Chocolate Brownies

Super Low-Fat Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

• 85g dark chocolate , 70% cocoa solids, chopped into small pieces
• 85g plain flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 50g light muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Natural Yogurt
• 1 egg
• 100g “reduced fat” mayonnaise

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Pour enough water into a small pan to one-third fill it. Bring to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat. Put the chopped chocolate into a large bowl that will fit snugly over the pan without touching the water. Sit the pan over the water (still off the heat) and leave the chocolate to melt slowly for a few mins, stirring occasionally until it has melted evenly. Remove the bowl from the pan, then let the chocolate cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, lightly oil and base-line a 19cm square cake tin that is 5cm deep. Combine the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda. Using a wooden spoon, stir both the sugars into the cooled chocolate with vanilla and buttermilk. Stir in 1 tbsp warm water. Break and beat in the egg, then stir in the mayonnaise just until smooth and glossy. Sift over the flour and cocoa mix, then gently fold in with a spatula without overmixing.
3. Pour the mixture into the tin, then gently and evenly spread it into the corners. Bake for 30 mins. When a skewer is inserted into the middle, it should come out with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it. If cooked too long, the mix will dry out; not long enough and it can sink. Leave in the tin until completely cold, then loosen the sides with a round-bladed knife. Turn out onto a board, peel off the lining paper and cut into 12 squares.

Nice and Crunchy

 Maggie’s Famous Flapjack

Ingredients

• 7oz margarine
• 3 tbsp golden syrup (62g/2oz)
• 7oz brown sugar

• 12oz oats
• 3oz sesame seeds, or sunflower seeds or raisins or chopped dates
• 6oz wholemeal plain flour

Method

1. Melt margarine, golden syrup and brown sugar, then add the dry ingredients.
2. Spread in tin(s) and cook at Gas mark 5 /180°C for 20 minutes.
3. Cut before it hardens!

Really Lemony!

Very Lemony and Moist Low-Fat Lemon Drizzle Cake

Ingredients

• 6 oz Caster Sugar
• 6 oz SR flour
• 6 oz Low-Fat Spread (ignore the note on the package “Not suitable for Baking”)
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 2 Eggs
• The Zest of 1 Lemons
• 2 Tbsp Milk

For Lemon Syrup

• The juice of 1 Lemons
• 1.5 Tbsp Sugar

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 °c or 160°c for fan oven.

2. Put all ingredients in the food processer and mix well.

3. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes.

4. When the cake is baked, let it stand in the tin for 5 minutes.

5. Make 12 holes with a fine skewer.

6. Make a syrup with lemon juice and sugar and pour over cake.

7. Wait about 20 minutes for the cake to absorb the syrup and then remove the cake from the tin.

8. Finish with a thin even layer of granulated sugar and few pieces of lemon zest.

Splash!!

potato heart

I found a little heart in a bag of new potatoes

beautiful Japan

Please click the image to watch the video “beautiful Japan”

I took this when I went back to Japan in the Summer of 2007. It is a little reminder of the beauty of my country. I pray that all the people who were affected by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 find comfort.

Japanese Green Tea Cake

I found a tin of “Japanese Green Tea Powder” in the cupboard.  Well…basically, I forgot it was there! So, here it is! I decided to bake a cake.

For the cake …
160g Butter softened
140g Caster sugar
2 Large eggs
200g Plain flour
2tsp Baking powder
2tbsp “Maccha” Japanese Green Tea powder
2tbsp Milk

For the Green Tea syrup …
1tbsp “Maccha” Japanese Green Tea powder
2tbsp Sugar
4tbsp Hot water

For the Green Tea icing …
2tbsp “Maccha” Japanese Green Tea powder
2tbsp Icing sugar

Mix the butter and sugar with a spatula.
Whisk the eggs into the mixture with an electric hand whisk. Also add milk to the mixture.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and Green Tea powder.
Pour the mixture into a loaf tin.
Bake at 180 for 30-40 minutes.
Leave the cake outside of the oven for 10 minutes
Brush the Green Tea syrup into the cake while it is still warm.

something Italian

My little bit of experiment “Tiramisu Cake”
I baked coffee flavoured cake, quite strong, with chocolate chips.
Mascarponi cream on top with sprinkle of drinking chocolate.

For the cake …
160g Butter softened
140g Caster sugar
2 Large eggs
200g SR flour
2tsp Baking powder
2tbsp Espresso coffee powder
100g chocolate chips

For the Coffee syrup
2tbsp Espresso coffee powder
2tbsp Sugar
4tbsp Hot water

For the Mascarponi cream…
200g Mascarponi cheese
2tbsp Icing sugar
1tsp Vanilla extract

Mix the butter and sugar with a spatula.
Whisk the eggs into the mixture with an electric hand whisk.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and coffee powder.
Mix in the chocolate chips.
Pour the mixture into a loaf tin.
Bake at 180 for 30-40 minutes.
Leave the cake outside of the oven for 10 minutes
Brush the coffee syrup into the cake while it is still warm.

solitude

tulip ring