Tag: baking

Pecan Caramel Cheesecake

pecan caramel cheesecake

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I’m not sure whether I have ever met someone who didn’t like cheesecake and I’m not sure whether I want to. What’s not to love, right? I love a no-bake cheesecake, but I do think that a baked cheesecake has the edge that wins for me. It’s a little bit like instant coffee vs going through the whole process of grinding your own beans and making a proper coffee. Most of us by far prefer the flavour and taste of a real coffee and why not. Although I am sure due to convenience you will find a jar of instant coffee in every coffee lover’s kitchen. I think we can be a little like this when it comes to cheesecake no-bake cheesecakes are a great dessert for those experimenting with their first desserts and those short on time. Baked cheesecakes take a bit more work and that’s ok. They are worth it. Honestly, they sound more daunting than they are. Often words like bain Marie can scare people or the cooking steps and stages but it’s not as difficult as it sounds. Firstly, a bain Marie simply means a water bath so all we have to do for this is wrap the cheesecake base in kitchen foil to prevent water from getting into the cheesecake. Place it in a roasting tin and pour water from a recently boiled kettle into the roasting tin around the cheesecake, simple.

Baked Cheesecake recipe

The next step that can be off putting is all the warnings in recipes about baked cheesecake tops cracking. Firstly, I say “Big Deal” who cares if the top cracks it’s not the end of the world. It isn’t ruined and often the topping will disguise it even if it does. So fear not. I have found the best way to prevent the top cracking is to allow my cheesecake to sit for an hour after its baked in a switched off oven. The reason I do this is because one of the main reasons for cheesecakes cracking is the extreme temperature changes and living in Ireland my kitchen most of the year isn’t very hot and taking it straight from the oven to the kitchen counter will shock it and create cracks so instead I let it rest for an hour in the oven after baking then transfer to the kitchen counter to cool completely. If it is very cold in my kitchen after the hour I open the oven door fully and let it cool completely in the oven with the door open.

Baked pecan caramel cheesecake

One other important factor to keep in mind when making baked cheesecakes, and one I wish I had known about when I made my first baked cheesecake is that it should still have wobble when shaken after it has been baked.

I hope you enjoy the recipe below as much as I do.

vegan chocolate banana cake

Chocolate Banana Cake (Vegan Recipe)

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I came up with this recipe for a vegan friend, I love the cake so much that it replaced the regular version of it I used to make. I think its always good to a few recipes that are universally appealing gluten free, dairy free or vegan. I like to serve everyone the same thing regardless of dietary needs. People can be so sceptical of vegan meals or bakes, automatically thinking they are inferior simply because they are vegan, when this is not the case. I have found that all the vegan cakes I have come up with have had a fantastic light crumb.  Everyone loves this cake whether vegan or not.

The cake is light, fluffy and moist and so tender. The frosting is a doddle to make and is very easy to work with it makes icing a cake almost easy. One important thing to note is that the coconut cream or coconut milk must be kept in the fridge until required this will help it separate and the liquid part to sink to the bottom and the firm part stay at the top. I prefer to use coconut cream as you get more solid mass to liquid but either will work. Sometime depending on how much coconut solids I get I may need to add a teaspoon or two of the liquid to make the frosting more spreadable and get that glossy smooth texture.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.

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Autumnal Cake

Autumnal Cake

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The nights are drawing in, cold dark evenings and we are firmly in the season of the pumpkin. My Autumnal cake started life out as a warmly spiced pumpkin cake but did require a lot of work. Thankfully however, I discovered cans of pumpkin puree, unfortunately though this has become increasing more difficult to come across. So now I use mostly butternut squash or sweet potato as puree for this cake. Whenever I’m using the oven, I stick a few potatoes in a tin in a hot oven for an hour with skin and all on and they roast within giving you a tender flesh that can be turned into a puree by simply pulverising it with a fork. I do these two or three times a week meaning I have a stash of cooked sweet potato in the fridge at anytime ready to be turned into any number of good things. Bags of frozen cubed butternut squash are great for this as well and take less time in the oven and can be broke down as well with a fork once cooked.

I do love a fancy cake tin, they can give you a very ornate highly decorative finish to a cake with no work. You can cook this cake in a plain loaf tin, grease with butter then fit with baking parchment. Another great option is a Bundt tin, just remember with these highly decorative tins they must be oiled well to prevent the cake sticking. You can use oil, non-stick baking spray or oil and flower to prevent it sticking. If you have pumpkin from your Halloween carving this is a fantastic use for them. It would seem like complete madness to just throw it away.

It is important to let your cake sit for 10 – 15 minutes when it comes out of the oven to cool slightly before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. This will give the cake a chance to firm up slightly and reduce the chances of it tearing as you unmould.

It seemed very appropriate that the Autumnal cake be sprinkled with thyme. Thyme is by far my favourite herb and its deep woodsy scent highlights the orange in the cake and brings everything together. The icing itself adds a slight sweetness to the cake but more importantly acts as a glue to stick the thyme leaves to the cake.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

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A good old-fashioned chocolate cake is hard to beat, right? Its rustic appearance reassures me that it is going to deliver an uplifting fudgy hit of chocolaty goodness. Exactly what is needed midweek to get through.

This is a family favourite, that I am advised is best eaten slightly warmed so that the frosting has begun to melt and with vanilla ice cream. I prefer to eat at room temperature as is, but however you decide to eat it, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Passion Fruit Pavlova

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A pavlova is one of my favourite desserts. I make them so often as you may have noticed. All that tender sweet marshmallowy centre and the crisp exterior topped with softly whipped cream and berries, how could you not love it? It is a perfect dessert for feeding a large gathering as most of the work can be done ahead of time then it’s just a matter of assembling. It is also great for using up eggs, every time I make something that requires egg whites only or egg yolks only, I freeze the part I’m not using in freezer bags. This prevents any waste. Anytime I want a custard or a pavlova I know I have a stash in the freezer, simply grab them from the freezer and defrost in the fridge.

If you would like a quicker version and don’t want to make your own curd, although, when you have the yolks leftover from the pav base it would seem like madness not too. You could buy a jar of lemon curd and scoop the pulp and seeds of a few passion fruit into this with a little squeeze of lemon juice to increase the zingyness.

The Ultimate Sophisticated Amaretto Chocolate Tart

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This is one for all the chocolate lovers out there. It is rich, dark and elegant. It is an easy tart to make as it requires no baking. Instead of using a pastry it has a biscuit crumb base and the filling is a easy chocolate custard using a milk and cornflour mixture to slake it meaning that you don’t have to use eggs, preventing any worries of having a chocolate scrambled egg filling.

Modest slices are adequate when portioning as I have said it is very rich. Serve alongside some softly whipped double cream or crème fraiche.

Averting Bread Crisis

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Have you ever awoken to find that you are completely out of bread? If so, don’t worry I’ve got you sorted. These delicious soda bread rolls take 25 minutes from start to ready to eat. Crisis averted, I call these breakfast rolls as I add granola to the mix which imparts flavour and texture with no extra work.

I haven’t gone mad making bread first thing in the morning. In fact, by the time the oven has preheated these rolls are ready to go in and they only take 20 minutes in the oven, just about as much time is required to have a mug or two of tea and come to one’s senses. Do allow them to rest for a few minutes to cool a little on a wire rack before eating. I eat still warm with good butter or with some good marmalade and sometimes actually all the time with both.

You can also make one large loaf with this recipe instead of splitting the dough into 6, form into one large ball and bake for 40 minutes

It is also worth noting that you can use runny yoghurt instead of buttermilk if you don’t have any or can’t get any. Clobbered milk is also another option which is a technique of souring regular milk with lemon juice. 400ml of either of these can be used to replace the buttermilk.

beef & guinness cobbler stew

Beef Cobbler

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I know it’s summer but it is a cold wet grey day so why not try this warming soul soothing stew with cheesy dumplings. I do call these cheese scones as they are a simplified version of dumpling that are made more like scones and look like scones. As they cook the top browns and gets firm add a delicious texture, whilst the underneath soaks in the beefy juicy of the stew and is out of this world. No matter how large a pot of this I make everyone goes back for seconds or thirds until we are scrapping the bottom of the pot.

You can cook this entirely in the oven, which will leave you free to potter about and get on with other things which I expect on a Saturday morning will be a bonus. Other than the scone topping feel free to swap and change any other ingredients that you like. This is the joy of long slow cooking with stews/casseroles you can add just about anything and the long slow cooking does it’s magic.

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