Christina Cullen

Friday 29 May 2020

Lemon Sandwich Biscuits

Easy shortbread biscuits sandwiched together with zesty lemon curd and buttercream!

Biscuits are one of my favourite things to eat, not that I eat them a lot now as I'm too busy making other cool desserts. So why it has taken me so long to make biscuits I have no idea - now I'm on a mission to make lots of biscuits! These sweet little lemon biscuits are so melt-in-your-mouth delicious, the lemon curd and buttercream works so well and they are so perfect with a cup of tea. Make these for your family and friends and share the recipe so everyone can enjoy how yummy they are :)

Check out my other lemon recipes for more inspiration

Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon and Raspberry Layer Cake
Lemon and Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes + 45 minutes chilling time
Cook: 12 minutes
Serves: About 14 biscuits

Ingredients

Biscuits
190g Vegan butter
90g Caster sugar
270g Plain flour
1tsp Vanilla extract
Filling
50g Lemon curd
50-100g Lemon Buttercream

Method

✿Using an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy then mix in then vanilla.
✿Fold in the flour gradually and the mixture will start to resemble bread crumbs. Using your hands gently knead the dough together to form a dough and then mould into a ball and place in a tupperware in the fridge for 45 minutes to chill.
✿Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper then remove the dough and flour a surface and rolling pin. Preheat the oven to 180℃ after about 5 minutes.
✿Roll the dough out to about ½ cm thick. Using a cookie cutter that is about 4cm wide, cut circles out of the dough and for half of the circles cut out smaller holes in the middle - I used a flower shaped cutter but any shape would work! You can save some of the small flowers and bake those too like I did.
✿Place the circles onto the prepared baking trays and bake in the oven for 12 minutes rotating half way to ensure an even bake. They will be slightly golden on the surface.
✿Leave to cool on a baking tray whilst your prepare the filling.
✿Use my lemon buttercream recipe here. Place the buttercream into a small piping bag fitted with a number 12 piping tip or cut a small hole.
✿Turn the biscuits without the holes upside down and add ½ a tsp of lemon curd in the centre then pipe about 5-6 blobs of buttercream around the curd. Place a a flower biscuit on top and repeat for the rest of the biscuits.
✿Store in an airtight container at room temperature. I like min with a cup of tea. Enjoy!

Christina

Biscoff Blondies

A delicious traybake full of biscoff spread, biscoff biscuits and white chocolate chips!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Make this retro classic cake for an pretty afternoon tea centrepiece!

According to my google research, cooking cakes upside down was a very popular method centuries ago when they were cooked in cast iron skillets. Then, when a certain James Dole invented the idea of cutting pineapples into rings using his machine, the two principles came together and behold, the pineapple upside down cake was introduced.

I think what makes this cake so wonderful, not only because its vibrant colourful appearance, its simplicity of using such a an easy technique with minimal ingredients and to the fact its sumptuous flavour, what's not to like!

And making a vegan version was only too easy, so please give it a go! I haven't made one of these since I was at school so this was very nostalgic for me and I made it just in time for VE Day 75th anniversary and it contributed quite nicely to our indoor picnic. I do however apologise that my cake doesn't feature the classic cherries on top - due to the pandemic that is going on right, baking supplies are at a shortage and apparently everyone is using glace cherries for some reason so I could only get my hands on frozen raspberries. Was still tasty!

Check out my other British recipes for more inspiration!

Spotted Dick
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Bakewell Tart

Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients

Cake
200g Self-raising flour
180g Caster Sugar
1tsp Baking soda
160ml Soya milk
50ml Pineapple Juice or more milk
2tsp Vanilla extract
60g Vegan butter melted
1tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Pinch of salt
Upside down topping
7-10 Pineapple rings from fresh or ready cut pineapple
Glace cherries or raspberries
2tbsp Vegan butter melted
3tbsp Light brown sugar

Method

✿Grease an 8 inch cake pan with butter or a spray.
✿Melt the vegan butter then pour it into the bottom of the pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle over the brown sugar then layer the pineapple rings around the pan. I could only fit four or five in mine then I halved the rest to fit around the sides of the pan.
✿If you have cherries, place these in the holes of the pineapple rings, if not leave the raspberries until the cake has baked. Set this aside.
✿Make the cake. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, caster sugar, baking soda and salt. Create a well in the middle then add the rest of the ingredients and mix it till combined.
✿Pour the cake batter in the pan over the pineapple slices and smooth it around. Bake for about 25 minutes then cover with foil and bake for another 15 minutes. The foil will prevent it from over-browning or burning. If a knife inserted comes out clean the cake is ready.
✿Leave to cool completely before removing. To do this, place a cake stand or plate of the same size directly on top of the cake sponge and then flip and place down. Gently pat on the bottom (which is now the top) and carefully remove the cake pan. Top with raspberries in the holes of the pineapple rings. Enjoy!

Christina

Triple Chocolate Banana Bread

A moist fudgy banana bread with the texture of chocolatey brownies!

As I am writing this people are going mad for banana bread here in the UK, so it only makes sense to change up the recipe a bit with a chocolate version. I love bananas in any form and they especially good with chocolate. Filled with chocolate chips, and topped with white chocolate chips, the amount of chocolate is endless for me and everyone needs a recipe that is triple chocolate don't they.

Check out my other chocolate recipes for more inspiration!

Ultimate Chocolate Cake
Coconut Chocolate Macaroons
Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate Sauce

Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

160g Self-raising flour
50g Cocoa powder
115g Caster sugar
1tsp Baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 Large ripe bananas
100ml Soya milk
1tsp Apple cider vinegar
1tsp Vanilla extract
75g Coconut oil melted
100g Vegan Dark chocolate chips
50g Vegan white chocolate chips

Method

✿Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease and line a loaf pan with baking paper. My loaf pan measured -
✿In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt and mix.
✿Mash the bananas till smooth and most of the lumps are gone. Add to a bowl with the soya milk, coconut oil, ACV and vanilla and stir together.
✿Add the wet mixture to the flour mix and stir everything together till combined. Fold in the dark chocolate chips and then pour into prepared loaf tin.
✿Sprinkle the white chocolate chips on top and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes - a knife inserted won't come out completely clean is this creates a moist bread but you can cook it for longer if you need.
✿Leave to cool in the loaf tin and then remove and leave to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Enjoy!

Christina