Sticky Ginger Cupcakes

Well, buns really. They were meant to be cupcakes but I had no muffin cases left so I made them in bun cases instead. I LOVE ginger. LOVE it. Ginger bread, ginger in stir-frys, ginger beer, ginger biscuits. It's up there with lemon as one of my favourite flavourings so it will come as no surprise to you all that these buns did not last long in our kitchen...or that the leftover icing was eaten from the mixing bowl with a spoon...


Sticky Gingerbread Buns
(makes about 16 buns, less if using muffin cases for proper cupcakes)
Cake mix
115g plain flour
2tsp ground ginger
three-quarter tsp ground cinnamon
1 piece stem ginger, finely chopped
three-quarter tsp bicarbonate of soda
4tbsp milk
85 butter, softened
70g soft dark brown sugar
2tbsp black treacle
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Frosting
85g butter, softened
175g icing sugar
2tbsp syrup from the stem ginger
1 piece stem ginger, finely sliced, to decorate

1. Preheat oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Line bun tins with paper cases (or muffin tins with muffin cases).

2. Sift the flour, ground ginger and cinnamon together into a bowl. Add the chopped ginger and toss in the flour mixture until it is well coated. Place the bicarbonate of soda and milk in another small bowl and stir to dissolve. 

3. Beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the treacle, then gradually mix in the eggs. beat in the flour mix, then gradually add the milk mix. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cases.

4. Bake in the oven for 20 mins, or until well risen and golden brown. Allow to cool for 2 mins in the trays before removing to a wire rack and allowing to cool fully.

5. To make the icing put the butter in a bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the icing sugar and syrup and beat together until smooth and creamy. Spread the icing on top of each completely cold bun, then decorate with pieces of the stem ginger.

(You can turn these into gingernut buns by adding 40g finely chopped walnuts or pecans to the mix and then sprinkling with a few chopped nuts when iced).

Frosted Yoghurt Orange Cake

I found this recipe in GoodFood's 2012 calendar (it's the January recipe). GoodFood do this calender every January issue and it is month upon month of delicious recipes and gorgeous food photography. As is their entire magazine every month actually. Go on, go out and buy a copy. I'll wait...


Anyway, this is a great post-Christmas treat (she says in the middle of March). It's tangy and not too sweet so ideal for the post-chocolate period when we've all eaten far too much. It's also dead handy to throw together if you're expecting people at short notice - almost everyone has a jar of marmalade and some yoghurt hiding in their fridge.


IngredientsCake
175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled (plus extra for greasing)
225g self-raising flour
175g caster sugar
grated zest of 2 oranges
3 large eggs
150g pot of natural yoghurt

Frosting
250g tub mascarpone
85g icing sugar
3 tbsp fine shred marmalade

1. Heat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Grease a 1kg loaf tin, then line with a strip of parchment.

2. Mix the flour, sugar and orange zest in a large bowl.

3. Beat the eggs, melted butter and yoghurt together in a jug. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Tip the batter into the loaf tin, smooth the top and bake for 50mins-1 hour (until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean). Cool in the tin.

5. To make the frosting beat the mascarpone, icing sugar and marmalade together with a spoon until well mixed. Remove the COLD cake from the tin and strip off lining paper. Spread the top with the frosting and pop in the fridge to chill. Return to room temp before eating. Enjoy!

Pineapple upside-down cake

I had never had pineapple upside-down cake until I made this one. You need to be fairly sure that you'll eat something when you're making about 2kgs of it but I figured it had sugar, butter, booze...what's not to like! As it turns out it is delicious, and one I'll certainly be making again. I had no rum when making this so I used whiskey and it was still yum. Kezz describes it as being "like an Irishman having a Caribbean orgy in my mouth". It really is that good!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

(for the topping)

100g butter

100g light muscovado sugar

2tbsp Irish whiskey (or dark rum if you want to be traditional)

432g can pineapple rings, drained

(for the cake)

50g unsweetened desiccated coconut

100g butter, room temperature

200g golden caster sugar

3 eggs

175g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

2tsp vanilla extract

125ml milk

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4 and butter your baking dish (I used a 9" square tin). 
2. Melt the butter, sugar and whiskey in a small saucepan until all the sugar has dissolved. 
3. Place the pineapple in the baking dish and then pour over the syrup to form an even layer and leave aside.
4. Cook the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan over a gentle heat until it starts to turn golden. Remove from the heat and combine all the remaining ingredients.
5. Pour into the cake tin and pop into the oven.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and well-risen.
7. Turn out onto a large plate and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Butter-roasted saffron chicken

This is from Annie Bell's 'The Country Cook' which has loads more delicious recipes in it. You can find it by clicking the link on the left - it's definitely worth investing in!

I doubled the quantities as I needed to feed 5 hungry adults and the supermarket had no big chickens, but I'm giving you Ms. Bell's original recipe. Gorgeous moist chicken meat, just lovely!

Serves 6 (according to the book, 4 according to me!)



Ingredients

A good pinch of ground saffron
1 tbsp thyme leaves
Sea salt
75g unsalted butter, softened
1x2kg chicken
Juice of 1 lemon
Cayenne pepper

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 220C/420F/Gas Mark 7.
2. Blend the ground saffron, thyme and a little salt with 50g of the butter. Starting at the neck end of the chicken, slip your fingers beneath the skin to loosen it either side of the breastbone. Spread the butter mix over the breast meat and pat the skin back into place.
3. Place the chicken in a roasting dish and spread with the remaining butter, pour over the lemon juice, season with salt and dust with the cayenne pepper.
4. Roast for about an hour, without basting, then transfer it to a plate, tipping any juices inside the chicken back into the roasting tray.
5. Pour the roasting juices into a bowl or jug and leave the chicken rest for 20 minutes.
6. Serve hot or cold, with the buttery juices spooned over for those who like them (I didn't do this, go here to see why!)

Boozy Leeks

Great vegetable accompaniment to most dinners, my first time making leeks as a side dish in their own right and they went down a storm with everyone!

Serves: 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients


2 leeks, washed and trimmed
Sprig of thyme
Sherry
Half pint of chicken or vegetable stock
Knob of butter

Method

1. Chop leeks into half inch pieces through the white and light green sections, chop finely in the dark green part of the leaves.
2. Put chopped leeks, stock, dash of sherry and thyme into saucepan and bring to the boil.
3. Boil until leeks are tender.
4. Drain, then stir through knob of butter until melted.
5. Serve! Simples!