[WF] Banana & Chocolate Chunk Loaf

I really, really loaf this little banana and chocolate cake.

It's designed for lazy afternoons sat in the garden in a dressing gown and slippers, sipping hot coffee and reading a book.

Essentially, it's Sunday, baked.

I stole the original recipe from Nigella about a million years ago and have tweaked it over time to make it wheat free friendly and dare I say it, even more delicious.

NB. I may or may not have increased the chocolate quantity by around 25%, but I won't tell if you don't. Sorry Nige, I genuinely don't know what happened.

Anyway, for one 2lb loaf cake you're going to need:

110g butter, softened

125g caster sugar

125g gluten free self raising flour

1tsp baking powder

1tbsp cocoa powder

3 brown, spotted bananas, roughly mashed

100g good quality dark chocolate 

2 eggs

One extra banana for decoration

Start by pre-heating the oven to 180C and line your loaf tin.

In a big bowl, mash your bananas, cream the butter and crack in the eggs. When it's looking good and horrific, sift in the baking powder, flour, cocoa and caster sugar, stirring as you go.

Lastly, chop your chocolate into fat chunks and throw it in the bowl.

Mission accomplished.

Pour the cake mixture into the loaf tin and give it gentle tap to even out the surface. Leave it in the oven for around 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer popped into the middle comes out clean.

You might also know it's done from the outrageous smells wafting through the house.

Remove from the oven and leave it to cool before wriggling it out of the tin and serving up. I top mine with slices of fresh banana and a dusting of icing sugar.

Have a great Sunday, everybody!

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

I've been baking this cake for as long as I can remember.

A very long time ago my cousin was involved in a pretty serious car crash. It was all a little bit scary and my family kept their breath held for quite some time.

After life saving surgery, he was flown back to England where his mum, my Auntie Madge, nursed him back to health day by day. When I finally got to visit him in the hospital and words completely failed me, I let this cake do the talking. 

I don't know whether it was the baking or the doctors that pulled him through, but nevertheless, pull through he did. I count my stars for that every single day.

I keep this recipe stashed away in a particularly cobwebbed corner of my mind for the times I'm most in need of comfort.

(And also for when I'm feeling low on sugar and have a hankering for a good cake.)

To make a loaf for your loved ones, you're going to need:

1 2lb loaf tin. (I much prefer metal tins to those weird silicone creations).
225g soft unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
225g self raising flour
Finely grated zest of two lemons
4 eggs
85g extra caster sugar (for the drizzle)
Juice of two lemons

Preheat the oven to 180 and beat the butter & caster sugar until pale & creamy.

One by one, crack in your eggs, mixing as you go. Sift in the flour and sprinkle in the grated lemon zest. Mix until combined and pour into a lined loaf tin.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until cooked through with a slightly crisp top. Leave to cool in the tin and get to work on your drizzle.

Mix together the lemon juice and caster sugar until well combined and syrupy. Prick the cake all over with a fork and pour over the drizzle.

Leave to cool completely and pop in the fridge overnight. The top will go nice and crunchy, leaving the sponge moist and moorish. A couple of hours will do the trick if your short on time, but the longer, the better.

Slice off the sides to reveal sunny yellow flesh and dust over a little icing sugar. 

I like to decorate mine with thinly sliced lemons, but I also like Marmite and peanut butter sandwiches so I'm probably not the best judge of character.

Enjoy!

Ultimate Triple Chocolate Christmas Cake

I'm a big fan of baking cakes for no real reason.

Whether it's for a fancy pants birthday party or a good old fashioned family knee's up, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll arrive with an edible plus one. 

My guest of choice tends to be my Ultimate Triple Chocolate Cake.

Incredibly naughty but surprisingly light, this ganache drenched creation can be whipped up for any occasion, either served with a simple dusting of icing sugar, a handful of mixed berries or jazzed up to within an inch of its life.

Christmas has given me the perfect excuse to turn it into a real 'snow'stopper!

 

Meet Frosty. He's looking rather regal on top of those Malteser snowballs, isn't he?

As far as I'm concerned, Christmas pudding is the devils handiwork. I'll be serving my alternative up on Christmas day with a pot of tea in front of the fire. To make yours, you'll need:

For the cake:
2 x free range eggs
225g plain flour
350g caster sugar
85g cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
250ml milk
250ml boiling water
125ml vegetable oil
2 x tsp vanilla extract

For the ganache and decoration:
200g plain chocolate
200ml double cream
300g Maltesers
1 x festive snowman (I got mine from Sainsburys, but feel free to make your own)

First up, preheat your oven to 180 degrees and chuck all of your cake ingredients apart from the boiling water into a bowl.

Give it a good stir until it's combined and smooth.

Little by little, pour in the boiling water. You'll be left with a very thin batter but don't be alarmed. This cake is super moist and fudgy and this is mostly down to the vegetable oil. It might seem strange, but trust me on this one. It works.

 

Divide the mixture between two greased cake tins and pop them in the oven for 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven. You'll know they're ready when you can poke them with a skewer and it comes back out clean. If it's still covered in chocolate goo, immediately lick it off and give your cakes another five minutes or so.

Once they're good 'n' baked, leave your cakes to cool. In the meantime, make your chocolate ganache. Ganache is basically a posh term for 'rich, decadent chocolate cream' and provides just as much pleasure a girl can possibly get without taking her clothes off.

Break up your chocolate and melt it in a saucepan over a low heat. Carefully add your cream and keep stirring until your mixture turns thick and glossy.

It will need a good two hours in the fridge before you can spread it over your cakes, so if you're baking in a rush, make your ganache first to speed things up a little bit.

Once your cakes are completely cooled and your ganache is nice and spreadable, drizzle a thin layer on the top of one cake, spread it out to the sides and pop the second on top,

 

Then get spreadin'. If you're leaving your cake plain, try to make the icing look as smooth as possible. If you're loading it with Malteser's and sugary snowmen, however, dollop it all over and pour yourself another Baileys. Just remember to save a few spoonfuls of your mixture to use as 'glue' for your decorations.

Get to work with the Maltesers as soon as possible. This can be very fiddly business, but it's totally worth it. I tend to fix the top of the cake before moving onto the sides, but be prepared for an avalanche at any time. These are real snowballs, after all. You've got to get your cake into the fridge as soon as possible, so quickly tuck it away into its frosty cave and leave it there until set.

When it emerges from it's igloo, stand back and admire your creation. Name your jolly little snowman and exclaim at the top of your lungs "snow-ly mother of Jesus, it's Christmas!"

And of course, don't forget a sprinkle of festive snow!

I've only got two more days at work before the holidays begin. It's coming, folks! Christmas is coming...

Chocoberry Nut Brownies

Baking brownies by candle light has got to be the best way to spend a chilly Autumnal evening snuggled away at home. Especially when those brownies are oozing with fresh raspberries, white chocolate chunks and crunchy pecans.

 

*Cue romantic lights*

 

 

 Now. These brownies are straight up delicious. In fact, they're probably one of the best batches I've ever tried.

The sharpness of the raspberry cuts through the dark chocolate as a melted vein of white, milky goo seeps through the warm, fudgey sponge.Whilst that's happening, just down the corridor you've got the delectable crunch a crumbled pecan.

 

Lets save us both some time here. Turn up the oven to 160 and tie those apron strings.

 

You're going to need:

 

200g good quality dark chocolate, melted

200g white chocolate, chopped into small chunks

25g pecan nuts, chopped

150g fresh raspberries

60g cocoa powder

60g plain flour

200g caster sugar

100g unsalted butter

4 x eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

 

Melt your chocolate over a saucepan filled with boiling water until it's silky smooth.

Put it to one side to cool and in a mixing bowl, cream together your butter (which should already be at room temperature, young chef) and sugar with a wooden spoon. Add a splash of vanilla extract.

One by one, crack in your eggs and give it a stir. You don't want to beat the bejesus out of it, it's just a baby brownie here. Poor little thing hasn't even been baked yet.

When it's good 'n' combined, pour in your cooled chocolate. I took this opportunity to drizzle an outline of Japan and a hermit crab, but any transatlantic mass and/or sea creature of your choice will suffice.

Then, add the flour and cocoa and fold it all together.

Chop your pecans and chuck 'em in.

 

...And your white chocolate chunks.

...And half of your raspberries.

In a lined cake tin, spread out your brownie mixture so it's nice and even.

Dot the remainder of your raspberries around and gently squish them down.

Put your brownies in the oven for 18-20 minutes until glossy and firm to the touch. They will continue to bake in the hot tin so don't be overly cautious here, I'd rather an overly squidgy brownie than a block of chocolate chalk any day.

Now, lets turn those lights up and take a looksie.

Oh yes. Berry, berry good indeed.

Leave to cool for a few minutes before plating up with a dollop of extra thick cream. These are best served warm, so you've got more than enough time to get a pot of tea brewing.

 

*Disclaimer. Image not to scale. A small square was cut for the sake of blog photography, however in the moments following this photograph, the rest of the tray was also snarfed down by Miss Gilbert. Plenty of calories were harmed in the making of this blog post.*