Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Icing

Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Icing


Shopping List:

The zest and the juice of 1 Orange
50 gr sultanas

If you have the time for it, put the orange zest and juice in a bowl with the sultanas and leave them overnight. If not blitz them in the microwave for about 1 minute.

150 ml sunflower oil
2 eggs, free range
140 gr light brown sugar
85 gr wholemeal self-raising flour
85 gr self-raising flour
2 teaspoons each ground cinnamon and mixed spice
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
140 gr carrots, grated
50 gr walnuts, chopped

For the topping:

200 gr soft cheese
50 gr butter, softened
85 gr icing sugar, sifted
a pinch of ground cinnamon
walnut halves to decorate

Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease or spray and line your loaf tin. Whisk the eggs together with the oil. In a seperate large bowl mix together the sugar, flours, mixed spice, cinnamon and the bicarbonate of soda. Add the sultanas and the juice, grated carrot, walnuts and the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Thoroughly mix with a wooden spoon. Pour it into your prepared tin and bake it in your preheated oven for about 1 hour until your skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin to cool.

When your cake has cooled properly turn it out onto your wire rack take of the paper and prepare the icing. Beat together the soft cheese, butter, icing sugar and cinnamon until nice and smooth. Put some paper towel underneath your wire rack and decorate your cake by spreading the icing over it and put some walnut halves on top.



                                                             "Enjoy"

Bacon & Cheese Biscuits

Bacon & Cheese Biscuits

They are scrumptious!  Great Party Food! 

Shopping List:  40-45 bics!

260 gr plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder (backing)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
250 ml milk
110 gr butter, melted
8-10 strips bacon, baked until crispy and crumbled or cut in pieces
100 gr shredded cheese (chedder is good but i used ordinary)
1 egg whisked for glazing


Preheat your oven to 200C. Prepare your oven trays with baking paper.
Put flour, baking powder, salt, paprika and onion powder into your large bowl. Stir and make a well in the middle of these dry ingredients and add the milk, butter, bacon and cheese. Mix this mixture with a wooden spoon. You will find that the dough is wet and sticky.

Use a large teaspoon to put dollops the size of a big walnut onto your prepared tray.
Brush them a little with the beaten egg for a glaze. Bake them for about 15-20 minutes in your preheated oven until golden brown and your cake tester comes out clean.  Careful, they brown quickly at the end of baking time.

Great Party Food!

                     

                                                        "Enjoy"

Banana, Chocolate and Walnut bread

Banana, Chocolate and Walnut Bread


Shopping List:

3-4 ripe bananas
250 gr caster sugar
2 eggs, free range
140 gr butter softened
250 gr plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (backing)
100 gr walnut pieces
100 gr chocolate chips


Preheat your oven to 190C. Grease or spray and line your loaftin.
In your large bowl, mash together the peeled bananas and the sugar with a fork. Then you add the eggs and mix well. Add the soft butter and mix some more. Sieve in the flour with the baking powder and fold and mix it all together with your spatula. Add the walnut pieces and chocolate chips and give it all a good swirl before you put it into your prepared tin.

Bake it in your preheated oven for about 1 hour until your skewer comes out clean and all that.
leave to cool in the tin before you turn it out onto your wire rack to cool completely.
Serve into thick slices. With ice cream or cream or whipped cream.... mmmmmmm.


                                                           "Enjoy"

Maple, Nut & Papaya Mix Cookies

Maple, Nut & Papaya Mix Cookies

Nice and Chewey!


Shopping List:

140 gr rolled oats
50 gr dessicated coconut
225 gr plain flour
140 gr unsalted roughly chopped mixed nuts
100 gr papaya mix
140 gr butter
225 gr light soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

preheat your oven to 160C. Line your bakingtrays. In one of your medium bowls mix the oats, coconut, flour, nuts and papaya mix. Set this aside but not too far away.

In one of your smaller saucepans, melt the butter, sugar and bothe the syrups and remove from the heat. Combine the bicarbonate of soda with the boiling water and add this to the sugar mix. Pour this mixture into your oat mixture and stir well until combined. Form neat balls ( I used an ice cream scoop) from the mixture and place them on your prepared trays. Make sure there is enough room for the cookies to spread, and flatten them just a little.

Bake them in your preheated oven for about 14-16 minutes. it depends really on how chewey you want them.
Leave them on your tray for about a minute or so and then put them on your wire rack to cool completely.

If you want you can freeze them for up to 3 months, or put them in an airtight container for about a week if you want.

You can chop and change with these cookies, any nut or fruit will do really.

                                                             "Enjoy"

Poppy & Sesame Oatcakes

Poppy & Sesame
    Oatcakes



Shopping List:

50 gr butter
100 gr medium oatmeal
100 gr plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Any kind of cheese to put on to or as is.


Preheat your oven to 200C. Melt the butter in your small saucepan and allow it to cool somewhat. Put all the dry ingredients into one of your bowls with half a teaspoon of salt. Pour in the butter. Then add 5 to 6 tablespoons boiling water and combine it to make a firm dough. Put your hands to work!

Put the dough onto your lightly floured work surface and roll out to about  half a centimeter thickness. Cut out into small squares if you have a cutter or else by hand. Bake for 12-15 minutes in your preheated oven until they are slightly golden. Cool and then transfer them to your wire rack to cool completely.

If you want you can freeze these biscuits up to 3 months. If not keep them in an airtight container until you want to eat them.

Excellent for a cheese platter.


                                                         "Enjoy"

Brazil Coconut & Banana Bread

Brazil  Coconut & Banana Bread


A delicious Brazil Nut Bananarama !



Shopping List:

100 ml sunflower oil
140 gr caster sugar
140 gr plain flour
140 ge Brazil nuts, roughly chopped ( Para Noten)
50 gr dessicated coconut
15 gr butter (the rest of the pack is for serving....)
2 large very ripe bananas
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white, all free range
75 ml milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (backing)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon



Preheat your oven to 180C Grease or spray and line a loaf tin.

For the topping:
In a small bowl: Stir together 2 tablespoons each of: the sugar, flour, nuts and coconut. Add the
15 gr butter and rub together to sticky crumbs. Set aside.

Mash the bananas in one of your large bowls and stir in the sunflower oil, egg and milk.  In a seperate large bowl, mix HALF of the remaining sugar, followed by the rest of the flour, nuts and coconut, then the baking powder and cinnamon.

In a clean bowl whisk the egg white to stiff peaks, add the final bit of sugar and whisk again until the mixture is stiff and shiny. Stir the banana mix into the bowl with the dry ingredients, then very lightly fold in the egg white mixture. Pour this mixture into your prepared tin and then sprinkle over the crumb mixture from your small bowl.

Bake the banana bread in your preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until your cake skewer comes out clean. As with everything cover with alufoil if the cake gets too dark. Cool the bread in the tin, then turn out to cool further on your wire rack.
Like the Orange drizzle cake, slice thick slices. You can serve it with butter or clotted cream.

                                                               "Enjoy"

Eton Mess Traybake

Eton Mess Traybake



Shopping List:

175 gr butter, to be melted
5 tablespoons double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

225 gr plain flour
100 gr ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt

200 gr golden caster sugar
5 large eggs, free rang

400 gr strawberries, half  finely sliced half chopped roughly
4 meringue nests which is about 50 gr. Gently roughly broken up.
Icing sugar to sprinkle (optional)


Grease or spray and line your traybake tin or a roasting tin. Preheat your oven to 160C.
Get a saucepan and melt the butter, take it off the heat and stir in the cream and the vanilla.

Seperately, in one of your other bowls,  mix the flour, almonds, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of fine salt and set aside.

Put the caster sugar and the eggs into one of your large bowls and whisk with your electric handmixer until it is very thick and nicely foamy. This will take about 5 minutes.
Pour in the butter mix, whisk for a moment and add the flour mix and whisk for a moment more until even. Stir in the chopped strawberries and pour the mixture into your prepared traybake tin or roasting tin. Level the top evenly.

Scatter the sliced strawberries and the meringue  over the cake and bake it in your preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes or until golden and your cake skewer comes out clean. Let it all cool in the tin for about 20 minutes and then transfer it to your wire rack, do this by turning it upside down, first on one then on the other of your wire racks. Don't forget to take the paper off!

Before you serve the cake dust it with a little icing suagar and you can also serve whipped double cream with it.

                                                                   "Enjoy"

Dutch Syrup-Wafer Cupcakes (Stroopwafel)

Dutch Syrup-Wafer Cupcakes
(Stroopwafel)



12 cupcakes ( 13-14)





Shopping List:

125 gr butter, softened
125 gr light brown soft sugar
2 eggs free range
150 gr self-raising flour
1 or 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
a few bits of the cutout leftovers from cutting the hearts or flowers out of the biscuits.

If you can find it: Special Dutch Speculaas kruiden.
200 gr small stroopwafels
small cutters, heart or flower shape



For the basic butter cream:
75 gr butter softened
225 gr icing sugar
30-50 gr (depends how strong you want it)
syrup or molasses) ( i used thick Zeeuwse Boerin Keuken (kitchen) Stroop)



Preheat the oven to 180C. Put your cases in your muffin tin.
Beat together the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. beat in the eggs, one @ the time. Mix in the flour and the rest of the ingredients.

Divide the mixture into your cases in the prepared tin with an icecream scooper.  Bake in your prepared oven for about 15-20 minutes until risen and springy to the touch.
Leave to cool on your wire rack.

For the topping:
Mix all the ingredients together and spread over the cool cupcakes. Decorate as you like.
let it cool even more to harden the buttercream. Sprinkle with some left over cuttings from the biscuits, if you like.

                                                           "Enjoy"

Coconut Fudge Butter Brownies

Coconut Fudge Butter Brownies



Shopping List:

100 gr cocoa powder
250 gr butter
500 gr golden caster
4 eggs, free range, beaten
100 gr self-raising flour
100 gr dessicated coconut
Icing sugar, if you want to powder some over the brownies


Preheat your oven to 180C. Spray and or only line your brownie tin with baking paper. Put the butter, sugar and the cocoa powder in a large saucepan and melt it all, stirring it gently. When the cocoa/butter mixture is melted, cool it slightly and then add the beaten eggs, not all @ once though. Then you can add the flour and the dessicated coconut. Mix thoroughly but gently.

Pour this mixture into your prepared brownie tin and bake it in your preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Let it all cool down in the tin. Take your wire rack to tip the tin upside down and  gently take the paper off. Let it cool some more. Turn the tin upside down onto your cutting board to cut the brownie into little ones and put these onto your wire rack to cool absolutely completely.

Put them in a pretty box with a pretty ribbon and give them as a gift. Maybe powder it with sugar first or some sprinkles of coconut as an extra.


                                                              "Enjoy"

Muscovado Chocolate Loaf

Muscovado Chocolate Loaf


Shopping List:

200 gr butter, unsalted
100 gr dark chocolate at least 70% cocoa solids
           broken into pieces
150 gr natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, free range
250 gr self-raising flour
175 gr dark muscovado sugar (dark brown)
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda


For the topping:

100 ml double cream
1 tablespoon butter
100 gr dark chocolate, chopped into pretty pieces


Preheat your oven to 190C. Grease or spray and line your loaf tin and use the parchment / paper tab strategy. Leave the paper hanging over the tin.

Put the butter and the chocolate in your large saucepan and heat very gently until it has melted, but stir it now and again. Let it cool for about 5 minutes and then you can whisk in the yoghurt and the vanilla. Add the eggs and a pinch of salt.

Then you mix the flour, sugar and the bicarbonate of soda  in your large bowl, making sure that the dark muscovado sugar has no lumps. Stir this mixture into the chocolate mix in your saucepan. Pour into your preprared tin and bake this in your preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until your cake skewer comes out clean. It is going to look huge, but that is the idea.
 Let the cake cool in the tin for about 15 minutes. Then turn it out and let it cool completely on your wire rack.

When your cake is completely cool you can start with the topping: Put the cream into your small suacepan and bring to the boil. Then add the butter and half of the choped up chocolate. Take the pan off the heat and leave everything to melt. Stir until glossy and spoon over the cake.
Then you can sprinkle the rest of the chocolate over the cake.



                                                                "Enjoy"

Old Fashioned Dutch Apple Torte

Old Fashioned Dutch Apple Torte

A recipe stolen from my Mother: Hollandsche Appeltaart




Shopping List:

You will need a round loose bottomed tin or springform 24 cm
clingfilm
rolling pin
baking paper/parchment
an apple corer
spray or butter to prepare your tin.

For the bottom:
200 gr Butter from the fridge ( You can also use Margerine)
300 gr plain flour plus extra for rolling out the dough
1 egg yolk and 1 beaten egg for glazing, free range


For the filling:

75 gr sultanas
1/2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
25 gr walnuts
6 cooking apples (Bramley/Goudreinet)
15 gr light soft brown sugar
10 gr or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
15 gr fine breadcrumbs from a pack


Cut the butter or Margarine into small pieces.  Sieve the flour with a pinch of salt over a big bowl. Add the butter or Marg, sugar and the egg yolk. Mix it all quickly with a handmixer or wooden spoon and form a compact doughball with your hands. Wrap it up in clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Put the sultanas in some water, make sure they are under water and add  1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla sugar to it. Soak for about 10 minutes. Dry them. Chop the walnuts roughly.

In the mean time, preheat your oven to 175 C.  Spray or grease and line the bottom of your 24 cm tin.

Peel, core and cut the apples into not too thin half moons. Mix them in a bowl with the brown sugar, cinnamon, sultanas and walnuts.

Lightly put some flour on your worksurface and rol 2/3 of the dough to a nice round of about 30cm. Lay this gently into your prepared springform. ( Use your rolling pin to carry it) If there are little tears in the dough, just press it nicely together. Sprinkle the fine breadcrumbs on the bottom and fill it all up with the apple mixture. Gently level it out.

Roll out the rest of the dough to a long strip and cut this into ca. 1 cm strips, using your rolling pin as a ruler and a sharp knife to cut them out.  Lay them diagonally over the applemixture, turn the tin half way and lay some more strips down. Push the ends gently but firmly into the edge.

Lay a long strip of dough around the edge if you want and press this firmly into the edge as well.
If perhaps you have a little dough lying on your worksurface, find a little shaped cutter, cut the dough out and put this in the middle of your torte.

Brush the Apple Torte with the beaten egg for glazing if you like.

Bake the cake in your preheated oven for 45-50minutes. Leave it for 10-15minutes and then remove the outside of the springform. Cut the cake, warm or cold, into 12 wedges.
Serve with whipped cream.



                                                    "Eet Smakelijk"


                                                          "Enjoy"