Devil's food cake (with hazelnut frosting)

Hello everyone! This week has passed by in a jiffy...and I'm already craving Christmas! Is it socially acceptable to start decorating yet? Today I'm sharing with you one of my go-to recipes for an indulgent cake, perfect for any occasion!

Here are the Ingredients!

• 256g 00 flour (lamb brand)
• 50g cocoa powder
• 1.5 tspn baking powder (lamb brand)
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 125ml vegetable/coconut oil
• 275g granulated sugar (lamb brand)
• 2 eggs (room temp)
• 3 tspn instant coffee
• 230ml boiling water
• 200ml milk
• 1 tspn vanilla essence

For the hazelnut frosting:

• 2 cups icing sugar (lamb brand)
• 1/2 cup of butter (room temp)
• 3/4 cup hazelnut cocoa spread
• 40ml whipping cream
• 1 tspn vanilla essence 

Method:

1. Add all the wet ingredients to a bowl and using a whisk attachment on your mixer, mix until well-combined.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder and cocoa powder and slowly start adding to the mixing bowl containing the wet ingredients. Mix using the cake attachment.
3. Dissolve the coffee granules in the boiling water and add slowly to the mixture.
4. Line two 7 inch pans with baking paper and scoop the resulting mixture inside. 
5. Bake for around 45 minutes at 180 degrees in your preheated oven,
6. Whilst the cakes are cooling, start working on the frosting.
7. Combine all the frosting ingredients and whisk using a mixer or an electrical whisk until the mixture appears creamy and delicious!
8. Next, top the cake layers with this delightful frosting, top with your favourite candies and let the cake chill for about 4 hours.
9. Slice and enjoy!!!

Spinach and tuna pie (Torta tat-tonn u l-ispinaci)

Today I'm sharing with you another beloved Maltese classic, a spinach and tuna pie! I simply love this dish and believe me when I say it will quickly become a family favourite!

Let's begin with the pastry:

Ingredients:

• 1kg plain flour (lamb brand)
• 150 ml Olive Oil 
• 1 egg (for egg wash)
• 500ml of water - add accordingly 
• 1 tbsp of sesame seeds (lamb brand)
• 1/4th tspn salt 

For the filling:

• 800g spinach
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 5 cans of tuna 
• 1 tspn dried mint
• 1 tspn dried marjoram
• 1 tspn dried basil
• 1/4th tspn mixed spice 
• 1 tspn dried oregano (lamb brand)
• 6 tbsp kunserva (tomato puree) 
• 5 Kalamata olives (destoned)
• 1 tbsp capers
• 2 tbsp raisins (lamb brand)
• salt and pepper (accordingly)

Method:

1. In a mixer equipped with the pastry attachment, add the sifted flour and the olive oil, a pinch of salt and combine. Once a crumby mixture starts forming, add the water accordingly until the dough forms. Wrap the dough in reusable wrap (I used Frank wrap) and let it rest for 30 minutes in the fridge until you prepare the filling.
2. Pre-cook the frozen spinach as instructed. Next in a pan, lightly fry the onions, garlic and herbs to release all the flavours. Next lightly fry the tomato puree until an aroma develops. Combine the resulting mixture with the spinach. Next add the tuna, the destoned olives (chopped), capers, raisins and season accordingly. Mix well.
3. Next, roll out the pastry on an oven dish coated with baking paper (save 1/2 of the pastry to cover the top portion) 
4. Fill the pastry bottom with the filling and gently cover it using the remaining pastry. 
5. Next, pierce the top of the pastry, cover with egg wash and sprinkle some sesame on top for that extra satisfying crunch!
6. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for around 35 minutes.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Gozitan Ftira

How often do I dream about just taking a day off and venturing to our little sister island, Gozo? One of my favourite parts is venturing through the charming villages, to locate a bakery serving freshly made, piping hot, ftira (pl: ftajjar). You can virtually add anything to your ftira, but classical Mediterranean toppings remain my favourites! 

Let's begin!

Ingredients: For the ftira with gbejniet friski

• 475g of plain flour (lamb brand)
• 250ml lukewarm water
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar or granulated sugar (lamb brand)
• 9g of instant yeast (lamb brand)
• 1 1/2 spoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tspn of sea-salt
• 2 gbejniet (local cheeselets) *you can opt for ricotta instead (add a tub)
• 1 heaped tbsp of ricotta
• 50g of grated pecorino cheese 
• 2 eggs
• Maltese sausage (any pork based sausage will do)
• One red onion, roughly chopped 
• 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds 

Another topping idea...Mediterranean ftira 

•  7 cherry tomatoes (roughly chopped)
  
• Basil (roughly chopped)
• Onion (roughly chopped)
• 1 tspn of dried oregano (lamb brand)
• Maltese sausage (crumbled)
• Grated ġbejna or mozzarella (depending on preference) 
• A spoon of black olives 
• Capers (optional)
• Sundried tomatoes (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sesame seeds (sprinkled on top) 

Method

• Sift the flour and add the sea-salt and olive oil. 
• In a separate jug, mix 250ml of lukewarm water with the honey and add the yeast. Once the yeast starts forming bubbles on the surface of the water, add the water mixture to the flour and using a wooden spoon, combine, until crumbs form.
• Knead the dough roughly for about 10 minutes and cover using a damp tea towel. Let the dough proof for at least two hours. Make sure to oil the bowl used for proofing for easy dough removal.
• Set the dough aside and start working on the filling. Add the cheeselets and ricotta to a bowl, together with the two eggs and combine until a well-combined mixture is obtained. Add the pecorino for an extra kick of flavour. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius 
• Once the dough has doubled in size, half the dough ball and roll it out over two 9 inch pans. 
• Next, fill the dough with the desired ingredients, crumble the sausage on top as well as the roughly chopped onion. Roll the ends of the dough over the filling to create a rustic border of sorts, and using a kitchen brush, brush olive oil over the sides and add some sesame seeds (optional)
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius or until the ricotta, ġbejna mixture has solidified. 
• For the Mediterranean ftira, simply create the ftira as though you were about to make a pizza. Add all the ingredients on top and sprinkle the ġbejna or mozzarella on top. 
• You can also add some slice potatoes to the ftira, for a more traditional creation!
• Serve out of the oven, piping hot with a fresh salad or simply enjoy with a cold beer!

Citrus-ricotta polenta cake

This is one of my favourite cakes! Inspired by my visits to the Amalfi coast, in Italy...this cake truly captures those intense Mediterranean flavours! In this recipe we will use orange juice and lemon zest to enhance the citrus flavours in the cake. We will later finish the cake off with a delicious light ricotta frosting, decorated with some slice of fresh oranges!

Let's begin!

Ingredients: (kindly gifted from lamb brand)

• 150g 00 flour
• 3 1/4 tspn baking powder
• 50g instant polenta
• 50g ground almonds
• 150g granulated sugar

Additional ingredients:

• 75ml of vegetable oil
• 2 tspn vanilla essence
• juice of 1 large orange
• 1 tbsp of lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tub of vanilla Greek yoghurt

For the healthy topping:

• 1 tub of ricotta
• 2 tbsp of icing sugar
• 1 tspn vanilla essence
• 1 tub of vanilla yoghurt

Method:

1. Mix the polenta, ground almonds and flour together. Add in the baking powder and a pinch of salt.
2. In a mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil and yoghurt until fully combined. Add to the dry ingredients and incorporate. Bake the mixture in a 22cm pan for 1 hour at 150 degrees.
3. Once cooled, mix the healthy topping ingredients and pour on top. 
4. Decorate as desired and enjoy!

Oat and raisin breakfast cookies

Today I'll be sharing with you my go-to breakfast cookies, perfect with a black coffee! I finished these cookies off with a delicious white chocolate drizzle just to savour the moment!

Let's dive right in shall we?

Ingredients: *all the below ingredients were gifted by lamb brand*

• 100g rolled oats 
• 95g wholemeal flour
• 1.5 tspn baking powder
• 1.5 tspn cinnamon 
• 50g assorted raisins 
• 4 cubes of white chocolate (melted)

Additional ingredients:

• 1/4th tspn nutmeg
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 25ml of maple syrup or agave
• one black tea bag 
• 1 large egg

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. 
2. In a separate bowl, brew some tea and add the raisins inside the tea for 10 minutes to rehydrate them (this will make them juicier)
3. Next add the wet mixture to the flour and incorporate using a mixture until a batter forms
4. Fold in the raisins and scoop the batter using a ice cream scooper onto a baking sheet. 
5. Flatten the cookies slightly to obtain an even shape
6. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 150 degree celcius

Blueberry & Lemon Blondies

The following blondies are my go-to bake after a busy week! I simply love this recipe so simply scroll down for some bites of true goodness!

Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:

• 150g '00' flour (lamb brand)
• 1/2 tspn vanilla powder (lamb brand)
• 1 tspn vanilla essence
• 1 large egg
• 200g brown sugar (lamb brand)
• 113g unsalted butter
• 1/4th of a tspn baking powder (lamb brand)
• 1 cup of blueberries
• 40g white chocolate chips or chunks (lamb brand)

For the lemon-vanilla glaze:

• 1 tspn vanilla powder (lamb brand)
• 3 tspn icing sugar (lamb brand)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tspn water

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients together and incorporate well. Next whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence and add to the dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, incorporate everything together. Add the chocolate chips and blueberries and mix once again. Pour in a 9 inch x 9 inch baking tray and bake for 19 minutes in a 150 degree oven. Once the cake has cooled, add the glaze using a teaspoon and simply drizzle across!

Rustic Focaccia

Hello everyone! Hope you've had a good week! This morning I woke up craving homemade focaccia! As most of you probably know, I love Italian cuisine and this is definitely a dish which can be enjoyed at any time during the day, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner!

So elt's jump right in!

Here's what we need:

Ingredients:

• 250g wholegrain flour (lamb brand)
• 250g plain flour (lamb brand)
• 365ml water
• 1 tspn yeast (lamb brand)
• 1 tspn honey
• 1 tspn sugar (lamb brand)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Dried oregano (lamb brand)
• Sundried tomatoes (roughly chopped)
• 1 garlic clove
• Fresh rosemary 

Method:

• In a jug, measure the water (RT) and add the yeast with the sugar and honey.
•  Next, in a mixing bowl, incorporate the 2 flours (after sifting) and add the water yeast mixture, mix using dough tool or with a wooden spoon, knead, let proof for 1 hr in a warm area, with a towel over it. 
• After proofing, open the dough, using your hands, and add little indents by pressing your thumb into the dough.
• Fill the indents with extra virgin olive oil and add your favourite toppings, I added sundried tomatoes and mixed fresh and dried herbs, garlic as well as olives.
• Bake in the oven at 180 degrees celcius for around 15 minutes, or until the crust turns golden brown.
• Serve with your favourite cold cuts or devour it on its own! 
• Don't forget to tag me @seasonandsavour if you recreate this dish!

Prune, pecan & chocolate bliss balls

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog! This week's recipe for my collaboration with lamb brand featured some delicious creations, perfect as a snack or a coffee treat!

If you are already familiar with my creations, you know how much I love using plums, instead of dates when making such healthy chocolate truffles...dried plums are rich in antioxidants, and are high in vitamins and minerals, such as potassium and iron, making them the perfect snack!

So let's jump right in and discover what we need for this quick recipe:

Ingredients: 

125g Prunes (Lamb brand) 45g pecans 25g quinoa puffs 2 tablespoons honey 2 tbspn cocoa powder 1 tspn of vanilla essence 100g melted choc (assorted from Lamb brand)

Method:

1. In a food processor, grind the pecans until finely chopped and set aside
2. Next, chop up the prunes in the food processor together with the honey, chocolate powder and vanilla essence. 
3. In a separate bowl, add the prune mixture, together with the chopped pecans to the quinoa puffs (you can use rice puffs also) and mix well. 
4. Form into balls using your hands and place in the fridge for 45 minutes to set
5. Meanwhile, melt your preferred chocolate and once the balls have set coat them as shown in the image above.
6. Let the balls set in the fridge for another 45 minutes (once covered) and try not to devour them all at once! 
7. Ps: If you try this recipe out be sure to tag me on my socials @seasonandsavour on Instagram or Facebook!

Parcel oven-baked salmon & Kuskus

Hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

Today's recipe makes use of delicious and healthy ingredients, which are perfect for weekday or weekend lunches! Salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 (essential fatty acids) as well as Vitamin B12, and is also a great protein source to maintain a healthy diet! 

This recipe also makes use of Lamb brand's new Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Kuskus which tastes divine and is an excellent accompaniment to the salmon, due to its light and fluffy texture, while providing an excellent source of selenium and plant derived proteins. 

I hope you all enjoy the recipe I'm sharing today! Let's begin!

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets
• 1 packet of Mediterranean roasted vegetables Kuskus (lamb brand)
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 carrots (finely sliced)
• 2 tspn oregano (lamb brand)
• 1/2 cup of golden raisins and sultanas (lamb brand) - I used a mix of the 2.
• 2 heaped tspn of breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp sliced black olives
• 1 tspn garlic granules
• 1/2 cup of peas (frozen)
• Season to taste

Method:

 

• Inside parcels made up of foil and baking paper, place the salmon on a bed of carrot
• Squeeze 1 lime over the salmon
• Season the salmon with salt and pepper
• Add breadcrumbs to a bowl and mix with the olive oil, oregano, garlic and sliced olives and place the mixture on the salmon
• Cook the salmon for 18 minutes at 200 degrees in a preheated oven
• Next, cook the Kuskus according to the instructions
• In a saucepan, heat the wine and place the raisin/sultana mix to re-hydrate for 10 minutes on low heat
• Mix the raisins with the Kuskus
• Boil the peas and layer on top the Kuskus
• Serve the Kuskus mixture with the baked salmon and carrots
• Plate and enjoy this delicious, healthy meal!

Carrot & Pecan cake

So this week was definitely a hectic, yet positive one! As announced on my Instagram blog I am pleased to announce that for the next 3 months I will be collaborating with @lamb_brand to create some delicious recipes to share with you all! Creating this blog has been a very rewarding and amazing journey, so I wanted to start this new partnership by celebrating with a delicious carrot cake, perfect to mark the first week of September!

Let's begin! 

Ingredients: carrot & pecan cake 

• 2 cups of plain '0' flour (lamb brand)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder (lamb brand)
• 1  cup of granulated white sugar (lamb brand)
• 1/2 a cup of brown sugar substitute (lamb brand)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of oil (you can use any preferred oil) I used sunflower
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence or vanilla powder 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (lamb brand)
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 cup of pecans (roughly chopped)
• 2 cups of grated carrots
• 1 cup of golden raisins (lamb brand)

Cream cheese frosting 

•  200g of cream cheese (room temperature)
  
• 1/2 cup of butter (I chose a plant based butter)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence (optional)
• 2 cups of icing sugar (lamb brand)

Method:

1. In a mixer, with the whisk attachment, add the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla essence and gently whisk until well combined.
2. Sift the plain flour, add the baking soda and powder and also add the spices. Mix the dry ingredients well using a spoon, and add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet ingredients, one spoonful at a time. Mix until well incorporated. 
3. Add the grated carrots, ground pecans and the golden raisins and mix using a spatula until the ingredients are well folded into the cake batter
4. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for around 45 minutes in a 22 cm pan (a loaf tin will work fine also)
5. Once cooled, coat the cake surface with the cream cheese frosting and decorate with some pecans, walnuts or fondant carrot shapes. 
6. Enjoy! Don't forget to tag me @seasonandsavour if you try out this recipe! Always looking forward to see your creations!