Undercover Veggies: It's Bake Off Time
Hurrah! It is almost time for one of the highlights of the television year; The Great British Bake Off is back!! It is also time to admit one secret:I LOVE to cook but I am NOT a baker. Before this blog post, I had to go to the shop and buy flour, baking tins... the whole shebang. I didn't even own a mixing bowl.
When watching the contestants produce their impressive creations, I become increasingly aware of my lack of baking prowess. But I am finally on the summer holidays and therefore able to do something that I have always wanted to learn how to do: I am going to bake.
Now, I have often been heard to say: "If you are going to do something wrong, then do it right." If I am going to "be naughty", I am not wasting my time with "lighter" or "diet" versions. But who said that baked goods had to be wholly bad? I have recently been thinking of ways of getting extra vegetables into our diets (and those of my vegetable-avoiding nieces), so I decided to experiment by baking with veg. Let's just say that the products of these experiments went down well all round....
Beetroot Brownies
Totally gooey. Totally delectable. Heavy on the chocolate but about half the fat of a regular brownie and so rich that a little goes a long way!
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C and use butter to grease your traybake tin.
2. Peel and chop 400g beetroot (approx 3-4 fresh), place in a microwavable bowl. cover with clingfilm and microwave for 12 minutes.
3. Drain any excess liquid from your beetroot and place in a blender/food processor with 200g dark chocolate, 100g unsalted butter and 1tsp of vanilla extract (don't worry - the chocolate and butter will soften with the heat of the beetroot). Blend/whizz until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk 250g caster sugar with three eggs (I used an electric whisk for 2 minutes so that the mixture was foamy). Then, slowly fold in the "beetroot mix". Add 100g plain flour and 25g cocoa powder and fold in.
5. Pour it all into your traybake/roasting tin and bake at 180C for approx 25 minutes. When cooked through, remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
6. Cut into squares and enjoy with a cup of tea.
Cheesy Vegetable Muffins
These are a tasty kind of muffin/scone hybrid and a great way to use up excess veg. It is such an easy recipe and they can also be frozen up to three months. Waste not, want not!
1. Take three cups of vegetables of your choice (grated carrot, courgette, onions, sweetcorn etc.) and mix with 2 cups of self raising flour and 1 1/3 cup of grated cheese.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of milk and three eggs. Then add 60g of melted (but cool) butter.
3. Combine the two mixtures together.
4. Divide the mixture evenly, in a greased muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180C.
5. Enjoy warm or cold.
Courgette and Lemon Cake
Now my first attempt at this did not go well. I was trying out a Mary Berry recipe and I am sure that she would have wept at the results. BAKING TIP - do not substitute vegetable oil for olive oil just because you can't be bothered to go to the shop; you can taste the difference. My second attempt is sat in the kitchen, begging me to go and eat another slice....
1. Preheat the oven to 160C and grease a medium sized loaf tin.
2. I am a lazy baker. I took each of the ingredients and added them into the mixing bowl one by one, stirring as I went, to make the cake mix. I added in the following order:
200g grated courgette
150g caster sugar
1 egg
125ml vegetable oil (note to self: do NOT substitute olive oil....)
200g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
The zest and juice of one lemon
3. Bake for 45 minutes until cooked through. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin to cool on a wire rack.
4. Serve with a good cup of tea and the latest episode of GBBO.
Ready, set, BAKE!!!!
** This blog post's inspiration: BBC Good Food, Julie Goodwin, All Recipes.
When watching the contestants produce their impressive creations, I become increasingly aware of my lack of baking prowess. But I am finally on the summer holidays and therefore able to do something that I have always wanted to learn how to do: I am going to bake.
Now, I have often been heard to say: "If you are going to do something wrong, then do it right." If I am going to "be naughty", I am not wasting my time with "lighter" or "diet" versions. But who said that baked goods had to be wholly bad? I have recently been thinking of ways of getting extra vegetables into our diets (and those of my vegetable-avoiding nieces), so I decided to experiment by baking with veg. Let's just say that the products of these experiments went down well all round....
Beetroot Brownies
Totally gooey. Totally delectable. Heavy on the chocolate but about half the fat of a regular brownie and so rich that a little goes a long way!
 |
| Thick, gooey and oh so satisfying.... |
2. Peel and chop 400g beetroot (approx 3-4 fresh), place in a microwavable bowl. cover with clingfilm and microwave for 12 minutes.
3. Drain any excess liquid from your beetroot and place in a blender/food processor with 200g dark chocolate, 100g unsalted butter and 1tsp of vanilla extract (don't worry - the chocolate and butter will soften with the heat of the beetroot). Blend/whizz until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk 250g caster sugar with three eggs (I used an electric whisk for 2 minutes so that the mixture was foamy). Then, slowly fold in the "beetroot mix". Add 100g plain flour and 25g cocoa powder and fold in.
5. Pour it all into your traybake/roasting tin and bake at 180C for approx 25 minutes. When cooked through, remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
6. Cut into squares and enjoy with a cup of tea.
Cheesy Vegetable Muffins
These are a tasty kind of muffin/scone hybrid and a great way to use up excess veg. It is such an easy recipe and they can also be frozen up to three months. Waste not, want not!
 |
| I didn't have a muffin/cupcake tin so cooked in paper muffin cups. |
2. In a separate bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of milk and three eggs. Then add 60g of melted (but cool) butter.
3. Combine the two mixtures together.
4. Divide the mixture evenly, in a greased muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180C.
5. Enjoy warm or cold.
Courgette and Lemon Cake
Now my first attempt at this did not go well. I was trying out a Mary Berry recipe and I am sure that she would have wept at the results. BAKING TIP - do not substitute vegetable oil for olive oil just because you can't be bothered to go to the shop; you can taste the difference. My second attempt is sat in the kitchen, begging me to go and eat another slice....
 |
| Drizzle with icing to look "pretty" but just as tasty without! |
1. Preheat the oven to 160C and grease a medium sized loaf tin.
2. I am a lazy baker. I took each of the ingredients and added them into the mixing bowl one by one, stirring as I went, to make the cake mix. I added in the following order:
200g grated courgette
150g caster sugar
1 egg
125ml vegetable oil (note to self: do NOT substitute olive oil....)
200g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
The zest and juice of one lemon
3. Bake for 45 minutes until cooked through. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin to cool on a wire rack.
4. Serve with a good cup of tea and the latest episode of GBBO.
Ready, set, BAKE!!!!
** This blog post's inspiration: BBC Good Food, Julie Goodwin, All Recipes.
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