Ginger

Chocolate bark with ginger, cranberries and pumpkin seeds

~ louisehad ~ 1 Comment

Chocolate Bark

 

I made this chocolate bark as a Christmas gift for my neighbours, but now I’m thinking about it, it is actually perfect for a post-Christmas healthy treat. I used a very dark chocolate for this, 85%. This type of chocolate doesn’t have much sugar and is full of antioxidants. You can of course use any topping you like for this bark. I went for the warming flavour of ginger. I also added dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds. The edible gold stars were just to give it a bit of Christmas sparkle. I think next time I’ll use goji berries, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds and feel very virtuous!

 

Ingredients

300g 85% dark chocolate (100g is approximately 1 bar of chocolate, so you can adjust the quantities accordingly).

A handful of crystallised ginger, finely chopped

A handful of pumpkin seeds, toasted

A handful of cranberries

Edible gold stars

Chocolate Bark with Ginger, Cranberries and Pumpkin seeds

 

 

Directions

  • Put the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan and gently heat until you hear them starting to pop. Set aside and leave to cool.
  • Line a baking tray with a silicon mat, greaseproof paper or cling film.
  • Melt the chocolate very gently in a bain marie by breaking the chocolate into small pieces and putting them in a heatproof bowl. Put about 1 inch of hot water in a saucepan and sit the bowl over the pan, but so it is not touching the water. Allow the chocolate to melt. Be patient, if you rush the process, the chocolate won’t like it and will seize up.
  • Pour the melted chocolate into your baking tray. You can make the layer as thin as you like. Using a spatula, make sure the chocolate has spread evenly. Sprinkle over your toppings and leave to cool in the fridge for a couple of hours.
  • When the chocolate has set, turn it out of the tin and either snap into pieces or cut into squares. If you want to cut the chocolate into squares, the chocolate shouldn’t be set completely hard.

Christmas Chocolate Bark

 

 

Pumpkin and Ginger Loaf

~ louisehad ~ 2 Comments

 

With the winter nights drawing in and the grey, cloudy days the main feature of the weather forecast these days, I want something sweet and spicy to lift my spirits. This cake is delicious. I’ve never had pumpkin in a cake before and ginger is one of my all-time favourite flavours, so obviously I had to try this recipe. The texture is moist and the heat of the ginger is guaranteed to hit the spot and take the edge off the autumnal gloom.

 

Ingredients

(Recipe from BBC Good Food, Birthday Issue, 2014 )

250g pumpkin, peeled and cut into roughly 2 cm pieces

50g black treacle

140g golden syrup

140g light soft brown sugar

100ml semi-skinned milk

110g cold diced butter

250g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

1 teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons mixed spice

2 medium eggs

5 chunks crystallised ginger, thinly sliced

3 balls stem ginger

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  • Put the pumpkin into a microwave-proof bowl and add a tiny bit of water. Cover with cling film and pierce. Put on full power for 5-8 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft. Drain the water then mash with a fork until smooth.
  • In a saucepan, add the treacle, golden syrup, sugar and milk. Heat gently until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Heat oven to 180 degrees fan (200 degrees). Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment.
  • Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spice and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour with your fingertips until no lumps remain.
  • Whisk the eggs, then add with the pumpkin into the lukewarm syrup mixture. Add to the dry ingredients.
  • Cut the stem ginger balls into thin slices and add to the mixture. Pour the batter into a tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out with just a few crumbs on it.
  • Scatter over the crystallised ginger which will stick to the loaf and leave to cool in the tin.

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