Desserts

Rhubarb Pudding Cake

This is one of my all-time favourite puddings!  I’ve tried it with other fruit but it doesn’t work nearly as well.  As the season is relatively short you really have to make the most of it – consequently, below is probably more for two than one – but you will be really happy tomorrow when you have another portion to eat!

  • 4 dessertspoons plain flour                    1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 dessertspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 lb rhubarb, chopped
  • Sauce:  40 grams butter    2 tablespoons sugar    1 small egg

Preheat the oven to 200oC. Mix the flour and the  baking powder in a small ovenproof dish.  Add egg and milk and oil and mix together to a batter.  Place the rhubarb on top and put into the oven for 15 minutes.  Melt the butter and sugar together for the sauce, switch off heat  and add beaten egg -DON’T SCRAMBLE!  Pour on top of cake and put back in oven for another 15 minutes.

One of my favourite puddings at the moment is affogato – very simply, it’s a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cup with a small espresso coffee poured over – and eaten immediately!  If you haven’t got an espresso machine just make a (very) small cup (even a large eggcup will do) of strong coffee.  And even better add a little tia maria to the coffee before you pour.  Be good to yourself!

Microwave syrup sponge

  • 50g Margarine
  • 50g Granulated Sugar
  • 50g SR Flour
  • 1 Egg
  • 2tbsp Milk
  • 1 – 2 tbsp Jam or Syrup
  • Flavours: 1tsp Ginger, 1tbsp Coconut, 1tbsp cocoa (alternatives)

Put the syrup (or jam if you prefer) in the bottom of a small glass bowl. Beat the margarine with the sugar, add the egg and fold in the flour (if you want to add any other flavourings do it now).  Add the milk (it will seem quite sloppy but that’s ok) Spoon on top of the syrup and microwave for 4 – 5 minutes. THE SYRUP WILL BE MEGA HOT so leave it for a moment or two before turning out.

Chocolate Mousse (this will give you more than one portion but it’s impossible to half an egg! It will keep till tomorrow – and you’re worth it!)

  • 100 grams dark chocolate
  • 1/4 pint single cream (if you’ve only got double use half cream and half milk
  • 1 egg yolk (put the white in a carton in the freezer – when you have enough you can make meringues or coconut pyramids)

Break up the chocolate into a bowl.  Put the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil for few seconds. Pour over the chocolate and stir till blended.  Beat in the yolk and pour into a small dish.  Put in the fridge to set and serve with some more grated chocolate and cream!

Chocolate Orange Mug Cake

Did you know you can cook individual cakes in a mug in the microwave?  Try this one as an indulgence for Sunday!  And its all in spoonful measurements so you don’t even have to get the scales out!  You will need a 1/2 pint mug.

  • 1 small egg
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 2 tablespoons marmalade
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground almonds
  • 1 tablespoon castor sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 12 teaspoons baking powder
  • 10 grams dark chocolate

Put the egg, oil, milk, zest and marmalade in the mug and whisk with a fork till fully combined.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir thoroughly. Microwave uncovered on full power for 1.5 minutes and leave to stand for 2 minutes.Serve with a dollop of whipped cream!

Bread and Butter Pudding

The beauty of this dish is that you can really mess around with the ingredients and use what’s to hand.  You can use fresh or stale bread, brioche or leftover pannetone from Christmas.  I also like to spread the bread with apricot jam or marmalade.  You can use whatever dried fruit you like, too – raisins, sultanas, dried apricots.

  • 2 -3 slice bread depending on size
  • butter – just spread the butter as you would a sandwich, putting jam or marmalade on if wanted
  • 1 oz/25 grams dried fruit
  • 100 mls of milk ( you can use some cream if you have any left over from the chicken sauce – or keep it to pour over at the end!)
  • 1 egg
  • 1oz/25 grams of sugar – I like dark brown sugar best but it’s up to what you have
  • Pinch of cinnamon/nutmeg or mixed spice

Cut the buttered bread into triangles and put in an overnproof dish. Add dried fruit, interlacing the layers. Warm the milk, add the egg and sugar and mixed spice if liked and pour over. Leave to stand for about 20 minutes. Grate some nutmeg or sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Now stand the dish in another dish of water coming up to about halfway of the pudding dish – this is a bain marie and gives a much gentler way of cooking. Put into the oven about the same time as you put the chicken back into the oven with the sauce ie it needs to be baked for about 20 – 30 minutes. It can be on a lower shelf. NB it may collapse at the end of cooking but will still taste delicious!

Cranachan – a delicous mix of raspberries, cream, whisky, honey and toasted oats.  What’s not to like?

  • 50 grams porridge oats
  • small pot of double cream
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons honey to taste
  • 2 tablespspoons whisky (I personally hate whisky but somehow can take it here!)
  • raspberries – fresh or frozen

Heat a heavy based frying pan up and toast the oats until nutty and pale brown (I sometimes add a little demerara sugar so they caramelize but you do have to keep moving them around!). Put to one side to cool. Whip the cream till soft peaks and fold in the honey and whisky. Layer up the cream, rapsberries and oats and eat immediately whilst the oats are still crunchy!

Simple Puddings

  • Spoon some greek yogurt into a small dish.Cover either with brown sugar or demerara sugar.
  • Put in fridge for several hours.
  • Serve on its own or with poached fruit.

Crush some biscuits and put into small dish  Beat some cream cheese, icing sugar and lemon juice to taste Put ontop of biscuits and leave in fridge to set

  • Put some berries (fresh or frozen) into a small dish
  • Make up half a jelly with ½ pint water (or leftover wine)
  • Pour on top and leave to set.

Take some tinned or rice pudding and fold in an egg yolk. Put into oven proof dishMake a meringue (whipped egg white with 2 oz sugar) and put on top. Bake in oven 180oC for about 10 mins till brown

  • Break up some bought meringues and fold into whipped cream and berries

Make a crumble mix – 2 oz butter rubbed into 4 oz plain flour. Add 2 oz sugar (also oats or nuts if you want some texture)  Spread onto a baking tray and bake 180o for about 10 – 15 mins until golden.  Allow to cool then break up and put in an airtight jar till wanted. Poach any kind of fruit in a saucepan or microwave and top with as little or much of the crumble mix as you want.