Berrylicious Blackcurrant Cake

Living the idyllic country-bumpkin life we have our own blackcurrant bushes, and the berries are ripe and ready to pick at this time of the year! Although picking them isn't my favourite job (because we have so many bushes) cooking with them is fun and scrumptious. This blackcurrant cake is so easy and makes a wonderful summer cake, perfect for picnics and evening soirees! I am sure other berries would work just as well in this delicious cake too!

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
170g  soft butter
170g golden caster sugar
255g self raising flour
170g black currants
140g granulated sugar
2 tbs lemon juice

Method:
Prep: 10 mins  Cook: 1hr
1.  Grease a 2lb cake or loaf tin.
2. Beat the caster sugar, flour, butter, eggs and vanilla essence together with an electric whisk for about 5 mins, until creamy.
3. Place about 1/3 of the mixture into the prepared tin. Sprinkle with around 1/3 of the blackcurrants. Repeat this. Finally spread with the remaining mixture saving the rest of the blackcurrants for later.
4. Put this in the oven at 180C; gas mark 4 for about an hour, until a knife/skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
5. Stir the remaining blackcurrants, granulated sugar and lemon juice together, which will lightly mash the berries.
6. Insert your knife/skewer and make small holes in the top of the cake. Spread the fruity mixture over the top of the cake in an even layer, which should set and become crisp.
...Voila! A wonderful summer treat!

Oaty Gooey Choc-Chip Cookies!

These fantastic cookies were a bit of a hotch-potch of a creation but created a great gooey goodness. After looking at various recipes I decided to bring together the many that I found which, when combined, created the ultimate in comfort food! ( Tea dunking recommended!)

Ingredients:
Makes 20

255g self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
170g softened butter
150g brown sugar
40g oats
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
200g chocolate chips (white/dark/milk is fine- I used white because I have an incredibly sweet tooth!)
2tbs syrup
50ml milk


Method:
Prep 10 mins Cooking 15-17 mins
1. Grease cookie baking sheets.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar and beat in the vanilla, syrup, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.
3. Sift in the flour and salt; mix in the oats until blended well and stir in the chocolate chips by hand!
4. Drop the cookie dough onto the baking sheets, about a tablespoon at a time, and press down with the back of a spoon to form a rough circle shape. (Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.)
5. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes at 165C regular oven; Gas mark 3 or until the edges are lightly toasted.

Enjoy warm from the oven with a cuppa!

Banoffee Pie

...Continuing with the banana theme, here is a banoffee pie creation. It was so much easier to make than I thought it would be, and it tasted amazing : very professional. It was gone in a day!

Ingredients:
3 large bananas
60g softened butter
397g tin condensed milk
300g oaty biscuits ( Hob Nobs are really good)
350ml double cream
Chocolate sprinkles ( optional for easy decoration )

Method:
Prep: 45 mins plus chilling
1. Crush the biscuits. This can be done in a food processor, or by putting the biscuits into a sealed plastic bag and whacking with a rolling pin until finely crushed. ( I opted for the whacking- less washing up!)
2. Add the butter and mix well with the oaty crumbs.
3. Press the mixture into a 24cm tart tin ( preferably with a removable base) in an even layer. Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins until lightly toasted and set: 180 c regular oven; 160C fan; Gas mark 4. Leave to cool and then gently release from the tin and put on a serving plate. ( If the tin hasn't got a removable base just leave it in the tin as I did - see pic).
5. Pour the condensed milk into a saucepan, and stir continuously on a medium-low heat for 10-15 mins. Take it off the heat when you can turn a cooled tablespoon upside down without it falling off.
6. Spread this caramel over the biscuit base and chill for 1 hour.
7. Slice the banana and arrange the slices over the toffee.
8. Whip the cream and sugar together to form soft peaks and spread over the bananas.
9. Lavishly cover with chocolate sprinkles, and enjoy your banana masterpiece!

Bananarama Cake

This deliciously moist banana cake is one of my most favourite and popular everyday cakes: a banana cake with a chocolatey difference! It also uses up those old bruised bananas! I must admit that I ususally double the mixture, otherwise it doesn't last longer than a day in my house!!

Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
125g butter
150g sugar
190g self raising flour
60ml milk
1tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
Up to 100g chocolate chips (add more or less to make it as chocolatey as you like it! I usually add the whole 100g!)

Method:
Prep: 10 mins  Cook: 35 mins
1. Grease and line a cake tin.
2. Melt the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a saucepan.
3. Whilst the butter, sugar and vanilla are melting, mash the bananas. Add the mashed bananas to the melted mix.
4. Beat the egg, add and mix well.
5. Sieve the flour, and mix in.
6. Add the milk and chocolate chips.
7. Pour into the cake tin.
6. Bake at Gas mark 3; 150 C fan oven; 170 C regular oven, for 35 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Leave to cool and enjoy this sweet banana chocolate extravaganza!!

Bananarama cake (double the above mixture) 

... The bake-blogging beginning!!

... I am hoping this blog will serve more than one purpose: as a place to record and share all of my most loved baking extravaganzas, and the different baking discoveries I make...I hope one day to own my tearoom and put this baking into real practice! Perhaps one day soon... A Devon tea room by the sea!I would love any baking tips and suggestions!'Baking is like life... You don't always have to follow the recipy to make something amazing!'