Baked Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you...

Many people say to me "Your children must love that you bake all the time!" That is only a half truth because my oldest son just isn't into cakes. It stems from his aversion to anything with egg in it which I partially blame myself for, because egg (& only egg), was all I ate for most of my pregnancy. He's not actually allergic to them, he just isn't interested at all.

He does love doughnuts though and I've been looking around for a suitable recipe to make my own. I didn't really fancy fried ones and luckily there are many baked varieties out there.

Enter stage left one of my favourite bloggers, Joy The Baker.

I've been following her amazing blog for years & I'm finally getting my hands on a copy of her first book this week. She posted a really lovely recipe for baked doughnuts that I tried out at the weekend (click here for the recipe link).

My tasters-in-Chief (it would have helped to capture them with a doughnut in hand!)

Well, the doughnuts are delicious, and after a little persuasion that they weren't in fact cakes disguised as doughnuts, I managed to squeeze out a reluctant thumbs up! I realise the trick is to hide the whole cooking process so that there are no psychological barriers!

Before I go, can I take a quick minute to celebrate the glorious weekend that we have just had?! The weather has been fantastic and for the first time in ages, I spent almost two full days outside soaking up the London sun (and taking copious amounts of selfies!)

Selfies in the park (because the light was just too perfect!)

Peace, Love & Doughnuts

xx

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Pavlova and beautiful things...

I never thought I'd say this but retail therapy no longer has the same appeal. The endless accumulation of things I don't need is a bit tiring. But food has that amazing quality of being necessary, tasty and able to bring joy to you and to those around you.

Last week I needed to bake myself happy. I was on the brink of some almost too good-to-be-true news and I was tingling with excitement at the thought of it coming to fruition...and then it didn't. I wanted to be all Zen about it in the knowledge that it wasn't meant to be, but the truth is, it made me sad. 

I took matters into my own hands and looked for something simple and beautiful to make. I came across a lovely recipe for Pavlova online (click here for the link) which ticks all of the boxes in my book. It's stunning and summery and surprisingly easy to make.

I had a full house that day & everybody squealed with excitement when they saw it. I think the best way to eat it, is for everyone to sit round the table with a spoon and just dig in! A mouth full of crispy yet chewy meringue, whipped cream and summer berries is enough to bring a smile on anyone's face.

So with a beautiful dessert made I set about dusting my shoulders off & moving on.  I'm hopeful that 'too-good-to-be true' things are still on the horizon and I look forward to sharing them with you!

I'll leave you with this quote I found today;

Things turn out best

for the people who

make the best of

the way things turn out. 

Peace & Love


xx

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Mint Choc Chip Cupcakes

Recently I've been hearing good news stories. Of course there is never a lack of doom and gloom but some people that I love are having cool things happen to them and it makes me so happy. I literally feel like it's happening to me. That's because we are all one and if it can happen to you, then surely it can, and is, happening for me.

Last week I met up with my old and good friend who recently had a beautiful baby girl and we hung out at Clissold Park (amazing). She is loving motherhood and it was such a joy to see! I know too much to get broody myself, but I was happy that she was happy :)

The sun was shining & the weather was sweet, but not quite not warm enough for ice-cream. Instead, I made some mint choc chip cupcakes in honour of my favourite flavour. This was a massive experiment (well massive-ish), because I was keen to use real mint as opposed to flavourings. I LOVE the taste of fresh mint, it's subtle and so sweet. I also wanted the cakes to taste creamy, so I went for a very creamy icing rather than buttercream. 

Here is the recipe;

Mint Choc Chip Cupcakes (makes 16)

Mint Choc Chip Icing

250g mascarpone cheese

100g icing sugar

150ml extra thick double cream

25 mint leaves very finely chopped (more or less to taste)

3 drops green food colouring (depending on how strong you want the colour to be)

40g chocolate flakes (approx)

Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery)

80g (3oz) unsalted butter softened

140g (50oz) caster sugar

140g (50oz) soft brown sugar

200g (7oz) plain flour

40g (1½oz) cocoa powder

80g (3oz) chocolate chips (optional)

1 tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

240ml (8½fl oz) full fat milk

2 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3 and line 2 muffin trays with cupcake cases. 

2. Put the flour, sugars, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt and butter together in a large bowl or food processor and mix until everything is combined and you get a sandy consistency. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.

3. Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any stray ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Add the chocolate chips and continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.

4. Fill the cupcake cases with the cake mixture until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean, or the sponge will bounce back when touched.

5.  Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

While the cupcakes are cooking make the icing. Set aside approximately a tablespoon of chocolate flakes for the garnish. Mix together all of the ingredients until you have a smooth icing that is quite firm. Leave to cool in the fridge.

6. When the cupcakes are completely chilled, pipe the icing on top and sprinkle with the left over chocolate flakes.

The amount of mint leaves that you ought to use, really does depend on taste. When I first made them I didn't quite add enough to get the hit straight away. Also, I think that the cakes are best eaten when the icing is very cold, so perhaps aren't great for picnics on hot days. I spent the rest of the week loving them though. I warmed up the cupcake (10 seconds on full power) & added the icing afterward. 

One of my favourites this year I think, if you decide to give it a go let me know how you get on! Do you have any good news to share?


Peace & Love


xx

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Don't Try This At Home - Banana Layer Cake with Chocolate Fudge

So I've been quite keen on having a banana cake on my blog for a while and figured now that I have a loaf tin, I really should get on with it! But since I've been feeling experimental recently, I decided to give it a little twist. Instead of a banana loaf, why don't I bake a banana layer cake and have thin servings of chocolate fudge.....?

Well, I made it and discovered that banana cake is already sweet & delicious and needs little if anything else! This cake is very sweet and totally doable with a cup of tea and a small slice. You must not attempt to eat it though if you are in anyway diabetic or are susceptible to tooth decay! :)

Next time I will use a loaf tin and maybe put a small spread of chocolate fudge on top.

Banana Cake Recipe 


Ingredients


170g unsalted butter
100g soft brown sugar
70g caster sugar
2 eggs
170g self raising flour sifted
3 tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 pinch of salt
2 ripe bananas mashed up

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160oC/ Gas Mark 3 and line a loaf tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs and beat until all incorporated.
3. Add the flour and salt, followed by the milk, bananas and vanilla essence and mix well.
4. Place in the loaf tin and bake for approximately an hour until cooked. Leave to cool in the tin slightly before placing on a cooling rack.

The moral of this story is "If it ain't broke don't try to fix it!" :) In all seriousness though, I do love trying out new recipes and you don't know what works until you try!

Peace & Love

xx 

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Pizza Cake (And Giveaway Winner Announced!)

Is it a pizza? Is it a cake? No, it's a Pizza Cake!!

Hello People - hopefully you all looked at the picture and wondered why on earth I am posting pictures of slightly dodgy pizzas on my blog... Well, the answer is that I'm not. This bad boy is in fact a cake :)

A friend of mine asked me to make a cake in the shape of a pizza to celebrate a year of their blog 'Things We Have Eaten'. The Things We Have Eaten crew is made up of a collective of guys who blog about stuff they have eaten (rocket science I know). It's pretty cool though because they travel around and clearly enjoy their food so check it out...

The 'Things We've Eaten' Crew

When I got the call, I was really excited. The challenge with something like this, is getting the recipe right. The biggest mistake you can make is not paying equal attention to taste and presentation. If I had to choose then taste would reign supreme but you really must focus on both. So the cake has got to look like a pizza, but be a tasty cake. 

I used a moist vanilla cupcake recipe for the base (click here for a link). I figured such a thin layer of cake could dry out pretty quickly so this was important. I doubled the quantity of the cupcake mixture and baked it in a 14" round tin. I also managed to get an empty pizza box (after buying a large pizza first) as it adds to the whole drama of the thing.

Jam acts as tomato and the "cheese" is buttercream coloured yellow. Everything else is made out of coloured sugarpaste icing except for the pineapple which is real. All in all it was pretty convincing, especially at night.

On a totally different note, I am really pleased to announce that Ellena Emmanuel is the winner of the cake pop giveaway and will be contacted soon to receive her prize. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Peace & Love

xx

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Waffles With Spiced Honey Glazed Pineapple

I'm so over January! I'm over waking up in the dark and rushing around trying to catch the natural light to take pictures. Roll on the summertime, with light, warmth and long days. 

To help lift my spirits a bit, I wanted to bring on the summer vibe with some tropical fruit - the mighty pineapple. I had also intended to try and do some more healthy recipes for the coming month. I'm  afraid that the regular snacking on my creations is starting to show on my tummy & I'm not liking it! I figure if I make healthy stuff at least once in a while, I'll be giving myself a better chance of keeping it under control!

So today I bring you, waffles with spiced glazed honey pineapples and cinnamon fromage frais. If you wanted to be super good you could just leave out the waffles, note that's not what I did as I didn't want to go crazy :)

The recipe is very simple, I don't have a waffle iron (to reduce temptation), so I bought the waffles. The pineapples take about 20 minutes to make including preparation time so it's really quick. Click here for the link to the recipe.

This is actually very tasty. You have a beautiful mix of different textures with the waffles, pineapple and fromage frais. There is also a tartness from the lime and the fromage frais to offset the sweet flavours: all in all a big thumbs up!

Before I forget, I will be announcing the winner of the giveaway in Friday's post so look out for that!

Tell me, what is your favourite season and what have been your highlights for this month?

Peace & Love

xx

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Candy Kisses For Sleeping Beauty

A kiss seals two souls for a moment in time ~ Levende Waters

Hello my friends. I find myself in a bit of a Sleeping Beauty mood at the moment, well Sleeping something at least! Do you ever get those times when no matter how much sleep you get you still feel tired? I'm thinking I'm in need of some sunshine or a handsome prince to come and wake me from my slumber! :) Seeing as that's not going to happen anytime soon it's on to plan B; cupcakes and hibernation, oh and easy recipes to make. 

The lip toppers are to give me that boost that I need - one that can only come from loving lips! I bought a lip candy mold a while back and have not had a chance to use it yet so as there's no time like the present I thought let's go! Candy moulds can be bought online or in craft or cake decoration shops. Wilton do an extensive collection so that is always a good place to start. 

Check out this cool link (here) for a vanilla cupcake recipe with a handy how-to video.

Never a lip is curved with pain

That can't be kissed into a smile again ~ Brete Hart

Enjoy

Peace & Love

xx

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Off The Deep End (Honey Cupcakes with Clotted Cream)

Hello All

Just wanted to let you know that I am now writing for the Off The Deep End blog... Exciting times!

Check out this link for my first post; Honey Cupcakes with Clotted Cream. I'll be writing for them once a month & will keep you updated with the posts.

Peace & Love

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Petit Pain Au Chocolat

Happy Tuesday folks! Yesterday was a day of three pretty cool things. First up, I had the privilege of getting a sneak peak of David Hockney's upcoming exhibition A Bigger Picture at the Royal Academy of Arts during a preview showing for friends and family. 

There are two things I love about preview showings; the first is being able to see the art in peace. This will almost definitely be a very busy exhibition so to get to see it like this was amazing, especially in such a grand institution. The other cool thing were the refreshments; more specifically the Champagne that flowed and flowed! 

No photography allowed but I managed to sneak the corner of one pic! :)

The second thing I did yesterday was to enjoy the beauty of the winter sun. I confess that last weekend I stayed in to avoid the frost and bitter cold. I just looked out of the window, said no & curled back up again - shameful! This was no longer an option come Monday and I realised that I had been missing out! The snaps below are taken from my garden. I love how nature can bring forth beauty even in the starkest environments.

The third and final cool thing I did yesterday was to make some Petit Pain au Chocolats - with Flake chocolate :). I had seen this recipe a while ago on another blog and have been wanting to try it because it looks so simple. As I was assembling the petit pains I had a brainwave and thought, "I wonder what it would taste like with a Flake?"

The answer is delicious! Plus the Flake actually retains its flakiness which adds an interesting texture to the bread. It's definitely worth a go as it's really so simple. I enjoyed mine with a cup of coffee.

Recipe - Petit Pain Au Chocolat

• 1 sheet ready-made puff pastry cut into 12 squares
• 1 large egg beaten (for glaze)
• 200g of your favourite milk or dark chocolate, each cut into 2cm pieces (you may not need all of the chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200ºC/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with greasproof paper. 

2.Brush the top of each puff pastry square with egg glaze. Place 1 piece of chocolate on each pastry square. Roll up the dough tightly, enclosing the chocolate in each square. If you don't roll it tightly it will puff out and be very fluffy! 

3. Place pastry rolls on baking sheet, seam side down. Brush tops of pastry rolls with remaining egg glaze. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until pastries are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Best served immediately.

Definitely give this one a try!

Peace & Love

xx

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Day 15 - White Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins And Girly Time

Yesterday I had the privilege of hosting the fortnightly meeting of the Mums At Home Ministry with my sister. I really enjoy being hospitable but I kind of live in the middle of nowhere so I don't do it as often as I'd like. I also don't get a chance to go to this meeting much at all so it was a real treat to be able to catch up with everyone; you should never underestimate the value of quality time with cool people for sure!

It was a lovely relaxing morning, we ate, laughed and talked about life! I think my favourite part of the morning was the discussion about housework. Virtually everyone wished they could do more (or rather have more done without them having to do it) & I was like 'thank God for that' I thought I was the only one who lived under the guilt cloud about the house! I think the term necessary evil was designed specifically for housework!

The Spread!

As for the food, my sister is the original domestic goddess and made some divine fresh bread. We also had cold meats, olives, cheese and fruits, I was hoping to bring out my Cranberry Jam but got swept away in the conversations & completely forgot! For the sweets, I made White Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins and some Chocolate Cupcakes that I will share in another post (so many cakes, so little time!)

White Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins (Remixed from a Nigella Recipe)

Recipe (makes 12 muffins)

Wet

75g unsalted butter melted

1 large egg

200ml buttermilk 

Dry

200g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

75g caster sugar

Chocolate & Fruit

180g fresh cranberries

40g blueberries

100g white chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat the oven to oven to 200oC/gas mark 6 and line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.

2. Combine all of the dry ingredients (not including the chocolate and fruit) in a bowl, and in a measuring jug, mix all of the wet ingredients.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and using a wooden spoon, gently mix to combine. Fold in the fruit and white chocolate, keeping the mixing to a minimum.

4. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the muffins have risen and are golden and firm on top.

Here are some pictures from the morning...

Doggie Bag!

The Stars

Fresh out of the oven

Peace & Love

xx

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Day 8 - Cranberry Jam, The Making

Day 8 aka Part 2 of my Cranberry Jam happiness :). You may be wondering what could possibly be so exciting about making jam? Surely it's infinitely easier to pick up a jar from the shop and be done with it! Up until now I would have agreed but I have been converted, there is such a sense of achievement when you make these and they make amazing home-made gifts.

Cranberry Jam

Recipe

300g fresh Cranberries
8 roughly chopped strawberries (sorry I didn't weigh them)
500g jam sugar (you can add slightly less to taste)
1 lemon
1 small apple
small knob of butter


1. The day before you want to make the jam, mix together the sugar and berries in a large non-metallic bowl, cover and leave to soak overnight.

Sterilise the jam jars on the day you need them, by first washing and then allowing them to drip dry in an oven set to 140oC/275F/Gas Mark 1 for at least 30 minutes while you are making the jam. 

2. Pour all of the mixture into a preserving pan or a large wide-based pan. This is quite important as the pan will affect cooking times. I don't have a preserving pan but I used a saute pan which seemed to work OK. 

3. Peel, core and grate the apple and juice the lemon. Add both of them to the pan and mix well.

4. Place a saucer in the freezer. This will be used later as a test to make sure the jam is at the correct temperature.

5. Slowly heat the mixture on a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Once it is dissolved, bring the mixture to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and spoon a little of the mixture on to the saucer that was in the freezer. Once it is cool enough to touch, push the jam with your finger. If it has set correctly, the surface will have a slight wrinkle, if it is too runny then put the mixture back onto the heat and check every 2-3 minutes. The picture below shows you what a 'wrinkly' surface should look like.

6. Skim any scum off the top of the jam and mix in the knob of butter. Leave the jam to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. This stops the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the jam jar. Then, carefully spoon the mixture into a warm jam jar (never put warm jam into a cold jar) and seal. The jars that I use already have seals but if they don't use a waxed paper disc cut to size.

The mixture I made was only enough to fill this jam jar which is all I needed but you may want to scale up the recipe accordingly if you want more.

I hope you do give this one a try, it's a bit fiddly but totally worth it :)

Peace & Love

xx

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