No-Knead Baguette style bread

These are seriously the most simple baguettes you could ever make, and I mean that! Even a non-baker will have success!

There is no kneading involved, overnight rising does all the work while you sleep peacefully, and there is enough to feed a large family! And furthermore, there are only four ingredients - nothing fancy at all!

No-Knead Baguettes

Ingredients:

975g strong bread flour
2 teaspoons cooking salt
3/4 of a teaspoon instant yeast
750ml room temperature water

Method:

1. Put the flour to a large bowl and add the salt. Give it a good mix to ensure it is incorporated.

2. Add in the yeast and give it a good stir to mix.

3. Pour in the water and mix it all until the flour is all incorporated - no visible flour.

4. Cover the bowl with a lid or cling film and leave over night to rise, or for at least 8-10 hours.

5. Pre-heat the oven to 240 degrees C and take a rack from the oven and cover it with baking paper.

5.Once your dough has proved, flour the benchtop heavily and pour out the dough onto the flour. Flour the top of the dough and then using a dough scraper, shape the dough into an elongated oval/rectangle type shape. Be careful not to knead it, use delicate hands!

6. Cut the dough into 4 equal sized lengths and very carefully, transfer them to the oven rack, stretching them slightly but also being careful not to knock any air out of them.

7. Bake in the over for 30 mins until golden brown.

8. Remove and then allow to cool before cutting them open to use as you wish.

Easy Lemon Curd

 

This is a really easy recipe to make delicious lemon curd in a hurry! It's hard to believe, I know, but it's all done in the microwave and it takes less than 5 mins; YES! This recipe makes 3 of these jars in the photo, so around 500mls or so (I am sorry, I didn't actually measure the final product!)

Easy Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

• 175 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 225 g caster sugar
• 115 g very soft butter (or dairy free alternative - I used Flora block - unsalted)
• 2 large eggs

Method:

1. Mix the lemon juice and caster sugar together in a large microwave-safe bowl or jug. 
2. Stir in the butter.
3. Whisk the eggs very well in a separate bowl until well combined. Pass this through a sieve into the bowl of lemon juice mixture. Discard any stringy bits and wash and dry the sieve as you will need it again later.
4. Stir well and then cook in the microwave on high for 60 seconds. Take out and whisk it well; it may not look any different at this point, but whisk well anyway. 
5. Return to the microwave and cook for three more lots of 60 seconds on high, whisking well after each 60 seconds. You will see it thickening after each zap in the microwave.
6. After 4 mins it should be thick and starting to look set. If you think it needs slightly longer, zap for another 30 seconds. If you want to be cautious, you can slow down the final 60 seconds by splitting it into 30 second increments instead to control the thickening a little more.
7. Pass the curd through the clean and dry sieve to remove any small pieces of cooked egg, although it's rare to get any with this method. Spoon it into warm, sterilized jars, and once cooled to room temperature, store in the fridge.
8. It should last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

NOTE: there are a number of ways to sterilize jars:

1. Wash in the dishwasher and use straight after the wash while they are still hot.

2. Wash the jars in warm soapy water, then rinse and place the jars into the oven on 150 degrees C for 15 mins. I put the rubber seals into boiling water for the same length of time. Place curd in soon after sterilizing.

Chocolate Easter Egg Cheesecakes

This is a fun way to present a lemon vanilla cheesecake at Easter time. I have left out the traditional biscuit base, but you could always add that in if you wanted to, and add a layer of it in the bottom of the Easter egg.

I have made this filling dairy free but I will add both versions below so you have a choice. For my son's (the dairy free version) I also made  the chocolate egg as well using a mold I had at home anyway. I melted dairy free chocolate and  built up layers of the melted chocolate, chilling between layers. This recipe is so easily made dairy free and it tastes delicious!

Chocolate Easter Egg Cheesecakes

Serves 3 medium sized half-eggs (double the recipe for more)

Ingredients:

• 170g cream cheese (or dairy free version)
• 100ml double cream (or Elmlea plant double cream)
• 40g icing sugar, sifted
• 1t vanilla
• juice of 1/4 lemon
• 3 x half easter eggs
• decorations - such as marshmallows, mini eggs, mini creme eggs, sprinkles - whatever you have or would like to use.

Method:

1. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, lemon and vanilla in a bowl, whisking until it is smooth and well combined.
2. In a different bowl, whip the cream until it is thick with soft peaks and then fold it carefully into the cream cheese mixture until it is fully combined (you can whisk it briefly too).
3. Spoon into the chocolate Easter eggs, decorate and set in the fridge for 2-3 hours but preferably overnight.

 

Rocky Road (Easter edition)

 

A well-loved family favourite has been given an Easter makeover this year. You can, of course, adapt your decorations to suit what you have available, such as mini eggs, mini creme eggs etc.

I would normally make this into one batch in a 20cm x 20cm lined tin, but today I decided to split it between 3 trays to give as gifts to friends (we kept one for our family). It's always lovely to share the goodies!

If making these outside a celebration time, finish the batch off with a sprinkling of icing sugar over the top to decorate.

ROCKY ROAD

Serves 16

Ingredients:

• 200g rich tea biscuits 
• 300g dark chocolate
• 45mls golden syrup (3 x 15ml spoons)
• 125g butter
• 100g mini marshmallows

Method:

1.  Place the biscuits onto a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into a combination of crumbs and small pieces. Tip the biscuits into a large bowl. 

2.  In a saucepan, combine the chocolate, butter and golden syrup and melt over a low heat. Take out 125ml of the melted mixture and set aside.

3. Pour the larger chocolate mixture into the biscuits and mix to combine. Add the marshmallows and mix until almost all coated and then pour this mixture into the lined pan (20cm x 20cm if making one batch). Spread evenly and smooth the top with a spoon.

4. Pour the remaining chocolate mixture over the top and spread it out to create a smoother layer. Add any decorations and then refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.  If adding icing sugar on top, do so once it has set in the fridge.

5. Remove from the pan and slice up into 16 pieces. Store in an airtight container, preferably in the fridge.

Chocolate Christmas Cake

This Christmas I have made two special Christmas cakes using this recipe below. It has quickly become our family favourite. The one above, I made for the teachers at my son's school, as a thank you and well done for getting through a very long Autumn term.  The other one, I made for my own school's Festive Fair, for a 'Guess the Weight of the Cake' competition. (It was 3.7kg in case you were wondering!)

The same recipe for both cakes, but presented very differently. The bundt cake is topped with a simple icing sugar and water glaze, and then vanilla cookies on top (recipe for those here) and the triple layer has vanilla buttercream inside and around and a chocolate ganache drip on top. The biscuits on that are gingerbread (recipe found here).

In my opinion, it's worth making the biscuits too, as they are sooo delicious, and can be kept in airtight containers for a couple of weeks.

Chocolate Indulgence Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups self raising flour (300g)
2 cups caster sugar (460g)
3/4 cup cocoa (90g)
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda (baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coffee powder
1 cup milk (250ml)
1/2 cup sunflower oil (125ml)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10ml)
1 cup boiling water (250ml)

For the frosting:
250 g softened butter
500g icing sugar
2 Tablespoons milk (30ml)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

For the cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan (350F) and line the base and sides of two 20cm (8 inch) cake tins, or one bundt tin.
2. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, bi-carb soda, coffee powder and salt and mix together in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Whisk together to combine fully.
4. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix on a medium speed until fully combined. Carefully add the boiling water, and mix on high speed for 1 minute to add air to the mixture.
5. Split the mixture evenly between the two cake tins and bake for 35-40 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Bake for 45 mins in the bundt tin.
6. Leave the cakes in the tins for 15 mins and then turn out into wire racks to cool fully.
7. To get a flat top on the cake, once it is out of the oven, using your whole palm, press very gently on a clean tea towel on the top of the cake, and this slowly flattens it and saves you having to trim.

For the frosting:
1. Mix the butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a large bowl until the buttercream is silky. Add the milk to loosen it up.
2. Use some of the buttercream between the cake layers and then do a layer to crumb coat the cake. Chill in the fridge for 30 mins or until set.
3. Add another layer of the buttercream to the cake, smoothing the sides.
4. Decorate as you wish. I added a ganache drip and then put the biscuits on top.

It's a very indulgent cake, but for a chocolate lover, perfect!

Gingerbread Biscuits

This is a wonderful recipe to work with, and it tastes delicious! I use it to make biscuits and also our annual gingerbread house.

Gingerbread Biscuits

Ingredients:

140g golden syrup

200g soft light brown sugar

200g unsalted butter

4 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp bicarb of soda (baking soda)

500g plain flour

1tsp salt

1 medium free-range egg, lightly beaten

     Method:

1. Pour the golden syrup into a large saucepan with the sugar, butter and spices, then heat over a low-medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Increase the heat to bring mixture to boiling point, then take off the heat and beat in the bi-carb of soda. The mixture will froth and bubble at this point as the bicarb reacts - mix briefly until combined and leave to cool for 15 mins, then pour into a large mixing bowl (I used my stand mixer bowl),

3. Sift the flour and salt, then fold into the spiced sugar mixture in batches, using a wooden spoon or stand mixer. Beat in the egg until just combined. Don't over work the mixture of the biscuits will spread too much during baking (they spread anyway, but this may stop it going too far!)

4. The dough can be quite sticky to begin with but don't add any extra flour unless you absolutely have to, and even then use just a sprinkling - the minimum you can to get it less sticky and usable. Scrape out the bowl onto a clean surface and knead together until just smooth.

At this stage you can wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for an hour or until cool. But I prefer to roll the dough out between sheets of baking/parchment paper to the thickness I want the biscuits to be. I then chill the ready rolled dough on trays ready to cut afterwards. It's much easier than rolling out fridge-hardened dough.

5. Cut out the biscuits in the shape you want and place them apart on a baking tray. They will spread slightly when cooked so to help avoid this, put the tray back into the fridge or freezer for 10 mins before baking.

6. Bake each tray for around 10-12 mins on 170 degrees C, or until slightly browned on the edges.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack ready for decorating.

This recipe makes a lot of biscuits, depending on the size of the cutter. The uncooked dough can be frozen and used at a later date, or stored in the fridge for about 3 days.

(Hint: for decorating purposes, it’s best to make the biscuits slightly thicker so they are robust in little hands)

Royal Icing (basic)

• 500g royal icing sugar, sifted
• 80ml water

1. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, adding the water and mix until a thick paste forms. Add more water as required but only a drop or two at a time. If you make it too runny, you can add more icing sugar to thicken it up. Add colour as needed.

2. Put into a piping bag ready to use on the biscuits. To make a flood filling, add small amount of water to the icing until it gets to a more runny consistency.

Royal Icing (egg free)

• 90ml (1/3c) aquafaba
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4c icing/powdered sugar

1. Pour aquafaba into a mixing bowl and mix with electric beater until it starts to foam.

2. Add vanilla and sugar and whisk for about 5 mins until the mixture is thick and very white.

3. Add a very small amount of water ( a few drops) if the icing is too stiff. If you make it too runny, you can add more icing sugar to thicken it up. Add colour as needed.
2. Put into a piping bag ready to use on the biscuits. To make a flood filling, add small amount of water to the icing until it gets to a more runny consistency.

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