Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky toffee pudding might just be the most popular dessert of all time, and this classic version, as seen on BBC2 Mary Berry Everyday, is guarantees crowdpleaser.

Ingredients:

For the pudding:

• 100g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 175g light muscovado sugar
• 225g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 3 tbsp black treacle
• 2 eggs
• 275ml milk

For The Toffee Sauce:

• 100g butter
• 125g light muscovado sugar
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 300ml double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan-assist oven. Grease the dish with butter.

Measure the butter and sugar into a large bowl with the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and treacle and add the eggs. Whisk using an electric hand whisk for about 30 seconds or until combined. Gradually pour in the milk and whisk until smooth. Expected it to have a slightly curdled look.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until well risen and springy in the centre.

Meanwhile make the sauce. Measure all the ingredients into a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook, stirring for a few minutes until thickened.

To serve, pour half the sauce over the pudding when it comes out of the oven and serve the rest in a jug on the side. Serve with cream or ice cream. 

 

Christmas Star Brownie Mincemeat Tart

This is the recipe that I found from Jus-Rol. It's quick and easy to make and taste delicious! An excellent vegan dessert to serve for a Merry Christmas dinner dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1x 320g Jus-Rol Ready Rolled Shortcrust Pastry Sheet
• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 75g plain flour
• 200g mincemeat
• 1 tsp icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

Remove the pastry from the fridge 45 minutes before unrolling to make sure it doesn't break and crack when lining the tart tin. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC for fan assist oven. 

Unroll the pastry, keeping it on the paper it was rolled in. Roll the pastry out a little thinner to make a slightly larger rectangular. Cut away a 5cm wide strip from one long side and reserve for the pastry stars. Use the rest of the pastry to line a 32cm x 10cm tart tin, allowing the excess to hang over the edges of the tin. Prick the pastry base all over with a fork. Chill the tart pastry case for 15 minutes. Chill the reserved strip of pastry until required.

Run a rolling pin firmly over the tin edges to trim off the excess pastry. Line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the paper and beans and continue to cook for a further 8-10 minutes until crisp and pale golden. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven heat temperature to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven.

Meanwhile, place the butter and chocolate into a large bowl on top of a pan of gentle simmering water. Leave for 10 minutes, to melt. Stir to combine and remove the bowl from the pan. Beat in the sugar, vanilla extract and most of the beaten eggs, reserving 1 tsp of the beaten eggs to brush the stars. Sift over the flour and add the mincemeat and stir. Spoon into the pastry case and level the surface.

Use a small star cutters to stamp out star shapes from the reserved pastry strip. Brush with the reserved beaten egg and place onto the brownie mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes until firm to touch.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove the tart from the tin and serve warm or cold, dusted with icing sugar

"Tiger" Pineapple Tart

Gong Xi Fa Chai, Kiong Hee Huat Chai, Kong Hei Fatt Choy , Selamat Tahun Baru China, 新年快乐 !!! 

This is the first day of the lunar year of the Water Tiger. A Water Tiger year occurs every 60 year. The Tiger is known as the king of all beasts in China. The zodiac  sign Tiger is a symbol of strength, exorcising evils  and braveness.

Chinese New Year cookies are on another level these days; instead of simple tasting good, many of them are made to look aesthetically-pleasing, and each year brings new surprises with the rotation of the zodiac animals. I decided to try and make the Tiger design pineapple tart after browsing the web looking for ideas. And here you are I am presenting you a tiger-rific twist!

The Tiger Pineapple Tarts are basically your regular enclosed pineapple tart  ball but additional embellishments like ears and whiskers to create adorable feline faces. Though the designs might look simple, they are really time consuming!! Not forgetting the care required to create each tart ball! 

Below is the link for the traditional pineapple tart recipe.

https://yummymummyrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/06/pineapple-tart.html