vanilla

pandoro or panettone bread and butter pudding

~ aplotzi ~ Leave a comment
Get your elasticated waist bands ready…this is a really indulgent dessert….but worth it because it’s truly delicious but definitely on the naughty list. Pandoro or panettone Italian cakes are perfect for a good old fashioned bread and butter pudding, as they are rather bread-like and lend themselves totally to this recipe, Pandoro particularly as its baked in a star shaped tin, so it looks very Christmassy when it’s sliced into star shapes. It’s also a delicious way to use them up if there’s loads in your larder at Christmas or afterwards or when you fancy doing something a bit different with them and want to turn them into an even more scrumptious dessert. It’s Italy meets England in the best possible way…and great for making with kids. You can get them to saw up the Pandoro into star shapes for you.
Recipe
Serves 3-4.
Ingredients:
250g of Pandoro or Panettone (I use the baby size ones)
30g approx of butter at room temperature
2 eggs
140ml of double cream
220ml milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of white caster sugar
Icing sugar for dusting
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chocolate and pear ice cream

~ aplotzi ~ 6 Comments

My challenge was to make an easy chocolate ice cream that was a proper hit of chocolate, rich and creamy and really healthy. You don’t need an ice cream maker and the ingredients are simple. The pears make the flavour and texture work really well. My friends really like it… and it’s delicious with strawberries or raspberries. Perfect if you want a chocolate fix and still want to fit into your bikini (or speedos). A lovely follower of mine on Instagram called Sue added a smashed up bar of good quality dark chocolate at the end and said it made it deluxe.

Makes 1/2 litre.

Ingredients:
1 big pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ripe pears
3 tablespoons maple syrup
½ cup soya milk (I use Bonsoy) or coconut milk/cream
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

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vanilla cupcakes

~ aplotzi ~ Leave a comment

I made a 100 of these cakes for a wedding last summer and they looked stunning and tasted amazing. It took me a few hours and they are really easy and can be made in advance and frozen. Wedding cakes can cost hundreds of pounds while these cakes will only cost you a fraction of that. You can choose which cupcake cases, what colour icing, and what decoration you want, this is just a guide. If you are dairy free or pushed for time I recommend the delicious Betty Crocker vanilla frosting (it’s vegan too) available in supermarkets. Everyone loves a vanilla cupcake.

This recipe makes approx. 12 cupcakes and you can increase the amount in multiples of 12.

Ingredients:
142g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda (bicarbonate)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg or if you are vegan substitute the eggs with egg replacer for 1 and half eggs( available in health stores and online)
150g golden caster sugar
1/2 cup of mild olive oil or canola oil
2 teaspoons of good quality vanilla extract
75 g sour cream or a plant based version like Oatly crème fraîche
Cupcake pan for baking and cupcake cases

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Icing
75g butter (at room temperature)
175g cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
450g (approx.) of icing sugar
Decoration of choice, I used gold dragees which are available in supermarkets
Cupcake cases of choice, can be gold or white(I used dark brown)
Wilton 6B French piping nozzle and piping bags

if vegan or dairy free, I use Dr Oetka vanilla frosting as I can’t make a better version and I’ve tried lots of recipes and they never taste as good.

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chocolate avocado mousse

~ aplotzi ~ 4 Comments

You would never know the secret ingredient in this mousse is avocado. The avocados make the mousse really thick and creamy. It’s beyond delicious, takes a few minutes to make and is really healthy. It’s a win win. Perfect for pudding at Valentine’s dinner.

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberries for decoration (optional)

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