Recipe Index
Carrot Cake
Chocolate Cake
Apple Cake
Wholegrain Mustard with Beer
Mixed Fruit Jam
Spiced Apple Chutney
French Apple Cobbler
Pears in Brandy Syrup
Anzac Biscuits
Pesto
Peanut Cookies - to follow
Chilli Jam - to follow
Apple Cake
Wholegrain Mustard with Beer
Mixed Fruit Jam
Spiced Apple Chutney
French Apple Cobbler
Pears in Brandy Syrup
Anzac Biscuits
Pesto
Peanut Cookies - to follow
Chilli Jam - to follow
Carrot Cake
The cake recipe can be found here;- Aunt Mary's Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Serves: 12
- 275g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 4 eggs
- 400g caster sugar
- 350ml vegetable oil
- 375g grated carrots
- 125g chopped walnuts (optional)
- 200g sultanas (optional)
Preparation method
Prep:30 mins | Cook:45 mins
- Preheat the oven to 160 C / gas 3. Lightly grease and flour a 20cm cake tin.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- In a large mixing bowl cream together eggs and sugar. Add oil.
- Slowly add dry ingredients and blend together well. Add carrots, walnuts and sultanas.
- Pour into cake tin and bake for 35-45 minutes. Check after the first 35 minutes, to see if a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If not, continue to cook, checking every 5 minutes. (I find this will take at least 1 hour to cook)
- Top with a cream cheese icing and enjoy
Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients for the topping
- 200g (7oz) cream cheese
- 56g (2oz) softened unsalted butter
- 56g (2oz) sifted icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
For the topping, mix cream cheese, softened unsalted butter, sifted icing sugar and vanilla essence, until smooth. Allow the cake to cool and then add the topping. This cake will keep for a few days in an airtight container. That is, if you can resist it that long!
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake
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| With icing flowers. My Girl's birthday cake |
It's a Nigella recipe - check out the link, Old fashioned chocolate cake I like the way she writes and describes things. My Milly seems to just like Nigella!
I have simplified the instructions a bit - a little more me and a little less Nigella!
Ingredients
- 200g plain flour
- 200g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 40g best-quality cocoa
- 175g soft unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
- 150ml sour cream
- 75g unsalted butter
- 175g best quality dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
- 300g icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
- 125ml sour cream
- 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
- Sugar flowers, optional
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C and line and butter two 20cm sandwich tins with removable bases.
- Put put all the cake ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarb, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream - into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter. Or just mix the flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter until you have a combined and creamy mixture. Now whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture.
- Divide this batter, into the prepared tins and bake until a cake tester, or a thin skewer, comes out clean, which should be about 35 minutes. Also, it might make sense to switch the two cakes around in the oven halfway through cooking time.
- Remove the cakes, in their tins, to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out of their tins. Don't worry about any cracks as they will easily be covered by the icing later.
- To make this icing, melt the butter and chocolate in a good-sized bowl either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. Go slowly either way: you don't want any burning or seizing.
- While the chocolate and butter are cooling, sieve the icing sugar into another bowl. Or, put the icing sugar into the food processor and blitz.
- Add the golden syrup to the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla and combine. whisk in the sieved icing sugar. Or just pour this mixture down the funnel of the food processor on to the icing sugar, with the motor running.
- Adjust the consistancy with either icing sugar or boiling water. It should be liquid enough to coat easily, but thick enough not to drip off.
- On your cake stand cut out four strips of baking parchment to form a square outline on it (this stops the icing running on to the plate). Then sit one of the cakes, uppermost (ie slightly domed) side down.
- Spoon about a third of the icing on to the centre of the cake half and spread with a knife or spatula until you cover the top of it evenly. Sit the other cake on top, normal way up, pressing gently to sandwich the two together.
- Spoon another third of the icing on to the top of the cake and spread it in a swirly, textured way (though you can go for a smooth finish if you prefer, and have the patience). Spread the sides of the cake with the remaining icing and leave a few minutes till set, then carefully pull away the paper strips.
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| With White chocolate curls - Mr Bro's Birthday cake |
Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 225g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 450g Bramley apples
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 225g caster sugar, plus extra for dredging
- 3 large eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 25g ground almonds
- 1 tbsp demerara sugar
Method
- 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Grease a deep 23-24cm springform cake tin and line with baking paper. Peel, core and cut the apples into 1cm pieces, and toss with the lemon juice.
- 2. Using an electric hand whisk, cream together the butter, caster sugar and lemon zest in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, adding a little flour with each addition to keep the mixture smooth.
- 3. Sift the remaining flour and the baking powder into the bowl and fold in with the ground almonds. Drain the apple pieces well, then stir into the mixture.
- 4. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, lightly level the top and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until well-risen, brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If the cake starts to look a little too brown, cover with a sheet of baking paper after about 45 minutes.
- 5. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the tin and place on a serving plate. Dredge heavily with the extra caster sugar.
Wholegrain Mustard with Beer
The recipe is taken from the Jam Jar Shop http://www.jamjarshop.com/makingjam/pdf/howtomake_wholegrainmustard.pdf
1 teacup yellow mustard seeds
1 teacup black mustard seeds
6 fl oz cider vinegar
500ml any beer
1 tablespoon sea salt
6 tablespoons runny honey
1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg Method
Sterilise jars in the oven prior to bottling.
- Combine the two types of mustard seeds in the large bowl, stirring thoroughly to mix
- Next, pour in your beer of choice ( Ifind it best to add a little at a time, wait for it to soak in before adding more - it's easier to manage the consistancy)
- Cover the bowl with a plate and leave to soak overnight. The mustard seeds will have swollen having soaked up most of the beer ,which will make them a bit softer.
- Firstly, add the salt to the seeds in the bowl. Followed by the cider vinegar ( use white wine vinegar if you can’t find cider vinegar ). Then add the honey
And lastly add the finely grated fresh nutmeg. Please, please try to get whole nutmeg and grate it as you need it - there is no comparison with the ready grated kind. Give the mixture a good stir to combine all of the ingredients and then ‘whizz’ in the processor to your desired consistency. If the mixture seems a bit thick, add a little more vinegar.
Remove the jars from the oven and carefully fill with the mustard right to the top of the jar. Use a teaspoon or dinner knife to remove any air bubbles that get trapped before sealing tightly.
Mixed Fruit Jam
This is the recipe I like. Mixed Fruit Jam
Ingredients:
- 1 lb (500 g) desert apples
- 1 lb 8 oz (750 g) conference pears
- 8 oz (250 g) red or yellow plums
- 8 fl oz (250 ml) cold water
- 2 lb 8 oz (1.25 kg) granulated sugar
Method:
- Peel and core the apples. Place the peel and cores on a square of muslin and tie loosely (this helps to release extra pectin).
- Cut the flesh into small pieces. Peel, core and dice the pears. De-stone and quarter the plums. Put all the fruit, the muslin bag (or pop sock!) and the water into a pan. Trust me the pop sock works - Barely Black did look a bit odd in with the fruit!
- Cook gently for approx 20 minutes until the fruit is soft.
- Remove the muslin bag and squeeze out all the liquid. Add the sugar, stir until dissolved and then boil rapidly, stirring occasionally until setting point is reached.
- Cool slightly, then stir and put into hot sterilized jars and cover.
Spiced Apple Chutney
The recipe can be found here BBC food
Ingredients
Preparation method
- Put all the ingredients into a preserving pan. Slowly bring to the boil until the sugar has dissolved.
- Simmer for 1½-2 hours, stirring from time to time to stop the chutney sticking to the pan.
- When it is very thick and you can draw a wooden spoon across the base of the pan so that it leaves a channel behind it that does not immediately fill with liquid, the chutney is ready.
- Turn into sterilised jars, seal and cool.
- Store in a cool, dark cupboard for two to three months before eating.
- French Apple Cobbler
Oops! Forgot to take a picture!!
The recipe came from here French Apple Cobbler it is in American Cup measurements.
Ingrediants
Apple Filling:
- 5 cups tart apples, peeled, sliced
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
Topping:
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten
Preparation:
In a medium bowl, combine apples, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, vanilla and water. Turn into a lightly buttered 9-inch square pan. Dot apples with 1 tablespoon butter.
Combine all topping ingredients. Beat with wooden spoon until batter is smooth. Drop batter in 9 portions, over the apples, spacing evenly. Batter will spread during baking.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 375° 190o or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
I used less sugar than the recipe - just 1/2 cup in the filling and just under 1/2 cup for the topping as Mr Milly doesn't like desserts which are too sweet - this adjustment was just right
Pears in Brandy Syrup
From my very favourite Blog - I read this one every single day! http://ournewlifeinthecountry.blogspot.com/
Simply poach pears in a medium sugar solution until they are soft, and then pop into sterilised jars with a bit of the cooking liquid, then top up the jars with Brandy. Seal and leave in a dark cupboard for as long as you can bear for the flavour of the Brandy to seep into the pears. Once opened (if you don't eat them all at once) store in the fridge.
It makes a wonderful simple pudding for a dinner party with a scoop of good ice cream and a sprig of mint for decoration, or a decadent everyday pudding
Anzac Biscuits
These biscuits are very similar to Hobnobs - easy peasy to make anzac-biscuits
Ingredients
- Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put the oats, coconut, flour and sugar in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the golden syrup. Add the bicarbonate of soda to 2 tbsp boiling water, then stir into the golden syrup and butter mixture.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the butter and golden syrup mixture. Stir gently to incorporate the dry ingredients.
- Put dessertspoonfuls of the mixture on to buttered baking sheets, about 2.5cm/1in apart to allow room for spreading. Bake in batches for 8-10 mins until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Pesto
Ingredients
- 50g/2oz basil
- 85ml/3fl oz olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cashew nuts can be used instead of the pine nuts. Mr Milly can't eat pine nuts so cashew nuts are our choice.
Put all ingrediants in a food processor and blitz until smoothish. The pesto can be frozen in an ice cube tray and once frozen pop out of the tray and into a bag/tub to be kept in the freezer until required.
