Recipes in English: Berry Shortcake

Recipes in English: Berry Shortcake

This month on Recipes in English we are presenting a delicious Berry Shortcake that will be a crowd pleaser for sure! You can find the subtitles on the video if needed and the full recipe below. You can also learn some of the vocabulary words used in the video. Learning English can happen in lots of different ways: in a classroom, online or even while cooking! Enjoy!

Vocabulary Minute 0:00 to 4:00

Exceptionally

  • something that is greater than usual
    • This cake tastes exceptionally good.

Hand mixer

  • a certain type of an electric mixer used for eggs and cakes.
  • Click here to see what it looks like
    • Hand mixers can save you a lot of time if you have to mix egg whites.

Stand mixer

  • This is a strong mixer that you do not have to hold while it is mixing.
  • Click here to see a picture.
    • The gave me a stand mixer as a wedding present.

Melted

  • Heated and softened
    • I melted the butter so that it mixes more easily.

Cake flour

  • this a more finely grained flour which is great for cakes as it has a lower protein content.
  • In Spain, I use harina de reposteria.
    • I like to use cake flour in my recipes because it comes out lighter.

Low speed

  • this refers to the lowest or second to lowest pace on the mixer.
    • Use a low speed to mix the ingredients so they don’t clump up.

High speed

  • This is the highest or one of the higher speeds on the mixer.
    • Once the ingredients are combined, mix them on high speed for 5 minutes.

Scrape the walls

  • use a sharp edge to remove something from the walls, in this case I was referring to the batter.
    • Make sure you scrape the batter from the walls so that it all gets mixed together.  

Fluffy batter

  • batter is the mixture of the ingredients and fluffy means light and full of air.
    • After mixing the batter for 5 minutes, it should be light and fluffy.  

Vocabulary Minute 4:00 – end

Pre-greased

  • That the object has some type of oil or butter on it so that it does not stick to the batter.
    • I always pre-grease my pans with butter so that the cake doesn’t stick to it.

Floured

  • something that has a light layer of flour on it so that it does not stick.
    • My pans are greased and floured so that it is easier to remove the cake later.

Use some muscle

  • This is an expression we use to say that you need to use physical strength to do something.
    • I really need to use some muscle to get rid of all the dirt on the wall.  

Toothpick test

  • This refers to an easy and effective way to check if the cake is completely cooked.
  • Stick a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean (meaning there is no batter sticking to the toothpick) than your cake it done.
    • Before you take the cake out, do a toothpick test. It may need an extra minute!

Cool

  • To allow something to become colder.
    • It’s a good idea to let the cake cool before removing it from the pan or else it may break.

Wire rack

  • A plate made out of metal that allows air to cool the bottom of the cake.
    • It’s quite common to cool cakes or cookies on a wire rack before serving them.

Whipped/whipping cream

  • Whip means to mix something in a certain way.
    • Whipping cream is cream that has been mixed to the point that it is no longer in liquid form.

Stiff peaks

  • When the whipping cream does not move anymore but looks like mountain peaks (the tops of the mountains).
  • This is how you know the whipping cream is done.
    • Keep mixing the cream until it forms stiff peaks.

Display

  • to arrange something to be seen.
    • She had a beautiful display of flowers on the table.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (113 grams) butter2 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) and 1 Tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (187 grams) cake flour 1 kilo of mixed berries
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 cup (115 grams) jam
1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup (122) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (122 grams) milk

Now that you have seen Recipes in English: Berry Shortcake, take a look at our Recipes in English series:
Recipes in English: Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Recipes in English: Bunny Carrot Cake

Gluten Free Crepes

Cooking in English: Gluten Free Crepes

In Spain it’s called Carnival, in the US it’s Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, Christians refer to it as Shrove day and in Ireland it’s referred to as Pancake Tuesday. Tuesday (Feb. 16th) or the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday signifies the last day to party or eat too much before we enter into the fasting phase of lent (Cuaresma).

As Clare is from Ireland, she has prepared her version of Pancake Tuesday with this delicious recipe for Gluten-Free Crepes, which are very similar to pancakes.

  • Self rising flour – flour containing a substance that makes cakes swell when they are cooked
  • Raising agent – something added to cause the flour to be lifted up or become higher
  • Trials and errors – a way of achieving an aim of solving a problem by trying a number of different methods and learning from the mistakes that you make
  • Pseudo-cereal – a fake cereal
  • Binds – to make a mixture stick together in a solid mass
  • Sieve –  /sɪv/ to put a liquid or powder through a sieve
  • Pinch of … – a small amount of something that a person can hold between their first finger and thumb
  • Free range eggs – eggs that come from chickens that were not kept in cages
  • Spongy – soft and able to absorb or having already absorbed a lot of liquid, like a sponge
  • Lumpy – containing little balls of flour or mixture
  • To set – to leave a mixture to become hard or solid
  • At least – the minimum
  • A squeeze of… – to press something firmly 
  • To wilt (down) – to soften from the heat, to cook leaves

Shepherd’s / Cottage Pie

Clare brings us a truly versatile dish that all adults and kids will love. Perfect for these cold days and even better as left overs! Don’t forget to check some new vocabulary down below.

Vocabulary

Stroke – /
Sheep – oveja
minced beef – carne picada
brought up – criada
chopped – picado
sauté – salteado
without further ado – sin mas demora  
diced – en dados
pick something out – sacar con dedos
hail storm – granizado
where the hell is… donde coño esta…
beef stock – caldo de carne
don’t be mean to your mashed potatoes – usa una buena cantidad de patatas
pressure cooker – olla exprés
kettle – tetera
thingamajig – chisme, cosa
lumps – grumos
potato masher – pasapures
creamy – cremosa
sealed – cerrado
crispy – tostado, crujiente