Not So Good For You Granola

On the odd occasion where I will rise from my bed in the morning, granola is my morning saviour. It does this magical thing.  It stops me (and hopefully the general public) from letting off countless and embarrassingly LOUD rumbles from my stomach – at least until lunchtime.

Granola with Raspberries & Yoghurt in a Japanese Blossom Bowl

That’s why I like granola. But there is a lot of granola that I don’t like, take for example M & S granola, the oats like to suck up the moisture in the berry yoghurt in this one, making it a vomit inducing experience in your already sensitive morning mouth. Why can’t they just put it in separate containers? I have also had this sort of thing in Eat and so far Costa has proved to be the only retailer meeting my snobbish granola demands. But at £2 per measly pot, and a ridiculous yoghurt to granola ratio it was only years until I had to make my own. But I warn you now, this stuff is buzz light years away from low calorie, good for you tastes-of-poo granola. It contains a WHOLE jar of honey and a WHOLE tube of maple syrup and I suppose that’s why I’m finding it extremely difficult to type this with a bowl in one hand…

The other great thing about my breakfast granola? It lasts for 1 month. That’s 1 month without a rumbling tummy for those early risers. 

The Recipe
500g rolled oats
100g pumpkin seeds
100g (or optional amount) sesame seeds
150g flaked almonds
425g clear honey
180g maple syrup
120g light brown Tate and Lyle sugar
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt

Special equipment
2 large round tins with sides (like a roasting tin)

Enamel Wash Bowl 

The Method

Preheat oven to 180 C.

In a large bowl combine the oats, sesame & pumpkin seeds, almonds, salt and coconut. Set aside.

In a small saucepan on medium heat, add the maple syrup, honey and oil. Stir until warm.

Pour the warmed syrup directly onto the oats and stir with a spoon until everything is coated.

Next, divide the mixture into two and pour into the large round tins. Spread the granola out evenly for an even bake.

Bake for 45 minutes, making sure to stir the granola every 10/15 minutes whilst in the oven to help form 'clumps', if the granola appears a little dry now is the time to add a little extra oil to the mix.

Set aside to cool. Transfer back into a huge bowl much like this one and enjoy for 1 month.

PS, I promise this is a granola post and not a raspberry one!

Love Em xx

Spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake

If, like me, you've ever wondered about the ‘taste’ of autumn, well, the answer is in this bundt. You know, like that taste of Christmas you get in your mouth after you step outside on a premature winters day for the first time and it carries that indescribable smell/taste combination. How wonderful for us winter babies. 

This was my first ever pumpkin encounter, I enjoyed it, but I think the dogs enjoyed it more – something about the pumpkin being good for their insides or some other dog fact that my sister picked up off her iPhone on Google. Saying that, the taste of this cake was very deep and spicy, it carries that classic flavour combo of wintry spices – cloves, cinnamon (which I forgot to add like a spaz), ginger… really warming gingerbread man flavours that bring you right back to the fireplace with a hot choc. 

I can see this cake going well with a tangy cream cheese glaze, one with the addition of water to make it a satisfying pouring consistency.  None of my recipes tend to have what this one contains – a secret ingredient! That’s right ladies and gentleman, enter...ROLLED OATS. A thick, un-palpable paste of oats is stirred (not without a fight of course) into this cake batter and you wouldn’t even know it was there! But I think it’s necessary cos’ it adds an autumnal extra to this pumpkin bundt, enjoy :)

The Recipe:
2 cups caster sugar
3 cups plain flour
4 medium eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 can of pumpkin
226g unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup oats
1/4 cup boiling water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract/powder
2 tsp baking soda
For the pumpkin spice:
1 tsp cinnamon (I missed this out)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 ground nutmeg
Icing sugar to dust

The Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170C and grease a bundt tin.
• Boil the kettle, place 1 cup of oats in a small bowl and pour the 1/4 cup boiling water over the oats and stir. Leave the thick paste to set. 
• Put the sugar and butter in the bowl of a freestanding mixer and mix on low speed till fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time whilst the mixer is still stirring the batter. 
• Keep the mixer on, and one at a time - add the pumpkin, oat paste and vanilla. Raise the speed until the oats look better incorporated and then reduce the speed again.
• Add the flour one cup at a time followed by the pumpkin spce, BS and salt.
• The batter will appear thick, keep mixing and add a tbsp of milk (or two) until it has loosened slightly.
• Plop the batter into the cake tin and smooth the top.
• Place into the oven on the top shelf and bake for 60 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan for ten minutes, invert it out and serve!

Love Em xx