Simple Sunday Marble Cake

Simple Sunday Marble Cake


This cake can be frozen for up to 3 months and will keep in an airtight container for 3 days.

Shopping List:

225 gr butter, softened
225 gr caster, white fine sugar
4 eggs, free range please
225 gr self-raising flour
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (Blooker Amsterdam)


Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease or spray and line your 20cm round cake tin.
Beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, until well combined.
Fold through or gently mix in the self-raising flour, milk and vanilla until well combined and the mixture is smooth.
Get one of your other bowls and put half of the mixture in it. Mix the cocoa powder through it. So you have one bowl with vanilla and one bowl with chocolate mixture.  Dollop these mixtures alternately into your prepared cake tin. All done, tap the cake tin gently on your work surface to beat the airbubbles out.

Get your skewer and make swirlie movements through the mixture in the tin.
Bake the cake in your preheated oven for about 50 - 55 minutes or until your skewer comes out clean. Leave it in the tin for about 5 minutes before turning it out onto your wire rack to finish cooling completely.


                                                           "Enjoy"

Banana Muffins with Chocolate

Banana Muffins with Chocolate

Get rid of the overripe bananas in your fruit bowl!

Shopping List:

Those 3 over-ripe bananas from your fruit bowl
125 ml sunflower oil
2 large eggs, free range please
225 gr plain flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (Blooker Amsterdam)
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Preheat your oven to 200C and fill your muffin tins with cases.

Mash up your bananas in a bowl with a fork and add the oil,eggs and sugar. Whisk with your electric mixer.
In another bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder and the bicarbonate of soda together with a wooden spoon. Add this dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until well combined.
Spoon this mixture into your prepared tins with an ice cream scooper, the big one; once, the small one 2x.

Bake the filled cases in your preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes until they are dark. Check with your cake tester to see if it comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto your wire rack.

                                                              "Enjoy"

Chocolate Tapas

 

 

 

Chocolate Tapas from a 200 gr pure/dark chocolate bar

 

 

Gently hold them under the tap, not too hot! And dip them in  : Hazelnuts

 

 

Dip them in Coconut

 

Dip them in other nuts or crushed pistachios

and serve them in a basket or on a tray

with a delicious cup of coffee.

 

Toffee Tiramisu Cake

Toffee Tiramisu Cake

Tiramisu means Pick me up so let's see if that works for you too.
It is an overnighter to put in the fridge, so make sure you have enough room in there.
It should yield 12-14 servings

Shopping List:

For the cake:

225 gr butter
225 gr light brown soft sugar
225 self-raising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (backing)
1/2 cup strong coffee, room temperature
4 egg whites
2 cadbury caramel bars chopped up

Icing:

115 gr. cream cheese (or Mascarpone)
135 gr fine white sugar
110 gr chocolate syrup
450 gr double (whipping) cream
1 teaspoon coffee essence or 1/3 cup very strong coffee
1 chocolate bar to choice chopped

Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease or Spray and line 3,  20 cm round  cake tins, either sandwich or springform tins.

In your large bowl, combine the ingredients starting from the top. Beat gently but firmly until well combined. Gently fold in the chopped caramel bars.

Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared  3 tins.  Bake in your preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden and your cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then gently turn out onto your wire rack(s). Cool completely or as cool as possible.

For the icing: get your large bowl again and beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the chocolate syrup, vanilla and coffee essence or 1/3 cup of very strong coffee. Add the whipping cream. Beat all this on high speed until well combined and light and fluffy for about 5 minutes.

Sandwich the cooled cakes together with the frosting mixture.  Make swirls on the top and scatter a broken up bar of a chocolate bar of your choice. Put in the fridge for an overnight.




                                                                  "Enjoy"

Barbecue & Marinade Sauce for Fathersday

Barbecue & Marinade Sauce
for Fathersday

An easy way to make barbecue sauce using cupboard staples

And an excellent gift for Father/Grandpa Day for brushing or to marinate your favourite barbecued meats.

What we need:
1 paintbrush about 2,-- euro's
1 glass jar     about 2,-- euro's

1kg tomatoes about 2,-- washed and quartered

In the cupboard:

2 tablespoons dark or light brown soft sugar
2 tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of cider vinager
1 dash of hot sauce, such as Tabasco
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder or grainy mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Italian or other herbs to taste (herb de Provence)
1 dash of olive oil
added later in the stage:
4 tablespoons of cornflour (maïzena) to 2 tablespoon of water in a cup
to gently add in the tomatoe sauce to thicken


In a saucepan: over a medium heat, stir together the quartered tomatoes. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and let it simmer for 45 minutes. Remove as much tomato skins as possible. Sieve if you want.
Add all your store-cupboard staples and stir. Bring to simmer again, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Make sure the herbs are nicely incorporated within the sauce.                     Pour into a nice glass jar.


Tip: Whether it's raining outside or you simply haven't got a barbecue, you can bake your meat in the oven and brush this sauce on the meat during the last minutes of cooking.

Make sure to read the instructions on a newly bought paint brush, not all are to be used as food brushes!


                                                            "Enjoy"

Maple Banana Cake

Maple Banana Cake


Shopping List:

100 gr butter, softened
8 tablespoons maple or ahorn syrup, plus extra to serve
3 small ripe bananas and 1 over-ripe banana
200 gr soft light brown sugar
4 eggs, free range please
2 teaspoons vanilla paste or the seeds scraped from 2 vanilla pods
or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
200 gr self-raising flour
100 gr ground almonds
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
200 gr Greek Yoghurt



Preheat your oven to 160C. Grease or spray and line you square 20cm cake tin. Pour in half of the maple syrup, swirling a bit to coat the bottom. Cut the 3 little bananas in half, lenghtways and lay them, the cut side down, in your prepared tin.

Then you beat the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and the over-ripe banana together in your bowl with an electric whisk.
Then you gently fold in the flour, ground almonds and the bicarb and lastly the greek yoghurt.
Gently spoon this mixture into your prepared tin making sure the bananas don't move. Please use a tray to put the tin onto, it leaks a bit and you might not feel like cleaning your oven.

Bake this in your prepared oven for about 60-75 minutes or until your cake-tester comes out clean or with some moist crumbs. If your cake gets to dark, put some alu-foil over it. Poke your cake all over with your cake-tester, about half way, then pour another tablespoon of syrup over it so the can can soak this up.

Carefully turn out the cake upside-down and gently peel off the baking paper.
 Serve warm with a bit of extra syrup.



                                                           "Enjoy"

Bolo de Chocolate da Gisele

Bolo de Chocolate da Gisele







(A very good chocolaty chocolate cake)



Shopping List:

250 gr butter
300 gr light brown soft sugar or Muscovado
100 gr plain flour
100 gr self-raising flour
5 eggs, free range please
300 gr dark chocolate (with a 69+ % cocoa solids) Melted: Au Bain Marie

For the Icing:

200 gr dark chocolate (with a high % cocoa solids)
200 ml double cream
Raspberries @ leisure



Preheat your oven to 160C.   Grease or spray and line your two 20cm round cake tins. If you use only one, you will have to slice it in half horizontally.
With your electric whisk, beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy and a creamy consistency. Measure the flours, put on the left. Beat in the eggs, one at the time, adding 1 - 2 tablespoons of flour if it starts to split. Which i am sure will not happen to you. Pour the 300 gr melted au bain marie and slightly cooled dark chocolate into your wet mixture at the same time beating as you do. Fold in the rest of the flour. Spoon the mixture into your tin(s) and bake for 1 to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Test with your cake tester if it comes out clean. The cake should be risen and yes it will have a split crust on top. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool further on your wire rack. If you have used 1 tin you can now split the cake horizontally.

Icing: Melt the chocolate and the cream together, au bain marie again. Cool until it is slightly thickened.  Sandwich the cakes together with the chocolate icing, then spread the rest over the outside.

Scatter some raspberries or other fruits over it. If you want.


                                                                "Enjoy"

Definitely Dark Chocolate Cake

Definitely Dark Chocolate Cake


Shopping List:

250 gr self -raising flour
250 gr soft brown sugar
50 gr cocoa powder (Blooker, Amsterdam)
250 gr plain chocolate
250 gr butter
4 eggs, free range please

Icing:
400 gr plain or milk chocolate
284 ml pot of single cream
25 gr butter
100-200 gr icing sugar
cocoa powder for dusting (optional)

Preheat your oven to 160C.

Grease or Spray and Line 2 x 20cm round cake tins or 1 20x20cm square tin.

Mix the flour, sugar and cocoa together in a bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter together with 200ml water in a pan and then beat this along with the eggs into your dry mixture. Pour this into your two prepared  round tins or your 1 square tin (you can cut the square tin in half after baking when it has cooled down). Bake this in your preheated oven for about under an hour (the square tin will take at least an hour). Keep your eye on the oven as it is difficult to see when chocolate cakes are done)   Test the cake with your skewer or cake tester to see if it comes out clean.
 The top will crack! But the icing will cover it all. Cool all. First in the tin(s) Then on your wire rack.

To make the icing, we melt the chocolate with the cream and butter, au bain marie, and then cool to a spreadable consistency. Then we beat in enough icing sugar to make it a lighter brown and a little stiff.

Slice the square cake horizontally into 2 maybe 3 layers if you want and spread some icing between each layer. if you have used your round tins, sandwich them together with the icing. Ice the top and the sides if you want.  Dust with some cocoa powder if you want, or decorate as you will!


                                                             "Enjoy"

Crystallized Rose Petals - Short Tutorial

 

Shopping List:

 

1 Large Egg White

few drops of water/rose water

1 cup of sugar (either Icing or Very Fine sugar

or Confectioners sugar)

Small paintbrush

Wire Rack with Baking Paper on it to let them dry

Clean Rose Petals or fresh from your own garden

Make sure there are no pesticides on them

 

 

 

Paint or dip your Rose Petal in  Egg white

then dip them in the sugar

 

 

 

These are done with icing sugar

 

 

 

The top ones are done with icing sugar

the bottom ones with fine white sugar

 

 

 

With fine white sugar it is easier to coat them completely

with a little help from your fingertips

 

 

The bottom petal has been painted with egg white only on the rim of the petal

and then slightly dipped in fine sugar

 

 

Then you leave them to dry, either overnight or at least until they feel feathery and crisp.

They are absolutely edible, like most flower petals are. So you could do this with flowers that are clean and you know that they are not poisonous!!!  Check the internet for more details.         Violets are very nice and also used in salads.


                                                                       "Enjoy"

My English Rose Cake

My English Rose Cake 

If you want to Crystalize your own Rose Petals, do it a day before you bake this cake.


Shopping List:

350 gr butter, softened
500 gr soft light brown sugar
6 large eggs, free range
200 gr full-fat natural yoghurt
500 gr plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (backing)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rosewater ( i used steenbergs organic, bought at a health shop)

For the rose syrup, icing and cream:

140 gr soft light brown sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons rosewater ( depends on the strenght of the water and your taste)
85 gr raspberries, plus 100 gr to decorate ( You can use defrosted raspberries)
250 gr icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300 ml double cream

Rose petals and crystalized rose petals. ( see step by step by Conny Bakes) to decorate with.


Preheat your oven to 160C. Grease, spray and line 3 x 20cm loose bottomed springform cake tins. Use the one-in-all method for the cake, by putting all the ingredients in one of your largest bowls. Beat with your electric whisk until well combined. Divide your mixture between your prepared 3 tins. If you only have 2, use a little bowl to put the rest of the 1/3 batter in. When the two cakes are ready use one of the then empty tins to bake the 3rd cake. 
Bake in your preheated oven for about 50 minutes and use your cake tester to see if they are done. Leave to cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes and then let them cool completely on your wire rack.

Make the rose syrup: Put the sugar in a pan with 100 ml water and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Then you turn up the heat and let it bubble for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the rose water. Mind that you start with 1 teaspoon and taste it. Be careful as the syrup is hot!
Spoon half of the syrup over the 3 sponges and set it aside.

In a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of syrup and the vanilla extract to the double cream and whisk it until it holds soft peaks. Mind that you use cold cream as that whisks the best, straight from the fridge is best. Chill until needed.
Add 2 tablespoons of the syrup to the raspberries and crush them with a fork. Push the raspberries through a sieve into a bowl and get rid of the seeds. Sift in the icing sugar and mix to a smooth raspberry icing. Not too thin, not too thick.

To put the cake together, place one cake ( i used the one which looked the biggest) flat side up, on a plate or your cake stand. It  will be sticky from the syrup. Top with half of the cream and 1/3 of the remaining raspberries. Sandwich another cake on top, and add the reamaing cream, ( i left somewhat for the top cake) another third of the raspberries and then your last cake.
Pour and smooth the raspberry icing over the top, letting it pour and drizzle down the sides of the 3 cakes. I used fresh, clean rose petals (from English Roses) to decorate and you can also decorate it with home made crystalized rose petals. There are several recipes for this on the net.
If you want to order them on-line, be careful, they cost a fortune and break easily.

This cake yields about 15 slices.

                                                              "Enjoy"

Chocolate Brownies, Boston Origin

Chocolate Brownies,  Boston Origin

From the Great British Bake-Off Calendar ;      May 2013 --   Cuts into 16 pieces



Shopping List:

225 gr unsalted butter, diced
100 gr dark chocolate, in pieces

200 gr caster sugar
4 large eggs, free range @ room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

50 gr plain flour
50 gr cocoa powder
a good pinch of salt

75 gr walnut pieces

icing sugar, for dusting

a 20.5 cm square tin, greased or sprayed and the base lined with baking paper.


Preheat your oven to 180C.

Put the butter and the chocolate into a small, heavy-based pan. Set over the lowest possible heat and leave to melt gently, stirring frequently, until smooth but not hot. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Put the sugar, eggs and the vanilla extract into one of your bigger bowls. Mix well with a wire whisk or a wooden spoon. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt into the bowl and mix well. Stir in the nuts. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and spread evenly. You can bang the tin on your work surface a little bit to get rid of any air bubbles.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Test if the cake is done with your cake-tester.
Don't forget that the mixture will continue cooking after it comes out of the oven, so don't overcook it. 

Put the tin on your wire rack and leave it to cool down completely before cutting it into squares.  Dust with icing sugar just before serving. You can store it in an airtight container and eat within a week.

Brownies are perfect warmed through for dessert with a scoop of ice cream and some hot chocolate sauce. Like most chocolate recipes, brownies are best eaten the day after baking.



                                                              "Enjoy"

Beautiful Blackberry & Coconut Squares

Beautiful Blackberry & Coconut Squares

An excellent idea for a perfect picnic,  treasured teatime, dashing dessert or in a luxury lunchbox

Shopping List:

250 gr self-raising flour
25 gr Oats (Quaker maybe)
280 gr light brown sugar
200 gr butter, straight out of the fridge in pieces
75 gr dessicated coconut
2 eggs, free range, beaten
about 350 gr  fresh or frozen blackberries, plus some extra for serving

Preheat your oven to 180C. Mix the self-raising flour, oats and sugar into one of your large bowls.
Rub the butter into it and mix with your fingertips until you have crumbles the size of pearls.
Loosely stir in the coconut. Then fill up a teacup with the mixture and put that aside.

Stir the already beaten eggs in the left over mixture and spread all of this in your prepared and lined baking tin or a square tin. (31x17cm) or (21cm ). Level the mixture as best you can and then scatter the  blackberries over it. Then sprinkle the teacups' reserved mixture.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 1 hour- 1 hour and 15 minutes (75mins) until the cake is golden. Test with your cake-tester to see if it is cooked through. Leave to cool in the tin.
Turn it out, remove the paper ( or not) and cut into squares. Serve with vanilla Ice cream which could be a perfect dessert. Or just some extra berries or other fruits de bois.




                                                                      "Enjoy"

                                                  

Cupcakes All Sorts

Cupcakes All Sorts

Today we made them with a buttercream topping.
Dark chocolate, milk chocolate and vanilla.

 

Small Cupcakes filled with leftover mixture from the normal size cupcakes with a blackberry inside, covered in butter cream

and dipped in a Hazelnut Crunch with a butter cream button on the top.

Saturday Morning Quick Sponge Cake

Saturday Morning Quick Sponge Cake



Can also be made as a quick birthday or coffee morning cake, easy peasy, lemon squeezy !
Except you won't need one.



Shopping List:

115 gr self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (backing)
115 gr butter, softened
115 gr sugar, golden or soft caster
2 large eggs, free range
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract/essence

Pot of Strawberry Jam ( Or any other will do) and Icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 170C. grease or spray and line your 2 round sandwich tins (18cm).

Mix the flour, the baking powder (backing), and then all the other ingredients in one of your big mixing bowls until well combined. Divide the mixture between your sandwich tins and bake them in your preheated oven for about 24-25 minutes.

Let them cool in the tin for about 2 minutes, then gently turn them out onto your wire rack (2).
Cool completely. Spread the bottom one  (turned upside down)  with good dollops of jam. ( Not too much ofcourse)
Sandwich the cakes together.  (Put the nicest cake on top). Dust with icing sugar. Decorate as you like it.
Serve with or without whipped cream. It looks a bit dark in the photo but it isn't really!



Quick as you can!

                                                               "Enjoy"

Apple, Caramel & Walnut Cake

Apple, Caramel  & Walnut Cake


Shopping List:

175 gr butter, softened
175 gr goldencaster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, free range, room temperature
225 gr self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 rounded tablespoons Greek yoghurt
2 apples preferably eating apples
50 gr walnuts, roughly chopped
plus 1 tablespoon extra for sprinkling
after decorating

50 gr soft toffees or 9 Werthers chewey sweets
2 tablespoons double cream


Preheat your oven to 160C. Grease or spray and line your cake/loaf tin.

Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then add the flour, cinnamon and yoghurt. Then you peel, core and chop the apples into small chunks. Add all this to your bowl and combine this mixture with a wooden or sillicone spoon/spatula.

Pour this not so thin mixture into your prepared tin, level the top as best you can and then you scatter the chopped walnuts over it. Bake this into your preheated oven for about 1 hour and 20 to 30 minutes or until your cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in its tin.

When the cake is completely cool you can lift it out of the tin by its baking paper wings if you have them. It will feel very soft, so gently does it.
Put the toffees in one of your small suacepans together with the double cream. Gently heat this mixture whilst stirring until it has melted into a nice caramelly sauce and it smells delicious. Cool this mixture for about 1 minute. Drizzle the toffee mixture over the cake and scatter with the walnuts straight away. Leave the cake to settle for 10 minutes before you serve.

The cake can be kept in an airtight container for 3-4 days, but it is tastier if you serve it fresh.
Cut thick slices and serve it maybe with some ice cream or whipped cream?


                                                                  "Enjoy"