I do like a good muffin. They remain one of my few really positive memories from school dinners as my high school sold great bakery style muffins. Massive, the size of my hand with crisp, crunchy tops, they have been my model for all my muffin attempts since. These gluten free muffins are delightfully fully and moist. Perfectly risen with a crunchy top and a delicious lemon curd filling. I promised you in my last post I’d show you my favourite thing to do with my lemon curd and this is it! Bright and zesty with the crunch of poppy seeds. Makes: 12 Muffins Ingredients For the Muffins: 300g Sugar…
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Peach Caramel Rice Pudding (Vegan & Gluten Free)
It’s the weekend and we all need a little bit of a reward for making it through another week in lockdown. This is the perfect compliment to those few occasions when I want to finish dinner with something a little sweet. I don’t often make dessert so on these days I’ll turn towards rice pudding as a quick solution. Pulled together in the instant pot rather than the oven, this is the modernised version of the rice pudding I grew up on that takes so much less time. I watched my mother throwing rice pudding in the oven in a fairly regular basis, it’s one of those dishes she always…
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Tropical Carrot Cake (Vegan & Gluten Free)
Just before the first lockdown was announced last year, we decided to try a free trail of a veg box. We had no idea the lockdown was coming but it turned out to be one of the better decisions we’ve made. I’ve loved the seasonal veg, plus the security of knowing that we don’t have to fight through a busy supermarket to get fresh food at the moment is always welcome. BUT the side effect at winter can be a lot of the same vegetables (I might be running out of ideas for beetroot at this stage…). We had a pile up of carrots this week and I just knew…
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Sticky Toffee Pudding (Vegan, Gluten Free)
I must admit I don’t bake as much as I used to. Kenny doesn’t quite share my weakness for desserts and a lot of vegan desserts tend to centre around chocolate which I don’t eat. I never was much of a traditional cake person, to the point where we didn’t even have a standard wedding cake and most of my baking used to be done for other people, but I miss proper puddings. For those of you that aren’t British, by pudding I mean a hot, cooked dessert, something that should be smothered in custard and is both entirely comforting and indulgent. The calorie count on these things is off…
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Easy Vegan Custard (Vegan, GF, NF)
Custard is an essential partner to most English desserts. An ideal companion to an apple pie, treacle pudding, or a tasty crumble Traditionally made with cream and eggs yolks … lots of egg yolks, so its really not vegan. But I have good news! It’s shockingly easy to whip up a vegan custard. In less time than it would take if you were using traditional ingredients and significantly easier. The secret to converting a recipe to plant based ingredients is thinking about why the animal based ingredients have been included. When making custard, egg yolks are used to thicken the mix. They also lend a lovely yellow tone which is…
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Toffee Apple Cookies (Vegan, GF)
As someone who doesn’t eat chocolate, I’m always on the lookout for sweet snacks that fill a similar hole. So heading into October I felt inspired by autumn weather to make autumn cookies. Stuffed with apples with chunks of toffee, and paired with warming spices. Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, they warm the soul and make for the perfect autumn cookie. Makes: 8-10 Cookies Ingredients For the Cookies: 1/4 cup Dried Apple Pieces* 300ml Strong Tea 225g Gluten Free Flour 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum (only if your blend doesn’t already include it) 14g Cornstarch 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate Soda 3/4 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Salt 120g Sugar 140g Light Brown Sugar…
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Mum’s Meltaway Lemon Cookies (Kitchen Basics)
My mother is one of those women who seems to have endless energy. Even with all the demands on her time she still finds time to bake, making sure she always has a few treats in the house for any unexpected visitors. These wonderful cookies started life in mum’s collection as shortbread before she had a bit of a fiddle with it. It’s one of those few recipes that’s designed to work best with gluten free flour – it’s meant to be a little crumbly. If you want to use normal flour you can but to get the same texture will actually be a lot harder, and that’s not what…
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Strawberry and Rhubarb Galette Surprise (Vegan & Gluten Free)
Strawberries are the classic summer fruit. If you’re not feeling the basic strawberries and cream then I’d humbly suggest this. It’s surprisingly little work and I’d humbly submit that it’s probably one of the tastiest desserts I’ve ever made. Strawberries and rhubarb are a classic combination, sweet and sour but if you’re serving this to an unadventurous eater than I’d suggest not mentioning what else is in here till they start begging for the recipe- they might find it a little odd! You know what pairs even better with strawberries than Rhubarb? Balsamic vinegar, black pepper and basil. Used sparingly, these unexpected ingredients boost a simple bowl of strawberries to…
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Banana and Apple Muffins with Crunchy Cinnamon Top (Vegan & Gluten Free)
I cannibalised my go to banana bread recipe for these muffins and it was totally worth it. I’ve never had a particularly strong sweet tooth but there are some days when I wake up and want something sweet to start my day. Complicated baking just isn’t an option first thing in the morning for me, I’m not a morning person so complex tasks really aren’t advised. I am however, perfectly capable of throwing a pile of ingredients into the mixer, then into the oven with very little fuss. By the time I’ve finished in my shower and woken up a little, delicious smells will be wafting from the kitchen. I…
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Traditional English Scones (Vegan & Gluten Free!)
Scones are the centrepiece of the classic English cream tea. Crumbly and just a little sweet, they’re the perfect pairing to jam and even some clotted cream. While the cream is out of the picture for me, these scones are a delight. We last had these as a part of our anniversary celebration. While we couldn’t celebrate outside the house, we made it special by throwing our own afternoon tea. Including some delightful sandwiches, some of my vegan coffee and walnut cake, and starring these scones with jam, it made for wonderful high point to the day. This recipe is so easy, a small child can make this with ease,…
