Oat Crumble

This is a short and sweet post sharing how to make oat crumble for a number of different bakes and treats! I would use this on top of yogurt, ice cream, and custard as well as muffins! Will add a kick to any breakfast cereal and of course it's a different type of crumble for fruit crumbles. My girls were eating it as is!

Oat Crumble

110g salted butter, cold and cubed
110g oats
110g plain flour
110g dark muscovado sugar

Place all ingredients in a bowl and like if you were making a pastry rub between your fingers until it resembles bread crumbs. Spread over a prepared baking sheet (lined) and place in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before baking in a preheated oven at 180C for 10-15 minutes.
Let it cool before breaking up.

Then use as you want! Feel free to add other spices or ingredients like nuts. Also adjust the amounts to how much you want or need! Keeps for at least two weeks if stored in an airtight container.

Stay tuned for the recipe I used this Oat Crumble on!

Muesli Muffins - Breakfast Time!

Breakfast is pretty much my favorite meal of the day, but it’s my least favorite to cook. It’s the whole waking up getting ready and then like dude I have to cook something I just want food ready for me to eat so I can eat and go.

These muffins are easy to throw together and take like 15 minutes to bake. So, maybe not quick quick but it’s less faff, as they say in England. (Faff is taking your time and messing about.)

With these you get up mix them up, put them in the oven and then go get dressed and other morning rituals by the time you’re down with that they are ready!

Not all muffins are created equal. I’m not going to go on about how muffins can be healthy because lets face it some muffins are just cupcakes without frosting.

These ones, however, have a mix of white and wholemeal flour and only 75g of sugar divided by the amount of muffins. It’s quite low compared to other muffins. Of course you’ll have to look at the sugar in your choice of muesli and raisins and include that too, but it’s probably going to be minimal.

Not only are they easy to make, but they taste great too. Eat them warm out of the oven or the next day with a blast in the microwave!

Muesli Muffins

50g self-raising flour
75g wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g, muesli of your choice
50g sultanas
75g light muscovado sugar
100ml sunflower oil
1 egg
150ml milk

Heat the oven to 200C and line the cupcake/muffin tin with 9 paper liners.
Sift both of the flours into a mixing bowl and mix in the baking powder, muesli, sultanas, and sugar.
In a jug mix the oil, egg, and milk.
Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined.
Divide into the paper cases and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve immediately with butter and coffee!

notes: adapted from Felicity Barnum-Bobb's 100 Magnificent Muffins & Scones - currently out of print but a few used copies available on amazon.

Fairy Tale Baking by Ramla Khan (book review) & The Three Bears Caramel Porridge Flapjacks

As a self taught baker I have seen so many different baking books. It is how I taught myself to bake by reading book after book after book! I had two thoughts when I first glanced at this book, Fairy Tale Baking: first was “Bakes based on fairy tales, cool!” secondly I thought “I hope it’s not just cake decorating, I am not all that good with fondant.”

My first thought was correct and my second a fear that dissipated as soon as I started to read it. Not that we don’t see fondant in the book, it’s just not all fondant if you know what I mean.

Each fairy tale or classic tale picked by the author, Ramla Khan, has 4 different bakes or treats to accompany the chosen tale. Making it perfect for party planning. As she says in the introduction a few of the recipes could be adapted for other stories. All it takes is a bit of your creative thought!

The introduction gives the basic skills and techniques you will need for the recipes in the book and Ramla Khan gives us basic recipes for cake, cookies, and the different icings or frostings.  Each chapter is a tale and before we get to the tasty treats we get an expert or a shortened version of said fairy tale or classic story.

The Fairy Tales you’ll see in this book are:

Sleeping Beauty
Cinderella
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Jack and the Beanstalk
Hansel and Gretel
Little Red Riding Hood
Snow White
Princess and the Pea
Rapunzel
The Snow Queen
Peter Pan
Thumbelina
Alice in Wonderland
Beauty and the Beast
Aladdin

For example for Sleeping Beauty she gives us recipes for a Sleeping Beauty in a Bed Cake, Spindle Churros, Bramble Tartlets with chocolate thorns, and Meringue Kisses. That’s just a teaser of the creative and gorgeous looking recipes in this book. Each recipe is accompanied by pictures of the finished product and where needed some of the techniques.

I was quite taken with Goldilocks and the Three Bears. There is a Bear Cake, Caramel Porridge Flapjack (recipe below), Chocolate Chair Cupcakes, and a Gingerbread Bed.

The flapjack are technically a no-bake recipe that is super easy and produces a sugary treat that is just right. My only niggle was that the recipe called for a 6inch or 15cm square cake tin. It’s not a size I have ever used. An 8 inch square was way too big and my circle 7 inch was just not the right size, but my 2 lb loaf tin was just right for the job!

Caramel Porridge Flapjack

115g unsalted butter
125g dark brown/muscovado sugar
3 tablespoons golden syrup
300g rolled oats

Line your 15cm/6in square baking tin or like me your 2 lb loaf tin or two 1 lb loaf tins with grease proof paper. 
Melt the butter, sugar, and golden syrup until the sugar has dissolved, it should be smooth and shouldn’t feel grainy. I would watch it closely as sugar can easily burn if it gets too hot, keep it on a low heat. Pour in the oats and stir to coat. Pour into prepared tin and smooth it out with a spatula. Leave to cool in the fridge while you make the Caramel Chocolate topping.

Caramel Topping

400g tin of dulce de leche or ready made caramel
200g white chocolate, broken up
150g icing sugar, sifted


Mix the caramel and chocolate together in a medium sized sauce pan over a low heat and stir until smooth and combined. Add the sifted icing sugar, if it’s not sifted it may cause clumps. Be sure to stir it in well before pouring it on top of the oaty flapjack base. It should smooth out pretty much on it’s own, but use a spatula or icing palette knife to make the top nice and smooth. 
Keep in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2-3 hours or over night before slicing into squares.

As these are so rich you could cut them into three different sizes one that’s bigger for Papa Bears, one that’s just a bit on the smaller side for the Mama Bear who’s sweet tooth isn’t that sweet, and one size that is just right for Baby Bears!

notes: Fairy Tale Baking by Ramla Khan published by Apple Press, Quarto UK was released late October (SRP -£12.99) It was given to me to review, no other compensation was given please see my contact/policy page (tab above) for further information.

Two Ways with a Gypsy Tart

I just realised that my title could be taken the wrong way … if you are inclined to think that way. Something that I’ve learned is that it’s actually how a lot of people think. Being one of the small percentage of people who don’t always get innuendo I say a lot of things that get laughed at. I would relay some of the these instances, but we don’t have all day. Just take my word for it.

It’s not the first time I shared a Gypsy Tart on United Cakedom, but I thought I would try something different this time. Then it didn’t turn out so well and I hadn’t accounted for a couple of things. With a little improvising and adjusting I sorted it out and ended up with two different way to make a gypsy tart!

The filling is the same, it’s the base that changes. First I made mini tarts with a sweet shortcrust pastry. Then when I was stuck with a lot of extra filling because I didn’t think to half the recipe or something I made a quick cookie/biscuit base to bake the rest of the filling over with successful results!

Just like the title of this post could be taken two ways this gypsy tart can be made two ways...here's how:

Gypsy Tart

filling  

(makes enough for 24 mini tarts or 12 mini tarts and 7inch Gypsy Tart)

451ml (1 can) of evaporated milk
300g muscovado sugar

Whip them together for 15 minutes until light, fluffy, and tripled in size.

Mini Gypsy Tarts:

sweet shortcrust pastry

300g plain flour
4 tablespoons of golden caster sugar
200g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk the flour and sugar together before rubbing the cubed butter into the flour/sugar until it resembles bread crumbs. Add all the other ingredients and bring together with a spatula or your hands until it makes a smooth dough. Make into a ball and squish a little to make a fat disk like shape, wrap in cling film and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough and cut out 12 circles to line each muffin hole. Gently press down into the corners, use a fork to put holes in the base of each pastry case before leaving in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes. The follow the instructions below for blind baking.

blind-bake

Pre-heat the oven 200C - Line each pastry case with a square of baking paper and fill with ceramic beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove ceramic beans and bake for a further 10 minutes until pastry turns a light brown.

to finish 

Fill each pastry case with the gypsy filling and bake for 5-10 minutes. Do not bake for 15 minutes as I did and had them collapse on me. Which I then whipped up some whipped cream and drizzled raspberry sauce on top!

Cookie Base Gypsy Tart 

cookies base 

213g chocolate chip hobnobs
50g melted butter

Blitz the cookies in a food processor, then add the butter and pulse a couple of times. Line a 7inch circle cake tin with the cookie mixture.

to finish

Pour the remaining gypsy filling into the tin and bake for 15 minutes. Leave to cool in the fridge for 2 hours before slicing and enjoying!

notes: Gypsy Tart is a pretty basic recipe, but this one was adapted from Eric Lanlard's Tart it Up! I wrote about it here the first time I made it. This is my #thepastrychallenge entry which I host with Jen at Jen's Food. There is still time to link up here!

Gypsy Tart!!

I love my girl’s nights in with my girls! Every time we get together I usually always volunteer for the dessert as it gives me an excuse to experiment with things my husband usually wouldn't like. My friends are basically open to anything! But, if it doesn't have chocolate my husband usually has a polite piece and that’s it.

My friend, Kim, had expressed to me once in passing how much she loved Gypsy Tart. I had never heard of it before. It was a real light bulb moment when I saw a recipe for it nestled in the pages of Eric Lanlard’s Tart it Up!. I had it booked marked for our next night in.

We finally managed to arrange a night in last week, where I finally got to make and try Gypsy Tart! It was lovely!! A very simple dessert with lots of depth! All the gypsy tart recipes I found online were very similar to this one. All it is is 1 can of evaporated milk whisked together with 300g dark muscovado sugar then poured into a sweet shortcrust pastry case.If you aren't making the pastry case yourself it’s a matter of minutes to get the pie sorted then a couple hours to chill. Channel 4 website has a recipe for a similar Gypsy Tarts recipe by Eric Lanlard (currently unavailable).

I'm showing this to you as it was the first time my crust has
turned out so well. Pastry hasn't been my friend really. 

Gypsy Tart was created in Kent: the story being a lady wanted to feed gypsy children that played in the fields near her home and all she had was a pie crust, evaporated milk and sugar. Who really knows? I do love the quote from Brave: “Legends are lessons; they rhyme with truth.” ~ Queen Elinor. I think it’s true for the stories of how certain food recipes have come about. Since I didn't grow up here, in England, I missed Gypsy Tart being on my school lunch menu. I read it was a regular on school dinner menus!!

What do you think of Gypsy Tart? Have you had it before? Made it your self? What’s the difference? I can’t compare, as the first time I've had it was when I made it! 

notes: you still don’t own a copy of Tart it Up! The BookPeople still have it at an amazing price. Or check it out on Amazon UK & USA; my review of Tart it Up! Wikipedia 

Muscovado Madeira cake from Cake by Rachel Allen {book review}

Any chance I get to bake I take it. Baking just for me and for the family has gotten a bit…well… it’s hard to explain. There is only so much cake one family can eat! So, I've cut back a bit on my baking “just because” and baking more useful things like bread. So, having some mum friends around for coffee was a great excuse to use one of my new books I got over the holiday period!

Cake by Rachel Allen! I have watched Rachel since I moved to the UK on her various TV programs. I could never decide which one of her books to start with, not being able to buy all of them in one go, I didn't.

It wasn't until watching Cake Diaries on the Good Food Channel that I decided to start with the accompanying book. Cake is broken down into 9 chapters: Easy; Fast; Healthy; Classic; Teatime; Dessert; Children’s; Celebration; Festive. The Chapter titled ‘Easy’ is where I found the recipe for the Muscovado Madeira cake the one I made for my mom friends. With only 4 ingredients (butter, dark soft brown sugar, eggs, flour) this cake was easy to throw together. It was a hit as well, everyone said it was very nice and went great with coffee or tea!

Normally when reviewing a book I list all the recipes I really want to try, but this book is slightly different. It has so many different ideas for different occasions I wouldn't know where to start my list. However, I know that whenever a cake is needed, Cake will be one of the first places I look! It has so many great looking (sounding) cakes, 200 to be exact, that I will be completely spoiled for choice!! 

notes: last picture; 1. Angel Cake, I love Angel Cake and this is the first time I've seen it not made in a tube pan! A must try! 2. Madeleines, these are everywhere I look at the moment! Thinking I'll have to try them soon! 3. Rhubarb and Custard Swiss Roll one of the reasons I bought the book. Looks delicious! 

Cake by Rachel Allen: Amazon & The Book People

Rachel Allen’s website

A variation on this cake: Orange Madeira cake

Rachel Allen's Cake Diaries on Good Food Channel (recipes from book)

Dark Muscovado Brownies!!

I found this recipe in Sue Lawrence's Book of Baking (mentioned here and here). I have made lots of brownie from different recipes in search of the perfect brownie. I love brownies they are my biggest baking weakness. 

Sue says "...quite simply, the very best brownie recipe around..." With a statement like that I had to try them out. They were good brownies but the very best? I'm not even sure I would call these the best! Good though. I'm glad Sue added to that quote "...-certainly according to my family." 

Everyone's tastes are different and these may be the very best or the best brownies for you, I however will continue my quest for the very best brownie. Enjoy!!

Dark Muscovado Brownies: 

• 350g dark chocolate (60-70% Cocoa)
• 200g unsalted butter
• 250g dark muscovado sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 70g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 170C. Prepare you brownie pan 23cm/9in. 

Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over simmering water in a saucepan. I always take my chocolate mixture off the heat right before it’s completely melted and then stir it until it’s completely melted.

Place the sugar in a bowl; make sure to break up any lumps. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Slowly add this to the melted chocolate mixture, stirring well.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt and gently fold together.

Tip into the prepared pan and bake for 35minutes, or until a wooden cocktail stick inserted into the middle comes out with some moist crumbs adhering. It should just feel firm when you press gently with a finger on top.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes, then cut up into 16-20 pieces, leave until completely cold before removing the brownies, they are very delicate. I also suggest storing these in the fridge eating them at room temp wasn’t as pleasurable as eating them from the fridge!