Almond and Lemon Drizzle Cake - Recipe

I can't resist kitchen gadgets and when I had a new kitchen it was a given I was going to choose ovens that require a few weeks to figure out how best to use them.

Over the past few weeks I have been trying to get to grips with my combination steam oven.  In the beginning it was all a battle and we both had to go through the pain barrier.  The oven won, I have the burn marks to prove it!  Care is needed when using steam ovens and I learnt very quickly how to use the oven safely.  

There are many steam oven options to choose from and if a separate steam oven isn't for you, main ovens can also be purchased that have a built-in steam function.  I went for a separate combination steam oven to give more options and also to have the facility of a small fan oven. 

One thing to be wary of when deciding to purchase a combination steam oven is some of the sales talk surrounding them.  To quote one salesman 'people are buying these now to replace their microwaves'. His statement is ridiculous, a steam oven cannot replace a microwave.  You wouldn't fill the water container, place your cereal bowl in a steam oven first thing in the morning and then empty the water container and remove all the excess water collected in the oven.

To date I've used it to cook vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and steamed puddings.  I've reheated food, used it to prove my bread dough and baked bread. Over the next few weeks I'll put a few more photographs and recipes on here letting you know how I'm getting on. 

This is my first encounter making a cake using a fan oven with steam. The cake didn't brown as much as I thought it would but on this occasion it wasn't an issue. Cakes which are overcooked can be an issue with conventional cookers - my cake had a very moist crumb and not at all dry, it also only took 20 minutes to bake.   

The lemon crunch topping is slightly different, whilst the cake is warm all you have to do is sprinkle over a layer of granulated sugar, Whitworth's has larger grains of sugar and is perfect for this cake, drizzle over the lemon juice.

I used a mixture of butter and Stork SB to give the cake a lighter crumb.

To bake in a conventional oven:

You will need:  20cm square lined baking tin

60g salted butter, softened
60g Stork SB
125g caster sugar
finely grated rind of 1 large lemon
2 large eggs
125g self-raising flour
65g ground almonds
60g granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon, strained

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.  Add the butter, Stork SB, caster sugar and lemon rind to a large bowl, mix with an electric whisk until light and fluffy.  Beat the eggs and add gradually to the cake batter, adding a dessertspoon of flour to prevent the batter from curdling.
2. Fold in the flour and ground almonds. Pour the batter into the tin and spread to the edges.
3. Bake for 25 minutes until firm.  Place the cake tin on a cooling rack.
4. Leaving the cake in the tin and whilst it is warm sprinkle over the sugar and drizzle over the strained lemon juice.

One Year Ago - Mary Berry's Gingerbread Traybake - Recipe

Spiced Rum, Raisin, Banana & Apple Cupcakes - Recipe

Everywhere I look on the Internet it is telling me to love my leftovers.  I started to feel a little guilty because I'm not sure that I do love my leftovers, in fact all they do is stare back at me and make me feel bad that I haven't used everything up from Christmas.

For these cupcakes I have used a spiced rum that I opened a while back, and one I was kindly sent for review, although I do feel a bit naughty using it in cupcakes.  A packet of opened wrinkly raisins, the last banana in the fruit bowl and a blemished apple.  Magically I used a satsuma left over from Christmas which I have stored in the fridge using StayFresh Longer bags - the satsuma oranges are still perfectly juicy.

I think I've now redeemed myself and love my leftovers......but only because these lovely cupcakes are full of Caribbean flavours.

                        The cupcakes are for adults only, both the cake batter and icing contain rum!

Using an ice cream scoop helps with loading the cupcake cases, baking is messy and I find this is the                                                              cleanest and easiest method

Kitchen Kit: 12 hole muffin tin lined with cupcake cases

Ingredients:
100g raisins
2 tablespoons spiced rum
150g soft margarine (Stork)
150g soft brown sugar
2 large eggs
175g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
1 dessert apple
1 ripe banana
finely grated rind of either a satsuma or orange

For the icing:
150g icing sugar
2 tsp rum
8 tsp fresh satsuma or orange juice
Grated rind of a satsuma or orange

You will need: 12-hole muffin tin lined with cupcake cases

1. Preheat the oven 180ºC.
2. Place the raisins in a bowl and pour the rum over, stir and leave whilst you get on with the cake batter.
3. Add the soft margarine, sugar, eggs, sifted flour, baking powder and orange rind to a large bowl.  Whisk for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. Peel and core the apple, chop into small pieces.  Peel the banana and cut into small dice.  Add to the cake batter along with the raisins and soaking rum, stir to combine.
5. Use an ice cream scoop to add the cake batter to the cupcake cases.
6. Bake for 30 minutes until golden.  After 10 minutes remove from the tin and continue cooling on a wire rack.
7. To make the icing:  Sift the icing into a bowl, add the rum and enough orange juice to give a coating consistency.  Pour the icing over the cupcakes and decorate with grated orange rind.

Cupcakes cooling on the cake rack
 and I'm resisting eating them before they are iced

Mushroom Soup - Recipe

Mushroom soup garnished with finely chopped fresh parsley

Making soup from just a few ingredients is a very cost effective way to feed ourselves and our families during the winter months, although I am more than happy to eat soup all year round.  I find a bowl of soup at lunchtime is filling and keeps me going until dinner.  Another reason I like to eat soup - it helps me to keep my weight at a sensible level so that I don't have to diet.  The recipe serves 4 people and works out at approximately 25p a bowl.

The soup can be frozen in soup bags after cooling or a more cost effective way is to pour the soup into a muffin tin and place in the freezer.  After the portions are frozen remove the muffin tin from the freezer and let them start to defrost around the edges. Remove the soup portions and either wrap them individually in cling wrap or thaw the portions at room temperature.

Okay better get started with the soup 

You will need:
50g diced onion
50g diced celery
50g diced leek
50g butter
1tbsp olive oil
50g plain flour
1 litre hot chicken stock
200g white mushrooms chopped
100ml semi-skimmed milk
Parsley, finely chopped to garnish

Method:
1. Melt the butter and oil in a large pan. add the diced onion, celery and leeks.  Cook gently to soften without colouring.
2. Add the flour to the pan and cook gently.  Gradually add the hot stock whilst continuously stirring, bring to the boil to thicken.
3. Add the chopped mushrooms, season.
4. Simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Cool the soup.
6. Liquidise.
7. Pour the liquidised soup through a strainer into a clean pan.
8. Add the milk and season if necessary.


I thought I'd share a few snapshots of the 'new kitchen'.  I'm really pleased with it and will put a few posts on the blog sharing my thoughts about using a Steam Combination Oven, induction hob and warming drawer.

Devil's Food Loaf - Annie Bell

Dark, sticky chocolate cake with a tender crumb

I wouldn't make this cake for children it's too dark and chocolaty - the icing is also too dark and chocolaty for children! My cake is so good I don't really want to share it with anyone - although I've made an exception and let hubby enjoy a few slices.  The cake cuts well and is a keeper too - I made this cake last Monday, stored it in a 'Lock and Lock' box and today (Saturday) it is still fresh.

The recipe is by Annie Bell, one of my favourite food writers, her Devil's Food Loaf recipe caught my eye in last weekends Daily Mail You Magazine. I've always enjoyed making her recipes because I can trust them to turn out well.

I love that this is a cake-cum-dessert and a dollop of creme fraiche or ice cream are the perfect partners for the cake.

If you love chocolate cake, you'll definitely fall head over heels for this one. A great cake to make for Valentine's Day and all you have to do is scatter some heart decorations over the icing.

Chocolate and Beetroot Mini Cakes - Recipe

Chocolate and Beetroot Mini Cakes

Mini cakes that look cute make eating mini portions a pleasure and I also like an excuse to use my mini loaf baking tins.  January is the month to measure our food intake and these mini cakes are delicious.

I'm not suggesting for one minute these are healthy mini bites but mentally they definitely lift the spirits on a dull, grey, rainy, January day.

The Craisins are used in the batter mix and I decorated the loaves with them too. Craisins are dried cranberries and a registered trademark belonging to Ocean Spray.

Makes 12 mini loaves
Spray the tins with cake release and it shouldn't be necessary to line the bases

I wasn't sure how many cakes I'd get but guessed if I filled the tins three quarters full I'd stand a chance of them rising enough to produce 12 cakes.

Good guess - it made 12 mini loaves

Decorated they will keep for a couple of days, without icing they can be frozen.

You will need:

75g dark chocolate
75g chopped Craisins
150g grated Beetroot
175g self-raising flour
40g cocoa powder
175g soft brown sugar
250ml vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC.
2. Place the chocolate into a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water until it has melted, stir and cool.
3. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl, add the sugar, oil, eggs and melted chocolate.  Whisk together and stir in the grated beetroot and Craisins.
4. Pour the batter into the mini loaf compartments until they are three quarters full.  Bake for 25 minutes and allow them to cool in the pans.
5. Remove the loaves from the pan and decorate with icing and extra Craisins.

Making the Most of Local Produce - Bridgnorth Market

Fresh veg from the market

I never make New Year resolutions and why would I want to start the year making resolutions that only serve to make me miserable.  If I had vowed to cut out coffee, eat less cake and do without the odd biscuit, this wouldn't be a good start to the year.

I decided this year it would be great if I could make more effort and visit Bridgnorth Market to stock up on local vegetables.  We visited a stall under Bridgnorth Town Hall and bought dirty carrots, dirty local potatoes and dirty parsnips! - a snip at only £1 per bag.  Red onions, white onions, sprouts on the stalk complete with sprout leaves, purple sprouting broccoli, leeks and a cauliflower.  The total sum spent was £7.50.

Opposite the veg stall is the meat stall run by one of the local butchers shops.  Here I bought a loin of pork and a pack of ten chicken breast fillets - amount spent £16.50.  Next stop the flower stall and two bunches of flowers for £2.00.

We moved to the high street stalls and bought 6 huge baking potatoes, a bunch of grapes and bananas for £4.00.

After this we made a beeline for one of the fabulous local independent coffee shops, a swift walk along the high street, well it was really cold, and made our way home.

Storing the vegetables is important because I can't let all of this go to waste.  I use a variety of ways to store my fruit and vegetables to help keep them fresh.  The carrots are stored in a trusted Tupperware vegetable keeper which I have had for many years.  Other vegetables I want to store in the fridge are placed into Stay Fresh Longer bags which I buy from Lakeland.

The onions, dirty potatoes and baking potatoes are stored separately in these Stay Fresh vegetable keeper bags which I store in a large drawer in my kitchen.  I bought my bags from either the Kleeneze or the Betterware catalogue.

I often use my local greengrocer for my fresh produce but the market was a more cost effective approach and it was fun too.

Now I have to plough my way through this lot........wish me luck!