baby blueberry cakes

 Baby Blueberry Cakes

This weekend I met up with an old friend who was passing through San Jose. She asked me how my food blogging was going. All I could do was try and think how long ago it was since I had baked and blogged... shame on me, it was ages ago!

So here goes a Monday morning special, baby blueberry cakes, just for you Amy - too bad you're not here to share them with us!


*Ingredients*
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
60 g. butter, melted
1 egg
1/4 soft brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup blueberries (dried ones soaked in boiling water)

1.Preaheat the oven to 200°C.

2.In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. In another bowl mix the vanilla essence, butter, eggs and milk and whisk until smooth.

3.Pour the liquid micture over the dry ingredients and combine well. Fold in the blueberries and divide the batter between two baby bake tins. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean. 

peanut butter choco chip cookies

Yesterday I hurt my back, which means I didn't go to work today, which means I decided to bake myself some serious comfort food :) These cookies were exactly what I needed !

The recipe I found here: http://caitsplate.me/2012/05/04/jumbo-whole-wheat-peanut-butter-cookies/ but as usual, I modified things a little and added some big dark chocolate chips and used even more peanut butter :) miam!

Ingredients:

• 45 grams. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tbsp. plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1 cups whole wheat flour - does this mean they are healthy ? :)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt
• some dark chocolate broken into large chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius
2. Beat first 6 ingredients in a large bowl until smooth
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the bowl and stir until just combined.
4. Stir the chocolate chips in, careful not to over mix the batter.
5. Using a spoon, scoop even balls of dough onto a tray with baking paper on it. 
6. Cook 10-12 minutes until lightly browned
7. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the pan (if you can resist from eating them!) then transfer to a wire rack

best banana cake

I've made quite a few banana bread/cakes in my day, but this one is by far the yummiest. It's very simple and the results are fantastic.The texture is very fluffy but at the same time moist, I feel like having some more right now!

ingredients

• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/6 cup milk + 1/6 cup plain yoghurt)
• 1/3 cup sunflower oil
• 1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (i used 4 ripe bananas)
• 1/2 cup white sugar + 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

directions

Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius. Grease your cake pan with butter.

Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas.

Sift together the sugar, flour, baking powder and spices. Add to banana mixture. Mix well.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake about 40 mins or until you smell banana cake in the kitchen and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

french toast stuffed with brie and apple

This was not bad for a delicious Saturday morning breakfast, not bad at all!

ingredients
creamy brie cheese
1 apple
2 eggs
milk
bit of butter
dash of brown sugar
cinnamon
honey or apple syrup

directions
Peel and core the apple, and the slice into thin slices. Fry this with the butter, sugar and cinnamon until tender.

In a bowl whisk the eggs and milk, adding a bit of cinnamon if you want.

Slice 4 thick slices of bread, and make 2 sandwiches with the soft apples and some pieces of brie.

Dip the sandwiches into the egg and milk mixture, and then fry for a couple of minutes and turn to the other side.

Drizzle with honey or syrup, and enjoy with a cup of tea and someone you love :)

french gougere

For those of you who were thinking I could only bake sweet things, check this out! This recipe is absolutely worth it, it's simple and the results are oh so delicious :)

ingredients
1 1/4 cup water
115 grams butter
1 1/4 cup plain flour
4 eggs
115 grams Gruyere cheese finely diced
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tin diced tomatoes
15 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion chopped
115 grams mushrooms chopped in half
1 small broccoli
thyme
salt and pepper



directions:
Preheat the oven to 220 celsius, and grease a large ovenproof dish. Place the water and butter in a saucepan and heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add all the flour at once. Beat with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds, until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and continue beating until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Yes your arm will hurt. And yes it's worth it :) Stir in the cheese and mustard, and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture into the dish leaving a hollow in the center for the filling.

For the filling sautee the onions in the oil and butter for 3 minutes until transparent. Add the mushrooms and sautee another 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and keep sauteeing another minute or so. Add the tin of tomatoes, plus a little bit of water. Add thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.

Spoon the mixture into the hollow of the pastry in the dish, adding all the liquid. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the pastry is well risen and golden brown.

Enjoy!

pound cake

And I'm back! Not from outer space, but near enough. To get things kicking this year I've started off with a simple yet delicious pound cake.

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsb baking powder
• pinch salt
• 110 grams butter
• 1-1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup plain yoghurt + 1/4 cup milk

Directions


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease one 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar. Mix in the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon rind and the vanilla. Gently mix in flour mixture alternately with the yoghurt milk mix. Pour batter into the prepared pan.


3. Bake in preheated oven for 90 minutes. Do not open oven door until after one hour. When cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan it is done. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

leftover cranberry sauce muffins

Thanksgiving I love you! I love you and your  sweet potatoes, your homemade stuffing, your juicy turkey, green beans, walnut and pomegranate salad, and most of all, your cranberry sauce! Especially when it's sugary homemade filled with chunky tart cranberries ^.^

This thanksgiving, the first thanksgiving ever partially organised and cooked by myself, we had cranberry sauce leftovers the next day (amongst other things). So what more natural to do than to make leftover cranberry sauce muffins? Nothing, I say!

They were delicious I tell you, and wholesome too.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used half wholewheat)
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon rolled oats (reserve the 1 tablespoon for the tops)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cups leftover cranberry sauce
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/6 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 205 degrees celsius.
2. Grease a 12-cup standard-size muffin tin (or add liners).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, milk, vegetable oil and egg.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
6. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups – about 3/4 to all the way full.
7. Sprinkle with the three tablespoons oats.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops spring back when you touch them and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out dry.
9. Let cool for about five minutes, then enjoy!