Courgette and walnut cake

One would be forgiven for thinking I no longer baked judging by the rolling tumble weed on this blog, but look! Here's a cake I baked recently and remembered to photograph. 

Also, check out my beautiful ceramic kitchenaid mixer bowl which Santa gave me for Christmas (after some not so subtle hinting.) I love that it has a pouring spout and matches my 1950s pastel kitchen.

The cake is an adaption of the courgette and walnut layer cake from the Hummingbird Bakery's Cake Days book, scaled down to a more manageable 2 layer cake. Three layer cakes look spectacular but I always feel they're more of an "occasion" cake to feed lots of people so I often admire but skim past those recipes. I'm far more likely to bake a standard 2 layer cake.

Over the past year I've been really into baking with greens. A strange statement admittedly but bear with me. I've had brilliant success baking with avocados in chocolate based recipes such as brownies and cookies. I've also made a lovely courgette and chocolate loaf and this courgette, coconut and lime cake which I've already documented here from a couple of years ago. I doubt I'm going to start putting broccoli or kale in cakes though, that may be a step too far.

Basically if you love carrot cake then you will also enjoy this courgette and walnut cake. It's the same textures and flavours but with the carrot swapped for courgette.

The big difference with this cake is the icing which is a cinnamon flavoured butter icing with Greek yoghurt as opposed to a cream cheese icing. I've never used yoghurt in icing before so was intrigued to try it out. It adds a slight tang, similar to using cream cheese and the finished icing had a beautiful, mousse-like texture. However, I don't think it has replaced my love for cream cheese icing. I think most of my cake eaters also preferred a cream cheese icing to this one but it was fun to try something different.

Courgette and walnut cake

Recipe adapted from Hummingbird Bakery's Cake Days book 

Sponge:

2 large eggs

200ml sunflower oil

200g soft light brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

200g plain flour 

Heaped 1/2 tsp baking powder (to work out roughly as 2/3 tsp for recipe ratio)

Heaped 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (same as above.)

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of ground mixed spice 

200g grated courgette (with excess moisture squeezed out.)

66g walnuts, chopped into small chunks

Icing: (I can't remember exactly, but this is roughly what I did)

175g butter

1 tsp ground cinnamon

250g -300g icing sugar

50g - 75g plain Greek yoghurt

Preheat the oven to 170C/ 150C fan/ 325F/ gas Mark 3. Grease and line 2 round 20cm/ 8 inch sandwich tins with baking parchment.

Whisk together the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl for a couple of minutes until well combined.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and ground spices. Add this dry mixture to the wet egg mixture in two batches, mixing well after each addition. Mix until fully combined.

Stir in the grated courgettes and chopped walnuts then divide the cake batter into the two prepared cake tins.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes in the centre of the oven until risen, golden on top and springy to touch. Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes before turning out to finish cooling on cooling racks.

To make the icing mix the butter, icing sugar and cinnamon together. Once fully combined add the yoghurt and keep mixing for around 5 minutes until the icing is light and fluffy.

Fill and top the cooled cakes with the icing and decorate with more walnut pieces.

an alternative lemon cake

Some may stunned to learn that I, the lady with a raging sweet tooth, am with a man who doesn't eat refined sugar or gluten. He follows a keto diet which has led me down a rabbit hole of keto-friendly bakes. We have had great success experimenting with cheesecakes, cookies and brownies but I keep forgetting to photograph any of our bakes.

This lemon cake, made for Man's birthday a few months ago, is my favourite keto cake I've tried so far. The recipe came from the Sugar Free Londoner, a great blog to follow if you also fancy dabbling with low sugar baking. My only changes were not using the coconut butter drizzle topping and baking the cake in a 7" deep round cake tin as despite owning many cake tins I do not possess an 8" bundt tin.

The cake had a good, strong lemon flavour and, as expected, was subtly sweet. Quite often I find keto cakes tend to be on the heavier/denser side as they don't have the natural 'lift' of standard flour, however I thought this cake had a surprisingly light, fluffy texture. I'm assuming it was the combination of coconut flour with the almond flour, rather than just almond flour. The addition of yoghurt also gave the sponge a soft crumb. 

Instead of the coconut butter drizzle topping I made a keto friendly lemon curd (recipe found here, I halved the quantities) and swirled it through some whipped double cream. It made a beautiful birthday cake served with some grated lemon zest and fresh berries.

We have since made the same cake again but with a syrup topping (2 tbsp erythritol, our natural sweetner of choice, mixed with the juice of one lemon) to make it a lemon drizzle cake which also worked brilliantly. It's proving to be a versatile cake and I'm sure we'll continue to experiment with it. I'm thinking some raspberries folded through the batter might be our next variation.

Rhubarb and custard cake

This cake sadly did not turn out like the cake in the recipe book, but disappointing visuals aside it was a very tasty cake.

It's essentially a standard sponge cake with a layer of custard and stewed rhubarb baked on top, except with mine the custard and rhubarb sank to the bottom and the sponge rose above it. 

The juices from the stewed rhubarb were meant to be reserved for drizzling on top of the cake before serving. As you can see mine was more of a thickened sauce than a drizzle as I think I over reduced it. Still delicious though.

My "patisserie cream" (custard) didn't look right either. My electronic scale went a bit funny on me so I think I added more cornflour than intended and because I added it directly on top of the eggs to save on washing more dishes, I couldn't take it out to weigh again. It ended up pretty thick and bouncy, but still a lovely flavour so I used it anyway.

So yes, there are errors and a bit of disappointment (and a lot of washing up) but it really was a delicious cake and that's what matters most. The custard topping made a lovely change from an icing so perhaps I should revisit it again. . . but take more care with the cornflour.

On a totally separate note my 8 month old kitten got stuck on a neighbour's roof yesterday. He was wailing his head off and after a few hours of seeing him unable to get down off the chimney stack we had to go rescue him. I can tell you it's an interesting way to meet your neighbours. "Hi there, I live in the house diagonally above you. Would you mind if I put a giant ladder up the front of your property so I can retrieve my kitten?"

At least 3 other sets of neighbours came to see what was going on. I fear we're going to known as the couple in the village with *that* cat. Haha.

Rhubarb and custard cake

Recipe mildly adapted from "Bronte at home" by Bronte Aurell

Stewed rhubarb topping:

400g rhubarb, washed and cut into 3/4" chunks

30g butter

50g caster sugar (I would perhaps use slightly less next time)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pastry cream/ custard:

500ml + 2tbsp whole milk

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

100g caster sugar

30g cornflour

1/2 tsp salt

25g butter

Cake:

175g butter/ Stork baking margarine

200g caster sugar

4 large eggs

200g plain flour

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 23cm/ 9" round spring form cake tin.

Make the stewed rhubarb first. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat then add the sugar and vanilla. Stir in the chopped rhubarb and stew for 2-3 minutes to start the cooking process then take the pan off the stove and set aside (I left mine for about 5 minutes, I'm guessing that's why I didn't end up with much juice.)

Whilst the rhubarb cools make the pastry cream/ custard. First, heat the milk and vanilla bean paste in a saucepan on the hob.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and sugar together then add the cornflour and combine. 

When the milk just about starts boiling take it off the heat and pour roughly 1/3 into the egg mixture, whisking continuously, then pour this mixture back into the saucepan of hot milk on the stove. Bring to the boil and keep whisking until the mixture thickens (about 1 minute) then take off the heat. Stir in the salt and butter.

Pour the custard into a cold bowl and press a sheet of baking parchment or clingfilm on top to stop a skin from forming.

Finally, make the cake. In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy with a mixer, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition, then the vanilla.

Combine the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl then fold into the egg mixture until everything is fully combined. 

Pour the mixture into the cake tin then spread 150 - 200g of the pastry cream on top. Remove the rhubarb from the syrup and scatter evenly on top of the pastry cream. Bake the cake in the oven for approx. 1 hour until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. I put a layer of grease proof paper over the top of the cake after 45 minutes to stop the top from browning further but allow the cake to continue baking.

Allow the cake to cool slightly before drizzling the reserved rhubarb stewing syrup on top. Serve the remaining custard with the cake too as it's delicious.

Chocolate and coconut squares

As soon as I saw these chocolate and coconut squares appear on Lynn's blog, Traditional Home Baking, (back in March) I immediately scribbled down the recipe to try.

Usually I'm not overly drawn to coconut, but every so often it really appeals to me. I liked the idea of it combined in a chunky, oaty traybake. I was also keen to try the chocolate topping which I've seen Lynn use before in other recipes on her blog. It sets firm but doesn't crack when you cut into it. I can confirm that it's a lovely topping, almost fudgey, and so quick to make as it is just melted chocolate mixed with some butter. One to use again!

For my topping I used dark chocolate as I like the contrast of a darker, rich chocolate against the sweeter base, but milk would be delicious too. I'm just really into dark chocolate at the moment.

The texture of the base was quite crumbly but full of buttery, oaty, coconut goodness. I'd describe it as a cross between a chunky, oaty biscuit and a flapjack. It's a comforting, easy bake to enjoy with a big mug of tea.

I can't believe I made these over two months ago, time is absolutely flying this year. I've come to the end of birthday season within my family so I can go back to baking whatever I fancy, although I have no idea what that might be. I think I need to have a rummage in the baking cupboard to see what's going out of date. That usually sparks some creativity!

Gingerbread truffles

Every Christmas I make grand plans to try out a few new recipes. . . And every year I pretty much fail. At least I'm consistent!

I managed one new recipe last year, linzer cookies, but I had also planned to make these gingerbread truffles which I found at Baking with Granny, a lovely baking blog if you're not already familiar with it. Also see her post for nicer photography and less lumpy melted chocolate.

After weeks of no baking I felt inspired to make something two weekends ago and remembered these truffles. I reasoned that  gingerbread truffles could be a treat for any time of year, not just for Christmas.

The recipe is nice and simple, no baking required, with only a handful of ingredients: gingernut biscuits, ground almonds, ground ginger, condensed milk and melted chocolate.

I had to re roll the balls a couple of times until they looked suitably dainty as I naturally seem to make hulk sized portions. Eventually I ended up with 56 bite-sized truffles.

The only change I made was adding about 30-40g extra ground almonds as I found the mixture was too soft and sticky to hold the ball shape. The extra ground almonds helped to firm them up.

I also decided to cover some of the truffles in 70% cocoa dark chocolate. Normally I am the biggest white chocolate fan, however in the last year my taste buds have expanded to appreciate a good, dark chocolate. I guess this means I'm a grown up now?

As a result, I possibly prefer the dark chocolate covered truffles to the white chocolate ones as I like the contrast of the rich chocolate with the sweet, ginger, cookie dough textured filling. Both are incredibly tasty though. I'll definitely make these again. I kept a few truffles for myself then packaged up the rest to drop off at friends' and family's doorsteps as a winter treat. 

The only thing I felt on the fence about was the crystallised ginger topping. They're fine as tiny chunks and the truffles benefit from a decoration but I don't think it's something I'd want to eat as a big chunk. In other words, I have no idea what I'm going to do with the rest of this stuff! Suggestions welcome.

Pickled beetroot and beetroot and apple chutney

This likely isn't the most interesting post for the cake lovers but it'll be handy for me to refer to if I make these again, which I think I will do. Also, we all eat savoury things occasionally, right?

My Dad grew a lot of beetroot last year which got divided between myself and my eldest brother. He pickled his portion and I pickled some but also made a big batch of beetroot and apple chutney.

Admittedly I wish I had made more pickle and less chutney as the pickle was way less labour-intensive to make. For some reason I decided to make a double portion of the chutney and it involved SO. MUCH. CHOPPING.

The resulting chutney is very tasty, but it would need to be for all that chopping! It's great on top of a homemade beef burger, lovely with quiche or a punchy little accompaniment to a cheese and cooked meat snack.

The recipe came from an old book with recipes from people around the local county. I believe this is the first thing I've made from it despite my mum having owned it for many years. I'm pretty sure it's older than me! As usual I'll put the recipe at the bottom of the post.

I had never made pickled beetroot before and was astonished by how simple it is to make. Literally just cooked beetroot, vinegar and sugar. I followed this recipe for my pickling quantities and made two batches which produced 4 decent sized jars. I definitely see more pickling in my future. I love pickled beetroot in general and this recipe did not disappoint.

I had originally planned to make my pickle and chutney before Christmas but as usual ran out of time, so this was a new year surprise for the family last month. A nice change (or break) from all the sweets and chocolates too.

Beetroot and apple chutney

2 lb cooked beetroot

2 lb peeled and cored apples (I think I used 3 or 4 Bramley cooking apples)

1 lb onions

1 lb raisins

1/2 lb sultanas 

1/2 lb sugar (I used granulated)

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

1 Pt vinegar (I used distilled white)

Salt (I used flakes)

Cook your beetroot, peel off the skins, then dice into a large bowl and set aside.

Finely chop the apples and onions and cook on a low heat in the vinegar.

Add the fruit, spices, sugar and salt. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Mix in the beetroot after the mix has cooled slightly. 

Spoon into prepared jars and cover tightly.

Linzer cookies

My first festive post of 2020! Hopefully I'll manage more but I'll see how things go. This year I was determined to try a couple of new recipes for baked Christmas gifts instead of defaulting to my usual assortment of shortbread, fudge/tablet and gingerbread biscuits.

First up are these linzer cookies, which are basically festive jammy dodger biscuits. I've had this recipe bookmarked from Katiecakes blog for a while so I'm pleased to have finally tried it. Her bakes and photography are always lovely.

These biscuits were fun to make. The dough didn't need chilling which meant they weren't too faffy to prepare either. My only alteration, if you can call it that, was rolling my dough out to 1/4" thick. The recipe says 3/8" but I felt 1/4" was thick enough considering two biscuits get stuck together. I used a 2.5" diameter round cutter and got 22 completed sandwich biscuits in total from the dough. I also used up almost an entire jar of strawberry jam to fill them.

Not much else to report other than they looked very pretty and made lovely gifts to drop off at relatives' doors this week. Vanilla biscuits with jam are always a crowd pleaser. I also have Katiecakes' chocolate and dulce de leche linzer cookies bookmarked so hopefully I'll try them sometime too.

Wishing you all (if anyone still reads) a Merry Christmas and if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a lovely Friday.