Latest news with #home baking
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Sticky prune, pear and ginger cakes with ginger caramel
A variation of my mum's beloved sticky date pudding, these little cakes are all warming spice and soft, cooked fruit. As they're made with wholemeal flour, sticky prunes and pear, I like to kid myself that these are, in fact, healthy muffins. But then I drown them in ginger caramel and a puddle of cream, and that illusion is shattered! On a cold evening these really are heavenly, and I wouldn't even blame you if the leftovers masqueraded as breakfast the next day. The prunes are lovely in this – I actually prefer them to dates. If you're not convinced, just think of them as dried plums. I have often gifted a box of these, along with an accompanying jar of caramel sauce, and they are always well received. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Makes 6 100g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease185 ml full cream (whole) milk 125g caster sugar 120g pitted prunes, halved1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 eggs, lightly beaten1 tsp vanilla bean paste 2 small pears, ripe but firm150g wholemeal flour, plus extra to dust tins3/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp ground ginger 1/8 tsp fine sea salt Ginger caramel sauce100g unsalted butter, cubed165g light brown sugar 200ml single cream, plus extra to serve (optional)1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced1/2 tsp flaky sea salt Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced and grease a large muffin tin (with six 180ml capacity holes) well with softened butter. Line the bases of the holes with circles of baking paper, then dust with a little wholemeal flour, tapping out any excess. Put the butter, milk, sugar, prunes and fresh ginger in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in the bicarb soda and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. When the mixture has cooled, stir in the eggs and vanilla. Peel and quarter the pears, removing the cores. Cut the quarters into 1–2cm pieces and set aside. Place the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and fine sea salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the cooled prune mixture, along with the pear pieces, stirring gently until just combined. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown and risen, and just a few damp crumbs cling to a skewer when tested. Allow the cakes to cool a little in their tins while you make the ginger caramel sauce. Add the butter, sugar, cream and ginger to a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat down and let the caramel bubble for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, and watching carefully that the caramel doesn't bubble over. Remove from the heat and stir in the flaky sea salt. Carefully turn the warm cakes out of their tins, running a knife around the edges to loosen if necessary. Serve the cakes warm, topped with warm ginger caramel sauce and a puddle of pure (single) cream, if you like. I like to use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cakes to allow the caramel sauce to really soak in. Any leftover cakes and caramel sauce will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days – just heat gently before serving. This is an edited extract from Handfuls of Sunshine, written and photographed by Tilly Pamment (Murdoch Books: $39.99, out now)
The Guardian
05-08-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Sticky prune, pear and ginger cakes with ginger caramel
A variation of my mum's beloved sticky date pudding, these little cakes are all warming spice and soft, cooked fruit. As they're made with wholemeal flour, sticky prunes and pear, I like to kid myself that these are, in fact, healthy muffins. But then I drown them in ginger caramel and a puddle of cream, and that illusion is shattered! On a cold evening these really are heavenly, and I wouldn't even blame you if the leftovers masqueraded as breakfast the next day. The prunes are lovely in this – I actually prefer them to dates. If you're not convinced, just think of them as dried plums. I have often gifted a box of these, along with an accompanying jar of caramel sauce, and they are always well received. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Makes 6 100g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease185 ml full cream (whole) milk 125g caster sugar 120g pitted prunes, halved1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 eggs, lightly beaten1 tsp vanilla bean paste 2 small pears, ripe but firm150g wholemeal flour, plus extra to dust tins3/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp ground ginger 1/8 tsp fine sea salt Ginger caramel sauce100g unsalted butter, cubed165g light brown sugar 200ml single cream, plus extra to serve (optional)1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced1/2 tsp flaky sea salt Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced and grease a large muffin tin (with six 180ml capacity holes) well with softened butter. Line the bases of the holes with circles of baking paper, then dust with a little wholemeal flour, tapping out any excess. Put the butter, milk, sugar, prunes and fresh ginger in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in the bicarb soda and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. When the mixture has cooled, stir in the eggs and vanilla. Peel and quarter the pears, removing the cores. Cut the quarters into 1–2cm pieces and set aside. Place the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and fine sea salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the cooled prune mixture, along with the pear pieces, stirring gently until just combined. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown and risen, and just a few damp crumbs cling to a skewer when tested. Allow the cakes to cool a little in their tins while you make the ginger caramel sauce. Add the butter, sugar, cream and ginger to a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat down and let the caramel bubble for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, and watching carefully that the caramel doesn't bubble over. Remove from the heat and stir in the flaky sea salt. Carefully turn the warm cakes out of their tins, running a knife around the edges to loosen if necessary. Serve the cakes warm, topped with warm ginger caramel sauce and a puddle of pure (single) cream, if you like. I like to use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cakes to allow the caramel sauce to really soak in. Any leftover cakes and caramel sauce will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days – just heat gently before serving. This is an edited extract from Handfuls of Sunshine, written and photographed by Tilly Pamment (Murdoch Books: $39.99, out now)
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Benjamina Ebuehi's recipe for passion fruit jaffa cakes
I don't buy jaffa cakes nearly as often as other biscuits, but when I do, I'm reminded how much I love them. They're surprisingly easy to make from scratch, too. The base is an incredibly light genoise sponge that's topped with a layer of jelly, and it's this section that allows for some creativity. I chose to go down a summery route with passion fruit. Juicing enough passion fruit to get 200ml of liquid is tedious (and expensive), so by all means use a carton of juice instead. Prep 5 min Chill 3 hr+ Cook 45 min Makes 9 For the jelly3½ sheets platinum-grade gelatine200ml passion fruit juice, fresh or from a carton For the cakeButter, for greasing35g plain flour, plus extra for dusting1 large egg 35g caster sugar ¼ tsp salt 75g dark chocolate, chopped Start by making the jelly. Put the gelatine in a small bowl of cold water and leave to soften for five minutes. Meanwhile, line a small, roughly 20cm x 15cm baking dish or tray with baking paper. Put the passion fruit juice in a saucepan, heat gently until steaming, then, before it comes to a boil, take off the heat. Squeeze out the excess water from the softened gelatine, add the sheets to the juice and stir to dissolve. Pour into the lined dish and chill in the fridge for three to four hours, until firmly set. Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Lightly grease nine holes of a cupcake tray, then lightly dust them with flour. Put the egg and sugar in a bowl and use an electric whisk to whip until thick and fluffy. Sift on the flour and salt, then fold in gently, taking care not to knock out too much air. Spoon about a tablespoon of batter into each greased cupcake hole, then bake for 15 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out the cakes. Use a cutter slightly smaller than the width of the cakes to stamp out nine discs of the set jelly, then place one on top of each cake. Melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave (or over a bain-marie), then leave to cool a little. Spoon a little chocolate on to each cake, nudging it around evenly, then leave to firm up before serving.
