I'm giving you below several recipes for sweet and savoury cakes and biscuits which I hope you will relish.
A lovely rich cake which keeps rich for over a week.
For the figs:
500 g (1 lb) figs, stems removed
250 ml (1 cup) water mixed with
250 ml (1 cup) mavrodaphne or any kind of sweet red wine (or any red wine + 2-3 honey or sugar)
2 thin lemon slices
For the cake:
115 g (1/2 cup) butter
200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
2 eggs
300 g (2 cups) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp clove powder
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger powder
125 ml (1/2 cup) fig liquid
1 tbsp METAXA brandy
200 g (1 tub) strained Greek yoghurt
2 cups poached figs, diced
About 75 g (1/2 cup) dried apricots, diced
About 50 g (1/2 cup) chopped pistachios or walnuts
Place the figs in a single layer in a saucepan, cover with water and wine solution and add the lemon slices. Poach the figs until tender, then strain and dice reserving the fruit and their liquid for further use. Discard the lemon slices.
Cream the sugar and butter until light snd fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix the flour with the baking flour, soda, salt and spices. Sift over the batter in three parts alternately with the fig liquid, yoghurt and brandy. Finally, stir in diced figs, apricots and nuts and mix well together.
Divide the batter between to loaf tins and bake in an oven preheated to 170 C (325 F) for about 50 minutes to 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow cooling in the tins and reverse on pretty dishes. You could cover with icing if you prefer.
Place the biscuits on a rack and when completely cold store in a biscuit tin.
A delicious savoury cake.
400 g wholemeal flour
100 g white flour
2 tsp dried yeast
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp soft butter
Flavouring:
1 large onion, thinly sliced sauteed in
1 tbsp olive oil
1 beaten egg
50 g mature Cheddar
Mix all the two flours together, the yeast, seeds, salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in 300 ml (1 cup + 2 heaped tbsp) with a spoon. Then stir all together until you have a soft pliable dough. Cover and allow to prove until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and knead for 2 minutes, cover the and allow it to prove once more until doubled in bulk. Place in a round tin lined with baking parchment, brush with the beaten egg, cover with the sauteed onion and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for about 50 minutes to one hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Serve with a green salad.
CHEESE AND ONION MUFFINS
One could also make a cake with this recipe if preferred.
150 ml sunflower oil and extra for the muffin tins
1 large egg
284 ml yoghurt mixed with
66 g milk
500 g (1 lb) self-raising flour
1 tsp mustard powder
140 g (almost 5 oz) mature Cheddar, grated
6 spring onions trimmed and thinly sliced
a small bunch of chives snipped
25 g (0.88 oz) Parmesan, grated
200 g (7.5 oz) feta cubed
Heat oven to 180 C (350 F) and brush the sockets of a muffin tin with sunflower oil. Whip egg with yoghurt until well combined. In a bowl mix flour salt and mustard powder, then stir in the cheddar, spring onions, chives and Parmesan. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry but do not over mix, just enough to combine and fold in the feta cubes.
Spoon the batter into the sockets of the muffin tin sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and bake for 25 minutes. If you prepare a cake bake for 50 minutes.
HONEY CARROT AND THYME LOAF
Do prepare this lovely savoury cake!
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil
4 -5 carrots thinly grated
2 tsp dried thyme
100 g wholemeal flour
125 g white flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
50 g yoghurt
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Chutney, Cheddar or cream cheese to serve
Heat oven to 180 C (350 F). Mix honey and 1 tsp of oil then add the carrots and thyme and season and tip into a baking tray and roast for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring once and set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl gently beast the eggs, yoghurt and the remaining oil. Add the flour mixture then add the carrot mixture and stir well together.
Pour into a loaf tin lined with buttered baking parchment and bake for 50 minutes to one hour and leave to cool before slicing. Top with chutney, cheddar or cream cheese, and enjoy.
PLAIN SCONES
A must for tea!
8 oz plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp milk
1 oz butter
Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar in a bowl. Rub in the butter and when itis evenly distributed mix in to make a soft but not sticky dough. Place on a floured board and knead it lightly then roll out thinly and cut out as many scones with a round biscuit cutter. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 10 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Cool on a wire tray.
BISCUITS WITH FETA AND PARMESAN
These biscuits are beyond words!
100 g butter at room temperature
50 g feta cheese, crumbled
50 g Parmesan, finely grated
180 g self-raising flour
Place all the ingredients in a mixer and blend until the dough for a ball around the pastry hook. Cover the dough with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least roll our the pasty and cut small rounds with a biscuit cutter.
Arrange them on a baking tin lined with parchment and bake for 15 -,20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
BANANA
AND CHOCOLATE CAKE
A lovely cake
175 g caster sugar
175 g self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 tbsp cocoa
100 g finely chopped chocolate
100 ml sunflower oil or
100 g melted butter
200 g bananas, mashed
3 medium eggs, separated, whites whipped stiff with a pinch
of salt
50 ml milk.
Heat oven to 160 C.
Grease and line a tin with baking parchment or alternately use 2 loaf
tins. Mix all the dry ingredients well
together in a bowl, also mix the wet ingredients well together in another
bowl. Stir the two mixtures together
and gently fold in the whipped egg whites until no traces of white are
evident. Bake for about 1 hour. Cool in the tin/tins, and, finally spread
with chocolate ganache.
FIG CAKE WITH SPICES
FIG CAKE WITH SPICES
For the figs:
500 g (1 lb) figs, stems removed
250 ml (1 cup) water mixed with
250 ml (1 cup) mavrodaphne or any kind of sweet red wine (or any red wine + 2-3 honey or sugar)
2 thin lemon slices
For the cake:
115 g (1/2 cup) butter
200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
2 eggs
300 g (2 cups) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp clove powder
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger powder
125 ml (1/2 cup) fig liquid
1 tbsp METAXA brandy
200 g (1 tub) strained Greek yoghurt
2 cups poached figs, diced
About 75 g (1/2 cup) dried apricots, diced
About 50 g (1/2 cup) chopped pistachios or walnuts
Place the figs in a single layer in a saucepan, cover with water and wine solution and add the lemon slices. Poach the figs until tender, then strain and dice reserving the fruit and their liquid for further use. Discard the lemon slices.
Cream the sugar and butter until light snd fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix the flour with the baking flour, soda, salt and spices. Sift over the batter in three parts alternately with the fig liquid, yoghurt and brandy. Finally, stir in diced figs, apricots and nuts and mix well together.
Divide the batter between to loaf tins and bake in an oven preheated to 170 C (325 F) for about 50 minutes to 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow cooling in the tins and reverse on pretty dishes. You could cover with icing if you prefer.
CHICKPEA COCOA BISCUITS
Here’s a recipe for biscuits prepared with chickpeas.
1 cup cooked skinless chickpeas, boiled
2 tbsp corn oil
2 tbsp peanut butter (saltless and unsweetened)
2 tbsp milk
100 g (½ cup) sugar
4 tbsp cocoa mixed with
2 tbsp self-rising flour,
½ tsp cinnamon and
½ tsp ginger powder
½ cup raisins dusted with
½ tbsp. self-rising flour
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a tin with baking
parchment.
Blend the chickpeas in a food processor, until smooth. Then add the oil, peanut butter, milk, sugar,
the cocoa/flour mixture with the spices and blend until just combined. Remove this soft and sticky batter from the
food processor and fold in the raisins.
Spoon equal amounts of dough on the prepared tin. Flatten each biscuit with the prongs of a
fork, wetting it each time to prevent the fork of sticking on the biscuits.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and after 5 minutes transfer them on a wire rack
to cool.
PETITS FOURS
Do bake these delicious biscuits, a real treat.
330 g (11 oz) butter
180 g (6 oz ) sugar
Vanilla
470 g (15.6) self-rising flour mixed with
½ tsp baking powder
6 egg yolks, beaten
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
120 g (6 oz) sugar mixed with
120 g (6 oz) roasted ground almonds
Whip butter add sugar and vanilla and whip adding sifted
flour/ baking powder, and last the beaten egg yolks,
Shape small balls the size of small apricots. Beat lightly 4 egg whites and dip the pasty
balls first in the egg whites and then roll in the almond and sugar
mixture. Place in a tin lined with
baking parchment and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350) for 20 to 25 minutes.
Place the biscuits on a rack and when completely cold store in a biscuit tin.
CHEESE AND CARAMELISED ONION CAKE
A delicious savoury cake.
400 g wholemeal flour
100 g white flour
2 tsp dried yeast
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp soft butter
Flavouring:
1 large onion, thinly sliced sauteed in
1 tbsp olive oil
1 beaten egg
50 g mature Cheddar
Mix all the two flours together, the yeast, seeds, salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in 300 ml (1 cup + 2 heaped tbsp) with a spoon. Then stir all together until you have a soft pliable dough. Cover and allow to prove until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and knead for 2 minutes, cover the and allow it to prove once more until doubled in bulk. Place in a round tin lined with baking parchment, brush with the beaten egg, cover with the sauteed onion and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for about 50 minutes to one hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Serve with a green salad.
CHEESE AND ONION MUFFINS
One could also make a cake with this recipe if preferred.
150 ml sunflower oil and extra for the muffin tins
1 large egg
284 ml yoghurt mixed with
66 g milk
500 g (1 lb) self-raising flour
1 tsp mustard powder
140 g (almost 5 oz) mature Cheddar, grated
6 spring onions trimmed and thinly sliced
a small bunch of chives snipped
25 g (0.88 oz) Parmesan, grated
200 g (7.5 oz) feta cubed
Heat oven to 180 C (350 F) and brush the sockets of a muffin tin with sunflower oil. Whip egg with yoghurt until well combined. In a bowl mix flour salt and mustard powder, then stir in the cheddar, spring onions, chives and Parmesan. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry but do not over mix, just enough to combine and fold in the feta cubes.
Spoon the batter into the sockets of the muffin tin sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and bake for 25 minutes. If you prepare a cake bake for 50 minutes.
HONEY CARROT AND THYME LOAF
Do prepare this lovely savoury cake!
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil
4 -5 carrots thinly grated
2 tsp dried thyme
100 g wholemeal flour
125 g white flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
50 g yoghurt
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Chutney, Cheddar or cream cheese to serve
Heat oven to 180 C (350 F). Mix honey and 1 tsp of oil then add the carrots and thyme and season and tip into a baking tray and roast for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring once and set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl gently beast the eggs, yoghurt and the remaining oil. Add the flour mixture then add the carrot mixture and stir well together.
Pour into a loaf tin lined with buttered baking parchment and bake for 50 minutes to one hour and leave to cool before slicing. Top with chutney, cheddar or cream cheese, and enjoy.
PLAIN SCONES
A must for tea!
8 oz plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp milk
1 oz butter
Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar in a bowl. Rub in the butter and when itis evenly distributed mix in to make a soft but not sticky dough. Place on a floured board and knead it lightly then roll out thinly and cut out as many scones with a round biscuit cutter. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 10 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Cool on a wire tray.
BISCUITS WITH FETA AND PARMESAN
These biscuits are beyond words!
100 g butter at room temperature
50 g feta cheese, crumbled
50 g Parmesan, finely grated
180 g self-raising flour
Place all the ingredients in a mixer and blend until the dough for a ball around the pastry hook. Cover the dough with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least roll our the pasty and cut small rounds with a biscuit cutter.
Arrange them on a baking tin lined with parchment and bake for 15 -,20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
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| Pink Roses by Ferdinand George Waldmuller |
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