out. The next time (the following morning), I was told I was much too early – and advised to come back in an hour or so.

Third time lucky (at last), I bought one portion of Goats Cheese and Apple, and one of Raspberry Cream Cheese.

At $5 a piece sans tax, they weren’t the cheapest cakes by any means. They were, however, the biggest – each one enough to satiate two people, I should think.

Anyway, as you may have guessed, these were Cakes for a more gourmet market.

Though lacking crumbs of Sugar, both were festooned with bright strips of icing, with small plastic babies on top. When we bought them, both were warm as well – but, having filled up at breakfast, neither of us could face eating them in their prime.

This was a shame, as it happened – because, by evening, each one was slightly stale.

Not that we threw them away, though, Ogglers…

Who could do such a thing to King Baby?!

Instead, we made the best of what we had – enjoying the fillings (though wishing there was more to keep things moist).

The Raspberry version was particularly good, while the Goats Cheese and Apple was a twist on the classic I gladly tried – but might not rush to try again (though pleasingly peppered with Apple chunks, it lacked my desired amount of goo).

The King-Cake-a-thon wasn’t over, however.

In the morning, not ten hours later, our guesthouse served shop-bought pieces with Praline Cream Cheese for breakfast (!) and I felt unable to go without trying a slice.

Nutty, creamy, soft and sweet, it probably contained enough sugar to power a steamboat – yet compared to the Deep-Fried Cheesecake I’d had it was virtually Muesli and Milk.

Alas, however, even the Pud-Hog have too much of a good thing.

And having tried King Cake in almost every setting, at last I was ready to turn my attention elsewhere – at least for the time-being.

Truly, this is one sweet treat that really suits its name.

Just put some in Buckingham Palace and I’ll be a royalist.