Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
Do you all know what season it is now? It's BLUEBERRY season! Yeppers, my favourite season of all. I love Blueberry season almost as much as I love Strawberry season, if not a tiny bit more! (A fact I am sure you are all more than aware of by now!)
We planted several blueberry bushes in our garden a few years back and have been adding to them every year. We have a good half a dozen now, and they are very prolific producers, thankfully! Today I decided to make a pudding with some of the berries that I had not made in a very long time.
This is a great old fashioned pudding which is composed of a deliciously moist white cake . . . stogged full of lovely sweet blueberries . . . and then topped with a great old fashioned and simple brown sugar sauce.
Desserts don't have to be complicated to taste good. They just have to taste good. This is simple. It's just cake and sauce.
But what a cake . . . and what a sauce! A picture speaks a thousand words they say . . . so what are these photos saying to you???
Well, what are you waiting for . . . grab some blueberries and get baking!
*Blueberry Cake with a Brown Sugar Sauce*
Makes one 9-inch square cakeFor the sauce:
While the cake is baking make the sauce.
Whisk the sugar, flour and salt together in a saucepan. Add the boiling water, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk, cooking over low hear until thickened nicely. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Serve warm and spooned over squares of the warm blueberry cake
I do get sent the nicest things. The people at Find Me A Gift recently sent me this " I ♥ Cake" cake mold to try out and I have to say I have fallen completely in love with it! Made from non-stick silicone it measures approximately 10 inches in diameter, yielding six heart shaped servings of delicious cake!
Yep, you heard that right!. This cake mold has a unique shape which allows you to cut your cake into heart shaped individual servings.
Microwave, oven (up to 220*C/425*F), freezer and dishwasher safe this is a food grade, no stick silicone baking pan. I have to admit this was the first time I have ever used a silicone baking pan. We were having the Sister Missionaries over for tea and I thought I would bake them a cake in this pan to show them how much we love them.
I decided on a Carrot Cake, because well . . . who doesn't love a delicious carrot cake??? I don't know anyone who doesn't love a delicious carrot cake!
Having never baked with a silicone pan before I was a bit nervous. You are not supposed to butter or line them and I was a bit wary of this . . . would it stick???? I closed my eyes and went with the flow.
Note, it is advisable to place any silicone bakeware onto a baking sheet for baking as it is very flexible and you may end up with cake batter on the floor! Thankfully, I was thinking ahead and did just that! Nobody can accuse me of not being a smart cookie!
The cake turned out beautifully. The slices cut into perfect shaped hearts, which were so appealing and the girls were really impressed!
But it wasn't just the shape of the cake slices with impressed them, I will admit. They were also very fond of the cake itself . . . dense and moist . . . just what a good carrot cake should be . . .
With little nuggets of sweet sticky sultana raisins scattered throughout, not to mention crunch little bits of toasted walnuts. I always toast my nuts before baking with them. A bit of toasting helps to enhance that beautiful nutty flavour . . . just what you want, and it helps to add to the crunch as well. At least that's my way of thinking . . .
Dark and delicious with flecks of carrot throughout, and just enough spice . . . cinnamon, nutmeg . . . vanilla . . . but the flavour doesn't stop there . . .
There is also a delicious hint of spice . . . ginger to be exact . . . in that lucious buttercream frosting. I know . . . it's usual to have a cream cheese frosting on a carrot cake, and I do love that as well, but I have never had much success with cream cheese frosting over here in the UK.
The cream cheese is more liquid than what I am used to and it takes toooooo much icing sugar to make it firm. I just go with butter cream normally, and today a ginger butter cream, the ginger flavouring coming from the syrup in my jar of preserved gingerroot, but do use powdered ginger if that's all you have. All in all, with the shape and the cake and the icing . . . everybody was very happy, very happy indeed!
*Carrot Cake with a Ginger Buttercream Frosting*
Makes one 9 by 15 inch cake
or a 9 inch two layer cakeMakes one 9 by 15 inch cake
Bake for 10 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4 and bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, or until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan (s) for ten minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling if using round pans. If you are using a 8 by 15 inch pan, allow to cool in the pan placed on a wire rack until completely cool.
Many thanks to the people at Find Me A Gift for sending me this fabulous cake mold. I just know it is sure to become one of my absolute favourites! You can purchase this cake mold on their site HERE for £14.99.
I had in mind all week that I was going to make a Pavlova. Food of the God's is Pavlova . . . all light and airy and somehow when you are eating it, you kind of are misguided into thinking there are no calories . . . coz it's kind of like eating a cloud, right??? And everyone knows that clouds have no calories!
I normally top my Pavlova with peaches or raspberries, but this today I decided to do something quite, quite different. I had some apples that needed using and I thought to myself . . . how about a Pavlova that has all the elements of an Apple Crumble . . . and then I thought to myself, who not go one step further and make it an Apple and Blackberry Crumble.
Imagine it . . . a soft cloud of crisp on the outside, mallow like on the inside meringue . . . filled with a rich cloud of softly whipped cream . . .
Now . . . top that cloud with a sweet/tart mixture of caramelized and slightly spiced apples mixed with fresh blackberries . . .
Finally . . . top the whole thing with scrummily sugared, flaked and toasted almonds . . . this is genius, pure culinary genius.
Sigh . . . this is the food of the Gods, all light and ethereal . . . and totally calorie free, I am sure of it!!!
Shhhh . . . please don't burst my bubble! Sigh . . . I do so love it when I am inspired to push the boundaries of the traditional and create something totally familiar and at the same time totally new and refreshing!!
*Apple and Blackberry Crumble Pavlova*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe
All your favourite flavours in one scrummy dessert!
For the Meringue:
3 large free range egg whites
6 ounces caster sugar (a scant cup)
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp white wine vinegar
For the Filling:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 TBS butter
2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch salt
1 punnet of blackberries (about 1 cup)
300ml of double cream (1 1/4 cups)
For the sugared almond topping:
1 1/2 ounces flaked almonds
2 TBS caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 130*C/260*F/ gas mark 1/2. Trace out a 7 inch circle on a sheet of baking paper. Place the baking paper on top of a baking sheet. Set aside.
Place the egg whites into a clean, grease free, glass or metal bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add half of the sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Slowly beat in the remaining sugar (reserving 1 TBS) until it is all amalgamated. Stir the cornflour and remaining sugar together and beat that in along with the vinegar, beating it for about a minute. Spoon the meringue mixture out onto the baking paper, spreading it with a metal spoon to fill the circle and scooping it somewhat hollow in the centre, creating a raised edge all around.
Place into the heated oven and bake for about 1 hour, until crisp on the outside and mallow like on the inside. Set aside to cool on the baking tray. Once completely cooled, carefully peel off the baking paper and set the meringue onto a plate.
For the filling, place the apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into a small skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally over medium high heat, until the apples are somewhat softened and beginning to caramelize, but still holding their shape. Stir in the blackberries and set aside to cool completely.
Make the sugared almond topping by placing the almonds into a skillet along with the sugar. (Have a sheet of baking paper ready and waiting on the counter.) Cook and stir over medium high heat until the sugar melts and begins to coat the almonds, some 2 to 3 minutes. Take care not to burn the sugar. Remove from the heat immediately and pour the almonds out onto the baking paper, spreading them out as much as you can. Allow to cool completely.
When ready to assemble whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Spoon this into the centre of the meringue. Spoon the apple and blackberry mixture over top along with all their juices. Sprinkle with the candied almonds and serve immediately. Delicious!
If you are thinking this is a repeat, then you would be correct. This is a repost from an earlier date. I just didn't have anything new to show you today, but thought you wouldn't mind em re-sharing this! Blackberry season is upon us!
Bumbleberries . . . they're something I have in abundance this time of year. My fruit is ripening, but in small amounts . . . a handful of blueberries here, a handful of raspberries there. The last few strawberries . . . stragglers, etc.
You know what I mean . . . you have lots of berries hanging about, but not enough of any ONE berry to do anything that is distinctly dedicated to just them. It's Bumbleberry season!
You don't even need to grow your own. It could be a few blueberries leftover from making pancakes or muffins. Perhaps a friend dropped off a pint of raspberries. You didn't use all of the berries you bought for strawberry shortcake. A little bit here, and a little bit there and you've got Bumbleberries!!
Bumbleberries make the most delicious pie! A balance of sweet and tart that pleases with every mouthful. I don't know anyone that doesn't enjoy this lovely pie. I, myself, am not fond of cooked strawberry pie, but I love them in this pie, full stop.
It's gorgeous served just slightly warm with a bit of vanilla ice cream scooped and settled on top!! Okay . . . so that's one mega scoop sitting there, but hey! In for a penny in for a pound!
And who can blame me? Really. I know . . . I'm one weak willed puddy tat.
*Bumbleberry Pie*
Makes one 9 inch pie
Makes one 9 inch pie
the juice of 1/2 lemon
Cream for brushing and sugar for sprinkling
If it appears to be browning too quickly, cover with foil during the last 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least an hour before serving.
The gooseberries are ripe in our garden now. We have both green and red ones. They both taste pretty much the same, they're just different colours. They are indigenous to Europe from what I understand, although you can find them pretty much all over now. They have really sharp spines. Apparently you can sometimes find wild Gooseberries in copses and hedgerows, but I have yet to come across any.
Like I said we have both red and green ones and I look forward to them ripening every year. We love gooseberry crumbles and pies . . . gooseberry sauce with pork chops . . . and cakes. Gooseberries make lovely cakes.
Lovely cakes such as these little Gooseberry Crumble Cakes which I have here in the kitchen today. It's adapted from a recipe in Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries Volume 2, so you just know it has to be good. Nigel's recipes always are.
I have been waiting all year to make this cake, but it's sooooo hot today, I just couldn't imagine having a whole cake in the oven for a whole hour. So, I decided to make small ones instead. Using my straight sided loose bottom mini cake tin, I got six nice sized cakes, and they baked in half the time.
The cake itself is lovely and moist . . . a beautiful texture, but I'd expect nothing less. The Gooseberries add a lovely tang . . . just right with the cake, and of course that crumble topping is buttery and short. Perfect.
We had ours with a bit of pouring cream, as is the custom over here. I was quite flummoxed when I moved over here and saw people pouring cream right on their cakes and pies . . . I was used to cream always being whipped and sweetened. Now, I have to say, I am quite used to it and actually prefer it straight from the jug and un-sweetened!
We both enjoyed these very much and I can see that this recipe would work very well with all sorts of fruits and berries. Don't be put off from baking it just because you don't have gooseberries. Currants, raspberries, blueberries, chopped peaches . . . plums, pears or apples, or even a combination. All would be lovely. If you want to bake the cake whole, use a loose bottomed 9 inch round tin, the bottom lined with paper. Bake it for one hour. You will enjoy this cake no matter how you make it. I promise you that!
*Gooseberry Crumble Cakes*
Makes 6 mini cakes
Hooray for Strawberry Season!! My favourite time of year! I know we can get strawberries pretty much all year round here, with berries being flown in from Africa and Spain, but . . .
Let's be honest here though. They are not a touch on the flavour of a freshly picked home-grown English Strawberry.
The warmth of the sun still resting on it's sweet red flesh and pieces of straw still clinging to it's bright green leaves . . . ok, so you will only get that if you pick your own, but still . . .
A berry that has only just been picked and transported a few miles tastes infinitely better than one that's been flown thousands of miles and held in a cold warehouse for days before it reaches the store shelves!
I just can't get enough of them!! I love them fresh and eaten out of hand . . .
sliced and sprinkled with a bit of sugar and then doused in cream, dipped in chocolate, baked into pies and cakes, made into jam, crushed and dolloped on top of fresh scones . . .
oh the possibilities are endless!!!
One of my favourite ways is to bake them into this delicious, moist tea bread.
There is no tea in it, that is just what we call a quick bread over in North America. I reckon that's because they go so well with a cup of tea . . . in my case herbal tea . . . Mint tea is lovely with it!
It smells heavenly when it is baking . . . the cardamom is so sweetly fragrant . . . the lemon drizzle adds just an extra touch of sweetness.
All in all it is a real winner. I guarantee!
*Strawberry Cardamom Bread*
Makes one 9 by 5 by 3 inch loaf
Printable Recipe
A deliciously moist bread stogged full of fresh strawberries and glazed with a tangy lemon glaze.
4 ounces unsalted butter ( 1/2 cup)
150g granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
280g plain flour, sifted (2 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cardamom
(remove the seeds from green cardamom pods and grind them
with a pestle and mortar or a coffee grinder if you cannot find it already ground)
175g sour cream (1/2 cup) or plain yoghurt
55g toasted walnuts (1/2 cup), coarsley chopped
300g of fresh strawberries, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
For the glaze:
the juice of 1/2 lemon
enough icing sugar to make a drizzable glaze
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and lightly flour a 9 by 5 by 3 inch loaf. Set aside.
Beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cardamom together. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix only to combine. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries and the nuts.
Spoon into the prepared and bake for about 1 hour, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let stand in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool.
Whisk together the lemon juice and enough icing sugar to make a drizzle glaze. Drizzle over the cake. Let set.
Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread also freezes very well.
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