Banana, Apple and Cointreau Bundt Cake...

Although it’s been ages since my last post I have still been busy in the kitchen. Life just seemed to get out of hand for a while – it does that sometimes. My sister came to visit in mid-September, which was great. We explored many pubs (perhaps too many pubs), ate oysters in Whitstable, had fancy coffee at Badger Hill Farm and Cidery (then bought a keg of cider), did some gluten-free baking and had a few walks in Shorne Woods Country Park.

After my sister went back to Toronto my husband and I had the bedroom and utility room re-decorated. A 5-day job went on for 2 weeks. This is an old property and there were…..issues….. but all is well now. I can tell you that Nutmeg was getting pretty fed up at being cut off from the bedroom.

I also changed jobs and am so much happier for it, but it has taken some getting used to. I am now able to dedicate much more time to my other passions; Aromatherapy and Reflexology as well as to writing. My children’s picture book is almost finished – so watch this space!

However the down side of all this activity was that I came down with some sort of coughing lurgy that lasted for almost 8 weeks. After several prescriptions that offered no relief it eventually made its way out of my system – but it left me feeling pretty exhausted. Anyway enough rambling – let’s move on to the cake.

Last week a lovely client of mine gave me a big bag of windfall apples. I wanted to do something different so I decided to make up my own recipe for a Bundt cake. A bit daring I know! In any case it was a success and I am now feeling ever so slightly more confident in my baking abilities. O.K I used cake mix – but give me a break at least it’s a start! The bananas and apple chunks give extra moistness while the Cointreau adds a lovely spicy citrus flavour. This is really good with a pot of freshly brewed coffee.

Luna Raye’s Banana, Apple and Cointreau Bundt Cake

(I based this on the Sherry Bundt Cake recipe my cousin gave me)

Ingredients

4 room temperature eggs (you can put them in a bowl of warm water to warm them up if you don’t have time to let them sit out)

3 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed

2 apples cored, peeled and chopped into bite sized chunks

3/4-cup olive oil

1/2 cup Cointreau

1 package yellow cake mix (I used a Madeira cake mix)

1 package instant vanilla pudding (I still haven’t tried using Angel Delight (see my ‘Best Sherry Cake Ever!‘ post) Fortunately my sister arrived with several packs of my favourite Vanilla Jell-O Instant Pudding. Size wise the Jell-O is 102g, which is what you would need for the recipe. Don’t make the pudding up – just add the powder straight to the bowl!

1 Tbsp allspice

½ tsp vanilla essence

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a small bowl mash the ripe bananas with a fork

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, oil and Cointreau

Gradually add the cake mix, pudding mix and the allspice (I always use a sifter to avoid lumps)

When the mixture has been well blended (no lumps) add the mashed bananas, vanilla essence and apple chunks

Place the batter in a well-greased tube or Bundt pan (a pan that is round, deep with hole in the middle)

Bake for 45 minutes

Remove from pan immediately

Allow the cake to cool cake for 10 minutes before placing it on large plate or large chopping board covered with aluminium / tin foil or parchment paper

Sprinkle icing sugar over the top and dig in

The cake is just as lovely cold but I always like the treat of having it slightly warm from the oven

Enjoy!

Scrumptious Bread and Butter Pudding with Homemade...

This weekend I decided to try my hand at making a classic English dessert. Bread and butter pudding is a great (and tasty) way of using up stale leftover bread. Usually it is associated with school dinners but the history of this dessert can be traced back to the 18th century. I decided to use Delia Smith’s recipe for Rich Bread and Butter Pudding but I made a few adjustments.

This is an easy and fun recipe to play around with. Different types of bread can be used such as a sesame seed loaf (which I used) or regular sliced white or wholemeal sandwich bread. Using something like a chocolate or almond brioche would make this dish extra special. Dried fruits, different spices as well as jams and marmalade can also be used to add extra flavour and textures to the dish. I decided to add a half cup of raisins that had been soaked in Cointreau for about 24 hours which gave the pudding a nice boozy hit.

It could have been the few boozy raisins I sampled or the glass of Cointreau I had on the side but I threw caution to the wind and decided to make my own custard to go with the pudding. I found a great recipe by Merrilees Parker which looked perfect for a custard making novice like myself.

While the bread and butter pudding came out beautifully, my first attempt at custard was not a success. I made the mistake of allowing the milk to get too hot. Even though I added it very slowly to the egg mixture it was so hot it actually cooked the eggs, resulting in a scrambled unappetizing mess.

So I started again (luckily it’s a very quick recipe) and managed to get it right. It was a lovely accompaniment to the bread and butter pudding but to be fair I may add a touch more vanilla essence next time and allow it to thicken just a wee bit more. I was probably being over cautious as the thought of a third attempt was not appealing.

If custard isn’t your thing then you can always pour double cream over the top or serve the pudding with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Bread and butter pudding is quite moist inside so you can actually eat it without any ‘extras’ on top – it just depends on how decadent you’re feeling!

So have a go at this easy recipe. It’s the perfect dessert for a lazy weekend!

Rich Bread and Butter Pudding courtesy of Delia Smith

Ingredients

• 8 slices bread (from a small loaf) – (I used a sesame seed loaf)

• Approximately 2oz (50g) butter

• ½ oz (10g) candied lemon or orange peel, finely chopped – (I didn’t have this so I added zest of one medium sized orange and extra lemon zest. See grated zest of ½ lemon below)

• 2 oz (50g) currants – (I used ½ cup of raisins soaked in generous amount of Cointreau)

• 10fl oz (275ml) milk – (I used full fat milk)

• 2 ½ fl oz (60ml) double cream

• 2 oz (50g) caster sugar

• Grated zest of ½ small lemon

• 3 eggs

• Freshly grated nutmeg

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C)

Method / Directions

1. Butter the bread and cut each slice of buttered bread in half – leaving the crusts on. – (I buttered BOTH sides of the bread as well as buttering the oven dish)

2. Now arrange one layer of buttered bread over the base of the baking dish, sprinkle the candied peel and half the currants over, then cover with another layer of the bread slices and the remainder of the currants. – (I just added my Cointreau soaked raisins at this stage)

3. Next, in a glass measuring jug, measure out the milk and add the double cream.

4. Stir in the caster sugar and lemon zest, then whisk the eggs, first on their own in a small basin and then into the milk mixture. – (I added the lemon and orange zest)

5. Pour the whole lot over the bread, sprinkle over some freshly grated nutmeg, and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

6. Serve warm.

Homemade Custard Recipe courtesy of Merrilees Parker and BBC Food

Ingredients

• 290ml/10fl oz milk – (once again I used full fat)

• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways or tsp good quality vanilla essence

• 2 egg, yolks only

• 1 tbsp caster sugar

Preparation method

1. Heat the milk with the vanilla pod and allow it to just come to the boil. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar.

2. Pour the hot milk over the egg yolks whisking vigorously. When completely mixed in, return to the pan.

3. Stir over a low heat until the mixture thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a spoon. This will take 5-6 minutes.

4. Drain into a bowl, remove vanilla pod (or add essence if using).

Enjoy!!!

Bread and Butter Pudding

Sweet, Moist and Scrumptious Bread and Butter Pudding

Bread and Butter Pudding with Homemade Custard