Penny's Top Ten Tips: Autumn Activities: Part 1 On your Own

Welcome to a Top Ten Tips! This week is about fun things to do while the weather is poor. In fact as I'm writing this post, its horrid outside. Its cold, wet and windy out there. But being cooped up inside can get a little boring, so lets get down to the tips. 

(Image credit:http://www.tipjunkie.com/post/homemade-face-masks/)

1. Spa evening-
Grab your face pack and chill. Having a pamper evening will recharge your batteries after a hard day at work. It's so relaxing to get your nails done, maybe have a bubble bath with a good book.  

2. Learn a new skill-
Having lots of time indoors gives you time to learn something you've always wanted to do. In my case, its French and singing as both of them don't require to go outside! 

3. Bake something!-
Well this is obvious, here's a great suggestion.

4. Hot Chocolate and read a book-
Make yourself a salted caramel hot chocolate, grab a good book (I'm reading 'The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins) and chill on the sofa.  

5. Netflix and Chill-
Pretty much what it says on the tin...

(Image credit:http://byoganow.com/shop/b-mat-strong/)

6. Yoga-
This is an odd one for this list, but doing some relaxing yoga poses can help pass those cold nights in as well as improve flexibility and health in the long run. 

7. Organise a Room-
Putting aside an hour of your time to rid yourself of wanted clothes, jewellery or whatever, but having a sort out will not only clear your mind but clear extra space for Christmas presents. Old clothes can be donated to charity and jewellery can be passed onto family or friends. 

8. Listen to music-
Catching up with the radio or latest music has always been a favourite pass-time of mine. Find some new music using Spotify, Youtube or by scanning the radio. 

9. Start writing-
Whether its a novel, screenplay or a set of poems, let the weather inspire you to write something amazing.

10. Cook an incredible meal-
Starter, Main course, and Dessert for yourself and test those cooking skills. 

Happy Baking!

Halloween Bakes

Have you started planning your Halloween bakes yet? Check out the links below for some inspiration. 

1. Dios de los Muertos Cupcakes- Ok not really Halloween but great hit at parties.

2.Pumpkin Pecan Bars- Because pumpkin. And its October. 

3.Orange Juice Cupcakes-Juicy and bursting full of citrus flavour.

4.Pumpkin Chocolate Brownie-See number 2

5. Ginger and Treacle Cupcakes

6.Chocolate Cola Cake-Beautifully chocolaty and a little fizzy with the cola. 

7.Horror Film Gory Cupcakes- Ahh that poor sour patch kid!!

8.Gluten Free Zombie Cookies-Well we needed zombies in this list! It IS Halloween after all! 

So what will you be making for Halloween?

Great Autumnal Recipes

If your looking for recipes to try during this season of change, or if you want to try something fun when the nights are drawing in, try these fun cakes and bakes.

Apple Juice Cupcakes

Pizza Chunk Biscuits

Banoffee Cupcakes

Pissaladiere

 Apple Cake

Soda Bread

Dutch Apple Tart

Chocolate Orange Tart

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Fat Friday #40 Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

Its only 2 more weeks until October and already all I hear and see is pumpkin spice. Pumpkin Spice. Pumpkin. Spice. Spice with Pumpkin. EVERYWHERE! But I'm a fan of pumpkin spice, so I'm so happy with all of its sweet and spiceness in my life. 
This weeks recipe is a spiced pumpkin brownie, it takes a long while to bake as with most brownies but the result is worth it.

Recipe: Makes 30 small brownies (adapted from an old recipe I found in my recipe file.)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mix:

• 85g cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 112g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 220g pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1 tablespoon plain flour

Brownie Mix:

• 187g plain flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 168g dark chocolate, chopped
• 170g unsalted butter
• 506g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 60ml milk

Equipment:

• Brownie tin lined with silicone paper
• Mixing bowl x 3
• Saucepan with hot water and a heatproof bowl on top
• Spatula
• Hand held electric whisk/wooden spoon
• Large spoon
• Wire rack

1. Preheat oven 325f/160c/Gas Mark 3. Grease and line the brownie tin.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese:

2. In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of butter until well combined. 

3. Add the sugar and beat again until fully incorporated. 

4. Beat in the egg, pumpkin puree and spices.   

5.Stir in the tablespoon of plain floor and set aside this cream cheese mixture for later.

Brownie Mix:
6. To melt the chocolate, place in a heatproof bowl above a saucepan of boiling water and stir it occasionally.  
7. While you wait for the chocolate to melt, in another bowl add all the dry ingredients and set aside.
8. In the final bowl, add the sugar and eggs to whisk together until it becomes pale. 
9. Once the chocolate has melted, add to the egg mixture. Beat in the milk.
10. Beat the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture. The brownie mixture is complete.

To Finish: 
11. Spread the brownie mixture into the tin. Spoon the pumpkin cream cheese on top of the chocolate mixture and swirl through.
12. Bake for an 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the middle is just set when shaken. Its best to check it after an hour depending on your oven. 

13. Cool the whole tin on a wire rack until cool. Cut, and serve up the spiced pumpkin goodness. 

Love pumpkin so much? Check out this pumpkin list! 

Pumpkin Bakes

Need that hit of pumpkin now that autumn has hit? Check out our list right here!

1.Pumpkin Spice Syrup- Because we need this in every hot drink for the rest of autumn!

2.Horror Film Gory Cupcakes-These cupcakes are both adorable and horrific at the same time.

3.Pumpkin Pecan Bars-These always go down well at parties and are so moist. 

4. Pumpkin and Cheese Muffins- We needed a savoury one right?

Great for a snack or a super light lunch. 

Fat Friday #17 Autumn Strudel

Welcome to that time of the week! It's Fat Friday! This weeks recipe is a great recipe to do with a friend, as you'll need some help with the strudel pastry. Its tons of fun to stretch and play with!

Recipe: Makes 4 large or 8 small strudels

Strudel Pastry:
·       250g Plain flour, sieved
·       1 egg
·       30ml vegetable oil
·       25g melted butter, plus a little extra
·       113ml water
·       100g poppy seeds

Spiced Apples:

·       3 apples cored, peeled and cut into chunks
·       20g raisins
·       20g apricots cut into pieces
·       100g granulated sugar
·       30g water
·       A pinch of cinnamon

Equipment:
·       Chopping Board
·       Saucepan
·       Wooden Spoon
·       Measuring Jug
·       Teaspoon
·       Tablespoon
·       Timer
·       Baking sheet lined with silicone paper
·       Pastry Brush
·       Fork
·       Loaf tin lined with silicone paper
·       Knife

Apple Filling

1.Place all of the filling ingredients in a saucepan and cook until apples are cooked through and the mixture is slightly mushy.
2.Put aside in bowl to cool and place into the strudel pastry.

Strudel pastry

1.Sieve the flour into a bowl.
2.Add the egg, oil, water and butter and mix with your hands to form a dough.
3.Knead for 5 minutes until elastic.
4.Rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
5.Once rested, roll the pastry out on a floured surface until ½ inch thick.
6.Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/ 170c/325f
7.Stretch the dough by hand until it is as thin as paper.
8.Brush the pastry with a little melted butter

9.Cut the pastry into long oblongs. Spoon in the apple filling across a little of the pastry and roll into a cracker shape.
10.Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
11.Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes

What other flavours do you like in strudel?

Fat Friday #15 Apple Crumble Tartlets

Welcome to Friday and on Cupcakes, Cake and Passion its Fat Friday. The day were food rules the day. This week its an autumnal dinner party dessert which can be made a little in advance. The pastry is called pate brisee, which is a short crust French sweet pastry. You can put any fruit in the tartlets, use any fruit you would use in a crumble. I have to apologise for the lack of pictures. When I'm in the middle of pastry class, I do forget to take pictures. I'm going to try to remember, so my bad!

 

Recipe: Makes 4 (Recipe provided by my pastry tutor)

Pate Brisee:

·250g soft flour

·205g very cold butter

·5g salt

·55g ice cold water

Apple Mixture:
    ·3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

·125g blackberries

·2 tablespoons cinnamon

·50g sugar

Caramel:
    · 200g sugar
    ·25ml water
    ·100g double cream
    ·100g butter

Crumble mixture:

    ·300g flour
    ·200g butter
    ·100g sugar

Equipment:

· Bowl
· Saucepan
·Jug
·Wooden spoon
·Rolling pin
·Knife
· Chopping board
·4 small round tins
·Baking beans
·Baking sheet lined with silicon paper
·Cling film
·Fork

For the Pastry

1.Rub the flour, salt and butter together until just combined. If you over work the mix, the butter will mix too much.  
2.Add the iced water and bring the dough together.
3.Once the dough has been brought together wrap in a neat parcel and chill in the fridge while you make the other parts of the dish.
4.Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4/180c/350f
5.Cut the chilled dough into 4 pieces. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, until about 2 mm thick.
6.Line the metal cases with the dough and roughly chop any remaining edges. Prick the dough base lightly with a fork.
7. Place a little clingfilm into the dough cases and fill with baking beans.
8.Blind bake for 18 minutes or until completely cooked through.
9.Take the baking beans out of the tart and bake a little longer to dry the cases out.

Apple filling:

1.Peel, core and cut the apple into the chunks.
2.In a saucepan add the water, apple, sugar, blackberries and cinnamon and cook on a medium until the apples soften to a very soft consistency.
3.Put aside to cool.

Caramel:

1.Put the water and sugar in a pan, allow to boil until the colour changes from clear to a golden brown. Don’t be tempted to stir.
2. Once the colour has changed add the double cream and butter. Mix in.

Crumble topping:
1.Pre heat oven to Gas Mark 4/180c/350f .
2.Rub the flour, sugar and butter together.
3.Spread onto a lined baking sheet and bake for a 12 minutes.

To serve:

1.Place the baked tartlet on a plate.
2.Spoon a little of the caramel in the tartlet.
3.Then add the cooked apples and sprinkle a little of cooked crumble on top. Eat let there's no tomorrow.

Fat Friday #8 September Apple Cake

I think most people have recipes that they often go back to again and again. This one is a favourite autumnal recipe that I try and make whenever I have some cooking apples available. This apple cake is also great for on the go or even better when its heated and laced with custard. 

Erg...This is just sexy...

Recipe: Makes 1 large cake  (Recipe Adapted from Cooking Up a Storm by Sam Stern) 

·      75g unsalted butter, softened

·      175g golden caster sugar

·      2 large eggs

·      255g plain flour, sifted 

·      2 teaspoons baking powder

·      The zest from 1 lemon

·      675g/2 large cooking apples

·      1 tablespoon orange marmalade      

·      1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice

·      1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·      2 tablespoons whole milk

·      A little dusting of icing sugar to decorate

 Equipment:

·       1 large cake tin lined with baking paper

·       Electric mixer/hand-held electric whisk

·       Sieve

·       Peeler/Sharp knife

·       Knife

·       Tablespoon

·       Teaspoon

·       Grater

·       Wooden Spoon

 

1.  Pre heat the oven to 180c/350c/ Gas mark 4. Line the cake tin with the baking paper.

2. Peel, core and chop the apples into small chunks. 

3. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale, add the eggs and beat until all combined 

4. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into the creamed mixture and fold until combined.   

5. Gently fold in the chopped apples, marmalade and lemon zest. Pour the batter into the cake tin.

6. Bake for 1 hour and test to see if the cake is cooked by prodding the middle with a clean knife. If it comes out clean, its done.

7. Place on a wire rack until completely cool and then dust a little icing sugar on top.    

Do you have go to recipes? What's your favourite autumnal recipe?