Queen of Sheba Cake
Serves 8
Prep time : 15 min
Cook time : 20 minutes
This classic cake includes chocolate and lots of ground almonds that will give it its lovely moist texture, it makes for a really nice dinner party dessert.
Ingredients
150 g bittersweet chocolate
1 Tbsp strong brewed espresso
1 Tbsp whisky (or brandy or rum)
125 g butter
1/2 c + 1 Tbsp sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c ground almonds
1/2 c flour
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp icing sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 180° C.
Butter and flour a 22-23 cm circular pan.
Break the chocolate into pieces and put it with the coffee and the whisky in a bowl that you can set over a small pan of simmering water. Stir for a couple of min until the chocolate starts to melt then remove from the heat and stir until all melted.
Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamed.
Separate the eggs and add the yolks to the butter and sugar mixture and beat in.
Add the lukewarm chocolate and beat.
Add the almonds and the flour and beat.
Put the egg whites in a clean large bowl and beat them with a pinch of salt until they are well risen and hold soft peaks.
Add one third of the egg whites to the batter and mix them in thoroughly to lighten the batter using a spatula. Add another third and fold them in gently. Finally add the last third and fold in.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it gently in the pan.
Bake for 20 min testing with a toothpick: on the edges the toothpick should come out dry but in the middle the cake should still be a little underdone.
Leave the cake to cool for a few min then flip onto a serving plate.
Sprinkle with sifted cocoa powder and icing sugar when cool.
Apple Muffins
Makes: 12
Prep time : 15 min
Cook time : 25 minutes
Muffins are sure to please: quick to prepare and cook and with endless variations to them they make a great breakfast or snack. This version has a very moist barely sweet apple interior with a brown sugar and cinnamon crusty topping.
Ingredients
2 large eggs
3/4 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 large apple
1/4 c sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 c flour
topping:
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 walnuts (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200° C.
Grease or line with paper cups a muffin pan.
Beat the eggs in a medium sized bowl until frothy then add the milk and oil and beat.
Peel the apple and cut it into dice then add it into the bowl.
Add all the dry ingredients in one go and beat until homogeneous.
Pour into the muffin pan evenly (the batter will be stiff).
Mix the brown sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over all the muffins. If using walnuts, break them open and put 1/2 of a walnut on each muffin.
Bake for 20 to 25 min, until risen and golden, testing with a toothpick for doneness.
Baked Apples with Custard
Serves 5
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 30 minutes
A simple baked apple with a delicious custard cream to complement it makes a perfect ending to an autumn dinner.
Ingredients
5 apples
10 tsp butter
3 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
Cinnamon
for the custard:
1 c whole milk
3 cm piece of vanilla bean
1 egg yolk
1/2 Tbsp starch
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 200° C.
Wash and core the apples then peel a strip of the skin all around each of them.
Put them in a dish and place 2 tsp of butter in the hollow center.
Add 1/2 Tbsp of brown sugar over the butter and a pinch of cinnamon. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the lot.
Cover the dish tightly with aluminium foil and bake for 30 min or until the apples are cooked through.
Make the custard: Rinse a small pan with water (it will help to prevent the milk from sticking) , pour in the milk, then set it on the stove top over medium heat to scald. Scrape in the soft center of the vanilla bean.
Beat the egg yolk with the sugar and the starch in a bowl.
When the milk is almost at boiling point, pour it over the egg yolk beating constantly then pour back into the pan and cook, over medium low heat, stirring constantly. Turn the heat down to low and keep cooking while stirring until the custard is thickened enough to coat the spoon.
Pour the custard in a jug and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
Peach Cobbler
Serves 8
Prep time : 20 min
Cook time : 25 minutes
When it is peach and nectarine season do indulge in this delicious dessert, eaten warm as is or with vanilla ice cream or whipped .
Ingredients
7 peaches (1.5 kg)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
3 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
for the pastry:
1 c flour
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c sugar
6 Tbsp butter
1/4 c boiling water
Method
Preheat the oven to 220° C.
Take a baking dish that can go from the stove top to the oven.
Peel the peaches and cut them into 8 pieces each putting them in the baking dish.
Add the lemon juice, sugar and brown sugar, the corn starch, the cinnamon and the nutmeg. Toss gently.
Bring to the boil and cook for 10 min approximately over low heat, stirring a couple of times.
Prepare the topping by mixing the flour with the salt, baking powder and sugar in a medium sized bowl.
Add the butter cut into small pieces and rub into the flour to get a sandy mixture.
Add the boiling water and stir well to get a dough with a drop consistency.
Drop the dough in tablespoonfuls all over the peaches (the dough will spread during the cooking so that they will all join up) then put the baking dish in the oven for 20 to 25 min until the dough is risen and golden.
If your baking dish is quite full, you may want to put a piece of aluminium foil underneath it to prevent any spillage burning on the bottom shelf of the oven.
Banana Bread
Makes: 1 loaf
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 1 hr
The smell of banana bread as it is baking holds the promise of a delicious banana/vanilla flavour at its most tempting, and the taste of the bread will not deceive you. It is moist and nutty and offers a perfect way to use up ripe bananas (as if you needed an excuse to make it!).
Ingredients
1/2 c butter
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 ripe bananas (1 c mashed)
1/2 c yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c coarsely chopped walnuts
Method
Butter a loaf pan.
In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until light.
Add the eggs one at a time beating well.
In a small bowl stir together the flour, soda and salt.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt into the batter beating well.
Add the vanilla and mashed bananas and beat.
Lastly, beat in the walnuts and pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for an hour until set, testing with a toothpick for doneness.
Cool the bread in the pan for 10 min then finish cooling on a rack.
Chocolate Shortbread
Makes: 40 small
Prep time : 20 min
Cook time : 15 minutes
Simple and flavourful, this tomato sauce is ideal when you are making pizza at home. Any leftovers will go well with pasta !
Ingredients
1 c flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c powdered sugar
Small pinch of salt
1/2 c butter
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
extra caster sugar
Method
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the mixing bowl of a food processor, process all dry ingredients then add the butter, cut into small pieces, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (alternately, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and rub in the butter, cut into small pieces, until you have a sandy mixture).
Add the vanilla and the egg yolk and process (or mix by hand) until a dough forms.
Roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper to a thickness of 4 to 5 mm.
Using a cookie cutter of your choice (I used a 4 cm circular one here), cut out the biscuits and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Shape the scraps into a ball kneading only briefly and reroll and cut as before till you’ve cut out all the biscuits.
Sprinkle the biscuits with some caster sugar, then put them in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven to 160° C.
Bake for 15 to 18 min until firm (when touched lightly you should not leave an imprint on the top of the biscuit). Leave the biscuits to cool on the baking sheet for 10 min then finish cooling them on a rack.
Fudge Brownies
Serves 8-10
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 25 minutes
An easy favourite, these are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
Ingredients
200 g semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 c butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c flour
1/2 c coarsely chopped walnuts
Method
Preheat the oven to 175° C. Line a square cake mold with parchment paper.
Break up the chocolate in pieces and put in a pan to melt with the butter on medium/low heat, stirring. Take off the heat and transfer to a bowl.
Beat the eggs one at a time into the chocolate mixture.
Beat in the vanilla and the sugar.
Add the salt, baking powder and flour and beat.
Lastly add the walnuts and mix them in.
Pour the batter into the prepared mold and cook in the oven for 25 min.
Leave to cool then cut into squares.
Pancakes
Serves 4
Prep time : 5 min
Cook time : 20 minutes
Simple and flavourful, this tomato sauce is ideal when you are making pizza at home. Any leftovers will go well with pasta !
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 3/4 c milk
3 Tbsp oil
2 1/4 c flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
Good pinch salt
extra vegetable oil
Method
Beat the eggs until frothy in a bowl.
Add the milk and oil and beat.
Add all the dry ingredients in one go and beat just until mixed.
Heat a non stick frying pan over high heat for a couple of min then turn the heat down to medium.
Pour a little bit of oil in a container and use a brush to brush your pan very lightly with oil.
Pour about 2 Tbsp of batter for each pancake in circles in your pan and cook until their edges are dry and the surface of the pancake is marked with holes. Flip and cook for about 20 seconds more on the other side then remove to a serving dish (you can keep the pancakes warm on the serving dish in the oven at 140° C while you make them all).
Delicious with maple syrup!
Madeira Cake
Serves 6-8
Prep time : 5 min
Cook time : 30 minutes
So called because it used to be enjoyed mi-morning with a glass of Madeira wine, this cake is very easy to make and has quite a subtle taste.
Ingredients
2/3 c butter
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp ground almonds
3 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
grated peel of one lemon
a little icing sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Grease a cake mold (I like to use a 20 cm bundt pan).
In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add the ground almonds and mix.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Mix in the flour and baking powder.
Add the lemon rind and mix well.
Pour batter into mold and cook for 30 checking for doneness.
Serve dusted with icing sugar.
Brutti ma Buoni
Makes: 40
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 50 minutes
Ugly but tasty is what these delicious hazelnut meringues, the size of petits fours, are called in Italy. I make them whenever I have egg whites left from a recipe that required only yolks. They never last very long as they are so good, but they do keep in an airtight container.
Method
Toast the hazelnuts on a baking tray for 10 min until fragrant. Rub the hazelnuts in a kitchen towel to remove as much of the skin as possible.
Crush them roughly with a rolling pin and reserve.
In a clean bowl beat the egg whites with half the sugar until they make soft peaks then add the remaining sugar 1 Tbsp at a time, beating constantly, until the whites form stiff peaks.
Add the crushed hazelnuts folding them in with a spatula.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray and using a spoon and a small spatula, drop spoonfuls of meringue all over the tray.
Turn the oven on to 140 C (it will still be warm from earlier on) and cook the meringues for 40 min. Do not take them out of the oven until it is cooled completely, that ensures they are crisp.
*if my meringues seem a little brown in the photo, it is because I use unbleached organic sugar that darkens when it cooks.
Ingredients
2 egg whites
1/2 c sugar
1 c hazelnuts
Date Scones
Makes: 16
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 15 minutes
Perfect for breakfast or tea time, these scones are quick to prepare and delicious, substitute raisins for the dates if you like.
Ingredients
3 c flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
A good pinch of salt
7 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/4 c cream
1/4 c milk
1 c chopped dates
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a food processor mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt then add the butter, diced, and mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal (alternately mix the dry ingredients in a bowl with a spoon then add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub into the dry ingredients).
In a bowl, beat the eggs lightly with a fork, then add them with the cream and the milk to the flour and mix well, till a dough forms.
Add the chopped dates and knead them lightly into the dough.
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface 3 cm thick and cut with a 5 cm cookie cutter.
Grease a baking tray (or line with parchment paper) and place the scones on it. If you wish you can glaze the scones with a little cream and some sprinkled sugar.
Bake for 15 min or until nicely browned.
Tarte Tatin
Serves 8
Prep time : 15 min
Cook time : 40 minutes
It is said that this french classic originated from an error by the Tatin sisters who left the apples to cook for too long on the stove. How fortunate for us! Use a deep heavy mold or cast iron pan, as it needs to go from stove top to oven.
Ingredients
1 2/3 c flour
2 Tbsp sugar
A pinch of salt
7 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Yolk of one egg
5 large cooking apples
1/2 c sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter
Method
Make the dough: Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl then rub in the butter to get a sandy mixture (or pulse in a food processor).
Add the milk, oil and egg yolk and mix to form a dough kneeding lightly.
Roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper into a circle slightly larger than the mold you are using and put in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 200° C.
Reserve 2 Tbsp of the sugar and put the rest in the mold , add the lemon juice and 3 Tbsp of water and set on the stove top over medium high heat to make the caramel.
Cook until the syrup starts to brown and take off the heat swirling the pan to blend the caramel.
Peel and core the apples and cut them into quarters.
Place the apples on the caramel in a tight fit and set the mold back over medium heat.
When the apples start cooking, sprinkle them with the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar and the cinnamon and dot them with butter. Cook for 10 min.
Take out the pastry from the refrigerator and, holding it on the palm of your hand, peel off carefully one layer of parchment paper and bring the pastry to the edge of the mold to lay it over the apples capping them so to speak (do not worry about any wrinkles and knobs in the pastry).
Cook in the oven for 20 to 25 min until golden.
Flip the tart into a serving dish as soon as you take it out of the oven then leave to cool a little.
Enjoy it warm with a dollop of cream or ice cream if you wish.
Crêpes
Makes 10
Prep time : 5 min
Cook time : 18 min
This recipe includes no sugar in the batter which allows you to chose if you are having them with a savoury or sweet filling. Don’t hesitate to double or triple the recipe if you are many but I would then recommend using 2 pans simultaneously to cut down on the time for cooking them! I have used a 25 cm non stick pan for these.
Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 c flour
Small pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
A little vegetable oil
Method
Begin by melting the butter in a small recipient and leaving it to cool for a couple of min.
In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour with the salt and make a well in the centre.
Crack the eggs into that well and start beating them with a whisk. Slowly pull in the flour from the edges of the bowl, adding the milk in batches when the batter seems too thick.
Beat until you have a smooth batter then beat in the melted butter and leave to rest, covered with a plate, for 30 min to 1 hr.
Heat a crêpe pan or a medium non stick frying pan on high heat.
Dip a paper towel into the vegetable oil and wipe the pan with it to barely coat it then pour in about 1/4 c of batter twirling the pan with a quick movement of the wrist so as to spread the batter evenly on the bottom.
Cook the crêpe for 1 to 1,5 min on the first side (the batter will have set, the edges curled and the underside browned) then loosen the crêpe and flip it over to cook the other side for 30 sec to 1 min.
Repeat this light oiling of the pan before each crêpe and continue cooking in the same manner until you’ve used up all the batter.
Stack the crêpes in a plate as you make them, keeping them covered with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm.