Making Stuff: recipe

Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts

Friday, 21 October 2011

Bramley Apple Mincemeat

This is a recipe heavily adapted from one I found on t'internet.

In a large pan melt 20g butter.

Add 850g bramley apples (peeled, cored and sliced - or chopped if you want smaller apple bits.)

Add 400ml water and cook gently for about 20 minutes.

Add 450g sugar, 300g sultanas, 300g mixed fruit, 70g mixed peel, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the juice of a lemon.

Heat gently until sugar dissolves, then boil for about 20 minutes, until mixture is thick. Keep stirring!!

Stir in 2 tablespoons of sherry and pour into sterilised jars. (I got 4 jars worth.)

Sunday, 3 July 2011

Lemon cupcakes

I don't usually bake in imperial measures, but this is a variation on a cupcake recipe a friend gave me.

In a large bowl measure out 3oz margarine or butter, 8.5oz plain flour, 10 oz caster sugar, 1 rounded tbsp baking powder and mix until you have something which looks like sand!

In a jug mix 240ml milk, 1 teaspoon lemon extract (or some lemon juice) and 2 large eggs (or 3 small ones!) and pour gradually into the sandy mixture, mixing it in as you go. Mix until the batter is smooth.

The batter will be very runny, so pour it into a jug.

Fill cupcake cases about 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees until springy.

I've decorated mine with lemon buttercream icing, a little lemon jelly sweet and a sprinkle of caster sugar.

Wednesday, 10 November 2010

Wartime Syrup Sponge

A very frugal cake, made with no eggs and no fats, so probably not too calorific either!!

Sift 8oz self raising flour and half a teaspoon bicarb of soda into a large bowl.

(I don't usually bake in imperial but it is a wartime recipe!)

In a saucepan melt 4 tablespoons of golden syrup into half a pint of milk.

(Heat until mixed in, no need to boil.)

Pour milk and syrup mixture onto flour and beat well until no lumps of flour remain.

Pour rather gloopy mixture into a greased 2lb loaf tin and bake for 40 - 45 minutes at 180 degrees.

This makes a rather nice, not too sweet cake. I see no reason why you couldn't use soya milk and make it vegan.

11th November tomorrow - how about baking a wartime cake to remember those housewives who managed to feed their families in such tough times?

Wednesday, 13 October 2010

White choc, almond and cranberry blondies

Possibly the most delicious cake combination ever.

Melt 200g unsalted butter, then leave in a large bowl until it is just warm.

Beat in 150g caster sugar and 2 tsp vanilla extract.

Beat in 2 eggs, then add 250g self raising flour and 1 tsp baking powder.

Mix well, then add 150g dried cranberries.

Stir in 100g chopped white chocolate and 100g chopped almonds (or other nuts.)

Spread mixture evenly in a square tin lined with non stick paper.

Dot 6 teaspoons of cranberry sauce over the top.

Bake at 160 degrees for 40 minutes until just set.

Allow to cool in the tin, the middle will sink a little, press down the edges with a spatula.

Cut into 16 squares when cool, try not to eat all 16 pieces at once.

Wednesday, 1 September 2010

Strawberry ice cream; no ice cream maker required!

Pour one can of condensed milk and one 600ml pot of single cream in a large bowl. Whisk with electric mixer until frothy. (You can use double cream which will give you a richer ice cream; whisk until thickened, but be careful not to over-whisk.)

Open a tin of strawberries, squash strawberries up (reserve juice from can for smoothies) and add to cream mixture. Mix it all together with the whisk. (You can of course use fresh strawberries but I find tinned ones are squishier.)

Pour into a loaf tin which you have lined with cling-film.

Freeze and slice!

Wednesday, 21 July 2010

Soft burger rolls

Home made bread is great, but sometimes you don't want it crusty!

These rolls are lovely and soft, great with burgers.

This recipe makes 6 generous rolls.

Mix the following ingredients into a dough; 1 egg, 4 fl oz milk, 3 tbsp butter (actually I used I can't believe it's not butter!), 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and 2 cups bread flour and 1 1/2 tsp yeast.

Knead well, and leave to rise until doubled in size.

(I do all this in the breadmaker.)

Punch down the dough and divide into equal sized balls, place on baking tray and leave rise for 20 - 30 mins.

Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Bake for 15 minutes at 200 deg C.

Wednesday, 30 June 2010

Chocolate and Almond Biscotti

Mix 300g plain flour, 75g cocoa powder and 1 tsp baking powder in a large bowl.

Add 100g chopped plain chocolate and 50g chopped almonds.

In another bowl cream together 225g granulated sugar and 75g soft butter.

Gradually whisk in 2 eggs.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butter, sugar, egg mixture until you have a stiff dough.

With your hands make two logs about 12 inches long, flatten them slightly then place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.

Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then cut diagonally into slices, about 2cm thick.

Eat all of the yummy crumbs.

Arrange the slices on the baking tray and bake for a further 10 - 15 minutes until crisp.

Cool on a wire rack.

Tuesday, 22 June 2010

Baked Cheesecake

My first cheesecake!

To make the base I crushed 12 digestive biscuits and mixed in 50g caster sugar and 50g melted butter.

Then you need to press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a cake tin. Mine has a removable bottom, or you can use the springform type. Leave to chill in the fridge a little while.

Blend together 300g soft cheese, 50g caster sugar and 2 eggs.

Pour on top of the base and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes, or until it is set.

Allow to cool and top with fruit.

I used fresh strawberries, and made a syrup by boiling 1 tablespoon strawberry jam, 1 tablespoon golden syrup and a splosh of water. I allowed this to cool a little then poured it all over.

Wednesday, 28 April 2010

Coconut biscuits (in less than 20 minutes!)

Melt 100g butter and pour into a large bowl.

Mix in 1 heaped cup of self raising flour, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of dessicated coconut.

Mix in 1 beaten egg.

Beat for a minute or two.

Make into small balls with your hands (approx 18), slightly flatten and place on a baking tray. (Allow room for spreading.)

Bake at 180 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes.

Allow to cool on a wire tray - at least long enough that you don't burn your lips.

(That's quicker than walking to the corner shop!)

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

Apricot Cake

In a large bowl mix 3 eggs, 175g self raising flour, 100g soft butter, 100g muscovado sugar,

100g chopped dried apricots, 150g sultanas and 75g chopped glace cherries.

(It's good idea to rinse and dry the cherries to remove the sticky coating.)

Bake at 160 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes in a 2lb loaf tin.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

For the icing put 1 tbsp apricot jam and 1 tbsp water in a saucepan and heat until the jam is melted.

Pour into 100g icing sugar and mix until smooth.

Spread onto cake, decorate with some pieces of dried apricot.

Thursday, 15 April 2010

Easter Egg Stash-busting Milk Chocolate Cake

Cream 150g margarine with 250g caster sugar.

Blend in 75g melted milk chocolate (easter egg!) and 3 egg yolks.

Gradually add 250g sifted self raising flour and 180ml milk and mix until smooth.

Beat the 3 egg whites until stiff, and carefully fold into the mixture.

Bake at 180 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes.

Allow to cool, then cover with more melted easter egg, and sweets as desired.

Wednesday, 31 March 2010

Sultana Malt Loaf

Mix 225g plain flour, 1/2 tsp bicarb soda and 1 tsp baking powder in a large bowl.

Stir in 225g sultanas.

In a saucepan gently melt 50g demerara sugar, 175g malt extract (you can buy that in a health food shop - so this must be healthy cake...) and 1 tbsp black treacle.

Pour onto the flour and sultana mix, add 2 beaten eggs and 150ml of cold black tea.

Mix thoroughly until smooth.

I made 6 mini loaves in my new mini loaf pan which took 35 minutes to bake at 160 degrees.

This mixture should be enough for 2 normal loaf tins, in which case bake for about an hour.

Sunday, 28 February 2010

Belgian Buns

First you need to make some dough.

As usual I used the breadmaker for this, using these ingredients.

1 cup warm water

1 egg

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp dried milk

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp soft butter

3 cups white bread flour

1 tsp dried yeast

When the dough was all mixed up I added a cup of raisins and let the bread machine mix it some more.

The resulting dough is pretty soft and squishy, and you need to spread it out into a rectangle shape. ( I did this on a silicone sheet to try not to get it everywhere!!)

Then spread a thin layer of lemon curd all over.

And roll it up like a swiss roll... (the silicone sheet also helps with this part)

... before cutting into slices and placing on a baking tray.

Bake them for 20 - 25 minutes at 180 degrees and they come out like this.

Let them cool a little before decorating with icing and a cherry.

Enjoy!

Friday, 5 February 2010

Fougasse

1 cup warm water

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 3/4 cups white bread flour

1 tsp dried yeast

Shove all ingredients in breadmaker and mix into dough.

Remove dough and flatten, slice into the dough with a sharp knife to make pattern.

Leave to rise in a warm place.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary.

Bake in a hot oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Tear and share!

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Fat Free Banana Muffins

Judging by the amount of baking on this blog you might think I care nothing for healthy food. It's true I'm not a big fan of salad, but I do try to eat pretty well; everything in moderation is my philosophy!

So here are wholemeal fat free banana muffins...

Mix together 1 cup wholemeal bread flour, 1/2 cup plain white flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda and 1/2 cup of brown sugar.

Mix 1 egg, 3/4 cup of skimmed milk and 2 or 3 mashed bananas (the riper the better.)

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, try not to over blend or your muffins will be tough. Divide mixture into either 6 large or 12 small paper cases.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes at 200 degrees C, until firm to the touch.

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Orange Sponge Cake

Cream 225g margarine with 225g caster sugar, then add 225g self raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 3 eggs and the grated rind and the juice of a large orange.
Mix until well blended and divide between two round tins.
Bake at 180 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes, until springy to touch and a skewer comes out clean.
Remove from tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.

When cool, sandwich together with buttercream icing. Decorate the top with glace icing - I made mine with 1 part orange juice and 1 part water for extra orangey taste.

Sunday, 17 January 2010

Old fashioned seed cake

Place 225g self raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 150g soft butter, 150g caster sugar, 3 eggs and 2 tbsp milk in a large bowl and mix until well blended.

Fold in 50g mixed peel and 2 tsp caraway seeds. (Found in the herbs and spices section of the supermarket.)

Pour mixture into 18cm round deep cake tin. Sprinkle a few more caraway seeds on top.

Bake at 180 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes, until well risen and skewer comes out clean.

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Friday, 4 December 2009

Easy tea bread

This is delicious, moist and chewy with lots of yummy fruit.

Pour 150ml boiling water onto 350g dried fruit and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Beat 75g brown sugar and 1 egg into the fruit.

Sift in 175g self raising flour, and stir until combined.

Pour into a greased and lined loaf tin, level and sprinkle a tbsp of brown sugar on top.

Bake at 180 deg C for 50 minutes.

Eat sliced with a cup of tea.

Monday, 23 November 2009

Seedy bread and fruit cake

This loaf is made with half white flour and half wholemeal.

Today I've added some seed mixture; sesame, linseed and pumpkin - nearly a cupful altogether.

Also made a fruitcake at my husband's request.

Basic recipe - 4oz margarine rubbed into 8oz self raising flour. Mix in 4oz sugar and 6oz dried fruit.

Stir in 2 beaten eggs and a splash of milk to make a smooth mixture.

Bake at 180 degrees C for 50 minutes.

Saturday, 21 November 2009

Baked Doughnuts

Not as healthy as they sound!

I bought a baking tray with doughnut shaped holes in Lidl. It seemed like a good idea, until I got home and realised I didn't know how to make doughnuts.

So I found this recipe on t'internet.

6 tbsp softened butter mixed with 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla essence and 1 egg.

Add 1 1/2 cups plain flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 cup milk.

Mix it up.

Put into doughnut tray.

I also put some in my silicone muffin tray and they came out fine - just without holes obviously.

Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees C.

Dip in melted butter, then in caster sugar.

Enjoy!