Chocolate Self-saucing Pudding

Here’s my second experiment with baking sponges in the pressure cooker. This time, I decided to make a chocolate pudding and wanted to try out the idea of one with a sauce. I wasn’t sure what the result would be in the pressure cooker, but it worked out perfectly and was delicious.

CHOCOLATE SELF-SAUCING PUDDING

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce:

  • 2 tbsp cocoa
  • 50 g soft brown sugar
  • 200 ml hot water

For the sponge:

  • 80 g soft butter
  • 80 g soft light brown sugar
  • 65 g self-raising flour
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 3 eggs

METHOD

  1. Butter the pudding basin.
  2. Make the sauce by putting the cocoa and sugar into a small bowl and using a wooden spoon mix in some of the hot water to make a smooth, runny sauce.
  3. Put all the pudding ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
  4. Pour the pudding mixture into the basin and pour the sauce mixture over the top.
  5. Cover with foil and tie a piece of string around the top to secure..
  6. Put 2 cups of boiling water in the pressure cooker and place a silicone mat on the bottom.
  7. Gently place the pudding basin on the bottom of the cooker.
  8. Cover the basin with a small plate and close the lid of the pressure cooker.
  9. Bring up to pressure and then turn down the heat and cook for 30 minutes.
  10. Quick release the pressure.
  11. Serve with vanilla ice cream or cream.

Steamed Orange Sponge Pudding in the Pressure Cooker

I’ve been enjoying experimenting with the mini-oven which we can use with the solar power but today there were cloudy skies and much needed rain.

I decided to bake a steamed sponge in the pressure cooker and looked around for some ideas. I first thought about cooking it in the normal way in a pan with boiling water but the recipes I looked at said it would take 2.5 hours. I didn’t have that much time so wanted to find a quicker method using the pressure cooker.

I made this and it came out fine.

STEAMED ORANGE SPONGE PUDDING

INGREDIENTS

  • 100g butter
  • 100g brown sugar
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 orange, zested and juiced
  • 4 tablespoons of marmalade

METHOD

  1. Boil some water in a kettle.
  2. Butter a pudding bowl.
  3. Cream together the butter and the sugar.
  4. Beat in the eggs.
  5. Add the flour and stir thoroughly.
  6. Add the rest of the ingredients and 1 tablespoon of the orange juice and the zest, and mix well.
  7. Pour the mixture into the pudding bowl.
  8. Cover the top with foil and place a plate on top.
  9. Add the boiling water to the pressure cooker.
  10. Place a silicone mat on the bottom of the pressure cooker.
  11. Lower the pudding bowl gently into the pressure cooker. The water should come half way.
  12. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker and bring up to pressure.
  13. Turn down the heat and cook for 50 minutes.
  14. Turn off the heat and leave for 5 minutes.
  15. Quickly release the pressure and remove the pudding bowl.
  16. Check to see that it is cooked and pour the rest of the orange juice over the top.
  17. Serve with cream.

Lemon Sponge

We’ve recently bought a mini electric oven so I’ve been experimenting with making cakes in small-sized tins. This one was a modification of Helena’s mum’s lemon drizzle cake recipe. I’d heard about the method of weighing an egg in its shell and then using the same weight of sugar, flour and butter.

My 2 eggs weighed 140g in total so I weighed out equal amounts of flour, sugar and butter. This was the perfect amount for a 220cm x 160cm x 5cm rectangular cake tin.

I’d got some icing left over from making a carrot cake so I spread this on top of the cake after pouring over the lemon drizzle.

 

LEMON SPONGE

This recipe is quick and easy to make and deliciously moist and lemony.

Lemon Sponge

CAKE INGREDIENTS

  • 2 eggs (weigh them with their shells)
  • (weight of eggs)g self-raising flour
  • (weight of eggs)g sugar
  • (weight of eggs)g butter, softened
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced (use the half the zest for the cake and the other half for the drizzle level teaspoon baking powder)
  • 4 tablespoons milk

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

  • 115g granulated sugar
  • juice of the lemon

METHOD

  1. Grease and line the cake tin.
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar.
  3. Add the eggs and mix well.
  4. Add the other cake ingredients and 1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and half the lemon zest and beat for a minute or so.
  5. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 35 minutes (or until cooked).
  6. For the topping, gently heat the sugar and the lemon juice until the sugar dissolves.
  7. When the cake has cooked, prick the top of the cake with a skewer and pour over the lemon topping.
  8. Serve with cream.

 

1-tin Orange Cake

Note: reduce amount of flour and quantities
P1010514

INGREDIENTS:
2 large eggs
160g brown sugar
65g vegetable oil (almond oil, sunflower oil, etc.)
180g self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup orange juice
zest from 1 orange
1 orange, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
2 tablespoons orange marmalade (optional)

METHOD:
Butter the tin and then sprinkle over some brown sugar and shake to completely coat the bottom and sides of the tin. Arrange the orange slices on the bottom of the tin so that they overlap slightly.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy.

Gradually beat in the oil.

Stir in the flour and salt and then mix in the orange juice, marmalade and vanilla extract.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in an over at around 180ºC for 40 minutes or until cooked.

Shepherd’s Pie

SHEPHERD’S PIE

Once again, I’ve been experimenting with the idea of using the breadmaker as an oven. This time, I cooked all the separate parts of the dish on the hob and then used the breadmaker to heat the dish through before eating. I used a blowtorch to try and make the top crispier.

shepherd's pie

Shepherd’s Pie

These amounts make a small-sized shepherd’s pie for 2 people.

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 300g potato, cut into quarters and boiled until cooked
  • 250g minced beef
  • 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
  • 2 large carrots, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 tablespoon fried tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon beef seasoning or 1 stock cube
  • 1 cup water
  • splash of Lea and Perrin’s
  • splash of soy sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

  1. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan.
  2. Add the onion and fry gently until soft and beginning to colour.
  3. Add the carrots, stir and continue frying on a low heat for 20 minutes.
  4. Raise the heat, add the mince and brown for a couple of minutes.
  5. Turn down the heat and cook on a gentle heat for another 15 minutes.
  6. Sprinkle over the flour and mix well.
  7. Add the water, stock, tomato sauce, Lea and Perrins sauce and soy sauce, turn down the heat and cook for another 15 minutes or so.
  8. While the meat is cooking, boil the potatoes until cooked.
  9. Drain the potatoes.
  10. Season with salt and pepper and mash well, adding butters and milk.
  11. Spoon the meat mixture into a small glass casserole dish.
  12. Gently spoon the mashed potato onto the top and decorate with a fork.
  13. Bake in the breadmaker for 40 minutes, or until heated through.