Spinach and Feta Rolls

The great thing about living in London (and one of my favourites) is that we're so close to amazing cafes, shops and restaurants within a stone's throw of us. It's perfect if you run out of some ingredient, fancy popping out for a drink with friends and we walk everywhere. The cafe culture has certainly given us fantastic eateries, delis and patisseries!

We have a cafe close to us which is the place for meeting up with friends for a cuppa and enjoying some of their freshly baked goods. But as much as I enjoy eating their wares, it always inspires me to want to make my own versions at home. One of my lunchtime favourites is the Spinach and Feta Roll and now I've created a homemade version, I can see it frequenting my kitchen on a regular basis :)

This little roll is super tasty and is filled with a mixture of spinach and feta, rolled in a blanket of puff pastry and then topped with eggwash, parmesan and fennel. They are simple to make but are delicious and you can have them freshly baked on your table in next to no time. I've never been a fan of aniseed but the fennel really does add a lovely twist to these and with the parmesan, a perfect crisp exterior to the little rolls.

We start by making the filling. I use frozen spinach and cook it in a small saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of water for around 5 minutes or until the spinach fully defrosts. Then we need to remove some of the water, so it's placed in a sieve and the water squeezed out by pressing the spinach against the sieve sides with the back of a spoon. Once we've removed most of the water, the spinach goes into a small bowl. The chopped feta is added and mashed together with the spinach using a fork. You're not looking for a puree consistency, but for it to be combined with small chunks of feta remaining. Next we season with a dash of nutmeg and a little salt and pepper.

Once the filling is ready, we unwrap our puff pastry and lay it on a lightly floured work surface. The pastry needs to be cut in half horizontally to make two rectangles (each rectangle will make two rolls) and then half of the filling is laid half-way down, in a line horizontally across the first rectangle. The pastry is rolled up from the bottom side to the top to make a long sausage roll and then sealed with eggwash. This is then repeated with the second piece of pastry.

Finally we brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash and then grate parmesan across the surface and sprinkle fennel seeds on top. They're popped into the oven for around 15-20 minutes. Once they're out of the oven, the rolls can be cut in half to make four rolls for sharing (or you can eat one long roll if you're really hungry!)

When we all lead such busy lives, it's nice to be able to treat yourself to a tasty lunch which doesn't take too much time to prepare but which has lots of amazing flavours and is freshly baked. 

And if you're working away from home, the rolls can also be made the previous day ready for you to take with you.

Nothing's better than one of these rolls on the run!

Spinach & Feta Rolls

Makes 4 rolls (1 roll per person)

Ingredients

• 200G FROZEN SPINACH
• 120G FETA, CRUMBLED INTO PIECES
• 320G PUFF PASTRY
• 1 TSP NUTMEG
• SALT AND PEPPER (for seasoning)
• 1 EGG, LIGHTLY BEATEN (this is the eggwash)
• 2 TBSP FENNEL SEEDS
• 2 TBSP PARMESAN, GRATED

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan)
2. Place the frozen spinach into a small saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of water and heat on a medium heat until the spinach is completely defrosted
3. Transfer the spinach to a sieve and using a fork, press the spinach against the sides of the sieve to remove as much water as possible
4. Put the spinach in a small bowl and add the crumbled feta cheese
5. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and then combine them with a fork -- you're looking for the ingredients to be combined but not over-mixed as you don't want a puree consistency
6. Remove your puff pastry from the fridge
7. Lay it on a lightly floured board with the long sides at the top and bottom of your board
8. Cut the pastry in half down the middle from left to right so you have two pieces of pastry
9. Half-way down each piece of pastry, spread a line of filling evenly from left to right
10. Roll each piece of pastry from top to bottom so you have a long sausage roll and then seal the pastry with a line of eggwash
11. Brush the top of each roll all over with eggwash, then grate parmesan across the surface and then sprinkle the fennel seeds on top
12. Place on baking paper on baking trays and then bake for around 15-18 mins -- when they're ready the tops should be a lovely golden brown
13. Remove from the oven and eat immediately -- or allow to cool and eat the next day :)

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

One of my favourite puddings ever is Fruit Crumble. It doesn't really matter that much what you pair the Crumble with (although my absolute favourite is apple and raspberry), it just needs as much flakey crumble as possible on the top (generally two to three times the amount regular recipes would suggest!) I always think of it being an autumnal-going-into-winter pud but I have a recipe for you that transforms it into a light, beautifully fresh cake that brings with it the sweetness and summery fruits that are just coming into season.

These Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble Muffins are simply divine. Strawberries are so sweet at the moment and they add freshness and juice to the final cakes. The cakes themselves have a delicate crumb and with the moistness of the strawberries they are quite fragile. I tried making them straight in a muffin tin, but having a wrap around the outside really helps hold them together, although you could use cupcake papers instead. The idea for this came from my Apple and Rhubarb Crumble Cake which I was going to make the other day and then I decided I'd love to put some fruity strawberries into it instead. They are are stirred through the batter and then topped with rhubarb and finally the crumble.

The hardest part of making these muffins is the chopping! I suggest cutting up the fruit into very small pieces, particularly the rhubarb. And I always start making these by doing this job first. My recommendation is around four large strawberries for six muffins and one stick of rhubarb. Then I make them crumble -- you can either rub the butter into the flour and sugar with your fingers or blitz them in the food processor.  The muffin batter itself is very simple. We cream the butter and brown sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla. Once they're all incorporated, sift the flour over the top, mix thoroughly and then finally stir through the milk and strawberries.

I use an ice cream scoop to fill my muffin cases and once the mixture is divided evenly amongst the cases, sprinkle the tops with rhubarb and then finally the crumble (and I like to completely cover the top of the muffin with the crumble layer, so you can't see any fruit peeking out). They should be baked for around 25 minutes and you can check them as you would with any other cake, by checking a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once they're baked and out of oven, we leave them in the tin for around 10 minutes and then lift them out carefully to cool on a rack. I recommend leaving them in their wrappers for stability -- they do firm up as they get cooler but they are at their most delicious warm from the oven.

These muffins are perfect for coffee mornings, lunch or afternoon tea. They do have a sweet sugary hit from the crumble which might seem a bit over-indulgent for breakfast, but just amazing for brunch!

You could kid yourself that the fruit in them makes them healthy, but when something tastes this good, you should just enjoy it for what it is :)

 Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

Makes 6 muffins

Crumble Ingredients

• 50G SELF-RAISING FLOUR
• 40G SOFT BROWN SUGAR
• 1/2 TSP CINNAMON
• PINCH OF SALT
• 40G BUTTER

Muffin Ingredients

• 100G BUTTER
• 100G SOFT BROWN SUGAR
• 2 EGGS
• 2 TSP VANILLA ESSENCE
• 175G SELF-RAISING FLOUR
• 2 TBSP MILK
• 4 LARGE STRAWBERRIES
• 1 STICK CHOPPED RHUBARB

Method

1. Start by putting all the crumble ingredients in a bowl and rub the mixture with your fingertips until a fine crumble has formed and set this aside
2. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (fan)
3. Line your muffin tin with paper cases
4. Chop the rhubarb into small pieces and set aside
5. Chop the strawberries into small pieces and set aside
6. Cream the butter and sugar
7. Beat in the eggs and vanilla
8. Sift in the flour
9. Fold in the strawberries and milk
10. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin wrappers
11. Sprinkle the rhubarb over the top
12. Scatter the crumble over the top, ensuring that no fruit can be seen
13. Bake them for around 20-25 mins (you can test the muffin centres with a skewer to ensure they're cooked)
14. Enjoy them warm from the oven for the best taste experience!
15. If you're keeping some for another day, store them in an airtight container -- I always like to freshen up the muffins with around 10-15 seconds in the microwave :)

Chocolate Financiers

This week sees my little boy go on his first residential course with school. He's eight and so, so excited. Midnight feasts, fun activities, outdoor pursuits, sleepovers, disco dancing. He can't wait; I just know I'm going to be in pieces! So I'm over-compensating and spoiling my boys with some yummy goodies for the next few days. Cue these delicious Chocolate Financiers.

I love patisserie. It makes me think of Paris and the counters of stunning old-fashioned patisseries over-brimming with pastries, tarts, custard, cream, fruit. So many amazing delicacies to sample but the word patisserie when it comes to home-baking can be quite scary. You imagine huge complicated recipes with lots of stages and the truth is that it can be like that. But there are other more simple bakes that are much more manageable and don't need huge reams of fancy equipment or two days to prepare. The most important thing you need to do is follow the ratios of the ingredients and measure them accurately. If you do that, you too can create their delicious delicacies.

These Chocolate Financiers are incredible. Traditionally they would be little rectangles (like little loafs) but I don't have that tin and am already packed to the rafters with baking equipment and different types of tins. So I used my Friand tin where the shapes are little ovals - but you could also make these in cupcake tins or whatever you have to hand. Just be sure to adjust the baking times accordingly if your individual Financiers are a lot larger or smaller than mine.

I wanted to make chocolate financiers since my boys love chocolate and this is a special treat for them, after all. I would usually have put pistachios into the cake batter but my boys aren't fond of nuts in the cake itself so I held back and sprinkled them over the top and this way they can removed later! What I did do, was add a few chocolate chips onto the top of the batter before popping them in the oven and they melted deliciously. 

So the first thing we do is preheat the oven and grease the cavities of your chosen tin well.  Then melt the butter and vanilla in a saucepan over a medium heat until melted. Keep the butter over a medium heat until it turns brown (around 5 minutes), being careful not to let it burn. This makes a buerre noisette and when making blonde financiers (ie not chocolate ones) this gives them their golden colour. Once brown, the chocolate is added and stirred together until melted. Then set aside to cool a little.

The next stage is to whisk the egg whites and icing sugar together until soft peaks form. This takes around 5 minutes. Sift the flour and ground almonds over the top of the egg and sugar mixture and then fold them in with a metal spoon. When they're fully mixed, pour the chocolate into the bowl down one of inside edges (this is so that you don't drop the chocolate straight on top of your mixture when you've taken time to fold it and keep lots of air in). Fold the chocolate into the mixture, making sure that you scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl well as the chocolate will all sink to the bottom and you want it folded throughout. The worst thing is when you come to put your mixture into the tin and find a layer of chocolate at the bottom that hasn't been mixed through properly.

When the mixture is fully incorporated, take a small spoon or ice cream scoop and put one spoonful into each cavity of your baking tin. Each one should be around half-full. Then pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Mine took 18 minutes but you can check that they're ready by inserting a wooden skewer into the middle of each one and it should come out clean. When they're baked, leave them in their tins for around 10 mins. Then check that they are loosened  from the tin with a flat knife and use this to help lever them out, but they should come out very easily.

These would be stunning served with raspberries, pistachios, extra chocolate sauce :) As I mentioned earlier, I sprinkled chopped pistachios over the top to give a little extra crunch and then dusted them with icing sugar.

Chocolate Financiers are seriously delicious. Lovely and light, they would be perfect for afternoon tea or a coffee morning. Even a little after dinner treat if you're hosting a dinner party.

I can't wait to share them with my boys when they get home from school today :)

Chocolate Financiers

Makes 12 financiers

Ingredients

• 150G UNSALTED BUTTER
• 1 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
• 100G CHOCOLATE, CHOPPED INTO PIECES
• 200G EGG WHITES (5 eggs)
• 175G ICING SUGAR
• 50G PLAIN FLOUR
• 85G GROUND ALMONDS
• OPTIONAL: CHOPPED PISTACHIOS AND/OR CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (fan)
2. Grease the cavities of your chosen tin well
3. In a medium saucepan and over a medium heat, melt the butter and vanilla extract together until fully melted
4. Continue to heat the butter until it turns a golden brown colour (around 5 minutes)
5. Add the chocolate and stir until melted
6. Set aside to cool a little
7. In a freestanding mixer, whisk the egg whites and icing sugar together until soft peaks form (around 5 minutes on a medium speed)
8. Sift the flour and icing sugar over the top of the mixture and then fold in using a metal spoon
9. Add your chocolate butter mixture by pouring it down the inside side of the bowl rather than straight on top of your mixture
10. Fold the chocolate in, ensuring that you scrape down the sides and bottoms and thoroughly mix the chocolate in
11. Using a spoon or small ice cream scoop, fill each cavity of your baking tin around half full
12. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle of the financiers comes out clean
13. Remove from the oven and leave them in their tin for around 10 mins to cool a little
14. Gently using a flat knife, loosen them from the sides of the tin and remove each one
15. If you would like to add the pistachios, chop a handful of them and sprinkle them on the top
16. Finally, dust them with a light sprinkling of icing sugar
17. And enjoy :)

Apple and Caramel Monkey Bread

The weekend was so lovely. Mostly sunny, a little rainy and packed full of family fun. And an extra (bank holiday) day is always an added bonus :) And then today one of my boys felt too poorly for school so we decided to make something yummy to cheer him up!

The first time I made Monkey Bread it was a complete success in our house. All of the boys asked when I was going to make it again so I knew it was definitely a winner! Today we made a slightly different version and played around with one from the Australian Women's Weekly. It made me giggle that's it's in the category for "The Lazy Baker"! I'm not sure I agree it's for the lazy baker but it's a version of monkey bread that doesn't contain any yeast and you don't have a wait for a rise so I guess that could be considered a kind of lazy :) What I love about this is that the balls are filled with spiced apple making them soft and yummy on the inside whilst they have a crunchy sugary outside. Then once it's baked you top it with a delicious caramel sauce. Doesn't that all sound like absolute heaven?

I used a bundt tin to bake my bread. To ensure that it's baked all the way through, we need a pan with a tubular centre so a kugelhopf or bundt tin is ideal for this. The tin needs to be greased and then floured VERY well. As with all bundt tin bakes, I find the success is all about the greasing of the tin otherwise it's almost impossible to get it out of the tin in one piece. Once the tin is prepared, we make the apple. After peeling, coring and cutting up the apple into small pieces, it's brought to a simmer with water, cinnamon and allspice and then heated for ten minutes to become soft. Then set aside to cool down.

The dough is simple to prepare. We mix the flour and sugar and then rub in cold butter with your fingertips to get the consistency of breadcrumbs. Then add the buttermilk and cut it through the mixture until a dough is formed. We gently knead it for five minutes until it's a soft dough. Then weigh the dough and divide it into 14 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then flatten it until it's an 8-10cm circle. Then we place a teaspoon of cooled (if it's too hot it melts the dough) apple sauce into the centre and pull the sides up around it, pinching them closed at the top. Each ball needs to be rolled in melted butter, then a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon and finally arranged in the tin in 2 rows - depending on your tin, around 6 balls at the base and then 7 on top.

No proving is required for this bread, so we pop it straight into the oven for 20 mins and then after covering it with foil, bake it for a further 15 minutes. When it's finished baking, it needs to be left in its tin for 30 minutes and then gently removed. You will need to loosen it from the sides with a palette knife and then gently turn it out onto a plate.

For the caramel sauce, I used the same recipe as for my Anzac Biscuits with Salted Caramel. We melt the golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan and then stir in the butter, cream and salt. This is then drizzled over the top of the bread.

This is a lovely bake that is especially yummy straight from the oven. The little balls taste like delicious doughnuts (with a gorgeous cinnamon sugar exterior) and are light inside with an extra special surprise of spiced apple. They are perfect for breakfast and brunch but would also be a great pudding for supper with friends.

I suspect that Monkey Bread will be staying a firm favourite in this house for years to come - and am looking forward to trying new flavour combos :)

Apple and Caramel Monkey Bread

adapted from Australian Women's Weekly Pecan & Apple Monkey Bread

Spiced Apple Ingredients

• 3 GRANNY SMITH APPLES
• 55G CASTER SUGAR
• 1 TBSP LIGHT BROWN DEMERARA SUGAR
• 1 TSP GROUND CINNAMON
• 1/4 TSP GROUND CLOVES
• 1 TBSP WATER

Monkey Bread Ingredients

• 450G SELF-RAISING FLOUR
• 2 TBSP CASTER SUGAR
• 40G COLD BUTTER (cut into little bits)
• 310ML BUTTERMILK

Cinnamon Sugar Coating Ingredients

• 90G BUTTER, MELTED
• 165G LIGHT BROWN DEMERARA SUGAR
• 1/2 TSP GROUND CINNAMON

Caramel Sauce Ingredients

• 100G LIGHT SOFT BROWN SUGAR
• 50G GOLDEN SYRUP
• 75G UNSALTED BUTTER
• 75ML DOUBLE CREAM
• 1 TSP SEA SALT

Method

1. First of all, grease your Bundt tin with butter and then a coating of flour over the top of the butter - it's very important to grease all the nooks and crannies of the bundt tin otherwise there's a good chance your final bread will stick to the tin and not come out in one piece!
2. To make the Spiced Apple, peel, core and chop your apples into small pieces
3. Place them in a saucepan with the sugars, spices and waters and bring to a simmer
4. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for around 10 mins until soft
5. Drain the liquid away and leave to cool
6. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (fan)
7. To make the Monkey Bread, put the flour and sugar into a bowl and stir to combine
8. Add the cold, cubed butter and rub the butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb texture
9. Add the buttermilk and stir it through the flour with a knife until it comes together in a dough
10. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough the 5 minutes
11. Weigh the dough and divide it equally into 14 pieces
12. Take each piece, roll it into a ball and then flatten it into a disc around 8-10cm in diameter
13. Place a teaspoon of cooled apple into the centre of each disc, pull the sides up around the apple sauce and then pinch the dough together at the top to seal the ball
14. Do this for the rest of the balls
15. To make the Cinnamon Sugar, mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small ball and also have your melted butter in another bowl next to it
16. First dip each ball completely in the melted butter and then roll it in the cinnamon sugar so it's fully coated
17. Arrange the coated balls in the tin in 2 rows - probably around 6 in the bottom and 7 on top
18. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes
19. Place tin foil over the top of the tin and then bake a further 15 minutes
20. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 minutes
21. Using a palette knife, gently loosen the sides of the bread from the tin and gently turn out onto a plate
22. To make the Caramel Sauce, place the sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan with a tablespoon of water
23. Bring it just to the boil and then simmer for 3 minutes
24. Add the butter, cream and sea salt in one go and stir for another minute until everything is melted and fully incorporated
25. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature
26. When you're ready to serve your Monkey Bread, drizzle it with the caramel sauce and then dust with icing sugar
27. And enjoy :)

Anzac Cookies with Salted Caramel Sauce

Every year, we celebrate today with a batch of Anzac cookies. Although living in the UK, we want our boys to remember their New Zealand heritage and every year Anzac Day honours the armies of New Zealand and Australia who fought at Gallipoli. Sweet Anzac cookies have become associated with the war because their ingredients don't spoil easily and so the wives of the army men could send these little biscuits to their loved ones and they wouldn't spoil on the long journey.

These cookies are simple to make and are full of ingredients that could easily be found in your kitchen at home. I wanted to shake them up a little so thought it would be fun to add a drizzle of salted caramel to make them even more delicious :)

We start by popping the oats, sugar and coconut into a bowl and sifting the flour in there too, whilst the golden syrup and butter are melted together over a low heat. When the butter and syrup are smooth and well mixed, we take the bicarb and mix it a tablespoon and a half of water, pop it in the saucepan with your sugary mixture and stir. Remove it from the heat and then pour this into the dry ingredients. The mixture needs to be combined well and then you're ready to shape your little cookies.

To make my cookies evenly sized, I always take a little time to weigh each cookie (these ones were around 30G each) but you can eyeball each scoop if you prefer. We roll the cookies into little balls and pop them onto a lined baking tray. When they're all ready, flatten each one a little and they're ready to go in the oven. Super easy.

They're quick to bake but it gives you just enough time to make the salted caramel sauce. We melt the golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan and then stir in the butter, cream and salt. Super yummy! Let it cool down to room temperature and when the cookies are baked and cooled, you can have lots of fun drizzling them with the sweet, sticky sauce :) I topped them with another sprinkling of sea salt. And they're done!

It's great to honour traditions and with something so simple to bake you can get the kids involved in the kitchen. Last year, my little boy made Anzac cookies for his house cookery competition and loved every minute!

But don't think that their simplicity means that they're not absolutely delicious and I think the salted caramel gives them an extra special twist.

They're just perfect for sharing with loved ones and friends 💕 

Anzac Cookies with Salted Caramel Sauce

Makes around 20 cookies

Cookie Ingredients

• 200G PLAIN FLOUR
• 100G ROLLED OATS
• 110G CASTER SUGAR
• 65G DESICCATED COCONUT
• 45G GOLDEN SYRUP
• 150G UNSALTED BUTTER
• 1/2 TSP BICARBONATE OF SODA

Caramel Sauce Ingredients

• 100G LIGHT SOFT BROWN SUGAR
• 50G GOLDEN SYRUP
• 75G UNSALTED BUTTER
• 75ML DOUBLE CREAM
• 1 TSP SEA SALT

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (fan)
2. Line two baking trays
3. Put the oats, sugar and coconut in a bowl and sift the flour over the top
4. Stir to combine
5. Melt the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan over a medium heat until melted and smooth
6. Mix the bicarb with with a 1.5 tablespoons of water
7. Add this to the sugar mixture and remove from the heat
8. Mix this with the dry ingredients until fully combined
9. Form little balls of mixture (weigh them if you want identical cookies) and place them on the baking trays
10. Flatten each ball slightly and then pop them in the oven for around 10-12 minutes or until they are golden in colour
11. Whilst they're in the oven, make your salted caramel sauce
12. To make this, place the sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan with a tablespoon of water
13. Bring it just to the boil and then simmer for 3 minutes
14. Add the butter, cream and sea salt in one go and stir for another minute until everything is melted and fully incorporated
15. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature
16. When they cookies and the salted caramel are cooled, drizzle the cookies with the caramel
17. Add a final flourish of sea salt to the cookies and enjoy :)

Pistachio and Orange Blossom Cake

I have a lot of cookery books. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. They are currently all balanced in precarious piles over our guest room floor. I'm in the planning stages of a little office space (and am unbelievably excited about it) but that's a small while away so for the moment we're sticking with the tottering book piles! But not long ago I was dismantling one of these piles to get to a book (always at the bottom, right?) and started reading an old Fiona Cairn's book, Bake & Decorate.

I love her preface where she talks about empowering all sorts of different people to try their hand at baking and creating lots of memories and aromas of cake making throughout our homes. It's so true (at least for me). My boys are finally taking an interest in cooking and baking and I'd love for them to start building a love for this in their childhoods.

So when thumbing through this wonderful baking book, I found a recipe for Pistachio and Orange Blossom Cake. I absolutely LOVE pistachio and the idea of pairing this with lovely fresh springtime orange blossom was too tempting.

This is a simple looking cake. It doesn't have layers so is presented as an un-split cake with a layer of mascarpone cream on the top. It doesn't pretend to be something it's not and would look perfectly in place on a tea table or with a cup of coffee one morning. However what it does do is pack a punch with its flavours. In the cake we have pistachio, almond, orange zest and orange blossom; whilst in the topping we have mascarpone, orange zest, vanilla and orange blossom. And if that's not enough, there is a delicious syrup made from orange juice, sugar and orange blossom that soaks the cake. So you can see - it's definitely not lacking in taste!

The first part of making this cake is roasting the pistachios - and then blitzing them to a powder. The butter, sugar and orange zest are creamed in a standing mixer whilst the dry ingredients are sieved into a separate bowl. When the butter and sugar are fully creamed, the eggs are added one at a time - if it starts to curdle, then a tablespoon of the flour mixture should be added. Then the pistachios and almonds are folded in with the dry ingredients and finally the orange blossom water. Simple.

Whilst the cake is baking in the oven, the syrup is made. This is a simple combination of freshly squeezed orange juice, sugar and orange blossom water in a saucepan, brought to a rolling boil. It needs to simmer until you have around 60ml of liquid (this is 4 tablespoons to give you an idea of how much you need). It takes around 10-15 minutes but you need to keep an eye on it as there's a tipping point when it becomes a sticky marmalade!

Once the cake's out of the oven, then the cake should be pricked all over and soaked with the orange syrup - and allowed to cool in its tin. When it's ready to come out and completely cooled down, then it can be frosted. The topping is made from the mascarpone, orange zest, vanilla, orange flower water and sugar and can be hand-whipped in a bowl. Then spread on top of the cake with a palette knife.

So I love the texture of the cake. The nuts are delicious and the mix of pistachios and almonds are really stunning in this cake whilst at the same time being very moist. With the topping being made of mascarpone, it feels a lot lighter than traditional buttercream - more like the texture of whipped cream which is so yummy. There is a light green hue to the inside of the cake itself (from the pistachio) which I love contrasted with the flecks of orange in the frosting. I thought the flavours might be a little grown-up for my boys, but after three helpings, I think I can be assured it's a popular choice :)

This is a lovely light cake and would be perfect for afternoon tea or a coffee morning. It definitely heralds in the start of springtime and sunnier days 🌞

Pistachio and Orange Blossom Cake

from Fiona Cairn's Bake & Decorate

Cake Ingredients

• 175G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
• 100G SHELLED UNSALTED PISTACHIOS
• 70G SELF-RAISING FLOUR
• 1 TSP BICARBONATE OF SODA
• PINCH OF SALT
• 200G GOLDEN CASTER SUGAR
• ZEST OF 1 ORANGE
• 4 EGGS, LIGHTLY BEATEN
• 70G GROUND ALMONDS
• 2 TSP ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER

Syrup Ingredients

• JUICE OF 1 ORANGE
• 45G GOLDEN CASTER SUGAR
• 1 TBSP ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER

Frosting Ingredients

• 250G MASCARPONE
• ZEST OF 1 ORANGE
• 1/2 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
• 1 TBSP ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER
• 30G GOLDEN CASTER SUGAR

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (fan)
2. To make the Cake, grease and line a 7 inch cake tin (if you don't have this size, you can use a different sized tin by adjusting the cooking time)
3. Spread the pistachios in an even layer on a baking tray and place in the oven for around 5 minutes - they can burn quite easily so give the tray a little shake half-way through cooking and keep watching them
4. Let them cool down and then blitz in a food processor until finely ground
5. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl
6. Place the butter, sugar and orange zest in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy
7. Add the eggs little by little, beating after each addition - if the mixture starts to curdle, add a tablespoon of the flour mixture
8. Then fold in the pistachios and almonds, flour mixture and finally the orange blossom water
9. Place in the baking tin and smooth over the surface
10. Bake for around 40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean
11. Whilst the cake is baking, make the Orange Syrup
12. Place the orange juice, sugar and orange blossom water in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil
13. Simmer for around 10-15 minutes until there is 60ml liquid remaining in the pan
14. When the cake is out of the oven, immediately prick it all over with a toothpick and then pour the syrup evenly across the surface
15. Allow the cake to cool completely in its tin
16. When it's cool, turn it out onto a plate and make the Frosting
17. Place the mascarpone, orange zest, vanilla, orange blossom water and sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth
18. Spread this on the top of the cake with a palette knife
19. Adorn with flowers or serve just as it is :) 

Lemon & Mascarpone Pancakes

So there's this pan. We've had it for, oh, maybe ten years. It's been sat in a drawer at my parents' house, unloved, and I rediscovered it over easter. It makes Æbleskiver, Danish Pancake Puffs, which I have discovered today are, quite frankly, delicious! They are little light balls which can be filled with all sorts of flavours. The possibilities for flavour combinations are endless but the ones I'm making are filled with mascarpone and lemon cream which is tangy, fresh and decidedly yummy.

If there's one person that's possibly even more addicted to baking and cooking ware and gadgets than me, it's my mum! When they spent a decade out in Toronto, we discovered our love for Williams-Sonoma and my mum used to get drawn into all the in-store demos and come home laden with all the necessary kitchenware and ingredients required to make them at home. Cue, the Æbleskiver pan. I secretly love the hordes of different cooking bits and bobs she's gathered over the years!

Making these pancakes was a voyage into the unknown as I haven't made or tasted them before. The batter and filling are simple to make; the cooking of them takes a little more technique! We start by making the Lemon and Mascarpone Cream which is as simple as it sounds -- equal amounts of mascarpone and lemon curd beaten together for a few minutes until smooth and creamy, then refrigerated until you're ready to cook the pancakes. I would make this to taste and would have an even tangier lemon cream next time as it's one of my favourite flavours.

The pancake batter is again an easy recipe using buttermilk. First of all, the dry ingredients are mixed together in a bowl. Then the egg yolks are lightly beaten in a separate bowl and the buttermilk whisked into the egg mixture. This is added to the dry ingredients and mixed until combined. You get a rather lumpy mixture so don't fear if you don't have something beautifully smooth at this stage!

As I whisked the egg white to stiff peaks, my batter puffed up in its bowl and then I added the egg whites in 2 stages, stirring through with a metal spoon.  We're almost ready to make the pancakes but first need to melt some butter for your pan.

The process moves pretty quickly now, especially if you have different measuring spoons trying to get everything into the pan in order. First of all, you pop 1/2 tsp melted butter into each pan cavity and wait for it to bubble. Then add 1 tbsp batter, top it with 1/2 tsp lemon cream and then finally cover it with another 1 tbsp batter. This is all quite fiddly and I had the heat up too high for the first batch so trying to get all of these different elements into the pan before I needed to flip each ball was all very hectic.

I abandoned the spoons for the second batch and popped the batter and lemon cream into two separate piping bags. Much simpler! I also turned the heat down to low so the whole process felt much calmer :) After you've added your two lots of batter and cream to each cavity, after 3-4 minutes the balls should be ready to flip. When we make regular pancakes, we always wait for the first few bubbles to appear on the surface so we know we're ready to flip them and these little balls were the same. They're also pretty easy to slide around and check how well cooked they are underneath. I spun them round with the aid of two teaspoons but you can use cocktail sticks if you prefer.

They come out of the pan very easily and after you transfer them to a plate, liberally sprinkle them with icing sugar to make them look really pretty.

I read up on whether you need to invest in one of these pans to make the pancake balls and the unfortunate answer is that you do if you want the ball shape which after all, makes them pretty cute. Although you probably won't be making lots of different creations with this pan, the flavour combos are endless and I'm already dreaming up both sweet and savoury ideas for them :)

I squirrelled away a few of them for hubby tonight and just thought I'd check out whether they're still good cold and I am very pleased to confirm that they absolutely are -- think doughnut texture and super yummy! 

My boys and I have already come up with our next few flavour combos - stay tuned ;-) 

Lemon & Mascarpone Pancakes

adapted from Williams Sonoma's Lemon-Mascarpone Filled Pancakes

Makes around 20 pancake balls

Ingredients

• 80G MASCARPONE
• 80G LEMON CURD
• 250G PLAIN FLOUR
• 3/4 TSP BICARBONATE OF SODA
• 1 TSP BAKING POWDER
• 1.5 TBSP CASTER SUGAR
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• 1/2 LEMON, ZEST ONLY
• 3 EGGS, SEPARATED
• 420ML BUTTERMILK
• 100G MELTED BUTTER
• ICING SUGAR, TO DECORATE

Method

1. To make the Lemon & Mascarpone Cream, put the mascarpone and lemon curd into the bowl of a freestanding mixer and beat for around 3 minutes until smooth
2. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to make the pancakes
3. Place all the dry ingredients (flour, bicarb, baking powder, caster sugar, salt and lemon zest) into a bowl and stir to combine
4. Put the egg yolks in a separate bowl and whisk lightly
5. Add the buttermilk and again whisk lightly until combined
6. Whisk the egg and buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until combined - you will have a thick and lumpy mixture at this stage
7. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peak
8. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter in two additions and ensure that the mixture is all combined
9. Place the batter and the lemon cream into two separate piping bags
10. Melt the butter
11. Place the pan on a low heat and add a teaspoon of butter to each cavity
12. When the butter is bubbling gently, add around 1 tbsp batter into each cavity
13. Then insert the tip of the lemon cream bag gently into the top of the batter and add 1/2 teaspoon cream
14. Cover this with another tablespoon of batter
15. When little bubbles start to appear on the surface of the batter, it's time to flip them gently using 2 teaspoons to help rotate them
16. Cook the other side for around another 3 minutes
17. It's easy to rotate the pancake balls in their cavity so you can check that you're happy they're cooked all around
18. When cooked, gently remove them from the pan and transfer to a plate
19. Sprinkle them with icing sugar
20. They are best eaten warm but are also yummy cold so be sure to make up a whole batch and you can eat them later for a sweet snack :)

Mini Carrot Cakes

So I guess everyone has a recipe they think is the best. I LOVE my carrot cake. This is hands down my favourite recipe (and I've eaten some pretty good carrot cakes in my time) but the reason I love this one is that it's lovely and moist and very light. This recipe works great as muffins or as a big carrot cake but today they are Mini Carrot Cakes. Perfect for the weekend, perfect for sharing with friends.

I always start by grating the carrot. I used to grate the carrot by hand, but these days I cheat and use a handheld blender - it's much quicker! You need around 4 very large carrots to get the amount you need. Then after setting these aside, start by making the batter - place the oil, brown sugar and eggs in a freestanding mixer and beat for around 3 - 5 minutes until thick and creamy. Add the carrots and zest and mix gently to combine. You don't want to overbeat this and the next stage as it will toughen your cakes. Finally sift the flour, bicarb and cinnamon into the mix and then gently combine.

Today I wanted to make mini carrot sandwich cakes but if you prefer, or don't have this tin, they can easily be made in cupcake or muffin wrappers instead. Using the mini sandwich tin, scoop around an ice cream scoop of batter into each cavity until almost full and then bake for around 18 - 20 minutes. The cakes should cool for around 10 minutes in the tin and then be gently removed and placed on a cooling rack. You will get a muffin top dome on each cake that needs to be sliced off to make flat-topped cakes. These muffin tops are excellent perks for any little helpers you might have in the kitchen - or chef's perks if you can keep it quiet!

Whilst the cakes are cooling you, can have fun making your little carrots for the top of each cake. I used around 10g sugarpaste for each carrot and coloured it with orange food dye. Each one should be shaped like a carrot and small scores made along each one to look like the indentations found on a carrot. Then a herb placed in the top of each one. I used coriander but it does tend to wilt rather quickly so place them in just before serving.

The final job is to make the cream cheese frosting. Super simple to make, first beat the butter for a couple of minutes in a freestanding mixer. Then add the cream cheese, vanilla extract and half of the sifted icing sugar and beat for around 3 - 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. The final icing sugar needs to go in now and again mixed for another 3 minutes until lovely and smooth. Place this in a piping bag.

To assemble them, pipe a little buttercream onto half of the cakes. I piped mine in little blobs and then gently placed the other half on top. Pipe the final buttercream on top in a dome shape (try to get this around 2/3 the height of your carrots so you can hide your carrots in the middle). Sprinkle some or the crushed Oreo cookies on top as the soil and then pop a carrot into each one.

I think these look so cute and fun and are perfect for kids and adults alike. The cake itself is light and airy and then paired with rich cream cheese, they are a dream.

Easter came with a multitude of chocolate and although it may be over, our holidays continue and this is a great to get a break from all the chocolate!

And a cake containing carrots must be healthy - or at least that's what the kids are telling me ;-) 

Mini Carrot Cakes

makes 9 mini cakes

Cake Ingredients

• 350G GRATED CARROT (around 4 large carrots)
• 170ML VEGETABLE OIL
• 210G LIGHT BROWN SUGAR
• 3 EGGS
• 1 ORANGE, ZEST ONLY
• 1 LEMON, ZEST ONLY
• 275G SELF-RAISING FLOUR
• 1 TSP BICARBONATE OF SODA
• 1.5 TSP CINNAMON

Frosting Ingredients

• 65G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
• 200G CREAM CHEESE, FULL FAT
• 1 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
• 500G ICING SUGAR, SIFTED
• 90G WHITE FONDANT
• ORANGE FOOD COLOURING
• HERBS FOR CARROT STALKS (I used coriander)
• 4 OREO COOKIES, CRUSHED

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (fan)
2. Grate the carrot and set aside
3. Place the vegetable oil, brown sugar and eggs in the bowl of a freestanding mixer
4. Mix them for 5 minutes on medium speed until you have a thick, creamy texture
5. Add the carrots, zest of lemon and zest of orange and stir through until just combined
6. Sift the flour, bicarb and cinnamon on the top of the batter and stir gently until just combined
7. Pour batter into a mini sandwich tin and fill each cavity until almost to the top - you should have 18 cavities filled
8. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean
9. Leave to cool for 10 minutes and then gently remove each cake and set it on a cooling rack to cool
10. Your mini cakes will have a dome so you want to carefully slice off each one and put aside so you have flat-topped cakes
11. To make the mini carrots, colour the fondant using the orange food colouring
12. Divide into 9 pieces, around 10g per piece and shape each one into a cylinder shape like a carrot
13. Make indentations down each one like a real carrot and make a small hole in the top of each carrot
14. Top with a little piece of herb and set aside
15. To make the Cream Cheese Frosting, beat the butter in a freestanding mixer for 2 minutes
16. Then add the cream cheese, half of the icing sugar and the vanilla extract
17. Beat for around 3 - 5 minutes until a smooth and creamy consistency
18. Add the remaining icing sugar and beat again for 3 minutes until smooth
19. When the carrot cakes have cooled for around 30 minutes you can then frost them
20. Pipe buttercream onto 9 of the mini cakes
21. Then take the remaining 9 mini cakes and place one gently on top of the buttercream so you have 9 mini sandwich cakes
22. Pipe the remaining buttercream on the top of each cake
23. Sprinkle some of crushed Oreo Cookies on top of each cake and then place a carrot in the centre
24. After all this hard work, make yourself a cup of tea and then enjoy a well-deserved carrot cake for your efforts :)

White Chocolate Rolo Blondies

I hope you've all had wonderful chocolate-filled easters wherever you've been celebrating. We're away for a few days, spending time with family and although the weather has been pretty horrible, we've spent a wonderful few days enjoying new board games, making treasure maps for our (many) easter egg hunts and running outside to make the most of the occasional rays of sunshine.

As if we haven't had enough chocolatey loveliness over the long weekend, today I decided to make us a sweet treat -- and when I say sweet, we all declared this was truly one of the sweetest sweet treats I've made -- before going on to devour whole squares of it. White Chocolate Rolo Blondies. A white chocolate version of a brownie stuffed with the yummiest Rolo sweets. Although if you've been overwhelmed by easter eggs filled with lots of yummy sweeties, you can exchange the Rolos for your own favourite sweet. Mmmm...I'm now dreaming of Maltesers 💕

This is an easy one-bowl batter but for something so simple to make, it rewards big time in flavour. White chocolate is my favourite chocolate and the Rolos turn really squidgy and chewy in the final bake. After the chocolate and butter are melted together, we just add the ingredients one by one, stirring after each addition until they're all combined. After this is spread evenly in a baking tin, then the Rolos are squished (yes, this is technical term!) into the batter and then it's popped into the oven to bake.

Once it's out of the oven, it's left to cool in the tin until just warm and then divided into squares with a sharp knife. How many squares, you decide. I cut ours into 16 but we thought we could actually cut them up smaller into one bite blondies. To drizzle or not to drizzle is entirely up to you, but a dusting of icing sugar and some melted white chocolate makes them a little more special.

So, after all your easter eggs, if you are still hankering after something a touch sweet, insanely chewy and just that little bit decadent, this is the treat for you. 

They don't hang around for long :)

White Chocolate Rolo Blondies

Makes 16 squares

Ingredients

• 250G WHITE CHOCOLATE, CHOPPED
• 115G UNSALTED BUTTER, CUBED
• 100G CASTER SUGAR
• 2 LARGE EGGS, LIGHTLY BEATEN
• 1/2 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
• 130G PLAIN FLOUR
• 1/2 TSP BAKING
• 100G WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS
• 16 ROLOS

Method

• Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (fan)
• Grease and line an 8 inch square baking tin
• Put 175g white chocolate and the cubed butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (making sure that the water doesn't touch the base or sides of the bowl)
• Stir the chocolate and butter gently over the heat until they're melted together
• Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the sugar until smooth
• Slowly add the beaten eggs and then the vanilla extract and stir until the mixture is smooth and glossy (this takes around one minute)
• Sift the flour and baking powder over the top of the bowl and then stir to combine
• Finally add the white chocolate chips and mix through gently
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin, ensuring that it reaches all the edges and is evenly spread
• Then place 16 rolos across the batter and press them down into the mixture (you will still be able to see them)
• Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes until a skewer in the centre comes out clean
• Leave to cool in the tin
• Once just warm, remove from the tin and divide it into squares with a sharp knife
• Dust with icing sugar
• Finally melt the remaining 75G white chocolate in the microwave on short bursts (remove from the microwave when 2/3 of the chocolate is melted and then stir gently until all the chocolate is melted)
• Drizzle the melted chocolate across the top of the blondies
• Enjoy :)

Cherry Pie and Damn Fine Coffee

So yesterday it was Pi Day. There was I, making my very first cherry pie, and I didn't even realise it was International Pi(e) Day. The rest of the blogging world had gone crazy with their amazing array of sweet or savoury pies and mine was dutifully sat in the fridge ready for its moment of baking. So here am I, a day late, sharing my Cherry Pie with you all. If you want to know the real inspiration for trying my hand at this ruby red creation, it was all down to the excitement about the new series of Twin Peaks. I mean - yay! Ever since that final scene where Agent Dale Cooper smacked his head against the mirror, uttering, "Where's Annie?" in a maniacal voice, I've been longing to know what comes next. And I've ALWAYS wanted to try the miraculous cherry pie from the Double R Diner with their damn fine coffee. 

So just a few *ahem* years since I watched it, I have finally got around to making my very own cherry pie. I think I might just have become a pie addict! The cherry filling was a bit of a mistake - as in, I wanted to buy tinned cherries but when I got to the supermarket, my only option was tinned cherry fruit filling. I expected this to be cherries in liquid but it was more like cherries in a glutinous gel. It actually tastes pretty good.

The pastry is wonderfully straightforward which I love and you roll it out straightaway rather than waiting for it to chill. You can make it by hand, but I made mine in the mixer. It's simply flour, sugar and salt mixed with small cubes of cold butter; then this is mixed with water to make your pastry. To make the lattice stripes, I have a cutter (I got this from Tala but there are lots of different ones available) but you can easily use a knife and ruler and make straight lines if you don't have the cutter. I also decided to give my pie an air of romance so used a heart cutter with the leftover pastry to make my border.

So you divide your pastry in half and the first half lines your dish. The filling it added and the the top lattice is woven on to the top. The pie needs to chill for at least half an hour (mine went in the fridge overnight) and then it's ready to bake.

I really love the bubbling cherry sauce which peaks up through the golden lattice when your pie has finished baking. And it's absolutely delicious served warm fresh from the oven. 

Whether or not you're a Twin Peaks fan, whether or not you ever hankered after a slice of the Double R Diner's most famous cherry pie, or whether or not you actually had a clue what was going on in the show for the whole two seasons, this pie is super yummy. It may be spring here, but that doesn't stop the bitter wind blowing and the -2 degree temperatures so there's nothing better than curling up in front of the fire with a slice of it.

To quote Agent Dale Copper, "This must be where pies go when they die" 💕💕

Cherry Pie

adapted from Williams-Sonoma recipe for Cherry Pie

Makes one 25cm pie

Ingredients

• 400G PLAIN FLOUR
• 2 TBSP CASTER SUGAR
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• 250G UNSALTED BUTTER (straight from the fridge and cut into little cubes)
• 6 TBSP COLD WATER
• 2 TINS OF CHERRY FRUIT FILLING

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius (fan)
2. To make your pastry, first mix the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a freestanding mixer
3. Cut your butter into small cubes, add this to the bowl and make sure that each piece is coated with flour
4. Then mix together with the paddle attachment until the texture looks like cornmeal - I usually finish it off with my fingertips to make sure that each piece of butter is no larger than a pea
5. Add the water and mix again slowly until the dough comes together and forms a ball
6. Divide your dough in half and put half onto a lightly floured surface
7. Flatten the disc with your hand and then roll it out until it's around 30cm in diameter adding a little extra flour if needed
8. Immediately place this into your pie dish leaving around 2cm of pastry overhang
9. Then take the other half of the dough and roll it out into a rectangular shape around 30cm by 20cm
10. Cut the dough into strips (using a ribbon cutter if you want scalloped edges)
11. Put your cherry filling into your pie and make sure it's spread evenly
12. Then build your lattice onto the top of your pie with your strips overhanging the edge of the pie dish
13. You can either fold the edges of the pastry back over the edge and crimp the to seal the pie, but I chose to cut the pastry flush with the edge of the dish
14. Cut out small heart shapes (any shape would do here -- leaves, fish, flowers, etc) and after placing a tiny amount of water on the back of each heart, place them around the edge of the pie dish
15. Chill your pie in the fridge for at least half an hour
16. Bake your pie for 15 minutes
17. Decrease your oven temperature to 160 degrees celsius (fan) and bake for a further 45 minutes
18. Your pie's ready when the crust is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling up through the lattice
19. Enjoy warm from the oven with a cup of freshly brewed, (damn) fine coffee :)