celebration brownies

good evening bakers,

how are your january's going? it's one of those weird months that seems to be flying by and dragging at the same time - last week in particular seemed to go on forever but then how is it already a weekend?! one thing i have been particularly proud of this month is my commitment to my new healthy living food/exercise routine which i started at the end of last year; but, have no fear, the baked goods are here to stay! so here is an indulgent chocolate number for you...

this arose as we emerged from the post christmas and new year haze to find a large supply of chocolate selection boxes dotted around our house. as we were making slow progress on consuming them, i decided to take action and mix things up. i remembered reading a recipe in the green & black's chocolate recipes book a while back titled 'celebration brownies'. the premise is extremely simple but also completely ingenious, as is often the way!

to take your brownies to the next level you bake a layer of mini chocolates into them.

so whip up your favourite brownie mixture (i used a simpler version to my normal one, which usually involves a lot of whisking which would probably be undone by adding chocolates).

 i used dark chocolate to counter the sweetness of the celebrations

 

 pure calories - so good! 

 adding the sugar to the chocolate mix

 eggs are whisked and added

somewhat odd looking, but go with it

when your mixture is ready to go, it's on to the fun part - the chocolates!

pour half of the mixture into the baking tray:

then arrange the chocolates on top - do try and be methodical so that each brownie will have a chocolate in it:

 i left certain chocolates out, mainly bounty's because i am not a fan, but also twix's because i wasn't sure i'd want the biscuit part in my brownie

all of the chocolate

then pour the remaining mixture over the top, try to make sure all of the chocolates are submerged, otherwise they will catch in the oven:

then it's in to the oven to bake. i do struggle a bit with brownies and knowing how gooey to go, you want that beautiful texture but not raw cake! my mixture was very wobbly in the middle but the edges cooked very quickly so these slices were more cakey but the middle was SO good. 

 

 

they certainly added a novel dimension to a standard brownie and anything that increases chocolate intake is definitely a good thing!

this weekend i'm planning on whipping up a banana and rolo cake and perhaps something new too. until then, have a good week bakers.

love,

nen

x

christmas concoctions part one: orange and cranberry bundt cake

hello everyone! i hope you all had fabulous christmases filled with plenty of festive cheer, food, family and presents! i know i certainly had a great time this year, probably aided my the decision made by my siblings and myself to make it a boozy one...

and now i sit listening to my newly acquired george ezra album (bliss) snuggled down in my christmas jumper and slippers ready to share a foodie delight with you all. in this weird limbo between christmas and new year (seriously, what day is it?!) more food might not seem like your highest priority, but that is where you are mistaken.

so take off your christmas leggings, grab your keys and head to the shop for these ingredients. you will not regret this delicious bake and how it will make your house smell!

but before we begin, i must begin with a thank you to twitterer Becky for the great suggestion. i was a bit stuck for what to make as the centerpiece for my christmas party and so turned to trusty twitter for the answer. other suggestions were a croquembouche (definitely on my list to make but i decided too much of a challenge for this busy time) and a giant cupcake. however Becky suggested a bundt cake, an idea i immediately took to as it seemed reasonably simple (which, as you should now by now, is my biggest draw) and slightly different to the usual christmas offerings.

after searching around a while for a recipe that caught my fancy - i wanted christmas flavours and something colourful/interesting - i chose this one from 10th Kitchen. this was in many ways a blessing and a curse, because i now cannot help but feel vastly inferior to Danguole's beautiful blog, especially her breath taking photography. so while i would not want you to leave me behind, do check her post out when you have a chance!

 i do not own one of the beautiful patterned bundt tins (if anyone wants to get me a late christmas present...) but i do have this sturdy ring tin which i have never used before.

 naturally the awkward shape means that lining with baking paper is not an option, so here is my rather messy attempt at greasing and dusting the tin

as you will be able to see from the original post, the recipe calls for buttermilk which i had forgotten to buy. but, no fear, this can easily be made yourself: you just add acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to milk and leave it for a while to begin curdling. so if you do make it yourself just remember to do it in enough time.

curdling magic

the 10th Kitchen recipe calls for lemons but suggests oranges as an alternative. i decided to run with this as i use lemons quite a lot and fancied something different - plus there is something so christmassy about the smell of oranges.

 

 making the orange infused sugar which smells incredible - you could make extra and store it for flavouring other bakes, even drinks

 

 

 

the mixture itself is very easy to bring together. but the best bit has to be adding the cranberries: just look at the contrast of the berries against the pale mixture

 

 

 it's then a case of sitting back as your house fills with a delicious christmassy smell (which was particularly welcome in our house as my sister had burnt popcorn the night before and the smell was still lingering)

 

on the day of the party i made an orange glaze to cover the cake: i used the juice of a whole orange which was FAR too much and just would not thicken up. i think half the juice would be plenty and would stop it running straight off the cake on to the plate! also, because it's christmas, i added a sprinkle of holly leaf and berry decorations.

 

 and here is the finished result! apologies for the poor image quality: i forgot to take photos before the drinks started flowing...

this cake is great: the sponge is denser than a normal sponge, i think this comes from the buttermilk. therefore the zing from the sharp cranberries adds a nice bite in contrast. likewise, the crunchy icing crust compliments the sponge. a lighter alternative to christmas cake.

up next, my less than successful attempt at white chocolate and cranberry cookies.

happy holidays bakers!

love,

nen

x

workplace treats - rhubard and white chocolate tray bake

working in an office all day, answering the same queries can be a bit draining. therefore baked goods are a perfect way to keep morale up. last week i presented the chocolate and lime tart; this week the chocolate and fruit theme continues with a rhubarb and white chocolate tray bake. once again a john whaite recipe!

tray bakes are just fantastic, so simple to make and put together, great for transport and guaranteed to feed many.

the reaction in the office has been very appreciative - they said the sponge is light and moist (just how i like it). they've all promised they'll be queuing at the door when i open my bakery!

here are photos from the making of the cake:

chopping up the rhubarb

 

 creaming together the butter, sugar and thyme

 mixing up the batter - i did find that when i added the eggs to the butter/sugar mix, it did split a bit, however all was fine once the dry ingredients were added

adding the rhubard and chocolate chips (with a few accidentally falling in my mouth...)

 a lovely gooey, chunky batter ready for the oven

 

 fresh from the oven

this is a really moreish cake - it's so hard not to gobble three slices in one go! i love cake with fruit in, it adds a lovely contrast to the sponge and a fantastic burst of flavour. i'm not convinced of the impact of the thyme, we certainly couldn't pick it out in the office - but i'm sure it's one of those instances where you would notice a difference if it wasn't there! so overall a very successful bake, and definitely one i'll be making again.

coming up next time: another john whaite recipe (i'll branch out soon, promise... maybe...) - this time bread!

love,

nen

x

autumn comforts - apple and blackberry pie

after a lovely drawn out late summer, autumn is firmly upon us. i love this season; i have been far too excited to whip out all my berry and jewel shade dresses, don my boots and prepare for knitwear making a return. crisp walks around the park are great for clearing the head and lungs. and, more pertinently for this blog, baking becomes super comforting.

autumn is all about using the fruits of the season, filling sponges, hearty pies and warming spices. this is comfort food at its best and works wonders to chase away any approaching winter blues.

so when my mum informed me that she had some blackberries that needed using, i did not have to be asked twice to whip up a homely apple and blackberry pie.

ingredients ready to go

with this being a lazy sunday bake, i opted to buy premade pastry because i am impatient and wanted pie!

i used a jamie oliver recipe as a rough guideline - but instead of using stem ginger i used ground ginger and cinnamon (copiously!)

 first job - peeling and chopping all the apples!

melting butter and sugar together, sinfully good

 

 

 the apples are slowly stewed down, with the blackberries being added near the end

 

a lovely pink colour develops as your stir the blackberries through

 

 

 gcse art skills coming in to play...

 and after a while in the oven...

sweet, sweet pie!

this recipe is really easy to follow and do, which is perfect for those times where you just want something tasty as quickly as possible! serve with cream, ice cream or custard (or perhaps an indulgent combo?!) and enjoy after a sunday roast, in front of the fire... perfect!

love,

nen

x