Pumpkin Pie

So I realise its a while since I posted a recipe, basically life has taken over & after a fabulous week away in Morocco I have been trying to organise my life ready for the 3rd December, the big 'first day' of my career! 

Rewind slightly to the 4th November and I was leaving a cold, wet, dreary England behind and boarding a rather cramped budget airline plane bound for Morocco! Now, I had a bit of a blonde moment... well two. Firstly, I didn't realise that it would take just over 4 hours to fly out, its quite a long way to Northern Africa (made seemingly longer on a budget airline). Secondly, for the week I thought we were an hour behind GMT ... apparently not. 

I had an incredibly relaxing week, we started our stay just outside Marrakech staying at a beautiful riad with grounds littered with olive trees, Ibiza white sunbeds and a refreshing swimming pool. It was bliss (minus the odd irritating fly). We went into the Medina for a bit of shopping at the souks and I was overwhelmed by the smells, crowds of people, snake charmers, birds, market stall sellers & mopeds. It was a world away from our oasis and threw me straight back to my gap year travels! My bartering skills that I gained in South East Asia were put to good use in the souks. It was a bit like a scene out of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel when Bill Nighey thinks he knows 'how the game is played' & walks away. He was unsuccessful. I however was. At the end of the day I was scrambling to get out of the chaos that was the Medina. After Marrakech, we headed for a few days on the coast, enjoying clear blue skies and the benefits of an all inclusive hotel; one of my favs being people watching the other guests... 'Auf Wiedersehen, Pet' says it all really! 

I was incredibly sad when it came to catching the flight home, the thought of leaving the sun and the heat  was  made even more depressing when the incoming passengers on our return flight got off dressed in full on winter gear! The only silver lining to flying home was the promise of a new chapter, guilt-free shopping for a working wardrobe...can't exactly turn up in my birthday suit and Christmas. I love Christmas mainly for the opportunity it brings to meet up with much missed friends, drink inordinate amounts of mulled wine and bake...a lot.

I feel the countdown to Christmas can only begin once Thanksgiving has passed ... might as well jump on the festive band wagon! So here is my British version of pumpkin pie, I've cheated and used butternut squash as it is far easier to get hold of and has a sweeter flesh, which means that you can avoid pouring a can of evapourated milk into your pie...there is a reason for America holding one of the highest obesity rates. I baked this last year for a girly dinner party & it went down a storm. 

Serves 8 ish

depends on how super-sized you make your portions!

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C

Bake to perfection for 45 minutes

You will need the following:

Pastry

(The one and only time I will say cheat...but totally worth it)

500g Pack of Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Filling

Pumpkin or Butternut squash...roughly 600-700g

2Tbsp Golden Syrup

1Tsp Ground Cinnamon

½Tsp Ground Nutmeg

75g Golden Caster Sugar

3 Eggs, beaten

200ml Double Cream

22cm loose bottom tart dish

Method:

Roll out your pastry to the thickness as a pound coin

or buy ready rolled #guilty

Flour your tin

Chop your butternut squash up into chunks, place on a greaseproof paper lined baking tray and drizzle with the golden syrup & spices

Line your pastry with baking parchment, topped with rice or baking beans. 

Alternatively prick the bottom of your pastry with a fork 

Put the squash and pastry in the oven at 200°C

After 20 minutes remove the pastry and set aside & trim the edges. 

Turn down the oven to 180°C & allow the squash to continue cooking for another 25 minutes

When cooked remove the squash, scoop out the flesh into a bowl, along with the excess syrup, eggs, 

cream & sugar. 

Blend with a food processor or food whizzer

Pour into the cooled pastry case

Place back into the oven & bake at 180°C for a further 45 minutes or until the filling has set. Check the pie at 20 minutes, if it is colouring too quickly, loosely place a sheet of tinfoil over the pie.

Dust with icing sugar

Serve with a scoop or two of ice cream

Enjoy ...

Chocolate Cupcakes

Thousands flocked to Earls Court over the weekend to visit The Cake and Bake Show ... obvs I took my opportunity to go & be surrounded by baked goods for the day! Yes, guilty I was up bright and early to get to the train at silly o'clock on the Sunday! My sister and I just could not get over how busy it was. We knew it would be hectic as the show had sold out and more tickets had to be issued, who knew baking was so in vogue at the moment?!?! 

I would however like to highlight very clearly, that I was not one of the mob-frenzied crowd that were fighting for the free sugar samples and recipe cards. A couple of middle aged women got really rather irate at how they couldn't have a recipe card for the Mary Berry demonstration! However, this was nothing in comparison to the tousling for seats in the Cake Kitchen to see live demonstrations... It reminded me a bit of Michael McIntyre's budget airport queue sketch of when everyone is trying to predict when the plane is going to go, suddenly one person decides the plane might be going and then everyone decides 'the plane might be going' and the plane clearly hasn't arrived but everyone starts to queue and starts edging around the queue ... 'all a bit tense' was I think how Michael described the situation. 'All a bit tense' is how I would have described the pandemonium to get a good seat! 

As it happens we lucked out & got a front row view for Mary Berry's demonstration, she was just fab, rather witty and full of cake knowledge. She made a stunning hazelnut roulade, a classic chocolate cake and a tasty dark chocolate, stem ginger rocky road (I know because I had a piece...that woman can bake!)

So after graduating, I'm learning that you do indeed live for your weekends. I'm getting pretty fed up already with copious amounts of photos racking up in my facebook newsfeed of friends still at University having fun on a daily occurrence. So I figured it was only appropriate that I post a recipe that can be shared amongst new friends, old friends or just all for yourself! Hungover or just hungry! A solid dose of chocolate. Everyone likes chocolate, when I moved into halls at university the two sharing things my mummy sent me with were chocolates & a jar of coffee ... no one drank coffee, everyone ate chocolate!! 

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and grated chocolate ... not one bad word in that sentence! Unless you're weird & don't like chocolate. or allergic - I'll let you off.

Makes 16ish Cupcakes

(depending on how full you fill your cupcake cases)

Pre-heat oven to 180°C

Bake to perfection for 16-18 minutes

You will need the following:

Cake

175g Butter

100g Caster Sugar

75g Soft Brown Sugar

3 Eggs

175g Self Raising Flour

50g Cocoa Powder

50g Dark Chocolate, melted

1 Drop of Vanilla Essence

2Tbsp Yoghurt 

1Tsp Baking Powder

Icing

275g Icing Sugar

50g Cocoa Powder

50g Butter

2Tbsp Plain Yoghurt

Decoration

Chocolate for grating 

Edible gold dust if you're keen

Method:

Cream together your butter and sugars

Then sift in your cocoa powder

One at a time add the eggs, make sure each egg is fully combined before adding the next 

Sift in the flour 

Add the melted chocolate & vanilla essence 

Followed by the baking powder

Finally add in the yoghurt 

Divide your mixture into the cupcake cases. Either use an ice cream scoop and put one scoop in each case or fill the cases with mixture just over half way 

Bake in the oven for 16-18 minutes, remembering the the golden rules of baking 

Whilst they are baking make the icing by combining the butter & yoghurt, then sift in the cocoa powder & icing sugar. 

Spread a tablespoon of icing on each cupcake 

If you're keen sprinkle with gold dust

It does look quite pretty...

 

Enjoy with friends, old or new ... or on your own!

Birthday Cake

It was my little sister Flo's birthday on Sunday. 20 years young & so it was time to make a fab birthday cake. She had a very long celebratory lunch with her friends and so I wanted to make a cake that would impress & be enjoyed by all. This is a fool-proof birthday cake that is easily rustled up & will impress and be appreciated by all! 

Reasons why ...

1. it is chocolate, 

2. it is layered with a dark chocolate & white chocolate icing

3. it is topped with a thick layer of white chocolate icing

4. it is finished off with a glut of strawberries, shavings of white chocolate & gold dust on top 

... do I need to go on?!

Serves 12

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Bake to perfection for 22-24 minutes

You will need the following:

Cake

225g Butter

225g Caster Sugar

225g Self Raising Flour 

4 Eggs

50g Coca Powder

50g Good Quality Dark Chocolate 

1Tsp Baking Powder 

1Tbsp Milk

Dark Chocolate Icing

50g Good Quality Dark Chocolate 

50g Butter

275g Icing Sugar

1Tsp Plain Yoghurt

White Chocolate Icing

75g Good Quality White Chocolate 

50g Butter

275g Butter

1Tsp Plain Yoghurt

Decoration

Edible Gold Dust

Strawberries

 

Method:

Cream together the butter & sugar

Add the eggs in one at a time

Sift in the cocoa powder

Tip: fold in gently ... you'll be covered in cocoa powder if you don't! 

Next sift in the flour

Melt your chocolate & stir it in

Grease two cake tins

Now add in the baking powder

Finally add the milk

Quickly pop in the oven & bake to perfection

Whilst the cake is cooling make the two batches of icing 

Melt the chocolate & combine with the butter 

 

Add in the icing sugar 

Combine until smooth 

Now build your birthday cake in seven steps ... 

1. Even out your bottom layer with a knife if your cake has slightly domed

2. Spread a layer of the dark chocolate icing on the bottom layer

3. Add roughly 2 heaped tablespoons of the white icing mix ...

 & spread out

4. Add your second layer

5. Then spoon the rest of your icing onto the top of the second layer & using the back of the spoon spread the icing around the cake 

6. Chop your strawberries in half and pile on top of the cake

7. Add edible gold dust & finely grate a cube of white chocolate 

(close up arty farty photo of the strawbs)

& Ta daa ..

Enjoy ... 

Brandy Snaps

What a phenomenal day at the Olympics yesterday ...  six golds in a day, three in one hour! Just incredible scenes from London. I think there is something incredibly humbling about watching an athlete who has worked extraordinarily hard at their discipline stand there on the podium with tears of joy in their eyes. It is not just that athlete who has been on a very long journey but the coaches, support staff and the families of the athletes who have supported the athletes through thick and thin.

Whether it was watching Chad Le Clos' father bursting with pride in the interview after his son won a gold or seeing Mo Farah's daughter and wife running, and for the latter walking (I thought she may give birth right there and then on the track) to meet their Olympic Champion is something quite remarkable.

So in the spirit of the Olympics I thought I'd adapt my presentation of my brandy snaps into 'Olympic torches'! Seems only fitting, they aren't quite as impressive as the Olympic Flame that burns in the Olympic Stadium but I can guarantee they taste superb & if you are having friends over for dinner to celebrate the Olympics, I'm sure they will award you a gold medal for your pudding!

Makes 15
Pre-heat oven to 180
Bake to perfection for 10-12 minutes

You will need the following:

50g Butter
50g Caster Sugar
2Tbsp Golden Syrup
50g Plain Flour
½Tsp Ground Ginger
1Tbsp Brandy
½Tsp Lemon Juice

A few strawberries & ice cream to decorate

Method:

 Measure out the butter, sugar & golden syrup in a bowl together

Melt in the microwave for 1 minute or gently over a bain marie for a few minutes

Add the lemon juice & stir in

Next add the flour

Then the brandy

Line several trays with baking paper and using a teaspoon dollop four lots of mix onto a tray

Bake to perfection for 10 minutes until golden

Once your time is up you must move quickly... I simply folded either side of the brandy snap over to form a cone shape; placing them folded side down on a board to harden.

If you would prefer to make traditional brandy snaps you simply roll the brandy snap around the handle of a wooden spoon.
Alternatively to make a basket use a ladle & drape your brandy snap over the ladle.


They will be crunchy & light in colour. If you don't move quick enough and some of your brandy snaps have hardened without you shaping them, put them back in the oven for 1-2 minutes & they will soften back up

Add a scoop of ice cream to your brandy snap

 Finally place your strawberries into the ice cream to represent the flames

Enjoy ...

Go Team GB