Cookies Galore

So we're back after a fantastic trip to Queenstown - more about that in next week's blog!


In the meantime, fancy whipping up a batch of cookies this weekend? These are courtesy of Australian Chef, Bill Granger - they are perfect for kids lunchboxes and adults too! I've altered the recipe slightly by adding chocolate chips, you can add milk/white or dark or just stick with the raisins alone (use 175g if doing this).


Enjoy TPB X

OATMEAL, RAISIN & CHOCOLATE COOKIES


150g unsalted butter, softened or use 150g reduced fat spread if you prefer
225g soft brown sugar
1 egg beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
125g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
235g rolled oats (regular porridge oats)
75g raisins
100g milk chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 180c. Line 3 baking trays with baking parchment.
2. Cream butter & sugar together until fluffy & smooth. Add the egg & vanilla extract & beat until smooth. 
3. Sift the flour, baking powder & salt into the bowl and mix together. Add the oats & raisins & stir together.
4. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into bowls & place on the baking trays. Flatten the balls with a fork. Bake for 20 mins or until pale golden. 
5. Let them cool on tray for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool further.

It's a little stunner...

Well I must start this week’s blog by saying….WAHOO! :) The reason for this is that my Feijoa and almond cake recipe was recently published in The Sunday Star Times newspaper, within Niki Bezzant’s column. They omitted my credit, so a nameless recipe but hey ho, that’s the way it goes sometimes! The recipe is in my second post of this blog and you can view it by following this link http://thepassionategroup.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-to-do-with-these-beautiful-green.html

This little stunner of a recipe made it into NZ's National Sunday paper

With the success of my feijoa cake in mind and a fruit bowl bursting with bananas, my latest creation is below. Try very, very hard not to cut into it straight away – I know the smell out of the oven is divine, but once cooled and iced you’ll be really glad you waited. 


Enjoy. TPB X

Toasted coconut at its finest

COCONUT & BANANA CAKE WITH VANILLA BEAN FROSTING


100g butter, softened
100g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
150g self raising flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup desiccated coconut
1 cup mashed banana

FROSTING


25g butter, softened
100g cream cheese
250g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (I use Equagold)


3 tablespoons shredded coconut, toasted (optional)


1. Heat oven to 180Oc, then grease and line a 19cm round cake tin. 
2. Combine the butter and sugar until creamy; add the eggs, flour and baking soda stirring well. Fold through the cinnamon, coconut and banana. Pour into prepared tin & place into oven for 4-50 minutes until golden brown on top and a skewer comes out clean. Place onto a wire rack to cool .
3. For the frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese for a few minutes until well combined, slowly adding the icing sugar until desired thickness is required. Add the both the vanilla extract and paste, stir well and place into fridge to thicken a little.
4. Once the cake is completely cooled, ice and top with toasted coconut, sprinkles or whatever you fancy.

A Royal Melting Moment....

Okay then, so it's the big day for an unsuspecting couple tomorrow and what better way to celebrate than with some delicious and delectable delights! 


If you can, use real vanilla extract in baking. It is a bit more expensive but you really will taste the difference when biting into the buttery crumb of a melting moment, or as they call them here in New Zealand.... a Yo-Yo.


VANILLA PINK MELTING MOMENTS 


This tasty recipe has been adapted from the Chelsea Sugar website. Thanks Chelsea!


250g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup icing sugar
3/4 cup cornflour
1 & 1/2 cups plain flour


1. Set the oven to fan bake 160oC, and line 2 trays with baking paper.
2. Cream butter, icing sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add in sieved cornflour and flour. If using your hands, gather into a large ball and try not to handle the dough too much - the butter will start to melt.
3. Using a teaspoon and the palm of your hand, shape into small balls and line on the tray. Press down onto the balls with the back of a fork, denting them slightly.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, set aside on a wire rack to cool.

PINK BUTTER CREAM ICING


50g butter, softened
3/4 cup icing sugar, sieved
A couple of drops of milk (may not be needed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A couple of drops of red food colouring


1. Combine the butter and icing sugar until fluffy, add the vanilla, beat again then slowly add the red colouring until you have your desired colour. Remember to add it slowly, even if it doesn't look like much you can always add more but you can't remove it!
2. Using a palette or flat knife, spread one side of the biscuit base with the butter cream icing and top with a biscuit lid.
3. Roll sides of biscuit in pink sprinkles. Repeat until all biscuit bases are filled, topped and rolled.
4. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I also made these tasty morsels this afternoon - they go by the name of "Lime & Toasted Coconut" cupcakes. You can order them directly from The Passionate Baker by emailing rebecca@thepassionatebaker.co.nz 

I know you'd all love the recipe, but shhhh it's a secret - for now anyway. ;)


Enjoy the Royal Wedding!

The Perfect Easter Cake

Wow, this year is flying by and it's Easter this weekend. It really is another perfect excuse to whip up some amazing treats and enjoy them with family and friends. One of my favourite Easter cake recipes is below - it's just divine. 

I top with dark chocolate ganache (recipe also below) and chocolate eggs, then serve warmed with cream or ice cream...heaven. Thanks to Rachel Allen and her book "Bake" for this recipe.

HAPPY EASTER! X

CHOCOLATE & VANILLA MARBLE CAKE

225g (8oz) butter, softened

225g (8oz) caster sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

225g (8oz) plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

50ml (1 ¾ fl oz) milk

Scant 50g (2oz) cocoa powder, sifted

1.    Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Butter and flour the sides of a 20cm (8in) diameter spring-form/loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.

2.    Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3.    Whisk the eggs and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Gradually add the eggs to the butter mixture, beating all the time. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently to mix, then add the milk and mix gently to combine.

4.    Tip half of the cake mixture into another large bowl and, into this bowl, fold in the sifted cocoa powder.

5.    Place the cake mixtures into the prepared tin by alternating spoonfuls of the vanilla batter with the chocolate batter, then with a skewer or similar implement, gently draw swirls through the cake mixture to ‘marblise’ it. Don’t overmix or you won’t have that wonderful marble effect. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

6.    Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1/2 Cup double (thickened) cream

200g Dark chocolate

1.     Melt chocolate in microwave proof bowl or over pot with hot water.

2.     Heat cream in separate pot on minimal heat, until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir into melted chocolate. 

3.     Mix well until it combines and becomes glossy. Spread onto cake & top with mini chocolate eggs.

Feijoas, feijoas, feijoas...

Okay here goes, first blog post, a tad nervous to be honest. A small admission before I begin; I am passionate about food. Full stop. In fact I would go as far as to say I'm infatuated with it. Give me a cook book, cooking magazine, novel about food and I'm lost for hours. I can sit and watch the Food TV channel for days - it really is an obsession that needs to be taken into hand and what better way to do this than blogging my food passions/frustrations online.

Let's go!

Many people say that baking is a science and not an art....well I personally think it's a bit of both. Along my culinary journey I've had many a mess up in the kitchen, from burnt buns to exploding cupcakes, it's all a learning  experience that makes you glad that it happened and in years to come you can look back and laugh about it. 

Since moving to New Zealand I've had the strange but wonderful experience of trying new fruits and vegetables, many of which just aren't available in British supermarkets. One of my strangest finds is the Feijoa, it's really a love/hate affair to be honest. I couldn't touch the things for years and then 2 weeks ago whilst picking them at a friend's place in Matakana, well I can't get enough of them! 

Wikipedia wants to tell me that "The fruit, maturing in autumn, is green, ellipsoid, and about the size of a chicken egg. It has a sweet, aromatic flavor. The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear gelatinous seed pulp and a firmer, slightly gritty, opaque flesh nearer the skin. The fruit drops when ripe and at its fullest flavor, but may be picked from the tree prior to the drop to prevent bruising. The fruit pulp resembles the closely related guava, having a gritty texture." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acca_sellowiana

Basically...it smells like perfume - honestly, it does! Am I selling it to you?! But it's an amazing perfume, The Chanel No. 5 of fruits. Anyway - it's a beautifully versatile fruit that loves baking, yes it's like me. So in the next few posts I shall be telling you what I've done with this beautiful green object. Until then, collect as many as you can from your neighbour's driveway and I'll tell you what to do with them this weekend!