Apple Pie French Toast

I just love it when I open a carton of eggs and there is a feather stuck on one of them. I only ever buy free range eggs, and it makes me think of happy chickens browsing around the farm yard. I would love to have our own chickens . . . but as Todd reminds me . . . it's difficult enough to get someone to watch the dog when we go away, let alone a yard full of chickens!



I had some apples that I really wanted to use up the other day, and so I decided to make this old family favourite . . . Apple Pie French Toast. Kind of like apple upside down french toast I guess . . .



Sliced apples coated in a delicious brown sugar caramel sauce, with egg soaked slices of thick french bread on top, dusted with warm spice and then baked until it's all fluffy, scrummy, delicious!!



This is an overnight french toast casserole, so do plan ahead . . . although I am sure that if you did it up in the morning it would make a fantastic supper along with some browned sausage and bacon.



Breakfast for supper. I like it!



You'll love this. Trust me on this. It's fabulously good! But then every recipe in my Big Blue Binder is actually pretty wonderful.



*Apple Pie French Toast*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This is one of those overnight breakfast casseroles that you make up the night before. So easy to bake in the morning and incredibly delicious.

204g of soft light brown sugar (1 cup)
115g of butter
2 TBS golden syrup
(can use golden corn syrup or maple syrup if you have it)
3 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
6 large free range eggs
250ml of whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 loaf of french bread, cut into thick slices (you may not need all of it)
cinnamon, ground cardamom and ground nutmeg to dust

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. SLice the butter into a 9 by 13 iinch glass dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar over top along with the golden syrup. Place into the heated oven and bake until the butter melts. Remove from the oven. Whisk all together and return to the oven. Bake until the mixture begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the oven off. Arrange the apple slices over the caramel iin the dish.

Beat together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Dip slices of bread into this, coating liberally. Place the bread slices over top of the apples in the pan. Use just enough to fill the pan snuggly. Pour any remaining egg mixture over top. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon, ground cardamom and nutmeg. Cover with plastic cling film and then place in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning take the dish out of the fridge for about half an hour to take the chill off. Reheat the oven once more to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Remove the cling film and bake the casserole for about 45 minutes, or until puffed, set and golden brown. Divide amongst 6 heated plates, with the apples on top.

Serve with additional syrup if desired.

Bumbleberry Pie Traybake

What is a Bumbleberry? Ahhh . . . I think I might know the answer to that. A bumbleberry is a Burple and Binkel berry (amazing colours you know), one berry being sweet and the other tart. The two colours, when cooked together, creating a flavour that is fantastically gloriously delicious! (of course!)



It is largely rumoured that they grow on Giggle Bushes in the Bumbleberry Valley . . . a closely hidden secret spot of beauty, I think. I've never been able to find it on a map, per se . . .



Apparently you cannot grow them under anything because they must have the warmth of the sun in order to proliferate . . . tis also rumoured that they cannot grow over anything because that would keep the warmth of the sun off what ever it was growing over, for Bumbleberries are very large. Bumbleberries grow in places where nothing else grows . . . which means that they are seldom ever seen, as most people won't look where nothing else grows, or so they say . . .



From what I understand, there are four different kinds of bumbleberry bushes, each one flowering at a different time of the year. One blossoms only in the spring and bears berries in the fall in the quiet time of the day, early in the morning, just before dawn. Another blossoms only in the summer and bears berries in winter during the pleasant mid-day hours. A third blossoms only in the fall and bears berries in the spring in the quiet of an afternoon. The fourth kind blossoms in the winter and bears berries in the summer at midnight, because of course summer days are far too warm for it.



The end result of course is that these wondrous Bumbleberries are available all year round! Which is very good news indeed. Bearing only one berry at a time, and giggling at the precise moment that they become ripe, makes these berries the most delicious and cherished berries of all . . .



Just perfect for being baked into a lovely traybake such as this one I have baked here today. With a sweet shortbread cookie crust . . . topped with a lucious sweet/tart rich bumbleberry filling, and topped with shortbread cookie streusel crumbles . . . mmmm . . . mmmm . . . scrummy good.




Of course that is a lot of old codswallop . . . but shhh . . . don't tell anyone. It's awfully hard to giggle when you're mouth is full . . . and why burst the bubble . . . a little bit of fantasy never hurt anyone, and as we all know anything baked with Bumbleberries is automatically calorie free!



*Bumbleberry Pie Traybake*
Makes one 9 by 13 inch pan

With it's crunchy shortbread cookie crust, rich berry filling and crisp streusel topping this traybake is sure to become a fast favourite!

For the crust and topping:
298g plain flour (3 cups)
290g granulated sugar (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
345g of cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

For the filling:
4 large free range eggs
384g granulated sugar
120g of dairy sour cream
75g of plain flour (3/4 cup)
pinch salt
2 pounds of berries (I like to use raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
(Thaw if frozen, and drain)



Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F. gas mark 4. Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt for the crust in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips, working quickly, until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Alternately you can use a pastry blender, or cut it in using the metal blade in your food processor.

Reserve 1/4 of the crumb mixture for the topping. Press the remainder into the bottom of the buttered baking pan, pressing it in evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before proceeding.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together for the topping. Whisk in the flour, sour cream and salt until smooth. Gently fold in the berries. Pour this mixture evenly over top of the crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool for at least an hour before cutting into squares to serve.

(Ideally you should get about 24 squares, which makes it ideal for a large crowd. You can also have the recipe quite successfully.)

The World's best Banana, Chocolate Chip and Oat Streusel Muffins

Now, I am not a person that will normally sit down and just eat a banana. They are not my favourite fruits to eat in that way . . . although once in a while I do crave some sliced banana on my rice crispies in the morning, or in a banana cream pie . . . but that is about the only way you will ever see me eating a banana . . . oh yeh, I'll eat them sliced with warm custard or cold ice cream as well . . . but I promise, that's IT!



I do love, however . . . baked goodies made with banana . . . banana loaf, banana cookies, banana muffins, banana cake . . . and . . . the blacker the banana the better (in my opinion) for these lovely treats! In fact Todd often curls his nose up in digust when he sees the bananas that I use for my baked goodies . . . however, once they are done, I have never seen him turn his nose up at the finished product! Ahem . . .



I had some real doozies today, black as black as could be on the outside. One might almost have been tempted to pitch them into the bin . . . but I knew they would be perfect for baking with and so I baked some scrummy Banana Muffins for our elevenses.



Not just Banana Muffins though . . . moist banana muffins, crammed full of lovely milk chocolate chips . . . but I didn't stop there . . . no, no . . . I didn't stop there.



I topped them with an incredibly scrummy topping of an oat and brown sugar, buttery streusel, lightly flavoured with ground cinnamon.



Oh my . . . these are the best, the ABSOLUTE best, if I don't say so myself.



But don't take my word for it. Bake some for yourself. You'll see that I am quite . . . simply . . . right, once again! From the infamous Big Blue Binder . . . Banana Chocolate Chip and Oat Streusel Muffins.



*Banana Chocolate Chip and Oat Streusel Muffins*
Makes 10 medium muffinsPrintable Recipe

Moist and delicious, stogged full of chocolate chips, with a moreish oaty brown sugar topping!

For the muffins:
190g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 medium over ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
150g of golden caster sugar
1 large free range egg, beaten
75g of butter, melted (1/3 cup)
7 ounces milk chocolate chips (about a cup)

For the topping:
75g of soft light brown sugar (1/3 cup packed)
2 TBS plain flour
40g old fashioned large flaked oats (1/2 cup)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 TBS butter

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line 10 muffin cups with paper liners or butter really well. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and golden caster sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips. Whisk the mashed banana, egg and butter together.

Make the topping by rubbing the flour, cinnamon and sugar together with the butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in the oats.

Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Divide equally amongst the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaped tsp of streusel topping over each. (You will have more than you need most likely, but put the rest in a small container in the freezer for another day.)

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre of one comes out clean. Let sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

You do KNOW of course, that adding oats to something automatically makes it good for you. Tis true. Tis wisdom according to Marie. ☺

Blueberry Ribbon Cake

This is a cake that I haven't made in a very long time. I had actually forgotten all about it, but then as I was going thru the Big Blue Binder the other day, I happened upon the recipe and remembered how very good it was . . .



It's one of those delicious cakes that are simple and yet delectable. The top is a bit crunchy . . . almost like a crust . . . the cake tender and moist . . l. and stogged full of lovely blueberries!



I love the sugar that blankets the top . . . sweet . . . adding that extra bit of crunch. Moreish. Scrummy. Oh so delicious . . .



You cut a square and you eat it . . . it melts in the mouth, and tastes so delicious that you just can't help yourself . . . you go back for more. It's inevitable . . .



Perfect plain, cut into squares for that elevenses treat . . . with a nice hot mug of whatever drink strikes your fancy. We do hot chocolate here, but I can well imagine it would taste lovely with a nice hot cup of tea . . .



Just look at all those berries nestled into that moist scrumminess . . . begging your fork to dig in for just . . . one . . . more . . . mouthful . . .

Oh go on . . . how about another piece, this time with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top . . . or why not tempt the devil and have a nice dollop of clotted cream. In for a penny in for a pound . . . and why . . . not???



*Blue Ribbon Blueberry Cake*
Makes 16 squares
Printable Recipe

A delicious cake with a ribbon of fresh blueberries running through the middle. I like to serve it with some whipped cream, or not, as you will.

135g cake flour (see note*) (1 1/2 cups) sifted
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125ml milk (1/2 cup)
2 ounces butter (1/4 cup)
145g granulated sugar, plus 2 TBS for sprinkling (3/4 cup plus 2 TBS for sprinkling)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large free range egg, beaten
1 pint fresh blueberries, washed and dried (8 ounces, 2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/ 350*F/ gas mark 4. Line the bottom and sides of an 8 inch square pan with foil, shiny side up. Coat with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Whisk the flour and cream of tartar together in a bowl. Stir the bicarbonate of soda into the milk.

Cream together the butter, 145g of the sugar (3/4 cup) and the vanilla in the bowl. Beat in the egg. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the batter in thirds, alternating with the milk, beating together until blended. Fold in half of the blueberries.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Level the top of the spatula. Sprinkle with the remainder of the berries. Spoon the remainder of the batter over top and smooth out. Sprinkle the top with the 2 TBS sugar.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Place onto a wire rack to cool completely. Remove from the pan and cut into 2 inch squares to serve. Store under a cake dome or covered with parchment paper at room temperature.

Note* - To make your own cake flour whisk together 175g of plain flour (1 3/4 cup) and 38g of corn flour (1/4 cup cornstarch) . Measure out afterwards as per recipe.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

I've always been totally fascinated by the alchemy of cooking and baking . . . it's all so very magical to me . . . I find myself sitting sometimes and wondering . . . who was it that first decided that eggs were good to eat . . . and then, moving on from there . . . who discovered that if you beat eggs together with flour and sugar and a bit of leavening, you got cake???



I could spend hours pondering such questions. I know . . . I'm an odd duck, maybe . . . but I'm quite sure I'm not alone in this oddness . . .



The shops are full of early rhubarb right now . . . the forced kind from Yorkshire . . . or the Rhubarb Triangle which it is also known as. This is a 9 square mile triangle of land in West Yorkshire which is famous for producing forced rhubarb.



Forced rhubarb grows in special sheds, specific to that purpose, and is some of the most tender and colourful rhubarb you can find . . . pretty pink red. Gorgeous actually. There are only 12 farmers who actually grow it and the season for this delectable early rhubarb will soon be over.



Indeed my own rhubarb in the garden is coming up like crazy at the moment. I hope it does better than it did last year . . . it was very fibrous and almost hollow. Not sure what the problem was.



In any case I picked up some of this early forced rhubarb the other day just to make this delectable cake. It's my favourite spring cake . . . with a beautiful sponge topped with sweet/tart rhubarb and it is perfect for showcasing the pretty colour of this early stuff.
I like to have it with whipped cream . . . but a purest would probably want custard. Todd want's custard. He says rhubarb and custard go together like peas and carrots . . . and he would not be wrong!



*Rhubarb Upside Down Cake*
Makes one 9 inch round cake
Printable Recipe

Tasty cake topped with a delicious sweet/tart rhubarb mixture.

2 TBS butter
96g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
50g of soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup)
300g of rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)


For the cake:
76g of white vegetable shortening (1/3 cup)
96g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
99g of plain flour (1 cup)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 fluid ounces milk (1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a 9 inch round cake tin.

Melt the butter in a 9 inch round cake tin. Stir in the sugar and brown sugar. Spread it out evenly in the pan. Lay the rhubarb pieces on top.

Cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beating until smooth. Pour over the fruit mixture in the pan. Smooth over the top.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until risen and lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before inverting onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges to serve. Top with whipped cream or ice cream to serve. Serve warm.

Roasted Pears with Salted Caramel Syrup

Although I'm not a Christian, I'll take any excuse to pig out on pancakes and I always get caught up in the Pancake Day craze. I'm more of an American kind of girl; I prefer their airy thickness to the wafer-thin crepe. My usual is blueberry, enhanced with maple butter (also called maple cream - basically, 100% maple syrup heat treated so that it is a buttery, creamy, oh holy god dribble-worthy consistency) that I found at the back of the cupboard but this time I decided on something different. Some sort of fruit was required to go with the salty caramel syrup I had been mooning after.


Pears hold their shape well and in fact roasting is beneficial to the rock-solid specimens we get at the supermarket. The heat softens them up and releases their juices, so you can get away with pears which aren't quite at their best. Roasted with a dab of butter in their hollows, I splashed them with vanilla essence to add further fragrance. Served atop fluffy pancakes and drizzled - or, you know, drenched - in salty caramel sauce, this was one of the best things I've made in a while. That salty caramel is so addictive it forces you to eat it straight from the jug until you feel pretty damn sick.


Pancake recipe is here.

Roasted Pears

Serves 4

6 pears, slightly under-ripe
1 tsp vanilla essence
Enough butter to dot into the hollows

Heat the oven to 190 degrees C. Peel the pears and halve - scoop out the middles with the seeds and dot with a small cube of butter. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn over and roast for another 20 minutes. Smaller or riper pears may need less so give them a poke every so often.


Salty Caramel Syrup

Serves 4

150gr soft brown sugar
80gr butter
100ml double cream
A hefty pinch of sea salt flakes

In a large saucepan (don't be tempted to use a small one, you want some good whisking space) heat the sugar up until it has all melted, stirring occasionally so that it melts evenly. Add the butter in and whisk well until incorporated. It may look lumpy and a bit gross at this point. Whisk in the cream, poured in a steady stream. Cook gently while whisking until smooth and silky - this may take a few minutes. Add the salt and then taste - carefully, it'll be molten - and add more if you think it needs it. I like my caramel quite salty.

Serve the roasted pears atop the pancakes, drizzled with the caramel sauce.

Banana, Cranberry & Walnut Loaf

One day last year I was baking this lovely loaf and I went out the front door to check on something and the wind from the back door blew the front door shut. This was somewhat of a disaster as if the front door closes and you don't have a key . . . you can't get back in. There I was stuck in the front garden, with a loaf in the oven, a small puppy at large inside, no cell phone on my person . . . and a padlocked 10 foot tall back gate that I had no hope of scaling. Thank goodness it wasn't raining.



I knew the back door was open but I was so worried about Mitzie, who wasn't very old at that point and also the cake in the oven. What to do . . . what to do . . .



In the end, I did what anyone would do . . . I knocked on the next door neighbor's front door and asked him if he had a ladder I could use to get over the back gate. He had a ladder of course, but better than that, he did the climbing! Then he just walked through the house to the front door and let me in. Whew!! You cannot imagine how grateful I was.



Once the cake was finished, and cooled . . . I packaged it up and took it over to him and his wife as a thankyou. I think they were somewhat surprised . . . I don't think it's something that a lot of people over here do, but in North America we are always taking casseroles, cakes and other baked goodies to neighbours as welcome to the neighbourhood gifts, thank you's, helping out when someone has a new baby or has been sick, or when someone in the family has passed away. It's just a neighbourly thing to do.



They must have really liked it because just before Christmas this year he asked Todd if I would be willing to bake them another one that they could take to their sons. They said they would pay for the ingredients, etc. I baked one and gave it to them as a thankyou for all the nice things they do for us through the year . . . keep an eye on our house when we are away, take in mail and other deliveries when we are out, etc. I was quite happy to bake them one and then I thought to myself . . . sometime I better bake one for myself, if it's so delicious!



Today was the day. I had enough ripe bananas and I was in a baking mood.




The recipes comes from a cookbook I have had for quite a while, called Everyday Easy, Cakes & Cupcakes by DK publishing. Everything I have baked from this book has been just fabulous and this beautiful banana loaf is no exception!



It's moist and filled with flavour . . . lovely banana, sweet dried cranberries, toasty chopped walnuts. I'm not surprised that the man next door fell in love with it, for I have too. This has become my favourite banana loaf of all time, and I don't say that lightly! I made two small loaves today and I am struggling with the thoughts of giving one away . . .



The recipe does state that you can freeze it up to 3 months . . . hmmmm . . . should I be selfish and keep them both??? Nahh . . . I have an elderly friend who will just adore this and I think she deserves a bit of a treat! (We all need a little pick me up from time to time.)

I really DO hope you will bake this too. I think you'll find that my claims about it's scrumminess are NOT exaggerated in the least!



*Banana, Cranberry & Walnut Loaf*
Makes 1 large loaf, or 2 small loaves
(one for keeping and one for giving!)
Printable Recipe

A moist banana loaf chock full of sweet cranberries and crunchy walnuts.

4 ounces butter, at room temp (1/2 cup)
175g of caster sugar (3/4 cup)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
1 tsp milk
300g of plain flour (scant 3 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp mixed spice (see my recipe in the side bar on the right side
of the page)
3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
85g dried cranberries (generous 1/2 cup)
60g toasted walnuts, chopped (scant 1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter 2 small loaf tins, or 1 large loaf tin and line with baking parchment.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs and the milk, mixing all together well.

Whisk together the flour, salt, soda and spice. Stir this mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in the bananas, cranberries and walnuts. Divide the mixture between the two small tins or spread into the large tin. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes for small loaves, or 1 to 1/1/2 hours for the large tin, until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This cake will keep for up to 1 week when stored in an airtight tin.

(Not sure why, but there seems to be an issue with some of my cooking photos. They have disappeared and I can't get them to show up. Finger's crossed that these ones do!! Computers can be so frustrating at times!)