Showing posts with label sweet. Show all posts

Cardamom Oatmeal Peach Pie



This pie is so delicious and a bit different from the traditional lattice pie or crumble. The topping is very similar to the Swedish cookie havreflarn, which are a thin, crisp, oatmeal cookie. The combination of the cookie like topping with the sweet cardamon peaches is absolutely delicious. I hope you give this recipe a try!

      Prep Time             Cook Time              Serves      
10-20 min 25-30 min 12

 Ingredients 

 Top

150g butter
250ml of brown sugar
150ml of flour
150ml of oats

 Filling 

11 small peaches
1 tsp of vanilla essence
1 tbsp of butter
1 tsp of cardamom
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp of cornstarch
1 and 1/4 ml of brown sugar

Preparation 
  1. Preheat the oven 200C or 180C fan. 
  2. Peal, de-core and slice the peaches. Then place them into a large pan. 
  3. Add the vanilla, sugar, butter, cardamon and salt into the pan too. 
  4. Bring the filling to a boil and then simmer until it thickens. If necessary, take some juice from the pan and mix with a tbsp of cornstarch. Then add the slurry back to rest of the filling. 
  5. Meanwhile, crumb together the butter, brown sugar, flour and oats. 
  6. Pour the filling into a pie dish. 
  7. Crumble the pie topping on top of the filling. 
  8. Bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until golden. 
  9. Serve with ice-cream, whipped cream or even greek yoghurt. 
  10. Enjoy! 
cardamon cobbler crumble
Share:

Sweet Vanilla Cheesecake


Ingredients

 2 dl creme fraiche 
200g of caster sugar
1 tbsp of vanilla sugar or powder or extract 
2 eggs 
350g of cream cheese 
250g of digestives
100g of butter, melted 
a pinch of salt 

Icing

3 tablespoons 
2 tsp of vanilla sugar or powder

Preparation 
  1. Preheat your oven to 175C or 155C fan. 
  2. Combine the egg, cream cheese, creme fraiche, salt, sugar and vanilla on a slow speed. Do not over do it or you will get large air pockets that can crack the surface of the cake. 
  3. Blend the digestives or smash in a plastic bag. 
  4. Add the melted butter to the digestives, combine. 
  5. Add the mixed base to a 20-23cm cake pan. Pat it down using your hands until you feel that it is evenly distributed. You do not want any of the crust along the side of the pan, only on the base. One with a removable side is the best option. 
  6. Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the base. 
  7. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until set. You can checking by lightly moving the cake to see if it has a slight wobble. 
  8. Set aside and allow it cool completely. This can take a while, so if you are planning to serve it for dessert. I would suggest making it a few hours in advance. 
  9. Before serving or once cool, spoon and lightly spread onto of the cake. 
  10. Serve as is or with some chocolate, caramel sauce, fruit, etc. 
  11. Enjoy! 
Approximate preparation and baking time: 50 minutes. Makes 8 generous slices. 
baking cheesecake cheesecake recipe
Share:

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes


These cupcakes are surprisingly not too sweet as the fresh raspberries really cut through the sweetness. I would say they are best served with a hot of cup tea. I hope you enjoy this decadent recipe :) 

Ingredients 

For the Cupcakes 

150g of flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
a pinch of salt
4 tbsp of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
80g of white chocolate
1 large punnet of raspberries
a sprinkle of coconut (optional)

For the White Chocolate Frosting 

 150g of white chocolate
100g of butter, unsalted and room temperature
250g of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of milk



 Preparation 

 Cupcakes 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C or 160C fan. 
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar on a high speed. It should be light and fluffy, whisk for about 2-3 minutes. 
  3. Add one egg and combine well until it forms a wet, yellow batter. 
  4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in three intervals. Alternate the with milk. 
  5. Grate, shave or cut the white chocolate into small pieces. 
  6. Fold in the white chocolate using a spatula. 
  7. Scoop into a lined cupcake tin. 
  8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until well risen but not browned. 
  9. Let the cupcakes cool for about 30 minutes. Then scoop out the middle using a cupcake corer or a spoon. 
  10. Fill the cupcakes with the raspberries and then pipe on the frosting. 
  11. Sprinkle on the coconut flakes as soon as you pipe on the frosting. 
  12. Enjoy! 
White Chocolate Frosting 
  1. Cream together the icing sugar and butter on a high speed. It should take about 2-3 minutes and the final mixture should be a lighter shade than the original butter. 
  2. Melt the chocolate at 30 second increments until fully melted. Let it cool slightly.
  3. Add the chocolate into the butter/icing and whisk together. 
  4. If needed add the milk. The whisk should form a trail in the frosting. If you take out the whisk a soft peak should be formed on it. 
cupcake cupcakes delicious
Share:

Guilt Free Almond Cookies with Jam Topping


When my parents moved into their new house a super nice family brought these round as a housewarming gift. We also got some brownies, and so obviously those went first. When these were left though, I gave them a try. And wow I was impressed. They look so healthy and boring, but trust me, they are sweet, delicious savoury and nutty. Obviously, the best combination. I asked for the recipe and was surprised that they were from one of Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbooks. She calls them her mum's breakfast cookies, but some how eating cookies for breakfast still seems odd. They do however make an excellent snack and certainly satisfy my sweet tooth without the guilt of a regular cookie. If you want to be extra healthy the cookie would be delicious without the jam too!

Ingredients (slightly tweaked from original)

500 ml of barely or wholemeal flour
300 ml of raw almonds, finely chopped
125 ml of vegetable or canola oil
125 ml of maple or golden syrup
3/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of sea salt
Your choice of jam

Baking Time!

  1. Preheat your oven to 160C fan. 
  2. Line a large baking tray with parchment/baking paper. 
  3. Combine all your ingredients (except the jam) in a large bowl. 
  4. Using your hands, roll them into a small ball (about a 2cm diameter).
  5. Place the cookies onto the baking paper. 
  6. Using your thumb or the back of teaspoon, make a small dip in the centres. 
  7. Add about 1 tsp of jam to each centre. 
  8. Bake in the centre of the oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. 
  9. Cool and then enjoy! 
almond cookie breakfast cookies
Share:

Easy Breakfast: Greek Yoghurt, Honey, Almond Bars and Banana


If you find your are out of cereal one morning, using a breakfast bar instead is a quick replacement. It may not be economically to be buying cerebral bars to put on cereal; however, it serves as an excellent replacement. This recipe is super easy, and the benefit of using a cerebral bar is you can limit your sugar intake but adding a fixed serving size. The honey and banana provide a great kick of sugar to start your morning as well. Best of all, it is filling enough to keep you going until lunchtime.

Ingredients 

100-200g of greek yoghurt
1 almond bar (I used nature valley almond bars), chopped or cut into small pieces
1 banana
Honey for drizzling
almond almond bar banana
Share:

Banana and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I absolutely love cupcakes. They are much simpler to make than a cake. Plus it comes in individual serving sizes, which means no sharing! Banana and chocolate chip is a classic flavour combination, and for a lighter option these cupcakes are great without the frosting. Bearing that in mind, cream cheese frosting is a delicious accompaniment. These recipe can also be baked in a loaf tin for a classic banana bread. You can frost bread too; don't worry.

 Ingredients
2 bananas
1 1/2 dl sugar
1 egg
50g melted butter
2 tsp of baking powder
4 tbsp of cream
2 1/4 dl of milk
1 tsp of vanilla essence, sugar or extract
150g (or more!) of chocolate chips, optional

Frosting Ingredients 
This frosting is based on this recipe, and it makes a great cream cheese frosting. 

110g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
110g of cream cheese, at room temperature 
250g of icing sugar
1tsp of vanilla essence or extract 

Baking Time!

  1. Preheat the oven to 175C. 
  2. Mush two bananas with a fork and then mix them with the sugar. 
  3. Add one pre-mixed egg. 
  4. Pour in the melted butter and cream. 
  5. Add 2 1/4 dl of flour with the vanilla and baking powder. Mix well at a low speed. 
  6. Finally, add the chocolate chips. Make sure to mix some flour with the chips prior to adding them to mix to prevent sinkage. 
  7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. 
  8. A knife show come clean out of the cupcakes when they are finished. 
Frosting 
  1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese. 
  2. Use a medium speed on a standing mixture or high on a hand mixer for about 5 minutes. 
  3. The finished produced should be smooth, airy and a lighter colour than the original mixture. 
  4. Slowly add the icing sugar to prevent spillage. 
  5. When you have finished the frosting should be thick and be able to hold a peak. 

NB: This recipe can also be used make a delicious banana bread or muffins. For banana bread simply add the mixture to a bread tin and bake for approx. 40 minutes. For muffins simply leave off the frosting. 
baking banana banana bread
Share:

Spiced Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Nigella captured my heart when I as a little girl. People joke about her over-the-top sensuality and rather ridiculous descriptions of her food. I find that despite her rich vocabulary, her food is still simple, easy to follow and definitely not unapproachable. The warmth in her personality certainly adds to the warmth of her food. When I finally have my own flat, I hope to have an entire room dedicated to cookbooks just like hers. I may have to settle for a bookshelf though.

This cupcake recipe is from one of my favourite cook books, Nigella's "How to be a Domestic Goddess." I got the book for a bargain at a charity shop. Charity shops are an excellent place to find cook books without having to pay £20+ for one. I have slightly adapted the spices for the cake as well as omitting any raisins or nuts. If you are a fan of raisins or nuts, feel free to mix them in with the carrots. You should coat them in a bit of flour before adding them to the mixture to prevent them from sinking during the bake.  White chocolate chips would also be a deliciously decadent addition to this this recipe.
carrot carrot cake carrot cake cupcakes
Share:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)