Easy, Cheats Bake, Cinnamon Rolls

Sometimes being a grown up is hard. And baking like a grown up is even harder. There are those days where I am ready to just to give in because I don't want to be a grown up baker anymore.

But then you remember that you are an adult and get on with things. Do the short time, painful grown up responsibilities delegated to you, so you can be absolutely ridiculous and have cake for breakfast (or lunch or dinner). And even better have a cheats bake breakfast.. where you literally did the minimal amount of work for delicious results.

These Cinnamon Rolls aren't new, American's have been using Crescent Rolls in all sorts of cheats bakes for years, but they are a new one to me. All you need is a store bought pizza dough base and a handful of ingredients!

I genuinely think that this kind of bake was invented for those who like to eat their feelings and it makes them feel better. But be wise... they are full of calories so not for the super dieters. They need to be eaten in moderation I guess is what I am saying.

But you fine folk know that any way...

Cinnamon Roll Ups

1 pizza dough roll

125g butter melted

75g brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

225g icing sugar

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat your oven to 350F/180C/160C Fan or Gas Mark 4. Prepare a loaf pan with some parchment and leave to one side.

Combine, in a bowl. the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.

Unroll the pizza dough and evenly spread the butter mixture all over.

Rolling on the long side, roll the dough back up into a roll. Chop the dough into ten equal pieces and place them beside each other in the loaf pan. Don't worry about gaps, they will spread while baking.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the rolls have puffed up and they are golden brown on top. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the glaze.

Put the icing sugar, milk and syrup into a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Leave to one side until the cinnamon rolls are cooked. Once cooked, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then, serve warm spooning as much icing as you want over each roll.

Did I tell they were easy or what? Soft, cinnamon-ey and gooey goodness all on your plate for breakfast! You will fake being a baker in style!!

Olive Oil Cake- Gluten and Dairy Free

What a month it's been!

Can you believe school is back next week already.. I am not even prepared for that! But I am prepared for getting back into our aul' routine. And the kids not wanting to eat every hour of the day because they are bored, or it's rainy or they just plain don't know what to do with themselves.

I have pottered about this month. dipping in and out of social media, spending time with my babies and family and enjoying what's left of the summer. Though as I type this, Autumn is well on it's way and the blanket I have wrapped 'round my shoulders is doing it's best to keep the damp and cold at bay.

The cake I choose for this months edition of The Cake Slice Baker's almost resembles that feeling of the blanket. I adapted it to be gluten free and dairy free also as I am struggling with recipes for friends who are coming into allergies. While made with peaches in the book, I opted to leave them out. I am the only one in the house who likes peaches and to be honest, eating a whole cake by myself is not good for my health.

Apparently?

I know right!! Shocked me too!!

This Olive Oil Cake is a beautiful cake though. I photographed it early morning before anyone was up,  mug of coffee in hand nibbling on the crumbs as they fell off. Maybe I am biased but I was really in tune with the cake and the dawn chorus and I felt that next day charm worked had really worked it's magic on this cake.. once the crumb had settled it tasted so great.

Roger Pizey and his book World Class Cakes is just wonderful. I am really enjoying baking through with different skill levels catered for on every page. Although some of the timings have caused concern with some of the bakes, I think we all know our own ovens best and can alter as we see fit. It won't be long until the autumn will be here and our journey with Roger will come to an end!

Olive Oil Cake

adapted from pg 83 World Class Cakes

(regular recipe in brackets)

3 eggs
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
300g caster sugar
125ml olive oil
125ml almond milk (125ml whole milk)
128g gluten free flour (128g plain flour)
125g ground almond flour (128g self raising flour)

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F or Gas mark 4
Grease an 8 inch spring form, round pan.
Beat the eggs together with the sugar and the zest until well combined.
Sift the flour with the ground almonds, removing and coarse bits.
Alternating between the wet ingredients and dry, add these to the egg/sugar mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and bake in your preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool and then turn out onto a wire rack.

Before serving, sprinkle in icing sugar. Enjoy with your morning coffee or tea!

An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate Chip Banana Blondies

Oh wow May you are sneaking away! You guys, are you still there?!! I can't believe it's been so long since I actually baked for this blog... but I promise- it was something I could not help.

What a whirlwind time March and April have been. To be honest I have no idea where that time even went. I have been baking and baking and eeerr... baking some more and anyone following my Instagram will know that but no I am back here now ... like it's no big thang and I'm just gonna scooch back on up in here like I have never been away!!

But you know, as well as I know, that, that wouldn't be ok if I didn't come bearing some sort of  "hey-guys-remember-me?" cake! So I baked for you fine folks. My first in fun time baking, in a long, long while and I baked it with all of you in mind!

It's one of those early summer time treats that is so good at any time of the day. It has the muffin feel to the crumb, soft and moist, perfect for breakfast. Because ya'll know how much I like cake for breakfast. Lets just say it's a great tray bake cake, very pleasant on the palate and you can eat it whenever you feel you want to! There'll be no judgement round these parts!

I am so glad to be back baking for my little blog. While this time at school is crazy and my own Dolly is heading down the State Exams road, it's going to get busier before it levels off. And I cannot wait until it levels off.

Here's to the resumption of normal!

Chocolate Chip Banana Blondies 

125g soft butter
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
275g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 ripe bananas mashed
1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat your oven 180C/350F or Gas Mark 4.
Line a 9 inch square pan with some parchment.
Mash the bananas in a bowl.
Add the sugar and butter into bowl and mix with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add the eggs and mix. Whisk the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda together and add to the wet mix. Fold through.

Add the milk and the mashed bananas and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to your pan.

Bake in your preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden and crusted or a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clear.

Allow to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes, before removing to a wire rack to cool fully before slicing.

Lime and Pistachio Loaf

At the start of this year I decided to be more environmental, that meant,  for me, consuming less and making do with more. More of what I had in the pantry, finishing tubes and potions off to the end before replacing, bringing my travel coffee cup with me everywhere I go so I am not buying a new cup on the go. So far, with a few minor slip ups on the coffee cup front, I have been doing good.

I have helped myself notice how little I need to live with, what little 'stuff' I genuinely need. How content I am with being part of the everyday ebb and flow, taking life as it comes. That's not to say I am some kind of superwoman, converted to this new lifestyle but I feel a lot less anchored to 'stuff' these days. I am definitely learning to live without.

Soooo.. and I'm not going to lie to you, I didn't read the recipe properly on this one.. or did read it ages ago, decided  I was making it and totally flaked on the fact the original recipe calls for lemons too.

My bad.

Going to chalk that down to good old age, brain fuzz and maybe the million other things life throws at you at any given time. But I was going to make it regardless because I had everything else that I needed in the pantry and was content with doing without the lemons.

Lime and Pistachio Loaf- 

adapted from World Class cakes pg 75

3 large eggs
180g caster sugar
225g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
125ml vegetable oil (or 125g soft salted butter)
175g crushed pistachio nuts
zest and juice of two limes

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F or Gas Mark 4. Line or grease and flour a 2 lb loaf pan, or two 1 lb loaf pan. Ideally the 2 lb is better as the mixture doesn't quite make two high sliced 1 lb loaf. I divided it, but retrospectively should have just made one loaf.

Start by beating the eggs until they have doubled in volume and are thick and mousy looking.
Add the sugar, a bit at a time and continue to beat the eggs.

**If  using the butter, cream the butter and suagr together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time scraping down the bowl as you go.**

Add the flour and baking powder, followed by the oil (not required if using butter) and fold through, until one homogeneous mess.
Remove from the mixer and fold through 3/4 of the nuts, all the zest and juice.
Pour into your prepared pans and sprinkle the remaining nuts over the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes on a low shelf, until the center has cracked and a skewer inserted in the middles comes out clear. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, before removing to cool fully on a wire rack.

This tastes so much better the next day... if it lasts that long!

This cake was the perfect breakfast loaf. All my guys here loved it.. I am sure the lemon added another zesty flavour to the loaf but the mixture of salty and sweet was just divine! I will definitely make this one again as I was very happy with the results.

A soft fluffy cake, with a fresh zesty, salty bite! Ticks off everything in my books!

An InLinkz Link-up

Banana Bread and Cream Cheese Frosting

For all of you who are new here, let me just introduce to you what happens round this time every month (and also do a little happy dance and extend the warmest of wishes and hellos that you are even here in the first place!). The Cake Slice Bakers are a group of bake loving maestros who choose a book and bake cakes from said book.  

This month is no exception... March has just flown by and in a frenzy of wedding cakes and birthday cakes and all other bakes, the choice for this month had to be simple! World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey is just  a wonderful book to bake from with different skill levels catered for on every page. While I thoroughly enjoy the idea of challenging myself, March was not the month for that. 

Thus the humble, yet spectacular Banana Bread was baked. I made two minor adjustments to the recipe, one because I didn't have the ingredients to hand and two because I seriously love the Cream Cheese Frosting from the book and thought it'd make a fab pairing with this recipe. Even with my adjustments the bake was a huge success. One taster remarking it was 'the best thing ever' and 'are you going to finish your piece, or will I?' (after his third piece)!!!

Needless to say, there is no excuse for not using up your ripe bananas in what is the easiest bake ever and then enjoying said bake with a big vat of tea, throwing your feet up on the sofa and regaling in your baking prowess.  

Banana Bread- 

adapted from World Class Cakes pg 65

125g soft butter
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
225g self raising flour
50g ground almond
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
125ml butter milk
2 ripe bananas mashed

Preheat your oven 180C/350F or Gas Mark 4.
Line a 9 inch square pan with some parchment.
Mash the bananas in a bowl.
Add the sugar and butter into bowl and mix with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add the eggs and mix. Whisk the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda together and add to the wet mix. Fold through.

Add the milk and the mashed bananas and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to your pan.

Bake in your preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden and crusted or a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clear.

Allow to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes, before removing to a wire rack to cool fully before slicing.

Cream Cheese Frosting 

260g icing sugar

80g unsalted butter, softened

40g cream cheese

Beat together the butter and cream cheese. On a low speed add in the icing sugar, a small bit at a time. 

Mix on medium speed until it comes together. (You could add a little milk if you’ve reached a too stiff consistency.) Keep on mixing until soft and fluffy.

Once the banana bread has cooled, cut them up and swirl on the cream cheese frosting in a zig-zag pattern over each bar.  

I used an 8 inch tin when I made my banana bread bars.. and had enough for four cupcakes also.

I baked up the cupcakes as you normally would, rough chopped 5-6 stalks of rhubarb and stewed it for a few minutes until soft and gooey in 4 tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla.

Once the cupcakes had baked and cooled, the rhubarb had cooled and I had opened a carton of store bought custard.. I layered the different components together in recycled yogurt jars. I had enough cupcake crumbs from one cupcake to use in one jar. Seriously easy way of using in season ingredients and making something so much more entertaining!

Need more baking inspo?? Seriously.. you couldn't get any better than the guys and dolls of The Cake Slice Bakers!

An InLinkz Link-up

Banana, Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pancake Stack

Disclaimer: Sponsored Post 

Aldi very kindly provided me with the ingredients to bring this post together.

All comments are completely my own.

American style pancakes are my favourite. Don't get me wrong, those thin, French Crepe style pancakes have their place, but sit a stack of fluffy, thick, almost spongy American pancakes in front on me and you can call me your girl!

So often eaten with crispy bacon and dripping in maple syrup of pancake syrup, these pancakes are to die for. Today I have put a spin on the traditional and turned breakfast into a dessert. Toady with the help of Aldi,  and their advocacy programme, I am going to show you how I use Aldi products in everyday ways. Regulars round these parts will know Aldi feature heavily in my baking on a budget theme and today is no different. 

An easy peasy recipe that uses up a ripe banana and maybe gets you one of your five a day (or at least pretends you are anyway) these pancakes are the perfect excuse to blow out this Pancake Tuesday!!

Fluffy buttermilk pancakes, slathered in hot chocolate fudge sauce, drippy peanut butter and a whirl of cream for good measure, they sure won't disappoint! The recipe for the pancakes is so simple to follow and once made you can dress them up or down how you like. There are no right or wrongs here.. sprinkle a few blueberries onto the uncooked side right after you've poured the batter onto the pan. Keep them plain and enjoy with some Greek Yoghurt and Maple Syrup or toss on a few chocolate chips in the same way you do the blueberries.

The possibilities are endless. 

Banana Pancakes

225g plain flour
1 tbs baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp caster sugar
2 large eggs, free range, beaten
1 ripe, mashed banana (you can omit the banana and just have buttermilk pancakes)
30g salted butter, melted
300ml buttermilk

Cooking spray/ oil/ butter for frying.

There is no easier way to make these then to put every single ingredient into a bowl and either mix together using an electric hand mixer or by hand. Continue mixing the batter together until it is thick and pour-able, you may need to add a tad more milk.

Transfer the batter from the bowl to a jug, for ease of pouring onto the pan. Leave to stand for 20 minutes.

Warm the pan on the hob and spray with cooking spray or brush lightly with butter/oil. Over a medium heat (turn heat down if pancakes start burning) pour about 60ml of batter onto the pan. Once the up turned side of the pancake starts popping bubbles and looks like it's lost the wet batter look, about 1 minutes, it's time to flip over and cook that other side.

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

200g dark chocolate
100ml double cream

Break the chocolate up and pop into a heat proof bowl. Put the cream into a pot and heat until just before the boil, small bubbles bursting in the top. Once the cream is heated, pour it in over the chocolate and cover the bowl with a plate. Allow the cream to melt the chocolate. Once melted stir the whole thing together and leave to stand to thicken up.

Putting it altogether

Heat the peanut butter in the microwave for a couple of seconds to make it runny. Layer the pancakes, sandwiching each layer with some chocolate sauce and peanut butter.  Repeat until you have exhausted all the pancakes.. top with whatever topping you have left over, garnish with some fresh whipped cream and sprinkle on some peanuts and chocolate chips.

Enjoy!

Tell me how you are having your pancakes? I love to hear how others enjoy their food...

American Dream Waffle Cake

There is a cafe in Dublin that I liked to go to when I was studying in Trinity. It's a small place that serves sweet and savoury crepes and waffles, with decent prices and good coffee. I have no idea what anything else tasted like in this place because all I ever ordered was this sweet waffle, with cinnamon butter, pecans, maple syrup and lashings of fresh cream. 

To be honest I am really not bothered by what anything else tastes like there either because I won't order it, and you can't make me. I am ordering an American Dream. Every. Time. You have a lot of offer Lemon Crepe and Coffee Co. .. I just won't ever know.. and I am perfectly OK with that decision.

Seeing as I live so far from Dublin, this waffle is my when-I-go-to-Dublin breakfast. But it also served as the basis for this cake, which became birthday cake for a friend of mine over the weekend. 

I am assuming it's not good for you. It felt like my arteries were closing as I baked it but damn it was good. The cake is really soft and the pecans studded throughout add a welcomed textured layer. 

The maple syrup buttercream is just to die for because everything should have maple syrup in it... I am thinking real life, Canadian maple syrup comes with addiction health warnings on the jars. I only have access to pretend maple syrup, so I can only imagine what the real stuff would do to me!! and then, we have the cinnamon butter fried waffles... awh jeeze you guys.. the best. 

Now... BIG DISCLAIMER... they are store bought and obviously not as good as homemade waffles, or a patch on the real deal from Lemon but this cake had a lot of layers to it and if you can cut a sneaky corner once or twice, why wouldn't you!?

Brown Sugar, Pecan Cake Batter

225g soft butter
225g soft brown sugar
275g self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
2 large free range eggs
100g toasted, chopped pecans
225ml buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F or Gas Mark 4.
Line and spray with cake release, three 6 inch round cake tins or two 8 inch cake tins. (Mine pictured is with three 6 inch cake layers)
Cream your butter and sugar until light and fluffy. About 5-7 minutes with an electric mixer.

Dry whisk the flours and baking powder together.
Add the eggs into the butter/sugar mix, one at a time and mix until the yolk has disappeared. Repeat for the other egg.
Add half the flour to the mixture, then the milk and then the rest of the flour. Be careful not to over mix as you want it to stay nice and light and fluffy!

Fold in the pecans and mix until fully dispersed throughout

.
Divide the mixture between three tins and pop into a pre-heated oven for 25-35 minutes or until golden on top and your cake tester comes out clear. 

Pop onto a wire rack and allow cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the tin and allow to cool fully before frosting. 

Cinnamon Butter Fried Waffles

as many waffles as you want to adorn your cake. I used 6. (Fine.... 5 I used 5 on the cake because I ate one waffle, warm off the pan!)
100g soft butter
60g soft brown sugar
1-2 tsps cinnamon

Add everything, except the waffles to a frying pan over a low heat and allow it all to melt and fuse together.
Pop the waffles on top of the melty goodness and turn the heat up to fry off both sides of the waffle. Careful not to burn it!

Pop out onto a plate and allow to cool, go crunchy and taste of absolute deliciousness. Let them stand until you need them.

Maple Syrup Buttercream 

225g soft, room temperature, unsalted butter
500g sifted icing sugar
as much maple syrup as you want

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high until it is very soft and pale. (TIP: pop the butter in the microwave for a few seconds until very soft but not melted)
Add in the icing sugar a few cups at a time. If the buttercream is very thick, add a tablespoon of cream or milk in until the desired texture has been reached. 
Add the male syrup and  just keep mixing until light and fluffy. The faster and longer you mix this, the lighter and fluffier it will be.

Lick the beaters and be proud of yourself. We are nearly there. 

Putting it all together...

Once the cake layers have cooled add the first layer, top side down. The underneath part is flattest. Fill the top with layer of buttercream. Add the next cake layer, again top side down and fill in any gaps on the sides and smooth out your buttercream, repeat with the next layer.

Pop the cake in the fridge or freezer for a few moments, to harden the buttercream and make the cake more stable to work with.

Remove the cake from the fridge and add the buttercream to the top and sides and smooth out. I have left this semi-naked because a) I'm a lazy article and b) that's how I like cakes to look these days. I ran my spatula around the edge of the cake to make the little rudges and just kept going to the top. 

Very slowly, start pouring the maple syrup at the edge of the cake to create the drips, then fill in the middle for the top coating. It will go EVERYWHERE so be careful and don't be so heavy handed. 

Add your decorations if you haven't eaten them all and store in a cool dry place, like a large cake tin. 

You can keep this in the fridge but I hate cold buttercream so I think it's best eaten with a couple days of making. 

American Dream Waffle Cake... I love you. And it totally counts as breakfast cake also so don't even be thinking you have to wait until after eating a salad or something to have a slice... Get in!!

Have a great week folks!

Carrot and Walnut Loaf

Sometimes it's the simple things, right? The things that keep you going. The things that make you step back and take a breath and just be. I needed this bake as much as I needed a break, a breather, a catch up this weekend. 

One word. Chocolate.

The chocolate was everywhere. It still is everywhere. Now don't get me wrong, I am a massive fan of chocolate but... Ugh... The kids get so many Easter eggs, you can't get away from them. 

So this loaf came out of some sort of sugar coma guilt complex.

It's an easy one-bowl-great-for-breakfast-loaf. It's filled with brown flour, ground almonds and walnuts. Packed with orange, juicy carrots, a hint of spice and a little bit of brown sugar. It's probably the healthiest thing I bake and it's soooo good.

I love it toasted, smooshed with some real butter and a hot coffee. It's the simplest thing in the world to make. You can't mess this up and it's a real deal cake for breakfast notion. 

Carrot and Walnut Loaf

50g self-raising flour

250g brown flour

75g ground almonds

1tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

150g soft brown sugar

250ml vegetable oil

100ml buttermilk

4 large free range eggs

2 medium sized, grated carrots

100g chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F or Gas 4. Line a loaf tin with some parchment.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, cinnamon, and baking powder and then add the sugar. Stir in the almonds. Add the oil and eggs, mix until blended, then stir in the carrots and nuts. Pour the mix into your prepared tins.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in your preheated oven. Check for done-ness before removing from the oven, a skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean. Allow the loaf to cool in the tin before removing it. 

It doesn't make me feel bad about eating it and it's definitely not chocolate. This cake is super moist, packed with good flavour! Try it toasted, you won't regret it!

A treat I think the Easter bunny would approve of I think!