Showing posts with label Teatime Treats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teatime Treats. Show all posts
As you know on Sundays by the time we get home from church we are starving. I just don't have the energy to make a Sunday lunch so we usually have something quick . . . unless I've had enough forethought to bang something into the slow cooker in the morning . . . and today was not one of those days . . . today was a spaghetti on toast day.
Tis not a problem though, coz Todd knows that later on in the afternoon, when I get my energy back I'll be baking him something scrummy for a late supper. Sometimes it's just bread and jam, but most time it's a real treat for him to enjoy.
The other day when I was re-organizing my kitchen cupboards I discovered that I had no less than 4 packets of dried dates. It's a good thing we love dates! No surprise then, that today I baked something to use up some of those dates . . .
Oh sure I could have made some Sticky Toffee Cake or an equally as scrummy pan of Date and Lemon Scones . . . orrrrrrr even a yummy Date and Nut Loaf. I did none of those things . . . .
Instead I made these deliciously scrummy Date, Pistachio & Honey Slices! I just adore pistachio nuts! I really, really do! Imagine a finger of buttery pastry, just stogged full of a yummy Date & Pistachio filling, and glazed with honey . . . yummo scrummo!!
They may not photograph well, but boy oh boy . . . they sure more than make up for that in taste. If you like Dates, Pistachios and Honey . . . if you like sweet butter pastry . . . then these little babies are for YOU!
Seriously . . . make them NOW!
*Date, Pistachio & Honey Slices*
Makes 12 slices
Printable Recipe
Lovely buttery fingers filled with scrummy dates, honey and crunchy pistachio nuts. Oh-so-moreishly delish!
For the filling:
250g of stone dates (a generous 1/2 pound), chopped
2 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS water
3 ounces pistachio nuts, chopped (a generous half cup)
1 TBS clear honey
For the pastry:
8 ounces plain flour (a scant 2 cups)
1 ounce caster sugar (about 2 TBS)
5 1/2 ounces butter (1/2 cup plus 3 TBS)
4 to 5 TBS cold water
To finish:
milk to glaze
1 TBS clear honey
Place the dates, lemon juice, and water into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped nuts and honey. Set aside to cool.
Place the flour, sugar and butter into a food processor. Pulse until you have fine crumbs. Mix in just enough water to give you a soft dough. You don't want it to be sticky. Roll out half of the pastry on a lightly floured board to a 12 inch by 8 inch rectangle. Place on a baking sheet. Spread the date/nut mixture on top of this to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Roll out the remaining half of the pastry to fit and place on top. Press to seal the edges all the way around. Trim the edges square and then brush with some milk to glaze. Mark into 12 slices.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Bake the slice for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Brush the warm slice with the remaining honey and then remove to cool on a wire rack. Cut into 12 individual slices along the marks you made previously. Store in an airtight container and serve as a nice treat with your cuppa or pack into lunch boxes. Always scrummily welcome!
The royal wedding countdown is on! To celebrate the forthcoming royal wedding, Tate & Lyle Sugars have launched a “Let Them Eat Cake” campaign, to get the country eating wedding cake. They are hosting a wedding cake exhibition and a baking competition where you could be in with a chance of having your own cake displayed at the exhibition!
The two first place winners will have their cake created by a top cake designer and be on show at the exhibition. In addition, they will be invited to attend the show, and also win a course voucher ,worth £125, for a Squires cooking course. This is a one-day course at Squires Kitchen’s International School in Farnham, Surrey. They will also be given a copy of one of their new baking guide books. To enter, simply go to 'Let Them Eat Cake' website for more information.
I've long been a fan of Tate & Lyle sugars. You mightn't think that there is much difference between one sugar or another, but . . . call me crazy if you will . . . I think that there surely is. I like the Tate & Lyle sugars the best. I prefer their packaging over all the others, and I love that they promote Fair Trade. In celebration of the upcoming Royal Wedding ,they have put out a special Edition of Icing Sugar, To Have and To Hold, and they, very generously, sent me a package to use to bake something tasty to help celebrate the upcoming festivities!
One thing that I really love about this great nation is the way they throw their hearts and souls into all these special occasions!! All up and down the country on the 29th of April ,people will be celebrating the Royal Nuptials with Street Parties, Barbeques, Garden Parties, Tea Parties . . . whatever way they can come up with, to help to celebrate this wonderful event, and wish the newly weds good luck! Britannia Bunting will be spread from the North to the South , and from the East to the West! Hooray to Wills and Kate! May they be truly happy.
I, for one, am really rooting for them! I think it is truly a love match and they are a lovely young couple. I wish them all the best in the world!
We will, of course, be tuning into and glued to our Television to take in all of the wedding from beginning to end (our invitation having been lost in the post of course!) and then I think afterwards, weather permitting, we will be enjoying a lovely little Garden Party to toast the young couple.
I'll spread our outside table with a pretty cloth, and lay on some punch and pretty finger sandwiches, perhaps some sausage rolls and a pork pie or two, and other finger foods and goodies . . . a veritable Garden Party Feast fit for royalty!
I may have one big cake, or I may just bake a bunch of these pretty little Garden Party Fairy Cakes that I came up with to use some of that lovely icing sugar Tate & Lyle sent me. Aren't they cute??? I was going to do something in red, white and blue, but you would be hard pressed right now to come up with anything red, white or blue to decorate your cakes with. They've all been scooped up and sold out, but perhaps I can use some fresh red and blue berries on the day, which might be nice.
In the meantime, I think these fairy cakes fit the bill perfectly, with their cute little flower basket shapes,( thanks to my little brioche roll tins,) a delicious green tinted butter cream and a sprinkling of little blossoms on the top.
Definitely Royal Wedding Garden Party fare, don't you think??? (They would be great for Easter too!) Buttery, rich and really vanilla-ee!! Oh so scrummy yummy!!
*Garden Party Fairy Cakes*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe
Pretty little fairy cakes, flavoured with vanilla, topped with butter cream and then decorated according to your fancy!
4 ounces softened butter (1/2 cup)
4 ounces caster sugar (1 cup plus 1 TBS)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
4 ounces self raising flour (1 scant cup) sifted
2 TBS milk
1 tsp pure vanilla
For the buttercream:
3 ounces of butter, softened (6 TBS)
8 ounces icing sugar (2 cups) sifted
2 TBS milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
Decorations and sprinkles as desired.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter and flour 12 pretty cupcake molds, or use as I have done, 12 brioche roll tins. Set on a baking sheet and set aside.
Using an electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a bit at a time until well combined, adding a TBS of the measured flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Fold in the flour. Stir in the milk and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Divide the batter between the baking cups equally. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until well risen, golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Remove from the oven. Let cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
To make the buttercream, measure all the ingredients into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth and creamy. You can add a drop of colouring if you wish to tint it. Spread some on the top of each cooled cake and then decorate with sprinkles etc. as you wish.
If you are in a baking mood please do check out the We Love Baking page on Facebook by Tate & Lyle. It's wonderful and there's always something delicous baking there! It's one of my favourite pages!
You would be quite forgiven if, upon closing your eyes and taking a bite of this lovely cake, you imagined you were eating a baked cheesecake. In fact with that delightful crack on top, and underlying creamy taste, it really does resemble a cheese cake.
Dense and rich, with a wonderful body and taste, this is a fabulous cake! Normally I would serve it with some crushed fresh strawberries or raspberries, but today . . . alas . . . I didn't have any, and I don't really like to eat these fruits out of season anyways. Out of season berries never quite come up to their promise.
It was delicious regardless, simply dusted with some icing sugar and cut into wedges to serve. A dollop of creme fraiche or greek yoghurt would also go very well.
I love the sweet plumpness of the sultanas that dot it's dense, yet creamy . . . crumb.
Each mouthful is delightfully lemony. It was Dorie who taught me to rube the lemon zest into the sugar when baking a cake and it's a delightful top tip that I always follow. It really brings the lemon flavour out of the zest and makes it more pronounced in the most delicious way!
This was the perfect way to end an early spring Sunday afternoon. Oh-so-scrumdiddlyumptious! (Recipe adapted from Cakes, Women's Institute by Liz Herbert)
*Lemon Ricotta Cake*
Makes one 8 inch round cake, serving 12
Printable Recipe
A deliciously dense and moist cake filled with the lovely flavours of lemon and soft sultanas.
50g of sultanas (a generous 1/3 cup)
8 ounces caster sugar (1 cup plus about 2 TBS)
6 ounces softened butter (3/4 cup)
the finely grated zest and juice of one unwaxed lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large free range eggs, separated
250g tub of ricotta cheese (a generous cup)
8 ounces of self raising flour (a scant 2 cups)
1 tsp of baking powder
sifted icing sugar for dusting to finish
Place the sultanas in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain well and allow to cool. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gar mark 4. Butter an 8 inch spring form pan well and then line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
Rub the lemon zest into the sugar until very fragrant. Add the butter and vanilla and cream together until light and fluffy. Whisk the egg yolks together with the lemon juice. Beat the egg yolk mixture in a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the ricotta to make a smooth batter. Stir in drained sultanas. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Fold this into the creamed mixture.
Using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff. Stir 1/4 of the mixture into the creamed mixture and then gently fold in the rest until thoroughly combined, but being careful not to knock out any air.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth over the top, but then make a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 70 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. The crust will be cracked on the top and a beautiful golden colour.
Remove from the oven and leave in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Dust lightly with icing sugar before cutting into wedges to serve.
I was going through my box of photographs the other day and came across this one. It's my four youngest children cleaning out the residue left in the pot after I had made a batch of Rice Crispie Squares. My eldest son isn't there . . . he was about 15 at the time, and cleaning out Rice Crispie pots was not considered at all cool!
A lot of water has run under the bridge since then . . . see that little one with the cheeky grin that you can see front on? Well . . . he's 24 years old now, and in the Canadian Armed Forces! I'll wager it's been a long time since he cleaned out a rice crispie pot!
Seeing that photo did make me very nostalgic though . . . and so, I decided to make a treat today . . . to share with the little fella next door. Unfortunately, I didn't have any rice crispies . . . sigh . . . but I did have a fresh box of cheerios, which would have to do.
And then I had a brainstorm . . . everything tastes better with Nutella does it not? What if I mixed some nutella into the mix, along with the butter and marshmallows . . . that might make it ok, and actually quite acceptable that they were cheerios and not rice crispies . . . doncha think?
I think they turned out really ace! Not quite so tasty to look at . . . but . . . then again, chocolate doesn't look all that great most of the time. It's the taste that counts . . . really, and these were quite, quite scrummy!
And they are definitely child approved . . . both by the young lad next door . . . and by the big one I live with!
I do confess . . . I did enjoy cleaning out the pot! It was rather tasty, if I don't say so myself!
*Nutell-O's*
Makes 12 bars
Printable Recipe
A favourite snack for kids, both large and small alike! Creamy nutella, melted together with butter and marshmallows, and tasty oaty O-shaped cereal stirred in. (Ok, so it's cheerios!) Scrummy, yummy nummy!!
2 ounces butter, 1/4 cup
10 ounces of big white marshmallows (about 50)
4 ounces Nutella
10.5 ounces O-shaped cereal (like cheerios) (8 cups)
Lightly butter a 13 by 9 inch baking pan. Set aside.
Place the butter, marshmallows and nutella into a large pot. Cook and stir over very low heat until all are melted and smoothly amalgamated. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheerios, stirring together until well mixed. Press this mixture evenly into the buttered pan. Allow to cool until completely set, then cut into 3 by 3 1/4 inch bars. Store between sheets of parchment paper, in an airtight container.
We're usually starving by the time we get home from church on Sundays. We just don't do Sunday lunch in this house. By the time we get home from church, there's not really enough time on Sunday do one justice. We usually have Sunday Lunch on Saturday Night, then on Sunday we usually just have either leftovers, or something that I can quickly throw together, like beans on toast or scrambled eggs and toast, or something like that.
Once we are fed, I usually call my mom while Todd does the dishes. (I know I am a really lucky woman!) After that we settle in to watch some quiet telly together and then late in the afternoon or early evening, I will bake us a teatime treat.
It's usually something scrummy like rock cakes, or scones . . . something that we can enjoy eaten out of hand with a cold glass of milk or mug of Horlicks.
Today it was these wonderfully scrummy Strawberry Jam Swirls.
Beautifully puffed and buttery pastry . . . quite similar to a scone dough, and stogged full of gooey Strawberry Jam.
All swirled and then glazed with an egg wash and granulated sugar . . . oh my but these are soooo good.
You don't have to use Strawberry Preserves though . . . you can use whatever preserves strike your fancy . . . plum, raspberry, blueberry, apricot . . . even orange marmalade! If you are a marmalade lover like me, that is superdy duperdy scrummilicious!!!
You can even get really fancy and sprinkle the jam with some chopped toasted walnuts or pecans before you roll them up. Seriously delicious.
Seriously . . . trust me on this.
*Strawberry Jam Swirls*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe
A buttery pastry swirled with strawberry jam, rolled, sliced and then baked until the pastry is all puffed and the jam all gooey scrumdiddlyumptious! You can use any flavour of jam you wish, or even marmalade. We love them with strawberry jam though!
3 ounces of butter, diced (6 TBS)
16 ounces of plain flour (4 1/2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 ounces of caster sugar (a scant 1/2 cup)
2 medium free range eggs
300ml of milk (1 1/4 cups)
2 generous dessertspoons of strawberry preserves
1 small free range egg, beaten for glazing
2 TBS granulated sugar for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Butter a baking sheet really well. Set aside.
Measure the flour into a large bowl. Whisk in the baking powder, salt and caster sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Beat the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the dry ingredients and then pour in about 2/3 of the egg/milk mixture. Mix it in with a fork, until you get a soft dough, adding more milk/egg if necessary. You will havea fairly sticky dough and may not need more.
Lightly flour your work surface. Dump the dough onto it and dust with flour. Roll or pat out into a rectangle about 12 inches in length, 7 inches wide and 1/2 inch tall. Spread with the strawberry preserves covering completely. With the long side facing you, roll into a roll, rolling the pastry away from you. Cut into 12 slices and place each slice onto the buttered baking sheet, leaving some space in between.
Brush with some beaten egg and then sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Lovely eaten warm with a nice cold glass of milk!
I hate to show you a cake recipe two days in a row on here, but I baked this the other day, and just haven't been able to get it in. I wanted to show it to you before it got lost in the mire that is called my cooking photos folder!! Besides they are two very different kinds of cake!
It is no secret that apple and cheese go together very well. They are a beautiful marriage of tart/sweet and tangy/rich flavours. Back home we always had a nice thick slice of cheddar served along with our apple pie. It would be unthinkable not to have it!
In fact you often see apple pies baked in a cheddar pastry, although to be honest, I'd rather have an actual slice of cheese with my pie.
This is a delicious cake, stogged full of little bits of apple and grated cheddar cheese. The apple provides a sweetness that is the perfect foil for the richness of the cheddar cheese, which melts into the cake batter, giving it a delicious tang!
It's not a light cake . . . but somewhat heavy . . . but oh so very good, especially with some Maple Sweetened Whipped Cream serve along side.
But . . . it doesn't stop there. Cut the cake into thin slices the day after and toast them until golden brown, then spread them with cold butter for an additional taste treat . . .
Oh, I know . . . I'm a very, very bad girl. But you love me anyways, right?
*Apple and Cheddar Cheese Cake*
Makes one 9 inch round cake
Printable Recipe
A lovely rich caked stogged full of lovely bits of apple and the wonderful tang of cheddar cheese. Serve warm with some Maple Sweetened whipped cream for a real treat!
3 ounces of plain flour (3/4 cup)
2.8 ounces fine cornmeal (Polenta) (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 ounces of butter, softened (1/2 cup)
5 ounces of caster sugar (3/4 cup)
2 large free range eggs
6 TBS whole milk
4 ounces strong cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped (1/4 inch dice)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch round cake tin. Line the bottom with paper and butter the paper. Set aside.
Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
Cream together the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl often. Reduce the speed to low and add half of the flour mixture. Stir in teh milk and then stur in the remaining flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in the cheese and apple. Turn the batter out into the prepared pan. Smooth the top over and then bake in the heated oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack. Flip back over to the right side and cool to just warm before serving.
Serve cut into wedges with whipped cream that has been lightly sweetened with some Maple Syrup (before whipping) if desired. (About 1 tsp of Maple Syrup per 250ml (1 cup) of cream) Store any uneaten cake in an airtight container for up to two days at room temperature. (The leftovers are very nice sliced thinly, toasted lightly and spread with butter)
With St Patrick's Day coming up this week. It is a special day when people of Irish Blood the world over commemorate their most commonly recognized of Patron Saints . . . Saint Patrick.
Many people of Irish descent, and many who just want to be Irish, will be celebrating with the wearing of the colour "green" and feasting on Irish foods like boiled bacon and cabbage, and the scrummy colcannon!
There'll be a jig or two or three danced, more than a few tall tales told, and many a Green Beer and Guiness downed!
We don't drink alcohol in our house, but we do love to eat, so we will probably be feasting on a tasty boiled dinner on the day, which I am really looking forward to, I have to say!
I did want to do a traditional Irish Teatime treat though and as we both love fruitcakes, I chose to do this Irish Boiled Fruit Cake . . . a traditional and beautifully moist creation from that beautiful Emerald Isle.
I can remember going to an Irish Pub one Sunday afternoon in Toronto many years ago and having a beautiful time. Oh the music and the laughter. It was a family affair.
The place was full of adults and children, many of whom got up to sing or dance, or play the flute or fiddle.
One day, and I hope soon, I am going to go to visit Ireland myself, but in the meantime I must make do with cooking the dishes here in my home and dreaming about all the colours of green I am going to see when I do finally get there.
I think this is just the kind of cake that Maureen O'Hara would have baked for John Wayne in the Quiet Man . . . one of my all time favourite films.
It is a plain cake . . . honest, simple and delicious.
Home sweet home food. The kind of food that speaks to your Irish soul . . . and I believe there is a little of that residing in each of us now . . .
"Well, then. Now. I'll begin at the beginnin'. A fine soft day in the spring, it was, when the train pulled into Castletown, three hours late as usual, and himself got off. He didn't have the look of an American tourist at all about him. Not a camera on him; what was worse, not even a fishin' rod."
Oh sigh . . . I'm thinking I'll be a digging this movie out and watching it tonight now . . . it will go perfectly with a hot cup of herbal tea and a slice of this cake, don't you think?
*Irish Boiled Fruit Cake*
Makes 1 7-inch square cake
A traditional Irish boiled fruit cake, very moist and a good keeper. Stogged full of sultanas and currants and nicely spiced. We love this.
3 ounces golden syrup (1/4 cup of golden corn syrup will do)
4 ounces caster sugar (a generous half cup of white sugar)
4 fluid ounces of cold tea (1/2 cup)
4 ounces dried currants (a scant cup)
4 ounces dried sultana raisins (a scant cup)
4 ounces butter (1/2 cup)
8 ounces plain flour (a scant 2 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice (see below)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 medium egg, beaten
Place the golden syrup, sugar, cold tea, currants, sultanas and butter into a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Butter a 7-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with baking parchment, buttering the parchment as well.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and ginger. (I also add a pinch of salt) Fold this into the cooled fruit mixture, then stir in the beaten egg to a soft consistency. Turn into the prepared pan.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the cake tests done. Cover the top with some foil it if appears to be browning too quickly.
Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Serve sliced with, or without softened butter for spreading. (Me I go for the butter every time. But then . . . I am a little piggie.)
Make Your Own Mixed Spice:
You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
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