I love baking, I bake at least 3 times a week. There's something very comforting about knowing that no matter what you have a fancy for, you can find a recipe, grab some ingredients and make it happen.
My mum in law follows a gluten free diet, so I usually bake some gluten free yummies for her when we have them over to visit, and when I followed a dairy free diet, it was great to know I could still have some cakes and bakes that were safe to eat.
I often like to try new things, but here's a round up of my top 5 treats that I bake most often:
This cake is AMAZING. It's everything a chocolate cake should be - rich, dark, sweet, moreish, moist and best of al, easy to make.
I have made this gluten free by simply using gluten free flour, and adding 1tsp of xanthan gum.
I've also made it dairy free by using very high cocoa dark chocolate, and dairy free spread in place of butter.
It's an awesome birthday cake (the most requested birthday cake by my kids), and perfect for any occasion.
2) Tessa Kiros' Banana Bread
OMG. If you make one banana bread in your lifetime, make it this one. The recipe is from a lovely (highly recommended) book by Tessa Kiros, called Apples for Jam.
It's a gorgeous, soft and fluffy cake, smells amazing, and is just perfect if you pour the batter into muffin cases and make banana breakfast muffins. I like to sprinkle oats on the top of the muffins as well, just for a little extra fibre, and it makes them look uber pretty. Lovely with raspberries or bluberries inside, too.
180g Dark Brown Sugar
3 or 4 Medium Ripe Bananas, Mashed
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
250g Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
3 Tbsp Warm Milk
A Pinch Of Salt
How you do it
Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) and butter a bread tin.
Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) and butter a bread tin.
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and then whisk in the mashed bananas. Add the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and whisk in well. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and beat until smooth. Mix the baking soda into the milk and stir into the batter.n the top and a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean.
3) Plain white cake
Sounds boring, right? The great thing with this basic sponge recipe is that you can take it in any direction you like. Here's the basic recipe:
8oz Butter or Margarine
8Caster sugar
8oz Self Raising Flour
4 eggs
Preheat oven to 200c.
Cream butter and sugar together, mix in eggs. Fold in flour. Pour into either 2 sandwich tins or cupcake cases and bake for 15 mins (for cupcakes) or 20-25 mins (for sponges), or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Easy peasy, right? The great thing with this is that it's just a base. I like to make it into a victoria sponge by sandwiching two sponges together with whipped cream and jam, or filling the middle with jam and buttercream, and covering the top with jam and dessicated coconut.
You can also add cocoa to make a chocolate sponge, make little iced fairy cakes, add lemon juice and zest to make a lovely lemon cake, coconut cake with lime icing...the world is your lobster with this cake!
4) Scottish Tablet
If you've never made tablet before, you definitely should. It's a bit lengthy to make, but really simple. It just needs lots of stirring, which in itself can be a comforting, kinda hypnotic activity.
Plus, you can fool yourself that you're burning off the 15000000 calories in each ridiculously addictive piece.
This recipe is my favourite.
5) Phoebe's Fabulous Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Remember that episode of Friends, where Phoebe makes the best oatmeal raisin cookies in the world? Well, she wasn't lying.
This Recipe is awesome. The cookies are crumbly, chewy and stupidly addictive. I make half the recipe without raisins for the crazy people in my house who don't like raisins, and the plain old oatmeal cookies are just as addictive.
PLUS...
5 Things I really want to try..
Look at it. LOOK AT IT!!! Isn't it a thing of beauty? Oaty, gingery biscuit base with a gooey ginger icing on top. OMG. I'm making this today. My friend Victoria had posted on Facebook that she was making it last night, so I googled it and now I cant. stop. thinking. about. it.
Hello? Soft little chocolate cake discs filled with nutty, chocolatey nutella frosting? Come on, you and I both know this needs no justification.
Little warm, sugary cinnamon sticks with a warm chocolate dipping sauce....DROOL.....
Holy crap, I think I just gained a stone looking at this. Any combo of sweet and salty works for me.
I ADORE peanut butter (although I'm slightly off it since becoming pregnant, strangely), and these look amazing. Imagine, warm, chewy brownies with salty peanut butter and creamy ice cold vanilla ice cream. WANT.
Damn, I'm hungry now! What are your favourite bakes, and what's on your to-bake list?
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