Hazelnut Cappuccino Cake

I think we are now at a stage in our relationship where it's time to come clean about a few things...

I eat an apple whole, like a horse.

I cannot sleep if any one of my limbs is touching any of my other limbs.

When shopping I, if at all possible, always select the second item from the front.

I like the milk in my cup first when making tea.

I don't really like chocolate cake.

That's right, I'm not a great lover of chocolate cake. There, I've said it. I know many, if not all of you may be crying lunacy at this point and I am aware that for one so completely obsessed with cakes to dislike possibly the most popular cake of all seems somewhat deranged, even for me. I can't help it though, I just find it a little uninspiring.

Now, before you dust off your pitchforks and torches, please let me clarify. Although I am at best indifferent to chocolate cake, I absolutely ADORE chocolate as an ingredient. In all its forms chocolate is about the most dynamic and versatile baking component in the bakers arsenal. Using chocolate can transform a recipe into something spectacular and even when used sparingly it can glorify anything from breads and tarts to cookies and of course, cakes. Which is just what I've done with this recipe.

On its own this hazelnut cappuccino cake is thoroughly lovely, with a toasty biscuity flavour and tender crumb. However the addition of a little finely chopped dark chocolate elevates the cake to something that could be described as heavenly, if it wasn't so downright naughty. Beautifully bittersweet, rich and full of character it's a perfect treat to serve to friends or demolish yourself.

Prep time: 20 Mins
Baking time: 45 Mins
175g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
175g Soft Light Brown Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
100g Ground Hazelnuts
2tbsp Strong Black Coffee (Cold)
100g Plain Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
100g Dark Chocolate (Finely Chopped)

For the icing
75g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
150g Icing Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1tsp Cocoa Powder (For dusting)

You can find ground hazelnuts in some supermarkets now, particularly the one beginning with an 'S' and in my humble opinion they are definitely worth the investment.

Preheat the oven 180C/350F/Gas 4, grease a deep 20cm loose bottomed tin and line the base with baking paper. In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and the sugar, then beat in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract. Fold through the ground almonds, followed by the coffee. Sift in the flour and the baking powder, then mix to a smooth batter. Fold through the chopped chocolate, then spoon into your prepared tin and even to the edges. Bake in the centre of the oven for around 45 minutes, until a metal skewer can be cleanly removed when inserted into the middle of the cake. When you're happy the cake is cooked, remove from the oven, leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Once the cake has cooled you can start on the icing. Cream the butter until smooth, add the vanilla extract, then sift in the icing sugar and mix together until combined. Spread the icing over the top of the cake and dust with a little cocoa powder. All that's left is the slicing and devouring.

Respected, revered and admired - Henrietta Lovell and Rare Tea Company

Leaf tea, like cake is one of life’s true affordable luxuries. Inexpensive and easily attainable, yet artisanal with a vast kaleidoscope of flavours and fragrances there really is a leaf tea for every occasion, from rich and satisfying to fresh and invigorating. Yet still a relative novice, I have loved my recent tea adventures and have enjoyed sampling outstanding teas from some of the wonderful tea shops and suppliers from around the country. However to date one stands head and shoulders above all others. That is Rare Tea Company.

Founded in 2004 by Henrietta “The Tea Lady” Lovell, Rare Tea Company sources some of the finest teas from around the world and supplies some of the most esteemed and high profile customers, including The Fat Duck and Noma. As the name suggests they source tea from small independent producers and work directly with farmers to ensure they achieve not only the highest quality of product, but do so both ethically and sustainably. They are wholly invested in the process of creating the finest leaf tea and the finished product reflects this spectacularly.

Recently I managed to track Henrietta down to chat all things tea and despite being halfway up a Chinese mountain she kindly obliged. Here’s what she had to say...
 

Why should everyone drink leaf tea? 

I'd like to democratise the good stuff - loose leaf for everyone. Tea bags are fine - but loose leaf is better than fine- it's wonderful and we all need a little wonder in our lives.

You will never find really beautiful tea leaves stuffed in a bag. Paper generally hides very cheap industrial tea. The 'silken' bags are not made of silk - they are plastic (which you put in hot water and then drink) or GM corn.

No one who really loves tea would seal it in a bag even if it was made of real silk. They don't give the leaf room to infuse properly. 

Leaf tea can expand and unfurl in the tea pot. Nothing is hidden. All the amazing flavours can be revealed. And good hand-crafted, leaf tea only costs a few pence more a cup than an industrial teabag. 

What is the biggest misconception people have about leaf tea?
 
That it's difficult to make. All you need to do is pop a teaspoon of tea per person into a teapot and a cup of water for each teaspoon. Wait a moment and pour. It's no more difficult than using a Cafetiere/French Press.

It requires so little effort and time and yet you can derive so much pleasure from leaf tea. And those moments of intense pleasure are what makes life worth living. A tea-bag is only fractionally labour saving and yet the tea it makes is significantly less pleasurable.

For just a moment longer it takes to pour the tea from the teapot into your cup instead of extracting a squelchy bag and making the dripping dash to the bin, wouldn't you increase your pleasure? 

What tips do you have for making the perfect cup of tea? 

Use water under the rolling boil - you only need boiling water to extract the flavour from industrial grade tea. Good leaves infuse to a richer, sweeter more complex cup below 100 degrees. 

Getting the leaf to water ratio right is crucial. One teaspoon (2.5- 3g) of tea for each cup (200ml) of water. And make sure there is no water on the leaf between infusions. Then you can infuse you leaves many times.

There is more detail on my website (http://www.rareteacompany.com/recipes/how-to-make-the-perfect-cup-of-tea/) 

What has been your proudest achievement? 

Getting tea from the most wonderful farm we work with in Malawi, Satemwa, on the menu at the Fat Duck and Stone Barns in New York.

We need the taste-makers like Heston and Dan Barber to make the revolution happen. Rene Redzepi is also behind us and soon you will be able to get Malawi tea in Noma. If it's good enough to be served by these chefs, it must be pretty good tea. And if people around the world appreciate how good tea can be - and that it's possible to buy extraordinary tea for quality - just as we do wine, then people on tea-gardens can thrive like those on vineyards.

 
Cheap tea is cheap because someone is getting it in the neck- those on tea gardens in Africa, Sri Lanka and India. Good leaf tea costs a bit more but it tastes infinitely better and provides a much better price for the farms that craft it.
 

What does the future hold for Rare Tea Company and what challenges do you face.

 
We are working with a lot more restaurants outside the UK. We have some big projects lined up to work with chefs and restaurants around the world. I want to make this a global revolution. The tea drinkers of the world deserve far better tea and the tea farmers and those who work on the farms deserve far better standards of living.

The Challenges are manifold for a small business like RTC with just a handful of people sitting around my kitchen table. We work so hard and never get everything done. But if we can get people to try our tea there is no going back. 

You can't compare a cup of deeply delicious Lost Malawi black tea and a big brand tea bag. If you do compare them side by side the difference is so striking that you might weep for all the lost years you have missed out on. --> The challenge is only to get people to take their first sip.

Britain has seen a recent resurgence in the popularity of afternoon tea. Why do you think that is?

Hmm, not sure. But it's often more about cake and champagne than tea.

What cake flavours work best with different teas?

That's too long an answer to give you on this very bumpy mountain round. My fingers are dripping with humidity and my blackberry is sliding in my hands. Forgive me. But flavour pairing is very close to my heart. Every tea has its perfect match.
 

How much tea do you drink every day?

A lot. But never enough.

Which tea is your favourite?

I really don't have one. The one in my cup. All the teas I bring back from around the world are my favourites. That's why I chose them.

Do you drink coffee?

Of course. I love all delicious flavours. But I am about as fond of instant coffee as I am of tea-bags...

For more information, or to purchase Rare Tea Company teas please visit http://www.rareteacompany.com/

Chocolate Chip Banana Loaf Cake

Bananas can be surprisingly divisive when it comes to baking, with the mere suggestion of banana cake causing some to sneer. They also have the temerity to rise in alkalinity as they ripen, which can do peculiar things to a baking batter. Do not fear though fellow baking adventurers, for despite their foibles bananas are a wonderful ingredient to bake with and banana cake, when good is one of the easiest and most delicious cakes of all. Fortunately, this moreishly moist chocolate chip banana loaf is very, very good, with the heady fragrance of ripe bananas complimented by notes of vanilla and butterscotch. I really cannot sing the praises of this fantastic loaf cake highly enough. It is not only one of my best banana cakes, but one of the very best cakes I make (and I do make a lot).

Prep time: 15 Mins
Baking time: 65-70 Mins
175ml Vegetable Oil
2 Large Eggs plus 1 Yolk
1tsp Vanilla Extract
175g Light Muscovado Sugar
175g Plain Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
2 Ripe Bananas (Well mashed)
100g White Chocolate (Chopped with vigour)
100g Dark Chocolate (Also chopped with vigour)
2tbsp Golden Syrup

A pair of tips before we begin. I place the chocolate in the fridge for an hour or two before use as I find it then shatters into tiny splinters when chopping, which melt into the mixture during baking. I also use loaf tin liners which you can pick up inexpensively at most supermarkets. They save a significant amount of time and you can even leave the loaf in the case to serve.

With the formalities out of the way, it's time to have some fun. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3, grease a 22cm (2lb) loaf tin and line with baking paper or a paper loaf tin liner. Pour the vegetable oil into a medium bowl or large jug. Add the eggs and vanilla, then mix together with a fork or mini whisk. These are the wet ingredients.

In a separate large mixing bowl mix together the sugar, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix together to a smooth batter. Fold through the bananas and chopped chocolate, then pour into the prepared tin. Bake in the centre of the oven until risen, brown and a metal skewer can be cleanly removed when inserted into the middle of the loaf. When you are happy the cake is baked remove from the oven, leave in the tin for 15 minutes to cool slightly, then remove and place on a wire rack with a plate underneath. Drizzle over the golden syrup and leave to cool completely. That's it, all finished. I implore you, I beseech you to give this one try. It's a real star.

Respected, revered and admired - Ferran Adrià

There are countless fantastic chefs working around the world today, but only a handful can be considered truly great. Those visionaries, whose creativity, artistry and vision transcend the medium and whose impact is so monumental, that it revolutionises the gastronomic landscape entirely. Culinary alchemists such as Carême and Escoffier, whose culinary genius define their generation.

Ferran Adrià is one such chef. Pioneer of avant-garde cuisine and techno-conceptual cookery, champion of creativity and mastermind behind the now legendary elBulli, he is one of the greatest chefs of all time. A revolutionary, committed to changing the way we think about food. Yet despite his considerable achievements, he still retains a humility and generosity that belies his eminence. He is not only a culinary magician but a complete gentleman, so it was apt that I recently grabbed a few minutes of his time to ask him about his influences, the elBulliFoundation and cooking at home... 

You are one of the most important and influential voices in the culinary world, but who or what has influenced you the most over your career? 

I consider myself to be self-taught. I haven’t spent long periods working in other kitchens, but I have studied in depth the works of the great chefs, especially those of the Nouvelle Cuisine, which greatly inspired me during my early stage in elBulli. But one day, after hearing from Jacques Maximin the phrase “creativity means not copying”, I decided to search for my own line of cooking, using the knowledge and standards that I had gained, in order to be able to explore the limits of cookery within a well thought out logic. 

Where do you find your inspiration? 

There is no exact method to finding inspiration, it emerges from many different sources. I have found inspiration travelling, watching films, listening to an opera, reading a book... The wonderful thing is that the world and life itself is full of inspiring moments and situations; what’s important is to be prepared to capture the inspiration from each moment, and to have the capability to know how to utilise that inspiration in a concrete way, which, in our case, is to create a dish. 

What has been your proudest achievement? 

We have created many techniques and concepts of which we are very proud, such as the foams, the warm jellies, the airs, the spherification, etc, because today we could say that these things have triumphed in gastronomy, and it is not strange to find them in restaurants of all corners of the world.

But if I had to choose one thing, it would be achieving the global propagation of the Spirit of elBulli. Beyond the dishes, the techniques and the concepts, the thing that most fills us with satisfaction is that the way of thinking, of doing, of understanding cookery and life in general, has been propagated thanks to the extraordinary chefs that have come out of elBulli. In this way, our spirit will continue to live. 

What (if anything) do you miss the most about the restaurant? 

Honestly, I don’t have time to miss anything. I am currently working more than ever, and between the trips to explain the elBulliFoundation to the world, the development of all of the Foundation’s projects, and other things, we are super active.

The work that we are doing is thrilling, which is why I don’t miss the elBulli restaurant. That said, there are times when I am in a restaurant and I get the urge to get behind the stoves. But anyhow, soOn the elBulliFoundation will become reality and there I will cook more than ever. 

Tell me more about the elBulliFoundation and its three main projects. 

The activities of the elBulliFoundation will be divided into 3 projects:

ElBulli 1846 will be the space showcasing the history of elBulli restaurant, from its launch up to its transformation into the elBulliFoundation.

The Bullipedia is a creative archive of all existing knowledge of the history of cooking, which aims to help cooks all around the world to create and also to encourage the education and teaching of cooking.

ElBulli DNA will be the creative team, who will divulge all their work via the internet. 

What do you hope to achieve? 

To help in the continued advancement of cookery, using creativity as the main link, to make our work and our creative way of doing things more accessible to anyone who is interested, and to improve the understanding of cooking. 

What have been the biggest challenges you have faced so far with the Foundation? 

It’s a completely new project for which we have no existing reference and therefore we cannot compare ourselves to other experiences or past events.

This is the first project of its kind to be undertaken in cooking, which makes it a huge feat. But we are confident that with our motto: Freedom, risk and passion, we will make the elBulliFoundation a success in the world of cooking. 

When you are in the UK, where do you look forward to visiting (both food related and otherwise)? 

I love the UK. I travel quite a lot to London, it’s a city I am in love with.

In terms of the gastronomy, the fact that London is a multicultural city, makes it incredibly attractive. You get the convergence of local cuisine cooks (Heston being the clearest example) with those who practice foreign cookery of an extraordinary quality, which secures the UK as one of the countries with the best quality and most versatile gastronomy in the world.

In addition, the wonderful markets, shops and artisan producers that can be found in the UK make it one of the top gastronomic destinations of the planet. 

What do you like about British cuisine? 

That they have known how to maintain their cookery culture as well as being able to absorb all the cultural influences that have come from the outside. 

What do you enjoy cooking at home? 

Everything, whatever I fancy at any given moment, although at home I cook very simply. I enjoy making tortilla de patatas [Spanish potato omelette], for example. 

Are there any foods you don’t like? 

Peppers. 

What one piece of advice would you give to amateur and home cooks? 

Eating in a fun, healthy, attractive and economic way at home is totally possible. In fact, a few years ago we made a book called “The Family Meal”, where we explained the recipes that we were cooking for ourselves in elBulli. In it, we demonstrated that at home anyone can cook in an amateur semi-professional way in terms of results. The important thing is to get organised, and to enjoy eating and cooking.

    We are what we eat, and eating well feeds the soul.

More information about the elBulliFoundation can be found at http://www.elbullifoundation.org

Double Chocolate Fridge Cake

When I first discovered my love for baking I felt truly blessed. Then somewhere along the way I found myself more than a little obsessed, before finally becoming completely possessed. My mind is awash with thoughts of baking, I find myself pacing the kitchen looking for excuses to bake and I lie awake at night thinking of recipes and ideas. Baking, talking about baking, writing about baking, it's all I want to do, all of the time. It can't be good for me, this infatuation. I really should give myself a break. But how can I indulge my adoration for sweet treats, without fully succumbing to the baking devil lurking just below the surface?

The answer sits in the corner of my kitchen. The hulking grey obelisk so frequently used, but rarely offered more than a little regard. The cooler, the chiller cabinet, the fridge. One of the most important inventions in the history of food, yet taken for granted by most of us, myself included. It deserves its time in the spotlight and can be equally as useful for producing beautiful cakes and desserts as your trusty oven. All you need is the right recipe.

Fortunately for both of us I have the right recipe. Well a recipe so wrong, it's right. A dense, rich, chocolatey gratification, with a dark chocolate tiffin base topped with white chocolate ganache. A luscious, luxurious, licentious extravagance which is stunning to serve and simple to prepare. It is more than just an alternative to a baked cake, it is an absolutely sensational dessert in its own right.

Prep time: 20 Mins
Baking time: Zero, but at least 5-6 hours chilling time
150g Unsalted Butter (Chopped into cubes)
100g Golden Syrup
300g Digestive Bicuits
50g Cocoa Powder
300g White Chocolate (Broken into squares)
150ml Single Cream
The seeds from 1 Vanilla Pod
25g Dark Chocolate (Broken into squares)

Take a 23cm springform tin (without the base) and line with two sheets of cling film, so the cling film overlaps both at the top and bottom. Fit the base and close the tin around it, locking it and securing the cling film in place. Make sure there are no gaps or tears in the cling film and fold any excess over the edges. You don't need to worry about lining the base of your tin. With that little chore done the real fun can now begin.

In a large saucepan melt together the butter and golden syrup on a low heat. Whilst they are melting place the biscuits in a large bowl and crush them finely. You can use a rolling pin for this and try to pulverise them as finely as you can, although a few odd lumps are fine. Tip in the cocoa powder and mix together, then set to one side. When the butter and syrup have melted together remove from the heat, tip in the crushed biscuits and cocoa mixture, then mix together until combined. Tip the mixture into your prepared tin, press firmly all over until evenly compacted and set to one side for an hour until cool.

When the base has cooled for an hour you can prepare the ganache. Sit a large mixing bowl over a pan over simmering water. Tip in the chocolate, cream and vanilla seeds then leave to melt together. You can stir occasionally but try to avoid mixing too much whilst it's on the heat. When the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and mix together until evenly combined, then pour over the cooled base. Slightly tip the tin in each direction to ensure the ganache mixture reaches the edges. Melt the dark chocolate, also in a bowl over simmering water or in the microwave (if you are confident in you timings). Dribble little drops of dark chocolate over the top of the white chocolate mixture, then place the tin in the fridge for 5-6 hours (even overnight) until set.

When the cake has set, it's time to carefully remove it from the tin. Before we start though, a tip. I place the tin in the freezer 30 minutes prior to removing the cake from it, which allows the edge to firm up slightly and makes it a LOT easier to remove. To remove the cake, loosen the tin, then very gently peel off the cling film. You can leave on the base to serve, or to remove completely slide a palette knife underneath the base, before easing the cake onto a serving plate. Congratulations, your work is done. Time to enjoy a slice or two.

Respected, revered and admired - Claire Clark

 Photo courtesy of André Bieganski

To call Claire Clark one of the best female pastry chefs in the world is doing her a disservice. Claire Clark is one of the best pastry chefs in the world full stop. A bold statement this may be, but it is not without merit. She has worked with some of the best chefs and in some of the most highly regarded kitchens in the world, from the Ritz and Claridges to the French Laundry in California. She has won countless award and accolades, including the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de la Grande-Bretange and an MBE for her services to the food industry and her desserts have graced both the House of Commons and Buckingham palace. She is a master of her craft, a supreme professional and not only committed to the pursuit of excellence but also to the development of the new breed of aspiring pastry chefs. Claire’s passion, creativity and dedication are an inspiration and recently I was lucky enough to be able to ask her a few questions of my own…

You have worked with some of the most renowned and prestigious restaurants, hotels and institutions in the world. Who has been the biggest influence on your career and why?

Without a doubt Thomas Keller, for so many reasons.  He is the most amazing man and restauranteur I know.  He remains humble and whilst working at the French Laundry I learned so much more than cooking.  Respect for my team, discipline, extreme organisation and true love of food. 

What inspires you?


Ohh just about everything, fashion, art, nature, people..........

What is your favourite sweet treat to eat and to make?
 
Gosh,  not sure I have a favourite, I love too many things.  It changes all the time.  At the moment its getting to Company Of Cooks Production kitchen in Park Royal at 4am and enjoying a warm, fresh out of the oven Eccles cake.  I also LOVE fruit cake, especially my recipe that Louise Ridgen makes, she put three bottles of Rum in it instead of one at Christmas and as its sooooo good she continues to put 3 in!!!!! If I'm working with her there will be a cup of Earl Grey tea and a slice of fruit cake ready for my arrival. 

Is there any dessert you dislike?

I'm not fond of egg custard, its a texture thing.  I will eat it but its not my favourite texture.

Baking and afternoon tea has seen a recent resurgence in popularity. Why do you think that is?
 
The Great British Bake Off made it fashionable at a time when there was a recession.  Baking at home became trendy, fun and cost effective.  In my view it always has been!
 
What in your opinion makes the perfect afternoon tea?

Balance.  Great cakes with different textures and flavours, fluffy scones and interesting sandwiches. Stick to good baking and don't make it pretty for pretty sake then lose the quality of the product.  That's disappointing.  Taste must come first. Oh and a great cuppa.  I adore tea, it calms me and makes me happy. Lalani and Co have some of the best. I took my own tea pot to French Laundry which was given to me when I left the Wolseley and my own tea.

What one dessert should everyone learn to make?

Lemon Tart, there are so many skills involved and its something everyone loves. If you can make a good Lemon Tart you can make anything, well nearly.

Why do you think home cooks are so fearful of making pastry?

Because they have to measure everything, they generally don't and then wonder why it didn't work out!!! Measure, measure, measure, follow the recipe.  There's no room for winging it until you learn the basics and the science behind it, this frightens most people.

What is the secret to perfect pastry?

Don't over handle the Pastry, don't over work it and rest it as long as possible. Cold hands do work better as does iced water if using in your recipe.

What's next for you?

I would dearly love to have my own all day lounge but I am still in need of investment.

For more information about Claire, including details about her book "Indulge. 100 Perfect Desserts" please visit claire-clark.com

Apple, Carrot and White Chocolate Cake

Traditional carrot cake is one of my favourites, but the classic, sweetly spiced version that we all know and love does not have to be the end of the story. Here I've replaced the spicing with the light fragrance of vanilla and lemon and infused the batter with rich white chocolate. I've then topped with thin slices of sugared apple, which caramelise beautifully in the oven. The result is a moreishly moist and fruity beast, with subtle contrasts in both flavour and texture. There are a fair few different processes involved in its creation, so more so than usual I recommend getting everything measured and prepared before you start. It is also admittedly a relatively long cake to bake, but we all know that the best things are worth waiting for.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 90 minutes
200g White Chocolate
200g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
200g Light Muscovado Sugar
3 Large Eggs
The zest of 1 Lemon
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1tsp Baking Powder
200g Plain Flour
300g Grated Carrot
2 Large Dessert Apples
1.5tbsp Demerara Sugar

The first task required is to melt 100g of the white chocolate. It's best to do this now so it has a bit of time to cool before needed. You can do this over a bain-marie, or in the microwave if you are confident with your timings. Whilst the chocolate is melting preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4, grease a deep 20cm loose bottomed tin and line the base with baking paper. In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs one at a time, along with the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Sift in the baking powder along with the flour, then pour in the 100g of melted white chocolate and mix to a smooth batter. Finely chop the remaining 100g of white chocolate, add to the mixture with the grated carrot and fold through until combined. Spoon into your prepared tin and even to the edges.

Peel and core the apples, then thinly slice. Arrange a half of the sliced apple on top of the batter, sprinkle over half of the sugar, then repeat for the other half. You don't want any gaps at all, even at the edges, but you can decide on how you arrange them. Place in the centre of the oven for 90 minutes, until the apples are golden and starting to caramelise and a metal skewer can be cleanly removed when inserted into the middle of the cake. It's worth checking the cake after about 75 minutes and if the apples are already nicely golden then it's fine to cover the top with a sheet of foil to prevent them burning. Once the cake is cool, leave in the tin for 20 minutes, then carefully turn out. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack, and the cake is ready to slice and serve. As I mentioned above this cake does involve a few different techniques but for that reason it is great fun, not to mention delicious!

White Chocolate Coffee Cakes

Regular readers will be all too aware of my fondness for leaf tea. In fact I would even go so far as to say I love it almost as much as I do cake. For that reason coffee rarely gets a look in here at Le Château du Boulanger, but just to show there's no hard feelings I've come up with this easy recipe that showcases the beautiful roasted aromatics of black coffee with a cheeky white chocolate twist. Although I've used a muffin tray to bake these little lovelies in I've not lined it with paper cases, as I think you get a much more enticing and appealing finish this way, not to mention a deeper, more biscuity flavour to the crumb. Also, the butter icing is entirely unnecessary, which makes it all the more essential.

Prep time: 20 Minutes
Baking time: 25-30 Minutes
175g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
175g Caster Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1tsp Baking Powder
200g Plain Flour
3tbsp Strong Black Coffee (Cold)
100g White Chocolate (Grated or very finely chopped)

For the coffee icing
100g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
200g Icing Sugar (Sifted)
1tbsp Strong Black Coffee (Cold)
1tsp Cocoa Powder (For dusting)

We begin by preheating the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 12 cup muffin tray and place a little disc of baking paper in the base of each cup. In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and the sugar, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift in the baking powder with the flour, then add the coffee and mix together to a smooth batter. Finally, fold through the grated white chocolate. Fill each cup evenly with the batter and bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until each cake has risen and a metal skewer can be cleanly removed when inserted into the middle of one of the cakes. When you are happy they are cooked remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 20 minutes. To remove the cakes from the tin, run a flat bladed knife around the edge of each cake, then gently coax them from their cups. Peel the baking paper from the base of each cake and place on a wire rack until cool.

For the icing cream together the remaining butter and icing sugar. Add the coffee and mix until smooth and silky. Spread the icing over the top of each cake and finish with a light dusting of cocoa powder. These won't last too long, partly because they are a light sponge, but mainly because they are so downright irresistible!

Orange and Cashew Sugar Cookies

The only thing better than a cup of leaf tea is a cup of leaf tea accompanied by something scrumptiously saccharine. These little sugar cookies are quite lovely served alone, but are practically perfect when paired with a piping hot cup of tea or coffee. Crisp and biscuity on the outside with a slightly chewy centre they can be made with a variety of different nuts. I have used creamy cashews, which I think work beautifully with a little orange zest, but almond and lemon or hazelnut and vanilla are just two of the countless combinations at your disposal. Oh and you should get about 24 little bite-sized cookies out of the mixture.

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Baking time: 12-14 Minutes

300g Cashews (Ground as finely as you can)

250g Caster Sugar

The zest of 2 Oranges

2 Large Egg Whites

Let's begin. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Mix together the cashews, sugar and zest, then in a separate large mixing bowl whisk the egg whites until creamy in colour and frothy. Fold through the mixed dry ingredients, until you are left with a sticky dough. Break off a small amount of the dough, roll into a little ball then press out between your hands into a round. Place on the baking paper and repeat for the rest. As I mentioned above you should get about 24 out of the mixture, 12 on each tray evenly spaced apart (They will spread a little during baking). Bake in the centre of the oven for around 12-14 minutes, until golden brown then remove and leave on the tray for 15 minutes, so they can firm up. Peel each cookie from the paper and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. That's the work done, now time to enjoy them!

My Baking Month

Here are just some of the results of my recent baking adventures. Most of the recipes are on the blog, but if you have any questions or comments then please don't hesitate to get in touch.