Showing posts with label Baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baking. Show all posts
What would we do without over-ripe bananas to use? I don't know. I have a hard time keeping them in the house long enough for them to get ripe enough to bake with. I always have to tuck a few aside and hide them from my husband so that he doesn't eat them up!
He is also likely to throw them away if he thinks they are too ripe. I keep telling him that is when they are the best for baking, but if I am not quick enough, he tosses them without thinking.
He does enjoy the fruits of my labours however, so maybe with time, he will be coming to me with them saying what will you bake for me! Hope springs eternal!
The more freckled the banana the better, but I would say not much less than this, and I have been known to use bananas that are almost black.
If you can't find a use for them right away, then peel and pop into a freezer container and freeze. Then you will have them to hand when you CAN use them at a later date! YUM!
This is a lovely Tea Loaf, perfect for using up a few overripe bananas, but that's not all it has going for it.
It is moist and rich and very interestingly tasty with a few other bits that add a great deal of interest, flavour and texture to it. I have adapted the recipe from the Carnation Recipe page with a few changes from the original as you will note.
I blitz the bananas in my small food processor attachment for my stick blender, along with a TBS of dark rum. You don't need to buy a big bottle of rum for this. I always keep small sample bottles of alcohol in the cupboard just for things like this.
Also you could use a tsp of rum flavoring added with water to make up a TBS if you wanted to. It would work perfectly.
Aside from that it is filled with lovely pieces of sticky dates, which go very well with the banana and the rum for that matter . . . you add some lemon zest and juice to the dates, along with some bicarbonate of soda and boiling water. It foams.
Soda counters out any tannic acidity from the dates and also evens out their colour. I looked it up because I have an inquiring mind and wanted to know why we always seem to be adding soda to dates . . . with boiling water. Perhaps it even helps soften them a bit so they mix in better.
In any case the loaf is nicely studded with them, and the toasted walnut pieces. You don't have to toast the walnuts first, but I always do.
They just taste nuttier and nicer if they are toasted first! Eight to ten minutes on a baking sheet in a hot oven does the trick. (375*F/190*C) Let them cool before using.
I always let it sit and ripen overnight before I cut it. Sure you can eat it right away, but it cuts nicer if it has been allowed to get really cold and set overnight.
I am not sure why this happens, but it does. When you try to cut tea loaves not too long after baking they always seem to crumble. Letting them age is best.
The Canadian in me loves them sliced thinly and spread with softened butter. I can't seem to help myself. Sure it is great without it, but it is even better with butter!
Say that really fast three times, better with butter, better with butter, better with butter! Most things like this are. Mmmm . . .
Some other Banana loaf recipes on here that you might enjoy are:
BANANA AND GOLDEN SYRUP LOAF - Moist, rich and sweetened with lush golden syrup for a nice hint of light caramel flavor.
BANANA, CRANBERRY & WALNUT LOAF - My all time favorite banana loaf, and that is saying a lot. This is a fabulous combination and a lovely moist loaf.
*Banana, Rum, Date & Walnut Tea Loaf*
Makes 1 large loaf
2 TBS boiling water
the finely grated zest and juice of one lemon
(also known as Sweetened Condensed)
2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
Place the dates into a bowl along with the boiling water, lemon zest, lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda. Stir and then set aside to cool completely.
Peel the bananas and put into a mini processor with the rum. Blitz until smooth. Stir this mixture into the date mixture.
Cream together the baking spread, brown sugar and condensed milk until smoothly combined. Gradually mix in the eggs and then the date mixture. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Stir into the creamed mixture until well combined and there are no dry streaks of flour. Stir in the walnuts. Pour into the prepared baking tin. Smoothing over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, until risen, set and golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. Let sit in the tin for 15 minutes before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve with some softened butter. Store any leftovers tightly wrapped.
This was a really great way to use up the remainder of my condensed milk from yesterday. I enjoyed a thin slice with some lemon and rose tea. Oh boy but it was a pleasant way to spend some of my Saturday afternoon! Bon Appetit!
I've always been totally fascinated by the alchemy of cooking and baking
. . . it's all so very magical to me. I sometimes find myself sitting and wondering . . . who was it that first decided that eggs
were good to eat . . . and then, moving on from there . . . who
discovered that if you beat eggs together with flour and sugar and a bit
of leavening, you got cake???
I am sure the answer to those questions is to be found somewhere . . . and in all honesty I am not all that bothered with who did what, I'm basically just grateful that these discoveries have been made!
This is a 9 square-mile triangle of land in West Yorkshire which is
famous for producing forced rhubarb. It is brilliant pink and cooks up with a beautiful colour.
Yorkshire forced rhubarb is known for its delicate flavour and striking crimson stalks, but it is a fragile crop with few growers left.
Unlike outdoor varieties, forced roots are grown in fields for two years, where they store energy and are moved into forcing sheds after November frosts.
They are then grown in complete darkness and harvested by candlelight, to avoid photosynthesis turning them green and tough.
Forced rhubarb is
some of the most tender and colourful rhubarb you can find . . . pretty
pink red. Gorgeous actually.
There are only 12 farmers who actually
grow it and the season for this delectable early rhubarb will soon be
over.
I thought I would take advantage of its right-now availability and Valentine's Day to bake a special cake for us to enjoy as a part of our celebrations.
It is one of my favourite cakes, with a beautiful sponge topped
with sweet/tart rhubarb and it is perfect for showcasing the pretty
colour of this early stuff.
I like to have it with whipped cream, but a purest would probably want Ice Cream or even custard. My husband always wants custard. He
says rhubarb and custard go together like peas and carrots . . . and he
would not be wrong!
*Rhubarb Upside Down Cake*
Makes one 9 inch round cake
Makes one 9 inch round cake
Tasty cake topped with a delicious sweet/tart rhubarb mixture.
2 TBS butter
95g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
50g of soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup)
300g of rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)
For the cake:
75g of white vegetable shortening (1/3 cup)
95g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
140g of plain flour (1 cup)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
120ml milk (1/2 cup)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a 9 inch round cake tin.
Melt the butter in a 9 inch round cake tin. Stir in the sugar and brown sugar. Spread it out evenly in the pan. Lay the rhubarb pieces on top.
Cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beating until smooth. Pour over the fruit mixture in the pan. Smooth over the top.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until risen and lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before inverting onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges to serve. Top with whipped cream or ice cream to serve. Serve warm.
I actually can't think of a prettier dessert than this, can you? I think the only way it could get prettier would be to bake it in a heart shaped pan. I don't have one of those or I would have done just that. In any case I hope you'll give it a go!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks for visiting! Do come again!
The Toddster loves a good dunker. What is a dunker you ask? Its quite simply a biscuit that you want to dunk into your tea or your coffee. (In our case herbal tea. Today it was Taylors of Harrogate Apple Spice.) Its a biscuit that is crisp and buttery . . . and filled with flavour. Flavour that is perhaps even enhanced by dunking it into a hot liquid!
He also loves a good ginger
biscuit. These delicious ginger biscuits tick all of his boxes on both
scores! They are crisp and dunkable and very flavourful!
They filled with warm ginger flavour . . . both from the lavish use of ground ginger in the batter (along with mixed spice) and finely chopped preserved stem ginger.
For those of you not familiar with preserved stem ginger, it is round nuggets (about the size of a whole walnut) of young fresh gingerroot, which has been peeled, shaped into balls and then cooked and preserved in a sugar syrup. You can buy bottles of it. I am not sure where you will find it in a North American Grocery shop, but over here it is with the baking ingredients.
This is what it looks like and it is a really delicious ingredient to have in your store cupboard. It will keep in the refrigerator for ages. You can also very easily make your own. I have a recipe here to do just that.
Whether you make your own or purchase it, you will never regret having a jar of it in the house. It comes in very handy for all sorts.
These biscuits are nice and crisp . . . partially due to the inclusion of golden syrup, which is another truly British ingredient, but you may use golden corn syrup if you are unable to get it. I think it is available in the US however via Amazon and a few other shops. Another ingredient which you won't regret having in your store cupboard!
In any case, these biscuits (a british term for cookies) are truly delicious. The smell alone when they are baking is amazing, truly amazing.
Oh, it also uses mixed spice for which I have a simple recipe that enables you to make your own. (This is also a very British ingredient) or you can use apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice which are very similar. It is a mix of warm baking spices, what will also come in very handy should you choose to make your own.
*Ginger Dunkers*
Makes about 2 dozen
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 6. Line several large baking trays with baking paper. Set aside.
Place the syrup, butter, and brown sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently over low heat to melt the butter and sugar together with the syrup, stirring constantly. Whisk in the milk and set aside. Sift the flour into a bowl with the soda, ginger and mixed spice. Stir in the wet ingredients until thorougly combined. Stir in the stem ginger.
Shape into walnut sized balls and place at least 2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Using a damp fork, press down to 1/2 inch thickness.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the heated oven, rotating the pans halfway through. Scoop off onto wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.
Every time I bake them I ask myself why I don't bake them more often. The answer is simple . . . because they are sooooooo delicious, I find myself unable to leave them alone. Yes, I am one very naughty puddy tat! Now lets put the kettle on!
I bought some bananas earlier this week and they all turned as quick as a wink. They didn't last very long at all.
I know you can freeze bananas to use later in baking, but I used one today to bake my husband these delicious Chocolate Chip Banana Brownies!
He loves them . . . they are everything a good brownie should be . . . dense, fudgy, and moist. They are only lacking in one thing that regular brownies have and that is a chocolate batter.
Its not chocolate . . . it's banana fudge . . . stogged full of chocolate chips and topped with a brown sugar fudge frosting. Easy Peasy.
Bananas are really great for making cakes and bakes really moist and cutting back a bit on the fat that would normally be used.
They also had a touch of natural sweetness . . . although in all truth these have plenty of sweet going for them by the use of brown sugar, which is also a great moistener . . .
Both in the batter and then in that delicious fudge frosting. The first time I tasted this kind of frosting was when I was in high school.
My ex husband's mum used to bake these fabulous Caramel squares and they had a frosting just like this.
We always called them "Camel" squares because when my ex copied the recipe down for me, he wrote camel instead of caramel! (I was collecting recipes even then!)
These squared are baked in an 8 inch square pan, and cut into 16 servings. In all truth and all joking aside, one of these at a time with a nice hot cup of something to drink is plenty!
They are quite sweet. (Just like the Camel squares!)
They are studded with milk chocolate chips, but you could also use dark chocolate chips in their place. I like to stir them in with the flour and then sprinkle a few more on top prior to baking so that you have them evenly distributed throughout.
Also stirring them in with the flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom.
I blitz the banana in my mini food processor so that it is really smooth and you don't end up with lumps of bananas in the squares.
Sometimes lumps of banana are a good thing, but in a square fudgy brownie like this, you want them to have a smooth texture!!
*Chocolate Chip Banana Brownies*
Makes 16
180g milk chocolate chips, divided (1 cup)
Preheat the oven to 180*c/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line an 8
inch square baking tin with non stick baking paper and spray with
non-stick spray.
Beat together the melted butter and sugar to combine well. Beat in the egg, salt and vanilla. Beat in the banana. Sift the flour over top and sprinkle on 3/4 of the chocolate chips. Stir all well together and then spread into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the centre is set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool in the pan. Frost when almost cold.
To make the frosting, melt the butter in the saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and milk. Cook, stirring until it comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and cool for five minutes. Whisk in the icing sugar. Spread on top of the brownies. Let set until completely cold before cutting into squares.
Oh, I do hope you have some really ripe bananas around the house so that you can bake these lovely bars this weekend! If you wanted to you could leave the chocolate chips out entirely and replace them with toasted pecans or walnuts. Either way, you are going to fall in love! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I love almonds. I also love macamia, cashews and pistachios, oh and pecans and walnuts. Ohh, and honey roasted peanuts! Well . . . I guess I just love all nuts, but almonds are at the top of the list!
I saw a recipe for Almond Horns on Pinterest and had to check it out. They looked fabulously tasty and chock full of almonds. The recipe was on Kitchen Bowl.
They looked incredibly tasty and easy to make. Based on a German Cookie called Mandelhörnchen, Almond Horns are filled with almonds and naturally gluten free.
The dough for the cookies is composed of almond paste/marzipan, ground almonds (almond meal), almond essence, sugar and egg white.
Beaten together these make a somewhat sticky dough, that you roll into logs and then into even more almonds. Shaped into crescents, they are then baked until golden brown.
The end result is a moreish cookie, golden and crisp on the edges and yet deliciously chewy centred!
The dough was very sticky and difficult to shape. Upon researching I discovered several other recipes which required refrigerating it prior to shaping, so I highly recommend doing that.
Mine still turned out to be beautiful biscuits, if somewhat flatter than some of the ones I have seen. I also saw some which were dipped into chocolate.
I think I prefer them this way, but if you want to dip the ends of your horns into melted chocolate feel free! I can promise you that they are incredibly moreish either way!
*Almond Horns*
Makes 16
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Set aside.
Crumble the almond paste into a bowl. Add the sugar, egg white, ground almonds and almond extract. Using a hand mixture beat until well combined. The mixture will be fairly sticky.
Spread the flaked almonds in a shallow
dish or plate. Drop 1 1/2 TBS of the dough into the dish of flaked
almonds and shape into a rough log rolling the mixture in the nuts.
Place onto the baking sheet. Repeat until the almond dough is all used
up, leaving a fair space for spreading in between the shapes. Try to
give them a curved shape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 15
minutes until light golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for
about 25 minutes. Dust with the Icing sugar.
So there you have it . . . crispy edged, chewy middled, chock full of nuts and not at all uncomfortable with a hot drink! Bon weekend!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons