Wednesday 12 May 2010

Special guest blog : Amelia Highfield





Thrifty: If you say that someone is thrifty, you are praising them for saving money, not buying unnecessary things, and not wasting things.

If a friend was asked to describe me in three words I am pretty sure thrifty would be one of them. I like to save money. I am not ashamed. I am proud. However, let me get one thing straight I am not a Scrooge. I am more Blue Peter than Ebenezer.

I happily make lavish 6 egg white pavlova piled with cream and berries (then secretly enjoy using up 6 egg yolks for an egg custard tart) I plan my car journey to reduce my fuel consumption and use comparison websites before I buy anything online. I use yesterdays roast chicken in my sandwiches, then make a stock with the bones and turn it into nutritious vegetable soup. Is that so bad?

My ultimate thrifty hobby is baking. Baking is cheap, cheaper than you think. Cakes cost pennies to make and let’s face it, nothing beats a homemade cake. Homemade cakes are cute and comforting. They make people smile and feel loved. The basic ingredients such as flour, sugar and eggs go a long way. Within an hour and for £2 you can whip up a Victoria Sponge to feed all the family.

However, I ‘m not saying you can’t glam them up with expensive bits and bobs. Maybe some ground almonds added to your basic sponge mix to add flavour and texture or a slab of 70% cocoa chocolate melted with some silky smooth double cream to cover your profiteroles (only if you’re feeling extravagant)



Anyway, I’ll quit my babble give you a recipe for my Marvellously Moreish Banana and Dark Chocolate Muffins. At only 12p each what’s not to love?

Before you start

· Read the whole recipe before you begin.

· Always weigh the ingredients.

· Heat the oven to the correct temperature.

· Oil your tin and line it with greaseproof paper.

· Use a timer.



Moreish Banana and Dark Chocolate Muffins

This recipe makes 12 regular muffins or 8 large muffins.

250g Plain Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

100g Sugar

125ml Sunflower Oil

2 Large Eggs

3 Big Overripe Bananas, mashed

150g Dark Cooking Chocolate, chunked (or milk/white chocolate if you prefer) I sometimes use Crunchies. The honeycomb explodes into a caramel mass!

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C

2. Line a muffin tray with 12 paper cases

3. Sieve together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add the sugar.

4. In a separate bowl mix the oil, eggs and mashed banana together.

5. Lightly combine the wet ingredients to the dry. Do not over mix.

6. Finally stir in the chocolate chunks.

7. Fill the cases with the mix and bake for 20 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and serve warm or cold.


Amelia Bakes offers a wide range of cakes and mouth-watering treats for any occasion, For more information, visit the Amelia Bakes fakebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=297450757569&ref=ts

2 comments:

  1. These look AMAZING, plus my mother has accidentally bought three bunches of bananas, so it's like God wants me to make them....

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's nice to seek a relative turning out good food.

    ReplyDelete