Sunday 14 September 2014

Chocolate Courgette Cake


It's been a while since I've managed to get round to uploading a new recipe but that doesn't mean I haven't been baking, just that I've been eating it before I upload! 

This is a great cake that I adore. My parents' veggie garden produces a glut of courgettes every year and so we have to eat them in all shapes and forms, my favorite is in the form of a cake! Last year I went down the fruity lemon and courgette cake route and this year I've been enjoying chocolate and courgette cake, I hope you do too.

Serves 12
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
Bake to perfection for 25-30 minutes

You will need the following:

Cake
175g Sunflower Oil 
80g Golden Caster Sugar 
30g Maple Syrup or Honey
2 Eggs 
175g Raw Cocoa or dark chocolate
100g Self Raising Flour
100g Ground Almonds
1tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Ground Cinnamon
225g Finely Grated Courgette
2tbsp Water



Method:

Mix the oil, sugar and syrup together

Add in the eggs and beat well

until the mix turns a pale cream colour

Break up your chocolate into chunks so that when you heat the chocolate cooks at an even pace

put the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Stir over a gentle heat

until the chocolate is a smooth sauce

grate the courgette on the fine setting and squeeze out the excess water using your hands

stir in the courgette to the mix

and then add in the melted chocolate

add in the baking powder, bicarb and ground cinnamon

sift in the flour and almonds and gently fold into the mix

stir in the water

 line a square baking tin with a bit of grease-proof paper to make your life easy when lifting out the cake

leave in the oven and check every 5 minutes with a skewer or knife after 20 minutes and when the skewer/ knife comes out clean, the cake is ready

 let cake rest on a cooling rack

There is no need for an icing for this cake as it is so moist
Enjoy with some ice cream or a cup of tea!

Sunday 2 March 2014

Creme Egg Cake


This was an eventuality. Its that time of year, chocolate Easter eggs have been on sale for just over a month and we are falling captive to the various supermarket deals on those moreish eggs that are only available for a few months a year.

There seems to be lots of recipes using Cadbury Creme Eggs, brownies in particular. So thought I might as well make a Cadbury Creme Egg cake...hope you enjoy making this one.. super easy and fairly damn impressive! (Makes a brownie-like cake)

Serves 12
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
Bake to perfection for 25-30 minutes

You will need the following:

Cake
350g Butter 
350g Golden Caster Sugar 
6 Eggs 
75g Cocoa
200g Self Raising Flour
100g Nutella 

Middle White Icing 
150g Icing Sugar 
2Tbsp Water 

Middle Orange Icing
75g Icing Sugar
1Tbsp Water 
1Drop of Orange Colouring
Juice of Half an Orange

Chocolate Top Icing
200g Nutella
50g Icing Sugar 
2Tbsp Water 
2 80g packets of mini Creme Eggs, halved


Method:
Cream together your butter and sugar 

Add in your eggs one at a time, once the previous has combined into the mix

Sift in the Cocoa Powder and fold into the mix

Sift in the Flour and fold into the mix 

Add in the Nutella 
Divide between two 9inch tins

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes

Make your three icings whilst the cake is cooking by combining the ingredients in 3 separate bowls, as set out in the ingredients above
Once the cakes have cooled build your cake

Cover the bottom cake with the white icing 
On top of the white icing pour the orange icing in the middle 

Stack the second cake and pour over the chocolate icing 
Halve the mini Creme Eggs and place around the edge of the cake 
Eat!!!

Enjoy...

Sunday 19 January 2014

Nutella and White Chocolate Marble Cake



First recipe of the New Year.. and the first month of the New Year is almost over! Life seems to be going increasingly quickly nowadays, the weeks race by and the weekends even quicker.. I thought it was about time to share a recipe as we have done nearly all of Jan now. The New Year resolutions should be in full flow, although some might be tittering on the verge of collapse, diets might be wobbling slightly, mine was as wobbly as jelly on a plate from day one, dry Janners might be getting thirsty and certainly as I have seen in the gym, the fitness regimes might be slowing down. My New Year resolution is staying though, although isn't as tough as changing a routine it is more adhering to a principle. That principle is to look after myself better... something that I have realised I need to do better. This encompasses a better diet and exercise but also to take more time for me, have more fun and most importantly be less stressed and hopefully if I do all of the above I will be the best I can be. That's the hope anyway... 

I thought I would share a recipe with you that is super easy and super impressive. A good birthday cake, one to show off to friends about, or one just to please yourself with and break the New Year diet!!

Serves 12
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
Bake to perfection for 35-40 minutes

You will need the following:
Cake
350g Butter
150g Caster Sugar
200g Golden Caster Sugar
350g Self Raising Flour 
6 Eggs
75g Coca Powder
100g Good Quality Chocolate 
1Tsp Baking Powder 
1Tbsp Milk

Icing
200g Nutella
200g Icing Sugar
1Tbsp Milk



Chop the butter into small pieces and start to soften with a spoon

Cream together the sugar and butter

Once creamed together add the eggs one at a time and beat in to the mixture before adding the next

Slowly sift in the flour and fold into the mix

 Split the mixture in half using another bowl
Melt the chocolate in a bowl for 1 minute in the microwave and add to one half of the mixture
Then add in the cocoa powder

In the other half (the plain mix) add in the milk
 Next artfully dollop half of each mix into one tin and half into another ... when pouring in, envisage the marble effect that you will have when you cut into a slice

Using a spoon smooth the mixture into swirls

Whilst the cake in baking mix nutella, milk and icing sugar in a bowl until smooth

Once your cake has cooled spread the nutella mix on the top of the bottom layer

Place the top layer ontop of the nutella layer and start to smooth over the entire cake

Tip: Dollop half of your mix  on the top and start to smooth outwards in a circular motion using the back of a spoon. 
Once covered place in the fridge to set

Whilst the icing is setting, melt the white chocolate in a microwave for 1 minute
 

Artfully drizzle over your cake and try to resist not eating it!
Place in the fridge once again to set for 30 minutes

Enjoy...



Sunday 15 December 2013

Mince Pie Christmas Biscuits


It's being to look a lot like Christmas... everywhere you go. London loves Christmas. Its an excuse to have drinks, go ice skating, sing out loud in public (carols), drink gallons of mulled wine and of course gobble excessively on mince pies.

Shamefully I have been pre-occupied with sitting exams, working and coping with life that I haven't blogged in a few months...but here is the first of many to come. Thinking of New Year's Resolutions and blogging and baking more seems fairly apt.

For those who like the mince but not so much the pie, you should try these... a combination of the Christmas biscuits from last December and mincemeat!

You will need the following:
250g Self Raising Flour
100g Butter
100g Soft Light Brown Sugar 
(or Caster Sugar if that's all you have in your cupboard!)
1 Egg
½tsp Mixed Ground Spices
1¾tsp Cinnamon
 4tbsp Mincemeat

Extra Flour for rolling
Rolling pin
Christmas Cutters

Method:
Pre-heat your oven
Cream together the butter and sugar
 
Add in the egg
Sift in the flour and spices
 Mix until combined into a solid cookie-like dough

 Then flour your work surface and rolling pin
If you prefer you can half your mixture and roll out half at a time
Roll your mixture to the thickness of a £1 coin
 
'Dollop'  the 4 tablespoons of mincemeat onto the pastry

Take one end of the pastry and fold over a third.
Then repeat and fold over the other end of the pastry so your pastry is in thirds.

Use your cutter to push down and cut out the shapes

Place on a baking tray that has been lined with greaseproof paper 


Place in the oven for 8 minutes, if they look uncooked/raw or slightly wet looking,
put them back in for 2 minutes more.


Enjoy...