Banana loaf

For the boyf's birthday - today - I decided to do some baking. I usually make a chocolate cake but this year thought I'd try a couple of different recipes from the famed Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. I went for this banana cake as alternative birthday cake and some oat and raisin cookies (recipe to come).


It didn't exactly look like a birthday cake, until I added the candles, of course:

Ingredients:

270g soft light brown sugar

2 eggs

200g peeled bananas, mashed

280g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

140g unsalted butter, melted

a 23 x 13-cm loaf tin, greased and dusted with flour

Makes 8-10 slices

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170C (325F) Gas Mark 3.

2. Put the sugar and eggs in a free-standing electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a hand-held electric whisk) and beat until well incorporated.

3. Beat in the mashed bananas.

4. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger to the sugar mixture. Mix it thoroughly until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the egg mixture.

5. Pour in the melted butter and beat until all the ingredients are well mixed.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over with a palette knife.

7. Bake in the preheated over for about 1 hour, or until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

8. Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Eat and enjoy!

Hungry? How About Gingerbread Men?

I made some rather yummy gingerbread men last week. Dad bought me a lovely pink cutter from John Lewis when he came to visit so I thought I'd put it to good use with the recipe I found on the side of the demerara sugar packet (below).

Crunchy Gingerbread Men

Ingredients:

350g plain flour

1 tsp (5 ml) bicorbonate of soda

2 tsp ground ginger

100g butter, softened

175g demerara sugar

4 tsp (60 ml) golden syrup

1 egg

 

Method:

1. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a bowl

2. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs

3. Stir in sugar, then beat in the syrup and the egg

4. Kneed until smooth

5. Halve the mixture and roll out each half on a lightly floured surface to 5 mm thickness

6. Stamp out the figures or shapes; re-rolling the trimmings as necessary

7. Place well apart on greased baking sheets

8. Bake in the oven on 190C (Gas Mark 5) for about 12 minutes, cool slightly

9. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

10. Enjoy!!

White chocolate and raspberry muffins

I got this Nigella Lawson recipe from a friend. It is dead easy to make and the muffins are so yummy! I made them last night and decided to take photos every step of the way for you to witness the fun in making them!

Ingredients:

300g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

150g golden caster sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

225ml milk

50g butter

approx. 100g raspberries

approx. 110g white chocolate

(muffin cases)

 

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200/gas mark 6

2. Half the raspberries and chop chocolate into large chunks.

3. Sift flour and baking powder into large bowl.

4. Stir sugar into flour mixture.

5. Melt the butter (I find this easiest in microwave for approx. 30 seconds)

6. In separate bowl crack the egg, whisk in the vanilla extract, milk and melted butter.

7. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture.

8. Fold in raspberries and white chocolate (Using a metal spoon is best as this avoids most damage to raspberries.) Be careful not to be too rough, as raspberries will be easily damaged.

9. Cook for approx. 30 minute or until muffins are risen and firm.

10. Enjoy best warm, but careful for hot chocolate!!

I realise now that I did not take a photo of the finished product. I will add this later!

More soon. Love, SG

AFTER: when I became Delia!

This is the finished cake! How yummy does it look?! It smells pretty good too! Can't wait to taste it but unfortunately I'm still all full up from licking the bowl!

BEFORE: when I became Delia!

This is the cake I am baking this afternoon BEFORE it went in the oven. I now have to wait an hour until it is cooked to see if it is ok!

It's an Apple and Cinnamon Cake. My mum gave me the recipe and it is delicious, when it works! I haven't made one for ages as the last time I did it was a little too moist.

No one has food poisoning... yet!!

Well... we - me, the boyf and a few unsuspecting friends - have now sampled the delights of the cupcakes and we're all still here to tell the story! Phew!

For anyone who was wondering, the recipe is below.

Tia Maria cupcakes

14-16 cupcakes

Ingredients:
110g castor sugar
110g butter or margarine
110g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp organic cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp Tia Maria
1 tbsp milk

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas mark 5. Line a cupcake baking tray with paper lines.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well, then add the Tia Maria.
3. Sieve in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and mix well. Add the milk and mix.
4. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake tray, up to about 1/2 full. Place in the centre of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the baking tray and place on a wire rack to cool.

Part three in the story of the cupcakes!!

Here are the finished product! Just got to leave them in the fridge for the icing to set a bit and then for the tasting!

The end.

The cupcake story so far... (Pt 2)

These are the cupcakes straight out of the oven! I plan to ice them tomorrow night and will post another photo then. Don't know how they taste but the leftovers in the bowl certainly tasted good.

Tea time

There is nothing better - in my humble opinion - than the smell of cakes baking in the oven. It is a smell that takes me right back to my parents' house when I am about 9 or 10 and my mum was baking a birthday bake for me or my sister.

My first attempt at baking a cake was in my first year at university. It was an unmitigated disaster. Despite being in the oven for nearly two hours it never set! I have no idea what we did to it but something was not right.

In the last year however I have learnt to love baking. Cupcakes are a particular favourite of mine these days. I usually make vanilla or chocolate cupcakes with a lovely buttery icing on top. Tonight however I might attempt Tia Maria cupcakes from the rather lovely cupcake recipe book that my mum gave me for my birthday.

I'll keep you posted on how they turn out (and post a pic if they are any good!). Love, SG