Chai spiced cashew butter – a delicious, flavourful homemade nut butter; you’ll want to slather it on everything!
Have you ever tried making your own nut butter? It is really easy to do and you can make so many different delicious combinations. The only problem is that you do need a food processor or blender that is powerful enough to cope with it – I did once manage to burn out the motor of a flimsier model whilst making praline paste (which is basically the same as nut butter)….
A moist, lightly spiced apple bundt cake topped with a luscious spiced caramel glaze. Post sponsored by Appletiser.
We are firmly into Autumn now, and while I can’t say that I am enjoying the sudden drop in temperature and the persistent rain, it is not all bad I suppose. Autumn does bring with it some of the best foods – pumpkins, apples, pears and plums to name a few; it is my favourite time of year for baking, and I do like drinking lots of hot drinks and wearing cosy jumpers. (Although I do have a penchant for a somewhat post-apocalyptic style which means that all of my jumpers have THE MOST impracticable sleeves…). Oh, and it is also my favourite holiday – Halloween!…
Can you believe that up until now I have never owned a bundt tin? I have always coveted one, but they are quite expensive (I want a Nordicware one…) so I have never been able to justify buying one. So I was rather pleased when a box full of baking goodies that I was sent to review happened to contain a bundt tin; it is not a Nordicware one, but a silicone, half size (6cup) tin. The size is actually perfect for me, as as beautiful as full size bundts are, they are rather large and make a bit too much cake for a family of two……
We are fully into December now and I can’t quite believe just how quickly this year has vanished. Despite being initially resistant to the idea that it is nearly Christmas (see this post!), I have begun to accept it, and even to look forward to it (mulled wine may have played a part…); I still haven’t had my first mince pie though, although I have been craving one (or three (or five))….
I have been craving doughnuts for several months now, but held off making them until there was an occasion where there would be enough people to eat them all; the problem with doughnuts is that they really are best eaten on the day they are made after which they start to go a bit dry. So when some friends finally hosted a party I took the opportunity to make some to take along….
I don’t fast. I believe that life is too short for unnecessary self-deprivation; I also have never given anything up for Lent, firstly because I am not remotely religious, secondly, because I am not dangerously addicted to anything; and if I were, I should really be giving it up for life, not for just for Lent. I am however (funnily enough…) more than happy to partake in the feasting that often precedes or follows a fast. Shrove Tuesday, or pancake day, is one of those such occasions that I am willing to revel in. Pancakes, in all of their many forms, are one of the most simple and satisfying foods you can make, and are the best way to create an impressive breakfast or brunch (or dinner!). As much as I love the classic British pancake with lemon and sugar, or a stack of fluffy American ones drizzled with maple syrup, if you want to make an impressive breakfast with minimal amount of effort (no standing at the stove flipping endless pancakes) then it’s got to be a Dutch baby. …
For the month of December, Andrea from 4pure took us on a trip to the Netherlands. She challenged us to take our taste buds on a joyride through the land of sugar and spice by baking three different types of Dutch sweet bread
This was my second challenge with the Daring Bakers and it was a suitably spiced one in time for Christmas. We were challenged to make Ontbijtkoek (which I still haven’t figured out how to pronounce…), which is a Dutch sweet, spiced quick bread. It is generally baked with rye flour and contains no fat which led to it being promoted by the food industry as a healthy snack despite the fact that 50% of the total ingredients consist of sugar……
Following the success of my cranberry pumpkin bread the other day (it was sooo good!), I had some leftover pumpkin puree sitting in the fridge. For a while I was at a loss as what to make with it, there are just too many tempting options – pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cake, pumpkin muffins…are just some of the things that crossed my mind (while I salivated), but then I thought of something that I hadn’t baked in far too long – cinnamon rolls!…
I’ve been a bit late to the pumpkin party this year, although I cook with butternut squash a lot (it’s my favourite vegetable), I don’t often bake with it, but I decided to remedy that this week with a loaf of pumpkin bread (I say bread but I would call this a loaf cake…) and now I’m kicking myself for not getting in the game sooner because this cake is delicious…Seriously, seriously good!…
