I'll be moving all recipes over to the new site soon.
Monday, 27 September 2010
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Bloomin' Brilliant Brownies
I retried Jamie Oliver's Brownie recipe today. The previous time I made them they were amazing but I failed to get any photos of them before they were all eaten!
The recipe is a good'un. Rich, moist and fudgy. Utter chocolate perfection!
The previous time I made the brownies I didn't add any nuts/fruit, I just kept them pure chocolate. But this time I added 50g of chopped hazelnuts which added a gentle nuttiness without being overpowering. It was all still about the chocolate!
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
250g Unsalted Butter
200g Dark Fairtrade Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
(optional) 75g Dried Sour Cherries
(optional) 50g Chopped Nuts
80g Cocoa Powder, sifted
65g Plain Flour, sifted
1Tsp Baking Powder
360g Caster Sugar
4 Large Free-Range/Organic Eggs
(optional) Zest of 1 Orange
(optional) 250ml Créme Fraiche
Method
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts, if you’re using them, and stir together. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.
Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares. These make a fantastic dessert served with a dollop of crème fraîche mixed with some orange zest.
Recipe taken from JamieOliver.com
The recipe is a good'un. Rich, moist and fudgy. Utter chocolate perfection!
The previous time I made the brownies I didn't add any nuts/fruit, I just kept them pure chocolate. But this time I added 50g of chopped hazelnuts which added a gentle nuttiness without being overpowering. It was all still about the chocolate!
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
250g Unsalted Butter
200g Dark Fairtrade Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
(optional) 75g Dried Sour Cherries
(optional) 50g Chopped Nuts
80g Cocoa Powder, sifted
65g Plain Flour, sifted
1Tsp Baking Powder
360g Caster Sugar
4 Large Free-Range/Organic Eggs
(optional) Zest of 1 Orange
(optional) 250ml Créme Fraiche
Method
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts, if you’re using them, and stir together. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.
Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares. These make a fantastic dessert served with a dollop of crème fraîche mixed with some orange zest.
Recipe taken from JamieOliver.com
Monday, 13 September 2010
Cupcakes with Bite!
It was my sister's 20th Birthday over the weekend and so, being the kindly and loving sister that I am, I made her some Birthday Cakes!
My sis LOVES vampires. Not the sparkly kind but the kicking ass, biting necks, bloody sexy ones. eg. Eric in True Blood. So there was no real option other than to make her some cupcakes inspires by the hit HBO show.
The cupcakes themselves are Triple Chocolate. I made my usual chocolate cupcake recipe, added a little bit more cocoa powder and about 250g of roughly chopped white, milk and dark chocolate. The result was quite a dense cake but full of chocolatey goodness and had a really rich, deep flavour. Perfect for chocoholics and definitely a recipe that i'll be repeating!
PS. Happy National Cupcake Week everyone!
My sis LOVES vampires. Not the sparkly kind but the kicking ass, biting necks, bloody sexy ones. eg. Eric in True Blood. So there was no real option other than to make her some cupcakes inspires by the hit HBO show.
The cupcakes themselves are Triple Chocolate. I made my usual chocolate cupcake recipe, added a little bit more cocoa powder and about 250g of roughly chopped white, milk and dark chocolate. The result was quite a dense cake but full of chocolatey goodness and had a really rich, deep flavour. Perfect for chocoholics and definitely a recipe that i'll be repeating!
PS. Happy National Cupcake Week everyone!
Thursday, 12 August 2010
S'mores Whoopie Pies
I have to admit, I've tried baking Whoopie Pies a number of times and they've never really come out amazingly. The taste has been ok but not amazing and, well, they've always looked a complete mess! For some time I'd been considering purchasing a Whoopie Pie Pan but I've been saving for my holiday so haven't been able to purchase one. But then I had a somewhat ingenius idea! Why can't I just use a cupcake pan to make whoopie pies? So I tired it...and it worked! Finally I got some whoopie pies that look how they should!
I used this Silicone 6 Cup Muffin Tin from Sainsburys (only £3!). And the following recipe that I adapted from My Baking Addiction.
I used this Silicone 6 Cup Muffin Tin from Sainsburys (only £3!). And the following recipe that I adapted from My Baking Addiction.S'mores Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
For the Cakes;
1 Cup Caster Sugar
3/4 Cup and 2 Tbsps Plain Flour
1/4 cup and 2Tbsps Cocoa Powder
3/4Tsp Baking Powder
3/4Tsp Baking Soda
1/2Tsp Salt
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Rape Seed Oil
1Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Boiling Water
For the Filling;
4 Egg Whites
1 Cup Caster Sugar
¼Tsp Cream of Tartar
1Tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Topping;
100g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa)
Method
For the Cakes;
1. Heat oven to 320 F. Spray your whoopee pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add egg, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
2. Pour 1 ½ tablespoons of batter into each well of the whoopie pie pan.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then invert the pan and allow the whoopies to cool completely on wire racks.
5. Wash and dry the pan and re-spray with non-stick cooking spray and repeat with the remaining batter. You will end up with 36 whoopie cakes that once sandwiched will yield 18 whoopie pies.
6. Once your whoopies are cool, prepare the marshmallow frosting.
For the Filling;
1. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined.
For the Topping;
1. Melt the chocolate, gradually, in the microwave and pour over Whoopie Pies.
Original Recipe is here at My Baking Addiction
Ingredients
For the Cakes;
1 Cup Caster Sugar
3/4 Cup and 2 Tbsps Plain Flour
1/4 cup and 2Tbsps Cocoa Powder
3/4Tsp Baking Powder
3/4Tsp Baking Soda
1/2Tsp Salt
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Rape Seed Oil
1Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Boiling Water
For the Filling;
4 Egg Whites
1 Cup Caster Sugar
¼Tsp Cream of Tartar
1Tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Topping;
100g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa)
Method
For the Cakes;
1. Heat oven to 320 F. Spray your whoopee pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add egg, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
2. Pour 1 ½ tablespoons of batter into each well of the whoopie pie pan.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then invert the pan and allow the whoopies to cool completely on wire racks.
5. Wash and dry the pan and re-spray with non-stick cooking spray and repeat with the remaining batter. You will end up with 36 whoopie cakes that once sandwiched will yield 18 whoopie pies.
6. Once your whoopies are cool, prepare the marshmallow frosting.
For the Filling;
1. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined.
For the Topping;
1. Melt the chocolate, gradually, in the microwave and pour over Whoopie Pies.
Original Recipe is here at My Baking Addiction
Monday, 9 August 2010
Tart Tatin and Créme Anglaise
My Dad isn't a big cake lover (I don't understand either) so he often gets left out of sampling my baking. But he does love Tart Tatin and so this weekend I decided to make him one accompanied by his other favourite, Créme Anglaise.
I used recipes from The Cooking Book. It's a GIANT of a book, packed with recipes of both a sweet and savoury nature. Simple to understand and with lots of scrumptious looking photos, it's a must-have for cooks everywhere!
Anyway, back to the recipes.
Ingredients
For the Pastry; (I have to admit, I did cheat and buy some ready-made Pastry)
150g Butter
50g Sugar
225g Plain Flour (plus extra for dusting)
1 Egg, beaten
For the Apple Topping;
150g Butter, softened
200g Caster Sugar
6 Large Desert Apples (such as Granny Smith's), pealed and quartered)
Method
1. To make the pastry (and it can be made up to 24hrs in advance), cream the butter and sugar together until blended.Gradually mix in the flour, the stir in the egg to bind it together. Turn the mixture on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in Clingfilm and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. For the topping, melt the butter in a 30cm(12in)ovenproof tin over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the sugar, stirring occasionally. Increase the head slightly until the mixture begins to bubble, the continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until it is a light toffee colour. Remove from heat.
3. Arrange the apple pieces in the tin, rounded-side down and tightly packed together.
4. Roll out the pastry to form a circle just large enough to fit over the top of the apples. Arrange the pastry neatly on top of the fruit ad tuck the edges into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is lightly browned and cooked. Allow the tart to stand for 10 minutes before carefully inverting onto a large serving plate. Serve while still warm.
300ml Milk
1 Vanilla Pod, split lengthways
3 Egg Yolks
3Tbsps Caster Sugar
1Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract (optional)
Method
1. Heat the milk and vanilla pod in a saucepan until nearly boiling. Remove the pan from the heat and leave for 10 minutes, to allow the flavour of the vanilla pod to infuse the milk. Scrape some of the seeds into the milk. Remove the pod, rinse it, and let it dry. When dry, store it in an airtight container, as it can be used again.
2. Meanwhile, beat the yolks with the caster sugar. Whisk in the hot milk, the return the mixture to the pan.
3. Place the pan over a medium-low heat, and simmer, stirring continuously, with a wooden spoon until the sauce is just think enough to coat the back of the spoon. Do not allow the sauce to boil once the egg yolks are added or the sauce will curdle.
4. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a bowl and use as required. If using vanilla extract, add it at this point. If serving cold, stir occasionally to avoid a skin forming.
I used recipes from The Cooking Book. It's a GIANT of a book, packed with recipes of both a sweet and savoury nature. Simple to understand and with lots of scrumptious looking photos, it's a must-have for cooks everywhere!
Anyway, back to the recipes.
Tart Tatin
Ingredients
For the Pastry; (I have to admit, I did cheat and buy some ready-made Pastry)
150g Butter
50g Sugar
225g Plain Flour (plus extra for dusting)
1 Egg, beaten
For the Apple Topping;
150g Butter, softened
200g Caster Sugar
6 Large Desert Apples (such as Granny Smith's), pealed and quartered)
Method
1. To make the pastry (and it can be made up to 24hrs in advance), cream the butter and sugar together until blended.Gradually mix in the flour, the stir in the egg to bind it together. Turn the mixture on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in Clingfilm and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. For the topping, melt the butter in a 30cm(12in)ovenproof tin over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the sugar, stirring occasionally. Increase the head slightly until the mixture begins to bubble, the continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until it is a light toffee colour. Remove from heat.
3. Arrange the apple pieces in the tin, rounded-side down and tightly packed together.
4. Roll out the pastry to form a circle just large enough to fit over the top of the apples. Arrange the pastry neatly on top of the fruit ad tuck the edges into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is lightly browned and cooked. Allow the tart to stand for 10 minutes before carefully inverting onto a large serving plate. Serve while still warm.
Créme Anglaise
(Can be made up to 3 days in advance, and refrigerated)
Ingredients300ml Milk
1 Vanilla Pod, split lengthways
3 Egg Yolks
3Tbsps Caster Sugar
1Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract (optional)
Method
1. Heat the milk and vanilla pod in a saucepan until nearly boiling. Remove the pan from the heat and leave for 10 minutes, to allow the flavour of the vanilla pod to infuse the milk. Scrape some of the seeds into the milk. Remove the pod, rinse it, and let it dry. When dry, store it in an airtight container, as it can be used again.
2. Meanwhile, beat the yolks with the caster sugar. Whisk in the hot milk, the return the mixture to the pan.
3. Place the pan over a medium-low heat, and simmer, stirring continuously, with a wooden spoon until the sauce is just think enough to coat the back of the spoon. Do not allow the sauce to boil once the egg yolks are added or the sauce will curdle.
4. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a bowl and use as required. If using vanilla extract, add it at this point. If serving cold, stir occasionally to avoid a skin forming.
Raspberry Crumb Cake
The other day my new favourite website, Domestic Sluttery, posted a delicious sounding recipe for Raspberry Crumb Cake. Seeing as I had nothing to do I decided to treat myself to a big slice of it!
I was right, the cake was delicious! A light, lemon-tanged sponge filled with raspberries and covered in yummy cinnamon crumbs - what's not to like? And even better - very simple to make with very little washing up! In fact, the only thing I was disappointed by was that my cake didn't look quite as pretty as the one in the picture on Domestic Sluttery. However I do just seen this as an excuse to try and recipe again...and again...and again...Practice makes perfect, right?
Here's the recipe;
Ingredients
For the Cake;
125g Unsalted Butter
275g Caster Sugar
2 Free-Range Eggs
150g Full-Fat Greek Yoghurt
200g Plain Flour
2Tsp Baking Powder
200g (1 Punnet) Raspberries
The Zest of 1 Lemon
And for the Crumble Topping;
100g Butter
100g Flour (I actually used slightly more than this)
100g Soft Brown Sugar
1Tsp Ground Cinnamon
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line a medium sized springform cake tin(I used a 9" tin).
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale yellow and fluffy, then whisk in the eggs and milk, a little at a time, until well combined.
3. Stir in the flour and baking powder (I sifted these into the bowl), then fold in the raspberries.
4. Now it's time to make the crumb topping. To do this, just rub the butter, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl unti lthe mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Spoon the cake batter into your cake tin and sprinkle the cinnamon crumbs on top. Make sure that they're all evenly distributed across the surface of your cake. Then bake the whole lot in the oven for 40-50 minutes (my cake took about 65min to cook).
6. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Remove the cake from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
7. Slice your cake into huge wedges and smother with the best cream you can find. It goes incredibly well with coffee too - especially if it's Irish coffee.
I was right, the cake was delicious! A light, lemon-tanged sponge filled with raspberries and covered in yummy cinnamon crumbs - what's not to like? And even better - very simple to make with very little washing up! In fact, the only thing I was disappointed by was that my cake didn't look quite as pretty as the one in the picture on Domestic Sluttery. However I do just seen this as an excuse to try and recipe again...and again...and again...Practice makes perfect, right?
Here's the recipe;
Ingredients
For the Cake;
125g Unsalted Butter
275g Caster Sugar
2 Free-Range Eggs
150g Full-Fat Greek Yoghurt
200g Plain Flour
2Tsp Baking Powder
200g (1 Punnet) Raspberries
The Zest of 1 Lemon
And for the Crumble Topping;
100g Butter
100g Flour (I actually used slightly more than this)
100g Soft Brown Sugar
1Tsp Ground Cinnamon
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line a medium sized springform cake tin(I used a 9" tin).
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale yellow and fluffy, then whisk in the eggs and milk, a little at a time, until well combined.
3. Stir in the flour and baking powder (I sifted these into the bowl), then fold in the raspberries.
4. Now it's time to make the crumb topping. To do this, just rub the butter, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl unti lthe mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Spoon the cake batter into your cake tin and sprinkle the cinnamon crumbs on top. Make sure that they're all evenly distributed across the surface of your cake. Then bake the whole lot in the oven for 40-50 minutes (my cake took about 65min to cook).
6. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Remove the cake from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
7. Slice your cake into huge wedges and smother with the best cream you can find. It goes incredibly well with coffee too - especially if it's Irish coffee.
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Lemon Curd
When I was younger my Gran always used to make jars and jars of Lemon Curd every summer. It was delicious! Now she's older, she doesn't bake very much and I seem to have taken over, so today I thought it was the perfect time to try out a recipe for Lemon Curd.
I decided to follow the recipe in my Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, which she uses to make Lemon Meringue Cupcakes. As seen the the photo below;
I always presumed that making Lemon Curd was really fiddly and a pain to do but it wasn't at all. My only complaint is that it uses so many egg yolks (I guess that why using the Lemon Curd for the Lemon Meringue Cupcakes is a good idea, you can use up the egg whites in the meringue).
As I said, this is the first time I've made Lemon Curd so I stuck to the recipe 100% and was very impressed with the results. The Lemon Curd was buttery and tangy, sweet with a hit of sour. Perfection, well for me anyway.
Here's the recipe (which made me 1 Full Jar);
8 Large Egg Yolks
Finely Grated Zest of 2 Lemons
1/2 Cups plus 2 Tbsps of Lemon Juice (approx. 3 lemons)
1 Cup of Sugar (I used Caster Sugar)
1/8 Tsp of Salt
1 1/4 Sticks (10 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, cold, cut into pieces
1. Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes, and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer
2. Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
I decided to follow the recipe in my Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, which she uses to make Lemon Meringue Cupcakes. As seen the the photo below;
I always presumed that making Lemon Curd was really fiddly and a pain to do but it wasn't at all. My only complaint is that it uses so many egg yolks (I guess that why using the Lemon Curd for the Lemon Meringue Cupcakes is a good idea, you can use up the egg whites in the meringue).
As I said, this is the first time I've made Lemon Curd so I stuck to the recipe 100% and was very impressed with the results. The Lemon Curd was buttery and tangy, sweet with a hit of sour. Perfection, well for me anyway.
Here's the recipe (which made me 1 Full Jar);
8 Large Egg Yolks
Finely Grated Zest of 2 Lemons
1/2 Cups plus 2 Tbsps of Lemon Juice (approx. 3 lemons)
1 Cup of Sugar (I used Caster Sugar)
1/8 Tsp of Salt
1 1/4 Sticks (10 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, cold, cut into pieces
1. Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes, and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer
2. Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
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