Mixed Fruit Muesli Slice

This month Random Recipes hosted by the dashing Dom from Belleau Kitchen is 40. So he's asked us to choose our 40th book and turn to page 40. I dutifully counted along my bookshelf and No 40 is....

The Australian Women's Weekly Little Squares & Slices. I've not actually made anything from this book yet so I was really pleased that I finally had a chance. With a little trepidation as you just never know what you'll get with random recipes, I turned to page 40 and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Tropical Muesli Slice. I did not have any dried tropical fruit so I used mixed dried fruit, dried cranberries and a handful of dried pineapple slices that I had leftover from something else. It's a really simple recipe but I still managed to burn mine as I left it in the oven for too long! Fortunately, it still tasted good and was devoured heartily at work this morning. Everyone actually quite liked the burnt bits and it was extremely more-ish. It's highly addictive and the recipe is so versatile as you can use any dried fruit/nut or chocolate. 

 oats, self raising flour, dried cranberries, dried pineapple slices, mixed dried fruit, brown sugar, honey, butter 

 slightly burnt but still delicious! 

125g butter
75g soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
135g rolled oats
75g self raising flour
250g mixed dried fruit including dried cranberries (alternatively you can use a tropical mix as suggested in the original recipe - 225g sliced, dried tropical fruit and 25g dessicated coconut)

• Preheat the oven to 160C.
• Melt butter, sugar and honey in a medium sized saucepan. 
• Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. 
• Press firmly into a square baking tray and bake for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
• Allow to cool completely before slicing

Vanilla Victoria Sponge and a giveaway

I love baking with vanilla. It's such a versatile flavour and absolutely delicious on it's own. Since I discovered how easy it is to make your own vanilla extract, I've not bought any but I do regularly buy vanilla pods and vanilla bean paste for baking. Taylor & Colledge have a great range of vanilla bean products including organic vanilla bean pods, vanilla bean dusting sugar, vanilla bean extract, vanilla bean paste and vanilla bean grinder. I was particularly intrigued by the vanilla bean grinder as I've never seen one before. I shortlisted a few recipes to showcase the vanilla flavour and in end decided on a classic Victoria Sponge. 

I filled it with vanilla cream and fresh strawberries and added vanilla to the sponge mix as well. The vanilla flavour was delicious and you can definitely smell the vanilla in the cake as there was quite a lot of it! The vanilla bean grinder was really easy to use - similar to a salt/pepper grinder. I loved the flecks of vanilla on the cream and it added to the vanilla flavour too. 

I have 3 sets of their full range of vanilla bean products to giveaway to 3 lucky readers. Entry is via the rafflecopter widget below. 

The prize consists of one of each of the following for 3 readers.

• Taylor & Colledge Organic vanilla bean pods 
• Taylor & Colledge Vanilla bean dusting sugar 
• Taylor & Colledge Vanilla bean extract 
• Taylor & Colledge Vanilla bean paste
• Taylor & Colledge Vanilla bean grinder

Terms and Conditions

• This giveaway is open to all readers over 18 with a postal address in the UK.
• Closing date is 7th July 2014 at 12 midnight GMT.
• The winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter and will be contacted by email. 
• I am running this competition on behalf of Taylor & Colledge who will be sending out the prize directly. By entering you are giving me permission to pass your email address on to Taylor & Colledge so they can contact you for delivery of the prize. 
• All entries will be checked and verified. 

 My selection of vanilla bean products for review - organic vanilla bean pods, vanilla bean dusting sugar, vanilla bean extract, vanilla bean grinder and vanilla bean paste 

 adding vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract to the cake batter 

 I used the vanilla bean grinder to grind some vanilla beans into the whipped cream 

 I also added more ground vanilla on top of the cream before adding the strawberries 

 

 finally a dusting of vanilla bean icing sugar to finish 

For the cake
Weigh 4 eggs in their shells and then measure out the same weight in butter, sugar and self raising flour.
My eggs weighed 265g so I used:

4 eggs (weight 265g in their shells)
265g butter
265g caster sugar
265g self raising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the filling
300mls double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a few twists of the vanilla bean grinder
Fresh strawberries - washed, hulled and sliced

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
• Mix in the flour.
• Stir in the vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract.
• Divide the mixture evenly between 2 sandwich tins.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and springy to touch. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.
• Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Whip the cream until it's set and add in the vanilla extract. 
• Using the vanilla bean grinder, sprinkle some ground vanilla over the cream. 
• Sandwich the cakes with the vanilla cream and a layer of strawberries. 
• Dust the top of the cake with vanilla bean icing sugar.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was sent a selection of products from Taylor & Colledge for review purposes. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own. 

Chelsea Football Cake

I baked this back in May for a colleague's son's birthday but have not gotten round to blogging about it. As it's football season, it seems fitting to present a football cake. I was asked to make a Chelsea football cake as he is a fan of Chelsea and to use the team colour which is blue. I borrowed a pair of Lakeland large hemisphere tins to bake this cake as I wanted it to be a whole circle. Unfortunately, the cake fell apart and I had to bake it again but only made 1 hemisphere. I used my favourite Nigella Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake recipe for the cake and made a simple chocolate buttercream to go with it.

I had real difficulty decorating this cake and would really appreciate some advice. I've never baked with hemisphere tins before and I was really excited when the cakes came out smoothly as a perfect hemisphere. I allowed it to cool (but probably not long enough) as the cake fell apart once I placed one on top of the other to form a 3D circle. The cakes are quite heavy so perhaps I needed a lighter sponge mix? I did wonder if it would work better if I froze the cake first or baked the cake one day and decorated it on the next day.

For the actual decorations, I rolled out a piece of white fondant to cover the cake. I cut blue hexagons using a hexagonal cutter I bought from Ebay. I also cut out a shirt and used writing icing to decorate it. I planned to make a scarf but the icing kept cracking and I couldn't keep it in once piece so I abandoned it in the end. The final cake looks a lot plainer than I planned but I tried my best! 

  Hemisphere tins and round cookie cutters 

 I used round cutters to support the hemisphere tins whilst baking 

 ready to go in the oven - they need about 60 minutes or so to bake - keep checking with a skewer as the cake is quite deep 

 perfect hemispheres 

 I placed a ring of fondant on the cake board to support the cake 

 bottom half filled with chocolate buttercream 

 Hurrah - 3D circle which sadly collapsed not long after 

 this is the second cake - just 1 hemisphere which I covered in chocolate buttercream 

 then covered with white fondant icing 

 Add some blue hexagons 

 finished cake 

Daim Cookies

This month's AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes is the letter "D". J immediately thought of Daim/Dime bars which I've not thought about before even for the first round of AlphaBakes. I love eating Daim bars and they always remind me of trips to Ikea. 

I debated about making a cheesecake or a brownie but in the end settled for a cookie. It's a simple sugar cookie recipe with a piece of Daim chocolate pressed in the middle. I was surprised that the chocolate did not melt when the cookies were baked and that they retained their shape. The cookie has a crisp edge and a soft centre and the Daim piece gave the perfect balance of crunch and flavour. 

I'm sending this to AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and co hosted by myself. The letter this month is D. 

I'm also sending it to Family Foodies hosted by Louisa from Eat Your Veg and Vanesther from Bangers and Mash. The theme this month is Barbecues, Picnics and Outdoor Eating and these would be perfect for any of those occasions.

 

225g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar
110g brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
450g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
40 - 50 mls milk
Daim chocolate pieces (or you can use smarties or M&M's)

• Beat together the sugars and butter until pale and fluffy. 
• In a separate bowl, use a whisk to beat together the vanilla and eggs. 
• Gradually transfer this egg mixture to the creamed mixture, beating between each addition. This will prevent the mixture from curdling. 
• Over this mixture, sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
• Gradually add the milk and stir until soft dough forms (be careful not to add too much milk or dough will be too sticky). 
• Leave in fridge for 20 minutes, covered. (You can skip this step if you are short on time) 
• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Remove the dough from the fridge and place a small ice cream scoop of dough spaced apart on the baking trays. 
• Press a Daim chocolate piece in the middle of each cookie and press gently. 
• Bake for 8-9 minutes or until they are golden brown, but still slightly soft. They will harden slightly upon cooling. 
• If you want a crunchier cookie, then cook for longer until brown and rather firm to touch when removed from oven.
• Allow to cool on a wire rack completely before storing. 

Zesty Lemon and Summer Fruit Roulade

This Spring Dr. Oetker has teamed up with Kimberley Wilson as part of the Even Better Baking Team to create an exclusive and delicious low fat Zesty Lemon and Summer fruit Roulade recipe. It's a light and refreshing cake which is fairly healthy and quite simple to make.  The full recipe and instructions can be viewed in the video below.

One of my colleagues said that this is her second favourite cake that I've ever baked, the first being Nigella's Olive Oil Cake. I have to say it barely lasted an hour as it was wolfed down with gusto and I have no doubt that I will be making this again. I've not made many swiss rolls but was excited to use my new swiss roll tin which worked beautifully. I actually made this recipe twice as the first was a bit disastrous. You need to be patient and whisk the eggs and sugar for at least 5 minutes - I was in too much of a hurry the first time and it didn't turn out well. 

This is my first time using the Dr Oetker Sicilian Lemon Natural Extract and I was pleasantly surprised. It smells like fresh lemons and just 1/2 teaspoon as stated in the recipe is enough to give a deep lemon flavour. The sponge was light and lemony and the yoghurt berry filling was absolutely delicious. The lemon curd worked really well with the yoghurt and berries and is definitely an idea I will be repeating for future bakes. 

 

 whisk the eggs and sugar until the 'ribbon stage' 

 filling my swiss roll tin 

 fresh from the oven 

 stir lemon curd into the yoghurt 

 spread lemon curd/yoghurt over the cake and sprinkle chopped berries on top 

 zesty lemon and summer fruit roulade 

Disclaimer: I was sent Dr Oetker products used in this recipe by Dr Oetker. A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own. 

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. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Flourless Chocolate and Raspberry Brownies

I was looking for something quick and simple to bake one evening with J. I had limited baking equipment and supplies so I decided on a brownie which does not require any fancy equipment. I used a BBC Good Food recipe as the title said 'Best ever chocolate raspberry brownies' They were indeed amazing and it was so good I felt I had to make it again. 

This month's We Should Cocoa challenge hosted by Michelle from Utterly Scrummy Food for Families has the theme gluten free. I adapted this recipe by replacing the flour with ground almonds, reducing the amount of butter and sugar and baked it in my individual brownie pan. The result was really good. I was told that these are the 'best brownies ever' and there wasn't a crumb left by the end of the day. The  brownies are really moist, gooey and chocolatey with a hint of tart raspberry. Personally I prefer the normal version as it's smoother and fudgier. The gluten free version tasted grainier and nuttier due to the ground almonds. However, they were both delicious and I'd happily eat a few of each version! 

As mentioned, this is for We Should Cocoa started by Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog and guest hosted this month by Michelle from Utterly Scrummy Food for Families. The theme is gluten free. 

I'm also sending it to Four Seasons Food guest hosted by Tina from the Spicy Pear this month. The challenge is usually run by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat Your Veg. The theme this month is The Colour Red and these raspberries are bright red!

And to Family Foodies hosted by Louisa from Eat Your Veg and Vanesther from Bangers and Mash. The theme this month is Barbecues, Picnics and Outdoor Eating. You can easily make the brownies in advance and they are very easy to transport.

 adding the eggs 

 adding ground almonds and cocoa powder 

 adding raspberries 

 place 1 raspberry on top of each brownie square before baking 

 

 look at how gooey the centre is ... yuuumm!!

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food

Makes 18 individual brownie square as shown 

200g butter

350g soft brown sugar

200g dark chocolate

100g milk chocolate

4 eggs

50g cocoa powder

160g ground almonds

150g fresh raspberries

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Place the butter, sugar and chocolate in a medium sized saucepan and melt over a medium heat. 
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly
• Add in the eggs and mix well.
• Stir in the ground almonds and cocoa powder.
• Finally stir in the raspberries reserving 18 for decoration. 
• Divide the batter evenly into an individual brownie pan. Place 1 raspberry on top of each square before baking. 
• Alternatively you can use a square baking tray. 
• Bake for about 18 -20 minutes or until the edges are cooked. If you want a firmer brownie then cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out to a wire rack to cool completely.