Raspberry Amaretti cake

This is one of my favourite cakes to make. It’s simple to make and gets great comments every time. It’s lovely warm with cream or icecream as a pudding and just as delicious cold with a cup of tea. This recipe makes one cake in a 20cm round cake tin.

Ingredients:

175g unsalted butter, softened

175g caster sugar ( I usually use golden)

140g self raising flour

85g ground almonds

3 eggs

8 amaretti biscuits

150-200g frozen raspberries (fresh is also fine but I usually keep a stash in the freezer)

Method:

Heat the oven to 150c

Put the butter, sugar, flour, almonds and eggs in a mixer and mix well together ( you can obviously use a hand mixer or do it by hand)

Put half the cake mix in the tin and spread it evenly. Arrange half the raspberries on top and then crush half the amaretti biscuits over the raspberries.
Put the remaining cake mix on top, arrange the remaining raspberries and finally crush the other half of the amaretti biscuits on top.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Blueberry and Lemon Scones

I made these scones using my thermomix but they are easily done by hand.

370g self raising flour

40g golden caster sugar

1tsp baking powder

Zest of a lemon

80g unsalted butter

150g blueberries

100ml single cream

1tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs
Heat oven to 180c

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and butter in the thermomix and knead for 20 seconds on the dough setting ( if doing by hand rub the butter into the mix to resemble breadcrumbs)

Mix the cream, vanilla extract and eggs together. Add this to the mix along with the blueberries and knead again for 10 seconds on the dough setting ( if doing by hand mix to combine it to a dough)

Tip out onto a floured surface and shape into a round. Transfer to a baking tray and score into 8 triangles.

Bake for 25 minutes

Wild Garlic Soda Bread

I’ve said it before, I love soda bread, it’s quick and easy to make, it smells amazing and most of all it reminds me of home. I also love this time of year and nature’s gift of wild garlic. So here’s my new recipe for wild garlic soda bread.

450g plain flour.

1 teaspoon each of sugar and salt.

1 1/2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda.

1/4 tsp chilli flakes.

Approx 50g wild garlic chopped.

284ml tub buttermilk.

100ml milk.

1 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven at 180c fan

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, then add the wild garlic.

Add the buttermilk, milk and lemon juice and mix until the dough starts to come together.
On a floured surface knead lightly and shape it into a round loaf or put in a bread pot ( I like the way this bakes the bread)

Bake for about 40-45 minutes ( until golden and it sounds hollow when you tap the bottom of it)

Bircher muesli

As part of my attempts at healthy eating I’ve been following a healthy eating plan. One of the suggestions is bircher muesli, here’s my version.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

50 g porridge oats ( I use stringer porridge from a local farm in Bishop Wilton)

1 apple, grated

15g pumpkin seeds

15g sunflower seeds

15g chopped almonds

1/2 tsp cinnamon

100g natural yoghurt

100ml water

A handful of blueberries and raspberries

Method:

Put the apple, oats, cinnamon and half the almonds and seeds in a bowl and mix.

Add in the yoghurt and water and mix together.

Cover and chill overnight.

To serve:

Divide the muesli between two bowls, add the other half of the almonds and seeds and top with blueberries and raspberries

Kale crisps

As always in January I attempt to plan healthier meals and snacks. Here is one of my favourites

1 bag of shredded kale

1 tbsp rapeseed oil ( I use local Yorkshire rapeseed oil)

1 tsp Salt flakes
Spread the kale over a couple of baking trays. Make sure it’s a single layer.

Drizzle the oil over the kale and sprinkle on the salt.

Bake in the oven at 200c for approximately 15 minutes nice and crispy.

Leave to go completely cold before putting in an airtight container so that it doesn’t lose its crispiness.

Mince pies

Mince pies are a favourite in our house. Mr Frivolitea has been asking for days when I’m going to make some. Well today was the day. Here’s my recipe.

Rich shortcrust pastry

250g plain flour

175g butter ( cold and cubed)

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp cold water

I make my pastry in my thermomix:

Put the flour, butter and sugar in the thermomix and pulse on turbo until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the egg mix and pulse until just coming together to a dough. Tip it out and bring together to a ball, wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 30 mins before using.

If doing by hand, rub the butter and flour together to resemble breadcrumbs, mix in the sugar then add the egg mix to bring together into a dough.

I make mine the traditional way with a pastry bottom and top. I put a larger circle of pastry in each mince pie tin and prick with a fork. I add about 1-2 small spoonfuls of mincemeat (this year I made River Cottage apple, pear and ginger mincemeat). I dampen my finger and run it round the pastry before adding the smaller circle of pastry on top, pinching to close. I finally add a little cross with a knife before baking for 12-15mins at 200c.

Mincemeat biscuits

I love making edible gifts for Christmas presents and this is one I’ve made a couple of years in a row now. This recipe makes about 24 biscuits.

Ingredients

200g unsalted butter, softened

100g soft brown sugar

200g porridge oats ( I use stringer porridge oats, from a local farm in Bishop Wilton)

100g plain flour

6 tablespoons of mincemeat ( I made my mincemeat using the river cottage Apple, pear and ginger mincemeat)

Method:

Heat the oven to 170c

Mix the butter, sugar and flour together, then stir in the oats and mincemeat.

Take small amounts of the mix and roll into balls. You should have enough mix to make aobut 24 balls. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment. Flatten each ball slightly. I like to sprinkle them with a little Demerara sugar.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Take them out of the oven and leave on the tray to cool for 5-10 minutes before putting on a cooling rack to cool completely.

I like to put them in an airtight jar with some ribbon and a nice label and give as a gift.

Roast haunch of venison

I was given a beautiful haunch of venison as a gift recently and so planned a meal for friends with the haunch as the star of the show. Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

Haunch of venison (mine was just over 2kg bone in but this would work with boned and rolled too)

2 onions sliced

Marinade:

Bunch of rosemary (half chopped, half as sprigs set aside for later)

2 small lemons (zest and juice)

4 tablespoons rapeseed oil (I use Yorkshire rapeseed oil, made just up the road from us on the Yorkshire wolds)

Method:
Put the haunch of venison in a container. Mix the marinade ingredients together and put the marinade over the venison (this can be left overnight or a few hours depending on what time you’ve got).

When you are ready to cook the haunch, turn the oven to 220c

Make incision marks in the haunch and put the sprigs of rosemary in the incisions

Put the onions in an oven proof dish, set the haunch on top and pour over any marinade that is left

Cook the haunch at 220c for 20 minutes. Once this time is up pour 500ml vegetable stock into the dish and turn the oven down to 200c. I like my venison medium to medium rare so I cooked it for 20 minutes plus 15 minutes per 500g.