hummingbird cake with orange cream cheese icing

I remember "semi-naked" cakes being all the rage online about 10 years ago and the term felt too "hipster" for my liking. I'm a contrary sod so needless to say I did not jump on the bandwagon. Until last month, purely because I didn't make enough icing and couldn't be arsed to make more. I wonder if this is how the style started?

I've posted this hummingbird cake before (originally here) numerous times as it's a firm favourite for family birthdays but for a change I tried an orange and honey cream cheese icing. It was absolutely delicious; the orange complemented the spiced banana and pineapple flavours really nicely. I definitely want to use it again so have written it down below for reference.

Orange and honey cream cheese icing:

2oz softened butter

4oz icing sugar

6oz full fat cream cheese

Grated zest of an orange

1tsp runny honey 

Beat together the butter and icing sugar for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, orange zest and honey and mix until fully combined.

Enough for a standard sandwich cake but recommend doubling the quantities for filling and fully covering a triple layer cake.

Banana and blueberry pancakes

A few months ago I came across a recipe for sugar free banana and blueberry pancakes on Nickki's blog SomethingSweetSomethingSavoury. I love both bananas and pancakes so needless to say I had to try them.

It was a bit of a Goldilocks situation perfecting these pancakes. The first time I made them my griddle was too hot, so the pancakes ended up nearly burnt on the outside and undercooked in the middle. Easily rescued with a quick blast in the microwave though. The second time I overcompensated with heat and and they took ages to cook and didn't colour particularly well. Then finally on my third attempt I got them just right. Practise makes perfect.

I absolutely love blueberries in bakes as they turn such a vibrant colour of purple and create lovely, juicy pockets. They've stained my griddle though which I'm less delighted about but I'll forgive them. After all, this is the most action my poor griddle has ever seen! As much as I love pancakes I hardly ever make them.

In my three attempts I also experimented with different ripeness of bananas and I'd say the riper the better like banana cakes. If you only have one sad banana in your fruit bowl, which isn't enough for a cake, then this is a great way to use it. The batter makes 4 small pancakes/drop scones which I've found makes a decent breakfast for one person.

Although the pancakes tasted absolutely fine as they were I couldn't resist adding a drizzle of honey. I have a sweet tooth and since there's no added sugar in the batter I felt I could add some on top guilt-free. There's something so satisfying about a honey or syrup-soaked pancake.

I'm tempted to try swapping out the blueberries for other berries or possibly even chocolate chips next time I make these pancakes. There are so many possibilities!

The only change I made to the original recipe was to use one 1 large egg as I hardly ever buy medium sized eggs. Here's a link to the recipe if you also fancy giving it a try. Nickki has loads of great recipes on her blog so she's worth following if you haven't come across her before.

Banana, date, honey and walnut cake

Hands up if you love banana cake! If you do then you've come to the right place. I love putting borderline mouldy bananas to use.

I came across this banana, date, honey and walnut cake recipe at Jean's blog, Baking In Franglais towards the end of last year and immediately bookmarked it. The combination of banana and dates really appealed to me and I also loved the idea of pouring warm honey on top of the cake fresh from the oven, like a drizzle cake.

Although I think I slightly underbaked my cake I can safely say this is one of my favourite banana cakes I've baked in a long time. My mum, who loves dates but proclaims to dislike honey, also thought the cake was utterly delicious. It was particularly tasty warm from the oven as the dates were so soft that they melted in the mouth. I also liked that most of the cake's sweetness came from the honey rather than sugar. You could almost say it's a healthy cake. Maybe. I'm going with it.

This recipe also gave me an opportunity to use the digital scales I received for Christmas. Being able to measure out precisely 80g of sugar was rather exciting.

I'm also very pleased with my new (to me) cake plate. It appears I'm fussy about rectangular cake plates as I have been scouring second hand and charity shops for years and this is the first one I've liked enough to buy. It's plain but has enough detail to be interesting. I love the gentle, frilly edge and I'm always a sucker for yellow roses on china.  Finally I have something pretty to put my loaf cakes on instead of a chopping board!

banana and coffee loaf

I have three confessions to make:

1. I hate coffee.

2. This is the first time I've baked using a flavour I dislike.

3. I underbaked the cake. Waaaaaah!!! :(

This cake had so much potential, I'm gutted it didn't work out. It rose well, felt firm to touch and the skewer inserted into the centre came out clean so I thought the cake was full cooked, but clearly it wasn't. It's so sad witnessing a cake deflate.

I am definitely at fault though, not the recipe, as I had enough batter left over from the loaf to bake a jumbo muffin and it turned out beautifully. It was well risen, had a lovely soft crumb and even I, the coffee hater, thought it tasted pretty good. Did I think to photograph the muffin? Erm... no.

The sweetness from the banana and honey balanced the bitterness which I dislike in coffee. I didn't think the banana loaf was spoiled by the addition of coffee, whereas I do think a mocha is a ruined hot chocolate!

My Mum, who I made the cake for, loved the flavour. She's been subtly suggesting banana and coffee as a cake flavour combination for ages so was delighted that I finally made it, even though it was a bit of a flop. She especially loved the fudgy coffee icing. It's like the fudgy chocolate icing my Granny used to make, but the cocoa powder is replaced with coffee granules.

Mum and I discovered that the soggy cake could (sort of) be rescued by cooking slices of it in the microwave for a couple of minutes. The icing turns into a sticky sauce which seeps into the cake, making it more like a pudding. A sticky coffee pudding!

I'll definitely try this recipe again, but will pay more attention to the baking times. I was (finally!) watching the last film in the Twilight franchise whilst baking this cake, so I'm blaming my poor results on the dismal acting. On the upside, Michael Sheen is fantastic so it's worth watching for him alone. I almost wet myself laughing at his reaction to the half human half vampire child. Comedy gold: https://youtu.be/i7kT0qiv78s

Coffee and banana loaf

Recipe slightly adapted from Laura's mini bundt recipe at I'd Much Rather Bake Than... 

cake:

9 tbsp (135ml) sunflower oil
100g runny honey
75g light brown muscovado sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp (90ml) milk mixed with 3 heaped tsp coffee granules
3 large eggs
3 bananas, mashed
330g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder

coffee icing (this makes quite a lot so you could reduce quantities):
75g butter
3 heaped dessert spoonfuls of milk mixed with 3 heaped tsp coffee granules
350g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4 and grease and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin. Put the oil, honey, sugar, vanilla, milky coffee, eggs and banana in a large bowl. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix for about a minute until everything is well combined. Pour the mixture in the tin until about 2/3 full. The mixture will be quite runny and there will be enough left over batter for a big muffin or a few cupcakes (just remember they will only take about 20-30 minutes to bake as they're smaller.)

Bake the loaf in the centre of the oven for at least an hour (don't take it out at 50-55 minutes like me!!) until well risen, firm to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the oven comes out clean. Don't watch Twilight whilst baking. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

For the icing, melt the butter with the coffee milk in the microwave (or in a pan on the hob.) Add the icing sugar and mix together until smooth, cool and thickened. Pour over the cake and leave to set.

black tea and blackberry cupcakes with honey cream cheese icing

I'm going to come out and say it... this is one of my favourite things I've baked in a long time.

To be honest I've felt dissatisfied with the majority of my bakes since the new cooker arrived back in May. It has taken a while to make friends with the new oven and I've ended up in a bit of a baking slump. Both my work and my hobbies are practical/creative so it's inevitable that something temporarily falls by the wayside and recently it has been my baking.

Therefore I was delighted when Whittard contacted me last month to ask if I'd like to play with some of their hot chocolates and teas. I felt it was the perfect opportunity to throw myself into some baking and get creative. These cupcakes certainly did the trick.

I really don't know how to describe the flavour of the sponge other than delicious. You wouldn't say "ooh that tastes of black tea" but the tea definitely adds a subtle depth of flavour, or richness perhaps, as well as turning the cupcakes an attractive golden colour.

I initially considered lemon and honey as flavours to compliment the tea, but decided against lemon as it has increasingly become my default baking flavour. As I still wanted a sharp element I chose blackberries instead. I love the contrast in flavour between the tart blackberry and the sweet, creamy honey icing. It's a really satisfying combination.

I also love the burst of colour from the blackberries in the centre of each cupcake - a cheerful surprise on a dreary November day.

I think the Whittard 1886 Blend was an excellent choice for this bake as it's a lovely strong, rich tea. I find it very comforting to drink, like a big tea hug. The other black tea I was sent, Whittard's Original, has a lighter, almost citrus-y flavour. It's very refreshing and I find I add less milk as I don't think it needs it. At the moment I'm favouring the 1886 more - I need a good, strong tea to keep me going in winter!

What's your favourite tea at the moment? Any other Whittard fans?

Black tea and blackberry cupcakes with honey cream cheese icing

Adapted from Earl Grey Cupcakes in the Hummingbird Bakery's "Cake Days" book.

cupcakes:

3 black tea bags. (Whittard's 1886 Blend or an equally strong flavoured black tea.)

80g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened

280g (10oz) caster sugar

240g (8.5oz) plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

240ml (7fl oz) semi skimmed milk

2 large eggs

a small tub of blackberries

icing:

250g icing sugar

125g cream cheese

50g unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp honey

Almost bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan then remove from the heat. Add the 3 tea bags and leave to steep for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Mix the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl (on a slow speed) until it resembles breadcrumbs in texture. Squeeze out the teabags and remove from the milk then pour the tea infused milk into a measuring jug. Top it up to 200ml if it has dipped below then add the eggs and whisk together with a fork. Pour 3/4 of the egg milk mixture into the flour mixture and mix until thick, smooth and combined. Add the rest of the milk and mix again for about a minute until smooth. Fill the cupcake cases until half full, pop a blackberry in the centre of each case, then cover over with more mixture until roughly two thirds full. This batter easily filled 16 cases.

Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until well risen and springy to touch. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. In a large bowl mix all the icing ingredients together. I recommend initially combining everything with a spoon to prevent massive icing sugar dust clouds with the mixer! Once smooth, spoon over the cooled cupcakes with a palette knife. Feel free to reduce the icing amounts as I had enough icing left over to cover perhaps 3 more cupcakes.

Disclaimer: I was sent products to bake with as Whittard recognise I'm a crazy cake lady with an uncontrollable hot chocolate and tea addiction. They're a brand I enjoy and have purchased from before. I was not paid for this post and all opinions expressed are my own.

fruity apple and pecan... slice?

I'm finally back with a baking post! Look, I baked.... things.

It was meant to be an apple and date nutty slice, but I had no dates so I subbed them for a mixture of dried raisins and cranberries, and I cut the apples so chunky that it didn't particularly "slice". Perhaps not the finest way to return to cake blogging, but it used up some wrinkly apples and annoying leftovers.

I was aware that the amount of apples vastly outnumbered the other ingredients but decided not to change it. After all it's an *apple* slice. Perhaps I should have cut my apple chunks smaller, but I was worried I'd end up with a watery, cooked apple gloop if I chopped them too small. I also think it's more satisfying to come across decent sized chunks, it adds texture, and this traybake certainly has texture - fresh fruit, dried fruit *and* chopped nuts surrounded by a cinnamon-y, dark brown sugar sponge mixture. It's all going on.

Not my most beautiful bake, but it tasted really good. If you doubled up the cake mixture and baked it in a bigger tin you'd have a fantastic autumnal pudding. Mmmm, pass the custard.

Fruity apple and pecan slice

Adapted from Jane Pettigrew's "date and apple slice" in Traditional Teatime Recipes, a National Trust book.

4oz (100g) dark soft brown sugar 

1oz (25g) slightly salted butter, melted

1 large egg, beaten

1 tbsp runny honey

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

4oz (100g) self-raising flour, sifted
4oz (100g) mixed dried fruit - raisins, golden raisins, cranberries
3oz (75g) pecans, roughly chopped

1lb (450g) eating apples, cored and diced with the peel left on (I think I used 3 braeburns and 1 or 2 pink ladies)

Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Grease and line a 7 x 11 inch (17.5 x 27.5cm) baking tray. Mix together the sugar, melted butter, egg, honey, cinnamon and flour until everything is fully combined. Stir in the dried fruit, pecans and apple chunks. Tip into the tray and press flat (don't worry about it completely filling your tray, it won't overspill.) Bake for 30-40 minutes until it is golden and firm to touch. Leave to cool in the tin and (attempt to) cut into slices once it's cold.