Tag: easy bakes

Carrot Muffins

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Carrot Muffins
Carrot Muffins

This recipe makes 12 muffins but can easily be doubled. You may also keep the batter in the refrigerator for a week. Be sure to take the batter out and leave it at room temperature for 40 minutes BEFORE baking. They store really well in a sealed container.

50ml + 200ml buttermilk
6ml bicarbonate of soda

375ml bran
125ml boiling water
60ml butter, melted
190ml brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
160ml flour
160ml wholewheat flour
2ml salt
125ml grated carrot
125ml pecan nuts, roughly chopped

Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups.
Pour the 50ml buttermilk into a small bowl, sprinkle in the bicarbonate of soda and stir to dissolve. Set aside.
Add the bran to a large mixing bowl and pour over the boiling water. Stir through.
Drizzle over the melted butter and stir together.
Now add the brown sugar, egg and 200ml buttermilk.
Pour the buttermilk and bicarb into the mixture and stir through.|Add the flour, wholewheat flour, salt, grated carrot and nuts and mix together.
Divide the mixture between the paper cups and bake for 20 minutes.
Cool the muffins on a wire rack and keep stored in an airtight container.




Puff-Baked Apples

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Puff-Baked Apples
Puff-Baked Apples

1 x 400g Today Puff Pastry
2 large apples
egg-wash: egg yolk + 15ml water whisked together

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Unroll your pastry and divide and cut it into 8 equal squares.
Place 4 squares on the prepared baking tray and set aside.
Make 0,5cm incisions in a vertical line on the other pastry squares.
Fill the squares with these incisions following a “brick-laying” pattern.
Peel, halve and core the apples.
Place half an apple on a square on the baking sheet and cover with a square with incisions.
Press down to seal and trim off the excess pastry.
Brush with egg-wash and repeat with the rest of the squares and apple.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and serve with custard.

Ginger Biscuit Cups

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Ginger Biscuit Cups
Ginger Biscuit Cups

500g self-raising flour
10ml cream of tartar
10ml bicarbonate of soda
10ml ground ginger
2ml salt
170g butter, cubed
170g golden syrup
350g brown sugar
2 eggs
12 chocolate balls, halved
250ml cream, whipped

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 24-hole mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.
Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt.
Add the cubed butter and rub in with your fingers. Set aside.
Add the syrup and sugar to a saucepan set of medium-low heat and stir until the sugar has almost completely dissolved. The mixture should be very runny. Cool for 5 minutes.
Whisk the eggs together in a bowl and add it to the syrup mixture while whisking.
Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly – there should be no dry flour left.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place in the muffin pans. Flatten the balls with your fingers and then make an indent with a small shot glass/the back of a lemon juicer. See video below.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately press the indents like you did before baking.
Place half a chocolate ball in each hollow and set aside to cool.
Top each ginger cup with whipped cream to serve.


Fresh Summer Tart

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Fresh Summer Tart
Fresh Summer Tart

1 x 400g pastry
5 eggs
185ml cream
100g baby spinach, chopped
250ml frozen peas
100g ricotta cheese
100g feta cheese, crumbed
80g rocket leaves
125g sugar snap peas
3 zucchini, shaved into ribbons

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray.
Roll the pastry to a 3mm thickness and line the bottom and side of the cake tin. Set aside.
Add the eggs and cream to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the chopped spinach, peas and cheeses and mix through. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake for 30 minutes.
Cool the tart for 30 minutes.
Top the tart with the rocket leaves, sugar snaps and zucchini shavings.
Drizzle over some olive oil to serve.

Condensed Milk Cake

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Condensed Milk Cake
Condensed Milk Cake

This is one of the easiest and quickest cakes you will ever bake. It is delicious to eat as is and perfect when making trifle!

1 x 385g can condensed milk
4 eggs
60g butter, melted
5ml vanilla
180g self-raising flour
1 x 360g can caramel treat
250ml cream

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a bundt cake tin with cooking spray.
Add the condensed milk, eggs, butter and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk together with electric beaters.
Sift over the flour and beat together on high speed for 1 minute.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake tin and bake for 35 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate. Cool completely.
Serve the cake with dollops of caramel treat swirled into the whipped cream.

Chocolate Swirl Brownies

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Chocolate Swirl Brownies
Chocolate Swirl Brownies

150g butter, melted
250ml sugar
45ml espresso
2 eggs
5ml vanilla
80g dark chocolate, melted
190ml flour
60ml cocoa powder, sifted
2,5ml salt
80g dark chocolate, chopped

Cheesecake Swirl:
125g cream cheese, room temperature
80ml sugar
1 egg yolk
5ml vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper.
Add the melted butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the espresso, eggs, vanilla and melted chocolate and whisk to combine.
Now add the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
Fold the ingredients together until you have a smooth batter.
Add the chopped chocolate and fold through.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking tin and set aside.

For the cheesecake swirl:
Add the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Spoon dollops of the cheesecake batter across the surface of the brownie mixture.
Swirl the cheesecake mixture through the brownie batter with a small knife.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Cool the brownies in the baking tin before removing and slicing.

Milk Tart Stack

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Milk Tart Stack
Milk Tart Stack

Pancake batter:
250ml flour
1ml baking powder
2,5ml salt
250ml milk
125ml water
62ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
ground cinnamon

Filling:
80g cornflour
1 litre milk
8 egg yolks
100g +100g sugar
10ml vanilla

For the pancakes:
Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Pour the milk, water, oil and eggs into a large jug and whisk together.
Turn the mixer on a low speed and add the liquid slowly and in a very thin stream.
Whisk on high speed for 2 minutes once all the liquid has been added.
Cover the mixing bowl with a tea towel and stand the mixture for one hour.

For the filling:
Add the cornflour to a mixing bowl.
Pour in a small amount of milk and stir to dissolve the cornflour.
Add the egg yolks and 100g of sugar and whisk together by hand. Set aside.
Pour the rest of the milk and the other 100g of sugar into a small saucepan and warm but do not allow it to boil.
Take the saucepan from the heat and drizzle the hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking vigorously. Remember: pour slowly, whisk quickly!! Keep going until all the milk has been added.
Pour the mixture back in the saucepan, place on a medium heat and stir until thick and glossy.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Scrape the mixture into a clean bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Allow to cool completely.

Bake the pancakes in a 20cm diameter pan and set aside to cool.

Assembly:
Place one pancake on a serving platter.
Spoon a generous dollop of the custard onto the pancake and spread evenly.
Sift an even layer of ground cinnamon over the custard and repeat the layers until you have build a beautiful stacked cake.
End with a layer of filling and cinnamon.


Fruity Weet-Bix Slice

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Fruity Weet-Bix Slice
Fruity Weet-Bix Slice

180g butter, melted
170g sugar
3 weet-bix bars, crushed or about 150g of crumbs/broken pieces
150g self-raising flour
85g desiccated coconut
2 x 395g cans condensed milk
310ml lemon juice (strained if using fresh)
about 150g raspberries and blueberries

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line a 20cm x 30cm oven tray with baking paper, allowing an overhang so that you can easily remove the fruit slices when set.
Add the butter, sugar, weet-bix, flour and coconut to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray and smooth it out.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Add the condensed milk and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
Scatter the raspberries and blueberries over the cooled base.
Gently pour the condensed milk mixture over the fruit and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate overnight before slicing into squares to serve.
Keep refrigerated.

Warm Chocolate Cake

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Warm Chocolate Cake
Warm Chocolate Cake

The original cake, Kladdkaka, is a traditional Swedish bake but this is my take on it, resulting in a warm dessert that is somewhere between a brownie and a lava cake. From start to finish it will take you 30 minutes to put together this more-ish chocolate cake!

80g chocolate, chopped
130g butter
250ml flour
125ml cocoa powder, sifted
330ml sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
5ml vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray. Dust the bottom of the tin with cocoa powder. Set aside.
Add the chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir every now and then until completely melted. Pour the chocolate-butter mixture into a mixing bowl.
Add the flour, cocoa powder and sugar to the bowl and stir together by hand.
Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until combined.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 25 minutes.
The cake should have a firm top that cracks when you apply pressure to it with your finger.
Allow the cake to cool slightly in the cake tin. Run a knife between the cake and the tin and remove the cake ring.
Serve warm with a dusting of icing sugar.

Apple-Cinnamon Loaf

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Apple-Cinnamon Loaf
Apple-Cinnamon Loaf

This is a light fruity loaf that is not too sweet but still ticks all the boxes for a special treat!

500ml flour
125ml sugar
7,5ml baking powder
2,5ml bicarbonate of soda
2,5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
250ml buttermilk
1 egg
62ml vegetable oil
250ml dried apple, diced
125ml pecan nuts, chopped

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 23cm X 13cm loaf tin.
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon to a mixing bowl and mix together with a whisk.
Add the buttermilk, egg and vegetable oil to a wide-mouth jug and whisk together until blended.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until all the flour has been incorporated and you are left with a shaggy, wet batter.
Add the chopped apple and nuts and stir through.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and pat it into the corners.
Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing.
Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Dust with icing sugar and serve.