Empower Your Taste Buds!

I decided to make pancakes today. Apple pancakes to be exact. I can't stop baking these days. I find the whole process of baking very therapeutic.

 

 I love watching the different colours and textures in a bowl, like sparkly sugar with exotic cinnamon.

I love how deep the green colour is in an apple. Unfortunately I have an allergy towards raw apples, but in this recipe the apples will be cooked, so I will be fine!

 

And beating in eggs and how pure milk looks, even when you add an egg, they look like a perfect marriage.

And I love to mix the batter - I find it so relaxing!

So how did the pancakes turn out? 

I'll let you have a look:

While I was making the second one I had to have a taste of the first one that was cooling off on a plate on paper towels to soak the excess butter. And when I tasted it I couldn't believe my taste buds - they were AMAZING!

It's optional to add syrup to the pancakes but I found it too much so I only put it on a few pancakes. 

So how do you make the pancakes? It's quite easy!

Ingredients

(makes 18 pancakes to serve 4-6)

200g self-raising flour

100g caster sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg

200ml milk

2 apples, peeled and grated

1 tsp butter

Maple syrup butter:

85g butter, softened

3 tbsp maple syrup

Method

1. Mix the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Beat the egg and the milk together and pour into the well. Using a wooden spoon, gently incorporate the dry ingredients into the liquid until well combined, then stir in the grated apples.

2. Heat the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over low heat until melted and bubbling. Add tablespoons of the pancake mixture to form 9cm circles. Cook each pancake for about 1 minute, until it starts to bubble lightly on the top and looks set, then flip it over and cook the other side for 30 seconds, or until cooked through. The pancakes should be golden brown, if not, increase the heat a little. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Repeat the process until all of the pancake mixture has been used up (it is not necessary to add extra butter).

3. To make the maple syrup butter, melt the butter with the maple syrup in a pan over low heat and stir until combined. To serve, place the pancakes on serving dishes and spoon over the flavoured butter. Serve warm.

And as the French say Bon Appetite, the Egyptians say, Bel Hana Wel Shefa!

Who's Coconut Crazy?

I know I am! That's why I tried out the Coconut Cake from the Times Newspaper. I was actually surprised they had spelling mistakes/typos on their recipe! So the version below is hopefully error free.

And the picture below is how it turned out! Delicious with a glass of milk!

Ingredients

• 175 g self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 175 g butter, cut into cubes
• 175 g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 50 g sweetened tenderised coconut or desiccated coconut
• Finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes 

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C and line a tin with the non-stick baking parchment or butter a cake tin.

• Put the flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, eggs, coconut and lime zest and juice into a large bowl and mix together with an electric whisk. Start off slowly, and then gradually increase the speed. If you haven't got a mixer, put all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.

• Pour the mixture into a prepared tin and bake for 45-55 minutes or until skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

 

• This wasn't in the recipe - but I added ready-made vanilla buttercream icing (which I bought at the superstore) on the cake when it was completely cool - then I added a generous amount of desiccated coconut.

And as the French say Bon Appetite, the Egyptians say, Bel Hana Wel Shefa!