One Tin Bakes That Deliver All The Flavour & (Virtually) None Of The Washing Up
Baking can be many things: it can be delicious, soothing, time consuming and sometimes disastrous. But, unless you’re doing banana bread, rarely is it simple. Without a capable guide, cakes can overflow their tin, cheesecakes can burn, muffins can taste overwhelmingly of baking soda, and cookies easily spread and form one giant, chocolate studded sheet. (Though that last one is only a disaster if you were planning on sharing).
This is why it’s so handy to have books like Edd Kimber’s on your kitchen shelf. Known as The Boy Who Bakes on Instagram, his new book One Tin Bakes sets you up for success. His clear guidelines and exciting recipes make light work for even the most novice of bakers. And, even better, there’s the fact that every one of the book’s 70 recipes only needs one tin: that means more variety, less washing up. Sorted.
There is already magic in a traybake if you do it right, but Edd opens up the possibilities to cheesecakes, pies, cookies, cakes. Ahead we’ve shared just some of our favourites: from the burn-proof burnt basque cheesecake to tahini chocolate chip cookie bars, these one tin bakes show that anything is possible with a good oven, a good recipe and the obligatory tin.
Milk Chocolate Caramel Sheet Cake
Serves 12–15
Ingredients
For the milk chocolate salted caramel ganache
200g (7oz) milk chocolate, finely chopped
400ml (14fl oz/1⅔ cups) double (heavy) cream
200g (7oz/1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
50g (1¾oz/3½ tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the chocolate sheet cake
250g (9oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
75g (2¾oz/¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
300g (10½oz/1⅓ cups + 1 teaspoon) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
100ml (3½fl oz/⅓ cup + 4 teaspoons) neutral-tasting oil, plus extra for greasing
225ml (8fl oz/1 cup — 1 tablespoon) sour cream
225ml (8fl oz/1 cup — 1 tablespoon) hot brewed coffee
To decorate
salted peanuts
cacao nibs
Instructions
1. First, make the ganache as it needs to chill before use. Place the chocolate in a large, heatproof bowl. Pour the cream into a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat.
2. Heat the sugar in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat until melted and the colour of an old copper coin. Add the butter, salt and half the warm cream. Once the bubbling has subsided, you should have a smooth caramel. If not, reduce the heat and stir until smooth. Pour in the remaining cream and the vanilla and stir to combine.
3. While still hot, pour the caramel over the chocolate and leave for a couple of minutes, then stir until a smooth ganache. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until the texture of buttercream, soft and scoopable. If you leave it too long it will thicken and whipping the ganache will become tough.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease the baking tin and line with a piece of parchment paper that overhangs the two long sides of the tin, securing in place with metal clips.
5. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
6. Make a well in the middle, pour in all the remaining ingredients and whisk everything together just until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly.
7. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the cake springs back to a light touch and is starting to pull away from the tin’s sides.
8. Because the cake is on the large side, it is a little harder to manoeuvre, so cool in the tin for 20–30 minutes, before using the overhanging parchment paper to lift it to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Use an electric mixer to whisk the ganache for a few minutes until smooth and shiny (over-whisking can make it grainy, so err on the side of caution). Spread over the cake, then sprinkle liberally with peanuts and cacao nibs. Cut into portions and serve.
Store in a sealed container for 4–5 days.
Berry Almond Frangipane Tart
Serves 12
Ingredients
For the sweet pastry
300g (10½oz/2 cups + 6 tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
50g (1¾oz/7 tablespoons) icing sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
185g (6½oz/13 tablespoons) unsalted butter, diced and chilled
1 large egg
For the almond frangipane
170g (6oz/1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
175g (6oz/¾ cup + 1 tablespoon) caster (superfine) sugar
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon almond extract
170g (6oz/1¾ cups) ground almonds
5 tablespoons berry jam
250g (9oz) fresh berries
3 tablespoons flaked almonds
Instructions
1. For the pastry, place the flour, icing sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly together to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the egg and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together.
2. At this point, you can either use the dough as a press-in crust or chill it and roll it out. If rolling it, tip the mixture on to the work surface and bring it together as a dough
with your hands. Form into a rectangle, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
3. If using as a press-in crust, tip the mixture directly into the baking tin and loosely spread evenly to cover the bottom of the tin. Press up the sides of the tin to create the tart sides, then firmly press the remaining pastry over the base. Dock with a fork and refrigerate for at least an hour before baking.
4. If rolling, roll out between two sheets of parchment paper into a rectangle, roughly 30.5 x 40.5cm (12 x 16in). Transfer to a baking tray and refrigerate for another 30 minutes to firm up. Lightly grease the tin and line the base with parchment paper.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Peel the parchment paper from both sides of the pastry and carefully drape the pastry into the baking tin, gently pressing it into the corners and up the sides. Trim off the top edges then line with a piece of crumpled parchment paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the paper and beans/rice and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the base is set. Set aside.
6. Meanwhile, for the frangipane, beat the butter and caster sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, then add the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Beat in the almond extract and ground almonds.
7. Spread the jam over the base of the tart and top evenly with the frangipane. Top with the berries and flaked almonds. Bake
for 30–35 minutes or until golden.
8.Remove from the oven and allow the tart to cool completely in the tin before serving.
Kept covered or in a sealed container, this will keep for two days.
Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Makes 16
Ingredients
100g (3½oz/7 tablespoons) unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
280g (10oz/2¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
75g (2¾oz/¼ cup) tahini
125g (4½oz/½ cup + 2 tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar
125g (4½oz/½ cup + 1 tablespoon) light brown sugar
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g (9oz) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease the base of the baking tin, then line with a piece of parchment paper that overhangs the two long sides. Secure the paper in place with two metal clips.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat until it browns, stirring frequently. The butter will melt, then sizzle and splatter and then start to foam. As it foams, you’ll see little golden brown flecks start to appear.
3. Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a separate bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Add the tahini and both sugars to the bowl of melted butter, then use an electric mixer to whisk everything together for about five minutes, until the mixture is combined and lightened. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix briefly to combine.
4. Add the flour mixture and gently mix until most of the flour has been absorbed, then stir in the chocolate until evenly distributed. Scrape the cookie dough into the prepared baking tin and gently press into an even layer.
5. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden. Leave to cool completely in the tin. Use the parchment paper to lift the cookie mixture
from the tin and then cut into squares using a large, sharp knife.
Store in a sealed container for 3–4 days.
Burnt Basque Cheesecake
Serves 16–18
Ingredients
Unsalted butter or neutral-tasting oil, for greasing
1.2kg (2lb 10oz) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
400g (14oz/2 cups) caster (superfine) sugar
7 large eggs
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
360ml (12½fl oz/1½ cups) double (heavy) cream
30g (1oz/4 tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7. Lightly grease the baking tin and line with a large sheet of parchment paper, so that it lines the base and sides, reaching up above the sides of the tin.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time,
scraping down as needed and mixing until combined. Add the salt, vanilla and cream and mix briefly until fully combined.
3. Sift over the flour and mix briefly to combine. Pour into the prepared tin and level out.
4. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until dark, almost burnt. The cheesecake will have quite a wobble at this stage.
5. Leave to cool completely in the tin. You can either let it cool to room temperature, which will result in a softer creamier texture, or you can let it cool at room temperature for an hour before chilling in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. This will result in a denser texture, a little more like a traditional cheesecake.
Whichever way you cool the cheesecake, it will collapse on itself as it sits — that’s to be expected, so don’t worry about it.
Remove from the tin and cut into portions to serve.
Store covered in the refrigerator for around 3–4 days
One Tin Bakes by Edd Kimber. Published by Kyle Books, priced £17.99. Photography: Edd Kimber.
Octopus Books One Tin Bakes: Sweet and simple traybakes, pies, bars and buns, £17.99 £15.99, available at Amazon.
Originally published at https://www.refinery29.com.
