Oven baked happiness

Gooey chocolate pots

Ingredients:

  • 115 g butter
  • 170g chocolate 70%+
  • 2 eggs,
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 115g sugar
  • 35g flour
  • 30g unsweetened cacao powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Methods:

  • Preheat the oven to 200C.
  • Cut chocolate into small pieces.
  • Melt the butter. When it’s not too hot stir in the chocolate and gently stir until fully melted but not yet separating.
  • Mix tha eggs and the egg yolk with sugar.
  • Add flour, cocoa powder and salt. Mix well.
  • When the chocolate mixture is not too hot (not to cook the eggs), stir it in until just combined but not overmixed.
  • Grease 4 ramekins and spoon the mixture into them.
  • Bake at 200C for 12min, until solid on top but gooey inside.

Serving suggestions: with raspberries and plain ice cream.

Note: To make white chocolate pots, simply skip the cacao powder. These gooey chocolate pots are amazing when reheated in the oven from frozen - after a short time the outside gets warm while the middle still retains an ice cream consistency.

Inspired by: www.splendidtable.org

Chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients:

  • 200g butter
  • 150g dark brown sugar
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 250g flour
  • half-teaspoon baking soda
  • 215g chocolate chips

Methods:

  • Heat 150g of the butter over medium-high heat until melted. Continue cooking, swirling the pan constantly until the butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma.
  • Transfer the browned butter into a large bowl, stir in the remaining 50g of butter into the hot butter until completely melted, let it cool to room temperature.
  • Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla extract to the butter and whisk until fully incorporated.
  • Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk until the mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let the mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat the process of resting and whisking 2 more times until the mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.
  • Whisk together the flour and baking soda, stir it into the batter until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  • Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  • Scoop the dough into balls, let them warm up to room temperature.
  • Preheat the oven to 190C.
  • Bake the cookies 1 tray at a time for about 8 minutes, rotating the tray at half time. They should look undercooked when removed from the oven, let them cool on a cold surface.

Inspired by: www.browneyedbaker.com

Aubergine chocolate cake (Gluten free, satisfying, rich, dense and moist cake.)

Ingredients:

  • 450g aubergines
  • 200g butter
  • 225g dark chocolate
  • 3 eggs
  • 200g sugar
  • 60-90g cacao powder
  • 150g ground almonds

Methods:

  • Pierce the aubergines with a fork and steam them until soft. Let them cool down.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C.
  • Melt the butter, gently mix in the chocolate until completely melted. Let the mixture cool down.
  • Blender pealed aubergines into a paste.
  • Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy.
  • Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs.
  • Gently fold the cocoa and ground almonds into the eggs.
  • Gently fold the aubergines into the eggs, don’t over mix.
  • Transfer into a greased cake tin and bake for about 45min. Refrigerate overnight.

Inspired by: greatbritishchefs.com

Rhubarb crumble (or whatever is in season - peaches, apples and blackberries, etc.)

Ingredients:

  • 400g rhubarb
  • 75g sugar
  • 3 tbsp port
  • 100g cold butter
  • 75g flour
  • 75g oats
  • 50g sugar
  • a bit of salt
  • almond flakes

Methods:

  • Preheat the oven to 200C.
  • Chop the rhubarb into pieces (not too small), mix with sugar and port (optional) directly in the baking dish.
  • With your hands mix flour, oats, sugar, salt and cubes of cold butter. Shape into clumps of random size and shape and scatter on top of the rhubarb.
  • Bake for 15 min, then scatter almond flakes on top and continue baking until the rhubarb is tender and the top is crisp and golden (about 30 min in total).

Serving suggestions: Sourness of rhubarb goes well with a scoop of plain ice cream.

Inspired by: jamieoliver.com

Carrot cake

Ingredients:

  • 260g carrots
  • 4 oranges
  • 100g walnuts
  • 230g dark muscovado sugar
  • 230g flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 3 eggs
  • 145g vegetable oil
  • 200g full-fat cream cheese
  • 50g icing sugar

Methods:

  • Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease an 18cm loose-bottomed round cake tin.
  • Grate the carrots, grate zest from 2 oranges, chop walnuts. Put these and muscovado sugar into a large bowl.
  • Separately mix flour, baking powder and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, or any subset of these).
  • Lightly beat the eggs, combine with oil.
  • Add flour mix to the carrot mix and stir until well combined. Add the egg mixture and stir until well combined.
  • Pour into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 35-60 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
  • Make candied orange peels: peel 2 oranges with vegetable peeler, cut the peels into thin stripes, add juice of 1 orange and a bit of muscovado sugar, simmer until caramelised.
  • Make the icing: handblender cream cheese with icing sugar and a bit of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Serving suggestions: Let the cake cool completely, put icing on top and decorate with candied orange peels. Or if you are in a rush, decorate the cake with candied orange peels as it comes out of the oven and serve the icing on the side.

Inspired by: deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Banana chocolate muffins (Vegan, great for hiking.)

Ingredients:

  • 280g flour
  • 60g oats
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 130g chocolate
  • 3 large very ripe bananas
  • 70g sunflower/canola oil
  • 170g sugar

Methods:

  • Preheat the oven to 190C. Line the muffin tin with paper liners.
  • Combine flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  • Chop the chocolate into small cubes.
  • Mash bananas with a fork (if they are too hard to do this easily, they won’t make good muffins).
  • Add sugar and oil, beat it well with a whisk.
  • Add flour mix, mix until just combined.
  • Stir in the chocolate.
  • Spoon into the muffin tin, making each cup about 3/4 full.
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the muffin tin for a couple of minutes, then remove them to cool completely without becoming soggy.

Note: For a vegan recipe use vegan chocolate, or substitute chocolate with a mix of dried cranberries and blanched almonds.

Inspired by: egglesscooking.com