Perfect Weekend Desserts

The weekend is here at last and I can’t WAIT to get baking. To say I like desserts would be the understatement of the century; I LOVE desserts. Sugar will always make you feel better at the end of a long week. Always. If you don’t like baking just yet, allow me to bring to your attention some delicious dessert recipes that will leave you yearning for some more…literally.

And best of all, these are the recipes I use and they always turn out great! All the pictures I've included in this blog post are pictures of my own baking using the recipes mentioned.

1. Apple Pie

I cannot resist pies. That is probably why I absolutely had to bake one myself. People prefer to get the Pie Crust from the supermarket and then just do the filling and put it together. But believe me when I say that making an apple pie from scratch is easy peasy. What’s more, the recipe requires ingredients you probably have at home right now. Oh, and have I even mentioned how the short crust pastry is good enough to eat on its own? I’ll say it now, then: IT’S GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT ON ITS OWN.

For the crust you need all-purpose flour, butter, salt and cold water (though I like adding in sugar because hey, a little sugar never hurts anyone). For the filling you just use 3 large, stewed apples. I like my apples stewed in 1 tablespoon of water and 3 of sugar. You rub the butter into the flour and salt until it resembles bread crumbs and you then add in the ice water 1teaspoon at a time until its good enough to roll. I normally divide the dough into two parts, wrap the halves in cling film and refrigerate for half an hour-the dough is easier to work with that way.

Next you’ve got to roll one half of the dough out and then push it in to the aluminium plate, pour in the stewed apples, sprinkle in some cinnamon(if you like), and then cover it with the other half of the dough. Pop it in the oven for 20-30 minutes (I leave mine in longer so that the top browns a little) and let it cool before serving. You can do either a normal top or a lattice top.

Here's the recipe: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/maryhenrysproperappl_67463

2. Chocolate Fudge Cake

Up until last year, I was in love with the cake mix kind-not that there’s anything wrong with it of course! But then I found this recipe which is amazing. You will never go back to the box stuff. Like the apple pie recipe, it’s a BBC Recipe which you cannot go wrong with. The cake is moist, rich and everything you look for in a chocolate cake.

Isn’t it beautiful?

I always use Cadbury cocoa since I think it tastes best but feel free to use Hershey’s or any other kind that you like. Top it off with some chocolate butter cream and voila! You've got yourself a delicious chocolate cake to devour.

Here's the recipe: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/easy_chocolate_cake_31070

3. Red Velvet Cupcakes

I never really got red velvet cupcakes. I mean sure, they are pretty and all but I was never that big of a fan. Until my brother asked me to bake them on his Birthday for him. I think baking them myself made me really appreciate the cupcakes. They haven’t got too much vanilla or chocolate…they’re just right. Chocolate will always be my favorite since I’m a total chocoholic but my family prefers red velvet to any other cupcakes that I've baked.

The secret to red velvet cupcakes is the vanilla cream cheese frosting, the buttermilk and vinegar, which are responsible for their unique flavor. Oh and if you’re out of buttermilk, you can always substitute each cup of buttermilk with one tablespoon of vinegar mixed into a cup of whole milk. Leave it for 5 minutes before using it. Get the recipe here: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/11/08/red-velvet-cupcakes-cream-cheese-frosting/

4. Carrot Cake

When I was younger my mum had a friend who used to make amazing carrot cake. She would have all the ingredients mixed and in the cake tin in under 5 minutes. As soon as it was done she’d give me a huge slice with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Mmmm.

A while back my mum was just saying how much she missed that friend (because she moved away) so I decided to surprise my mum by baking her some carrot cake. I mixed the batter in the blender because that’s what I remembered her friend doing. Then I poured it all into a bowl and stirred in the Carrot before putting it in the oven.

What you really need to know is that the cake rises to more than twice its size so MAKE SURE YOU DON’T OVERFILL THE CAKE TINS. Also, I omitted the nuts and used 3 teaspoons of cinnamon instead of 2. Carrot cake and sprinkles make for a deadly combination. :3

Get the recipe here: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/carrot-cake/64acd01e-14ad-4e03-9fe1-b62b03ff4667

5. Fluffy Pancakes

By now you’ve probably guessed that aside from being a chocoholic, I really love cinnamon. If you like cinnamon, you’re going to fall for these pancakes. Hard. For years I’d been trying various pancake recipes trying to find the right one. Just when I was about to give up, I found these babies. So good!!

They taste divine drenched in chocolate syrup…Especially THIS Chocolate Syrup. Don’t forget to quadruple the cinnamon though so that it’s one teaspoon! :Dhttp://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-syrup/ on http://www.food.com/recipe/fluffy-egg-free-or-eggless-pancakes-354622

That’s all for today! Try out the recipes and let us know how they turn out. Follow us and check out our blog on Tuesday! Have a Happy (Sugary) Weekend! :)

-Sam