Cakes & Bakes: Peanut butter and jelly brownies

Winter is a time for comfort food and sweet things to keep the energy and spirits up; these peanut butter and jelly brownies are just the ticket!

Chocolate brownies and peanut butter & jelly are American classics; they’ve been combined in this dish to create a gluten-free treat.

This recipe makes 9-12 portions – they’re so dense and sweet, a little goes a long way! Pair it with a cup of coffee or glass of cold milk.

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Home-made peanut butter and jelly brownie | H is for Home

Peanut butter and jelly brownies

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Cook Time 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 9

Ingredients

200 g/7oz butter
200 g/7oz dark chocolate
200 g/7oz brown soft sugar
3 eggs beaten
30 g/1oz ground almonds
1 tbsp cornflour
20 g/¾oz beetroot powder you can omit this if you don't have any
40 g/1½oz cocoa powder
75 g/2½oz peanut butter smooth or crunchy
50 g/1¾oz fruit jelly raspberry or mixed berry are lovely

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375ºF/Gas mark 5
Line a 23cm/9" square baking tin with parchment paper
In a large, heat-proof mixing bowl, melt the butter and chocolate over a pan of just simmering water, stirring until melted and combined. Don't allow the bottom of the bowl to come into contact with the hot water
Remove from the heat and gently stir in the sugar until dissolved
Slowly add the whisked eggs to the butter & chocolate mixture, stirring all the while
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds, cornflour, beetroot powder and cocoa
Add to the chocolate mixture, folding together until evenly combined and smooth
Pour the mixture into the to the lined baking tin using the back of a spoon to even it out and get it into the corners
Separately, in a couple of heat/microwave-proof ramekins, gently warm the peanut butter and jelly (either for a few seconds in the microwave or in a small bowl set over a bowl of hot water). Add a few drops of vegetable oil to the peanut butter or water to the jelly if the consistency is too thick to pour
Use a skewer to swirl the peanut butter and jelly through the chocolate mixture
Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the brownies have begun to form a crust around the edges. The middle should still be squidgy
Allow to cool completely, still in its tin, on a wire rack before lifting out and slicing into squares

Peanut butter and-jelly brownie ingredients

Keyword brownies, jelly, peanut butter, peanuts

Cakes & Bakes: Chocolate oblivion truffle torte

Rose Levy Beranbaum named this recipe Chocolate oblivion truffle torte. It’s a mere 3 ingredients; chocolate, butter and eggs. And it cooks in 15 minutes.

In this Food52 article, she guides the reader through the reasons why she chooses to use particular ingredients and methods to make this torte. Eggs and butter at room temperature, a particular percentage of cocoa solids in the chocolate, whipping the eggs over heat, the water bath to cook…

To make an easy cake recipe even easier, I not only lined the bottom of the tin but also the sides. This meant that I didn’t have to faff around with heating the tin to get the torte out and on to the serving plate.

It was delicious – and a little goes a long way. I halved the recipe and it still made 8 portions.

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Chocolate oblivion truffle torte

2019-08-07 10:22:03

Cook Time

15 min

Cook Time

15 min

Ingredients

454g / 16oz dark chocolate (fine quality, but no higher than 62%)
227g 8oz unsalted butter, room temperature
6 large eggs, room temperature

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425°F/Gas mark 7
In a large, heat-proof bowl set over a pan of hot, not simmering water (don't allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water) place the chocolate and butter and allow it to stand, stirring occasionally, until smooth and melted. (You can also use a microwave on higher power, stirring every 20 seconds)
In a large mixing bowl, set over a pan of simmering water, heat the eggs, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until just warm to the touch. Immediately remove the bowl to the stand mixer and, with the whisk attachment on high speed, beat about 5 minutes until triple in volume and the eggs are billowy and lighter in colour. (If using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the eggs over simmering water until they're hot. Remove them from the heat and beat for about 5 minutes or until cold)
Using a rubber spatula, fold half the eggs into the chocolate mixture until almost evenly incorporated
Fold in the remaining eggs, scraping up the mixture from the bottom to ensure that all the heavier chocolate mixture gets incorporated and almost no streaks remain
Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and set it in the larger tin. Place it in the oven and surround it with 1 inch of hot water
Bake for 5 minutes. Cover it loosely with a sheet of buttered foil and bake another 10 minutes. (It will wobble when moved)
Remove the cake tin from the water bath and allow it to cool for about 45 minutes
Cover tightly with cling film and refrigerate until it's very firm - at least 3 hours
Un-mould the cake: Have ready a serving plate that has at least an 8-inch flat centre portion and an 8-inch or large flat loose bottom of a tart tin or plate, covered with greased cling film
Use a torch, hair drier or a hot damp towel to wipe the sides of the tin
Run a thin metal spatula around the sides of the torte and release the sides of the spring-form pan Place the plastic-wrapped plate on top and invert the torte onto it
Heat the bottom of the pan and remove it
Peel off the parchment and flip the torte onto the serving plate
Cut the torte using a thin-bladed knife dipped into hot water between each slice

Notes

It's most moussey and delicious served at room temperature. Accompany with raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries and whipped cream if desired

By Rose Levy Beranbaum

Adapted from The Cake Bible

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Chocolate clementine torte

A few weeks ago, we tried a great Camembert bread recipe from Jamie Oliver’s recent Christmas programme. In the same episode, Jamie made a chocolate clementine torte. Justin immediately put in a request for me to make it.

Like many of his recipes, there are a mere 5 ingredients – all readily available and most you’ll probably already have to hand.

The cake is luxuriously decadent – you’ll only need a small slice to be sated.

Finishing with the little drizzle of clementine syrup adds a lovely tangy note to the rich, intense chocolate. If clementine doesn’t grab you, you could always serve the torte alongside a raspberry, strawberry or mango or coulis… or simply on its own!

It’s a perfect dinner party dessert which can be prepared well in advance.

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Chocolate clementine torte

Jamie Oliver

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Course Dessert

Servings 8

Ingredients

175g/6oz dark chocolate (70%)
115g/4oz unsalted butter cubed
3 free-range eggs
125g/4½oz caster sugar
100ml/3½ fl oz fresh clementine juice approx. 5 clementines

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 120°C/250°F/Gas mark ¾
Snap the chocolate and melt it in a heatproof bowl with the butter and a pinch of salt over a pan of gently simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to come into contact with the water) until smooth and glossy, stirring occasionally
Whisk the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer on a high speed until light, fluffy and tripled in size
Grease a 20cm/8" round cake tin all over with a little butter and line the base and sides with greaseproof paper. If you're using a spring-form tin, also wrap the outside if the tin with tin foil to prevent the water seeping into the tin
Remove the chocolate from the heat, allow to stand for a couple of minutes prior to pouring it into the egg mixture
Whisk on a medium speed to combine, then pour the batter into the lined tin
Give the tin a few gentle taps on the work-surface to bring the air bubbles to the surface, then place the tin into a shallow roasting tray
Place the tray into the oven and carefully pour enough boiling kettle water into the tray to come halfway up the side of the cake tin
Gently slide the shelf back in and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until set but with a slight wobble
Squeeze the clementine juice through a sieve into a small pan and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, or until syrupy enough to coat the back of a spoon
Carefully pour it into a bowl and leave to cool
Remove the torte from the oven and leave to cool in the water-filled tin for an hour
Gently loosen the edges with a butter knife, then carefully turn it out onto a serving board/plate and peel off the paper
Slice and serve with a drizzle of the clementine syrup

Keyword chocolate, clementine, torte

Cakes & Bakes: Tapioca flour flatbread

This week’s recipe is a collaboration with Buy Whole Foods Online, a Kent-based, family-run, international health food supplier. They provided us with some ingredients to create a healthy meal; organic tapioca flour, organic hemp seeds, cashews, and raw organic honey. Deciding what to make was like being on an episode of Ready, Steady, Cook!

We decided on grilled tofu & vegetable skewers served with a cashew satay sauce and hemp seed, tapioca flour flatbread.

We started by making cashew nut butter; simply cashews, coconut oil and pinch of salt puréed in a food processor for 20 minutes.

We then used this to make a wonderful satay sauce – a very straightforward process that combines the cashew butter with coconut milk, soya sauce, chilli flakes, honey and lime juice.

Next up we made the flatbreads. The gluten-free tapioca flour is derived from the cassava root. It’s almost 100% carbohydrate – with little or no protein, fat, fibre or minerals. For best results, it should be blended with other flour (such as coconut or almond). We studded our flatbread with toasted hemp seeds which – unlike the tapioca flour – are brimful of nutrients including protein, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron and essential fatty acids.

It’s another simple recipe that, due to being yeast-free, needed no lengthy proving time.

It’s a batter rather than a dough and is cooked on a griddle or frying pan.

And, last but not least, the kebabs. Simply marinate sautéed tofu and vegetables of choice in a garlic and ginger paste – and then skewer.

To serve, grill the kebabs and reheat the breads and sauce – done! Garnish with fresh coriander or salad leaves. It’s a healthy, nutritious and delicious meal!

Click here to save our recipe to Pinterest

Tapioca flour flatbread

2019-01-09 15:48:08

Yields 4

For the flatbread (makes 4)

175g/6oz tapioca flour
50g/1¾oz coconut flour
1tsp salt
2tbsp coconut oil
255ml/10fl oz lukewarm water
1tbsp hemp seeds, toasted

For the cashew butter

250g cashews (not roasted or salted/sweetened)
1tbsp coconut oil
½tsp salt

For the satay sauce

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tin coconut milk
1tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
150g/5oz cashew nut butter
2tbsps soy sauce (a gluten-free version is available)
juice of a lime
generous pinch of salt
2tbsps raw organic honey (use date sugar or jaggery if you want a vegan version)

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For the flatbread

Preheat your skillet on a medium flame
Sift the flours and salt together into a large bowl; make a well in the centre
Add the oil and water to the centre of the flour and gradually whisk together to form a batter
Mix in the toasted hemp seeds
When the skillet has heated, ladle a quarter of the batter in and spread the contents into a round or oval
When the top of the flatbread is beginning to dry, flip and cook the other side until it begins to brown
Repeat until all the batter is used up

For the cashew butter

Put the cashews into a food processor and purée for about 10 minutes. You'll need to stop processing every few minutes and scrape the contents down from the sides to purée completely
Add the coconut oil and salt and process for another 10 minutes - again scraping the contents down from the sides if necessary

For the satay sauce

Over a low heat, fry the finely chopped onion in a little oil until softened but not browned
Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, cashew nut butter, chilli flakes and salt
Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring regularly, for approximately ½ hour
Stir in the lime juice at the end of cooking process

Notes

To toast, sauté the hemp seeds for just a couple of minutes in a hot wok or saucepan. Be careful, they tend to jump out of the pan like popcorn!
Brush the griddle with a little vegetable oil to prevent the flatbread from sticking.

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/