Cardamom and Rose Kheer with Roasted Rhubarb

So I have signed up to be part of a set of folk who will be selling sweet treats at a dessert market next weekend. I decided to test out a recipe today. Needing something that was easy to portion, tasted good hot or cold, and wanting to stick to an Indian theme, I opted for Kheer (plus, here in Berlin people seem to love a bit of milchreis a.k.a rice pudding). Cardamom and rose seemed like an excellent paring, and I thought a little rhubarb at the bottom would balance out the sweetness of the rice. Sprinkle on some crushed pistachios and you're on to a winner!

This will make 4 decent sized portions

this is only three, though

Ingredients:

1 tsp oil
8-10 cardamom pods, seeds out and ground
50g short grain round rice (risotto type)
750 ml milk
30g sugar
30 ml pouring cream
2 tsp rose water
pistachios, crushed, to decorate 

2 sticks of rhubarb
a sprinkling of sugar

Method:

-take a large pan and pour in the oil. Add the cardamom and fry until fragrant then add in the rice and stir to coat in the oil
-pour in the milk and stir. Add in the sugar - half first then more after tasting. Stir and cook on a low heat until you can't feel the sugar scraping along any more then whack up the heat 
-once the milk has begun to boil, turn it down and gently simmer for 40-50 minutes, stirring every 5, and watching more closely at the end. By this point the milk should have all buy been absorbed and it should be thick and creamy
-stir in the cream and carry on cooking
-meanwhile preheat the oven to gas mark 6, wash and chop the rhubarb in to 4-5cm long pieces and place in an oven proof dish. Sprinkle with a little sugar, cover in foil and roast for 15 minutes
- add the rose water to the kheer, stir and remove from the heat.
- mix the cooked rhubarb together to mingle the colours and spoon in to 4 glasses/bowls. Top this with the kheer and then adorn with lovely crushed pistachios. 
 to be enjoyed hot, warm or cold! 
NB: if having cold, assemble but wait to add the nuts until ready to eat

Oaty Waffles

A change from porridge!

Hello, hello! It has been a very long time since I've actually posted any thing on here. I didn't realise how long until just now. I went on holiday to Japan to visit a friend back in March, hence no posts, and since then I've been baking old recipes. 

So today, a new post! I generally eat porridge for breakfast every day. Today I wanted a little change. So I wondered if porridge could be turned in to waffles...IT CAN! Just blend up the oats and use instead of flour. Bada-bing. This recipe serves two people, making 3 wee ones or 2 larger ones each.

Ingredients:

100g oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon
100 ml skimmed milk
1 medium egg
1 tsp (low fat - what I had) butter
few drops vanilla extract

to serve
2 bananas
low fat natural yogurt
cinnamon

Method:

- plug in your waffle iron and set to medium-hot
- using a hand blender, whizz up the oats to a fine powder. Add in all the dry ingredients and mix together.
- melt the butter in a measuring jug in the microwave. Add in the milk, egg and vanilla and whisk. Pour this on to the oaty stuff.
- whisk together
- spoon a 1/6 (for small sized) of the batter on to the iron, close the lid and cook!
- repeat and serve with banana, some yogurt and a little more cinnamon!

Just as good for you as a bowl of porridge - but stacked. Bernard Black would be proud.

Bakewell Tart

So! This Friday a friend and I spent a long time in the kitchen. The oven was on for 14 hours. We had a stall at a Market over here and I made lots of sweet things, she made all the savoury stuff. It was a really great experience - we got to learn a lot about having a stall and what sorts of things we need to prepare and take along with us. Logistics and that. We even got business cards printed up! 'Crumbs in Berlin' - so it sort of matches what I have here. Del made quiches and tasty roasted veg topped bread, and I made brownies, gingerbread, carrot cake, cupcakes (vanilla, chai and ganache topped orange drizzle), scones, a delicious honey and orange blossom cake and some bakewell tarts. It went really well and hopefully we can do some more!
Here's the recipe for the bakewell. No real pictures, but I can always make it again!

Ingredients:
for the pastry
125g plain flour
75g cold butter, diced
20g vanilla sugar
1 egg yolk
some iced water

for the almond filling
raspberry jam
150g butter, sofened
150g sugar
150g ground almonds
3 eggs, beaten
the zest of one lemon
1/2 tsp almond extract
icing sugar
sugar nibs

Method:
- make the pastry. Rub the butter in to the flour. When it resembles breadcrumbs, stir in the sugar then tip in the egg yolk and a tablespoon of water. Mix together with a round ended knife and add more water as needed until a dryish dough is formed. Bring together in to a ball. Knead briefly then wrap up and rest in the fridge for half an hour. 
- preheat the oven to gas 4. Roll out the dough and lay it in a tart tin. Cover with baking paper and fill with baking beans/rice and bake for 12 mins. Take out, remove the insides and bake again for 5.
-whilst that's in the oven, make the delicious filling. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs gradually and then fold in the almopnds, zest and extract. 
-spread a good layer of jam on to the pastry and then spoon the mix on top, spreading evenly. Bake for around 20 minutes until slightly risen and golden.
Make a simple water icing and drizzle on the top, then sprinkle with sugar nibs for extra crunch!

Mini Bakewell tarts!

Buttermilk Waffles

AND they're heart shaped. So work well for heart day! <3

Yesterday was Shrove Tuesday. My flatmate and I were both busy with various bits and pieces, and as we both had a lazy lie in the next day, we opted in stead for Waffle Wednesday!
It was nice: Tea, TV, waffles, What more could you want?
I was equally excited to get the waffle iron out and do some practice runs for the food market we are both selling at in a few weekend's time, and that I could again whip out my German waffle and pancake book, attempt some translation and hope for the best.
Of course I didn't have all the relevant ingredients for any of the recipes, so I just sort of mixed and matched and did what I thought would be tasty.
By the way, this made enough to feed two hungry (and greedy) girls.

Ingredients:
105g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
40g ground almonds
200ml buttermilk
15g butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, separated
sugar nibs/icing sugar to dust
strawberries/sliced banana
honey and yogurt

Method:
-first thing's first - stick the waffle iron on and get yourself a couple of bowls ready
- in a large bowl stir together all the dry ingredients.
- in another bowl, mix together the butter, buttermilk and egg yolk. Whisk together to combine.
-in yet another bowl, whisk up the egg white until nice and fluffy and a bit stiff. Mix the milky-buttery stuff in to the floury bowl and whisk. Then fold in the egg white.
-spoon 1/4 of the mixture in to the waffle iron, close the lid and cook on high for about 4 minutes until brown and cooked through. Slice up/layer with fruit, dollop on the yogurt and drizzle with honey. A dusting of sugar wouldn't go amiss either.

Honey, Lime and Ginger Cheesecake

Not the prettiest, but it was darn tasty!

I have recently joined up with a cooking community called Kitchen Surfing! It looks like it could be a lot of fun. Basically it means that if someone likes the look of the food I make (mostly curries) and the cakes I bake, then they could hire me to come and cook in their home! Fun! There also seems to be market selling opportunities too. In any case, this links in to this post as I had to cook some dishes to take to an interview/tasting to see what sort of things I make. This cheesecake was one of them. 

I love cheesecake and usually stick to my chai baked one, but this time wanted to have the flavours reflect the wintery months. Honey, lime and ginger was the winning combination as this is what you need when you start to feel a bit poorly - and they are a tasty trio.
Topped with honey and fresh ginger syrup for extra oomph.

Ingredients:
325g butter keks smashed to within an inch of their lives
30g oats
150g butter, melted
2 1/2 tblsp ground ginger

500g cream cheese(room temp)
100g sugar
100g honey
4 eggs (room temp)
250ml cream(room temp)
zest of 2 limes and the juice of one
1tsp vanilla extract
2 tblsp plain flour

thumb sized piece of ginger
2 tblsp honey

Method:
-Preheat the oven to gas mark 4. Line a loose bottomed, deep, round tin with paper and set aside.
-Make the buttery biscuit base: Pour the butter in to the smashed biscuits, oats and ginger powder and mix well. Tip in to the tin and press down firmly so it is tightly packed. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
-beat the cream cheese then add in the sugar and beat for a few minutes. Add in the honey and cream and whisk together until smooth.
-Add the eggs, zest, juice and vanilla and carefully whisk in. Sieve the flour over the top and gently fold. Try not to incorporate too mach air. Carefully bang the bowl on the kitchen side to remove large air bubbles.
- pour on to the prepared biscuit base. Bake for around an hour. It should rise up, nice and puffy, slightly brown around the edges and still have a wobble in the center. After an hour, turn off the oven and leave inside. Then after another hour, open the door and leave it for another hour. So 3 hours in total. You basically want to let it cool down as slowly as possible.
-to make the syrup, grate the ginger, squeeze the juice in to a small pan and put the ginger in too. Add the honey and a little water. Boil for a few minutes till thickened. Cool and pour over the cooled cheesecake!
Slice and munch.

Gooey Chocolate and Cardamom Tart

It cracked a bit, but that just means the top's all crispy!

I realised that it has been quite a while since I baked anything pastry based. I needed to make a few things today for a little thing I have going on tomorrow, and decided a cross between a tart and a brownie would be perfect! It slices, looks nice on a plate and will taste good, because let's face it - brownies always do. I added in a little cardamom for a little zing and it worked very well indeed.

Ingredients:
For the pastry:
175g plain flour
85g cold butter, diced
1 tblsp vanilla sugar
1 egg yolk
up to 5 tblsp iced water

For the gooey chocolate filling:
125g butter, diced
160g dark chocolate (I used an equal mixture of 81% and 65%)
6 cardamom pods - just the seeds, crushed
60g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
210g sugar
3 eggs

Method:
- First things first, make the pastry. Using your fingertips rub the butter in to the flour and sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs. Then add in the egg yolk and 2 tblsp of the cold water and mix in with a round-ended knife. Keep adding water, bit by bit until the dough starts to come together - but is not too wet. Tip on to a board, knead very lightly to bring together, wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for 30 mins.
- preheat the oven to gas 6. Roll out the pastry and use it to line a 25cm tart tin. Prick a few holes all over, cover in baking paper, fill with baking beans or raw rice and blind bake for 10 mins. Remove the beans and paper, and pop back in for another 10, remove and then set the oven to gas 4.
- for the filling, set a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt the butter and chocolate together. Once silky, stir in the cardamom and set aside. 
- set another metal bowl over the same pan and place the eggs and sugar inside. Whisk with electric beaters on high until it pale, thick, creamy and tripled in size (you can do this without the additional heat but it would take a wee bit longer).
- Pour the chocolate in to the eggs and fold in with a large metal spoon. Sift the dry ingredients over the top and fold in until just combined.
-pour this in to your prepared pastry case, place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes (remember to turn the oven down to 4 though!).
- It's ready when there is still a slight wobble in the middle. This will set as it cools. Slice and enjoy with a cup of chai or cardamom tea!

Magic!

Chocolate Orange Layer Cake

Huge sparkler candles for the occasion

I worked out that I hadn't seen my mum on her birthday for around six years or so, and thought that it was high time I did! I went back to the UK for a visit, saw some friends in Glasgow and the midlands, had some food, some wine and some fun and then carried on down the country to Devon to see my family. We went to one of the River Cottage canteens the day after mum's actual birthday (delicious, by the way), but on the day we stayed in. My sister cooked up a tasty curry and I was in charge of the cake. When asked what flavour she might like, mum replied "chocolate orange?" so I obliged!

It's a four-layer orange flavoured chocolate chip sponge, brushed with orange syrup and sandwiched with orange scented whipped cream - all covered in a dark chocolate ganache. 

Ingredients:

4 large eggs

300g caster sugar

310g softened butter

310g self-raising flour

2 large oranges, both zested and juiced

50g dark chocolate bashed in to pieces - or buy some chocolate chips :)

70g extra sugar

500ml double cream

200g 70% dark chocolate, chopped up

1 tsp vanilla extract

as you can see my 'bash it and see' method of making
chips make for uneven distribution!

Method:

-preheat the oven to 160/gas mark 4 and line two 20cm round cake tins with baking paper and set aside.

-cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add in half the zest. Gradually add in the eggs, one by one, mixing as you go. Sprinkle in some flour after each addition to stop it from looking curdled. 

-Sift the flour over the top and stir in with the mixers first, then whisk quickly to combine well. Pour in 4 tablespoons of the orange juice and stir. Gently stir in the chocolate chips and then divide between the two prepared tins. 

-bake for around 30 mins, checking after 20. Test with a knife or a skewer - if it comes out clean, it's done! If not, leave them in a little longer.

-once cooked, remove from the tins and cool on a wire rack.

-make the syrup! Place the extra sugar in to a small pan and top up with an equal amount of the orange juice. Over a low heat, dissolve the sugar, then bring to the boil until it has a syrupy consistency. Leave to cool slightly.

-once the cakes are cold, split each in two so there are 4 layers. Brush the syrup on to the tops of each one.

- whip up 300ml of the cream with the rest of the zest and spread 1/3 on to the first cake. Top with another cake - spread more cream etc.

- to make the ganache, bring the remaining cream to the boil, take off the heat and stir in the chocolate and the vanilla. Leave for a few minutes to cool, then pour over the top of the cake. Either let it drip down or attempt (as I foolishly did) to spread around the edges of the cake...a bit messy without a torte ring!

top with candles and get singing

Apple and Sultana Buttermilk Scones

Light and fluffy and...low fat?!

This is my first post for a while - and indeed the first one this year! Christmas was fairly busy, milling around at my parent's house in the constant rain. Needless to say there was some extreme over-indulgence of the cheese/meat/chocolate/wine variety. Well, a new year and a new start! I am not going to even delude myself in to believing I could stick to a new year's resolution of less cake and or wine. I thought I would, instead, attempt a few bakes that were a little more kind to the waistline. First one? Scones! Not known for their slimming properties (epecially once laden with jam and lashings of clotted cream), I wanted to make them at least a little bit better for you - but without substitutes. Apple and sultanas meant less sugar, buttermilk is very low in fat and keeps them moist and I used less butter than usual. They turned out pretty well, I have to say! There's even some wholemeal flour snuck in, too. I don't have any cutters here, and the trick to getting well risen scones is to use something with a sharp edge - I resorted to a knife.
This makes 16 medium sized scones, weighing in at 175 kcal a piece with only 3g of saturated fat. Winner! 

Ingredients:
400g plain flour
50g wholemeal flour
10g baking powder
5g bicarbinate of soda
pinch salt
85g cold butter, diced
50g sugar
100g sultanas
100g apple grated or diced fairly small
285ml buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1/2 a lemon

Method:
- preheat the oven to gas mark 7 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
- tip the flours, raising agents, salt and butter in to a bowl. Rub the butter in to the flour using your finger tips until there are no large lumps left.
- add the sugar and stir. Add in the fruits and zest and mix well, making sure everything is well coated in the flour.
- warm the buttermilk and vanilla in a small saucepan or in the microwave until just steaming. Add 1/3 of the flour to a large bowl, then some of the liquid. Mix well using a round-ended knife. Continue alternating and mixing until used up. 
- tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead very gently until you have dough. Flatten out with your palm to about 4-5cm thick and then cut using cutters or a very sharp knife (glasses/cups don't work as well).
- arrange on the baking tray leaving a little room to rise and bake for 10 minutes. Check, then return to the oven for another 3 minutes.
 -cool on a wire rack, split open and enjoy with butter, jam, cream - anything! 

The apple and sultana could even be part of your 5 a day!

Guglehupf (Fruit bread)

A wee dusting of Christmas snow.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I hosted a Christmas dinner/day for my friends. I knew that having a big, heavy, sweet pudding would probably be a waste as there would be lots of food, drinks and treats anyway. I opted instead for a Guglehupf. It's basically a cakey bread that has to be baked in a ring mould/bundt tin. I was flicking through my Food of Germany book, and this recipe was in the Christmas section for the section on Bavaria. It's made with yeast so that's where it gets some of its flavour from. I loaded in more sultanas than the recipe suggested and was going to add saffron - but forgot. Next time! Again, a very easy recipe - I just threw everything in at once and it turned out great! The dough is very wet, so it would be good if you had a dough scraper to aid the kneading process. It's nice and light, so perfect for a snack when you don't fancy a cloyingly sweet treat from the Quality Street tin.

Ingredients:

500g plain flour
60g sugar
pinch of salt
7g active dried yeast
250ml lukewarm milk
60g very soft butter, in pieces/lumps
2 eggs
250g sultanas/mixed dried fruit


Method:
- sift the flour, sugar and salt in to a warmed bowl. Add the yeast, eggs and the butter and then pour over the warm milk. 
- beat with a wooden spoon until properly incorporated. It will be very sticky.
- cover wit clingfilm and a tea towel and leave in a warm spot to double in size.

- once risen and looking a bit spider-web like and spongy when you give the edge a poke and a lift, tip on to a floured work surface and lightly knead. This will be tricky as it's very wet. It's handy if you have a dough scraper handy.
- gradually work in the dried fruit. 
- grease a bundt tin with some butter. Make the dough in to a sort of thick sausage shape and rest it in the tin. Leave to rise for another 20 minutes whilst the oven heats up.
- heat the oven to gas mark 5/ 200C. Bake for 30-40 minutes, checking after 30. Test with a knife or skewer.
-Turn out and cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy on it's own or slathered in butter.

it's sort of like German panetone

Lebkuchen

Chocolate-dipped, crunchy-chewy domes of Christmas spice.

It's that time of year again! It's nearly Christmas, hooray! For a long time now it's been a tradition of mine to have a 'fake' Christmas day - the works: get up early, presents, a tree, the dinner, lots of films, cheese, mulled wine and falling asleep on the sofa at the appropriate time of 8.30 pm. This year I found my self in Berlin and so though that I would give all my lovely ladies a fake Christmas day. A table filled with nibbles in the day and a roast for eleven at night...
So I had the task of thinking of some lovely baked goods - lebkuchen, of course! Lovely gingery spiced biscuit-cakes that pop up everywhere at Cristmastime in Germany and date back as far as the 1200s. They are sweetened naturally with a lot of honey, so take care they don't catch in the oven. These are very, very easy to make. These taste better the longer you can leave the dough to rest. 4 hours is ok, but if you have the time, make the mixture the day before you want to eat them!
This recipe is adapted from goodfood.co.uk

Ingredients:

250g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
90g ground almonds
1 tsp lebkuchen spice mix (cinnamon, coriander, pepper, anis, ginger)
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
200ml honey
80g butter
zest of a lemon and an orange

100g dark chocolate

Method:
- sift the dry ingredients in to a large bowl.
- heat the honey and butter together until the butter melts and allow to cool slightly.
- Pour the molten honey on to the four, add the zest and beat well using a wooden spoon until combined. Cover with clingfilm and allow to rest. The dough will be very sticky and wet, but will firm up as it cools.

ready to bake!

- preheat the oven to gas mark 3/ 160C and line a large baking sheet with paper.
- Plonk the dough on to a lightly floured board and knead for a few seconds. Divide in to 30 equal portions (I went a bit overboard to ensure even sized treats. This recipe will make 30 21g biscuits!). Roll in to small balls and then lightly flatten so they have domed tops. Place on the sheet and bake in two batches for 10-12 minutes,
- cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and dip the bottoms in. Leave to set upside down.
- boil the kettle, stick on the Muppet Christmas Carol and enjoy.

Hazelnut and Sultana Chelsea Buns

Tasty nutty bread!

I was at the shops the other day and saw a bag of ground hazelnuts for nearly free! I thought 'what a bargain, I'll have some of those!', only to find that it's not hazelnut, but 'hazelnut filling'. Sort of a ready mixed nut/sugar/flavour combo. So then I started to wonder what I could fill with this bag of wonder and remembered that I attempted some nutty Chelsea buns a few weeks ago. They ended up being a bit dry as I didn't have enough fruit or nuts...now I had 250g to use up!

The dough is really just your average bread dough, but enriched with milk and an egg. TASTY! I added in some Christmassy spices. Well, 'tis the season and all.

Ingredients:
400g strong white flour
100g wholemeal/wholegrain flour
1 tsp salt
1 sachet (7g) dried yeast
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground anise
275 ml milk
35g butter
1 egg

1 250g packet hazelnut filling (or mix your own with ground nuts, sugar a little cornflour and some flavourings)
200g sultanas

a little milk with a tsp of vanilla sugar for brushing

Method:
-gently heat the milk and butter in a small pan until the butter melts, then set aside to cool
- sift the flours, spices and and salt in to a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast. Pour the milk and butter in to the well, mix a little then add the egg and mix to combine.
- tip on to a floured board and knead for around 5 mins. Place in a clean bowl, cover with cling film and let it prove in a warm area for an hour or until doubled in size.
- heat the oven to gas mark 5. Line the base of a 20cm round loose-bottomed tin with baking paper. Once the dough has doubled, tip out and knock back. Roll in to a large rectangle about 1cm thick. 
- make up the filling by adding 4 tblsp of milk to the nuts and then spread over the dough, leaving 2cm clear at the furthest wide end.
- sprinkle the sultanas all over and then roll it all up in to a fairly tight sausage. Brush the 2cm gap with milk if necessary to stick the edge together. Trim the edges and then slice in to 8 even buns.

- place these in to the prepared tin leaving a little gap between each one.
-Leave to rise for another 20- 30 minutes or so.
- brush with milk and vanilla sugar and bake for 30 minutes - they should sound hollow when tapped. Remove from the tin, leave to cool slightly, then tear and share!

still steamy from the oven. 

Chai Masala Cake with Honey and Ginger Cheesecake Icing

With a sprinkle of ginger on the top.

It's getting rather chilly here now - snow, sleet, visible breath - so I thought it best to have a few folk over for some dinner to warm them (and my flat) up! Curry is my go to main so I baked a chai flavoured cake to go along with it. I made a version of this last year, but it didn't quite work - the icing was all runny and it felt a bit heavy. So this time I went for a Swiss meringue butter cream loaded with cream cheese for a tangy, fluffy and stable icing. Chai + ginger + honey x 4 = tasty cake in your mouth.

Ingredients:

for the chai spice mix

- 4 cardamom pods, seeds out

- 7 cloves

- 10 black pepper corns

- 1 stick of cinnamon

- 1 tblsp ground ginger

- pinch of ground star anise

for the cake

- 240g softened butter

- 240g sugar

- 4 eggs

- 240g plain flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1tsp vanilla extract

- 1 tea bag (I used Yorkshire tea)

for the Swiss meringue cheesecake icing

- 2 egg whites

- 70g sugar

- 200g room temp butter, cubed*

- 150g cream cheese, room temp*

- 1 tsp ground ginger

- 1 tblsp honey

*they need to be the same temperature or else one could chill the other = lumpy butter in the icing

Method: - First thing's first: make the spice mix. Heat a dry frying pan on a low heat and add all the whole spices. Keep swirling so they don't burn. Once they smell tasty, they're done. Tip in to a spice grinder/pestle and mortar and add the ground ginger and anise and finely grind.

- preheat the oven to gas mark 4 and line two 20cm round sponge tins with baking paper. Stick on the kettle. Make a nice, strong cup of tea with 1/4tsp of the spice mix and 100ml water. Steep.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale. Add the eggs, one at a time mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla.
- Sift on the flour and baking powder and gently stir in, then beat for 10 seconds or so until fully incorporated. Add the rest of the spice mixture and the strong tea (sans bag), and mix well.
- Divide between the two tins and bake for 18 mins, check for done-ness if they need more time, give them some. Once baked, turn on to wire racks to cool.

Rustic...yes. That's what we'll call it.

- For the icing: Heat an inch or so of water in a small pan and simmer. Place the egg whites and sugar in a heat proof bowl and set over the pan (do not allow the water to touch the bowl). Whisk gently by hand. You want to dissolve the sugar whilst gently cooking the egg. Once dissolved (check by rubbing some between your fingers) whisk faster. Remove from the heat and beat with an electric whisk until the bowl has cooled and you have 

meringue. It takes a while.
- Once cooled, begin to add the butter, beating well as you go. The meringue will disappear, it will look like soup and or cottage cheese at varying points, but persevere. One all in, add the cream cheese in the same fashion.
- by now it should be more solid and looking like fluffy frosting. Add the ginger and the honey and stir well.
- Assemble! Cut each of the sponges in half so you have 4 (ideally the same size...I did not manage that). Place the first layer on a plate and spoon on 1/4 of the icing. Do the same with the rest. Sprinkle with a little more ginger and enjoy!

Light, fluffy, cheesecake-esque icing.

Apple and Toffee Crumble Cake

It's like an apple crumble...but with cake and toffee sauce.

The days are getting shorter and I have a lot more time on my hands as there is less work. This is generally bad, but it also means that i have more time to mill around the kitchen and do some baking! I fancied some cake but didn't want it to have loads of icing or a glaze or anything...then I saw some Granny Smiths just chilling out in the fruit basket. So cake with an apple crumble topping spiked with toffee sauce it was to be. As usual, I've gone for a bake-it-with-your-eyes-closed Victoria sponge base. EASY! Unfortunately I'm not so good at remembering when I have things in the oven and it caught just a bit on the bottom and sides - rubbish! Nothing a little extra toffee won't sort out.

Ingredients:
for the cake:
175g soft butter
175g sugar
3 eggs
175g plain flour
tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla extract

for the crumble
50g cold butter, diced
55g sugar (white and brown mix if you like)
70g flour (plain and wholemeal mix)

for the toffee
50g butter
50g white sugar
50g brown sugar
60ml single cream

2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced

Method:
- preheat the oven to gas mark 4 and line and grease a 20cm round loose bottomed tin
-make the crumble: place all the ingredients in to a medium sized bowl and rub the butter in to the dry stuff until you get something resembling breadcrumbs - or crumble! Set aside in a cool area.
-Make the sponge: cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add the flour and baking powder, stir to incorporate, then beat to combine. 
- for the toffee sauce, place all the ingredients in to a small sauce pan and set over a medium heat. Once all the sugar has dissolved, turn up high and boil for a few minutes till thickened. Remember to stir!
-Assemble! Pour the cake mix in to the tin and level. Add the apple slices then spoon over 5 tblsp or so of the sauce. Sprinkle some of the crumble on top (you won't need all of it. You can freeze the rest).
-bake for 30 minutes and test with a knife or skewer to make sure it's done.
-Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Serve with the rest of the toffee sauce.

Toffee! Just a little over done on the bottom there. ooops!

Banana Waffles

Waffles with three different styles of banana!

Since I decided the floor was no place to hang my coat anymore, I realised that I was going to need a friend to come and help me drill some holes for a pretty set of hooks I had acquired. Because this was going to happen in the morning, I made some brunch in exchange for labour - and seeing as I don't get nearly enough use from that waffle iron, waffles were on the menu! A request was put in for them to have banana in. I had a look on the internet for a recipe, but couldn't decide on any of them so just sort of...well I made it up. They have bananas times three: one mashed in to the batter, some cooked in the middle and then some fresh slices on the top. A dollop of yogurt and a drizzle of honey later, you have tasty breakfast times! The batter keeps for a few days in the fridge - which is good as this will make 8.

Ingredients:

200g plain flour

80g wholemeal flour

2tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp each of ground ginger and cinnamon 

10g vanilla sugar

1 ripe banana, mashed up in a bowl

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

300ml milk

65g plain yogurt

25g butter, melted

2tblsp honey

one banana per waffle

yogurt

honey

Method:

- place all of the dry ingredients in to a large bowl and mix about a bit

- crack the eggs in to the mashed banana and combine using a balloon whisk. Then add the milk and vanilla and mix well. Add this in to the dry ingredients, mix well then add the yogurt.

-pour over the melted butter and honey and whisk

- turn on the waffle iron and when hot spoon some of the batter on and spread a little (I used a 1/4 cup measure as it was about the right size) slice half a banana on to the batter then dot a little more of the mixture on top of each slice. Close the iron and cook for around 3 minutes or until fluffed up and browned. 

-serve with the other half of the banana, yogurt and honey. YUM!(AND only 215 calories a waffle, if you make 8 - excellent!)

Fluffy!

Clementine and Cardamom Polenta Cake

Syrupy and orangey.

I really love the texture of a cake when it's loaded with delicious polenta - because it's quite crumbly it takes a good lashing of syrup well, but it's also pretty dense so is quite satisfying and substantial. Also, because it's getting close to Christmas, the shops around here are loaded with clementines for next to nothing! So I bought a lot...too many to eat. So I thought, hmmm...they can become a cake! So they did. I've always loved orange flavours mixed with cardamom, so that's what's happened here. Very easy to make and it lasts ages in an air tight tin.

Ingredients:

200g butter, room temp
230g sugar
10g vanilla sugar
3 eggs
150g polenta
190g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 heaped tblsp low fat yogurt
zest and juice of 5 clementines (do not juice until needed)
7 cardamom pods, seeds smashed - pods discarded

extra 100g sugar

Method:
-preheat the oven to gas mark 3 and grease and line a 20cm loose bottomed tin with baking paper and set aside.
-cream the butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy and add the cardamom
-add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition so they are nearly totally combined. Add the flour, polenta and baking powder
-add the yogurt and zest. Cut 3 of the 5 fruits in half and squeeze the juice in to the batter. Mix well
-Spoon the mixture in to the tin and level. Bake on the middle shelf for 35-40 minutes. It may need longer - test with a skewer or a knife and when it comes out batter free, your cake is done! Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out on to a wire rack.
-make the syrup: Juice the remaining clementines in to a small pan and tip in around 100g of sugar. Simmer until dissolved then boil until it thickens. Pour some of this onto a serving plate, place the cake on top and then spoon the remaining syrup over the cake. 
-Serve with ice cream, yogurt or on its own.

not the best picture, but the pomegranate was delicious on top!