Tag: baking

No-Cook Chocolate Traybake

On By CharlotteJBlackIn Home RecipesLeave a comment

What it is about being crazy in love and the desire to eat myself comatose?

I’ve had the luxury of having my boyfriend to stay this week, which gives me perfect the excuse to cook (and eat) the most ridiculous amount of food. More specifically, it’s the perfect chance attempt eating my own weight in chocolate.

Left to my own devices, I swear I usually eat pretty healthy, but when lovely boyfriend is over, I just want to be cuddled up in my duvet eating horrible amounts of chocolate traybakes to the dulcet tones of Kevin McCloud (Grand Designs, great TV).

These super-simple, lazy-ass chocolate traybakes are perfect for when you couldn’t be bothered to make anything that takes effort, or, God forbid, requires your to get out of your PJs.

Guaranteed favourite.

No-Cook Choccy Traybake

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Ingredients:
Cocoa Powder 3Tbs
(Milk/Dark) Chocolate 300g
Rich Tea Biscuits 250g
Golden Syrup 3-4Tbs
Margarine 250g

Utensils:
Saucepan
Glass/Pyrex Bowl
Baking Tray 3-4cm Depth
Mixing Spoon

Method:

1. Crush Rich Tea biscuits finely.

2. Melt marg in a saucepan on low heat, and add cocoa power, crushed biscuits, syrup. Mixture together thoroughly

3. Pour this sticky biscuit base into a baking tray with 3-4cm depth, and press down gently to help it set solidly.

4. Rinse the saucepan (or use another) to bring a 4cm depth of water to a steady boil – place the glass bowl on-top.

5. Tip in chunks of chocolate to bowl and melt for topping. When melted spread over the biscuit base.

6. Put the tray into the fridge to cool for 15-20mins.

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Now, boil that kettle and brew yourself a cuppa. It’s traybake time.

♥

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Wishing you all chocolatey joy,

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Lemon Drizzle Cake: “Easy Peasy…”

On By CharlotteJBlackIn Home RecipesLeave a comment
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“Easy peasy lemon squeezy!”
– Not sure if anyone else’s family have this saying, but it’s a oldie in my house. Urban dictionary tells me it comes from an old TV commercial from when dinosaurs roamed the earth, lost even to the cataloguing power of Youtube.

So here I am in Taipei, Taiwan as I start my Year Abroad in the East, and already I’ve been doing my fair share of baking (typical!) with my girlfriends here, and in our tiny Asian-style kitchen as gifts for old family friends. This recipe is a favourite, and it’s based on one that I found by Tanya Ramsay, and have experimented with to give it a proper lemony bite; it’s a cake I’ve saved for special occasions so I can guarantee it’s a crowd pleaser!

Even if you’re a first-time baker, this is one to try, it’s very very hard to go wrong.

Have a read through the method, gather your tools, and get baking!

Ingredients:
The Cake Mix
1 lemon’s worth of zest ie. yellow of the peel grated
1/2 lemon of squeezed juice
225g self-raising flour
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 medium eggs

The Drizzle
75g Caster Sugar
1 lemon’s worth of zest
1 & 1/2 Squeezed lemon juice
(pips removed, bits removed if preferred – but I like them in)

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Cake Mix
Cake Mix
Lemon Drizzle
Lemon Drizzle

Method:

Tip – Start by grating both lemons of their zest, then cut lemons in halves and put aside for squeezing

1. Turn on the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Mix the butter and sugar either by hand or electric whisk till light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs and beat thoroughly until the mixture is smooth.

4. Fold in the flour, grated lemon zest of one lemon and the juice of half a lemon – gently fold till mixed thoroughly.

5. Use a kitchen tissue/butter wrapping to grease the insides of the cake tin, then fill with mixture.

6. Pop in the oven for 45-50mins!

The Drizzle

– While your cake is cooking, squeeze the rest of the lemons (1 & 1/2).

– Add the sugar and the lemon zest of one lemon to the juice and set aside to steep while the cake is baking.

The Finishing Touch

– When the cake is ready, a metal skewer can be inserted and removed leaving no trace of mixture on the skewer.

– Take the cake out of the oven and pour the drizzle as evenly as possible over the cake.

– Leave to stand for approx. 15-20 mins to cool before removing from tin.

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Voilà!

Cake is ready to be served.

♥

For any experienced bakers out there who want to experiment with a different texture to their cake, I recommend trying a pure wheat flour. I struggle to find anything other than this extremely fine version of low-gluten flour here, and it produces a very light and even bake to any cake. Try your local Asian food store and let me know what you think!

Cheeky Chocolate + Banana Slice

On By CharlotteJBlackIn Home RecipesLeave a comment

Not exactly what Ms. Mary Berry would call an even bake, but lush all the same…

I learnt to bake with my Grandma in her kitchen. I’d help make mess; she’d let me lick the bowl. She’s started to forget her recipes, but I’m still using them. When I get home, I’ll teach the old recipe – “two, two, two and one”* – to her again, and no doubt, her work will still turn out to be better than mine.

Ingredients

500g plain chocolate
500g milk chocolate  – ½ chopped into small pieces
75g margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
125g caster sugar
125g self-raising flour
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp coca (or hot chocolate) powder
2 medium bananas, peeled and mashed

Pre-heat oven to 180º

1. Melt plain chocolate and half the milk chocolate in a bain-marie.

2. Add margarine, olive oil, eggs and sugar to a bowl and mix.

3. Sift flour, baking powder, hot chocolate powder into a bowl.

4. Add banana, melted and chopped chocolate and mix thoroughly.

5. Put in a 10x25cm loaf tin* and into the oven for aprox. 1hr.

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*Remember to margarine the tin and greaseproof paper the bottom!

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♥

 

* ratio of sugar, eggs, flour and butter

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You Cheap Treat: Scones

On By CharlotteJBlackIn Home RecipesLeave a comment

“…The only time I see you this happy, is when you’re eating.”

– Jakob (my China backpacking partner)

Jakob was slightly worried when he said this, but it is the truth: I am a food junkie. I unashamedly eat my emotions and my emotions are dangerously ruled by what I’m consuming…

Bad news is best handled with Chinese chicken soup [雞湯 – 香菇,紅棗,枸杞,姜] or Irish stew and wheaten bread, headaches are less painful with hot water, romantic stories are sweeter with sticky chocolate brownies and tea; work is done best when a Spanish pork and olive casserole is in the oven, and let’s face it, life in general just simply better when sticky white rice is involved.

As such, for all you hard workers out there, I leave you a simple and cheap pick me up for that well-deserved afternoon break.

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Light (Dairy Free) Scones

225g self raising flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
50g margarine
135ml soya milk
2 heaped tbs caster sugar
50g raisins (optional)
pinch of salt

1. Heat oven to 200°C

2. Add margarine to flour, caster sugar, salt and baking powder; rub until breadcrumby.

3. Mix in soy milk, leaving some to brush the tops of scones (then raisins).

4. Roll clementine-sized balls of dough and on a floured surface, pat down to 2cm.

5. Brush tops with soy milk and put on tray to cook in oven for 10-15mins.

Et voilà! Serve with spread and jam while warm!

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♥

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