Plum, Orange & Cardamom Cake with Brown Sugar Crème Fraiche
Sometimes, all I want is a fresh piece of cake. Warm from the oven is best. Light as air and packed with buttery vanilla flavour. This cake is just that. A very simple cake recipe that you can whip up really easily. The added cardamom, ginger and orange just hum in the background, creating a wonderfully fragrant slice. Fresh plums are arranged on top before a sprinkling of pistachios adorns the top. Once its cooled, I like to dust it with a little icing sugar and serve it with a dollop of crème fraiche which has been slightly sweetened with some brown sugar. The slight tang works really well against the sweet, soft, warm sponge.
Sesame Sour Cream & Apple Cake
This has become my new favourite snack cake. A sour cream sponge made with tahini and toasted sesame seeds, that has a spiced sugar running through the middle and tart apples sitting on top. It’s then finished off with a maple tahini glaze that gets poured over the surface while the cake is still hot, so that it rests into all of its nooks and crannies. It’s moist and fruity but a little savoury from the sesame too.
All I kept thinking while eating my first warm slice was, ‘when can I make this again?’
Chocolate Chunk Espresso Muffins
When I dream of chocolate muffins, these are what I dream of. A moist and tender sour cream batter with big chunks of melted dark and milk chocolate. All nestled under a blanket of salty, crisp chocolate streusel and sweet coffee mascarpone cream. I think they're quite beautiful with their rough rocky surface and different shades of cocoa. My perfect chocolate muffin.
Courgette & Lime BOO Cake
We’re doing cutesy Halloween around here!
This is a courgette and lime take on a madeira sponge; so a sponge that’s got a bit of weight to it. The buttercream is a russian buttercream which I’ve added a blackberry compote to for colour. If you want the cake to be really zesty, add in the zest from 3 or 4 limes rather than 2.
Fig, Brown Butter & Lemon Financier Cake
Fig season is my absolute favourite season for fruit and veg. They’re beautiful, soft, sweet, delicate and the perfect hues of purple and pink. I really think they’re a thing of beauty. Unfortunately for me, fig season is extremely short. So I try to eat them as much as possible while they’re around.
Espresso, Brown Butter & Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
I love banana bread as it is; but I love it even more when its warm from the oven, packed full of coffee and gooey chocolate chips. I’ve also chucked in some brown butter to add depth of flavour. The result is a beautifully golden loaf that’s humble in its rustic appearance with a light, moist slice. The recipe comes together quickly and easily without the need for a stand mixer. So if you have any spotty ripe bananas that need using; this recipes for you.