Winter Baking Series: Sophie Hansen

We are so excited to welcome Sophie Hansen to our Winter Baking Series this week!

Everything that Sophie creates and presents is full of warmth, generosity and deliciousness. She is an author and photographer (with 5 cookbooks to her name, including her latest, What Can I Bring?), hosts regular cooking classes at her ‘The Farm Kitchen’ near Orange, NSW, as well as other regional-based food events, writes the Galah Press ‘Yes Chef’ monthly newsletter and co-presents the ‘Something to Eat and Something to Read’ podcast. And if you aren’t yet a subscriber to her ‘5 Things to be Cheerful About’ weekly email, I would highly recommend you subscribe now for some joy and sunshine in your inbox every Monday morning!
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Thank you Sophie also for sharing the recipe for your completely delicious The Easiest Cake in the World from your late Grandmother.

Q: What's something you'll be baking on repeat this month?

A: I have been making a version of the fruit cake in my new book What Can I Bring? a lot at the moment. It’s full of nuts and dried fruit and I love it baked in a loaf tin then kept wrapped up in the cake tin ready to toast in the sandwich press and spread lightly with salted butter and marmalade. It’s basically my dream morning tea and such a nice thing to be able to rustle up quite quickly and easily when friends drop round. I also like to freeze slices of this one, so that a delicious, warm and filling treat is never too far away! It's also lovely on a cheese plate, with some sharp cheddar and a few crisp apples.

Q: Bread or cake?

A: Such a tough one. I love both so much. But probably bread – because the making of it is like therapy to me and I do find such satisfaction from bringing a loaf of sourdough out of the oven, and of course such joy in slicing it, and spreading with butter and jam!

Q: The cookbook you're using most at the moment?

A: Bee Wilson’s The Secret of Cooking. I have been raving about this book to anyone who’ll listen. We even just dedicated an entire episode of our podcast Something to Eat and Something to Read to it. Full of wisdom, warmth and wonderful recipes it’s a cross between a cookbook and a memoir and I think you’ll all love it.

Q: It's a cold Sunday morning, and you've got friends coming round for morning tea. What do you bake?

A: A lemon curd and crumble cake! It’s basically a version of my basic butter cake from In Good Company that you top with a thick layer of curd and then a simple streusel style crumble and bake. The hardest part is waiting for it to ‘set’ before slicing and serving. Just such a treat. Especially with a pot of strong tea and some good chats.

Q: What's one ingredient you're especially excited to bake with this winter?

A: Blood oranges! They’re only just coming into season and I can’t wait. I love to make steamed blood orange puddings, dehydrate the beautiful slices and use these to top muffins or cakes, use the juice in jellies, and the juice and zest in curd or marmalade and then use this in sponges or atop freshly baked friands. They are a real seasonal treat, something we have to wait for all year and then take advantage of during their brief season.

Click here for Sophie's The Easiest Cake in the World recipe from her latest book What Can I Bring? (Murdoch Books, RRP $49.99).