Rhubarb and Custard Cake

British rhubarb grows prolifically and is available to buy from March through to October. As we have a good garden supply I have accumulated a number of rhubarb recipes over the years. This rhubarb and custard cake is one of my favourites from The Good Food Magazine. It is a delicious teatime treat served with a cuppa.

                       

Ingredients

250g pack butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

150g pot ready-made custard (not the chilled kind; I used Ambrosia)

250g self-raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g golden caster sugar

Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Make the roasted rhubarb first. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Rinse 400g rhubarb and shake off excess water. Trim the ends, then cut into little finger size pieces. Put in a shallow dish or a baking tray, tip over 50g caster sugar, toss together, and then shuffle rhubarb so it's in a single layer. Cover with foil, then roast for 15 mins. Remove and drain off the juices and then allow to cool.

2. Butter and line a 23cm loose-bottomed or springform cake tin. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.

3. Reserve 3 tbsp of the custard in a bowl. Beat the rest of the custard together with the butter, flour, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and sugar until creamy and smooth.

4. Spoon one-third of the mix into the tin, add some of the rhubarb, then dot with one-third more cake mix and spread it out as well as you can. Top with some more rhubarb, then spoon over the remaining cake mix, leaving it in rough mounds and dips rather than being too neat about it. Scatter the rest of the rhubarb over the batter, and then dot the remaining custard over.

5. Bake for 40 mins until risen and golden, then cover with foil and bake for 15-20 mins more. It's ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin. Remove the cake from the tin when cool and then dredge with icing sugar.

Savoury Brioche Coronne

I love it when a recipe works. Last week (or there abouts) I watched Paul Hollywood’s final programme in his BBC baking series. The savoury brioche couronne (that’s a crown to you and me), looked really great. My children umm’d and ah’d as he brought out the bread from his TV oven stuffed with mozzarella and parma ham. So, yesterday I felt that I must rise to the challenge and see if I could add this recipe to my repertoire. It was a total success and is definitely worth baking for teatime or for the children’s lunchboxes.

Ingredients

30 mins to put together

2 hours to make

500g/1lb 2oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

10g salt

10g instant yeast

170ml/6fl oz warm full-fat milk

4 free-range eggs

250g/9oz unsalted butter, in small pieces, at room temperature

4 x 125g/4óoz balls buffalo mozzarella

8-10 slices prosciutto

6 handful fresh chopped basil

1 free-range egg, beaten

pinch salt

handful grated parmesan

Preparation method

1. If you have a food mixer with a paddle fitting, make the dough as

follows: into the bowl put the flour, salt, yeast, milk and eggs and mix

until the dough becomes smooth and shiny. Add the butter piece by

piece as you mix well for a further five minutes, until all the butter has

been incorporated into the dough. It’s important to add the butter

very gradually.

2. If you do not have a machine, make the base dough by bringing the

flour, salt, yeast, milk and eggs together in a bowl. Tip the dough

onto a floured surface and knead for about ten minutes, or until the

dough becomes smooth and shiny. Gradually incorporate the butter

piece by piece into the dough, kneading as you go.

3. Tip the dough into an oiled 1 litre/1 ¾ pint plastic container with a lid as it 

it needs plenty of room to rise. Leave the dough to rise until at least

doubled in (at least an hour, or overnight in the fridge).

4. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Tip the dough out onto a

lightly floured surface, without knocking the air out of it. Roll it out to

a thickness of just under 1½ cm/ ¾ in, in a rectangle that’s about 

40-50cm/16-20in long. Have the long side facing you.

5. Cover the dough with a loose layer of ham. Break off large pieces of

mozzarella and distribute them all over the ham. Scatter the basil

over the top.

6. Roll up the dough from the long side furthest from you, into a long

sausage shape. Cut the roll of dough in half down the length to

expose the filling, leaving you with two long strips side by side.

7. Twist the two strips together, holding both ends of the dough and

twisting your hands in opposite directions, to make a long rope that’s

quite tightly twisted. Form the rope into a circle and join the ends

together so that the dough becomes a ring – a ‘couronne’ or crown.

8. Put the crown onto the lined baking tray, and put the tray in a large

plastic bag, big enough so that the risen dough won’t touch the

sides. Leave the crown to rise for 1-1ó hours, or until it has at least

doubled in size.

9. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. For this recipe you ideally

don’t want a fan oven.

10. Whisk an egg with a pinch of salt and brush the egg over the crown.

Finally top the couronne with grated parmesan.

11. Bake the couronne in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until

golden-brown. Leave to cool slightly. Serve warm or cold.

Chocolate Fondants

It’s official, the way to everyone’s heart is through chocolate. So if you would like to woo your partner, or if you are planning a night in with friends and family and you would like to wow your fellow dinners this February, then try out this wonderful recipe for chocolate fondants.

One of the joys of this chocolate pudding is that it can be made in advance. The mixture can be made, put into ramekins and left in the fridge the night before you want to bake them. You can even freeze the mixture for up to a month and cook the individual puddings from frozen. It is quite simply easy to put together. The trick is not to over cook them so that the chocolate sauce oozes out like a gurgling chocolate volcano when you cut into the fondant. It is a real chocolate feast that is great served with a caramel sauce and ice cream. It will not disappoint, I promise!

Ingredients

Makes 9 fondants

50g melted butter, for brushing

cocoa powder, for dusting

200g good quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa content), chopped into small pieces

200g butter, cubed into small pieces
200g golden caster sugar

4 eggs and 4 egg yolks

200g plain flour

For the caramel sauce:-

250g caster sugar

4 tbsp water

142ml pot double cream

50g butter

Method

1.     First make the caramel sauce. Tip the sugar into a heavy-based frying pan, stir in 4 tbsp water, then place over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bubble for 4-5 mins until you have caramel. Take off the heat, and carefully stir in the cream and butter. Leave the sauce to cool, and tip into a squeezy bottle.

2.     Next, prepare your ramekin or dariole moulds by brushing the insides with the melted butter. Place the moulds in the fridge for 10 minutes. Brush more butter over the chilled butter, add a spoonful of cocoa powder into the mould. Tip and tap the mould so that it becomes completely coated with the cocoa powder. Tap any excess out onto a plate. Repeat this process with all nine moulds.

3.     Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Put the chocolate and butter into the bowl and gently melt stirring the butter and chocolate together until smooth. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

4.     In a separate bowl use an electric whisk to beat the eggs and yolks together with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail (what is technically known as the ribbon stage). Sift the four into the eggs and then beat together.

5.     Pour the melted chocolate in to the egg mixture in thirds, beating well before each addition. The mixture should be completely combined and like a loose cake batter.

6.     Tip the fondant mixture into a jug, then divide the mixure evenly between the nine moulds. Chill the ramekins with the mixture for at least 20 minutes before baking (or you can make up the ramekins the night before you want to bake them). At this point you can also freeze the fondants for up to one month. To bake from frozen, simply add on an extra five minutes to the stated cooking time.

7.     Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C or gas 6. Place the fondants on a baking tray and cook for 10-12 minutes until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the sides of the moulds (15-17 minutes if cooking from frozen). Remove from the oven and allow the fondants to rest for 1 minute before turning them out.

8.     Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so that they come away form the sides of the moulds and ease them out. Tip each fondant slightly onto your hand so that you know that they will come out then put them back into the mould so that you can serve them.

9.     If you are using a caramel sauce, add some swirls on to the centre of the plates then place a fondant into the middle of each plate. Serve with some good vanilla ice cream.

Gooey and Buttery Flapjacks

Flapjack in my opinion should have a bit of bite and lots of chew. This recipe delivers a wonderful texture in spades. You can add whatever fruit, nuts or seeds that you have in your store cupboard to add an extra flavour or two. If you want to make an indulgent flapjack you might want to dip the cooked and cooled slices to half coat them in melted chocolate.  





Ingredients 
Serves 9-12 
175g/6oz Butter 
140g/5oz golden syrup 
50g/2oz Light Muscovado sugar 
250g/9oz oats 
100g.40z  dried chopped apricots (or a mixture of whatever dried fruit/seeds you have in the cupboard)
For chocolate dipped flapjack
100g/4oz of a good chocolate with a at least 60% cocoa content

Method 
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/Fan oven 160C. 

1. Line the base of a shallow 23cm/9in square tin with a sheet of baking paper. Put the butter, syrup and sugar in a large microwave safe bowl and put in the microwave for 3 minutes until the butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Stir in the oats. 

2. Press the mixture into the baking tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top. Cook for 20 minutes for a gooier, chewier flapjack and the extra 5 minutes if you prefer them crispier. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then mark into bars or squares with the back of a knife whilst still warm. Cool in the tin completely before cutting and removing - this prevents the flapjack from breaking up. 

3. If you are going to coat the flapjack in chocolate, wait until the biscuits are cool. Melt the chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of boiling water. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water underneath. Melt the chocolate and dip half of the flapjack into the chocolate. Place onto some grease proof paper so that the chocolate can set.

Walnut pastry twists

These nutty sweetmeats can be eaten as canapés, paired with a coffee or served with fried apples, ice cream or all manner of autumnal puds. It's important to use a good, all-butter pastry. 

INGREDIENTS

 Makes about 30.

100g walnuts

100g good-quality plain dark chocolate, broken into chunks

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

500g puff pastry

Eggwash

Icing sugar

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Lightly grease a couple of baking sheets. Put the walnuts, chocolate and orange zest in a food processor and chop fairly finely.

Roll out the pastry to about 3mm thickness, then slice into strips roughly 4cm by 12cm. Brush each strip with the egg wash (beaten egg and milk), then scatter with a layer of the chopped walnut mixture. Press it lightly into the pastry. Form each strip into a twist. Transfer to the baking sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden and puffed up, then remove from the oven and, while still hot, dust generously with sifted icing sugar. Leave to cool before serving.

Chocolate muffins

Muffins are a delicious teatime treat. This chocolate muffin recipe is very quick and easy to make. It is a good recipe to let your children loose with in the kitchen. The muffins are always a great hit with children. You can reduce the sugar content to make a less sweet version.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 12

250g self-raising flour

25g cocoa powder

2tsp baking powder

175g caster sugar (or 125g caster sugar and 50g muscovado sugar)

175ml milk

2 large eggs, beaten

100ml sunflower oil

75g plain chocolate chunks

1-2tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

1.Preheat the oven to 170ºC (375ºF, gas mark 5).

2.Line a 12-hole deep muffin tray with paper muffin cases.

3.Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder; stir in the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and mix lightly together.

4.Spoon the mixture into the prepared cases. Bake for approximately 20 mins or until golden and springy to the touch. Cool for 10 mins; transfer to a wire rack and leave until cold.

Lavender meringues

INGREDIENTS

3-4 fresh unsprayed lavender stems, flowers only or 1 tablespoon of dried flowers

2 large free-range egg whites

100g/3½oz caster sugar

150ml/5fl oz double cream

½ tbsp icing sugar

METHOD

1.Preheat the oven to 130C/250F/Gas ½. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

2.Grind the lavender flowers in a mortar and pestle for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.

3.In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites using an electric whisk until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. 
Gradually whisk in the caster sugar, a tablespoonful at a time, until all of the caster sugar has been incorporated into the mixture and the mixture is thick and glossy.

4.Sprinkle one tablespoonful of the ground lavender flowers over the egg white mixture and whisk until combined.

5.Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle. Pipe 32 small swirls of the meringue mixture onto the prepared baking tray. 


6.Transfer the meringues to the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 100C/225F/Gas ¼. Bake the meringues for two hours, or until crisp but not coloured. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside until the oven is cool. When the meringues have cooled, store them in an airtight tin until needed.

7.No more than 30 minutes before serving, pour the cream into a mixing bowl and sift over the icing sugar. Whip using an electric whisk until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.


8.Place a teaspoonful of the cream mixture onto the base of one of the lavender meringues, then sandwich the cream between a second meringue. Place onto a large serving plate. Repeat the process with the remaining meringues, then serve immediately.

Lavender biscuits

These biscuits are great on their own and delicious served with vanilla ice cream or vanilla creme brulee.


INGREDIENTS
Makes 20 biscuits
50g caster sugar
130g butter
200g self raising flour
1tbsp lavender flowers


Cream the butter and sugar, add the flour and lavender flowers and work until it comes together. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes, then roll out to about 5mm thick. Stamp out with a cutter, bake for 7-8 minutes at 180C

Lavender creme brulee

This lavender scented creme brulee is delicious served with some chopped strawberries and if you are feeling particularly indulgent add a pieces of shortbread on the side.


INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

2 vanilla pods

300ml double cream

200ml whole milk

8 large free-range or organic egg yolks

75g sugar

a bunch of lavender, flowers picked

4 tablespoons caster sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas 1. Score the vanilla pods lengthways and scrape out the vanilla seeds with a knife or a teaspoon.

2. Place the seeds into a saucepan, add the pods, cream and milk and slowly bring to the boil. Remove from the heat.

3. Meanwhile, get yourself a large bowl that will fit over your pan and beat together the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Remove the vanilla pods from the pan and, little by little, add the milk and cream to the egg mixture in the bowl, whisking continuously. Add 2.5cm of hot water to your dirty pan, bring to a simmer and put the bowl on top of the pan. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes over the simmering water, stirring often, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in a small handful of lavender flowers, but the trick is to be delicate – you only need a hint of its distinctive, strong flavour.

4. Remove any bubbles or froth from the mixture before dividing it between your ramekins. Stand these in a high-sided roasting tray, and fill the tray with water halfway up the ramekins. Place carefully in the preheated oven and cook for around 30 to 45 minutes or until the mixture has set but is still slightly wobbly in the centre. Allow to cool at room temperature then place in the fridge until ready.

6. To serve, sprinkle each crème brûlée with a tablespoon of caster sugar and some more of the lavender flowers and caramelize under a very hot grill or using the chef’s torch.

Cobnut apple syrup cake with blackberries and cream

INGREDIENTS

200g shelled cobnuts, or hazelnuts

175g softened butter

175g golden caster sugar

3 large eggs

55g self-raising flour

1 grated apple

120g golden caster sugar

150ml pressed apple juice

300ml double cream

1 tbsp golden icing sugar, sifted

500g blackberries, rinsed and left on a kitchen towel to drain

METHOD 

Preheat the oven to 175C/gas mark 4; butter two 18cm sandwich tins, then dust with flour. Put the nuts in a pan and toast over a medium heat until the thin membranes begin to loosen and flake.

Put the nuts in a towel and rub off as much of the skin as possible. Discard the skins, grind the toasted nuts to a rough powder and set aside 120g for the cake and 80g for the filling. Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one by one, with a teaspoon of flour, then stir in any remaining flour, the ground nuts (120g) and grated apple. Divide between the two tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Turn out the cakes on a rack to cool before transferring them to a plate. Prick each sponge with a fork six times.

To make the apple syrup, put the sugar in a pan and pour over the apple juice. Bring to the boil and simmer for about two minutes. Allow to cool a little then pour over the cakes. Whip the cream, fold in the icing sugar and the remaining 80g of nuts then sandwich the cakes together using about three tablespoons of the cream mix. Spread the rest of the cream on top of the cake and dot with blackberries. If you wish, you can serve each cake separately, drenched with the syrup and with the blackberries and cream on the side.

Cobnut cake

To roast cobnuts, shell them and place them in an oven at 150°C/Gas Mark 2 for up to an hour, depending on their size and freshness, until they are hard and browned. About 100g (4 oz) nuts in their shells will produce 40g (1½ oz) of roasted kernels, but be generous:- they are so delicious some may never reach the dish.

INGREDIENTS

225g self-raising flour

1 rounded teaspoon of ginger

110g butter (at room temperature)

110g brown sugar

50g Kentish cobnuts, roasted and chopped

1 large egg, beaten

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. Grease a baking tin of approx. 9" by 4" (or you could use a standard loaf tin).

3. Sift flour into a bowl with the ginger.

4. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

5. Add the sugar and the nut and mix well.

6. Stir in the beaten egg. The mixture will remain fairly dry and crumbly.

7. Put the mixture into the prepared tin and pat down gently with a fork.

8. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, or until the cake is cooked when tested with a skewer.

Spelt and cobnut fairy cakes

INGREDIENTS

150g unsalted butter, softened

150g caster sugar

2 large eggs, separated

150g spelt (or wholemeal) flour

1¼ level tsp baking powder

50ml sherry (or milk)

75g shelled cobnuts (or hazelnuts), toasted and finely chopped

Double cream, lightly sweetened and whipped, to fill

Icing sugar, to dust

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan-assisted)/400F/gas mark 6. Line the pockets of a 12-hole muffin or cupcake tray with muffin or cupcake papers. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks and beat until combined. Sift together the flour and baking powder, tipping the bran (that gets sifted out) back in at the end, then beat through the butter mixture alternately with the sherry. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the cake mixture at the end. Stir in the cobnuts.

Spoon into the cases almost to the top and bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave until cold, then use a sharp knife to cut out the centre of each cake. Fill with whipped cream, cut the removed piece of cake in two, stick these into the cream to make 'wings', and dust with icing sugar.

Apple strudel

Our puppy loves apples, actually she loves to eat most things, but apples are one of her favourite things at the minute. On our daily walks we pass by some public land where an old orchard has been left in situ. Our dog soon sniffs out some windfall apples, plays football with one or two and then sinks her teeth into one or two apples for good measure. As well as providing entertainment for exuberant puppies, the orchard allows passers by to take a bag and fill them with apples to take home.

We bring a few apples home from time to time and make a variety of apple-based products. This week I made an apple strudel, which everyone loved.  It is made with shop bought filo pastry, so it is quick to put together and takes about 20 minutes to bake. The dark muscavado sugar turns into a tasty toffee once baked. My family thought that this pastry is like eating a wonderful toffee apple or a sticky toffee pudding. It is superb served with a dash of cream, or with some good vanilla ice cream.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 5

4-5 small, sweet eating apples

juice of ½ a lemon

80g butter

4 sheets of filo pasty

150g pecan nuts, chopped

ground cinnamon

150g dark muscovado sugar

60g caster sugar

a handful of dried cranberries

icing sugar, to dust the strudel

cream good-quality vanilla ice cream, to serve

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

2. Peel and slice the apples thinly, and put them in a bowl of cold water with a little lemon juice to stop them going brown. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and keep warm.

3. Carefully take out the filo pasty and place one sheet on a clean tea towel. Mix the pecans, cinnamon and dark muscovado sugar together.

4. Brush the first sheet of filo with melted butter. Sprinkle over a third of the pecan mixture. Lay another sheet of filo pastry on top, brush with butter and sprinkle again with a third of the pecan mixture.  You can have three or four sheets. On the final sheet op with the apple mixture.

5. Drain your apples well and toss with the caster sugar and drained cranberries. Spread them out along one edge of the top sheet of filo pastry. Brush the opposite edge with a little water. Starting at the edge with the apple mixture on, gently lift the edge of the tea towel and use it to help you roll the pastry up lengthways like a Swiss roll – the apples will end up at the centre. Once it’s all rolled up, press your strudel together gently.

6. Place it on a baking try and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Dust with icing sugar and serve cream or with some good vanilla ice cream.