Apricot and Coconut Cake in Cake Pop Maker

Last week I took the kids to see the grand parents rather than do the usual cooking thing, this was due to them being 'missing' for the last 6 weeks visiting my brother in Australia. This week our cooking experience has occurred on Thursday as I had to work on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

I have tried to be daring again this week, by not even starting with an egg free recipe, rather a lovely cake recipe off the BBC website (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10243/apricot-and-coconut-cake). Very brave after trying my own, adapted, egg free Blueberry (or strawberry) crumb cake in the pop cake maker (tasted ok but were a bit flat)! On starting this recipe I was hoping that the apricot would act as a structure to hold up the pop cakes (as the strawberries did when I modified the Blueberry crumb cake to be strawberry crumb cake!). This turned out to be the case, the cakes were very airy but kept their shape. However this trial was more error to start with! My little boy enjoyed the final product but the in the first batch some cakes tasted kind of fizzy (see the second point under notes for more info).

Ingredients

• 200g fresh apricots chopped small (this worked as 4 stoned apricots, which I then sliced one way & the other)
• 275g self raising flour
• 75g desiccated coconut
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 225g caster sugar
• 125g softened butter
• 100g soft margarine
• 1 & a half bananas (mashed) (substitute for 2 of the 4 eggs required for recipe)
• I used milk, but guessed-emated based on recovering mix (see second point in notes) - I would say get half a cup and slowly add until the consistency seems right (a whole cup is too much - see my notes from 19th August!)

Method

• Measure all dry ingredients into large bowl (dry)
• Mix the margarine and butter, then add the puree (wet)
• Add the dry & wet ingredients together
• Beat well for 2 min
• Add to pop cake maker (or look in notes for how to cook in oven)
• Leave to cool on wire rack

Notes 

• I have modified this recipe in two main ways, first is obvious - I removed the four eggs, the second is I added butter with the margarine as most agree that butter gives a better taste to baking than margarine does. 
• The first time I tried this I substituted 2 of the 4 eggs with a baking powder & vinegar mix that I added last. It made some of the cakes taste almost fizzy (not sure if it was because I mixed them together first & the mix was then absorbed by the apricots, or due to too much baking powder & soda in the mix). To 'repair' the mix for second cooking I picked out all the fresh apricots, added in dry, as I had run out of fresh, added more flour, coconut & some milk. They turned out MUCH nicer! 
• If using the oven preheat to 160C/ 325F (Gas mark 3), pour mix into a 2 litre loaf tin that has been well greased. Bake for 1 & 1/2 hours or until skewer comes out of cake clean. 
• Leave to cool in tin for 10min and turn out 

19/08/13

Below is our third attempt, I added too much milk so added more flour to balance it out. Ended up making a batch of pop cakes on the first day, refrigerating the mix for a couple of days & then cooking in the oven. This took about 1hour 15 mins at 165 C. This was very yummy, more moist than the cake pops, but also more banana tasty. Think if doing it this way need to wizz the banana rather than just mash it. Might try some proper fruit purée next time....

The cake straight out of the oven, it was very yummy!

Chocolate Brownie Cake pops

Well the choice was made, and baking we did this Monday. We ended up with no time for baking over the weekend. The choice of recipes was left to other half, who really fancied the brownie recipe, although i planned to modify it a little and add choc chips to keep the little tyke happy! This recipe has been half(ish) cooked, the rest is in the fridge for another day.

So far the mix has made 24 balls.

Update: the mix makes 38 balls in total. I left some mix in the fridge over night, then took it out, let it get to room temp & cooked for 5 mins as mix seemed stiffer. This made them nicer (my opinion, other half thought both were good). Let me know which you perfer! 

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup self rising flour 
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup castor sugar 
• 100g melted butter 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 2 tablespoons cocoa 
• 1 medium banana mashed 
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds 
• 1/4 cup choc chips 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Method

• In a big bowl, Combine flour, oat, sugar and cocoa in a mixing bowl. 
• In another bowl, whisk together butter, milk, banana and vanilla extract 
• Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stir. 
• Fold in chopped almonds & choc chips  
• Add to pre heated pop cake maker 
• Cook for 4mins. 
• Cool on a wire rack 
• These are soft on leaving the pop cake maker, use a plastic spoon to get them out & preserve their shape until they have cooled, when they get cool they get a crispy shell.

The mix

The mix in pop cake maker

First batch out, success!

Banana cake (in Pop Cake Maker)

Well I was going to make this as a proper cake that can be cut up, however it looks like the pop cake idea is popular with my other half as well as my little one, so once again the pop cake maker was put into action. Once again I enrolled my 2 year old to help with the mixing & mashing!

This recipe made 21 balls.

Ingredients

• 1 & a half medium bananas
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g butter
• 45g light muscovado sugar
• 45g dark brown soft sugar
• 1 tbs ground flaxseed
• 3 tbs water
• 125g self raising flour (I used 50/50 plain & wholemeal)
• Small bag chopped walnuts (optional)

Method

• Mix together the flaxseed & water until the mix goes gelatinous.
• Mash together the banana, flaxseed mix & vanilla extract
• Cream together the butter & sugar
• Add the banana mix & walnuts
• Slowly add the flour. (The mix should be firm - as the picture)
• Add to cake pop maker, fill over the edge by a little bit
• Cook for just under 5 mins 

Notes

The mix just before it went
into the pop cake maker

With the first batch I didn't fill the maker properly, and I didn't cook quite long enough (4 mins) so they were a bit pale & misshapen (oh and raw inside!).

The final 9 balls that I slightly over cooked

The second batch I slightly over cooked (5 mins 30), as you can see.

My little man didn't like the bigger pieces of walnut from my rough chopping of the walnut halves that I bought, so the second batch involved me breaking the pieces up some more with a fork in the mix! It turns out not enough - he still wasn't happy with "the bits" and in fact I noticed after that his arms were red...walnut allergy?? Next time I will split the mix so he can have some walnut free ones.

These were again chrispy on outside but lovely on inside. As I say think I over cooked them the second time. However they did taste lovely.

Choc Chip scones (in Pop Cake Maker)

These have been very popular in our house (a bit too much for our 2yr old who spent the days I made them asking for "one more ball mummy"). The recipe is a sweet mix, as opposed to the savoury one used for the cheese scones I made last week. This mix makes 48, so based on last week's going soft I kept the mix in the fridge and made them as needed over a few days so they always tasted fresh (don't leave the mix in fridge for longer than 3 days). They are chrispy outside, lovely & moist inside. I am now wondering if I can freeze the mix, but will have to hold off on that as it is full of puréed food at the moment for the youngest!

You can see I over filled on my first batch, which was ok as the over spill was biscuity. Nice to pick at!

Ingredients

• 1lb plain flour
• 3oz butter
• 2 heaped tsp baking powder
• Between 1/4 - 1/2 pint of milk
• 2oz caster sugar
• Packet of choc chips

Method

• Mix together baking powder, flour & sugar
• Rub in the butter so it resembles bread crumbs
• Mix in the choc chips
• Make a well in the middle and add the first 1/4 pint of milk. Stir in.
• Gradually add the rest of milk until the mixture is sticky.
• Make sure pop cake maker up to temp & sprayed with oil.
• Add in mix so just over brim.
• Cook for 4 to 5 mins.

The final product, get them quick!

Cooking Cheese Scones (in Pop Cake Maker)

Recently my mum got my son (2 and a half) a pop cake maker (from Gourmet Gadgetry) for Easter, as he is a real fan of baking, which we do once a week. I have been scouting around for egg free recipes for him to try (he was diagnosed allergic at 1). This one, http://britishfood.about.com/od/adrecipes/r/Cheese-Scones-Recipe.htm,  was one I had used before to make scones, but they were a bit hit and miss on rising as I let my lo cut the scones. The recipe was simple enough for me to follow with a 2 year old jumping up and down asking to do it all himself! In fact, this time I let him do a lot more of the mixing & pouring after I did the measuring out than last time. It was good, as I didn't have to worry about the rolling out and cutting bit which caused my last batch to rise unevenly but I also knew it was tasty!

This recipe created 30 scone balls, I have replicated it here. This went very well, normally he will help do the baking but only helps with the eating if it involves chocolate! These he wolfed down, although he only really liked them the first day.

Ingredients

• 225g self raising flour
• 55g stick cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 level tsp baking powder
• 1 cup grated cheese (make sure it has a good strong flavour - mild leaves them a bit too 'tasteless')
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 150 ml milk (you might not need all of this)

Steps

1. Add together all the dry ingredients (flour, mustard, baking powder)
2. Rub in the butter (I let my little one do this, telling him to tickle the butter into the flour)
3. Mix in the cheese
4. Make a well in the middle
5. Stir in the milk making sure mixture doesn't get too wet
6. When pop cake maker has reached temp use two teaspoons to fill in the holes, I used just enough to come over the bottom hole (leaving room for them to rise) - about a teaspoon and a bit
7. Leave for 5 mins
8. Put on wire rack to cool
9. Done!

These are lovely on the day, but will go a bit soft if left for a day before eaten (if they last that long)!

I am wondering whether to try and fridge/ freeze half the mixture before cooking so we can have them fresh through the week.