Blueberry and Blackberry Streusel Cake

Another recipe from the caked crusader this week! I had to wait in for a package on Monday, and it was my turn to bake for movie night, so I had to make do with what was in my fridge. A quick scroll through the caked crusader's blog and I found this recipe which fit my requirements!

Blueberry and Blackberry Streusel Cake

For the streusel:
50g plain flour
50g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar

50g hazelnuts (optional)

For the cake:
175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
175g self raising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
200g blackberries
100g blueberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
50g hazelnuts (optional)

 I didn't have any hazelnuts in at the time of making this cake, so omitted them from the recipe. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla extract just to give the sponge some extra flavour.

 

For the full set of instructions, click here! 

I was worried that the cake might be a little dry as I didn't have enough fruit, so I bought some custard to serve with mine. Some had theirs without though, so I'm sure this cake is fine on its own!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

My Mum's a teacher and one of her colleagues always makes this for special occasions, so he passed on the recipe. It's so simple to make, so I hope you'll give it a try!

Ingredients for the Sticky Toffee Pudding:
4 oz chopped dates
7 oz hot water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 oz butter
5 oz caster sugar
2 eggs
6 oz self raising flour

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 
2. Grease and line a 2 pound loaf tin, or two 1 pound loaf tins.
3. Chop your dates into small chunks, then add to a small bowl along with the bicarbonate of soda and the hot water. Allow to soak, giving a stir once in a while. (Note: It is worth doing this being setting up the other ingredients to allow the dates to soften).

4. Cream the butter and the sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.
5. Once the butter and sugar is creamed, add one egg at a time slowly, along with a little flour to avoid curdling. Mix with a metal spoon, and repeat with the other egg.
6. Stir in the date mixture in stages whilst also adding a little flour.
7. Fold in the remaining flour. Keep folding for a few minutes to get air into the mixture. 

8. Pour into your tin/s and cook for around 30-40 minutes. Mine were done around the 30 minute mark, so be sure to keep an eye on them towards the end.

 Ingredients for the Toffee Sauce:
3 oz butter
6 oz brown sugar (you can use either light or dark, but I find light brown works best)
4 fl oz double cream

Method:
1. Melt the butter in a thick bottomed pan over a medium heat, before adding the brown sugar. Stir.

2. Once combined, pour in the double cream and bring to the boil. Serve immediately over the pudding.

This tastes best warm along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Over the Christmas period this has been made three times (so six puddings!) for my family, and all have asked for the recipe so it is definitely a hit.

I hope you have a go at this simple recipe and be sure to let me know how it goes!

Baby Blue!

A brief interlude before the Sticky Toffee - My friends recently had their first baby, a healthy baby boy with a head full of hair! I'm off to visit them tomorrow, so decided to whip up a simple cake for the occasion. All my icing essentials are in my flat up in Dundee, so please forgive the sloppy decoration round the edge!

It's just a vanilla sponge cake with a vanilla buttercream icing from Hummingbird. I tinted it with some sugarflair navy blue food dye and iced the baby's name along with some questionable swirls!

I hope they like it!

Lebkuchen!

A belated "Happy New Year!" to all my readers. I hope you had a good one whatever you ended up doing. I stayed in with my Mum, drinking Archers whilst watching the adaption of Nigel Slater's "Toast" on BBC1. 


After finishing exams and battling the elements to get home for Christmas, I've been a little slack in my Christmas blogging! So the next two posts will be Christmas bakes, but ones I feel you should just make whenever!

First is The Pink Whisk's Lebkuchen which I've wanted to bake since the 1st December! I usually get mine from the German supermarkets we're all aware of, but homemade is always so much better!


Ingredients:
85ml honey
115g dark brown sugar
30g butter
225g plain flour, sifted
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, beaten
50g ground almonds

For the full method, please head on over here. These were delicious and so easy to make! 

Ready to be iced!
I'll be back soon with the most delicious Sticky Toffee pudding you will ever have!