The recipes

My Best Recipe Collection of 2025

A roundup of my best recipes of 2025, from no-bake fridge tarts and biscuits to traybakes, puddings and show-stopping cakes.

  1. Peppermint Crisp Tart
  2. Cremora Tart
  3. Pineapple Fridge Tart
  4. Naan Kathai
  5. Easy, Buttery Shortbread
  6. Pecan Nut Biscuits
  7. My Ultimate Chocolate Brownies
  8. Peppermint Crisp Traybake
  9. Milk Tart Crumble Bars
  10. Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding
  11. Malva Pudding with Crème Anglaise
  12. Gingerbread Pudding
  13. My Ultimate Carrot Cake Recipe
  14. Hummingbird Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
  15. Salted Caramel Peanut Cake

adventureswithsugar.com/my-best-recipe-collection-of-2025/

Back to the collection

The recipe

Peppermint Crisp Tart

adventureswithsugar.com/peppermint-crisp-tart/

Method

Method: Peppermint Crisp tart

  1. Prepare your serving dish: You will need a 23cm by 33cm rectangular dish, which is at least 6cm high in which to make and serve this. I like a glass dish as I think it looks prettier, but as a last resort an oven tray can do too.
  2. Prepare your Peppermint Crisp chocolates: Begin by chopping all of the Peppermint Crisp chocolates. I recommend chopping about 3 fairly chunky, to give some texture to the tart. The cold chocolate gives a nice crunch. Chop the remainder a bit more finely to scatter on top of the layers.
  3. Prepare the garnish caramel swirl: Remove two tablespoons of cream and two tablespoons of Caramel Treat and set aside for a garnish at the end. Heat the cream and caramel for about 10 seconds and then stir to combine. It should be a darker shade than the rest of the Peppermint Crisp filling so as to create a two-tone effect.
  4. Make the caramel mixture: Whip the cream until soft peaks form – whipping the cream separately ensures that you do not overwhip the mixture and have it turn grainy (I have seen countless failed attempts on TikTok and this is the single biggest problem). A soft peak means that if you were to lift the whisk up, the peak of the cream does not stand upright, but will fall slightly. Then, in a separate bowl, whip the caramel and mascarpone together until well combined. Mascarpone can overwhip, so be mindful not to. Add this caramel mixture to the whipped cream and continue to whip everything to stiff peaks.
  5. Layer the different components: Begin by layering the Tennis Biscuits into your dish, follow it with a third of the caramel mixture. Then sprinkle on a third of the Peppermint Crisp. Repeat the process – that is a layer of biscuits, a third of the caramel mixture and a third of the chocolate. Finally, layer on the last layer of biscuits and the last bit of caramel mixture.
  6. Garnish the dessert: Dollop a few spoonfuls randomly on the caramel mixture and swirl with a knife to create a pretty finish. Finally, sprinkle on the last bit of Peppermint Crisp chocolate.
  7. Let the dessert set: This dessert is best set in the fridge overnight, but will need at least 8 hours of chill time to ensure it is well set.

The recipe

Cremora Tart

adventureswithsugar.com/cremora-tart/

Method

Method: base

  1. Make the crumbs: Blitz the Tennis Biscuits until they are like fine breadcrumbs, then add in the lemon zest and butter and mix to combine.
  2. Press into the tin: The mixture should resemble damp sand, but not be overly wet. Press into your 26cm tart tin, making sure to press in the edges well.

Method: filling

  1. Mix the cream, yogurt and Cremora: Place the double cream and yogurt in a large mixing bowl and mix to combine. Then add the Cremora and continue to mix.
  2. Add the condensed milk and lemon juice: Add in the condensed milk and lemon juice. It will begin to thicken.
  3. Set: Pour the mixture into your tart tin and let set for 8 hours – perfect for making ahead.
  4. Decorate: Decorate as elaborately or as simply as you like. I’ve seen people drizzle granadilla pulp on top which is great too. I have used nectarines and raspberries, with a bit of pistachio.

The recipe

Pineapple Fridge Tart

adventureswithsugar.com/pineapple-fridge-tart/

Method

Method: pineapple fridge tart

  1. Strain the pineapple: Strain the pineapple chunks and set the syrup aside. Remove about two tablespoons of the chunks for the final decoration and set aside.
  2. Make the jelly: Add 150ml pineapple juice to a medium size saucepan and heat until it comes to a boil, then remove from heat and dissolve the jelly. Add the iced water and set aside to cool a bit.
  3. Whip the cream: In a medium mixing bowl, whip the whipping cream to soft peaks and set aside.
  4. Make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, condensed milk and lemon juice together. Then mix the slightly cooled jelly mixture into the cream cheese mixture.
  5. Fold in the cream, pineapple and chocolate: Finally fold in the whipping cream, followed by the pineapple chunks and white chocolate.
  6. Layer the biscuits: Begin by layering your Tennis Biscuits in a 23cm by 33cm casserole dish. Dip each biscuit briefly in the pineapple juice and layer.
  7. Add half the filling: Then add half the pineapple mixture and a drizzle of about a third of the passionfruit pulp.
  8. Repeat the layers: Repeat the layer of biscuits and the remaining pineapple mixture and a third of the passionfruit pulp.
  9. Top with cream: Finish with a final third layer of biscuits and pipe on the whipped cream. Sweeten the cream with a tablespoon of icing sugar.
  10. Decorate: Then decorate with the chocolate curls, remaining passionfruit pulp, pineapple chunks and lime zest.
  11. Set in the fridge: Leave to set in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours before slicing and enjoying.

The recipe

Naan Kathai

Makes about 30, 20g biscuits

adventureswithsugar.com/naan-kathai/

Method

Method: naan kathai

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare your trays: Preheat the oven to 170˚ Celsius. If you are not using a non-stick baking tray, grease and line three trays with baking paper.
  2. Prepare the butter, ghee and sugar: Place half the butter and half the ghee in a microwave safe bowl and melt it. Then pour into a bowl that you are going to use to mix, along with your sugar and cream for a good 5 minutes. This may feel like a futile step, but it does help to dissolve the sugar a bit. Once this is done, then place the remaining ghee (for best results, it is optimal to use solid ghee as opposed to melted ghee here) and butter with the rest of the creamed mixture and beat for at least 12 to 15 minutes – the mixture must be very pale and light.
  3. Prepare your dry ingredients: Place the flour, gramflour, semolina, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and the spice blend into a bowl and give it a good whisk to combine.
  4. Add in the dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and ghee mixture in three additions. You can mix this for about a minute until it comes together (unlike shortbread type biscuits, where we try to avoid overmixing to keep a buttery texture, some gluten-development is fine here).
  5. Shape and bake: Roll the dough into 20g balls. They do spread a bit in the oven, so they may initially feel smaller than you would expect. If you want, you can do 25g balls as well, but I would not go bigger. Place the biscuits on the tray – I fit 11 on a tray, in a row of 4, 3 and then 4. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the tops begin to crack. Keep a close eye on them – you do not want them to get too brown, and the high spice ratio can make them darken quite quickly.
  6. Let rest on the tray before removing: Once out of the oven, let the naan kathai rest on the tray for 10 minutes to firm up. They are too tender to remove by hand. Then, using a spatula, lift the biscuits off the tray and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
  7. Storage: These biscuits will keep well for up to a week, stored in an airtight container, and ensuring that it is well sealed. I usually wrap the seam between the biscuit barrel and the lid with sellotape to ensure no air gets in.

What should I know about making this?

What temperature do you bake yours at?

I typically bake mine at 160˚ Celsius for about 20 minutes, but after feedback from people who have made these, I have changed the recipe to 170˚ Celsius for 15 – 20 minutes.

Why didn't my naan kathai crack?

If there are no cracks, your oven may be too cool, or your baking powder or bicarbonate of soda may be old.

The recipe

Easy, Buttery Shortbread

adventureswithsugar.com/easy-buttery-shortbread/

Method

Method: shortbread

  1. Combine the dry ingredients: Place the flour, cornflour, rice flour, salt and sugar into a food processor and whizz to combine. Alternatively, if doing this by hand, whisk to combine.
  2. Add in the butter: Add the cold butter, diced into cubes, and the vanilla, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. If not using a food processor, rub the cold butter into the flour with your fingers.
  3. Bring the dough together and chill: Tip the dough onto a clean work surface and bring together with your hands. Do not overknead the dough. Pat out to about 1cm – 1.5cm in thickness, wrap in clingwrap and place in the fridge to chill for an hour.
  4. Preheat your oven: Preheat the oven to 170˚ Celsius. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut into your desired shape. I used a decorative cookie tin, but there is a lot which you can do including just slicing it into fingers. Make a few pricks with a fork for the steam to escape.
  5. Bake the shortbread: Bake the shortbread for 15 – 20 minutes until just tan. Then remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 130˚ Celsius. Let the shortbread cool for about 10 minutes before popping them back into the oven for a further 10 – 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on them as they should not get too brown.
  6. Cool and dust with caster sugar: Let the shortbread cool until firm enough to handle without breaking, then dust with more caster sugar and leave to cool completely.

The recipe

Pecan Nut Biscuits

Makes approximately 20 biscuits, with a 5cm diameter

adventureswithsugar.com/pecan-nut-biscuits/

Method

Method: pecan nut biscuits

  1. Toast the pecans which are being included in the dough: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Place the pecans on a baking tray and toast in the middle rack of the oven for 8 – 10 minutes. The pecans can go from toasty to burnt very quickly, so keep an eye on them. Set them aside to cool completely, before chopping them. Keep some chunky for texture.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar: Cream the butter, icing sugar and vanilla for about three to five minutes, until the mixture feels light and fluffy, and the butter turns a lighter shade of yellow.
  3. Add in the dry ingredients: Then add in the flour and pecan nuts and knead to form a soft dough. I usually knead this by hand as mixing in the large pecan pieces with a mixer sometimes breaks them down even further and the texture is too fine.
  4. Chill the dough: The dough will feel softer than a usual biscuit dough and that is fine. When you touch the dough, it should not stick to your hands. If it does, it may need a bit more flour. Add about two teaspoons at a time to ensure you do not add too much. Then place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up a bit.
  5. Shape the biscuits: Once the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, pat out the dough so that you can use a cutter to shape the biscuits. Do not make the thickness too thin, about 1.5cm is fine. Then use a 5cm round cutter to cut out biscuit rounds. I used one with a fluted edge, but use what you have.
  6. Add a whole pecan and chill: Press a whole pecan (make sure you did not toast these or they will get too brown in the oven) into the middle of the biscuit and then set in the fridge to chill for about an hour, until the biscuits are firm to the touch. Make sure to leave a bit of space between each biscuit, but I usually fit 12 on a tray and that is fine, they do not spread much, especially if chilled.
  7. Bake the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius, with the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake each tray of biscuits for 8 – 10 minutes, the base of the biscuits should be a very tan colour – then they are done. Let the biscuits rest on the tray for 5 minutes, after they come out of the oven, then use a spatula to transfer them gently onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  8. Decoration: Once the biscuits have completely cooled, melt the milk chocolate. I find this best to do in the microwave in 15 second bursts. The chocolate can be quite thick, and does not give you a smooth finish when you dip it. In order to thin the chocolate a bit, add a quarter to half a teaspoon coconut oil, being careful not to add too much, or the chocolate will always remain tacky and not set well. You can stop there, but if you like, cover the milk chocolate half with some baking paper, then dust the remaining half with icing sugar.
  9. Storage: These biscuits will keep well for up to a week, stored in an airtight container. They are also suitable to be frozen without the decoration and refreshed in the oven.

The recipe

My Ultimate Chocolate Brownies

adventureswithsugar.com/my-ultimate-chocolate-brownies/

Method

Method: chocolate brownies

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the tin: Preheat the oven to 170˚ Celsius. Grease and line a 23cm square cake tin. Make sure there is enough overhang of the baking paper, so it is easier to lift out.
  2. Melt the butter: In a medium saucepan melt the butter.
  3. Bloom the cocoa: Add in the cocoa powder and whisk into the butter to “bloom” it. This releases the flavour from the cocoa, which is trapped in the solids.
  4. Add the coffee and chocolate: Then add in the coffee granules and chocolate and mix well, until all the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
  5. Beat the eggs and sugars: With a stand or hand-held mixer, beat the eggs and sugars for around 5 minutes until the mixture has tripled in volume and looks pale.
  6. Add the chocolate, flour and salt: Gradually pour in the melted chocolate mixture, followed by the rye flour and salt.
  7. Rest the batter: Set the batter aside to rest for 5 minutes.
  8. Fill the tin: Then pour half your batter into a lined cake tin, sprinkle on half the dark choc chunks if using, and then add the rest of the batter. Follow that with the flaky sea salt.
  9. Bake: Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until the brownie has risen and set, and the edges begin to crack a bit. A skewer inserted WILL NOT come out clean, as you want the brownie to be fudgy. There should be a few moist crumbs.
  10. Cool and cut: Wait a few hours for the brownie to cool before cutting into it.

What should I know about making this recipe?

Is the coffee an essential step?

I always use coffee to deepen the flavour of chocolate. You cannot taste the coffee, it just makes the chocolate, well ... chocolatier. You can skip it if you want.

What is the purpose of using a combination of milk and dark chocolate?

The dark chocolate helps balance out the sweetness. The milk chocolate has an ingredient called soya lecithin, which in part, helps to give the brownie its shiny crust.

Any other notes on the chocolate?

Please use the best quality chocolate that you can afford for best results.

Is using rye flour essential? What if I cannot find rye flour?

Rye flour helps to produce a really gooey, sticky fudgy brownie. There is less gluten in rye flour than cake flour, so the overall result of the baked good is more dense – which is what you want in a brownie. You can use normal cake flour, of equal quantity, if you prefer.

Why are there two types of sugar in the recipe?

I found that the brownie made with just white sugar was too cakey and the brownie made with just brown sugar was too gooey. So I used a combination to find a good balance.

Beating the eggs and sugar... is this necessary?

It is, if you want a nice shiny crust on the top. Also, there is very little leavening in the recipe, so the air incorporated into the sugar and the egg helps to give the brownie structure.

Why do you let your brownie batter stand for 5 minutes?

I noticed, by accident, that doing this produced a thicker batter. Possibly because there is more time for the rye flour to absorb into the batter.

How do I store my brownies?

Place them in an airtight container once they are fully cooled.

Can I enjoy my brownies straight out of the oven?

Unfortunately here, patience is a virtue. If you cut into them immediately, it's going to be a hot, gooey mess. The chocolate in the recipe does set up, as it cools however, to add some structure.

How long do the brownies last?

I have no idea, they were gone by the next day in my household! I assume a shelf life of around 5 days, stored in the fridge is reasonable. You may want to microwave them before enjoying.

Can I tailor these brownies to my own taste?

I am a firm believer in adapting recipes until they suit what I am looking for – but only after testing the original one.

Naturally, changing core ingredients like ratio of sugar, or different qualities of chocolate will impact the final bake. These ratios have specific scientific functions on the end result, so I do not suggest changing them without trying the recipe unaltered first.

That being said, this is a great base to add other accompanying ingredients. Feel free to swirl in caramel or peanut butter. For a more savoury flavour, pretzels or even potato chips are also an option. Tossing in some blueberries or raspberries will also be delicious and complement the chocolatiness.

The recipe

Peppermint Crisp Traybake

adventureswithsugar.com/peppermint-crisp-traybake/

Method

Method: chocolate and caramel marble cake

  1. Prepare the toasted milk powder: Please see important note at the beginning of the recipe where I now use toasted milk powder instead of malted milk powder. Begin by preheating the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Place the milk powder on a baking sheet and place in the oven to toast for 10 minutes. Give it a mix every 3 minutes to ensure it does not burn. The milk powder is done when it is a light tan colour, not too brown. You can skip this step and just use untoasted milk powder, but the caramel notes of the cake are so much more pronounced with this.
  2. Prepare your oven and cake tin before baking: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. It is important to do this properly, especially if using a shallow tin. To line the tin, cut a single piece of baking paper that will line the base, but also overhang off the sides, about 5cm higher than the height of the tin. This will ensure that the cake is easy to lift out of the tin, but also creates a collar once you add the peppermint crisp topping. Then line the remaining two sides with separate pieces of baking paper, coming 5cm up over the tin. Fold this over the edge of the tin so that it does not burn.
  3. Prepare the wet ingredients: In a jug, add in the eggs, milk and vanilla essence. Whisk by hand for about 30 seconds until the yolks are broken up and everything looks like a homogenous mixture.
  4. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl: Place the butter, oil, muscovado sugar, golden syrup, self-raising flour, toasted milk powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl.
  5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Pour a third of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix for about 30 seconds, the mixture should look like wet sand. Then add the next third and mix for 30 seconds and then the final third of the eggs and milk. Once the final mix is added, let it mix for about 45 seconds to a minute until the mixture looks thick, glossy and slightly voluminous. The batter may sometimes look slightly curdled, but that is no reason to worry. It will come together as it bakes.
  6. Make the cocoa swirl batter: Begin in a larger bowl than you think you will need, as you will ultimately transfer half the batter into this bowl. To begin, place the cocoa powder and boiling water and mix to form a thick paste. Then add in about a quarter cup of the caramel batter and mix until everything is well combined. Then, transfer some of the remaining caramel batter into the bowl and gently mix into the cocoa mixture. In total, you want half the batter to be chocolate and half to be caramel.
  7. Add the batter to the tin and marble: To ensure you get a proper marbled effect, use a tablespoon to dollop random patches of caramel batter into the tin. Then fill in the gaps with the chocolate batter. Once you have a base layer, then repeat the process randomly with a second layer of chocolate and caramel batter. Use the back of a sharp knife to swirl the batter together to make a marble pattern.
  8. Bake the cake and let it cool before frosting: Bake the cake for 35 – 45 minutes, checking on it after 20 minutes. The toasted milk powder could cause it to brown quite quickly. To avoid a burnt look, simply cover with a sheet of foil and continue baking for the remaining time.
  9. Prepare the cake for frosting: Once out of the oven, let the cake rest for 15 minutes before removing from the tin and letting it cool completely. If the top has domed slightly, trim that off so that it sits flat. Frost the cake only once completely cool. Once ready to frost, add the cake back into the tin with the baking paper you prepared earlier coming up around 5cm over the tin.

Method: Peppermint Crisp frosting and decoration

  1. Beat the butter first: To make the icing, beat the butter for about a minute until pale and fluffy.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix: Then add in the mascarpone, tinned caramel and whipping cream and whip for about a minute until everything is combined and the whipping cream is stiff. Be careful not to whip for too long, or you could overbeat the ingredients and it will go from silky smooth to grainy and split.
  3. Prepare the Peppermint Crisp chocolates: Chop up the Peppermint Crisp chocolates, reserving one for the garnish at the end. Fold the remaining two into the caramel mixture.
  4. Add the caramel mixture onto the cake: Now is the time that the collar you have made for the cake, with the additional layer of baking paper, is important. Ensure it comes up over the sides of the tin. Then add the caramel mixture onto the cake and smooth out.
  5. Prepare the caramel swirl: Simply heat the tablespoon of caramel and cream in the microwave for 15 seconds, before mixing to combine. Then dollop in between the caramel mixture and swirl with a sharp knife.
  6. Add on the Peppermint Crisp chocolate: The one chocolate which we reserved for garnish can now be sprinkled on the top. Then place the cake in the fridge to set for 30 minutes, before removing from the tin, slicing and serving.
  7. Garnish with mini Tennis Biscuits: If you want, just before serving, you can add on mini Tennis Biscuits to complete the look of this delicious Peppermint Crisp marble traybake.

Important things to note about this recipe

Why is lining the tin so "complicated"?

Most people have shallow 20cm tins. This means that the height of the tin is around 5cm. The cake and the filling combined may be slightly higher than this and I want people to have the most success in making the Peppermint Crisp traybake as pretty as possible, so have been more pedantic about lining the tin.

Why do you use toasted milk powder?

I initially used malted milk powder for this recipe, Horlicks being the most popular one. I have recently discovered however, that Horlicks has changed its formula which does not work so well in the recipe. I also think milk powder is more accessible and cheaper and is therefore better.

Why has my peppermint caramel filling split?

The whipping cream in this recipe, coupled with the mascarpone cheese can result in overwhipping and the fats separating from the water. So be careful when overwhipping.

The recipe

Milk Tart Crumble Bars

adventureswithsugar.com/milk-tart-crumble-bars/

Method

Method: base and crumble

  1. Prepare the tin and the oven: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm square baking tin, with baking paper and set aside.
  2. Make the base and crumble: Set the melted butter, ground cinnamon and almond flakes aside. Place all the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the melted butter and use a bread knife to bring together. The dough may be a bit clumpy, but that is fine.
  3. Set aside the crumble topping: Remove about 40g of dough, mix through the ground cinnamon and place in the fridge as the crumble topping, until ready to use.
  4. Bake the base: Place the remaining dough in your baking tin and bake for around 15 – 20 minutes as a guide. The base is done when the edges start to get a bit brown and the top has a very tan colour to it. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Method: spiced apples

  1. Cook the apples: Place a medium pan on the stove and turn onto medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and heat until melted. Mix the apples with the rest of the ingredients, except the cornflour and water slurry. Add this to the pan and cook for about 3 – 5 minutes. The sugar should melt and the apples should soften a little. Avoid cooking the apples completely as they will bake in the oven and you want them to retain some texture.
  2. Add the cornflour slurry to thicken the mixture: Once the sugar has melted and the apples have released some moisture, add in the cornflour slurry and cook for a minute or two until the apples are coated in a thick syrup and are looking all jammy. I know pre-cooking the apples feels like an extra step, but this gives the bars a delicious flavour without releasing too much water into the final bake.

Method: milk tart filling

  1. Heat the milk, cream and spices: Place the milk, whipping cream, cinnamon, bay leaf and grated nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Heat on medium until the milk begins to simmer. Then turn off and let steep for 5 minutes.
  2. Mix the remaining ingredients: Place the flour and cornflour into a large heat-proof bowl. Slowly add in the water and mix to form a slurry. Add the water a little at a time so that the flours are well dissolved. Then add in the sugar, eggs and vanilla and whisk to combine everything.
  3. Temper the eggs with the hot milk: Slowly pour in the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture and whisk constantly to increase the temperature of the eggs, without scrambling them.
  4. Cook the custard: Then place this mixture back into the pot and cook on medium heat until the custard begins to thicken. Make sure you are constantly whisking to ensure that the eggs do not scramble and the custard does not catch at the bottom of the pot. There will be a moment when things look quite lumpy and curdled, but continue whisking vigorously and everything will come together.
  5. Add in the butter to the custard: To add a bit of richness and set to the custard, when it cools, add in the butter and whisk until it melts into the hot custard. Remove the cinnamon quill and bay leaf from the custard and discard.
  6. Add the custard to the shortbread base: Pour the milk tart filling onto the biscuit base and spread to cover the base, with an even layer of the custard.
  7. Add in the cooked apples and the crumble: Now add in the cooked apples randomly over the milk tart filling, to disperse the flavour. Then remove the crumble from the fridge and sprinkle the crumble over the milk tart filling. I like to keep some pieces of the filling chunky for extra texture. Then toss on the flaked almonds.
  8. Bake the milk tart filling and crumble: Place the milk tart crumble bars in the oven to bake at 180˚ Celsius for a further 20 – 25 minutes, until the crumble topping has browned slightly. Give the tin a shake, the custard may have a slight wobble in the centre, but should be firmly set around the sides of the tin. That is when you know that it is done.
  9. Remove from the oven and let cool: Remove the milk tart crumble bars from the oven and let it cool in the tin completely. Then place in the fridge for about 4 hours to set before lifting out of the tin. If you desire, and want to add a bit of additional sweetness, dust with some icing sugar before serving.

The recipe

Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

Serves 10 to 12

adventureswithsugar.com/chocolate-pudding/

Method

Method: pudding

  1. Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 160˚ Celsius. Grease a baking dish, measuring 30cm x 20cm x 6cm with some butter. Make sure it is not too large, or the sauce will dry up as it bakes in the oven.
  2. Combine the wet ingredients: Place the coffee granules into the milk and microwave until the milk is warm and you are able to dissolve the granules. Do not worry if it does not dissolve completely. Then add in the melted butter, vanilla essence and eggs and mix to combine.
  3. Combine the dry ingredients: Add the flour, cocoa powder, ground almonds, salt, cinnamon and both sugars to a bowl and whisk to combine.
  4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Add the milk and egg mixture, gradually to the flour mixture and whisk together to form a thick batter.
  5. Add the chocolate and place in the dish: Stir in the roughly chopped chocolate and place into the greased dish, levelling out the top.

Method: chocolate sauce

  1. Combine the sugar and cocoa: Stir the sugars and cocoa together and sprinkle this mixture over the pudding batter.
  2. Add the boiling water to the pudding: Pour the boiling water slowly onto a large serving spoon and let it fall into the pudding. Pouring this over the back of a large spoon allows it to soften the fall of the water and does not make large pools of water in the bake.
  3. Bake: Bake for 45 – 50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the sponge part comes out clean. The top of the pudding should look set, but it will still be loose and seem like it is floating a bit. This is the sauce part of the pudding and is completely normal.
  4. Serving suggestion: Let the pudding stand for 10 minutes for the sauce to settle a bit, before serving. Spoon generous portions into a bowl, and serve it with whipped cream, double thick cream/yogurt or my suggestion which is vanilla bean ice cream.

The recipe

Malva Pudding with Crème Anglaise

adventureswithsugar.com/malva-pudding/

Method

Method: malva pudding

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the dish: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Grease a 20cm square baking dish with some cooking spray and set aside. You want a fairly high dish so that the syrup has enough volume to be poured into. I have tested this in a 5 cup bundt tin as well and it works wonderfully, with it being fully soaked through.
  2. Beat the sugar and eggs: Beat the sugar, vanilla and eggs until pale and voluminous – approximately 5 minutes.
  3. Add the jam and butter: Then add in the apricot jam and melted butter, beat to incorporate.
  4. Prepare the milk: Add the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda to the milk and stir. The mixture will tend to become frothy.
  5. Combine: Add the flour and milk mixture to the egg and sugar mixture and mix to combine.
  6. Bake: Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the pudding comes out clean. (The pudding does darken a fair bit due to the apricot jam’s high sugar content. If you do feel it is getting past a very deep brown, it is best to cover it with some aluminium foil).

Method: sauce

  1. Make the sauce: When the malva pudding is at the halfway mark, place all the ingredients in a medium size saucepan and heat on medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil.
  2. Pour over the sauce: When the pudding comes out of the oven, prick the pudding with a fork and pour over the sauce immediately. It is best to use the back of a spoon to break the pressure from the sauce damaging the soft sponge of the pudding.
  3. If using a bundt tin: If you are using a bundt tin, wait five minutes until you can loosen the pudding slightly. Then pour in half the sauce and let it seep in before flipping over, this could take about 2 minutes to soak through. Ladle the remaining syrup over the top of the bundt tin.
  4. Serve: Serve the pudding whilst warm, with custard and/or ice cream.

Method: crème anglaise

  1. Combine the milk and cream: Add the milk and cream to a large saucepan.
  2. Add the vanilla and heat: Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean and add it to the milk mixture. Heat it until it comes to a rolling simmer, but not until it is boiling.
  3. Whisk the remaining ingredients: Whilst the milk is heating up, place the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  4. Temper the eggs: Then, a quarter cup at a time, add the hot milk to the egg mixture to temper the eggs and increase their temperature, without scrambling it.
  5. Cook the custard: Add this mixture back to your saucepan and cook on a low heat until the custard coats the back of a spoon, and you can run a finger through it, with the trail still being visible.
  6. Strain and serve: Strain the custard into a bowl. This can be served hot or cold, but usually a cold custard with a hot malva is the perfect balance.

The recipe

Gingerbread Pudding

adventureswithsugar.com/gingerbread-pudding/

Method

Method: gingerbread pudding

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the dish: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Grease a 20cm square baking dish with some cooking spray and set aside. You want a fairly high dish so that the syrup has enough volume to be poured into. I have tested this in a 5 cup bundt tin as well and it works wonderfully, with it being fully soaked through. To make it in a 10 – 12 cup bundt tin, double the recipe and reduce the temperature to 160˚ Celsius.
  2. Beat the sugar and eggs: Beat the sugar, vanilla and eggs until pale and voluminous – approximately 5 minutes.
  3. Add the syrup, molasses and butter: Then add in the golden syrup, molasses and melted butter, beat to incorporate.
  4. Prepare the milk: Add the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda to the milk and stir. The mixture will tend to become frothy.
  5. Combine: Add the flour, cocoa, ground ginger and mixed spice and milk mixture to the egg and sugar mixture and mix to combine.
  6. Bake: Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the pudding comes out clean. (The pudding does darken a fair bit due to the apricot jam’s high sugar content. If you do feel it is getting past a very deep brown, it is best to cover it with some aluminium foil). If baking it in a 10 – 12 cup bundt tin, bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  7. Make the sauce: Whilst the pudding is baking, get on with making the sauce.

Method: sauce

  1. Make the sauce: When the malva pudding is at the halfway mark, place all the ingredients, except the brandy, in a medium size saucepan and heat on medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Let it boil for 3 – 4 minutes then turn off. Add the brandy, if using.
  2. Pour over the sauce: When the pudding comes out of the oven, prick the pudding with a fork and pour over the sauce immediately. It is best to use the back of a spoon to break the pressure from the sauce damaging the soft sponge of the pudding.
  3. If using a bundt tin: If you are using a bundt tin, wait five minutes until you can loosen the pudding slightly. Then pour in half the sauce and let it seep in before flipping over, this could take about 2 minutes to soak through. Ladle the remaining syrup over the top of the bundt tin.
  4. Serve: Serve the pudding whilst warm, with custard and/or ice cream.

What should I know about making this recipe?

Malva puddings are not typically baked in a bundt tin, why change that?

I feel that baking it in a bundt tin makes it more festive. It also allows me to control the amount of soaking sauce into the pudding, so it does not become too soaked. I can then serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Also, I hate bundt tins because they always stick!

Preparing a bundt tin is very important. Firstly, brush liberally with melted butter, getting it into all the corners especially. Then dust well with cocoa powder, until the entire tin is coated. Flip the tin over and tap out the excess cocoa powder. Set in the fridge for 5 minutes to set the cocoa.

I cannot find molasses anywhere?

Substitute this with an extra tablespoon of sugar, though some of the treacly taste of the pudding will be lost.

I do not want to use alcohol in the recipe, substitute?

Substitute out the alcohol, in the sauce, with water.

Are there any differences in baking it in a bundt tin vs 20cm baking dish?

Yes, there is! The bake times and the oven temperature vary. To begin, the recipe given below is for a 20cm baking dish. If you want to bake it in a bundt tin like I have done, double the recipe. For a bundt tin, bake it for 40 minutes at 170˚ Celsius.

The recipe

My Ultimate Carrot Cake Recipe

adventureswithsugar.com/carrot-cake/

Method

Method: carrot cake

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the baking pans: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Grease and line, with baking paper, three 20cm cake tins. (You can bake these in two 20cm cake tins as well, but bake the cakes at 170˚ Celsius for 35 – 45 minutes.)
  2. Toast the pecans: Place the pecans on a baking tray, and toast for 8 – 10 minutes until the pecans smell aromatic and have turned a shade darker. They can burn fairly easily, so keep an eye on them.
  3. Sift the dry ingredients: Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt in a bowl and set aside.
  4. Combine the eggs and sugar: Add the eggs, caster sugar, brown sugar and vanilla into a bowl and beat for around 3 minutes until pale and frothy.
  5. Add in the oil: Whilst beating the eggs and sugars, slowly pour in the oil and beat until well combined.
  6. Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Add the sifted dry ingredients to the beaten egg, oil and sugar, and gently fold by hand.
  7. Add in the carrots and pecans: Then add the carrots and fold by hand, followed by the pecans.
  8. Bake and cool: Bake the cakes for around 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If you are baking the cake in two 20cm tins instead of three, ensure you bake it at 170˚ Celsius for 35 – 45 minutes.

Method: traditional cream cheese icing (option 1)

  1. Cream the butter: Cream the butter until light and airy.
  2. Add in the icing sugar, vanilla and honey: Then add in the honey, vanilla and icing sugar and beat until combined.
  3. Beat the cream cheese: In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
  4. Combine the ingredients: Then gently fold the cream cheese into the butter and icing sugar mixture, by hand.
  5. Why beat it separately: Beating the cream cheese separately ensures that it is not overbeaten.

Method: brown butter cream cheese icing (option 2)

  1. Brown the butter: Place the butter in a medium size pot and place on the stove on medium heat. Heat the butter until it is completely melted, then continue to heat. The milk solids and the butter fat will separate and some white scum will begin to form. Continue heating; the butter will now turn a bright yellow with little bubbles. As you continue to heat it, the butter will then begin to foam. At this point, you need to watch it closely – look out for the sides of the pot, where the milk solids will begin to turn brown. Some of the white foam on the top will begin to turn a light brown – at this point, the butter should be smelling all nutty and take on a caramel colour. Take off the stove, place in a heatproof container and place in the fridge to set. You want to be able to cream the butter, so do not refrigerate until hard, but rather spreadable.
  2. Cream the brown butter: Once the brown butter has set until it is firm, but still spreadable, use a hand-held mixer to beat the butter until it turns a shade paler and becomes fluffy.
  3. Add in the icing sugar and vanilla: Then add in the vanilla and icing sugar and beat until combined.
  4. Beat the cream cheese: In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
  5. Combine the ingredients: Then gently fold the cream cheese into the butter and icing sugar mixture, by hand.
  6. Add in the maple syrup: Finally, add in the maple syrup and use the hand-held electric beater to combine. Do not overbeat or the mixture could curdle.

Method: spiced pineapple

  1. Make the poaching syrup: Excluding the pineapple pieces, add the remaining ingredients into a medium size saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid comes to a boil.
  2. Thicken the syrup: Continue to reduce the syrup for around 10 minutes. The syrup will be a thin one, so do not worry.
  3. Poach the pineapples: Transfer the liquid to a fridge-safe bowl and place in the fridge to cool, then add in the pineapple pieces to soak in the liquid. If you add the pineapple to the hot liquid, this cooks the pineapple and some of the "bite" which the pineapple has is lost.
  4. Use: Use the spiced pineapple in between the cake layers for extra texture.

Method: pecan praline

  1. Toast the pecans: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Place the pecans on a baking tray, lined with baking paper (this is important) and bake for 8 – 10 minutes until the pecans smell toasty and turn a shade darker. Remove from the oven, but keep the oven on and turn it to 200˚ Celsius.
  2. Make the caramel: Place the sugar, golden syrup and maple syrup in a medium size pot and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to bubble slightly and turn a shade darker.
  3. Add the pecans: Tip the pecans into the pot and mix until the pecans are coated in the caramel.
  4. Bake the praline: Immediately add this mixture back to your lined baking tray and bake for 5 – 10 minutes. The caramel will turn a shade darker and begin to bubble on the edges.
  5. Rest: Remove from the oven and let rest until the praline has completely hardened. Then crack into little pieces, chop the praline up and add in between cake layers and for decoration.

The recipe

Hummingbird Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

adventureswithsugar.com/hummingbird-cake-with-brown-butter-cream-cheese-frosting/

Method

Method: hummingbird cake

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the tins: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Grease and line three 20cm round baking tins.
  2. Cream the oil and sugars: Cream the oil, brown and caster sugars together for two minutes until well combined.
  3. Add the eggs: Then add in the eggs, one at a time, making sure that each one is mixed through before adding the next one.
  4. Add the vanilla: Add in the vanilla essence.
  5. Sift the dry ingredients: Sift the cake flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and mixed spice together and set aside.
  6. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk: Alternate the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
  7. Add the fruit and nuts: Add in the mashed bananas, drained pineapple chunks and pecan nuts and mix until well combined.
  8. Bake: Bake for about 30 – 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  9. Cool and turn out: Let the cakes cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, before turning out to cool completely on a wire rack.

Method: brown butter cream cheese frosting

  1. Brown the butter: To make the brown butter, place the butter in a medium saucepan and let it melt. Once melted, continue to heat the butter until it starts foaming. Continue to monitor it as the foam turns a gentle brown, the butter gives off a nutty aroma and turns brown. Remove it from the heat at this point, it will continue cooking with the residual heat from the pan, so you do not want to burn it! Set it in the refrigerator to set.
  2. Make the cake meanwhile: You can go on making the rest of the cake and then come back to complete the frosting once the cakes are in the oven.
  3. Cream the butter: To complete the frosting, cream the butter until light and airy.
  4. Add the icing sugar: Then add in the icing sugar and beat until combined.
  5. Beat the cream cheese: In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
  6. Fold in the cream cheese: Then gently fold the cream cheese into the butter and icing sugar mixture.
  7. Why beat it separately: Beating the cream cheese separately ensures that it is not over beaten, and your icing does not end up being too runny.
  8. Add the vanilla and maple syrup: Add in the vanilla essence and maple syrup and continue to mix until the frosting comes together.
  9. Fill and frost: Use the frosting to sandwich the cake layers, by applying a bit in between the layers as well as to frost the sides of the cake.

Tips for making this hummingbird cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting

How can I ripen my bananas quicker?

You can place the bananas, still in their skin on a baking tray and bake at 150˚ Celsius until the skin turns black.

Can I use butter instead of oil in the recipe?

I have only tested this recipe with oil so cannot comment here. You can try swapping out the oil for melted butter, although the predominant flavour is the spices and the banana. So if you are worried about the taste of the oil coming through – don't.

Should I use fresh pineapple?

Both work fine, just make sure to drain both of the excess liquid. I usually opt for tinned pineapple as I am too lazy to clean a fresh one.

Can I make my own buttermilk at home?

Add 2 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to full cream milk and let it stand for 30 minutes, before using.

What should I bear in mind when browning the butter?

You want to remove the butter as soon as it starts to smoke and turn a light brown colour, as it will continue to brown from the residual heat of the pan.

What is the recipe for a traditional cream cheese frosting?

To make a more standard cream cheese frosting, do not brown the butter and omit the maple syrup in the recipe. Increase the vanilla essence to 1 teaspoon.

The recipe

Salted Caramel Peanut Cake

adventureswithsugar.com/salted-caramel-peanut-cake/

Method

Method: caramel sponge cake

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the tins: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Grease and line three 16cm tins with baking paper.
  2. Combine the dry ingredients: Place the butter, oil, muscovado sugar, golden syrup, self-raising flour, malted milk powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl.
  3. Whisk the wet ingredients: In a separate jug, add in the eggs, milk and vanilla essence. Whisk by hand for about 30 seconds.
  4. Add half the wet ingredients: Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix for about 45 seconds.
  5. Add the rest of the wet ingredients: Then add in the remaining wet ingredients and mix on medium speed until the batter comes together and becomes voluminous, about 1 minute more. Do not worry if the batter looks slightly curdled.
  6. Divide and bake: Divide equally between the three pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Method: salted caramel sauce

  1. Add the sugar to the pot: Place the sugar in a large pot so that the sugar just covers the base of the pot (If the sugar feels too much, I suggest making the caramel in two batches).
  2. Caramelise the sugar: Heat the sugar until it just turns a deep amber colour. You want it to take on some flavour, so do not let it be too light.
  3. Add the butter: Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
  4. Add the cream: Then slowly pour in the cream, constantly whisking all the time.
  5. Return to the heat: Return to the stove for just 20 more seconds and then remove.
  6. Add the salt: Crush the flaked salt and add it to the caramel sauce.
  7. Let cool: Set aside to cool.

Method: whipped cream filling

  1. Whip the cream: Whip the cream to soft peaks.
  2. Add the caramel: Then add in the caramel sauce and whip until stiff peaks form.

Method: caramel French buttercream

  1. Make the syrup: Combine sugar and water in medium saucepan. Heat over low heat while stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
  2. Beat the egg yolks: In the meanwhile, put the egg yolks in a stand-mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat until thick and foamy.
  3. Pour in the syrup: When the sugar syrup reaches 116˚ Celsius, remove it from the heat. Slowly stream it into the egg yolks, by pouring it down the side of your mixer.
  4. Mix until cool: Continue mixing until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch and the yolk mixture has cooled to room temperature.
  5. Add the butter and vanilla: Add in butter one cube at a time allowing each piece to incorporate before adding the next. Add vanilla. Continue mixing until buttercream is smooth and creamy. (About 5 – 6 minutes).
  6. Add the caramel: Add in the dulce de leche or Caramel Treat and continue to mix until smooth and creamy.

Method: assembly

  1. Secure the first layer: Begin by sticking one of your cakes to your cake plate using some buttercream.
  2. Spread with caramel: Spread about three tablespoons of salted caramel sauce on the sponge.
  3. Pipe a dam: Using a large round nozzle, pipe a ring of buttercream just on the inner rim of the sponge to create a dam, this prevents the cream from oozing out.
  4. Fill: Fill the inside of the dam with half of the whipped cream, sprinkle with some peanuts and drizzle some caramel sauce over.
  5. Add the next layer: Then place the next layer of sponge on top.
  6. Repeat: Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 on the second layer as well.
  7. Add the top layer: Place the final cake layer on the top.
  8. Crumb coat: Add a thin coat of icing, a crumb coat, to the outside of the cake.
  9. Chill: Place in the fridge for 45 minutes.
  10. Final coat: Give the cake a final coat with the caramel French buttercream.
  11. Fill a piping bag with caramel: Place the remaining salted caramel sauce in a piping bag. You may have to microwave the sauce for five seconds to soften it.
  12. Pipe the drip: Pipe a drip around the sides of the cake, and fill the centre with more of the sauce, spreading it around with a palette knife.
  13. Pipe the swirls: Pipe little swirls on the top of the cake, with a star nozzle.
  14. Finish with peanuts: Finish off with the salted peanuts.