Sophie, who previously wrote award-winning blog The Cake Hunter, which was born out of a love for butter and sugar, has found a new home for her recipes at The Dinner Bell.
This cake is perfect for autumn. It’s just slightly adapted from a David Lebovitz recipe for carrot cake and you probably wouldn’t know it was sweet potato if I didn’t tell you but it’s the maple frosting that makes it. I had a glut of sweet potatoes lying around and I figured there was no reason why I couldn’t use them in the same way as carrots. This frosting is much sweeter than your basic cream cheese frosting so you don’t need a big slice when it comes to eating, but who am I to tell you how to eat your cake?!
It is crumbly without being dry and has the right balance of sweet and spice. As with all cakes, I recommend a strong coffee. Continue reading →
I would say these pancakes require a little more effort than a regular batch but they are definitely worth it, especially if you make the syrup as well. They are much creamier inside and this goes so well with the sweet orange slices cooked on top. When the sugars in the orange caramelise slightly in the pan these pancakes just get even better. I’m completely in love with ricotta pancakes. Continue reading →
It’s all we want in life really: breakfast that’s pretty good for you and gives you chocolate milk in return. I think the idea with granola is that you are supposed to sprinkle a little bit on your yoghurt and fruit but I am partial to a huge bowl of it with enough milk to wet the granola but not swimming in milk. I have milk issues, in that, the very idea of drinking a glass of milk makes me heave. Unless it’s chocolate milk, then I’m fine.
I really love the tahini in this. The finished granola doesn’t taste of tahini but it just brings out the flavour of the other ingredients really well without being overpowering. It goes so perfectly with the cocoa and coconut.
I think there are two categories of brownie, dessert and snack. Dessert brownies are messy and probably need to be eaten with ice cream and a spoon. Snack brownies are the ones you can wrap in foil and sneak into your handbag for emergency brownie situations – these situations arise almost daily for me. I place myself more on the dessert end of the spectrum, I find a dry, cakey brownie just about the most disappointing thing that could happen to me in a world of baked goods. Continue reading →
My fridge has been full of various attempts at panna cotta for days. Shelves full of tea cups and ramekins and every mini container that might hold a panna cotta. I never expected my first attempt to go well, it set but it was rubbery and far too boozy, the alcohol seemed to double overnight. It’s all about balance with these flavours, one attempt had too much prosecco, one had too much mint, I finally cracked it and I think these are perfect for a festive dinner party. They are smooth and creamy but also really light and a lovely way to end a meal.
I’m a big prosecco fan, I insisted with order extra for the wedding because I love it so, and I know some of my bridesmaids do too. We had a few bottles as gifts so Nick and I had a few fizz filled evenings in front of the TV with a takeaway. We also went through a couple of glasses leftover from the bottles used for this recipe. I have a soft spot for bubbles in my wine glass.
3 mint leaves, finely chopped (plus extra for garnish)
If you want to be able to turn the panna cotta out, rub a tiny bit of oil around the dish.
Pour the milk into a medium to large saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Leave to soften for 5-7 minutes.
Turn the heat on to low and gently warm the milk, stirring regularly until the gelatin has all dissolved. Don’t like the milk boil though.
Stir in the sugar and heat until this has dissolved, still keeping the milk from boiling.
Whisk in the cream, prosecco, salt and mint and pour into your moulds.
Place in the fridge and leave to set for at least 4 hours.
Serve straight away or to remove from the moulds, run a slim knife around the top edge and hold the mould in a bowl of warm water for 5 seconds. Turn upside down and give it gentle shake to release it. If it is a little stubborn hold it in the water for a 3 seconds at a time.
The problem with these tea cakes is that it’s really easy to keep eating them. There’s no muffin case getting in your way and all these pretty little tea cakes are just lying around whispering ‘ooh [insert name here] why don’t you put the kettle on and eat us all?!’.
What? You mean your cakes don’t talk to you?
I jest of course but cake definitely finds a way to call to me in some way. I know how to be stronger and resist. If I make sure I get more sleep and eat well in the day then I can turn cake down but if I’m tired and hormonal then it’s every cake for himself.
These are the perfect no frills tea cakes. Whipping up the egg whites separately means the batter is much lighter. Rose and rhubarb is a wonderful flavour combination and one of my favourites. Continue reading →
Today I’m beyond excited to have a post from Sophie, who was one of the very first people to welcome me to this food blogging community, as well as being a great inspiration and fellow pumpkin lover. Take it away!
I’d had this recipe lying around for some time and I knew it would be perfect for anyone baking in limited space.
I love a method born out of sheer laziness. Don’t get me wrong, not all shortcuts in baking are good…it is usually better to sift your flour and ingredients do really need to be at room temperature for a good cake but the method that requires very minimal equipment is a method I can get on board with. I don’t like to make work for myself unless absolutely necessary. This includes washing up, now that we don’t have the luxury of hiding plates in a dishwasher, their constant presence in the sink serves as a reminder that they always need doing! Therefore, if I can get some baking done and only have to wash a spoon, fork, bowl and little saucepan at the end of it then I’m pretty happy. Continue reading →
