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.

Odlums Honey & Oat Quick Bread

Honey-Oat-Quick-Bread

Honey & Oat Quick Bread

CategoryBreads

Cook Time40-45 mins

What you need:

  • 200g/7oz Odlums Coarse Wholemeal Flour
  • 175g/6oz Odlums Cream Plain Flour
  • 50g/2oz Odlums Porridge Oats, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 level teaspoon Odlums Bread Soda
  • 250g carton Yoghurt
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 3 tablespoons Honey
  • 150ml/¼pt Milk

How to:

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Lightly grease a 900g/2lb loaf tin and sprinkle some oats inside the tin.
  2. Put the wholemeal flour, plain flour and oats into a large mixing bowl and mix well. Sieve in the bread soda and mix to combine.
  3. In a separate bowl beat together the yoghurt, egg, olive oil, honey and milk. Add to the dry ingredients and combine together gently until all dry ingredients are moistened.
  4. Transfer to the prepared tin and sprinkle the extras oats on top, then make a cut down the centre with a knife.
  5. Bake in a central position in the oven for 40-45 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Loaf is baked when tapping underneath produces a hollow sound.
  6. Turn onto a wire tray to cool. Delicious served warm with butter and a drizzle of honey.

Honey & Oat Quick Bread

Sweet And Moist Greek Honey Cake

greek-honey-cake-1-w450h450

A sticky Greek cake that tastes a little like the much more complicated Greek dessert Baklava

Thanks to Angela for this simple cake recipe that kids just love.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of plain flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of orange zest
  • 3/4 cup of butter
  • 3/4 cup of white sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup of milk
  • 1 cup of chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup of Haughton Honey
  • 1 cup of white sugar
  • 3/4 cup of water
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 175c/350F. Grease and lightly flour a 9″ square cake tin. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and orange rind. Set this to one side.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the butter and the sugar with a whisk until light and fluffy. Then blend in the eggs one at a time. Gently blend in the flour mixture prepared earlier with the milk and stir in the walnuts.
  3. Pour the batter in to the prepared tin. Place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes and then cut the cake into diamond shapes before pouring the honey syrup over. Decorate with lemon zest if you wish.
  4. To make the honey syrup combine the honey, 1 cup of white sugar and 3/4 cup of water. Bring slowly to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and continue cooking for a further 2 minutes. Keep warm before pouring on to the cake.

Notes for the cook: if you have a fan-assisted oven then reduce the specified temperature in the recipe by about 15% ~ 1 teaspoon = 5ml and 1 tablespoon = 15ml ~ some ingredients are measured in cups and some equivalents are; 150g, 6oz (1/2 cup) = 120ml, 4fl oz

http://www.haughtonhoney.com/our-honey/recipes/sweet-and-moist-greek-honey-cake

Kerrygold Buttery Irish Potato and Apple Bake

kerrygold_butter_irish_potato_and_apple_bake_with_bacon

Cook:  15 minutes
Serves:  8

Ingredients:
  • 3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 pounds tart cooking apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 6 slices thick cut bacon, coarsely chopped
  • 6 tablespoons Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter
  • Chopped chives for garnish, optional
Directions:

Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

 

 
Retweeted
 

This is not a drill! is Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

Makes: 10-12 slices

Metric Cups

For the Base

  • 125 grams digestive biscuits
  • 60 grams butter
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

For the Filling

  • 175 grams dark chocolate (chopped small)
  • 500 grams cream cheese
  • 150 grams caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon custard powder
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 150 millilitres sour cream (or just use a 142ml pot)
  • ½ teaspoon cocoa powder (dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water)

For the Glaze (Optional)

  • 75 grams dark chocolate (finely chopped)
  • 125 millilitres double cream
  • 1 teaspoon golden syrup

Method

  1. To make the base, process the biscuits to make rough crumbs and then add the butter and cocoa.
  2. Process again until it makes damp, clumping crumbs and then tip them into a 23cm / 9 inch springform tin. Press the biscuit crumbs into the bottom of the tin to make an even base and put into the freezer while you make the filling.
  3. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180ºC/160°C Fan/350ºF. Put a kettle on to boil. Melt the chocolate either in a microwave or double boiler, and set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Beat the cream cheese to soften it, and then add the sugar and custard powder, beating again to combine. Beat in the whole eggs and then the yolks, and the sour cream. Finally add the cocoa dissolved in hot water and the melted chocolate, and mix to a smooth batter.
  5. Take the springform tin out of the freezer and line the outside of the tin with a good layer of clingfilm, and then another layer of strong foil over that. This will protect it from the water bath.
  6. Sit the springform tin in a roasting pan and pour in the cheesecake filling. Fill the roasting pan with just-boiled water to come about halfway up the cake tin, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. The top of the cheesecake should be set, but the underneath should still have a wobble to it.
  7. Peel away the foil and clingfilm wrapping and sit the cheesecake in its tin on a rack to cool. Put in the fridge once it’s no longer hot, and leave to set, covered with clingfilm, overnight. Let it lose its chill before unspringing the cheesecake to serve.
  8. To make the chocolate glaze, very gently melt the chopped chocolate, cream and syrup. When the chocolate has nearly melted, take off the heat and whisk it to a smooth sauce. Let it cool a little, and then Jackson Pollock it over the chocolate cheesecake on its serving plate. Use the remaining glaze as an accompanying sauce.

Catherine’s gluten free lemon poppy seed loaf

 

GF-Poppy-Seed-Loaf-

INGREDIENTS

225g/8oz Odlums Gluten Free Tritamyl Self Raising Flour

125g/4oz Margarine

125g/4oz Caster Sugar

3 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Milk

1 Teaspoon Goodalls Vanilla Essence

2 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds

Grated Rind of Lemon

 For Glaze

175g/6oz Icing Sugar

Juice of Lemon

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3. Grease and base line a 900g/2lb Loaf tin.
  2. Cream margarine and sugar together in a bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and next beat in the milk with vanilla essence.
  3. Gently stir in the flour until completely combined and finally stir in the poppy seeds and lemon rind.
  4. Transfer to the prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  5. While cake is baking prepare the glaze by heating the sugar and lemon juice over a low heat stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved.
  6. When cake is baked allow it to stay in the tin to “set” for 10 minutes then pierce top of cake with a fork or toothpick and pour over the glaze.
  7. When completely cold store in an airtight container.

http://odlums.ie/catherines-weekly-recipe-gluten-free-lemon-poppy-seed-loaf/