Tuesday 17 April 2012

Hazelnut bundt cake



To start this post I should first of all apologise for leaving you alone for so long. Been a while since I updated you so it might be time to fill you in in the two very exciting changes that are happening to us right now. First we are going to move house and we got ourselves a little renovation project. So most of our time is now spent getting quotes, checking products and on other peoples blogs for inspiration.
And another big change will be the arrival of our baby boy in summer. Very exciting! Now you know why I haven't been posting about cakes and other treats. Not that I don't think about them but it's all about eating rather than baking and photographing I'm afraid : )
To make it up to you here is a very simple bundt cake recipe from my nan. If you don't have ground hazelnuts use ground almonds or maybe dessicated coconut.
This recipe is for a small cake but if you use a regular size tin just double the quantities.

HAZELNUT BUNDT CAKE

125g light brown sugar
150ml sunflower oil
pinch of salt
2 eggs
125g self-raising flour
1 tbsp baking powder
100g ground hazelnuts
pinch of ground cinnamon
dash of rum
100g dark chocolate
handful of krokant (hazelnut brittle)

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C and butter the baking tin. Mix the oil, sugar and eggs and beat until pale and fluffy (with a handheld mixer for about 5 min). Mix the flour and baking powder and sift in the bowl to the other ingredients. With the handheld blender mix and slowly add the ground hazelnuts and rum. Spoon in the baking tin and bake for about 20-30 minutes. Leave to cool, glaze with melted chocolate and cover or sprinkle with krokant.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Crunchy nutty granola



Another breakfast dish but this time seriously healthy. Granola for breakfast is a great start in the day and homemade is even better. I have started making my own because it was hard to find one without raisins, which I have to admit I am not a fan of. It's also great to try different flavour combinations and control the amount of sugar you put in so you can make it as tasty and healthy as you want to. Doesn't have to be a contradiction, tasty and healthy, does it? I have seen great recipes out there with apple sauce or other fruit sauce so I want to try that next, so watch this space.

CRUNCHY NUTTY GRANOLA

100g walnuts
50g almonds
50g Brazil nuts
50g dessicated coconut
50g pumpkin seeds
good pinch of ground cinnamon
400g old-fashioned rolled oats
40g slightly salted butter
1/2 cup golden syrup
1 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 165°C. Chop up all the nuts and mix with the pumpkin seeds and dessicated coconut in a bowl. add the ground cinnamon and rolled oats. In a small pot melt the butter and add the honey and golden syrup. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and blend. Spoon on a baking tray covered with baking paper and bake for about 20 minutes or until crunchy and golden in colour.