Baked stuff for cold winters days!

[Diane]

This is a Nigella recipe - can just imagine her stealing down in the middle of the night to munch her way through some! Great for winter, as ginger is really good for circulation! It's also really nice with some thick whipped cream...

 

Chocolate Gingerbread

For the cake

175g unsalted butter 1 1/4 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

125g dark muscovado sugar 2 tablespoons wamr water

2 tablespoons caster sugar 2 eggs

200g golden syrup 250 ml milk

200g black treacle 275 g plain flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 40g cocoa

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 175g chocolate chips (or more!)

2 teaspoons ground ginger

 

For the icing

250g icing sugar 1tablespoon cocoa

30g unsalted butter 60ml ginger ale

 

Preheat oven to gas mark 3/170 C and line the bottom and sides of a roasting tin approximately 30x20x 5cm deep, overlapping the sides to cover rising

 

In a largeish saucepan, melt butter, sugars, golden syrup, treacle cloves, cinnamon, and ground ginger.

 

In a cup dissolve the bicarb in the water.

 

Take the saucepan off the heat and beat in eggs, milk and bicarb in its water. Stir i nthe flour and cocoa and beat with a wooden spoon to mix. Fold in chocolate chips and pour into lined tin to bake for about 45 mins, until risen and firm. It will be slightly damp underneath the set top and that's the way you want it.

 

Remove to w wire rack and let cool in the tin. Once cool, do the icing: Sieve icing sugar. In heavy-based saucepan heat butter, cocoa and ginger ale. Once the butter's melted, whisk in icing sugar. Lift the chocolate gingerbrea out of the tin and unwrap the paper. Pour over the icing just to cover the top and cut into fat slabs when set.

 

Scrummy!

 

Just off to take mine out of the oven now.....

[Guest Scrappin' Julie]

Will def have a go at that recipe!

 

I've just made a lemon meringue pie, lemon sorbet and orange sorbet (1st time for all of these!) as I scrumpied heaps of the fruit off my mates trees as shes on her hols!!!

[Diane]

Ooh orange sorbet sounds good - details please!

[Diane]

This one is sooooo easy to make, hardest thing is grating the carrots! It's another of Nigella's...

 

TROPICAL CARROT CAKE

1 1/2 cups grated carrot (I made this about180/200g - or about two big carrots)

432g crushed pineapple (1 large tin)

1 tsp grated orange rind

2 cups wholemeal self raising flour (about 8 oz)

3/4 cup oil (any tasteless oil will do) (about 6 fl oz)

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup caster sugar (I used brown sugar, about 6.5 oz)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp mixed spice

1.

Preheat oven to 180oC/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 25 x 15cm loaf tin.

2.

Put all the cake ingredients (carrot, pineapple, rind, flour, oil, eggs, sugar & spices) into a large bowl and mix well with a fork.

3.

Spread evenly in the tin and bake for 55 minutes.

Top with either: 250g cream cheese, 1 tsp orange rind and ½ cup sifted icing sugar mixed together.... or melted dark chocolate!

[suzer]

The pineapple sounds like a fantastic addition to the cake!

[Diane]

Just want to say the Tropical Carrot Cake recipe above gets my dog's seal of approval - left it out on top of the cooker overnight, and by the morning it had completely disappeared!! Grrrrrrrr..........

[Guest guest3462]

Lol Diane!! The chocolate gingerbread sounds yummy, going to make some now.......wonder if it helps with morning sickness???????

[Guest Chandan]

sounds a little like Hummingbird cake... yum! Lucky dog- would of been funny to see its sugar rush (sorry Diane)

[Guest Chandan]

oh a great one for the summer BBQ's is Nigella's Chocolate Pavlova.. i put strawberries on it or a mix of raspberries comes up nice and big so serves lots of people. I often made this in the Uk when we had parties and BBQ's.. was a hit with everyone (even the men who dont like deserts asked for seconds)

[Guest Scrappin' Julie]

Recipe for Orange sorbet is as follows (Sorry Diane - didn't see you asking for it earlier!)

 

175g gran sugar

rind grated from 1 orange

juice of 2 oranges

1 egg white

25g caster sugar

 

Put gran sugar, 150ml water in pan and heat til disolved.

 

Still in a further 300ml water, and juice and rind. Pour into freezer container and chill til very cold. Then transfer to freezer for 1hr til half frozen.

 

Beat egg white to stiff snow consistently, add caster sugar and continue til glossy and white. Pour fruit mix into cold bowl and whisk til smooth.

 

fold in egg white

 

return to freezer for 45 mins and whisk again.

 

pour back into container and freezer for 1.5-2 hours til firm. Serve immediately.

 

 

For lemon sorbet replace oranges and juice with rind and juice of 4 lemons.