Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes


A Photo shoot!


For recipes please let me know or check out my facebook page for a basic cupcake mixture and butter cream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Enjoy"

 

 

 

 

 

Asparagus tips & souffléd crab pie

Asparagus tips & souffléd crab pie


Shopping List:

300 gr ready-made shortcrust pastry
25 gr butter
25 gr plain flour
300 ml milk
freshly grated nutmeg (pinch)
2 good pinches of Chilli powder or flakes
pinch of salt (crab is salty)
200 gr white crabmeat, fresh, frozen or from a tin
140 gr asparagus tips, fresh or tin
3 eggs, large, seperated, free range please
3 tablespoons grated parmigiano


Preheat your oven to 200C. Roll out the pastry and line a 25 cm tart tin. (if you use a tart tin, use an oven tray to catch the leaking). Line the case with baking paper and fill with baking beans.

Bake in your preheated oven for 15 minutes. Then remove the paper and the beans and cook the pastry for 5 minutes more. I forgot to trim the edge of the excess pastry, but it tasted just as good.

Reduce the temperature of your oven to 190C.

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan and stir in the flour. Keep stirring for 1 minute and slowly add the milk. Keep stirring all the time. Add the freshly grated nutmeg, chilli and salt. Then set the pan aside and leave to cool just a little.

Put the crab meat into the milk sauce and add the blanched asparagus (3 minute blanching).
The you stir the egg yolks into the milk sauce.

Whisk the egg whites until nice and stiff and fold it into the sauce. Spoon this mixture over the asparagus in the pie dish and cover with the grated parmaggiano.

Bake this for 30 minutes until a little bit puffed up and nicely golden.

If you want serve with a fresh salad. You can serve this as a starter or as a main dish.

                                          

 

 

"Enjoy"

George's Cake of Kings

George's Cake of Kings


This is an overnighter !     And it takes a bit of effort and palaver, but if you are still keen:


Shopping List:

A small trinket to hide in the cake (not plastic please) wrapped in a bit of baking paper)


85 gr citrus candied peel, chopped (homemade?)
100 gr raisins
50 gr pine nuts
50 gr glacé cherries
5 tablespoons brandy (or sherry)

500 gr plain flour (but keep the bag/pot nearby)
3 teaspoons yeast ( easy-blend)
1 teaspoon of salt
150 ml milk
100 gr butter, softened
100 gr caster sugar


2 lemons grated zest
1 orange grated zest

4 eggs, large, beaten, free range please

195 gr candied fruits
6 sugar lumps
1 egg yolk, beaten and mixed with a tablespoon of water

apricot jam, to glaze the cake after baking.




We start with soaking overnight: citrus peel, raisins, pine nuts and cherries in the brandy overnight until they are plump and have soaked up the alcohol.

The next day:  we measure 140 gr. of the 500 gr of flour in a large mixing bowl and mix with the yeast.

Tip the remaining flour and salt in another bowl and put this aside. Warm up the milk ever so slightly, make a little well in the flour mix (the one with the yeast) and slowly add the milk to form a batter. Beat this until it is sort of smooth. Cover this with plastic foil and a clean towel and leave this for 20 minutes until it looks a bit frothy.

In yet another bowl, beat the softened butter, the sugar and the zests until they are light and fluffy and well combined.
Add the beaten eggs, a little at the time mind, beating well after each addition. This will look like it has curdled but it won't effect the cake at all.

Stir the mix into the batter, along with the rest of the flour (the flour with the salt) to make the dough. I use my hands for this as i can "feel" it better. Turn it out onto a well floured surface (keep the flour, bag or pot nearby) and knead this for about 5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Now you can knead in the drained fruit mix. A bit at the time and remember this is a very messy business but don't panic it will turn out well. Just dust the dough, your worksurface and hands with the flour as you work.

You have now washed your big bowl and dusted it a little with flour, so you can put the dough in it and leave it for 2 hours, covered ofcourse, until it is doubled in size. It doesn't matter if it is a bit longer, it just fluffs up a bit more. If you haven't thrown out the drained liquid from the overnight soak, you may now drink that. Cheers!

Butter or spray a large baking sheet. Knead the dough lightly on your freshly floured workspace and shape it onto your prepared baking tray, into a sausage, about 50 cm long. I used the inside ring of my Ikea tin to drape the "sausage" around it. After you have made the ring you can pinch the ends neatly together. Put the little trinket underneath the cake. Cover the cake again and leave it for 1 hour or so until again doubled in size.

In the meantime: Slice the candied fruts and crush the sugar lumps (optional) I used a bit of demerara. Or you can use diabetic sugar. Brush the top of the ring with the beaten egg yolk and scatter the candied fruits (or decorate precisely) with some sugar.  Preheat you oven to 180C.  Then bake the cake for 45 minutes into your preheated oven.

Transfer it to your wire rack and brush the cake with the apricot jam. Leave it to cool completely before cutting it.




The person who finds the trinket will be KING ( or Queen) for the day!



                                                                "Enjoy"

Orange Drizzle and Yoghurt Honey Cake with Pistachio nuts

Orange Drizzle and Yoghurt Honey Cake with Pistachio Nuts



This is an overnighter !     So make it today for your dinner party tomorrow!



Shopping List:

For the cake:

1 Orange
75 gr ground almonds
110 gr butter, softened
110 gr soft white sugar
2 large eggs, free range please and beaten
175 gr semolina
3 level teaspoons baking powder

For the drizzle:

100 ml / gr. honey
3 tablespoons water
then later:
3 tablespoons Orange juice
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
About 2 and a half cm. Cinnamon stick


For the topping the next day:

200 gr greek yoghurt
25 gr shelled pistachio nuts (unsalted)
1/ 1/2 tablespoons of honey


We begin with:

Cut your Orange in chunks, don't peel it, only remove the pips. Put all of it in your food processor and churn into a pulp.
Preheat your oven to 200C. and grease or spray and line your 20 cm round cake tin. (Springform).
Apply the all-in-one method for the cake ingredients except for the orange pulp, that has to be gently folded in.

Pour all in your prepared tin and level it out. Place the cake in your preheated oven for about 10 minutes. After which you lower the temperature in your oven to 180C. Then leave the cake in for another 30 minutes. So 40 minutes in total. Make sure the cake is a golden brown and has shrunk a little from the sides of your tin.

Make the syrup: Put the honey and the water in one of your small pans with the bit of cinnamon and bring it to a simmering point. Simmer then for 5 minutes. Take your pan off the heat source and remove your cinnamon and then stir in the juices of the Orange and lemon.

Put the cake to the side for about 5 minutes after which you can put it on your wire rack to cool. Use your caketester or a skewer to make little holes in your cake so you can drizzle the honey mixture over it. If you prefer you can put a container underneath it to catch the drizzle.
Use the whole of the drizzle, as the cake will soak it up. When the cake is completely cold set it aside in a cool place overnight, where the magic will happen.

Before you serve the cake, spread the top with greek yoghurt, scatter the nuts and drizzle some more honey over the cake to glaze the pistachios a little.


It looks like a lot of work, but just making the cake only took me an hour, and the rest you do before serving the next day!

                                                             "Enjoy"

Easy Eccles Apple Cake

 

 

 

Easy Eccles Apple Cake

 

 

Shopping List:

250 gr. butter, softened
250 gr. soft light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, free range please
100 gr plain flour
250 gr self-raising flour
100 ml buttermilk
2 eating apples
peeled, cored, diced. (approx 1cm)


For the filling:

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
85 gr currants
85 gr raisins
50 gr mixed peel (homemade if poss)


To decorate:

85 gr icing sugar, sifted
zest and juice of 1 lemon
a few sugar cubes, roughly crushed ( i didn't use this)



Preheat your oven to 160C. Grease or spray and line your 20 cm cake tin ( i used my 22 cm one) with baking paper. Mix all the filling ingredients and put this to the side.

Put the butter, sugar and vanilla in your bowl and whisk it until it is pale. Then you can beat in the 4 eggs and fold in both the flours, buttermilk and the apples. Spoon half of this mixture into your prepared tin. Then you can scatter your prepared filling, but you have to leave about a 2.5 cm clear border around the edge of the tin. Then you spoon the remaining mixture on top, dolloping first around the edge then working your way inwards. Bake your cake for about 1 hour and 25 minutes or until your cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool nearly completely in the tin.

Mix your icing sugar with enough of the lemon juice. Turn out your cake when cool and drizzle drazzle the icing over the cake in any pattern you like. You could then scatter crushed sugar cubes and some lemon zest.

It all looks like a lot of work, but i promiss you it isn't really!!!

Just another nice apple cake i suppose.

                                                           "Enjoy"

Wonderful White Chocolate & Cherry Loaf

Wonderful White Chocolate and Cherry Loaf


Shopping List:

225 gr butter, softened
225, golden caster sugar
4 eggs beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
225 gr self-raising flour ( plus a little extra for dusting)

375 gr fresh cherries, pitted
175 gr white chocolate, chopped into small chunks

For the white chocolate frosting:

100 gr white chocolate, broken into small pieces
140 gr Mascarpone
White chocolate curls or fresh cherries to use as decoration


Preheat your oven to 180C Grease or spray and line your loaf tin. Keep the baking paper a bit higher on the sides. Beat the butter and the sugar together until fluffy and then add the eggs, a little at the time, togehter with the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour until you have a nice smooth mixture.

Dust your cherries in a little bit of flour and then you gently stir HALF ! of the cherries and HALF of the chocolate into the mixture. Gently spoon this into your prepared tin. Scatter the remaining cherries and chocolate on top, and ever so slightly pressing them in. Bake into your preheated oven for about 1 hour and 10 minutes until your cake tester comes out clean. Make sure you don't get confused by the melted chocolate and getting raw cake mix.

Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes. Then turn it out onto your wire rack and leave to cool completely. If you want you you can wrap the cake at this stage in clingfilm and store it in the fridge. 3 days, no longer i think.

Get your mascarpone out of the fridge. Melt your chocolate, au bain Marie. Quickly but surely stir 1 tablespoon of the mascarpone into the melted chocolate, then beat in the rest of the mascarpone.
Spread this mixture over the cooled cake and decorate with cherries and or chocolate curls.

                                                                       "Enjoy"

Devonshire Honey Cake

Devonshire Honey Cake                                                         It's Delicious!



Shopping List:

250 gr Clear Honey
plus extra for glazing the cake when cool
225 gr Butter, in pieces
100 gr Dark Muscovado or Dark Brown Sugar
3 Large eggs, beaten, free range please
300 gr self-raising flour


Butter or spray and line your 20cm round springform tin. Cut the butter in pieces and put them in a medium pan with the honey and the sugar. melt it slowly over a low heat, then turn up the heat and nearly boil for about 1 minute. It will look like a dark oily fluid now. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes. If you were to put the eggs in now they would cook!
Preheat your oven to 160C.

Beat your beaten eggs gently into the melted honey mixture. Sift the self-raising flour into one of your bigger bowls and pour the honey mixture with the eggs into it.  Beat this until well combined and you have a caramel like smooth mixture.

Pour this mixture into your prepared tin and bake this for about 50 minutes or 1 hour until your cake tester comes out clean. Be careful that bees don't come into your kitchen.

Turn out the cake onto your wire rack. Warm about 2 tablespoons of honey in a smaller pan and brush this gently over the top of the cake, which will give a shiny ( but sticky) glaze. Leave to cool completely. This cake will keep for about 4-5 days if you keep it wrapped and in an airtight tin.


An excellent gift to a person with the flu or is a little under the weather, and who needs a little honey.
Or a a splendid dessert with a delicious cup of capuccino.



                                                               "Enjoy"

Blueberry Sour Cream Cheese Cake

Blueberry Sour Cream Cheese Cake


Shopping List:

175 gr soft butter
175 gr golden caster sugar
3 large eggs, free range please
225 gr self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (backin Oetker)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
142 ml soured cream
about 375 gr blueberries, half  for the cake, half for the frosting


Cake Frosting:

Philadelphia Cheese 200 gr
100 gr icing sugar



Preheat your oven to 180C.,  and grease or spray and line your 22 cm round (springform) tin.

Use the all in one method except  for the soured cream and use your electric mixer for 1 minute.
Now you beat in 4 tablespoons of the soured cream until well combined and then stir in the berries.

Pour this mixture into your prepared tin and bake into your preheated oven for about 50 minutes until your cake tester comes out clean. Let it cool for 10 minutes or so. Turn it out, take the paper off the bottom and let it cool further on your wire rack.

Frosting: Beat the cheese with the sugar and the remaining soured cream until creamy. Spread this over your totally cooled cake and scatter with the remaing half of of the berries. ( If you don't let your cake cool, the frosting will melt and it will turn into a disaster).

This lovely cake will stay fresh for 2 days or so in your fridge. Tip to serve: Bring it to room temperature for an hour before you serve a slice. A nice cup of espresso will complement the cake!

Excellent choice for a Ladies Circle coffee morning or as a dessert.

                                                              "Enjoy"

Summer Fruit Sugar Drizzle Cake

Summer Fruit Sugar Drizzle Cake
(with some strawberries from the garden)



Shopping List:

175 gr fruits, stoned, diced weight or a pack of frozen summer fruits thawed
Of which one needs 100 gr first to put in the cake itself

175 gr very soft unsalted butter
175 gr fine golden caster sugar
250 gr self raising flour
2 large eggs, free range please
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the drizzle:

140 gr granulated sugar
1-2 tablespoons citrus juice (lemon, lime or orange) I also used the juice from the defrosted fuits


Preheat your oven to 180C and spray or grease and line your cake tin with baking paper. Use the all in one method for the cake and use your large bowl and electric whisk. Mix until creamy and well combined. You will find that the mixture will be thick, which is how it should be.

Spread some of the mixture (1/3) into you prepared cake tin and scatter about 50 gr of fruits over it. Repeat. Last but not least dot the rest of the mixture into your tin and gently spread evenly, using the back of your (metal) spoon.

Bake this into your preheated oven for about 1 hour or until your cake tester comes out clean.

Now you may poke the cake all over with your cake tester. Put the remaining fruits into one of your bowls with the granulated sugar. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the citrus juice, mashing it a little with a fork. Use more juice if it is too dry. Spoon this juicefruit over the cake and leave it in the tin to cool completely. The drizzled topping should be set and crisp. Put some fresh fruits with it when you serve a nice fat slice and maybe some cream.

                                                                 "Enjoy"

Boston Brownies Kebabs

Boston Brownies Kebabs

Needed:
The recipe for Coconut Fudge Butter Brownies plus extra: a handful of Walnuts

Bake the brownies, let them rest overnight, make squares, add fruit. ( whatever is at hand)


                                                              "Enjoy"

Delicious Dorset Apple Traybake

Delicious Dorset Apple Traybake



Shopping List:

450 gr cooking apples ( i used Breaburn but Bramley is excellent )
juice of 1/2 lemon
225 gr butter, softened
280 gr golden caster sugar (or fine white)
4 eggs, large free range
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
350 gr self-raising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
demerara sugar, to sprinkle (rietsuiker) (optional)


Preheat your oven to 180C. Butter or spray and line your baking tin/tray with baking paper. Peel and thinly slice the apples. Put them in a bowl, pour the juice over them, give them a little toss and set aside.

Put the butter, white/golden sugar, eggs, vanilla and flour plus the baking powder into a large bowl and mix it all until smooth and well combined. ( we call this the all-in-one method)

Spread half the mixture into the tin, arrange the apples over it and put the other half on top of the apples. Sprinkle it with the demerara sugar if you want.

Bake this in your preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch of your fingers. Leave it to cool for at least 10 minutes before you can turn it out and remove the paper.
Cut the traybake into squares and serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped or clotted cream.

This is a very easy cake to make and bake! And really nice!

                                             This is how it comes out of the oven:


                                                                   "Enjoy"