Monthly Archives

November 2018

Cakes and bakes

Toffee apple cake with toffee sauce

This is real autumn comfort food for those dark, soggy days when even reaching for the remote control seems like too much effort. The caramel and honey in this cake gives that sweet toffee flavour, the apple adds enough moisture to stop the cake feeling too heavy. Serve with a dollop of toffee sauce, curl up in front of the tv and get all warm and cosy.

180g Gluten free self raising flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp ground cinnamon
175g unsalted butter at room temperature
130g soft, light brown sugar
1.5ml caramel flavouring
2 tbsp honey
2 medium apples peeled and grated
3 medium eggs beaten

Toffee sauce
50g soft light brown sugar
50g unsalted butter
70 ml double cream

Preheat the oven to 150C and line a 1Lb loaf tin.

Sift the flour, xanthan gum and cinnamon into a bowl and put to one side.

Cream together the butter and when it is light and fluffy stir in the caramel flavouring, honey and grated apples.

Fold a third of the flour mixture into the sugar and butter mix, add a third of the eggs and fold until well combined. Add another third of the flour mix, fold well and then add a third of the egg and fold. Do this until all the ingredients are well combined. Pour the mix into the loaf tin and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the sponge comes out clean.

The toffee sauce can either be made straight away and used when the cake is warm, or over the cooled cake. The sauce will keep in the fridge for 24 hours.

Add the sugar, butter and cream unto a pan and gently heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour the sauce over the cake and enjoy.

November 22, 2018 By
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Cakes and bakes

Individual Chocolate Cake

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything with my favourite ingredient- chocolate, and I need to put this right.  Don’t be fooled by the size of these cakes, they are full on chocolate and the whipped cream is the perfect indulgent companion. I’m not big on fiddly things, so this recipe is as simple as could be. It’s an all in one recipe and made in a large square cake pan, but the results look and taste gorgeous.  This recipe makes 7 individual cakes.

Ingredients
6oz golden caster sugar
180g softened unsalted butter
6oz gluten free self raising flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
2oz cacao powder
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp milk

For the filling
250ml double cream

For the topping
150g milk chocolate

You’ll also need a large square baking tin, I used a 30cm x 30cm tin, along with a circular biscuit cookie, I used a 3cm diameter one.

Line the baking tin and preheat the oven to 150C.

I like the all in one method for sponge cakes, so in a food processor add all of the cake ingredients except the milk, and mix well until all the ingredients are well combined. If the mix is too firm add the milk.

Pour the mix into the tin and bake for about 30 minutes.

When a skewer in the middle of the sponge comes out clean, allow the cake to cool completely.

When cool cut out the rounds from the sponge.

Whip the cream and place a good dollop in between to pieces of sponge.

Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt on a bain marie.  Drizzle the chocolate over the sponges and allow to cool.


November 7, 2018 By
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Taking my fancy

Just a few bits…

So I’ve got a bit of a thing for kitchens, it’s the room I’m drawn to and definitely the place I spend the most time. It’s not just the furniture that I lust after, although I do dream of a pink Aga, but all the accessories and finishing touches.

For years I lived in student houses and then rented, they were never places where I could have made cosy or my own, so now I’m making up for lost time. I view my house as an on-going project, there are always ideas that I screen grab and an ever growing shopping list. In our house, these accessories have become known as ‘just a few bits’and I’m always on the look out for more bits. I discreetly add these bits and then wait for husband to notice.

One place I’ve accessorised with a few bits, is the top of the kitchen cupboards. We have two white cupboards on a white wall on either side of the cooker hood, which I felt looked a bit bare. I ordered a couple of mirror balls from EBay, for less than £30 they added a bit of interest and sparkle to an otherwise empty space.

Then while having a good old look online, I found a perspex ‘dancing ‘sign on Rockett St George. I ummed and arghed, put it in my basket, ummed and arghed some more then hit the buy button and cowered. A week later my sign arrived, bigger than I thought because I never measured it, but when I put it on top of the cupboard it actually seemed pretty damn perfect.

On the other side is a small collection of the Crystal Head Vodka bottles. Neither my husband or me drink vodka but we first saw the bottles in Vegas a few years ago. We didn’t buy one and regretted it instantly. Then as if by magic, we received one in the post as a gift.  It looked too damn good to hide away, so we put it on top of the kitchen cupboard. The Aurora one was a Christmas present and the baby one was picked up in America, it’s now like the three bears but in vodka skull form, on top of the cupboard.

November 6, 2018 By
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Cakes and bakes

Parkin

It’s Bonfire night and so, as someone living in Yorkshire, it’s only right to feature Parkin. It’s as old as the hills and something that I’ve definitely appreciated more as an adult. Although you can eat parkin straight away, it’s firmer on the day of baking and by leaving for a good few days, the syrup and treacle soften the texture. If you like a really dark parkin, add more treacle and brown sugar. This is a gluten free version but impossible to tell the difference.

Ingredients
250g gluten free self raising flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground mixed spice
100g gluten free oats
200g unsalted butter
200g golden syrup
85g treacle
50g honey
80g light soft brown sugar
1 large egg
4 tbsp milk

Line a baking tin with greaseproof paper and pre heat the oven to 150C.

In a bowl mix the flour, xanthan gum, ginger, mixed spice and oats and set aside.

Put the butter, sugar, syrup, treacle and honey into a pan on a low heat. Gently heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the butter melted.

Break the egg into a separate bowl, add the milk and with a fork, mix well.

Pour the butter and syrup mixture into the flour and oat bowl and mix well. Finally stir in the egg and milk mixture and mix until well combined. Pour into your baking tin and bake for about 45 minutes.

Cut into squares and store into an airtight container for 4 or 5 days.

November 5, 2018 By
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Cakes and bakes

Back to the old school

Do you remember fizz wiz, Wham bars and candy lipsticks? I still remember deliberating over what to put in my 20p mix up at the paper shop after school. This post combines my love of old school sweets and cakes.  I used a caramel flavouring and golden caster sugar in the sponge for that toffee like flavour. The amount of caramel flavour varies depending on which you’re using, I used the one from Foodie Flavours. The retro sweets came from aquarterof.

Ingredients
6oz self raising gluten free flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
6oz softened unsalted butter
6oz of golden caster sugar
3 large eggs
1.25ml of caramel flavour
1 tbsp milk

for the buttercream icing
650g icing sugar
300g softened unsalted butter
2 tbsp milk

2 Caramac bars
Bag of white chocolate fish and chips or whatever retro sweets tickle your fancy.
Edible silver spray

Line a muffin tray with 10 cases and preheat the oven to 150C. Put the Caramac bars in the freezer.

I used the all in one method for the sponge, I added all of the ingredients except the milk into a food processor and mixed well, I added the tablespoon of milk at the end. Be careful not to over mix using this method.

Divide the cake mix between the cases and bake for about 15-20 minutes- until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to completely cool.

To make the buttercream icing, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and add the softened butter mix well adding the milk if the buttercream is too firm. I can use the same amount of ingredients and the same method and each time the buttercream varies slightly, it’s worth having extra icing sugar and milk just in case. When you’re happy with the consistency, fill a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled cakes.  Decide which cakes are going to be topped with which sweet.

Because I wanted to use white chocolate fish and chips, I sprayed those cakes with an edible silver spray to break them up a bit.

For the cakes topped with Caramac, take the bar out of the freezer, this makes it easier to break up into clean pieces.

November 1, 2018 By
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