all bran and cheatin' tarts!!!

So, if you haven't found a recipe that has inspired you yet on here...maybe one of these ones will! Next week is our second baking group night and we are having a Valentine inspired night. Everyone has to bake something with this most romantic celebrations in mind so I suspect there will be lashings of chocolate, some love hearts sprinkled about and maybe some strawberries thrown in somewhere along the way...anyway, we hope that the sheer variety of treats baked by our group will suit every taste!!! Until then, lets get these last delicious recipes on here! Heather is David's sister and she lives in Brighton. She was up visiting and thought she'd come along as an honorary member! Its a shame we might not see her for a while but she promised to keep in touch and send us regular updates about her cooking!!!! She was another one who pretended she just baked something easy but if you'd tasted this load you'd know she was used to baking up treats and was a rather accomplished kitchen dweller!!! Here is her recipe for 
Heather's all-bran loaf
Ingredients
2 cups All Bran cereal
2 cups soft brown sugar
2 cups dried fruit (raisins, sultanas..or any other combination of dried fruits)
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 pint milk

METHOD
Place All Bran, sugar, fruit and milk into a large mixing bowl and leave to stand for 1 hour.
Then, mix in the flour.
Grease and line a loaf tin and turn mixure into the tin. Do not fill mixture more than 3" as loaf will rise while cooking!
Bake in preheated oven at 180oC/350oF/Gas Mark 4 for 50-60minutes.
Cooking times will vary depending on appliance. Check to see if loaf is cooked by inserting knife into middle. If knife is dry, then it is ready.
Turn onto cooling rack and leave to cool. 
Isn't it amazing that such a healthy and sometime despised breakfast cereal can turn into such a yummy and moist cake! I think Jane spread butter on the slices we each devoured but I can't remember as they disappeared so quickly!!!
Last and by no means least were Richard's tarts! We were all eyeing them greedily and somewhat in awe of his little party cases. I would never attempt pastry but it seemed that Richard had pulled out all the stops and rustled up something way beyond the norm!!! Well it didn't take long until Richard came clean and admitted that the cases were in fact bought and I have to say I was relieved and delighted to find out that you could still create something completely amazing by being clever and not necessarily baking from scratch! I, for one am a huge fan of ready made pastry anyway but this was something I had never thought of. Richard renamed them his Cheatin' tarts which was very apt and we al enjoyed them even more knowing that Richard was indeed human and just like the rest of us! I wonder though, if we might have a pastry themed night soon and learn how to make out own pastry...apparently you need cold hands to work the dough so that's me out for one!!!! Anyway, here's how to make cherry chocolate perfection!
Richard's cheatin' tarts
Ingedients:
8 individual tart cases(shop bought if you want to cheat!)
200g Nutella
1 small jar of wild Italian cherries in light syrup (or similar compote or fresh banana)

4 teaspoons of icing sugar and a handful of crushed walnuts

Put the fruits in the bottom of the pastry cases along with a sprinkling of crushed walnuts. Mix the the nutella with the icing sugar to make a stiffer consistency otherwise it will be too runny when finished. Melt the nutella mixture for 10 seconds in microwave on high power until runny to aid pouring. Pour into the cases and smooth over the fruit with a knife. Lightly refridgerate until serving.
Voila - a quick and easy tart! 

I think you'll agree that the picture makes you just want to grab one and eat it in one mouthful! Oh and Richard got his wild cherries from Sarti's Italian Deli on Wellington Street in Glasgow.
I have to sign off now but I can't wait to BLog about our next group and tell you all about the yummy things we all created!!!
Love Hot, sweet and yummy xxx

  

good old fashioned pancakes and coconut loaf!

There are still many delicious recipes for us to post here so I better crack on. Its snowing quite heavily outside and it made me think of Jane's Mum's yummy coconut loaf and all the desiccated coconut that went into it to make it so! Jane was the hostess with the mostess for our inaugural get together so she decided to impress with two recipes! Jane says her Mum has a battered little book full of old fashioned baking recipes handed down through the females in her family and she trawled through it for inspiration. Jane makes really good comfort food anyway so it was no surprise that her coconut loaf was simple, tasty and just the way it should be! She also made some pancakes but I'll get to those in a minute. It was utterly unbelievable that we all had the propensity to consume any more cake but we were all up for it! Jane lovingly sliced her loaf and brought it through to more oohs and aahs! It was quite amusing really - the universal language of food! We scoffed half of that load in a blink of an eye! Jane told us the basic recipe and method and although there was quite a lot of sugar in the recipe it didn't taste too sweet at all. I'd also imagined that the desiccated coconut dries things out but it was moist and lovely and I wanted more! I also knew that the hungry masses back at home would go crazeeee for some of this - as well as everything else!  So, here's a little pic to tantalise your taste buds and the recipe will follow!


Jane's Mum's coconut loaf

• 1 cup of self raising flour
• 1 cup of des coconut
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 1 egg made up to same cup with milk, slightly beaten

Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Add egg and milk mixture and beat in well.  Pour into well greased and lined 2lb loaf tin for approx 45 min.  Oven temp 150 - 160 deg cent.  Think I had my fan assisted oven at 150.  You can use a skewer to test if ready - prod in middle - if comes out clean then it's ready, if comes out sticky bake a little longer.

Next came Jane's Gran's pancakes. I defy anyone not to be tempted by a little round patty of batter smothered in butter! Its the most simple of recipes but probably the one that everyone, without exception loves! I doubt, however that we make them as often as we should. I'm just thinking what a great after school snack this would be...especially on a cold day like today. So, this recipe was handed down from Gran to Jane's Mum to Jane and now to all of us! All the other cakes looked so naughty that we only had small bites but nobody asked for just half a pancake! They just looked to innocently delicious lying on the plate that we just shrugged our shoulders and dug in! The only thing missing for me was a cuppa! Pancakes need a cup of tea! Anyway, they were really nice and I'm sure even nicer hot and straight from the oven! The picture here shows how lovely and golden they were. I'm sure there are other titles for them such as Scotch pancakes or drop scones but these will always just be Jane's Gran's pancakes!!! Here's the recipe...


Jane's Gran's pancakes

• 6oz self raising flour
• 2oz caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt

Sift flour, sugar and salt together.  Beat egg lightly with milk.  Gradually add to the flour mixture and beat well.  Bake on a hot girdle or frying pan.

Tip - dollop a spoonful of pancake mix into the pan, look out for bubbles forming on top - then it should be ready to flip over.  Keep made panckes warm by wrapping up in a tea towel then smother in butter and golden syrup.

I will check with Jane what size of cup she uses here. With the loaf recipe it doesn't matter as long as you use the same cup for all the ingredients but I wonder if this is a teacup or maybe a proper cup measure. Jane has a few nifty little measuring gadgets! 

I know that I am going to make pancakes this avo...if they are half as good as these I'll be delighted! 

Love hot, sweet and yummy xxx