Desserts – Scaredy-Cat Kitchen

Raspberry, Rose & Chocolate Pavlova

20/02/201620/02/2016Posted in Desserts, Gluten FreeTagged almonds, celebration dessert, Chocolate, chocolate pavlova, meringue, pavlova, Pomegranate, raspberry, raspberry pavlova, rose1 Comment

So this is it guys, my party piece! This is my go to dessert for celebrations. I made it on Valentine’s day, I made it when I hosted Christmas (the follow up to an absolutely delicious slow roasted duck) and I made it when a couple of friends came to my teeny tiny flat for a sofa-based dinner party. And let me tell you, it never fails to put a smile on people’s faces.

Maybe it’s the chunks of chocolate hiding in the meringue, maybe the lashings of rose scented cream or maybe just the fact that it looks pretty darned irresistible. For me the best thing about it is its simplicity. As long as you have access to an electric whisk of some description, the meringue is an absolute breeze and the cream will be whipped in moments, then it’s just an assembly job, where you can be as flamboyant as your heart desires. (continue reading…)

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

06/09/201520/02/2016Posted in Desserts, Gluten FreeTagged avocado, avocado chocolate mousse, banana, Chocolate, chocolate mousse, dairy free, dairy free chocolate mousse, mousse, vegan, vegan mousse12 Comments

Not only is this pretty much the simplest of all the recipes on this blog, it’s also both one of the tastiest and one of the healthiest. When you’re after a sweet treat, but don’t want to utterly throw aside your healthy eating good intentions, this is the perfect recipe to turn to. Creamy, intensely chocolatey and highly satisfying.

It’s dairy free and easily made vegan (use maple syrup instead of honey) and also contains a hefty dose of raw cacao, with its numerous health benefits, and 2 helpings of fruit and veg per portion! Guilt free and gorgeous! (continue reading…)

Blueberry Tart

10/08/201520/02/2016Posted in Desserts, TartsTagged blueberries, Blueberry, blueberry tart, pastry, scandinavian tartLeave a comment

After a few months of not having time to post anything and, to be perfectly honest, not really feeling like making time (I can be honest with you guys right?), I am finally back on the blogging wagon. For me blogging is a hobby and it had started feeling like a chore, but after a couple of months of reflection I’ve altered my perspective, realised I don’t have to squeeze a full post (from cooking to posting) into one day of my weekend and decided to go at my own pace, I’m in a much better place now!

To celebrate my cheerful return, I indulged my obsession with all things Scandinavian (I was wearing in a killer pair of Swedish Hasbeens as I baked and ate this tart, whilst merrily pinning pictures of midcentury Scandinavian design) and dipped into one of the most appealing cookbooks on my groaning cookbook shelf, Trine Hahnemann’s The Scandinavian Cookbook. To be fair it’s actually my boyfriend’s cookbook, but in cooking terms he’s all about the savoury and this tart just had to be made by someone in this house!

A warm, slightly sweetened blueberry is a thing of beauty. Pairing it with crisp, buttery pastry and tangy yoghurt takes it over the top and makes me feel a bit giddy. Given the size of this thing it saw us through a few days, and let me tell you, I looked forward to dessert all day long. (continue reading…)

Bakewell Tart

02/12/201420/02/2016Posted in Desserts, TartsTagged almond tart, almonds, bakewell tart, Frangipane, frangipane tart, marzipan1 Comment

Happy birthday to me! And I should add to my boyfriend Ben, well actually his was yesterday, but I reluctantly shared this birthday tart with him anyway.

Bakewell tart, for the uninitiated, is a British classic. Flakey pastry, a thin layer of raspberry jam (always, always raspberry) and almond sponge, topped with toasty, flaked almonds (or sometimes icing, but for me its all about the almonds.) It has to be one of my all time favourites, hence its selection as this year’s birthday dessert.

Despite its seeming simplicity, the flavours are just perfect and it can definitely compete with last year’s birthday special, even though that one was a bit of a showstopper. (continue reading…)

Cherry Chocolate Frangipane Tart

17/05/201416/07/2014Posted in Desserts, TartsTagged cherry, Chocolate, chocolate cherry frangipane, chocolate cherry tart, chocolate frangipane, chocolate frangipane tart, chocolate pastry, Frangipane, frangipane tart5 Comments

This Monday is the first anniversary of Scaredy Cat Kitchen’s inaugural blog post, my ‘anniblogary’, if you will. It’s been an exciting and slightly terrifying year for me. There have been highs (did someone say Oreo Topped Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake?) and there have been lows. (man, those tastespotting rejections hurt!)

To celebrate this momentous occasion, I decided to bring together 3 of my all time favourite things, bitter dark chocolate, frangipane and cherries.

Crisp chocolate pastry, filled with rich almond and melted chocolate frangipane with bursts of bitter sweet cherry and crunchy flaked almonds. I am so bloomin’ happy right now. (continue reading…)

Coconut Rice Pudding with Rum Pineapple (aka Pina Colada Rice Pudding)

11/05/201416/07/2014Posted in DessertsTagged coconut rice pudding, pina colada, pina colada rice pudding, pineapple coconut, Rice pudding, Rum, rum pineapple, vegan rice puddingLeave a comment

It took 32 and a half years for me to try my first Pina Colada. The combination of coconut and pineapple just didn’t work in my head, all I could think of was Malibu with pineapple juice and it just sounded terrible. But then last year I went to a late summer BBQ, tried my first Pina Colada and it blew my mind!

I’ve barely been able to get it out of my mind ever since, which led to day dreams of creamy coconut rice pudding with sweet, sticky, rum-flavoured pineapple and a hint of lime. This dish lived up to my expectations and what’s more, it’s even better cold for brekkie the next day (although perhaps without the boozy pineapple!)

The rice pudding is super straight forward to make and it’s vegan too! The pineapple is sticky, sweet and fragrant with a mega kick of rum (which of course you can skip if you’re that way inclined) The combination is epic! (continue reading…)

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with Pistachio Praline

15/02/201415/02/2014Posted in Breakfast, DessertsTagged chia seed pudding, chia seeds, chocolate chia seed pudding, dairy free pudding, gluten free pudding, pistachio praline, pistachios, vegan chocolate pudding, vegan pudding3 Comments

I’m a little behind on this chia seed thing. (It is still a thing right, I haven’t missed it altogether?)

I’m not good with trends, but in my defence I bought a pack of chia seeds around 6 months ago, had no clue what to do with them and was too lazy to find out. I may have intended to adapt this granola recipe to include them, who knows, but it didn’t happen. Until last night they were sitting, completely unloved, at the bottom of a drawer full of baking stuff.

For those of you out there who haven’t heard about these tiny, super-hyped seeds, they are apparently loaded with fibre, omega 3, calcium and protein along with lots of other nutrients and they also fight belly fat. I had to give them a go.

Despite all of their nutritional value, the property I care about here, is their ability to produce a super creamy and decadent pudding that’s healthy but definitely doesn’t feel like a chore to eat. When you soak the seeds in milk they become slightly jelly-like which makes for an amazing pudding. With the addition of chocolate, you’ve got yourself an amazing dessert or a cheeky little breakfast, and what’s more it’s gluten free and, if you so desire, vegan too! (continue reading…)

Gluten-Free Blueberry Polenta Cake with Lavender Syrup

08/02/201428/05/2014Posted in Cakes, Desserts, Gluten FreeTagged blueberry almond cake, blueberry lavender cake, blueberry lavender polenta cake, blueberry polenta cake, Cake, gluten free almond cake, gluten free blueberry cake, gluten free cake, gluten free lavender cake, gluten free recipe, lavender cake, lavender polenta cake, polenta cake6 Comments

I’ve been thinking about this cake all week. Sitting at my desk, occasionally glazing over in front of my spreadsheets and dreaming of sticky, syrupy blueberry cake with a hint of lavender.

It’s always worrying when you dwell on a recipe so much, without actually having made it, by Friday night the fear of disappointment was upon me. I already felt defeated as I started to whip up the batter and boil the syrup. The overnight wait to test the cake was almost unbearable!

On saturday morning, after the last photograph had been taken, it was finally time for my first taste. Not to sound immodest, although I often do, but this cake blew me away, pure and simple. (continue reading…)

Boozy Berries with Vanilla Mascarpone & Coconut Crumble

08/12/201308/12/2013Posted in DessertsTagged blueberries, Christmas, Christmas dinner, Coconut, coconut crumble, Dessert, macerated strawberries, mascarpone, strawberries, vanilla mascarpone1 Comment

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, and in addition to a fattening goose, food blogs everywhere are stuffed with food based gift ideas and recipes for your Christmas feast. As much as I hate to jump on the bandwagon, I can’t totally ignore the season now can I?

Now, not everyone likes Christmas pudding, I for one think those people are a highly suspect but, in the spirit of goodwill, I feel it is my duty to offer up an alternative dessert for the yuletide season.

Every Christmas dinner should end with a treat, something decadent that won’t occupy precious oven space that is reserved for roasting turkey, potatoes and stuffing. (Or in the case of my Christmas this year, roasting duck and root vegetable gratin, I can’t wait!!)

This dessert is just that. Rich creamy mascarpone, (which, incidentally makes a truly excellent accompaniment to Christmas pud) crunchy, buttery, crumbly bits with just a hint of coconut, and best of all booze soaked fruit. I wouldn’t recommend setting light to this one though! (continue reading…)

Oreo Topped Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake

30/11/201330/11/2013Posted in Cakes, DessertsTagged birthday cake, Cheesecake, Chocolate, chocolate cheesecake, Chocolate chip, chocolate chip cheesecake, chocolate chips, Great British Bake Off, Oreo, oreo cheesecake, Oreos, white chocolate cheesecake12 Comments

I don’t wish to appear immodest, but I simply must say, this is quite possibly the most scrumptious cheesecake that I have ever eaten.

A perfectly smooth and tangy baked cheesecake, punctuated by chocolate chunks, with a crumbly chocolate biscuit base and an utterly insane crumbled Oreo topping. Heaven.

It’s my birthday weekend folks, and if that isn’t an excuse for an incredibly decadent cake, then I don’t know what is. (continue reading…)

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