Black Forest Gateau

I'm posting this well in advance of the weekend so you can use the week days to gather the ingredients. Because you will very much want to make this when you have a spare hour or two.

I never really knew what was going on with a Black Forest gateau. It sounded like a very dated 70s dessert to me, something you bought in the frozen section for a Sunday roast dessert. I don’ t really know where I got that impression from.

Because it’s basically a super chocolatey cake with booze and cherries and cream. It’s like a darker/autumnal version of a Victoria Sponge. The Germans do know what they’re at when it comes to chocolate, so I thought I would give it a go for my annual Eurovision party. Germany, represent!

I’ve basically gone with my favourite chocolate cake recipe for the sponge and altered it with the flavours of the Black Forest. Traditionally, the Germans love a stiff drink, so kirsch is the booze of choice. I didn’t have any of that, and I didn’t want to blow anyone’s head off, so I decided to substitute in what I had. Ginjinha is a sour cherry drink which is common in Lisbon, with lots of little places selling shots of it for a euro. It’s sweeter and less alcoholic than kirsch so it seemed like a nice introduction to the boozy cake.

If you’re doing a dry thing or making it for kids and don’t want to add booze, just substitute in more cherry juice.

You could also make this as a yummy set of cupcakes, I had leftovers of everything and so it was easy to whip up a couple..

Greek Feta and Red Pepper Dip

In need of a little mid week treat?

You all know I have a complete love affair with Greek food. It is everything Irish food would be if we had a better climate, I think.

Dips from the shop never stand up to the ones you make yourself, and I always prefer to make my own. So when a dip is as easy to whip up as this one, you’ll never look back. Really, there’s no way to make this more complicated than throwing ingredients into a food processor.

Served with warm pita bread it’s a meal all of its own, but it is also delicious as a little side to a Greek feast.

And here's one I prepared earlier! Spanakopita, feta dip, and aoili.

Toscakaka

Or, Swedish Almond Caramel Crunch Delight Cake.

.. I'm still not great at names.

This is one of the nicest and most surprising cakes I've made in a while. I was a little skeptical about adding the topping midway through cooking, but I was so wrong. It was amazing. I'm kind of annoyed at my Swedish boyfriend for keeping the fact that this cake existed from me.

In making this cake I realised I don't have a larger cake tin, so mine is a little taller than traditional. I think it's supposed to be closer to the depth of a tart. I am going to have to hunt for a 9 inch loose bottomed cake tin now, but it was still very delicious.

I made this for my continental table of treats for Eurovision and it was a hit! It's really quite good as it is, but it would be delightful slightly warm with a little vanilla ice cream on the side. Or smothered in custard. Everything is better with custard.

Cherry Bakewell Loaf

It's the week after a Bank Holiday weekend, so I think we all need a little pick me up to get you through it.

And I have just the thing. This is a delightful little loaf. Perfect for an afternoon tea tray. It’s dense and nutty and not too sweet. I adapted this from a Nigella recipe, and I added a little extra sweetness (as is my wont) by drizzling some icing sugar on top to recreate the Bakewell Tart flavours I wanted.

I adore the individual components in a bakewell tart- the flaky pastry, nutty almonds, zingy cherries and sweet white icing, but they really sing when they’re all together.

But making a tart is kind of time consuming. And making a loaf cake is not. And sometimes you want (NEED!) something quick and sweet, but also homemade and lovely.

Oreo Brownies

I'm currently working night shifts, and I need this mid week pick me up..

Remember how much I love brownies? Well, I thought I had gotten to the end of the possible flavours and additions, but that would be like giving up, and I’m not a quitter!

Cheeky little surprise in store

Shoving Oreos in the middle of brownies is a revelation. It's not refined, or haute cuisine, but damn these taste good. 

It wasn’t easy initially to make, my first batch were really dry because I cooked them for far too long. I have learned and tweaked and I'm really happy with what we're at now. The next thing I want to do is make them with mint Oreos, (which are my favourite things in the whole world) because mint chocolate is my favourite flavour combination.