Chocolate madeira cake

A friend recently asked me to create a robot cake for her now 5 year old son. The only requirements were a chocolate cake with chocolate filling (well he is 5!) and a robot theme. I had only 12hrs to complete this cake as the original cake never materialised but my friends money did disappear! I have a tried and tested chocolate madeira cake which is super moist and holds up well under the weight of the sugar paste. I pulled this together out of bits in my quite massive baking cupboard so I am pretty happy how it turned out. I heard that there was none left after a bunch of crazy 5 year olds devoured it.

What you need: (for one 9x13 inch baking tray)

305g Unsalted Butter
305g Caster sugar
3 Large eggs
3 teaspoons Baking powder
230g plain flour
6-8 tablespoons Full fat milk
0,5 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
40g Cocoa

What you need to do:

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together 
2. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Beat for 6-7 mins untilll pale and voluminous.
3. Beat each egg in one at a time. Ensure each is well mixed before adding the next.
4. Fold the flour and cocoa mix into the eggs carefully.
5. Add the vanilla essence and milk a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency reached.
6. Spoon into tin and level off with a palette knife.
7. Bake at 170°C for 30 mins. Check with a skewer to determine if cooked.
8. Leave in tins to cool for 10 mins before gently removing to a wire tray to cool.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Tried and tested lemon drizzle cake from @cupcakejemma today. She has outdone herself, this recipe was SO GOOD! Superbly moist, utterly eyewateringly lemony and decadent. I cant praise this cake enough, in fact I did hide one just for myself. Mommies need a secret stash as the first one was demolished.

 

What you need:

For the cake:

225g  Soft Unsalted Butter
225g  Caster Sugar
4        Large Eggs
225g  Self Raising Flour
2        Lemons

For the lemon drizzle:

Juice of 2 lemons
100g Caster Sugar

What you need to do:

1. Cream softened butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy (5 mins).
2. Grease a loaf tin and line with parchment paper.
3. Crack each of the eggs into the butter and sugar mixture, mix well after each and make sure each is well combined before adding the next.
4. Add the zest of the lemons and beat well.
5. Add the flour and fold in gently with a spatula until just combined.
6. Put into the loaf tin and flatten top.
7. Bake at 170°C for 55mins or until a skewer comes out clean. 
8. Now make the drizzle. 
9. Juice the 2 lemons and add the liquid to the caster sugar. 
10. Combine until it resembles the texture of corn syrup.
11. While the cake is warm, stab cake with skewer all over to allow drizzle to get inside the cake. 
12. Pour drizzle all over cake.
13. Try to allow cool for a further 15-20 mins to allow drizzle time to work.
14. Hide lemon drizzle cake from kids and eat to self and promise to start diet tomorrow!

Banana and Choc Chip Muffins

My first reaction this morning was Shit! I have 2 pretty ripe (black) bananas which must be eaten. The kids almost gag at the mere idea of a ripe banana and the hubby gave them a look of pure hatred which would see them relegated to the bin. In what I felt was a vain attempt to prevent any more food wastage which is a pet hate of mine I looked to google for inspiration. Now my go to gal for all things baking is Cupcake Jemma, I have never had a recipe fail and even if I do alter her recipes its usually very slightly. This is one of her recipes so full credit to her @cupcakejemma. What I can say is that 2 sad and quite pathetic bananas became 12 of the most gloriously moist, indulgent and fought over muffins. A win for ripe bananas everywhere and a win for mammy (at least today).

What you need:

175g Ripe Bananas (2 large bananas the blacker the better)

125g Self Raising flour 

100g Caster Sugar

25g   Dark brown sugar 

1/4    Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

125g Soft Butter

50g   Chocolate Chips

2       Large Eggs

2       Tablespoons of Milk

What you need to do:

1. In a bowl, Mash the bananas with a fork until very smooth.
2. Sieve into a bowl, flour, sugar, brown sugar and bicarbonate of soda.
3. Add in the butter, chocolate chips and eggs. 
4. Beat everything together until its well combined.
5. Add the milk and beat for 1 min.
6. Spoon the mixture into muffin tins.
7. Bake at 170°C for 20-22 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. 
8. Try to hide at least one before your children find them!

Semlor

What is a semla or semlor if like me you eat many. Its one of the first things I ate when I first arrived in Sweden and I have been hooked ever since. Its simply a cardamom spiced bun filled with a soft almond paste and topped with whipped cream. Mouth watering? I don't blame you. Traditionally eaten at lent in a bowl of warm milk but nowadays you can find them in most cafes  from early January till April. Now we have lived in Sweden for almost 15 years and I have never attempted to make these delicious treats. I had the most amazing bakery on my doorstep so I never even thought about making my own. Hassle free and downright tasty. But 5 years ago we moved to the middle of nowhere and my Semla purchasing was done in a local grocery store.  To cut a long story short, the semla sucked and I promised to put my baking skills to the test and try out this sought after pastry. After many attempts some fruitless and one outstanding (according to the hubby who is an avid fan of all things sweet), I have found and created the best of the best ( so far ). This recipe is a long one, bake time is very quick but it is a sweet yeast bread so proofing times means long days in the kitchen. Grab a cuppa and try this recipe it wont disappoint.

What you need: (Makes 4 large Semlor)

For the Buns:

7g dry active yeast 

40g Unsalted butter (melted)

125ml of full fat milk (warm body temperature)

20g Caster sugar

Pinch of salt

0,5 teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg (beaten)

2 teaspoons cardamom (ground)

200g Bread flour (sifted)

For the Almond Filling:

50g Marzipan 

0,5 tablespoon full fat milk

For the whipped cream:

250ml whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (or essence if preferred)

Icing sugar (to dust on top) 

What you need to do next:

For the buns:

1. Melt the butter and add to warm milk (lukewarm) and yeast. Mix until dissolved. Leave to sit for 5 mins.
2. Add the sugar and salt and mix well.
3.  add most of the egg leaving a little for egg wash at the end.
4. Add half of the flour and mix well.
5. Add the cardamom, baking powder and mix.
6. Mix the remaining flour in until a soft dough is achieved.
7. Knead for 10-15 mins.
8. Test the dough by removing a piece and stretching it until an opaque window appears. 
9. Allow to rise for 30-40 mins.
10. Knock back the dough and cut into 4 large pieces.'
11. Roll each piece into a ball and allow to rise again for 30-40 mins.
12. Brush with the remaining egg and bake for 10 mins at 200°C until golden brown on top. TIP! Place a bowl of boiling water in bottom of oven to keep buns soft.
13. Cover with a damp towel and allow to cool for 10-15 mins on a wire rack. 

 Assembly:

1. Cut a lid in the bun about 2cm from the top.
2. Scoop a little of the filling out and place in a bowl.
3. Mix the filling with the grated marzipan and a little milk to combine to a soft paste.
4. Fill the buns with the marzipan filling.
5. Whip cream until soft peaks form and pipe onto semlor. 
6. Replace the lids on top and dust with icing sugar.
7. Sit down, relax, grab a cuppa and eat!!! 

Nonnies Shortbread biscuits

Another week, another sick child at home from school. Apparently according to my youngest biscuits are the best medicine and I cant disagree with his 5 year old logic. When I was a kid my nonnie used to make these shortbread biscuits and I was always allowed to help. I credit her with my love of baking. From the time I could stand on a chair she had me mixing batters, kneading dough, cutting out cookies and generally making a mess. I try to emulate her with my own children and my youngest son loves to cook and bake. These shortbread biscuits are my favorite and something the kids ask for when they are sick as they are not very sweet. They are buttery and crumbly and downright tasty. This recipe is my nonnie's (she definitely made it her own) but i believe she got it from an old Odlums flour packet. They are super simple to make and have hardly any ingredients. Enjoy with a large cup of tea and a plate for all those crumbs!!

What you will need:

250g Plain Flour

100g Cornflour or ground almonds

100g Caster Sugar

250g Butter (Softened)

What you need to do:

1. Beat the soft butter for a minute until pale and fluffy.
2. Add the sugar and beat until well combined.
3. Add the Flour and cornflour (or ground almonds) and mix until you get a soft dough.
4. Grease a 10 inch sandwich tin and press the dough into the tin making sure its level. Prick with a fork all over.
5. In a preheated oven (160℃) Bake for 25 mins. Check the biscuits to make sure they have no color. The biscuits will be soft to the touch but will firm up once cool.
6. Allow the biscuits to cool in the tin for 10 mins then sprinkle some caster sugar if desired on top.
7. Finally cut your biscuits into the desired size and cool on a wire rack.
8. When cool, store in an airtight container. 
9. TRY NOT TO EAT THEM ALL AT ONCE!

Cranberry and white chocolate cookies

So I was thinking yesterday about what I would like to bake today. Friday is always my go to day to bake goodies and I was having a bit of trouble deciding. I just happened to be sitting in a waiting room, reading old magazines waiting patiently and kinda anxiously on my first mammogram. Fast forward 10 mins and some sore boobs later and I knew what I was going to bake, Cranberry and white chocolate cookies. Im not sure if it was my boobs being squashed flat which gave me the idea but here I am enjoying them (the cookies that is) so win win for me. This recipe has been adapted over the years but its my go to "god damn that's a good cookie" recipe and can be adapted for whatever flavors you want. This recipe makes about 20 fairly large biscuits but i usually freeze half for another day. 

 What you will need:

265g Plain flour (sifted)
220g Light brown sugar
220g Unsalted butter (softened)
1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
2 Large eggs
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
100g White chocolate chips
100g Dried Cranberries

What to do:

1. In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla to eggs and beat into butter and sugar mixture a little at a time. 
3. Add the Flour, salt and baking powder and mix until well combined.
4. Add in the chocolate chips and dried cranberries and mix well.
5. At this point you can spoon ( I use an ice-cream scoop) to portion out the biscuits on baking paper or you can half the recipe and freeze in a log shape. When you want to bake them just cut frozen slices from the log (removing the clingfilm) and bake as normal.
6. Bake your cookies at 180C for 10-18 mins depending on size. Cookies should be golden and slightly soft. Try your best to allow cool for 5 mins before eating.

Irish Soda bread

So its cold here in Sweden and I miss home and my mom. So when I need a cuddle and a taste of home I break out my grandmothers recipe for Irish Soda Bread. The smell while its baking is divine and I can never wait till it cools to cut a slice and slather it with butter. It is also one of the easiest breads to make, with no messing around with yeast. From start to finish it can be done under an hour! Who doesn't love fresh bread straight from the oven.

There is a lovely tradition that we have which is to score a cross in the bread before baking. According to my grandmother its to let the devil out, and my great grandmother always claimed it was to let the fairies out or the bread would be ruined. I like to think it helps give the bread an even cooking and is so helpful when cutting into slices.  It reminds me of an Italian sharing bread. 

You may find the mix slightly wet but dont alarmed thats how its supposed to be.

Irish Soda Bread

What you will need:

350g Wholemeal flour

125g Plain flour

400ml Buttermilk

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

0.5 teaspoon Salt

What you do it:

1. Sieve the plain flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.
2. Mix in the wholemeal flour.
3.  Add the buttermilk to make a soft dough.
4. Turn out onto a floured board and gently bring the mixture together into a ball.
5. Place onto a floured baking sheet. 
6. Cut a deep cross (not all way through) in top of dough.
7. Put in center of the oven and bake at 200C for about 40 mins.
8. The bread will be done when it has a golden crust and you can tap the bottom of the bread and it has a hollow sound.

If you cant get buttermilk, substitute milk with a couple of spoonfuls of lemon juice. Allow the mix to sit for 5 mins before use.