PEANUTS & PARTY TIME

Peanut Butter n Jam Sandwich Cake!

Ingredients: 500g butter, 300g smooth peanut butter, 8 eggs, 400g caster sugar, 300g natural yoghurt, 400g self-raising flour, 450g icing sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 4-6 tablespoons milk, a jar of fruit jam, & 100g salted peanuts.

Time taken: 3 hours

Hi readers,

What an eventful start to the week! Here in Newcastle there’s been glorious sunshine for the past few days… not that any of the geographers have seen it because they’ve been locked away in the library making final dissertation edits, ahead of our deadline tomorrow!!

I can report, with a big sigh of relief, that mine is finally handed in. And the battle is over.

It’s been a long road since we handed in our project proposals, which was this time last year, but at last I’ve written everything up and then chopped it to smithereens, and then edited it and handed in two bound copies of my work. No more.

And finishing such a big piece of work (the biggest I’ll maybe ever write!) feels… WEIRD. So, so weird. It makes me realise how much the dissertation’s become a part of my day. As sad as that is, I’ve worked on it most days of my life for a long time now. And today the dissertation is gone – so how do I fill my time?

The answer is… WITH FUN. Today, me and a good few of the geography chums are planning to head to the seaside, we are. We’re allowed to do that now! The girls and me are going to brave March temperatures at the coast of north-east England (brrrr) for some fresh sea air and lashings of fish n chips! And I cannot wait.

Yesterday, I was hungover and I think largely in shock about handing in my dissertation. It was a very strange and confusing day. But it’s been Dr Davies birthday in the house (Happy 21^st missus!!) so we all went bowling and had some slightly-competitive fun. Dr Davies WHOOPED US ALL in the game and claimed victory… but I did come second. And slurped a CocoFudge Milkshake, which was heaven. So good.

And the fun agenda, really, was launched on Monday with an afternoon-long baking session in the ChefBeHere kitchen. This was in preparation for a birthday party and night out that we held in honour of the tremendously old Dr Davies.

BIRTHDAY FUN TIMES. It was a lovely night! Of what I remember, the Birthday Girl and friends got to drink real champagne and I believe we did some seriously good boogying out around Newcastle. You can’t beat it!

So, today really is Day 3 on the Fun Agenda. Whatever will come next?? Who knows! So long as it’s funfunfun. If I’m well enough to drink again soon then maybe there’s a cocktail on the horizon. I do hope that there is. And I hope you all, readers, are having some fun wherever in the world you may be this week!

If not… go get your fun on! What’s one sure fire way to fun up your week? Surprise everyone and bake something CRAZY. Literally, don’t hold back… just go for it!! If you’re up for a challenge, then this blog post today talks you through how to bake up a mammoth Peanut Butter n Jam Sandwich Cake, like I did for Dr Davies on Monday. I’m not kidding. This cake is possible and it’s do-able and it tastes SO GOOD. Like aaaaaaaaaah kind of good.

I recommend this cake for those of you, readers, who…

1. Are not on a diet.

2. Like to eat peanut butter n jam sandwiches.

3. Also, like to eat cake.

4. Have at least 3 hours to spare.

5. Are feeling frivolous with regards to ingredients money.

6. Maybe have some kind of occasion to celebrate?

AND 7. Want a challenge.

IF THIS IS YOU then here is how to bake up a storm and craft one Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwich Cake, which you will not regret, in just 22 fun-filled steps…

1.       Heat your oven to 180˚C. Grease a square cake tin and line with baking paper.

2.       In a large mixing bowl, add: 400g butter, 6 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter, 8 eggs, 400g caster sugar and 300g natural yoghurt.

3.       Mix it up! Beat together until smooth and creamy.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: As there was so much mix and it was difficult to stir, I got out our electric hand blender and had a little help from technology, in order to get this mix to be smooth. If you have an electric blender too then there’s no shame in getting it out. If you don’t have one then prepare for an arm workout!

4.       Fold in 400g self-raising flour. Don’t worry if this makes your mix a little lumpy – just try to beat out any big lumps. Then pour half of the mix into your baking tin.

5.       Bake in the oven for half an hour until your cake is well risen and golden, and a knife jabbed in its middle comes out clean.

6.       When it’s ready, remove your cake from the oven and leave to cool in its tin for ten minutes.

7.       Then, run a sharp knife around the edge of your cake to loosen it from the tin and tip out onto a wire cooling rack, to cool completely.

8.       Quickly wash your cake tin, then grease again and re-line with baking paper.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: I forgot baking paper here for the second bake and this meant that my cake broke a little when it came out of the tin later. So no forgetting.

9.       Pour the second half of your mix into the tin and bake in the oven for half an hour.

10.   As with the last sponge, when it’s ready, remove your cake from the oven and leave to cool in its tin for ten minutes. Then run a knife around the edge and tip onto a wire cooling rack to cool.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: OBVIOUSLY if you have 2 large, square cake tins then you can save time and bake both sponges at once. Just remember switch them around in the oven half way through baking so that they change oven shelves. This way they should bake evenly.

11.   Meanwhile, turn your oven up to 200˚C.

12.   In a small bowl, mix 100g salted peanuts with 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and a small splash of water, until well coated and claggy.

13.   Spread over a baking tray and pop this into the oven. Roast your nuts for 10 minutes, tossing them a couple of times until golden and coated in a shiny caramel.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Remember to keep checking on your nuts. If any marshmallow-like froth appears on your tray in the oven, then just spoon this off into the bin before it has time to burn. Once roasted, tip your nuts onto a lightly buttered plate, so that they don’t stick!

14.   Using a large sharp knife, cut both of your sponges diagonally so that you now have 4 triangles of cake.

15.   Cover a large chopping board with tin foil. This will be your cake presentation board.

16.   In a large mixing bowl, beat together 50g butter and 150g smooth peanut butter.

17.   Add 400g icing sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Add 4-6 tablespoons of milk until you achieve a spreading consistency for your cake frosting.

18.   Arrange 2 of your cake triangles on your presentation chopping board, so that they are slightly apart and look like 2 halves of a sandwich.

19.   Spread the tops of both sponges liberally with jam and use a butter knife to spread the 3 sides of each sponge with frosting.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Your sponges should be completely covered!

20.   Then, coat the sides and tops of your remaining 2 cake triangles with frosting.

21.   Very carefully, place your second 2 triangles of cake on top of the first 2, so that the jam sticks your sponges together

ChefBeHere Top Tip: These sponges should also be completely covered! No cake on show!

22.   Wipe any spilt jam or frosting from your cake presentation board. Use your hands to break apart your caramelised peanuts and scatter your cakes with the nuts. YOU’VE DONE IT!

 

Here’s how your cake might look at the end…

And that… is it. That’s how to bake a Peanut Butter n Jam Sandwich Cake. I mashed a lot of recipes together here and upped the quantities of everything as I didn’t want a cake that was too small for a birthday party (not an issue). And in the end this cake turned out pretty decent, I have to say. I think it’s very tasty myself – I can’t stop eating it – and everyone that’s tried some has been really nice and complimentary to me about it, too. About the idea, the taste and the sort of unconventional sandwich design take of this cake. Overall, this recipe has been a ChefBeHere success story!

I can report that the peanut butter comes through subtly in the taste of the sponge. And then like a hammer in the frosting, which is incredibly rich to eat! The jam, of course, balances all of this peanut butter with the age-old PB&J taste sensation. Then you have caramelised peanuts thrown on top for good measure, which work a treat. I’ve never caramelised anything before or eaten any nuts of this kind, but they’re SO LUSH. As it happens, caramelised peanuts turn out to be a really easy, sweet decoration to make for a cake. These nuts are something which I’ll definitely be repeating in the ChefBeHere kitchen. Just you wait and see.

Sooooo this bake is long and, mostly likely, quite stressful. But very worth your effort! A PB&J Sandwich Cake is a real show-stopper and I’d love to see some of you have a go at pulling one together. Would you consider giving this recipe a try?? Do you think you’d follow it to the letter or would you make tweaks? Can you imagine you’d like the taste of this crazy cake? Do you think it has the funfunfun factor??

Readers… be inspired. Go bake something spectacular and be sure to share with me how you get on. I wish you all the best of luck and, while you’re breaking ground in the kitchen, I intend to sit myself down and have a thorough post-hand in relax, I do. Nothing more.

Have fun safely,

Hayley

PERFECTION IN SIMPLICITY

Peach Muggler

 

Time taken: Quarter of an hour

Ingredients: 6 peach slices, 4 tablespoons of plain flour, 2 tablespoons of white sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter, half a teaspoon of baking powder, a splash of milk and a dash of cinnamon! (Optional: a handful of pecan nuts).

Hi readers,

I hope you’re all well on this wonderful, sunny start to our weekend. I came upon a quote yesterday on Instagram, which read:

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. It is easy to forget that a perfect morning is only three ingredients away: coffee, pups and sunshine. Find perfection in simplicity.”
(groundsandhounds, Instagram).

 

I think this is so true!! At a time when everyone is stressed and rushed and overrun with work… I advocate just sacking it off at the weekend. Keep things simple! Take some time to yourself and be kinder to yourself than maybe you normally would be. That bath you considered? That magazine you almost bought? That new music album you really want to listen to?? Put the other things on hold and treat yourself!

 

Another way to treat yourself is, of course, with food! One of my friends this week, Ville, her life was changed while eating out at a restaurant this week by a Peach Cobbler. She got in touch specifically to tell me that I need to…

a) Eat Peach Cobbler, and

b) Figure out how to make it at home so she can eat it all the time.

 

And you can’t say no to a face like that! I’ve never eaten Peach Cobbler before so I was MOST intrigued, readers. Butttt I looked online and a lot of the recipes made big baking dishfuls of Cobbler that feed a family. I’m only one person. And I didn’t know whether I was going to like this dish. Also, I’m a person that HAS had a lot on her plate this week. So, when I happened upon a recipe for Peach Cobbler for one, a recipe that you can make in a mug using the microwave… I was sold.

 

Here readers, without further ado, is the secret to throwing together a cheat’s version of this pudding, Peach Muggler, in ten easy steps…

1. Arm yourself with 2 (yes… 2!) mugs.

2. In one mug spoon a decent table spoon of butter.

3. Pop this in the microwave for up to a minute until the butter melts.

4. Add 2 tablespoons of water and a splash of milk (optional) to this mug, and stir in with the butter.

5. In your second mug (preferably, a big one) spoon 4 tablespoons of plain flour.

6. Add 2 tablespoons of white sugar, half a teaspoon of baking powder and a dash of cinnamon.

7. Stir together all the dry ingredients that are in Mug 2. Then, add them to Mug 1 and stir it ALL into one mix.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: If you happen to have been MOST irresponsible with your money while you were in the supermarket and, as a result, you have pecan nuts in your cupboard (I’m guilty) then chop a handful of them up and add them to your batter. They add some crunch to your Muggler!

8. Take a tin of slices peaches and drain it. Tip most into a Tupperware and pop them in the fridge to eat another time.

9. Save about 6 peach slices. Lay these in a square of kitchen roll and try to dab them dry using the roll, so that they won’t soggy up your Muggler with peach juice.

10. Finally, add your peaches to the mug (either sit them on top of your cake or stir them in). Microwave for one minute. Leave to rest for maybe half a minute. Then, microwave for another minute. AND FEAST.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: The reason for the rest half way through microwaving is that, if the same thing happens to you as it did to me, your Muggler mix might froth a little in the microwave. Like a science experiment! I think maybe the peaches react with the batter?? Who knows! Anyway, the froth tastes amazingly sweet, but just watch for it overtopping the mug while your Muggler warms.

And you just made Peach Muggler :)

 

This makes for a VERY sweet, extreeemely indulgent mugful of cake to treat yourself to in an evening. I love it. This recipe is super easy to make, with cheap, simple and really basic ingredients. PLUS there’s fruit in Peach Muggler… so it scores points for health in my books.

 

 

And it just tastes wonderful! It’s frothy and sugary and cinammony. Everything you need in life! Please, please… be kind to yourself, readers, and go bring Peach Muggler into your life. Keep things simple this weekend.

Froth safely,

Hayley

BLEND YOUR WAY TO BLISS

Raw, vegan, eat clean, energy-packed, superfood titans...
Bliss Balls

 

Time taken: Half an hour

Ingredients: 1 cup of dates, ½ a cup of almonds, ½ a cup of hazelnuts, & 2 tablespoons each of chia seeds, ground flax seed, cacao powder & coconut oil. (Optional extras... desiccated coconut & goji berries).

 

Hi readers,

Life. How IS life today? How are things going for you?? It’s mid-week right now, so take a minute to think… How is this week going? Where is it heading? Evaluate your week. I hope things are looking tip top!

 

Today in Newcastle… January is ploughing on and we’ve had a day of wild, wild weather! Really, it thundered with rain, then there were raging winds, a brief snow storm, some beautiful clear skies, more flurries of snow… it’s madness!

As a result, I think everyone has made the decision to stay inside today, as much as is possible. I certainly have. Plus, everyone in North America is holed up still to hide away from the Juno Blizzard. And if all they’re doing across the pond is tweeting and berating weather forecasters… then I’m not stepping outside to jog.

So, instead, today I channelled my energies into some serious KITCHEN CREATIVITY. I got excited online the other day after I happened upon a blog called Deliciously Ella. This was recommended to me by my Mother Bear’s hubbie, Mr Mash. He said this blog was full of very ‘me’ (read, healthy) recipes, so I rushed to check it out… and it is! I love this blog! So many colourful photos and interesting ideas for things to try out in the kitchen. Check out Deliciously Ella HERE.

I was struck by one recipe that Ella makes for superfood snacks, to munch on during the day when you’re busy. This is exactly what I need right now for energy when I’m working in the library. I’ve drunk so much coffee that it’s increasingly just leaving me feeling dazed.

Instead of being caffeinated, this snacks are full of all-natural goodness. For a boost the right way! They're vegan, gluten-free and raw. Totally clean. Ella calls her creations ‘Ultimate Energy Bites’ but I’ve seen similar ideas online with the lovely name of… Bliss Balls. How cute??
 

I had to give them a go! So, I sacked the budget and invested in some exciting ‘cacao powder’. This is a  raw version of cocoa, I believe, which can be bought from health food shops like Holland & Barrett. It cost me a fiver. And, I’m such a squirrel, I realised that was the only ingredient I needed to buy for these! So, today, I had a cosy morning hiding from the weather, and set about making my first ever batch of Bliss Balls.

You should too! Here’s how to blend your way to bliss in five easy steps:

1. Scoop your tablespoons of coconut oil out of the tub, and melt in the microwave for a minute so that your oil turns from solid to liquid.

2. Chuck your almonds, hazelnuts, flax seed and chia seeds into a blender. Blend until a flour forms and the nuts have crumbled.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: I had to stop the blender to shake things up a few times, in order to make sure that all the nuts had been blended.

3. Add all your remaining ingredients and BLEND AGAIN. Within a minute, sticky dough should have formed.

4. Use your hands to rolls the sticky mixture into truffle-sized balls.

5. If you like, roll your bliss balls around in some desiccated coconut or goji berries, or both! These stick to your balls and give them a tasty coating.

And you should have yourself a delicious batch of bliss balls, like mine. :)

You store them in the fridge and eat them whenever. Probably at a rapid pace. What do you think? Don’t these look so impressive?! I think they’re wonderful! Once you have the crazy ingredients, these aren’t hard to make at all. In fact, they’re quite fun! You get messy fingers and it’s an explosion in the kitchen. An explosion OF FUN.

And these taste… unbelievable. I don’t use protein powder, so I switched that out of Ella’s recipe in favour of extra cacao – this was a superb decision. These Bliss Balls are stodgy, sweet, chocolatey, yummy, indulgent, lovely little snacks. Guilt-free chocolate truffles. They taste SO GOOD. Like heaven! They’re the best. The BOMB.

I can't decide if I like the Bliss Balls with the coconut or with the berries more. I will have to eat more before I decide.

And I've been saving up cute fro-yo pots when I finish with them. So I'm going to use these to store my Bliss Balls in, to take to the library with me. :)

 

I am a convert. I love Bliss Balls! I feel… blissful. Readers, if you have the will and the budget to go buy the ingredients for these, then you definitely should. No regrets, I promise. Do this for your health and your happiness. Go.

Feel bliss safely,

Hayley


 

LEMONY LOVE

Lemon Drizzle Muffins

 

Time taken: An hour

Ingredients: 350g of self-raising flour, half a teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt, 75g of light brown sugar, a lemon, 75g of butter, 2 eggs, 300ml of milk and 75g of icing sugar.

 

 

 

Hi readers,

We’ve made it through another Monday! Hurray!! Every week, I feel that this shouldn’t be taken for granted. I would like to know if more people die on Mondays than on other days of the week. It can’t be just me that feels like this could actually be true?? Mondays are tough going!

 

Today, I’ve had a rubbish one. There’s a mystery illness brewing within and it’s threatening to take me down. Symptoms: dry throat, feeling hot/cold and I have a bit of a headache. Nothing awful. But I sense a storm brewing. This definitely does not bode well.

 

But I’ve been proactive! I shuffled to the shop this morning for foods full of vitamins. Ate well. Then I holed up inside out of the cold and decided today was to be a restful day. I baked and invited Woody over with the promise of a muffin. He cheered me up!

 

As someone that panics when I’m not doing ten things at once, it’s good to speak to someone who takes a more relaxed approach to how to fill their days… this makes me feel ok about taking a day off uni work. Sort of.

 

And my muffins seem to have made lots of other people feel good! These are Lemon Drizzle Muffins and the recipe for them I found on the shift calendar at work this weekend, of all places. The calendar has a recipe for each month of the year, and this January at the airport we’re being urged to bake Lemon Drizzle Muffins. To which I say… alright!

 

Here’s how you go about baking your very own Lemon Drizzle Muffins. Of course, in ten easy steps…

1. Heat your oven to 200˚C.

2. Line a muffin tray with 12 muffin cases, and melt your butter in a small saucepan.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add your flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

4. Grate the rind of your lemon into the bowl. And mix it all up!

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Don’t throw away your lemon! You need this later on.

5. Add your melted butter, eggs and milk to the bowl, then fold the mix together until it is smooth.

 

 

6. Spoon your mix evenly out into the muffin cases you’ve prepared and transport the tray safely into the oven, to bake for twenty minutes. 

ChefBeHere Top Tip: I filled my cases almost to the top and then some of my muffins rose so much that they overtopped their cases a little, while they baked in the oven. It was dramatic. When the muffins had baked, I had to chop off the overspill bits of muffin and feed them to my flatmates. To avoid this happening: only fill your cases until they’re about two-thirds full.

 

7. Take your muffins out of the oven when they're well-risen and golden brown.

 

8. Sift your icing sugar into a bowl and add the juice of your lemon.

9. Stir this briskly until you have a smooth, lemony mix.

10. Drizzle it over your muffins and serve them up!

Like these babies here

 

And, hey presto, you have before you a wonderful batch of muffins. These are your weapons with which to spread happiness! For you and your loved ones. These muffins are lemony gifts of love. They’re delicious!

 

So, I lost patience somewhat with my sieving and, as a result, the drizzle on my muffins is a little lumpy. Also, I don’t really know why, but my batch of muffins all seem to be very attached to their muffin cases. They don’t come out of them very easily! My flatmates have all been licking out their cases to get the last bits of muffin. And me too!

 

Does anyone out there know how to stop this from happening? It’s no real hardship having a muffin stuck to its case, of course, but you do end up with sticky fingers and crumbs on your nose!

 

If anyone has any suggestions for how to avoid this, please send them over. And do enjoy your muffins, everyone. Ready… set… BAKE!!!

Sift safely,

Hayley