White Chocolate and Citrus Loaf

One of my friends gave me a bag of the vegan white chocolate chips that she uses for her business and after munching more of them than I care to admit, I decided to try out a recipe I've been contemplating for a while. If you can't get hold of chocolate chips then a chopped up chocolate bar will work as well. The chocolate does melt into the batter during baking but gives little pockets of sweetness throughout the cake. I love the freshness of the citrus in this cake which cuts through the rich sweetness of the chocolate. I made this in 2 loaf pans and gifted one to neighbours as a doorstep surprise but the recipe could easily be made in one larger tin - be careful to keep an eye on your baking times if you change the tin shapes. We have had gorgeous sunny weather the last few days and this cake feels like a little slice of summer.

Ingredients:

1 large lemon
1 lime
1/2 cup white chocolate chips or 1 chocolate bar
400g self raising flour
250g caster sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
400ml soy milk
115ml sunflower oil
2 cups icing sugar - you may need more

Method:

Preheat your oven to 160c then grease and line 2 loaf tins with baking parchment.  Zest the lime and lemon into a large bowl and set the fruit to one side. Add all of the ingredients apart from the icing sugar and chocolate chip into the bowl and mix well until everything is combined and the batter is smooth and glossy. Gently fold in the chocolate chips the divide the mixture between the 2 tins. I use a ladle for this to try and make the cakes nicely even.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the cakes are a dark golden colour and a skewer comes out clean when dipped in the middle. Leave in the tins for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Once the cakes are completely cool, juice the lime and lemon. I find rolling them on a flat surface before cutting open and squeezing helps to release more juice. Strain the juice to remove and bits then place in a bowl or mixing jug. Slowly add in icing sugar, mixing all the time, until you get a paste resembling double cream. The icing should be sweet but still have a sharp freshness from the citrus.

Place a tea towel under the cakes cooling rack then spoon half of the icing over the top. Allow to set then spoon the other half of the mixture over the top to give a good layer of icing. If you add it all at once, I find most of it slides off and is wasted. The tea towel helps to catch drips and saves trying to scrub set icing off work surfaces later on.

I hope you enjoy this cake.

If you make it, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Big love and stay safe
The Defective Housewife

'Chicken' and Leek Pie

With all the time a lot of us have recently found ourselves with, (I work in clothing retail and am on furlough for the foreseeable future) I have been challenging myself to make something different for dinner each night and to cook outside of my comfort zone. I would normal use jackfruit cooked until soft in a little stock as a chicken substitute but I haven't been able to get hold of any for a few weeks so tried Tesco's faux chicken bits in this instead. I didn't mind the taste but I prefer to eat as little heavily processed food as possible. While I know these pies aren't going to give the wonderful Vegan Skinhead a run for their money, I was really pleased with the overall outcome. This should make 2 individual pies.

Ingredients:

For the pastry:
225g plain flour
100g dairy-free butter
4 - 6 tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp mixed herbs
soy milk to brush with

For the filling:
20g dairy-free butter plus a little extra for frying
20g plain flour
200ml soy milk
1 large leek
3 cloves garlic
1 pack faux chicken pieces
1 tsp grainy mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

First make the pastry as this needs to chill in the fridge for at least half an hour giving us time to prep everything else. In a large bowl, rub together the flour, butter, salt, pepper and mixed herbs until the mix resembles bread crumbs. Add the water slowly until the dough just comes together and holds, you may not need all of the water. Place onto some cling film and wrap well before placing in the fridge.

Mince the garlic and finely slice the leek, saute over a low heat in knob of dairy-free butter until soft then add the faux chicken to heat through and gain a little colour.

• In a separate pan, melt 20g of butter then add the flour and whisk together to create a paste and cook for around 30 seconds until golden brown. Slowly add the milk bit by bit, whisking constantly until all of the milk is incorporated. Keep whisking over a medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to well coat the back of ha spoon. Take off the heat and add in the leeks and faux chicken mixture along with the mustard and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper then set to one side to cool.

Preheat your oven to 180c and place a flat baking sheet in it to heat up.

By this time, the pastry should have had enough time resting in the fridge. Turn out onto a well floured surface and roll out into a large square around 3 mm in thickness. Take your pie tins and place them upside down on the pastry. Cut precisely around them to create the lids and about a 1cm outside the tins to create the bases. Lay the base carefully over each tin then drape it in until it fills the corners and bottom. Fill the cases with as much mixture as you can, a little dome is fine then place the lid over the top. Press the top and bottom together gently with your thumb then trim off any excess with a sharp knife. Press the edges with a fork to completely seal and to create a nice pattern.

Take any offcuts of pastry and roll out again before cutting into rough squares and placing on a baking sheet. These make great crackers and can be stored for a few days in an airtight container - a trick I learnt from Nadiya Hussain of Great British Bake-Off fame.

Place on the preheated baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and hot through. The baking tray helps to give an even bake and prevent the dreaded soggy bottoms.

I served these with buttery mashed potatoes, steamed cabbage and onion gravy.

If you make these, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Big love
The Defective Housewife

PS. For those of you who follow my blog but aren't vegan/veggie, I did make these with chicken and dairy for my other half and they turned out exactly the same - just make sure to precook your chicken.

Sugared Ring Donuts

This recipe was my most requested when I popped a picture of these beauties online earlier on. I have experimented with making donuts before and have the scars to prove it - whatever you do, keep your poor fingers well away from boiling oil. This is by far the easiest to make and the tastiest of all the recipes I have tried. I made these as basic rings but I will be trying them as filled donuts soon, once the previous food coma has worn off. I added a little cinnamon to the dough as its one of my favourite flavours and pairs really well with the sugary finish but this could be skipped if you aren't so keen. I found this made 12 small donuts so would double up the recipe if feeding a few or if you fancy something a little bigger. These were so popular I didn't get the chance to get a 'pretty' picture so please excuse the ones of them on the cooling racks.

Ingredients:

50g dairy free butter
120ml dairy free milk
2 tbsp sunflower oil - plus extra for frying
250g plain flour
50g caster sugar - plus extra for coating
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

In a small pan melt the butter over a medium heat then stir in the milk and oil and heat through until its warm to the touch. Place all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix together. Add in the wet ingredients and bring together to create a thick and shaggy dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and flatten into a disc then cut into your desired number of pieces. Roll each piece between your hands to create a ball then gently press to flatten slightly. Pierce through the middle with a finger or thumb then rotate the dough around to reshape.

Prepare a cooling rack with kitchen roll over the top to drain the cooked donuts on and place around 80g of caster sugar onto a plate.

Heat around an inch of oil in a large frying pan (if you have a deep fat fryer then use this) until a small piece of dough dropped into the oil floats to the surface in with 30 seconds.

Gently place the donuts into the oil in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. I cooked 4 at a time. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown then place on the paper towels to drain any excess oil. They will look a little craggy and imperfect but this is great for catching up sugar in all the little gaps.

While the donuts are still warm, roll them in the sugar and transfer them to a clean cooling rack. Allow to cool slightly before digging in.

These will store for a few days in an airtight container but I highly doubt any will make it that long unless your self control is far stronger than my family's.

I really hope you make these, if you do please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Stay Safe and at Home

Big love
The Defective Housewife