Showing posts with label Elevensies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elevensies. Show all posts
I have never really considered myself to be a baker, per se. My sister was the one who was always very good at baking things . . .
I was probably better at cooking savoury things. At least that is what I always thought. This has changed as I have gotten older however, and in my dotage I am finding that I really do enjoy baking.
Unfortunately I find I also like to eat it rather a bit too much as well. It is a very delicate balancing act for me!
A battle which sometimes I win and sometimes I lose! Mostly lose if I am being honest.
I am not a fiddly baker though . . . I am not great with the fussy stuff. I would never win any sugar craft contests or contests on the basis of how things look.
To me I only care that things taste good, and yes, I do agree that a part of taste is based in the looks, but I am just a simple girl and simple works best for me.
I guess I am what you might call rustic. I leave the fiddly stuff to someone else. This cake is very rustic and not at all fiddly, at least I don't think it is.
After all those years of baking and cooking at the Manor, I lost my taste for fiddly stuff.
This is a cake that is really at home on the tea table . . . perfect with hot cups of tea, coffee or chocolate.
With a tender and moist crumb . . . marbled through with a delicious light cocoa batter, lightly sweetened with molasses, and delicately spiced with the warm baking spices . . .
Cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cardamom, cloves, allspice and ginger . . . mmmm . .. just the smell of those as you mix them into the batter sets my taste buds to tingling . . .
I do so love the warm baking spices.
That buttery crumble topping is very moreish. You will find yourself wetting your finger and dabbing the plate to get up every last crumb.
The topping is also lightly spiced and has the delicious addition of white chocolate chips. This is a keeper.
I guarantee that, while it might not be winning any beauty contests, it will certainly have your family reaching for just one more tiny sliver.
*Crumb Topped Marble Cake*
Serves 6 to 8
Makes one 9 inch cake
Serves 6 to 8
Makes one 9 inch cake
Delcious vanilla cake, marbled through with a lovely spiced batter and topped with a spicy white chocolate crumble. What's not to like?
For the crumble topping:
125g plain flour (scant cup, 1 cup minus about 2 TBS)
75g caster sugar (6 1/2 TBS)
75g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (5 1/4 TBS)
75g white chocolate chips (3 ounces)
1 tsp mixed spice
For the Cake:
225g of butter, softened (1 cup)
225g caster sugar (1 cup plus 3 TBS)
4 large free range eggs
1 tsp vanilla paste
250g of plain flour (2 1/3 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
50ml of milk (1/4 cup)
For the spice batter:
1 tsp sifted cocoa powder
1 TBS molasses
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 TBS molasses
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground all spice and ground ginger
First
make the crumble topping. Whisk the flour sugar and spices together in
a bowl. Drop in the butter. Rub it into a crumble resembling coarse
bread crumbs using your finger tips. Stir in the chocolate chips. Set
aside.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Butter a nine inch spring form cake tin well, on the bottom and up the
sides. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together
until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs together and then beat in a bit
at a time until thoroughly amalgamated. Beat in the vanilla paste.
Sift together the flour and baking powder. Fold this mixture into the
cake batter. Stir in the milk. Divide the batter in half. To one
half add all of the spice batter ingredients. Place the two different
cake batters into the prepared baking tin, alternating spoonfuls of
the vanilla and spice batters. Using a skewer gently draw swirls
through the batter to marbelize it, taking care not to over do it.
Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen around the edges using a small sharp knife. Release and remove the sides of the tin. Place the cake on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Carefully loosen the bottom using a fish slice or palate knife and slice the cake onto a plate to serve.
This is also very good with a glass of milk. This is a nice comfortable cake. A sturdy cake. Buttery and moist . . . and most at home with a hot drink or a cold glass of milk. I love these kinds of cakes best of all. Enjoy.
Don't you just love my baking companion?
I know . . . those eyes.
Hard to
resist.
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!
On Saturday morning for breakfast I cooked us a lovely pot of oatmeal . . . the ultimate in comfort food. When I was a child you could not get me to eat oatmeal for love nor money. As an adult I love the stuff, and by that I don't mean the pre-packaged instant type of oats. I mean the good old fashioned rustic rolled oats! There is nothing like it. Sometimes I toast the oats before cooking them for an even tastier treat!
They are so delicious, especially when served with a bit of heavy cream, just lightly napped over top and a light drizzle of date syrup. Manna from heaven!
I always make sure I cook extra oatmeal when I cook it, just so that I can then make these delicious muffins the next morning. They are quite simply fabulous!
Rustic and wholesome, filled with lots of sticky raisins, toasted nuts, the sweetness of brown sugar (I use light muscovado if I have it in) and flavoured with vanilla, cinnamon and the merest hint of nutmeg!
They also freeze very well. I like to keep some in the freezer to just grab when you want something special, real fast!
I hate waste, don't you? These delicious, hearty muffins make sure that what is something most people might just throw away is not wasted at all. I really like that.
Actually, when my children were growing up, I often chilled leftover cooked oats in a cling film lined small loaf tin, overnight. The next morning I would slice it into slabs, dust it with flour and fry it in butter. They loved it with maple syrup. It was very tasty done that way. And, the bonus was, they never felt like I was just feeding them leftovers!
*Breakfast Oatmeal Muffins*
Makes 12
Makes 12
These muffins are a great way of using up leftover cooked oatmeal. I often cook extra oatmeal for breakfast so that I can treat us to a batch of these the day after!
140g of plain flour (1 cup)
200g of soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
120ml of vegetable oil (1/2 cup)
2 large free range eggs beaten
180g of leftover cooked oatmeal cereal (about 1 cup)
150g of raisins (1 cup)
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Grease a 12 cup medium muffin tin very well. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk together the leftover oatmeal, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients only to moisten. Fold in the raisins and nuts (if using). Spoon into the greased muffin cups, dividing the batter evenly amongst them.
Bake for 18 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let sit in the pan for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool somewhat before eating.
I really hope you will give these a go! Why not cook a bit of extra oats the next time you are making it for breakfast, just so you can bake these! If you are not fond of raisins, chopped dates or even dried cranberries also work very well! Bon Appetit!
I wanted to bake a treat for Todd this weekend. He's suffering some side effects now from the radio-therapy and I wanted to make him something very tasty that he would enjoy.
He has always been a huge fan of cherries and cakes with cherries. He also loves shortbreads. So I baked him some Cherry Almond Cookies!
These are one of his favourite cookies that I make and no small wonder. They melt in your mouth!
I like them too because they are simple to make and the recipe doesn't make a ton. Only 25 perfect, buttery, crisp, moreishly delicious cookies.
You melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the rest of the ingredients to make a soft dough, which you then roll into balls and space out on a baking sheet.
Pressed down lightly with the palm of your hand and topped with a cherry, you then bake them until they are golden brown.
The almond drizzle is my own addition. to this recipe which I adapted from a small book I have, entitled Cookie Jar by Love Food.
*Cherry Almond Cookies*
Makes 25
Deliciously moreish and not hard on the eyes! These please on many levels. 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!
Delicious Cherry Granola Breakfast Buns.
A drop type of scone, all short and buttery . . . each crumbly buttery
mound filled with delicious cherry preserves and topped with some
crunchy granola.
Baked until golden brown and then glazed with a
delicious vanilla icing drizzle.
Oh so good! Sweet and savoury at the same time, with some crunch and meltingly buttery goodness.
What's not to like??
Oh, and did I remember to tell you that they are quick as a wink to
make, easy and you can have them on the table in about 20 minutes???
Well . . . You can! Go on . . . what you waiting for??? Your family will thank you for them!
*Cherry Granola Breakfast Buns*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe
Buttery drop scones, filled with cherry preserves and granola crumbles, and then glazed with a delicious vanilla drizzle. Yummo!
280g plain flour (2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TBS caster sugar
3/4 tsp salt
8 TBS butter, melted
225ml of cold buttermilk (1 cup)
cherry fruit preserves
1 crisp granola bar crumbled (I used Nature's Valley honey and oat)
to glaze:
2 heaped dessertspoons of icing sugar
milk
vanilla
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar. Stir together the melted butter and cold buttermilk. Stir this into the flour mixture. You should have a somewhat sticky dough of dropping consistency. Drop this mixture by heaped tablespoonful's onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space inbetween for spreading. You should get 12 mounds.
Using the back of a wet teaspoon, make a shallow hollow in the centre of each. Drop a scant teaspoon of cherry preserves into each hollow. Sprinkle some of the crumbled granola bar over each.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until browned on the bottoms and golden on the tops. Remove from the oven. Allow them to cool for a few minutes.
Whisk together the icing sugar along with a few drops of milk and vanilla, to make a drizzable consistency glaze. Drizzle over top of the breakfast buns. Serve while still warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Reheat briefly in the microwave before serving. (Not too long as you don't want the jam to get too hot, about 15 to 20 seconds should do the trick.)
These are the perfect thing to bake for your sweetheart (s) this month, don't you think? 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
We have an Elder serving us here in the Chester Ward area at the moment from Australia. Elder Van Dyken. As you know I love to feed the missionaries and help them out whenever I can. Last Friday Elder Van Dyken and Elder Allen were sweet enough to bring us a meal because they knew that Todd might not be feeling well after his procedure on Thursday, and so I thought I would do something for them in return. I was always taught that you never give back a dish empty and so I decided to bake them some Azac Biscuits (cookies) in honor of Australia day which is on the 26th of January. (Today as you read this.)
I really, really like muffins. I really, really, REALLY like chocolate chip muffins, and not the double chocolate chip muffins, but the yellow buttery cake type of chocolate chip muffins.
This is an EXCELLENT recipe for those. It might look like a very basic muffin, and it is. Simple ingredients.
Simple to put together . . . but that is where simple ends because this muffin is anything but simple when it comes to taste.
Moist and buttery and stogged full of chocolate chips, this is the most delicious chocolate chip muffin you could ever want to eat.
So delicious its dangerous, but no worries there because it only makes six muffins.
Just enough for a small family like us, just the two of us.
You can double it if you wish, but if you are looking for a small batch recipe, that only makes a half a dozen muffins and is tremendously delicious . . . this IS the one for you!
I can't believe I am telling you this, but . . . true confessions here. I baked them this morning and have eaten two already.
These are dangerously good and now you know why I only bake six at a time. I cannot be trusted with any more than that. The simple truth.
*Small Batch Chocolate Chip Muffins*
Makes 6 medium muffins
(or 12 mini muffins)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a six cup muffin tray with paper liners, or butter really well. Set aside.
Cream
together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg
and vanilla. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to
the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream,mixing just to
combine. Stir in the chocolate chips. Divide the batter between the
muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes
until well risen and golden brown. (9 to 12 minutes for mini muffins)
Remove to a wire rack and cool. Delicious served fresh and slightly
warm.
If you don't run right into the kitchen today and bake these I am warning you, you will be missing out on something really, really special. Bon appetit!
I actually baked these cookies in early December and am only now just getting to where I can show them to you. There were just so many other things in the queue! That's the holidays for you!
So, Hot Cocoa Cookies. I have adapted this recipe from one that I found on The Recipe Critic. From the moment I saw them, they were cookies that I really wanted to bake.
She got the recipe from Rachel Ray, and well, who knows who Rachel Ray got it from. Maybe Martha Stewart. As they say there is really nothing new under the sun, only new ways of doing things.
With these you get a lovely fudgy, almost "brownie-like" cookie . . . soft and chewy in the middle, just like a good brownie should be . . . Take care not to overbake them . . . to do so would take away from that
brownie-ness. There is some more chocolate tucked underneath the
marshmallow. You bake the cookies first and then add the chocolate to
the top and cover with half a marshmallow, returning them to the oven
very briefly to melt the marshmallow.
Mmmm
. . . these are so good. Just like a warm mug of hot cocoa and a hug. I dusted
them with a bit of cocoa powder just to dress them up a bit. I thought
it looked quite pretty and so did the people I gifted them to.
Delicious was the verdict!
*Hot Cocoa Cookies*
Makes about 4 dozen
Melt
the butter along with the chocolate chips over low heat in a large
saucepan. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for about 15
minutes. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and
salt. Beat the sugar into the melted chocolate and butter mixture.
Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and the flour
mixture until you have a smooth mixture. It will be like a thick batter
but not stiff like a cookie batter. Cover and chill in the
refrigerator for at least an hour until firm.
Preheat the oven to 170*C/325*F/gas mark 3. Line several baking sheets with baking paper.
Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and place on the baking paper lined baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space in between. Press down lightly with your fingers to flatten the balls slightly.
Bake for 12 minutes or just until the cookies are puffed and begin to crack. While they are baking cut the marshmallows in half. Top the cut side with 3 or 4 chocolate chips. Take the cookies from the oven and top each with a marshmallow half, cut/chocolate side down. Return to the oven for a further 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Dust with a bit of cocoa powder. Store in an airight container with wax paper in between.
These are sure to become a real favourite with the family. I hope you will give them a go! Bon Appetit!
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