♔ slice of heaven

always on the look for a new recipe

I found this one by Annie Bell

in her book gorgeous cakes:

yes they are gorgeous!

think we will be making a few more from the book

paradise slice

you will need ....

for the shortbread base ~ 

175g butter

75g caster sugar

150g plain flour

100g almonds

finely grated zest of an orange or lemon

120g raspberry jam

for the sponge ~

110g butter

150g caster sugar

150g dessicated coconut

75g ground almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder

110g sultanas {I left these out!}

4 eggs

put all the ingredients for the shortbread into 

a food processor and keep running until

it comes together into a ball

press the dough into the base of a 30x23cm 

non stick baking tray {or similar}

to smooth out place a piece of clingfilm

on top and use the back of a spoon

chill in the fridge for an hour

preheat the oven to 140°c/gas 3

prick the base all over then bake for

25-30 minutes until just beginning to brown

leave to cool

increase oven temperature to 170°c/ gas 5

spread the jam over you base

put butter and sugar into the processor

and cream until fluffy

add the eggs one and a time

in a large bowl weigh out the coconut, almonds,

baking powder & sultanas {if using}

pour in the butter/sugar/egg mixture 

and fold gently

pour onto your shortbread base and 

bake for 25-30 minutes until the 

sponge is set and the top is golden

leave to cool then cut into slices

makes around 16 slices

paradise indeed:

☽☾ old recipes revisited

it's good to go back to old favourites when baking: 

there's comfort in those tried and tasted:

my first blog post was for banana teabread: 

it never fails!

today I thought I'd lighten it up and add some

extra flavours:

more of a cake this time:

see what you think

banana pecan cake

you will need ....

3 ripe bananas ~ mashed

240g plain flour

150g caster sugar

125g butter ~ softened

100g pecans

2 eggs ~ lightly beaten

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 generous teaspoon vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

a few spoonfuls of desiccated coconut

preheat the oven to 180°c/ 350°f

line and grease a 1kg loaf tin

cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy light

add the eggs very gradually mixing well between

stir in vanilla extract, mashed bananas and pecans

sift in the flour, salt and baking powder

{this is where I realised I should have used a larger bowl!}

dollop into your prepared tin, smoothing the top

then sprinkle with coconut

bake for 1 hour, testing for doneness!

cool on a wire rack

keeps in a tin for days

{if it lasts that long}

❧ a taste of autumn

it's a good thing when you are given

windfall fruits:

time to bake and create:

some of you may remember this recipe ~

pear and chocolate cake:

this is a new and less fiddly version:

it's a winner:

you will need ....

115g butter {slightly softened}

100g caster sugar

60g melted chocolate

60ml milk

3 eggs ~ lightly beaten

125g plain flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 or 2 pears, sliced

preheat your oven to 180°c / gas 4:

line and prepare a 20cm square cake tin

cream together the sugar and butter

either by hand or with a mixer

until light and fluffy:

add the eggs a little at a time

mixing well between:

stir in the melted chocolate & milk:

then sift in the flour, baking and cocoa powders:

try not to over mix at this point:

pour into your prepared tin

and adorn with the slices of pear:

bake for 30~35 minutes until firm to the touch:

cool on a rack:

as you can see, I didn't peel the pears

as the skin is soft and good:

deliciously moist and chocolatey:

proper autumn comfort:

⌠⌡ beach dreaming

we've been blessed with lots of sunshine

and good weather:

it has us thinking of holidays 

and lazy days on the sand:

sand dollar biscuits

you will need ....

225g softened butter

550g caster sugar

375g plain flour

1½ tsp baking powder

2 eggs 

another egg ~ separated

half tsp vanilla extract

some granulated sugar mixed with ground cinnamon for sprinkling

some flaked almonds

firstly I halved these ingredients using one egg 

and one separated, as we didn't need

a handy half ton of cookies to eat!

{this made 12 huge crumbly yums}

in a large bowl, mix the caster sugar and butter

together with an electric whisk {or by hand}

until light and fluffy

add the whole egg and the egg yolk and mix well

now sprinkle in the vanilla extract

then add the baking powder and flour

mixing to a doughy ball

wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for an hour or so

now preheat your oven to 190°c/ gas 5

line some baking trays with greaseproof paper

roll out your dough either between two pieces of

cling film {easier as it's quite a sticky dough}

or onto a well floured side

roll out to about 1cm thick then start cutting out

your biscuits

I used the largest cutter I had!

put onto your baking trays, reshaping the

offcuts to re-roll and cut out more

mix the granulated sugar with some ground cinnamon

brush each biscuit with the egg white

and sprinkle with this sugar

push 5 almond flakes onto each biscuit 

and bake for about 5 minutes ....

take them out and carefully push 

the almonds gently into biscuits again

then bake for another 10 minutes

or until golden

cool on a rack

will keep for 3~4 days in an airtight tin

pass the suncream!

ꃂ who's got the key?

this is the first time I've made this pie

which isn't technically a pie ~ is it Anna {^_*}

and we can't get our hands on the 'key' limes

that are traditionally used in this recipe:

limes are probably my favourite citrus fruit

{best in a cuba libre made with dark rum}

the tartness of the limes is offset by the

sweet condensed milk:

this is very light and delicious 

and so SO easy to make!

Key{less} Lime Pie

you will need ....

175g digestive biscuits

95g butter

grated zest of about 3 limes

150ml of lime juice

400ml can of condensed milk

3 egg yolks

you'll need a 23cm {ish} loose based flan tin too:

heat your oven to 180°c/ gas 4

gently melt the butter either in a saucepan

or zap it in the microwave:

meanwhile put the biscuits into a bowl and bash

to a lightish crumb: 

☝ more than this!

now add the melted butter and mix well

put this buttery crumb into your flan dish

and press down evenly on the base 

and up the sides of the tin 

using your hands or the back of a spoon

place your tin onto a baking sheet and into 

the oven for 10 -12 minutes so it's toasty brown

put the 3 egg yolks into a large bowl

add the lime zest and whisk them for

a few minutes so they're light and fluffier

add the condensed milk and whisk away

for another 3 minutes or so

add the squeezed lime juice

and whisk just quickly to mix

if you haven't already, take out your crumb base

pour in your lime topping

and bake for another 20 minutes

it should feel set when lightly pressed

cool completely before slicing

chilled is best!

think next time I might make the base with choc

chip cookies for a choco~lime pie!

⸨⸩ nordic noms

I was curious when my Finnish friend Anna

mentioned she had baked some 'slapped ears':

she described these little spiced buns

that are shaped as their name implies:

how delighted I was when she gave me the

recipe, written on a paper bag

complete with diagrams for rolling and

cutting:

Anna says they can be frozen then gently

reheated in the oven for unexpected guests:

korvapuusti {slapped ears}

you will need ~ 

for the dough ....

570ml luke warm milk

150g caster sugar

45g fresh yeast {or dried equivalent}

1 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds

180g melted butter

1 medium egg

1kg plain flour

for the filling ....

100g softened unsalted butter

150g soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

to make the dough

put the  flour into a big bowl then add the

milk, sugar, yeast cardamon, egg

and melted butter:

gradually incorporate all the ingredients 

and mix until it forms a ball:

sprinkle the top with a little flour

cover with a teatowel and leave

in a warm place for about an hour:

after an hour, punch down the dough lightly

and flour your worktop surface:

using a rolling pin, roll your dough

into a large rectangle 

{about half a cm thick, 30 x 80 cms}

now the filling

spread the butter evenly all over the dough

and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar:

you could add some grated apple too:

roll the dough up from the long side

and cut into triangles about 6cms on the

longest side:

{with the longest side downwards}

press them in the middle so 

the sides protrude a little:

transfer the buns onto lined baking trays

⬆ Anna's little drawing shows 

how to cut and press your ear shapes:

cover with a teatowel and leave in a 

warm place to prove again:

Anna glazes hers with a beaten egg and

sprinkles with pearl sugar: 

preheat the oven to 220°c/ gas 7

bake your 'ears' for 15 ~ 20 minutes

until nicely browned:

{watch them though as they can burn real quick!}

while they were cooking I heated a tablespoon of fresh 

lemon juice with a couple of tablespoons of

caster sugar:

remove the 'ears' from the oven and brush with the glaze:

as you can see, one of them got a bit

brown!

still tasted gorgeous and best eaten warm:

ʘ chocomocha bundt

the first time I saw Bundt cake was in Hamburg:

I was intrigued by the shape and the tin:

the cake I ate was quite plain but light

with a syrup drizzle to add moistness:

finally I have got my hands on a tin for my collection:

my recipe search in books and on the net

was quite meagre:

so I made up my own from the basic 

recipes out there:

chocomocha bundt cake

you will need ....

200g plain flour

200g caster sugar

175g butter {soft}

1 teaspoon baking powder

40g {best} cocoa powder

2 heaped teaspoons espresso powder

{or a shot of cooled espresso}

2 eggs

150ml {or so} of milk

preheat your oven to 180°c/ gas 4:

now this bit is very important so take your

time ....

grease and flour your tin by brushing with a little

melted butter and sprinkle with flour:

don't miss anywhere or your cake will stick!

in a large bowl

either by hand or with an electric mixer

cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy

add your eggs one at time and mix well

now fold the flour and baking powder

adding a little milk so the mixture drops 

from the spoon quite easily

add half the batter to your tin

back to the remaining batter ....

 stir through the cocoa powder and espresso

adding more milk if needed

dollop spoonfuls into the tin

and swirl with a skewer

bake for 45 ~ 50 minutes ....

{you know the drill, test by poking a skewer through

if it comes out clean then it is done yAy}

you can eat the cake just like this

but not me

oh no

drizzled with some butter and chocolate melted

together then sprinkled with walnut pieces

coffeewalnutchoc deliciousness

◉ oreo~eo~eo

always looking for new recipes:

different recipes from the usual

Libbie found one for these cupcakes:

and you know what?

they are rather nom!

well they are after some tweaks:

oreo cupcakes

you will need ....

a pack of oreos

120g softened unsalted butter

120g caster sugar

120g plain flour

60g cocoa powder

3 eggs

1½ teaspoons baking powder

60ml milk

preheat your oven to 180°c/ gas 4

line your muffin tin with paper cases

then twist each oreo to separate the top and bottom

put the creamy side of an oreo into each paper case

cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy

then mix in the eggs one at a time

in a separate bowl ~ mix all the dry ingredients

then add them, with the milk to the bowl

and mix carefully

pile this mixture onto your prepared cases

and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or so

they should be springily firm

leave to cool completely before icing

I iced these with a mixture of cream cheese and

sifted icing sugar: 

then blitzed up the remaining oreo halves

and sprinkled them on the top:

can you see the oreo half in the bottom of the cake?

it left an imprint on the empty case!

{if you're not too jazzed for the chocolate cakey part then 

you could omit the cocoa powder and add a few 

drops of vanilla extract}