Monday 5 September 2011

Two 11 Year Olds Play with the Hummingbird Cafe Cookbook

My 11 year old daughter and her friend wanted to make something from the Hummingbird Cafe Cookbook.  We had all the ingredients for the raspberry cheesecake brownies.  Including wonderful local, Devon raspberries from our local farm, Shute Fruit.  I was getting our house ready for some guests who were coming to stay, so just let them get on with it in the kitchen.  I was rather impressed when two hours later (including a bit of refrigeration time), they presented me with the finished product:


The recipe is fairly simple, but does involve three layers so I was impressed.  The chocolate brownie and vanilla cheesecake layers are baked together in the oven and then when cool, smothered with pink creamy muck muck.


I made it again today as a treat for my daughter as she started Secondary School today.  It's simple and very fattening, but delicious.  I recommend halving the quantities if you just want to feed 4-6 people.  The original version is enormous and serves 12.  Also, where the recipe says to beat the cream, sugar and raspberries together for the wonderful pink shaving foam topping, it's best to whip the cream lightly, then add the sugar and raspberries, otherwise the mixture won't thicken.

I've never been lucky enough to visit the actual Hummingbird Cafe in London, but we've made a couple of things from the cookbook - other notable favourites are: the vanilla cupcakes, and the double chocolate chip cookies

8 comments:

Janice said...

That certainly looks delicious. Wishing your daughter well for her first days at secondary school.

Pistachio and Rose said...

I own the Humminbird Bakery book and have made this recipe many a time as it's so good!! Your daughters looks utterly gorgeous amd I want to make it again now!

Grazing Kate said...

P and R, it's a fab book. We borrowed it from the library, but most of the recipes we want are online. It's about £7 at Amazon.

Thanks, Janice. Secondary school is looking like an emotional roller coaster at the moment and it's only day two!

Liz Culver said...

Wow, their creation looks heavenly! I bought the Hummingbird Cafe cookbook after someone at work made the vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. They were the best cupcakes I have ever had! My mother made a batch of the Earl Grey cupcakes for my birthday and they were equally delicious.
Hope it brightened your daughter's day. I work in a secondary school and see all the little ones looking a little out of sorts (like today) but it soon gets easier - she'll be owning that place soon like she's always been there! Honest!

CountryWoodSmoke said...

It's great getting them to cook, not really a cake baker myself, but this looks delicious, my wife would love the pinkiness of it
cheers
marcus

Grazing Kate said...

Thanks, Liz and CWS. Earl Grey cupcakes sound really intriguing. I shall try them soon.

Choclette said...

Muck muck indeed - it looks fab and I love the bright pink raspberry cream. Sounds like a recipe I might have to replicate. Hope things are panning out at school OK.

Grazing Kate said...

Yep, 'creamy muck muck' is a bit of family joke for any kind of calorific cream-laden dessert. It can also be said in a slightly lewd double-entendre way for best effect. It really is worth trying this recipe.

This dessert can certainly go some way to help de-stress an uptight mum and her daughter on first day at secondary!

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