Tag: Dessert

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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

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
Desserts Recipes

Gooseberry & Redcurrant Compote

They could be described as the forgotten fruits, so rarely do we see gooseberries and redcurrants on the shelves of our local supermarkets and market stalls.

However, this tasty compote cooked up by my wife, Lesley, serves as a timely reminder that both fruits have everything going for them: delicious, nutritious and packed with Vitamin C.

In this guest post, I will let Lesley explain….

When I was little, we had green gooseberry bushes in our garden. I didn’t like picking them as a child, as they had thorns! I also thought they looked like green marbles. However, I loved having them cooked up for tea along with custard. My job was to cut the little shrivelled flower off the fruit with scissors. 

This year, they ripened at the same time as redcurrants at the local community farm I belong to. I brought them home and washed them, as you can see from the main photo at the top of this post.

It seemed natural to cook them up together, so I made the compote shown in my photo below. It is a beautiful rich, red colour, so summery and light. I had made elderflower cordial a few weeks ago so used that as a sweetener, meaning I didn’t need to add in any extra sugar. This helps in appreciating the natural, slightly tart taste of the fruit.

Servings

This will give 4 adult servings.

Timings

15 mins to make.

You Will Need:

  • 200g redcurrants
  • 100g gooseberries
  • 2 tablespoons elderflower cordial

Method

  1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat it up until the fruit is soft, and the  juice reduces to make a jammy compote. This takes about 10 mins. Alternatively, you can cook it in a microwave on full power until the fruit is soft. 
  2. Leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge to chill.

Once chilled, I served the compote with yoghurt. It looks amazing when swirled in with a spoon (see below), but you can also have it with ice cream or custard.

As a guest poster on A Different Kitchen, I get to choose the latest track for Kevin’s Spotify Playlist. I have gone for a light and fun track to go with my summery compote. This is Chic with disco hit, Le Freak.

Categories
Blog Desserts

Baba au Rhum

Of all the pastries we have enjoyed on our current holiday in France (and there have been a few 🙂 ), the one consistently rated the highest in our party has been the Baba au Rhum, or Rum Baba.

This eastern European delicacy was reinvented in Paris in the early 19th Century. The story goes that a cake that had become a little dry was enlivened by a little soaking in some rum.

Since then patisseries all over France have never looked back. Fast forward 200 years and this is the scene in our local boulangerie here in the Dordogne. Amidst a range of to-die-for pastries sits a line of Baba au Rhum.

As you can see, the Baba is served with its own pipette already inserted into the cake. The pipette is filled with rum, which is injected into the sponge before eating, by carefully squeezing the pipette with one’s fingers. It makes a dessert that is light, moist and boozy, topped off with a swirl of whipped cream. Mmm!

The Rum Baba has had some stiff competition from the patisseries we have frequented this week, see below.

Or maybe check out this selection..

Every one a piece of culinary artwork that it is very difficult to fault. In such company, it is saying a lot that the Baba au Rhum has been rated so highly by our group.

Formidable!

I can’t say whether the cake inspired LCD Soundsystem to record this track, but it’s a song I really like, so here it is: New Body Rhumba.

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Upside Down

This Valentine’s Day, here’s a cake you’ll love.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a tantalising dish. All the while it’s baking, it conceals its secret, exotic ingredient. Peeking into the oven is of no avail, as the enigmatic fruit that makes it special is shielded from view, laying at the base of the tin like buried treasure. Then, when the baking is done, it’s fun to invert it and reveal all those juicy pineapple chunks.

This one is made with a fresh pineapple, mixed with a sprinkle of dark muscovado sugar. The muscovado combines with the juice to give the cake a rich sweetness and a treacly, marbled appearance (as with the slice of cake shown in my photo above).

Servings

16 servings.

Timings

15 mins to prepare and 30 mins to bake at 180C.

You Will Need

  • 1 fresh pineapple
  • 165g self-raising flour
  • 165g caster sugar
  • 165g unsalted butter or spread
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp dark muscovado sugar

Method

  1. Grease and line a baking tin. Mine is 22cm square. Switch on the oven at 180C.
  2. Peel and core the pineapple, and cut the flesh into roughly 1 – 2cm chunks.
  3. Put the flour, caster sugar, butter/spread, eggs and baking powder into a bowl. Mix with an electric whisk till it is all combined.
  4. Arrange the pineapple chunks over the bottom of the baking tin. Sprinkle over the dark muscovado sugar.
  5. Pour the cake mixture over the top. Place in the oven for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clear. Remove from the oven.
  6. Invert the cake from the tin on to a wire rack (so that it is now upside down), and allow to cool before cutting into slices. Serve upside down, with the pineapple showing, on its own or with some greek yoghurt alongside.

Customise It!

Most published recipes for this cake seem to use tinned pineapple. I think it is nice to use the fresh article, seeing as it is so readily available in our shops these days. However, you can substitute the tinned version here, if you’re in a rush and don’t want to peel, core and chop a fresh pineapple.

A classy dessert like this deserves an equally classy track for the ADK playlist. Here’s Diana Ross with (what else?) Upside Down.

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Blueberry & Coconut Crumble Squares

Here’s a delicious tray bake that thinks it’s a fruit crumble. A cup full of the oaty, dark sugary, coconutty cake mix is removed before the eggs are added, and then spread over a top layer of juicy blueberries before baking. The result is a cake base with a fruit crumble topping.

Enjoy it warm or cold, on its own or with a dollop of custard or greek yoghurt alongside.

Inspiration for this post has come from BBC Good Food. It’s another variation on a favourite traybake of mine that I posted previously on A Different Kitchen. In this version I’ve changed the sugar from light brown to dark brown, and swapped in blueberries for blackberries. It demonstrates again how easy it is to play around with recipes, rather than feeling we have to strictly follow them to the letter!

Servings

Makes 16 squares.

Timings

15 mins to prepare, 25 mins to bake at 180C.

You Will Need

  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 25g oats
  • 250g dark brown sugar
  • 200g butter or spread
  • 75g desiccated coconut
  • 2 eggs
  • 300g fresh blueberries

Method

  1. Grease a baking tin and line with baking paper. The one I used is 22cm square.
  2. Sieve the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the oats and sugar.
  3. Add the baking spread and mix in with an electric whisk, until you have a crumbly mixture.
  4. Take a teacup or sugar bowl and fill it with some of the mix. Set aside.
  5. Add the eggs to the large bowl and whisk in once more until it is all combined.
  6. Spread over the bottom of the baking tin, and smooth out towards all four corners. Scatter the blueberries on top, then sprinkle over the reserved teacup/sugar bowl of crumble mixture.
  7. Place in the oven for 25 mins, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out with no mixture sticking. Leave to cool.
  8. When cool, remove from the tin and cut into 16 squares.

Customise It!

Other fruit like raspberries will work well if you wish. Swap in light brown sugar for the dark if you want a lighter cake. Chuck a few chopped nuts or seeds in with the reserved mixture to add further texture to the crumble topping.

This week I’ve been following developments about the current musical collaboration between two legends of the Manchester music scene – John Squire (The Stone Roses) and Liam Gallagher (Oasis). So far they have only released a couple of tracks for streaming, and I am looking forward to hearing the whole album when it comes out next month. John Squire’s distinctive swiping guitar sound and Liam’s rasping vocals have the potential to make this something special.

It’s prompted me to listen to tracks by The Stone Roses this week. Their sound is an engaging mash-up of 60’s-era vocals and late-80’s dance. This is probably my favourite track of theirs, so I’m adding it to the ADK Playlist. It showcases the Roses at their best: choppy lead guitar, bouncy drums and percussion, steady bass and understated vocals: The Stone Roses with What the World is Waiting For.

Categories
Bakes Desserts Recipes

Hummingbird Slices

I tasted Hummingbird Cake for the first time on my recent motorhome trip to Scotland. It was served up in the delightful Cocoa Skye cafe in Brora (you can check out my post on it here). I decided I would come up with my own take on this when I reached home.

Incidentally, many of the beautiful places featured in my recent posts from Scotland have been battered this week by Storm Babet. Flooding has affected Angus, Aberdeenshire and Caithness, leaving us feeling how fortunate we were to experience brilliant sunny weather there, just a few weeks ago. Friends in Scotland – our thoughts are with you.

A little research tells me that Hummingbird Cake originated in Jamaica, and is now popular across the US. I’ll be interested to hear from any of my lovely American followers whether that is so?

I consulted several recipes before coming up with my own. One of those I read was by Jamie Oliver, who gave his version this convincing endorsement: “bake it, and get it in your gob”. Say what you mean, Jamie lad, say what you mean.

All the recipes I looked at made this a double decker cake. I wanted to make it single tier – I find a tray bake easier to serve and store, while having only one layer of cream cheese frosting makes it just a little less calorie-tastic.

I have stuck with the core ingredients of banana, chopped pineapple and pecan nuts in a spiced sponge, with cream cheese frosting and zesty sprinkles. The finished product is shown in my photo above, and has gone down very well with the family. So here we go, the ADK take on Hummingbird Cake.

Servings

Depending on how you cut it, at least 12 – 14 slices.

Timings

20 mins to prepare the cake, 30 mins to bake in the oven at 180C (the frosting is made while the cake is baking).

You Will Need

  • 280g self-raising flour
  • sprinkle of salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 120g caster sugar
  • 50g pecan nuts, chopped
  • 2 bananas, mashed
  • 150g chopped pineapple, fresh or tinned
  • 2 eggs
  • 120ml sunflower oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 100g soft cheese
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 70g baking spread
  • 1 lime

Method

  1. Turn on the oven to 180C. Prepare a traybake tin (mine is 22cm square) by greasing and lining with kitchen paper.
  2. Sieve the dry ingredients – flour, salt, baking powder and sugar, into a bowl. Add the chopped pecans and mix.
  3. In separate bowl, mix the mashed bananas, pineapple, beaten eggs, oil and vanilla.
  4. When the oven is up to temperature, pour the contents of the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir until fully mixed, then pour into the prepared baking dish, evening it out with a spatula. Place in the oven for 30 mins.
  5. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting. Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl with the soft cheese and spread. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Place in the fridge.
  6. Take the cake from the oven. Check it is baked by inserting a skewer in the centre – if it comes out dry it is done. Set aside to cool.
  7. Once cooled, lift the cake on to a board and carefully spread the cream cheese frosting all over. Grate the zest from the lime and sprinkle over. Place back in the fridge to chill.
  8. Take from the fridge and cut into slices. Keep these in a box in the fridge.

Customise It!

I liked this as it is, but you could decorate the topping with some small pieces of chopped pineapple or pecan if you wish.

I’m still enjoying listening to Scottish bands in the ADK Kitchen, so here is another great track to share with you: Del Amitri with Always The Last To Know.

Categories
Breakfast Desserts Recipes

Spiced Plum Compote

A plentiful supply of fresh plums has been arriving off the trees and into the ADK kitchen recently – I guess it’s that time of year. Here’s a very quick and easy way of cooking them up for use either as a breakfast topper, on oats or muesli, or as a dessert, with milk or natural yoghurt (see above). There are only 4 ingredients and the whole exercise will take about 10 mins.

And it’s delicious.

Servings

At least 6 servings.

Timings

10 mins.

You Will Need

  • 9 – 10 fresh plums
  • 1 tbsp demerara sugar
  • 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
  • juice of 1 lemon

Method

  1. Chop the plums and discard the stones. Place in a saucepan with the other ingredients.
  2. Bring to a boil and stir, then reduce to a simmer for 5 – 10 mins. Switch off.
  3. Allow to cool, and serve over oats, nuts and seeds or muesli, with milk or natural yoghurt, as a breakfast or dessert dish.

Customise It!

If you don’t have 5 spice, then mixed spice, cinnamon or nutmeg will be fine. Another idea is to chuck a cinnamon stick into the saucepan as the compote is cooking, if you wish.

Today’s addition to the Playlist is a track that came on a few days ago while I was driving. I’d forgotten how great it was, especially with the unmistakable jangling sound of Johnny Marr on guitar. Add in Bernard Sumner from New Order on vocals and you have one mighty Mancunian supergroup. This is Electronic with Get the Message.

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Blog

Happy Birthday

This week my blog is one year old.

Yes, it’s a full 12 months since I tentatively published my first post – Crunchy Fruit & Nut Pilaff. The idea was to blog about my twin loves of Good Food, Great Music, with a name inspired by the title of the first Buzzcocks album Another Music in a Different Kitchen.

Narrative posts would be published here twice weekly on Word Press, with shorter, more frequent updates on Twitter @differentkitch. Posts would be accompanied by a favourite music track, added to an ever growing Spotify Playlist.

113 posts, 382 tweets and 87 songs later, that is pretty much how things have panned out. Followers across my three chosen platforms currently total 1,371 – thanks to every one of you whether you have read, baked, or hummed along.

Total Word Press views have been 3,427, spread well (a bit like the jam shown below) across all kinds of recipe and post. However, the three most viewed posts suggest that you are a sweet toothed lot. Top is The Sweetest Feeling, about afternoon tea at the home of Tiptree jam in Essex, see below.

It is followed by Cappuccino Cake…

and Double Choc Cherry Muffins…

Total Word Press likes have been 2,077. The award for most likes goes to Stairway to Heaven – posted from a famously named canalside cafe, reimagining an inspired Jimmy Page sat there with 12 string guitar and home-made scone.

It is closely followed in likes by Passion Fruit and Lime Pots…

and Selkirk Bannock – a Scottish tea bread that many seem to have found irresistible (and it is)…

I’m grateful to all our guest posters – Eva, Jon, Kelvin, Lesley and Pam for their delicious creations. Here’s Eva’s Austrian Apple Cake as one example…

I’ve posted while on my travels over the year – from the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, from Qatar, Australia (see below), and various parts of the UK. Adding to an international flavour has been the likes and kind comments received from readers in countries all around the world. Thank you! There will be more interesting travel in the year ahead.

The roster of favourite bands whose live performances I have posted about include Roxy Music, Fatboy Slim, Elton John (shown below), Inspiral Carpets, Arctic Monkeys, Muse and Billy Joel. Phew – equalling that list will take some doing in the next 12 months. I will see what I can do.

A reminder that the entire back catalogue of posts and recipes on A Different Kitchen can be accessed from the categories list or search facility at the foot of the home page. Similar posts are also highlighted at the foot of whichever post you are reading. Go explore!

Continuing the birthday/let’s-eat-cake theme, here’s an appropriately titled track for the Playlist: Michael Jackson with Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.

A special shout-out to loyal follower, Nina, whose actual birthday it is today.

Onwards into a second year. I’ll be back on Wednesday with a brand new recipe.