Recipe - Carrot Cake

Ingredients

For the cake
240ml groundnut or vegetable oil
300g caster sugar
4 eggs, seperated
4 tbsp of milk
180g carrot, grated
120g walnuts, chopped finely (plus some for decoration)
100g raisins
240g plain flour
2.5  tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

For the frosting
200g unsalted butter
175g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
525g cream cheese

Method to the madness

Preheat the oven to 170c. Butter two non-stick sandwich tins. Line the base with baking paper and butter this too. Whisk the oil and sugar together, separate the egg yolk and whites then whisk in the egg yolks and milk.

Fold in the carrot, nuts and raisins. Sift the flour, spices and baking powder in to the bowl and combine all the ingredients.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold these into the cake mixture in two goes.

Divide the mixture between the two cake tins before popping them in the oven to bake for 30-35mins.

 Once a knife or skewer comes out clean then turn them out of their tins and leave to cool.

While the cakes are cooling it's time to make the frosting. Whisk the butter in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract and contiure to whisk until combined. Add the cream cheese and mix by hand until completely smooth.

Remove the baking paper from the cakes and dollop a layer of cream cheese on to one of the cakes. Sandwich this between the other cake and add the remaining frosting on the top and sides. Sprinkle with cinnamon and decorate with chopped walnuts. Place in the fridge to set for an hour before serving.

A very delicious Sunday afternoon treat!

C x

Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes - Recipe

Today boys and girls is a recipe for something very special indeed which is only right as this is my 50th post on this blog. It is possibly the nicest dessert I have ever made. If, like me, you have already forgotten that you are meant to be on a diet this is perfect…

Ingredients (makes 12) 

Double Chocolate Crust

180g Double Chocolate digestives

60g unsalted butter, melted 

Cheesecake Filling

300g cream cheese, softened to room temperature

130g caster sugar

60g crème fraiche

2 large eggs

100g chocolate chips 

Salted Caramel sauce

200g caster sugar

90g salted butter, cut up into 6 pieces

120ml single cream

1 teaspoon salt

Method to the madness 

First we need to make the mini cheesecakes: 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.

For the crust: In a food processor, pulse the digestives into a fine crumb. Add the butter and pulse until it’s all mixed together. 

Press 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture into the bottom of each liner. You should have enough for 12. Bake for 5 minutes and allow to slightly cool as you prepare the filling.

For the filling: In a food processor mix the cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth. Add the sugar and crème fraiche and whiz on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whizzing on a low speed after each addition. Pour in the mini chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter on top of the crusts until nearly full. 

Bake for 20-23 minutes. The centers may also have risen up quite a bit, but they will deflate as the cheesecakes cool. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature, for at least 1 hour. Transfer to the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least two hours or overnight for best results.

Once those are in the fridge it’s on to the sauce. Salted caramel is like pourable sunshine. It just makes me so darn happy with its sticky sweet and salty goodness. I made enough to cover the cheesecakes and also have loads left over so I can just pour it on top of EVERYTHING. 

Heat the caster sugar in a medium NON STICK saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn or you will have to start all over.

Once the sugar is completely melted (like the above), immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added and stopping to try and take photos is not advisable…..

Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes and then very slowly, drizzle in the cream. 

Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute before removing from the heat and stiring in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using.*

 Pour into a jam jar to keep

Right before serving, top each cheesecake with salted caramel and additional chocolate chips, if desired, I used cookie crumb sprinkles. 

 Cover the cheesecakes tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store cheesecakes (without caramel) in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Admire your masterpieces.

 xxx

*(You can cover the caramel tightly and store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Warm the caramel up for a few seconds before using in a recipe).

Sausage and Egg Pie - Recipe

Ingredients

6 eggs
800g sausages
Mixed herbs
500g puff pastry
A beaten egg
Salt and pepper

Method to the madness

Bring a pan of water to a boil and boil the eggs for 4 minutes. Plunge directly into cold water and leave. Then skin the sausages and mix with the herbs and season with salt and pepper.

 

Peel the eggs carefully - this took me forever! I don't think there is any quick way, but let me know in the comments if there is!

Divide the pastry in half and roll half of it into a rectangle that fits in a baking tray. Grease the tray with butter and lay the pastry on top. Add a layer of sausage meat, leaving a little space around the outside. Put the eggs down the middle, making a little groove with your thumb as you go for added stability.

Next build the remaining sausage meat around the eggs.

Roll out the other half of the pastry. Brush the edges of the first sheet with beaten egg and lay the other sheet of pastry over the top, pressing to stick and crimping to pimp. Now brush all over with egg and make a few slits in the top. 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Brush with a beaten egg or milk before baking for 25-30 minutes until a light brown in colour. Try not to eat in one sitting.

xxx

  

Recipe - Scotch Eggs

Ingredients

4 slices of bread to make breadcrumbs

5 eggs

8 of your favourite sausages (I just used standard sausages but next time I might be more adventurous)

Method to the madness

Put the 4 slices of bread in an oven at 150°C for 20 minutes until completely dried. When cool, place in a  bag and crush until you have breadcrumbs - I used a rolling pin to bash it up and make it easier.

Part boil 4 of the eggs by putting them in boiling water for 4 minutes (if the eggs are at room temperature), or 6 minutes (if they are from the fridge).

Place the boiled eggs in cold water for a few minutes, gently tapping them to crack the shell. The shell will now peel off easily.

Take the sausages and slice off the skins and then squish all the meat in to a ball. 

That sausage looks like my little finger!

Gently squeeze and shape the sausage meat evenly around the eggs.

Crack the remaining egg into a bowl and whisk with a fork. Put flour in a bowl and the breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Roll each of the scotch eggs in the flour, then the whisked egg, and then the breadcrumbs.

Place on a baking tray and cook in a preheated oven at 160°C for 30 minutes.

It's a simple as that!

xxx

Recipe - Mushroom, Bacon and Blue Cheese Soup

Trying to catch up with all my blog posts now I am back from Glastonbury. I will be posting about it soon but first here is a soup recipe.

I know it isn't exactly soup weather at the moment but I tried a similar one at Glastonbury and it was so good I had to try and recreate it.

Ingredients

25 g butter

250g Chopped Leek and cabbage mixture (I bought a pre-sliced bag from ASDA because I'm lazy)

200g sliced mushrooms

500 ml chicken stock

30g blue cheese

6 slices bacon, cooked

Method to the Madness

Heat some butter in large saucepan over medium heat and then add the leeks, cabbage and mushrooms. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Whilst your veg is cooking cut the bacon into smallish squares and then fry off in another pan. Once cooked add to the vegetable pan.

Make up the chicken stock and add to your mixture, bringing to boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and add the blue cheese. DON'T DO WHAT I DID AND ADD TOO MUCH BLUE CHEESE. I've said 30g in the Ingredients but it really is best to add a little at a time otherwise it overpowers everything. My soup tasted like a blue cheese soup.

Might be best not to let any animals up on the work surface......

Blitz it in the processor. I tried to add chunky bits to mine but it didn't work – it ended up lumpy and horrible so instead I let the food processor do its work for 5 minutes so the soup was smooth.

Serve and try not to lick the bowl.

Recipe - Lemon Tart

Let's get things kicked off with a sunshiny recipe :)

Low calorie lemon tart :) Only 186 calories a slice!
Ingredient

For the pastry

• 50g butter , cut in pieces
• 140g plain flour
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 medium egg yolk

For the filling

• 3 medium eggs , plus 2 medium egg whites
• 140g icing sugar , plus extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest (about 4 lemons)
• 125ml lemon juice (from 4-5 lemons)
• 200ml tub half-fat crème fraîche

Method to the madness

Rub the butter into the flour until the mix looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the icing sugar, then make a well and stir in the oil, egg yolk and 1 tbsp cold water until dough comes together and gather into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out so it fits a 23 x 2cm loose-bottom flan tin/dish. Ease the pastry into the tin. Press the pastry into the flutes so it sits slightly above the edge and trim the excess. Lightly prick the pastry base with a fork,  then chill for about 10 mins. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.

While it’s chilling make the filling! Beat the eggs and egg whites together with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, then gradually beat in the eggs. If the mix is at all lumpy, simply beat with a wire whisk. Stir in the lemon zest and the juice. Leave to stand so the lemon flavour can develop.

Line the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans and bake blind for 15 mins or until well set. Carefully lift out the beans and paper, then bake the pastry case for another 3-5 mins until the base is cooked and pale golden. 

Strain the lemon mixture through a sieve. Beat the crème fraîche in a medium bowl until smooth, then slowly stir in the lemon mix until well blended. Transfer to a jug, then carefully pour two thirds into the warm pastry case. Place in the oven with the oven shelf half out, pour in the rest of the filling, then carefully slide the shelf back in. Reduce the heat to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Bake for 25-30 mins until barely set with a slight wobble in the middle. Cool for about 1 hr, then serve with a light dusting of icing sugar. Best eaten the same day - yes, all of it!

xxx