Category: baking

Sweet Potato & Walnut Loaf Cake

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I missed the whole pumpkin dessert bandwagon when Halloween rolled around, but then I thought, why not use another orange-y vegetable instead? Sweet potatoes are one of my favourite root vegetable and I love how brightly coloured they are.

Back in Hong Kong, my mum always used to buy these amazing little Japanese purple sweet potatoes, but I haven’t yet been able to find a variety as moist and with such an intense flavour as those in the UK. These sweet taters were so delicious that there was a cafe dedicated to making sweet potato soft serves 😀

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Unfortunately, I think this place is now closed, but if I’m able to source some really good sweet potatoes from somewhere, I may give a go at making some purple ice cream too!

Anyway, back to this cake – since other vegetables have worked well in bakes (carrot, pumpkin and even courgette!), using sweet potato also made sense. I’ve adapted my recipe from the one I found here, mainly in cutting down the amount of sugar and upping the spices.

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Ingredients

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes (you’ll need 200 g of its cooked weight)
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 120 ml vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200 g plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp mixed spice
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 50 ml water
  • For the topping:
    • 80 g walnuts
    • 1 tbsp caster sugar
    • 1/2 tsp mixed spice

Directions

  1. Cook the sweet potatoes (either in a microwave for 8 mins or until soft, or in a steamer), scoop out the flesh and mash. Leave to cool.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F.
  3. Line your loaf tin with parchment paper.
  4. Whisk together sugar and oil, adding one egg at a time and mixing well.
  5. Add vanilla extract.
  6. In a separate bowl, sift flour and combine with baking powder and spices.
  7. Add a third of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, adding a splash of water in between mixes, until all the ingredients have been folded together.
  8. Stir in the mashed sweet potato.
  9. Pour the cake batter into the loaf tin and top with the walnut, sugar and spice mix.
  10. Bake for an hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.

This loaf cake turned out to be really tasty! As I cut down on the sugar, it is only lightly sweet and delicious with a cup of tea. The cake is more like a pound cake than a sponge but it isn’t uncomfortably dense, and the walnut topping adds a great contrast in the textures. All in all, another lovely cake for the cooler autumn season 🙂

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Autumn Toffee Apple Cake

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Autumn is in full swing so I thought I’d finally do some baking to warm up these chillier days. Unfortunately work has gotten busier so I haven’t written as much recently, but this delicious dessert has made me realise how much I like trying out new recipes and eating it all afterwards 😀

This spiced toffee apple cake is the perfect answer to cold grey afternoons when all you want to do is curl up in bed. In fact I think this is what a hug would taste like if you ate it. It does take a bit of prep before baking but it’s actually quite therapeutic and the results are well worth it.

Ingredients

  • 200 g dates (I used medjool)
  • 200 ml milk
  • 200 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 175 g light soft brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 250 g self-raising flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 small red apples (I used cox)
  • 1/2 bramley apple
  • Squeeze of lemon juice
  • For the toffee sauce:
    • 8 toffees
    • Splash of milk
    • Pinch of sea salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F.
  2. Line your baking tin with parchment paper.
  3. Roughly chop the dates and simmer gently in the milk in a saucepan for 5 mins. Leave to cool.
  4. Blitz the dates and milk in a blender / food processor until it forms a smooth puree.
  5. Prepare the apples. Peel and dice the bramley apple into small chunks.
  6. Quarter and core the cox apples and cut into thin slices. Toss them with a squeeze of lemon juice and leave in a bowl.
  7. Using an electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugar. Crack in the eggs, one at a time and mixing in between. Add in the date puree and vanilla extra and continue whisking until smooth, but don’t worry if there are still some lumps.
  8. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (flour, baking powder and spices).
  9. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well combined.
  10. Add the diced bramley apple into the cake batter and mix gently.
  11. Scrape the cake batter into the baking tray.
  12. Arrange the sliced apples into overlapping rows on top of the cake. You should be able to get three rows.
  13. Bake for 50 minutes until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean.
  14. While you leave the cake to cool, prepare the toffee sauce. You can either melt the toffees with a splash of milk and a pinch of salt in a saucepan, or in the microwave (mixing every 30 seconds). Start with less milk and add more to loosen the sauce if it is too stiff.
  15. Drizzle the toffee sauce generously over the cake.
  16. Serve warm (and with vanilla ice cream, if you’d like) – enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from bbcgoodfood.com)

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This cake is wonderfully moist (thanks to the date puree) and surprisingly fluffy. The sharp tangy apples are nicely balanced against the salted toffee drizzle. I can’t wait to try out more recipes with autumn and winter flavours, and I hope you give this one a go!

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The Most Indulgent Triple Chocolate Brownies

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Prepare yourselves. This post isn’t for the faint-hearted or the health-conscious. But, this is perfect if:

  1. Chocolate is a part of your everyday diet and you probably couldn’t live without it;
  2. You’ve had a bad day and need a pick-me-up;
  3. You’ve had an amazing day and need a reason to make it even better;
  4. You love rich, dense, chocolatey desserts.

This is perhaps the best brownie recipe I’ve ever tried. It does take some effort to make, but the recipe is still pretty straightforward and I promise you that the results are completely worth it.

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The original recipe is from BBC Good Food’s website (click here) and it is a true godsend – my recipe below has adapted this slightly.

Ingredients

  • 185 g unsalted butter, softened and cubed
  • 185 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 85 g plain flour
  • 50 g cocoa powder
  • 100 g white chocolate
  • 50 g milk chocolate
  • 3 large eggs
  • 275 g golden caster sugar

Directions

  1. Melt the butter and dark chocolate using a microwave for approx. 2 minutes, giving the mixture a stir every 30 seconds. Alternatively, you can melt this over a saucepan with hot water (if you have more patience!). Leave the mixture to cool to room temperature.
  2. Preheat the oven to  180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F.
  3. Line your baking tin with parchment paper.
  4. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into a a bowl, getting rid of any lumps, and set aside.
  5. Whisk together the eggs and golden caster sugar for 3 – 8 minutes until the mixture has become pale, creamy and about double its original volume. An electric whisk is definitely recommended – I hand-whisked this the first time I made this recipe and my arms ached for days afterwards.
  6. Pour the chocolate mixture over the egg mixture, and gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Combine the two mixtures, but try not to knock out the air from the egg mixture!
  7. Resift the dry ingredients (flour and cocoa) into the eggy chocolate mixture and fold together. Although this may look dry at first, the mixture will come together and end up looking very fudgy. But, be careful not to overdo it!
  8. Chop the milk chocolate and 50 g of the white chocolate into bite-sized chunks. Stir this into the brownie batter.
  9. Pour the brownie batter into the baking tin and use the spatula to even out the top.
  10. Melt the remaining 50 g of white chocolate and use a tablespoon to spoon blobs of the melted chocolate onto the brownie mixture. Then, use a fork to create swirls by dragging the white chocolate across the surface of the brownie mixture.
  11. Bake for 25 minutes, until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just coming away from the tin. If the brownie still wobbles in the middle when you take it out, put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes.
  12. Leave the brownie to completely cool – if you try to cut it while it is warm, it will ooze everywhere (as delicious as that will be). This is probably the most difficult step of the whole recipe.
  13. Personally, I like to put the brownie in the fridge to let it ‘set’ before cutting it and heating it up in the oven before serving.
  14. The brownies will keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
  15. Enjoy!

Oh my god these are incredible.

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I made these brownies a week ago and they have been completely demolished. Whether you’re baking for family and friends, or just for yourself, I highly recommend this recipe! Finally, a brownie dessert isn’t complete with a cold scoop of ice cream to top it off – I paired it with my gianduja hazelnut ice cream and it was spectacular.

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Maple, Cinnamon and Pecan Granola

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Granola and yogurt is my favourite quick, go-to breakfast when I haven’t prepared anything beforehand (like my bircher muesli)! It’s filling, tasty and I like the contrast between the creamy yogurt and the crunchy oats. But for years, I’ve just been buying my granola from the supermarket and haven’t given much thought into what’s actually in the breakfast that I’ve been chowing down every day.

After a search for some recipes online, I found out that making your own granola couldn’t be easier! It’s one of those wonderful recipes which don’t require much measuring-out, and you can basically mix everything together and throw it into the oven to work its magic. It’s also super customisable so you can really go wild with what you add to your oat mixture. I’ve gone for a more nuts-and-seeds based granola with an autumnal note in the combination of maple syrup, buttery pecans and cinnamon.

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Ingredients

  • 300 g rolled oats
  • 50 g sunflower seeds
  • 50 g pumpkin seeds
  • 100 g flaked almonds
  • 100 g pecans
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 85 ml maple syrup

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C / 140°C fan / 320°F.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Mix the wet ingredients together; mix the dry ingredients together; then combine.
  4. If the mixture is looking too dry, add a tbsp more oil or sweetener, depending on your taste preferences (see tips below).
  5. Tip the granola mix onto the baking sheets and spread evenly.
  6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the granola is crisp and golden brown. Give the mixture a stir every 10-15 minutes to ensure that everything bakes evenly and that the edges don’t get burnt.
  7. Let the granola cool before serving with milk / yogurt / on top of ice cream / on its own as a snack / how ever you like!

(Recipe adapted from bbcgoodfood.com)

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Tips

  • The granola can now be stored in an airtight container for up to a month.
  • If you’re using more delicate ingredients (e.g. flaked coconut, dried fruit) or nuts that have already been toasted, add them in near the end when the mix only needs another 10 minutes to bake.
  • The ratio of wet to dry ingredients in this recipe means that the resulting granola is more crumb-y than chunky. If you like your granola with big oat clusters, you can:
    • Add more oil / butter / sweetener;
    • Whisk one egg white and add it to the granola mix before you bake it – apparently the proteins in the egg will bind the ingredients together (I haven’t tried this yet, but will give it a go!);
    • Don’t stir the granola too furiously while it bakes and while it cools.

I’m enjoying my homemade granola for breakfast and there are so many more nuts and seeds than I’d ever find in a store-bought granola! Seriously, it’s such a joy to be able to decide what ingredients you add and how much. I’m so excited to try different flavour combinations – let me know what you’d add to yours 🙂

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Ginger Barley & Rye Biscuits

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When I was a kid, ‘baking’ meant using some kind of cake or cookie mix, mostly because it was convenient when my parents were busy, the instructions were easy to follow, and the results were still tasty. But using these mixes didn’t leave much room for creativity, and some of the ingredients were pretty questionable. I was so excited to move out into my own place (with a fully functioning oven) since this meant I could finally start making some of my favourite baked goods from scratch!

You can imagine I was a little sceptical when we received a biscuit mix as part of our goody bag after the British 10K… but I finally got around to making it today and ended up pleasantly surprised. Sweetpea Pantry has a whole range of baking mixes (for biscuits, cakes, pancakes, etc) that are based on wholegrains and contain no refined sugars (unlike the mixes I used to rely on).

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I received their Ginger Giggles Biscuit Mix, which includes the following ingredients: stone ground wholemeal plain flour, rye flour, wholegrain barley flour, unrefined dark muscavado sugar, flaxseed, ground ginger, mixed spice, cinnamon and sodium bicarbonate. All I had to add was butter, honey and an egg white.

The instructions were straightforward, and it was fun cutting out different shapes for the biscuits – I had to freestyle most of this, as I didn’t have any cookie cutters (but the rustic look is in trend… right?).

 

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Biscuits done!

The biscuits turned out crisp around the edges and slightly moist and chewy in the centre. They’re not overly sweet, and have a lovely spiced flavour.

 

All in all, I’d recommend this to busy bakers, or even if you want to make a healthier version of your favourite baked good!

Classic Carrot Cake

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Weekends are for baking so on Friday evening, I decided to make one of my favourite cakes – carrot cake! Ever since coming to the UK, I’ve become addicted to this sweet, rich dessert so I wanted to find a perfect recipe to make it at home.

I find recipes like this – where you basically dump everything into a huge bowl, mix and then bake – so satisfying and therapeutic. While I appreciate using actual technical skill to make perfect macarons, for example, sometimes after a long week, all you want is a simple, (fairly) effortless recipe. The result here is an incredibly moist and warmly spiced cake, which can be enjoyed as afternoon tea, after dinner and even for breakfast.

Usually, I love the combination of carrot cake and cream cheese icing, but I’ve opted for an icing sugar drizzle for this recipe as it keeps the cake lighter (and means that it’s more justifiable to have several servings in one sitting!).

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Ingredients

  • 160 g light brown sugar
  • 145 ml vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 160 g grated carrot
  • 100 g raisins
  • 175 g plain flour
  • 2¼ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp grated nutmeg
  • 100 g icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp orange juice

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F.
  2. Line your baking tin with parchment paper.
  3. Put the sugar, oil and eggs into a mixing bowl and lightly whisk until combined.
  4. Add in the grated carrot and raisins and mix gently.
  5. Sift in the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  6. Fold everything together.
  7. Transfer the carrot cake mixture into the baking tin.
  8. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
  9. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, and then on a wire rack.
  10. For the frosting/drizzle, beat the icing sugar and orange juice until smooth, then drizzle over the cake in any way you like!
  11. Serve and enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from bbcgoodfood.com)

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Matcha & White Chocolate Blondies

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Matcha (Japanese green tea) is one of my favourite flavours in the world – I love the tea on its own, but I’m also obsessed with matcha ice cream and desserts. On its own, matcha can be slightly bitter, which I think can be nicely balanced out by the sweetness of white chocolate.

This recipe makes approx. 16 blondies, which are great for a dessert, a snack or even breakfast (at least I did!). They’re dense, cake-y blondies with a lovely hint of matcha.

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Ingredients

  • 200 g butter (unsalted)
  • 200 g soft brown sugar
  • 150 g white chocolate
  • 3 free range eggs
  • 200 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 4 tsp matcha powder (I used Bloom’s Supercharge Matcha)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F.
  2. Line your baking tin with parchment paper.
  3. Melt the butter and mix in 100 g of the chopped white chocolate.
  4. Stir until the white chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
  5. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until pale.
  6. Sift in the flour and baking powder, matcha powder into the egg and sugar mix.
  7. Add the vanilla extract.
  8. Pour in the cooled chocolate butter mixture and fold everything together.
  9. Transfer the blondie mixture into the baking tin.
  10. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
  11. Melt the remaining 50 g of white chocolate and drizzle over the cooled blondies.
  12. Enjoy with a scoop of ice cream or a cuppa tea!

(Recipe adapted from Teapigs.com)

 

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