Showing posts with label Baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baking. Show all posts
These delicious muffins I am showing you today make for a fantastically tasty grab and go mid-week breakfast. Perfect for days when you are in a rush and don't have a lot of time to dawdle at the breakfast table.
I love muffins. Not quite a sweet as a cupcake, they almost make you feel like you are making a virtuous choice when you choose to have one.
Who doesn't love a muffin? Small individual quick breads built just for one!
These lovely muffins smell heavenly when they are baking and no wonder as they are chock full of lovely nutritious things.
Whole grain oats, grated fresh apple, chopped dried apricots, chopped toasted pecans . . .
Ripe banana, sultanas . . . sweet honey . . . oh, how I love honey . . .
They are a perfect combination of fruit, nuts and fibre to keep up your energy levels and help keep you going the whole morning through!
Because there are only two of us, I always cut the recipe in half, and when using my medium muffin tin, I get 9 medium muffins.
These are just perfectly sized for us. Using a larger tin will yield fewer muffins.
They are moist and delicious, filled with lots of lovely bits . . .
I love these muffin so much I will quite happily declare that they are my all-time favourite breakfast muffin. But they're not only good for breakfast, try them for your elevensies tea break, or in the afternoon with your coffee break.
They are great packed into the kid's lunch boxes, and also freeze well, when stored in an airtight container. They will keep well for about 3 months. Simply reheat for about 30 seconds in the microwave if frozen.
*Apricot & Honey Muffins*
Makes 12
Whisk together the flour, soda, baking powder, spice, apricots, pecans, raisins, and porridge oats in a large bowl. Mash the banana well with a fork and then beat together with the eggs, oil, vanilla, honey and milk. Stir in the brown sugar. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet and mix to combine, working from the centre. Spoon into the prepared muffin cases, filling htem 2/3 full. Sprinkle the tops with few more chopped toasted pecans for texture and crunch.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 40 minutes until golden brown, well risen, and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack.
These are fabulous fresh but will keep for several days in an airtight container.
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Melting moments . . . ahhh . . . isn't that a wonderful name for a biscuit/cookie? And, while I am at it, don't you just love the fact that in Britain a cookie is called a biscuit? Mmm . . . Biscuits. Who doesn't love em! Especially when they are biscuits/cookies that . . . melt in your mouth like these do!
And that is no word of a lie. Just like the name suggests, these lovely biscuits DO melt in your mouth.
That is in part due to the combination of butter and lard which is used in the recipe. Oh, okay . . . I can see your face wrinkling now . . . lard, eww! Trust me. There is nothing wrong with lard, unless you are a vegetarian, and then I can't help you.
Lard is a natural fat, just like butter, no chemicals allowed. Not artificially manufactured like shortening. Natural, and if it is done right, it is pretty flavourless, which makes it perfect for baking things like pastries and these lovely cookies.
In fact recent research has actually shown that in moderation (as in all things) lard can actually be healthier than butter, as it contains so called "good" fats, known as monunsaturated fats which can help to lower cholesterol.
In fact recent research has suggested that eating healthy unsaturated fats can actually be good for your heart. In fact you can read more about those findings here. Its a real eye-opener.
In any case back to these cookies. You really need to make them. They are moreishly crisp with a texture not unlike that of shortbread. The bit of cherry in the middle is traditional. I appreciate that glace cherries are not always available everywhere, so you can also use quartered maraschino cherries if you want, or even a blanched almond. (In that case use almond extract instead of vanilla.)
*Melting Moments*
Makes 16 to 20
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter, lard and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour to make a soft dough. (You may need to use your hands to help combine it thoroughly. Shape into small balls.
Place the rolled oats into a small bowl (you won't need more than a small handful). Toss and roll the cookie balls in the rolled oats to coat. Place the balls spaced slightly apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each ball a little bit with your thumb.
Place a quartr of a cherry on top of each cookie. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, prior to scooping off to a wire rack to cool completely.
Betcha can't eat just one!
These went down a real treat with my guests that we had here last night. They really enjoyed them, and I think you will too! Bon Appetit! (Happy Easter!)
Funny how things are named different things in different places. In
Canada, we would call this a jelly roll . . . over here it becomes a
Swiss Roll . . . and I have no real idea of where the name came from,
but if you click here,
you can find out all sorts of things about them.
I found it quite
fascinating, and what was really interesting was that there seems to be a
similar creation in a lot of cultures . . . a rose by any other name
and all that!!
At the end of the day it doesn't really matter what it's
called . . . it only really matters that it tastes good and goes down
well with a hot cuppa!
Swiss Roll is the perfect cake to bake. It goes together very quickly
and you can have one done and finished and be eating it well within half
an hour,seriously!!
But . . . that's not the best news. The really good news is that . . . IT'S COMPLETELY FAT FREE!
I know . . . what a bonus!! I am all for fat free . . . of course that
doesn't mean it's calorie free . . . and you still do have to bear in
mind that extra calories are extra calories and they still add up.
It is nice to know, howver, that if you are going to indulge in a treat, it
can at least be that little bit less bad for you than say . . . a chocolate brownie or some other decadent indulgence!!
Yep! Not an ounce of fat to be seen. Well . . .of course that is all
depending on what you fill it with.
Obviously cream and curds and
caramel are going to be more fattening . . . but using preserves . . .
well, there's no fat in there, and if you get the low sugar jam, or the
sugar free jam, how bad can that be, really???
It's really quite a versatile cake actually. You can fill it with all sorts . . . whipped cream and fresh fruit, any flavour of jam which strikes your fancy.
Then there is lemon curd . . . caramel . . . chocolate . . . it's
really all up to you and what you feel like eating!!
Todd, being the old fashioned fella that he is . . . likes it plainly
filled with just raspberry jam. Happily I quite concur! I am a real
jam lover myself I have to say!
It REALLY is quite scrummy. Nom Nom!! Enjoy!! (I do think a dollop of whipped cream is also very nice on this . . . just sayin'!!)
*Swiss Roll*
Makes one 13 inch long roll, serving 6 to 8 people
Makes one 13 inch long roll, serving 6 to 8 people
A fatless sponge, rolled up with a jam filling. You can of course get more creative and fill it with all sorts, such as whipped cream and fresh fruit, Lemon curd, etc. Quick and easy to do and makes a fabulously quick teatime treat!
4 large free range eggs
95g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
100g self raising flour (a scant 3/4 cup)
caster sugar to sprinkle
To fill:
4 heaped tablespoons of strawberry or raspberry jam
(I go for the larger amount rather than the smaller)
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/Gas mark 7. LIghtly butter a 13 by 9 inch swiss roll tin and then line with baking parchment.
Place the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk with an electric mixer on high until the mixture is light and frothy and the whisk leaves a ribbon train when lifted out of the bowl. Sift the flour into the mixture, carefully folding it in at the same time. Do not over mix or your cake will not be as light as it could be. Turn into the prepared tin and gently shake it to level it out, making sure that it spreads into the corners.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until the sponge is golden brown and has begun to shrink from the edges of the tin.
While the cake is cooking lay a piece of parchment paper on the counter top larger than the tin the cake is cooking in. Sprinkle evenly with several tablespoons of caster sugar.
Invert the baked cake onto the sugar covered parchment paper. Quickly loosen the paper on the bottom of the cake and carefully peel it off. Trim one short edge of the sponge with a sharp knife, about 1 inch in from the edge, making sure you do not cut it all the way through.
Allow to cool for several minutes and then spread the jam evenly over the cake. If the cake is too hot it will absorb too much of the jam. Roll the cake up firmly, starting at the scored edge. Allow to cool before slicing with a serrated knife. Delicious!
T really is one of my family's very favourite of all cakes. I have always wanted to try it with a sugar substitute, but haven't really gotten around to it yet.
Maybe filled with a low sugar jam. That would make it fat free and very low in sugar. I will let you know when I do!
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 cakes which are made with sour cream and yogurt. Adding sour cream or yogurt add moisture and makes for a lovely tender crumb.
This is especially welcome when you are baking a cake to which fresh fruit is going to be added. Fresh fruit can tend to sink to the bottoms of your cakes, but this never seems to happen when I use a batter with sour cream or yogurt added.
My guess is that the fruit can get kind of heavy once it starts to cook and some of its moisture starts to seep out, and by adding the sour cream or yogurt to the cake you create a batter which can stand up well to that occurrence.
That's my theory anyways!
I know that when you are using dried things in cake, like raisins, chocolate or nuts, tossing them with a bit of flour from the recipe helps to prevent them from sinking.
I don't know if that would work with fruit. It could get claggy.which might make it sink more. Any thoughts on this?
In any case this is a beautiful cake, with a lovely moist crumb. Its light in texture and filled with pockets of sweet tart raspberries.
This is really nice as its not an overly sweet cake. It works well.
It makes a great cake to enjoy for breakfast or brunch, or for with your afternoon cuppa. I love cakes that are perfect for any time!
Mind you, I am the type of person who can eat cake any time!
This Raspberry Yogurt Cake also makes a nice light dessert, especially if you choose to serve it warm with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
That is the Canuck in me. Wanting ice cream and cake. In the UK they would probably prefer a dollop of clotted cream and I won't argue with that incredibly delicious option!
You could also use blueberries or blackberries if you wanted to, or even a mixture. I have often been tempted to use diced peaches.
I think peached would go very well, especially if you used a mix of raspberries and peaches. Then it would be like a Peach Melba Yogurt Cake.
You just scatter the fruit over top of the batter after you spread it in the pan, and they sink down into place as the cake bakes.
They mostly end up in the middle and leave little pockets/dimples over the surface of the cake, which I think adds to its attractiveness.
It is not a cake that needs icing. Its perfecly delicious without it, however I do like to dust it with a bit of icing sugar to dress it up a bit, but that is completely optional.
It also helps to accentuate those delicious raspberry dimples a little bit more. Very Pretty.
In any case if you are looking for a simple, easy and delicious cake to bake this weekend, then this baby is the one you are looking for!
*Raspberry Yogurt Cake*
Makes 1 9-inch cake
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a 9 inch round baking tin and line the bottom with paper.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until risen and golden brown and the top springs back when lightly touched. Place on a wire rack to cool for about half an hour to 40 minutes. Lift out of the pan to a plate and dust with icing sugar before serving cut into wedges.
Oh boy, looking at these pictures this morning is tempting me to want to cut myself a piece and enjoy it with my morning cuppa, and I think I might do just that! Cake for breakfast. Its a very good thing.
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!
Blondies. Blondies are often called a white brownie. That's not an entirely accurate description. Just what is a Blondie?
It is the dense, more caramel like version of a brownie, but every bit as dense and fudgy in texture. They are incredibly sweet and incredibly moreish. But what makes a good Blondie?
What could you classify as the best blondie recipe? I'll tell you.
Quality ingredients. That's what. First, you need to use a really good quality butter. I use lurkpac, lightly salted.
There is also a fine line between using too little butter and too much. 125g (about 1/2 cup) does it perfectly. Any more and they would be greasy. I also melt the butter.
My ex MIL taught me to do that. It creates a perfect denseness.
I like to use muscovado sugar, or at the very least dark soft brown sugar. The higher the molasses content, the more fudge-like consistency you will get.
This gets whisked into the melted butter along with 1 large free range egg and some really good vanilla.
I use pure vanilla extract, not artificial. Don't be tempted to use Vanilla Paste. Its a waste here and too sweet.
These are really sweet bars, and you don't want to be adding too much extra in the way of sweetness. Extract works beautifully.
Plain flour. No leavening. Just stir it in with a pinch of salt, just to combine.
Don't overmix, or you might overdevelop the gluten in the flour. Just mix until there are no dry streaks.
I like to use two kinds of chocolate chips, and again I use quality ones here. A good semi-sweet and a good white chocolate chip work well.
I like the Kirkland chocolate chips you can get at Costco for the semi sweet ones, and I buy my white chocolate chips at an American supply company.
Failing that, get some really good white chocolate, like Green & Blacks and chop it up.
You want the white chocolate to be somewhat creamy and not artificial . . . and you want the semi sweet chocolate chips to be really semi sweet, again not artificial tasting.
With the Kirkland chocolate chips, even an hour later, they still appear moist and fudgy in the bake, not hard. I like that.
I bake them in a 9 inch square baking tin. You could bake them in a smaller tin, but you would need to bake them for longer and, in all honesty, you won't end up with the right quality of dense fudginess.
I prefer to cook for a shorter time and go fudgier.
You don't want dry Blondies. Dry Blondies are no fun.
Fudgy is better. Way, way better.
And that's what you want. Dense and fudgy. Not raw.
I remember attending a cooking show down in London a number of years back and they had celebrity chef's on baking Brownies. I was NOT impressed.
Their idea of a good Brownie was a raw Brownie. Seriously. That's not a good brownie, that's a mess.
Like a good brownie, you should be able to pick up a good blondie in your hands to eat it, without it falling apart or oozing. If its oozing its raw.
It should hold together with a moist dense crumb. That is what makes a Blondie a "The Best" Blondie. End of.
*The Best Blondies*
Makes 9 large
1 large free range egg
140g plain flour (1 cup)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin and line with baking paper, leaving an overhang for lifting out of the pan.
Whisk together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla and egg until well mixed together. Stir in the flour and salt. Mix to combine. Stir in both chocolates. Spread in the prepared baking tin.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the top appears set, but they still a bit squidgy beneath. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before lifting out. For 9 servings, cut into 9 even squares. For 18, cut each square crosswise into a triangle. Store in an airtight container.
I prefer to serve these cut into triangles. They are very rich and very sweet. I think a triangle gives you just enough to enjoy. 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@aol.com
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