Clodagh McKenna‏, My Carrot Cake with Orange Blossom frosting recipe

Makes 1 Cake (10 portions)

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs

140ml/5floz vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing

220/7oz light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

350g/12oz grated carrots, (grated weight)

100g/3½ oz golden raisins

100g/3½ oz walnuts, chopped

200g/7oz self-raising flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the orange blossom frosting 

300g/10½ oz cream cheese, chilled

70g/2½ oz butter, at room temperature

300g/10½ oz icing sugar, sifted

1 orange, zest only

2 teaspoons of orange blossom water

METHOD:

1.          Preheat the oven to 180°C and oil and line a 13 x 23cm loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

2.        For the carrot cake: beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, grated carrot, raisins and chopped walnuts.

3.        Sift in the rest of the dry ingredients and bring the mixture together using a wooden or large metal spoon until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, smooth the surface and bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If you’re using a ceramic baking dish then you’ll need to add 15 minutes to the cooking time.

4.       Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin for about five minutes before removing. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

5.        For the orange blossom frosting: beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until well combined. Add the icing sugar, orange blossom water and finely grated orange zest and mix until the frosting is smooth and thick. Using a palette knife, spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake, dipping the knife into a bowl of hot water if the icing is hard to spread out.

6.       Decorate with orange zest on top of the frosting.

Flahavan’s Cranberry and Oat Bran Muffins

fla oat muff fb jan 16

Ingredients
  • 225g (8oz) plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 150g (5oz) caster sugar
  • 75g (3oz) Flahavan’s Oat Bran
  • 100g (4oz) cranberries
  • 25g (1oz) icing sugar
  • sifted Zest of an orange
  • 1 egg
  • Beaten 300ml (½ pint)of Milk
  • 50g (2oz) melted butter or sunflower oil
Method:
  1. Sift the flour into a bowl with the baking powder. Add the sugar and the oat bran and mix. Toss the cranberries into the icing sugar. Add to the bowl with orange zest and stir to mix.
  2. Place the egg, milk and melted butter or sunflower oil into another bowl and beat lightly. Stir into the dry ingredients. Just do this casually – there is no need to over mix.
  3. Line a muffin tin with baking cases. Spoon the mixture into the lined muffin tin.
  4. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C /400°F / Gas Mark 6 for around 15 minutes – or until risen and golden.
Serve warm or cold. Quick Tip Oat Bran is also great as a coating for fish before frying.

Mary Burns’s Butterific Irish Scones

kgold mary burns scones apr 16

Odlums Christmas Cake Recipe

Christmas Cake

CategoryCakes

Cook Time3 hours

What you need:

  • 225g/8oz Odlums Cream Plain Flour (sieved)
  • 175g/6oz Butter or Margarine
  • 225g/8oz Shamrock Dark Muscovado Sugar
  • 350g packet Shamrock Sultanas
  • 350g packet Shamrock Fruit Mix
  • 100g tub Shamrock Cherries
  • 100g packet Shamrock Chopped Almonds
  • 100g packet Shamrock Ground Almonds
  • 3 large Eggs
  • Rind and Juice of 1 Orange
  • 1 teaspoon Goodall’s Mixed Spice
  • 2 baby bottles of Brandy

How to:

  1. Put butter/margarine, sugar, fruit, rind, juice and one baby bottle of the brandy into a large saucepan.
  2. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, until the butter/margarine has melted.
  3. Turn off heat and leave to cool for approx 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 140°C/275°F/Gas 1 and line an 8″/20cm round deep cake tin with greaseproof paper.
  5. Stir the eggs, nuts and ground almonds into the fruit mixture and mix well.
  6. Finally, stir in the sieved flour and mixed spice.
  7. Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth it out evenly – the back of a metal spoon dipped in water is handy for this!
  8. Bake for 2½-3 hours approx. After 2 hours, cover with paper if cake is browning too quickly. To check the cake is done, insert a skewer into the centre – if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.
  1. Make holes in top of warm cake and pour over remaining brandy.
  2. Leave cake in tin to cool completely.
  3. When cold, wrap in greaseproof paper and then tinfoil. Store in a cool dry place.

Note:

This mixture can be divided between two 900g/2lb lined loaf tins or two 15cms/6″ round cake tins or a combination of both and will bake in about 1½ hours at the same temperature. This is ideal for those who just want a small cake and the second cake would make a very acceptable Christmas present!

Christmas Cake

Neven Maguire’s Apple Tart with Custard recipe @bordbia

Apple-Tart-with-Custard

From The Nation’s Favourite Food by Neven Maguire

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 225g plain flour, extra for dusting
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • 100g butter, diced and chilled
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2-3 tbps ice-cold water

Filling

  • 900g Bramley cooking apples
  • 100g caster sugar
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • Good pinch ground cloves/4 whole cloves
  • 1 tbsp milk

Custard

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 3 tbsp caster sugar
  • ½ vanilla pod, split in half and seeds scraped out
  • 300ml milk
  • 100ml cream

To Cook

To make the pastry: Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Using a round-bladed knife or the tips of your fingers, work in the butter and then mix in the egg yolks. Add the ice-cold water until the dough just comes together. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas mark 5). Lightly dust the work surface with flour.

Divide the pastry into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other, then roll out the larger piece until it is about 30cm in diameter. Use to line a 20cm pie dish or a 23cm flat plate, gently pressing into the corners. Trim the edges with a knife and reserve the excess for decorating. Place back in the fridge to chill while you prepare the apples.

Peel, core and slice the apples. Place in a large bowl with all but 1 tablespoon of the caster sugar. Add the cinnamon and cloves and mix together. Brush the edge of the pastry with a little milk and then pile the apples into the lined pie dish. Roll out the second piece of pastry into a circle slightly larger than the pie dish and use to cover the apples. Press the edges together to seal, then use a sharp knife to cut away any excess.

Crimp the edges of the tart with a round-bladed knife, using your fingers as a guide. If you wish roll out the pastry scraps and cut into leaf shapes. Brush the shapes with milk and stick on top of the pie. Brush the entire top of the pastry with milk and sprinkle over the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then reduce the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4) and bake for another 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, to make the custard, place the egg yolks in a large bowl with the sugar and vanilla seeds. Whisk with an electric mixer for a few minutes, until pale and thickened.

Place the milk and cream in a medium pan and bring to the boil, then immediately remove from the heat. Gradually whisk the heated milk and cream into the egg yolk mixture until smooth, then pour back into the pan and place over a gently heat. Cook gently for 6-8 minutes on a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon. Keep warm.

Serving Suggestions

To serve, cut the warm apple tart into slices and arrange on warmed serving places with some of the custard. Pour the remaining custard into a jug and hand around separately.

 

http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/recipes/desserts/pages/appletartwithcustard.aspx

Rachel’s Banana Butterscotch Pudding @kerrygoldusa

ban butterscotch pudding 15816

I absolutely adore this pudding from Bill’s book, Simply Bill. He made this when I appeared with him on Great Food Live, and as soon as I tasted it I was hooked. I have adapted the recipe slightly to fit the pie dish that I have. To make this for 12 people, double this recipe and cook in a 10-inch square gratin dish for 55 minutes.

Ingredients:

FOR THE PUDDING:

1 cup (4 oz) all-purpose flour

3 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup (4 oz) superfine sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 banana, mashed

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) Kerrygold Butter, melted

FOR THE TOPPING:

1/2 cup (4 oz) light brown sugar

2 tbsp corn syrup

2/3 cup boiling water

Softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Directions:

TO SERVE:

Preheat the oven 350°F (180°C). Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar. Mix together the beaten egg, mashed banana, milk, vanilla extract and melted butter. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour this wet dough into a 9-inch pie dish and place the dish on a baking sheet.

To make the topping, put the brown sugar, corn syrup and boiling water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and then drizzle over the pudding. Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until it feels slightly firm in the center. Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. If you’re not going to serve the pudding immediately, keep it somewhere warm until you are ready—it sits quite happily.

Odlums Banana & Sultana Tea Bread

CategoryBreads

Cook Time1 hour

 

What you need:

  • 225g/8oz Odlums Self Raising Flour
  • ½ teaspoon Goodall’s Mixed Spice
  • 125g/4oz Butter or Margarine
  • 50g/2oz Shamrock Mixed Peel
  • 50g/2oz Shamrock Sultanas
  • 50g/2oz Shamrock Chopped Walnuts (optional)
  • 450g/1lb Bananas
  • 1 tablespoon Rowse Honey (runny)
  • 2 Eggs, beaten

How to:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Lightly grease a 900g/2lb loaf tin.
  2. Place the flour and spice into a mixing bowl, add the butter or margarine and rub in until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  3. Stir in the mixed peel, sultanas and walnuts, if desired.
  4. Mash the bananas with the honey, stir gently into the mixture with the beaten eggs. Mix well.
  5. Transfer to prepared tin and bake for about 1 hour until well risen and golden brown.
  6. Remove from oven and allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes. Turn onto wire tray to cool completely.
  7. When cold wrap in greaseproof paper and tin foil.

http://www.odlums.ie/recipes/banana-tea-bread/

Granny’s Apple Cake with Odlums Coconut Flour #bakeathome

Grannys-Apple-Cake

CategoryOur Top Picks

Cook Time40-50 mins

What you need:

  • 115g/4oz Odlums Coconut Flour
  • 175g/6oz Butter or Margarine
  • 175g/6oz Shamrock Golden Caster Sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 4 tbsp of water
  • 1 level teaspoon Goodall’s Cinnamon (optional)
  • 3 Apples (peeled & cored)

How to:

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Grease and base line a 900g/2lb loaf tin.
  2. Beat butter/margarine, sugar and water together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  3. Stir in the flour and cinnamon, if used.
  4. Roughly chop 2½ apples and stir into the mixture, then transfer to the prepared loaf tin.
  5. Slice the remaining half apple into thin circles and arrange on top of mixture.
  6. Bake for 40-50 minutes approx. Allow to stand in tin for about 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire tray to cool.
  7. To finish, dust with sieved icing sugar. Enjoy!

http://www.odlums.ie/recipes/grannys-apple-cake-coconut-flour/