Persian Love Cake

Persian Love Cake is a beautifully scented, rich and delicious cake. Filled with exotic the flavours of cardamon, saffron and rose water this cake is truly a slice of luxury.  Loaded with ground almonds and creamy yogurt then drizzled with a sticky citrus syrup, this cake will keep perfectly for a few days while still retaining the moist texture. 

Isn't the name of this cake just beautiful, Persian Love Cake. I feel like a fairytale princess whenever I make it. Legend has it that a Persian woman concocted this cake and filled it with love magic in order to make a handsome Prince fall in love with her. Nobody can agree on whether the tale has a happy ending or not, but I like to think the Prince fell head over heels for the woman and they lived happily ever after. I mean, who could deny the loving powers of this cake.

Traditionally a Persian Love Cake is decorated with dried rose petals and chopped pistachios. Unfortunately I was unable to find dried rose petals... okay okay, I couldn't be bothered to look for them, you got me, so chopped pistachios and live roses will have to do. I still think it looks rather enchanting.

Persian Love Cake

Ingredients:

• 6 cardamom pods
• 100ml full fat milk
• pinch of saffron strands
• 6 large free range eggs
• 250g caster sugar
• 250ml full fat greek yogurt
• 200g ground almonds
• 100g plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 2tsp rose water
• 75g pistachios, chopped
• 1 orange, zested (reserve juice for syrup)
• 1 lemon, zested (reserve juice for syrup)


• For the syrup:
• lemon juice from zested lemon
• orange juice from zested orange
• 50ml water
• 125g caster sugar
• 2tsp rosewater

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C and grease and line a 22cm cake tin.
2. Remove the cardamom seeds from their pods and lightly crush with a pestle and mortar.
3. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until warm (do not allow to boil) and add in the saffron strands, set aside while you make the cake.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer mix the eggs and sugar together till thick and creamy. Fold in the almonds, flour, baking powder and yogurt. Add the orange and lemon zest and the chopped pistachios and cardamon and gently fold through until just combined. Stir in the milk and rosewater.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
6. While the cake is baking, make the syrup. In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan combine the orange and lemon juice, water, sugar and rosewater and simmer over a medium low heat until the liquid has reduced by half. Around 10 minutes. Brush onto the warm cake and allow to cool in the tin.
7. Decorate with rose petals and more chopped pistachios and dust with icing sugar.

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Raspberry Nutella Pancakes

Happy World Nutella Day everyone! Who knew we needed a day to celebrate Nutella?  I mean, it should be celebrated, it's bloody delicious.  There's hardly a day goes by where I don't help myself to a heaping spoonful straight from the jar.  As yummy as it is scraped out of the tub and shoved directly into my mouth, Nutella is one of my very favourite ingredients to bake with.  Warm and sticky, swirled into a banana bread or brownies, there really is little in the world that can make me happier. That was until I made these raspberry Nutella pancakes.

I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone with this one, not only is it World Nutella Day today, but Pancake Day is fast approaching. Is it even Pancake Day if there's not a jar of Nutella on the table?

What is your favourite pancake filling? Are you a Nutella fiend or do you prefer a sprinkle of sugar and squeeze of lemon? As long as I have a jar of Nutella and a tin of Golden Syrup, I'm a happy camper.

If you fancy a bit more Nutella in your baking repertoire check out these recipes: Nutella Swirl Cookies / Nutella Melting Middle Cookies / Nutella Stuffed French Toast / Nutella and Raspberry Fondants 

Raspberry Nutella Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 150ml whole milk
• 4tbsp Nutella
• 2tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large, free range egg
• 3tbsp caster sugar
• 100g plain flour
• 2tbsp cocoa powder
• 1tsp baking powder
• 100g raspberries, roughly chopped
• 1 jar of Nutella to serve
• 1 jar of good quality raspberry jam to serve
• 100g raspberries to serve

Cooking Directions:

1. In a small saucepan heat the milk and Nutella, constantly stirring until the Nutella has melted into the milk. Allow to cool slightly then mix in the melted butter, egg and sugar.
2. Slowly add the flour, cocoa and baking powder to the dry ingredients, mixing all the time to make a smooth batter. Stir in the raspberries.
3. Heat a large frying pan and generously wipe with butter, turn the heat down to medium low. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the batter per pancake into the hot pan. Cook until bubbles start to appear on the surface of the pancake, flip over and cook for another minute before transferring to a plate. Keep the finished pancakes in a warm oven while you make the rest.
4. To serve stack the pancakes and spread alternate layers with 1tbsp of Nutella and 1tbsp of raspberry jam. Decorate with fresh raspberries and serve.

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Blood Orange and Almond Cake

This delicious blood orange and almond cake has an unusual method behind it, whole boiled oranges.  That's right, boil up some oranges, puree them down and add to the cake batter to make a deeply rich and decadent pudding-like consistency. Pair that with the sticky syrup drizzled over the surface, and the candied orange slices, and you've got a cake made in heaven.

Every year I looks forward to blood orange season, and every year I miss it.  For some reason or other I always seem to just zone out during January and February, my mind wanders to warmer places and the short blood orange season just passes me by. This year I've been badgering my greengrocer on a weekly basis, since November may I add, that as soon as they spot the sacred little red oranges in the fruit market they simply must pick some up for me. I tell you what, it pays to befriend your greengrocer.

Did I mention that this cake is naturally gluten free, no? Well, it is! Not that'd you'd ever tell. The moisture that comes from the sticky sweet syrup wards off any notion of dryness, meaning you can keep this saucy little number tucked away in a cake tin for a good few days. Hiya cake for a week.

Don't worry if you can't lay your hands on blood oranges, I know they're slippery little buggers to get ahold of. This cake is equally delicious with the regular variety. Jaffas are my favourite, incase you were wondering.

If orange cakes are your jam, check out these zesty babes: Orange Drizzle Loaf / Orange and Pistachio Cake / Jaffa Cake Slutty Brownies

Blood Orange and Almond Cake

Ingredients:

• For the orange slices :
• 1 small blood orange
• 150g caster sugar
• 150ml water


• For the cake :
• 500g blood oranges, whole
• 6 large, free range eggs
• 300g caster sugar
• 300g ground almonds
• 1tsp gluten free baking powder

Cooking Directions:

1. First make the orange slices. Slice the blood orange into thin rounds and set aside. Pour the sugar and water into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and bring to the boil. Once the sugar has dissolved add the orange sliced and turn the heat down low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 150°C and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Place the caramelised orange slices on the prepared baking sheet (reserving the syrup for later) and bake for 20 minutes. Flip the orange slices over and bake for another 20 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the cake.
3. Place the whole blood oranges in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour.
4. While the oranges are simmering grease and line a 20cm, springform cake tin and preheat the oven to 160°C
5. Remove the boiled oranges from the pan and allow to cool slightly. Cut each orange in half and remove any pips before transferring to a food processor or blender and blending them down to a pulp.
6. Place the sugar and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until light, thick and doubled in size. Add in the orange pulp followed by the ground almonds and baking powder and mix until fully incorporated.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
8. Pour the reserved syrup over the warm cake and allow to cool completely in the tin. Once cool remove the cake and top the the orange slices. Serve with a dollop of mascarpone and a pot of tea on the side.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

These chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are the perfect combination of sweet and slightly salty. Chocolate sponge topped with a swirl of creamy peanut butter frosting drizzled with melty chocolate and finished off with half a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, the image of cupcake perfection.

When it's cold outside and I've spent the whole day making cupcakes at work, battled my way home through the biting wind which is ever present along the banks of the River Tyne before finally collapsing in the comfort of my warm house you'd think the last thing on my mind would be more baking.  You'd be wrong, I'm forever getting back from a day of baking in the shop only to pull out my Kitchenaid and whip up something sweet and sugary. It's an addiction.

These chocolate peanut butter cupcakes came about when I looked in the cupboard and realised I had a bumper pack of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups sitting unused. Rather than alert Kris and watch them vanish in a matter of moments, I thought I'd do something special with them, and whats more special than adorning the top of a cupcake?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

• For the cupcakes:
• 175g unsalted butter, softened
• 175g soft light brown sugar
• 3 large, free range eggs
• 175g self raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 4tbsp cocoa powder
• 2tbsp whole milk


• For the frosting:
• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 300g icing sugar
• 100g smooth peanut butter
• 2tbsp whole milk
• 50g plain chocolate, melted
• 6 Reese's peanut butter cups, halved

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C fan and line a cupcake tray with 12 liners.
2. In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Place the butter and sugar in an electric mixer and mix until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the flour mixture in one go ensuring all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Mix the milk through the batter until smooth.
4. Fill the cupcake liners to 2/3 full and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool in the pan for five minutes before removing to finish cooling on a rack.
6. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting.
7. Mix the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until pale and soft. Add the icing sugar and the peanut butter and milk. Turn the mixer on low and gradually increase the speed. Whip for 5 minutes, if the frosting looks too stiff add a splash more milk until you reach a nice piping consistency.
8. Once the cupcakes have cooled fill a piping bag, fitted with an open star nozzle, with the peanut butter frosting and pipe a cute swirl on each cake. Drizzle each cake with the melted chocolate and top with half a peanut butter cup.

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Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

There are few things in life that make me feel as smug as overnight cinnamon rolls. A few simple steps the night before rewards you with the most satisfying breakfast ever, and don't get me started on how amazing your house will smell. That cinnamon laced fug is like a warm hug on a cold Winter morning. Talk about taking the whole Hygge movement to another level.

Whipping up a yeasted bake might seem a little daunting to some, yeast is a notorious son of a bitch to work with sometimes, but I've made these rolls tonnes of time now and they've never failed. Once, I prepped them after a girls night in, more than a few glasses of wine deep. Ahem. If I can do them drunk, a monkey could probably make them sober. Plus, morning after Katie was over the moon with tipsy Katie. That rarely happens....

I've made these rolls with butter and I've made them with margarine, honestly, there isn't an ounce of difference between the two. The only thing I noticed was if you make the frosting with marg it gets a wee yellow tinge, which isn't overly appetising. These days I prep the rolls with margarine and make the frosting with butter. Bish bash bosh. Anything to keep these damn rising butter prices down.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

• For the dough :
• 7g (1 sachet) active dried yeast
• 220g lukewarm, whole milk
• 100g caster sugar
• 75g margarine
• 2 large, free range eggs
• 480g plain flour


• For the filling :
• 200g light brown sugar
• 4tbsp cinnamon
• 75g margarine, softened


• For the frosting :
• 100g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g icing sugar
• 50g cream cheese
• 1/2tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. To make the dough first pour the warm milk into a jug and stir in the yeast, set aside for 5 minutes to activate. You'll know it's working if the yeast has begun to froth.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook add the sugar, margarine, eggs, and flour and mix together. While the mixer is still running at the lowest speed, pour the milk into the dry ingredients in a slow, steady stream. Mix until everything is incorporated then turn the mixer up to medium and leave for 3 minutes.
3. Spray a large mixing bowl with olive oil and pop the dough into the greased bowl, cover with a sheet of oiled cling film and leave until doubled in size. This usually takes around an hour. Don't worry if it takes a little longer, just keep an eye on it.
4. Stir the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.
5. Grease a 9x13" high sided baking tray with butter and set aside while you prepare your rolls.
6. Roll your dough out on a lightly floured surface until you get a rectangular shape measuring around 19x15". Spread the dough with the margarine then sprinkle liberally with the brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Take the longest edge of the dough and carefully roll it up into a long sausage. Cut the sausage in half then cut each half into six equally sized pieces. Place the cut rolls into the greased baking tray.
7. Wrap the baking tray in clingfilm and place in the fridge overnight. The rolls will continue to rise but at a much slower pace.
8. When you're about ready to bake your rolls remove them from the fridge and check if they've doubled in size. If not just leave them in a warm place for 30 minutes to puff up. Once they're doubled in size pop them into a preheated oven at 175°C and bake for 20 minutes.
9. While the rolls are baking, mix the butter, icing sugar, cream cheese and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and spreadable. Once the rolls have finished baking, allow to cool for 5 minutes before spreading with the frosting and serve immediately.
10. The rolls can be kept, wrapped in cling film, for 5 days. Simply reheat for 30 seconds in a microwave.

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