Toffee Apple & Carrot Upside-down Cake - Suma Blogger's Network

We've had a good crop of discovery apples this year, so I've been trying to come up with different ways of using up the windfalls. This fruity upside-down cake, which was inspired by this week's episode of The Great British Bake Off, makes a lovely autumnal recipe for the Suma Blogger's Network and must almost count as a 5-a-day!

Serves 6-8

• 2-3 dessert apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
• 100g/4oz toffee sauce - I used Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding Sauce from Suma
• 100g/4oz butter
• 100g/4oz soft brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 150g/6oz SR flour
• 1 medium-large carrot, grated
• 50g/2oz raisins or sultanas
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4.

Grease and line and 8" baking tin.

Spread the toffee sauce over the base of the tin and then cover with a single layer of sliced apples.

Cream the butter and sugar together, then mix in the rest of the ingredients to make a thick mixture.

Carefully top the apples with the cake mixture, being sure to spread the mixture over evenly to cover all the apples.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, before turning out, to allow the sauce to soak into the cake.

Serve warm with custard, cream or ice cream.

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Winter Slaw Salad with Apple, Celery & Cucumber

As, I joined in with Veganuary the past couple of years, but then reverted back to being vegetarian pretty soon afterwards, I thought I'd try something a little different this year. Instead of cutting out eggs and dairy, I thought I'd try reducing them instead (alongside meat substitutes), whilst trying to eat more raw/whole foods, fresh fruit & vegetables and pulses...

This seasonal salad is a great way to get an extra one or two portions of fruit and veg in, if served alongside a carb-based main meal.

• 1 firm eating apple, cored and sliced
• ½ cucumber, de-seeded and sliced
• 2 sticks of celery or ½ bulb fennel sliced
• 25g/1oz chopped walnuts
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise or vegan mayo (or vinaigrette made with 1 dsp olive oil mixed with 1 dsp white wine vinegar)
• A little fresh, chopped dill or parsley

Prepare the apple and place in acidified water (a bowl of water with 1 tsp lemon juice), whilst you prepare the other ingredients.

Drain the apple and blot dry with kitchen town.

Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and stir in the mayo or dressing.

Refrigerate until needed

.I'm entering this recipe to this month's No Croutons Required Challenge, co-hosted by Jacqui at Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa at Lisa's Kitchen. 

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Panforte di Siena

In case you've never heard of it, panforte is a traditional, festive Italian spiced fruit and nut cake, served with coffee and liqueurs after a meal. After watching Antonio Carluccio make a panforte on TV last Christmas, I knew it was something I'd have to try making myself.

The traditional recipe is easy to veganise as the only animal-derived ingredient is honey. I've also adapted the recipe to make it gluten free, contain less sugar and use easy-to-find UK ingredients. The resulting cake is still deliciously sweet and tastes something like a cross between a fruit and nut energy bar and Christmas cake! Having made it once, I reckon it would actually be pretty easy to make a raw version. 

Serves 16-20

• 200g/8oz (combined weight) dried figs and/or pitted dates, roughly chopped
• 50g/2oz each of raisins, sultanas and currants
• 1 level tsp mixed (pumpkin pie) spice
• juice and zest of 2 large oranges and 1 lemon
• 150g/6oz candied fruit, such as glacé cherries, apple, melon, citrus peel etc.
• 100g/4oz almonds, lightly toasted
• 100g/4oz walnuts, lightly toasted
• 4 tbsp agave, date or golden syrup
• 4 tbsp gluten-free flour
• 5 tbsp Vin Santo, dessert wine, amaretto or sweet sherry (I used amaretto)
• Icing sugar to dust

Heat the oven to 150 C/140 C Fan/Gas 2./300 F; grease and line a loose-bottomed 25cm/10" round cake tin, with grease proof paper.

Toast the nuts, cool and then roughly chop or grind coarsely, depending on the texture you prefer.

Chop the figs or dates roughly and put them in a pan with the other dried and candied fruits.
Add the syrup, wine/liqueur, citrus juice, zest and mixed spice.
Stir together and cook gently for about 10 minutes.
Then add the chopped nuts and flour and mix well.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press down well.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
When cold, sprinkle generously with sifted icing sugar.
Cut into thin slices to serve.

Stores for up to a month in an airtight container.

Find my other vegetarian Christmas recipes here.

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Pineapple & Lime Smoothie

I love fresh pineapple, but can't always be bothered to peel and chop a fresh one just to make a smoothie, so I made this one with convenience ingredients. You could, of course, make it using fresh fruits too.

This smoothie is my latest invention made using my Optimum 9400 blender and smoothie maker.

Serves 1

• 1 small tin of pineapple in natural juice (approx 225g/9oz including juice)
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• ½ cup ice

Smoothie benefits: Rich in vitamin C, manganese and fibre
Smoothie tip: Smoothies containing pineapple tend  to separate quite quickly if left to stand, so are best drunk straight away.

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Fruit & Nut Bars - Suma Blogger's Network

Here's my latest post for the Suma Blogger's Network, which also ties in quite nicely with Veganuary. 

I currently buy a certain brand of fruit and nut bars for healthy snacks, but they're very expensive, so I thought I'd have a go at making my own. I've made a couple of different varieties so far, and found you can mix and match the ingredients, so long as you keep the fruit and nut ratio roughly the same. I used my Optimum 9400 blender to get quite a smooth textured bar, but a normal food processor or blender should work, if you're happy with a chunkier texture.

Makes 6 bars

• 75g/3oz cashews
• 50g/2oz dairy-free chocolate or raw chocolate - I used Plamil vegan dark chocolate 
• 100g/4oz dried dates (or 50g/2oz dates plus 50g/2oz raisins) - I used Suma pitted dates
• a dash of cinnamon powder, vanilla/mint extract or orange zest to flavour

Blend the nuts briefly, until ground into a fine powder. Remove from the blender. 
Repeat with the chocolate.
Blend the dates with a little cinnamon/flavouring to taste. Scrape out of the blender.
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until completely combined into a dough-like consistency.
If the mixture seems very sticky, add more ground nuts, or some unsweetened cocoa powder.

Squeeze together using your hands and place on a sheet of greaseproof paper. Cover with another sheet of paper and roll to approx 1cm thick. Push the edges in with a palette knife to neaten them up.
Chill for 30 mins then cut into 6 bars.
Wrap the individual bars in greaseproof paper and chill until needed, in an airtight box.

Variations: Double the ingredients to make a batch of 12 bars.
Use different combinations of dried fruits and nuts for different flavours and add your choice of flavouring extract. You may need to add more ground nuts, if you use softer dried fruits. If you want to use softer nuts (such as Brazils, walnuts, macadamias or pecans, it's best to mix them half and half with harder nuts such as cashews, hazelnuts or almonds. Toast the nuts gently before grinding for a fuller flavour.
You could also roll the mixture into balls and dust in cocoa powder to make raw, vegan truffles. 

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Dutch Apple Tart (Appeltaart)

I first tried appeltaart in Holland earlier this year and loved it. It's not traditionally served at Christmas, but I think it makes a good alternative to either Christmas pudding or mince pies.

Although I'm not very good at making pastry, this sweet pastry is quite forgiving, as you can just smooth over any holes or bumps, and you don't need to bake it blind. I've tried out two different versions; one with the traditional butter and egg enriched pastry and one with a vegan pastry. Both turned out well, so use which ever recipe you prefer.

Serves 8

Enriched pastry

• 200g/8oz sr flour
• 100g/4oz chilled block butter
• 100g/4oz sugar
• 1 medium egg
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Vegan pastry

• 200g/8oz SR flour
• 100g/4oz chilled vegan/dairy-free spread/butter
• 100g/4oz sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Filling

• 1 kg/2 lbs cooking apples (unpeeled weight)
• 50g/2oz soft brown sugar
• 75g/3oz raisins/sultanas/mixed dried fruits
• ½ tsp each cinnamon and mixed spice
• 2 tbsp custard powder

Make the pastry by rubbing the dairy-free spread or butter into the flour. Add the sugar and cinnamon and either an egg or a splash of dairy-free milk or water to bind. This should make a soft, but not sticky dough, so add a touch more flour if the mixture is sticky.

Chill pastry for 30-60 minutes.

Grease a loose-bottomed round 7"/18cm cake tin.
On a well-floured board, roll out the pastry to around ½ cm thick.
Cut out a circle of pastry to fit the base (use the base of the tin as a template).
Put the circle of pastry into the bottom of the tin.

Re-roll the pastry and cut 3"/7.5 cm wide strips to fit around the sides of the tin; I did this in 2 sections. Join the pastry sides to the base, by gently smoothing them together with your hands, so that no gaps can be seen. Save any scraps for later.

Peel, quarter and slice the apples, fairly thinly.
Mix the apples, dried fruit, sugar, spices and custard powder together in a large bowl.
Tip as much of the fruit as possible into the (raw) pastry case - you should have a slight dome of fruit in the centre as it will sink a little after cooking. Press down lightly.

With any scraps of pastry, roll thin strips and criss-cross these across the top of the tart. 

Bake at 190C/180C Fan/Gas 5/375 f for 50 mins-1 hour, until the apples are browning and the pastry looks quite a dark golden-brown.
Sprinkle with an extra 1 tsp sugar when it comes out of the oven.
Allow to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before removing. Serve warm or cold. 

Suitable for freezing.

Christmas/luxury version: 
Soak the dried fruits (or a mixture of luxury dried fruits and flaked almonds) in 2 tbsp brandy for at least 2 hours. Add 4 tbsp of custard powder to the apple mixture, to soak up the extra juices. 

Cut out holly leaves from the pastry scraps and lay these on top of the apple. 
Bake as above.

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Nectarine & Kiwi Smoothie

We're loving our Optimum 9400 blender and smoothie maker and using it most days. I think one of it's most positive attributes is that it's so quick and easy to clean.
  
This smoothie is Miss K's latest invention...

• 1 nectarine, stone removed and quartered
• 1 kiwi, skinned and quartered
• ½ cup orange juice
• ½ cup ice

Smoothie benefits: Rich in vitamins C, E and A and a good source of fibre.

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Blueberry & Raspberry Smoothie

This is the first recipe we (well actually Miss O!) made in our new Optimum 9400 blender. It's a super-easy, but really tasty, chilled fruit smoothie...

Serves 1

• ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• ½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• ½ cup ice cubes
• ½ cup apple juice

Lightly crush the ice for a few seconds in the blender.
Add the remaining ingredients and blend on medium-high for 45-60 seconds).
Pour and serve.

Smoothie benefits: Rich in  vitamin C, Vitamin K and fibre. 
Top tips: This smoothie is quite sharp-tasting, so younger children may prefer it sweetened with a drop of agave or date syrup.




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Baobab Super-Fruit Powder - A review plus WIN a family ticket to the Eden Project

When I was asked to try out Baobab Fruit Powder in the Baobab Breakfast Challenge, I was intrigued to find out more, as it wasn't a product I knew anything about. I was challenged to come up with an original and delicious breakfast recipe which included baobab...

Baobab is an African super-fruit, which contains six times more vitamin C than an orange and more calcium (gram for gram) than a glass of milk. Baobab is also rich in iron, vitamin B2 and potassium and contains more than three times as many antioxidants as blueberries! As vitamin C aids the absorption of iron, the powder is a great addition to a vegetarian/vegan diet especially if you're concerned about your iron intake.

Not only is it good for you, but baobab is ethically sourced and every purchase helps fund Project Baobab (set up by the Eden Project and Phytotrade Africa) which aims to educate people on the importance of sustainability in harvesting the fruit to ensure there’s a positive impact on poor families in Africa.

We tried the baobab powder out in various recipes, including breakfast muffins, fruit juice, homemade bread and the cereal/flapjack bars below. The powder gave a sweet, fruity flavour to each food it was added to (something like a peach/mango/apricot flavour), so would be suitable for adding to children's foods if you want to boost their vitamin/mineral uptake, especially through the winter or after they've been ill, without resorting to artificial food supplements. 

Baobab products can be purchased online at www.edenprojectshop.com. Baobab is also available from Holland & Barrett, Planet Organic and all good health food shops. Priced from £14.99 for a 250g tub of superfruit powder. £19.99 for 90 1000mg tablets. Or order online from www.minvita.co.uk.

Apricot Breakfast Bars and Baobab Enriched Orange Juice

Although these vegan cereal bars are relatively high in sugar, they're a tasty alternative to cereal and could be served for a weekend breakfast treat. They also make a good, energy-rich after school or lunch-box snack.

For the juice, simply stir 1 teaspoon of baobab powder into a little orange juice and mix well. Top up the glass with more juice and stir again before serving.

Makes 12-16 bars/squares.

• 150g/6oz dairy-free margarine/spread 
• 100g/4oz dark soft brown sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup/corn syrup
• 25g/1oz boabab powder 
• 50g/2oz chopped dried apricots (or other dried fruit)
• 200g/8oz porridge oats  

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/160C Fan/Gas 3/325F.

Melt the spread with the sugar and syrup (in a pan or in the microwave) and simmer for 1 minute.
Mix in the oats, apricots and baobab until coated in the syrup.
Pour into a greased and lined baking tin (15cm x 20cm approx) and flatten with a fork or spoon.
Bake for around 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before marking into squares/bars.
Turn out when cold - not before, or they'll fall apart!

These bars are soft and chewy. For a crisper flapjack-type bar, increase the oven temperature to 180C/170C Fan/Gas 4/350F.

Suitable for freezing.
So, onto the competition...
The lovely people at the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK have generously offered me a family ticket (valid for 2 adults and 3 children - worth up to £78.50) to give away to one lucky reader...a fab prize, eh?

Described as the eighth wonder of the world, the Eden Project is a global garden which lets people discover plants that have changed the world and plants that could change the future.

People can explore the sights, smells and sheer scale of the Rainforest Biome, take a journey through the fragrant Mediterranean Biome and zig-zag their way through the 30 acres of outdoor gardens. There are also world-class art installations, unique sculptures and exciting events to be found across the site.

To enter, simply add your details to the Rafflecopter widget and follow the instructions. Competition closes midnight Tuesday 3rd December. The winner will be drawn at random and published here. UK only. COMPETITION NOW CLOSED - Winner Allan Smith.

Integrity Statement
I received a packet of baobab powder and a bar of chocolate to review, plus a family ticket to the Eden Project to giveaway. I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Super Simple Peach and Strawberry Smoothie

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Shop bought smoothies can be quite expensive, so I wanted to come up with an economy (plus vegan and banana-free!) version for this months' No Croutons Required challenge over at Tinned Tomatoes. Unfortunately, I didn't realise that I was supposed to include a vegetable in my recipe (sorry Jac!), but as so many people confuse fruit and vegetables anyway (which incidentally is a pet peave of mine!), I'm hoping she'll let me get away with this minor omission!

Using store's own-brand tinned peaches, fruit juice and strawberries, this recipe costs around £1.50 for 750ml.

Serves 2-4 depending on portion/glass size.

• 1 (400g/14oz) tin of peaches in fruit juice
• 100g/4oz strawberries, washed, hulled and chopped into quarters
• 250ml/1 cup orange juice, chilled - a little more if you prefer a thinner smoothie

Tip the tinned peaches and the orange juice into a plastic container. Freeze for around 1-2 hours until icy but not frozen solid; this step is optional, but gives you a lovely, chilled smoothie/slushie.
Spoon this mixture into the liquidiser and add the chopped strawberries.
Whizz for a few minutes, until you have a thick, smooth mixture.

Pour into glasses and serve straight away, or chill until needed.

Alternatives: Vary the tinned, fresh fruit and juice to create your own smoothie. If you want to add a vegetable to this smoothie, I would suggest using carrot juice instead of the orange juice.
Add a shot of white rum and a dash of lime juice to each glass to make a daiquiri-style cocktail!

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Mini Fruit Cakes

If you've got some dried fruit left over from Christmas why not whip up a batch of these mini fruit cakes? They're really quick and easy to make and are the ideal size for a lunchbox treat or after-school snack.

• 100g/4oz butter, softened
• 100g/4oz soft brown sugar
• 125g/5oz SR flour
• 2 medium eggs
• 200g/8oz mixed dried fruit
• 50g/2oz flaked almonds or chopped glace cherries
• ½ tsp each of cinnamon and mixed spice
• 2 tbsp milk

Pre-heat the oven to 160 C/150 C Fan/325 F/Gas 3.
Put all of the ingredients into a bowl or food processor and mix well.
Spoon into a well greased muffin tin and flatten the mixture slightly with the back of a spoon.
Bake for around 20-25 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
Turn out and cool on a wire rack.

Suitable for freezing.

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Quick and Easy, Food Processor Marmalade

I often make pickles and chutneys, but up until now I hadn't attempted home made marmalade, mainly  because I thought it would be a messy and time consuming process. However, I thought it would make a nice addition to the home made hamper gifts which I am planning to give to some of my close friends and family for Christmas, so I dusted off my mum's old recipe and had a go. 

Now, this recipe isn't a fancy one which requires you to slice the peel into slithers, so it doesn't look quite as pretty as some preserves. But it tastes great and that's the main thing! It's actually surprisingly easy to make, only takes about an hour and costs around £3.50 to fill 3 x 1lb/450g jars. Use smaller jars to make more presents!

• 1lb/450g unwaxed lemons (or any combination of lemons, limes, Seville oranges or grapefruit)
• 2lb/900g preserving sugar
• 1½ pts/845ml/3½ cups boiled water

Wash the lemons. Cut in half and juice into a bowl. Strain the juice to remove the pips.

Cut the lemon skins in half again (picture 1).

Put the lemons, juice and ½ pint/275 ml/1cup of the water into your liquidiser jug/food processor and pulse to chop up the fruit. Do not purée until smooth - you want to be able to see small chunks of peel.

Pour into a large pan and add the remaining water. Simmer for around 30-40 minutes, or until the peel has softened and the liquid has reduced by about half. Stir occasionally. (picture 2).

Add the sugar and stir on a low heat until dissolved. Then bring to the boil and boil for 10-20 minutes or until setting point. You can check the setting point by putting a teaspoonful of the marmalade onto a cold plate. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then push it with your finger. If it wrinkles and looks a bit jellified, it's ready (picture 3)! 

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Stir and then pour (carefully!!) into sterilised* jam jars. I used a nifty jam funnel, which I recently bought from Lakeland, but you could use a sterilised jug instead (picture 4).

Add a wax disk to the top of each jar and then seal with the lids. Re-tighten the lids as the jars cool. Store unopened jars in a cool dark cupboard for upto a year.

Just in case you're worried that I might spend Christmas in jail after breaking the new EU jam jar law, here's the technical bit from food.gov.uk!

There have also been recent reports in the media claiming that the FSA / EU had banned the re-use of jam jars and that this would adversely impact on charities and voluntary events. This is incorrect. An individual can reuse jam jars for occasional events. In doing so, they obviously need to ensure proper sterilisation and good hygiene in preparation. 

*Sterilise jars by washing on a hot wash in the dishwasher, or by putting clean jars and lids in a cool (110C/Gas ½) oven for 5 minutes.

I have entered this post into this month's festive NCR (if I'm not too late!)

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Add an extra 5-a-day to packed lunches with Nākd - A review

I've been making packed lunches for my kids for 9 years now. When the girls first started school, I went to a lot of trouble making sure they had a different lunch each day, but after a few years, the lunches had basically turned into:

• A carton of fruit juice
• A sandwich/wrap/crackers
• A piece of fruit
• A yogurt/fromage frais
• A snack - biscuit bar/bag of crisps/homemade cake or flapjack etc.

We were asked to try some Nākd products and as I'm always on the lookout for new products which will be convenient, tasty (and reasonably healthy) to add to their lunch-boxes, I accepted. Nākd fruit and nut bars, oaty bars and flavoured raisins are ideal healthy lunchbox products, as they contain a 5-a-day (and they're vegan). 

We tried 2 of the new fruit and nut bars: Caffe Mocha and Rhubarb & Custard. To tell you the truth none of us were very keen. The natural flavours added, masked the fruitiness of the bars (so they might be good for fruit haters!) but we all agreed that the flavours weren't particularly appealing to us. I've bought the oaty bars before, and we definitely prefer those to the fruit and nut bars.

The flavour-infused raisins were a different matter though! We tried both the cola and the lime raisins and we all loved them; they really did taste like cola and lime which was quite strange, but delicious! At £7.99 for 18 x 25g bags (with free UK delivery from Natural Balance Foods) they're not cheap, but I would probably only add them to the girls' lunch-boxes a couple of times a week, which would make them last a while. 

Find more vegetarian sandwich and packed lunch ideas here.
Integrity Statement
I received 4 Nakd products to try. I was not required to write a positive review and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.  
Image used with kind permission from Natural Balance Foods ©

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The Great British Bake Off - My daughter's first ever Tarte Tatin

Last week on the Great British Bake Off, the contenstants made their own rough puff pastry for a Tarte Tatin. I vaguely remember making rough puff pastry in home economics at school many years ago, and have never attempted it again since. I'm not a big pastry maker (or eater), but those tartes looked so delicious that I thought I might have a go. However, 13 year old Miss Only, decided she wanted to make one, and who was I to turn down such an offer? 

She used Sarah-Jane's Banana Tarte Tatin recipe, but swapped the bananas for apples...
Despite never having made pastry before, she found that the rough puff pastry was actually quite easy to make, with the help of a food processor. The caramel sauce was a different matter though, as the first batch didn't work - the butter didn't mix in with the caramel at all (when she swirled the pan as directed), so she took a spoon to the mixture and ended up with butterscotch! For the second batch, I suggested she melted the butter with the sugar and water before bringing it up to the boil and this worked much better.

I think the oven temperature needed to be a bit hotter than the recipe stated, as although she cooked the tarte for the recommended time, the apples released quite a lot of juice, which didn't evaporate, leaving the middle of the pastry slightly soggy. None-the-less, it tasted great and the grandparents were most impressed! 

This week's GBBO featured crème caramel, meringues and tortes - all of which sounded a bit too faffy to make, so we'll wait for next week and see whether to attempt another challenge then! Pin It

Simnel Cake

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I know it's a bit late to post a Simnel Cake recipe, but I didn't have time to make it any earlier. This might not be a traditionally decorated cake in the Christian sense, but as my family doesn't celebrate Easter as such, Miss Ony and I made a welcoming in the spring cake instead! She decorated the cake with her own design, which I think looks lovely, and suitably seasonal.

• 150g/6oz softened butter or margarine
• 150g/6oz soft brown sugar
• 3 medium eggs, beaten
• 150g/6oz plain flour
• ½ tsp each of cinnamon and ground mixed spice 
• 400g/1 lb mixed  dried fruits (eg: raisins, currants, sultanas, glacé cherries and mixed peel)
• 4 tbsp amaretto or your choice of spirit or liqueur 
• zest of ½ lemon
• 1 block of marzipan

Soak the dried fruit in the spirit/liqueur for 2-3 hours or over night.

Preheat the oven to 160C/150C fan/Gas 3

Roll out the marzipan (on a board sprinkled with icing sugar) and cut 2x7" circles using the cake tin as a cutter/template.
Grease and line a 7" round cake tin.

Cream the butter and sugar.

Add all of the remaining ingredients (except the marzipan, of course) and the soaked, dried fruits and mix well.

Spoon half of the mixture into the cake tin.

Place the marzipan onto the cake mixture and press down.

Top with the remaining cake mixture and smooth with the back of a spoon.

Bake for around 1½ hours, or until firm to the touch and brown on top.

Cool in the tin for an hour, then turn out onto a wire rack until cold.

Brush the top of the cake with a little warmed apricot jam or golden syrup.

Place the remaining circle of marzipan on top of the cake and press down.  At this point, or when the cake is fully decorated, you may wish to brown the marzipan under a hot grill/broiller (or use a blow torch as I did).

Get the kids to roll the left over scraps of marzipan either into 11 balls (for a traditional cake) or cut out whatever spring symbols you like (flowers, bunnies, chicks etc). Stick these to the top of the cake with a little water.

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Butternut Squash Cake

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I received 2 butternut squashes instead of one (by mistake) in my online shopping delivery this week, so instead of boring the family with squash-filled savoury dishes every day, I thought I'd try baking with squash, in a carrot-cake type recipe. Miss Kahonie wasn't too keen on the idea though. 
"Vegetables should not be in cakes" she protested.
"But squash is a fruit not a vegetable, so you'll love this" I sneakily replied "...and it'll count towards your 5-a-days!".

• 200g/8oz peeled and grated butternut squash
• 100g/4oz butter/marg
• 100g/4oz soft brown sugar
• 150g/6oz SR flour
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 100g/4oz mixed dried fruit (I used chopped glacé cherries, raisins and sultanas)
• 1 heaped tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 170C/160C Fan/Gas 3
Cream the butter and sugar.
Add all of the remaining ingredients except the dried fruits and mix well.
Fold in the dried fruits.
Spoon the mixture into a greased and lined baking tin (approx 18-20cm/7-8" sqaure).
Bake for 30-40 mins until firm to the touch.

Allow to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes, before turning out and cutting into squares.
Serve warm (with custard or ice cream) or cold.

Suitable for freezing.

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Kweggs

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Not a recipe, more of a serving suggestion, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce....the kwegg!

Miss K: Can I have a kwegg mum? 

Me: Erm, yes, what's a kwegg?

Miss K: A kiwi egg...a kiwi in an egg cup!

So there's now another new word in our household: Is it a kiwi fruit or is it an egg; No, it's a kwegg!

There you have it...a new noun, soon to be found in the Oxford English Dictionary - Kwegg:  A kiwi fruit with the top sliced off, served in an egg cup and eaten with a teaspoon.

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Last Minute Limoncello Liqueur

If you want to make a last minute present, try this quick and easy version of Limoncello. You can adjust the alcoholic strength and sweetness, by adding more or less sugar and water to make the syrup.

• 1½ cups vodka
• 3-4 unwaxed lemons
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water

Gently heat the water and sugar together until dissolved and bring to the boil for 1 minute to make a syrup. 

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Wash the lemons, then peel the zest with a potato peeler, or zester taking care to peel thinly and avoid the white pith.

Put the zest in a large clean, sterilised jam jar.

Pour the vodka over the zest.

Add the cooled sugar syrup, put the lid on the jar and shake to mix.

Allow to steep for a few days (or up to a week for a stronger lemon flavour). 

Strain through a sieve, coffee filter paper or a piece of muslin, bottle and label.

Alternatives: To make lemon/fruit flavoured vodka, omit the sugar and water.

Change the fruits and spirits used to make different liqueurs - use orange zest and brandy to make Triple Sec, cherries and brandy to make Cherry Brandy etc.

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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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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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