Tag: orange

Speckled dairy free cake with vegan buttercream
01Apr

pistachio and orange cake

The air is filled with hope. This week, after a long lockdown restrictions have start to loosen and we can now meet friends and families outdoors. Our calendars have started to fill up with picnics in the sun, and most exciting is being able to celebrate Easter with out families over the long weekend. If you are in the UK you’ll know how excited people get when Cadbury’s Mini Eggs start appearing. Those little yellow bags full of addictive crunchy, chocolate-y balls. For me they are akin to a class A drug. And this orange and pistachio cake is my second favourite thing right now. I have made this recipe many, many times and tweaked to be now one of my go-to traybakes, delicious with buttercream or just runny icing. This cake mirrors the speckled shell of the mini eggs, and apart from them this cake is totally dairy free. I made the icing using Flora 100% plant base butter and I will go as far as saying that it tasted better than actual buttery buttercream. . Pistachio and orange cake (Serves 8-10 people) 6 oranges 6 medium eggs 375 caster sugar 1 tsp olive oil 250g plain flour 200g
4 mins read
2096 Views
Orange and chili jam
13Mar

Orange and chili jam

The idea of growing your own fruit and veg has always appealed to me. Dealing with plants during the winter and their temperament when it comes to types of soil and water quantities is not so appealing. So although the chilies for this recipe come from our garden, I give credit to my husband for caring for them from seed to harvest time. A harvest that filled a cereal bowl! This jam is not very spicy so my suggestion would be to keep the seeds on when blending in order to get enough heat. I used tinned roasted peppers but you can also dry fry the peppers with the chilies if you want to use fresh. Spread generously on sausage sandwiches or on a slab of sharp cheddar. Orange and Chilli Jam Yields 800g 100g of red chillies 460g roasted red peppers (skinned) 400g tinned tomatoes 2 cloves of garlic (grated) 1 tsp all spice 1 tsp salt 2 cm piece of ginger, skinned and grated 160ml apple cider vinegar 2 oranges, juice and zest 350g dark brown sugar 1. Sterilise glass jars by placing them in the dishwasher or baking them in the oven (200C) for around 20 minutes
2 mins read
2105 Views
Chocolate orange brioche rolls
07Jun

Chocolate orange brioche rolls

This recipe is a labour of love, with the dough needing to be prepared the night before. It is a recipe to be seriously considered, especially if you would like a different take on your average cinnamon roll. I always make this brioche recipe but for the rolls I have made an adaptation. At first glance it may seem like you have to jump through hoops to get this right, and the lengthy ingredient list looks daunting. But read the recipe once over before starting and it is not as difficult as it sounds. The result is a super pillowy, moreish bun. Chocolate orange brioche rolls 400g plain flour 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp caster sugar 7g fast-acting yeast 5 tbsp warm milk 2 eggs + 1 yolk, from large eggs 120g butter, at room temperature Filling: 60g butter, melted 3 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp cocoa powder 100g dark chocolate, grated Zest of 3 oranges, grated Glaze: 200g icing sugar 2 tbsp orange juice Method: 1. In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, sugar and the yeast. Whisk eggs, yolk and milk together. 2. Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and add the egg
3 mins read
3112 Views
Orange and poppy seed bread braid
30Apr

orange and poppy seed bread

This bread was based on a recipe by one of my good friends who now lives in Germany. It’s called Osterkranz and I’ve been told it’s traditionally made during Easter. My Easter was not leisurely, worked every single day of the holiday, but on my days off leading up to it I decided to try this recipe. I did as usual started to play with the recipe. I found that the filling made only with poppy seeds was quite overpowering, their earthy flavour is so strong, a few sprinkles go a long way. After a few bakes the recipe had changed quite a bit, with the addition of orange curd and more butter to make a softer dough. Orange and poppy seed bread (serves 15 slices) For the filling: 3 egg yolks juice of 3 oranges and zest 1 tbsp cornflour 80g butter 100g sugar 3 tbsp poppy seeds Whisk all ingredients together apart from poppy seeds. Take it over medium heat stirring constantly until it thickens. Leave it to cool completely. For the dough: 300g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp salt 7g sachet fast-acting yeast 100ml milk 20g butter + 50g melted 1 egg, lightly beaten
3 mins read
3840 Views
18Nov

Mood boosting iced tea with turmeric and chamomile

  Change can be a little scary. Last month I left my old job for a new role in a different hospital and trying  to fit into a new team comes with excitement but also challenges. I made this recipe a while back, when the stress from my old job reached its peak, giving me loads of sleep trouble, consequently making me so tired and the days unbearable. I tried Nytol, a herbal medicine but to no avail which led me to do some research on natural remedies. I had to give into the latest trend of putting turmeric on everything even though it has such a bitter after taste. There is extensive evidence (in rats and humans) that turmeric has a potential anti-anxiety effect. Research shows that anxiety negatively impacts on physical health and may damage brain cells and that adding turmeric to your diet may actually reverse this damage. If you would like to read more about it click here and here. So that is the star of the show. But we also have chamomile, which not only has anxiolitic propertie but also helps with insomina. I don’t enjoy hot drinks that much, not even in the winter
3 mins read
1245 Views
06Apr

Orange tray cake

I have been wrapped up in childhood memories and knees deep in oranges over the last week. That and two very different Netflix series. The first was a dark one, which I devoured in about 3 days (you know, I had to pause it to go to work). I then had to cleanse my TV palate with something a little lighter, some mindless comedy thing. Binge watching series helps me get in the zone when I am in the kitchen. The zone to me means I have all my ingredients lined up, my wireless headphones for maximum freedom of movement and my tablet, propped up on top of my coffee jar with a series on. But I had questions after being in the zone this week. People say, word on the street is that binging is not good. We all know extremes can do you harm and moderation is key. I am a binger in all aspects of my life, from food to a new series. I got truly sucked into the fiction and then not only I have to snap myself back to reality after you feel a little lost after that last episode ends but also it completely
3 mins read
1148 Views