Lighter Chocolate Pina Colada Cake

Fancy a slice?

Some inter-connecting foodie coincidental thoughts have led me to devise today’s recipe; which all began with a really nice visit by my nephew and his family in January.

It was a super family gathering and, knowing that I love to bake, we chatted a little about, of all things, a coconut cake. However, on this very day, my oven had sadly given up the ghost and so, regrettably, I couldn’t bake something special for them and it was a mad dash to the supermarket for their finest chocolate creation!  

Sugar and Crumbs packages

A couple of weeks later on and a package arrived by post containing some new natural flavoured icing sugars and cocoa samples for me to trial (see below**) from producers 'Sugar and Crumbs'– coconut, chocolate and pineapple. 

Fresh pineapple

Then, that very same week, I visited my daughter and, whilst helping her a little in the kitchen, she asked me to cut up a fresh pineapple. Of course, I prepared it in the same way my mother always did – cutting the eyes out in spiral fashion – and I pondered whether she would do the same in years to come by showing her son, my grandson George, how it’s done so prettily? 

Four generations of motherhood -
sister Lynda, Mum, Grandma, and me
 with daughter Laura as a child.
  When someone you love becomes a memory.....
that memory becomes a treasure.

More family food memories and all part of life’s rich pattern. 

Checking my diary today, I realised that Mothering Sunday occurs next month and, there and then, I decided to create an easy and simple cake combining all of these flavourful thoughts. My Lighter Chocolate Pina Colada Cake is the result. In fact, it would be an ideal dessert cake for any occasion.

In the meantime, happy baking. X

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**The 'Sugar and Crumbs' products all come in very handy re-sealable packets and it’s well worth exploring their website to view their complete range together with all the latest offers. My samples produced a delicious and flavourful result and I would give them my own seal of approval for convenience and taste.

Lighter Chocolate Pina Colada Cake

This recipe, serves 8, and requires the following:

Ingredients:

For the cake:

150g low-fat spread plus extra for greasing (I used Flora Buttery)

130g caster sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

2 medium eggs

100g self-raising flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used Sugar and Crumbs Chocolate Coconut cocoa)

20g desiccated coconut

1 tablespoon of milk (more if needed to make a soft dropping consistency)

For the topping:

150g 0% crème fraiche (or thick Greek-style yoghurt could be used)

1 heaped tablespoon Sugar and Crumbs Coconut icing sugar

20g desiccated coconut (brown, to make it toasted, in a small pan, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Cool).

130g tin of pineapple pieces (fresh would be really lovely too!)

Method:

Lightly grease and line with baking parchment a 20cm square cake tin. (I used a 22cm and the result was fine.)

Preheat the oven to 190C/180C fan/gas mark 5.

Put the spread, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, eggs and milk in a large bowl. Sift over the flour and cocoa powder. Beat with an electric whisk until the mixture is smooth. Adding a little extra milk if necessary to make a soft dropping consistency.

Spoon mixture into tin and level the surface.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20/25 minutes. Leave to cool slightly for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Drain the tinned pineapple well, reserve 1/3^rd and place the rest in a bowl together with the crème fraiche and coconut icing sugar. Mix together very gently.

Spoon the crème mixture over the cooled chocolate sponge and decorate the top with the reserved fruit and toasted coconut. Enjoy!

Fancy a slice?

Disclosure: I was sent the above products for the purpose of this review, however all opinions are my own.

The best of wishes for this festive season.

Home-made goodies for friends.

How to bake bread with the author of “Southern Italian Family Cooking”

I have been a lucky lady this month, with two bread baking experiences, and my latest foray into the art of dough products was a morning spent with my friend, Carmela.

Carmela's demo

On this occasion, Carmela welcomed her 3 students into her bright and cosy kitchen and, whilst we sipped coffee and biscotti and got to know each other, she explained that we would be making Grissini, Fennel bread and a Stromboli made from Foccacia dough. Her friendly and knowledgeable practical demonstration followed and, with the various ingredients already on the table, we then continued by weighing, mixing, and kneading the various doughs. Carmela helped when required and interjected with many great tips for us to use in the future.

Ready for weighing

Baked to perfection

There is nothing like the smell of bread baking in the oven to tempt the taste-buds and, by the end of the class, our huge array of hot, crisp and tasty products made my tummy rumble loudly! Fortunately, Carmela produced a plate of thinly-sliced parma ham with a tomato, mozzarella and basil salad, which we happily munched, together with some of our new bread – it was delicious!

Of course, everything about this lovely lady is Italian. From her family roots to her present-day occupation of tutoring, Carmela produces food for her family and guests that has the warmth and deliciousness of Southern Italy. In fact, her latest book has only recently been published and I’m so pleased that I have a copy on my shelves to dip into when the sky is grey outside and I need to cook with a dollop of generous sunshine. I can assure you, these recipes pack a whole load of flavour into simple ingredients and, as chef and restauranter Theo Randall has quoted, “this is a must buy for any family that loves to cook” – I couldn’t agree more!

Southern Italian Family Cooking by Carmela Sophia Sereno is published by Constable and Robinson and is available from Amazon. Details of her future classes can be found on her website here.

Bay Tree Cottage Workshops - Speciality Bread

Baked to perfection

Last Saturday I had the privilege to accompany my friend, Tony, on a baking course run by Bay Tree Cottage Workshops in Farthingstone, Northamptonshire. Tony, who is blind, is already an accomplished bread producer and, in fact, makes all the loaves needed for home consumption every week but this ‘Speciality’ class proved to be just the ticket to extend his repertoire and skills.

After arrival, in Tutor Jenny’s comfortable and welcoming kitchen, and whilst we sipped our tea or coffee, she explained the recipes that would be used and the order of the day. Then, it was all ‘hands-on’ accompanied by Jenny’s knowledgeable ‘how-to’ demonstrations.

Class assembled

Jenny uses her own tried and tested recipes and is a great believer in using ingredients which are already in the cupboard and fridge, thus adapting basic formula to whatever is available on the day. 

Rolling Nettle, cheese and chive bread

The morning seemed to speed by in a blur of flour, yeast, cheese, herbs, bacon and so much more - all with a welcome coffee break half-way through and a piece of one of Jenny’s famous cakes. 

Beetroot dough

Before we knew it, the students had produced a savoury corn bread, spiced flatbread with cumin and coriander, a plaited beetroot loaf stuffed with all manner of good things, as well as several nettle and chive rolls. Can you imagine the wonderful aromas?

Tony and corn bread

Afterwards, Tony told me he had experienced a good time - his disability had not proved a problem for him or the workshop - and he had definitely learned some new techniques. 

We would therefore highly recommend to anyone the huge variety of courses available at Bay Tree Cottage as, for certain, Tony and I will be back there to experience another few hours of pleasurable and productive tuition. Thank you, Jenny.

Ready for home

'The Lane' restaurant Northampton and Tarte Tatin

English new season Cox's apples

This week we had lunch at ‘The Lane’, which is located within Northampton College, Booth Lane. We have visited this restaurant many times, over several years, and always come away completely amazed that a training establishment could reach such high standards. The service and food are akin to any high-class eaterie and, at a bargain £9.50 for a three-course lunch-time meal, we always feel very privileged indeed to participate in the education of these young students – who are overseen by talented and hard-working tutors -  and incredibly fortunate to have this in our locality.

‘The Lane’ is open Tuesday to Thursday for lunch and dinner and booking is advisable - call 01604 734280 or email sally.keeves@northamptoncollege.ac.uk. Further information can also be found on their website. 

On our visit last Tuesday, my hubby chose the hot Tarte Tatin as dessert, which was accompanied by ice cream. It looked deliciously rich and gooey and it has inspired me to make this French classic at home this weekend.

Apples - peeled, cored and quartered

To save time and effort, I used shop-bought ready-rolled puff pastry but otherwise the ingredients are pretty much standard, i.e. 100g butter, 100g caster sugar, and about 6 apples – in my case I used Cox’s – peeled, cored and quartered. The oven was pre-heated to 220C or 200C fan, Gas mark 6.

Apples cooking in caramel

I melted the butter and sugar in a 20cm oven-proof frying pan, swirling the pan to combine and continued cooking until a toffee-coloured caramel was reached.

I turned the heat down and added the apple quarters, and continued to cook on a lower heat for 8-10 minutes whilst I cut the pastry into a round slightly larger than the pan.

Puffed and brown

After 8-10 minutes, I removed the pan and carefully draped the pastry over the apples and tucked the overhanging pastry in round the edges.

The tart was then baked for 20-25 minutes until the pastry was risen and golden in colour.

It turned out fine!

The hazardous part followed after I let the tart sit for 10 minutes. I covered my arm with a tea towel – just in case any hot liquid splattered from the pan - and I placed a large plate on top of the pastry and inverted it quickly and then carefully released the tart onto the plate. PHEW! DEEP BREATH! IT WORKED! 

My Northampton College ‘The Lane’ restaurant inspired pudding was a success and hopefully gained full marks from those who ate it. Why not try both for yourself – you will not be disappointed. 

Ready to eat

Oven-baked apple crisps and Blackberry and almond cake

Oven-baked apple crisps

For me, September has been a ‘break-away’ month from writing on my blog. During this month I have, however, been fortunate enough to travel to Belgium, France, Holland and Germany and have indulged in some of the most wonderful sweet and savoury delicacies along the way; some of which I am sure will inspire me to greater baking creations in the months to come. On our return to the house last week, we found 2 ripe and ready apples left on the tree, as well as a bowlful of juicy cultivated blackberries. Of course, my baking ‘fast’ was over in a trice and here’s what I did with them…..

Oven-baked cinnamon apple crisps:

2 eating apples

1-2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Ready for the oven

Line two baking sheets with parchment and set oven to 100C. Very thinly slice the apples into rounds, discarding the pips, (or use a mandolin). Arrange the slices in a single layer on the baking sheets and sprinkle liberally with the cinnamon. Bake for 90 minutes and then turn each slice over and continue to bake for a further 60-90 minutes, or until crispy. (This will depend on the juiciness of the apple variety). Eat straight away or keep in an airtight container for a few days. 

Blackberry and almond cake cooling

Blackberry and almond loaf cake:

2 large free-range eggs

200g of caster sugar OR 10 tablespoons of sugar substitute (I used Splenda)

185g ground almonds

70g spelt flour

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of almond extract

200g blackberries (or other fruit if preferred)

5 tablespoons of milk

Handful of flaked almonds

Icing sugar to serve

Preheat the oven to 170C. Prepare and line a 2lb loaf tin. Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and thick. Fold in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, milk and almond extract. Then gently stir in the blackberries. Spoon the mix into tin and sprinkle over the flaked almonds. Finally, bake the cake for 45 minutes or until the centre is cooked and the top is golden. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely. Sift over some icing sugar before serving.

Tea time!

Jaffa Twist Melting Moments

Are you ready for a melting moment?

I love receiving new products to review, especially if they relate to my passion for baking. This week I was thrilled to be asked to trial some flavoured icing sugars from Sugar and Crumbs. Their new flavour innovations – Black Forest, Chocolate Milkshake and Jaffa Twist - will be launched at the beginning of September to complement their numerous other tasty options, like Cherry Bakewell, Banana Split, Turkish Delight and Salted Caramel. 

Two new flavours - Jaffa Twise & Chocolate Milkshake

I would really like to try them all but on this occasion I decided to make some Melting Moments, using the Jaffa Twist sugar, as it could be incorporated in the biscuit itself, as well as being used in the buttercream filling. Plus a good sprinkling on the top of each one would provide maximum taste and flavour.

Melting Moments are rich and buttery and, as the name implies, have a melt-in-the-mouth texture, and everyone usually loves them. This particular recipe has been adapted from several that I have used over the years and resulted in round mouthfuls of scrumptious, chocolate-orange loveliness which were definitely enhanced by the use of Sugar and Crumbs Jaffa Twist icing sugar. Indeed, a real melting moment!

Rounds of loveliness

For approximately 16 biscuits, you will need:

175g butter, softened

60g Sugar and Crumbs Jaffa Twist icing sugar

Zest of ½ orange

160g plain flour sifted

70g cornflour

For the filling:

75g butter

125g Sugar and Crumbs Jaffa Twist icing sugar

1 dessertspoon orange juice

Zest of ½ orange

+

A small quantity of Jaffa Twist icing sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 160C/Gas 4 and line 2 baking trays with parchment.

Beat the butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy, then add zest, flour and cornflour and mix until a smooth paste.

Roll mixture into about 32 large marble sized balls and place onto trays spaced apart.

Using a floured fork flatten each round slightly and create a striped pattern on each biscuit.

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until firm to the touch.

When cooked, they are best left on the trays to cool completely.

For the filling, mix the butter, icing sugar, zest and juice until well combined.

When the biscuits have cooled, carefully spread 16 with the filling and sandwich together with the other halves. Finally, dust with some more delicious Jaffa Twist icing sugar to make them look pretty.

Enjoy! 

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Kindly note: The Sugar and Crumbs icing sugars were sent to me free of charge but I was under no obligation to provide a favourable review of this product.