This month’s Cake Slice Bakers vote winner was the Graham Cracker Choc Chip snacking cake.
It certainly looked interesting with only 1/4 cup flour, but 1 cup of biscuit (cookie) crumbs. This gave it an unusual texture – a large crumb reminiscent of a nut-based cake, but quite coarse. Can’t say I was wildly enthused by it, but for a very quick-to-make cake that yields a modest amount, well, it’s pretty much perfect for lunch boxes.
It was supposed to have a frosting that was buttercream with marshmallow fluff mixed in; this was a bridge too far for me and so I left it unadorned. It was plenty sweet enough and I just didn’t see what the frosting would bring to the party.
So there you have it. A snacking cake by title, a snacking cake by nature. It hasn’t blown anyone away, but has been received as a perfectly acceptable cake bite. ‘Tis what it is.

And can I just reiterate how fast and inexpensive  it was to put together. This is the kind of lunchbox gap emergency that I would be prepared to whip up at 9pm. *edited to add: just freshly baked, it was very nice indeed, 6 hours later…hmm. It’s really firmed up and is very dense, so I’m not so sure now*

Check out the other bakers’ opinions at the Cake Slice Bakers Blogroll.

So first, reduce 8 whole graham crackers to fine crumbs – about 1 cup. We don’t have them here in the UK, so I decided to use digestive biscuits, but I forgot to buy any on the way over to Mum and Dad’s (long marmalade post to come).
A rummage in the larder yielded a box of Ikea letter biscuits, so I decided to use them. The bag inside the sealed box was torn. The biscuits were stale. Fed them to the birds that Mum and Dad shamelessly encourage into the garden. Awww pretty birdies. Ahem.
Considered going out again when Dad offered up his Danish butter cookies. Before he had a chance to rescind the offer, I grabbed them, malleted them to crumbs and stirred them in with the flour, salt and baking powder.

Cream 3oz unsalted butter and 1/4 cup sugar until fluffy (name check!)

Beat in 1 egg and 1 egg yolk and a splash of vanilla

Stir in the flour/crumb mix in two goes – alternating with some milk. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup milk, but even this small amount was too much in my opinion. I only used about half that – it would have been so wet otherwise.

Stir in the chocolate chips

And scrape into a greased (and I base-lined it), floured 8″ square pan.

Recipe says to bake for 35 mins, but mine was done at 25 mins. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 mins, then turn out on to a rack to cool completely.

Slice and serve!

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Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake

Cake Keeper Cakes – Lauren Chattman

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8 whole graham crackers, finely ground (1 cup) *Use 12 digestive biscuits or any biscuit you fancy!*
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt *I only ever use a pinch*
3oz unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk *I used about half of this*
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting *I didn’t make this, so can’t pass judgement on it. For those who can’t get Fluff, it was suggested that you just melt down some marshmallows*

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Make the cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease an 8″ square baking pan and dust it lightly with flour, knocking out any extra.  * I just greased it, but lined the bottom with a square of greaseproof baking paper*

Combine the cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Place the  butter and sugar in a bowl and cream with an electric mixer until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Beat in the whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla.

Add a third of the flour mixture and half of the milk, stirring until combined. *I used less milk*
Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour.  Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes *Mine was baked at 25 mins*.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack. *I served it at this point*

Make the frosting

Place the butter in a bowl and beat until creamy.  With the mixer on low-speed, slowly add the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Stir in the vanilla and Marshmallow Fluff and beat until smooth.  Use immediately or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Cut the cake into squares and serve each one with a dollop of frosting on top.

Chocolate pudding crops up a lot in North American conversations, literature, poetry… well maybe not poetry, but it is referred to a lot.
There are countless recipes that employ its use, but we don’t have chocolate pudding mix over here. I have blogged about it before – the one I made was a delicious but elaborate affair and wasn’t terribly quick to make. This version is very quick. A pukka super-quick chocolate pudding.

Tasty, chocolatey, quick and simple. By the way, it’s something between thick custard and blancmange. Spoons dip into it. Sometimes they do this when you’re not even looking. Sneaky.

Put 2 heaped tbsp cornflour, 3 tbsp cocoa and 1/3 cup caster sugar into a saucepan (it really is sweet, so feel free to reduce the sugar)

Whisk it together and slowly start adding the milk on a low heat.

Keep whisking as it heats

Until it thickens. It thickens significantly – you will know.

Once it has thickened, have a quick taste to make sure the flour taste has gone, then add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk until it’s melted (a matter of moments)

Once melted, that’s it! Eat it hot if you like, or decant into small pots, or one big bowl, lay clingfilm directly on to the surface to avoid a skin forming (I left one uncovered as an experiment; the skin was unpleasantly tough) cool and then chill in the fridge to eat cold later.

Eat!

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Quick Chocolate Pudding

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3 tbsp cocoa
2 heaped tbsp cornflour
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 cups milk
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the cocoa, sugar and cornflour in a small saucepan.
Slowly add the milk, stirring, on a low heat.
Keep stirring on heat until thickened.
Once thick, add butter and vanilla.
Pour into container and press clingfilm on the surface to avoid a skin forming. Eat hot or cool and then chill in the fridge.

Mix the espresso, Marsala and brandy in a jug. Place half the trifle sponges in a layer on the bottom of your serving dish and drizzle half the coffee mix over them – saturating them evenly.

Beat the mascarpone to loosen it up a bit.

In a large bowl, whip the cream. As it approaches the soft peak stage, sieve in the icing sugar to taste – start with about 3 tbsp and go from there. Bear in mind that the cream is then mixed with the mascarpone, so it needs to be sweet enough for them both. Ensure it is whisked to soft peaks – this pic is just before I added the icing sugar

then fold into the mascarpone

Smooth half the mascarpone-cream mixture over the sodden trifle sponges.

Layer the other half of trifle sponges over the top of the cream and evenly drizzle the remaining espresso mix over them. Don’t worry if it looks too wet – it sorts itself out in the fridge.

Smooth the second half of the cream mix over the top. Swirl, ripple or generally interfere with the top if you like.
Mix together the cocoa and icing sugar and sieve that over the top. Maybe grate chocolate instead if you prefer.

Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight before serving for best, greatest, most delicious results.

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Tiramisu

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300ml espresso
5tbsp Marsala
4tbsp Brandy
2 pkts trifle sponges (16)
500g Mascarpone
600ml double cream
Icing sugar to taste
1 tsp cocoa+ 1 tsp icing sugar to dust

Mix the espresso, Marsala and brandy in a jug.
Place half the trifle sponges in a layer on the bottom of your serving dish.
Drizzle half the coffee mix over them – saturate them evenly.

Beat the mascarpone to loosen it up a bit.
In a large bowl, whip the cream. As it approaches the soft peak stage, sieve in the icing sugar to taste – start with about 3 tbsp and go from there. Bear in mind that the cream is then mixed with the mascarpone, so it needs to be sweet enough for them both.
Ensure it is whisked to soft peaks, then fold into the mascarpone.

Smooth half the mascarpone-cream mixture over the sodden trifle sponges.

Layer the other half of trifle sponges over the top of the cream and evenly drizzle the remaining espresso mix over them. Don’t worry if it looks too wet – it sorts itself out in the fridge.

Smooth the second half of the cream mix over the top. Swirl, ripple or generally interfere with the top if you like.
Mix together the cocoa and icing sugar and sieve that over the top. Maybe grate chocolate instead if you prefer.

Refrigerate overnight for best results.

Now, I know and you know that this is an odd recipe to share in the height of a very warm Summer, but there is method to my madness.
1. We had had a salad week – that is, one piece of protein and lots of salad. I wanted something filling, darn it.
2. I fancied a substantial pudding but couldn’t bear the thought of an oven blasting away.
3. I saw a pot of tres posh ‘made-with-the-eggs-of-a-golden-hen-and-milk-from-the-Queen’s-cow-and-a-pod-of-vanilla-plucked-by-a-tame-cheetah’ custard and it was cheap. If someone else had bought it, they might have poured it over something horrible.
4. I had a dreg of raspberry jam in the bottom of the jar and the jar was annoying me in the fridge. It kept getting in the way. It even fell out of the fridge that morning, so its fate was sealed.

So, actually, this is an extremely sensible recipe for the height of Summer because it takes moments to make, doesn’t require an oven or hob and is jolly nice to eat after endless days of what is essentially the ritual munching of humans on glorified grass otherwise famed as ‘seasonal eating’. Seriously, I am this close to going off beetroot again. Don’t even talk to me about feta.

If you cannot stand the thought of eating a hot pudding in this weather, then be kind to yourself and print it out for Autumn. Having such a quick option for a pudding that usually takes hours to steam is invaluable.
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Put the butter, caster sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder into the food processor, switch it on and blend to mix

Give it a scrape to get the stuff that always, but always, hides under the blades, then add the zest and juice of a lemon and a drop of milk – around a tablespoon – to get a nice dropping consistency.

Grease a 2 pint pudding basin and put about 3-4 tbsp raspberry jam in the bottom of it

Spoon/pour the mix on top and cover with clingfilm, but be sure to leave one part naked for the steam to escape

I have an 800watt microwave and full power for 4 minutes turned it into this bouncy, golden offering:

Leave it to stand for a good couple of minutes to allow the radiation to disperse (I don’t buy the ‘continuing to cook’ theory – if it ain’t witchcraft, then it’s radiation in my book), then do the ‘plate on top and wahay! flip it over’ trick. In fact, I generally do the ‘wahay! flip it over trick’ into a bowl to catch the scalding jam, but I’m cautious like that.

Cut a wedge, serve with custard and…

enjoy.

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Speedy Sponge Pudding

adapted from a Gary Rhodes and a James Martin recipe – I’m thorough.

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150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
125g butter, melted or extremely soft (plus some to grease the pudding bowl)
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
zest and juice of a lemon (very nice ineed, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you didn’t have one to hand)
a drop of milk
4+ tbsp raspberry jam or any other jam, or lemon curd, or golden syrup…

Grease a 2 pint/1.2 l pudding (pyrex, in my case) bowl. Spoon 3-4 tbsp raspberry jam into the bottom.

Put the melted/very soft butter, sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder into the food processor and blend to a paste.

Add the zest and lemon juice and mix, add a drop of milk to achieve a nice dropping consistency.
Spoon/pour the mixture on top of the jam – the jam will try to move around, but just ignore it. Cover it with clingfilm, leaving a gap at one edge for the steam to escape.
Microwave on full power (my microwave is 800 watts) for around 4 mins, until the sponge is bouncy and has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.
Let it stand for a couple of minutes, then turn out.
Add some extra jam on top if you like, then serve in slices with custard, cream or ice cream.

Liquid Autumn.

Warming, vaguely sweet, easy and delicious. My butternut squash cost me £1 and I have a saucepan full of soup that will freeze well, so I should have added economical to its list of attributes.

I love this pretty colour.

Peel, remove the seeds and chop up your butternut squash. Mine weighed 1 kg.

Peel and chop an onion, then put a drizzle of oil and about 1oz salted butter in a large saucepan. Heat to melt the butter, then add the onion and saute until translucent.

Add the butternut squash to the onion and continue to cook, stirring now and again for about 10 mins. It starts to blur at the edges and gets a ‘butternut squash being fried’ smell when it’s ready.

If your squash weighs less than mine did, reduce the stock you will add – you don’t want it watery. But if we’re in the same kind of weight range, add 1 litre of chicken stock, put on the lid and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 mins.

If you’re particular about the thickness of your soup, add less stock to begin with because you can always add more to water the consistency down after you’ve liquidised it.

It’s ready when tender and can be mashed against the side of the saucepan.

If you want to live on the edge, cautiously stick your hand (stick) blender in and blitz it. If you are more sensible, you might like to let it cool down.

Silky, velvety smooth

Maybe a grind of black pepper, maybe even a drizzle of cream, but how ever you look at it, it’s Autumn in a bowl.

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Butternut Squash Soup

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1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and chunked
1 onion, chopped
drizzle oil
1 oz salted butter
1 litre chicken stock

Melt the oil and butter in a large saucepan.
Saute the onion until translucent.
Add the butternut squash and cook for a further 5-10 mins until it’s softening at the edges and you can smell squash, not just onion.
Cover with a lid, add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 mins or until the squash is tender and can be mashed.

Cool and liquidise – I use a hand (stick) blender.
Serve with a grind of black pepper and maybe a drizzle of cream.

Freezes well.

I’ll admit, my cheese sauce is nearer cheese fondue than cheese sauce, but I reckon that cheese sauce needs to taste of cheese, not hint at it. Unless macaroni cheese tastes of cheese, I see no point in making it. None at all. In fact, I’m getting twitchy at the thought of it.

There’s only one thing better than macaroni cheese and that’s macaroni cheese with bacon in it. Walk this way…

Preheat oven to GM8/250C/450F

Put 1 tsp oil into a small frying pan and fry the bacon until it is golden and delicious. Turn off the heat and leave to one side.

Put the pasta into the boiling water and set the timer for the minimum cooking time suggested.

Get a small saucepan and melt 1 3/4 oz salted butter

Add 3 1/2 tbsp plain flour and 1 tsp mustard powder. Stir it in to make a paste and cook for a couple of minutes to ‘cook out’ the flour.

Take the saucepan off the heat and start to add the milk. Once you’ve blended in about half of it, return the pan to the heat and continue stirring, adding the rest of the milk.
Continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Add a pinch of salt and some white pepper.

Once it thickens, turn off the heat and add 4 1/2 oz  grated cheddar. It will melt into the sauce by itself and can sit and wait for you.

Drain the al dente pasta and put it into a casserole dish. Add the cooked bacon and stir to combine.

Give the cheese sauce a stir, check the seasoning and pour it over the top. Give the whole thing a good stir.

Sprinkle some more cheddar over the top and put into the oven for about 15-20 mins.

Turn the oven off and turn the grill. Put the dish under the grill until golden, frazzled and irresistible.
(If you don’t have a grill, just leave it in the oven for longer, but make sure the dish is at the top of the oven for maximum heat!)

Ready?

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm

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Bacon Macaroni Cheese

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125g bacon bits, or chopped streaky bacon

1 3/4 oz salted butter
3 1/2 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp mustard powder
400ml/14 fl oz milk

4 1/2 oz cheddar, grated plus more to sprinkle over the top
s+p

200g penne or any other pasta shape.

Preheat oven to GM8/250C/450F

Put 1 tsp oil into a small frying pan and fry the bacon until it is golden and delicious. Turn off the heat and leave to one side.

Boil water for the pasta and put it in to cook for the minimum recommended time. It will be al dente when cooked.

Whilst the pasta cooks, in a small saucepan, melt the butter.
Add the flour and mustard powder, stir well on the heat to make a paste. Cook, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Take the saucepan off the heat and start to add the milk. Once you’ve blended in about half of it, return the pan to the heat and continue stirring, adding the rest of the milk.
Continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Add a pinch of salt and some white pepper.
Once it thickens, turn off the heat and add the grated cheese. It will melt into the sauce by itself and can sit and wait for you.

Drain the al dente pasta and put it into a casserole dish. Add the cooked bacon and stir to combine.
Give the cheese sauce a stir, check the seasoning and pour it over the top. Give the whole thing a good stir.

Sprinkle some more cheddar over the top and put into the oven for about 15-20 mins.
Turn the oven off and turn the grill. Put the dish under the grill until golden, frazzled and irresistible.
(If you don’t have a grill, just leave it in the oven for longer, but make sure the dish is at the top of the oven for maximum heat!)

We love celery soup. Celery is a fine thing; tall, proud and distinctive tasting, but heat mellows it, rounds the edges, seduces the non-celery lover into a helpless admirer. Marvellous. Neither Ian nor Alex are fans of raw celery, but they both love this soup. Really, they LOVE it. What’s even better? It couldn’t be easier to make.

Peel and chop a medium sized onion and put it into a large saucepan with a drizzle of oil and a tbsp of salted butter.

On a medium heat, saute it for 5 – 10 mins until it’s softening and beginning to colour.

Acquire a head of celery

Argh!

OK. Then chop it up and add it to the softening onion. There will be leafy bits in the middle – fling them in as well and stir around.

Then reach for a medium sized potato. Peel it (I only had a huuuuuge potato, so I cut it in half)

Dice it up and add it to the celery and onion.

Saute and stir until the vegetables are beginning to get into the groove- just getting a bit warm and interested.

Heat about 500 ml of chicken (or vegetable) stock and add it to the veg.

Give it a good stir, then cover it and let it simmer away.

How long to simmer it for depends on lots of things – how woody the celery is, how large you chopped everything; but reckon on around 30 mins. Start poking the veg at that point anyhow, to see that they are all tender.

I then cool it overnight to let all the flavours come together, but that’s more out of convenience. There is nothing stopping you from liquidising and serving it straight away.

I pour the soup into a large bowl and use my stick blender. Mine is cold here so all I have to worry about is getting splashed, but if you’re doing yours straight away, do mind that you don’t get scolded.

Serve in mugs or bowls, season to taste and if you wish, add the merest dribble of cream and swirl it through to make pretties

or just stir the drizzle of cream through and serve with some sweet potato bread.

Instant veg into kids, but cunningly slipped under the radar.

If it’s too thick, simply add some boiling water and stir that through, but do check the seasoning. If it’s wildly thick because you used a very big potato, just water it down with some more stock.

Mmmmmm.

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Celery Soup

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1 head celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 medium potato, diced
500 ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 tbsp salted butter
salt and pepper
cream (optional)

Melt the butter and a drizzle of oil in a large saucepan.
Add the onion and saute for 5-10 mins until colouring.
Add the celery, stir to combine.
Add the potato, stir to combine, saute until the veg is hot and beginning to look like it might soften sometime soon.
Season with salt and white pepper.

Stir in the stock.
Cover and cook until the vegetables are soft. Check at 30 mins.

Liquidise and serve or freeze. It freezes very well.
Drizzle a little cream to serve, if you wish. If you want to keep it low calorie, don’t bother – it can stand on its own two feet!

I so nearly called this Pig, Pea and Parmesan Pappardelle – in the interests of alliteration, of course – but to give it a comedy title would detract from this quick, easy and utterly delicious pasta recipe.

Pappardelle is an odd one, in my opinion. All pasta has the potential to be very filling, but pappardelle takes that to new heights; therefore, I urge you not to give each person 100g dried pasta as a portion – well, of course you can, but expect to have some left uneaten. Pasta, bacon, sweet peas (peas that are sweet, not the flowers – that might be all aroma and no flavour), parmesan and wilting, peppery watercress, bound together by creme fraiche. Let’s get to it.

These are the ingredients I used. You may note that I used reduced fat Creme Fraiche out of interest as much as anything. I’m still a bit on the fence about it because it’s significantly sharper than normal Creme Fraiche which has the right amount of twang for me. In the past, I’ve used normal Creme Fraiche or even double cream (although I was much meaner with it because it was so rich):

I had a bag of Marks and Spencer’s saffron pappardelle in the larder so I used that – jolly nice too! See how the saffron is rolled through it – if you’re not visiting M&S any time soon, it’s no issue; normal pappardelle is just as good – it’s what I normally use.

Bring a large pan of well salted water to the boil and add the pasta, cooking as per the packet instructions.

3 minutes before the end of its cooking time, you add the frozen peas, bring back up to the boil and boil for the additional 3 minutes, but in the meantime…
In a saute pan, dry fry the bacon pieces until crisp and well coloured. Drain off excess bacon grease if it has rendered more than you want to eat.

3 minutes left to go on the pasta, so chuck in the frozen peas

Once the pasta and peas are cooked, take 3 dessert spoons of the cooking liquid out and drain them.
Add the cooking liquid, peas and pasta to the bacon and turn to combine.

Add the watercress (use rocket if you prefer it. I don’t …blech)

Then the creme fraiche and parmesan. Check seasoning – salt and black pepper.

Stir and turn the pasta around until the watercress has wilted, the cheese melted and it has all come together as a cohesive dressing on the pasta.

Serve onto warmed platters/bowls and serve with extra parmesan grated over the top.

Lovely and as easy as… pasta.

Bacon, Parmesan and Pea Pappardelle

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160g Pappardelle (try M&S’ saffron pappardelle if you get the chance)
200g bacon pieces or lardons
200g (1½ cups) frozen peas
100g watercress, torn or chopped if desired (you could use rocket instead, if you like it)
50g   (1½ cups)  Freshly grated Parmesan (plus extra for serving)
200g  Creme Fraiche, reduced fat (or use normal Creme Fraiche, or Sour Cream or double cream)

Bring a large pan of well salted water to the boil and add the pasta. 3 minutes before the end of its cooking time, add the frozen peas, bring back up to the boil and boil for the additional 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saute pan, dry fry the bacon pieces until crisp and well coloured. Drain off excess bacon grease if it has rendered more than you want to eat.

Once the pasta and peas are cooked, take 3 dessert spoons of the cooking liquid out and drain them.
Add the cooking liquid, peas and pasta to the bacon and turn to combine.
Add the watercress, creme fraiche and parmesan. Check seasoning – salt and black pepper.

Stir and turn the pasta around until the watercress has wilted, the cheese melted and it has all come together as a cohesive dressing on the pasta.

Serve onto warmed platters/bowls and serve with extra parmesan grated over the top.