Easy Mini Carrot Cake For One Recipe!

Now living with my partner for a few months full time, it is very apparent we have very different tastes when it comes to sweet treats...for instance I discovered that he hates chocolate cake...I mean really? chocolate cake is like the best thing ever!

So I came across the conundrum of what cakes to bake, as much as I love Victoria sponge like he does, I prefer more flavorful sponges such as carrot and lemon cakes, now I am hardly going to bake a full size sponge for only one of us to eat so I came up with a cute little solution.

When I was packing up my stuff from my parents house, my mum gave me a tiny 5 inch spring form tin and at the time I thought it was adorable, accepted it, but never really had a use for it until now.
The following recipe is designed for those who need a bit of cake in their life but cant afford loads of ingredients or cant eat an entire cake by themselves.

I think I will do a few of these, like a little mini series of cake basically! I will start off with carrot cake as it's my favorite, next up will be a Victoria sponge for my lovely other half and then who knows after that! So if you have any suggestions please let me know in the comment section below!

Also all my measurements are in cups as I find it easier when working with tiny measurements plus that is what my measuring spoons are marked up as! If you want the measurements in grams there are plenty of online conversion programs :)

Things you will need:

1 medium egg
Half a cup of caster sugar
Half a cup of plain flour
A quarter cup of vegetable oil
A third of a cup of grated carrot
Half a teaspoon of mixed spice, cinnamon and baking powder
A cap full of vanilla essence

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius and grease your 5" baking tin

Step 2: In a small bowl, tip in your oil and sugar, beat together until the mixture turns pale and a little frothy, this takes about 30 seconds with an electric whisk and a few minutes by hand.

Step 3: Crack in your egg to your mixture along with your mixed spice, cinnamon and vanilla essence, whisk until well combined.

Step 4: Scatter in your grated carrot and carefully mix through until well combined and there are no lumps of carrot.

Step 5: Sprinkle in the baking powder along with the flour and give it a quick mix, make sure to not over-mix! simply stir until the mixture combines nicely then stop!

Step 6: Pour your cake mix into the tin and place on the middle shelf of your oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer poked in the center of the cake comes out clean, remove from the oven and leave to cool before removing.

At this stage what comes next is up to you! I like mine with just a little icing on top however feel free to use buttercream, nuts or whatever takes your fancy!

And there we go! the perfect 2 portions of cake for one person! Please feel free to leave your suggestions below for what cake I should do next!

Homemade Jammy Dodger Recipe!

Hi guys! Sorry it has been so very long but life happened I’m afraid! The day finally came where we had to travel halfway across the UK to my parents’ house and collect up my essential things…of course for me this means I finally got all my baking stuff!!!!! (Strokes ceramic mixing bowl and cuddles cake tins).

So I thought what better way to return than with a baking recipe with actual equipment! Now my other half LOVES jammy dodgers but I am not a fan of the price that they can be, so I decided to take it upon myself to see if I could replicate them with my own special twist.

The recipe that I came up with used a very basic biscuit recipe along with my favorite jam, the outcome was pretty good and they went down very well indeed with a cup of lady grey tea!

This recipe will give you between 10-15 jammy dodgers depending on the size of cookie cutter you use and can easily be completed from start to finish in an hour.

Things you will need:

-          100g of caster sugar

-          200g of unsalted butter

-          300g of self-raising flour

-          A small pinch of salt

-          Your favorite jam

Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter, mix together until the mixture becomes light in texture and color.

Step 2: Slowly start to combine the flour in with your mix along with a small pinch of salt, the result will be a very light in texture dough which is quite crumbly, feel free to add water or more flour to get a texture you are comfortable working with.

Step 3: Turn your dough out onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a rough thickness of about 1 cm, use a cookie cutter to cut out all of your circles, remember to end up with an even number.

Step 4: Use a smaller cutter or a bottle cap to punch a hole in the center of half of all the cookies; this creates the signature hole in the top of a jammy dodger.

Step 5: Transfer all cookies over to a baking tray which is lined and greased before placing them in your preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the tops have turned golden, don’t worry if they seem a little soft, they will harden as they cool.

Step 6: As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle them with a small amount of sugar just to give it a little finishing touch and leave them to cool completely before removing from the sheet, be careful when you do as the half with the holes in the middle are quite delicate.

Step 7: Take the half without a hole in the middle and spread a thin layer of your favorite jam across them, place the half with the holes on top of them to finish off your homemade jammy dodgers!

And there you go! One simple yet easy jammy dodger recipe for you to replicate at home!

Why not mix things up and use different flavors of jam? Why not try apricot or blackberry jam for an alternative jammy dodger? The options are endless!

Thank you so much for sticking around while I have been absent and expect loads of new recipes coming your way soon!

A "Not Spicy" Chilli Recipe For 4!

One thing I discovered from a young age is my hatred for all things spicy, the slightest hint of a chilli flake or pepper would send my stomach into a deep depression which I would pay for later! However just because I can't handle any hot spices doesnt mean I couldn't enjoy a good chilli as long as it left out the spice!

The great thing about this chilli is that it still has a great flavour and even a slight warmth after every bite as if there was actual chillis in this, which is great because although I can't handle hot spices I do enjoy the flavour if that makes sense?

This is a recipe which my mother has fed me over the years with my own little twist on it to make it richer in flavour so you don't really notice the lack of spice.

This dish can be done first thing in the morning with a slow cooker and left to bubble away all day, or you can easily put everything together in a caserole dish and put in your oven for 2 hours for the most amazing "not spicy" chilli you will taste!

This dish will easily feed a family of four served along with rice, or if you live with your partner like me, the rest can be frozen and kept for months in the freezer for a quick lunch or dinner whenever you don't have time :)

Things you will need:

-          500g of mince meat

-          1 onion chopped

-          1 garlic clove chopped finely

-          1 tin of red kidney beans

-          1 tin of baked beans (see fajita recipe for the other half a tin)

-          1 tin of chopped tomatoes

-          1 teaspoon each of  salt, pepper and smoked paprika

       A small amount of Cayenne pepper

-          A dash of Worchester sauce

-          1 beef stock cube

-          Boiling water

      Step 1: Pre heat your oven to 150 degrees celcius                                                                                                                                                              

S    Step 2: Heat a frying pan on the stove with a little oil, fry the mincemeat, onion and garlic until the meat is brown.

S    Step 3:Empty the contents of all of the tins into your large casserole dish, stir to combine then add in a few drops of Worchester sauce, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and a small sprinkling of cayenne pepper.

      Step 4:  Add in your now cooked mince meat, onion and garlic into your casserole dish on top of your other ingredients, mix well, crumble a stock cube on top of your chilli and top up with boiling water, mix again, now put on the lid and throw into your oven for a good hour and a half to 2 hours.

S    Step 5: In the last 15 minutes of cooking, start preparing and cooking your preferred type of rice.

      Step 6: Take your chilli out of the oven and leave to stand for a few minutes as it will be hotter than an active volcano at this point! If the sauce looks a little runny feel free to add in a little gravy powder to thicken it up (and add a little water if its too thick!)

   And there you go! A very simple, tummy approved not spicy chilli the whole family can enjoy! 

   Please feel fre as always to leave me a little comment down below about anything you like :) why not let me know your favourite spicy food to eat? or what recipe I should do next :)

    

Easy Cheese & Bacon Quiche Recipe!

I decided to have a little bit of a baking day today as the weather was a little gloomy, and what better way to make yourself feel better than with a kitchen full of comfort food! Not only am I making a quiche today but I’m also making lemon shortbread along with a nice beef stew (recipe coming shortly!)

I thought I would share with you my cheese and bacon quiche recipe as it is one of my favourite things my mum ever taught me to bake and if there is one thing I like now that I have moved out, it’s the fact I don’t have to share my favourite quiche with anyone! MWHAHAHAHA

This recipe tends to serve 2-4 people depending on the slice size…or if you are like me for one person to be eaten over a course of 3-4 days! By the way it keeps in the fridge really well for 4-5 days! (if it lasts that long!) 

Things you will need:

-          4 eggs

-          250ml of semi skimmed milk

-          50g of grated cheddar cheese (one big handful)

-          Salt, pepper and mixed herbs

-          Worchester sauce

-          2 rashers of bacon cut into little squares

-          1 onion finely chopped

-          Half a red pepper chopped up finely

-          1 Dish lined with short crust pastry

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

Step 2: Begin by frying off your bacon, onion and red pepper in a frying pan until the onions have become transparent and the bacon is cooked through, leave to one side to cool down completely before use.

Step 3: In a large jug or bowl, crack in all 4 eggs and whisk thoroughly, then add in all of the milk, whisk again, then to your wet mixture add a teaspoon of pepper, half a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of mixed herbs and a dash of Worchester sauce, whisk again before adding in all of the cheese and setting to one side.

Step 4: Grab your pre prepared short crust pastry lined dish (you can use my recipe found here!) and tip in your now completely cool mixture of onion, bacon and red pepper, use a fork or spoon to distribute the filling better.

Step 5: Slowly pour in your wet mixture of eggs, cheese and milk into the case, make sure the cheese is evenly spread around, and sprinkle the top with any leftover cheese.

Step 6: Put into the middle of your oven for approximately 30-45 minutes or until the top is a golden brown colour, you will see that the filling will rise up a little, when taken out of the oven it will sink, don’t worry it is meant to do this! 

Leave your quiche to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving or if you are like me, wait for it to cool completely and serve with an extra dash of Worchester sauce! I find that once the quiche has cooled completely that the flavour is a lot better in my opinion!

And there we go! One easy cheese and bacon quiche packed full of flavour!

Please feel free to leave me a comment down below! Why not tell me your favourite type of quiche to eat or what recipe I should do next?

German Potato Pancakes Recipe! (Kartoffel-Kuchen or Kartoffelpuffer)

Tonight I decided to share with you a little recipe which my mother has only recently taught me, the first time I did make a few mistakes but I think this time around I managed to get it spot on for my own tastes!

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the German potato pancake!

Now before we start, yes I am German and secondly as far as I know this recipe varies from region to region, so please bear that in mind if you think the recipe isn’t right or isn’t traditional :)

Now I have no idea how to say their name in German…I have been told by my German mother that they are called Kartoffel Kuchen, however google thinks they are called Kartoffelpuffer…so if there is anyone out there who knows what name I should use…Please let me know!

This batch is enough for 2 people to last for dinner and lunch or for a family of 4 for one meal....or if you want numbers this makes about 12 pancakes :P

Things you will need:

-          2 large potatoes

-          1 onion

-          A couple tablespoons of plain flour

-          Salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper

-          1 egg

-          Sunflower (or vegetable) oil

Step 1: Wash and peel both of the potatoes, then use a cheese grater to grate up the potatoes into a large bowl; this can take a while and make sure to watch your fingers! Once complete, peel your onion and grate that into the same bowl, you should be left with something like this:

Step 2: Grab some paper towel sheets and press these onto the top of your mixture, repeat this several times to remove the moisture from the potatoes otherwise your mix will be too wet.

Step 3: Next, add in your egg, a good pinch of salt and pepper, as well as a dash of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper, mix until well combined, then add in one tablespoon of flour at a time and mix well, repeat until 2-3 tablespoons are incorporated and your mixture has thickened.

Step 4: Heat up a generous amount of oil in a frying pan on a medium to low heat, once heated spoon in 1 tablespoon of mixture and use the back of the spoon to press the mixture out flat, basically so it resembles a pancake, you only want to work with 2 in a pan at a time to prevent burning etc.

Step 5: Wait until you see the edges beginning to brown and crisp up before you flip them, cook on the other side for the same amount of time.

Note: You are working with raw potato here so make sure to give each side of the “pancake” a good amount of time to cook through, make sure to spread them thin and if you feel like they are browning too quickly, turn the heat down.

Step 6: Remove from the pan, place on a baking tray in a warm oven until all the cakes are done, and repeat with the next few tablespoons.

And there you go! A nice set of German potato pancakes (or whatever they’re called)! I like to serve mine alongside a fried breakfast or as a replacement for chips at dinner….or if you’re like my other half, they can be eaten the next day by themselves with a little ketchup!

As always, please feel free to leave me a comment down below! Why not tell me your favourite German food?