Just a slice or a spoonful! In a new book brimming with treats, Bake Off contestant Martha Collison celebrates a little of what we fancy…
Cheese and Marmite sausage rolls
MAKES 10 ROLLS
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g pork sausage meat
2 tbsp Marmite
freshly ground black pepper, to season
100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
flour, for dusting
375g block all-butter puff pastry
1 medium free-range egg, beaten
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
2 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and fry until softened and starting to brown. Tip them into a large bowl.
3 Add the sausage meat to the bowl with 1 tablespoon of the Marmite and season with black pepper. Marmite is very salty, so you shouldn’t need to add any extra salt. Mash everything together using a fork or squeeze together using your hands, then stir in the cheese.
4 Lightly dust a worktop with flour and roll out the pastry into a large rectangle, about 35cm x 20cm, then slice it in half lengthways to create 2 long rectangles. Spread the remaining Marmite on one half of each piece of pastry lengthways, leaving a 1cm gap at the edges.
5 Divide the sausage mixture in half and roll each half on a floured worktop to make two long sausage shapes. Make sure they are of an even thickness so the sausage rolls are the same size.
6 Place one of the sausage meat rolls on a pastry strip, making sure it is directly on the top of the Marmite. Brush the exposed pastry with a little beaten egg, then fold the top half over the sausage and use a fork to crimp the edge closed. Repeat with the second pastry strip and sausage filling, then cut each roll into 5 smaller pieces about 7cm in length.
7 Place the sausage rolls on the lined baking sheet, then brush the tops with the remaining beaten egg. Make several diagonal cuts on the top of the pastry, then sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Some of the cheese and Marmite might have oozed out, but this adds to their charm. Remove from the oven and eat warm, or leave to cool completely and enjoy as an on-the-go snack.
Brigadeiros
MAKES ABOUT 30-35
25g salted butter, plus extra for greasing
1 x 397g tin condensed milk
25g cocoa powder
chocolate sprinkles or chopped nuts for rolling
KITCHEN KIT
30-35 mini paper cases
1 Grease a baking tray or large plate with butter.
2 Empty the tin of condensed milk into a large heavy-based saucepan and add the butter. Sift over the cocoa powder and stir briefly with a spatula.
3 Place the pan over a medium heat (not too high or the mixture will catch on the bottom of the pan). Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes, making sure you scrape the bottom of the pan with a silicone spatula as you stir so that it doesn’t stick. When the mixture is ready it should be very thick and glossy, and when you drop a spoonful of the mixture back into the saucepan it should hold its shape for a few seconds. Pour the mixture into the buttered baking tray or plate and spread it out thinly before placing in the fridge to cool completely. This should take about 30 minutes if you’ve spread it thinly.
4 When the mixture is set and cool enough to handle, grease your fingers with butter, take pieces of the mixture and roll them into small balls. You should be able to make 30-35 brigadeiros. Roll the balls in chocolate sprinkles or chopped nuts before placing in mini paper cases. They will keep well for a few weeks in an airtight container; so they make perfect gifts.
Lacy pancakes with raspberry sauce
MAKES 10 PANCAKES
CHOCOLATE BATTER
100g plain flour
½ tsp fine salt
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 medium free-range egg, beaten
200ml milk
vegetable oil, for frying
icing sugar, for dusting
RASPBERRY SAUCE
100g raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
KITCHEN KIT
a piping bag or squeezy bottle
1 Combine the plain flour, salt and cocoa powder in a medium bowl or jug and make a well in the middle.
2 Pour the beaten egg and half the milk into the centre of the well and whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick. Gradually pour in the rest of the milk, whisking all the time. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag or squeezy bottle.
3 To make the raspberry sauce, place the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over a medium heat and cook, stirring all the time, for 5 minutes, until the raspberries have broken down to make a thick sauce. Pour into a small heatproof bowl ready to dip.
4 Heat a small amount of oil in a nonstick frying pan. Drizzle the batter into the pan as quickly as you can to make a pattern (the longer you take, the less evenly the pancake will cook). After about 30 seconds, the pancake should have set, so carefully flip it over and briefly cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter, keeping the cooked pancakes warm in a low oven.
5 To serve, roll up the pancakes and sprinkle with a little icing sugar before dunking in the raspberry sauce.
Espresso martini cheesecake
SERVES 10-12
BASE
50g salted butter, plus extra for greasing
200g digestive biscuits
1 tbsp cocoa powder
CHEESECAKE
600g soft full-fat cream cheese
150g caster sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp instant espresso powder
2 eggs, beaten
100ml double cream
75ml Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur
50ml vodka
TOPPING
250ml soured cream
1 tbsp caster sugar
chocolate-coated coffee beans
KITCHEN KIT
a 20cm round
loose-bottomed cake tin
1 Grease the cake tin and line it with baking parchment. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or microwave. Blitz the digestive biscuits in a food processor with the cocoa powder until they resemble fine crumbs, then pour the melted butter into the processor and blitz again. Alternatively, place the biscuits and cocoa powder in a plastic bag, seal and crush with a rolling pin. Press the crumbs into the base of the lined tin with the back of a spoon to get an even layer. Place the base in the fridge to chill.
2 Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together in a large bowl until smooth, then stir in the cornflour and espresso powder.
3 Add the eggs and stir gently, trying not to incorporate too much air, then mix in the double cream, Kahlúa and vodka.
4 Remove the base from the fridge and wrap the bottom of the tin in a double layer of tinfoil so the cheesecake mixture doesn’t leak out. Place the cake tin in a roasting tin and boil a kettle.
5 Pour the cheesecake mixture over the chilled base. Fill the roasting tin with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the cheesecake tin. Bake the cheesecake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the top feels set with a slight wobble in the centre. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes (still in the roasting tin of water).
6 To make the topping, beat the soured cream with the caster sugar and carefully spread it over the top of the cheesecake, being careful not to pierce the surface. Bake for a further 10 minutes, then lift the tin out of the water and allow the cheesecake to cool completely at room temperature. Remove the tinfoil and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
7 When you’re ready to serve, top the cheesecake with a few chocolate-coated coffee beans.
Mini doughnut muffins
MAKES 24 MINI MUFFINS
100g salted butter
75g caster sugar, plus extra to dust
100g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g natural yoghurt
1 medium free-range egg
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 tbsp raspberry jam
1 tbsp apricot jam
KITCHEN KIT
24-hole mini muffin tray
2 disposable piping bags
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a pan over a medium heat and use a pastry brush to grease the holes of the muffin tray with some of the melted butter.
2 Place the sugar, flour and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and combine.
3 In a small jug, mix the remaining melted butter with the yoghurt, egg and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold them together until just incorporated.
4 Divide the mixture among the 24 holes in the muffin tray using a teaspoon, then bake for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown and risen.
5 While the muffins are baking, spoon the jams into the 2 piping bags and snip the end off each with a pair of scissors. Remove the hot muffins from the oven and roll them in caster sugar, then make a small hole with a skewer in the bottom of each and pipe raspberry jam into the centre of half the doughnuts and apricot jam into the rest. These are best enjoyed fresh from the oven.
Lime and ginger drizzle cake traybake
MAKES ABOUT 16 SQUARES
200g salted butter, plus extra for greasing
250g dark brown soft sugar
50g treacle
100g golden syrup
100ml milk
2 medium free-range eggs
1 ball stem ginger from a jar in syrup, finely chopped
grated zest of 1 unwaxed lime
250g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground ginger
DRIZZLE
juice of 3 limes
100g demerara sugar
25g crystallised ginger, cut into small cubes (optional)
KITCHEN KIT
a 20cm square cake tin
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then grease the cake tin and line it with baking parchment.
2 Place the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a large saucepan over a medium heat and stir continuously until the butter has melted and the sugar has completely dissolved.
3 Remove from the heat and pour the milk into the saucepan of hot butter and sugar, whisking until combined. This will cool the mixture down before you add the egg, preventing it from scrambling. Beat the eggs into the mixture one at a time, then stir in the chopped stem ginger and most of the lime zest, reserving some for decoration.
4 Mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger in a large bowl. Sift the dry ingredients into the saucepan and beat until well combined.
5 Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
6 While the cake is baking, prepare the drizzle. Mix the lime juice and demerara sugar in a small jug. Just 5 minutes after the cake comes out of the oven, while it’s still in the tin, pour over the drizzle and spread it right to the edges of the cake. Sprinkle over the crystallised ginger cubes (if using) and remaining lime zest, then leave to stand for at least 15 minutes so the drizzle can soak into the sponge properly. Remove from the tin and cut the cake into squares. This will keep for up to 1 week.
Spiced milk and honey cake
SERVES 10
150g salted butter, plus extra for greasing
100g light brown soft sugar
100g runny honey
175g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
100ml milk
2 large free-range eggs
HONEY GLAZE
100g icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp runny honey
ground cinnamon, to dust
KITCHEN KIT
a 20cm round cake tin
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then grease the cake tin and line it with baking parchment.
2 Melt the butter, sugar and honey together in a large saucepan over a low heat until the mixture no longer appears grainy and the butter has completely melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
3 Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a small bowl. Stir the milk into the butter mixture, then beat in both of the eggs. Sift in the dry ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter forms, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
4 Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until the top of the cake is firm and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with a few sticky crumbs attached but no raw batter. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin.
5 To make the glaze, mix the icing sugar, milk and honey together to make a thick icing. Pour it over the hot cake, then sprinkle the top with a light dusting of cinnamon. Leave it to cool in the tin before serving. This cake is delicious served warm or will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
SAVE 25 PER CENT ON MARTHA’S NEW BOOK
Today’s recipes are from Crave: Brilliantly Indulgent Recipes by Martha Collison, to be published by HarperCollins on Thursday, price £16.99.
Filled with gorgeous treats, the book is divided into chapters covering bakes based around citrus, fruit, nuts, spice, chocolate, caramel, cheese and alcohol.
To order a copy for £12.74 (a 25 per cent discount) until 6 August, visit you-bookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640; p&p is free on orders over £15.
