National Baking Week with Baking Mad - Doughnut Muffins & Vegan Mint Cake

Not only is it the week of my blogoversary, but it's also Mr O's birthday and National Baking Week. That makes it the ideal week to bake something special to celebrate all 3 events!

Baking Mad are also celebrating National Baking Week, and asked me to try out some of their recipes and blog about them. It took me a while to choose, but I eventually settled on 2 quite different ones: The delicious-sounding jam doughnut muffins (edit - now know as duffins!) and Eric Lanlard's indulgent-looking vegan mint chocolate cake.

I made the muffins earlier in the week. I didn't have any buttermilk, so I substituted this for half plain yogurt and half water. I also made a combination of lemon curd, strawberry jam and Nutella filled muffins to please all the family. They turned out perfectly, although they didn't rise as much as I expected. They were absolutely delicious whilst still warm - really light and fluffy - and they tasted a bit like freshly cooked American waffles. They tasted pretty good cold too, and I found they froze and defrosted well.

I decided to halve the vegan chocolate cake ingredients, as I wasn't sure how well it would keep. I was a little worried about making the cake, as I expected the recipe to contain dairy-free spread or vegetable oil, but the actual cake is fat-free. The mixture made quite a runny batter, which again was a little disconcerting! The cakes rose quite well and looked quite light, but needed a little persuasion to come out of their tins!

I couldn't find vegan cream for the ganache icing, so I had to improvise using dairy-free spread and a splash of soya milk along with the chocolate. I also added quite a bit of peppermint extract, to get a good minty flavour.

The cake had a unusual chewy texture, but tasted good with the mint-chocolate ganache smothered all over it! I think the cake would benefit from the addition of some margarine or oil, as I reckon this would make a softer textured cake (sorry Eric!)

Myself, Mr O and the children all enjoyed both the muffins and the cake. I'm not sure I'd make the cake again, but I'll definitely be making the muffins again soon. 

For more recipes and tips on baking and cupcake making, visit the Baking Mad website.

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Apple Upside-Down Cake

This is a recipe that I adapted from an old pineapple upside-down cake recipe, as I had some apples on my tree that needed using up - I think it would also work well using other fruits such as plums, pears, apricots and pineapple of course!

• 50g/2oz butter or dairy-free spread
• 50g/2oz soft brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)

Cream the above ingredients together and spread over the bottom of a greased 18cm/7" round sandwich cake tin.

• 3-4 eating apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
• 75g/3oz butter/dairy-free spread
• 75g/3oz caster sugar
• 100g/4oz SR flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 egg or equivalent egg-replacer
• 1 tbsp water

Top the butter and sugar mixture in the tin with a generous layer of sliced apples.
Cream the remaining butter and sugar together for the cake mixture.
Add the egg, water, baking powder and flour and mix to a smooth (but quite thick) batter/mixture.
Spoon into the tin and spread over the apples.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C/170C Fan/Gas 4 for around 30 minutes or until the sponge is golden brown and firm to the touch.
Turn out and serve warm.

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Chocolate Tiffin (Vegan)

My kids love chocolate tiffin (biscuit cake/refrigerator cake) and are old enough to make this on their own now. I decided to earn some good mum points today though and made some on my afternoon off work, so they would be ready to eat as an after dinner treat. 

• 200g/8oz crushed vegan digestive biscuits (Graham crackers)
• 100g/4oz dairy-free spread (not reduced/low fat)
• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or your choice of coffee, peppermint, orange extract etc)
• 100g/4oz chopped dried fruit (I used raisins, glace cherries and apricots)
• 100g/4oz dairy-free chocolate, melted.

Crush the biscuits in a plastic bag, using a rolling pin, or use a food processor.
Put the spread, sugar, cocoa, and syrup in a bowl and melt on a low setting in the microwave. Stir well.
Add the flavouring, dried fruits and crushed biscuits.
Mix until all the biscuit crumbs are coated.
Pour into a greased square baking tin and press down well with the back of a spoon.

Melt the chocolate on a low setting in the microwave.
Pour over the biscuit base and spread, with the back of a spoon, to cover.
Chill in the fridge.
Cut into squares when cold.

Keeps for up to a week in an airtight container.

Not suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: you can really use any plain biscuits in this recipe such as rich tea, shortbread, Nice etc. or use a combination if you wish. 
Swap the dried fruits for chopped nuts or seeds, if preferred.
Gluten-free option: swap the biscuits for a gluten-free variety.

Top Tip: This is a good recipe to use up left over Christmas or Easter chocolate.

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Apple Cake (Vegan)

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This moist apple cake is a good way to use up left-over apples or other seasonal fruit. If you grown your own apples, like I do, use up your wind-fall or less-than-perfect fruits with this recipe.

• 4 eating apples, peeled, cored and grated 
• 200g self-raising flour 
• 100g dairy free spread
• 100g sugar
• 100g dried fruit (optional)
• 1 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice 
• 2-3 tbsp water or dairy-free milk
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar

Pre-heat oven to 180C/ Fan 170C/ Gas 4/350F
Cream the spread and sugar.
Mix in the remaining ingredients (except the demerara sugar) adding just enough water/milk to make a thick cake mixture.
Spoon into a greased and lined 8"/20cm x 6"/15cm tin (or a 7-8" round tin) and flatten with a spatula or spoon.
Sprinkle with the demerara sugar and a little extra cinnamon. 
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.
Cool in the tin and cut into slices before turning out.
Eat warm or cold.

Suitable for freezing.

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Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (Vegan)

I've been attempting to make a decent vegan chocolate cupcake for some time now. I wanted to make them without egg replacer or any fancy ingredients, but although I found I could make great tasting cakes, the texture was too crumbly without egg to stick it together. This time I added a grated apple and that seemed to do the trick!

• 250g/10oz SR flour
• 200g/8oz soft dark brown sugar
• 4 tbsp fine shred orange marmalade
• 150g/6oz vegan/dairy-free spread
• 150ml/a generous ½ cup cold water or dairy-free milk
• 50g/2oz unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 peeled and grated eating apple
• 50g/2oz dairy-free chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dates or chopped nuts (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 180C/170C Fan/Gas 5/375F. 

Cream the dairy-free spread and the sugar, then add the cocoa, grated apple and marmalade and mix well.
Add the flour, water/milk and bicarb. Blend until you have a smooth mixture.
Stir in some chocolate chips/chopped nuts etc (optional).
Spoon generously into 12 muffin/cupcake cases.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
Ice when cool (optional).

Suitable for freezing.

Orange glacé icing

• Juice and zest of 1 orange
• 100g/4oz icing sugar
• A couple of drops of orange food colouring (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Add a little boiling water or some more icing sugar if needed, to make a thick, but spreadable icing.
Spread on top of each cake.

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Chocolate Cornflake Crunchies (Vegan)

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As it's nearly Easter and the kids are at home for the holidays, we thought we'd make some simple, cheap (and vegan) Chocolate Cornflake Crunchies*.

As we're not vegan, we topped them with mini milk-chocolate eggs, but you could obviously leave them off or use a dairy-free alternative, if you're vegan.

I generally double this recipe to make 16 cakes.

• 50g/2oz margarine
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 50g/2oz demerara sugar (I use soft brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp/½ oz unsweetened cocoa powder (I double this to make them more chocolaty)
• 50g/2 oz cornflakes

Put margarine, syrup, sugar and cocoa into a saucepan. Heat gently until the margarine has melted (I bring the mixture to the boil to make the mixture more syrupy). 
Add the cornflakes and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until coated with the chocolate syrup. Place spoonfuls of the mixture in to paper cases and leave for an hour or two until cold and set.

*Recipe taken from The Children's Cookery Book by Zita Alden and Yvonne Bourbon (out of print). Pin It

Giant Chocolate Cupcake

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I bought a giant cupcake tin from Lakeland a couple of years ago (Wilton make a similar pan), and told the kids that they would have to have a giant cupcake for every birthday until they were 18, as the tin was so expensive! 

Serves 20

• 250g/10oz butter/dairy-free spread
• 250g/10oz sugar
• 5 medium eggs
• 250g/10oz SR flour
• 50g/2oz unsweetened cocoa powder, sieved
• 50g/2oz dark chocolate chips
• 6 tbsp milk/water
• 1½ level tsp baking powder

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Pre heat the oven to 160C/150C Fan/Gas 3.

Grease the cupcake tin and sprinkle with a little sieved cocoa.
Cream the butter and sugar and beat in 3 of the eggs.
Add the flour, baking powder, cocoa, milk, choc chips and remaining eggs and mix until just combined.
Spoon half of the mixture into each side of the cupcake pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake has risen and is firm to the touch (in the centre).  If the cake is browning too quickly, turn the oven down by 10C.
Once cooked, leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.

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Spread a generous amount of butter cream/frosting over the top surface of the cupcake base. If needed, roll out a long 'sausage' of fondant icing and use this to fill in any gaps between the cupcake top and bottom or fill with piped butter cream. Totally cover the top of the cake with the remaining butter cream and then add decorations, if required.

Chocolate Butter Cream/Frosting

• 150g/6oz dark chocolate, melted
• 150g/6oz softened butter/dairy-free spread
• 250g/10oz icing sugar
• 4 tbsp sieved unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-4 tbsp boiling water

Cream the butter and icing sugar.
Beat in the melted chocolate, then add the cocoa powder and vanilla.
Mix well until you have a soft, spreadable butter cream, adding some boiling water, as necessary.
Sandwich the cakes together with some of the butter cream/frosting and use the rest to ice the top of the cake.
Tie a ribbon around, or make a paper cupcake holder to cover the base.

Alternatives: You can make an even bigger cake in the same tin, by upping the ingredients to 300g/12oz butter/sugar, 350g/14oz flour and 6 eggs. Keep the amount of the remaining ingredients the same.
If you want a plain sponge, swap the cocoa for extra flour and 1 tsp vanilla extract and add 1 tsp baking powder instead of 1½ tsp.
Make a dairy-free cake, by using dairy-free spread and chocolate. Pin It

Easy (Food Processor) Whoopie Pies

I've seem some gorgeous looking whoopie pies in shops and magazines lately and thought I'd have a go at making some with Miss O. I like to cut corners where possible, so I decided that I would try using SR rather than plain flour, and try mixing in the flour and milk in the food processor, rather than folding them in carefully as other recipes state. I also swapped the recommended buttermilk for normal whole milk. If you're vegan adapt the recipe using the vegan alternatives stated below.

Most whoopie pie recipes seem to show a double iced pie (with butter icing in the middle and glace icing on the top) but I think that's a bit excessive, so I just sprinkled the tops with icing sugar!

• 100g/4oz dairy free margarine or unsalted butter, softened
• 175g/6oz soft brown sugar
• 350g/12oz self raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 free range or organic egg (or the equivalent using egg replacer)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 125ml/4fl oz organic whole milk (or buttermilk/soya/rice milk) 

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5 and grease 2 or 3 baking trays.
Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the egg.
Add the vanilla essence to the milk. 
Pour the milk into the bowl, followed by the flour and the bicarb.

Mix on a low speed until just combined.

Spoon dessert spoonfuls of the mixture (well spaced out) on to the baking trays.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.

Jammy Butter Icing/Frosting

• 50g/2oz dairy free margarine/unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tbsp seedless jam - I used strawberry
• 250g/6oz icing sugar
• 1-2 tsp boiling water

While the whoopies are baking, make the icing/frosting by creaming the butter and jam together and then mixing in the icing sugar. Add just enough boiling water to give a spreadable consistency.

Take the whoopies out of the oven, allow cool for a minute and then carefully remove from the tray (with a spatula/fish slice) and place on a wire rack to cool.
Once cooled, generously spread with the filling and sandwich together.

Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: There are as many flavour variations as you can think of!

• Chocolate whoopie pies with chocolate filling - Pies: Swap 50g of the flour for sieved cocoa, add an extra 1 tbsp milk. Filling: Swap the jam for Nutella/chocolate spread and a teaspoonful of sieved cocoa.
• Chocolate whoopie pies with peanut butter filling - Pies: Swap 50g of the flour for sieved cocoa, add an extra 1 tbsp milk. Filling: Swap the jam for smooth peanut butter.
• Chocolate whoopie pies with vanilla filling - Pies: Swap 50g of the flour for sieved cocoa, add an extra 1 tbsp milk. Filling: Swap the jam for 1 tsp vanilla extract.
• Coffee whoopie pies with coffee filling - Pies: Swap the vanilla extract for 1 tbsp strong coffee and remove 1 tbsp of milk. Filling: Swap the jam and water for a tablespoon of strong coffee (use 1-2 tsp coffee granules to 2 tbsp boiling water).
• Lemon whoopie pies with lemon filling - Pies: Swap the vanilla extract for 1 tsp grated lemon zest. Filling: Swap the jam for lemon curd.
• Almond whoopie pies with raspberry jam filling (Bakewell whoopie pies) - Pies: Swap the vanilla extract for almond extract. Filling: Use seedless raspberry jam in the filling.

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Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes with Nutella Icing

Image © Onykahonie

It was 9 year old Miss Kahonie's turn to bake this weekend and she decided she wanted to make some chocolate fairy cakes. Whilst browsing my favourite blogs this week, I happened to notice that Cass from the Frugal Family had started up a cooking with kids linky, which sounded like a great idea to get involved with. I also spotted her recipe for Nutella frosting and thought that sounded rather yummy.

Both Miss Ony and Miss Kahonie love baking and have been cooking with me since they were able to stand up and hold a spoon! They especially like baking anything with chocolate. If that includes icing as well, they like it even more; The only thing they like even better, is an iced, chocolaty confection with extra added chocolaty-ness!

This cupcake/fairy cake recipe includes all of their top baking requirements!

Miss Kahonie used a basic fairy/sponge cake recipe (100g each of sugar, butter and SR flour, plus 2 eggs and a tsp of vanilla extract).

For chocolate coconut cupcakes, she removed 2 tbsp of the flour and replace with 2 tbsp of sieved cocoa powder and added 25g/1oz dessicated coconut.

She decided to use the all in one method in the food processor, and mixed all the ingredients together until blended.
She spooned the mixture into a greased bun tin (you could use cake cases in a bun tin, or divide between 2 greased and lined 18cm/6" sandwich cake tins)
She then baked them for 10-15 minutes (20 minutes for sandwich cakes) at 180 C/Gas 4 or until they were firm to the touch.

Nutella butter icing:

• 50g/2oz softened butter/vegetable spread
• 75g/3oz icing sugar
• 3 tbsp Nutella
• 1 tbsp sieved cocoa
• ½ tsp  vanilla extract
• A drop of boiling water if needed

Miss Kahonie creamed the softened butter and Nutella together.
She added the vanilla extract, icing sugar and cocoa, and mixed well.
(If needed, add a drop of boiling water and mix until you have a smooth, spreadable icing)

She then tasted the icing (just to make sure it was yummy enough!) before spreading onto the top of each cake.
Next, she scraped out the bowl and licked the spoon! Finally, she topped each cake with a chocolate button.

Image © Onykahonie

Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: Add any other ingredients you like to the basic sponge mix instead of the coconut eg: 50g chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried apricots, pecans, glace cherries, chopped fudge etc.

Swap the Nutella in the icing for 1 tbsp strong coffee, orange juice (plus grated orange zest), lemon juice (plus grated lemon zest).

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Fairy Cakes

I've just found out that we're having a cake sale at work tomorrow, to raise money for Children in Need. I'm going to make a double batch of fail-safe all in one fairy cakes and ice them. Here's the recipe:

• 100g/4oz softened butter/sunflower spread
• 100g/4oz caster or granulated sugar
• 100g/4oz SR flour
• 2 medium eggs
• 1tsp vanilla flavouring

Put all the ingredients in a bowl or food processor, mix together until you have a smooth mixture.
Spoon into a lined bun tin.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C/Gas 4 for 10-15 minutes until golden and firm to the touch.
Cool on a wire rack and ice when cold.

Icing

• 100g icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp boiling water
• A few drops of colouring/flavouring (optional)

Mix the icing sugar with a little water at a time until you have a fairly thick but spreadable mixture (a bit like PVA glue!). Add the flavouring/colouring if used and stir well.

Alternative: To make chocolate cakes, swap 2 tbsp of the flour for 2 tbsp of sieved cocoa powder for the cake mixture and swap 1 tbsp icing sugar for 1 tbsp sieved cocoa for the icing mixture.

© Image by Onykahonie Pin It