Mini sweet and savoury Dutch babies

This week I find myself in a bit of a challenging situation. I’m staying with my boyfriend for a few days. That’s not the challenging bit…it’s the fact that he owns no baking apparatus. No scales, no mixer, not even any oven gloves. He doesn’t mind this arrangement, but I’ve got a baking blog to uphold.

I could have brought some of my own equipment across the length of the country, but I decided not to. Instead I am going to make recipes to the best of my ability, following my baker’s instinct, and then guesstimate the quantities in my recipes. Not only that, I decided to make a recipe today which I’ve never made before.

Dutch babies, or Dutch pancakes, are a cross between pancakes and Yorkshire puddings. The cooking process is the same as for Yorkshires: you heat a muffin tin in the oven, pour in some melted butter, and the pancake batter, which should puff in the oven. I’ve never made a Yorkshire pudding before, but I’ve certainly made pancakes enough times to know what a pancake batter should look like.

I suppose what I’m trying to show with this recipe is that you can create something tasty (and dare I say, a bit elegant in a chunky sort of way?) with very little equipment and few ingredients. The batter itself consists only of butter, flour, milk and eggs, and then the fillings are up to you.

I decided to create a sweet and savoury version, filling one half of the batch with garlicky wilted spinach, goats cheese, and a red pepper sauce. This was inspired by my travels in Montenegro, where I ate a lot of Dalmatian stew: wilted chard with garlic and soft chunks of boiled potato. I couldn’t find any chard in the supermarket but spinach works nicely as a substitute.

Mini Dutch babies with goats cheese, spinach and red pepper

I decided to simply top the others with some sliced berries and yoghurt flavoured with a little cinnamon and maple syrup. These would be great if you were doing breakfast for a lot of people (less time consuming than making endless pancakes over a stove). If you choose to make sweet ones only, add one tablespoon of sugar into your pancake batter.

Mini Dutch babies with yoghurt and berries

The Dutch babies, once baked, are golden and crispy on the outside, but soft in the middle. Mine didn’t all develop a dip in the middle as expected. I hesitated to hollow them out myself because that seemed wasteful, but it’s necessary if you want to place your filling inside.

It was great to try something new, and I’ll definitely be making this recipe again. I think they could be nice rolled in cinnamon sugar after baking. Make this recipe yourself if you’re keen to try something new, or if you’re stuck somewhere without any scales.

Gluten Free Dutch Babies (makes 12):

1 mugful gluten free self raising flour

4 tbsps melted butter or alternative (I used sunflower oil spread)

3 eggs

1 mugful milk or alternative

1 tbsp sugar (if making sweet pancakes only)

Savoury (makes 12):

150g soft goats cheese

125g marscarpone

1 clove garlic

200g spinach

Red pepper dip

Sweet (makes 12):

Berries of your choice (I used strawberries and blueberries)

Unsweetened Greek full-fat yoghurt

Maple syrup

Cinnamon

Place a muffin tin in your oven and set it to 200 degrees fan.
Start by preparing your fillings/garnishes. For the savoury fillings: finely mince the garlic clove and place it in a frying pan with a little oil on medium heat until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the spinach and stir until it is wilted. Place the spinach into a sieve and press some of the water out with a spoon. Set the spinach aside for later.
In a separate bowl, mix the goats cheese with the marscarpone and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
If you’re making sweet pancakes, mix some yoghurt with maple syrup and cinnamon to taste. Slice the berries and set aside.
To make the pancakes whisk two tablespoons of the melted butter with the other ingredients.
Carefully bring the hot muffin tin out of the oven and pour some of the remaining butter into each section. Then pour the batter into the tin so that each section is about two thirds full.
Bake for 15 minutes. They should be puffy, golden and crisp. When they’re done, they may be a bit greasy from the butter, so put them on a piece of kitchen paper to soak up any grease before filling them.

BONUS RECIPE: Christmas 75 cocktail!

As I hosted a bake-off screening with some friends this year (naturally I’m obsessed) I decided to do cocktails. Whilst seeking inspiration online I found a recipe for a French 75.

At its most basic level, a French 75 contains gin, lemon juice and sugar or sugar syrup, topped up with something fizzy. However, recipes vary, and some contain Cointreau, an orange liqueur.

When my friends and I tasted the budget student version which I threw together (Cointreau, bog standard gin, a spoonful of sugar and tonic water) we were delighted! It was sweet but drinkable, and felt a bit fancier than what we were used to.

Recently we got a bottle of spiced clementine gin into the house. I was worried that it would be a bit naff, an overly-sweet Christmas gimmick. But I was pleasantly surprised at the fresh taste of the clementine and the subtle spices. It wasn’t long before I got the idea to add it to my new favourite cocktail.

This is the result! I call it a Christmas 75. It’s indulgent and fun, though Prosecco purists won’t be happy. Mind how you go with these, they’re powerful (and if you’d like to experiment with the Cointreau, why not try my winter spice cake with Cointreau icing?).

Christmas 75:

Spiced clementine gin

Cointreau

Fizz (I used prosecco, tonic water works well for a lighter drink with a bitter edge)

Candied peel and chocolate coins to garnish (optional)

I’m not one to measure exactly I’m afraid, so this isn’t much of a recipe. I added two teaspoons of candied, chopped mixed peel to a champagne flute and poured enough gin to cover.
Then I added a splash of Cointreau (roughly two parts gin to one part Cointreau).
Then I topped up with Prosecco.
The chocolate coin garnish is tricky, but not impossible (I would not recommend it if you’re hosting a massive party). Unwrap your choice of chocolate coin (not too small) and place it on a chopping board.
You then have to heat a small knife. I tried a few different methods; soaking the knife in hot water and holding it over a toaster worked the best, as matches can produce a sort of sooty residue.
After a few seconds of heating, place the knife on the coin. You are attempting to melt a slit into the coin so that you may slot it over the side of the glass. The coins are prone to shattering so make sure you do not try to make the slit too long, it should not quite reach the centre of the coin.
Repeat the process, heating the knife and gently slicing through the coin. Eventually you should have a slit which will fit onto the side of a glass. By that time you will need a drink. Cheers!

Winter spice cake with Cointreau icing

Like a lot of people I’m not a bit fan of traditional British Christmas cake, pudding, and mince pies. They’re just not really to my taste, so a few years ago I made a lightly spiced sponge cake in a bundt tin, and iced it with a drizzle of white water icing and some shiny gold sprinkles. It was simple but festive, a nice antidote to the sickly stickiness of the dried fruit which dominates at this time of year. Great for children and adults, I decided that I would definitely make this cake again for future Christmases.

It’s the perfect cake to have when people drop by; it’s light and festive, and can be customised as you please. Although it’s gluten free this cake doesn’t crumble to dust on impact, but remains lovely and spongey. The warm spices gently unfurl as you’re eating the cake, and the toppings provide crunch and chew. I think that any decoration on a bake should be pleasant both to look at and to eat. Dried rose petals, for instance, look divine but become pot pourri in the mouth.

This time I decided to add Cointreau (an orange liqueur) to the icing. I feel like Cointreau is one of those old-school drinks which comes out at Christmastime, and I wanted to provide some inspiration of what to do with it if you stumble upon a bottle (you can also make my Christmas 75 cocktail, recipe on the blog!). If you’re making this cake for children or non-drinkers then feel free to replace the Cointreau with fresh orange juice or orange extract and water.

Winter Spice cake with Cointreau Icing:

175g gluten-free self-raising flour

175g butter

115g caster sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1tsp almond extract (optional)

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground nutmeg

100g icing sugar

Cointreau or orange juice or orange extract

Toppings of your choice (dried fruit, nuts, sprinkles etc)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and butter a bundt tin.
Cream the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together well.
When the mixture is well combined place it in the bundt tin evenly and smooth the top. Try to ensure that the mixture looks level all around.
Bake for about twenty minutes until the cake is golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool.
Once the cake is cool place a plate or board on top and flip the plate/board and cake tin upside down. Your cake might not come out straight away; I went around the edge of mine with a dinner knife a few times first.
Once the cake is out you can prepare your icing. Pour the icing sugar into the bowl and gradually add your liquid (Cointreau, juice, water) bit by bit, stirring well, until you have a thick, opaque icing which drips easily from the spoon. If you’re using Cointreau you may think the icing tastes strong, but once it’s on the cake it tastes fine.
Decorate your cake as you please. Enjoy!

Cheddar pepper flapjacks

I had the idea for this bake in the best place to have ideas: the shower. I decided that I wanted to bake something savoury so that my family and I would not be drowning in cake come Christmastime (although come to think of it that sounds like a great way to go).

For whatever reason, I recalled the cheesy, savoury flapjacks that my mum used to make me for my school bag. I know that you might be confused and mildly disgusted by this idea, but once you get your head (and your mouth) around these treats I think you’ll change your mind (unless you’re a cheese hater, but I don’t tend to socialise with those sorts of people).

Cheddar pepper flapjack with pumpkin seeds

Some things I like about this bake (besides the fact that it’s delicious) is that it’s versatile, low cost and easy. I know that my last recipe was bit complex. This one is definitely for beginners, students short on money who want to make their own snacks, and anybody who’s ever wanted to eat oats glued together with cheese.

I added pumpkin seeds, mostly because we had them in the cupboard and I thought they’d add a nice bit of colour. I had the idea to position some seeds on the top; I think they look a bit like fir trees (you might disagree, I won’t blame you). Upon munching my first helping, I also realised that the seeds add a nice vegetal freshness to a treat which could be too rich otherwise. The herbs and paprika also give the flapjacks a savoury depth as well as adding to their golden colour.

Feel free to add different seeds and flavourings, or even try a different hard cheese. Great for lunchboxes and picnics, and, I like to think, leaving out for Father Christmas on the night before Christmas. He’s probably fed up of mince pies by now.

Cheddar Pepper Flapjacks:

360g pure oats (I use these because I’m gluten intolerant, if you’re not then use regular oats)

340g cheddar

3 eggs

125g butter

2 tsp dried mixed herbs

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp ground black pepper

Handful of pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a large roasting dish with baking paper. Personally, I like the baking paper which has foil on the other side so it’s easy to mould to the pan.
Grate the cheese. Please don’t hurt your fingers when you do this. If little lumps of cheese fall in, it’s ok. These will be bonus pieces and make the flapjacks even better.
Gently melt the butter.
Once the butter is melted, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Put the mixture into the roasting pan. Spread it out evenly and press it down. If you wish, you can use seeds to make a pattern on your flapjack as I did. They will brown a bit in the oven but they’ll still look (and taste) good.
Bake for 35 minutes until the flapjack is golden all over and the sides are shrinking away from the paper. Enjoy the cheesy smell which fills your kitchen.

Stollen macarons

As a gluten-free girl, I don’t have many opportunities to eat stollen. I’ve never even tried the authentic, bready German stuff. The closest I’ve come is a squidgy, decadent, cakey variety which I buy from WholeFoods (very boujee) if I get the opportunity.

I love the combination of sweet marzipan with sharp cranberries. Those sugar-dusted squares are expensive, and addictive. Over the past few days I’ve been thinking about stollen, dreaming of other ways to present it. Then I hit upon macarons.

I started making macarons back when they became trendy a few years ago. I bought a book with my mother (by Hisako Ogita, I still use it) and we pored over it. I still take it as gospel, and I get consistent results.

Macarons are so versatile that it seems natural to infuse them with flavours and textures from other puddings. The result is a crispy, chewy macaron with a luscious filling, a bitesized version of whatever you want. It’s almost a bit wonka-esque. And this time it’s stollen.

This particular macaron boils down to three elements: the macaron itself, which I flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla, an almond buttercream filling, and some tasty little bits which I rolled the assembled macarons in, to give a sort of…belt? I don’t really know what to call it. These little specks of dried cranberry and pistachio, or candied mixed peel, stick to the buttercream which peeks out from the macaron and provide extra colour and flavour.

I’m sure this won’t be the last macaron recipe which I post to this blog, but I’ll try to space them out a bit. Until next time, enjoy this recipe if you make it. They’re rich but not too sweet, and would work nicely as canapes or presents.

Stollen Macarons

Makes about 32 macaron biscuits, 16 when assembled. Should keep in the fridge for about a week.

For the Macarons:

85g ground almonds

150g icing sugar

3 egg whites, at room temperature

5 tablespoons/65g caster sugar

2 tsps cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Almond Buttercream:

150g butter (I use slightly salted)

100g icing sugar

1 tsp almond extract

The Extras:

Mixed candied peel

Pistachios

Dried cranberries

First, measure your baking paper to your trays and draw circles all over the paper in pencil. Use anything small and circular. You can draw them quite close as the macaron batter won’t spread too much. Remember to flip the paper over so that the macarons are not directly on top of your pencil marking: graphite is not the secret ingredient in this particular bake.
Mix the ground almonds, cinnamon, and icing sugar together in a small bowl and set aside (just kidding. Use whatever size of bowl you like. Who am I, the bowl police?).
The next step involves making a French meringue (or as it’s otherwise known, a meringue). If you know how to make meringue, feel free to zone out for the next step.
For the rest of you, here it is. Beat your egg whites. When they are foamy, begin to gradually add the caster sugar, whisking all the time. Eventually you will end up with stiff, glossy egg whites. Then you add the vanilla extract (briefest meringue explanation ever? Now feeling paranoid that it is too brief. For goodness sake, please go to youtube and watch somebody more experienced than me if you have never made meringue before).
Now, as the spice girls said, two will become one. Add half of your dry mixture to the meringue and fold it in gently, then add the rest and continue to fold it in until you have a lovely mixture.
Now you have to do ‘Macaronnage’ with your lovely mixture. Hold the bowl at angle. Spread the mixture along the sides of the bowl then scoop it all back in. Do this fifteen times exactly or your macarons will be cursed.
Place your lovely mixture into a piping bag with a circular tip and pipe onto your prepared trays (hint: put your tray in another tray to shield the delicate macarons from too much heat or they will be cursed).
Pick up the baking tray which your macarons are on and drop it on a flat surface. It will make a horrid clatter but it is an essential step in helping to form the pied (the little frill at the bottom of a macaron).
Leave your macarons alone in a room until the top is no longer sticky to touch (usually about half an hour). But don’t abandon them for too long (bla bla curse bla bla).
Cook them at 180 degrees for about sixteen minutes. The outside should feel crisp and dry and they should lift easily off the baking paper.
Now blitz the butter with the almond extract and sugar to make the buttercream filling, which you can then pipe or spread onto your macarons. Be generous, you need a good rim of buttercream for your extras to stick to.
Speaking of your extras, finely chop them and roll your filled macarons on them. Little fragments of peel, pistachio and cranberry should stick to the exposed buttercream.