Category Archives: Baking

Easy Weekend Orange Cake

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Orange Cake Gather and Graze

A quick little recipe post for my lovely Mum, who I think was worrying that I was worrying too much about the health issues of the world this week. An effortless yoghurt and orange cake to welcome the weekend and to wish you all much happiness (and hopefully a little sunshine to enjoy) over the next few days. Solving the obesity epidemic can wait ’til next week! 😉

Easy Weekend Orange Cake | Gather and Graze

  •  250g/1 Cup Unsalted Butter
  • 220g/1 Cup Raw Sugar
  • Zest of 1-2 Oranges
  • 3 Free-Range Eggs
  • 300g/2 Cups Plain Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 180g/ 2/3 Cup Greek Yoghurt
  • 80ml/ 1/3 Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
  • Icing Sugar (for dusting over the top)

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base of a 22cm round cake tin.

Cream the butter, sugar and orange zest in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined.

In a measuring jug, mix together the yoghurt and orange juice.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients in 2 or 3 lots to the butter mixture, alternating with the yoghurt/juice. Mix each addition through gently, until completely combined.

Scoop the mixture into the cake tin and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes, before turning out of the tin. When cool, dust with icing sugar or decorate as you wish.

Orange Cake Gather and Graze

Cooking Notes:

  • Please note that this cake is best eaten on the same day it is baked. For some reason it becomes somewhat denser the day after it is cooked and even more so by the second day.
  • The raw sugar will also give a slightly denser crumb to the cake – feel free to use caster sugar if you prefer a slightly lighter texture.
  • Take care to watch the cake in the final 10 minutes or so of cooking, to make sure the top doesn’t brown too much. Cover loosely with a sheet of foil if you feel that it is.
  • This cake is lovely served with a dollop of Greek Yoghurt on the side.

Elizabeth Apple Pudding

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Elizabeth Apple Pudding Gather and Graze

How lovely to have a dish named after you. What an honour! The Victoria Sponge… Pavlova… Sacher Torte… Peach Melba… Tarte Tatin… Pizza Margherita… Beef Wellington… Beef Stroganoff… Beef Carpaccio… to name but a few – all created to pay homage to a deserving individual or otherwise named to provide lasting fame for the genius who concocted the special dish.

On a cold winter’s night, is there anything better than indulging in a hot pudding for dessert! My thanks go to Elizabeth – whether she be Queen, grandmother, daughter, friend or other fine, charismatic woman for inspiring or creating this delicious, heart-warming dessert! Another little find from within the ‘Green and Gold Cookery Book’. Such a deep sense of pleasure, drumming up recipes from the past, so that they don’t slip away into oblivion.

Elizabeth Apple Pudding | From the 'Green and Gold Cookery Book'

  • 220g/1½ cups Self-Raising Flour
  • 220g/1 cup Sugar
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • ¾ cup Full-fat Milk
  • 1 Free-Range Egg (Lightly Beaten)
  • 15g/3 Teaspoons Unsalted Butter (Melted)
  • 2 Small Apples (Peeled and Cored)

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 5-6 cup-capacity deep baking dish with butter and sprinkle a little sugar over the base.

Slice the apples into quarters and then slice each quarter into three. Line the base of the baking dish with the apple slices.

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Into a large mixing bowl, place the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to remove any lumps. Add the milk, egg and melted butter and continue whisking until smooth and completely incorporated. Gently pour the thick batter over the top of the apples.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the top springs back when gently pressed in the centre. Before serving, invert the pudding onto a plate, so that the apples are on top. Sprinkle lightly with a little extra cinnamon if you wish…

Serve hot, slathered with your choice of cream, custard or ice-cream.

Elizabeth Apple Pudding Gather and Graze

Cooking Notes:

  • Keep an eye on the pudding as it bakes – if the top looks like it is browning too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminium foil.
  • The recipe calls for quite a lot of sugar, though the finished pudding certainly wasn’t over the top in sweetness. Next time I’ll experiment with reducing the quantity to see how it fares…

Spiced-Up Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies Gather and Graze

The last few weeks have primarily been spent nursing children (and myself…) back to health from the coughs and colds that winter invariably brings. Days spent juicing oranges, reading books, cooking comfort food and playing the occasional quiet board game… fine for a day or two, but let’s just say I’m thankful that children are now back at school and that life can finally drift back to normality. Drafts for three different posts I’d hoped to share with you, sit half-written from this period. All seemed a little flat and lacklustre (exactly as I was feeling) in both the writing and photos, so when time permits I’ll attempt to spice them up with some new, improved photos and a touch of editing, before sending them out. A winter-warming soup and a beautifully fragrant casserole were amongst the three, so it really won’t be much of a hardship to cook them over again…

During this time, I’ve also had a little fun playing around with my favourite choc-chip cookie recipe, adding various combinations of spices, cocoa, coffee and chocolate. This was much to the delight of my super-keen taste-testers who probably couldn’t taste a thing with their blocked noses, but loved the fact that we were experimenting all the same! A home economics, food appreciation and science lesson packed into one… Some batches were a little over the top in my enthusiasm for packing a punch of flavour, so when the following cookies came out of the oven, I was very relieved that the flavours I wanted were there, but with a touch more grace and subtlety.

Spiced-Up Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Servings: Makes about 30 Cookies
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  • 100g Unsalted Butter
  • 150g/2/3 Cup Raw Sugar
  • 1 Free-Range Egg
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 150g/1 Cup Plain Flour
  • ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
  • ½ Teaspoon Instant Coffee (crushed to a fine powder)
  • Pinch Salt
  • 100g Chopped Milk (or Dark) Chocolate

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with parchment/baking paper.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, over gentle heat. Once melted, remove from the heat and tip into a large mixing bowl, along with the sugar and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the egg and vanilla extract and once again, mix well.  Sift in the flour, baking powder, Chinese Five Spice, coffee and salt and stir until combined. Add in the chopped chocolate and mix gently.

Onto the baking trays, scoop teaspoonfuls of the mixture, leaving a little space around each. Bake for about 10 minutes for a crispy texture, or a minute or two less if you prefer soft.

Remove to a cooling rack for at least a couple of minutes, before tasting…

Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies Gather and Graze

Vanilla Sundae Cupcakes and a Cumquat Quandary

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Vanilla Sundae Cupcakes | Recipe | Gather and Graze

What to do… when your cumquat tree decides to bear just one, solitary cumquat? I wouldn’t be asking this question if it wasn’t the most beautiful cumquat I’d ever seen and as it’s the only cumquat my tree has ever deigned to produce, it truly deserves to be celebrated! My little citrus gem is ready to be plucked from it’s branch in the next day or two, before the birds discover my hidden treasure, so your thoughts and advice on how to best savour and venerate this lone piece of fruit would be ever so welcomed! I get the feeling jam is out of the question…

Cumquat Gather and Graze

From cumquats to cupcakes… Both, worthy of celebration and each so endearing in their miniature sizing. Though, unlike the cumquat, I’ve had a glut of cupcakes practically spilling out of the oven over the past few days as the Birthday celebrations of our eldest took place. Two dozen decorated cupcakes to share with classmates at school and then another dozen or so (slightly more dressed-up) for party day!

It was perfect timing that I’d done a ‘Cupcake Decorating’ course with a few girlfriends just recently, so unlike the many years gone by, I was now well-taught (though not terribly well-practised) in the techniques of frosting with a piping bag. It was so much speedier (and I must say, a little more elegant…) than slathering them with a palette knife! In our course, we also spent time decorating with fondant icing – forming piggy faces, roses, ribbons/bows and somewhat creepy-looking babies (well, mine was anyway!) A lesson of basic tips and tricks that will be fabulous to know for the family Birthday cakes yet to come. A few Photos…

There really is something indulgent and slightly magical in the eating of these miniature cakes, that can transport you back to childhood in an instant. Something decadent in being able to consume a whole cake, in it’s entirety, in a matter of seconds… without feeling too guilty. The flavours, colours and designs are limited only by your imagination.

Enjoy the following classic recipe for Vanilla Sundae Cupcakes with vanilla frosting, which are then made even more delicious with a topping of melted chocolate and a little crunch from coloured sprinkles. My children loved them… and I must admit, so did I!

Vanilla Sundae Cupcakes | Gather and Graze

  • Servings: Makes 12-15 Cupcakes
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  • 125g/½ Cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
  • 175g/¾ Cup (Raw) Caster Sugar
  • 2 Free-Range Eggs
  • ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 225g/1½ Cups Self-Raising Flour (Sifted)
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 125mls/½ Cup Full-Cream Milk

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and place paper baking cups onto a tray.

In an electric mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sifted flour and salt, in two lots, alternating with the milk until combined. Spoon the batter into the paper baking cups and bake for approximately 15 – 25 minutes (depending on the size of your cupcakes), or until a skewer comes out clean from the centre of your cupcakes.

Allow to cool completely before decorating. The recipe for frosting and tips for decorating are to follow…

Vanilla Sundae Cupcakes | Recipe | Gather and Graze

Vanilla Sundae Cupcakes | Recipe | Gather and Graze

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

  • 250g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
  • 500g Pure Icing Sugar
  • ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Tablespoons Full-Cream Milk

Place all ingredients into an electric mixer and beat, initially on slow speed (until the icing sugar has been incorporated into the butter), then on medium/fast until frosting is fluffy.

Using a Wilton 1M Piping Tip (or similar) and a piping bag, pipe swirls over each of your cupcakes, working from the outside in.

Vanilla Sundae Cupcakes | Recipe | Gather and Graze

To transform into ‘Vanilla Sundae Cupcakes’… drizzle carefully with melted chocolate (I used 100g of good quality Milk Chocolate mixed with 1 Tablespoon of Vegetable Oil – heated gently and stirred over a double-boiler… or extra-carefully in short bursts in the microwave). Top each cupcake with a lolly/candy raspberry (or a glacé cherry for authenticity) and scatter with some coloured sprinkles.

Vanilla Sundae Cupcakes | Recipe | Gather and Graze

Sugar… and Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins

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Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins | Gather and Graze

It’s no great secret that my palate leans somewhat guiltily to the sweet side rather than the savoury.  Another one of those genetic things, I think…  Now, I don’t take sugar with my tea or sprinkle it on my morning cereal and I’m not at all tempted by the rows of chocolate bars in the supermarket, but when it comes to desserts… a perfectly baked cheesecake, a citrus tart, a silken pannacotta or sweet treats, like macarons or freshly-baked crostoli, I tend to go weak at the knees. Continue reading →

Zesty Lime French Madeleines

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Lime Madeleines, Gather and Graze

In it’s ideal state, food should be a feast for all of the senses.  Taste is almost always at the core and rightly so, as it is usually the flavour of things that keeps us coming back for more.  The visual, aromatic and textural side of food serves more to transform what could be just fuel for the body into an actual experience to be savoured.  For me, this sensory awakening often begins way before the food reaches the table. Continue reading →

Classic Chocolate Cake

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Classic Chocolate Cake Gather and Graze

I’d like to be up front in saying that I don’t believe in using reduced or low-fat dairy options, or any form of margarine or blended butter-impersonating spreads in my cooking.  It seems to me that too much tampering with milk, cheeses, yoghurt and butter is turning what should be such natural, traditional products into the laboratory-created frankensteins that line the refrigerated shelves of our supermarkets. Continue reading →

Perfectly Fluffy Scones

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Perfect Fluffy Scones | Recipe | Gather and Graze

Growing up with a mother who was (and very much still is) a wonderful cook, I’ve desperately wanted my own children to feel that same love and warmth that comes from food created purely for their pleasure.

Like the favourite books that were read to them over and over when they were little, I’m finding that certain creations from the kitchen can evoke that same level of comfort and security. Their faces lit up with the anticipation of the first bite is such a beautiful reward!

The recipe to follow is one such delight – for a morning or afternoon tea that warms the hearts of both children and adults alike!  After years of frustrations and flops, these Perfectly Fluffy Scones are there to be slathered with jam and freshly whipped cream practically every week in our home.

I live by the mantra “Everything in Moderation” – so while my recipes and ideas will rarely be of the low-fat variety, it’s important to think about portion sizes and to find a healthy balance in the variety of food going into your body.

Perfectly Fluffy Scones | Gather and Graze

  • Servings: 8 Scones
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 300g (2 cups) Self-Raising Flour
  • 50g (3½ Tablespoons) Chilled Unsalted Butter
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar
  • 180mls (¾ Cup) Milk

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking/parchment paper.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.  Dice the chilled butter into small cubes and using fingers, rub the butter thoroughly into the flour (making sure no lumps of butter are left).  Add a pinch of salt and the sugar and mix through.

Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the milk.  Using a blunt/bread and butter knife, mix the ingredients until they come together.  The mixture should be neither sticky or dry – if so, add (a little at a time) more flour or milk.

Remove the dough from the bowl and pat out gently (please don’t knead it whatsoever) on a lightly floured board to about 3cm high.  Use a 6cm round scone/cookie cutter to make approx 8 scones. Place the scones (evenly set apart) onto the lined baking tray.

Bake at 200˚C for approx 10 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden of top.

Serve with good quality jam and some freshly whipped cream (which can be sweetened slightly with a tablespoon of icing sugar and a little vanilla extract).