I love quick and easy desserts. Especially Berry Desserts that make a great use of all the berries I pick and freeze during the summer months!
At this time of year when the winds and snow are blowing, berries and other summer fruits can be a beautiful taste of summer to brighten up your days! So much the better when you are able to incorporate them into desserts which don't require a lot of effort or time.
S'mores Rocky Road. I am sharing a recipe with you today that doesn't get more indulgent or delicious. Those of you not familiar with it will probably wonder what Rocky Road is.
Scrumptious, indulgent and easy to make, it is simply a refrigerator cake composed of melted chocolate, crushed biscuits, dried fruit, etc.
This gets pressed into a pan and then refrigerated until set and solid. Once this happens, you can cut it into squares to eat.
I had never tasted this type of Rocky Road before I moved to the UK. There was the American version of course, which were a kind of a Brownie type of bar, but these were completely far removed from that.
British Rocky Road is said to be Prince William and Harry's favorite dessert. I am not sure about that, but having tasted this variation, I can predict that it is going to become a favorite everywhere!
This recipe for Rocky Road I am sharing with you today is a delicious twist on the original recipe. It is quite an unusual take, involving a fusion with the ever popular American S'mores.
American S'mores are present at most North American BBQ's, etc. Composed of graham crackers, filled with hot toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate they are something everyone loves.
These S'mores Rocky Road bars are every bit as scrumptious, as well as being indulgent, and very easy to make.
Instead of crushed and crumbled biscuits/cookies, it uses crisp rice cereal and salty pretzels. Mini ones, or larger ones broken into bits.
Personally, I think the smaller ones work better. But you can use whatever kind you have in the house.
Normally Rocky Road will involve a quantity of dried fruit. Usually raisins or sultanas, sometimes candied fruit.
There is no dried fruit in these. There is plenty of chocolate however, to make up for the lack.
For this I have used two kinds of chocolate. Dark and milk chocolate. Make sure you use a good quality of each. I like to use chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa solids, at least 70% or higher if I can.
The two chocolates are melted together in a saucepan. Make sure you use a saucepan with a heavy bottom and very low heat otherwise your chocolate may burn and seize.
Melted along with the chocolate are butter, golden syrup and a quantity of mini marshmallows. Yes, these are sweet, but don't worry about that.
Any sweetness is counteracted by the saltiness of the pretzels.
If you haven't got golden syrup you can use corn syrup. It will work fine.
Once these ingredients have all melted and are amalgamated together, you will be adding something crisp, which will also serve to give these lush bars substance.
Salty pretzels and crisp rice cereal, or rice bubbles as they are called in the UK. (I just love the names they give things! Most of them make more sense then their North American counterparts)
These get stirred into the chocolate mixture all at once. Just stir them in until everything is evenly coated and well mixed together.
You will need an 8-inch square pan for these squares. You want to line it with some aluminum foil.
You will need a piece large enough to line the pan with enough overhang to be able to lift the squares out when done.
The chocolate cereal mixture gets spooned into the prepared pan. Smooth it out and and then lightly press to compact it a bit.
Don't press too hard. You don't want them smooshed in there too compactly or they will not have the right consistency.
More mini marshmallows get sprinkled over top. You also need to press these down lightly. This is only so that they adhere to the chocolate mixture a bit.
Again, don't press too hard. Pop the whole pan into the refrigerator. This is when the hard part comes. The waiting.
After chilling for a couple hours until solid you take the pan out of the fridge and pop it under a hot grill to gild the marshmallows on top, golden brown. And, that's it. Bob's your Uncle. Tout finis!
Ooey, gooey, sweet. Salty, rich and indulgent. Creamy and crisp . . . chocolaty. What more could you ask for?
Yield: Makes 16 bars
Rocky Road S'Mores
Sweet, salty, gooey, crisp and chocolaty!
ingredients:
- 75g butter (1/3 cup)
- 1 TBS golden syrup
- 150g white mini marshmallows, divided (3 cups)
- 200g dark chocolate, broken into bits (7 ounces)
- 100g milk chocolate, broken into bits (3 1/2 ounces)
- 50g crisp rice cereal (1 1/2 cups)
- 100g salted mini pretzels (about 2 1/4 cups)
instructions:
How to cook Rocky Road S'Mores
- Line an 8 inch square pan with aluminium foil. Set aside.
- Place the butter, golden syrup and half of the marshmallows into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring until melted and amalgamated. Stir in the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat and stir in the rice cereal and pretzels. Press this mixture into the prepared pan. Scatter the remaining marshmallows over top, pressing down lightly. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
- Preheat the grill/broiler to high. Pop the rocky road (still in the pan) under the grill for about 45 to 60 seconds until toasted golden brown. Remove immediately. Let cool.
- Cut into squares with a wet knife to serve. Store in an airtight container.
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!
You don't have to get very far in a grocery shop today to be inundated with choice when it comes to snacks to buy for your family. There are snacks to please every family, every person, every lifestyle choice and they meet you right at the door inside the shops! We are a nation of snackers for sure!
Whether you are looking for healthy snacks to buy or wanting to indulge in something a little less healthy, we are truly spoilt for choice.
When I was in the UK, I used to dream about the snacks from home that I could not get and hope that someone would send me some. Now I am back in Canada I am sure that there will be things I miss terribly from the UK that I got used to enjoying.
Since I have been back in Canada I have made it my goal to try some of my old favourites and see how they stack up against my memories of what I was missing for those 20 years. I am also trying some new things which I have never seen before. I thought it would be fun to share my findings on a few of them!
Terra Sweet Potato Chips - Sea Salt
I love sweet potatoes. They are one of my favourite vegetables and I was really keen to try these chips. Unfortunately they didn't live up to the hype. They were somewhat crisp, but not totally crisp. I think this is because they are too thick. I think a thinner chip would be a better chip.
The ruffles do make them attractive, but in the long run I think un-ruffled would make for a crisper chip. I tried the sea salt ones and they were not quite as salty as a regular chip. This is probably a good thing in many ways, because we all consume far too much salt. Not so good in a potato chip however, in my humble opinion.
I did not really like these. Chips are the naughty snack and they should feel and eat as being incredibly moreish. These did neither one. They were not a favourite.
Smart Food Popcorn - White Cheddar
This snack was something I had eaten before I moved over to the UK and it was something which I had missed while I was over there. It was always incredibly moreish with just the right dusting of white cheddar on it. You could easily lose yourself in a package of these. Since my return I have noticed there are a lot more flavours of the Smart Food Popcorn. Gouda & Chive. Jalapeno & Cheddar. Caramel & Cheddar. Flamin' Hot. Sour Cream & Onion. Hot Buffalo. Movie Theatre Butter, etc.
I have not tried any of those, but I did buy myself a small bag of the White Cheddar for old times sake and it was enjoyed. Nice and cheesy and crisp. It tastes of white cheddar as always. My teeth are older however and it was quite husky. I don't think I can enjoy popcorn much anymore. Not to mention the problem with my diverticulitis. This is a younger person's snack for sure!
Covered Bridge Storm Chips.
Old fashioned, Kettle cooked, these are chips I had read about when I was in the UK and was really keen to try. I was really excited when I saw them in the shop. They promised to be a "flurry of flavours." The contain four flavours of chips. BBQ. Sea Salt & Vinegar. Homestyle Ketchup. Creamy Dill. I love all of those flavours of chips on their own, so I really thought I would love these, and kettle cooked. What could be possibly be wrong with that??
Nothing if each chip was individually flavoured. They aren't. Every single chip is coated in all four flavours, which may be to some people's tastes, but they were not to mine. I found them decidedly distasteful, so much so that I ended up throwing them away. (And they were not cheap.)
I think from now on I will be sticking to my old favourites, storm or no.
They were nice and crisp however so on that score there were no complaints! I have had their other chips and liked them. I just did not really like these.
It is all a matter of taste I guess!
Lays Dill Pickle Chips - exactly as stated
Simulated flavour or not, these have not disappointed. Of all the potato chips, these are my favourite kind. I dreamt about these when I was in the UK. My son sent me a small bag once and they were incredibly enjoyed. If you like Dill Pickles, you will like these chips. They are crisp and moreish, with just the right amount of Dill Pickle flavour as well as the tiniest smidgen of garlic flavour as well. At least I could taste the garlic. Not over done, not underdone. Just right.
Apparently there is a Flamin Hot variety of Dill Pickle Chips. I don't think so. But a younger person might be tempted.
What is it with Flamin Hot these days? Does everyone want to stretch their tastebuds beyond their capacity of endurance?
Ritz Real Cheddar Cheese Crackers
Disappointment. There is no other word for it. These were a disappointment. I could not taste the cheddar. They were decidedly orange however, I suppose to help differentiate them from the regular Ritz cracker. I actually expect a cracker purpoting to be real cheddar cheese to taste like cheddar. Neither my sister nor I could taste it, but perhaps that was because they were quite salty. Maybe we just got a bad box. These just tasted like orange coloured ordinary Ritz Crackers to us. Not that we don't like Ritz crackers, but we were expecting the flavour of cheddar. We also both noted that they don't seem to be as thick as they used to be and they are now shaped as ovals, not round.
I will now tell you what didn't disappoint us as far as Cheese Crackers went.
Cheeze-it Original
These crackers were crisp and tasted exactly like cheese. They were a bit higher in calories than the Ritz ones, coming in at 10 calories more per 20g, but they were lower in sodium. We much preferred these.
I also tried their Cheeze-it Crunch Crackers in the Zesty Cheddar Ranch flavour and they were quite good as well. Both varieties got a thumbs up from me.
Let's face it, when you want a CHEESE cracker you want a cracker that tastes like cheese and these did not disappoint!
Dare Veggie Crisps.
I saw these one day in WalMart and picked up a package. I am afraid I am a person who likes to munch on something when I watch television in the evenings and I am always looking for something a bit healthier than the potato chip.
From their page: Dare Veggie Crisps are made with the goodness of real vegetables like yellow and green peas, tomatoes and carrots. Vegetables like these contain fibre, making them a nutritious snack. Enjoy the delicious flavour of Sea Salt in every crispy bite.
Made with real vegetables with no artificial colours or flavours
and 90 calories per serving (14 crackers)
These were okay. I have found them to be very similar to those rice pop crackers. They have a pleasant crisp texure and are not overly salty like some of these things can be. I can taste the vegetables in them. They have a "green" flavour, which is not overwhelming, but really they kind of taste like the rehydrated vegetables in a dry packet of vegetable soup mix. So, in my opinion, they are not in line to take over the potato chip type of snack corner of world.
Ace Bakery Mini Baguette Crisps.
I spied these on special at the Atlantic Super Store over the holidays. I think I paid $7 for two packs. I got the Aged Cheddar ones and the Cinnamon Raisin ones. Essentially they are thinly sliced baguettes, seasoned accordingly and then baked until crisp.
I have to say I found both kinds to be incredibly moreish, on their own, without anything added. (although I can just imagine how wonderful they would be with dips) I really liked the cinnamon raisin ones. So much so that I finished that bag first. They were not totally crisp however, probably due to the raisins.
I really enjoyed the cheddar ones as well. Beautifully flavoured, although they need to work at keeping the toasted cheddar on top of the baguette slices. Most of the cheddar had fallen off into the bottom of the bag. Having said that however, it hasn't stopped me from buying another bag of them at full price, or enjoying those lovely little crunchy cheesy bits at the bottom of the bag!
Kraft Pizza Kit.
Pizza kits were something I miss in the UK. They are always really convenient to have in the cupboard for when you are in a rush or when you just want something simple and uncomplicated for your supper, etc. With the package of crust mix, tin of sauce and package of cheese, you really can't go wrong. I fear their packaging is a bit misleading however along with the instructions. It states on the package that the mix will make two 12 inch pizzas. WRONG! There is no way this would make two 12 inch pizzas. And I tried.
First fault, the dough mix is in one package so there is no option of baking one now and baking the other one later. You do need to mix it all up at once.
Second fault, halved the dough did not come even close to spreading out to fill a 12-inch piece pan. I ended up putting it back together and we had a baking sheet pizza. Our baking sheet was approximately 11 inches by 17 inches in size. It fit perfectly into this pan and was neither too thick nor was it too thin.
The sauce is, well, Kraft Pizza sauce. Not as good as a homemade sauce or a Pizzaria sauce, but as good as you could expect from a pizza mix.
We did not use the cheese, preferring instead to use our own cheese.
This was as good as it had ever been. We all enjoyed it, having adapted to use our own favourite toppings etc. This is still something I would have in my own cupboard for emergencies, etc. even if it didn't actually make two pizzas.
From what I could see this was the only complete pizza mix available. I didn't see any others, although you can certainly buy crust mix and sauce separately and the cheese of course. Buying all those things separately is much more costly than buying a complete kit however, so the kit will always be a bargain in comparison.
Old Dutch Popcorn Twists.
These were something I had missed terribly when I was in the UK. Essentially they are like cheesies or wotsits (British version of cheesies) but they taste like popcorn without any of the angst of kernels and hulls getting caught in your teeth. I have always loved them. They are incredibly moreish and they literally do melt in your mouth.
Looking at them you might be tempted to think that they would be squeaky like styrafoam peanuts, but they are not. They do melt. They are nice and salty. Buttery. Addictive.
I picked up two bags before Christmas and I used one to make the delicious Caramel Corn Recipe on the back of the bag. Can you say INCREDIBLY EDIBLY DELICIOUS? That it was.
You can find that delicious recipe here. Prepare yourself to fall utterly and totally in love.
Talk about taking something totally delicious and turning it into something even more delicious and to love!
Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds
Next to the Crispy Crunch, this was probably one chocolate bar I missed the most in the UK. I did find them on the odd occasion, but they never tasted like I remembered them tasting. There was a powdery taste to them and the chocolate felt a bit waxy in the mouth. Not enjoyable in the least.
There was a special on chocolate bars at WalMart the other day however and you could buy three packages for I think it was $8, with each package having four bars in it. A real bargain. I picked up KitKats (who doesn't love those), Jersey Milk (the taste of my childhood) and Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds.
Suprise! They magically tasted as they always had in the past. Perhaps I just never got a good one in the UK. These were rich and creamy, not powdery and the nuts perfectly toasted. Score!!
Ketchup Potato Chips
They did have these in the UK, but in all honesty they did not come up to the memory of my North American onesm neither did the BBQ ones. I picked up a small bag in WalMart one day at the cash to eat in the car on the way home (I was starving). They did not disappoint. Same flavour that I have always loved. Just like ketchup. Not too vinegary. Not too tomatoey. Just like eating a plate of fries and ketchup. Yum!
So there you have it. A few of the flavours I had been missing from home. Snacks I was missing. There are many more of course, like Hickory Sticks, and I am sure I will try them in due course, but for now this is my list and thoughts.
The things you do for love . . . I have come to realise that taste memories are subjective, and yes, sometimes absence does make the heart grow fonder.
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!
There is no more comforting a supper on a cold winter's than a traditional cottage pie. I wanted to share this cottage pie recipe with you today that I have downsized from my original recipe for a simple cottage pie which serves 4-6 people. This version is half that size.
This English classic need not be reserved just for the large family. Why should the smaller family suffer for lack of numbers? I am here to say that you can eat just as well when you are only one or two as you can when you are more.
You can make it with either leftover roast beef, as I have here today, or fresh ground beef, which is also the custom in many homes. It is very similar to its close cousin, the Shepherd's Pie.
You may find yourself asking the question, what is the difference between a cottage pie and a shepherd's pie? Great question.
They are very similar casseroles, but in a cottage pie beef is traditionally used as the meat and in a shepherd's pie the meat is usually lamb. You can use either leftover meat from your Sunday roast or fresh meat, depending on what you have in your kitchen.
This is one of the things I like to make whenever I have leftover roast beef in my refrigerator. It makes a great change from making hash or a pot pie, which are my usual go-to's.
You don't even need to have leftover gravy to make it. I tell you how to make a delicious beef sauce without any gravy, By all means, however, do use gravy if you are lucky enough to have some!
Not only is it very easy to make, but it is also incredibly economical. Something we are all aware of these days.
We all want the food we eat to fit within our budgets. That is especially important when you are a smaller family.
You might think that it is much cheaper for two people to eat than it is for four. Simply not true. In fact in many cases it may even cost more, especially if you tend to buy smaller packages of things.
Typically smaller packages cost more than the larger sized versions of the same per ounce/gram. I am not sure why that is.
A good steward of the family budget needs to be able to make wise choices when it comes to the purchase of food. I have found that it is much more budget-savvy to buy the larger sizes, break them down and freeze the excess for a later date.
Being budget-savvy also means making the best use of what you have. Our fore-bearers knew exactly how to do that and dishes like Cottage Pie helped them to do just that.
As I said, you can use either cooked leftover roast in this or fresh hamburger. If you are using fresh minced beef you need to brown it. I find it is easiest to do this when you are sautéing the onions and other aromatics.
An aromatic is a vegetable used in cooking that develop deep and well rounded flavors to a dish when chopped or crushed and then heated and cooked. Aromatics most commonly used tend to be onions, carrots and celery.
Typically these are added at the beginning when you are cooking a dish. This helps them to add as much flavor and aroma as possible.
These are the things which bring others into the kitchen begging and answer to the question, "What's cooking?" These things typically set our tastebuds to tingling in overtime!
For this recipe I have minced leftover cooked roast beef and added it to onions, carrots, swede/rutabaga and celery. This is browned gently in butter, which adds much to the flavors.
Once browned a quantity of flour is added which will thicken the gravy. Make sure you cook it for a few minutes to cook out the flavor of the flour. This is a really important step to take as there is nothing worse than the flavor of raw flour in a sauce.
Once that is done a bit of beef stock is added along with some tomato paste, brown/HP sauce and herbs. You don't need to add the brown sauce, but I find it really adds a special something to the depth of flavor in this gravy.
You can add Worcestershire sauce in its place if that is all you have. It also works beautifully here.
I sometimes like to add a bit of creamed horseradish as well. Not a lot, only a dab. You want just the merest hint of it. Horseradish goes very well with beef.
Meat sauce made, it goes into the bottom of the dish and a layer of vegetables go on top. Typically I use frozen peas and I add them frozen, which not only helps to preserve the color of them somewhat, but also helps to keep them fresher tasting during the longer bake time.
You don't have to use peas. Some people use corn. Some people use both. Some people use a frozen mix of vegetables such as peas, corn, beans, etc. All work well.
The star of the show is the potato thatch which blankets the top of the dish. Creamy, fluffy and delicious, it seals in all the goodness of that rich and meaty base perfectly.
Our typical vision of the ideal English Cottage is one which is covered with a thatched roof of straw. That is why this covering of mashed potatoes is called the "thatch." I love the quaint reasoning behind these English recipes, along with their simplicity.
I like to score a pattern in the thatch which adds to the attractiveness I think. Its not really necessary. You can just pile it on and swirl it, or not. Just make sure it covers the filling all the way to the edges. Typically some of the juices will bubble up through anyways.
I cannot tell a lie, those rich corners where the juices of the gravy bubble through are my favorite bits. I love all of this comfort food casserole really. That rich and meaty filling, the crisp buttery potato thatch, those meaty juiced edges.
Its all pretty good if you ask me! Somehow, no matter what your day has handed you, even the worst day gets tangibly better when a Cottage Pie is on the menu! Today I served it with some coleslaw, but any salad will do, or even a simple slice of buttered brown bread. Enjoy!!
Cottage Pie for Two
Yield: 2
prep time: 15 Mincook time: 45 Mininactive time: 15 Mintotal time: 1 H & 15 M
Simple, delicious, and a family pleasing comfort food. Downsized for two people.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) leftover roast beef, roughly chopped, or browned ground beef
- 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 stick celery, trimmed and chopped
- 1/2 small carrot, peeled and grated
- a 2-inch cube of swede (rutabaga) peeled and grated
- 1/2 TBS tomato paste ( tomato puree)
- 1/2 TBS plain flour
- 1 tsp brown sauce (HP sauce)
- 3/4 cup (200ml) well flavoured beef stock
- 1/4 tsp summer savoury
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup (50g) frozen peas
For the potato thatch:
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- warm milk
- a knob of butter
- salt and pepper
- 1 TBS grated cheese (Parmesan or cheddar)
- melted butter to brush (optional
Instructions
- First make the potatoes for the thatch topping.
- Put the potatoes in a pot of lightly salted water and
- bring to the boil. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes until soft. Drain well
- and then return the potatoes to the pan. Shake the pan over the residual heat of the burner to dry them out a bit and then mash the potatoes well until smooth with some warm milk, and a knob of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the cheese. Set aside and keep warm.
- To make the filling, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the
- onion, celery, carrot and sweet. Cook, stirring frequently over medium low heat until softened and the onion is translucent. Stir in the flour. Slowly stir in the beef stock and bring to the boil.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the tomato puree, brown sauce, and summer savoury. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and then stir in the chopped beef.
- Pour this mixture into the bottom of a buttered 1/2 litre (3 cup) shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the frozen peas over top evenly.
- Spread the mashed potatoes on top tocover. Rough up the potato a bit with a fork. Brush with melted butter.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Bake the casserole in the heated oven for 45 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let stand 15 minutes prior to serving. Serve hot with your favourite sides.
notes:
If you are using ground beef brown it in the skillet along with the onion, carrot, celery and swede. Proceed with the remaining recipe as directed.
I sometimes like to add a bit of creamed horseradish to either the topping or the filling depending on how I feel.
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 am sharing a delicious amaretto cupcakes recipe with you today! Not only are they amaretto cupcakes, but they are lemon amaretto cupcakes, as well as being totally gluten free!
These
are fabulous little moist almond cakes, topped with an amaretto syrup drizzle while they are still warm. This syrup soaks into the warm cakes, which are then finished off with a lemon drizzle icing and a smattering of toasted flaked almonds.
It is not very often that I have baked a gluten free type of cake recipe which I am totally pleased with. These are an exception.
Normally when I bake gluten free things I end up feeling really happy that I am not gluten intolerant. I find most baked goods without flour have a wierd consistency and leave a feeling in my mouth that I don't really enjoy.
However, if I was gluten intolerant I know I would be most grateful for being able to eat baked goods of any kind! To top it all off, gluten free goodies are also incredibly expensive!
Its a shame really. Its like punishing someone for having a condition they can't help having. Its not like they made themselves gluten intolerate after all.
These cupcakes are beautiful despite being gluten free. They are moist and delicious with a lovely texture which I really enjoy. I adapted the recipe from one that I found in a cookbook by Hannah Miles, entitled The Gluten Free Baker.
For those of you not familiar with Hannah, she was the first runner-up in the British version of Master-Chef in 2007. She is a fabulous baker and has written many books on the subject.
Throughout the competition her cakes were outstanding, along with everything else. I love her vibrant style and have always enjoyed every recipe of hers that I have ever cooked, or baked for that matter.
Amaretto is a sweet almond flavoured liqueur. It comes from Saronno in Italy. It is created using apricot kernels, peach stones, bitter almonds or almonds, which are all natural sources of benzaldehyde. It is this which gives it its unique almond flavour.
I don't drink alcohol myself, but I am not adverse to using it in cooking. To that end I always keep an assortment of liqueurs in my larder. I just buy the small sample sized ones as I never need much more than a few tablespoons of it at a time.
If you don't have amaretto you can substitute 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of almond extract for every 2 TBS of amaretto that you need. As you are using it in a syrup I would also add water to make up the amount of amaretto needed.
You will still be able to heat it with the sugar to make a mixture suitable to use in the soaking of the cupcakes, and they will still be very delicious and moist with plenty of almond flavour.
Ground almonds are the same thing as almond meal or almond flour. They are all made from ground sweet almonds. Almond flour is usually made from ground blanched almonds, whereas ground almonds may use either blanched or whole almonds.
Almond flour with be much finer than ground almonds. Amond meal and ground almonds are pretty much the same, having the same consistency which is very similar to cornmeal. All are used to create delicious guten free baked goods to help replace some of the flour needed.
You will also need a small quantity of gluten free self raising flour for this recipe. You can use an equivalent amount of self raising flour in its place, but of course then the cupcakes will not be entirely gluten free.
It is very easy to make your own self raising flour. Simply add 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder along with 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of flour needed. Early on in the lockdown when flour was very scarce in the UK, I often had to make my own self raising flour.
The soaking syrup of amaretto makes these cupcakes incredibly moist and flavourfilled. The lemon drizzle icing helps to seal that flavour in, and of course the toasted flaked almonds help to decorate them beautifully as well as add additional almond flavour.
Altogether whether you bake these as gluten free or with flour, these are delicious little cupcakes. The recipe only makes six which makes them perfect for the smaller family. They do only keep a few days so you don't really want to be baking more than six anyways.
I have never frozen them so I cannot say for sure whether you can freeze them successfully or not! But really, they are so delicious you shouldn't have them around long enough to want or need to freeze them!
Lemon Amaretto Cupcakes
Yield: 6
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 25 Mininactive time: 20 Mintotal time: 55 Min
These fabulous cupcakes are incredibly moist and boast an amaretto syrup drizzle which soaks into the warm cakes with a lush finish of lemon drizzle icing and toasted almonds they spell winner. Gluten free as well.
Ingredients
For the cakes:
- 1/2 cup (120g) of butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (95g)of caster sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1/2 cup (60g) gluten free self raising flour (or 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose baking flour, plus 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/8 tsp xanthan gum)
- 1/2 cup (60g) ground almonds (almond meal)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) plain yogurt
- the finely grated zest of two lemons
For the amaretto drizzle:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) amaretto
- 1 TBS caster sugar
- the juice of one lemon
For the drizzle icing and finish:
- 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
- lemon juice to thin
- toasted flaked almonds to sprinkle top
Instructions
- Grease a six cup muffin tin and line with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Place the muffin tin on a tray.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Whisk together the flour and almonds. Fold this into the creamed mixture along with the yogurt and lemon zest. Divide the cake batter amongst the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cakes are firm to the touch and golden brown.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the amaretto drizzle until the sugar is dissolved. Spoon this over the hot cakes, a bit at a time, when they come out of the oven. It will be completely absorbed. Allow them to cool in the pan.
- Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper.
- Whisk together the icing sugar and enough lemon juice to make a spoonable drizzle icing. Spoon this over the top of each cake in an attractive manner and scatter with some flaked toasted almonds while the icing is still wet. Allow to set.
- These will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Just look at their beautiful texture. They don't look any different than a normal cupcake. Seriously.
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!
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