RSS Feed

Tag Archives: coconut sugar

Buttermilk Muffins

Posted on August 26, 2013 by The quirk and the cool

IMG_3876

I was an invalid last week, and co-incidentally Quirky Niece 3 was also ailing. So I wanted to cook a healthy, light muffin as a restorative for both of us. I used a recent post from the always inventive Le Pirate as inspiration.

http://lepiratelife.com/2013/07/02/apple-date-and-hazelnut-buttermilk-muffins/

The buttermilk gave a lovely tangy taste, and the unrefined coconut sugar imparted a caramel flavour as well as being little more guilt free! You could substitute oil for butter, too.

IMG_3888

Ingredients
1 Granny Smith apple or similar tart apple (pears or cooked quinces would also be great!)
130 gms self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda
40 gms almond meal
50 gms dark brown sugar (I used coconut sugar in this recipe)
40 gms melted butter
1 egg, beaten
3/4 -1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
1/4 cup chopped almonds
Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees C fan forced or 170 degrees C non fan forced. Line a 6 cup muffin pan with muffin papers or grease muffin pan.
Mix flour, baking powder, bi-carb soda, almond meal and dark brown sugar in a large bowl.
Combine melted butter, egg, buttermilk and vanilla paste in another bowl.
Stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix.
Fold in the chopped apple and chopped almonds.
Fill the 6 muffin pan cups. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar while still warm.

IMG_3881

Advertisement

1 Comment

Posted in Breakfast, Muffins, Small Baked Things, Sweet Food and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Mandarin and Passionfruit Cake with Buttered Macadamias and Candied Orange

Posted on July 21, 2013 by The quirk and the cool

IMG_2777

I am always interested in cakes which incorporate fruit into the bake as this ensures a moist cake and one with good keeping qualities. I used Annabel Langbein’s Orange Lightning Cake as the basis for this recipe.

The inclusion of mandarins gives a sweet juiciness; the passionfruit pulp adds tang and gives the cake a lovely chartreuse colour.

IMG_2595

The topping is smashed macadamias toasted in a mixture of coconut sugar and demerara sugar and a little butter, and candied orange – from my store cupboard on this occasion – although the process is easy enough to do yourself if you have the time.

IMG_2632

Ingredients

2 mandarins (unpeeled)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125 gms softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
Pulp of 2 passionfruit

Topping
1 tbl coconut sugar
1 tbl demerara sugar + 1 tsp for scattering over cake
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
A knob of butter
3 candied orange slices

Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Grease a 20cm spring form tin and line the base with baking paper.
Cut the mandarins into quarters, remove the seeds and blitz in a food processor until finely chopped.
Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda soda in 1/2 cup water and add to the food processor with butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and flour. Whizz to combine. Add the passionfruit pulp and pulse several times to just combine.
Pour into prepared tin and place in oven.
Topping
Heat sugars in a frying pan over a low heat until dissolved. Add macadamias which you have bashed with a mallet or rolling pin, and cook until coated with the sugar mixture. Add the butter and toss the nuts in the butter/sugar mixture for a minute.
After about 30 minutes, gently open the oven door and scatter toasted macadamias over the cake while the cake is still in the oven. Close oven door and bake for a further 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean ( about 45 minutes bake time in all). However be sure to check before the 15 minutes if you see  – or smell – that the cake is cooking quickly. Leave to cool in tin before removing to serving plate.
Finish the topping by scattering the cake with a little demerara sugar and candied orange slices.

IMG_2726

2 Comments

Posted in Cakes, Dessert, Sweet Food and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
%d bloggers like this: