Cinnamon Coconut Cake

If you're new here, you'll quickly notice that I love sheet cakes. I love a three tier cake too, but there haven't been many occasions in the last 12+ months for those unfortunately. This type of cake is quicker to make and you can cut it up before serving for easier access for sharing.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can either make 1 sheet cake or a three tier cake. Or cupcakes! The below recipe, I managed to get a full sheet cake and 5 cupcakes.

This cake is sweet and nutty, but the cinammon brings a lovely warmth. This is a cracking cake. I want it for my birthday! Obviously some desiccated coconut would be perfect on top but I completely ran out, so I went with my new favourite, bright bold sprinkles.

Cinammon Cake With Peanut Butter Buttercream

I haven't updated in a while - blogger changed their interface and writing new posts with pictures has become a real drag. I will do better!

Starting with this cake of dreams. I don't know about everyone else, but sometimes I just get a massive craving for cake. It's not that often, and when it happens, I usually default to my all-time favourite - mocha walnut cake (it seriously is my favourite, first posted all the way back in 2013 and rarely do I make a better cake).

But I saw an instagram post for peanut butter buttercream and I just had to try it. I really didn't want the hassle of a three tier, frosted, epic cake situation so I made a really simple sheet cake and bunged a load of frosting on top.

And it was INSANELY delicious.

I make a really nice peanut butter cookie that is rolled in cinnamon sugar - so I thought a light yellow sponge with a hint of cinnamon running through it would be a really nice but unusual pairing. It worked beautifully - but I think the chocolate sponge from my Oreo cake would also be amazing.

makes enough for a rectangular sheet cake (my tin is approx 25x17cm) and I got 4 spare cupcakes

Ingredients for the cake

• 325g plain flour
• 25g cornflour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 230g butter, softened
• 150g granulated sugar
• 150g packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 240ml buttermilk (or regular milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice)
• 80ml sour cream
• 3 large eggs

Ingredients for the buttercream

• 230g butter, room temp
• 80g peanut butter, room temp
• 440g icing sugar
• 25g cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp milk or double cream
• pinch salt
• Sprinkles, to finish

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C.

Begin with the cake - mix the flour, cornflour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

In a smaller bowl, mix the milk, sour cream and eggs.

In another, larger bowl, beat together the butter, sugars and vanilla until lighter and slightly fluffy.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix well, and then add 1/3 of the liquid mixture and mix well. Continue to alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients, mixing well after each addition.

Bake for 35 minutes until golden and cooked through (I always check mine with a knife).

While the cake is cooking or cooling, make the buttercream.

Whip the butter for a few minutes, then add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, milk and beat again. Finally, add in the peanut butter and salt and beat until combined. You can always add a little more icing sugar if its too runny, or more milk if its too stiff.

When the cake is cooled, pipe or spoon your icing on top, however you do it, and throw on some sprinkles if you're into that.

Slice and eat! Delicious!

In Search of the Superior Babka - Cinnamon vs Chocolate

The two contenders, resting

Oooh I have a winter treat to share.

Chocolate babka

... and the cinnamon

One of my favourite “bits” in Seinfeld is where they get stuck in the bakery buying babka and lament that they don’t get the “superior” babka – aka chocolate (compared to cinnamon). I obviously had to test them both out. For science.

Did I need to make two full size babkas for two people? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

The superior babka really depends on your tastes. Chocolate is a really rich dessert-y treat, cinnamon is a slightly sweeter delight. Both are amazing fresh. Both are amazing toasted. If you wanted to toast a slice or two and dollop vanilla icecream on top I think that would be ridiculous.

… but sorry Seinfeld, cinnamon is the superior babka in my house.

Kanelbullekaka - Cinnamon Roll Cake!

What do I always say about 3 tiered cakes? They just looks SO DAMN IMPRESSIVE.

I should have made this for a Game of Thrones party because the top came out surprisingly spiky. But instead it was the star of the show at my annual Eurovision party. I’m not going to pretend like it’s authentic Swedish, but the flavour and texture profiles come from Swedish cinnamon buns (kanelbullar) so I’m slapping a Swedish name on it and calling it Swedish.

I love cinnamon. King of spices! It’s great in savoury dishes like chilli and curries, but really skins in sweet food – of which my favourite is my cinnamon donuts.

Or rather. WAS my favourite.

Because this cake might have just knocked it off the top spot. Cinnamon roll in cake form. YES YES YES.

The glaze layer is unadulterated sweetness but it does give you a satisfying cinnamon crunch which really reminds me of the buns this cake is based on.

Putting this bad boy together

Adapted from lovelifeandsugar

Ingredients for the cake

• 170g butter
• 300g sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar or ½ tbsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 325g plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with 2 tbsp lemon juice added)

Ingredients for the glaze

• 30g icing sugar
• 20g golden caster sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 30ml water

Ingredients for the icing

• 225g butter
• 500g icing sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2-3 tbsp milk

Spiced Bundt Cake (plus Cupcakes!)

My belated Christmas gift to you.. This cake. This is a truly perfect cake. You know gingerbread men? Imagine them soft and moist and in cake form. Doesn’t that sound like something you need to have in your life right now?

I may have mentioned it before, but I love cakes. And I’ve never made a bundt cake before, but my boyfriend managed to find me a few cool tins at the house he grew up in in Sweden, and I was happy to take them!

This cake actually worked surprisingly well, the hardest part of a bundt cake is extricating the delicious (and soft, and fragile) cake from the tin. It took me a few scary moments with a plastic knife to get it out, but a well-greased pan in preparation really does do wonders.

I had intended to make just a cake, but I ended up with a LOT of mixture and a rather small tin, so I got about a dozen cupcakes out of it too. I baked them until golden, which took about 20-25 minutes. And for icing those, I just whipped up a simple buttercream icing, added a load of cinnamon to it, then piped and embellished in a festive theme. YUM.

Apple Cinnamon Scones

My mouth is watering

I'm posting this now so you can make them for your Sunday morning breakfast. I'm feeling rather poorly and rather sorry for myself, so I thought I'd share the ultimate comfort food.

Scones are something I’ve always found difficult to make. Which is terrible, because they are delicious, and most delicious when you eat them freshly warm from the oven. I’ve tried for years to make the perfect scones. My mum makes great ones, but I’ve never been able to mimic them using her recipe. I’ve had issues with every recipe I’ve tried, even Mary Berry’s (sacrilege!), even the Guardian’s “How to make the perfect..”

So, in order to get to the root of my problem, I had to look at where I was going wrong. The main issue was that they were just too sticky and I was unable to lift them from the floured surface to the baking tray. Now, scone dough is meant to be sticky. So you can’t just fix it by bunging a load more flour into the mix.

Then I discovered a method called “chaffing,” where you coat the dough in flour, and fold it, turning it 90 degrees as you do so. Do it quickly and don’t overwork it. Paul Hollywood has an excellent video demonstration.

This has transformed my scone life! I’m still on the lookout to get a bit more volume into the scones, but it’s not a bad place to start from! I’ve whipped up some apple cinnamon ones, but the choices are endless now. Plain scones, cheese scones, nutty scones.. The possibilities are endless to beef up this classic scone recipe. There’s no stopping me now:

So, like the day after making the apple scones, I made a double batch, half plain, a quarter apricot and a quarter coconut and white chocolate. The coconut ones in particular were incredible

The Best Peanut Butter Cookies EVER

Dear readers, (all 2 of you. Yes, hi, mum) I am going to give you a big treat today. I have been a little negligent lately (life!) but I am back to my regular scheduled programming and I want to reward the unending loyalty..

The best peanut butter cookie recipe EVER EVER.

There are a few things I love to do when I bake. I love using nuts. I love baking things that are already all portioned off and easy to eat with your hands. And I absolutely, positively love rolling things in cinnamon sugar. All these things make me happy. And you get ALL of that goodness in one handy, scummy recipe!

In all the sugary goodess

It has peanut butter, it has cinnamon, it has a sugary outer coating and the cookies are the best tasting thing I’ve had all year. I can’t really explain much more than that, just make them and you’ll see.

The perfect cookie, just look at it

Quick Cinnamon Pretzels

One evening I thought to myself.. I want some pretzels. I've never made them before, but I want them NOW. And what is a girl to do, but rummage through her baking cupboard for the ingredients and just get cracking! There are no complex ingredients here, all of the bits needed are readily available to buy in any grocery shop, and I keep all of them on hand in my kitchen.

Aside from being no-nonsense from an ingredients point of view, it's also quick as anything, because it doesn't require any rising time for the yeast. You just mix, kneed, shape, blanch, bake and dip. It literally took less than an hour to have a tray full of cooling pretezels ready to be demolised.

And that's important when you have a craving to satisfy. We've all been there. Don't pretend.

Christmas Samosas

That time period between Christmas and New Year’s is so weird. It interrupts your Christmas days off, with a few half hearted days in work with leftover turkey sandwiches. And I never know what to make for dinner. Everyone still has the memories of being stuffed from the lashings of food for Christmas dinner, and the bright tins of sweets are still piled enticingly high by the Christmas tree.

I think I’ve found the perfect little nibble-y meal for this weird in between time of the season, which also makes a welcome addition to the Christmas dinner table (it did on mine!) or as part of your party table for NYE.

These are meaty, with a sweet spice which is warming and delightful. Perfect dipped in some sweet chilli sauce, or alongside a veggie curry!

Cinnamon Baked Donuts

Merry Christmas, everyone!

And since you’ve all been very good this year, I’m going to give you all a special treat.. What if I told you guys that you could go from zero to donuts in about 25 minutes?

I will give you that secret. It’s a Christmas miracle!!

These are the best donuts ever. They are so good that they make grown men jump up and down with glee. They are so good that I bought a SECOND donut pan so that I could make them more 

efficiently. Donut pan you say? Yes, these are baked in the oven, so you need a little mould to make the shape, but it's well worth it!

Simply put, they are wonderful and special and great and I love them. In the madness of the Boxing Day sales, try and source a donut pan – you will NOT be sorry. I got mine on amazon for less than a tenner and I WILL use it a lot.

Banana Peanut Butter Muffins

I'm post-nightshift and I feel like a zombie. I would be feeling worse if not for these little lifesavers, gratefully gorged on at 4am.

We’ve all been there. It’s the start of the week, and you have a bowl of rapidly browning, sad looking bananas left over from last week's shop in your fruit bowl. Sure, you could just eat them, but that feels like punishment. Instead, I'm going to give those bananas a fitting send off,

So, I decided to combine some of my favourite flavours and make some lovely muffins! These are really delicious, filling and flavourful. They make a very treat-ful breakfast. And are great for elevenses. And lunch-dessert. And midnight snack.

Peanut butter and banana really go well together and the hint of cinnamon just ties the whole thing together. The crumble topping really makes these muffins into something very, and you gotta make them to see for yourself.

Coconut Breakfast Porridge

YUM. Accidentally made a two person amount for just me, hence the massive portion pictured!

So, I am trying to be a bit more interesting and varied in my breakfast/lunches- on the weekend, during the week I get out of the house in 10 minutes and inhale a yogurt on the train on my way to work. As much as I love food, I confess that my love of sleep is greater.

Porridge, to me, had always been a bit of punishment food. Despite being warming and filling and good for you. I've always felt it is a food best eaten if you’re dieting, or if there’s nothing else in the house and it’s a blizzard outside, or you lost your sense of smell and taste.

However, I have found a way to make it not only palatable, but even a bit yummy! I have possibly engineered this miracle by shamelessly increasing the calorie content (I don’t understand how you could eat porridge without a bit of sugar sprinkled in), but still. It’s better than eating a donut for breakfast.

And you can take that to the bank!

MINCE PIES! Sleigh Bells Ringin'

Christmas a-go-go.

Yes, I know it’s over,  but I desperately cling to the remnants of Christmas like I’m falling off a wintery cliff. My tree is still up, sweets are still under it, and goddamn I’m still eating the ham from Christmas day. I’m wearing a Christmas jumper right now, for Chrissakes.

And so, my blog will be festive right until my tree is wilting and the snow is melting. Bring it on!

I really like my enhanced mince pies, the extra zest is killing it, and the almonds really adds something to the pastry. Delectable.

Makes 12

Apple and Marzipan Pie

Jaysus, I love baking.

And pastry is just one of my favourite things to do. I don’t do it very often due to laziness, but there is something incredibly therapeutic about the whole process. And when the finished product comes out well, then it is one of the most satisfying things in the world, to me.

I would definitely credit my affinity for pastry to my Nanny Margaret. She does a mean apple pie. It is one of my earliest memories of “proper” cooking, getting my grubby little hands stuck into a bowl of flour and butter, and rubbing to get the breadcrumb consistency. My nanny always distracted me with a separate little bit of excess dough to roll out and play with while she got on with the serious business of actually making the pie.

This is a riff on her traditional pie, with a sweet and almondy marzipan base that the apple slices sit on top of. I added a ton of cinnamon, because it’s coming into autumn, and my favourite autumnal flavour combination has got to be apple and cinnamon.

I really wanted to do a fluted edge, but I am not very dextrous, in fact I’m a bit ambisinistrous (the proper word for being cack-handed). So I need to look up some tutorials before I attempt that mess again.

Makes one decent sized pie

Chelsea Buns

Well, it's Sunday, and for me that means only one thing: baking! These fruity and sweet little buns are the perfect way to start your day, the way they make the kitchen smell is a bonus delight.

I think these are an English creation. I’d certainly never heard of them before moving here. A treat for the senses, with a light and filling dough, delicious fruity filling, and sweet sugary topping. Really bloody lovely, and would make a great addition to a chunky afternoon tea spread, or hot from the oven for breakfast.

I kind of see these as a British equivalent of the Swedish cinnamon buns I posted before. My boyfriend, who doesn't get their deliciousness, does not agree. More for me!

You can use whichever fruits or nuts you want in the filling. 

I went with dried apricots and cranberries which went really well with the orange zest. However, something like raisins and walnuts could also work. Raisins are evil, so that’s why I haven’t included them in mine. I will not have them in my house.

Banana, Honey and Cinnamon-spiced Smoothie

Well, we are home from our hols and I am not happy about it. One thing I noticed in Dubai that every cafe had an extensive fresh fruit juice menu, with blended flavours creating delicious cold drinks. My obvious favourite is mint lemonade, which I plan to make soon for the upcoming summer weather (optimism!). But I noticed something similar to this on a menu, and I've turned it into a delicious spiced smoothie.

These smoothie posts are always light on photos, because there’s only so much that you can break a ‘peel, pour, blend’ recipe down into. They’re that simple.

There is only one simple fruit here, and it is allowed to shine. I don’t know about you, but I find eating a banana intensely boring. The flavour is so monotonous and I get distracted half way through. 

Not so with this smoothie! The vanilla yogurt makes it creamy, and the added sweetness of honey and spice of cinnamon makes this so different from any of the fruit-heavy other ones I normally whip up. In fact, it feels closer to a milkshake than a smoothie. And it is YUM.

Kanelbullar

Or, cinnamon buns.

Shall we continue the Swedish theme? Okay, then!

Hmm, that name looks familiar, you might be thinking. Well, if you have visited IKEA lately and hung out by the grocery section, you will be right.

These are amazing little pastry blobs of sweet cinnamon delight, Swedish-style. Now, Sweden doesn’t often get sweet things right. They have an affinity for cardamom, for one. And those lime-green marzipan abominations.. Don’t even get me started.

But these are wonderful. Smaller than their American cousins, and less in-your-face sweet too. I took this recipe from a great little red gingham Swedish cookbook which my Swedish boyfriend assures me is a staple in any Swede’s kitchen.

Frankly, any Sunday where I get to mess around with dough is just swell by me. If you’re the same, you need these in your life.

Gingerbread and White Chocolate Bars

Another addition to my afternoon-tea tray of delight. Found this recipe online somewhere, and it is fantastic. You know those delicious little hard biscuits you get in IKEA at Christmastime (pepparkakar)? Imagine the flavour of those, but in a dense chewy cake-bar with white choc chips sprinkled in. I’ll give you a second to wipe up the drool from the keyboard.

..

Anyway, these are great. The only sticking point in the recipe may be using the shortening. I used lard (ooh, delish) and it was a little hard to work with straight from the fridge, next time I might leave it a bit to become room temperature enabling me to blend/cream it more effectively.

These are so packed with flavour and spice, like a delicious fruit cake without any of the gross dried fruit. 

Chocolate instead!

My number one cooking rule is: fruit has no place in desserts. Exception that proves the rule: banoffee. Blowing minds, all up in here.