Banana Bread with a Nutty Twist

Makes 1 loaf of bread

Ingredients:

·         1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

·         1 cup white sugar

·         2 large eggs

·         1 1/2 cups plain flour

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 cup mashed very ripe bananas

·         1/2 cup sour cream

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

·         1/2 cup chopped walnuts

·         1 tbsp honey

Method:

1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2.        Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.

3.        In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined.

4.       Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.

5.        Bake until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a rack to cool.

6.       Wrap banana bread loaf in foil and place in fridge for 3-4 hours, just before serving warm sliced banana bread in an electric oven or toaster and serve with butter or alternatively dust with icing sugar. 

(recipe adapted from here)

Death By Oreo Dark Chocolate Cake

This insane three layered dark chocolate cake with an Oreo buttercream and dark chocolate dripping ganache to sweeten the deal I made myself from scratch for my brother's (@blvckstock) birthday celebrations. I pronounce thee "Death By Oreo" cake. This cake was Inspired by the crazy cake queen @katherine_sabbath and her out of this world dripping chocolate ganache effect cakes as well as @cococakeland and her peanut butter buttercream chocolate cake recipe which I tweaked to make it Oreo-appropriate. To top of this wonderful cake was the fact that Katherine actually replied to the photo with "what a gorgeous cake", which is safe to say made me swoon and left me feeling sky high for the rest of the day. Without further ado let's dig in!

Makes 12 slices

Ingredients:

(CHOCOLATE CAKE)

• 1¾ cups plain flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup of  cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee without milk

(OREO BUTTERCREAM FROSTING)

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter
• 1 cup of crushed oreos  (use a chopper)
• 2 cups of icing sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• dash of milk
•  

(CHOCOLATE GLAZE)

• ½ cup good quality dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, diced into small pieces

Method:

(CHOCOLATE CAKE)

1.        Preheat the oven to 1700 degrees Celsius. Butter three 7-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper circles.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
3. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla essence.
4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
6. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

(OREO BUTTERCREAM FROSTING)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on high speed for 1 minute.
2. Scraping down the sides of the bowl, add the icing sugar, vanilla and dash of milk, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove the first cake layer from the cake pan and place on a cake plate or pedestal. Frost generously with Oreo buttercream frosting.
4. Add the second layer, and cover with frosting likewise.
5. Add the final layer of cake, frosting the top and sides to a crumb coat.
6. Chill in freezer for ten minutes to set crumb coat.
7. Frost a final coat of Oreo buttercream frosting and set aside.

(CHOCOLATE GLAZE)

1. Using a bain-marie or heatproof bowl set on top of boiling water, melt together the butter and chocolate.
2. Mix together slowly with a wooden spoon.
3. Set aside to cool for 40 minutes; it will thicken slightly. Pour on top of Oreo buttercream frosting covered cake, using an offset spatula to gently ice the glaze to the edges of the cake for maximum dripping.
4. Top the cake with Oreo buttercream frosting swirls using a Wilton 1M piping tip and Oreos to complete the overall look.
5. Allow the cake to set in the fridge for 1 hour before bringing out to serve.   

(recipe adapted from here) 

Essie Nailpolish Review: Sand Tropez

A couple of days I found myself to be endlessly scrolling through my endless feed on Pinterest and a colour caught the corner of my eye and before I knew it I had purchased Essie’s ‘Sand Tropez’ and eagerly awaited its arrival from the States.  I love wearing nude coloured nail polishes as they’re not too striking and blend well with about almost any colour of clothing you choose to wear. ‘Sand Tropez’ isn't your typical white/pink nude but rather a beautiful grey marble-akin colour. The colour of the nail polish pairs well with faded jeans and a loose fit white blouse and high heels and is best worn as 2 coats as 1 coat tends to be more on the opaque side. 

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta (An Ode to Mum)

This particular post is an ode to my mum. I'll be lucky enough to be able to cook dishes in the future half as brilliant as the magic she weaves in the kitchen with a stir of the ladle and a sprinkle of masala. Nor was this "Mediterranean Chicken Pasta" made by me but rather by my mum who specially called out to me and asked me if I would like to Instagram this since I was too pre-occupied with my exam studies and hadn't uploaded a photo for a while to my account. Here's to all the wonderful mothers out there who create wonders in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

(6-7 servings)

1 pound chicken breast (cut into small pieces)

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp chopped garlic (about 4 large cloves)

1 Tbsp shallots, chopped

6 Tablespoons jarred sun dried tomato bruschetta (or sun dried tomatoes in oil)

250 grams package of crumbled feta cheese

6 Tablespoons butter

2 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed

½ cup chopped coriander

1 lb cooked penne pasta, al dente, drained and rinsed

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

sliced black olives to garnish

500 grams tomato pasta sauce

Method:

1.        Heat the 3 tbsp butter and olive oil in a large iron skillet making sure that both are hot so when you add the chicken pieces they immediately start sizzling.

2.        Once you have the chicken in your skillet, do not move them around until the bottom has developed a nice sear. If they feel like they are sticking, that means they aren't ready to turn.  They should release when they are ready. 

3.        Add salt and pepper to season chicken while it fries in the skillet.

4.       Sauté until golden on both sides in butter and olive oil over medium high heat.  They will probably not be cooked all the way through yet however will be when we combine and cook with the rest of the ingredients towards the end.

5.        On medium heat, add in the chopped garlic, shallots, sun dried tomato bruschetta, 3 tbsp butter and half the feta cheese, salt and pepper to the mixture.

6.       Add in tomato pasta sauce to the mixture and stir through until all ingredients are combined well.

7.        Stir in the chopped spinach and drained penne pasta.   The spinach will cook down in less than 2 minutes hence adding it towards the end and stir through well until combined. 

To finish garnish with the remaining feta, toasted pine nuts, chopped coriander and sliced olives.

(recipe adapted from here)

The January Review

If someone were to ask me to describe January within one word, then I'd probably look them in the eye and slowly reply "whirlwind". Why a whirlwind you may wonder? Well for starters it was an enjoyable, fast-paced, eventful, food filled festivities of a month. I don't think I've blogged that consistently and made baked goodies one after the other ever during my time as a uni student. Reflecting back on my holidays I'd say I'm one happy little trooper for having accomplished all the things that I managed to get done during January courtesy of a planner, they are a lifesaver I tell you. On the upside January was also the month my utmost favourite baker/Instagrammer/Photographer and a wonder woman of sorts, Linda Lomelino, commented on one of my photos (clickable link) which so happened to be an attempt at her french toast recipe. It is safe to say I was practically over the moon and that pretty much ended my January on a good note.

Till next time x 

The Law Student Diary

هذه الأوقات صعبة لكنها ستمر
These times are hard, but they will pass.

MAC Lipsticks Review: Diva & Snob

MAC Snob Lipstick is a cool-toned light-medium pink with a subtle grey-tint. It has a satin finish, and yields opaque colour coverage. I usually like to pair this particular lipstick with heavy smokey eye makeup and a good finishing of contour all over the face using a bronzer and a subtle non-coloured highlighter on the cheeks, bridge of the nose and brow bone. 

MAC Diva Lipstick is an intense reddish-burgundy with matte finish, a medium-dark, warm-toned deepened red meets purple muted shade.  Due to the fact that this lipstick is a particularly bold colour I like to pair it with a simple eye makeup look consisting of a winged eyeliner and a few coats of mascara on the top and bottom lashes paired with false lashes if you’re willing to go the extra mile.

MAC 'Diva'

MAC 'Snob'

MAC 'Snob' and 'Diva' (L-R)

Perfect Espresso Chocolate Cupcake with Nutella Buttercream

The key to making magic in the kitchen is to work with ingredients and produce that are in season. It's safe to say these "Perfect Espresso Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream" turned out several times better than what I had envisioned beforehand. 

        

            

Notes:

• In order to substitute buttermilk you can simply add tsp of white vinegar to 1 cup of normal everyday use milk and let it sit for 5 minutes so that it slightly froths from the top.
• To make the coffee as required by the recipe, simply add 1 tbsp of Nestle instant coffee granules to 1 cup of hot boiling water and stir.

Ingredients:

Makes 12 cupcakes.

(Espresso Chocolate Cupcakes)

75 grams butter

½ tsp vanilla powder

3dl flour

1dl cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 ½ dl white sugar

1 large egg

1 dl hot strong coffee

1 ½ dl buttermilk

(Nutella Buttercream)

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Nutella

Method:

1.        Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.

2.        Melt the butter, add the vanilla essence and let it cool.

3.        Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder and sugar into a large bowl.

4.       Light whip the egg together with the buttermilk.

5.        Mix the coffee with the butter.

6.       Add all liquid ingredients to dry ingredients until a smooth, liquid-like batter forms.

7.        Divide mixture between the cupcake liners and make sure to fill only up to 2/3 in each liner.

8.       Bake for 18-20 minute or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of any cupcake. Let the cupcakes cool for a good 2-3 hours before frosting.

9.       In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy.

10.     Gradually add the powdered sugar and salt, beating until smooth.

11.      Add vanilla and beat until combined. Add Nutella and beat until light and fluffy.

12.     Frost cooled cupcakes using a Wilton 1M piping tip with a top-sided swirl, add a sliced strawberry and dust with icing sugar to complete the look.

(recipe adapted from here) 

French Toast with a Summer Twist

A 15th-century English recipe for "pain perdu" (French for "lost [or wasted] bread"), suggested that the dish is a use for bread which has gone stale).

Ingredients:

3 eggs
80 ml milk
80 ml heavy cream
Eight slices white bread/brioche
Sugar
Cinnamon
Butter, for frying pan

(Garnish)
1-2 Mangoes (diced)
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup

Method:

1.     Whisk together eggs, milk and heavy cream in a wide bowl.

2.     Cut each slice of bread into four triangles.

3.     Mix sugar and cinnamon on a plate. Heat butter in a frying pan on low to medium heat.

4.    Quickly dip the pieces of bread in the egg mixture and fry until golden brown.

5.     Quickly dip bread in the sugar mixture.

6.    Serve with diced mangoes, powdered sugar and maple syrup.

(recipe adapted from here)