Moroccan Style Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas are not just for houmous, they can also be the building block for some great salads. Their soft and subtle flavour works well with other foods while easily absorbing any flavours or dressings you throw at it. In this instance it was intense sun dried tomatoes, smoky paprika and fiery harissa with just a hint of cumin. All these flavours work together well and remind me of my holiday to Morocco a few years ago, when the air was hot, and filled with the scent of smoke and spices.

I kept with the Moroccan theme by roasting aubergine, pepper and red onion to accompany the chickpeas. I also added in some sweetcorn, which I admit is not very traditional, but it added a little crunch and brightness to the dish.

Adding fruit, usually dried fruits, to savoury dishes is also very common in this culture, typically apricots, dates and prunes. I wanted to add some apricots to my salad and decided to use fresh, rather than dried ones. However, when I was shopping for ingredients I wasn’t able to find any, but I did come across some very nice smelling peaches, so I decided to use those instead. This turned out to be a very good substitution as they added a fruity sweetness to the dish without it being obviously fruit, particularly once it had absorbed some of the red dressing.

This was probably my family’s favourite of the five salads I made. It was sweet, spicy, smoky, fruity with a wonderful mix of colours and textures from the vegetables. After the first few hours everything ended up being glazed with an orange-red hue thanks to the smoky spicy dressing. This is the kind of salad that would bring sunshine to your day even if it’s raining outside.

Moroccan Style Chickpea Salad

Ingredients
1 aubergine
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
1 red pepper
1 red onion
4 tbsp sweetcorn
2 ripe peaches (or apricots)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp sundried tomato paste (not the same as tomato puree)
2 tsp harissa paste
Salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Dice the aubergine, red onion and pepper into 2cm cubes and place on a baking tray.
Mix the cumin and paprika with 1 tablespoon of the oil and drizzle over the prepared vegetables. Toss gently to ensure an even coating.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until softened and roasted. Stir after the first 20 minutes to ensure an even baking. Once baked, set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Drain the chickpeas and place into a large bowl along with the sweetcorn. Peel the furry skin off the peaches and cut into small cubes, add to the bowl with the chickpeas. Mix in the roasted veg and any of the juices collected on the tray.
Mix the remaining tablespoon of oil with the sun dried tomato paste, harissa and a little salt and pepper to season if desired.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Cover and leave the flavours to mingle and marinate for at least two hours before serving.
Serves 6

Pea, Bean & Mint Salad

This is the second of the five salads I made recently. I love the combination of lots of different peas and beans together. All the different shades of pastel green and creamy coloured beans are so pretty, and give a mingling of textures and flavours, very fresh and vibrant.

The broad beans, flageolets and marrowfat peas are soft and creamy while the asparagus and petit pois are naturally sweet with a slight al-dente bite. There is no need to cook the peas in any way; they are blanched before freezing and as they are so small that they soon thaw out. The mint and lemon infused olive oil is all the dressing they need and the two flavours complement the sweet peas and beans perfectly.

If you want to make the salad more substantial, it also tastes delicious with a few small cubes of feta cheese mixed in, but as this was one of many salads on offer, I didn’t think it was necessary this time.

Pea, Bean & Mint Salad

Ingredients
100g frozen petit pois peas
200g flageolet beans, tinned
100g broad beans, tinned
100g Marrowfat peas
6-8 spears of asparagus
2 tbsp fresh mint
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp coarse sea salt
½ lemon, zest

Method
Steam or blanch the asparagus until it is slightly softened but still retains some crunch, about 2-4 minutes depending on size.
Remove the outer shell/skin from the broad beans. Do this by making a tiny slit in the top of the pod where the shell joins together, then squeeze the base of the bean and it should pop out of the skin.
Place the broad beans, frozen peas (no need to defrost, they thaw very quickly), flageolet beans and marrowfat peas into a bowl. Chop the blanched asparagus into 1inch chunks and add to the bowl.
Chop the mint and grind in a pestle and mortar with the sea salt and olive oil to infuse the oil with the mint.
Drizzle the minty oil (and the mint leaves) over the salad and finely grate over the zest of half a lemon. Mix gently, cover and allow to sit for at 2 hours before serving to so the flavours can infuse.
Serves 6 as a side dish

Green Vegetable Salad with Roasted Beetroot & Goats Cheese

With the sunshine and warmer weather finally making an appearance it initiates the start of a new range of dishes – summery salads! Salads can be dull and boring, but a salad constructed with a little care and attention can easily be the star of the meal. The weekend before last when we had such lovely weather I decided to make some salads for the family to enjoy with dinner. I had so many ideas fighting for attention in my head that I went a little salad crazy and ended up making 5 different ones! Opps. Not that it mattered as it meant we then had leftovers for lunches for the next few days – and some salads seem to get better after a day or two when all the flavours have had time to mingle and marinate together. Now the sunshine is back again, for the next few posts I’m intending to share the summery salads with you. Allow me to introduce the first one - Green Vegetable Salad with Roasted Beetroot & Goats Cheese.

This is a wonderfully fresh and vibrant summer salad. Some of the veg is steamed to maintain its freshness while others are roasted to give a more intense depth of flavour. The hot veg is then added to fresh baby spinach leaves which allow them to wilt ever so slightly without going all soft and mushy. Some very fresh herb rolled goats cheese is then scattered on top, in striking contrast to the vibrant green, red and orange of the vegetables as well as being wonderfully creamy against their fresh crispness. The juices from the roasted veg are mixed with a simple balsamic dressing and a scattering of lemon zest to really bring the salad alive.

I love how the following day the goats cheese took on a mottled effect from the beetroots juices and the dressing. Simple, summery and oh so tasty.

Green Vegetable Salad with Roasted Beetroot & Goats Cheese

Ingredients
125g very young soft goats cheese (the one rolled in herbs is best)
4 cooked beetroot (not pickled)
1 carrot
2 courgettes
½ head broccoli
200g fresh young spinach
6 spears of asparagus
1 lemon – zest
3 sprigs lemon thyme
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Peel the carrot and cut into 1cm slices and the courgette into 1-2cm slices. Cut the beetroot into quarters or eights if they are very big. Arrange on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and the sprigs of lemon thyme.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until softened and golden brown. Stir and mix about half way through to ensure even cooking.
Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into florets and slice the asparagus into 3 on the diagonal to make long spear shaped pieces. Steam the broccoli and the asparagus for 3-4 minutes until softened and just tender, you want a bit of bite to remain.
Arrange the spinach leaves in the base of a large serving bowl. Scatter over the steamed broccoli and asparagus and the hot roasted veg. (This will make the spinach leaves wilt slightly and catch any juices given off from the veg.)
Grate over the zest of the lemon and toss gently.
Tear the goats cheese into small pieces and scatter over the top of the salad.
Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and the balsamic vinegar together and drizzle over the top of the salad.
Serve with other salads or BBQ/picnic food and crusty bread.
Serves 6

Spinach & Curried Pumpkin Tart

I was sorting through the freezer at the weekend and unearthed a bag of diced pumpkin I had completely forgotten was there. I had stored it away back in the autumn after buying such a colossal pumpkin that it was too big to eat all at once. I was pleased I had as it had been a few months since tasting a good pumpkin and now I had some at my fingertips.

After a short recipe hunt I settled on a recipe for roasted curried pumpkin that sounded very tasty. However I wanted to turn it into something a bit more substantial and decided to combine it with spinach and turn it into a tart. I also added an egg quiche style filling to help ‘stick’ it all together. The result was delicious.

The pastry was thin and crisp while the filling was soft and warming. The earthiness of the spinach worked so well with the tender sweetness of the pumpkin. The curry and cumin spices were lingering in the background without being too obvious or overpowering and just added to the whole warming, comforting flavour that seemed to capture the essence of golden autumn days. I loved the striking colour contrast of the dark green spinach against the golden pumpkin too.

Some of the pumpkin poked up above the eggy filling meaning it got a second gentle roasting when baked, giving even more flavour and a fun rustic appearance. I served the tart warm with a spoonful of Indian spiced carrot chutney to enhance the curry notes and which I would highly recommend. If you don’t have any pumpkin I’m sure it would work equally well with butternut squash or sweet potato.

Spinach & Curried Pumpkin Tart
(Recipe adapted from The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook)

Pastry
160g plain flour
75g cold butter
1-2 tbsp cold water

Filling
500g pumpkin or squash
100g frozen spinach (or 200g fresh)
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
3 eggs
100ml double cream
150ml milk
Salt & pepper

Method - Pastry

Start by making the pastry. Cut the cold butter into 2cm squares. Place the flour into a bowl, add the butter and rub the butter into the flour using the very tips of your fingers. Do this by picking the little squares of butter and some of the flour up with your fingertips, lift this just above the rim of the bowl and then rub the two gently together, letting it fall back into the bowl. Be gentle with it as overworked pastry goes tough.
When most of the butter lumps have gone you should be left with a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add a spoonful of cold water and work this into the pastry using a round bladed butter knife. Add a little more water if it still seems too dry to form a dough.
Once the crumbs are starting to cling together, use your hands to squash the mixture together to form a dough. No not knead it like bread dough.
Wrap it in clingfilm and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Roast the Pumpkin

While your pastry is chilling in the fridge prepare the filling. Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the pumpkin into a fairly large dice and place into a bowl. Mix the curry powder and cumin seeds into 1 tablespoon of oil and drizzle over the top of the pumpkin. Toss together so the pumpkin gets an even coating of the spiced oil.
Transfer the pumpkin to a baking tray and roast in the oven for 25 minutes until soft and lightly brown around the edges.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside.

Blind bake the Pastry
Next, remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it will line a deep 8inch/20cm tart tin.
Lay a sheet of clingfilm over the top of the pastry and cover with baking beans or dried rice to prevent the pastry from puffing up when baking.
Place the pastry into the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the edges are starting to turn golden.
Remove the clingfilm and baking beans from the tart shell and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes to crisp up the base.
Then reduce the oven to 180C.

Assemble the Tart

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Fry until softened in the remaining tablespoon of oil, then set aside. Thaw the frozen spinach or blanch the fresh spinach until softened. Place into a clean tea towel and wring it out tightly to get rid of all the excess water or else your tart will be soggy.
Cut the skin off the pumpkin and crush the pieces gently in your fingers.
Arrange the onion and garlic over the base of the tart. Scatter the spinach and roasted crushed pumpkin over the top, packing it in well.
Lightly beat the eggs, milk, cream and a little salt and pepper together until combined, before pouring into the tart. (Some of the pumpkin and spinach will poke out above the egg mixture, but this is desired as it gives the veg a roasted top and flavour).
Bake for 35-45 minutes until the egg mixture is set and the pumpkin tops are golden and roasted.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and serving with salad and a spiced Indian style pickle or chutney (I used an Indian carrot chutney).
Serves 6 as a main course or 8-10 as a starter.

Makes 1 deep 8inch/20cm tart

Easter Pizza

With Easter just around the corner this usually results in a flurry of sweet chocolate based baking. This year, along with the usual sweet treats I decided to make an eggception and eggspand into the savoury section and bake an eggcellent pizza too – and it’s egg shaped – how eggciting! *after receiving many rolling of eyes* Ok, enough of the egg related puns!

When people mention Easter and food I’m sure most of us instantly think of chocolate eggs and other sweet goodies, but I don’t see why the Easter egg theme can’t be applied to savoury foods too – afterall traditionally chocolate has nothing to do with Easter. I have been planning on making pizza for a while now and today finally got around to organising myself to make it. While shaping the base I decided to have a bit of fun and make it egg shaped and then to decorate the top in a design. It sort of worked, just squint a bit…see the olives are gems and the pepper strips and the zig-zag design. I may not be the best looking egg inspired pizza, but I had fun being creative and it tasted yummy and that’s what matters.

My pizza took a Greek route as I had some olives and feta to use up in the fridge but obviously you can add whatever takes your fancy. You can make bespoke individual egg shaped pizzas to suit your friends and families topping preferences or if they are not fussy then just bake a giant one and divide it up.

I used my favourite pizza dough recipe for the base, it’s a no knead dough that simply needs mixing together the night before and then leaving in the fridge overnight to slowly bubble and develop into a lovely silky soft and stretchy dough. It couldn’t be easier and means you can be eating pizza within 20 minutes of walking in the door the following day, much quicker than a takeaway or even a shop bought pizza.

I hope everyone has an eggcellent Easter!

Easter Pizza

For the pizza dough
320g strong plain white flour
¾ tsp salt
15g fresh yeast (or 7g dried)
30ml olive oil
210ml warm water
1 tsp caster sugar

Tomato topping
1 onion
1 large can of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp sundried tomato paste
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings of your choice
Feta cheese
Olives
Orange pepper
Mushrooms
Fresh basil
Sun dried tomatoes


Method – for the pizza dough

Heat the water until it is just warm to the touch but not hot. Add the olive oil and crumble in the fresh yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved.
Place the flour and salt into a large bowl and pour over the yeast mixture. Mix together using the tips of your fingers until a sticky dough is formed.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth, around 3 minutes. The dough should become less sticky although still tacky to the touch.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with clingfilm. Place in the fridge overnight or for up to 5 days.
Tear off chunks of dough when required.
Makes enough dough for 3 x 9inch pizzas.

For the tomato topping
Peel and finely dice the onion. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and oregano. Cook until soft, then finely crush the garlic and add to the pan. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, sundried tomato paste and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Allow to simmer for 15 minutes until the mixture has reduced and thickened.
Allow to cool in the pan, then transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and keep in the fridge until required.
Makes enough sauce to cover 3 pizza bases.

To assemble
When ready to eat the pizza, preheat the oven to its hottest setting, usually around 250-275C. Place a pizza stone or baking tray into the oven to heat up.
Have a sheet of baking parchment or a silicone mat ready and dust the top with flour or fine cornmeal.
Lightly dust your hands with flour and tear off a third of the pizza dough. Gently stretch it, pulling from the middle outwards, to your desired thickness.
When the dough is quite thin, lay it onto a sheet of baking parchment or a silicone mat and pull into shape.
Spread a third of the tomato sauce over the top, leaving a small rim around the edge.
Add the toppings - assorted vegetables or meats of your choosing and a few torn basil leaves.
Grate or crumble the cheese of your choice over the top.
Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and quickly slide the sheet of baking parchment with your pizza on it, onto the baking tray and return to the oven. (This ensures the base is cooked and crisp at the same time as the top).
Bake for 8-10 minutes until the crisp, golden brown and bubbling.
Eat and enjoy.

If you are still craving something sweet then here is a list of my previous Easter themed sweet treats.
Simnel Cake – traditionally for Mothers Day but now often associated with Easter.

Chocolate Rice Krispie Mini Egg Nests

Apple & Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns

Spiced Chocolate Cupcakes topped with Mini Chocolate Rice Krispie Mini Mini Egg Nests

Carrot Cake Inspired Cinnamon Buns

I was in the mood for something sweet and spicy. Something with a bit of texture and also a little bit sticky and gooey. I couldn’t decide between carrot cake and cinnamon buns and was getting annoyed at myself for spending too long agonising over the decision. I decided to just make both, but we didn’t need both and they would go to waste, so I was back to square one. I asked my family and they didn’t mind - not very helpful. I then hit upon the idea of combining the two to make carrot cake inspired cinnamon buns – the more I thought about it the happier I became.

I adapted a recipe for cinnamon buns I have been meaning to try for a while and just added all my favourite parts of carrot cake to the dough. Grated carrot, a mix of spices and pecans. I also added raisins to the filling and decided to top the whole thing off with a cream cheese frosting instead of the usual glace icing.

I just went with my instincts and removed an egg from the original recipe to compensate for the extra moisture from the grated carrots. I switched white sugar for brown and used fresh rather than dried yeast as I had some in the fridge. I ended up with a spiced nutty dough, flecked with carrot and filled with spiced sugar and raisins.

Once prepared and baked they looked good and they smelt amazing, sweet, spicy and yeasty but I still wasn’t sure how they would taste. I cut a square, still hot from the oven, and spread it with some cream cheese frosting and pulled off my first bite...delicious. The dough was soft and springy thanks to the egg and milk used in the mix which keeps it tender. The spicy sugar had melted into a sticky middle glaze and the nuts and raisins added extra texture and variety in each bite. The frosting was fresh tasting, creamy and cool in temperature against the hot bun, melting slightly into the swirls. It had a slight sweetness but maintained its characteristic tangy flavour.

I loved tearing off little bits, unwinding the swirl to reach the gooey sticky centre. It could still do with a little tweaking, but it was still lick-your-fingers good. The best of both worlds combined into one delicious treat. You won’t be able to resist having another one – I know I couldn’t!

Carrot Cake Cinnamon Buns
Spiced Carrot Dough
235ml milk
1 egg
75g butter
620g strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
25g fresh yeast
125g light soft brown sugar
150g carrot
50g pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp ground ginger

Filling
150g soft light brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
50g butter
75g raisins

Topping
85g cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g icing sugar

Method – for the spiced carrot dough
Place the butter in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until melted. Pour over the milk and heat again for 30 seconds until the milk is warm to the touch but not hot. Stir in a tablespoon of the sugar and crumble in the fresh yeast. Stir to combine and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl weigh out the flour, salt, spices and remaining sugar. Coarsely grate over the carrots.
Beat the egg into the milky yeast mixture and pour over the dry mix. Stir together using the tips of your fingers and bring the mixture together to form a sticky dough.
Roughly chop the pecans, you still want them in fairly large pieces though. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the nuts into the dough. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic and less sticky, about 8-10 minutes.
Lightly grease the bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with cling film and place in a warm place to prove for 1½-2 hours until doubled in volume. I find the airing cupboard works well. While you wait, prepare the filling and topping.

Filling
Combine the sugar and cinnamon together and mix well to combine. Have the butter and raisins weighed out in bowls and set aside.

Topping
Beat the cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Add the icing sugar to taste. You want it sweet yet still with a good tang to it as the buns themselves are quite sweet. Keep in the fridge until required.

Assembly
Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into a long rectangle, about 15x20 inches.
Melt the filling butter and drizzle over the surface of the dough. Use a pastry brush to spread it out evenly. Scatter the cinnamon sugar over the entire surface. Sprinkle over the raisins and press down lightly.
Starting at the longest edge, roll the dough into a roll. Use a serrated bread knife to cut the dough into 12-18 sections – depending on how long your roll is or how fat you like your buns.
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch deep baking tray and arrange the buns in the tin. They don’t have to be swished in too much as they will expand and grow during baking.
Leave to prove in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C.
Bake the buns for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Leave to cool for 2-3 minutes before cutting a square and spreading with a dollop of the cream cheese topping.
Eat and enjoy while still warm and gooey.
If you don’t fancy the tangy cream cheese topping, and want something a little sweeter, a simple glace icing of water and icing sugar can be used instead.
Makes 12-18 buns
Beat eaten on day of baking or else reheated for 5 minutes in a hot oven the following day. Also, freeze well.

Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Soup

Soup is so warming and comforting at this time of year. I am especially fond of winter and root vegetable soups whose natural sweetness always cheer the soul on a cold day. So, when I was recently given a pumpkin as a present I knew instantly that it was time to make some soup.

Pumpkins and squashes are quite unique in that despite them being tough and often frustratingly hard when raw, once cooked they transform into soft and tender flesh that almost seems to melt like butter, adding a lovely creaminess to soups. For this soup I decided to go all out for silkiness and combined pumpkin and butternut squash together.

The resulting soup was heavenly. I think it may in fact be my favourite soup to date. Thick, and so velvety smooth that a spoonful seemed to caress the back of my throat, flooding my senses with a deep earthy sweetness. This soup just made me smile and sigh with contentment as it warmed me from the inside.

There is something so comforting about its beautiful orange amber colour, watching the floating spirals of steam drifting up from the bowl and breathing in its creamy earthy aroma. It’s hard to believe that something so simple can taste so good. All that’s required is some bread for dipping and you’re good to go. This is truly a soup for the soul.

Apparently it’s also National Homemade Soup day! Souper!

Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
1kg pumpkin – I find the small ones with the deep orange flesh are best (e.g. Ambercup, Onion or Kabocha varieties)
1kg butternut squash
1 large onion
1 baking potato
2 small or 1 large garlic cloves
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp thyme
2 pints water
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper

Method
Peel and roughly chop and onion, potato and garlic. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the prepared veg. Give it a stir and then put the lid on and leave it for 10-15 minutes to soften and sweat. If they catch slightly on the base of the pan don’t worry, this will only add to its depth of flavour.
Meanwhile, carefully slice the skin off the pumpkin and squash. Cut in half, scrape out the seeds and fiberous membrane from the middle and chop into rough chunks. (If you find them too hard to cut, cook in the microwave for 4 minutes to soften the skin to make peeling and slicing easier).
Add the pumpkin and squash to the pan along with the herbs and season with salt and pepper.
Boil the kettle and pour over 2 pints of water. Bring the mix to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover with the lid and leave to cook for 45 minutes.
Check the vegetables with the tip of a knife to make sure they are fully cooked. When ready, blitz the soup until smooth using a liquidiser or hand held blender.
Serve in warmed bowls with bread for dipping.
Serves 6

Spiced Sweet Potato Cake (Version 2)

This is my second attempt at a sweet potato cake. As you can see it looks drastically different to version 1.

The first thing you will notice is that it looks a lot bigger, more of a loaf shape. This is because I used slightly more mixture and baked in into one large cake rather than two smaller ones. I also ensured it really was fully cooked this time, meaning it rose beautifully and stayed that way! If you compare it side by side with version 1, you might think that I have burnt it, but rest assured its not burnt, I replaced some of the sugar with brown sugar in the hope of giving it a caramel overtone and this made the batter much darker, as you can see from the inside crumb.

The cake also contained oil rather than butter and I threw caution to the wind and mixed most of the ingredients together in one go, cutting down some of the process stages. This worked well and didn’t seem to have any negative effects on the cake. I loved the orange and spice mix from version 1 so much that I transferred those over into this cake as well.

The finished cake rose well and was light in texture. The crumb was soft and moist thanks to the oil and sweet potato and it had a very nice, faintly orangey flavour with caramel overtones. However, I think some of the magic of the orange, spices and sweetness from the sweet potato was lost by adding the brown sugar, as they were not as pronounced as in the first version. The lovely golden orange colour was also lost, which was a shame as I consider its sunny colour one of the most pleasing aspects of baking with sweet potato. This does not however prevent it from being a delicious and tasty cake and if I was not doing a comparison I would probably not find fault with it, so don’t let my judgements stop you from giving it a go.

I now had two different sweet potato cakes to try out on my friend. I told her I had been experimenting with spice cakes and invited her round for a tasting. She happily ate slices of each while considering them. In the end she told me that while she liked both cakes she preferred the flavour of version 1, but the height and lightness of version 2 (same as me – hurrah!) When I told her what the mystery ingredient was she was surprised and said it didn’t taste like sweet potato. As she had already said she liked both cakes, she had to eat her words and grudgingly agreed that vegetables and squashes may in fact have a place in baking. So even thought I may need to create a sweet potato cake version 3 to get my ideal cake, at least I achieved what I set out to do which is to broaden my friends mind to the possibilities of baking ingredients.

I have got quite a lot of cake(s) left over and I’ve got an idea forming of what to do with them, I’ll let you know if it works!

Spiced Sweet Potato Cake (Version 2)
Ingredients
240g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
130g sweet potato, cooked and mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
100ml sunflower oil
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
100g soft brown sugar
Zest of ½ orange
1 tsp cinnamon
½ ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves20g pecans

Method
Preheat oven to 170C. Lightly grease and flour a 450g/1lb loaf tin.
Prick the sweet potato with a fork and microwave on high for 9 minutes until soft. Cut open, scoop out the flesh and mash with a fork. Weigh out the correct amount and set aside.
In a bowl, sift together flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and spices and set aside.
Place the sweet potato puree, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and sugars into a large bowl and beat until well combined.Add flour mixture mix until just combined, a few small lumps are fine.
Spread the batter evenly into the loaf tin. Roughly chops the pecans and scatter over the surface of the batter.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until well risen and golden. A skewer inserted into centre of the loaf comes out clean. Cover the top quickly with foil after 45 minutes if you think it is browning too quickly.Cool the cake in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 1 loaf cake

Sweet Potato, Orange & Pecan Spice Cake (Version 1)

I was talking to a friend recently about the use of vegetables and squashes in cakes after we both watched a food programme that featured a chocolate beetroot cake. My friend was quite horrified by the use of beetroot and even more so when I told her that almost any vegetable could be used as a cake ingredient. She refused to believe that adding any vegetable would taste good in a cake, despite my protests that she already knew and liked carrot cake. I was determined to prove her wrong and surprise her with a piece of cake that contained a secret vegetable ingredient, but which one to choose? I thought it over and in the end settled on a sweet potato. They are not strictly a vegetable but neither are they a common cake ingredient and I thought their sweet flavour would be a good starting point. Now all that was left was to find the right recipe to bake with it.

After much hunting I decided to adapt a recipe for pumpkin cake that I found on Culinary Concoctions by Peabody blog. I also fiddled around with the quantities and added orange zest and spices which I thought would complement the sweet potato.

Everything went well and the resulting cake was very good. It was moist and a lovely golden yellow colour thanks to the sweet potato. The mix of orange and spices tasted fantastic and gave it a very autumnal feel. The chopped pecans added a nice crunch and they had got nice and toasty during baking. It rose well during baking but sank slightly as it cooled down with the result that the base was a little denser then I would have liked (I think 5 mins more would have been ideal – I’ve amended the recipe). All my family loved this cake, and it’s one I would certainly make again, but I wanted to experiment further, so I’m calling this sweet potato cake version 1, with version 2 to follow.

Sweet Potato, Orange & Pecan Spice Cake (Version 1)
Ingredients
1 small or ½ large sweet potato (130g cooked flesh)
180g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
2 eggs, separated
150g and a separate 30g caster sugar
60g butter
1 tsp vanilla
140ml milk
Zest of ½ orange
40g pecans for decoration

Method
Preheat the oven temperature to 180C. Grease and line two small loaf tins.
Prick the sweet potato and microwave on high for 9 minutes.
When the sweet potato is cooked, scoop out the flesh and mash until smooth. Measure out 130g of potato puree and set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Set aside.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually beat in the 30g of sugar and continue to whisk until the egg whites are fairly stiff.
In another bowl combine the sweet potato, butter, vanilla, orange zest and remaining 150g sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl after each egg yolk is added.
Add a third of the flour mix, followed by half the milk. Repeat with more flour, milk and ending with the last of the flour.
Using a spatula, fold in a third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain, but do not over mix and deflate the batter.
Spread the batter between the loaf tins. Roughly chop the pecans and scatter over the surface. Bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and leaving to cool completely.
Makes two small loaves.
Note: I think this mixture would also fit into one deep 450g/1lb loaf tin and would probably need around 50-60 minutes cooking time.

Spook-tacular Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Woooooooo! Happy Halloween. We don’t really celebrated Halloween here, not like they do in America, but after reading about all the Halloween themed treats that have been popping up on many blogs over the past week I was determined to join the party. Some ookey-spooky cupcakes seemed the way to go.

I am so happy about a recent discovery I made on Thursday…Waitrose stock canned pumpkin puree! YIPPEE! I have been hankering after this for years, having spent many months feeling envious of many delicious pumpkin inspired goodies baked by fellow bloggers from other countries. I have never found in sold here in the UK until now. Finally I can start making some pumpkin treats myself! I have tried making my own pumpkin puree and although successful enough, when you open that first can of pumpkin puree you can see it’s not in the same league. Just look how vibrantly orange it is – and it had such a lovely flavour too.

After finding a tasty sounding pumpkin cake recipe, I whipped up a batch of pumpkin cupcakes with much enjoyment. I baked them in Halloween themed cupcake cases I brought back from my recent trip to Chicago (I must have known they’d be needed). The batter was a lovely orangey brown colour and speckled with spices. They smelt absolutely amazing while they baked, a cross between carrot cake and Christmas cake, like hot caramel and spicy. Once baked, they were puffy with slightly domed tops and I had to resist the urge to eat one straight away but I knew they would be even tastier once frosted.

To give them a Halloween theme I cut some spooky faces out of some rounds of orange fondant which I lightly scored to make them look like pumpkins. It was rather fun. I found depending on how you cut out the eyes they could either end up looking cute, spooky or downright evil!

I let the fondant dry a bit before propping them up on top of the frosting before turning the lights out and shining a torch behind them. Ooooo spooky. On a recent outing I also found a small shop in Milton Keynes that sold American foods, including some candy corns – another thing I have been longing to try, so of course they had to make an appearance too.

The cupcakes were divine! They didn’t taste of pumpkin, but they were incredibly light, moist and airy and I’m sure that it’s thanks to the pumpkin. They had a wonderful spiciness and the sweet, creamy cream cheese frosting was the perfect accompaniment. In fact I would go as far as to say they were spook-tacular!

Spook-tacular Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
(Recipe adapted from Furey and The Feast blog)
Pumpkin Cupcakes
270g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
250g light brown sugar
4 eggs
225ml vegetable oil
425g pumpkin puree (1 standard can)
2 tbsp yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ lemon, zest only

Cream Cheese Frosting
200g cream cheese
150g unsalted butter
15g soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
500g icing sugar

Method – Cream Cheese Frosting

Start by making the frosting. Make sure you butter is soft. Beat the together with the cream cheese, vanilla and brown sugar until well combined.
Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl to ensure it is lump free. Then add it gradually into the cream cheese mixture, about 2-3 tablespoons at a time. Mix with a spatula, as electric mixers will make the icing fly everywhere. Once all the icing sugar has been incorporated, beat with an electric mixer to ensure its smooth.
Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the fridge until required.

For the Pumpkin Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 180C and line two 12 holed muffin tins (24 total) with cupcake cases.Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves into a bowl and set aside.In another bowl, beat together the brown sugar and eggs. Add the vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, yoghurt, vanilla and the lemon zest. Whisk together until well combined.
Scatter half the spiced flour mixture over the top of the batter and fold in until combined. Fold in the remaining flour and whisk briefly to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
Divide the batter between the 24 muffin cases. I find using an old fashioned ice cream scoop works perfectly, but a large tablespoon would work just as well. Fill until three-quarters full.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. They should be puffy, slightly domed on top and springy to the touch when ready.
Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.

Fondant Pumpkins
Knead the fondant lightly to soften it up. Add small amounts of red and yellow food dye and work into the fondant until you have an orange colour you are happy with.
Lightly dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the fondant until 2mm thick.
Stamp out rounds of fondant and then cut out small slits for eyes. Cut a small zig-zag line for the mouth and gently pull the bottom on the fondant to enlarge it into a mouth.
Place the spooky pumpkins on a rack and leave to air dry.

To Assemble
Remove the cream cheese frosting from the fridge and beat lightly to soften. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the top of the cooled cupcakes.
Decorate the tops of the cupcakes with the fondant pumpkins or other sweets. (I used a candy corn sweet to prop the fondant pumpkins up).
Eat and enjoy!
Makes 24 cupcakes