All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Honey Cake

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There’s honey, and then there’s honey. I like all of it but my preference is for local honey. Delicious in so many recipes I wanted to make the honey the star of the dish; so I set about baking a honey cake.

At a market recently I tried some different honeys from a local producer. Not only were they different to each other, and commercial honeys, in colour and texture but the taste was out of this world. I chose the wildflower honey and remembered I had wanted to bake a honey cake for a while. The name ‘honey cake’ conjures up images of fine summer picnics in the garden, tall glasses of lemon barley water and sounds like you imagine it tastes. read more

Banana Bread with Chocolate, Oats and Honey

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banana bread with chocolate, oats and honey

You know those bananas that you keep avoiding in the fruit bowl? The ones which got a bit speckled a few days ago and now are fully fledged brown? Well, throw out your normal go-to recipe because my banana bread with chocolate, oats and honey is the way to go. Adding a few extra ingredients gives it a delicious flavour and texture and I have been very much enjoying having a slice for breakfast each morning. Any excuse to start the day with chocolate.

ingredients

You will need (for one banana bread loaf):

  • 125g butter
  • 3 medium overripe bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 100g honey
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 250g plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 75g oats, plus a few extra
  • 100g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

method

Grease and line a loaf tin and preheat the oven to 160C.

Melt the butter and honey together in a small saucepan and stir to ensure they are well combined.

Mash the bananas in a large bowl then pour in the butter and honey and crack in the eggs. Whisk everything together well.

Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder into the banana mix and fold everything in gently. Stir in the oats and most of the chocolate chunks.

Pour the mix into the prepared tin and then sprinkle the extra oats and leftover chocolate over the top.

Bake for an hour, then check on the loaf to see if a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle. If not, keep baking and checking it every 5-10 minutes until fully baked.

Leave the loaf to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing and leaving to cool on a wire rack.

The oats on top of the banana bread have a lovely toasted flavour and the oats inside the bread swell up and have a deliciously chewy texture. Who can resist a slice of warm banana bread? It’s even harder to resist when you know it’s covered in and is full of melted chocolate. Dark chocolate is definitely the best choice for this as it works so well with the sweetness from the bananas, sugar and honey. The honey gives the cake a beautiful mellow flavour and slight sticky texture. If your banana bread lasts a few days and you want to freshen it up, try lightly grilling or microwaving it and serving with plain yoghurt. Honestly one of the best breakfasts imaginable.

Upside Down Lime Cake

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upside down lime cake sliced and served

Citrus in January is obligatory as far as I’m concerned. Whether its limes, lemons, grapefruits, blood oranges or, if you’re lucky, bergamot lemons there’s always got to be something citrussy in the kitchen. That sharp hit of acidic, fresh taste is just what I need on these cold, grey days and if that lifting flavour can be added to a cake then it’s all the better. This Upside Down Lime Cake was born out of necessity; my need to be greedy and a need to use up all the limes I had in my fruit bowl.

Ingredients

You will need:

  • 100ml golden syrup
  • 1 lime, finely sliced
  • 100g unsalted butter, softened
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 100g self raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Zest 1 lime

Method

Start by greasing a 20cm cake tin. Don’t use a springform cake tin otherwise the golden syrup will leak out!

Pour the golden syrup into the tin and then put the lime slices on top.

Preheat an oven to 180C.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Properly softened butter is the key to this.

Slowly add the eggs to the butter and sugar beating well after each addition.

Fold the flour, baking powder and lime zest into the mix then pour everything into the prepared cake tin.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cake is baked through. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15-20 minutes then turn the cake out upside down onto a plate.

I was amazed how much the limes had shrunk after I turned the cake out; all that flavour had seeped into the syrup and sponge. The flavour of lime is so distinctive, I think it’s one of my favourite tastes, and this cake distracted me completely from the drizzle outside. The limes themselves are a real treat to chew on after the sponge has been eaten; so sharp, sticky and intense. Also, I don’t think I’m biased in saying this is an excellent cake, the OH described it as, “The best cake ever”.

Peanut Butter and Raspberry Brownies

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peanut butter brownies out of the oven

I’m not sure these Peanut Butter and Raspberry Brownies need an introduction; just the name gets my mouth watering and a hankering for a piece with a coffee shortly follows. I’ll be honest from the outset, these are not exactly what you’d call healthy. They are full fat, properly indulgent, to-hell-with-it brownies. And frankly, when you’ve been working hard all day coming home to one of these and a cuppa is like a hug for the soul. A gooey, chocolatey, nutty…stop it…slice of comfort.

Ingredients

You will need:

  • 100g salted butter
  • 170g golden caster sugar
  • 50g light muscovado sugar
  • 100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 1 1/2 tbsp golden syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 100g self raising flour
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 150g crunchy peanut butter
  • 100g fresh raspberries

Method

Grease and line a 9 inch square cake tin. Preheat an oven to 180C.

Add the butter, sugars, chocolate and golden syrup to a saucepan and melt over a low heat. Stir occasionally until everything is melted and well combined. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.

Beat the eggs in a bowl then add the melted chocolate mixture.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl and then fold through the mixture. Stir through half the raspberries.

Tip the brownie mix into the tin. Dollop the peanut butter over the top then swirl this through the brownie with a skewer. Top with the remaining raspberries.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before removing and cooling on a wire rack. Mark into portions when cold.

The raspberries on the top have a completely different texture to the brownies inside the mix; a lovely acidic, fresh contrast to everything that’s going on around it. Chocolate brownie wise you’re looking at a cakey on the outside, gooey in the middle kind of situation; full of the richness from the dark chocolate and cocoa and just sweet enough. Using crunchy peanut butter means they have a wonderful additional crunch and texture. As autumn creeps up on us these will give you as much warmth as any blanket. If you’re loving the look of these brownies, perhaps you might be interested to try my Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake Brownies (yes, you read that correctly) or my White Chocolate and Blackcurrant Blondies.

If you find yourself in the awkward situation that I did where there was one peanut butter and raspberry brownie left and two people wanting to eat it I have an excellent plan for such an occurrence. Take two bowls and scoop some vanilla ice cream into each one, warm the brownie up slightly, then divide warm brownie between bowls. Thank me later.

Bergamot Lemon Drizzle Cake

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Bergamot Lemon Drizzle Cake

Lemon drizzle has got to be up there with my most loved cakes. If there was a line up of carrot, lemon and chocolate caramel cake I’d be hard pushed to decide which to have, and, let’s be honest probably try to find a way to get a slice of each. You may have been following my bergamot adventures and it would have been silly not to bake a bergamot lemon drizzle cake as it combines two of my favourite things in one: tea (bergamot from Earl Grey) and, well, cake.

You will need:

  • 250g butter, softened
  • 250g caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 250g self raising flour
  • Zest from one bergamot lemon
  • Juice from two bergamot lemons
  • 3 tbsp caster sugar

Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper and preheat the oven to 180C. I always use an independent thermometer in my oven, it’s such a liar.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then add the eggs one at a time mixing everything together well before adding the next one.

Fold in the flour and bergamot zest. The cake should be a nice thick dropping consistency.

Pour the mix into the loaf tin then bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and fully baked.

Remove the cake from the oven and pierce all over with a skewer. I didn’t have one so had to use a fork instead.

Mix together then 3tbsp sugar and the juice from both lemons to make the icing. Pour this over the top of the cake making sure you get plenty in the holes then leave the cake to cool completely before removing it from the tin.

It would be rude not to serve this with a cup of earl grey.

If I were you I’d slice and sniff before making up the icing. If the lemon is particularly fragrant you may want to mix it with half a normal lemon, if it’s not very strong then use two bergamots to make sure you get the flavour out. I found some of mine were stronger than others you see.
Considering a bergamot lemon is slightly bigger than a lime it’s amazing how much juice comes out. This cake is lemon drizzle on another level, you certainly need to like the flavour of bergamot, and it was delicious. For some reason my icing didn’t come out as crunchy as usual but I made it on a Saturday and it was gone by the Sunday evening. I think an honest indicator of a cake’s tastiness is how quickly it’s gone, this one must have been rather good.

My Perfectly Imperfect Chocolate Cake

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Perfect Chocolate Cake - All That I'm Eating (1 of 3)

I have a secret and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who keeps this quiet. I love baking, but, most of the time it never turns out quite how I envisaged it would. Getting all of a huff in the kitchen when the butter is still too cold, spilling the ingredients even when I’m being extra careful and being super paranoid checking the oven temperature is an awful lot of hard work for something that turns out too flat, not quite right or sinks in the middle. Cakes, I’m looking at you. Frankly, I’ve had enough of aiming for perfection and frowning at anything that dares to come out of the oven less than 100% correct, and if it tastes good who cares if it looks a bit skewiff? Enter my Perfectly Imperfect Chocolate Cake.

You will need (for the cake):

  • 110g plain flour
  • 40g cocoa powder
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 125g butter
  • 2 eggs
  • Drop vanilla extract

For the icing:

  • 200g caramel chocolate bars
  • 75ml double cream

Start by creaming the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until light and creamy. This always takes much longer than I think it will.

Add the eggs, one at a time and mix until fully incorporated. If it curdles, add a bit of flour and it should all be ok.

Sift the flour and cocoa together into the sugar mix and fold the flour through.

Divide between two greased 18cm cake tins, smooth over and bake at 160C for 20-25 minutes or until cooked. I normally poke the top of the cake and check it springs back before I take it out of the oven.

Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing, put a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Break up the caramel chocolate and add it to the bowl. Let it melt slowly. It will look a bit grainy and thick when it’s all melted so at this point, add the cream and mix all together really well until smooth.

Use the icing to sandwich the two cakes together then use the rest to spread over the top and outside edges.

I like an honest, slightly wonky, not polished cake; it’s more inviting, more tempting to cut in to. The whole point of this cake is that it is simple to make but tastes fantastic. No, it’s not the tallest cake in the world or the widest, or the one with the most layers but wait till you get a taste of that icing. This is the cake you bake when you want to don your apron and scratch that baking itch but it’s not about looks it’s all about taste; it’s perfectly imperfect.

Beetroot and Poppy Seed Cupcakes

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Beetroot and Poppyseed Cupcakes - All That I'm Eating (1 of 3)

I am a fan of beetroot; I’ve tried many different recipes with them in the past but sometimes when the vegetable box keeps bringing me beetroot I am stuck for what to do. I have made chocolate and beetroot cake in the past and I fancied trying something sweet with my latest accumulation, hence, Beetroot and Poppy Seed Cupcakes. Something a little different and somewhat stripy for the lunchbox.

You will need (for 12 cupcakes):

  • 200g self raising flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 150ml sunflower oil
  • 200g raw beetroot, peeled and grated
  • 2 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 25g softened butter
  • 200g full fat cream cheese
  • 300g icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 180C. Squeeze as much water out of the grated beetroot as you can (your hands will turn a fabulous pink colour).

Mix the flour and baking powder together in a bowl.

In a mixer (or another bowl) whisk the oil and sugar together until well combined then add the eggs making sure they are well mixed in.

Stir in the beetroot and poppy seeds then fold in the flour and baking powder.

Spoon the mix into cupcake cases until about 3/4 full then bake for 18-20 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool while you make the icing.

Beat the butter until really soft. Add the cheese and a few big spoonfuls of the icing sugar and beat again until combined. Add the remaining sugar with the poppy seeds and mix again until combined.

I had planned to pipe (who am I kidding, I planned to spoon) the lusciously thick icing onto the cakes for a little finesse but the icing was somewhat thinner than I had hoped. I think I overbeat the cream cheese, more fool me. So I ended up dunking my little cakes into the pool of icing which was rather enjoyable but somewhat messy. Still tasty though.

They were amazingly pink before they went into the oven but as you can see the colour baked out; it stayed on the top but not inside. I still thought they looked very pretty especially with the poppy seeds dotted throughout. I was surprised how the beetroot flavour didn’t carry over as much as I thought; you could certainly tell it was there but it wasn’t as distinctive as I’d anticipated.

These are well worth a try next time you have some fresh beetroot and as they contain plenty of vegetable and seed particulates I’m sure you could argue that they’re healthy. Ignoring the oil, sugar and full fat cream cheese of course. If you find you have many, many beetroot and are after some further beetroot inspiration, check out some of my other ideas here.

White Chocolate and Blackcurrant Blondies

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It’s been a while since I made anything really indulgent and full of butter. Sometimes you just need to make something you know is ‘bad’ for you although I think anything you make yourself can never be bad and will certainly be better (for you and in taste) than something you can buy. These white chocolate chip and blackcurrant blondies are sumptuous enough to keep the crave away but the added blackcurrants add some acidity and freshness. And fruit, which we all know is good for you. read more

Review: Maple Pecan Cupcake Recipe from Baking Mad

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I learnt something about myself the other day: I am not a domestic goddess. Let me explain. I was sent some baking goodies from Baking Mad and I had chosen to attempt their recipe for Maple Pecan cupcakes. I planned to give them to my Mum for an early Mother’s Day treat. I went for a walk to the pub last week and was offered a goose egg to take home; excellent for my cupcakes. All was going well and I was ready for baking. In my head I’m swishing around the kitchen; mixing a bit there, sprinkling a bit here, birds are singing and the radio is playing non-stop jolly tunes. This is not quite how it happened. read more

Victoria Sponge with Rhubarb and Vanilla Compote

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It’s always nice to see some bright pink rhubarb poking its head out at the market but as it’s the first of the season it can be quite pricey. So when you have only £1.80, what can you do with two rhubarb sticks? Make a lovely, vibrant rhubarb compote/jam to sandwich in the middle of two fat slices of cake of course. Other things that you can do with two sticks of rhubarb include: jousting, a spot of relay running or making a parasol (if you have the leaves left on) but none of those would be anywhere near as good as this cake. read more

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