Vegan Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

 These mini pineapple upside down cakes taste amazing - they happen to be vegan but I think they are the best I've had of any kind! I made these to take when I went to see a friend who had moved into a new flat; she is vegan so I've been trying out recipes from Ms Cupcake's book. You are supposed to use a glace cherry on top but at the time I didn't have any, though after taking part in this demonstration for French glace cherries I now have plenty! Here's what I did:

You need:

60g vegan margarine e.g. Vitalite

60g brown sugar

12 tinned pineapple rings

12 glace cherries (if using)

300g self raising flour

180g caster sugar

1.5 tsp baking powder

80ml pineapple juice (from the tin)

220ml soya milk

120ml vegetable oil

1 tbsp vanilla flavouring

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.

Cream the margarine and brown sugar in a bowl.

Using your finger (or a spoon, but I found fingers a lot easier) spread this mixture over the bottom and around the sides of all the indentations in a muffin baking tin.

 Place a pineapple ring in the bottom of each muffin hole. The rings were a little large for mine so I experimented by either pushing them in at an angle (eg bottom left) or cutting a strip off around the edge of the pineapple ring to make them narrower (eg bottom middle).  I think the latter worked better but it's up to you. If you are using glace cherries, place one in the hole in the middle of each pineapple ring.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Gradually mix in the pineapple juice, milk, oil and vanilla.

Spoon the cake mixture into the tin, being careful not to overfill.

These only need about 15 mins in the oven, then are nicely risen.

Leave to cool in the pan then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve upside down, of course! The sugar mixture that you rub around the side of the pan caramelizes and gives a lovely crunchy texture, while the pineapple on top is also slightly caramelized but still soft. The cakes are light and fluffy and in my opinion up there with some of the best I've made.

I packaged these up into a pretty box and took to my friend's new flat as a housewarming gift.

I have friends who insist vegan cakes must taste dreadful - and I'm planning an experiment with one soon, to see if he can taste the difference! But as soon as I started baking vegan cakes, after one of my best friends became vegan, I realised that they taste just as good, and in some cases better, than non-vegan bakes!

I'm sending these to Love Cake, hosted by Jibber Jabber, as the theme this month is 'giving up' - baking cakes without at least one of the following traditional ingredients: eggs, butter, sugar, or wheat flour. These are dairy-free and use vegan margarine instead of butter, and no eggs.

 

I'm also sending these to Alphabakes, the blog challenge that I co-host with Ros of The More Than Occasional Baker. The letter she has chosen this month is U; I think we are going to get a lot of upside down cakes! I do have something else quite original up my sleeve though :-)

MyChocolate chocolate tasting and truffle making workshop

There are certainly some perks to being a food blogger, perhaps chief among which is being invited to events, workshops and demonstrations. I was invited to a chocolate tasting and truffle making class by MyChocolate in central London. MyChocolate offers all sorts of workshops for individuals, groups, hen parties, corporate entertainment and so on - including making and decorating a giant chocolate button, chocolate truffles, cocktail mixing, and chocolate fudge. Their main venue is in London, near Farringdon, where they have rooms of different sizes to cater for different groups. They also put on events at other venues like Vinopolis, and also have branches in Brighton and Manchester.

On this particular evening in February they had invited a group of food bloggers to sample chocolate, drink prosecco and make truffles. We were welcomed by our demonstrator Sophie, who explained that first we would be tasting chocolates with different cocoa contents and flavours. I don't think I have a particularly discerning palate as other people could detect notes of aniseed and caramel in the various chocolates, but it all tasted like chocolate to me! It was obvious however how much of a difference there was between each sample.

Then we began the messy process of making truffles. I'd done it once before at the Chocolate Boutique Hotel in Bournemouth - we used a similar technique here but dipped the truffles in melted chocolate, rather than rolled them around in our hands, so the table got quite messy!
Sophie told us the right quantity of cream to mix with the melted chocolate - we were using dark chocolate as it sets faster.

The mixture thickens very quickly and you can spoon it into a piping bag.

Pipe out small pieces of the chocolate ganache - either in a straight line or little ball. The shape doesn't make any difference at this stage as you will roll the chocolate into balls or other shapes if you are feeling more creative, like I was!

Simply roll the truffles into balls - you need to do this quite quickly though before the chocolate starts to melt!

We then dipped each truffle in melted chocolate, tapped them on the end of a fork to remove the excess, and placed them on the paper tablecloth to set.

I shaped a few of mine like hearts as it was just after Valentine's day. We had a choice of toppings to sprinkle on the truffles, including cocoa powder, chopped nuts, coconut and dried raspberry pieces.

We also half-dipped some large marshmallows; here you can see I dipped one in coconut and the other in white chocolate shavings. These tasted really good!

Here are a couple of truffles with chopped nuts - the table did get very messy!

The raspberry pieces went really well with the heart-shaped truffles, I thought.

We were each given a small gold box to package up our truffles in and take them home.

I had a very enjoyable evening and would not hesitate to recommend MyChocolate if you are looking for a chocolate-making workshop in London, or in Manchester or Brighton.

Thanks to MyChocolate for inviting me to the workshop.

Restaurant Review - Brown's, Old Jewry, London

Restaurant name: Browns

Location: Old Jewry, London 

Description: City brasserie with branches across London and 18 cities around the UK

Reason for visit: Lunch with work colleagues, as we had a senior manager visiting from overseas

I ate: Cod and chips, £13- the fish came in a herb tempura batter, with chunky chips and half a griddled lemon, with small dishes of tartare sauce, ketchup and something else I can't remember on the side.

My companions ate: Among the group there were orders of the burger, steak, fish pie and the vegetarian filo parcel.

The food was: Excellent - this was a posh version of traditional British pub grub, cooked really well and presented beautifully too.

The atmosphere/service was: It's a nice busy City atmosphere - not too noisy but not so upmarket that it's all hushed conversation. I did think the service was a little slow bearing in mind we wanted to get in and out on a lunchbreak, though perhaps that was due to us being a larger group.

Price range/value for money: Pretty good - some main courses are more expensive, such as the fillet of beef at £25, but others, like the burger, are reasonable at £13. Some dishes come with sides but they are also available separately at an additional charge.

Would I recommend it? Yes, it's slightly tucked away down a side street near Bank so away from the hustle and bustle of the City; in fact I worked in the area for a long time before I even knew it was there! There is a good selection of food and it straddles the line between casual and more upmarket dining.

National Spam Appreciation Week - Spam and Halloumi Kebabs

As I already mentioned in an earlier post, I was sent some Spam to review ahead of National Spam Appreciation Week. I had a look at the Spam website for some recipes and thought the recipe for spam and halloumi kebabs sounded nice. I adapted it to make a honey and balsamic vinegar rather than chilli dressing and put a few different things on my kebabs with the Spam and halloumi cheese. 

These are very simple to make and you can use whatever ingredients you fancy, such as red or green peppers, mushrooms etc. I began by chopping the Spam into cubes.

 

I also chopped some halloumi and red onion, and par boiled some new potatoes.

To make the dressing, I mixed 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar with 1 tbsp runny honey.

Thread the Spam, halloumi, red onion and potato - or whatever you are using - onto cubes and pour over the marinade. If you have time, you could also marinade the ingredients in the liquid for half an hour.

Grill, turning a couple of times, until the onion has browned and the cheese has softened a little. Serve with a green salad or pitta bread.

These kebabs were very enjoyable and the Spam went well with the halloumi cheese, and the saltiness of the cheese contrasted perfectly with the sweeter dressing.

Teapot Birthday Card

One of my friends is a real tea connoisseur so for her birthday I wanted to make her a teapot birthday card (I also made a teapot birthday cake, which will appear on the blog soon!). A while ago I indulged myself by buying a few packs of shaped card blanks including these tea pot cards. They are white cards that stand up - the front and back of the card are attached only at the lid of the teapot.

I decided to go for a shabby chic, slightly mis-matched effect so covered the bottom half of the teapot with one printed paper and the top part with another. I then covered the base and the lid of the teapot with a third printed paper. I matched the handle and the spout to one of the papers, and made sure that the colourways were complementary. I added some sticky ribbon along the edge of the spout and the handle, and along the base and the lid. Part of the sticky ribbon had a 'happy birthday' motif so I stuck this along the middle of the teapot. Watch out for the matching birthday cake soon!

Weightwatchers Hot Chocolate Cake Flavours

I love hot chocolate and am a fan of the lower fat options like Cadburys Highlights, Skinny Cow and the Weightwatchers brand. So I was very pleased to receive samples of some new Weightwatchers hot chocolate flavours - particularly because the new range is based on cake flavours!

The three flavours available are Chocolate Cherry Brownie, Jaffa Cake, and Cappucino Cream Cake. The flavours are subtle - the chocolate cherry brownie has a hint of cherry, whereas the Jaffa Cake has a tangy orange flavour. The Cappucino Cream Cake is a smooth, creamy coffee and chocolate flavour and all three were lovely.

Each serving has just 38 calories or 1 Weightwatcher ProPoint. The pouches are resealable and contain eight servings, and cost £1.49 per pouch or two for £2.50.
They should be available in selected supermarket chains and independent stores now.

Meal Planning 2014 - Week 10

I'm settling into my new job and planning to start going to the gym at lunchtimes again, which I haven't been able to do for three weeks, so I really need to! I can watch what I eat but if I'm not going to the gym as well I don't think I'm likely to be losing any weight - though I have a couple of nights out this week as well so I will have to be careful!

I haven't been particularly inspired with lunches during the working week but I find it takes long enough to plan dinners let alone lunches - and my boyfriend always likes the same kind of sandwiches anyway! Does anyone have any fail-safe ideas for lunches al desko?

Monday
Breakfast yogurt

Lunch sandwich

Dinner chicken curry

Tuesday
Breakfast yogurt

Lunch sandwich

Dinner inspired by tomorrow's evening out, tonight I'm making Lebanese chicken kebabs with garlic sauce from Cook Yourself Thin p.134

Wednesday
Breakfast yogurt

Lunch sandwich

Dinner trying out a new Lebanese restaurant

Thursday
Breakfast yogurt

Lunch sandwich

Dinner out at a women's network event at work

Friday
Breakfast yogurt

Lunch sandwich

Dinner fish in breadcrumbs with SW chips for me, chicken in breadcrumbs for the other half (on the meal plan for last week but didn't make it)


Saturday
Breakfast yogurt

Lunch Spamish omlette for the other half , tuna spaghetti for me- though I may switch this with tomorrow's lunch as we are hopefully viewing a house around noon!

Dinner lamb and butternut squash tagine from Cook Yourself Thin p. 162 for me, toad in the hole for the other half


Sunday
Breakfast yogurt

Lunch crumpet pizzas

Dinner Pork ragu with pasta or potato dauphinoise from this recipe (which I didn't make last week) - I'll try to make an extra portion for next week or the freezer

National Spam Appreciation Week - Spam and Mushroom Filled Pancakes

Spam, spam, spammity spam - I'm not really a Monty Python fan and I wasn't sure I remembered ever having eaten Spam either, though according to my mother we had it a lot when I was a child!

March 3rd sees the start of National Spam Appreciation Week and it seemed a good time to reintroduce my tastebuds to the chopped pork and ham that is Spam. The name apparently comes from the description of spiced pork and ham. Did you know that it was invented during a meat crisis- but rather than when meat was scarce, it was when there was too much meat? There was an excess of pork which would not keep for long, and the head of Hormel Food Company in Minnesota had the idea of grinding up the pork, mixing it with ham and cooking it to create a long-life meat product. This was all the way back in 1937 and Spam has been around ever since. It is widely associated with war time when meat was more scarce - and also famous due to the Monty Python sketch and Spamalot musical.


I think people who turn their nose up at canned meat should also ask themselves whether they have ever eaten corned beef, as that's not much different  - and that was another staple of my childhood. I buy tinned ham occasionally as I think it works really well in pasta bakes, and I found that the Spam had a similar taste and texture.

I was sent three packs of Spam to try out - it's also interesting that it now comes in plastic tubs, so you don't need a tin opener - making it ideal to take on camping trips or picnics. I had a look at the Spam website where there are loads of recipes, and chose to make these Spam and Mushroom Filled Pancakes (or "Spamcakes"!). I made them for lunch with my parents and we all really enjoyed them. I made it slightly differently to the directions, as time was ticking on and I didn't want to wait the extra 20 minutes to cook the pancakes in the oven at the end, and so rather than sprinkle the cheese over the top I incorporated it into the sauce, which was delicious. I also doubled the quantity of the pancake mixture given, but I did make quite large, thick pancakes, so that part is up to you!

To serve three/four, you need:

For the pancakes:
200g plain flour
pinch of salt
3 eggs
500ml milk
Oil or Fry Light for frying

For the filling:
340g can of Spam chopped pork and ham, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
115g mushrooms, sliced
50g butter
40g plain flour
300ml milk
100ml single cream
60g grated cheddar

I started on the filling first, as it took a little longer and the pancakes were quite quick,though I would also recommend making the pancake batter and allowing it to stand while you make the filling.

Fry the onion and mushrooms in a small frying pan. Meanwhile melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the flour to make a roux. Beat in a little of the milk and then gradually add the rest of the milk and the single cream. Stir in the grated cheddar and heat the sauce until melted then stir in the onion, mushrooms and diced Spam. Heat until the sauce has thickened.

For the pancakes, make a well in the flour in a bowl and break in the eggs; beat in a little of the milk to make a paste then the rest of the milk and the salt. Heat some oil or Fry Light in a frying pan, pour in a thin layer of pancake batter and cook on both sides until browned. Keep the pancakes warm either in the oven or under a layer of foil.

When the filling has thickened, spoon onto each pancake.

I rolled the pancakes but I think they would have looked nicer folded in half to make a semicircle. Either way, they tasted delicious!

Crepe Cake or Thousand Layer Cake

If you are wondering how to jazz up your pancakes for Shrove Tuesday how about making a pancake cake? This kind of cake is also known as a crepe cake, or a thousand layer cake - it's not literally a thousand layers but the picture above shows why it has that name! This is essentially a stack of pancakes sandwiched together with creme patissiere between each layer, and you slice it as you would a normal cake.

I made this for my local Clandestine Cake Club meeting in February. The organisers, Hayley and Maureen, chose an unusual theme: the Tudor period. The title was "queen of hearts" but rather than relating to Valentine's day, it actually meant King Henry VIII and his many queens. We were asked to make a cake using ingredients that would have been available in the Tudor era, such as fruit, nuts, spices etc. We had fruit cake, ginger cake, apple cake - and a passionfruit cake which I think slightly missed the point but was still very nice!

I had an idea right away which I decided to go with - pancakes! Pancakes were popular in Tudor times particularly on Shrove Tuesday when people would use up richer foods such as eggs, sugar and milk before Lent. I also thought that the origin of the pancake race dated back to Tudor times, but it turns out (according to Wikipedia anyway) that it was just a couple of decades before that. The story goes that a housewive was making pancakes when the bells started ringing for the church service; she didn't want to be late so she ran to church with her frying pan, tossing her pancake as she went! However what I also discovered was that it was on Shrove Tuesday that Henry VIII publicly declared his love for Anne Bolyn, at a joust in 1526. So I think a pancake cake does fit the Tudor theme!

 For the pancakes, you need: (Makes about 12-15 pancakes depending on size and thickness)
6 cups milk
12 eggs
3 cups plain flour
2/3 cup caster sugar
large pinch of salt
oil or Fry Light for frying

For the creme patissiere:
1 egg
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla flavouring
2 tbsp double cream, whipped

For the filling:
2 cups double cream
2 tbsp caster sugar

It's best to make the creme patissiere the day before; you can also make the pancake batter in advance but return to room temperature before using.

To make the creme patissiere, beat the egg, flour, sugar and cornflour until smooth.

In a saucepan bring the milk to the boil then immediately remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the egg mixture.

Return to the heat, stirring continually for about five minutes until thickened then remove from the heat. Add the vanilla and set aside to cool until firm. When the creme has cooled, fold in the whipped cream and refrigerate overnight.

To make the pancakes, beat the eggs, flour and milk and add the sugar and salt.

Heat a little oil or Fry Light in a frying pan, pour in enough of the pancake mixture so you have a thin layer and cook on both sides until browned.

 The pancakes need to cool, so I laid them all out on a long strip of greaseproof paper along my kitchen worktop. 

When the pancakes are cooled, beat the creme patissiere into the whipped cream with the caster sugar.

Spread a thin layer of the filling on each pancake and layer them up. It's best to do this on a cake board or whatever you want to serve the cake on as it isn't very easy to move afterwards!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Here you can see the cake starting to take shape

And here's the whole cake. I had a sort of half-pancake made from the last bit of mixture which I used on top and then sprinkled it with icing sugar.

I love seeing all the layers!

When you slice the cake, you get a normal cake-slice shape but you can see all the layers and the cream in the middle.

To an extent, yes this is a pile of pancakes... but it does actually taste like cake and is an unusual alternative either to a sponge cake or if you want to make something different on Shrove Tuesday!