If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that, like many, many people, when lockdown hit, one of the ways I filled my time was to do more baking. I’ve always loved baking, but now I had time to do much more, and, like many things over lockdown, I have grown to value it a lot more as a fun and therapeutic activity.
To be honest I’m not that brave with my baking – normally I stick to quite simple things I know I'll like - but I did try out a couple of new things, as well as the classics. So, in this post I thought I’d share my top fave bakes I did during lockdowns 1, 2... and 3 (groan).
All the recipes are linked.
Brownies were the lockdown staple. I made a couple of batches...and then a couple more batches with added peanut butter, which was delicious too. And I was quite proud of my swirl art, got to say.
I use, and my mum has always used, this Nigella recipe. I love her recipe so much; it brings out the perfect batch every time – gooey in the middle with a crackly top, super rich and dark, and she adds walnuts which is a must for me.
It's a hefty batch, so I normally halve it.
Gluten-Free Blood Orange Syrup Loaf Cake
This was a recipe from a Guardian Feast magazine– I love looking through their recipes each week and this one by Tamal Ray really caught
mine and my mum’s eye – we had tried an
orange and polenta cake ages ago and loved it. They have a light texture and
the sweet, citrusy orange flavour is so yummy (sorry, I’m no food writer - I’m a food maker
and a food eater).
This recipe was great – you poke the top after it’s baked and pour on a sticky syrup that soaks through to make the cake super moist and adds a sugar-caked layer to the top, similar to a drizzle. Ooh I may need to revisit this cake!
I left out the candied peel, and I think I used clementines
not blood oranges and it still tasted great. Although you can only imagine how long it took to juice…
Pret Chocolate Cookies
I really like Pret: their ethics, their organic coffee, and all their ingredients are so fresh and simple. This was proven when they started to bring out their recipes for people to try at home during lockdown (yet another great company move).
I have made the cookies twice, and they’ve never turned out as good as the ones you get in-store, but they are still pretty delicious. Cause I’m a nut fiend, which you can definitely tell from this post, I add walnuts to these too.
Courgette, Pistachio and Lemon Syrup Cake
Another Guardian recipe, and another decadent, fruit syrup-soaked cake, this time by Wahaca founder Thomasina Miers. Adding courgette to cakes has become more widespread, and it works. All the ingredients in this cake work really well to add to the texture and flavour, and they all compliment each other to make a delicious loaf, with a slightly crusty, dark exterior and a fluffy, syrupy middle.
So there we have it, my top bakes of lockdown. Baking has certainly brought me a lot of happiness, and so has the end result. And I think it's made my mum and boyfriend quite happy too.
I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I've been baking. Let me know if you try any of these recipes and how they turn out!
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