BLACK SESAME & PEAR TEA CAKE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COBBLESTONE GINGERBREAD LOAF

Serves 14.

150g butter

• 300g golden syrup
• 200g muscovado sugar
• 250ml Cobblestone Porter
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 300g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 300ml sour cream
• 2 eggs.

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1. 1.Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. Grease your oven tray or muffin pans if making individually.
2. 2.Put the butter, syrup, muscovado sugar, Porter, ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves into a pan and melt gently over a low heat.
3. 3.Take off the heat and whisk in the flour and bicarb.
4. 4.Whisk the sour cream and eggs together and then beat into the gingerbread mixture in the sour cream and eggs, whisking to get a smooth batter. It will be runny
5. 5.Bake for 45 minutes
6. 6.Let the gingerbread cool before cutting into slices or squares.

The gingerbread can be baked up to 1 week ahead. Wrap in baking parchment followed by layer of plastic wrap and store in airtight container in a cool place. Keep for total of 2 weeks.

POPPYSEED CAKE

• Makes one 8-inch square cake
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Ingredients

1. 3/4 cup poppy seeds
2. 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3. 2 teaspoons baking powder
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 7 oz unsalted butter-softened
6. 1 cup granulated sugar
7. 4 large eggs
8. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9. 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
10. Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the poppy seeds and cover.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 1/3 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with the granulated sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the poppy seed mixture and beat at medium speed until just combined. Add the eggs to the batter one at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Dust the cake with confectioners' sugar, cut into squares and serve.  

CHAI TEA AND HONEY CAKE

Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
230g raw cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp honey
1 egg
75g butter
3g bicarbonate of soda
150g chopped dates
300ml chai tea, or tea of your choice(Use 2 t-bags)
225g plain flour
1 tsp mixed spice-I use goodalls brand
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 160C/330f.

Spray cake tin with canola spray and
line base with baking paper. Boil chai tea for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, put dates
and bicarb soda and butter in a large metal bowl. When tea is boiled measure
out 310ml and pour over dates, butter and bicarb mix. Leave until at room
temperature at least 20mins, preferably overnight.
2. While chai mix is cooling, beat sugar, honey, egg, vanilla for 5 minutes on
speed 3 until white and light and creamy. Combine dry ingredients together.
3. Pour date mix slowly into sugar mix on speed 1, until combined (2
minutes). Handful by handful, add the dry ingredients to this mix. Do not
overbeat, mixer should be on for maximum of 2 minutes.
4. Pour into loaf tin and bake for about 40 minutes, until springy and
bounces back on touch and nice and brown all over. Let cool for 10 minutes
before releasing from tin.

ORANGE SHORTBREAD

Serves: 10

INGREDIENTS: 
5  Ounce  All purpose unbleached Plain Flour 
1  Ounce  Cornstarch
4  Ounce  Butter 
2  Ounce  Dark Brown Sugar

1  tsp vanilla essence (D'lis) 
1  Orange-zest only 

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients in cuisinart, let rest 1 hour in fridge. Roll to desired shape, about 1/4 inch high. Cook at 180 degrees 'F'. Cool on wire rack and sprinkle with caster sugar.

GRAPEFRUIT & LEMON VERBENA SYRUP CAKE
Serves: 12

1 Cup Instant or fine grind Polenta
1/3 Cup Plain Flour (omit flour for gluten free, use rice or tapioca flour instead)
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
Pinch Salt
1/3 Cup Plain Yogurt
2 Tblsp Melted Butter
1 Tblsp Olive Oil
1 Grapefruit-Rind Finely grated 
1 Grapefruit-Juiced
2 Eggs
2 Egg whites
3/4 Cup Sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Sift polenta, flour, salt & baking powder. Combine yogurt, butter, oil, rind and juice in
small bowl. Beat whites, eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Beat in yogurt mixture.
Fold in dry ingredients until just combined. Pout into 8 " pan. Bake at 375*F for 45
minutes. Remove from oven and turn out onto wire rack & turn right side up. Drizzle hot
lemon syrup over cake; cool.

Lemon Syrup..... 1/2 Cup Sugar 1/3 Cup Water 1/3 Cup lemon juice, plus optional 10 leaves verbena.
Simmer for 3 minutes, pour over cake.

CRANBERRY ALMOND BISCOTTI

Try this with the Revel Coffee house blend available on Market Square preferably with some quiet time after the Christmas rush! P.S. They brew lovely hot chocolate too, just ask Conor.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
2 1/2 Cups Soft Flour
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Salt
3 Large Eggs
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Sliced Almonds
1 Large Egg as eggwash

DIRECTIONS:

1).Preheat oven to 325*f.
2).Soak Cranberries in boiling hot water for 5 mins. Drain and pat dry.
3).Mix together flour, sugar, soda, b-powder and salt with beater. Add eggs and vanilla until dough forms. Add cranberries and almonds and mix at low speed.
4).Turn out onto floured surface and knead several times.
5). Halve dough and form each piece into a 13-by2 inch slightly flattened log.
6). Brush each log with egg wash,and bake in oven for 30 mins. 7). Cool logs slightly then cut diagonally into half inch thick slices with serrated knife.
8). Bake these slices for 10 mins each side, until golden and crisp.
Cool on wire rack. ...THESE SHOULD KEEP FOR 2 WEEKS IN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER...OR 2 DAYS IN OUR SUNROOM COOKIE JAR!!!!!!!!


SOUFFLE

We make different savoury types: cheddar & apple, smoked gouda and thyme etc, sometimes even sweet treat like a pear and vanilla one. Homemade relishes top these savoury delights too!

Ingredients

50 g Butter
50 g Plain/Soft Flour
300 ml Cream-35%
300 ml Milk

1 Tbsp Marmite (optional)
1 Tsp. Thyme or Oregano
1 Pinch Nutmeg
4 Yolks
6 Egg Whites
225 g Cheese (havarti or goats or cheddar)

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Lining the Moulds....
50 g Melted Butter
100 g.each Breadcrumbs/Parmesan/Hazlenuts..finely ground (nuts are optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line moulds by brushing the insides with melted butter and then sprinkling the breadcrumb mix in. Tap out excess crumbs.
2. Pre heat the oven to 220*C or 425*F.
3. Make white sauce....melt butter in pot then add flour to make a paste. Slowly add milk, marmite & cream and seasonings(herbs) and boil gently for 5 mins. Stir frequently as sauce will tend to 'catch' in pot & burn. Leave to cool for 8/10 mins.
4. Meanwhile grate your cheese (eg cheddar) and put in large bowl with egg yolks. Pour the sauce over the cheese and mix until the cheese has melted.
5. Whip the egg whites to a stiff peak consistency.Fold into the cheese mix until evenly distributed.Spoon mix into ramekins to the top.
6. Place ramekins into a shallow tray with about 1cm of warm water in the tray. Cook in the oven for about 15/25 mins or until fully risen and golden on top.
7. To unmould leave souffle to cool to blood temp and then gently slide a knife around the inside of the mould to loosen it. It should pop out when turned upside down.
Store in fridge for up to 2 days and reheat in 400*f oven for about 10 mins. Serve immediately.
(Can be eaten cold...nice as part of a plowmans lunch)