Monday 26 May 2014

Nuttella stuffed cinnamon muffins

Moist, fluffy cake with crunchy cinnamon sugar coating filled with nutella just yum :). They were perfect, especially for the day when too much sugar is not enough sugar. We really enjoyed them. The recipe comes form this web site.

Ingredients for 8 muffins:
  • 75g butter
  • 100g sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 120 ml milk
  • 190g flour
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 8 tsp nutella

Grease or line with paper cases the muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 220C.

Into a big bowl put the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and mix them well. 

In separate jug mix the egg, milk and vanilla.

Using hand or free standing mixer beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix them in. Then stir in the dry ingredients. Do not over mix the mixture.

 Spoon the batter into paper cases, 1 table spoon each. Then add 1 teaspoon of nutella and cover with batter. You may fill the muffin holes up to the top they won't overflow.

Insert into an oven. Bake in 220C for first 5 minutes then reduce the temperature to 175C and bake for another 15 minutes. When baked transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

While the muffins are cooling down prepare the cinnamon sugar topping.

Cinnamon sugar topping:
  • 50g sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 45g butter
Melt the butter and set aside. In a small bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Take one muffin and dip it in melted butter then dip it again in cinnamon - sugar. Press a bit so all top would be evenly coated with sugar. Repeat with remaining muffins. 

Enjoy !

Sunday 25 May 2014

Bran, rhubarb barley flakes and yogurt muffins

Very tasty, packed with fibre, rhubarb muffins with barley flakes crumble. We liked them a lot. I think they are perfect for lunch box. Freshly baked were light and fluffy the next day were bit moist and dense but still very good. And the lovely, crunchy, buttery crumble.. yummy.

Ingredients for  5 big muffins:
  • 75g rhubarb
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 40g oat bran
  • 3 tbsp barley flakes
  • 150g flour
  • 3 tbsp palm sugar (you can use demerara instead)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 150g natural yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 100 ml milk
Cut the rhubarb into small chunks place in a sauce pan add sugar and cook until  release juices. Set aside to cool down.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Put the bran, barley flour, sugar baking powder in a big bowl and mix them together.
In separate jug mix the yogurt, milk and egg. 
Add the rhubarb into a dry ingredients bowl and stir. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix them until all ingredients are just combined. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. Then chop additional piece of rhubarb into small chunks and sprinkle on top of each muffin. 

Crumble:
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp barley flakes
  • 30g butter
  • 2 tbsp flour
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix them with your fingers until start forming chunks. Sprinkle those chunks on top of each muffin.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. 

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Monday 19 May 2014

Gluten free, delicious desert made of tapioca, coconut, condensed milk...

Delicious, gluten free packed with fibre desert. Although it takes time to prepare it,  this dessert is really easy to make. You just have to soak the tapioca in mixture of coconut and cow's milk. Later stir in remaining ingredients and bake  it in double boiler.  That's it.
When baked you can eat the dessert straight form the ramekin or transfer it to the plate. The tapioca - thickening agent gives the dessert cake consistency. So it holds together as a cake.  Tapioca is easy to digest and is gluten free.  
The idea for this dessert comes form this website.

Ingredients for 6 ramekins:
  • 100g tapioca
  • 180 ml coconut milk
  • 400 ml milk
  • 200g condensed milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 150g dessicated coconut
  • 1/2 tbsp soft butter
 Put the tapioca in a big bowl pour in the coconut and and regular milk. Mix them well and set aside to soak for at least 3 hours. Later stir in the condensed milk, whisked eggs, dessicated coconut and soft butter.

Spoon the mixture into ramekins, leaving 1 cm space form the top. Cover each ramekin with kitchen foil.  Place them in a deep baking tray and pour in the water. Put into an oven set for 180C. Bake 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. 

Enjoy warm or cooled down.

Sunday 18 May 2014

Rose cupcakes

Soft, spongy cupcakes with lovely butter cream  are delicious dessert. These fragrant cupcakes have lovely scent and taste. I would truly recommend them. I think they may be perfect gift for Mother's Day.
Recipe comes form 'Cake days. Recipes to make every day special. The hummingbird  bakery'.

Ingredients for 9 standard size or 16 smaller cupcakes:
  • 40g soft butter
  • 140g caster sugar
  • 120g flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tbsp rosewater
  • 120 ml milk
  • 1 egg
Preheat the oven to 190C. Line muffin tin with muffin cases.

Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment whisk the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt together on low speed until resemble fine breadcrumbs.

In a jug mix rosewater and milk add the egg and whisk all ingredients with fork. Pour half of this mixture into a dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium and continue to mix until smooth and thick. Scrape down the sides of the bowl in needed. Add the remaining liquid and keep mixing on a medium speed until the batter is  smooth again.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, filling each by half. Those cupcakes rise a lot  so don't overload the cases. Bake in preheated oven for 18 - 20 minutes. Baked cupcakes remove form the oven and place on wire rack to cool down completely.Prepare the frosting.
Ingredients for butter cream:
  • 250g icing sugar
  • 80g soft butter
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp rose water
  • 25 ml milk
  • few drops of red or pink food colouring
 Again using the electric mixer with paddle attachment slowly beat together the icing sugar and butter until the butter has been completely mixed in. In a jug mix the milk, rose water and food colouring. With the machine still running pour the liquid in. Increase the speed to high and whisk until light and fluffy.

Transfer the butter cream into a piping bag with nozzle and decorate cooled cupcakes. 

Thursday 8 May 2014

Kiribath and pol pani

Kiribath ( milk rice) is a traditional Sinhalese dish served at almost all festivals, ceremonies and special occasions. Milk rice is creamy, has delicious richness from being cooked in coconut milk. It's usually served with sweet or sour additions. I am rather on the sweet side so prepared mine with pol pani, which is mixture of honey and coconut with plenty spices.  As this rice cooked in coconut milk it becomes creamy and sticky. It is easy to form it in different shapes. Traditionally is served cut into diamonds or squares. I put mine into silicone muffin cases, filled with pol pani and really enjoyed it. The kiribath recipe comes form my Sri Lankan friend Shiromi and pol pani she found for me on this web site.
While I am writing a tiny bit about Sri Lankan cuisine I would love to recommend you Bree Hutchins 'Hidden Kitchens of Sri Lanka' book. There are interesting stories about Sri Lankan regions, people who live there and type of food they eat. The book is packed with beautiful pictures and very interesting recipes. 

   
Ingredients for kiribath to fill 8 muffin cases:
  • 200g basmati rice
  • 350g water + 50 g to add later
  • 250 ml coconut milk
  • salt
 Wash the rice and place in a sauce pan. Pour in 350g water add some salt and cook stiring from time to time until the rice absorbs all the water. Taste the rice if you think it need more cooking or salt add additional 50g water and cook for few minutes longer. When cooked pour in the coconut milk. Cook longer stiring from time to time until the rice absorbs all the coconut milk. The rice should be moist and sticky.  

Here is the movie how to make kiribath.

While the rice is being cooked prepare pol pani.

Ingredients for pol pani:
  • 150g golden syrup or honey
  • 1 cardamon pod
  • 1 clove
  • 1/4 cinnamon stick
  • 50g dessicated cococnut
  • 1/2 vanilla stick
  • 25g palm sugar
 Pour the golden syrup into a sauce pan. Add the cardamon, clove, cinnamon, sugar  and cook until sugar dissolves. Do not overcook as mixture will caramelize. Add the coconut and vanilla beans. Stir all well an set aside to cool down.

When the rice is cooked spoon the rice into silicone muffin cases. Press well to the bottom and make a well in the middle. Fill the well with pol pani and cover with remaining rice. Leave for a few minutes to set. Then turn upside down on the plate.  

Enjoy !

Friday 2 May 2014

Rosewater pistachio cupcakes

Rosewater and pistachios are interesting combination of flavours. We adults enjoyed them a lot, children weren't really interested. Although my oven wasn't working properly at that time and the cake itself was a bit too moist we still found them really tasty. I am pretty sure I will try this recipe again when my oven will be fixed and compare. For now please have a look on mine a little bit under baked cupcakes, with lovely mascarpone frosting.
The original recipe comes form this website.

Ingredients for 12 small cupcakes:
  • 50g unsalted pistachios
  • 60g ground almonds
  • 25g flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 100g butter
  • 100g sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 2 tsp rosewater
  • 1/ tsp vanilla extract
 Remove pistachios from their shells place the nuts in blender and blend them until powered. Place them in the bowl, add almonds, flour, baking powder and mix well

Preheat the oven to 170C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Put the butter and sugar into an electric mixer bowl and beat them until pale. Add the egg while beating. When is incorporated add the milk, rosewater and vanilla. Wait again until well incorporated. Stop the mixer. Gently fold in the nut and flour mixture. Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
Baked cupcakes leave in the muffin tin for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool down.

 In a meantime prepare the frosting.

Ingredients for frosting:
  • 100g whipping cream
  • 250g mascaropne cheese
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • splash of vanilla extract
  • few drops of red food colouring
 Put all ingredients into an electric mixer bowl and beat them until smooth and creamy. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag with a nozzle. Decorate the cupcakes. You can also sprinkle them with chopped pistachio nuts.