200g tennis biscuits, finely crumbed (keep a handful aside for decoration/to serve) 60ml sugar 120g butter, melted 450g cream cheese, room temperature 125ml sugar 2 eggs 5ml vanilla 250ml sour cream 250ml mashed banana 5ml cornstarch 125ml milk 2 bananas, sliced whipped cream a handful of biscuit crumbs
Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line a muffin tin with paper cups. Set aside. Add the biscuit crumbs, 60ml sugar and melted butter to a mixing bowl and mix until it resembles wet sand. Divide the mixture among the paper cups and press it down firmly in the bottom to form a base. Set aside. Add the cream cheese and 125ml sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed, scraping down a few times, until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and add the vanilla as well. Pour in the sour cream and mix until fully combined. Set aside. Add the mashed banana and cornstarch to a bowl and drizzle in the milk. Whisk by hand until combined and thick. Fold the mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared biscuit bases. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Allow the cheesecakes to cool completely and place them in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. Take the cheesecakes from the paper cups, scoop some whipped cream on top and decorate with slices of banana and a sprinkling of biscuit crumbs.
Glaze: 375ml icing sugar, sifted 15ml boiling water
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 24-hole mini-muffin tin with cooking spray. Add the self-raising and regular flours, caster sugar and butter to a food processor and process to fine crumbs. Tip the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the milk, egg and vanilla to a jug and whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. The dough will be very sticky. Set aside. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to a bowl and stir to mix. Add the 25g butter and rub it into the sugar with your fingers. Flour a work surface and divide the dough in half. Roll out to 35cm x 20cm rectangle. Sprinkle half the sugar and butter mixture evenly over the surface and roll it into a long, tight log. Trim the edges neatly and then cut the log in to 1,5cm slices. Place each slice in a hole in the muffin tin. Melt the 20g butter and brush it on to the swirls. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and cool on a cooling rack.
For the glaze: Add the icing sugar to a small bowl and pour in 15ml of boiling water. Mix together and drizzle over the swirls. Stand the cookies for 20 minutes to set, before serving.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a cupcake baking tin with paper cups. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix to combine. Add the sugar and mix at high speed for 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add the cocoa powder and coffee. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a separate bowl and stir to mix. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add spoonfuls of the flour mixture, waiting for it to be incorporated before adding more. Spoon the batter in the paper cups, filling each three-quarter-full. Bake the cupcakes for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of one, comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack.
For the frosting: Add the butter, vanilla and coffee granules to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on high speed. Add the sifted icing sugar in three batches and then drizzle in the milk. Mix at high speed for 2 minutes. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and pipe on to the cupcakes.
Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line a medium loaf tin with baking paper. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together. Add the honey with the mixer running and then add the eggs one at a time. Scrape the mixture down and mix for another minute. Mix the flour and ground cinnamon and add a tablespoon of flour to the mixture while mixing. Continue adding flour until you have none left. Mash the bananas and cut the dates into small pieces with scissors. Add the fruit to the the batter and mix for 2 minutes. Spoon the batter in to the prepared loaf tin and level out the top. Scatter the pistachios over and bake in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes – check the loaf with a skewer to see if its done. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before lifting it out of the baking tin. Drizzle the remaining 15ml honey over the warm cake and allow to cool. Slice into thick slices and serve along a cup of Turkish coffee.
1 egg 62ml sugar 125ml milk 15ml melted butter 250ml flour 10ml baking powder 1ml salt 3 pears, cut into 0,5cm thick slices 250ml mascarpone cream, room temperature 80ml syrup
Add the egg and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour about half the milk and all of the melted butter into the bowl and whisk until amalgamated. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and whisk again. Now gradually add the rest of the milk and whisk to form a silky smooth batter. Place a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, add a splash of vegetable oil and fry spoonfuls of the batter until golden. Flip the flapjack after three minutes and cook for another minute or so. Add a small knob of butter to the pan and fry the sliced pear over high heat until slightly charred. Build a stack by layering a flapjack, slice of pear, dollop of mascarpone and then repeat twice more. Drizzle the syrup over and serve.
It might not be one of the prettiest bakes you will serve but wins all the accolades for simplicity, speed and flavour!!!
250ml sugar 250ml water 250ml blueberries 3 pears, peeled and sliced into 1,5cm chunks 2 apples, peeled and sliced into 1,5cm chunks 45ml brown sugar 5ml ground cinnamon 125g sugar 125g butter, room temperature 2 eggs 125g self-raising flour
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 20cm x 16cm ceramic dish with cooking spray. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches a boil. Cook for 1 minute without stirring. Now add the pear and apple chunks and cook over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Remove the fruit from the liquid, spread it in the baking dish and add the blueberries. Scatter the sugar and cinnamon over the fruits. Add the sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on high speed. Turn the mixer on medium and add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl down and mix again. Run the mixer on low speed and add 1-2 tablespoons of flour at a time. Beat to incorporate between each addition. Spoon the batter on top of the fruit, spread it out evenly and bake for 45 minutes. Serve the dish warm with ice cream or custard.
280g flour 10ml baking powder 2,5ml salt 2,5ml garlic flakes 60ml chives, chopped 100g butter, cubed 1 egg 62ml cream 62ml yoghurt 50g cheese, grated egg wash: one egg yolk whisked with 15ml water
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the garlic flakes and chives and mix through. Add the cubed butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. Add the egg, cream, yoghurt and cheese to another bowl and mix to combine. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and mix with a pallet knife until combined. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough out to a 3-4cm thickness. Press the scones out with a 6cm biscuit cutter and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
For the filling: Add the corn flour to a large mixing bowl and pour in 50ml milk. Add the egg yolks and 50g sugar and whisk together. Set aside. Pour the 450ml milk and 50g sugar into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to just before boiling point and take off the heat. Drizzle the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium-high heat. Stir until very thick and then cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and stir through. Pour the custard onto a dinner plate and cover with plastic wrap. Push the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Your should make TWO batches of filling, separately.
For the cake: Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray two loose-bottom cake tins and line the base and sides with baking paper. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl and whisk to mix. Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the sugar while the mixer is running. Now beat on high speed until the mixture is three times its original volume – about 7 minutes or so. Scatter a third of the flour on the surface and mix on the lowest speed. Add another third, mix and then the remaining flour and mix again. Add the butter and milk to a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm when you put your finger in it. NB: YOU WANT THE BUTTER TO MELT, YOU DONT WANT TO BOIL THE MILK! Pour the milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and vegetable oil and whisk through with a hand whisk. Add about 250ml of the egg and flour mixture and vigorously whisk to combine. The batter must be smooth. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and very slowly, pour in the milk. Scrape down the sides and the base of the bowl. Beat on low speed for 20 seconds. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake tins. Lift each tin 5cm from the work surface and then drop it – repeat a few times to knock out the large air bubbles. Place the cake tins in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning the cakes out on cooling racks and removing the baking paper. Leave to cool completely.
Assembling the cake: Slice the cake horizontally so that you have 4 cake discs. Spread the custard evenly on to each cake layer and stack them on a serving platter. Roast the flaked almonds in a dry pan, allow to cool and scatter over the cake to serve.
Preheat your oven to 200℃. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for 10 minutes. Give the pan a shake halfway through baking time. Spread the warm nuts between two tea towels and rub them so that the skins come off. Turn your oven temperature down to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper. Add 200g of the cooled hazelnuts to a food processor and blitz until fine – a similar texture to that of breadcrumbs. Add the butter and chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt. Remove from the heat and stir in the ground hazelnuts. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat for 4 minutes with an electric whisk. Add it to the hazelnut mixture and stir by hand until well combined. Pour in the orange juice and stir through. Add the egg whites to a clean bowl and whisk to stiff peaks. Spoon a third of the whites into the hazelnut mixture and stir through to loosen. Now add the remaining whites and gently fold through. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the cake and leave to cool in the baking tin for 30 minutes. Unclip the outside ring and invert the cake on a serving plate. Pull off the baking paper and leave the cake to cool completely. Melt about 80g of hazelnut chocolate, pour on the cake and sprinkle over the remaining hazelnuts.
250g butter, room temperature 60g caster sugar 2,5ml vanilla 260g flour 35g cornflour a pinch of salt
Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, flour, cornflour and salt and mix until a very soft dough is formed. Scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star nozzle and pipe 3cm diameter rosettes onto the prepared baking sheet. Space them well apart as they do spread when baking. Bake in the oven for 13 minutes. Cool the biscuits on the tray and store in a glass container. Yields about 25 biscuits but the recipe can easily be doubled.
My Whisk and I 