Healthy Living vs Guilty Pleasures

So those of you that know me or are getting to know me, will have cottoned on to the fact that I have a rather sweet tooth (or probably rather sweet teeth - all of them in fact), and I like to try making deserts too. This is a total disaster, or is at least an impending disaster (for my waistline).

So I decided I need to try and balance all the totally sticky, gooey, yummy, calorific goodness of all the deserts I seem to consume with a bit more of the good stuff. So I switched my daily bowl of sugar-laden cereals for a healthier option.

Meet THE SMOOTHIE:

Now several versions of these exist in my kitchen; a detox one, a green juice, a breakfast smoothie...the list goes on...

Today I'll introduce you to the breakfast smoothie. 

Toss some blueberries, raspberries and strawberries in a blender (these are for all the skin boosting anti-oxidants that you want for lovely blemish-free skin). Add some spinach (to get your iron and some fibre). Plop in some grapes (their high water content will thin down the liquid for you). Then a banana (for extra energy, calcium and potassium). Add a dollop of coconut milk or oil (good fats, perfect for strong hair and moisturised skin from within). And finally a sprinkle of flax and chia seeds (all the protein and fibre you need).

Remember you can really add anything you want, so be creative. Sometimes I add cucumber instead of grapes, kale instead of spinach, or even make a tropical smoothie with mango, melon and pineapple! Trust me these are so delicious and you will really start to notice the difference in your energy levels and your skin, I know I did.

Flip the switch and whizz it all together.

And hey presto, in a few minutes you have a healthy, nutritious and did I mention delicious?! breakfast in a glass.

Happy blending!

Read More »

Classic Cakes: Decadent chocolate cake

I was feeling in the need for a pick me up on the weekend and this is what happened!

Now if that wasn't enough chocolate to perk me up for the day, apparently I thought this would be a good idea too...

Not like I hadn't had enough chocolate at Choccywoccydoodah on Monday!

But anyway, here is how you can make yourself a bittersweet rich slice of chocolate goodness:

1. Prep: Line and grease your baking tin and pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees.

2. Kick start the chocolate: melt 150g chocolate over a bain-marie, allow to cool for a few minutes and then mix in 5 egg yolks.

.

3. Beat 200g butter and 100g sugar until a pale yellow and creamy texture, then mix in the egg/chocolate.

4. Whisk the 5 egg whites to form stiff peaks, then add in 120g sugar in parts, whisking as you go along.

5. Beat 1/3 of your egg white/sugar meringue mix into the chocolate mix.

6. Fold in alternate spoonfuls of your egg white/sugar meringue and flour (total 90g).

7. Pour into your cake tin, level and bake for 45 minutes

8. Don't forget to lick the bowl (and the spoon) while you wait for the cake to come out the oven! (This was always my favourite bit!)

Now once it's out the oven, the hard work doesn't stop. This is the real challenge...you have to exert some self control to not dive straight into it and instead watch while it cools. Good things come to those that wait and all, right? ... Definitely.

9. Once it's cool, slice in half and slather that bottom slice with a blend of double cream, crème fraiche and lemon zest (I did say this was decadent). Be generous! Then sandwich the second layer on top. 

10. Then comes the really ridiculous bit: melt some more dark chocolate and double cream on the lowest heat on your stove until it's runny and glossy. Let it cool for a few minutes and literally pour it over the cake. Any bits that drip off the sides, scoop up and pour back on top. Keep going until your cake is coated with a lovely shiny chocolate topping. Allow to cool or just eat straight away like I did!

I topped mine off with some crunchy and sweet pecans, but I think anything goes with chocolate so you could try chocolate buttons/marshmallows/strawberries ... the options are endless.

Happy baking!

Read More »

Brandy Snaps

This Easter weekend, following some perhaps misguided inspiration after watching yet another re-run of the Great British Bake Off, I decided to try my hand at Mary Berry's Brandy Snaps.

She made it look so easy...

However, no such luck for a total amateur like myself! My first batch stuck like glue to the baking paper and I ended up just breaking off shards of this yummy crunchy goodness to satisfy my eagerly awaiting taste-buds.

Attempt no. 2 however, was far more successful. Here's how to do it:

Gently melt butter, sugar and golden syrup so all the sugar crystals are completely dissolved and you're left with a thick golden goo.

Then sift in some flour and ground ginger. Add a tiny dash of lemon and you're good to go! Dollop teaspoonfuls of your - now even thicker- goo on to a lined baking tray and into the oven for about 10-15 minutes. (I used this time to eat the remainder of my Easter Egg, even though I really didn't need any more sugar!)

Make sure you leave plenty of space on the tray between them, as they really expand as they cook. Then 10 minutes later ... out come lacy golden brown discs.

Let them firm up a little bit, slide them off the baking tray, wrap them around the end of a wooden spoon or rolling pin to make a roll and leave to cool. Et voilà!

I think they'll be perfect alongside a coffee with the girls!

The sliding off the baking tray bit is where I got really stuck at first (literally), but as you get the hang of it you'll be lifting these off with ease and rolling them up Mary Berry style! I can definitely see why this was a technical challenge for all those bakers, and although mine weren't all uniform in size and shape, they definitely "snapped" and were absolutely delicious. 

Now I strongly believe that cooking should NOT be difficult, so if I can manage this, albeit not 100% perfectly, then you can too! You can find the recipe for these brandy snaps here, and can even watch the maestro show you how it's done here. Let me know how you enjoy yours!

Happy baking!

Read More »