Marmalade and Cardamom Drizzle Cakes

This is something I've been playing around with for a while, but the bitterness of the marmalade and the aromatics of the cardamom in these cakes work really well together, with quite a grown up flavour. I used some gorgeous little silicone flower moulds I got from my aunty for these, added a real special twist!

Ingredients:

Cake:

6oz self raising flour
6oz caster sugar
6oz marg
1.5tsp baking powder
3 eggs
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
Ground seeds from approx 15-20 cardamom pods
1 heaped tbsp marmalade

For the drizzle:

2 heaped tbsp marmalade (I used some without rind - your choice)
Zest and juice of 1 orange

Makes 12 mini cakes or 1 large tray bake
180oC oven

Method:

1. Combine all of the cake ingredients and mix into a smooth batter
2. Grease the tins/moulds you're using, and fill with the batter
3. Bake for 20-25 mins for mini cakes or 30-35 mins for a larger cake, until golden brown and coming away from the edges of the tin
4. Whilst the cakes/cake are baking, heat the ingredients for the drizzle in a pan and boil rapidly for 5 mins
5. When the cake is ready, remove from the oven and pour over the drizzle and leave the cake to cool completely
6. Once cool, remove and serve, easy!
This is great with a coffee for elevenses, or with custard as a dessert. It'll keep for 2/3 days in an airtight tin.

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger x

Sourdough Starter Care

I was recently given some sourdough starter as a housewarming present - I'm stll experimenting with the best loaf recipe to use it in, but James Morton's basic recipe seems to work fairly consistently if you're looking for one to try.

My first attempt... need to work on the crumb

In terms of looking after your starter, it's dead easy! I keep mine in a kilner jar in the fridge and feed it once a week, usually on a Saturday as that's when I tend to bake.

So, for it's weekly feed:
- 100g starter (use the rest for a loaf, give to a friend, or discard)
- 100g flour (I use breadflour as it's what I have the most of)
- 100g water

Mix the above together, then leave to stand (uncovered) for a few hours at room temperature until it's bubbling again. Then back into the kilner jar for another week, or until you need to use it.

Simple!

Happy Baking,

The Baking Ginger x

Hot Cross Buns

This recipe is taken straight from Mr Paul Hollywood, so it's safe to say it's been thoroughly tested! These Hot Cross Buns are deliciously soft, making them the perfect treat to celebrate Easter with; they're definitely worth the effort!

Hot Cross Buns

Makes 15

Ingredients:

300ml full-fat milk
50g butter
500g strong white  bread flour
1 tsp salt
75g caster sugar
1 tbsp sunflower oil
7g sachet fast-action yeast
1 egg, beaten
75g sultanas
50g mixed peel
zest 1 orange
1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon

75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

3 tbsp apricot jam

200oC fan oven/220oC other ovens

Method:

1. Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature. Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.

2. Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.

3. With the dough still in the bowl, tip in the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest, apple and cinnamon. Knead into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Leave to rise for 1 hr more, or until doubled in size, again covered by some well-oiled cling film to stop the dough getting a crust.

4. Divide the dough into 15 even pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover (but don’t wrap) with more oiled cling film, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for 1 hr more.

5. Mix the flour with about 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross – add the water 1 tbsp at a time, so you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.

6. Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks. While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

These are best eaten lightly toasted with lots of salted butter, although they're also delicious cold - still with generous amounts of butter!

They'll keep for 3/4 days in an airtight container; to refresh them you can sprinkle with a little water and put in a warm oven for 10 minutes.

Happy Baking!


The Baking Ginger xx

Pecan and Maple Syrup Bundt Cake

This is a really delicious recipe, adapted from Nigella Lawson's cake, perfect for Autumn!

Ingredients:

Cake:

- 300g plain flour
- 125g unsalted butter/marg
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 tsp bicarb of soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 250ml creme fraiche

Filling:

- 75g plain flour
- 30g butter
- 250g pecans (roughly chopped)
- 200ml maple syrup
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice

Bundt tin
Butter for greasing
Oven 180oC fan

Method:

1. First make the filling; mash the flour and butter together with a fork until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix into a lumpy paste
2. For the cake mix; cream the butter and sugar together, then add 1 of the eggs and beat
3. Add half the flour and beat
4. Add the other egg and beat again
5. Add the flour, bicarb and baking powder and mix
6. Finally add the creme fraiche - you'll end up with quite a stiff cake batter
7. Put half of the cake mix into the greased bundt tin, then push the mixture up the sizes of the tin to make a channel all the way around the tin
8. Put the pecan filling into the channel in the cake mix
9. Cover the pecan filling with the remaining cake mix
10. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for approx 40 minutes until golden brown and coming away from the edges of the tin
11. Once baked, leave to cool in the tin for 30 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
12. To serve, dust with icing sugar

This cake looks great once sliced into, to show off the pecan filling.

Delicious with a hot cup of tea after an Autumn walk!

Happy Baking,

The Baking Ginger x

Lemon and Blueberry Cookies

Finished cookies

These are a delicious Spring snack; lighter and fresher than their chocolate counterparts, but still a sweet and satisfying treat!

Try serving with greek yoghurt or creme fraiche as a ligher dessert alternative.

Lemon and Blueberry Cookies

Makes 30 cookies

Creamed butter and sugar

Ingredients

250g butter/marg

200g dark brown sugar

250g caster sugar

2 egg

550g self raising flour

small pinch of salt

300g fresh blueberries

zest of 3 lemons
juice of 1 lemon

170oC fan oven/180oC other ovens

With  eggs

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy - once you think you've done give it another minute or so of beating to make your cookies as light as possible!

2. Beat in the eggs in two goes until it's all combined. If it curdles don't worry, it'll come back together when you add the flour.

3. Add the salt, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until combined. Add the flour, mix thoroughly, and then add the blueberries. Mix gently so as not to pop too many of the blueberries; mix until just combined.

With blueberries

4. Put the mix in the freezer for 10 minutes or fridge for an hour just to make it easier to work with - it will be a very very sticky dough!

5. Once the dough is chilled, using two dessert spoons, put a walnut size ball of dough onto a greased or lined baking sheet. (I roll each dough ball quickly between my hands if I want my cookies to have a more uniform finish). Make sure the dough balls have at least 3 inches between them as they will spread whilst baking.

6. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes; they may look raw in the middle still but they'll continue to cook as they cool and you'll end up with a gorgeous, chewy cookie once they've cooled on a wire rack.

Ready for the oven

These can be stored in an airtight container for 4/5 days, and they're equally delicious whether enjoyed with a cup of tea, or a glass of homemade lemonade.

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx

Pecan and Hazelnut Blondies

I made these with my friend Hannah after we’d finished our finals at uni – they’re very sweet but the nut content cuts through their richness, making them utterly more-ish! White chocolate has a reputation of being a bit temperamental, because of its lack of cocoa solids, meaning it can split easily, but as long as you melt it slowly, stirring regularly you’ll be fine.

Hazelnut and Pecan Blondies

 

Makes 15 pieces

Ingredients:

75g marg/unsalted butter

500g white chocolate

3 large eggs

175g caster sugar

175g self raising flour

pinch of salt

100g hazelnuts (chopped)

100g pecans (chopped)

1.5tsp vanilla extract

10 x 8 in. baking tin, greased and lined

170oC fan oven/190oC other ovens

Method:

1. Melt 125g of the white chocolate carefully in the microwave – stir regularly to prevent it burning.
2. In a separate, large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar together until smooth, then beat in the melted chocolate – make sure it’s not too hot or you’ll end up with chocolate scrambled eggs; leaving it to stand for 5 minutes after it’s melted will do.
3. Fold in the flour, salt, remaining chocolate in chunks, nuts and vanilla essence until everything is incorporated, but don’t over mix.
4. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake in the middle of your preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a golden crust has formed on the Blondies but they’re still soft underneath.
5. Leave to cool slightly in the tin, slice into 15 and turn out onto a wire rack to cool further. These are gorgeous hot, cold, warm with tea, coffee or milk – however you fancy, and if there's any left will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

These are ridiculously easy; you can change the nuts to whatever you prefer or use milk or dark chocolate chips instead of the extra white chocolate, they're a great go to bake if you need something quickly!

Happy Baking,

The Baking Ginger xx

Cheddar, Onion and Wholegrain Mustard Couronne

This is a delicious interpretation of a couronne loaf; once you've mastered the twisting process, you really can add any fillings you want. I find the combination of a cheese, a complementary flavour and something to accentuate and complement both base flavours is a foolproof selection of fillings!

Cheddar, Onion and Wholegrain Mustard Couronne

Fillings added

Ingredients:

500g/1.1lb strong white bread flour

25g/1oz marg or butter

2tsp salt

7g/2tsp dried yeast

350ml warm water

200g strong cheddar, grated
6 medium/4 large onions, finely sliced (I used a mix of red and white)
Salt and pepper (and herbs and seasonings to taste)

2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

Rolled up

200oC oven/180oC fan

Method:

1. Rub the marg or butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the yeast and salt (to separate sides of the bowl) and mix.

2. Add the warm water in stages until the dough comes together but isn't sticky.

3. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Cut down middle

4. Place into an oiled bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (at least 1 hour).

5. Whilst the dough is rising, gently saute the onions in a little oil until they're soft and translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste. I added a little mixed herbs and garlic salt too for an extra savoury note.

6. Once risen, turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead gently for 30 seconds to knock it back and then roll the dough out into a rectangle (approx. 1m x 50cm).

7. Cover the rectangle with the fillings of your choice, (I did mustard first, then onions, then cheese), tack one of the long edges to the work surface and then roll from the opposite long edge like a swiss roll - do it as tightly as you can.

Twisted halves

8. Cut the ~1m long roll of dough lengthways down the centre of the roll, twist edge half individually until it has an even twist all the way along, then twist the two halves together, to effectively reform the ~1m long roll.

9. Starting at one end of the dough, roll the dough into a flat spiral, like a snails shell. Continue to the other end of the dough and then place your spiral onto the centre of a greased and floured baking sheet.

10. Cover again with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise again in a warm place for approx. 30 minutes.

Twists spiralled together

11. Brush with milk and bake in the centre of a preheated oven (200oC) for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and makes a hollow sound when the base is tapped.

12. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm with lots of butter. It'll keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

This bread makes a delicious accompaniment to a classic tomato soup, or as part of a really special Ploughmans, but it's equally delicious all on it's own!

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx