Apple and Date Cake with Walnuts

Apple and Date Cake with Walnuts

Recently I've fallen in love with, not only baking, but with the website: www.bakingmad.com

I don't really know why I hadn't found it before, but it's excellent! Really makes me love turning on the oven and following a recipe. So, naturally, this recipe comes from BakingMad.com

Originally it was just an apple cake but one of the suggested varieties was to try dates and walnuts. As you may know, dates are some of my favourite foods at the moment and probably now for the rest of time!

My version of the cake has dates and walnuts in the middle, topped with apple and cinnamon and a hard caramel out layer poured in the top.

Here's how you can make it:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C
(Serves 12)

1. Cream together 100g butter and 100g raw brown sugar until combined and pale
2. Beat in 2 eggs and then add 125g plain flour
3. Mix well
4. Now add 1 tsp of baking powder and +/- 2 tbsp cold water
5. Beat with a metal spoon until everything is combined
6. Stir in 16 pitted dates (diced) and 1 large handful of chopped walnuts
7. Pour the batter into a well greased, small cake tin
8. Now core and peel 1 medium sized apple. Slice very finely and lay on top of the cake batter
9. Now sprinkle 1 heaped tsp of cinnamon and 2 tsps of raw brown sugar on top of the apples
10. Cover with a large handful of sliced almonds

11. Bake for 35 mins (NB. The original recipe says 25-30 mins but I needed longer, so keep checking)
12. Remove from the oven and leave to completely cool

TO MAKE THE CARAMEL:
Put 150g caster sugar in a deep pan and heat over a medium heat until the sugar at the sides begins to melt. Swirl the sugar around and leave to melt. Continue to come back to swirl the sugar until it is all dissolved then immediately pour over the cooled cake.

Recent Bakes

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3 Rocky Road Recipes that You HAVE to Try!

At the moment, I've been dedicating Thursday evenings to catching up on the Great British Bake Off. I love it! And every afternoon, after watching, I spend my time focusing my attention on recipe books trying to find something that I can bake without risk of failure.

Looking for something today, I poured through various recipes from a couple of my favourite baking websites (www.topwithcinnamon.com and www.johnwhaite.com) but eventually settled upon a 'classic' of ours: the rocky road.

Traditionally rocky road, the way we make it, consists of predominantly dark chocolate with little milk chocolate blend, pink and white marshmallows and rich tea biscuits.

But today, I looked for something else that was still relatively safe and came up with the following: Peanut Butter Rocky Road with Gingernuts and Cranberries. 

For me, I think it looks pretty well decorated and I'm very happy with the result!

Here's how I managed it and a couple of alternatives that you can try:

Peanut Butter Rocky Road with Gingernuts and Cranberries
Makes 16 squares

1) In a glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt 125g soft butter with 200g Hershey's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips, 100g plain chocolate chips and 3 tbsp of (wild) honey. Continually stir until everything is melted and then remove the bowl from the heat

2) Crush 175g gingernut biscuits into rough chunks and mix into the chocolate mixture 

3) Now stir in 3 large handfuls of cranberries until all combined

4) Now line a loaf tin with clingfilm or baking parchment and spoon in the chocolate mixture

5) Level with the back of a spoon and then crush 5 gingernut biscuits into crumbs and sprinkle on top

6) Chill for at least 2 hours and cut into squares. Store in the fridge until you wish to consume

My alternatives for this recipe are; 

Rich Tea, Date and Walnut Rocky Road

For this one, just use dark chocolate. Swap the quantity of honey for the same of golden syrup. After point number 1, roughly crush 150g rich tea biscuits. Add to this, 2 large handfuls of chopped dates and 100g of chopped walnuts.

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Pistachio and Apricot Rocky Road

As with above, use dark chocolate. Swap honey for the same quantity of golden syrup and complete step number 1 of the original recipe. For this version, roughly chop 20 dried apricots and stir into the chocolate with 150g whole pistachios. 

Adaption of the Chocolate Loaf

I hate to be cynical; but it always seems like when you're looking for something you can't find it. But then when you're not, every door is open to you. When I became vegan for a few months, I could hardly find anything that would fill the sweet hole beyond fruit and Alpro Soya yogurt. The choices were very limited and I was hard-pressed to get a good baking recipe - even on sites that specialised in vegan baking.

Recently, I was searching for fitness tips and stumbled across 2 vegan baking recipes on FitSugar. The vegan no-bake brownies that I made (and that are listed under the 'recipe' section) were very nice. They lacked the gooey fudge texture of normal egg crammed, butter filled brownies but nonetheless calm the angry cravings of a sugar-deprived stomach. Essentially, they tasted vegan. 

The bet recipe I tried was sold to me as: "Zucchini bread that tastes like brownies". I had to give it a go. And, it was delightful. Even the raw batter tasted like real brownies. It was so chocolatey and fudge-like that I could instantly tell it would be a winner. When it was baking, it smelled divine and when I took it out I could finally say that I'd made something vegan that tasted 'normal'. It has quite a crumbly texture but it's not at all dry: a lovely treat for a Saturday evening! 

I had initially intended to make these into muffins by the mixture was incredibly sticky and formed a ball which I didn't want to break up. Beside, for the first try, which is always my mistake, I ought to stick to the original recipe. 

However, I did make a slight change. I am not a particular fan of dried cranberries so I substituted half of the required quantity for glacé cherries which are one of my favourite baking ingredients!!

(Vegan) Chocolate and 'Cranberry' Zucchini Loaf 

(Taken from www.fitsugar.com) 

NOTE ON THE RECIPE: This is an American recipe and so measurements are in cups. If you have cup measures then I always find that American recipes are a lot easier because they save you the hassle of measuring ingredients with scales. However, I have written the equivalent measure in grams alongside the initial measure for ease of access. 

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C

1. Grate 225g courgette (zucchini) thinly and place in a bowl. Place to one side
2. In a separate bowl, mix 120g wholemeal flour, 60g cocoa powder (unsweetened), 1 tsp and 1/4 of baking powder, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp mixed spice. Place this to one side
3. In a large bowl, Mash 1 ripe banana and stir in 110g caster sugar, 125ml canola oil and 1 tsp vanilla extract
4. Pour the shredded courgette into the above mixture and stir until combined
5. Stir in all of the dry ingredients
6. Add to the bowl 60g of dried cranberries or glace cherries
7. Line a small loaf tin with baking parchment, pour in the batter and bake for 45 minutes (The cake should be soft to the touch and cooked on top. Insert a skewer into the middle to ensure it is fully cooked)

mmmm...appetizing!!! 

Hummus Time in No Time At All!

When I first moved to Dubai, I hated hummus. I found it dry and as though it lived in the shadow of bread. Why would I eat a liquid, half formed and tasteless version of a carbohydrate that I could get so easily, cheaply and didn't have to eat with mountains of carrot sticks?

However, it didn't take long for my taste buds to wake up from their ignorance and realise that the 'tasteless' taste was actually a gently satisfying zing. Now one of my favourite lunches is (perhaps, rather boringly) barbecued chicken, arabic bread and hummus.

I've been wanting to make hummus forever but being wary of what the word 'tahini' meant, I never ventured into that culinary sphere. But I wish I had sooner because I could have been making this all summer!

But 'should've', 'would've' and 'could've' are the last words of a fool, so at least I now know how simple (and healthier) homemade hummus can be!

Super Speedy and Satisfying Hummus

1. Blend 1 x 400g can of chickpeas with 1 clove of garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp tahini paste and 1.5 tbsp lemon juice in a food processor. 

2. Continue to blitz until the mixture comes together then add 1 tbsp of water (for the consistency above) or continue adding water until you have your desired consistency

Simples!

Cake depression and VEGAN no-bake brownies!!

Yes, I was this close to sinking into an eternal abyss of cake depression. It seems a year of hardly baking has rendered my hands useless and I had lost nearly all my talent to produce, not elegant, but EDIBLE cakes.

I've had multiple cake disasters over the past few weeks, passing up food that looks hardly appetising and disappoints the taste buds. I had one more shot today at baking something that I normally wouldn't and, if this didn't work, I was throwing in the apron, oven mits and cupcake cases for good.

So thank goodness it worked.

Trawling the internet for 'miracle' foods, I stumbled upon a recipe for 'Vegan No Bake Brownies' which comes from www.fitsugar.com

These delicious morsels include some of my favourite things, including a particular indulgence of mine: dates!

(I've slightly adapted this recipe, due to a lack of applesauce.)

Vegan No-Bake Brownies (Cuts into 20)

1. Peel a medium sized pear and dice

2. Place in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave with 1 tsp water and cook for 1 minute

3. Remove from the microwave, mash with a fork, set aside and leave to cool

4. Blend 2 cups of oats with 1 cup of unsalted cashews, 8 fresh and de-stoned dates, 1/3 cup cocoa powder and 1/4 tsp salt in a food processor. The mixture should be fine and resemble a flour-y consistency

5. Slice a large, ripe banana and add to the food processor

6. Measure out 1/4 cup of the stewed pear mixture and add to the food processor (you will not need the pear again)

7. Blend in the food processor until the mixture becomes a dough-like consistency (it should be moist and stick together slightly)

8. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil (and more if required until the mixture sticks together)

9. Oil a square metal dish and put the dough inside, pushing the mixture flat with your knuckles or the back of a spoon

10. When it is leveled, push 5 broken walnut halves into the mixture

11. Chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge

TOP TIP: Store in the fridge until you wish to consume

Super test of the imagination!

Recently, I've been very involved in writing. I've always loved creative writing and stories have made my life, from the nights that mum read us bedtime stories to writing my own to my 'boyfriend' in year 3 on Valentine's day.

As I went through my teenage years, I lost my love of writing. Reading was a chore and I tried to focus myself on attaining more superficial goals, acting and being amazingly brilliant at something that no one else was.

It failed miserably and I began to feel useless ... until A-level English when I got a considerably high mark in my creative writing coursework. From then on I poured all my energy into harnessing my creative writing talent. Writing, like every hobby, is like family; no matter how much you love them, there are always those days when they get a little bit annoying.

So, whilst studying I was on a bit of a break from writing. I did it casually and sporadically knowing that one day I would get back into it.

As summer rolled in, I begun to have more free time and so more opportunity to focus on what I wanted to do, not what anyone else wanted or required of me. I wrote a short novella (my third). I was happy with it once I began writing but the conclusion and overall development let me down.

I realised that there was no point just trying to churn out stories to say that I'd done it. If I was ever going to write a full length novel, I was going to do it properly. And that's when I enrolled on a 3 day creative writing course outlining the basics of novel-writing.

Before I took the course, I had always been quite stubborn. I didn't want to read books about other people telling you how to write books. I didn't want to read about how to write. I just wanted to write.

But, the course was actually a really productive and inspiring thing for me and I thoroughly recommend anyone to take it if you are interested. There was so much 'homework' that really got your creativity flowing and kept my imagination ticking over - but don't let that dissuade you.

I started to search for my own tasks to do in my spare time. And here's where I hit a dead end.

For all the vast expanse of the internet, it seems inconceivable that you are unable to find something that you are looking for. The internet is a compilation of a billion thoughts from more than a million people's minds and yet I couldn't find the one thing that was at the forefront of mine: writing prompts. 

Maybe it's because I lack the vocabulary to explain to Google the contents of my mind, but I searched for days looking for suitable material. Everything was either aimed at primary school children or seemed a little too 'basic'.

I did however, find some gems, but there wasn't enough to supplement my daily challenge of completing a writing prompt. So I've come up with my own and I thought that it would be interesting to share them with you. Let me know how you get on if you decide to give them a try. I'll be trying them over the next few weeks.

It's probably worth saying that this list is nowhere near complete and I rustled it up within the past 20 minutes but I'll (hopefully) be adding to it as time goes on.

Here's my 'Super Test of the Imagination' 

1. What does 'sondungurous' mean?
2. Your favourite food has just died: write a tribute for publication in a regional magazine
3. Design and describe a flag that symbolises yourself
4. Describe the taste of water
5. Where did the duck-billed platypus come from? 
6. Describe the concept of heavy
7. When is a leaf not a leaf? 
8. Explain 3 alternative uses for mashed potato
9. Explain to an alien the concept of 'right' without using the word 'left' 
10. Design and describe a new item of clothing which embodies the words: 'empty', 'eighteen' and 'egg'. What is this item of clothing used for?
11. How many elephants would it take to butter a piece of toast? Why? 
12. Your friend tells you: 'I have come from an apocalyptic time to tell you that the world will be taken over ... by robotic sausages." And you reply ... (Write for 10 minutes) 

There you go! So that's 12 prompts to get you (and me) started!

Why I'm one of the luckiest people in the world

At the moment I can't get over how lucky I have been and how grateful I am. But I guess you should never 'get over' feeling grateful or lucky, so maybe that's not the right word. But there are so many aspects in my life that have just made me think: this doesn't need to get any better.

I guess it's tempting the devil to say that nothing could go wrong but I feel so so so lucky. 

Why? 

10 reasons why I'm the luckiest person in the world: 

1) I spend nearly all day everyday with my best friends 

It's true that for most of the year my family love 3,000 miles away, and I'm not saying its easy, but they could very well live in Canada or Australia. Separation makes bonds stronger and I have definitely noticed that this year at uni. Judging by the amount I cry at the airport and upon entering the UK, they mean a great deal to me. 

I am so lucky today an I have been so lucky over the past couple of months to have been with them for ages. My mum, dad and brothers are people that I can't live without and I cherish every moment that I can talk to them, laugh with them, and yes, sometimes argue with them. 

2) I have found myself 

After being independent for a while, I realised how crucial it is to find your voice, comply with it and use it at very opportunity. I am so happy to have a voice that I reckon with and my blog has given me that opportunity.

3) I'm currently in Dubai 

I've been in Dubai for a little while now and I am so so lucky to be here. At every holiday opportunity I have been able to come over and I'm very very lucky to have that option open to me. It spices up the holidays, gives me something to look forward to and is an incredibly welcome change. 

Equally I'm am very fortunate to study in the UK and reap the fruits of the brilliant English weather. 

4) I'm surrounded by people who care for my welfare and who enjoy being around me 

A lot of people are very happy (or seem very happy at least) to help me out when I need, provide ears to listen and give a little chat.

5) I don't fear for my life 

It's weird because when I wrote this one, I thought: why would I ever fear for my life. Then I realised that waking up in safety every morning puts me in a minority of people. 

There are people who go to bed fearing for their lives and wake up facing an even harsher reality. People in war-torn countries, people subjected to abuse, people in violent situations, people who are ill.

I am so lucky because I have no idea what it is to feel these things. That doesn't mean that I never will feel pain but in this moment, I'm so thankful. 

6)  I have food and water 

Similarly, it is so incredibly important to realise that things could be so different. I'm so fortunate to have been born into a world where the staples of life are so freely available. 

7) I am un-constrained 

My life really is down to me and I am so lucky that it is this way. Being indecisive, sometimes this means that I make rash or poor decisions but at the end of the day they are my decisions. My life isn't governed by the fact that I have to work to provide for my family. I don't have to join the army straight out of school. I am lucky because the only constraints that I have in life are those that I put on myself. 

8) There is stability and I have the means to provide for it 

Last year I was panicking about payments for our house. I didn't know who I was going to live with, where and how I was going to afford it since I was jobless. I was then so blessed to be able to get a job and pick up a few others too. 

Without my parents lifting me through the  hoops this year in terms of financing accommodation, I am SO aware of how lucky I have been to be able to pay my way through the year. 

9) I'm set up to have one of the best years (yet again) 

And on the subject of uni, this year, though it will be tougher, I hope to be as wonderful as last year. 

If I had told this to myself last September, I would have laughed. But I really really enjoy uni and all the experiences and people that come with it. I am lucky that I love my course and have the motivation to get through it. I am so thankful for the girls that I'm living with this year and for all the other people in between. 

10) I've made it this far 

Why I won't be doing the #icebucketchallenge

It seems that you can not get awy from the hype and awareness raised by ALS in their 'Ice Bucket Challenge'. It's all over every news feed and it's a great way of seeing people unite together in something that is both fun and charitable. 

My brothers were both nominated and made some very entertaining videos. It's all good fun and part of me would like to try to match their standard, however, I feel that I have to stick to my guns. 

Yesterday, my brother nominated me for the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' and, as you've probably gathered, I will not be taking part. 

Now, I don't want to be a fun sponge or hypocritical, but I thought that it would be important to talk about what bothers me about pouring a bucket of cold water on your head. 

I want to start by saying that I think that ALS holds a good objective: the facilitation of people affected by the motor neurone disease. I know that some ethical issues regarding animal testing have been raised about the charity but what I want to talk about today is the awareness campaign itself. 

Perhaps it's because I am currently in Dubai, a city that pours so much money and energy into the desalination of water. This is a process that is costly, damaging to the oceans that surround the UAE and has an impact on green house gas emissions. 

With this knowledge and perhaps even without it, it is so important to realise how fortunate we are. For every one of us that has access to clean running water, so many people don't. 

It is, looking at the scene from a large, a huge waste of water. It's hard to imagine what it might be like not to have water but, if you are able to, imagine that you are starving. Imagine that you have not had enough food to eat for the last week and have no idea when the next meal will come. You are dependent upon rain that does not arrive and soil that is far beyond infertile. And then you see a picture of people in neighbouring countries, throwing vast amount of spaghetti bolognese around in a global food fightand stuffing their trousers with as many slices of bread that can fit, then nominating others to do it too. 

This situation isn't the same but it's very similar. 

Yes, it's true that the water will evaporate into its natural cycle and that we aren't technically throwing away water but the toll that it takes on the environment to give us back drinkable water comes at a large cost. 

So, I suppose what I'm saying is just that we should all remember that we are fortunate to have water and try to conserve it. 

BUT, please remember that I don't frown upon people who have completed the ice bucket challenge. If we were all like me, this would be some awareness campaign and ALS would have fundraised considerably less. 

I am aware of how much water I waste daily on showers and washing up and whatever else. And so I'm not saying that I don't. But in the ways that we can, I believe that we should make a difference and change our habits because, if not us, then who? 

It has been fun to watch the challenges and I think everyone should be proud but, from my personal standpoint, I wanted to stick with an opinion that I am passionate about. The world needs opinions and it depends on all of us to be different. 

I will be accepting the donation part of the challenge, however, in doing what I can for a charity that does remarkable work for people all around the world and that is WaterAid. 

So, I nominate everyone reading, sharing and liking this post to take time to think about the water that they use today. I also nominate you to do something good for charity and to stand up for what you believe in. 

Turbo Oatlets Recipe

Intrigued? Well, this recipe is basically my take on some biscuits that I found on (yes, you've guessed it) BBC Good Food.

They were originally called 'Freezer Biscuits' - a rather unappetizing, uninspiring and bland name that would have you flick past them if you saw them in a recipe book. I suppose the name is practical since these biscuits ARE designed for the freezer.

However, I have christened my version 'Turbo Oatlets' for their speed, rough texture and miniature stature.

And here's how they're made:

Makes 30
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C

1. Whisk 200g butter with 200g dark brown sugar with an electric whisk

2. Then, beat in 2 eggs (1 at a time) until combined

3. With a spoon or rubber spatula, stir in 200g plain flour and 140g oats

4. At this point you can add whatever dried fruit, flavouring or chocolate that you desire. I used cranberries and cinnamon flavoured milk chocolate chips!

5. Take 2 teaspoons of the mixture and dollop onto a flat baking tray lined with baking paper

6. Round the mixture slightly with your finger and then lightly flatten

7. You should have 30 small balls of the mixture

8. Set to bake for 15 minutes

9. Allow 10 minutes to cool before transferring onto a wire rack until completely cool

TOP TIPS: 
You may end up baking these in batches for lack of oven space and baking tools. For this, measure the correct amount of baking paper and then dollop the mixture onto the baking paper BEFORE transferring onto the hot tray. If the tray is hot, the bottoms will begin to bake before entering the oven. Once you have dolloped the mixture onto the baking paper, simply slide onto the hot tray and IMMEDIATELY pop into the oven.

Overambitious baking

I am fairly ambitious with my baking, trying new things that I expect to turn out brilliantly. Needless to say, I am sometimes disappointed.

Today I made a chili and lemon bread - which should have turned out as a baguette but instead came to be an over-sized roll. I also made, probably more successfully, a blackberry and coconut cake taken from this recipe from the BBC Good Food site. I followed it to the 'T' so I can't claim any credit for this.

Mine didn't look quite as good as there and I feel like 1 hour might be slightly too long baking, so if I tried again I would probably have it going for 40 minutes instead and then giving it a quick check.

However, and I admit that it wasn't a complete disaster, I had a lot of fun baking which is the most important thing.

Unfortunately, I reckon that it's a lot more calorific than it makes out but small slithers will make it last longer anyway!