Cardamom, coconut and vanilla cupcakes

I absolutely love cardamom in baking, it adds such a lovely warmth and flavour to biscuits and cakes. The other week I had a fantastic cardamom crème brulee that reminded me just how much I love it.

I had some coconut milk left over from a curry on Friday and an idea was born. Coconut and cardamom are always combined in curries to delicious affect and I saw no reason why combining them in a cupcake would not be as equally delicious.

I only made 6, there are only two of us! The recipe is easily doubled.

Cardamom, coconut and vanilla cupcakes

For the cakes

65g butter
65g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
seeds of 5 cardamom pods, ground in a pestle and mortar
1 egg
65g self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp coconut milk

For the frosting

60g butter
125g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
2 tbsp coconut milk


Preheat the oven to 180C/160C FAN and line a cupcake tin with cases. 

Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and crushed cardamom seeds together until very light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat for a further minute.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the flour and baking powder, beat until just combined. Add the coconut milk and beat for a further minute.

Divide the cupcake mix between the cases and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. When done the cupcakes should be golden and springy. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely. 

To make the the frosting beat together the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and 1 tbsp of the coconut milk until very light and fluffy, add the remaining coconut milk and beat again. Refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes. Once the cupcakes are completely cool pipe swirls of frosting onto each cupcake.

These cupcakes are lovely and light with the warming, aromatic cardamom really coming through. The cake is complemented perfectly by a creamy luxurious frosting.

I am giving these cakes full credit for helping me get through my science report! It is my firm believe that  cake will help any form of writers block/work issue.

Apple and almond cake

M had a bake sale at work last week and asked if I would make him some treats to take in, I of course said yes. I made white chocolate and pecan blondies, a chocolate orange cake and an apple cake. The problem with making cakes for a bake sale is that you do not get to try the fruits of your labour. Ok ok I had the trimming of the blondies but they NEEDED trimming, I could not send wonky blondies could I?

Anyway there is no way I could send the cakes with slices missing, so not only did I not get to eat my baking, I have no idea what they tasted like when I sent them off. And this worried me. A lot. However it transpires that I need not have worried. According to M the apple cake was the first to sell out and disappeared within minutes, followed shortly by my other stuff. He also had a piece and said it tasted amazing.

That did it I had to try a piece of this cake. So I made it again. A whole one ALL FOR ME. Well the two of us.

This cake is from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and I have stayed true to his recipe with only a couple of tweaks! I added a little vanilla paste to the cake mix, he suggests almond extract but I like my frangipane taste to be subtle and I also used all spice when I cooked the apples.

Apple and almond cake

makes 1 cake

For the apples

3 dessert apples, I used gala
25g butter
tablespoon of sugar
1/2 tsp mixed spice

For the cake

150g butter
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
75g self raising flour
75g ground almonds

Grease a 20cm springform tin and line the base with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C FAN.

Core the apples and cut into 4, slice each quarter into 3 wedges. Put the butter into a frying pan and allow to bubble add the sugar. Add the apple and the mixed spice to the pan and cook gently for about 5 minutes until starting to become lightly caramelised and tender. Put aside for a few minutes to cool. 

Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add one egg and beat again. Add the second egg and a tablespoon of the flour and beat until fully incorporated. Add the remaining flour and the ground almonds and fold in with a spatula. 

Place the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and level with a spatula, arrange the apple on top. Place in the preheated oven and bake for ~45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes before releasing and allowing to cool on a wire rack. 

Ok M was right, not that he is wrong often, this is a really nice cake. The texture of the cake itself is lovely and light but robust enough to stand up to the apples, which are soft and enhanced by the mixed spice.

Kings Bread

Kings bread is a bread made in Mexico, and Spain, on January 6th. Traditionally a small porcelain doll or more likely a  dried bean is hidden in the bread, symbolising baby Jesus. Whoever gets the bean has to buy the tamales on 2nd of February for Candlemas day.

How do I know this? The book for this months cupcake book club is set in Mexico.

Kelly from american cupcake abroad has started a cupcake book club, the basic premise is to read a book with a foodie theme then bake a delicious treat inspired by the book. You can read all the details here, why don't you join in?

The book has a recipe for each month, many are savoury and there is even a 'recipe' for matches!
I liked the sound of the kings bread and searching around online found many variations, below is my own interpretation.

Kings Bread

Makes 1 wreath

2 tablespoons milk
tsp active dried yeast
80g caster sugar + 1 tsp
zest of 2 oranges
tsp mixed spice
2 eggs + 1 for egg wash
55g butter
tsp vanilla paste or extract
280g plain flour
80g raisins
sliced almonds for decoration.

Gently warm the milk, stir in the yeast and tsp sugar and leave to stand.

Combine the flour, sugar, orange zest and mixed spice into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the milk mix, egg, butter and vanilla. Mix the wet ingredients together, I used my hands, and gradually incorporate the flour until a smooth dough is formed. 

Knead the dough for 5 minutes, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with clingfilm and allow to double in size. 

Punch the dough down and knead lightly to incorporate the raisins. Roll into a long narrow log and then form a circular wreath.

Place on a greased baking sheet, cover with greased clingfilm and allow to double in size again ~2 hours at room temp.  I put mine in the fridge overnight as I wanted it for breakfast.

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C FAN. Brush the bread with egg wash, add the sliced almonds in whatever pattern you so choose. Wash again and place in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

The bread should be golden and sound hollow when tapped underneath.

I enjoyed the book and I enjoyed this bread. In mexico they have it with hot chocolate. I had it split and spread with butter for breakfast and had a cup of tea! Flavour wise it reminds me of a teacake or hot cross bun, though the texture is different. 

Any leftovers can be wrapped in foil and kept in a tin, it is still nice the next day warmed up in the oven. 

Spelt, orange and maple biscuits

These are one tough cookie! Not to eat, I would not give you a tough biscuit recipe to make, but I personally found them tricky to make, especially as I was expecting them to be simple and quick to do.

The recipe states that once the dough is brought together to chill it for 30 minutes and then roll it out. Mine did not roll. It crumbled. Only the heat of my hands would bring it together enough to stamp out. Although I measured everything I suspect maybe my dough was a little dry and maybe a splash more orange juice and oil would have solved the problem.

Once they were baked however these biscuits held together perfectly well. They are good biscuits for those who do not have a sweet tooth, or for those of us that do but fancy a change, they do not contain much sugar and the main flavour comes from the orange and the nuttiness of the spelt four.

Spelt, orange and maple biscuits (slightly adapted from Biscuit by Miranda Gore Browne)

250g wholemeal spelt flour
50g oats
60ml olive oil
50g caster sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
zest and juice of 1 orange

Mix the flour and oats together in a bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients together and then add to the bowl, mix until a dough comes together. If it is a little dry maybe try a smidge more oil/juice. Divide the dough into two and shape into a flattish disk. Wrap in clingflim and chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C FAN and line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Take your dough and roll it to about 3 cm thick and using a cutter of your choice cut out biscuits. I had problems rolling and ended up kind of squishing my dough out. 

Place the cut out biscuits onto the prepared baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven for ~10 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and allow to cool. 

I kept them in an airtight tin and thought that after day 3 they were past there best, M thought no such thing however and polished off the remaining few on day four!

I really like spelt flour at the moment and plan on trying it in a few more bakes soon

Thyme, parsnip and cheddar bread

This is one of my favourite breads that can be whipped up in a hour when you decide you want it. It is fantastic warm from the oven served with fresh soup.

Thyme, parsnip and cheddar bread

1 loaf

175g grated parsnip
175g self raising flour
50g vintage cheddar, finely grated
fresh thyme leaves, at least 1 tsp, I tend to like more.
few twists of fresh black pepper
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons of milk

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C FAN and lightly oil a baking sheet, I used a spray oil for a very light covering. 

Mix the parsnip, flour, cheese, thyme and pepper in a bowl. Lightly beat the egg with 2 tbsps of the milk and then add to the dry ingredients. Mix until all the ingredients come together as a dough, if the mix is still a little dry add the remaining milk.

Shape into a flattish ball and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven for ~45 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. 

Cool on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before devouring warm!

This loaf is so delicious but unless there are more than two of you or you are VERY hungry you will probably have some left over. I store it in a tin and it is just as nice warmed through in the oven the next day.