Rachel Allen's Sticky Toffee Pudding and associated Toffee Sauce - Commentary!

I was going to put the recipe on this post but it appears to be listed rather a lot elsewhere! Here's one example - used simply because it is simple independent like me, making no money from the details!

But the important thing here is not the recipe - it's the commentary!

I made this for some friends yesterday and, as it is advertised, it is a sumptuous crowd pleaser that will satisfy both sweet and average tastes! It also goes particularly well with a Lustau (I don't like sherry but this is very different!), if you happen to have any lying around!

Unlike me, I followed the recipe to the letter / gram / measure but in hindsight, I would make a few changes. I wouldn't dare to say improvements for fear of upsetting Rachel, simply amendments that might enhance your pleasure of this recipe...

• It serves 10 people eating a relatively balanced and average diet, not the 6 stated! To provide a little evidence, I baked it in a 100mm x 240mm (100mm deep) loaf tin. It filled the tin and cooked in the time stated perfectly. we each had a 6th and found ourselves needing to pause to rest our stomachs!  

• Equally, the sauce serves 10 as well - actually, I have no idea because I have only tried to drown 6 servings with the quantity suggested. The measures help you to create around 1 litre of sauce. For 6, I think it is  a little too sweet! 

• Use Earl Grey tea -  I am not sure if Jamie O stole it from Rachel A or vice-versa, but I think it works well. To be honest, I am not sure I could taste it but I did have a cold!. However, I would suggest that the slight lemony sweetness of Earl Grey cuts through the sweet stickiness of the pudding. 

• Use a little more liquid (tea) or fat (butter) than stated. I added a little more than suggested but still thought it could benefit from some more. 

• Add a little Baking Powder - if you are daring and think there is space in the tin / baking pan! - if you want it a little airier! - of course it then might serve more than 10!

I hear the little padding of feet upstairs and feel I should rescue my wife from our son!

Rhubarb and Streusel Bars

I can't take any credit for this other than the credit for passing on this amazing recipe and complementing it as a great way to use up rhubarb.

With more than our fair share of rhubarb there is always a crop ready to be cut and used. When faced with this along with a freezer that was already filled with pockets of frozen rhubarb (and other fruit!), I googled rhubarb cake recipe and found this. 

Ingredients
1.5 cups quick cooking rolled Oats (not sure why they need to be quick cooking but rolled is good!)
1 cup of all purpose Flour (I have no idea if this is Self Raising or not, i have used both and think Self Raising works better!)
3 / 4 cup of packed brown Sugar (I use soft brown sugar rather than dark but the latter would work I think!)
3 / 4 cup Butter
1 / 4 cup granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons of all purpose Flour (see comment above!)
1 / 2 teaspoon of Ground Ginger (I have used fresh ginger and it works. I used ground dried ginger last night and don't think that 1/2 teaspoon is enough, try twice this!)
2 cups of Rhubarb (The recipe says frozen unsweetened, I have used fresh, frozen and stewed and all seem to work!)


Method

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line 8x8x2-inch baking pan with heavy foil (I didn't realise you could get heavy foil, I use aluminium but guess it is all in the pronunciation?!) extended beyond pan edges (not sure why ?!).

In large bowl stir together oats, the 1 cup flour, and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse (the coarser the better - I would say very coarse!) crumbs (add more butter if it feels dry, I am not sure how you manage to measure butter in cups so I have guessed and more is definitely better).

Set aside 1 cup oats mixture. Press remaining on bottom of prepared pan (works well to use the back of a spoon to smooth over!). Bake 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl stir together granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and ground ginger. Add rhubarb; toss to coat. Spread on hot crust. Sprinkle reserved oats mixture; press lightly.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until top is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool on rack.

Lift from pan; cut into bars. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 2 days (don't quote me but it lasts longer than this if you can resist it. I think 2 weeks has been my record as we forgot about them!).

Borrowed from the following website: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/bars/oaty-rhubarb-streusel-bars/

Easy Deliciously Moist Chocolate Cake - with Yoghurt! - no salt! - only 40 minutes in the oven!

Yes, you heard it folks, this is a cake recipe that uses yoghurt! It is quite delicious and moves away from the deep fudge richness of most chocolate cakes (despite the amount of cocoa used!). It goes wonderfully with the decadent icing included in an early post!

Ingredients
275g caster sugar
175g soft tub margarine (I used half lurpac and half butter!)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
175g low fat natural yoghurt 
225g self-raising flour
50g cocoa
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Grease a 23cm spring form or loose bottom tin. Line the base with grease proof paper. Dust with a little flour. (OK so I also lined the sides and forgot to dust with flour - not sure it made any difference!

Beat the caster sugar and margarine in a bowl (I love that they tell you to do it in a bowl - not sure what I would have done without knowing that!) until smooth. 

Beat in the eggs (without the shells - I added this instruction given the one above I thought it might be important!), vanilla essence and yoghurt.

Sift in the flour, cocoa, and bicarbonate of soda.

Stir until fully combined.

Spoon mixture into a the greased tin and level the top.

Cook in preheated oven for at least 40 minutes and then a little more until a skewer comes out clean (hope you know what this means!).

Cool a little (5 minutes) before releasing from the tin!

NB I feel I must add the following post script notes for anyone like me:

1. 40 minutes in our oven wasn't enough! In fact it was the worst time to open the oven because the cake sank a little! I think 50 mins probably did the trick!

2. If you wanted this as a sandwich cake (with an icing middle) then you could divide the mixture between 2 sandwich tins. Alternatively you could use twice the mixture and make a very high chocolate cake!

3. The decadent icing I describe in a previous post makes enough to cover the huge cake version - i.e. twice the mixture noted above!

4. The recipe suggested 12 slices - Based on experience I would suggest 16 (at least!) although it might depend on the amount of decadent icing you use!