Nutty Carrot Cake with Buttercream Frosting

It's the last post of the year and wow, what a year it has been; full of trials, tribulations and triumphs. This last stretch has been somewhat challenging, but I've been determined to have a positive outlook. I recently unearthed my diary that I started at the beginning of the year and although it is very much incomplete and was abandoned back it March - the page on my new year resolutions shed some much needed light on some of my achievements of the year. 
As for my hopes for 2019, I pray for happiness in abundance, peace, prosperity, health, opportunities, adventure, the good type of change and to become the best version of myself possible إن شاء الله‎

Now as for last recipe of the year, I wanted it to be something familiar and comforting and nothing expresses that better for me that this carrot cake. This particular recipe is from an old book that my dad got for my mum years and years ago (I think its older than me!). Some of my earliest baking memories are linked to this book, I remember I would love to flick through the pages and devour all the beautiful pictures - the first recipe I ever tried (oatmeal cookies) was also from this cookery book, so it will always hold a special place on my shelf.

I couldn't even tell you the number of times we have made this carrot cake over the years, its featured at many a teatime table and even as a birthday cake - its really that good. 

So without further ado, to make this Nutty Carrot Cake with Buttercream Frosting you will need the following ingredients:

- Carrots
 - Caster sugar
- Brown sugar (soft or granulated)
- Plain flour
- Baking powder
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Eggs
- Sunflower oil
-  Cinnamon / mixed spice
- Walnuts, almonds, cashews
- Raisins

Begin by grating 290g of peeled carrots, the original recipe suggested a larger quantity so feel free to increase if you so wish. I try to reduce the amount of liquid in the cake so that the end cake is not quite so 'wet'

Then using at electric mixer beat together 4 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla essence, 55g caster sugar, 115g of brown sugar and 195 ml of sunflower oil. Sift in the dry ingredients - 220g of plain flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp salt, fold in well.

Mix in the grated carrots, 115g of nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews etc.) and 70g of raisins. Pour the mixture in to lined baking tin and bake in a Gas Mark 4 oven for around 40-45 minutes until cooked and springy to the touch. 

To make the buttercream icing with an electric mixer beat 70g of butter until pale and soft, add 140g of sifted icing sugar and combine with a few tablespoons of milk (or water). Beat on a high speed until well combined and soft. Spread this onto the top the cooled cake and make ridges using a pallet knife, sprinkle on some chopped pistachio nuts.

Slice into squares and serve with tea or coffee

This cake also tastes amazing the next day when the flavours have settled and intensified. 

😋

Enjoy!
Q x
P.S - I had such issues with this post! The lighting was awful when I wanted to take pictures because winter. I wrote the draft when we had no electricity/gas (renovation struggles) and when I was trying to post it the internet wasn't working. My cousin's baby was also over at our house so it was a bit chaotic and to top it of, I really wan't feeling well! However I preserved because I really wanted to get it up before the 1st. So to anyone still reading.. Happy Near Year! I hope it is everything you wish it to be x 

Cinnamon Pancakes with Caramelised Apple and Walnut

Today I woke up from the morning light coming through my window, the sun was up and I had weird shadows in my room. I dozed for a few more hours and had the strangest dreams but when I woke I could barely remember them, it was like trying to hold water in your hand but it just trickles out from between your fingers. This actually reminds me of a book I bought last year from the little bookshop under the bridge, it was called IQ84 by Haruki Murakami and it certainly helped me to while away a couple of spare hours between lectures. A particularly apt quote from it is 'time flows in strange ways on Sundays', I find this to be very true and its probably one of the reasons why I don't really like Sundays. Take today for example, its nearing the evening now and all I've done today is sleep, clean, watch the Winter Olympics (with awe and a little bit of jealousy) and brunch. This has included pancakes and copious amounts of tea in my London 2012 mug (does this count as vintage yet?).

Now at the risk of tooting my own horn these pancakes were niceee, fluffy and cinnamon-y with lashings of golden syrup and sweet caramelised apple and walnut. 

The recipe is simple enough with ingredients you most likely have to hand, perfect to make on a slow Sunday morning in your pyjamas. Or even a recipe to try on pancake day, yay for appropriately themed blog posts. Speaking of, I shared another pancake recipe this time last year (double yay for overcoming commitment issues and actually blogging for this long!).

To make these Cinnamon Pancakes begin by whipping up a simple batter:

Start by whisking together 1 cup of plain flour, 4 tblsp of sugar, 2 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp of cinnamon.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and crack in 1 large egg, followed by 1 and 1/2 cups of milk and a dash of vanilla extract. Whisk together until well incorporated.

Meanwhile dice up one large apple, I opted for a 'Golden Delicious' for a sweet flavour but a tart Granny Smith is also a great option.

Add this to a saucepan along with 2 tblsp of salted butter, 2 tbls of soft brown sugar, and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Place this on a medium high heat and cook for a few minutes until the apples have softened slightly, don't overdo it as we want to retain some crunch and to not reduce the apples to turn to mush. Nearing the end of the cooking time stir in the desired amount of chopped walnuts. 

To cook the pancakes, in a small saucepan melt 1 tsp of butter then add in your pancake batter.

Wait until bubbles appear and the underside of the pancake is cooked, then flip. 

Cook up your stack of pancakes and plate up with a heaped pile of the caramelised apple and walnut.

Drizzle on a generous amount of golden syrup or maple syrup to serve.

😋

Enjoy!

 Q x 

Pecan Chocolate Brownies

This year marked the first time I ever made brownies. I'm not too sure why but I always approached 'chocolate baking' with slight trepidation, maybe because its such a strong flavour that it'll turn out delicious or not so (also I'm not the biggest chocolate fan, I have to admit). However, I have overcome this small cooking hurdle of mine due to my little brother's insistence that I never make food he likes aka chocolate flavoured anything. 

Thus began the mission to create a decent brownie and after searching high and low and surfing (or should I say sifting) through a ton of recipes, this one caught my eye and it was love at first bite. Chewy, fudgy, melty and of course chocolatey - these are the ideal brownies, also they're ridiculously easy to make, I didn't even have to bring out the stand mixer, just a bowl and some good old elbow grease (disclaimer: other utensils and ingredients required!)

Funnily enough I ate some of these brownies with tea from a flask on a sand dune, which I highly recommend. This was on a day-trip to the coast and these brownies tasted particularly good after trekking across a windy beachfront and walking through pinewoods where the red squirrels live. Although I know that they will taste just as good cosied up on the sofa with blankets and a mug of tea.

So to make these pecan chocolate brownies you will need the following ingredients:

- Margarine (or butter)

- Eggs

- Granulated sugar & brown sugar

- Plain flour

- Cocoa powder

- Vegetable oil

- Chocolate; milk/dark

- Pecans

To began with melt 230g of margarine in the microwave in a heatproof bowl, to this add 180g brown sugar, 240g granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and beat until well incorporated. The oil ensures the brownies stay soft and moist.

Crack in 4 eggs and 1/2 tsp of salt, whisk until the mixture is even in colour. The salt is optional but recommended as it enhanced the chocolate flavour, similarly you can add in around 3 tsp of vanilla if desired.

Then sift in 150g plain flour and 115g unsweetened cocoa powder, fold into the wet ingredients until well mixed but take care not to over beat the mixture as it can result in tough brownies.

 Chop up around 150g chocolate and 120g pecans - alter the amount depending on your preference. You can use milk, plain or white chocolate and substitute walnuts for the pecans.

Fold this into the brownie batter but set some aside to sprinkle on top. Note that the mixture will be very thick, this is to be expected.

Spoon and spread the batter into a greaseproof paper lined baking tin - use whatever tin you have but note that the smaller it is, the taller/thicker the brownies will be. Sprinkle on the chopped nuts and chocolate.

Place the tin into a oven preheated to Gas Mark 4 and bake for 30-35 minutes.

The amount baking time required will vary depending on your oven, but as a reference the tray should be removed from the oven once the top looks cooked and when touched it is well set. Take care not to over-bake as this will change the texture of the brownies. Leave in the tin to cool for around 15 minutes.

Chop into squares or cut smaller pieces to create brownie bites. These taste delicious with vanilla icecream, cold milk, whipped cream or hot tea.

I hope you give this recipe a try! Oh and here's a snap of the coastal pinewoods because look how pretty.

😋

Enjoy!

 Q x  

*recipe adapted from Gemma's Bigger Bolder Baking

Frosted Coffee & Walnut Cake

It's nearing the end of a pretty relaxing weekend and I'm ever so slightly dreading the fact that's its Monday tomorrow. However if I have to think positively then I did get a whole lot ticked off my to-do list and I've got some left over biryani already boxed up for lunch tomorrow, so win-win really. 

On Saturday my cousin came over to my parents house with her four month old baby and I only made her cry once, I also helped unpack a few more things that my mum got while she was visiting the homeland, amongst which were bags full of an array of spices and nuts. We're now all stocked up on cashews, walnuts, pistachios and peanuts and I couldn't be more pleased about it (I'm a bit of a snacker) and this also means that I have more ingredients to play around with. 

That's where this Sunday's bake comes in; I've always wanted to make a coffee and walnut cake but just never got round to it, so when I saw I had a bag full of walnuts I knew what I had to do (not being the least bit dramatic). 

I did of a bit of research, looked up coffee cakes in all my cookbooks and came up with a rough recipe - I wasn't expecting much but let me tell you this cake came out amazing, so much so that there isn't anything I want to tweak.

It's very light considering its packed full of walnuts and flavoursome without anything being too overpowering, the frosting also compliments it perfectly.

So to make this coffee and walnut cake you will need a few ingredients: 

1.   Margarine/butter

2.   Caster sugar

3.   Eggs

4.   Self-raising flour

5.   Baking powder

6.   Instant coffee

7.   Walnuts

8.   Cinnamon

To begin, cream together 175g of margarine and 175g of caster sugar - I opted for this fat/sugar combination as it kept the cake batter really light.

Then beat in three large eggs, one at a time ensuring the mixture is smooth and the ingredients are well incorporated.

Now for the coffee flavouring, stir together teaspoons of instant coffee granules with 2 tablespoons of boiling water until its all dissolved - stir this into the cake batter. 

Finally we require 195g of sifted self-raising flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Stir the dry ingredients into the batter ensuring no lumps, followed by 2 tablespoons of milk.

As for the star attraction I used around 100g of chopped walnuts, stir the majority of them into the cake batter. 

Once the batter has been spooned into a lined cake tin sprinkle the remaining chopped walnuts on top.

Bake in a Gas Mark 4 oven for around 40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes to allow it to cool slightly before handling. 

Meanwhile we can make the coffee frosting! All that is required is 2 teaspoons of instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 tablespoon of boiling water, to this we add 2 tablespoons of butter and 100g of icing sugar. Using an electric mixture beat all ingredients together alternating with small amounts of boiling water until a smooth glossy frosting is formed (excuse the blurry picture!)

Evenly spread the frosting onto the cake, top with a few walnut halves and a sprinkle of cocoa powder. Now all that's left to do is to slice up and serve!

😋

Enjoy!

 Q x