World Baking Day – 19th May 2013
Get your pinny on and oven mitts at the ready...it's World Baking Day this Sunday 19th May! Here at drinkstuff we love nothing more than baking (and eating) cake so we’re all for a whole day dedicated to it! World Baking Day is all about getting people involved and stepping out of your comfort zone. The challenge is to pick one of the 100 recipes on offer that you’ve never baked before, which have been ranked from easy peasy level 1 to nerve racking level 100!
Whether you’re more inclined to unwrap a Mr Kipling than cook up a Mary Berry recipe, World Baking Day offers a recipe for everyone! From Banana Muffins to The Ultimate Challenge Cream Puff Cake we’re positive you’ll find a recipe you’ll love baking.
To help get you started we’ve compiled a list of essential baking equipment every kitchen needs!
-Once you’ve decided on a recipe and bought all your ingredients you’re going to need to measure them out. Our range of Kitchen Scales, Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons offer a quick and easy way to prepare your ingredients.
Mason Cash Measuring Cups
-Next step is to get mixing and our selection of Mason Cash Mixing Bowls and Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls are ideal. If you’re steaming a pudding the Mason Cash Pudding Basin is an essential.
Mason Cash Cane Mixing Bowls
-Once you’ve prepared the mixture you’re going to need a Baking Dish or Baking Sheet for your oven.
-Make it look pretty with a layer of icing using one of our Icing Sets or sprinkle some icing sugar over the top with a Sugar Shaker.
-If you fancy taking your baking up to the next level then check out our specialist baking equipment which includes the Mastrad Macaron Set, Dinner Party Croqembouche Set, Pie Pops Kit or Cookie Press.
Mastrad Macaron Gift Set
-Finally, make sure you present in style with our range of Cake Stands and Cupcake Stands. Our favourite stands to make your cakes look great include the LSA Dine Tiered Cake Stand, Ferris Wheel Cupcake Holder, Sweetly Does It Spiral Cupcake Tree and the LSA Vienna Cake Dome and Stand.
Sweetly Does It Spiral Cupcake Tree
In need of some recipe inspiration? Then look no further!
Sweet Wine Cake
Serves: 12
Time: 1hr 10mins
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
2 cups of sugar
250g margarine
1 cup (237ml) of "mavrodafni" wine (or "port" wine)
1 cup (237ml) of milk
500 gr self raising flour or plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of ground cloves
1. Grease one medium size cake tin/form and sprinkle with flour.
2. Blend the eggs with the sugar until you get a white mix. Lower the speed of the mixer and add the margarine, the wine and the milk.
3. Finally add the flour, the cinnamon and the cloves gradually.
4. Pour the cake batter into the tin/form and bake it in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Serves: 12
Bake Time: 15mins
INGREDIENTS
For the cupcakes:
185g self raising flour
15g cocoa powder
200g margarine
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
2-4 tsp red food colour
For the icing:
175g margarine/butter
125g full fat cream cheese
175g sieved icing sugar
1 tsp of lemon juice
Red food colour
For the cake:
1. Cream the margarine and the sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add to the margarine and sugar in 5-6 stages.
3. Sieve in the flour and cocoa adding the food colouring.
4. Divide the mixture between 12 muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes at 200°C.
Note: the final result of the cupcakes will depend greatly on the quality of the food colouring. Buy the best quality food colouring you can get (preferably a gel colour).
For the frosting :
1. Cream the margarine/butter in a stand mixer or hand mixer and beat until soft.
2. Add the cream cheese in 2 or three stages followed by the icing sugar again in 2 or 3 stages.
3. Add the lemon juice and beat for a few minutes.
4. Leave to stand in a cool place for at least an hour.
5. Take half of the frosting and add 1/2 tsp red food colour.
Decorate:
In a piping bag fitted with a star tube, place the red frosting down one side of the piping bag and half the remaining frosting down the other half of the bag. Pipe swirls on each cupcake. Freeze-dried strawberries and a touch of edible glitter is a great way to finish off your cupcakes.
For more recipe inspiration go to worldbakingday.com and set yourself a baking challenge. Don’t forget to upload a picture of your favourite cake and join the conversation on twitter #bakebrave.
Get baking!
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Our Suppliers: A Focus on Arc International
International glass pioneers Arc International continue to go from strength to strength, constantly changing the industry landscape with new designs and techniques to improve their products which are adored by consumers and professionals alike.
This month we take a long look at Arc and the new range of their products which we are constantly adding to at drinkstuff.com.
Arc International have a rich history, dating back to 1825 when the company was founded in northern France and owes its continued success to the Durrand family who acquired the company in 1916 and introduced several pioneering techniques including the mass-production of stemmed crystal glasses, opal and decorative glassware and the creation of super-tough Kwarx® glass. Arc International has grown to include several brands including bar and catering favourites Arcoroc and the world famous Pyrex brand and employs 11,841 people throughout the world across 6 continents.
Created in 1958; Arcoroc Professional is an arm of Arc International which specialises in durable designer products for the hospitality trade, not only for bars but also quality glassware and tableware for catering use too. Arcoroc produce a wide range include the super-tough Princesa Glassware, Granity Tumblers as well as our newly featured Malea glasses.
Arcoroc are also responsible for changing the design of the modern pint glass with the creation of the Ultimate Pint Glass , a uniquely-tempered smash-resistant glass which can withstand a large amount of force before breaking, and should it ever break it simply disintegrates into harmless chips like a car window would, reducing the opportunity for the glass to be used as a weapon.
A relatively new division of Arc International created in 1997, the Chef & Sommelier range specialises in high-end glassware, cutlery and crockery for the Hotel and Restaurant sector. The Chef and Sommelier range includes the popular Cabernet series of wine glasses, the newly featured Oenologue Expert range and the Open Up line of specialist wine and tasting glasses which are popular with Sommeliers across the world.
With an eye firmly on the future, Arc will continue to dominate the tableware and glassware industry for years to come as they continue to expand into growing markets. Look out for more ranges from Arc as we continue to add to our lines here at drinkstuff.com.
The Great Barman’s Bake-Off for MacMillan Cancer Support
Last week Barman’s and drinkstuff joined in the world’s biggest coffee morning, in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. Every day last week the warehouse canteen was inundated with cakes and fancy treats, all on sale to raise money for this worthwhile cause.
This also sparked an in-house competition to discover who was the Star Baker here at drinkstuff?! Judging was tough as the standards were very high and quite a few people raised their game to bring in creations worthy of a top patisserie!
Through our efforts at the office we have managed to raise £131 so far, which all goes towards helping to improve the lives of people affected by cancer across the UK.
Here’s a selection of our entries from last week:
Competition was hot for the Drinkstuff Master Baker Award. It ended up getting split 3 ways with Sales’ Tony and Paul and their white chocolate fudge cheesecake and cherry bakewell taking equal points with Customer Support’s Charlie and her blueberry and lemon cupcakes.
Well done to everybody that took the time to make cakes and to all who donated and ate cake! Now for the great Drinkstuff Diet!
Hot Tubs and Films on the Roof? – Good uses for a Lay Z Spa No.1
Good uses for a Lay Z Spa - Hot tub Cinema!
“Hot tubs and cinemas together?” I hear you say. Well that’s the order of the day at London’s Hot Tub Cinema, a funky new endeavour that has popped up in various venues in London over the last year. Why queue up to sit in a dark cramped cinema, having your seat kicked constantly by the toddlers behind you when you can enjoy some of the coolest films on the planet from the comfort of a rooftop hot tub? And even if you don’t like the films, enjoy your drink and the company as you gaze out across the stunning views of London’s night-time skyline.
Hot Tub Cinema began privately about seven years ago. Since then it has grown in increments, reaching the stage of a handful of hot tubs in a garden in Stoke Newington about 18 months ago, at which point they realised it was time to find some new & exciting venues for their expanding endeavours.
They’re currently running from the rooftop of Netil360 in East London and parties regularly sell out very quickly so we recommend keeping a close eye on their future events if you would like to book tickets. For regular updates go to http://hottubcinema.com/ or find them on Facebook. General Entry tickets start from £22. Private tubs are from £25 per head (£200 per tub split between up to 8 attendees). Tickets include access to the rooftop, hot tubs, waiter service and film screening. Some events are B.Y.O. but soft drinks are often included.
We’re very pleased to see that Hot Tub Cinema are proud supporters of the Lay Z Spa inflatable Hot Tub. Although we’re not sure 8 to a tub is recommended! If you want to create your own Hot Tub Cinema night, the Lay Z Spa Premium Series 4 is currently available for under £400 from drinkstuff.com and includes a free bonus filter pack.
Mix it up with London Cocktail Week!
What better way to celebrate the classic cocktail than with a whole week dedicated to them? London Cocktail Week is running from 7th till 16th October, over 200 London bars will be offering discounts to anyone lucky enough to be sporting a London Cocktail Week wristband. We have a look at some of the main events you can attend:
London Cocktail Week bus
What better way to get around London than via bus? The bus takes a daily tour through bars and pubs of different parts of the city, running 6pm-midnight.
London Cocktail Week Bus
Museum of Cocktails
Located on the top floor of Harvey Nichols is the Museum of Cocktails. There you'll find bartenders recreating 10 of the most iconic cocktails from the last century. As well as display pieces, you'll also be able to take part in a masterclass to put your skills to the test!
Rumfest
Taking place on the 15th and 16th October, this is the 5th UK Rumfest, the largest in the world. Taking place at Olympia 2, Kensington, this festival boasts 400 different rums to taste and a masterclass from leading industry experts. There's also competitions to take part in and live music all day.
RumFest
Cheers!
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Job Opportunity: Online Marketplace Administrator
We have a new position within the company for an Online Marketplace Administrator to look after the day to day running of all accounts. The individual should possess excellent communication skills and an attention to detail.
Main tasks will include:
- Transferring customer orders from Amazon Marketplace, eBay and Play.com to our internal administration system ready for dispatch
- Handling customer service emails and updating customers on their order status
- Managing customer feedback
- Ensuring listings are accurate by liaising with the Buying & Product Development Departments
- Competitor price monitoring, analysis and research into other marketplace sellers to ensure we are continuously competitive
- Analysis & reporting on sales performance
- Answering customer service calls, taking orders and dealing with all enquiries including showroom duties
Working Environment:
- Open plan office
- Air-conditioned office
- PC based
- No ties or suits necessary!
- Parking
- Vibrant workforce
Hours of work: 08:30 - 17:00 Monday - Friday
Salary: £6-6.50 per hr
Apply now by emailing your CV to Stuart Goode