Scrummy Wednesdays: Zucchini (courgette) Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

I KNOW it sounds super weird and disgusting, but I am telling you that could not be further from the truth. I made some last night and I've already eaten 3 today... My love for these bad boys began on my recent trip to LA where I had them sans cream cheese in the sorority house I was staying at and as much as I loved them I knew they could be improved (because cheese improves EVERYTHING). In addition to this, I'm trying out a gluten free diet at the moment and these are great for that! Plus people are always surprised that they're so yummy as they sound so unusual. Sooo here is my recipe for zucchini (the yanks term for courgettes) muffins with cream cheese frosting - perfect for desert or breakfast in my opinion :D This recipe makes 12 American size giant muffins or about 24 normal cupcake sized muffins.

You'll need this stuff for the muffins:
3 courgettes (which is about 330g)
75g melted unsalted butter
150g sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking soda (I used gluten free)
Pinch salt
350g plain flour (I used gluten free)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
(You can also add 100g raisins or cranberries if you like, but I prefer them without)

And this stuff for the frosting:
60g unsalted butter (soft/at room temp)
115g cream cheese
450g Icing Sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


1. So first preheat the oven to 175C (350F) and then grate the courgettes on the small side of the grater, it can take a while...
2. Then in a bowl, combine the sugar, beaten eggs and vanilla. Stir in the grated courgette and the melted butter. I know it looks weird and bright green at this point but have faith!
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon and then slowly stir it into the courgette mixture. (At this point stir in the cranberries or raisins if you're using them)
4. Brush a tiny bit of melted butter or veg oil onto each muffin case (because they still reeeeeally easily) and then distribute the muffin mix into the cases - it's super helpful to use a little ice cream scoop here because then they're all the same size; something I learnt from the lovely Ina Garten :D
5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until they have just a little bit of colour, but not too dark and let them cool.
6. For the frosting, in a bowl mix together the butter and cream cheese (you can use an electric mixer if you like but it works without). Add the vanilla and then slowly add the icing sugar, stirring all the time so that it gets to just the right soft texture. And there ya go!
7. I like to dollop a bit on each muffin, nothing too fancy and voila.

Scrummy Monday: Gnocci with Tomatoes, Chilli and Rocket!

Just thought I would share my seriously YUM gnocchi masterpiece I made last week because I'm nice like that. It's super easy and fast, perfect for week night when nobody can be arsed to cook.

You'll need:
Fresh Gnocchi (you can use the dried stuff but I think fresh tastes better and it's cooks in like 3 minutes)
A bit of butter
Garlic
Plum tomatoes (chopped into quarters)
Chopped tinned tomatoes
Chili (I used Lazy Chili because I'm lazy but you can chop up whole chili if ya like it reeeeally spicy!)
Loooots of basil (chopped but not too finely)
S&P
Packet of Rocket
Parmesan

1. Pop the gnocchi in boiling water with a dash of salt and olive oil and cook for about 3-4 minutes (check on the packet to make sure though)
2. In another pan, fry some garlic for about a minute and add in the plum tomatoes and fry for another minute.

3. Then add in the tinned tomatoes and the chili and cook for about 2-3 minutes until they're heated through. Meanwhile, drain the gnocchi.

4. Add the basil to the sauce at the last minute, along with a dash of salt and pepper (to your taste) and stick the gnocchi in with the sauce off the heat.

And there ya go. I like to serve mine with a heap of rocket on top and grated Parmesan, as per below picture. Um yum :D

Scrummy Sunday: Red Velvet Cupcakes!

So I had a fairly busy weekend entertaining my old housemate from university who I haven't seen in aaaaages! We did lots of touristy things as is required when people visit London and one of my favourite things to take people to is the food court in Harrods! My visitor this weekend, like me, fully appreciates marvellous food in all it's glory and we had such a lovely time yesterday! My favourite purchase there was one of their mini red velvet cupcakes and I cannot begin to explain how amazing it was. Here is me about to eat it in one bite:

They're so cute and tiny! I especially love red velvet because they're not too sweet because of the cream cheese frosting and they always look so fancy with the red sponge! The recipe I use to make them myself is from one of the Hummingbird Bakery cookbooks (if you haven't been to a Hummingbird Bakery yet then I suggest you find one immediately! There's 5 in various places in London. If you don't live in London, I apologise for your misfortune, but you can buy the book and make the cakes yourself! You may buy them here!) This recipe is literally heaven in cake form. To start, preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F and you'll need a 12-hold cake tray and some pretty cake cases (here is where I buy a lot of mine. I actually really like the silicone ones because you can use them again but there's lots of cute themed ones too :)

1. Put 60g of butter and 150g of caster sugar in an electric mixer (or use a handheld whisk OR use a good old fashioned wooden spoon and get those guns out!) and whisk together until light and fluffy. Turn the whisks up to a higher speed or move your arm faster, slowly add one egg and beat until everything is mixed well.

2. In another bowl mix together 10g of cocoa powder, 20ml red food colouring and ½ tsp of vanilla extract to make a thick paste. Add it to the butter mixture and mix well until it's all red. Turn the whisk down to a slow speed and slowly pour in 60ml of buttermilk. Then add 75g of plain flour and mix well. Repeat this again, adding 60ml of buttermilk and another 75g of plain flour, mixing well until it's all yummy and velvety!

3. Finally add ½ tsp of salt, ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda and 1½ tsp of white wine vinegar (I know it's weird but have faith). Then turn up the speed again and mix for a few more minutes.

4. Spoon the mixture into the cake cases (I actually like to use a little ice cream scoop because then the cakes are all the same size and shape!) Make sure the cases are about two thirds full. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the sponge is all bouncy. Then leave them to cool on a cooling rack.

5. For the cream cheese frosting, beat 300g of icing sugar and 50g of unsalted butter, with a whisk or by hand. Add 125g of cold cream cheese and mix well until is it light and fluffy which normally takes about 5 minutes. Don't over mix it because it will become too liquidy. When the cakes are cold you can spoon some frosting on top or use a piping bag to make them look all pretty. Edible glitter or red sugar sprinkles looks nice too (here's where I get my edible glitter! FYI put it just before serving the cupcakes because it melts really quickly and goes into the icing!)

Happy Baking!

Scrummy Sundays: Rice Puddings!

Sunday is by far my favourite day of the week, especially when I'm at home in the countryside. Nothing is open (in the country anyway) so you don't feel guilty for staying in all day and, particularly in the winter, it's a perfect excuse to make something yummy and curl up with the pup in front of the fire. And today's yummy treat came in the form of rice pudding! Not the old school food kind but my kind - creamy and delish. I have 5 people in my family and conveniently we all like ours differently so here's how I make mine three different ways: Plain, with jam and (my personal favourite obviously) with raisins and RUM!

1. If you're making with raisins and run soak 80g raisins in 2 tablespoons of dark for about 20 mins.
2. Boil 100g of white basmati rice and half a teaspoon of salt in about 350 ml of water for about 8 or 9 mins.
3. Stir in 100g of granulated sugar, 500ml of milk and 200ml of single (or double if you're feeling fancy!) to the rice. I know it seems like A LOT of liquid but it'll boil down. Simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring often.
4. When the liquid is almost gone and the rice is super soft, stir in 1 beaten egg and cook for another minute.
5. Take the pan of the heat and add 1 and a half teaspoons of vanilla extract.

You can serve it plain like that (how my dad likes it, with a pinch of cinnamon)...












Or school dinner style with a spoon of strawberry (my brothers' personal preference) jam...

Or you can serve it the way my mother and I (and all other women I've asked) prefer it. After leaving the raisins to soak, pour them in the pudding with any left over rum and heat for another 2 minutes. Perfect for a winter eve :)