Lemon Cupcakes

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Lemon cupcakes are a great alternative to the classic vanilla and chocolate flavours. Lemon desserts in general are always a solid option in my opinion. They offer not only sweetness, but a tangy citrus to cut through your taste buds.

After vanilla cupcakes, I’d say that lemon cupcakes are the easiest to make. If you’re new to baking, I definitely recommend trying this as a start if vanilla isn’t your thing.

These cupcakes are light, fluffy and quite addictive, so try to eat in moderation! I gifted these to someone for their birthday, and they revealed that they had eaten three for breakfast!

Makes 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the lemon buttercream

  • 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 350g icing sugar, sifted
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Zest of 2 lemons

Method

  1. In a bowl, cream together the butter and icing sugar with an electric whisk for about 3 minutes.
  2. Add in the lemon juice and zest and continue to whisk for another 2 minutes until light and smooth.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 180g self-raising flour, sieved
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder, sieved
  • 3 large eggs
  • Juice and zest of 3 lemons
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan)/ gas mark 4. Line a 12 hole cupcake tray with paper cases.
  2. In a bowl, cream together the butter and the caster sugar with a wooden spoon or whisk until well combined and pale.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then fold in the flour and baking powder.
  4. Add in the vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest, then mix together until you have a smooth, light cupcake batter.
  5. Spoon the batter into each case until half to two-thirds full.
  6. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when tapped gently. Leave to cool.
  7. When the cupcakes have cooled, spoon the lemon buttercream into a piping bag with a nozzle of your choice. Pipe in a spiral motion.

HAZ: A Review

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I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like Mediterranean food and it is definitely in my top three types of cuisine.

Turkish food specifically is always a solid choice for me when it comes it eating out or ordering in. Borek, lahmacun, moussaka and more, the ingredients are simple, yet the flavours are fresh and bold.

I visited HAZ in St. Paul’s, London, for a birthday dinner back in January; seven of us in total. I had booked a table in advance.

The atmosphere was modern and slick, with a great bar and plenty of dining space. I ordered a bottle of Haz Rose Çal Karasi, Kalamari to start and the Steamed Atlantic Cod for the main. While we waited for out orders to come in, we were served with a basket of Turkish bread.

Haz Rose Çal Karasi

Rose

Price: £5.50/glass or £19.95/bottle

The house rose is described as having ‘fresh red fruits, cherry and raspberry with a fruity and vivid palate.’ This was a fresh and dry rose, not too sweet. The bottle lasted the majority of the evening between myself and a friend. The server gave us a bucket of ice to keep the wine chilled which was great.

Rating: 4/5

Kalamari

Calamari

Price: £6.45

If I see calamari on a menu, I’ll order it straight away. It is one of my favourite things to eat. I was surprised at how large the calamari was at HAZ – and only £6.45? A bargain compared to other places. They were served with a yoghurt tartar and a wedge of lemon. These were the best calamari I’ve ever tasted, honestly.

Rating: 5/5 (If I could give more points, I would)

Steamed Atlantic Cod

Cod

Price: £15.95

The cod was steamed with ginger and shallots. It was served with baby new potatoes and a plum tomato and pepper sauce. This was such a flavourful dish and the new potatoes on my plate were a bonus as they were not mentioned on the menu. This main was a great end to the evening – I was stuffed by the end of it!

Rating: 5/5

HAZ will definitely be seeing me again when I’m back in London. It might be my new regular spot as the food was fantastic and the service was brilliant. I can’t wait to try out the other menu items and some of their desserts (if there’s enough space in my stomach!).

There are six branches of HAZ in the City of London: Bishopsgate, Finsbury Square, Houndsditch, Plantation Place, Premier Place and St. Paul’s.

HAZ is available for delivery too!

Overall Rating: 5/5

Location: HAZ, 34 Foster Lane, St Paul’s, London EC2V 6HD
Website: https://www.hazrestaurant.co.uk/

Vegetable Noodle Soup

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A warming, light noodle soup packed with a variety of crunchy and soft vegetables, topped off with a soft-boiled egg.

This dish is definitely a new favourite of mine and is very simple to make. The first time I made it was during winter; evenings were cold and coursework deadlines were nearing fast. After a long day of work, this meal kept the cold away and gave me a much needed boost of energy.

If an egg isn’t for you, try this recipe using a protein of your choice such as chicken or beef.

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 200g dry udon noodles
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 700ml vegetable stock (or two vegetable stock cubes dissolved in 700ml of boiling hot water)
  • 50ml mirin
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • Salt to taste
  • 80g spring greens, sliced
  • 120g shitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • 1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 3 spring onions, chopped
  • 2 large free range eggs (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp crushed chillies (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Fry the minced garlic and ginger for thirty seconds to one minute. Add the onions and mushrooms, stir and cook for two minutes.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium, then add the mirin and soy sauce. Cook for another minute.
  3. Add the vegetable stock and the spring greens into the pot. Stir and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust salt/seasoning if necessary.
  4. In a smaller pot, boil water and place in the eggs. Boil the eggs for six to seven minutes to achieve a soft yolk. Once cooked, place in cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, peel off the egg shell.
  5. In another pot, cook your noodles according to the packet’s instructions (the brand I used needed only three minutes).
  6. To serve, place the noodles in a bowl, pour over the vegetable soup along with the mushrooms, onions and spring greens. Top with the boiled egg sliced in half, the chopped spring onions and the sliced bell peppers. Sprinkle over some crushed chillies and enjoy!

Gluten-Free Chocolate & Walnut Brownies

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Here is another brownie recipe, and this time, they’re gluten free!

After seeing food blogger Lithuanian in the USA post an amazing recipe for chocolate and walnut brownies, I was inspired to make my own.

Any time I am at home in London (away from university life), I cook and bake for my family using gluten-free ingredients. This is because my pops needs to avoid type of protein. So, instead of using wheat flour in my bakes, I usually turn to the gluten-free flours from Doves Farm. The plain and self-raising flours are typically a blend of rice, potato, maize and more.

This brownie is very simple to make, and if you are not a fan of nuts or are allergic, you can omit them. I don’t use too much sugar as I actually like the flavour of dark chocolate, and I find some brownies a bit sickly if they are too sweet. You can also use regular plain wheat flour as well – the results will be the same!

Check out Lithuanian in the USA’s delicious chocolate and walnut brownie recipe here!

Serves 12

Ingredients

  • 200g dark chocolate (I used 85% cocoa), roughly chopped
  • 175g unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  • 140g gluten-free plain flour (I used Doves Farm Gluten Free Plain White Flour), sifted
  • 265g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 150g walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 tsp icing sugar to decorate (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 170ºC (155ºC fan)/gas mark 3 1/2. Line a 33-35cm square oven dish with baking paper.
  2. Place the butter and the chopped chocolate into a bowl and melt this over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally.
  3. Once the butter and chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and add in the sugar. Stir until well combined.
  4. Add in the flour and stir until incorporated, then beat in the eggs until you achieve a smooth and silky chocolate mixture.
  5. Stir the chopped walnuts into the brownie batter, then transfer into the oven dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
  6. Once baked, leave to cool down before dusting with icing sugar and cutting into slices.

Lemon & Blueberry Cake

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I have been MIA for 4-5 months, but it has taken a while for me to get back into the flow of university life after spending 2017/18 on a work placement.

It was about time for a makeover, so I’ve acquired a domain, revamped the website and have a new logo courtesy of my good friend (my friends are so talented, honestly).

Over Christmas, I received The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook from one of my older brothers. There was actually a week in January where I made 4 different cakes. The bakes are so good and very easy to make, so I definitely recommend purchasing this cookbook. It will also save you a lot of money by baking the various cakes, cookies and pies yourselves!

The cake recipe in this post was inspired by The Hummingbird Bakery’s Blueberry Cake. Their version used one 25cm Bundt tin. The recipe below uses two 23cm round cake tins to make it a two-layer cake, and includes a citrus hint from lemons.

Serves 12-14

Ingredients

For the cream cheese frosting

  • 300g icing sugar, sifted
  • 50g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 130g full fat cream cheese, cold
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Method

  1. In a bowl, cream together the butter and icing sugar with an electric whisk or free-standing mixer, until a sandy texture is achieved.
  2. Add in the cream cheese and the lemon juice, then whisk for about 1 minute until light and fluffy.

For the cake

  • 350g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 450g plain flour, sifted
  • 5 large free range eggs
  • 3 lemons, zest and juice
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 + 1/2 tbsp baking powder
  • 250ml soured cream
  • 250g fresh blueberries (plus more to decorate)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan)/ gas mark 4. Grease two 23cm cake tins with butter and lightly flour.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric whisk or free-standing mixer, until well combined and paler in colour.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
  4. Gradually beat in the flour and the baking powder, then add in the soured cream. Mix until the batter is well combined.
  5. Fold in the fresh blueberries then separate the batter into the two cake tins. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, or until the cake springs back when tapped gently.
  6. Once the cakes have cooled down completely, decorate them as you wish using the cream cheese frosting and top with the extra blueberries.
  7. Grab a knife and cut yourself a slice!

Tip: lightly coat the blueberries in flour before folding them into the cake batter. This will help slow down the process of the blueberries sinking towards the bottom of the cake.

Meat-free: Week 32

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After going ‘cold-turkey’ and excluding meat and seafood from my meals in January, I’ve managed to last 32 weeks!

I’ve been able to try out foods I’d never usually go for, or eat foods that I thought I hated. Tofu being one of them.

Over these months, I’ve learned that I really only miss one animal food group: seafood. I miss prawns, I miss lobster, I miss sea bass, I miss my mum’s fried yam with pepper sauce and mackerel. The pepper sauce just isn’t the same without fish!

I think I’ll be returning to seafood once in a while, but not too often because this meatless lifestyle has been very agreeable with my bank account.

The challenge of not eating meat and seafood was easier when I was living away from home (in a place with not much variety). But now that I’m back in London, there are just so many restaurants and food markets I can visit – right on my doorstep.

The difference this time is that I’ll approach these places to eat with an open mind. Last year, you’d never catch me eating at a vegan restaurant – in fact, I was definitely turning my nose up at them. But now, I can say I’m that little bit more adventurous, and a lot more willing to try out different cuisines.

Mooshies Vegan Burger: A Review

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“Vegan burgers? No thanks.”

Before giving up meat and fish, I was a huge burger fan. I’ve had fantastic beef and chicken burgers from Honest Burgers, Patty & Bun, The Blues Kitchen and more. I didn’t think that a vegetarian or vegan burger would be able to be on par with, or even better than a ‘traditional’ burger.

But, joke’s on me because I’ve found some fire!

It’s been six months since giving up meat and fish, and the burgers I’ve tried were mostly average. However, a couple of burger joints gave me glimmers of hope, including:

  • The ‘Cheese Melt’ burger from Byron (London)
  • The ‘Juicy Boris’ burger from 7Bone Burger Co. (Portsmouth)

Other than the two mentioned above, burger options typically had a bean patty, or a portobello mushroom with some kind of cheese.

After hearing about Mooshies from a friend, I checked them out on Instagram and Facebook to see what all the hype was about. I saw great reviews about their ‘Pulled Mooshie’ burger which has slow-cooked BBQ jackfruit and coleslaw, and their ‘Cheese Sticks’ looked amazing.

When visiting, I ordered the Fillet-Om-Phish, Cheese Sticks, and French Fries. My friend ordered the Pulled Mooshie, and Homemade Guacamole with Plantain Crisps.

The Fillet-Om-Phish

Burger

Price: £7.50

This has battered aubergine, tartar sauce, seaweed, lettuce and cheese, all in between a multigrain seeded brioche bun.

This definitely reminded me of a fish burger even though there was no fish in sight. The seaweed took it to another level and the various textures made it enjoyable to eat. Somehow, my burger bun disappeared towards the end which made the final bites a little messy, but other than that, a very nice burger at a very good price. This burger is definitely up there as a favourite.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Cheese Sticks

Cheese Sticks 2

Price: £6.50

This came as three large vegan cheese sticks with a sweet chilli dipping sauce.

The outside was crispy, and the inside was filled to the brim with hot and bright yellow/orange vegan cheese. I was excited to taste this as I love cheese. I had my first bite and it took a while for me to understand the flavour. And then I realised that it had a similar taste and colour to American Cheese. The sweet chilli sauce helped that processed-cheese-like flavour though. On another note, a few £s should be slashed from the price!

Rating: 2.5/5

The French Fries

Fries 2

Price: £3

You can’t really go wrong with French fries can you? These were a great portion size, and they came out hot, with a crispy outside, and a fluffy inside. I just gave it a pinch of sea salt and pepper as I usually do. Job done.

Rating: 5/5

While my meal as a whole was great, my friend’s was quite the opposite. She described the Pulled Mooshie burger as just ‘coleslaw and bread’! Another visit may have to be made to find out if this is true or not, because there was so much hype about the BBQ jackfruit.

I will definitely be having the Fillet-Om-Phish again, along with some other sides. And a bonus for those local to Brick Lane in London: Mooshies is available for delivery via Deliveroo and Uber Eats!

Overall Rating: 4/5

Location: Mooshies, 104 Brick Ln, London, E1 6RL
Website: https://veganburger.org/

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

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Before trying out homemade brownies, the store-bought ones were not the best to be honest. I think that’s why so many people I know aren’t the hugest fans of them. I’ve had a few very sickly brownies myself, but that nauseous feeling soon disappeared after tackling these chocolatey treats at home.

I mostly used a combination of dark and milk chocolate for this recipe. I would have definitely added hazelnuts if I wasn’t feeding my friend who has a nut allergy! The good thing about brownies is that you can experiment with a variety of added extras: nuts, nut butters, white chocolate, berries, marshmallows… the list is endless!

Scroll down a little for the recipe.

Serves 9

Ingredients

  • 80g 70-75% cocoa plain chocolate
  • 80g 85-90% cocoa plain chocolate
  • 60g milk chocolate
  • 160g unsalted butter
  • 250g golden caster sugar
  • 30g cocoa powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 100g plain flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp salt

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan)/ gas mark 6. Line a square oven dish with baking paper.
  2. Chop up all of the chocolate into chunks.
  3. Place the butter and half of the chopped chocolate into a bowl and melt this over a pan of hot water.
  4. In a bowl, beat the eggs, vanilla extract and sugar for 2 minutes.
  5. In another bowl, sift in the plain flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate.
  6. Once your butter and chocolate has melted, stir gently until you have a smooth and silky dark mixture. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
  7. Once the chocolate and butter mix has cooled, whisk it into the egg, vanilla and sugar.
  8. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, but do not over-mix.
  9. Transfer the brownie batter into the oven dish and bake for 35 – 40 minutes.
  10. Leave to cool before cutting, and enjoy with a scoop of ice-cream!

Spinach & Artichoke Pasta Bake

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After watching numerous videos on ‘spinach artichoke dip’ or ‘spinach artichoke bread’, I jumped on the bandwagon and decided to make a spinach and artichoke pasta bake.

Cheese and spinach I love, so that wasn’t a problem. However, I had never tried artichokes until having this dish. I was a little bit hesitant, but after giving this new veg a taste, it made a great addition. I can understand why everyone loves the spinach and artichoke combination now!

This dish is really simple to make and lends from my Turkey and Bacon Pasta recipe. I added vegetable stock, cream cheese, cheddar, and parmesan to make a flavourful and creamy cheese sauce.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 250g pasta of your choice (I used wholewheat fusilli)
  • 150g baby spinach
  • 1 can (400g) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
  • 250ml milk
  • 1 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 vegetable stock cube (I prefer Knorr)
  • 30g grated parmesan
  • 2 tbsp light cream cheese (I used Philadephia Light)
  • 100g grated mature cheddar (use 40g for topping)
  • 1 tsp season-all
  • 1 tsp ground garlic
  • 1/2 tsp paprika (for topping)
  • 1 tsp black pepper (1/2 tsp for topping)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/ gas mark 4.
  2. Boil the pasta according to packet instructions, but remove from the heat 2 minutes before the suggested time.
  3. On a low heat, melt the butter in the pan and then add the flour. Stir for 2 minutes until the mixture becomes a smooth consistency.
  4. Pour in a quarter of the milk at a time, then the stock cube, and stir until the mixture blends smoothly.
  5. Add in the cream cheese, grated parmesan and cheddar, and stir until the cheeses melt into a smooth mixture.
  6. Add the spinach, artichokes, season-all, ground garlic, paprika and black pepper into the pan. Stir into the sauce until the spinach wilts. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
  7. By now, the pasta should be cooked. Drain and add the pasta to the sauce, stirring until the pasta is covered evenly.
  8. Pour the pasta into an oven dish, top with the cheddar, paprika, and black pepper, and bake for 15 minutes.
  9. Enjoy!
Spinach Artichoke (1)

Tip: If your sauce is too thick, add some milk. If it’s too thin, add more flour and cheese.

Meat-free: Week 16

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I’ve made it to week 16!

These last few months have been very interesting. I’ve tried foods that I would have never usually have before: some good, some bad. I’ve also noticed myself leaning towards one particular type of cuisine.

Weeks 5 – 8 saw myself going for a variety of seeds/grains/pasta such as:

  • Bulgur
  • Brown rice
  • Couscous
  • Quinoa
  • Wholewheat pasta
  • Wild rice

Bulgur or couscous would be used in a stir-fry along with soy sauce, and vegetables such as peppers, onions and mushrooms.

I’d cook quinoa and mix in vegetables similar to the above, but top with feta or halloumi, and a squeeze of lemon or lime for some freshness.

Brown rice with a stew or curry was one of my go-to’s. Otherwise, I’d have a mix of brown rice and wild rice with stewed or roasted vegetables.

Wholewheat pasta was used to make delicious pasta bakes, topped with cheese of course.

I was also trying to find a vegetarian burger at this point – not the burgers that only have a portobello mushroom as the ‘patty’. I’ve tried the falafel type burgers – one from a restaurant, and one at home – and surprisingly, they were heavy. Flavour was there, but it was a mission trying to finish them.

Weeks 9 – 15 I explored Indian food. Before removing meat from my diet, I only had Indian food once in a blue moon. But, if I was to order out on a Friday from an Indian takeaway, I’d go for a Chicken Dhansak.

Now, I’ve had many dishes that include ingredients such as spinach, paneer, potatoes and lentils. Indians really do make vegetarian dishes taste great!

Despite the variety of food, week 16 saw the temptation for meat come in. I’m actually starting to miss it now. I gave in and tried a vegetarian sausage, thinking it would taste nice. It tasted like cardboard. Safe to say I’m never having that again.

I wonder how long this can last because… I could really do with a good burger right now.