Coconut cupcakes with strawberry jam hearts (GF)

Coconut cupcakes have been on my mind for ages now.

Originally I planned to make pina colada cupcakes with a pineapple curd filling, but the curd recipe didn’t turn out great so I put them on hold; then it was going to be coconut and Nutella, but I didn’t have any; then a white chocolate coconut ganache filling, but that didn’t work, so FINALLY I settled on simple coconut cupcakes with strawberry jam filling and coconut cream cheese icing!

I wanted to make these to take into work so they had to be wheat and gluten free, so I adapted the recipe for the cupcakes from this one at Cooking Classy, and subbed regular plain flour for gluten free.

The only other change I made was slightly altering the egg quantities, so I was really pleased when these baked with a nice, light but not dry texture, as I know sometimes GF flours can be a bit tricky to work with.

The cupcakes went down really well with everyone who tried one, and the cream cheese icing, adapted from a Dan Lepard recipe was a revelation – it’s the first one I’ve made that didn’t need half a box of icing sugar but was the perfect consistency, not at all runny!

Oh, and I almost forgot – I think I’m finally starting to get the hang of fancy piping techniques! Although the sprinkling of coconut on top can hide all manner of sins…

Coconut cupcakes with strawberry jam hearts (adapted from Cooking Classy)

Makes 16-18 cupcakes

• 50g desiccated coconut
• 210g gf plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 170g butter
• 270g caster sugar
• 3 whole eggs, one egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 185ml coconut milk

For filling and icing

• 2 tbsp strawberry jam
• 200g butter
• 200g icing cugar
• 400g cream cheese
• 50g desiccated coconut, plus extra for decoration

Start by grinding the desiccated coconut in a food processor to get it as fine as you can. Add it to the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs a little at a time, followed by the vanilla. Fold in 1/3 of the flour/coconut mix, then 1/3 of the coconut milk, then repeat, folding in alternately until all the ingredients have been used.

Line a cupcake tin with cases and spoon the mixture into them, about 2/3 full. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes or until risen, golden and a skewer comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

To fill with the jam, I use an apple corer which cuts really need holes in the cakes (dodgy picture below as it was getting dark) – you could use a knife to cut holes if you want though. Heat the jam a little to make it easier to pour, then add a little into the hole of each cupcake and place the tops back on.

For the icing, beat the butter to soften, then add in the icing sugar and half the cream cheese. Using an electric mixer, beat until no lumps remain and it looks light and creamy. Add the remaining cream cheese and coconut, beat quickly until just combined, then leave in the fridge for half an hour to firm up a bit before piping or spooning on to the cupcakes. Sprinkle a little more coconut on top and you’re done!

Chocolate, pear and almond crostata

This weekend, my next door neighbour had an Italian-themed dinner party for her birthday.

When I say dinner, what I actually mean is feast – I don’t think I’ve ever seen such food, or had a meal that went on for so long! There was olives, breadsticks, dips and salad, followed by a selection of breads, then two types of amazing pasta with courgettes, tomatoes and more salad and bread, then an amazing tiramisu, raspberries and strawberries, and finally a huge cheeseboard with crackers, apples and grapes – just reading back through the list makes me feel full again!

Everyone was asked to bring something, and I obviously volunteered a dessert to go with the tiramisu.

I scoured some Italian cookbooks at the library for an authentic recipe, and settles on a ‘crostata di pere a cioccolato’ from Italy – Sea to Sky by Ursula Ferrigno (which is a really gorgeous book for both savoury and sweet recipes).

It looked and sounded absolutely beautiful as it was, but it included a layer of marmalade in the bottom, which as my neighbour is allergic to oranges I decided to swap for a layer of almond paste, as I thought chocolate-pear-almond would be a good combination.

The resulting tart was exactly how I wanted it to be – rich enough that you only need a small slice, crisp pastry, subtle almond, super chocolatey, and a nice fruity contrast from the pears. It also smelt amazing when it came out of the oven, and it seemed to go down well with the other guests which is always a good sign!

I’m entering this to the May We Should Cocoa challenge, which this month was set by Laura of How To Cook Good Food, who chose almonds – a classic, delicious partner for chocolate.

Chocolate, pear and almond crostata (recipe adapted from Italy – Sea to Sky by Ursula Ferrigno)

Serves 12

For the pastry

• 55g butter
• 115g plain flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 55g caster sugar
• 1 large egg

For the filling

• 4 small pears, peeled, cored and quartered
• 3/4 cup almond paste (I used a recipe from Technicolor Kitchen)
• 115g dark chocolate
• 55g butter
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 115g caster sugar

To make the pastry, rub together the butter and flour with your fingers until the mixture forms a breadcrumb texture. Sift in the cocoa and sugar, mix in, then add the egg a little at a time until the mixture binds together and can be kneaded into a dough. Wrap the ball of dough in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Grease and flour a 10″ fluted flan tin, then roll out the dough thinly and use to line the tin. Press down into the sides, then use a rolling pin to roll over the top to evenly trim the sides of the pastry. Put back in the fridge while you prepare the almond paste, pears and filling.

Spread a thin layer of almond paste all over the base, taking care to not to rip the pastry. Arrange the quartered pears on top in a ring.

To make the filling, melt the chocolate and butter together over a low heat and set aside. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then in a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks, then fold in the eggs whites – add a third of the whites first to loosen the mix, then fold in the rest.

Spread over the pears and the tart base, then bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes, until firm to the touch. Leave for 10 minutes to cool before removing from the tin, dust with a little icing sugar, then either serve hot or leave to cool completely and serve at room temperature.

Lemon drizzle loaf

Sometimes, the simplest things are the best.

Don’t get me wrong, I love experimenting with flavour combinations, icing, cake decorations and way over the top creations, but sometimes simple can be just as delicious.

A perfect example is the classic lemon drizzle loaf.

When I decided I wanted to make one, I looked around a while for a recipe, but then realised that the beauty of a lemon drizzle is in it’s simplicity, and a fancy recipe really wasn’t necessary.

 

I went for a basic egg weight sponge, with plenty of zesty lemon, with lemon juice and sugar for the drizzle – couldn’t be easier!

The texture of the loaf was exactly what I wanted, and the drizzle a nice crisp contrast, which as the pony put it “tastes like pancakes” and the cake off beautifully.

I will definitely be making this again – simple, summery, delicious!

Lemon drizzle loaf

Cuts into about 10 slices

• 3 large eggs
• 190g caster sugar
• 190g butter
• 190g self raising flour
• zest of 2 lemons, juice of 1

For the drizzle

• juice of 1 lemon
• 100g caster sugar

Start by cracking the eggs into a jug and weighing them – the weight of the eggs dictates the weight of all the other ingredients. Mine came to 190g, which is why all the other ingredients are 190g.

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then gradually add in the eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice. It’s ok if it looks like it might curdle, just sift in the flour and fold to combine and it will be fine. Pour the mix into a 2lb loaf tin, lined with baking paper, and bake at 180 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

While the cake is cooking, mix together the lemon juice and sugar for the drizzle. As soon as the cake is out of the oven, poke all over with a skewer then pour the drizzle on top. Leave to cool completely, then turn out of the tin and cut into slices to serve.

Cocoa-only brownies

I wasn’t planning on making brownies last weekend.

If I had been, I probably would have made one of the many recipes I have bookmarked with all kinds of exciting additions – coffee, peanut butter, cream cheese, mint, raspberries – the list goes on.

But as it happened, I decided that I needed brownies to make the battlements for my Rapunzel Castle, and laziness dictated that I would make them with ingredients I already had.

Without any chocolate on hand, I adapted the recipe I used for cinnamon blondies, which produced a nice fudgy result without any melted chocolate.

The results, without wanting to brag, were pretty much awesome.

The brownies were lovely and fudgy, with a crisp top, exactly how I like them. They were ever so slightly on the thin side, but perfect for the castle, and the extras went down very well with the pony.

I don’t know how soon I’ll make them again, as I do have such a huge list of brownie recipes to work through, but it’s defintely a useful recipe to have for no-chocolate emergencies!

Cocoa-only brownies

Makes 16 squares

• 115g butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 50g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 120g plain flour

Put the butter, sugar and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl and microwave in short bursts, stirring until all the butter has melted. Beat in the vanilla and egg – the mixture should be nice and glossy. Finally, stir in the flour, then spread into a greased and lined 8×8″ square tin. Bake at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until crisp on top but not overcooked. Leave to cool, then cut into squares and serve.

Rapunzel castle cake & Cornwall Clandestine Cake Club

Last night, I attended my second Cornwall Clandestine Cake Club.

For those of you unfamiliar with Clandestine Cake Clubs, they are essential monthly gatherings where everyone bakes a cake, takes a cake and eats lots, and lots of cake.

The theme this month was ‘A Fairy Tale’, and the venue was perfect – a yurt in the middle of the forest! There were some fabulous cakes there, and between the pony and I we managed 12 slices on the night and brought another 5 home with us. Never let it be said that we can’t handle our cake!

This Rapunzel castle cake was a bit of a mission, and took 2 days to bake and assemble, but it was a labour of love and I think it was worth it!

If anyone wants the specific recipes I used to make this just give me a shout, but here’s the basic rundown:

Two layers of chocolate fudge cake, sandwiched with chocolate raspberry ganache and frosted with milk chocolate fudge icing.

Black fondant icing for the door and window slits, and chocolate shortbread for the bricks and roof.

Squares of brownie to make the battlements…

… covered in more icing and biscuits.

A tower of chocolate cake baked in a baked bean tin, covered in yet more icing and biscuit bricks.

And finally, a Rapunzel on top, in all her golden-haired glory.

(Yes, my fondant people need a little work!)

Hopefully everyone who tried a slice liked it – I certainly liked all the cakes I tried! In fact I may have to help myself to another slice of the pumpkin cake right now…

Here are some of the other fairy tale delights we had last night – big thanks to Ellie for organising and the Woods Cafe for hosting!

Fairy Godmother chocolate and rose cake from Choclette – brilliant to finally meet in person and a delicious cake with the perfect amount of rosewater!

Snow White’s Poison Apple Cake – definitely not poisonous but very tasty!

‘Cabin in the woods’ chocolate and cherry cake – the pony’s favourite

Cinderella’s Pumpkin cake – with crocodiles on top?!

Porridge and Honey Cake – was a bit sad the bear wasn’t a cake too!

Red Riding Hood’s Red Velvet Cake

Black forest gateau cake

Chocolate truffle pie

As soon as I showed the pony a picture of this chocolate truffle pie on Handle the Heat, he was pretty adamant that it had to be the next thing I baked.

With a chocolate digestive base, chocolate ganache layer, chocolate mousse layer and whipped cream on top, I could kind of see where he was coming from…

It took a while to make, but only because of all the chilling stages, each individual part was really simple and the only thing that actually needs baking is the base.

Aside from about 1/10 of the pie which I ate, the pony polished the rest off in 4 days, and since he finished it hasn’t stopped going on about how much he misses it and wants it again, so I think it’s safe to say it’s every bit as good as it looks!

Chocolate truffle pie (recipe adapted from Handle the Heat)

Serves 10 people or one friendly pony

Biscuit layer

• 250g chocolate digestives
• 50g melted butter
• 1tbsp sugar

Ganache layer

• 170g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2/3 cup double cream (165ml)

Mousse layer

• 170g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups double cream (375ml)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream layer

• 1 cup (250ml) double cream
• 50g icing sugar
• chocolate shavings to decorate

Start by greasing a 9″ high sided tin (I use an oil spray for this). Blitz the biscuits and sugar in a food processor until there are no big lumps left, then gradually add in the melted butter while the mixer is running – you might need a bit more or a bit less, but it should look like wet sand when it’s ready. Press the crumbs down into the base and up the sides of the tin, then bake at 190 degrees for 8 minutes, or until crisp and a little browner.

For the ganache, heat the cream until almost boiling, then pour over the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate has melted, then pour over the base, spreading to the sides, and chill in the freezer for half an hour while you make the mousse.

Heat 1/2 cup of the cream (125ml) for the mousse in a bowl with the vanilla and chocolate, stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool to room temperature (don’t try and speed this up in the fridge as it will quickly set too much). Whip the remaining cup (250ml) cream until vey soft peaks form, then fold in the cooled chocolate mixture. It might look like it’s not combining, but it will.

Spread over the ganache layer, then leave in the fridge overnight to set. To finish the pie, whip the cream and icing sugar until it can just hold it’s shape, then spread on top and sprinkle with chocolate shavings or whatever you fancy. Cut into thin slices – it’s quite rich! – and serve.

 

Peshwari naans

Slightly fed up with the never ending stream of sweet treats that I really shouldn’t eat sitting around in the kitchen to tempt me, this weekend I decided to do some savoury baking (as well as a chocolate truffle pie for the pony which I’ll blog about soon!)

A little while ago, I attempted some curried naans for my first ever Random Recipes challenge. They turned out ok, but I wasn’t too impressed with the frying method, so this time I decided to try a baked recipe.

The basic naan dough is really simple, and you could add in whatever flavours you want – if I go to an Indian restaurant I usually order a peshwari naan which is what inspired the flavours in this.

I would definitely make these again, although possibly with apple sauce added to the filling for a bit of extra moistness and sweetness- I’ve seen it in a couple of recipes and thought it sounded quite interesting, so if anyone has tried it and can let me know if it works that would be great!

Peshwari naans (adapted from Curry Focus)

Makes 3

• 2 tbsp warm water
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp dried yeast
• 250g plain white flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 75ml warm water
• 3 tbsp ground almonds
• 3 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 3 tbsp sultanas

Note – you need to start this in the morning to be ready for dinner!

Dissolve the sugar in the 2tbsp warm water, then sprinkle the yeast on top and leave for 20 minutes. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture, yoghurt and water. Bring the mixture together using your hands, then turn out onto a lightly oiled surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, or until soft and pliable. Put the ball of dough back in the bowl, cover with lightly oiled clingfilm and leave for 6 hours to rise.

After 6 hours, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a few times to knock the air out. Divide into three pieces, then roll each out into a square-ish sort of shape. Sprinkle one tbsp of almonds, coconut and sultanas in the middle of each.

Fold in the corners of each piece of dough to cover the filling and pinch together the edges. Turn over, and roll out again, into a roughly tear-drop shaped flat bread. Prick with a fork then place on a baking tray.

Bake at your oven’s hottest temperature for about 10 minutes, turning half-way through, then finish off under a hot grill to brown each side. Serve with an Indian dish of your choice – we had them with a vegetable biryani and it was delicious!

Carrot cake (GF)

Carrot cake has been on my to-bake list for quite a long time, but I think what’s put me off making it until now is the absolutely insane amount of recipes and variations there  are for it – how on earth are you meant to know what’s right?!

Eventually, I decided I couldn’t put it off any longer, and picked this recipe to base mine on.

I left out the nuts as the pony isn’t really a fan, used gluten free flour and a little extra liquid, baked it in two tins as I didn’t have one with high enough sides to fit it all in and used a different icing (so as per usual, not doing a brilliant job of following the recipe…)

I’m still not really sure what a definitive carrot cake should be, but this one was pretty damn delicious, and I think of all the cakes I’ve taken in to work this one disappeared the fastest!

I wouldn’t hesitate to make it again – maybe with walnuts of pecans if I can sneak them past the pony, and maybe a plain cream cheese icing so my orange-alergic next door neighbour can try a slice too…

For any other carrot cake virgins out there, trust me – this recipe is the place to start!

Carrot cake with orange cream cheese icing (recipe adapted from Breakfast By The Sea)

• 300g sugar
• 300ml sunflower oil
• 3 eggs
• 1tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g carrots, finely grated
• 300g plain flour (GF or normal)
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1tsp baking powder (check to make sure it’s GF)
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg,
• pinch of salt
• handful of sultanas (I didn’t bother weighing)

For the icing:

• 100g butter
• 200g cream cheese
• 350g icing sugar
• zest of an orange

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, milk and vanilla until well mixed and no lumps remain, then mix in the grated carrots. Sift in all the remaining dry ingredients, and fold in with the sultanas until there are no more streaks of flour. Pour into 2 greased and lined 8″ cake tins (it will be very liquid, that’s ok) and bake at 170 degrees for about an hour, or until risen, browned, and pulling away from the sides.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Beat the butter to soften, then add in half the cream cheese, orange zest and the icing sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until no lumps remain, which will take a few minutes. Finally, quickly beat in the rest of the cream cheese, then leave in the fridge to chill. Note – this made way too much icing, so in future I’d probably make 2/3 this amount.

Level the cakes if necessary, then spread half the icing on top of one layer of the cake. Top with the second cake, the spread the rest of the icing on top. Cut into slices and serve!

Cinnamon blondies

If I were American, I’d probably call these ‘snickerdoodle blondies’. Because if I were American, I probably wouldn’t have got to the age of 24 without having ever eaten, seen or been near a snickerdoodle cookie – as it is, I thought it would feel a bit fraudulent making blondies in their name, which is why these are simply cinnamon blondies.

They were super easy to make and turned out really well. Although they look a bit cakey in the photos, they had just the right amount of fudgyness to definitely be a proper blondie rather than just a cake bar.

In fact, I may make this my go-to blondie recipe, as the cinnamon sugar topping could easily be left off and any number of add-ins thrown in.

The thing I like most about them is that they aren’t dripping in buttery grease, which is what put me off blondies for about a year after my first disastrous attempt!

Now all I need to do is actually go make a snickerdoodle cookie!

Cinnamon blondies (recipe adapted from Baking Bites)

Makes 16 small squares

• 115g butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 120g plain flour
• 100g white chocolate, chopped
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1tsp cinnamon

Beat the butter and sugar together until well creamed. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat again, then fold in the flour and white chocolate chips. Spread the mixture into a greased and lined 8×8″ square baking tin, then mix together the remaining caster sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly on top. Bake at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool then cut into squares and serve.

Banana toffee pudding

When I found myself with three over-ripe bananas last weekend, I wanted to do something a bit different to the usual banana breads or cakes; so I decided to attempt a banana version of sticky toffee pudding.

There was quite a lot of guesswork in making up the recipe, but I essentially swapped the dates in a sticky toffee pudding recipe given to me ages ago by a colleague with caramelised bananas – and it turned out great!

The cake itself would actually work really well as a plain banana cake as it had a nice amount of sweetness and quite a light texture, so I may well follow the same recipe next time I want to make a banana loaf.

The addition of the toffee sauce is what really makes this pudding an indulgence though – although be warned it is extremely rich, and I actually couldn’t finish a whole piece in one go.

Next time you find yourself with bananas to spare on a rainy weekend, I would definitely recommend trying this!

One more close up of the delicious sticky toffee sauce…

Banana toffee pudding

Makes 9 large portions

• 3 over-ripe bananas, sliced
• 85g butter
• 170g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 170g self raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2tbsp natural yoghurt
• 60g light brown sugar
• 60g dark brown sugar
• 115g butter
• 140ml double cream

To caramelise the bananas, heat 10g of the caster sugar with 1tbsp water in a large frying pan. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil without stirring and simmer until it turns golden. Quickly stir in 5g of the butter, then add the bananas. Cook until the bananas start to break down into a puree then remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the remaining 80g butter and 160g caster sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Add the bananas and yoghurt and mix well. Finally, sift in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and fold in to the mixture. Pour into an 8×8″ square pan, greased and lined, then bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

To make the sauce, put both brown sugars, the 115g butter and the cream into a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has all dissolved. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened a little, then remove from the heat. Serve the cake warm with hot sauce poured on top, with extra cream, ice cream or custard. Delicious!