Great British Bake Off 2020 winner Peter Sawkins shares some delicious and comforting bakes to warm you this autumn.
As we begin to return to a life full of flavour, Peter Sawkins, baking extraordinaire and previous winner of the Great British Bake Off, has unveiled a collection of three mouth-watering seasonal bakes.
Created in collaboration with experts in flavour, bottlegreen.
1. Lemon and elderflower scones with homemade cream and elderflower curd
MAKES 8
Ingredients
200g self-raising flour (for gluten-free, switch for GF self-raising flour and ½ tsp Xanthan gum)
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder (ensure gluten-free if making GF)
½ tsp salt
35g butter
1 large egg
4 tbsp Bottlegreen Hand-picked Elderflower cordial
2 tbsp milk
Zest of 1 lemon (for curd)
1 additional egg yolk (for egg wash)
Elderflower and lemon curd
2 lemons, juiced
2 tbsp Bottlegreen Hand-picked Elderflower cordial
Zest of 1 lemon
80g caster sugar
4 large egg yolks
70g unsalted butter, cubed
Elderflower cream
100ml double cream
10g icing sugar
1 tbsp Bottlegreen Hand-picked Elderflower cordial
For the lemon and elderflower scones
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC fan / Gas 6.
- Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Rub the butter in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Whisk the cordial and milk with the egg. Add this to the dry ingredients along with the lemon zest and cut through with a table knife.
- Once it begins to clump together, get your hands in and gently work it together into a soft ball of dough.
- Generously flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Use a rolling pin or your palms to flatten the dough out to the height of three centimetres. Use a six-centimetre round cutter to cut out the scones. Transfer them to a baking paper lined baking tray.
- Brush the tops of the scones with the additional egg yolk. Bake for ten to 12 minutes or until well risen and golden.
For the elderflower curd
- Heat the juice, Bottlegreen Hand-Picked Elderflower cordial and zest in a non-stick pan to a simmer.
- Whisk the sugar with the egg yolks. Slowly pour in the hot juice whilst whisking.
- Return this mixture to the pan and constantly stir over low heat until thickened, up to five to ten minutes, making sure it doesn’t boil.
- You can also check the temperature to see if it is ready; it should register 75ºC to 82ºC.
- Take the curd off the heat, allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then whisk in the butter a couple of cubes at a time whilst still warm. Cover and chill in the fridge.
For the elderflower cream
- Whisk together the double cream, icing sugar and Hand-Picked Elderflower cordial until soft peaks.
2. Bramble Bakewell tart with bramble jam
MAKES 1
Ingredients
Shortcrust pastry
200g plain flour (for gluten-free, switch for GF self-raising flour)
100g butter, cold and cubed
½ tsp salt
30g icing sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp water
Bramble jam
120g blackberries
100g jam sugar
4 tbsp Bottlegreen Bramble cordial
1 tsp cornflour
Frangipane
100g butter, softened
100g sugar
75g self-raising flour (for gluten-free, switch for GF self-raising flour)
2 large eggs
125g ground almonds
2 tbsp Bottlegreen Bramble cordial
25g flaked almonds
9 blackberries
Icing drizzle
50g icing sugar
2-3 tsp Bottlegreen Bramble cordial
For the pastry
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan / Gas 4. Make and blind bake the pastry.
- Using a food processor or your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Stir through the salt and icing sugar followed by the egg yolk and water. Stir through until the mixture begins to clump together then work it into a ball of dough with your hands.
- Cover in Clingfilm or baking paper, flatten into a round and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface until just less than the thickness of a one pound coin.
- Gently rest your tart tin (eight to nine inches round) over the pastry and trim the pastry to about two and a half centimetres wider than the tin.
- Roll the pastry back over the rolling pin then unroll and drape over the tart tin. Press the pastry into the edges of the tin and leave overhang around the edge.
- Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork. Chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
- Line the chilled pastry with oven-safe Clingfilm or scrunched baking paper and fill with baking beans or dry pulses. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and use a sharp knife to trim the excess pastry away from the tin.
- Lightly brush the inside of the pastry with the reserved egg white and place bake into the oven for a further five to ten minutes or until the base appears dry.
- Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 160ºC fan / Gas 3.
For the bramble jam
- Stir together the blackberries, jam sugar, Bottlegreen Bramble cordial and cornflour over a high heat.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes or until it registers 105ºC on a sugar thermometer, if you have one.
- Remove from the pan and leave to cool to room temperature.
For the frangipane
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the flour, eggs, ground almonds and cordial and mix until combined.
Assemble and bake
- Spread the cooled bramble jam over the base of the pastry case. Top this with the frangipane and level off.
- Press the blackberries into the frangipane and scatter over the flaked almonds.
- Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes. Remove from the tin to cool on a wire rack.
- Make the icing by mixing the icing sugar with the Bottlegreen Bramble Cordial until a thick fluid consistency.
- Drizzle the icing over the top of the tart with bold strokes.
3. Rhubarb and ginger crumble traybake
MAKES ONE TRAY
Rhubarb and ginger filling
200g rhubarb, chopped
5 tbsp Bottlegreen Rhubarb and Ginger cordial
50g caster sugar
10g cornflour
Sponge
150g butter, softened
130g caster sugar
4 tbsp Bottlegreen Rhubarb and Ginger cordial
2 large eggs
½ tsp ground ginger
150g self-raising flour (for gluten-free, switch for GF self-raising flour)
75g ground almonds
½ tsp baking powder (ensure gluten-free if making gluten free)
½ tsp salt
Crumble topping
100g plain flour (switch for gluten-free plain flour)
30g rolled oats (switch for gluten-free oats)
½ tsp ground ginger
70g butter
20g demerara sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp Bottlegreen Rhubarb and Ginger cordial
For the rhubarb and ginger filling
- Preheat the oven to 160ºC fan / Gas 3. Grease and base line a, eight by ten inch traybake or roasting tin.
- Stir together the chopped rhubarb, Bottlegreen Rhubarb and Ginger cordial, caster sugar and cornflour in a pan over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer for about five minutes or until the rhubarb is beginning to break down and the mixture looks jammy.
For the sponge batter
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in all the remaining ingredients and stir through until combined.
For the crumble topping
- Rub the cubed butter into the flour and ginger using your fingertips until it looks like a breadcrumb consistency.
- Stir through the oats, sugar and salt followed by the Bottlegreen Rhubarb and Ginger Cordial encouraging it to form clumps.
Assemble and bake
- Spread about ¾ of the sponge batter into the lined tin and level off.
- Top this with the rhubarb filling and spread out.
- Dot the remaining sponge batter over the top of the rhubarb filling and spread out; it will look a little marbled and mottled with the rhubarb.
- Cover the entire cake with the crumble in an even layer.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the crumble is golden and a skewer comes out with no cake batter sticking to it.
Keep up to date with all the Great British Bake Off 2021 drama, here. This Tuesday, it was biscuit week and we just loved Jürgen’s windmill showstopper. Tune into Channel 4 every Tuesday at 8pm for your fill of bakes and laughs from the tent. Next week, it’s bread week — who do you think will take the crown?
