Wednesday 25 November 2020

Peanut Butter Rocky Road - no bake!

An easy no-bake recipe filled with peanut butter, chocolate, marshmallows and biscuits!

Vegan Pumpkin Spiced Layer Cake

You need this pumpkin spiced cake to make your Autumn even more cosy!

I intended to have this cake recipe out way earlier than planned, but as I am now a student, my time spent blogging is a little less than I 'd like! I made this as a little halloween celebration and I absolutely loved piping these pumpkins on the cake, it's so much easier than I thought it would be, and if you need any pumpkin inspiration, I always look on Pinterest, it's really the best. This cake is full of delicious moist pumpkin layers and a pumpkin spiced buttercream and whilst it is pretty decadent, there is never an excuse to not make it and enjoy every bite! :)

If you like pumpkin and cakes....

Check out my other recipes for more inspiration!

Makes x3 6 inch cake layers

Recipe

Prep: 5-10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

Cake

280g Self-raising flour
150g Caster sugar
100g Light brown sugar
1tsp Salt
270g Pumpkin purée
170ml soya milk + 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
90ml Vegetable/coconut oil
3 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Mixed spice

Buttercream

300g Vegan butter softened
500g Icing sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Mixed spice
1/4 tsp Ginger
Fondant pumpkins
Orange food colouring

Method

Preheat the oven to 180℃ and grease and line x3 6 inch cake tins with baking paper.
In a jug, mix together the soya milk and ACV and let sit for a few minutes to create a 'buttermilk'.
In a large bowl, whisk together both the sugars and the oil until combined. Add the pumpkin and 'buttermilk' and mix again.
Sift in the flour, spices and salt and fold together gently until there is a smooth batter.
Spoon the cake batter into the cake tins evenly and tap on the surface a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. Place in the oven for 20 minutes and once cooked leave to cool completely in the tins then remove onto a wire rack.
Meanwhile make the buttercream. Using an electric whisk or a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar about 100g at a time, and mix together making sure to stop and scrape in and around the bowl to collect all of the icing and butter.
Add the spices and vanilla last and mix together and you should have a fluffy buttercream doubled in size.
To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a plate or cake board and spread a few tbsp of buttercream on top. Repeat with the next two layers and then cover the cake in buttercream.
I usually do a crumb coat which is a thin layer of buttercream around the cake and chill in the fridge until the buttercream is firm to touch. Then repeat with a thicker layer of buttercream smoothing around the sides and piping swirls on top last. If you want to pipe pumpkins on, keep a little buttercream to the side and use the orange food colouring to dye it orange, I judge this by eye so add as much or as little as you need. I used a 1M Wilton tip.
Keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Christina

Pumpkin Pancakes

Easy to make pumpkin pancakes with everyday ingredients!

I look forward to these on a chilly weekend morning when it hits Autumn here in the UK, especially when it's a little bit miserable out, you know you can cosy up with a big stack. The pumpkin in these makes them so soft and almost cake-like and a big drizzle of maple syrup hits the sweet spot. Add whatever toppings you like, but I fancied berries, pecans, dates and pumpkin seeds. If you don't have seasonal pumpkins, you can use butternut squash or any member of the squash family would work well!

Check out my other pancake recipes for more inspiration!

Recipe

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Serves: 8-10 pancakes

Ingredients

100g Oats

20g Plain flour

90g Pumpkin purée

240ml Plant based milk + 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ginger

1/2 tsp Mixed spice

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Toppings

Maple syrup

Berries

Nuts/seeds

Banana

Method

✿Place the oats in a blender and blend into a flour, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend till combined and you have a smooth batter.

✿Heat up a large non-stick frying pan. Drop about 2-3 tbsp of batter in the pan into a circle to make one pancake and repeat with another 1 or 2 pancakes depending on how big your frying pan is.

✿Cook each pancake on one side for about 2 minutes until bubbles start to appear on the surface. When you can lift the pancake with a spatula and it slides in the pan you can flip it and cook another 2 minutes then remove to a plate.

✿Repeat the process with the rest of the batter until all cooked. Serve warm with the toppings you like. Any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days. Enjoy!

Christina

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes filled with a creamy vegan caramel and topped with caramel buttercream!

I knew when I saw the Buttermilk Dairy Free Salted Caramel Cups that these cupcakes would be the perfect recipe. To show them off in their prime, these little bites of absolute heaven, topping the cupcakes as they rightly should. If you haven't before tried these chocolate caramel cups, you absolutely must! Vegan chocolate caramel is still hard to come by but these really hit the spot and don't make you feel like you're missing out - I for one was someone obsessed with dairy milk caramel nibbles and these are even better. The cupcakes are really just mimicking the yummy structure of these, and you could always swap it around and have caramel sponges with chocolate buttercream :)

Check out my other cupcake recipes for more inspiration!

Banoffee Pie Cupcakes
Lotus Biscoff Cupcakes
Party Ring Cupcakes

Recipe

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 18 minutes (cupcakes) 15 for the caramel

Serves: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes
170g Self-raising flour
170g Caster sugar
220ml Soya milk + 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3 tbsp Cacao powder
70g Vegetable oil
1 tsp Baking soda
Pinch of salt
Caramel Sauce - I use this recipe

Buttercream

200g Vegan butter

400g Icing sugar

1 tbsp Caramel sauce

Buttermilk dairy free salted caramel cups

Method

✿If you haven't made the caramel sauce yet do this first as it needs to cool down before you can use it. Simply use this recipe.

✿Whilst the caramel is cooling, make the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line a cupcake tray with cases.

✿Combine the soya milk and apple cider vinegar in a jug and leave to curdle a few minutes to create a 'buttermilk'.

✿In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

✿In a separate bowl, beat the sugar with the vegetable oil until combined. The stir in the 'buttermilk' and vanilla.

✿Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently stir together until you have a smooth cake batter.

✿Using two spoons, add cake batter evenly into the cupcake cases about ⅔ full, then place in the oven to cook between 15-18 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean.

✿Leave to cool in the cupcake tray before removing and the keep covered so they don't dry out.

✿Make the buttercream. Beat the butter until soft and creamy (can be done with an electric mixer or with some elbow grease!).

✿Once smooth and no lumps are visible, gradually add the icing sugar about 100g at a time. Keep mixing until all the sugar is combined and you have a fluffy buttercream. Lastly add the caramel and mix together - add more for desired taste.

✿To assemble the cupcakes, use a an apple core to take out the middle of each cupcake and then fill 1 tsp of caramel sauce in the middle. Repeat for all 12.

✿Spread or pipe buttercream on top of the cupcakes and then top with a salted caramel cup and more caramel. Keep in the fridge to keep firm. Enjoy!

Christina