I watched last year’s Celebrity Masterchef and I grew very fond of Sophie Thompson. She really flourished throughout the show and went on to create some amazing dishes, she was a very deserving winner. So I was delighted when I got the opportunity to review her new book My Family Kitchen.
This is a fantastic book that contains recipes from four generations. Each recipe comes with an interesting anecdote or a background as to why it is important to Sophie and her family. All of the recipes contained in this book are very approachable and communal eating and sharing with others is very much the focus of this collection.
I’ve made a number of recipes from My Family Kitchen, it’s great for mid-week meal ideas as well as ideas for entertaining and impressing others.
The first recipe I tried was for Leckerli, I’d never heard of these biscuits before. They’re a biscuit from Switzerland, made up of ground almonds, mixed peel and spices. I’m not sure if these are an acquired taste, but I found the taste of cloves to be a bit too strong, I’d definitely make these again, but only with a pinch of ground cloves instead of a teaspoon.
The second recipe I tried was an amazing Toffee Apple Cake. This is the perfect cake for Sunday tea time, or a mid-afternoon break with a mug of tea. Its sweet, soft from the mix of ground almonds and delicious with pouring cream. I was really impressed with this recipe. It’s easy to follow and like most of the recipes in My Family Kitchen it doesn’t require any special ingredients or equipment.
If you’d like to give this Toffee Apple Cake a try yourself, Faber and Faber have kindly allowed me to share the recipe here:
Toffee Apple Cake
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 175 g Unsalted Butter softened
- 150 g Granulated Sugar
- 4 Large Eggs lightly beaten
- 200 g Self-Raising Flour sifted
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 150 g Ground Almonds
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 350 g Apples peeled and thinly sliced
- For the toffee sauce:
- 100 g Unsalted Butter diced
- 100 g Light Muscovado Sugar
- 150 ml Double Cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Grease and line a 20cm deep loose-bottomed cake tin.
- Make your toffee sauce by melting the butter, sugar and double cream in a pan over a low heat until bubbling and golden. This takes about 5 minutes, set aside to cool.
- For the cake, put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream together until pale. Gradually add the beaten eggs, adding a large spoonful of flour after each egg to stop the mixture curdling.
- Once the eggs are combined, beat in the vanilla extract, then add the remaining flour, ground almonds and the baking powder. Fold in well.
- Pour half the mixture into your prepared baking tin and spread in an even layer. Arrange half the apples in a swirled pattern, then spoon over half the toffee sauce. Repeat with the remaining cake mixture, apples and toffee sauce.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, test with a skewer for doneness. The cake will rise during baking, so if you have used quite a shallow tin you may want to place a tray underneath to catch an escaped toffee sauce.
- When done, remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 45 minutes before turning it out of the tin.
- Serve with pouring cream or warm it slightly and serve with ice-cream.
This is a great cookery book, absolutely packed full of recipes. I’ve found so many traditional dishes that you just don’t come across any more from beef olives to meat loaf, as well as more exotic curry dishes and recipes using game.
It’s a really versatile book that truly demonstrates Sophie Thompson’s love of good food. If you like the look of My Family Kitchen, why not enter my giveaway. I’ve got 3 copies up for grabs.
My Family Kitchen Giveaway
My Family Kitchen Giveaway
– Three winners will receive the following: A copy of My Family Kitchen by Sophie Thompson.
– The giveaway is open to UK residents over the age of 18 only.Â
– The giveaway ends on the 28th of September at 11:59:59 AM.
– Entries using an automated process or software to create bulk entries will be disqualified.
– The winners will be randomly selected, announced in the Gleam giveaway box and contacted via their provided e-mail address shortly afterwards. Please claim your prize within 4 days of being notified.
I was given a copy of My Family Kitchen by Sophie Thompson for free to review. All opinions are my own.
KoalifiedBaking
The apple cake looks so perfect. Just read your “about me” and what you’re doing reminds me of the movie Julie and Julia 🙂 Keep going!! xx
patisseriemakesperfect
Hi, thank you so much! I love that film, it’s such a hoot! Thanks for the support and the lovely comments. x
Jodie Dodd
Family style cookbooks are the best! I bought one years ago written by Dom DeLuise and I have never laughed so much while reading a cookbook! I found a Paul Hollywood cookbook at my library, wonder if they’ll have this one? Your cake looks wonderful, can you use any kind of apple?
PatisserieMakesPerfect
You can use any kind of eating apple Jodie. I wouldn’t use a cooking variety like Bramley as it will be too sour. I’ve only baked a couple of Paul Hollywood recipes I didn’t find the directions very detailed. I’ve never heard of Dom DeLuise, I’ll look it up. x
Natalie Crossan
Pasta bakes x
Lyndsey Beckford
I like to cook stir fries, curries and chilli
trevor linvell
Vegetarian stews
Anna Davison
I like cooking pasta dishes
Emma Whittaker
Love to cook a curry for my lot they love them 🙂
natalie baugh
Pasta Bake is one of our favourites 🙂
PatisserieMakesPerfect
I love pasta bake too, it’s great when you’ve got one in the freezer and dinner is sorted!
Sinead Charlotte
I love making brownies and cookies!
PatisserieMakesPerfect
Me too! Brownies are one of my favourite things.
Martina Alban
all the food my mum use to make for me as I come from Czech republic and they are really tasty money saving recipes
PatisserieMakesPerfect
Sounds great, I’d love to try some Czech food!
Martina Alban
it is very good not too spicy but tasteful and most recipes are really cheep as you can use staff from your cupboards plus fresh vegetables
Jade Hewlett
I like making cupcakes
PatisserieMakesPerfect
I like eating them too Jade 🙂
Sheri Darby
I love cooking anything with lots of different vegetables
PatisserieMakesPerfect
Ratatouille is one of my favourite things!
janine atkin
i like cooking schnitzel
Victoria Prince
That Toffee Apple Cake looks amazing! I love cooking vegetable lasagne for my family 🙂
PatisserieMakesPerfect
Thank you so much. Vegetable lasagne is delicious.
Donna Caldwell
Love baking cupcakes for the kids
Lizzy Cooper
Everything I guess, I only homecook !
Jon Sellers
Chicken and Mushroom Risotto
sallycollingwood
The BIG sunday roast!!
Theresa Parker
sorry that should have said love making lasagna
Theresa Parker
lovea king lasagna
PatisserieMakesPerfect
It is very similar Louise, some cinnamon would work really well too. Thanks for the photo compliment! I struggle with O/H shots! x
Helen Adams
I love making a sunday roast with the family x
Michelle Banks
the family roast x
Ruth Harwood
I love cooking Lasagne for the family, they really enjoy it!!
Kimberley Ryan
three of my children are under 5andvery very fussy eaters. they love homemade spaghetti & meatballs, so this is my favourite thing to cook
hem64
My favorite cake to make for the family is a Bara Brith – tea cake. Its so easy because you soak the fruit and sugar overnight in tea (I experiment with different teas) and the next day its just flour, spice and egg mixed in. Quick and easy!
Shari from GoodFoodWeek
Oh wow – that is such a pretty cake. I would love to have a go whipping that one up 🙂
Lauren @ Create Bake Make
That cake looks stunning! Thanks for linking up with us for Fabulous Foodie Fridays, have a great weekend 🙂
PatisserieMakesPerfect
Thank you Lauren! It was so much fun to make and to eat 🙂
Pete Cleasby
stews and casseroles
Martina Evans
I like to make traditional meals, like Sunday dinners and other various roasts.
Kat Bills
Right now we are still grilling, the weather has me thinking about fall comfort food.
Soups, and Chili and for dessert a cobbler bubbling away in the oven.
That Toffee Apple Cake would make spectacular end to a fall meal. =)
JudeVFR400
My partner does just about all the cooking now, pesky MS. but I did used to like doing curries for visitors. Meat dish, pulses, vegetable, pilau,and poppadoms. When she was little my daughter wasn’t so keen on spicy, but loved pasta bake and salad. So that was always an easy dinner for lots of people too.
Amy Jo McLellan
I make a mean meatballs… I can’t cook many other meals though!
michael boothby
we love cooking pizza from scratch
Samantha Loughlin
Sunday roast shepherd pie lasagne we love these
kim neville
Chicken korma, roast chicken, goulash, lasagne are some of our favourites
Kate Bissell
I get bored easily and can’t bear making or eating the same meal too often, so I like cooking for my family when something unexpected lands on the plate and they actually eat it without moaning first! Most recent “new” meal was tartiflette which thanks to it’s simple ingredients went down a storm.
PatisserieMakesPerfect
I LOVE tartiflette!
Suzanne Drummond
love the fanned apple i must try this at the weekend
clairdownham
lamb hotpot and curries thankyou
Erin
This cake is beautiful! I love fanned apple. Swoon!
PatisserieMakesPerfect
Thanks Erin! I got a bit obsessive over my apples! I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. x
Tracy K Nixon
Traditional meals like Sunday dinners, Shepherds Pie, Cottage Pie, Fish Pie, casseroles and stews!
Tracey Peach
Hearty meals like stew & roast chicken dinners
Rosie Dunningham
I love to cook EVERYTHING for my family! For breakfast, banana pancakes. For lunch, sweetcorn fritters with bacon and guacamole. For dinner, lamb tagine, any sort of curry with dhal, naan breads, I just love to cook for my family whenever I can (or whenever my Mum lets me!) Wonderful giveaway, I LOVED Sophie when she was on Masterchef so I am a huge fan, and will be buying her book regardless! Rosie x
PatisserieMakesPerfect
You sound amazing Rosie! I want you to cook my dinner! I loved her on Masterchef too. Good Luck in the competition.
Hannah Hossack-Lodge
Your apple arranging is so precise! The cake looks really delicious and the photos are stunning 🙂 The cookbook sounds really good as well. x
PatisserieMakesPerfect
It’s probably a condition Hannah! I was a bit obsessive about my apple arranging. Thanks for the lovely comments, this is a really good cookbook. x
Beeta @ Mon Petit Four
Wow, Angela…the apple cake looks incredible! The slice of cake really showcases how gorgeously tall the cake is, not to mention it’s luscious texture. I can imagine that melting right in my mouth! I would love to eat a slice of that with a mug of hot tea! :p I love how beautifully you arranged the apple slices on top – such precision. I also love the toffee aspect of the dessert, a nice touch that makes this even more perfect as a dessert for the upcoming fall season in the States. You can tell someone who truly loves and admires pastry work created this. Stunning as usual, love! XO
PatisserieMakesPerfect
Thank you Beeta! My inner wannabe patissier did show up for the decorating of this cake. I was worried my apples would move during baking, so I was so pleased with the finished cake.
I’ll put the kettle on Beeta and you can bring your lovely little dog and we can have tea and cake after we get back from a walk 🙂
Beeta @ Mon Petit Four
That sounds absolutely lovely!! What a dream! XO
Julia Frey@Vikalinka
I can’t wait to make the apple cake, Angela, it looks absolutely gorgeous. I love apple recipes and am always on a lookout for the new ones. Sounds like quite a good cookbook!
PatisserieMakesPerfect
It’s a great book Julia. I am really impressed with it. The Apple Cake is really delicious, you’ll love it. Thanks for the kind comments. x