Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple and Pecan Bundt Cake with a MapleCinnamon Glaze

Do you have a regular veg box? What do you think of them? Wholegood have been supplying organic fruit and vegetables since 2007 and they are now selling their veg boxes on Ocado. I've toyed with the idea of getting a regular subscription so this was quite timely as it gave me a chance to try it out. I was sent a mixed box of fruit and vegetables to review. Unfortunately the driver placed the box upside down so some of the fruit was squashed but most of them survived. There was a good selection and we cooked most of it during the week. The vegetables were fresh and delicious but they don't keep for long. Personally I think this is a great idea as you have a basis for menu planning which has an element of spontaneity to it. We worked out what to cook based on the ingredients in the box. It's also good value for money considering the cost of organic fruit and veg plus it's delivered to your door. 

The selection varies week on week depending on what's in season. With this box, we cooked chicken, cheese and leek bake, stir fry cabbage with bacon, steamed carrots, boiled potatoes, roasted mushroom and tomatoes (to accompany a home cooked full English breakfast), roasted sweetcorn and used the fruit for lunch boxes. I also made this amazing cake with the butternut squash and apples. 

I used my favourite carrot cake recipe as a base for this cake. I debated about making squash puree or chunks of squash and in the end decided to roast the butternut squash with some brown sugar so that it caramelised to add extra flavour and texture. I also added in chopped apples and roasted, chopped pecan nuts. This autumnal cake needed spice so I threw in some cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice. The icing on the cake (literally) was the maple cinnamon glaze. It worked beautifully with the cake and really enhanced the flavours of the cake. This is a cake that's best eaten the day after. It was even better 2 days later as the flavours developed. It's a very moist cake with lots of different textures and flavour. I was pleased that you could still see chunks of apple and squash in the cake. 

I'm entering this to Tea Time Treats hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and co hosted by Jane from the Hedgecombers. The theme this month is cooking and baking with vegetables. 

I'm also entering this to the Rix Aga Inspired Recipe Competition where the theme is apples.

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It's also perfect for Simple and in Season hosted by Ren from RenBehan as apples and squash are in season.

Shaheen from Allotment 2 Kitchen has chosen Halloween Colours for this month's Vegetable Palette. This cake is autumnal in taste and colour.

Emily from A Mummy Too is hosting this month's Extra Veg on behalf of Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle from Utterly Scrummy. This cake has squash which counts as an extra portion of veg!

An original recipe by bakingaddict

Makes 1 large bundt cake
For the cake
1 small squash + 2 tablespoons brown sugar for roasting
3 small apples, peeled, cored and chopped
200mls olive oil
190g light muscovado sugar
4 eggs
300g wholemeal flour
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
2.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1.5 teaspoons miced spice
0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg
150g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

For the maple cinnamon glaze
250g icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
15g butter
60mls maple syrup
2 - 4 tablespoons milk

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Peel the squash and cut into small cubes.
• Place on to a baking tray and sprinkle with brown sugar.
• Roast in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until soft.
• In the meantime, prepare the cake batter - In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Add in the eggs and olive oil and mix. 
• Stir in the chopped apples followed by the pecans and finally the roasted butternut squash.
• Pour the batter into a bundt tin and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool completely before turning out.
• Make the glaze by placing the icing sugar, ground cinnamon, butter and maple syrup in a mixer and mix on low to medium speed.
• Slowly add the milk one tablespoon at a time until it's smooth and has the consistency you require. You may need to add more icing sugar if it's too thin or more milk if it's too dry.
• Drizzle the syrup over the cake before serving. 

Disclaimer: I was sent an organic fruit and vegetable box for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. This is not a sponsored post. 

Maple, walnut and raisin oat cookies and a giveaway

I love maple syrup and have quite a few maple syrup recipes on my blog. The lovely people at Clarks Maple Syrup kindly sent me a selection of their maple syrup to try and they've also agreed to give two lucky readers a Clarks gift bag worth £25. They have a great selection of recipes on their website and you can also download free recipe booklets. 

I debated about what to make. I usually use maple syrup in pancakes or cakes so I thought about making something a little different. The Clarks Oatmeal Maple Drop Cookies really appealed to me so I gave it a go and was not disappointed with the results. The maple syrup makes for a slightly wet batter and my cookies were soft with a crispy edge. It's definitely a cookie that tastes better the day after and one that slowly grows on you. I love the flavour combination of maple syrup and walnuts. The raisins added contrasting taste and texture and the oats made it feel healthier. I used the Clarks pure maple syrup for this recipe and you can definitely taste it in the cookie. It's not overly sweet and has a lovely aroma. I can't wait to try some of their other recipes. 

As mentioned, 2 lucky readers will win a Clarks gift bag worth £25. Each gift bag will include 

• 1x 500ml Clarks Original Maple Syrup
• 1x180ml Clarks Vanilla Maple Syrup
• 1x500ml Clarks Maple Syrup Pure No.1
• 1x 180ml Clarks Pure no.2
• 1x 500ml Clarks clear blossom honey
• 1x180ml Clarks Lavender honey
• 1x180ml Clarks Orange blossom honey
• 1x 180ml Clarks Acacia honey
• Clarks Recipe book

Entry is via the rafflecopter widget. The prize is sponsored by Clarks and they will arrange delivery of the prize. Competition is open to UK residents only. A winner will be selected at random by Rafflecopter. All entries will be checked and verified and automatically disqualified if it's not a genuine entry. The closing date is 23 June 2014 at 12 midnight GMT. Good luck! 

 My selection of Clarks Maple Syrup

 milk, maple syrup, butter, flour, oats, raisins, egg, walnuts 

 ready to go in the oven

 delicious! 

Disclaimer: I was sent a selection of Clarks maple syrup to review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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Homemade Waffles with bacon, berries, poached egg and maple syrup

I've made this quite a few times now for brunch but have not gotten round to sharing it until now. It's a decadent and indulgent brunch perfect for lazy weekends. I don't have a waffle maker but I found a silicone waffle baking mould for a few quid at Aldi which works perfectly. It does take a while to cook compared to using a waffle iron but it does the job and it doesn't break the bank! I have found that it tastes even better if you pop it in the toaster on a low setting after it's cooked for added crispiness. The waffles also keep well overnight and you can re-heat them in a toaster. This particular waffle was served with crispy bacon, berries, maple syrup and a poached egg. 

I'm sending it to Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes. The theme is Bank Holiday Bakes and we are asked to share what we make to relax, share with friends or take on picnics. 

 selection of berries, milk, flour, sugar, eggs, bacon and maple syrup 

 making the waffle batter in my food processor

this is the silicone waffle mould which I sprayed with non stick spray

 1 recipe makes 7 waffles

 fresh from the oven

 with crispy bacon, berries and a drizzle of maple syrup 

 and a poached egg on top! 

Makes 7 waffles 

Recipe adapted very slightly from allrecipes.com

250g plain flour

400mls milk

100mls sunflower oil or vegetable oil

10g caster sugar

2 eggs 

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 

To serve

Bacon - cooked

Berries

Maple Syrup 

Poached egg (optional) 

• Preheat oven to 180C. 
• Place all the ingredients for the waffle in a food processor - I used the liquidiser and blitz until smooth. Be careful not to overmix. Allow the mixture to rest for at least 30 minutes before using. You may refrigerate the mixture at this point if needed. 
• Cook bacon in a grill or frying pan and set aside.
• Poach an egg if using. 
• Pour the waffle batter into the waffle mould and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until golden brown and fully cooked. 
• Place the waffles in a toaster on a low setting for about 30 seconds for extra crispiness. 
• Serve with crispy bacon, berries, maple syrup and a poached egg or fillings of your choice. 

Peach and Blueberry Maple Syrup Muffins

Remember my peach and blueberry maple maple walnut pie? Well one of my colleagues is allergic to walnuts so I decided to make the same flavours sans nuts but in muffin form. I made up the recipe myself and they turned out so beautifully that I made a further 2 batches of these. I gave a box to my friend's mum who was in hospital following a surgery as I thought it might cheer her up! I love how the slices of peaches look like rays of sunshine. The muffins were deliciously moist and fruity. You can clearly taste the flavours of peach, blueberry and maple syrup and the wholemeal made it feel healthier. 

I'm sending this to Made with Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior. 

I'm also sneaking this into Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and Kat from the Baking Explorer.  The theme this month is 'Spring into Easter' which can be traditional Easter bakes or anything spring like including spring colours. To me these look quite spring like, it's lovely and fresh so I hope that it qualifies. 

The Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... has the theme of 'fun' this month. Well that's a great open theme and as these were fun to make and certainly fun to eat, I hope that they qualify too.

 ready to mix everything together 

 love the colours of the fruit 

 They looked a little plain... 

 ... so I added some sliced peaches on top 

An original recipe by bakingaddict

Makes 9 large muffins

125g wholemeal flour

100g plain flour

50g caster sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

100mls milk

60mls vegetable oil

60mls maple syruo

1 egg

125g blueberries

2 peaches - 1 chopped and 1 sliced for the decoration

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Prepare the peaches by cutting into half and removing the stone. Chop up 1 peach into small chunks and slice the second peach and set aside. 
• Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
• Place the wet ingredients in a jug and mix well.
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients and mix well.
• Finally add the chopped peaches and blueberries and stir.
• Fill the muffin cases until about 2/3 full.
• Place 3 slices of peaches on top of each muffin as shown. 
• Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool on a wire rack. 

Peach and blueberry maple walnut pie and a Labor Day giveaway

Recently I was asked to make a twist on a peach pie in conjunction with the film release 'Labor Day' which stars Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. It was released in UK cinemas on Friday 21st March 2014. The film is based on a novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard.  One of the pivotal scenes in the movie involves a peach pie. The recipe is actually from the author's mother and Joyce shared her baking expertise with Winslet and Brolin for the film. 

I decided to make a peach and blueberry pie with maple syrup and a walnut crust. I've never made this pie before but I thought the flavours would work well together. It was certainly an experiment but I'm pleased to say that it turned out well. 

I have a baking set and tickets to watch Labor Day to giveaway to one lucky reader. The prize is sponsored by Paramount Pictures UK and consists of 1 Le Creuset Pie Dish, 1 Labor Day Book and a cinema voucher for  £20. Entry to the competition is via rafflecopter. A winner will be selected at random. The closing date is 1st April  2014 and is open to UK residents only. All entries will be checked and verified. The winner will be contacted by email and the prize will be delivered directly by Abundant Publicists.

 Le Creuset Pie Dish 

 making the pastry 

 making the filling 

pastry base 

 add filling 

 cover with pastry 

 rustic looking pie! 

For the walnut pastry
50g walnuts
160g plain flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
Pinch of salt
120g butter, cut into cubes
60ml cold water

For the filling
4 peaches
125g fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornflour
4 tablespoons maple syrup

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Lightly toast the walnuts and allow to cool slightly.
• Finely chop the nuts. 
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, chopped nuts, sugar, salt and butter. 
• Mix together with your fingers until they resemble breadcrumbs.
• Add the water and mix again to form a dough.
• Cover with clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes before using. 
• Make the filling by rinsing the peaches and removing the stone. Cut into small slices and place in a medium sized bowl.
• Add the lemon juice and stir.
• Add in the blueberries, ground cinnamon, maple syrup and cornflour and mix well. 
• Leave to one side, stirring occasionally.
• Once the pastry has been chilled, divide into 2 equal parts.
• Roll out to a circle large enough to line your pie dish.
• Use a slotted spoon to place the filling into the pie. 
• Roll out the second half of the pastry and use to cover the top of the pie. Press the edges together to seal.
• Cut a few slits into the pie to allow it to breathe and brush the pastry with egg wash. 
• Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes. You will need to cover with foil after about 30 minutes to prevent over browning of the pastry.

Disclaimer: I was sent a LeCreuset Pie Dish and compensated for the ingredients required for making this peach pie. The film shot is courtesy of Paramount pictures. All other images and written expressions are my own. 

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