Tag: Baking

Categories
Mains Recipes

Roast Veg Tartlets

Warm ’em up, or eat ’em cold. Either way, these individual vegetarian tartlets will provide an attractìve, appetising, tasty and nutritious lunch. They’re also a great way to use up leftovers.

Servings

2 tartlets, so a light lunch for 2.

Timings

30 mins to roast the veg while you make the pastry and the tomato sauce, then 15 mins to bake at 180C.

You Will Need:

  • A couple of individual sized flan/tartlet dishes
  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 3 – 4 chestnut mushrooms
  • Half a red pepper
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • A sprinkle of dried mixed herbs
  • 110g plain wholemeal flour
  • 50g butter
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 – 3 tbsp cold tap water
  • Half a red onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 3 – 4 tbsp tomato passata
  • Half a 400g tin of kidney beans
  • Black pepper
  • Strong hard cheese, like mature cheddar or parmesan, for grating

Method

  1. Turn a fan oven on to 180C.
  2. Peel and chop the sweet potato into 1 – 2 cm sized chunks. Quarter the mushrooms, and cut the red pepper into pieces the same size as the sweet potato. Place all in a roasting dish. Sprinkle with the herbs and drizzle with oil, then place in the oven for 30 mins.
  3. While the veg is roasting, get started on the pastry. Sieve the flour into a food processor with blade fitted. Chop the butter into small cubes and add to the flour with a pinch of salt. Pulse a few times until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Drip in the water and pulse again, until you have a ball of soft dough. Remove, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge while you make the tomato sauce.
  4. Warm a few drops of the oil in a saucepan. Crush in the garlic and add the onion, finely chopped. As it softens, add in the passata and kidney beans. Give it a few twists of black pepper. Stir to mix and let reduce for a few minutes, until you have a thickish consistency.
  5. Grease the individual tartlet dishes with butter. Take the pastry dough from the fridge and roll out on a floured surface, then use to line each pastry dish. Prick each a few times with a fork.
  6. When the veg has finished roasting, scrape it all into the saucepan and mix in with the tomato and kidney beans. Leave the oven on.
  7. Spoon the veg and tomato mixture into the tartlet cases, then top with the grated cheese. Place in the oven for 15 mins until baked, with the cheese browned.
  8. Serve up with seasonal steamed veg, or let cool and enjoy with salad.

Customise it!

Swap in an̈y leftover veg you may have that is good for roasting: parsnip, carrot, celeriac, green or yellow pepper. Chop up a few celery stalks and add to soften in the tomato sauce. Try grating Stilton over to give another taste twist.

Recently, I’ve been revisiting the great REM albums from the 1990s. I played these a lot when first released and have always admired the band’s music. I feel quite privileged to have seen them play live on two occasions when they visited the UK. Here’s one of many fave tracks, this one from the New Adventures in HiFi album: Bittersweet Me.

Categories
Bakes Blog

VE Day 80 Scones

This week we’ve seen lots of events taking place across the UK, commemorating the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. VE Day is the day on 8th May 1945 when the Allied Nations’ Victory in Europe was confirmed, marking the end of World War Two across the continent.

The King, Queen and Royal Family have led the way, ensuring that the sacrifice made by so many is remembered. We’ve had the sharing of personal memories of veteran survivors in this week’s media, the lighting of beacons and special services in churches and cathedrals. There have been some timely messages, reminding the modern world that peace is hard won and should never be taken for granted.

The nation has been encouraged to join in through organising street and garden parties locally. Our local street party was well-attended, with lots of houses and gardens decorated with red, white and blue bunting, glinting in the early summer sun.

My contribution was some home-made scones, halved and topped with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam. The recipe I used is one of my stand-bys, already posted here on A Different Kitchen from a previous street party celebration, to mark the Coronation of our new King in May 2023: see Coronation Scones.

I’m pleased to say the scones went down well with the neighbours. In Britain, it seems we can always rely on the power of a large pot of tea and some home-made scones to bring communities together 🙂 .

I was chatting to an older gent who actually remembers VE Day – he was 4 years old in 1945 and has a vivid recollection of all the children in the neighbourhood sitting down together for some party food and drink. He said there were street parties everywhere. After going up to bed, he watched from the upstairs window as the adults carried on into the evening. It is difficult nowadays for us to imagine how much of a relief it must have been, to have finally brought an end to the bombings, the blackouts, and the long years of suffering and hardship of War.

Is VE Day being marked where you are? If so, in what way? I’ll be really interested to hear.

Here are Elbow, all the way from Manchester, with One Day Like This.

Categories
Desserts Recipes

Rhubarb Crumble

In recent weeks our local market stalls have become brightened by the appearance of a sure sign of spring – stalks of rhubarb cut fresh from the field. I love the way the red, green and pink hues blend and intertwine as if in a watercolour painting.

There are various dishes that can be made with rhubarb,  but in my view the simplest and least complicated is still the best way to enjoy its fresh, juicy, tangy and slightly tart taste. This crumble requires minimal extra ingredients and is relatively straightforward to make.

Servings

6 – 8 portions.

Timings

10 mins to prepare the fruit in a microwave, then 25 mins to bake the crumble in a fan oven at 180C.

You Will Need:

  • 500g fresh rhubarb
  • 1tbsp dark muscovado sugar
  • 225g plain flour
  • 110 g butter
  • 110g caster sugar

Method

  1. Chop the rhubarb stalks into chunks. Place in a bowl and sprinkle over the dark muscovado sugar. Microwave on full power, stirring once or twice to combine, until softened, with still a few chunks visible. Scrape the juicy, sweetened fruit into an ovenproof bowl.
  2. Turn on a fan oven to heat to 180C.
  3. Whizz the flour, butter and caster sugar together in a food processor with blade fitted, until combined and with the texture of breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the crumble over the rhubarb so that the fruit is fully covered.
  4. Place in the oven, when it has reached 180C, for 25 mins. Remove and serve in bowls.

Customise it!

Serve warm from the oven with hot custard poured over – see my photo below.

It’s also delicious cold with custard that has cooled and set, or with a few spoonfuls of natural yoghurt alongside.

Another colourful sign of spring is the World Snooker Championships taking place this time of year, at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. As in previous years, I have made the pilgrimage to Sheffield this week, along with other fans of the game. I was lucky enough to see many of the big names play, including Judd Trump, Luca Brecel and the amazingly talented young Chinese star, Zhao Xintong.

On the train up, I just had to play some of my favourite tracks from those famous sons of Sheffield, the Arctic Monkeys, including this one from the Humbug album: Dance Little Liar.

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Easter Choc Egg Biscuits

Easter is a special time in the food treats calendar. I always like to explore the array of innovative egg-themed confections that become available in the shops. No excuse is needed to enjoy the satisfying taste of chocolate this time of year (not that I need an excuse any other time of the year, to be fair 🙂 ).

Here’s a fun and fairly simple way to knock out some home-made biscuits for the holidays, incorporating a pack of chocolate mini eggs. Great fun to make and delicious to eat – they make an eggs-cellent addition to your holiday treat cupboard.

Servings

Makes 12 biscuits.

Timings

10 mins to prep, 30 mins to chill the dough, and 15 mins to bake at 160C in a fan oven.

You Will Need:

  • 250g butter, softened at room temperature
  • 140g caster sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 300g plain flour
  • 100g chocolate mini eggs

Method

  1. Beat the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.
  2. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix in again.
  3. Sieve over the plain flour.
  4. Roughly chop the chocolate mini eggs with a knife and add to the mix.
  5. Now comes the real fun part – having made sure you’ve washed your hands, roll up your sleeves and get in there with both sets of fingers to squidge it all together into a biscuit dough. Place the dough in the fridge for 30 mins to chill.
  6. Switch on a fan oven to heat up to 160C.
  7. Pull off a piece of the dough and roll between the palms of your hands into a ball. Repeat 12 times to make a dozen biscuits. Place each ball on a metal tray lined with baking paper, flattening the top slightly with the palm of your hand. Space them out on the tray, as they will flatten and spread as they bake.
  8. With the oven up to temp, place the tray in the oven for up to 15 mins. Keep an eye on them and let them bake until they’ve reached your preferred level of doneness, whether that be soft and chewy or a little more toasted and crisped. Everyone is different, so do what works for you.
  9. Remove and transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool (as shown in my photo at the top of the post). They will be soft when fresh from the oven, and will firm up gradually as they cool. The biscuits will keep for 2 – 3 days in a sealed container.

Customise It!

Most forms of chocolate can be used in place of the mini eggs if you wish. You could also substitute some chopped nuts for some of the chocolate.

In search of a seasonally named track for the ADK Playlist, I turned to Patti Smith’s Easter album. However, good though it is, I’ve decided to go with my favourite Patti Smith track, which is taken from her Wave album, instead. Here’s Patti with Frederick.

Categories
Recipes Snacks

Pizza Twists

Heading into the Easter holidays, many of us will be looking for recipe ideas for entertaining friends and family. This one comes from the Batch Lady, Suzanne Mulholland, whose recent series on Channel 4 I’ve been enjoying.

These pizza twists are relatively quick and easy to make, and go well as a snack alongside drinks, as part of a starter or as an accompaniment to a bowl of salad – see below.

What’s more, they can be fully prepared in advance, then frozen and lifted out of the freezer when required. Once thawed, they are ready to eat, and be warned – they are very tasty!

Servings

Makes 12 twists.

Timings

Prep time 10 mins, baking time 20 mins at 190C in a fan oven.

You Will Need:

  • 375g sheet of ready rolled puff pastry
  • 2 tbsp tomato passata
  • 140g grated cheddar cheese
  • 15g fresh basil
  • 1 large egg
  • sprinkling of Italian dried herb seasoning

Method

  1. Heat a fan oven to 190C.
  2. Unroll the pastry sheet and cut into 2 halves.
  3. Spread one of the halves with the passata. Cover with the grated cheese and the basil – see my photo above.
  4. Put the other half of the pastry on top. Cut into 12 strips, each about 1cm wide.
  5. Gently hold each strip between the fingers of both hands and twist into shape.
  6. Brush all 12 twists with the beaten egg and sprinkle the Italian herb seasoning over. Place on a baking tray and put in the oven at 190C for 20 mins.
  7. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, they can be frozen if required – simply remove from the freezer and thaw to room temperature to eat.

Customise It!

Replace the passata with pesto, and/or the cheddar with parmesan. Once you brush with the egg, sprinkle over some poppy seeds or sesame seeds.

Here’s a timeless classic that I never tire of and always enjoying hearing when it comes on over the speaker. Elvis Costello and the Attractions with (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes.

Categories
Blog Desserts

Stonehenge in the Spring

The clocks spring forward one hour this weekend into British Summer Time, and we have just had the Spring Equinox. Yes, it’s full speed ahead now towards sunshine, holidays and barbecues.

Time to bring the motorhome out of winterisation, therefore, and head off down to the west country. It’s turned out to be a pleasant few days experiencing the very old, and eating the very sweet!

I’ll start with a visit to Stonehenge: somewhere I always enjoy going, whatever time of year. The last time I was there it was just before the winter solstice, with a brisk wind blowing and moody skies above (see my post here). In contrast, my photo above shows the Stones on a calm and sunny Spring day this past week.

We still do not fully know why our Neolithic ancestors transported these huge rocks, sometimes hundreds of miles, and positioned them here, carefully aligned to celebrate the movements of the Earth and its connection with the heavens above. The Stones have stood here for nearly 5,000 years, the toil and sacrifice of prehistoric man bringing pleasure and inspiration to many subsequent generations.

It is remarkable that this impressive feat of celestial engineering was achieved with only the most rudimentary tools and materials. Let’s see Artificial Intelligence do that, eh? 🙂

Every day, people travel here in their droves from all corners of the globe, to walk around, taking in the sight and its surroundings, and gaze in wonder. It is a World Heritage Site, and everyone is welcome, whatever religion, nationality or creed.

There is certainly something mysteriously compelling about being in the presence of the Stones. Perhaps their longevity is a modern day reminder that, whatever struggles there are in the world, fundamental values of indomitable spirit, endeavour, strong will and respect for others will always endure.

Inspiration comes in many forms, and this creation by Roly’s Fudge Shop, in nearby Salisbury, made me chuckle. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you what Roly calls Fudgehenge.

Roly’s can be found near the entrance to Salisbury’s Cathedral Close, providing the perfect opportunity down the years for weary pilgrims to top up those flagging energy levels. The Cathedral itself is gearing up for the Easter season, and was looking splendid in the Spring sunshine.

Another fave refuelling station in these parts is the Boston Tea Party. I first came across BTP in Bristol a few years ago, and they now have a small number of cafes dotted around select west country towns. They do great coffee and choc brownies, so I can recommend a visit if you ever get the chance.

Well, that’s enough of a sugar rush for this week. I shall have to get back down the Farm Shop when I get home and make something a little healthier next week to compensate, haha.

Here’s a track from a legendary band who hail from the west country, as you can tell from singer Andy Partridge’s accent. this is XTC from the Drums and Wires album, with Helicopter.

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Carrot, Orange & Walnut Cake

The humble carrot is cheap and in plentiful supply in our shops at the moment. So, I thought, what better time to bake up a carrot cake?

There are already a whole host of carrot cake recipes out there, so I read through a few before deciding how I would approach mine.

I was looking to make a single tier traybake, incorporating mixed spice, sultanas and walnuts alongside the carrot, topped off by a cream cheese frosting with the tang of orange zest.

I actually found a Mary Berry recipe that was more or less what I had in mind, so was largely influenced by that. Cheers, Mary! My only real deviation was to throw a handful of sultanas into the cake mix, as I really like the added juiciness they bring.

I was pleased with the results – that’s it in my photo at the top of the post – and it has gone down well in the ADK household.

The orange cream cheese frosting is irresistible. I strongly advise dipping your little finger in once it’s made, scooping some up for a preliminary taste test before spreading the rest on the cake. Believe me, you won’t regret it.

Servings

This will give you around 16 slices.

Timings

30 mins to prepare, 40 mins to bake at 160C in a fan oven. Make the frosting while the cake is baking and allow 5 mins more to apply it when the cake has cooled.

You Will Need

For the Cake

  • 225g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 150g light brown sugar
  • 50g chopped walnuts
  • 50g sultanas
  • 2 eggs
  • 150 ml vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 200g coarsely grated carrot

For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 100g unsalted butter
  • 200g cream cheese
  • 250g icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 orange
  • handful of chopped walnuts

Method

  1. Grease and line a traybake tin. The one I used is 22cm square. Switch a fan oven on to 160C.
  2. Sieve the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice into a bowl. Sprinkle in the sugar, chopped nuts and sultanas.
  3. Mix the eggs, oil, milk and grated carrot in a separate bowl.
  4. When the oven is up to temp, pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix thoroughly with a spatula until no dry ingredients are showing. Scrape into the traybake tin and level. Put in the oven for 35 – 40 mins.
  5. While the cake is baking, make the orange cream cheese frosting. Place the butter, cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla and orange zest in a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. Place the bowl in the fridge until required.
  6. Check if the cake is fully baked – the top should be browning and a skewer inserted in the middle come out dry. If it is, take from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin.
  7. Once cool, remove carefully from the tin and spread the orange cream cheese frosting all over. Top with the chopped walnuts.
  8. Cut into slices and serve.

Customise It!

Swap in some chopped toasted pecans for the walnuts if you wish. Frosted toppings like this often look good with a sprinkle of edible blue cornflower petals, if you have them. They are more about visual effect and presentation, though, rather than adding to the taste.

Here’s a song that came on Spotify while this traybake was in the oven. I hadn’t come across it for a while, and remembered how good it was, so here it is: Birmingham post-punk band The Au Pairs with It’s Obvious.

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Spiced Fruit & Rooibos Traybake

Here’s a fresh and fruity traybake to welcome the first signs of spring. Dried mixed fruit is plumped up by infusion in freshly brewed Rooibos (or Redbush) tea. Dark brown sugar and mixed spice ensure a deep rich colour and satisfying warmth.

The tea blend I used is one called Kalahari that I picked up in the Tea Emporium in Bath, on one of our motorhome trips down to the west country. It mixes Rooibos leaves with orange peel, lemongrass, and specks of marigold and thistle flowers. It looks beautiful and makes a lovely, refreshing caffeine-free drink. Here it is:

I’m pleased to say it can now also be enjoyed in cake form! No Kalahari? No problem – other blends of Rooibos (flavoured or plain) can be used just as well.

Servings

This should give you around 16 slices.

Timings

Prep took me around 30 mins, including soaking the dried fruit in the tea. Bakes in a fan oven at 160C for 40 mins.

You Will Need:

  • 75ml tea made up with Rooibos leaves and boiling water
  • 160g mixed dried fruit – I used sultanas, candied peel and glace cherries
  • 180g butter, softened
  • 160g dark brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 200g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp mixed spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander seed, clove, pimento and ginger)
  • 3 tbsp dark brown sugar for sprinkling

Method

  1. Grease and line a tray bake tin. The one I used is 22cm square.
  2. Place your assortment of dried mixed fruit in a bowl.
  3. Make up a pot of tea using the Rooibos leaves and boiling water. Using a tea strainer, measure out 75 ml and pour it over the dried fruit. Stir and set aside (see the photo just above, showing my fruit soaking in the Rooibos tea).
  4. Put the sugar and softened butter in another bowl, and whisk together with an electric mixer until nice and creamy.
  5. Crack in each egg one at a time, and whisk in. Sprinkle in a little of the flour each time to avoid curdling.
  6. Sieve in the rest of the flour and the mixed spice. Whisk again to combine.
  7. Turn a fan oven on to 160C.
  8. Drain the mixed dried fruit with a sieve, catching the tea to retain in a separate bowl. Tip the fruit into the cake mixture and whisk in.
  9. Add in as much of the retained tea as necessary to bring the cake mix to the right consistency. You should be able to pick up a spoonful and slowly but surely let it slide back off the spoon, into the rest of the mix with a plop! I used most of the retained tea in mine.
  10. Give it a final whisk then scrape into the prepared tin with a spatula. Spread out into the four corners and level the top.
  11. Finally, sprinkle the dark brown sugar topping over the cake with your fingers.
  12. Place in the oven at 160C for 40 mins. Check after about 30 mins – if a skewer in the middle comes out dry then it’s done.
  13. Leave to cool and cut into slices. They will keep in a tin for a few days but, seriously, they will all be eaten by then anyway!

Customise It!

You can use a different combination of mixed dried fruit if you wish, or if that’s what you have in the cupboard – currants, dried apricots and so on should work fine.

Rooibos leaves that come with different natural flavourings to mine will be ok. If you like plain Rooibos to drink then use that. I sometimes have Rooibos with a dash of vanilla extract, and that would make an interesting combo for using here.

The weather is due to be fine this weekend, so I’m getting out into the garden today to enjoy our first real sun and warmth of 2025, with a pot of Rooibos and a slice of traybake. Time to relax and enjoy the silence.

Speaking of which, it’s currently the 35th anniversary of the release of the classic Violator album by Depeche Mode, which I plan to listen to again in the garden on my headphones. So, let’s add this track to the ADK Playlist: Enjoy the Silence.

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Spiced Plum & Almond Bakewells

It’s Valentine’s Day, and here’s a sweet treat you’ll love.

Recently we received a delicious present from a family friend – a jar of her home made Spiced Plum jam. Rich with soft plums in a silky, sweet coating and laced with the delicate influence of star anise, it deserved some special treatment.

I liked the idea of pairing it with almond, so have used it here as the jammy foundation for these bakewell slices. Never mind if you don’t have any spiced plum – ordinary plum or raspberry jam will do a perfectly fine job. Try to use home made though, as it gaves the cake that extra personal touch!

Servings

This made 16 bakewell slices.

Timings

30 mins to prepare, 10 mins to blind bake the pastry base at 180C, and 40 mins to bake the whole traybake at 160C (fan oven).

You Will Need:

For the Pastry Base

  • 125g plain flour
  • 100g plain wholemeal flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 100g butter or baking spread
  • a few drops of cold tap water

For the Sponge Filling

  • 150ml veg oil
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 160g caster sugar
  • 1tsp almond extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 25g flaked almonds
  • 5 – 6tbsp fruit jam

Method

  1. Grease a traybake tin – the one I used is 20cm square – and line with baking paper.
  2. Sieve the plain flours and salt into a food processor with blade fitted. Chop the butter/spread into cubes and add in. Pulse a few times until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in a few drops of water and blitz. Repeat until the ingredients are fully combined and you have a ball of pastry dough whirling around inside the processor bowl.
  3. Roll out the pastry dough on a floured surface until it is roughly the size of the tin, including the sides. Carefully transfer to the tin and gently press down against the bottom and sides. Trim the edges as necessary with a knife to make a neat edge. Place the tin and pastry in the fridge and turn on a fan oven to 180C.
  4. While the pastry is chilling, and the oven warming up, make the sponge filling. Sieve the self-raising flour into a baking bowl. Add in the oil, baking powder, sugar, ground almonds, eggs and almond extract. Whisk with an electric mixer till combined into a smooth batter.
  5. When the oven is up to temp, remove the pastry and tin from the fridge. Line with a large, crumpled piece of baking paper and fill with ceramic baking beans. Place in the oven for 10 mins.
  6. After 10 mins, remove the tin and pastry from the oven, and turn the heat down to 160C. Remove the baking paper and beans, and spoon in the jam, spreading it evenly over the pastry base and into all 4 corners.
  7. Pour the sponge batter on top of the jam and smooth out to make even. Sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly all over the top, and place in the oven for 35 – 40 mins.
  8. Remove from the oven and check it is fully baked – a skewer inserted in the centre should come out with no wet batter showing. Leave aside to cool in the tin.
  9. Carefully transfer to a board and chop into slices. These will keep for 2 – 3 days, though they will all be snaffled up without delay, I assure you.

Customise It!

In addition to using your favourite fruit jam, you can feel free to use ready made or ready rolled pastry if you wish.

For Valentine’s Day I have chosen a track for the ADK Playlist written by that old punk romantic, Pete Shelley. This blog has a special relationship with his band, of course, taking its name from the title of their first album, the seminal Another Music in a Different Kitchen. This track is actually from their third album, but I’ve been playing it recently while making these bakewells, and realising how good it sounds. So here they are: Buzzcocks with You Say You Don’t Love Me.

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Spiced Cranberry Muffins

This year’s home baked Christmas Cake has gone down well in the ADK household – so much so that we are now down to the final few crumbs on the serving plate. How to fill the gap, I wondered, and maybe also use up some of the tasty ingredients left over from making it?

We still had some currants, golden sultanas, glace cherries and mixed candied peel in the cupboard. There was also the last of the juicy red cranberries, left over from making the sauce I’d been merrily ladling on to my roast turkey.

Too good to waste, of course, so they’ve all ended up in these New Year muffins. I’ve incorporated cinnamon and nutmeg to add to that seasonal feel of deep midwinter, so cosy up and enjoy.

Servings

Makes 12 muffins.

Timings

15 mins to make, 20 mins to bake in a fan oven at 160C.

You Will Need

  • 280g plain flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • half tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 120g caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 110g fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped in a food processor
  • 20g currants
  • 20g sultanas
  • 20g glace cherries
  • 20g chopped mixed candied peel
  • 240ml milk
  • 90ml veg oil

Method

  1. Prepare a muffin tin or mould. Switch on a fan oven to 160C.
  2. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, chopped cranberries, milk and oil. Stir in the currants, sultanas, glace cherries and candied peel.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir so that no dry ingredients are visible.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the tin/mould, and bake for 20 mins.
  6. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Customise It!

Basically, the rule here is that if it might have gone in your Christmas Cake, and is sitting left over in the cupboard, then it’s good enough for the muffins! Swap in raisins for some of the currants or sultanas, for example. Chop up some nuts and add them in. I didn’t go so far as to feed in a teaspoon of brandy but, hey, why not try it? If mixed spice is all you have, then use it in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg.

First musical selection of 2025 is from Sophie Ellis-Bextor. I enjoyed her New Year’s Eve Disco shown on TV here. She performed Groovejet and Murder on the Dancefloor, both of which I have always rated, and also this one, which I don’t think I’d heard before. It is a paean to the classic Sheila B. Devotion track, Spacer, so can’t really go wrong. Here’s Sophie with Crying at the Discotheque.