Weekend Baking

[Coldmealsadness]

Baking/pudding enthusiasts: what do you like baking/making for your family at the weekend?
I've been doing apple crumble and custard which is lovely but I fancy a change. I stopped baking as I was starting to get really fat but shop bought things aren't cutting it.
TIA.

I made this yesterday. Enjoyed the different process. Not tried it yet but the pickings were amazing.
www.theguardian.com/food/2024/oct/25/portokalopita-recipe-ravneet-gill

DD2 has taken over as the main baker in this house and she did toffee apples on Tuesday so you could go for something seasonal.

Goodness that looks amazing.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/ultimate-sticky-toffee-pudding
We didn't have any dates, so substituted a jar of apple sauce. It was awesome.

I love baking on a weekend. Especially when it's cold or wet.
Some of the things I bake -
Interesting bread - with things like olive, sun dried tomatoes or seeds
Baked oats
Cinnamon or raisin buns
Cakes and traybakes - usually lemon, chocolate chip or carrot. Sometimes a Victoria sponge
Apple or cherry (use a bag of frozen) pies
Spinach and feta, or "sausage" rolls using mince chicken or beef

I’m loving irishmammycooks on IG, and working my way through some of hers. Did the mincemeat traybake last week, and was aiming for the raspberry and custard one this weekend - but I have festering bananas to use up, so will be a Nigella banana bread instead (or as well and send a load to work with husband, depending on how the fancy takes me).

I've been working through the Janes Patisserie website lately and these are my current hyperfixation... www.janespatisserie.com/2019/08/17/bakewell-blondies/ 😋

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but do any of the experienced bakers have a good recipe for making chocolate cake with chocolate sauce - specifically the type that was served in school dinners in the 80s! I really miss it and having had it for over 30 years and haven’t found a decent recipe that tastes the same.

It's maybe not entirely what you're asking, but I think this chocolate self-saucing pudding would serve you well?

Thank you. It looks delicious and I will likely try it at some point, but it’s not quite the same! I have such lovely memories of it, and such a craving for it, that I am tempted to go to my DD’s school on the day they serve it!

Google brings this one up, might be worth a go?

@MoodEnhancer you could always ask the school chef for the recipe. I did that once when mine were at primary school and they kept saying how good the butterscotch pudding was! Dd came home one day with an A4 sheet with the typed out recipe

I made chocolate buns last night for a bonfire event tonight, with orange icing and chopped up matchmakers to look like little fires.

Gingerbread Parkin (I make every November!)
Lemon drizzle cake
Ginger cookies
Shortbread
A billion crumbles
Rocky Road to use bits up!

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/parkin

Hating all the new adverts on this website! But it’s a great recipe

I’m definitely now tempted to email the school for a recipe. Might also ask about the bbq chicken they make that my DD loves and no version I try is the same, apparently.

Anyway, sorry for having hijacked your thread, OP!

Brookies are DH’s and DC’s favourite, they also like brownie and cookies separately.

We also like making Christmas cookies in December and try all sorts of recipes.

We also have homemade clafoutis quite often, using destoned cherries from a jar.

I've been making TylerButtEats (instagram) hobnobs for weeks now. So delicious and last the entire week.

I also like making:

• banana bread
• cinnamon rolls
• bread/rolls/baguettes
• upside-down fruit cakes (peach or pear)
• various flavoured muffins
• pies (chicken and leek, lamb, chicken and chorizo etc)

I'm making a crumble that I learnt in home ec classes over 30 years ago but we love it with custard.

6oz of butter, porridge oats, brown sugar and sr flour. Whizzed up in mixer.

Soak dried fruit in boiling water, such as dates, apricot, sultanas etc. No measurements for this you may have a preference for more/less fruit.

Then butter a tin, layer half of mixture, then fruit, then other half of mixture.

Bake at 200 degrees for 20 ISH mins until golden brown.

Yum.

Another request I have very often is Mary Berry's spiced Dorset apple cake. Again nice warm as a pudding but can be just a cake as really moist.

@Sourisblanche I love that the school cook has taken the time to do that.

@Coldmealsadness I'm temporarily living with family and they complain about how unhealthy baking is if I bake anything. Although they routinely have entire multipacks of crisps, share size bars of chocolate and up to two bottles of wine a night...oh for my own place...I'm lucky to have people to stay with though... Anyway! My point is I cannot contribute much to this thread but shop bought cakes are disappointing and ultra processed. Might as well have the satisfying and tasty home baked stuff. No, it is not healthy but it's healthier than a load of UPFs and a bit of what you fancy does you good. Mental wellbeing and all that 😉

I watched her instagram post making this. Looks delicious!

I am making a dairy free burnt basque cheesecake for after Saturdays dinner as my ds & his gf are visiting

I will also be baking some gluten free double chocolate cookies. It's a Flora recipe & they were delicious. That actual recipe wasn't gluten free but it worked very well with gf flour.

Apple crumble is on the list for Sunday

I have to make a trial run of a trifle with non-dairy custard and cream, most likely next week.

Otherwise, biscuits like shortbread, snickerdoodles, chocolate cookies or brownies.

As we are only three I don't do large cakes very often, DH is not keen on buttercream as well.

Forgot about good old Jane!

Completely agree. I would ideally banish junk from the house apart from the odd packet of crisps or a delicious ice cream. I would really like to bake a couple of times for my family and that be our only crap. Its a good feeling and I know what went into it. My husband has a dreadful sweet tooth and is always spending a bomb in the local shop. I think homemade pudding would stop him.

https://mymoorishplate.com/orange-cardamom-cake/ I've recently made this Orange and Cardamom cake (did my second attempt in a round cake tin which worked better than the loaf tin) and surprisingly the kids loved it! I made an orange and cardamom syrup to go with it but next time I'm going to try custard (only made my own custard once and it was a bit eggy!)