Bitter Sweet Recipes

I love anything Apple and Cinnamon flavoured, it’s just one of those great flavour combinations which manage to make me feel warm and cozy every time I eat or smell it. So on this very cold night I decided it would be nice to make my version of an apple and cinnamon tea cake (to enjoy in bed with a cup of tea while reading my latest library book).

This cake has quite a fluffy spongy texture with a nice crust around the edges. The sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top also gives the apples a yummy sweet crunch that goes very well with the sweet brown sugar cake below. Perfect to enjoy with a cup of tea in the cold weather!

This cake can be stored in an airtight container for around two days after cooking, but it is best enjoyed on the day of baking. I like to cook it in my pyrex pie plate instead of a traditional cake tin, I prefer the ratio of apple to cake because I dont like tea cake that is 3 inches thick, but if you dont have a pie plate a medium cake tin is also ok.

INGREDIENTS

190 grams Self Raising Flour
Pinch of Salt
80 grams Cold Butter
120 grams of Brown Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

2 small Green apples

1 1/2 tablespoons of White sugar
3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
METHOD

Grease and line a medium cake tin or a pie plate (I use a pyrex pie plate for this cake), Preheat your fan forced oven to 160 degrees celcius.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and salt. Cube your cold butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips. (You can also do this in a food processor, just pulse it until you get the right texture)

Stir in the brown sugar making sure to crush any lumps with the back of a wooden spoon.

Make a well and add the egg, milk and vanilla. Whisk well to a smooth batter.

Pour your batter into the prepared tin. Peel, core and slice your apples, and arrange the slices on top of the batter. Sprinkle with your mixture of cinnamon sugar.

Bake in the oven at 160 degrees celcuis for 20 minutes, until the apples are caramelised and golden and the cake beneath is cooked.

Allow it to cool before slicing and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a steaming cup of tea.

This is my man’s newest favourite dessert cake, he’s not big on decadent chocolate desserts or fancy desserts with spun toffee and chocolate strawberries, but he LOVES anything citrus from lemon meringue pie to key lime pie and souffle of the orange persuasion.

This orange cake has a strangely satisfying chewy and moist texture, which, when warmed is almost pudding like. It is not  a cake that you would serve for afternoon tea but it is a simple classic dessert to finish off any meal. With every slice of the cake you will see the pressure of the knife push out the sweet orange syrup and then get sucked back into the cake like a sponge. This dessert absolutely must be served warmed with pouring cream, whipped cream or a decadent dollop of heavy cream.

This cake contains no extra fat (except from the egg yolks) so I found that it keeps really well for up to a week refrigerated. I just heat each slice till it is warm in the microwave before serving. The extra syrup poured over the cake after cooking will keep it very moist and delicious.

INGREDIENTS

4 large fresh eggs, seperated
1 cup of sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 cup self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon of orange zest, grated
1 cup fresh orange juice

1 cup fresh orange juice, extra
1/4 cup sugar, extra

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celcius, and prepare a large round spring form cake tin by greasing , flouring and lining the bottom with greaseproof paper.

In a large, clean, dry bowl beat your egg white to stiff peaks.

In a small bowl combine the egg yolks and the sugar.

In a separate large bowl sift the flours and the baking powder. Make a well and add the orange juice, orange zest and the egg yolk mixture.

Slowly combine until you have a smooth thick batter.

Fold the egg whites in to the batter in two batches and pour into prepared tin.

Bake for 30 minutes until firm and toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Make your orange syrup with the extra orange juice and sugar, boil until it is thick (about 5 minutes)

While the cake is still warm poke about 20 holes in the surface with a tooth pick, and pour half of the orange syrup over the cake. When this has absorbed, turn the cake out onto a large plate, pour the other half of the syrup onto the bottom of the cake.

Slice and serve warm, dusted in icing sugar with pouring cream on the side.

These messy little pies are so easy and yummy. They are really easy to throw together for a quick and tasty dessert. The rough lids that leave gaps around the edges allows the steam to escape during cooking which will ensure you have a crisp shortbread crust and delicious caramelisation of the sugar around the edges to create a sweet sticky toffee effect. Of course you can make them neatly for beautiful presentation, but I like the idea of a rustic pie that is just begging to be smooshed into ice cream and eaten.

I make these using a texas muffin pan with 6 holes. I find that they are the perfect size for a satisfying dessert and allow a perfect ratio of shortbread crust to apple filling. This recipe serves 6. They may be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days after cooking but are best served warm and fresh.

INGREDIENTS

Shortbread crust
170 grams of plain flour
pinch of salt
55 grams of white sugar
115 grams butter
1 large egg yolk
1 -2 tablespoons cold water

Apple Filling
90 grams of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 tablespoon of plain flour
4 apples of your choice (I used pink lady because they are in season)

METHOD

Make the Shortbread Crust

Combine the dry Ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and rub in the butter until you have a wet sand texture.

In a small bowl whisk together the water and egg yolk and add it to the flour mix.

Mix until it comes together an form it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make the Apple Filling

Combine everything except for the apples in a large mixing bowl. Stir until all ingredients are combined and it forms a crumbly mixture.

Peel, core and slice your apples. Mix them into the sugar mixture until well coated.

Assemble

Grease your 6 hole texas muffin tin and preheat your oven to 170 degrees celcius.

Divide the shortbread pastry into 6. Divide each ball into a larger and a smaller ball so you are left with 6 larger balls and 6 smaller balls of shortbread pastry.

Roll out the larger balls into round circles to fit the muffin tin holes as a ‘crust’. fill the crust with the apple mixture. The apple mix will shrink slightly during cooking so it is best if they are well filled.

Roll out the smaller balls and use these as “pie lids”. I like to make mine a little messy as the holes  and gaps around the edges allow the sugar around the edges to caramelise, allows the steam to escape to stop them becoming soggy and it gives the pies a home made feel.

Bake for 25-30 mins until the tops are crunchy and golden and you see caramelised sugar around the edges of each pie.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream and a dusting of icing powder.

Just out of the oven... my golden knot loaf made with wholegrain flour and sprinkled with white and black sesame seeds

This is my recipe for homemade bread. There is nothing better than getting a golden loaf of freshly baked bread out of the oven and slathering a warm slice with butter and devouring it. There is a misconception that making bread is a difficult and laborious  job but it’s not! True, it takes around 2 hours to produce a loaf but 90% of that time is spent with the bread sitting in a warm spot doing its own thing. Your loaf will only really require attention for 10 -15 minutes and the results are really worth it. So if you have a day at home, or a lazy weekend, how about trying to make your own loaf of homemade bread? and before you think its too hard just remember they have been making bread since 25BC… its not that hard.

This recipe will make one small loaf enough for around 6-8 slices or 6 rolls. It doubles well but just keep an eye on the texture of the dough and add extra flour if it is sticky or extra warm water if it is dry. Because this is a homemade bread free of preservatives, it will not keep well so it is best if you eat it on the day of baking, however it will make great toast the next morning.

INGREDIENTS
300g bread flour (I like to use a seedy bread mix, but white flour is fine too)
190ml of lukewarm water
1 heaped teaspoon of active dry yeast
1/2 a teaspoon of sugar
1/2 a teaspoon of salt

METHOD

In a small bowl combine the water, sugar and yeast. Mix well and set aside for 5 minutes until the yeast is frothed and activated.

mixture of active dry yeast, water and sugar

5 minutes later, the yeast has frothed up to show that it is active and is ready to be used

In a Large bowl combine the flour and salt, add the yeast mixture to a well in the middle and stir until you have a ball of dough.

Seedy bread flour with a well full of the yeast and water mixture, ready for mixing

mixed dough on a floured surface ready for kneading

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured benchtop and knead for 6-8 minutes until you have a smooth elastic ball of dough that is not sticky.

smooth elastic ball of dough after kneading

Depending on the flour you use, you may need to add some more water or flour to your dough to achieve the right consistency. Ideally your dough should be soft and smooth but not sticky.

Place your ball of dough into a lightly oiled bowl cover with a plastic bag and a clean tea towel and sit in a warm spot for 45 minutes until it is doubled in size.

dough that has doubled in size after a sucessful first rise

Gently punch your dough down and knead for another 2 minutes.

Shape into the desired shape and place on a greased tray, or bread tin, and allow to rise covered in a warm place for a further 30 minutes.

Bread in the shape of a knotted loaf

During this time preheat your oven to 160 degrees celcius.
After the bread has risen spray with a fine mist of water and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds if desired.

ready to go in the oven

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown and a hollow sound is made when you tap on the base.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing… if you can wait that long.

VARIATIONS

You can get fancy and add cheese and herbs to the dough after the first rising, or sprinkle different nuts and seeds on top. You can also make your dough into any shape you desire from rolls to knots, french sticks to sandwich loaves. Use your imagination or google images of bread shapes for some ideas and tips of shaping your bread.