Spiced Apple Muffins

Apple and spices like cinnamon and ginger are a great combo.
I add the spices quite generously as I love the flavour of them.
Chopped apple pieces make the muffins moist but keep them light.
I found if I mix grated apple rather than chopped apples the muffins turn out quite dense. I prefer light muffins like these.
Make sure to add the apple pieces into the dry mixture first to stop the apple pieces sinking to the bottom.
These are great to enjoy when they are still warm.

Ingredients

• 200g Plain flour
• 100g Caster sugar
• 50g Soft brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Baking powder
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon powder 
• 2 teaspoons Ginger powder
• ¼  teaspoon Salt
• 90ml Milk
• 80ml Vegetable oil
• 1 large Egg, beaten
• 2 large Apples - peeled, cored and chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 C / 180 C (Fan) and add paper cases to a muffin tray.
2. Measure out flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. 
3. Mix the dry ingredients well and then add the chopped apples. Make sure the apple pieces are well coated by the flour mixture.
4. In a separate jug, mix milk, oil, and egg. Stir until just combined.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in but do not over mix.
6. Fill the muffin cases equally. 
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Chocolate Chip Flapjack

I have been trying adding different things to my basic Flapjack.
There were several unopened bars of dark chocolate in the cupboard.
It was quite a surprise they were even not opened.... !!
Anyway, I chopped one of the bars and added it to my flapjack mixture. Well, it wasn't a bad combo at all. So here it is. The recipe for the chocolate chip Flapjack.
Please just make sure not to add the chopped chocolate when the liquid mixture is still hot.
Otherwise, all the chocolate bits will be integrated to the flapjack. We need the chocolate bits to be seen.

Ingredients 

• 7oz butter or margarine (butter, if you prefer) 
• 2oz golden syrup
• 2 tsp black treacle
• 7oz muscovado sugar
• 12oz porridge oats
• 3oz plain flour
• 100g dark chocolate chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C and line a 20cm/8in square baking tin with baking paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients, (oats, flour, sugar, salt and chopped chocolate) in a bowl. 
3. Melt the butter or margarine in a medium pan over a low heat.  Add the golden syrup, black treacle and sugar to the margarine and heat gently. Once the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat and wait until the mixture becomes not too hot to prevent the chocolate bits melting. 
4. When the liquid mixture becomes cool enough, stir in the mixed dry ingredients. 
5. Pack the mixture into the baking tin and squash down. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
6. Once cooked, remove from the oven, leave to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a chopping board and cut into squares. 

Cinnamon Buns

I love Cinnamon Buns. These are very sticky, light and very Cinnamony.

It's good to be generous with the cinnamon sugar filling as it gives a very distinct flavour. 

They are great for breakfast, coffee break ...... or anytime really. 

You can add crushed walnuts and/or sultanas in the filling, but I still love the simple Cinnamon flavour. 

Ingredients ( for the dough) 

•      600g (1lb 5oz) strong white flour, plus extra to dust

•      10g fast active dried yeast

•      100g (3½oz) caster sugar

•      275ml (9fl oz) milk

•      1 medium egg

•      50g (2oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease

Ingredients (for the filling and topping)

•      40g (1½oz) unsalted butter, very soft

•      60g (2½oz) caster sugar

•      2 tsp (or more) ground cinnamon

•      50g (2oz) pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped

•      50g (2oz) sultanas

•      125g (4oz) icing sugar

Method

1      Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir though the yeast, sugar and 1tsp salt. Heat the milk until it's just warm (too hot and it will stop the yeast from working). Whisk in the egg and melted butter, then add to the flour bowl in one go. Quickly mix to a soft but not sticky dough.

2      Scrape dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 min until elastic and smooth. Transfer to a large greased bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place until well risen (about 2hrs).

3      If you have time, take dough out of the bowl, knead it to burst any air bubbles, then return to the bowl. Cover and leave to rise for a further 30min (this will help develop the flavour).

4      Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Lightly dust a work surface and roll out dough to a rectangle roughly 23cm x 38cm (9in x 15in). Arrange so a long edge is in front of you, then spread butter with your finger over the rectangle (right to the edges), and scatter over sugar, cinnamon, nuts and sultanas.

5      Brush the long edge furthest away from you with water (to help it stick). Roll up the dough tightly starting from the nearest edge - keeping it as round as possible, and pressing lightly to seal on the watered edge.

6      Cut roll into 2.5cm (1in) slices and arrange swirl-side up on the baking sheet (leaving space between the rolls to allow for expansion). Loosely cover with greased clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 30min to 1 hour.

7      Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Remove clingfilm and bake buns for 25-30min until nicely golden and well risen. Five minutes before buns are finished baking, sift icing sugar into a bowl and mix in just enough water to make icing with a smooth, thick, spoonable consistency.

8      As soon as the buns come out of the oven, spoon over the icing and leave to set. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Apple and Marzipan Mince Pie

Boxing day Baking.

We had a small jar of home-made mincemeat as a present. In the freezer, there was a pot of apple puree which we had made from our neighbour's apples back in October. So, why not bake "mincemeat and apple pies" on Boxing day. Grated marzipan added a lovely nutty flavour and a nice crunch.

Orange zest was added to the pastry for festive flavour. This recipe was inspired by the famous Mary Berry.

Ingredients for the pastry 

• 175g plain flour
• 75g cold butter, cubed
• 25g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting 1 large orange, grated zest only
• 1 free-range egg, beaten

Ingredients for the filling

• 200g home-made mincemeat
• 300g home-made apple puree 
• 125g uncoloured marzipan, grated

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and place a baking sheet inside to heat up.
   
2. For the pastry, either pulse the flour and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, or rub the flour and butter together in a large bowl using your fingertips.
   
3. Stir in the icing sugar and orange zest, then stir in the beaten egg and mix until the ingredients just come together as a dough. Wrap the dough in greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, or until firm.
   
4. When the pastry has rested, unwrap it. Place the greaseproof paper on a work surface and lightly dust with icing sugar. Place the dough on top, dust with icing sugar, then cover with another sheet of greaseproof paper. Roll the pastry between the sheets of greaseproof paper to a thickness of 1-2mm. (If you are confident rolling out pastry you do not need to use the greaseproof paper, but it does help prevent the pastry tearing if the dough is a little sticky).
   
5. Stamp 12 rounds from the pastry using a 8cm/3in fluted pastry cutter. (Any leftover pastry can be frozen and used to make jam tarts.) Line each hole of the muffin tin with one of the pastry rounds and prick the base of each with a fork.
   
6. For the filling, mix the mincemeat with the apple puree until well combined. Divide the mixture equally among the pastry cases. Top each tart with some of the grated marzipan.
   
7. Slide the muffin tin onto the hot baking sheet and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm. 
   
   
   

Bûche de Noël a la Cafe Creme

Happy Christmas!!

This year, my Christmas log became coffee flavoured.  Happy Christmas everyone. :) 

 Ingredients

For the coffee sponge

• 3 large free-range eggs
• 75g/3oz caster sugar
• 75g/3oz self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons coffee granules (crushed to powder)

For the coffee butter cream

• 125g unsalted butter
• 200g icing sugar
• 50ml strong espresso coffee

For the topping 

• crushed walnuts

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Lightly grease a 33x23cm/13x9in Swiss roll tin, and line with non-stick paper or baking parchment, pushing it into the corners.
2. For the sponge, in a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar using an electric hand whisk until the mixture is pale in colour, light and frothy. Sift the flour and coffee powder into the bowl and carefully cut and fold together, using a spatula, until all the coffee and flour are incorporated into the egg mixture. (Be careful not to beat any of the air out of the mixture).
3. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and spread evenly out into the corners. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes, or until well risen and firm to the touch and the sides are shrinking away from the edge of the tin.
4. Place a piece of baking parchment bigger than the Swiss roll tin on the work surface. Dust with icing sugar generously. Carefully invert the cake onto the paper and remove the bottom lining piece of paper.
5. Cut a score mark 2.5cm/1in in along one of the longer edges. Starting with this edge, begin to tightly roll up the sponge using the paper. Roll with the paper inside and sit the roll on top of its outside edge to cool completely.
6. While the cake is cooling, make the coffee butter cream; beat the butter and add icing sugar little by little in a small bowl and beat with the electric hand mixer until pale and light. Then add the coffee little by little to make a smooth cream.
7. Uncurl the cold Swiss roll and remove the paper. Spread the coffee butter cream on top and sprinkle the walnuts, and re-roll tightly. Cut a quarter of the cake off from the end on a diagonal. Transfer the large piece of cake to a serving plate and angle the cut end in to the middle of the large cake to make a branch.
8. With a spatula, cover the cake completely with the coffee cream. Create a rough bark texture with a fork. Sprinkle with the walnuts. 
9.  Dust with icing sugar and garnish with fresh holly.

Coffee and Walnut Cake

As requested I baked this for the Birthday cake.  It is full of coffee flavour and very moist. 
Butter cream is tricky to make as it almost split.... but I just managed to hold it together to make a soft creamy texture. The key points for making perfect buttercream is NEVER use butter straight from the fridge.  Be patient to make sure the butter is soft. It's also important to mix the icing sugar little by little. This apply to adding the coffee as well. Fat and water do not merge together unless you do this carefully.
Anyway, this is a great cake for any occasion. It's one of my favourites.

Ingredients

For the cake            

• 225g (8oz) unsalted butter            
• 225g (8oz) caster sugar
• 225g (8oz) self-raising flour
• 4 free-range eggs 
• 50ml (1¾fl oz) strong espresso coffee
• 75g (2½oz) walnuts

For the buttercream topping 

• 125g (4½oz) unsalted butter
• 200g (7oz) icing sugar
• 50ml (2fl oz) strong espresso coffee
• 12 walnut halves, to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until very light and pale.
3. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, beating well to completely incorporate each egg before adding the next egg.
4. Add the espresso to the mixture and stir well.
5. Add the flour and chopped walnuts and stir well to completely combine.
6. Spoon the cake mixture into two lined and greased 20cm/8in cake tins.
7. Transfer to the oven to bake 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the cake is golden-brown.
8. Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
9. For the buttercream topping, beat the butter and icing sugar together in a small bowl until pale and light.
10. Add the espresso and mix well.
11. Spread the buttercream over the top of each cake, then place one cake on top of the other.
12. Decorate the top of the cake with the walnut halves and serve in generous slices.

  

Just like mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce, buttercream is an emulsion of fat and liquid that can break into its component ingredients if not handled properly. You'll know when it happens because your buttercream will suddenly look like cottage cheese.

Cream together the butter/margarine until it turns light and fluffy.

Beat in the icing sugar powder gradually. Keep beating until the resulting mixture becomes smooth.

Add the coffee liquid. Only add small amounts until the icing becomes of a spreadable consistency. It is always better to add less than too much.

For the busy baker, you can use instant coffee instead. That's what I normally do anyway.
                 

Coffee Buttercream

100g/3½oz unsalted butter

200g/7oz icing sugar

2 tsp coffee granules

1 Tbsp boiling water

Salted Peanut Flapjack

I found an unopened bag of salted peanuts in the cupboard.  Ah, I know what it was. I bought two of those for a party as nibbles.  These classic nibbles weren't as popular as other stuff I offered and here they were in the cupboard.  So, I thought, I could made some Flapjack with them ........
Well, but they were "salted" peanuts.... for sweet flapjack?
"Salted caramel" has been really popular recently, hasn't it?  A bit of salt actually intensifies the sweetness.  So, here are my "salted caramel" inspired peanut flapjack.
They were surprisingly good.  A hint of salt creates a toffee like flavour.  Lovely with a cup of latte.

Ingredients 

• 7oz butter or margarine (butter, if you prefer) 
• 2oz golden syrup
• 2 tsp black treacle
• 7oz muscovado sugar
• 12oz porridge oats
• 3oz plain flour
• 3oz salted roasted peanuts 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C and line a 20cm/8in square baking tin with baking paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients, (oats, flour, sugar, salt and peanuts) in a bowl. 
3. Melt the butter or margarine in a medium pan over a low heat.  Add the golden syrup, black treacle and sugar to the margarine and heat gently. Once the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mixed dry ingredients. 
4. Pack the mixture into the baking tin and squash down. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
5. Once cooked, remove from the oven, leave to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a chopping board and cut into squares. 

Pear caramel upside-down cake

There were some sad looking small pears in my fruit bowl. They had been there for a while but somehow they hadn't ripened. Some people prefer crunchy pears to soft and sweet ones, but I thought it was time to do something about them. So here it is. "Pear caramel upside down cake" It's a simple cake, but it turned out rather pretty, so I decided to put this in my new post. I hope this inspires your Easter baking.

Ingredients  (for 19cm round cake tin)

• 5 oz selfraising flour 
• 5 oz caster sugar
• 5 oz butter or low-fat spread 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp milk 
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 small pears
• for caramel: 3 oz granulated sugar + 3 Tbsp water

Method

To make the caramel sauce: 

Place the granulated sugar and water into a stainless steel pan.

Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and there are no granules.

Remove the spoon and increase the heat.

Boil until a golden straw colour and immediately pour into a tin.

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C.  
2. Place chopped pears in the cake tin when the caramel is cool and set.
3. Put all ingredients (butter, sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, eggs and milk) in a bowl.
4. Mix with electric whisk.  
5. Pour the mixture on top of the pears.
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes. When the cake cools down turn the cake tin upside down.

Just a little gift

I love baking and I love sharing something nice.  So, when I bake something nice I love to share it.

Sometimes a simple gift can be very effective if it's home-made with a bit of care. I often make cakes and biscuits for dinner party presents. The tip is making it simple so that you won't stress over it but enjoy making it. Take this is simple lemon cake for instance. I made it in the evening of the day before the Sunday lunch that I was invited to. It only takes 10 minutes to put together and the oven does the rest.
I wrapped it nicely with ribbons and a label. Nice little present. This cake recipe is one of my simplest and reliable recipes, so it's hard to get it wrong. The photo above is baked in a 2Ib loaf tin.
Here is the recipe. (click here). 

I stock clear cellophane bags in the cupboard for present wrapping. These are very handy. I also stock some labels and ribbons which are also available online to buy. A home-made gift is a great alternative to a bottle of something if you have a little time to spare.

I was looking for a small loaf tin to bake a smaller cake to fit in my cellophane bags. 2Ib loaf tins are very common and you can find them very easily. In fact, most of the loaf tins you can find in a baking section in a supermarket are 2Ib tins.  I finally found this small 1Ib loaf tin in a small local household shop.
For my new 1Ib loaf tin, I adjusted my simple cake recipe.

• 3 oz butter (or low-fat spread) 
  
• 3 oz caster sugar (or soft brown sugar)
• 3 oz plain flower
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 eggs
• lemon or orange zest
• 2 tsp lemon juice

Put everything in a bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer. Pour the mixture into the 1Ib loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven (180c / 170c fan) for about 40 minutes.  

Strong Bread Flour for Cake Making??

Grrrr. Oh my goodness. I’ve just added strong flour instead of plain flour....

Well, I was making cake …. Not bread.  However, I put strong bread flour in the bowl instead of plain flour.

I was using an all-in-one method which means putting all the ingredients (butter, sugar, flour and eggs) together in one bowl to mix.  The flour was the last item in the bowl, so I couldn’t take it out. I only realized what I was doing when half of the flour was in the bowl, but I managed to stop.  What should I do? I was in a panic, so I grabbed the plain flour bag and poured the other half quantity….. So there was half strong flour and half plain flour in my cake mixture.   I knew there is a reason not to use strong flour for cake.  It makes it heavier, rise less and liable to sink.

Strong flour is made from 'hard' wheat varieties which are high in gluten. This makes it ideal for bread-making where dough needs to expand and rise well and create a chewy texture. Strong flour is not suitable for cake recipes because cake shouldn’t be chewy but light and short.

Ok, but it was too late and I didn’t want to waste all the ingredients.

So, I added a little more baking powder than usual and tried very carefully not to over mix it. This should have stopped gluten stands forming to some extent.

The result? Surprisingly good.  It didn’t sink much and rose quite well. Best of all it had a nice slightly spongy texture which I don’t normally have in plain flour only cake mixture. 

Pity that I can’t show you the photo of the cake when it came out from the oven. However, there were only 2 slices left within a few hours, so this may tell you how good it was.

Anyway, here is the recipe. Try it if your are curious. However, do not over-beat when you mix it. :)

Ingredients 

• 6 oz Low-Fat Spread (or butter if you prefer)
• 6 oz Castor Sugar (or light brown sugar
• 3 oz Strong bread flour + 3oz Plain flour
• 3 tsp Baking Powder
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Lemon or Orange zest
• 1 Tbsp  Milk
• 1 Tbsp  Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla paste or extract  

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 °c  (fan: 160°c)
2. Put all ingredients in the bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer. (Do not over-mix it.)
3. Bake it in the oven for about 50 minutes
4. When the cake is baked, let it stand for 5 minutes, then turn out on a plate.
5. Decorate with lemon juice + icing sugar mixture