Autumn Bakes

As the weather gets chillier and the leaves begin to fall, this week our bakers were tasked with an 'Autumn Bakes' challenge! It was Kavita's Carrot Cupcakes that won! Here are some of the bakes...

Kavita’s Carrot Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 1 1/4 cup (160 grams) all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

• 1/2 cup (118 ml) vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup (100 grams) lightly packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• 1 1/2 cups (150 grams) grated peeled carrots (2 to 3 medium carrots)
  

For the Frosting

• 1/2 cup (115g) butter, room temperature

• 225g cream cheese, room temperature

• 2 to 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar, sifted

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Fondant Pumpkins

• Ready to roll/Soft white icing

• Orange and Brown Food colouring
  

Method

Cupcakes

1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and the nutmeg until well blended.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, sugars, and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until combined.

4. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down the sides. Stir in the carrots (and any other additional ingredients like nuts, raisins, etc)

5. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4 of the way to the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops of the cupcakes are springy when touched and when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

6. Cool cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until completely smooth, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure that the mixture is mixed evenly.

2. Beat in the vanilla extract. With the mixer running on low speed to start, slowly add in 2 cups of the powdered sugar (Add 1 extra tbsp of powdered sugar at a time until desired consistency is reached.)

3. Leave in the fridge to firm up until ready to use.

Decoration

1. Use food colouring to dye the icing orange and brown.

2. Roll the orange icing into small balls, and shape the brown icing into stalks (cylindrical/triangular, or whatever you think looks best!)

3. Use a decorating tool or just the back of a knife to create the indents on the pumpkins and place the stalks on the top.

4. Ensure that the cupcakes are completely cool before frosting them and adding the fondant pumpkins on top.

Becky’s Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ cup refined coconut oil, at room temperature

• ½ cup brown sugar, packed

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• ¾ cup pumpkin puree

• 1 tablespoon vanilla
  

For the icing

• ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

• 1 ½ tablespoons almond milk

Method

1. To make the pumpkin puree: Cut up the pumpkin, bake for 30 minutes at 180°C and then put in a food processor/ blender.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and kosher salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the coconut oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium high for about 30 seconds, scraping the bowl as necessary, until well combined. Add in pumpkin and vanilla and combine on low for a few seconds until fully combined. Gradually add in the bowl with the dry ingredients, mixing on low, until combined into a dough.

4. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the bowl with the dough from the refrigerator. Make 24 1 ½ tablespoon-sized balls (a size 40 cookie scoop, if you have it) and place them onto the baking sheet. Lightly flatten the tops of each cookie with your hand.

6. Bake for 11 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow to set on the baking sheet; after 2 minutes, transfer to a wire baking rack. For best results, bake in 2 batches (refrigerate the dough in between baking); this gets the most even bake. If making the glaze, allow to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

7. To make the powdered sugar icing, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and almond milk until a smooth sauce forms and all lumps are dissolved (if using a thin almond milk start with 1 tablespoon and increase by little bits until it is smooth). Place the cookies on parchment paper, dip a fork into the glaze and drizzle in a zigzag pattern. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the glaze is dry, about 20 minutes. Store at room temperature in a cookie tin for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Madeleine’s Focaccia

Ingredients

• 500g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting

• 7g dried fast action yeast

• 2 tsp fine sea salt

• 5 tbsp olive oil , plus extra for the tin and to serve

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• Butternut squash

• Sage

• Rosemary

• Garlic

Method

1. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Mix the yeast into one side of the flour, and the fine salt into the other side. Then mix everything together, this initial separation prevents the salt from killing the yeast.

2. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add 2 tbsp oil and 350-400ml lukewarm water, adding it gradually until you have a slightly sticky dough (you may not need all the water). Sprinkle the work surface with flour and tip the dough onto it, scraping around the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5-10 mins until your dough is soft and less sticky. Put the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hr until doubled in size.

3. Oil a rectangle, shallow tin (25 x 35cm). Tip the dough onto the work surface, then stretch it to fill the tin. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for another 35-45 mins.

4. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Press your fingers into the dough to make dimples. Mix together 1½ tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp water and the flaky salt and drizzle over the bread. Add toppings into the dimples in the dough.

5. Bake for 20 mins until golden. Whilst the bread is still hot, drizzle over 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Cut into squares and serve warm or cold with extra olive oil, if you like.

Malik’s Apple & Cinnamon Pastries

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 225g plain flour

• 100g butter, diced

• pinch salt

For the filling

• 1kg Bramley apples

• 140g golden caster sugar

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• 3 tbsp flour
  

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Filling

1. Put a layer of paper towels on a large baking sheet. Quarter, core, peel and slice the apples about 5mm thick and lay evenly on the baking sheet. Put paper towels on top and set aside while you make and chill the pastry

2. Mix the 140g sugar, the cinnamon and flour for the filling in a bowl that is large enough to hold the apples.

Shortcrust pastry

1. Sift 225g plain flour into a large bowl, add 100g diced butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Stir in a pinch of salt, then add 2-3 tbsp water and mix to a firm dough.

3. Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface.

4. Wrap in cling film and chill in fridge.

Assembly

1. Roll out pastry and cut out into desired shape for the parcels.

2. Pat the apples dry with kitchen paper, and tip them into the bowl with the cinnamon-sugar mix. Give a quick mix with your hands and immediately fill parcels.

3. Seal the pastry parcels by crimping edges with a fork.

4. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.