Now here’s the thing….I am at home recovering from abdominal surgery. It’s good news – I am doing fine and the surgery will improve my quality of life. I have had lots of surgery in my life and have always come through it like a …
Hello! Sincere apologies for my absence. I needed to take a break from blogging. The reason? Because I had started heaping pressure on myself, setting expectations about perfect photos, on-trend and original recipes, and copious tweets and followers. This diminished my enjoyment of Lick …
Happy 2017 everyone! I think we can all agree that the year we have just ushered out was rather bruising, whether you’re talking politically, artistically, or for many of us, personally. So, what we really need to ring in the New Year is not cucumber sticks, lycra, mineral water or resolutions. No, what is called for is a big, comforting, chocolatey cake. Or at least that is how I felt today in amongst reading, watching Netflix and snoozing on the sofa with our cats.
I’m not going to pretend I was feeling sparky enough to whip up my own recipe. And why would I need to, when I’m lucky enough to have my very own copy of Alice Arndell‘s Alice in Bakingland? This recipe, sweetly titled ‘Nanny’s chocolate cake’ is a winner, delivering a pleasingly chocolatey cake every time. Because I really felt the need to up the nourishment factor on this one, I slathered jam and cream on cut halves before sandwiching the cake back together and topping it with a generous serving of chocolate icing.
Take care everyone and I’m hoping this cake sets the tone for a much sweeter, kinder year.
Nanny’s chocolate cake by Alice Arndell
Ingredients:
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees celsius. Grease and line a 23cm cake tin.
Place the butter and golden syrup in a microwave-proof bowl and heat on high until the butter is melted – this is 1 minute 10 seconds in my microwave. Stir to combine and set aside.
Place all other ingredients in a large bowl and beat for 5 minutes. The original recipe calls for a stand mixer, which I don’t have, so I find a handheld electric beater works well. You may need to beat for a little longer if you do this by hand.
Pour in the butter and syrup and mix through.
This mixture is runny so don’t worry! Pour it into the prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Pork and porridge. It’s not too often you get these two together, but they are both delicious with a little applesauce, no? Admittedly, my first thought on arriving at Apple Sauce in the Edmonds Cookbook (apart from no, not more apples) was ho-hum. Apple sauce …
If you fancy a sugar hangover, look no further. This fudge is mouth-suckingly sweet and all the better for it. A firm Kiwi favourite, it is dense and rich, comprised largely of sugar, sweetened condensed milk and golden syrup. I can’t get to the bottom …
I’m finding myself with a lot of tinned goods recently, not unlike many people in our little shaky isles in the wake of our 7.8 earthquake. It pays to be prepared.
I’ve heard the comment more than once that tinned pears are the least exciting of the tinned fruits….pale, bland, only good when topped with ice cream. I had a hunch that this was wrong, but how to prove it? By coupling tinned pears with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon, that’s how.
I’ve taken my inspiration for the muffin base from Donna Hay’s basic muffin batter. Which is delicious if you’re on the hunt for a reliable basic muffin, by the way. I will of course buy a replacement tin of pears for our emergency food stash, but this idea for pear-topped muffins could not wait any longer. Sunday night requires a sweet little pick-me-up, amiright?
For these you will need (makes 12):
For the topping:
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Place the dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine.
In a smaller bowl, mix the egg, milk, oil and vanilla essence. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix only until just combined.
Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin tray cups. Arrange the sliced pears on the top of the batter.
Combine the topping ingredients and distribute over the top of the pears.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Toddlers and sugar, a match made in heaven? Probably not for their parents, but when it’s your niece’s third birthday party and you said you’d make biscuits, it’s hardly time to skimp on the sugar. I was inspired to make these little numbers by one …
Catching up is an excellent excuse for eating. I’ve been away having numerous catch-ups and visiting some favourite old haunts. London is a favourite old haunt and feels a little like a second home, in no small part because of the many fabulous people living …
Steamed pudding is like a sweet, jammy hug in a bowl. I love it. It’s a special favourite in our little country. I was recently introduced to a New Zealand specialty steamed pudding which is the queen of both steamed puddings and now of my heart…burnt sugar steamed pudding. Oh wow. Like hot, soft caramel made into a cake and served with lashings of runny cream. My mouth waters at the mere memory.
So, it’s not a surprise that steamed pudding features in that bastion of all that is cooking and kiwi, the Edmonds cook book. This particular version is jazzed up with a little apple, and all the better for it, as the tart apple partners nicely with the sweet apricot jam and the fluffy sponge.
To make this you will need:
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Stir in the jam.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the butter mixture and fold in.
Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and add to the mixture, along with the apple.
Grease a 2-cup pudding basin. Spoon in the sponge mixture and cover the bowl with some greased baking paper. Secure with string.
Steam the pudding for half an hour, or until it is springy to the touch. This took about 45 minutes for pudding.
Serve with cream and a cup of tea!
Oh, my mouth waters at the merest mention of potstickers! Delicious, plump little morsels, steaming hot and so satisfying. Their real name is Jiaozi, particularly popular during Chinese New Year. In my house, we don’t wait for New Year. They are popular year-round. I’ve been …