Salams lovely people…hope you’re all well…sorry for the extremely late blog post..My life since February has been so hectic. Firstly it was family weddings, which as you all know how busy those can get.
I have so many posts planned but actually getting the time to post is another thing..worse thing was though I had taken so many step by step pics of different dishes and my silly iPhone messed up, I didn’t back up the pics and I lost them all. So I’m having to start from scratch again. 
This time round I thought I’d post a recipe for something sweet, something fluffy and moist and makes you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside when you take a bite from it…I saw this recipe on one of those videos posted on facebook by Bake n Bake but I tweaked it to what I thought would be suitable. I love cinnamon and these cinnamon rolls are heavenly, a lot of people who have tasted them have said they’re just as good as the real thing. If you do try them out let me know what you think. 

INGREDIENTS:

6-8 cups Strong White Bread Flour

1 Sachet Yeast (7g)

2 large eggs

1 Cup caster sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 cup milk

1 cup warm water

Half cup (113g) softened butter

Chopped pecan nuts or hazelnuts 

FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR TOPPING:

2 Cups Dark Brown Sugar

2 tsp Cinnamon powder 

Half cup softened butter 

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE TOPPING:

1 Cup Icing Sugar

400g Cream Cheese 

1 Tbs softened butter

3 Tbs Milk

METHOD:

In a Saucepan Heat 1 cup milk until bubbles start appearing round the edges of the pan, turn the heat off and stir in the half cup (113g) soft butter into the milk until melted, add 1 cup warm water, stir and leave to cool to room temperature 

In a separate bowl (I use my kitchen aid bowl) add 1 Tbs yeast and 1 cup caster sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 large eggs, 2 cups strong white bread flour or plain flour and mix 
Add the milk mix and blend, add 4 more cups of the flour half Cup at a time until it becomes a very soft dough. If the dough is still sticky add some more flour but not too much as you don’t want the dough to be too hard otherwise the rolls will not be fluff and soft.
Lightly flour a surface and knead the dough for around 5-8 minutes…divide into 2 parts and roll out into rectangles.
Prepare the Cinnamon sugar topping by mixing together 2 cups dark brown sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon, spread quarter cup of the softened butter on each of the rolled out dough and sprinkle each with  with the cinnamon sugar, roll tightly into a cylinder 
Slice the rolls into 2 inch pieces and put onto a greased tray, cover with cling film or a clean kitchen towel and let them rise for 1 hour or at least doubled in size.
Once they have doubled, remove the cling film and bake in the preheated oven on gas mark 5 or 180 degrees for 20-25 mins until golden. Keep an eye on them as they don’t want to be too dark.
While the rolls are baking whisk together 1 cups icing sugar, 350g cream cheese, 1 Tbs soft butter, half tsp vanilla essence and 3 tbs milk (1 tbs at a time) 

Spread the cream cheese topping on top of the rolls generously and top with chopped hazelnuts or pecan nuts.
**This recipe makes around 24-30 cinnamon rolls**

Enjoy 😍

Here’s all the ingredients that you will need

Have ready 1 Cup Milk and half cup softened butter 

Heat the milk until bubbles start appearing round the edges of the pan 

Turn off the heat and add the half cup butter

Add 1 cup of warm water 

Give it all a stir and leave aside until room temperature 

In a separate bowl add the yeast 

The caster sugar

Add 1 tsp of salt 

Add the eggs 

Add 2 cups of the flour

Now add the milk/butter mix and slowly add 4 cups of the flour (half cup at a time)

Slowly add the rest of the flour until it makes a soft dough 

Knead for another 5-8 mins until the dough is smooth 

Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces 

Roll them out on a lightly flour surface 

Roll out into large rectangles (don’t keep them too thick or too thin)

Spread quarter cup softened butter onto each rectangle 

Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon powder 

Using half the sugar mix cover each of the rectangles 

Carefully roll the dough tightly into a Swiss roll and seal the edge using warm water 

This is how it should look once tightly rolled 

Cut into 12 equal pieces

Lay the rolls side by side into a greased oven tray, cover with cling film or a clean tea towel

Allow to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size 

Bake in oven for around 25 minutes until golden 

Whisk all the ingredients for the cream cheese topping 

Whisk it till it’s nice and smooth

Spread the cream cheese topping generously onto the warm rolls and also scatter the chopped nuts (one seems to be pinched 🙄)

How gorgeous do they look??!! 😍

Salams all…you’re all probably wondering if I’ve given up on this blog…no I haven’t…I’ve just had the most crazy few months after Ramadhan, family weddings and just life generally has been crazy hectic..I’ve hardly had time to make anything different and exciting.  Last weekend I managed to get a few spare hours and as I had been craving Carrot cake decided to make that.  This recipe was given to me by my aunt and it’s one of the moistest carrot cake I’ve had…packed with lovely walnuts with a subtle hint of cinnamon…

INGREDIENTS:

600g Light Brown Sugar

600ml Sunflower Oil

6 Eggs

600g Plain Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Ginger Powder

Half tsp Vanilla Essence

200g Chopped Walnuts

600g Grated Carrots

FOR ICING:

300g Icing Sugar

150g Cream Cheese

50g Butter

METHOD:

Place the oil, sugar and eggs in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined, add the flour, and all the other dry ingredients except the grated carrots and walnuts and beat again until thoroughly mixed. Stir the carrots and walnuts into the mix.

Line and grease 2 large or 4 small cake tins and equally pour in the cake mix.  Bake at Gas Mark 3/Electric 170 for 30/35 minutes until baked, insert a knife or skewer in the middle of the cake to make sure it’s cooked.  Turn out the cakes onto a wire rack and cool completely.

For the icing, thoroughly beat the 3 ingredients until smooth and spreadable, spread evenly onto the cakes and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.

TIP:  Grate the carrots in a food processor with the grater attachment…makes life easier

Enjoy 😎

 All the ingredients ready for baking

  Finely grate the carrots (food processor is quicker if you have a grater attachment)

  Coarsely chop the walnuts

   Mix together the brown sugar, eggs and oil 

  Add all the dry ingredients and vanilla essence 

 
 Thoroughly mix the wet and dry ingredients before adding the carrots and walnuts

  Add the grated carrots and walnuts 

  Mix everything thoroughly 
 Pour into lined caked tins 

  Bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean and it’s golden (at this point your kitchen will smell amazing) 
 

  Spread the cream cheese frosting on and sprinkle some more chopped walnuts 
 Cut into even slices and it’s All Ready!!
 And now to enjoy with a nice cup of Karak Chai mmmmm

Salams all…pray that your Ramadhan is going well…can you believe that we’re actually in the last week of Ramadhan..Not sure if everyone feels the same but I think this years Ramadhan has gone super fast…it’s just like its come as a visitor and is leaving us 😢 I feel very sad…but now also begins our Eid preparations…I’m just posting this quick biscuit recipe…it’s the most simplest of biscuits but I find is one of the tastiest…lovely on Eid day with your Eid Milk that Mum has lovingly made ❤️

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 cups Plain Flour (but add as much or less as you need to make a soft dough)

3/4 Cup Caster Sugar

250g butter

Half Cup Oil

2 tsp Baking Powder

Half cup Corn Flour

Half Cup Chopped Pecan Nuts

Half Cup Dessicated coconut

Melted Chocolate

METHOD:

Beat the butter, oil and caster sugar until creamy ( around 5-7 minutes)

Add the Corn flour and baking powder and beat again until combined.

Fold in the chopped pecan nuts and Dessicated coconut and then add flour half cup at a time and mix together to form a soft dough.

Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and roll into logs (as shown in pictured below) and wrap in cling film

Put logs in freezer for around 5 minutes and take out and slice into half inch slices.

Put onto a non stick tray covered with greaseproof paper.

Bake at 170 degrees or Gas Mark 3-4 for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden (just check they’re not browning too quickly)

Allow biscuits to cool and then drizzle with Melted Chocolate and Allow the chocolate to set.

Enjoy 😇
Dough is ready to roll into logs…dive into 3 equal parts

Roll into neat logs…don’t keep it too wide as they will spread whilst baking

 Wrap in Cling film and pop into the fridge for around 5 minutes
 Slice the dough equally
 Ready to be baked

 Put onto a baking tray covered in greaseproof paper and bake for around 10-12 minutes until golden
 Fresh out the oven (they smell amazing)

 Once biscuits have cooled drizzle melted chocolate on them (hope the hubby will make me a nice cup of tea 😉)

Salams all…I think I’m posting more recipes in Ramadhan than I have done since I started the blog 🙈 Having some much needed time off work does help especially in Ramadhan..this is allowing me time to really gain the Baraqah of Ramadhan…anyways I’ve had a lot of requests for the Pappa roti recipe..Prior to making these I had never tasted these buns although I had heard a lot of good things about them and I thought if I can’t get to a Pappa Roti cafe then next best thing is to make them..anyone who hasn’t tried them yet it’s a light and fluffy bun with a lovely buttery filling and has a coffee icing which melts into the bun as it baked…then you can eat it on its own or with different toppings for eg Nutella, cream cheese icing or anything u like..I searched online for a recipe but most seemed very long winded..this recipe was given to me by a friend but there’s also a video online by Steves kitchen giving you step by step instructions here…hope you enjoy them and let me know how you get on.

INGREDIENTS:

Dough:

500g strong white flour (used for breads)

1 Tsp Salt

1 egg (lightly beaten)

60g softened butter

75g brown sugar

2 tsp yeast

270ml warm milk

16 small cubes of butter (freeze in a tray until frozen)

Coffee Icing:

200g soft butter

3 eggs

160g icing sugar

200g self raising flour

2 Tbs coffee mixed with 2 Tbs water

METHOD:

In a stand mixer (or if kneading by hand in a large bowl) mix the flour, sugar and salt, then add the yeast and mix again, then add the milk and egg and mix on high for 8 minutes, add in the butter and mix for an additional 5 minutes until the dough has all come together and is smooth.

Layer a tray with greased roof paper. Divide the dough into 16 equal round balls and leave to rise in the tray for around 10 minutes. Once risen take each ball and flatten with the palm of your hand, turn it over and place a cube of the frozen butter piece in the middle and close the bun by pinching making sure it’s closed completely. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size so around an hour.

While the buns are rising you can make up the coffee icing.

Mix the icing sugar and butter until soft, then add the eggs gradually and mix, add the coffee mix and then slowly add the flour (use enough to make a soft icing) Fill up an icing bag with a round tip nozzle attached (if you don’t have a nozzle then just snip a bit of the end off) Leave in fridge until needed.

Once buns have risen pipe the coffee icing on top of the bins in a spiral shape and bake in oven at 180 degrees or Gas Mark 4 for 12-15 minutes until golden.

Top with any of your favourites (Mine is obviously Nutella) golden or maple syrup or cream cheese icing.

TIP: These buns can also be frozen without the icing to bake on another day, just defrost and bake as stated in the recipe.

Enjoy 😍
The buns once they have been filled with the pieces of butter and left to rise for 10 minutes

The buns after they have doubled in size

The coffee icing on top of the buns in a spiral shape ( sorry my hands are always wobbly when icing)

 Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes until lovely and golden

 Drizzle (or douse) with Nutella and chopped pecan or hazelnuts

 Also tastes great with golden or maple syrup

  Look at how fluffy and buttery the inside is…mmmm…perfect 😍