09.12

Gluten-free-chocolate-mint-cake-recipe

I’m going to put a stake in the ground here, and say that this might just be my new favourite ‘Christmas’ cake.

It’s a departure from tradition. There’s no dried fruit. No brandy. No candied peel. Heck, there’s not even any flour! But to me, this cake is everything that we could ever want a cake to provide us with at Christmas time. It’s dark, rich, and indulgent. It feels like a ‘special occasion’ bake, thanks to it requiring four odd bars of dark chocolate and eight eggs to put together. The fresh mint and rich chocolate flavours are about as festive as you can get, especially when paired with an airy dollop of sweetened, freshly-whipped double cream. And even more especially when that cream too has been spiked with peppermint essence, to bring out the minty notes in the cake. It’s Christmas cake, reinvented!

The recipe (which I’ve adapted ever so slightly with the addition of mint), comes courtesy of Karina Allrich’s new book ‘Gluten-Free Goddess’. I was sent the book last week to review, and even as a die-hard recipe book junkie (it’s a good job Jason built our kitchen shelving units to be extra strong, or else they’d be groaning under the weight of my cookery book library) this one was especially intriguing to me. See, Karina’s recipe book is entirely self-published! I’d not come across the idea of self-publishing before now, and it’s such a fascinating one.

‘Gluten-Free Goddess’ was published via Blurb, a company that enables anyone and everyone to create and market their own book. It’s the marketing side that I think is especially unique and exciting- Blurb have a system that enables authors to distribute their books via Amazon, as well as sell directly through their own online ‘storefront’. One of the things I think is most empowering and liberating about the digital age we’re living in is the freedom of expression we now have. We can write updates, statutes, tweets, blogs, and now even books, and share them with the world right from the comfy spot on our living room sofa. I’ve spent a good while sussing out Blurb’s site, and they seem to make publishing so very accessible and user-friendly. I even spied a book for sale on the site that was written and collated by a 13 year old! She’d written in her bio that all proceeds from sales would be put towards developing and furthering her writing skills, and the publishing of future books. And if you ask me, if a service that enables young people, and really, people of any age, to pursue their passions and take charge of their creative endeavours in such a real and exciting way isn’t worth celebrating, I don’t know what is!

Collecting-eggs-Cider-with-Rosie-Rosie-Reynolds Melted-chocolate-Cider-with-Rosie Cracking-eggs Flourless-chocolate-cake-recipe

‘Gluten-Free Goddess’ has some gorgeous looking recipes inside it, the vast majority with clear photographs to go alongside them (always a major plus point for me, when it comes to recipe books). Being self-published, of course, it’s not as sleek and elegantly branded as the recipe books we see on the shelves of Waterstones and the like, but there’s something quite charming about its rustic and ‘from the heart’ feel. My most treasured recipes are the ones given to me by loved ones- the recipes narrated to me by friends over the phone that’re scribbled hastily in the back of my recipe binder, or the little cut-up cereal box scraps I keep tucked in a folder that my Grandma wrote down all her favourite recipes on. Gluten-Free Goddess, with all its friendly warmth and imperfect charm, has that same sort of ‘from one friend to another’, ‘from my kitchen to yours’ feeling to it. Hats off to Karina for this recipe, and the awesomeness of publishing her own recipe book. It’s a beautiful one!

Flourless chocolate cake {recipe by Karina Allrich, adapted minimally by me}.
Ingredients ::
16.oz 70% cocoa dark chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup soft light brown sugar
1/2 caster sugar
3/4 cup hot strong coffee
2 tbsp cocoa powder
8 large free range eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1tsp peppermint extract

- Line the base of a 10″ round springform cake pan with foil, and grease the edges with a little softened butter. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

- Break the chocolate up into a large bowl, and set it over a pan to melt. Meanwhile, cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer until soft and light, and then mix in the cocoa powder.

- Slowly pour the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, beating as you go. With the beaters still running carefully pour in the hot coffee, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

- Beat the 8 eggs together with the vanilla extract, and again, slowly pour into the chocolate mixture with the beaters running. Lastly, add in the peppermint extract and mix to combine.

- Empty the mixture into the greased and lined cake pan, then bake for 45-55 minutes, until the top is cracked and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake come out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Leave the cake to cool completely before cutting- it will sink and deflate as it cools, and become even more beautifully cracked and rugged.

- Dust with icing sugar, and serve with a little freshly whipped, sweetened, and mint-spiked whipped cream, plus a few berries to go alongside.

Chcolate-and-mint-flourless-cake-recipeKarina-Allrich-Cider-with-Rosie-reviewGluten-free-chocolate-mint-cake-recipe-Cider-with-Rosie 

** This post was sponsored by Blurb, who asked me to review one of their self-published books and share my honest thoughts here on Cider with Rosie. My opinions, as always, are my own.

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Posted in BAKING, CAKE, CHOCOLATE., FOOD, FROM MY HOME TO YOURS, RECIPE, Sponsored, SWEET

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08.12

Cider-with-Rosie-South-Bank-sunset Sunset-over-London South-Bank-Cider-with-Rosie Sunset-over-Big-Ben-Rosie-Reynolds-Cider-with-Rosue

Would you just look at that sky?

Late on Friday afternoon, my Mum and I caught the train into town with the intention of paying a visit to the South Bank Christmas market. I was fully expecting it to be dark by the time we got there, and that the South Bank would be lit up entirely by the glow from the carousel and market stands. But, by some wonderful stroke of luck, we managed to make it into town, through the crowds at Waterloo, and out to the river just as the sun was setting. It wasn’t the kind of fiery sunset you see in summertime- instead, this sunset was duskier, more muted and delicate. All soft shades of lilac and lavender and palest peach.

Once we’d got our fill of photographing the sky (which to be honest, didn’t happen until after the sun had set completely and the sky faded to dark blue), we turned our backs on the river and started exploring the Christmas market stands. The market is a beautiful one, and since it’s set right along the South Bank of the river, feels surprisingly spacious and not too claustrophobia-inducing! There are stands selling just about every festive treat you could imagine, and more besides. Though I’d had my eye on the ‘hot doughnuts and chocolate sauce!’ stand since the moment we set foot in the market, since I was with my Mum and she taught me the ‘you can have pudding after you’ve eaten your main course’ rule well as a tot, we went search of something more substantial to eat ahead of doughnuts ;)

I don’t even have a photo of what we found, because it was so delicious I demolished it quicker than you can say ‘ho ho ho’. Dinner that night came in the form of a smoked Polish sausage, topped with sweet mustard, pickles (the BEST pickles!) and a crunchy cabbage slaw, all served in a toasted and perfectly chewy bread roll. I can’t remember the name of the stall we bought them from, but if you want to go buy your own (and I definitely recommend you do) then the stall was right near the Rekorderlig cider chalet.

SouthBank-carousel-Cider-with-Rosie SouthBank-Christmas-Market-Cider-with-Rosie-1SouthBank-Christmas-Market-string-lights

^^ The whole place is lit up with string lights, as well as all fairy lights on the Christmas trees that are dotted around. ^^

SouthBank-Christmas-Market-Cider-with-Rosie-3

After we’d finished our ‘main’, a couple of hot toddies that couldn’t have been more welcome for my full-of-cold Ma, and had a stroll up and down the river to get our appetites back, we went in search of those doughnuts. And oh MAN, they were worth the wait. Hot, crisp on the outside and fluffy within, with just the right amount of sugar coating and a hot chocolate dipping sauce to die for- absolute heaven.

God bless my new friend at the doughnut stand, who gave us four doughnuts for the price of three and in doing so, definitely placed himself right at the top of Santa’s ‘nice’ list ;)

Cider-with-Rosie-Christmas-market-London Hot-doughnuts-and-chocolate-sauce

^^ That right there is the face of a doughnut addict in her element, ladies and gents…^^

Carousel-lights

Post-doughnuts, we decided to go and get the fix of culture that I’d intended to have the previous week, and walked over to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Alright, I’lll be honest. I was 90 percent interested in the art, and 10 percent interested in finding somewhere with great central heating to get warmed up. (Maybe it was closer to 60-40…)

There’s an exhibition of Peder Balke’s work on at the National right now which was by far my favourite thing we saw there, all stormy sea scapes and moonlit waves and craggy shorelines. Mum is most fond of the Expressionist pieces…but I’d take Realism over Expressionism any day of the week! Once we’d had our fix of both warmth and culture, we wandered back through Trafalgar Square and past the Corinthia and over the river, back to Waterloo. We made it onto the next train out of the station with only two minutes to spare, which is always my favourite way of rounding off a trip into town. Well, that and have a spare doughnut left to eat on the journey home…

Cider-with-Rosie-National-Gallery

What I wore :: Jacket (similar) || Scarf || Jumper || Jeans || Shoes || Hat || Handbag

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Posted in CHRISTMAS, DAY TRIPS, FAMILY, LONDON, WINTER

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05.12

Kings-Road-Christmas-lights

I feel like this week’s walked a fine line between being restful, and just plain old lethargic. There’ve been no trips to London, no exciting jaunts, no rushing-around-like-a-loon busy days…and it’s been nice. Nice to spend time just puttering about at home, going at an easier pace. Though on the other hand…’snooze’ has been pressed many a-time, and productivity levels hit an all time low when I found myself looking at pictures of baby animals making friends with other baby animals instead of getting on with the task at hand. But hey! There’s value in that too, right? ;) I hope your week’s been a good’un, and that’ve you’ve got a corker of a weekend ahead! Here’re 10 things that’ve made my week a happy one…

1. DISHWASHER. Can I put that for every point? We bought a new one, it arrived, it doesn’t leak at all (like the old one did), and it’s totally and completely awesome. Goodbye washing up brush. It’s been dreadful.

2. Flourless chocolate mint cake. Recipe comin’atcha next week.

3. Having my car cleaned! It happens once in a blue moon (Teddy and his muddy paws make it pretty much a giant waste of money!) but when it happens, it makes me actually enjoy driving my car for a little while!

4. Those little individually-wrapped caramelly biscuits that come with coffees in little coffee shops. You don’t see them so much anymore, do you? Severely underrated biscuits, if you ask me.

5. The tub of pick n mix that turned a crappy Tuesday into a great Tuesday. Extra-fizzy cola bottles are my jam.

6. ‘Hold Back the River’ by James Bay. We’ve listened to it approximately 1000 times this week, and we’re still not bored.

7. Double PIiates! The second class was pretty tiring, but left me feeling a million times better than I did before I went.

8. Reading Gone Girl with Jason. It’s so fun hearing his theories as to what’s happened to Amy change as we go through the book (I’ve already read it, but am doing my best not to give anything away!)

9. Seeing wreaths and lights and garlands popping up all over the place! This time of year makes me so very happy.

10. Burning the Christmas Pine candle I mentioned in yesterday’s post. So beautiful, it deserves a double mention! It scents our whole house like you would not believe. I’m having to restrain myself from burning it too quickly!

Three posts I’ve loved reading this week :: Gingerbread granola from the Minimalist Baker || Katy’s beautifully honest post about fearlessness || & Naomi’s sweet video of her babies talking with Siri!

What’s made it on to your happy list for this week? :)

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Posted in 10 THINGS, HAPPINESS

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03.12

King's-Road-pastel-housesCider-with-Rosie-shopping-in-London

Last week, I had a date with the King’s Road. I’m in London all the time these days, but it’s always on a tight time schedule. Dashing from one train station to next, from one appointment to another, always with one too many or too few layers on and an undercurrent feeling of being harried and stressed.

So on Friday, I took the day off. I needed to be in London at 7pm to see my friend performing in a show over in Belsize Park, so headed up on a late morning train with the intention of visiting to a museum or gallery first, then going over to the King’s Road for a spot of Christmas shopping later on. But once I arrived in Waterloo I thought, well, maybe I should go and do my shopping first! My excuse was that I wasn’t sure what the Black Friday crowds would be like so thought it would be best to tackle them fresh in the day, but really- really and truly- I just wanted to get on with the shopping. ‘I’ll go to a gallery later!’ I told myself. Ha!

You can guess what happened. Hours, and hours, and hours of shopping and stopping for coffee breaks and lunch, and I never once made it anywhere more cultural than a quick sit down outside the Saatchi gallery. Not inside it, mind you. Just outside. All plans of spending a civilised couple of hours wandering solo through the National Gallery or the Tate, with coffee in one hand and camera in the other, were lost the minute I found King’s Road to be relatively quiet, and the sales to be generous. Coffee was bought and photos were taken though, of course…

Royal-Court-Theatre-Cider-with-Rosie  King's-Road-flower-shop-Cider-with-Rosie

Most of my time spent shopping was for other people (hand on heart, I promise!), though I couldn’t resist picking up one of the Christmas Pine scented candles in The White Company. Even if I’d intended to walk right by the shop (which I didn’t, since I needed to pick up a few other bits for gifts) the smell of the store alone would’ve tempted me in. It’s the very essence of Christmas!

I got peckish after a few hours of shopping (‘shopping is my cardio’), so stopped into an Italian cafe I’ve been wanting to visit for years now- Ca’puccino. And since I’ve always wanted to eat at that cafe AND sit outside doing a spot of people watching, that’s exactly what I did! November chill be damned! I’m eating al-fresco!

Capuccino-Kings-Road-Rosie Cider-with-Rosie-Kings-Road

The cold didn’t wasn’t able to get to me for long, thanks to the big mug of ‘cioccolata calda’ that my waiter brought over (at my request, of course, not just because he was kind like that). That hot chocolate was incredible, worthy of a place on that Buzzfeed article I mentioned last week! Ca’puccino itself is a delight- minimalist, and with a light, modern Italian menu. And they had patio heaters outside, which is always a winner in my book!

I spent my shopping lunch break reading Christmas magazines (Country Homes all the way!), watching elegant Italian couples and Mums with Bugaboos and well-groomed men with even better groomed dogs walking past the cafe, and eating a cheese and ham frittata that came served in its own (totally adorable!) mini frying pan. It was peaceful beyond belief, that mellow half hour or so lunchtime. I could’ve sat there all day long, just revelling in the quiet and watching the sun sink lower in the sky- but no! There was more shopping to be done!

Rosie-Christmas-shopping Capuccino-Kings-Road-by-Rosie-Reynolds King's-Road-Christmas-shopping

Last on my hit-list for the day was Anthropologie- not least because they had a 20% off everything sale! I found the hat of my dreams (honestly, it would’ve looked good with every single item of clothing I own), but kissed it goodbye in favour of buying Christmas gifts instead. A feat of self-control if ever there was one ;)

Call me an introvert (and you’d be right!) but it really was one of the nicest days I’ve spent in London in a long time. There’s something to be said for taking a whole day to yourself, every once in a while. Even though I’m home solo a fair bit, what with social media pinging non-stop and emails filling the gaps in between, it’s rare that I feel truly, nourishingly, soul-soothingly alone. And I hadn’t really realised that until I took a day away from it all, and didn’t say much besides ‘another hot chocolate, please’, the whole day long.

Christmas-wreaths

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Posted in CHRISTMAS, DAY TRIPS, LONDON, WINTER

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