cinnamon

Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Loaf

- Michael 4 Comments
Pumpkin Spice Loaf

Pumpkin season is not over yet. It’s thanksgiving for you guys across in the US this week, right? That makes me feel better about baking with the stuff. I’d originally hoped to do some things in the run up to Halloween, but without my own place and baking stuff it ended up not working. On my list, as well as the more standard pumpkin pie, was a Pumpkin Loaf with Cinnamon Drizzle. What I’ve ended up doing was a Pumpkin Loaf with a cinnamon swirl (see here for similar) and stuffed with pecans then drizzled with icing. It was good, really good. Oh and I baked it in my still broken oven, which means I’ll be doing it again soon to make sure I get the temperatures and times exactly right.

Pumpkin Spice Loaf

Just a month or so ago everyone started raving about pumpkin spiced latters again, yawn. I’m not a coffee fan, and even if I was, places like starbucks aren’t exactly my cup of tea. I typed that, I realised what I’d done, I then took a sip of my tea. Tea > Coffee, there, I said it. But yes, I do however love cinnamon, as I wittered on enough in the last post, I’ll save you from that again. I also discovered that the Tesco at the end of my road sells tinned pumpkin, something that I struggled to find in the entirety of Leeds city center (it also sells buttermilk, which I could only grab from M&S in leeds). This is all great news, so it meant I got to finally bake up some pumpkin goodness.

Pumpkin Spice Loaf

I came across a recipe for a tray bake, here, added some pecans, the cinnamon “swirl” and turned it into a loaf. I bought the loaf in to work for the Children in Need Bake Off, to find I was the only one who had. Er, oops? But it at least helped raise a little for charity.

Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Loaf
 
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Serves: 1 Loaf
Ingredients
  • • 110g margarine
  • • 220g dark brown soft sugar
  • • 135g bread flour
  • • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • • 175g tinned pumpkin
  • • 2 eggs, beaten
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to: 180°C and either grease or line a loaf tin.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or by hand) cream together the margarine and the sugar.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. (Optional – if you want to do the swirl, mix some cinnamon with brown sugar. Add half the batter, spread some of the cinnamon sugar mix on top then pour the rest of the cake batter on top of this).
  5. Place in the center of the oven and bake for approx. 35 mins or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  6. Allow to cool before removing from the tin.
  7. Drizzle with icing if desired.
 

 

 

Nuts and Nuts and Nuts for Candy (Cinnamon Sugar Cashews)

- Michael 1 Comment

I like nuts, and I also like a Blood Brothers reference. Specifically I really like Cashew nuts. I also really like Cinnamon. Also it’s November so brace yourselves for me continually talking about cinnamon, cinnamon and yup, you guessed it, more cinnamon. I only did 2-3 posts about last year. THE SHAME! If you want to see them they are here, here and here. They are all tasty recipes that I still highly recommend. I will rebaking a couple of them this year.

Cinnamon Candy Cashews

Anyway, I’m having oven issues. The thermostat on our new oven is, to put it lightly, fucked. I burnt a batch of my Peanut Butter Cookies last week with the oven set to 140 for 5 minutes, and by burnt, I mean black. The tray was also too hot to hold through my oven glove. This means that the large amounts of baking and recipes I’d intended to be flooding you with are going to have to wait until this is fixed. I can’t risk things like cakes/cookies etc when I just plain can’t guarantee what my oven will do to them.

Cinnamon Candy Cashews

However, I can still do a few things, if I’m just very careful. For instance these Cinnamon Sugar Cashews don’t need to rise and/or won’t collapse in on themselves if checked often. So if I set my oven to 40 (FORTY, SERIOUSLY?) then it isn’t too bad. These make a great snack, any time of year, but I made them to take with me to the Battersea Fireworks display last Saturday, which was phenomenal. I also made a huge batch of Mulled Cider (it was tasty, but could have been mulled a tad longer, I was in a rush). I’m still experimenting with roasted nuts so used recipe from here as a base.

Cinnamon Candy Cashews

Other than the oven being tricky, and needing a bookcase plus bedside table (anyone got any spare?) I am thoroughly enjoying having my own place again and being a resident in Clapham.

And while I’m a Londoner now, I just want to give a huge shout out to the guys across at Leeds Indie Food, as they successfully got funded through kickstarter and their site went live this morning. Go check it out!

Nuts and Nuts and Nuts for Candy (Cinnamon Sugar Cashews)
 
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Serves: One small bag or bowl
Ingredients
  • 250g Cashews (pecans and almonds would also work, as would a mix)
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 cup light brown granulated sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
  • Couple of pinches of nutmeg
  • Couple of pinches of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C (I did it on 40 due to my thermostat being messed up) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
  2. Beat the egg white with the water until it forms stiff peaks.
  3. Fold in the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt carefully so you don’t knock all the air out.
  4. Fold in the cashews until they are well coated.
  5. Spread the cashews out evenly over the baking sheet and place in the center of the pre-heated oven.
  6. Bake for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes to ensure they are evenly roasted.
  7. Remove and allow to cool slightly before serving. These are great slightly warm but also just as tasty cold.
 

 

Cinnamon Buns

- Michael Leave a comment

The last couple of weeks have been really busy. Which means I’ve not been on top of baking new things. I baked for a charity bake sale in Otley, so did some of my older classics, like my brownies and peanut butter cookies as well as some Oreo truffles and a ginger loaf with lime frosting. Unfortunately the charity fair itself flopped a bit, but it was great practice for me doing large orders and I got to take some of the leftovers to my friend’s birthday party.

Peanut Butter Cookies
 
Pistachio Brownies

Then I had an order of brownies for my friend Katie’s final year photography exhibition. I couldn’t make the night myself but apparently there were none left, that’s got to be a good sign right? I was supposed to be climbing a mountain in Scotland this weekend for Wateraid200 but unfortunately lots of people dropped out last minute, meaning it wasn’t possible anymore. We are hopefully re-arranging for a later date when more of us can actually manage it. I raised over £100 so I really don’t like the idea of letting people down.

Cinnamon Buns
 

Because of that being cancelled I had an extra weekend which I wasn’t expecting. This gave me some time which I’ve been using to get my life together a bit. And also to do some baking. I’ve been wanting to make Cinnamon Buns again for a long while, but they take a fairly long time to bake, due to the rising/proofing stages. As I was completely plan-less I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to make them. The last time I did make them, I made them far too large. But I managed to get these ones just right.

Cinnamon Bun Dough

Cinnamon Buns 04

Cinnamon Buns 05

 

Cinnamon Buns
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • For the buns:
  • 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 50g/1¾oz light brown sugar
  • 15g/1oz fresh yeast or 1½ tsp dried yeast
  • 75g/3oz butter, softened
  • 200ml/7fl oz milk
  • 2 free-range eggs, plus one egg yolk, for glazing
  • flavourless oil, for oiling
  • For the filling:
  • 75g Granulated brown sugar
  • 50g granulated white sugar.
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 50g butter, melted.
Instructions
  1. Mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Stir in the dry yeast (or crumble in fresh, I personally have a store of dry in).
  2. Work the butter into the flour mix until there are no large lumps remaining. Do this with your fingers or using a mixer on a low speed. It doesn’t have to be as fine as breadcrumbs.
  3. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk and one of the eggs. Mix together using a spatula or your hands. It’s quite a sticky mix but keep on mixing and the flour in the mix will slowly absorb the excess liquid.
  4. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface (lightly floured if necessary). Knead the dough for 10 minutes. By the time you are done you should be able to cut a small piece off and stretch it out thin enough to see light through it/the shadows of your fingers.
  5. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and place somewhere warm to rise for around 80-90 minutes (until it has roughly doubled in size).
  6. Towards the end of this time, make the filling. To do this mix together the sugars and the cinnamon. Add a small amount of the melted butter and mix.
  7. Knock back the dough onto a lightly floured surface and, using a rolling pin, roll out into a rectangle about the thickness of a pound coin.
  8. Using a pastry brush coat the dough with the melted butter then spread the cinnamon mixture over the top.
  9. Roll into a log shape carefully. You don’t want to squash it too much. Divide the log into 12 equal pieces buns.
  10. Place these into a greased pan, spacing them apart for when they rise. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to proof for about 45 minutes. While they are rising, preheat the oven to 200°C(180°C fan).
  11. Before placing in the oven, beat together the remaining egg and the yolk. Brush the top of each bun with this.
  12. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then drop the temperature to 180°C (160°C fan assisted) and bake for a further 20 minutes.
  13. Once you have removed them from the oven, transfer to a wire rack to cool.
 
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Nutella Filled Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

- Michael Leave a comment

Christmas is in 9 days. I repeat, Christmas is in 9 days. Where the hell has the time gone? I am running out! With a trip to Scotland booked in from December 21st to December 27th, I am very limited with the time I have left, to shop, bake, see the Hobbit and generally exist along the way. However, it’s time for my second Festive Baking recipe. And you guessed it, it involves cinnamon. Although what you may not have  expected was Nutella. And what you may also not have expected, with it being festive, is that they are muffins. Cinnamon topped and Nutella stuffed Muffins, yum. What makes these different as well is that they use a slightly different flour to the usual plain white. I used a plain wholemeal, which made them slightly heavier but also works great on a cold night and compliments the Nutella and Cinnamon really well.

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The recipe only makes a few, 9 to be exact, but can be very easily doubled (and will be later this week when I am baking for a party). Speaking of the party, I’m also baking a couple of my Cranberry and Orange loaves, as well as some Reindeer pretzel cookies! It is the day I finish work for Christmas, so it’s safe to say that I’ll undoubtedly be a little worse for wear before it’s done. I’m also starting to plan in bakes for when I’m up at my parent’s cottage on Mull next week.

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Nutella Filled Cinnamon Sugar Muffins
 
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Serves: 9
Ingredients
  • 5 Tablespoons or 75g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 120ml milk
  • 190g plain wholemeal flour
  • 1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 8 teaspoons Nutella
  • Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
  • 50g granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 45g unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C(200°C fan) and grease a muffin tin (I used butter but a spray will work just as well).
  2. Cream together the sugar and the butter, on a medium speed.
  3. Mix in the egg, beating well, before mixing in the vanilla and the milk.
  4. Gently mix in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. When mixing these together be careful not to over-mix them. Do it until only just combined to avoid a heavy mixture.
  5. Divide up the batter into the muffin tins. Do this by putting one heaped tablespoon in to each hole. On top of each of these, place a dollop of Nutella. Cover with the remaining batter.
  6. Bake at 220°C for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 175°C(155°C fan) and bake for a further 13-17 minutes
  7. Allow the muffins to cool for about 5 minutes.
  8. While they are cooling, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Melt the butter (either in a microwave or a pan).
  9. Take a muffin, dip the top in to the butter and then dip it in to the sugar mix to top it.
  10. Place upright on a cooling rack until they are cooled properly.

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Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Loaves

- Michael Leave a comment

December is here. That means one thing. Cinnamon. On everything. The festive season is great, mainly due to the food. I always put on a ridiculous amount of weight. But man is it worth it. I’ll be baking my Cranberry & Orange Loaves as gifts for a bunch of people, but other than that I’ll be keeping things fairly themed. These Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Loaves are just as delicious. They have just enough cinnamon for it not to overpower everything. The recipe, which I found on Sally’s baking addiction (the things she can do with cinnamon!) is fantastic. So I thought I’d kick off my festive baking with this. The loaves are perfect to go with a cup of hot tea or coffee. They are warming and moist.

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I haven’t much more to say about these (I’m having a bit of writer’s block at the moment), other than you really need to try them.

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Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Loaves
 
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Ingredients
  • 250g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 120g mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 150g light brown sugar (or dark brown)
  • 50g granulated sugar
  • 240ml buttermilk
  • 80ml vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the Cinnamon Swirl
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 175°C(155°C fan) and grease a loaf tin (I used butter but a spray works just as well.
  2. Mix together the ingredients for the swirl and set aside.
  3. Mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and chocolate chips until combined, set aside.
  4. Whisk the sugars and egg together until there are no lumps of brown sugar left.
  5. Whisk in the buttermilk, oil and vanilla.
  6. Slowly pour the wet ingredients in to the dry. Mixing until they have only just combined. Be very careful not to overmix as it will lead to a very tough bread.
  7. Pour the first half in to the prepared pan. Using about ¾ of the cinnamon mixture, cover the top evenly.
  8. Add the rest of the batter, using the remaining cinnamon on top along with any extra chocolate chips, if desired.
  9. Cover (very) loosely with foil and bake for between 45 minutes and 1 hour. It can take anywhere between this time. It’s done when a tooth pick inserted in to the center comes out clean.
  10. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
 

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