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      

Fluffy Banana Pancakes

This has been the most hectic of months; a lot of preparation, planning, excitement, disappointment, acceptance, happiness. It's been a bit of rollercoaster, but I suppose that's adult life (in truth I'm only just getting to grips with it, but I'm remaining hopeful). Well, mama always said life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. 

Just kidding, my mama never said that, it was Forrest Gump's and in truth I don't know if I agree with the analogy, I only get the chocolate selections that I like and so I know exactly what I'm going to get/enjoy.

However if we look at the complete other end of the health spectrum.. fruit, I am far more indecisive. For example, I sometimes like melon and other times I hate the taste of it, I prefer oranges in the evenings (crazy, I know), I don't eat fresh blueberries but love them in food and when it comes to bananas, I'm very conflicted. Its the texture of raw banana that's a no-go but I do have a few banana recipes that I adore.

This being one of them - fluffy banana pancakes, one of my favourite and most requested breakfast items. And so apt considering its actually pancake day!

These pancakes are so easy to make, but have a beautifully delicate flavour and they're actually quite filling; so great for a long work day or lazy weekend brunch or pancake day (or any day in-between).

To make these pancakes you will need a few ingredients: 

1. Plain flour
2. Banana
3. Vanilla essence
4. Eggs
5. Baking powder
6. Brown sugar
7. Cinnamon
8. Milk

To start with grab your selected banana, mine is less ripe than I would have liked but I was a bit impatient. Then you just want to mash it with a fork until it is a smooth creamy consistency with minimal lumps.

To this, add in two whisked eggs and give everything a good mix.

Whisk in a generous dash of vanilla flavouring and half a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Follow up with a three tablespoons of brown sugar, I prefer this as it lends a subtle almost caramel tasting sweetness to the pancakes.

Now to thin down the batter to create the right consistency, whisk in one cup of milk - use whatever type you prefer.

And finally, whisk in one and a half cups of plain flour and one tsp of baking powder.

Give the batter and good mix, although it is likely that some lumps may remain. 

To a heated non-stick pan drop on a ladleful of the mixture and let it cook until you see little bubbles and the bottom is golden brown.

Then flip (no acrobat skills required) and cook for a few more minutes til the other side is also well cooked.

Repeat the process for the remaining batter and serve your pancakes warm with a selection of toppings - banana slices, golden syrup, cinnamon, powdered sugar, or nutella.

😋

Enjoy!

 Q x 

Brown Butter Fruit Bars

Here's a fun fact that you didn't know about me, I'm actually a recipe hoarder. 

In truth, I only came to this realisation quite recently after it was pointed out to me that I have one too many notebooks with a bizarre amalgamation of 'recipes' i.e. scribbled ingredients with notes in the margins that make little to no sense even to me. But what the lovely aforementioned individual did not know is that I also have a collection of magazine/paper clippings of recipes that I know I'm never going to make like 'Golden Snitch Cake Pops' (I hate cake pops, why would I make a cake only to crush it to smithereens and mix with icing/coat with chocolate/put it on a stick?!). My camera roll also has a worrying number of screenshots of random recipes I've found online and my computer is similarly plagued (a whole dedicated folder). 

My point being that I try a lot of recipes, some turn out not so great, some are decent, some are one hit wonders (great but too much effort/not enjoyable to make) and very few make it into my cooking repertoire. Those that do I notice have a few things in common, they're relatively easy to make, use no fuss ingredients and they're delicious. These 'brown butter fruit bars' tick all the boxes and no lie, I make these very often!

These bars are a combination of wonderful flavours and are somewhat adaptable! Let me explain.. the base is golden buttery shortbread topped with a generous scattering of chopped fruit encased in a brown butter cake batter. 
All of which sounds incredible right? as for the resilience to adaptability, the fruit you use depends on what you like, you could also experiment with the biscuit base and tinkle with the batter topping. However I should tell you that this combination is gold and I would highly recommend that you give it a go!

To make these brown butter fruit bars you will need a few ingredients:

1. Butter/margarine
2. Caster sugar
3. Vanilla essence
4. Plain flour
5. Fleshy fruit
6. Eggs

To start with preheat your oven to Gas Mark 5, then we can make the base by mixing together 115g of melted butter/margarine, 85g sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla (or more!)

To this add 190g of plain flour and stir together until well combined, the 'dough' will stick together and should leave a clean bowl when inverted.

Press the resulting mixture into a greaseproof paper lined tray, you can use the back of a spoon to ensure that it is all smooth. Also if you want a thicker base, double up the mixture or just use a smaller tray (but you will get less bars, compromise). Pop this into the oven and bake for around 15 minutes.

Meanwhile chop up your fleshy fruit, I've used a variety of fruits in the past including cherries, plums, nectarines. You could experiment with other berries, citrus fruit or even mango, whatever you have to hand.  

For the brown butter batter (say that five times really quickly!), on medium heat slowly melt 115g butter in a pan, keep heating/stirring until it starts to get frothy and takes on a golden brown colour, you'll also notice a warm nutty smell. Leave this to cool before you use it.

For the remainder of the batter you need to whisk together 115g caster sugar and 2 large eggs.

To this add 55g plain flour, 1 tsp vanilla and then slowly stir in the browned butter.

Now to combine everything together - onto the shortbread base, scatter on the fruit, then pour on the brown butter batter.

Bake this for 40 minutes in a Gas Mark 5 oven until everything is golden brown.

Slice into bars or squares and serve. Hope you give this recipe a go, its one my all time favourites.

😋

Enjoy!

 Q x