Category: Sweets & Baking

Categories
Breakfast Lunch Ovenbaked Sweets & Baking

Focaccia Garden

One of my favourite things about the foodie community on Instagram is that it’s bursting with creativity. I just wish I had more time on my hands to try all the lovely things I see out there. One thing I just had to do was a focaccia garden. Have you seen them? I first saw my friend @sweetinnature post one, and started browsing the #focacciaart hashtag. So many gorgeous creations!

Here’s my first attempt, with baby tomatoes, flat leaf parsley, lemon thyme and asparagus. Yeah, it does look more vibrant and beautiful before it’s baked (swipe to see the before pic), but it was also lovely when it came out of the oven. And yes, it tasted delicious too.

Ingredients
20 g fresh yeast (or 12 g dry yeast)
3 dl water
0,5 dl olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt
1,5 tbsp agave syrup (or other sweetener)
7,5 dl plain flour

Dissolve the yeast in the water. If you’re in a hurry, use 37 C water, otherwise use cold. Add olive oil, sea salt and agave syrup, before adding the flour. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes until smooth. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size. I always prefer to start the dough with cold water and let it rise for a few hours in room temperature, or even all day in the fridge.

Transfer the dough to a tray, about 20 x 30 cm, covered in parchment paper and lightly greased. Flatten the dough carefully. Leave it for another 30 minutes.

Brush the dough with olive oil and decorate it with herbs and vegetables. Here I’ve used flat leaf parsley, baby tomatoes, asparagus and lemon thyme.

Bake for about 20 minutes in 225 C. Check often towards the end. (I didn’t, apparently. Should have taken it out 2 min earlier…) Leave to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neverenoughgreens/

Categories
Dessert Fruit & Berries Ovenbaked Sweets & Baking

Blueberry Banana Bread

I was browsing through my archive of photos the other day, and I stumbled upon this old favourite. A really moist and delicious blueberry banana bread. Wish I could make it appear in front of me right this second!

Ingredients
4 ripe bananas
1,5 dl plant milk
1 tsp white vinegar
0,5 dl canola oil
4 dl plain flour
0,5 tsp cinnamon
0,5 tsp cardamom
0,5 tsp ginger
1,5 dl brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 dl blueberries

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a loaf pan with baking tray paper.
Mash the bananas in a big bowl and mix with plant milk, vinegar and canola oil.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, spices, sugar and baking soda.
Sift the flour mixture into the banana mix and mix until combined.
Carefully fold the blueberries in. Pour the batter into the pan.
Bake in the oven for about an hour. Let the bread rest and cool off for at least 30 minutes before cutting it in slices.

Categories
Fruit & Berries Ovenbaked Sweets & Baking

Twisted Rhubarb Wreath

I’m all about rhubarb this time of the year. Still waiting for my plants to grow stronger so I can start picking stems from them. In the meantime I’ll buy rhubarb and make all sorts of delicious things with it. Here I’ve used the same dough and compote that I posted two weeks ago (see my post from May 13, Rhubarb rolls), and turned it in to a twisted wreath. Unfortunately I burnt it a little (wild guess – my kids distracted me…), but I can assure you that it still tasted really good.
.
To make a twisted wreath: Roll the dough out to a rectangle. Spread with butter and a thin layer of compote. Roll it up, and cut the roll in half down the middle lengthwise with a sharp knife. Twist the two strand around each other, trying to keep the cut side outwards. Pull the ends together to form a circle and tuck the ends in. Put the wreath on parchment paper, and place it in a round baking tray to make sure it stays in shape and doesn’t go flat. Leave to rise for 30-40 minutes before baking it at 225 C for 20-25 min. When still hot, brush with sugar dissolved in hot water, and sprinkle with caster sugar.

Categories
Breakfast Fruit & Berries Ovenbaked Snack Sweets & Baking

Apple & Carrot Muffins

My youngest son asked for muffins the other day. It was a weekday, so I didn’t want them to be too sweet, but more like an afternoon energy boost. So together we improvised these apple and carrot and cinnamon muffins, which turned out really good. (In “together” I mean that I managed the measurements and my keen little helper stressed me out by threatening to pour a full packet of brown sugar and a whole carrot in the batter…)

Ingredients (makes 12 small muffins):
2 chia eggs (2 tbsp chia seeds + 8 tbsp water, rest for 15 min)
2,5 dl rolled oats
2 dl plain flour
pinch of salt
1 dl brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 dl neutral oil
1, 5 dl plant milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 apple, diced (2 dl)
1 small carrot, finely grated (1 dl)

Simply combine all the dry and wet ingredients in a bowl, and finish by adding diced apple and grated carrot. Distribute in 12 muffin cups and bake at 225 C for 15 min.

Categories
Dessert Fruit & Berries Ovenbaked Sweets & Baking

Anniversary & Rhubarb Rolls

Today it’s been one year since I started this blog. I’ve had so much fun cooking, photographing and writing, and blogging has really made me more motivated in the kitchen. And I’ve met so many lovely, generous, friendly people in the Instagram community, and I’m so grateful for each and everyone who likes, comments and supports me!

I celebrate with these rhubarb rolls, and I wish I could send you all one to try. I used my usual sweet yeast bread recipe, and filled it with a rhubarb compote. A couple of chopped up rhubarb stalks (not from my own garden, they’re not ready for picking just yet), some brown sugar and a dash of water, simmered until it started to thicken a little.

Dough:
75 g vegan butter
2,5 dl plantbased milk
15 g fresh yeast
0,5 dl caster sugar or syrup
0,5 tsp salt
7-8 dl plain flour (~430 g)

Let the vegan butter soften in room temperature or a few seconds in the microwave. Dissolve the yeast in cold milk. Add the soft butter, sugar and salt. Next, add flour and work until the dough is shiny and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. Leave to rise in the fridge overnight or a couple of hours in room temperature.

Take the dough out and let it rest in room temperature at least an hour before baking. Roll out a large square and spread with vegan butter and a thin layer of rhubarb compote and top with shredded coconut. Roll the dough up and cut in 20 equally sized pieces. Place the rolls with close together in a tray, about 20×30 cm.

Leave to rise another hour. Bake at 225 C for about 15 minutes. Make a glaze with powdered sugar, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of beetroot powder. Leave to cool and then drizzle with glaze before serving.

Categories
Dessert Fruit & Berries Ovenbaked Sweets & Baking

Plum Crumble Bars

As you may or may haven’t noticed, I’ve been a bit quite here lately. I simply haven’t had the time or energy to cook and post as usual. I hope to take it up again more regularly soon.

But here’s another problem when I finally get around to posting – my memory is failing me! I baked these crumble bars maybe a month ago, and all I remember is that they were really tasty, especially served warm with whipped custard on the side. And that I used a bag of frozen plums from our own garden. Can’t remember what recipe I used or what adjustments I made… Haha, you’ll just have to take my word that they were good! And later on, when I have more time, (who am I kidding here?!) I’ll definitely try to recreate them. And write down the recipe. I promise!

Categories
Dessert Ovenbaked Sweets & Baking

Hot Cross Buns

Happy Easter! I discovered Hot Cross Buns when we were in Australia last year. We all fell in love with these soft, doughy buns, and ate them all the time. It wasn’t until the end of our stay that we found out they were actually a traditional Easter treat! When we got back to Sweden, this was one of my first vegan bakes. This photo is actually from last year, but we’re making them again, but now we only eat them for Easter.

Do you have any special treats for Easter?

Categories
Ovenbaked Sweets & Baking

Pull Apart Bread

A while ago, I baked this fun sweet yeast bread loaf. It’s made of slices of dough with chopped chocolate and hazelnuts between the layers, and as the name suggests you pull the slices apart when serving. You could use whatever sweet filling you want, or you could use a pizza dough and fill it with pesto, tapernade or any other savoury spread.

Simply roll the dough out to a square and distribute the filling evenly. Cut lengthwise in strips, 10 cm wide, and pile them on top of each other. Cut uneven squares, maybe 7-12 cm wide. Grease a loaf pan and start piling the squares while holding the pan upright. Bake in the oven at 225 C for 25-30 minutes.

You can find the recipe for a sweet yeast dough in my cinnamon star bread post a few weeks back!

Categories
Dessert Ovenbaked Sweets & Baking

Beetroot Cake

Carrot cake is a long time favourite, so I thought it would be fun to try baking with another vegetable, namely beetroot. I loved how the colour turned out, and I thought that the earthy tones from the beetroot were nice. I used a chocolate frosting, but when I bake it again I’ll try a lime cream cheese frosting instead. I think that will contrast better with the sweet cake. Always fun to experiment in the kitchen!

Categories
Dessert Fruit & Berries Ovenbaked Sweets & Baking

Almond Pear Cake

I made this cake the other week, and as usual I improvised as I was whipping it up. Sometimes it fails, but this time it was a winner! It was so moist and sweet, and the pears added a very nice touch.

This photo is also my contribution to #monthlytechniquecollab by @foodcapturecollective Check out the hashtag for more dark and moody shots!

1 dl almonds, blanched
1 dl caster sugar
100 g almond paste (like a coarse marzipan but with less sugar)
75 g vegan butter
1 dl plant milk
1,5 dl almond flour
2 dl plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cardamom, coarsely ground
pinch of vanilla powder
pinch of salt
.
1 ripe pear
50 g almond paste
0,5 tsp cardamom, coarsely ground
almonds
.
Preheat the oven to 180 C and line a round springform (20-23 cm) with parchment paper.
In a food processor, mix the blanched almonds to a coarse flour. Add caster sugar, almond paste, butter and milk and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, then add to the wet batter and mix until smooth. Transfer to the springform.
Cut the pear in half, remove the seeds and slice in wedges. Stick the wedges in the batter like a wheel. Grate almond paste on top, and sprinkle with cardamom and sliced almonds.
Bake at 180 C for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden. Let cool and serve with a dollop of vegan whipped cream.