Sunday 7 November 2010

Sunday 31 October 2010

Apple Streusel Muffins

It's been a long time, eh? Sorry about that. Besides being on holiday for a week, I took a little break from baking, mostly because it's almost Christmas and I do an extraordinary amount of baking for Christmas.

But, as it's Halloween, in the UK retail world tomorrow marks the official beginning of the Christmas season. And I really can't let autumn pass by, Halloween especially, without some seasonal baking.

Apples and pumpkin. Short of candy corn and cranberries, they are the staples of autumn baking. (Can you bake with candy corn, actually? Perhaps I'll experiment on that in the next few days...) Had I not used the last of the eggs for today's muffins today would have provided a double feature, these apple muffins and something else with the pumpkin puree that's s
itting in my fridge. Alas, no more eggs. And it's too rainy to go to the shop.

So it's just the muffins today. But they are plenty. Delicious with spice, nutty on top, great with a cup of Chai Spiced tea.

The recipe calls for flaxseed but I don't have any in the cupboard (can you believe Tesco want 5 quid for a box?). I substituted wheat germ instead, which worked fine. If you don't have either, perhaps whole wheat flour will suffice. Try it and see.

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp apple pie spice (see notes below)
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup shredded apple with peel
2 tbsp chopped pecans
1 tbsp flaxseed
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350/gas 4.

Sift both flours, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices together. Make a well in the centre, set aside.

Beat eggs. Stir in milk and oil. Add to the flour mix. Stir together until just moistened. Fold in apple. Spoon into 12 muffin cups.

Combine pecans, flaxseed and sugar. Cut in butter until it looks like bread crumbs. Spoon on top of muffins.
Bake 18-20 minutes until skewer inserted comes out clean. They won't look that golden on top so don't overbake (I think I did a little). Check with a toothpick at 18 minutes to be sure then go from there.

For the apple pie spice, as it's not something sold in the UK (this is an American company's recipe), mix together 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 allspice and 1/8 tsp ground cardamom. This will produce more than the 1 tsp necessary but just barely. Feel free to make a bigger batch and store in your spice cupboard. I did.

Thursday 23 September 2010

Naughty Mess Cake

Ok. It's not the best or most appealing name for a cake. But it's accurate. It's filthy. It's diabolical for your waistline. It's ooey gooey and gets everywhere. It's, literally, finger-lickin'.

But it's fantastic. I'm not generally boastful when it comes to baking. I like to think I'm pretty honest, actually. Most things taste pretty good; I don't always get an A for presentation, but I know what I'm better at than other things. But this was amazing. I want more.

It's Michelle's birthday this time around. I know she likes chocolate but she was already hinting that she was going to bring in a chocolate cake and because the 2 previous were chocolate I thought I'd keep it to an accent, not a base.

It looks complicated. Don't try to make this unless you're prepared for a really messy kitchen afterward. You will use most of the dishes in your house.

Crust:
230g butter
2 tbsp sugar
2 cup flour
Vanilla Pudding:
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter
Cream Cheese Layer:
225g cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup whipped cream
Glaze:
55g semi-sweet chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Additional layers:
1 1/2 cup whipped cream
225g crushed pineapple
toffee sauce

Butter a 9x13 pan. Preheat oven to 350/180/5. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in flour until pebbly. Press into bottom of pan. Bake 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Beat egg yolks for pudding. Set aside. Whisk sugar, flour and milk until free of lumps. Set on medium heat. Cook until just a boil. Remove from heat, stir a little into eggs. Pour egg mix back into pan. Cook 1-2 minutes until thickened, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, add vanilla and butter and mix until melted. Chill with cling film pressed on top of pudding (to prevent skin).

Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Fold a scoop of whipped cream into mix then fold rest in.

Melt chocolate with butter and vanilla.

To assemble: Spread crust with cream cheese mix, then crushed pineapple, toffee, pudding, and lastly, whipped cream. Drizzle with glaze. It's best if let to chill overnight in the fridge. It helps all the layers to set, mix and soak with each other.

Sunday 19 September 2010

German Chocolate Cake

It's another September birthday cake! This time around it's my mother-in-law, Mary's, birthday. And what kind of cake do you make someone who likes chocolate, coffee and richness? One option is an espresso-style cake with a creamy frosting but I've been so tempted to make this cake. There is a hint of coffee, a really rich and dense cake and loaded with chocolate.

I'm not sure where the name came from though I have my theories. I don't think it came from Germany. I actually think a German-American immigrant created this and just threw a bit of their heritage in it, as happens with a lot of traditional American recipes. Hybrids of recipes brought over with family members, altered and varied to make it more accessible are rich in American culinary history. Or maybe I'm wrong. Whilst I like philosophizing about history of recipes I haven't done any research, perhaps I should pick of a book or two. Speaking of which, dear reader (hi Kerry), it's almost my birthday.

What distinguishes this recipe is actually the frosting. The cake itself is just a richer chocolate cake, with a bit of coffee. But the frosting is incredibly different than what you'd think to put on top a cake. Coconut and chocolate? With a caramel style base?

One downside to this cake-experience, the sandwich tins I have are incredibly shallow so the cake layers are quite thin compared to other cakes. One upside is that meant I had a lot of extra batter so I got a chance to make German Chocolate Cupcakes as well, with a dollop of pecan-coconut frosting on each.

120g semi-sweet chocolate
2 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup hot coffee
1 cup buttermilk (or soured milk)
280g softened butter
2 1/4 cup sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat 350/170/4. Line 3 round sandwich tins and dust with flour.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl set over simmering water. Let cool to room temperature.

Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine coffee and buttermilk. Beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar. Beat 3-5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla.

Add coffee mix and flour mix to sugar and butter in alternate batches, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate. Divide evenly between tins. Bake 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pans 20 minutes then invert to racks and let cool completely. Frost when cooled.

Coconut Pecan Frosting
125g pecans
1 cup granulated sugar
240ml single or double cream, your choice
3 egg yolks
113g butter, cut into cubes
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup coconut flakes (desiccated coconut)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Roast pecans 8-10 minutes. This can be done whilst the cake is also in the oven.

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cream, eggs, butter and salt. Cook over medium heat until boils and thickens.

Remove from heat, stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla. Let cool until spreadable. Can be chilled until ready. If it's too hard after coming out of the fridge, microwave a little until better.

Assemble cake layers with a layer of frosting in between each.

Wednesday 15 September 2010

Chocolate Toffee Cake

Let's start with the first of September's run of birthday cakes: Dave's.

The original name of this cake is a little ambitious. The recipe I based this cake off of is actually called better-than-sex cake. I'm not sure how the two are comparable? I guess both are physical and you can eat cake with another person.

It's too early in the morning to get philisophical about cake names.

For this, use any chocolate cake recipe you prefer. It can be made with cocoa powder, melted chocolate or both. You could even throw in chocolate chips if you wish. The actual base nature of the cake doesn't matter, just that it's chocolate and any additions don't clash with toffee.

1 chocolate cake
1 can sweetened condensed milk
toffee fudge (either homemade or the premade ice cream topping)
Whipping cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
crushed chocolate toffee bars

Bake your cake according to your recipe instructions.

As soon as you pull the cake out of the oven, poke holes or cut slits into the top. Pour sweetened condensed milk over, letting little bits soak in before pouring on more. You can use the whole can or just a bit, it's up to you (I only used about half).

Once soaked in, pour over toffee and let soak into cake.

Let cake cool entirely. Whip cream and sugar together until stiff and spreadable. Spread over cake. You can spread the sides of the cake as well or you can leave them bear. Pile crushed chocolate toffee bars on top. And your done!

As you can see from mine, I baked two cake round, soaked milk and toffee on top of both cakes and put the whipped cream in the middle (and yes, mine did come out a little wonky. boo).

Sunday 12 September 2010

Nut & Seed Biscotti

As part of another little project I'm in the middle of, M and I hosted an Italian night for our friends; lots of red wine, antipasti, bread and all followed by coffee and biscotti. I thought about making almond biscotti as it's a bit more traditional. I have a very good recipe for almond basil biscotti with a hint of lemon. It's wonderful dipped in vanilla or amaretto cream.

As it was, I was in the mood for something a little more savoury. These fit the bill just right. It's basically a vehicle for nuts and seeds, just enough flour and egg to hold it all together.

This time I used shelled pistachios, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, linseeds, hemp seeds, pecans and whole almonds. Any mix works well though, so go with your own preferences or what you have on store.

1 1/3 cup flour
2 cups mixed nuts and seeds
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oil

Preheat 300/155/gas 2. Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin.

Combine flour, nuts/seeds and salt. Whisk together eggs and sugar.

Combine flour mix into egg and sugar. Scoop into loaf pan. Bake 45-50 minutes.

Remove from pan right away. Turn oven up to 425/220/gas 7.

Slice loaf thinly whilst hot. Brush one side of each slice with oil. Bake 3-4 minutes. Turn over, brush other side with oil and bake until crisp. Let cool.

Alternatively, after brushing with oil, you can put the slices under the grill until crisp and browned.

Sunday 5 September 2010

Multigrain Bread

It's pretty simple. What is one thing no one hates the smell of? Baking bread. It smells of comfort. It also smells of really, really good bread.

I decided to spend a day baking bread not just because it will make the house smell fantastic or because, well, I like bread. Actually I wanted to bake something for our friend's who had a baby the other day. With an infant AND a toddler, sometimes the last thing you want to think about is running to the shop for bread. Add a jar of homemade jam to the bag and they're all set.

I actually doubled the recipe so we can keep a loaf, and as you can see from below, it made more than just a loaf!

1 tbsp active dried yeast
2 0z lukewarm water
70g rolled oats
16oz (450ml) milk
2 tsp salt
2oz oil
55g brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
30g wheat germ
3oz spelt flour
3oz rye flour
350g wholemeal flour
420-490g strong white flour

Combine the yeast and water, stire and leave for 15 minutes until dissolved and frothy

Put the oats in a large bowl. Scald the milk and pour over the oats. Stir in the salt, oil, sugar and honey. Leave until lukewarm

Stir in the yeast mixture, eggs, wheat germ, spelt, rye and wholemeal flours. Gradually begin to add the white flour until it's a rough dough.

Pour onto a floured surface and knead about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if sticky. Put in oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise until doubled. Mine took about 2 hours.

Grease your bread tins (about 2). If making rolls, grease a roasting tin. If making plait, grease a baking sheet. Punch down the dough and knead briefly. Form into desired shape.

If loafs, one option is to divide the dough into quarters. Roll each quarter into a 3cm thick cylinder. Twist together two cylinders. Put the twists into the tins (will make 2 twists, i.e. 2 loaves).

If plaited loaf, divide dough into two first. The divide each half into 3. Roll into long logs and plait together. This will give you two plates (note, if making plates, the bottoms are more prone to burning. Adjust baking time accordingly.)

If making rolls, the entire recipe will make about 20 larger rolls so make sure you have enough roasting tins (or make half rolls and half loafs or plaits). Roll out to long log and cut even pieces. Roll into balls and place into roasting tin. Make sure they aren't touching as they will rise again.

Cover lightly with cling film and leave to rise until doubled again, about an hour.

Preheat to gas mark 5. Bake 40-50 minutes or until golden crust. When you knock the bottom of the bread, it should sound hollow when done. Leave to cool.

Wednesday 1 September 2010

Spiced Courgette Cake Muffins

Happy September! I have to say, this is now my favorite time of year, from now until January 2nd. I hate January and even the New Year's Day hangover is better than the entire month. But from September 1st till then is absolutely fabulous.

Is it my favorite time of year because the potential for baking is doubled compared to the spring? May be, but even before I fell in love with baking I loved the autumn. Smell of sharpened pencils, leaves on the lawns and crisp air is wonderful. I even enjoyed going back to school! Of course, fall semester in America means Homecoming, football games, back to school dances and pep rallies.

Possibly this autumn I'll attempt to capture that new school year-meets end of calendar year feeling. The sense of something beginning whilst at the same time, nature is getting set to hunker down for the year.

In the mean time I still have summer harvest courgettes to use up!

2 tbsp sunflower oil
100g plain flour
100g wholewheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 egg whites
5 tbsp skimmed milk
225g (8oz can) pineapple in chunks, drained of juice and mashed
250g grated courgette/zucchini
40g sultanas or raisins
40g chopped walnuts

Grease or line a muffin pan. Preheat oven to 190C/375F/5.

Sift together both flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger into mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar and stir.

Whisk together egg whites in small bowl. Mix in the milk and oil. Add mashed pineapple, courgette, sultanas and nuts. Stir together gently. Add fruit mix to flour mix. Stir until just combined, don't overmix.

Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cases. Bake 20-25 minutes or until risen and golden.

These are relatively moist but if you want a really good frosting, mix together 8oz any soft cheese (quark, cream cheese, marscapone etc) with 1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Let muffins cool slightly before frosting; you don't want to curdle your cheese. Sprinkle with cinnamon or perhaps finely chopped nuts.

This is quite a healthy recipe, especially if you use low- or reduced-fat cheese to top.

Sorry for lack of pictures, again. These things just get eaten too quickly!

Tuesday 31 August 2010

Pound Cake

Bank Holiday Baking Bonanza!

Yes, I know the bank holiday was yesterday but I was doing so much baking I didn't have time to post so I thought I'd post the recipes this week.

I also know you're not supposed to start with the best, the creme de la creme but it was my favorite from the weekend and worked so well I was too excited to save it.

Regardless of the weather, bank holidays are synonymous with barbecues. Even if one guy has to cook the meat outside one-handed whilst holding an umbrella over himself while everyone stays dry inside, most of the country looks forward to lighting up the grill on a bank holiday weekend. We certainly planned on it. So I decided to be prepared.

One thing I always wanted to try was grilled pound cake. As pound cake isn't popular in England, I had to, you guessed it!, make mine from scratch.

Pound cake is quite easy. It's a little like a rich but light sponge cake with a few differences. It gets it's name from long ago when literally the recipe was a pound of each ingredient. Can you imagine?!

3 eggs
3 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
150g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
150g sugar
185g butter, softened.

Preheat oven to 350/170/gas 4

Spray and line a loaf pan with parchment paper

Combine eggs, milk, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add butter to dry ingredients.

Add half wet mix to the flour and butter. Mix until combined then beat on high for 1 minute.

Add remaining wet mix in two batches, beating on high 3o seconds in between.

Pour batter into the pan and bake 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil after 30 minutes.

Grilled pound cake has multiple variations. One option is to dip slices in a mix of egg, milk and Gran Marnier (or another liquer), then grill on each side until browned. This is sort of like French Toast/eggy bread.

Another option is to grill slices, slathered with a little butter and serve with chocolate sauce, berry sauce, ice cream, whipped cream, honey, fresh fruit, etc etc etc. The possibilities are endless.

What I ended up doing this weekend, to keep in theme with the rest of the meal (which was chicken and beef sat-ay, grilled on skewers), was to make dessert kebabs. I cubed the finished cake and threaded the cubes onto skewers. I then brushed them with melted butter and grilled them until browned. I served it with a homemade berry sauce, vanilla ice cream and framage frais. Absolutely delicious.

I wanted to post pictures but the dessert was eaten too quickly to get a clear shot in!


Wednesday 25 August 2010

Apple Pie Breakfast Bars

I love the accessibility of granola bars. If you're hungry on the go (which I often am) you can just dig into your bag, grab a bar and enjoy.

The problem is, all the recipes to make your own are double or triple the calorie and fat content of store bought ones so I generally avoid making my own. Unless, of course, I cut the bars into tiny thin slices which defeats the purpose of using them as portable means to curb hunger.

This recipe, while not the healthiest granola bar on the market, is still light enough to have with a cup of tea, not as a meal replacement.

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to gas 5/350F. Line a 13x9in pan with parchment paper. This enables you to keep the shape of the bars, without anything getting stuck.

Combine flour, oats, sugar and spices. Mix together applesauce, egg and vanilla. Add flour and spice mix to applesauce mix. Combine until just wet. Add chopped apple, raisins and nuts. Fold in.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack. When cold, cut into bars (should make about 12).

Wednesday 18 August 2010

Lemon Courgette Cake

In spite of planting the entire plot this year, the only consistent vegetable we're still harvesting at the allotment is courgette. Gold rush, zucchini and romano varieties. We have 8-ish plants total and even though we pick twice a week, they keep growing. It's astonishing.

I eat courgette at least once a day. I even have a recipe for marrow jam I'll be making this weekend just to use it all up.

So I guess it's time for another courgette cake.

I wasn't sure about lemon and cinnamon and after making it, I'm still not sure. There is a disconnect between the two ingredients. It tastes like it should be two different cakes. It's an edible cake and actually, I quite enjoyed it, but perhaps in the future I make either a lemon cake or a courgette cake.

200g grated courgette
150g caster sugar
1 egg
125ml vegetable oil
200g flour (I used half whole-wheat and half plain)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 160F/gas mark 3. Grease a loaf tin

Beat courgette, sugar, egg and oil. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder. Stir in cinnamon and lemon zest.

Stir the dry mix into the wet. Pour into tin. Bake 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

To glaze, mix together 3/4 cup icing sugar and 1 tsp lemon juice. If too dry, add a little lemon juice a drop at a time. Glaze while the cake is still warm.

Sunday 15 August 2010

Almond Butter Cookies

I'm not sure why I ever think trying to detox is a good idea but every once in a while I think, why not? let's give it a go and see how it feels. No matter what though, every time I end up feeling horrible and have to quit early.

This last time I thought it would be a good idea I ended up making my own almond butter, which is generally allowed during a light detox. After I quit and was allowed actual food again, I thought it would be a good idea to make cookies out of the remaining almond butter.

I took a regular peanut butter cookie recipe and just substituted the almond butter for peanut butter. Simple really. I left the almonds to roast in the oven a but too long originally so the cookies were quite smoky. Other than that, they were amazing. Chewy and nutty and buttery.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup almond butter
1 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F/gas 5

Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Mix together almond butter, maple syrup, olive oil and vanilla.

Mix dry and wet together. Don't overmix, leave the batter a little dusty. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir together once more.

Drop by teaspoonfulls onto baking sheet. Press down slightly with the back of a floured fork (don't press too hard, it will be sticky). Bake 10 minutes or until golden. Make sure you don't overbake, they will be really dry if you do.

Thursday 5 August 2010

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

I never thought twice about the combination of ingredients in this cake and that, perhaps, it might be an unusual idea here in England. I grew up, not with homemade versions of this, but with the idea of poppy seed cake as normal, at least.

So when I decided to make this to take to a baby shower last weekend, I never thought people would look at it apprehensively. And I think I can understand why. In fact, when M went to the store to purchase the bag of poppy seeds for me, the incredibly chatty and friendly man at the till asked him if it was gunpowder.

Armed with my gunpowder spotted bundt cake (which is also not a normal thing in England) I placed my cake on the table along side more normal dishes of caramel shortbread, biscuits and the ever popular English Victoria sponge cake, complete with whipped cream and jam.

I will definitely make this cake again. The batter alone was wonderful, tasting of vanilla ice cream. Not only a delicious cake but presentable and attractive as well.

1 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup icing sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water

Preheat to 350/gas 4.

Place poppy seeds on baking sheet. Toast in oven for 7-10 minutes.

Coat bundt cake pan. This recipe can also be made as muffins or a sheet cake. Adjust baking times accordingly.

Whisk together dry ingredients including poppy seeds. Whisk together milk, oil, vanilla and lemon in a seperate bowl or jug.

Beat eggs and sugar for about 5 minutes. Fold dry mix into wet a third at a time, alternating with the egg/sugar mix. Pour batter into pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes. Whilst baking, combine icing sugar, lemon and water to make a glaze. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack.

While still warm, poke holes in the cake with a fork. Brush glaze over cake.



Sunday 25 July 2010

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

As strange as it is, one of my favourite vegetables to grow on my allotment is courgette. No one else really likes it, mainly because generally we end up with more marrow then zucchini, but I love how much you get from one plant and actually how much you can do with one courgette.

I probably also like it because you can bake cakes from it!

I didn't get a chance to try this recipe with last year's crop. As soon as I pulled the first courgette of the summer, I couldn't wait to give it a go.

Zucchini and chocolate seems weird but actually the zucchini makes the muffin moist and helps bulk it out. You don't actually taste zucchini.

I actually got this recipe from a collection of Weight Watcher recipes. The zucchinis take the place of some of the fat and milk. It's a good low-fat and low-calorie tea-time treat and can be baked as either a loaf or muffins.

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable or sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 oz chocolate pieces
2 cups shredded zucchini/courgette

325/gas 4
Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

Whisk eggs, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Add dry mix gradually. Fold in zucchini and chocolate pieces.

Pour into prepared load tin or muffin tins. If muffins, bake 20-25 minutes, or until tops of muffins spring back. If a tea loaf, baking 55-60 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

Let cool entirely.

You can also add 1/2 cup walnuts in with the zucchini if you wish. I omitted them in mine to keep it lower in fat and calories.

Tuesday 20 July 2010

Honey Shortbread

Good morning fellow readers. It's rather gray and overcast out but that doesn't stop me from wanting a bit o' honey.

And what better way to get a bit then in a piece of ginger-tinged honey shortbread?

I cut these into little squares which gives me more but you could bake this like regular shortbread, in a round then cut into wedges.

40z butter
6oz flour
1/2 - 1tsp ginger, based on preference
1oz honey

Rub or cut butter into flour. Add the ginger and honey. Mix with a spoon until you have a stiff dough.

Transfer to floured surface. Roll out and cut into squares or rounds, or shape into large round. Prick with a fork or create your own design.

Bake 350/180/mk 4 10 minutes or until golden.

The ginger in this makes for a very interesting flavour but feel free to alter based on your own preferences for ginger.

Sunday 18 July 2010

Honey Banana Cake

Last week a co-worker, Kerry, gave me a jar of honey from his neighbor's bees (aptly titled Wayne Hooney. hehe.) Oh boy! The baking possibilities were seemingly endless. So I decided to take a go at a few different honey-based recipes. 

The nice thing about honey recipes is because the honey takes the place of sugar and some of the fat, the end result is generally healthier than honeyless baked goods. These muffins are low-fat and don't have a lot of calories compared to other muffins (ahem, Starbucks!) The banana and the honey mixed together mean you need almost no butter/margarine at all. 

The following was originally a cake recipe so feel free to try either.

Honey Banana Muffins

2oz butter or margarine
1 tbsp honey
1tbsp brown sugar
4oz self-raising flour
pinch cinnamon
1 egg
1 med banana, mashed
pinch salt

Beat butter or margarine with honey and sugar. Add egg and banana, beat well until mixed. Add sifted flour, salt and cinnamon. Mix until just moistened. 

Bake gas mark 4 for 18-20 or until browned and the tops spring back when touched. If making a cake, a skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. 

In case you're wondering about nutrition facts (as I do with all my recipes) per muffin: 91 calories, 4g fat, 1g saturated fat, 11g carbohydrates, 1g protein, 3g sugar

Tuesday 13 July 2010

Double Chocolate Brownies

Another picnic. Another chance to try out a healthier version of a recipe. And it almost went well. Brownies came out a little gooey, which is great for standing at the kitchen counter, picking at the goo and licking the chocolate off my fingers. In the future, I'll try a bigger pan to spread out the batter. That will give me a lot more nice crispy edges that I love.

Either way, it's only 111 calories and 4 grams of fat per bar. So even if you have to lick the goo off your fingers, go for it.

4 tbsp butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk or semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350/gas 4

Melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, water and vanilla. Mix in flour, cocoa and baking powder. Add chocolate chips pieces. Baking times will vary depending on your pan; I kept mine in the over for about 45 minutes. You want to be able to stick a skewer into the middle and it comes out clean and the edges crispy.

Sorry no pictures, my actual camera is in a friend's car and my iPhone died this weekend. Hopefully I'll have pictures for the rest of the recipes this week. But you all know what a brownie is supposed to look like.

Friday 9 July 2010

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Reese's Cookies

The biggest thing I love about Aldi, whether in the UK or the US, is the middle section. The random assortment of one-time-only goods that make you wonder if they fell off the back of a truck. Sometimes the merchandise is relevant, sometimes not.

In yesterday's case, I believe the management team were attempting an American promotional sale, loosely linked to 4th of July, which no one celebrates here anyway. 

The amount of pure cheap American tack wafting off the products was enough to make me feel a little ill. Maple syrup, hot dogs in a jar, marshmallows, fried onions and toffee popcorn. Oh, and strawberry creme toffee popcorn. That's not even a thing! Let alone something to epitomize what Americans eat. 

And all decorated in blue with red and white strips, emphasized with white stars. No brand names. I wouldn't even want to know where they were manufactured. 

In spite of my, what I'm sure seems like a pompous and snobby anti-American rant, they were selling Hershey's. Cookies and Creme bars, milk chocolate bars....and....Reese's! Both the peanut-butter cups and the pieces. 

I snagged a few bags of the Reese's Pieces when inspiration struck. Cookies! What better way to a
ttempt a show of appreciation for selling my 'favourite' American foods then by making the cookie, something distinctly not British, but I'm unsure of it's exact origin. Possibly America?

Anyway...

Straight forward recipe. Add nuts if you want. Add peanut-butter or chocolate chips if you want. 

115g butter room temperature.
50g caster sugar
110g dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
170g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
170g Reese's Pieces

350F/180C/gas 4

Cream butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, then vanilla. 

Sift in flour, baking soda, and salt. Add Reese's Pieces and mix well. 

Bake by teaspoonfuls on baking sheets 10-15 minutes. Cool on wire rack. 

Monday 5 July 2010

Low-fat Spiced Apple Raisin Muffins

M and I went away this weekend to Bath to celebrate our anniversary. It was an over-indulgent weekend, as holidays go, and we are both feeling incredibly full of food, even today. I didn't think I'd feel up to baking, as the thought of food has my stomach crying for mercy, but I also wanted to bake something to bring into the office tomorrow. A nice middle ground was to take a spiced apple muffin recipe and make it as healthy as I can. Each muffin has only 1 gram of fat and a lot of nutrients, thanks to whole wheat flour and wheat germ. 

The recipe below is how I made mine but watch for notes on substitutions you can make. 

1 2/3 cup/180g whole wheat flour*
1/3 cup/40g wheat germ
1/2 cup/100g sugar
1/4 cup/40 brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup/100g spiced apple butter (I had left over jars from last autumn's supply)**
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk#
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup/45g raisins

Preheat 350F/gas 4

Mix together flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Stir into dry until just mixed. Stir in apple butter followed by raisins. 

Divide into 12 muffin tins. Bake 15-20 minutes. I sprinkled mine with a bit of wheat germ, demerara sugar and cinnamon before they went into the office. A nice crumble-esque topping or oats would be good as well. 

*The original recipe calls for 2 cups plain flour but basically any 2-cup flour mix can be substituted. I used whole wheat flour and wheat germ but oats, spelt, or a mix of any could be used.

**Apple butter (especially spiced) is not easy to find in England, which is why I made my own last autumn. Apple butter is very smooth and will make a moister muffin without the chunks of apple. If you use apple butter but want to chunks, throw in a feel pieces of diced apple as well. If you don't want to make your own apple butter, use 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp nutmeg and 1 large diced apple. Add the spices in with the flour at the beginning and the apple in with the raisins at the end. 

#Buttermilk is something else I haven't been able to find in England yet. If a recipe calls for buttermilk, simply add 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk. 

On a side note, entirely unrelated to muffins, I was granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK last Friday. Means lots more expat baking! 

Monday 28 June 2010

Coconut Slices

I didn't run the race in the time I wanted yesterday but on the hottest day of the year so far, I guess I'll take it. And it helps me do better next time, given me a goal on which to improve.

The picnic, albeit shorten because of the race delay and the impending England v Germany game, was very nice as well. A lot of food (mostly carbs), nice sunshine and even better company. While not many ate the coconut slices I made (actually I was the only one), they got rave reviews (from myself and M, who ate a leftover later). 

The recipe originally calls for 375g frozen shortcrust pastry to line a 20cm square pan but I just doubled Eva's pastry recipe and used the leftovers for Saturday night's jam tarts. 



5 tbsp jam (I used Summer Berry jam I made earlier in the month but raspberry would be good too)
175g softened butter
175g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
175g desiccated (shredded) coconut
40g self raising flour
Enough pastry to line whatever pan you wish to use.

Blind bake the pastry at 200c/gas 6 for 10 minutes. Remove foil and beans/rice and bake another 5 minutes. Reduce oven to 180/gas 4.

Spread jam onto the base of pastry.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, coconut, and flour. Beat until evenly mixed. Pour gently onto the jam. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Dust with icing sugar if you wish.

This keeps really well in an air-tight container so it can be made the night before for a picnic or party.

Saturday 26 June 2010

Jam Tarts

After the fiasco of (attempted) cake decorating this week, I figured it was going to be a while until I got back into the kitchen. But nothing gets me back to the oven like a get together centered around food. 

Tomorrow, after the 10k race at Luton Hoo, we'll be having a picnic to take advantage of the lovely grounds at the estate. I'll post the recipe for that cake tomorrow but in the meantime, while jam tarts aren't the best pre-race snack, it's a nice way to use up the left over pastry from tomorrow's recipe. 

It's also a nice way to use up all the jam we have in the fridge. You'd be surprised to know how many half-used jars we have!

Picnic cake is ready to come out of the oven and I need to get some sleep in preparation for the race so it's good night from me and see you tomorrow!

Wednesday 16 June 2010

Honey Whole Wheat Biscuits

Yes, Americans and Brits both speak English but sometimes it still feels like a different language. And it's not just tomato or tomato (doesn't make sense when you read it). Confusing pants and trousers is a social faux pas but forgivable. Confusing fanny pack with bum bag is morally unacceptable. 

When it comes to cakes, the grey area is a little less reprehensible but still confusing. What is a biscuit ex
actly? Cookie? Bread? Scone? I  grew up knowing biscuits as flaky, buttery rounds of dough, golden on top and eaten with just about every meal. Smothered in gravy with eggs and sausage for breakfast, broken into soup, on top of chilli, or used to sop up sauce with dinner. 

This recipe is a slightly sweeter, less flaky version of what I grew up with. Wonderful split in two and spread with butter, like a scone.

NOTE: Sorry, I didn't get a chance to convert this from cups to grams. If you want to try it out, pop me an e-mail and I'll do the maths for you and ping it back, englandfromscratch@gmail.com

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup plain flour
3 tsps baking powder
60g butter
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 450/gas 8. 

Mix flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in butter with food processor, pastry blender or by hand, until it looks like breadcrumbs.

Add milk and honey. Stir until it forms a dough. Place on floured surface and knead 20-25 times, adding flour if sticky. 

Roll out to 1/2 in thick. Cut into rounds (I used 2 5/8in). Place on greased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until firm. They won't brown too much, due to whole wheat flour but make sure you're bottoms don't burn. 

Biscuit dipped in tea or biscuits in gravy? I'm not fussed (American translation: I don't care). Different from each other, but both good in their own right. Like Americans and Brits. 

Cherry Marmalade Muffins

Internet is finally back! At first I thought, what a nice excuse to take a break from the kitchen! Then I started dreaming about frosting cupcakes and how to properly layer good rocky road bars. 

Maybe a break was needed. 

But it didn't last long. Earlier in the week I whipped up a batch of indulgent muffins, smothered in (what I'm proud to say is my) homemade five-fruit marmalade. Great for anytime you want a muffin. 

I didn't have any self-raising flour so I used half plain flour, half whole wheat pastry flour with baking powder but I can imagine with self-raising AND a bit of baking powder they would be a bit more fluffy.

225g (8oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
85g (3oz) caster sugar
120gr (4oz) glace cherries, quartered or chopped (whatever fits your fancy)
2 tbsp marmalade
150ml milk
55g (2oz) sunflower or canola oil spread

Preheat oven to 400/200/gas 6. Grease muffin tin. Sift together flour and spice. Stir in sugar then cherries. Mix marmalade with milk. Add to flour. Beat in spread. Spoon into muffin tins. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and firm. 

I'm hoping for cake-less dreams tonight. I don't like waking up craving a cookie. Perhaps the time will come when I'll need an inter-bake-tion. Until then, more baking tonight! Keep a look out for it tomorrow.

Thursday 10 June 2010

Strawberry Pretzel Jello Pie

Don't grimace at the thought of salty pretzel with sweet jello. It sounds weird but I haven't met one person who has tried it and didn't become a believer. The larger chunks of slightly salty pretzel in the base counter the really sweet cream in the middle and it's all topped off with a tangy strawberry-pineapple jello. Still grimacing? Don't worry, I'll make you a believer yet. 

base:
2 cups/175gr crushed pretzels
1/4 cup/80gr sugar
2/3 cup/175gr melted butter

Cream Filling:
12 oz/375gr cream cheese
2 tbsp milk
1 cup squirty cream

Jello top
Box Strawberry gelatin
Boiling Water
1/4 pint pineapple juice mixed with cold water as directed on gelatin box

Mix ingredients for base together. Press into bottom of 13x9 pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350/180/gas 4. Let cool to room temperature

Beat cream cheese with sugar and milk for cream filling. Fold in squirty cream. Pour over cooled base. Put in fridge while you wait for jello

Make gelatin according to box. Let chill until only just quite set but still flexible. Pour over cream filling and refrigerate until fully set. 

Crescent Rolls

I love bread. The thought of being on a low-carb diet scares the buhjesus out of me. What would I eat? More importantly, what would I bake? So I won't go low-carb. Instead, I'm just trying to learn to love my flabby middle. As that's never going to happen though, I guess I'll just stick to trying to run off what I eat.

I've been working on a birthday cake all week and it's finally finished (those of you who follow me on Twitter [thanks LuShu!] will have seen a picture of it). Every time I turn around in the kitchen I was staring at more sugar or more butter so I thought I'd bake something with neither (though actually that's a lie). 

My favorite part of dinner used to be bread rolls. Maybe tha
t was just part of being a kid and not having defined enough taste buds for anything other than sugar, refined flour and more sugar. In fact, for a long time my little sister would eat nothing but bread and butter. Either way I looked forward to the garlic bread with pasta or the buns with burgers or the crescent rolls with just about anything else. And it turns out, making you're own crescent rolls is really easy! It's a simple milk bread recipe which is incredibly adaptable; I took half the dough and made cloverleaf rolls as well. Loafs, plaits and buns are other options as well.

4 cups (1lb) flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) milk
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp dried yeast
60gr butter
1 egg
soft butter

Sift flour and salt into a warmed bowl. I usually turn the oven on gas mark 1 and place it in there. Warm half the milk to luke warm with the sugar. Pour yeast over milk and sugar mix. Stir until dissolved. Pour mix into a well in the flour. Sprinkle a little flour over and allow to sponge. Leave until middle looks spongy with lots of bubbles. 

Warm the rest of the milk with the butter and pour into sponge. Mix to a soft dough. Place on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Return dough to lightly greased bowl and allow to rise in warm place until doubled. 

Punch down with your fists and knead lightly. Roll into circle 1/4 in thick and spread with soft butter. Cut into 8 wedges and roll up each wedge from outer wide edge. Shape into crescent, place on baking sheet and allow to prove until doubled in size. Brush with beaten egg glaze and bake 10-15 minutes at 230C/450F/gas 8. 


Monday 7 June 2010

Scones & a Cuppa

Did you know...
84% of people living in the UK live in England?
The UK holds 78 seats in the European Parliament?
The Huguenots came to Britain to avoid religious persecution?
There are twice as many Hindus as Jews in the UK?

In celebration for passing my Life in the UK test this morning I thought I'd bake some nice traditional English Rich Scones.

This was another recipe M's nan Eva taught me how to make. They're so simple and easy, it's nice to keep a batch in the freezer for unexpected guests.

225gr Self-raising flour
pinch salt
25gr caster sugar
50gr dried fruit
50gr margarine
1 egg, beaten with enough milk to make 150ml

Preheat mark 7. Mix flour and salt together. Rub in margarine (or butter if using instead). Mix in sugar and fruit. Make a well in the middle and mix in egg and milk mix, reserving a little to brush on top. Stir until a soft dough. Pour onto floured surface. Knead briefly and roll out to 1/2 in thick. Cut into 2 1/5 in circles, brush tops with egg and milk mix. Bake 10 minutes. 

Poured myself a cuppa, spread a split scone with butter and some homemade Summer Berries jam and sat back to enjoy the rest of my day off.  I even used my Wales mug! (though I haven't been to Wales yet; it was a gift)

Sunday 6 June 2010

Rhubarb and Apple Pie

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, wonderful weather to spend the day at the allotment. This is only year two of our allotment and we're doing really well. We've got a lot of potatoes growing, some onions, strawberries, current bushes. And rhubarb. Which was absolutely ready for picking. 

The first decision was what to do with my fresh new rhubarb. Crumble? Pie? Jam? Cake? I made a ginger oat rhubarb crumble a few weeks ago, recipe courtesy of Sarah Brown, so I decided on a pie. 

The next decision sparked a debate on pie crusts. Lattice or cover? M and I had a rather serious discussion on what to do, his argument boiling down to the more pastry, the better so go with a cover. I, however, love the retro look of a lattice. It's more elegant and sophisticated. I was feeling like overindulging in unhealthy baked goods so, for today at least, I sided with him. I went with a full pie top, embellished the little leaves.

My first Christmas in England M's 91 year-old nan taught me how to make pastry. She can do it quite easily as her circulation is poor so her hands are always cold. In June, mine aren't. Needless to say, I used our brand new food processor to get the job done. The following pastry recipe is from her Be-Ro flour book. I double the recipe to get two crusts and found I had enough dough for a batch of jam tarts. 

225gr flour
50gr butter
50gr lard
25gr sugar
pinch salt
about 2 tbsp cold water.

The colder your above ingredients, the better your pastry. I start by pouring cold water into a jug and putting this in the freezer. Sift together flour and salt in a cold bowl. Measure butter and lard. Rub into flour (or pulse in food processor) until it looks like breadcrumbs.  Gradually add water, mixing until you have a soft dough. Pour into flour surface. Dust with flour, roll into disc shape and wrap in cling film. Put dough into the freezer to chill. In the meantime, make the pie filling.

300gr rhubarb chunks
250-300gr apples, peeled, cored and sliced
50gr brown sugar
25gr sultanas
3 tbsp cornflour

Combine all of the above in a bowl. When the crust is chilled, roll out and press into pie pan. Fill with fruit. Dot the filling with butter (this can be omitted if you wish). Layer on top crust and cut holes for steam. Bake at 375/gas 5 for about an hour, until fruit is bubbly and crust is brown. If your crust starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil and finish baking. Let cool. Can be served warm or room temperature. 

Thursday 3 June 2010

Herbed High Protein Muffins

Only one more day till the weekend and boy, will it...drag...on... What's going to get me through this afternoon? A little high protein, low carb snack. 

Baked a batch
 of these muffins last night and they smell so good I'm almost tempted to have more than one today. These are perfect for a healthy grab and go breakfast or an afternoon energy boost and can be adapted to any tastes. I split the batter in half and added sun-
dried tomatoes and basil to one half and sauteed mushrooms and fresh thyme to the second half. 

Other variations could be olives and thyme, roasted
 peppers and hint of coriander, or sauteed garlic potatoes and rosemary. Let me know if you try a different variation of flavours or a different type of flour. I was tempted by a 
toasted wheat germ and rye blend but I kept it a bit more traditional. 

1 cup/200gr low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese
3/4 cup/60gr grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/4 cup/50gr whole wheat flour
1 cup/80gr ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup/20gr chopped sun-dried tomatoes (or variation)
2 tbsp chopped fresh herb or 1 1/2 tsp dried herb
1/4 cup/50ml water
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat to 400F/gas mark 6

Mix together all ingredients except 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. 
Stir until just moistened, don't over mix

Spoon into 12 greased or lined muffin pans. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese over. Bake 30-35 minutes. 

Monday 31 May 2010

Old Fashioned Cornbread

The house is permeated with the smell of onions and garlic right now. M is stewing a big pot of his wonderful chilli for lunches this week. My mouth is already watering. So I thought I'd whip up a batch of cornbread, the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of chilli. Cornbread is really simple and easy to make and goes well with a wide array of dishes, or a stand-alone for breakfast or a snack. Best served warm with a smear of butter melting into it or spread with jam for breakfast.

1cup/225gr flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1cup/225gr cornmeal (polenta works as well)
1cup/225ml milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup/60ml honey
1/4 cup/60gr butter, melted

Preheat oven 425/220/gas 7

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into bowl. Stir in cornmeal. Combine eggs, milk, honey and butter in seperate bowl/jug. Pour into dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

Pour into greased pan. I used 9"x13" but a square pan, sandwich tin or muffin pan work just as well. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Plug Warning: If you like the blog, follow me on Twitter! @engfromscratch for the latest recipes and tidbits.

Sunday 30 May 2010

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Today involved a failed trip to Hitchin. There's a cute little kitchen shop I love and I wanted to get a nice oven thermometer for better bread baking but, and please allow me this little rant, nothing was open! Listen England, it's not the 1600's and Sunday Trading Laws are a little behind the times. But even Sunday Trading Laws I can get behind, for the sake of the shop staff, but towns placing higher restrictions then what's required by law is a little ridiculous. Like Hitchin. So no oven thermometer which means I have to postpone trying a loaf of honey wheat bread.

The one thing that was open was Waitrose, which we don't get a chance to go to often. So I bought a nice (read: expensive) bar of chocolate to make Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

You can use any standard chocolate chip cookie recipe for these, just replace the chips with chunks of chocolate of varying sizes from the bar. These are great for chocolate lovers; when the cookies cool, the melted chunks will solidify. Husband was very happy with them, they're almost gone now!

And I get to indulge in a little nostalgic milk and cookies right before bedtime. Lovely sunday.

Saturday 29 May 2010

Stadium Pretzel & Cheese

Bank holiday weekend and....shock horror....it's raining. Perfect day to bake. In light of upcoming summer and memories of past summers spent at baseball games, I thought I tried my hand at pretzels. Big, crunchy, salty jumbo pretzels which are best eaten dipped in nacho cheese. These take a while to make but are worth it.


Jumbo Pretzels
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 pkg fast-active dried yeast
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
4 cups strong white flour

Water should be hand-warm, about 85F. Put in a bowl with yeast and sugar. Let stand for an hour.

Gradually add flour, creating a soft dough. You may need more or less flour. Knead for 10 minutes. Put in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

Twist dough into figure 8 shape, logs or twists. Put on greased baking sheet and brush with egg wash (1 yolk and 1 tbsp milk). Sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Leave to rise until doubled.

Bake at 240C/gas 9 for about 10 min. To finish with a nice golden brown colour, put under the grill for a few minutes. Serve with nacho cheese for dipping.

Nacho cheese
1oz sharp cheddar cheese
1 slice laughing cow light cheese spread
1 tsp minced jalapeno pepper
1 tsp jalapeno juice
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp chili powder
pinch garlic granules

Mix all together. Heat until cheese is melted.