Category Sweet Treats

Elderflower Drizzle with Basil Icing

May 20, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

A little experiment with elderflower yesterday. Lemon drizzle cake is a classic favourite but I thought I’d try it with some elderflower and a subtle basil flecked icing. Fell free to leave out the basil or replace it with something more dessert-familiar like mint. I think this cake needs a bit more testing to get the exact measurements to balance the flavours (see note at the bottom) but this was what I started with and it tasted great anyway!

115g butter
165g sugar
165g self raising flour
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 lemon, zest
4 tbsp milk
150ml elderflower cordial (and a little more for the icing)
100g icing sugar
1 tbsp chopped basil (or mint if you prefer)

Cream the butter and sugar. Then add the eggs, milk and lemon zest and sieve in the flour and baking powder. Mix.
Spoon into a lined cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes at 180 until cooked.
Once the cake is cooked and it comes out the oven, while still warm, prick the surface all over and pour over the cordial and allow it to sink in and absorb. Leave to cool.
To make the glaze, mix the sieved icing sugar, the mint/basil and enough cordial to get a runny but thick consistency (about 1-2 tbsp)
Pour over the cake!

NOTE: I scattered some rose petals for presentation but to be honest they are very pungent and can be overpowering (if using a weak cordial I suggest not using them). The amount of cordial can be increased but I was nervous about drowning the cake. The cordial I used was unfortunately quite weak so I would suggest increasing the volume if you find the taste too subtle. Use a homemade or good quality one such as ‘bottlegreen’ for a really big elderflower hit.

Apple Crumble Ice Cream

May 16, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

This is quite a rich ice cream and a dessert in itself. The apple puree is really deep in flavour and if cooked down a little more and thickened it would make a beautiful apple ‘butter-come-jam’ for topping toast and croissants! Goes really well with some simple hazelnut and vanilla shortbread.

1 can condensed milk (alternatively make a custard base but this recipe requires no churning)
300ml single cream
4 large crunchy apples
100g soft brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp mixed spice and ground ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
125ml water
50g oats
50g plain flour
50g soft brown sugar
60g chilled, cubed unsalted butter

Start with the spiced apple puree. Core and chop 3 of the apples into chunky slices. Add to a saucepan with the water and bring to the boil. Then simmer gently until the apples break down and look a bit like apple sauce.
Add the sugar and spices to the hot apples and mix. Transfer to a blender and puree. Have a taste, add more sugar to your liking depending on how sweet your apples were, or lemon juice for a bit of sharpness. Remember when you add purees to ice cream they should always be a little bit on the sweet side as that way they will taste fine when frozen.
Leave to cool.
Mix the crumble ingredients together until you have chunky breadcrumb-like texture. Transfer to a lined baking tray and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 170°C oven keeping an eye on it. Don’t worry as the mixture will most likely melt into a big slab. When its golden brown leave it to cool and crisp and then you can crumble it into pieces.
Cube the remaining apple into small dice and saute in a little butter to soften. Leave to cool.
Mix the condensed milk and the cream (or alternatively for a proper ice cream make a custard base. The benefit of the condensed milk is there is no need for any churning) and add the apple puree. Keep some reserved if you want to ripple some through the cream before freezing.
Scatter some crumble and some of the cubed apple pieces into your container of choice and top with some of the mixture. If you want to ripple some puree through, do this now. Scatter with more crumble and apple pieces and repeat. Finish with a scattering of crunchy topping. Freeze until set (it will have a soft scoop texture) and enjoy!

Chai Apple Loaf

May 13, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

I still remember the first time I took an unexpected warming sip of a Bristol ‘Boston Tea Party’ Chai latte on a snowy cold day…it was delicious and I have never been able to enjoy it quite as much as then. But I love chai and I love cake….need I say more?

I did I bit of research and found that ’apparently’ the best way to infuse your tea of choice into a cake mixture is to infuse it into the melted butter. So I thought I’d experiment…. Even if this proves unnecessary, it certainly produced the most delicious smelling, chai-scented, nutty brown butter which would certainly make a great addition to anything baked. And if you can handle the cinnamon overload, this would be insane with my Apple Crumble Ice Cream

1 sturdy loaf

150g butter (plus about 30g extra)
150g golden syrup
150g soft brown sugar
200ml milk
5 ‘teapigs’ chai tea bags/ 5 tbsp loose chai tea
250g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp mixed spice
2 eggs, beaten
2 crunchy apples, peeled, cored and cubed into chunks
2 tbsp chai seeds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Melt the butter in a pan the add the contents of the chai teabags. Warm briefly and leave to infuse to 5 minutes.
Sieve the infused melted butter into a clean pan pressing the flavours out of the strained tea which can then be discarded. Weigh the melted butter and top up to 150g. Add the sugar and syrup and melt everything together.
When melted, add the milk and leave to cool
Weigh out the flour and add the mixed spice and baking powder. Make a well in the centre and add the cooled sugar mixture. Stir gently to combine.
Add the beaten egg and mix. Stir in the apple keeping back a handful for garnish.
Pour into a lined loaf tin and top with a few chunks of apple. Scatter with the chai seeds for a crunchy topping and bake for about 50 minutes until cooked.
Serve with a steaming cup of chai and some mascarpone smothered on top if you like.

Alternatively try it with pears? This loaf recipe would also be brilliant with ground ginger (minus the chai) and some preserved ginger pieces for a lovely ginger loaf.

Portuguese Cinnamon Tarts with Lavender Caramel

May 10, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

These have been adapted from Jamie Oliver’s interpretation of the Portuguese custard tart or- ‘Pastel de nata’. It seemed like a good way of using up a slab of puff pastry and an egg whilst keeping my mind sane and grounded during all this revision…

½ block puff pastry (about 250g ish)
Pinch cinnamon
1 egg
120g creme fraiche
Zest of 1/2 lemon
5 tbsp caster sugar
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod/ a splash of vanilla extract
Small pinch of lavender flowers

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Roll out the pastry into a rectangle, about 1 pound coin thickness and about 25cm long. Scatter with the cinnamon and roll into a swiss roll shape down the long side.
Cut into 6 rounds (they should look like uncooked danish pastries) and then liberally press each into a a non-stick or greased muffin tin pushing the pastry down in the middle and up the sides, squashing it to mould it into the tin. Bake for about 10 minutes until just going golden. You may need to use the end of a rolling pin or something round to press the middle down if it puffs up while cooking.
Make the filling by mixing the beaten egg, creme fraiche, 1tbsp of the caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla in a bowl.
When the pastry seems to have cooked enough pour in the filling and cook for another 10 minutes or so until set with a slight wobble. Remove from the oven and quickly make the caramel.
Melt the meaning sugar in a dry frying pan until beginning to melt. As soon as it begins to turn golden and liquidy, remove from the heat, add a scatter of lavender flowers and then quickly pour or spoon generously over the top of the tarts before the caramel becomes to hard. Allow to cool and harden.

Cinnamon Madeleines

April 16, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

Today I wish I was in France….on a sunny beach in Cannes, drinking French wine and tanning on the golden sands…..Damn I am in cold England revising for some pretty impossible approaching university finals with no current future job prospects lined up and ready….anyone looking for a keen foodie employee? I can make a good cuppa….???

That leads me onto these madeleines which are the perfect match to a comforting brew. The French atmosphere was easy to implicate by the simple addition of a batch of these light and sweetly spiced French madeleines (However you will need a madeleine tray mould experience France this way…). And to add another shine to my day, my mum’s return from the supermarket with a bulging bag of obese and bearded mussels and some skinny frites was enough to satisfy my French envie. After recently making some ’Carrot Cake Ice Cream’, I was inspired to make something to pair with its creamy flavour which resulted in these spiced madeleines coated in a crunchy cinnamon sugar. Ok so I’ve probably created an American ‘doughnut-style’ finish to what is essentially a classic French treat which I’m sure any Parisian would never admit to approving of. However, revision depression called for it…..icing sugar is your nest best thing….

Makes about 12

100g unsalted butter, melted
100g caster sugar
100g plain flour
1 level tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
Grated zest 1 orange
50-100g cinnamon sugar (made with a ratio of 1 large tbsp: 300g golden granulate sugar)

Whisk the eggs and the caster sugar together until pale and creamy.
Add the flour, baking powder, spices and orange zest and lightly whisk in with the melted butter to prevent overdeveloping the gluten.
Set aside in the fridge for anywhere up to 3 hours. Apparently, the longer you leave the batter to chill the better as it chills and hydrates the flour. This helps to give you that bump on the back that is characteristic of a madeleine.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease your madeleine tray with a little melted butter and a dusting of flour if it is liable to sticking..
Fill the moulds making sure you don’t overfill. The mixture will settle into place in the oven so don’t worry about smoothing them out.
Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on how big you made them and how large your madeleine pan is.
Once golden and cooked, remove from the oven and, while warm, coat in a generous blanket of cinnamon sugar and then leave to cool on a wire rack before eating.

In case anyone was wondering where the cake stands were from (from recent photos) I make them…..if anyone wants one, let me know and I can make them to order.

Serve with a strong cuppa or with some carrot cake ice cream

Mocha Macaroons

April 7, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

After my frequent delicious sessions of ice cream making I always find myself making macaroons with the surplus of egg whites that sit patiently in the fridge, aging unnecessarily but making them (apparently) all the better for creating the perfect macaroon. I’d hate to see them be turned into a batch of brittle powdery meringues which are one of my foodie hates. So before they could be whisked up into a stiff peaked meringue hell I stole them for some macaroon experimenting. Results….a cheeky invented edible ‘mocha macaroon’ which was much more satisfying than an expedition to Costa! (I would just like to add that although I hate meringues, my mum’s version are great if there are ever to be any knocking around and would categorically NOT be powdery or brittle). Now with my back covered……..

60g egg whites (about 2)
40g caster sugar
50g ground almonds
110g icing sugar (minus 2 tbsp)
12g Green & Blacks cocoa powder

Filling

75g unsalted softened butter
80g icing sugar
1 tsp coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water, cooled

Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a baking tray with parchment
Blend the ground almonds, icing sugar and cocoa together in a food processor until fine and then sieve.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the caster sugar a spoon at a time until glossy stiff peaks form.
fold in 1/3 of the almond mixture to loosen it. Then fold in the rest, being gentle not to knock the air out.
Spoon into a pipping bag with a round ended nozzle and pipe consistent circles of mixture evenly. Give the tray a sharp slap on the surface to level them and leave for 20 minutes, uncovered.
Bake for about 12 minutes. They are ready when they come away easily from the tray. Leave to cool.
Make the buttercream filling by combining the ingredients in a processor and then spooning into a smaller piping bag.
When cool, pipe small amounts onto macaroon halves and sandwich together!

Carrot Cake Ice Cream

April 5, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

What could be better than combining the forces of a good cake and its slutty partner in crime ice cream? This recipe is adapted from the Babel Restaurant in South Africa, Babylonstoren, whose ‘cookbook-come-brochure’, is to die for. As a spicy ice cream, they suggest serving it with chilli grilled pineapple slices, but hey, whats wrong with serving it with a slice of carrot cake….?

500ml double cream
180ml milk
180ml caster sugar
5 egg yolks
1 vanilla pod
125g carrot, boiled and grated
5ml ground cinnamon
2ml ground nutmeg and ginger
125g walnuts/pecans toasted and roughly chopped

Start with the custard base. Heat the milk in a saucepan with 90ml of the sugar and the seeds from the vanilla pod until just coming to the boil.
Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl (a wide shallow bowl helps) with the remaining 90ml of sugar until combined.
When the cream is hot, tip a third of it in a slow stream into the egg yolks whisking continuously and vigorously to prevent it scrambling. Make sure it is all combined then add the rest and whisk together for a few minutes.
Tip the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a low heat stirring with a wooden spoon continually until the mixture begins to thicken and it coats the back of the spoon and leaves a mark when you run your finger through it. keep the heat low and keep stirring to prevent getting scrambled eggs….
Strain through a sieve into another wide shallow bowl. Whisk in the ground spices.
Peel about 2-3 carrots (depending on their size) and boil whole in water for about 5 minutes, until soft. Cool under cold water and then grate into the custard base and mix to distribute. Leave to cool and then place in the fridge.
Meanwhile, toast the nut in a dry frying pan for a few minutes or in a hot oven for 5 minutes and leave to cool.
When the custard is cool, churn in an ice cream maker for about 15-20 minutes until thick and beginning to freeze. Once it begins to thicken during churning, tip in the toasted nuts. Place in a container and freeze.

Coffee Ice Cream

April 2, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

A perfect Easter lunch dessert to keep everyone awake in front of the roaring fire………although this year the cold weather seems to be doing that for us brrrrrrr! If you’re a coffee fan then this ice cream is an instant (see what I did there) and satisfying winner!

(Serves 8)

1 can condensed milk
300ml single cream
2 heaped tbsp instant coffee

Warm the cream in a pan over a medium heat. When it looks like it is just beginning to simmer, remove from the heat and whisk in the coffee until it had dissolved.
Pour the condensed milk into the cream and stir to combine
Chill and then put into a container and freeze overnight…no churning needed! Although if you want an instant ice cream, churn for about 30 minutes and eat!

I served mine with a mini version of my hazelnut frangipane tartlet (see here) drizzled with dark chocolate, half a lightly poached vanilla pear and some teeth shattering hazelnut praline. For the vanilla pear, lightly poach half a cored and peeled pear in sugared water for about 20 minutes with a splash of vanilla extract or a halved and de-seeded vanilla pod, until soft.

Hazelnut Praline

60g caster sugar
40g hazelnuts

Toast the hazelnut in a hot oven for about 6 minutes. Then remove, wrap in a towel and rub the skins off
Lightly bash in a pestle and mortar or in a plastic bag with the back of a rolling pin to coarse crumbs. Sprinkle sparsely over a piece of greaseproof paper
Heat the caster sugar in a dry frying pan over a high heat and leave to melt, stirring every so often until the sugar turns liquid and golden brown. Watch it as it will easily burn.
As soon as it is a pale golden brown and the sugar has all dissolved, remove from the heat and quickly pour over the hazelnuts in a thin layer. It will set fast so work quickly (it will be EXTREMELY hot though so make sure you don’t touch it)
Leave to cool in a cool place or place the caramel on a hard marble surface to speed it along. When cool, break in shards and mind your teeth.

Butternut Muffins

March 25, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

These little muffins are courtesy of Jamie Oliver from his ‘Jamie at Home’ cookbook. The book is one of my favourites and will always be sentimental to me as it was the first cookbook I ever received on my journey to foodie obsessive. I am always making the delicious recipes from the squash chapter and hadn’t made these in a while. I’d forgotten how deliciously moist they are, just like a quirky take on a carrot cake. With a dad who hates the addition of butternut squash in ANYTHING, a little white lie that these were in fact carrot cake muffins didn’t even muster a thimble of doubt…..

Makes 12

400g butternut squash, roughly chopped
350g light brown soft sugar
4 eggs
300g plain flour
2 heaped tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 handful walnuts
175ml olive oil
200g cream cheese
2 tbsp icing sugar
½ lemon, juice
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
Lavender to garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Add the butternut squash to a food processor and roughly chop.
Add the eggs and sugar and a pinch of salt and blitz
Sieve in the flour, cinnamon and baking powder followed by the oil and process to combine
Add the walnuts and pulse to mix to make sure the nuts are kept chunky
Generously fill the muffin cases with the mixture and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked. Leave to cool
Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice, a pinch of cinnamon and the seeds from the vanilla pod. Fill a piping bag with the mixture and chill until needed.
When the cakes are cool ice with the cream cheese topping and scatter with a few lavender flowers.

Apricot and Vanilla Pannacotta with Rosemary Shortbread

March 22, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

There’s something about using herbs like thyme and rosemary in sweet desserts which I always think feels really sophisticated. Getting the right balance is essential as an overpowering flavour such as rosemary, while forgivable with lamb, will not be so delicious if overused in a dessert. It goes so well with the sweet, juicy plump apricots here and I created this recipe after being inspired by an apricot bar by a company called Baked. However, this recipe is more suitable for a after dinner dessert!

Serves about 5

Apricot Jam

200g dried apricots
350ml water
100g caster sugar
60g honey
½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped

Combine the ingredients in a pan including the vanilla pod once the seeds have been removed.
Simmer gently for about 40-45 minutes until the apricots are plump and soft. Remove the vanilla pod and discard
Puree in a processor until you form a thick sticky jam. Store in a jar int he fridge and use for the pannacotta recipe or one croissants and toast!

Pannacotta

250ml double cream
250ml whole milk
½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped
50g caster sugar
Splash vanilla extract (optional)
2 ½ gelatine leaves
Aprioct jam

Combine the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla in a pan and gently heat to dissolve the sugar.
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until soft.
Get ready 5 ramekins, wine glasses, shot glasses or tumblers or whatever you want to serve your pannacotta in. Fill the base with a thin layer of apricot puree and smooth out evenly. There will be more jam than needed but add as much as you like.
Just before the cream mix begins to bubble, remove from the heat, and remove the vanilla pod. Squeeze out any excess water from the gelatine leaves and whisk into the hot cream.
Begin gentle, pour over a generous layer of the cream mixture onto your apricot puree. Leave to cool before leaving to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Serve with the rosemary biscuits and topped with some cinnamon sugared almond flakes if you like!

Rosemary Shortbread

125g butter
175g flour
50g caster sugar
½- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Rub the flour butter and sugar together or combine in a food processor until you just begin to get a dough
Add the rosemary and continue to mix to form a dough.
Cut into biscuits shapes and bake on a lined baking tray for about 10 minutes (depending on size) until just turning the palest of gold and they are still soft. Watch them carefully as they cook quickly.
Leave to cool before removing from the tray.