The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
The Chinese New Year begins today. It’s a time for dusting away the cobwebs of the old year, buying new clothes, paying your debts (and collecting what’s owed!) and for new beginnings. Sounds much like the Indian New Year. 2012 is the year of the Dragon – The Black Water Dragon to be precise. The dragon […]
This is a really easy Austrian cheesecake recipe that a friend of mine gave me at University. There is no biscuit base like the American style cheesecakes. If you can try to get Quark cheese as it has a sour taste which gives a nice flavour to the cake. I’ve used apricots in this recipe […]
No botanicals in these. Just a bit of fun for Chinese New Year! They were my first attempt and really rather fiddly! Despite working quickly some did crisp up before I had the chance to put the notes in! So worth the effort though if you have children. My girls were obsessed with reading the […]
A lot of people get so nervous about Swiss Roll but it’s really not too hard to do. I’ve filled this one with some simple Clementine Marmalade I made with leftover clementines. You can use your favourite brand of marmalade or even some orange curd. You’ll need 125g plain flour 125g caster sugar 4 medium […]
Just like the Chocolate Loaf Cake, this is a super easy and quick recipe. It just takes a while baking in the oven so a good one to make the night before you need it, or in the morning as you potter about the kitchen doing other stuff, or just before you go for an […]
This is one of the best brownie/blondie recipes I have ever made. It’s adapted from Dan Lepard’s Short and Sweet book (of which I have a SIGNED copy!). If there is one banana recipe you make, it has to be this one. You’ll need For the butterscotch bananas 150g caster sugar 50ml water 2 – […]
This is pure, sweet indulgence. I’m warning you! This crisp and gooey meringue topped with hot caramelly bananas and whipped cream is made in our house when we all feel down and need cheering up. It’s the only dessert I have coffee with – a dark strong one to cut through the sweetness. You’ll need […]
Bananas always get too ripe too quickly in our house because we have a very warm and sunny kitchen. So my daughter uses them for Banana and Chocolate Loaf Cake. If you don’t have time for an hour in the oven though, try these easy all-in-one-method-cupcakes. They are great for children and adults alike because […]
These loaves are perfect for breakfast or lunch boxes. The bananas are super healthy and adding the oats means these have an extra GI boost too. You’ll need 140g soft unsalted butter 270g soft brown sugar 280g plain flour 150g rolled oats 2 eggs 3 medium sized ripe bananas (around 200g) 1 tsp baking powder […]
Whenever I have egg whites left over I rustle up some macaroons or pavlova or mousse. I had just the right amount left to make a batch after making some lovely Cranberry Curd which I used to fill these ones for a Christmassy treat. 200g icing sugar 50g cocoa powder 250g ground almonds 220g caster […]
I know that Bakewell Tarts traditionally have a jam filling but I think they work really well with compotes and curds too. This tart is a great one to make at Christmas time as cranberries are so readily available in the supermarkets. I’ve used a simple compote for the one below but you can also […]
I demonstrated these simple cups at the London Chocolate Festival and they were a real hit. You can make the cups from pastry or shortbread. I’ve given you both options below. They can then be filled with caramel and topped with the simple mascarpone ganache like the one below or filled with curd and topped […]