Clodagh McKenna‏, My Carrot Cake with Orange Blossom frosting recipe #foodaware

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.

Cashel Blue Mini-Cheesecakes with a Pecan-Pepper Crust @KerrygoldUSA #foodaware

mini-cheesecake

Ingredients:
  • Ingredients for crust
  • ¾ cup dry breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup pecan pieces
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Kerrygold Unsalted Butter, melted
  • Large pinch salt
  • Filling Ingredients
  • 12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup Kerrygold Cashel Blue Farmhouse Cheese, crumbled
Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 ° Fahrenheit

For Crust:

Place breadcrumbs, pecans, pepper and salt in food processor

Pulse until pecans are finely ground

Add butter and pulse a few times until mix begins to come together

Line mini cupcake tins with paper liners

Fill each cup with a teaspoon of crust mix

Press down hard with fingertips or water bottle cap to make a firm, flat layer

Chill tins and make the filling

For Filling:

Using a stand or a hand mixture, beat cream cheese and cream together until smooth  Note: Cream cheese must be room temperature or mixture will be lumpy

Add egg, beat until fully incorporated, add second egg, beating until fully incorporated

Once mixture is smooth, fold in crumbled Cashel Blue Farmhouse Cheese

Fill cups evenly with cheesecake batter, to about three-fourths full

Bake for 18-20 minutes

Oaty Blueberry Muffins with Ginger and Pear Frosting #foodaware

fla cup cakes tw jan 16

Serves 16*
*depending on the size of your muffin cases
This is a great recipe to impress when the girls are coming around for an afternoon chat. That said, my children love to bake these with me too. The blueberries give them the added extra goodness. 

Ingredients:

  • 300g golden caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 170ml sunflower oil
  • 100ml milk
  • 280g self-raising flour
  • 100g Flahavan’s Progress Oatlets
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 150g blueberries
  • 1 large pear, peeled and finely diced
For the Topping
  • 150g cream cheese
  • 100g butter, softened
  • 2 pieces stemmed ginger, very finely chopped
  • 2 tsp ginger syrup
  • 350g icing sugar
  • 2 poached pears, thinly sliced for decorating
  • Edible flowers to decorate (optional)

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3.
  2. Place muffin cases in a muffin tray.
  3. Whisk the sugar, eggs, milk and oil together until thick and pale.
  4. Fold in the flour, oatlets, ginger and salt.
  5. Stir in the blueberries and diced pear.
  6. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases.
  7. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until lightly golden.
  8. Place on a cooling rack.
  9. Cream the butter in a large bowl, then add some icing sugar, followed by the cream cheese and the rest of the icing sugar.  Spoon in the ginger syrup.
  10. Pipe or spread over the cool muffins, decorate with chopped ginger and place slices of pear and a pretty edible flower on the top.
Tip: 
If using soft fruit like raspberries, just place fruit in freezer for about ½ hour and they will stay fairly whole when baked.

The Odlums Big Book of Baking is available now in-store and online from Dunnes Stores & online from The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation.


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The Odlums Big Book of Baking is available now in-store and online from Dunnes Stores & online from The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation.
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Mary Flahavan’s Oaty Flapjacks with chocolate on top!

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Oaty Flapjacks
Makes approximately 30 flapjacks.
This is a wheat free recipe.
Ingredients
175g (7oz)  Flahavan’s Progress Oatlets
175g (7oz)  Flahavan’s Jumbo Oat Flakes
200g (7oz) Butter or Margarine
100g (4oz) Brown Sugar
2 tbsp. Golden Syrup
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2.
  2. Melt margarine or butter in a saucepan with the sugar and golden syrup. Heat gently until the sugar is dissolved.
  3. Stir in the oatflakes.
  4. Tip the mixture into a swiss roll tin (22cm x 33cm, 9’’ x 13’’) lined with parchment and press it out evenly using the back of a spoon.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. When baked, coat with melted chocolate as a special treat.
  7. Cut into squares while still warm and leave to cool in the tin.
These nutritious flapjacks keep very well in a tin. Children love their crunchy texture and they make an ideal addition to any lunchbox.

Kerrygold Chocolate Hazelnut Eclairs

Chocolate_Eclairs-5_hi_res

Ingredients:

  • For the choux pastry:
  • ½ stick of Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  • ½ cup of water
  • ¾ cup of plain flour, sifted
  • 3 large free range eggs
  • For the crème patisserie:
  • 6 large free range egg yolks
  • ⅔ cup of sugar
  • ⅓ cup of cornflour
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • ½ stick of Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  • For the chocolate glaze:
  • ⅔ cup of good quality dark chocolate
  • ¼ cup of cream
  • ½ stick of Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  • ½ cup of roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the butter and water in a saucepan and bring to a steady boil until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add the flour, beating with a wooden spoon until a dough comes together. Place back over the heat and beat the dough in the saucepan for about 40 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  2. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the eggs little at a time, beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the egg is completely incorporated after each addition. You are looking to have a consistency that will hold its shape when piped. It should be smooth, shiny and just about fall from the spoon. You might not use all the egg.
  3. Using a spatula, scoop the dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping nozzle and pipe 10cm lines on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 4cm in between each line to allow for spreading. Brush each one with a little leftover beaten egg.
  4. Place in the oven, reducing the heat to 375˚F for approximately 25 minutes until they have risen and are golden and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack and use a sharp pointed knife to pierce three holes on the underside of the buns. Allow to cool completely before filling.
  5. For the crème pâtissière, split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Add this to a medium saucepan with the milk and place over a medium high heat. Bring to the boil and then turn off the heat. Scoop out the vanilla pod.
  6. While the milk is coming to the boil, place the sugar, cornflour and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until thick and pale.
  7. Pour the hot milk into the bowl, whisking quickly and continuously until it is smooth and incorporated. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a medium heat beating continuously until it has thickened.
  8. Transfer the crème pâtissière to a cold bowl, create a flat surface with the back of a spatula and wipe the top with little butter (this will prevent a skin forming). Cover directly with cling film and allow to cool completely.
  • 9   For the chocolate glaze, melt the dark chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of hot water. When the chocolate has melted remove the bowl from the heat and gently stir through the cream. Fold in the butter until you have a shiny, spreadable chocolate glaze.
  • 10  To assemble the eclairs, fill a piping bag, fitted with a small round nozzle, with the crème pâtissière and pipe into the holes on the underside of the choux buns. Spread the chocolate glaze over the top of each eclair and sprinkle with the roasted hazelnuts. Serve straight away or the eclairs will keep for 1 or 2 days in the fridge.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT ECLAIRS

Odlums Coffee and Walnut Cake

Beautifully presented Coffee and Walnut cake on a white cake stand
Beautifully presented Coffee and Walnut cake on a white cake stand