Quintessentially British Buttermilk Scones

Everyone seems to rave about using buttermilk in scones. I regularly bake scones; plain, fruity, sweet, savory, and so on. They are quintessentially British, and nothing seems better than a cream tea (check out my classic recipe here). When you become a regular scone baker (it’s not that hard – you’ll get addicted) you suddenly transform into a scone freak; I’m talking getting the perfect amount of raising agent, right amount of golden colouring, perfect combination of light yet somehow thick, creamy texture, with a sweet but not overwhelming flavour.

But very rarely do I use buttermilk to achieve this. Mainly because I like my favourite recipes, so why branch out and use another, when I know I can rely on my trusty, classic, traditional, simple, sturdy, good ol’ scone recipe..? (here it is if you haven’t already found it 😉 )

I branched out. I did it. I went there. I was pleasantly surprised – these were super moist and super thick. Very different to my classic recipe, and I’m still not sure I prefer using buttermilk, I suppose it depends on preference (using buttermilk gives them a bit of a twang – a good twang – and also a rich density which doesn’t suit everyone).

Of course I added strawberries at a last attempt to claim summer before it leaves us here in England. Not quite as fresh as in June/July, but still pretty scrummy! Especially with my homemade jam – Plum this time – new obsession along with the doughnut pan –JAM MAKING! Recipes (for the jams) are still being put together and tweaked, each batch seems to turn out slightly more runny or slightly more solid than the last, I’m slowly (very slowly) learning the art!

Enjoy ❤

P.S. I can’t believe it’s September tomorrow…. where did the summer go?!

Buttermilk Scones (makes around 15)

450g self-raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

75g unsalted butter, cubed

75g caster sugar

100g sultanas/raspberries/strawberries etc

2 eggs, beaten

1x 200ml buttermilk (or 200ml milk & 1tbsp lemon juice)

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and lightly grease your baking trays

2. Mix the flour and baking powder, then rub (using your fingertips) the butter in, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs

3. Stir in the sugar and any fruit you wish to add. Mix the eggs and buttermilk together in a jug and pour into the breadcrumb mixture (saving a little for later)

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, lightly kneading for 1 minute until it gathers together

5. Roll and pat out, cutting as many rounds as possible from the first rolling (I used a 2 inch cutter) Keep rolling out until you have used up all the dough

6. Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved egg and bake for around 10 minutes or until golden

7. Remove and cool on a wire rack – serve with clotted cream and jam, with a cup of Yorkshire tea!

Queen Victoria Cake

So it was my birthday yesterday…. And this song is more than a little appropriate….

I’m definitely feeling 22!

Anyway, birthdays only mean one thing, baking and eating lots and lots and lots and lots of cakes. I’m currently carrying around about 6lb of birthday weight. But that’s okay, because I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. Gavin bought me a big Mason Cash bowl and a spiralizer, Mom and Dad bought me box sets of Hawaii 5.0 and NCIS, my brothers bought me vouchers, recipe books and a doughnut pan (how cool?!), and my aunties all pitched in to buy me a waffle maker.

I CAN’T WAIT TO TEST OUT ALL MY GOODIES!

Before all the craziness started and the huge family BBQ began, Gavin and I sat for hours making a million and one cake pops. I didn’t even think to take pictures, I think my hands would have been too sticky anyway, but they went down an absolute treat!! I’d say around a third of the birthday weight is from carrot cake pops and chocolate fudge cake pops…. Oops!

I also baked probably one of the best yet most simple recipes I’ve come across. Whenever I bake a Victoria Sponge I sometimes find it can be a little egg-y or too vanilla-y. This recipe calls for a little zest of orange and it just creates such a deliciously light flavour – you can’t really go wrong.

  

 
  

After this recipe I will be posting an interesting piece about extracting and harvesting honey as well as making Blackcurrant, Strawberry & Raspberry Jam. Our field is really thriving at the moment and we’ve had such a blast harvesting the honey from our bees, as well as picking fruit for jam!

So this queen of sponges uses homemade jam, as well as freshly picked raspberries left over from when George visited (also used in my Raspberry, Almond & White Chocolate Blondies)

  

Spot the conveniently placed homemade jam in the background 😉

Enjoy!

*recipe inspired by Jamie Oliver*

Queen Victoria Sponge (serves 8)

250g softened unsalted butter

250g self-raising flour

250g caster sugar

4 eggs

zest of 1 orange

Handful of fresh raspberries

icing sugar, for dusting

For the Jam:

a few drops of rosewater, to taste

4 tbsp raspberry jam (or homemade blackcurrant, raspberry & strawberry jam!)

For the crystallized rose petals:

1 egg white

Handful of rose petals

Sprinkle of caster sugar

For the vanilla cream:

150ml double cream

½ a vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out

2 tsp caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees and grease/line your cake tins
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring you beat well after each addition. Now fold in the orange zest and flour
3. Divide the mixture between your prepared tins and smooth with a spatula. Bake for around 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool a little then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool (if the cake is still warm when you assemble the jam and cream with fly off!)
4. Mix a few drops of rosewater into your jam, but make sure you don’t overpower it, it’s simply to get that light flowery taste!
5. For the crystallized petals: Turn the oven right down to 110°C and whisk the egg white to stiff peaks. Using a pastry brush, coat the petals on both sides and then sprinkle over your caster sugar. Shake any excess sugar off and place on a lined baking tray. Cook for around 4 minutes, until they are nice and crispy!
6. Whip your cream with the vanilla seeds and sugar until you get soft peaks
7. To assemble the cake: Spread the jam and then the vanilla cream over one of the cakes, throwing in some raspberries before you place the second cake on top
8. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with your crystallized rose petals

REPOST: First things first – the CAPPUCCINO CAKE!

It’s the weekend guys!

Yesterday was a day of small celebrations – my Grandad has finally made it home after a batch of visits in the hospital…. we aren’t in the clear but it’s just so so good to have him home and spend time with him.

So of course I had to bake a cake – back to my favourite recipe and all time classic – the CAPPUCCINO CAKE!

It has to be in capitals to emphasis just how much I love it along with everyone else, but most importantly, my Grandad.

Enjoy ❤

(here’s a snippet of the old post – click the link at the bottom to go back to my first ever blog post – wow it seems so long ago!) (don’t worry it’s not spam or anything – I promise it goes to the recipe and original post)

^^^^

“It only seems right to start off my new blog with a special family favourite I’ve been baking since goodness knows when: the CAPPUCCINO CAKE.

I put this in capital letters, of course to emphasise just how AMAZING it is. It’s a classic. My mom and dad love their coffee. We recently joined the Tassimo club and it has been full steam ahead ever since. My dad is semi-retired and still seems to have a lot of work on the go; what with consultation work, being part of boards and committees, owning a field to maintain, growing an extraordinary beard and being a professor and all that, he needs his coffee. Mom runs around helping everyone and doing everything, so she needs her energy boosts when she can get them……”

Click here for the rest of the post and recipe! 

❤

You Don’t Need To Go To Devon For An English Cream Tea…

The sun finally decided to say hello again today, so what else was there to do, other than throw the windows open and make a yummy batch of classic scones?!

This is my go-to recipe whenever I need to make something relatively quick but more than satisfying. If I’m feeling particularly fancy, I might throw in some sultanas or raspberries – but today I was feeling very lazy and very peckish.

For those of you who don’t live in England, or haven’t visited, or have somehow managed to go through life without experiencing a good ol’ afternoon cream tea….. well you haven’t experienced life to the full…. Seriously…. Go bake these now, you won’t be disappointed. And if you have experienced the joy of smothering your scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream, well then I hope this inspires you to take a break and go bake some – similar to bread, nothing beats the smell of fresh scones or pastries in the oven, on a sunny spring day!

I also took some time today to explore my garden as I feel as though I’ve missed a lot of the blossom and flowers which seemed to have bloomed ever so quickly this past month. I picked some bluebells, forget-me-nots, wallflowers, aquilegias, rosemary and buttercups. I also photographed (using my super fancy camera) my beautiful Maigold Rose, and various other colours that caught my eye.

Enjoy! 🙂

Classic Scones (makes around 10)

75g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

350g self-raising flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

30g caster sugar

100ml milk

2 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees and lightly grease your baking trays
2. Mix the flour and baking powder, then rub (using your fingertips) the butter in, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
3. Stir in the sugar and pour in 100ml of milk along with the eggs (saving a little for later). Mix together, adding more milk if necessary
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, lightly kneading for 1 minute until gathers together
5. Roll and pat out, cutting as many rounds as possible from the first rolling (I used a 2 inch cutter) Keep rolling out until you have used the dough
6. Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved egg and bake for around 10 minutes or until golden
7. Remove and cool on a wire rack – serve with clotted cream and jam, with a cup of Yorkshire tea!

Here are some lovely flowers in the garden:

Cinnamon Crumb Banana Loaf

Hi guys! I’ve been super super SUPER busy this past week…. what with work in Manchester and a job interview, house-sitting for my parents whilst they are living it up in Madeira, spending a lovely week with Gavin and having my two aunties and two cousins visit at the weekend.

I feel as if Wilfy and I can now breathe and relax after all this hard work, and what better way to do that, than by baking and munching on some banana bread. I totally forgot about half the stuff I bought in my shop this past week, thus I have loads of bananas left over! (YAY for me I loooooove baking with ripe bananas)

I actually turned this into my pudding by warming up some vanilla custard and smothering a huge slice.

The crumb topping is so simple, and yet manages to completely transform this banana bread. The crunchy cinnamon crust and moist banana are a match made in heaven.

Seriously, this is a good one!

Cinnamon Crumb Banana Loaf

160g caster sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

115g unsalted butter, softened

120ml evaporated milk

2 overripe bananas, mashed

300g plain flour

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

For the crumb topping:

115g icing sugar

150g plain flour

60g unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Dark chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and spray your loaf tin
2. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, egg and vanilla together. .Add the butter and beat until smooth
3. Add the evaporated milk and mashed bananas
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet, making sure not to over-mix (you will end up with a dense loaf!)
5. To make the crumb topping, combine the icing sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and melted butter. Use your hands to create a bread crumb
6. Spoon the loaf mixture into your loaf tin and sprinkle over the crumb topping
7. Finely grate dark chocolate over the top and place in the oven for around 50 minutes

        

It’s a Chocolate Fudge Cake Kinda Day…

Gavin is staying this week so his choice of cake to munch on (I persuaded him not to make me bake yet another Cappuccino Cake – his favourite) was to be the all-time-classic Chocolate Fudge Cake. We used dark chocolate rather than milk (lactose-free) and although it gave it a rich taste, I must say this cake is delicious.

It is so so simple to make – and who doesn’t love a layered cake spread with yummy icing?!

Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee…

ENJOY!

Chocolate Fudge Cake (serves 8)

150g milk chocolate (I used dark i.e. milk-free and this turned out lovely – just a little rich)

3 tbsp milk (I use soya)

150g butter (soya again – with a sunflower base)

150g light muscovado sugar

3 eggs

200g self raising flour (gluten free)

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp golden syrup

50g fudge pieces

For the icing:

300g dark chocolate

150g butter

100g icing sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line/grease your sandwich cake tins
2. Melt the chocolate with the milk over a low heat and then set aside
3. Cream the butter and sugar and then add one egg at a time, beating well after each
4. Stir in the melted chocolate and mix thoroughly
5. Sift the flour and cocoa powder over the mixture and fold in with a metal spoon
6. Finally add the golden syrup and fudge pieces
7. Divide the mixture between your tins and bake for around 30 minutes
8. Turn out onto wire racks and allow to cool completely before icing
9. To make the icing, melt the chocolate and butter. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder in a separate bowl and gradually add the melted mixture. Add a drop of milk if needed
10. Spread the icing thinly over each layer and finally use generously over the top and sides. Decorate with strawberries, chocolate sprinkles and dust with icing

    

Flourless Dark Easter Egg Nest Cake

Here is a brilliant find… inspired by Nigella’s classic chocolate cake which drops a little in the middle – a ‘crater cake’.

Seriously……. This is AMAZING. I didn’t just enjoy baking it, I enjoyed eating slice after slice after slice.

It’s flourless, which is perfect for Gavin (I.e. Gluten free) and infused with dark chocolate (I.e. Dairy free). I used soya butter with an olive base rather than unsalted butter which worked wonderfully and of course soya cream rather than ordinary cream.

Apart from the fussy egg bit (splitting the egg yolk/whites) this has fast become one of my favourite things to bake and my boyfriend Gavin is already raving about it to his housemates who are apparently going to have a go soon!

I keep it refrigerated, just to keep it extra moist and fresh; the icing firms up nicely as well. Don’t expect a light and fluffy thing, it’s definitely more of a pudding type of cake, it’s heaviness and packed texture creates a smooth bite – almost similar to a cheesecake or soufflé.

So Flourless Dark Easter Egg Nest Cake…… Welcome to the family, you are officially one of my favourites.

Flourless Dark Easter Egg Nest Cake (serves 8)

200g dark chocolate 

100g dark chocolate chips

125g unsalted butter (softened)

6 medium eggs (2 whole, 4 separated)

175g caster sugar (75g for yolk mixture, 100g for whites)

1 tsp vanilla extract

For The Topping

100g dark chocolate

250ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Mini eggs and flakes to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a 23cm cake tin
2. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a small saucepan and then set aside to cool slightly
3. Whisk the 4 egg whites until firm, then gradually add the 100g of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape and peak (but not quite stiff)
4. In another bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs and 4 yolks with the 75g of sugar and the vanilla extract, and then gently fold in the chocolate mixture
5. Lighten the mixture with a large dollop of the egg whites, stirring briskly. Fold in the rest of the whisked whites gently, in about three goes
6. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for around 35 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the centre is no longer wobbly on the surface – don’t worry if the middle sinks as it cools as you want it to have a crater like middle!
7. For the topping, melt the chocolate and leave it to cool a little.  Whip the cream until it is firming up but still soft, and then add the vanilla and fold in the melted chocolate
8. Spread the icing across the cake and decorate with mini eggs and broken up bits of flake

    

I had a little extra icing left over, so made these little pots with raspberries and maltesers – after a day in the fridge these mousse like pots are heavenly!

  

Traditional Gingerbread Loaf

This is quite the very best gingerbread loaf I have ever made.

How to describe it?

Dense, moist, strong, spicy, soft, rich, balanced, dark, treacly…. DELICIOUS!

This one really speaks for itself… it’s a classic and keeps SO well. In fact the longer you leave it the better it tastes I find. It’s actually more of a pudding type of cake – so I’d suggest serving it with your favourite type of cream.

Enjoy!

Gingerbread Loaf

175g black treacle

175g golden syrup

175g dark brown muscovado sugar

175g unsalted butter

350g plain flour

¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp mixed spice

150ml milk

1 egg, beaten

4 pieces stem ginger, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line loaf tin
2. Place the treacle, syrup, sugar and butter in a pan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the butter melted. Remove from the heat
3. In a bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and spice. Make a well in the centre
4. Blend the milk into the syrup mixture once it has fully cooled
5. Gradually pour this into the flour along with the egg and chopped ginger, beating continuously
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 1-1 ¼ hours, until a skewer comes out clean
7. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for around an hour before removing
8. Wrap in a sheet of greaseproof paper and then foil, and store in an airtight container for at least 2 days before eating – this only gets better with time!

Hummingbird Cake

This ones a yummy one! I’m not the biggest fan of carrot cake, so this cake is the ideal substitute for me. I love bananas and cinnamon (as you may have figured out by now) and pineapple is such as interesting addition to this recipe; it’s so unique.

Using oil rather than butter also makes the cake super moist, allowing it to stay fresh for quite a few days which I love – this gives me time to relax and enjoy a slice a day (or maybe two) – it also means it’s lactose free and I don’t have to worry about using soya butter.

I also really like pecan nuts (I use these for my sticky toffee pudding as well) you can use walnuts instead, but I actually really like the flavour and soft texture pecan nuts add to this cake.

And who doesn’t like a layered cake with cream cheese frosting in between each cake and bite?! Of course you can substitute this for vanilla frosting if you have more of a sweet tooth, but cream cheese definitely complements the flavours in this one so well.

ENJOY!

Hummingbird Cake (serves 10-12) 

300g caster sugar

3 eggs

300ml sunflower oil

270g peeled bananas, mashed

1 tsp cinnamon, plus extra to decorate

300g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1.2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

100g tinned pineapple, chopped

100g pecan nuts (or walnuts) chopped, plus extra to decorate

For The Frosting:

600g icing sugar, sifted

100g unsalted butter

250g cream cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line three baking tins with greaseproof paper (around 20cm in size)
2. Put the sugar, eggs, oil, banana and cinnamon in a bowl and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and vanilla essence, continuing to beat until everything is well mixed
4. Stir in the chopped pineapple and pecan nuts and pour the mixture into the cake tins
5. Bake for around 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Leave the cakes to cool before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely
6. Meanwhile to make the frosting: Beat the icing sugar and butter together until completely incorporated and then add the cream cheese; beating until frosting is light and fluffy (for around 5 minutes)
7. When the cakes are cold, place one cake on a plate or cake stand, spreading around ¼ of the Cream Cheese Frosting over with a palette knife
8. Place a second cake on top and repeat. Finally top the last cake with the remaining frosting, covering the top and sides
9. Finish with pecan nuts, chopped and whole as well as a sprinkling of cinnamon

Banana, Cinnamon and Chocolate Mini Loaves

I discovered this recipe 2 years ago in the summer and I just fell in love with it and the product… banana, cinnamon and chocolate mini loaves! They’re like muffins but you have a slice – way more sophisticated I think 😉

They are super easy to make and I just love the taste…. the ripe bananas give it such a nice tang and the cinnamon lightens the flavour, as well as the chocolate giving it a good ol’ sweet taste. I also really enjoy baking with yogurt or buttermilk at the moment (rather than whole milk) as it gives it a more creamy texture.

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet as the loaves really speak for themselves, just give them a try!

( I also looooove using up over ripe bananas – I never seem to have time to eat all of them as I like mine quite firm)  and who doesn’t like a recipe that uses up ingredients rather than throwing them away?!

Banana, Cinnamon and Chocolate Mini Loaves 

 100g unsalted butter

2 eggs

175g golden caster sugar

225g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp greek yogurt

1 tsp cinnamon

4 very ripe bananas

100g dark chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease the loaf tins
2. Place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and chocolate into a large bowl. Mix and create a well in the centre
3. Beat the sugar and butter together and then the eggs
4. Add the yogurt and then the mashed bananas.
5. Add this mixture into the flour well and stir only to moisten. DO NOT over mix! (this will create really dense loaves)
6. Add the batter to the tins and bake for around 20 minutes
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool
8. Sprinkle over cinnamon sugar if desired!