Recipe Suggestions
Now for something to really make your mouth water!
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Make up Ninham's Levona Lemon Cake Mix as directed on the packet. While the cake is baking, mix together one tablespoon of caster sugar and the juice of one lemon. When the cake comes out of the oven quickly push a skewer into it all over about 10 times. Pour over the lemon and sugar mix and leave to cool. This makes a really moist cake with added zing!
Ginger and Apple Cake
Make up Ninhams Ginger cake as directed on the packet. Grate one good quality eating apple, (Gala or Pink lady) on a coarse grater and stir into the cake when it has been made up. Bake as directed on the packet. This makes a beautiful soft cake with a hint of apple.
Chocolate and Coffee Cake
Mix up Ninhams Chocolate Cake mix as directed but add 100gms/4 ounces of dark chocolate chips during mixing. Bake as directed. While the cake is baking make the icing.
100 grams / 4 ounces of icing sugar
Two teaspoons of instant coffee powder dissolved in two teaspoons of warm water.
50grams / 2 ounces of softened butter.
Mix all the icing ingredients together till they are smooth and all one colour and use to decorate the chocolate cake. Either by spreading over the top of the cake with a knife or you could be inventive and use a piping bag with a fancy nozzle.
(Please allow the cake to cool completely before icing)
This makes a moist chocolate cake with delicious coffee icing.
Lemon fruit cake
Mix up Ninhams Levona lemon Cake mix as directed on the packet and stir in two ounces of dried mixed fruit.
Bake as directed. A wonderful fruity twist on our lemon cake.
Chocolate and Raspberry Muffins
Mix up Ninhams Chocolate Cake Mix as directed and add 2 heaped tablespoons of fresh raspberries and gently stir in when mix is made.
Divide between 8 - 10 large muffin cases placed in a muffin tin cook for 22-26 minutes at 180°C, gas mark 4. Cool on a wire rack.
Ninhams Norfolk Cheese Cake Filling
Norfolk Cheese cake filling is the pride and joy of our company and we have a few ideas for you to try.
Jam of course, any flavour depending on your taste. Put a small teaspoon of Jam on top of the pastry base before you put Ninhams Cheese Cake filling on top.
Stewed Apple and Blackcurrant - a sure autumn favourite.
Lemon curd instead of jam works very well.
Fresh fruit can be used but we recommend that you don't use fruit that has a lot of citric acid in it i.e. rhubarb, lemon, lime as this will interfere with the raising agents. Soft fruit works very well but apples, pears and other firmer fruits should be cooked before hand.
At Christmas why not have a change from Mince Pies and use Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecake Filling as an alternative to a pastry lid.
Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecake Filling also is ideal for a large family desert which will serve 4 - 6 people.
Line a 7 inch/18 cm pie dish with short crust pastry and spread your choice of flavoring jam, lemon curd or fruit. Mix one pack of Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecake Filling as directed on the pack and spoon over the pastry base and the flavouring you have added. Bake at 180°C, gas mark 4 for 30 - 35 Minutes until golden brown. Serve warm from the oven or cold. Either way its delicious!
Shortcrust Pastry Recipe For Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecakes
A simple recipe for short crust pastry to use with Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecake Filling .
6 ounces plain flour
1 ounce of lard
2 ounces of butter or margarine
Pinch of salt
Very cold Water
Rub the butter and lard into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. You do this by lightly rubbing the flour and butter in between your finger tips into the flour and lifting the mix a few inches from the bottom of the bowl. When all the butter and lard has been rubbed in add one tablespoon of cold water and mix with a knife so that it starts to come together as a soft dough. Add a few more drops of water if it is a still crumbly. The less you handle the dough the better the pastry will be. When the dough has come together place it is a plastic bag or cling film and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
When you are ready to use the pastry roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of 5 mm. You are now ready to cut and use your pastry.
Alternatively we at Ninhams are always ready to make life easier and have found that good quality pastry mix and frozen pastry works extremely well with our products.
Accompaniments
A few ideas for lovely things to accompany our products.
Vanilla Cream
Ingredients
250 mls or half a pint of double cream.
One level tablespoon of icing sugar
One vanilla pod
Method
Pour 250 mls or half a pint of double cream into a mixing bowl.
Cut open the vanilla pod length ways and using the tip of the knife scrape out the seeds and add them to the cream. Add the icing sugar and whisk until the cream forms soft peaks. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Serve with Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecake or any other of our products!
Proper Custard
We all know you can buy custard in a tin and even instant custard in the packet. These are fine and fit in with our busy lifestyles. If you would like to try and make your own custard we have a recipe that is tried and tested and we think it is top notch!
Ingredients
600ml/1 pint full-fat milk
1 vanilla pod
3 eggs, yolks only
2 tsp corn flour
25g/1oz caster sugar
Method
1. Put the milk into a medium saucepan.
2. Slice the vanilla pod length ways and scrape out the seeds, Add the seeds and the vanilla pod to the milk. Heat the milk until just boiling.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and corn flour to form a smooth paste.
4. Pour the milk into the egg mixture and whisk well.
5. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and stirring constantly, cook gently until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 vanilla pods
500ml/16fluid ounces double cream (see tip below)
70g/3oz sugar
3 egg yolks
Method
1. Pour the cream into a medium sized saucepan. Slice the vanilla pods lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add the pods to the cream and bring to the boil, when boiling add the sugar and stir well to dissolve it.
2. In a separate large bowl whisk the egg yolks and then pour the cream onto them, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla seeds and mix well. Allow to cool completely.
Pour into an ice cream maker or large freezer proof dish. Freeze until set. This normally takes around 2 hours in a freezer.
Tip: Due to not having milk in this recipe, the ice cream does not crystallise in the freezer. There is no need to stir it while it is freezing. This means you get a lovely creamy ice cream without the need for an ice cream maker!
Steamed Puddings
Here at Ninhams HQ we are always looking for ways to bring out products into the 21st century! And there is nothing more modern in the kitchen than a microwave oven!
Our three cake mixes make wonderful steamed puddings than can be made in minutes.
Just make up the mix as directed on the packet and spoon into a pudding basin or glass bowl that will allow the pudding to rise.
Place in a microwave and cook for 4 - 7 minutes depending on the power of your microwave. Serve immediately with custard, ice cream or cream.
Ninhams Small Steamed Puddings
Ninhams Cake mixes make beautiful small steamed puddings. One packet of mix will make 8 small puddings when used with moulds that hold 225mls/9 fluid ounces of liquid.
Grease your moulds well with butter or margarine and dust them with flour or a little of the cake mix that you are using.
Make up the mix as directed on the box and divide between the moulds.
Microwave 4 at a time for 2-3 minutes depending on the power of your microwave until firm. Serve with custard, ice cream or cream.
Why not try adding these ideas to the bottom of the moulds to add extra taste.
Place a small teaspoon of lemon curd in the bottom of the mould if using Ninhams Levona Lemon Cake mix. Or maybe golden syrup.
Buy a jar of stem ginger in syrup and when making small steamed puddings with Ninhams Ginger Cake mix chop up two pieces of the ginger and stir into the mix. Before filling the moulds put half a teaspoon of the syrup from the stem ginger into the bottom of the moulds. Fill with the mix and proceed as above.
‘Dairy Free' Cakes
Today many people suffer from an intolerance to dairy products. After some careful research and some test baking in the Ninhams kitchen we have found that Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecake Filling can be turned in small cakes without any dairy products added.
Put one pack of Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecake filling into a mixing bowl. Add 50 grams/2 ounces of very soft Soya margarine and 110 mls/4 fluid ounces of Soya milk. Mix together until blended and spoon into 10-12 bun cases. Bake at 180°C, gas mark 4 for 9 - 12 minutes. Allow to cool and serve.
Add chocolate chips, cherries or other flavourings.
Homemade Raspberry Jam
Making a few small jars of jam doesn't have to take all day or use special equipment. All is you need is a solid good sized saucepan and a wooden spoon.
Makes: 3 x 200ml jars
Ingredients
450g /10 ounces / raspberries
450g / 10 ounces / granulated sugar
Method
1.Preheat the oven to 170°C, gas mark 3.
2. To sterilise the jars, place 3 very clean jam jars that have been washed in very hot soapy water and then very well rinsed, on their sides in the oven for 10 minutes. Then turn off the oven, leaving the jars inside until the jam is ready to pot.
3.Place 2-3 saucers or side plates in the freezer to chill.
4.Wash the raspberries carefully in a sieve or colander so that the fruit is not broken up. Drain well and place in a large saucepan.
5.Cook over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes until the juices are just beginning to run.
6.Pour in the sugar and stir over a gentle heat for 1-2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Then increase the heat and bring to a vigorous boil for 5-8 minutes.
7.Remove from the heat and test the jam by putting half a teaspoonful on one of the cold saucers. Cool for a few seconds, then push the jam with your fingertip. If it forms wrinkles, it has reached setting point. If not, boil for a further 2 minutes then test again.
8.When the setting point is reached, spoon the jam into the jars. You could also pour the hot jam into a jug to make it easier to pour. Cover the surface with a disc of waxed paper and seal with a tight fitting lid.
9.Label, date and store in a cool dark place for 3 weeks. This is delicious used in Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecakes.
Please note, Jam when it is hot will cause a very nasty burn. Please do take care not to splash yourself.
Home made Lemon Curd
Makes 2x 450 ml jars
Ingredients
4 lemons, rind and juice
4 eggs
110g/4oz butter
450g/1lb sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C, gas mark 3
1.To sterilise the jars, place 2 very clean jam jars that have been washed in very hot soapy water and then very well rinsed, on their sides in the oven for 10 minutes. Then turn off the oven, leaving the jars inside until the curd is ready to pot.
2. Grate the lemons finely avoiding any white pith underneath the skin, on the smallest side of the grater and then juice the lemons removing any pips.
3. Beat the eggs together in a bowl.
4.Put a pan of water on to simmer and find a glass or metal bowl that will sit in the saucepan over simmering water, but will not touch it.
5.Put the sugar, lemon rind and juice, butter and beaten eggs into the bowl. Stir continually with a wooden spoon until it mixes together and is thick and coats the back of the spoon. Pour into warm sterile jars, cover, seal label and date. Keep refrigerated. Will keep will for 3 weeks This is delicious used in Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecakes or with Ninhams Levona Lemon Steamed Puddings.
Apple and Blackberry Filling
Ingredients
1 lb /500 grams of cooking apples
8 ounces/250 grams of blackberries
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons of water.
Method
1.Peel and remove the core from the apples and cut into small chucks.
2.Wash the blackberries gently and remove any leaves.
3.Place the fruit, sugar and water into a saucepan and cook gently until the apples are soft.
4.Allow to cool and use to fill a Ninhams Norfolk Cheesecake.
Ninhams Kitchen Hints and Food Safety
Here in the Ninhams kitchen we have a few kitchen hints for you.
When using our cake mixes please do grease your tins well and as an added tip, dust your greased tins with a teaspoon of the cake mix that you are using. This doubles as an extra insurance against sticking and takes nothing away from the taste.
Always use very soft butter or margarine as this means it will mix well.
Please try and use free range eggs. Medium size is best.
Use either whole or semi-skimmed milk, both work very well.
Preheat your oven before baking a Ninhams mix.
Use the middle shelf of the oven when baking.
All Ninhams products freeze extremely well once baked. If you are going to freeze them wrap then well in cling wrap or plastic bags that you can seal and defrost at room temperature.
Please wear an apron and always use oven gloves or oven cloths when needed.
Please make sure you wash your hands before baking and that the kitchen is a safe place for you to be.