Tropical Flapjacks

Welcome to my first blog post from the Southern hemisphere! I apologise for the somewhat haphazard recipe, but I must confess I have no scales so all measurements were in cups, well mugs actually, and I doubled the recipe below as we were using a roasting tin. The latter doesn’t bother me though; it merely means that we have more flapjack than I originally planned. Faithful readers are bound to have had enough of me droning on about my love of flapjack, but I shall repeat – my love for flapjacks runs deep and true. I am, however, point blank refusing to buy more baking equipment when we should be receiving my stuff at the end of next month. We shall see how firm my resolve is after another fortnight without my stuff, but for now it is cast-iron strong and not at all faltering…

We are starting to settle into our new home, well we must be if the kids are in the kitchen. It was a bit touch and go when I realised that we had no hangers, but I solved that problem so nearly everything has a home with my slightly wonky logic. I really do hate unpacking so Simon may well have had to delve into his savings of patience while I was putting off the inevitable chore!

Our kitchen set up here is a little different, and to tell the truth it may well take some getting used to, don’t think for a second that the kids would let any of this hinder us. I did let Ophelia wash up after this and I did think that it was going rather well and then I realised that she had used nearly an entire bottle of washing up liquid! Why oh why did I turn my back on her?!

A different set up, but we get on with it!

These are Tropical Flapjacks as they contain orange juice and zest, raisins and desiccated coconut. Tropical in flavour but, it’s just a shame that the August weather in Stanley doesn’t match the summery fruity vibes of these yummy flapjacks. They make me think of sunny memories in Loughborough and Surrey before our departure from the UK. They are perfect for after school snacks (if you are lucky enough that your angels have returned) or puddings or even if the kids are driving you around the bend and you need a little treat.

Ingredients

In they go!
  • 1/2 cup of butter or margarine
  • 1/2 cup of brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup of golden syrup
  • 1 cup jumbo oats
  • 1 cup regular oats
  • 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 60g raisings
  • 3tbsp orange juice

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 140°c fan.
  2. Grease a brownie pan or medium-sized roasting tin if you double the recipe like we did!
  3. Put the raisins in a bowl and cover with the orange juice.
  4. Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup over a low heat.
  5. Zest the orange, we used a box grater for this – I did have to remove it from Finch as he was about to grate the orange as well.
  6. Pour both types of oats, the desiccated coconut, the orange zest and the raisins into the melted sugary mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until completely combined.
  7. Dollop the oat mixture into the tin and gently spread it around with the back of the wooden spoon. Make sure there is an even layer.
  8. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the flapjacks are golden. Allow to cool in the tin before removing and slicing.

As usual, I demonstrated my lack of patience by endeavouring to slice them before they were fully cooled. Despite the fact that they crumbled a bit, they were really yummy. I think the kids will have to keep a close eye on me tomorrow morning to ensure that I don’t decide to eat the rest of them for breakfast!

Lemon Meringue Traybake

I love the tang of lemon. Citrus fruit is so very yummy and lemons are one of my favourite ingredient to bake and cook with. I do love a good lemon meringue pie, but the time between embarking upon the bake and finally getting to sample it often puts me off baking it with the kids. Enter this Lemon Meringue Traybake; a yummy, tangy moist lemon cake with loads of smashed meringue covering its top. It is completely yummy and quick to make. It also involves smashing meringues which my kids think is amazing. I think it must be that I am giving them something to destroy on purpose!

Yes Ophelia, you may smash the meringue!
Picnic ready!

We took this traybake to a picnic with friends and not only did it travel well, but Seb managed to polish off 3 pieces. He tried to get away with stealing a fourth, but was stopped! This is certainly a sign of good cake!

Ingredients

  • 4 ready made meringue nests
  • 3tbsp ready made lemon curd
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs (separated – I did this bit for the kids)
  • 225g Greek style natural yoghurt
  • grated rind of 2 lemons
  • 175g self raising flour
Swirling in the lemon curd.

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°c fan and grease and line a brownie pan.
  2. Beat the sugar, butter and egg yolks together.
  3. Add the yoghurt and lemon zest and mix together.
  4. Sift in the flour and fold it into the mixture.
  5. With electric mixers, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and then gently fold into the other mixture.
  6. Pour into the brownie pan.
  7. If your lemon curd is quite thick, you may need to loosen it in the microwave for a couple of seconds. Take small amounts of the lemon curd and dollop onto the traybake in random places.
  8. With a toothpick, gently swirl the curd in a squiggle to create a pretty pattern.
  9. Crush the meringues, but make sure there are some slightly larger pieces in there too.
  10. Sprinkle the crushed meringue all over the traybake.
  11. Cover with foil, ensuring that it doesn’t touch the mixture.
  12. Place in the oven for 35-45 minutes (oven dependent – in my mum’s oven it only takes 35, but in mine it needs closer to 40). The cake is cooked when it is springy and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  13. Leave to cool completely in the tin before removing and cutting into squares or slices.
  14. Enjoy with friends or refuse to share!

This traybake is delicious, but to prevent the meringue going too soft it is best eaten on the day it made or the following day. It will keep for up to a week in the fridge, but if you want the meringue to retain a crispier texture, it is best to eat it sooner!