Baking

Best Yorkshire Puddings

November 12, 2022November 11, 2022 What Jessica Baked Next4 Comments

An easy and simple recipe for making the best Yorkshire Puddings. This recipe won’t let you down and will become a staple of your Sunday roast dinner.

From now on until the New Year, I’ll be sharing festive-inspired recipes.

This is my mum’s foolproof Yorkshire Puddings recipe. With Christmas next month, you might be getting your Christmas dinner menu planned and ready.

The trimmings are my favourite part of a Xmas dinner, give me a plateful of crispy roast potatoes, sage and onion stuffing and fluffy Yorkshire puddings, and I’m content!

Yorkshire Puddings are simple to make. Made from a batter of flour, cornflour (in our recipe), salt, eggs and milk. They’re cooked in oil in a very hot oven until golden brown and crispy on the outside, with a deliciously spongey inside.

The secret to perfect yorkies is chilling the batter for at least 30 minutes. I chill mine for a couple of hours, but you can leave it overnight. Chilling helps the gluten in the flour relax and develops the flavour. Having the oil extremely hot is also super important – this helps with the rise.

I know it’s tempting, but try not to open the oven door until the timer goes off. If you do, then they’re likely to deflate!

Remember these are meant to look rustic, it’s all about the taste and texture here! Once you’ve made these, you’re going to be so proud when you take them out the oven.

These Yorkshire puddings go wonderfully enjoyed part of a Sunday roast. They also taste great with sausages (meat or vegetarian) with onions and gravy. You can also make toad in the hole (another yummy British recipe) and cook in a baking tray.

If you want to make these in advance, then once baked and cooled, transfer to a freezer bag, seal and freeze for up to one month. Take out of the freezer, place on a baking tray and cook in a preheated oven until crisp and warm.

I can’t wait for you to share and wow your friends and family with these wonderful Yorkshire Puddings!

Best Yorkshire Puddings

Crisp and perfectly fluffy Yorkshire Puddings! These make any roast dinner extra special and taste fabulous with lashings of gravy.

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1 5

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

100 g plain flour
25 g cornflour (cornstarch) If you don't have this, substitute with plain flour
Generous pinch of salt
3 large eggs
225 ml milk
12 teaspoons vegetable oil

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl or jug, add the plain flour, cornflour and salt. Give it a good whisk to combine. Add the eggs and the milk, and whisk until you have a smooth batter.
For best results, chill the batter for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. If you haven't mixed the batter in a jug, then transfer it to a jug ready for pouring into the tin later on.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7. Pour a teaspoon of oil into each hole of the bun tin, and once the oven is hot enough, place the tin in the oven for 5-7 minutes until the oil is piping hot.
Give the batter another good whisk before carefully pouring the batter equally between the holes in the tin. Return to the oven quickly and bake for 20-25 minutes or until well risen and nicely golden in colour. Serve and enjoy.

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Malteser Brownies

November 1, 2022May 24, 2023 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

These malt chocolate brownies are topped with crunchy malted chocolate spread and chocolate-coated malt balls!

There’s SO many reasons to love these Malteser Brownies.

Incredibly rich and decadent brownies, that are sensationally soft and fudge-like. Malt flavour is incorporated in the brownie batter with the addition of malted milk powder and malt chocolate spread is placed on top of the brownie before and after baking!

Fnally, the brownies are decorated with crunchy Maltesers!

I’ve shared a couple of brownie recipes on my blog; these Vegan Brownies are incredible, but these Chocolate Fudge Brownies are spectacular too.

For my next brownie creation, I thought about combining a favourite chocolate sweet of mine in a brownie. If you’re a Malteser fan like I am, then prepare yourself for this heavenly brownie!

I used a wonderful recipe from Kelly over at Maverick Baking and I’ve been eyeing up lots of her other brownie recipes, all of which have got my mouth watering.

You can see by the photos of the brownies, just how fudgy they are. The fudgy texture is due to this recipe having a higher fat content from the quantity of chocolate and butter included, whereas cakey brownies have more flour added.

This brownie has that just-baked texture, so if you want you can leave them in the oven for a few more minutes longer if you want them slightly more cooked.

We ate these brownies throughout the week and popped a couple in the microwave to warm through and that was the BEST decision.

After being heated through, the brownies reminded us of a gooey chocolate fondant pudding!

The recipe makes 12-16 brownies. Decorate with the extra Maltesers just before serving, otherwise the malt balls lose their crunchiness.

Change the decoration up depending on the season, around Christmastime; top the brownies with Malteser reindeers, or when it’s Easter, switch the decorations with scrummy Malteser bunnies.

Malteser Brownies

These malt chocolate brownies are topped with crunchy malted chocolate spread and chocolate-coated malt balls!

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 20

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

250 g dark chocolate
230 g butter (salted or unsalted)
40 g malted milk powder (such as Horlicks or Ovaltine)
40 g plain flour
60 g cocoa powder
250 g caster sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100 g Malteser spread (plus extra for decoration)
Maltesers for decoration

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Line a 20cm x 20cm tin with parchment paper and set aside.
Place your chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Set this aside to cool for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the malted milk powder, plain flour, cocoa powder and, sugar along with a small pinch of salt.
In a jug, combine the eggs and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to chocolate/butter mixture and whisk together until just combined.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Transfer the brownie batter into the lined tin. Top with 100g of Malteser spread - dollop this all over the top of the brownie batter. Bake the brownies for 40-50 minutes. When the brownies are ready, you should be able to shake the tray and see no wobble in the centre.
Allow the brownies to cool completely to room temperature - I usually leave mine overnight.
Decorate with extra Malteser spread and Maltesers before serving. The brownies will keep stored at room temperature for up to one week.

More brownie recipes on WJBN!

Vegan Chocolate Orange Brownies

Ganache Frosted Fudge Brownies

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

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Baking

Butternut Squash, Cheddar and Sage Scones

October 11, 2022December 15, 2022 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

These scrummy scones make a tasty autumn lunch. Cheese scones are a British tea room favourite, put an autumn spin on the classic with the addition of sweet butternut squash and sage.

Scone recipes feature frequently on my blog. I have great recipes for both savoury and sweet scones. While, savoury scones are my personal favourite, this magical Lemonade Scones (3 Ingredient Recipe) has been a fabulous discovery and one of my most popular recipes!

In our house, we make these Cheesy Buttermilk Scones on many occasions, but as it’s autumn now, I wanted to put an autumnal spin on the popular cheese scone.

These scones are made just like any other scone recipe, though, you’ll need mashed butternut squash/pumpkin.

I roast mine in tin foil for 30 minutes until soft and mash-able! Alternatively, you can boil it until soft. It’s important once the butternut squash is cooked and mashed, to drain it over a sieve for at least 5 minutes to get rid of some of the excess water – the longer you drain it, the better.

I’ve added a couple of teaspoons of dried sage to my scone dough, but you can add any herbs or seasonings. Fresh or dried herbs like rosemary or some chives make a yummy addition too.

There’s a generous helping of grated cheese in this scone dough. I love using a good mature Cheddar cheese for a cheesy flavour-packed scone. Half the cheese goes in the scone dough and the other half is used to top the scones before baking.

I love that cheesy topping you get on one half. Whenever I eat a cheese scone, I always save the top half until last…

It’s the best part.

The scones before baking have the extra grated Cheddar sprinkled over the top. As the cheese bakes, it goes all melted and gooey. Any excess cheese around the sides of the scones, creates a tasty, crispy cheesy crust that’s great to nibble on!

If you wanted to, you could add some cooked bacon or vegan bacon if you’re vegetarian like me.

Soup season is here and why not switch a bread roll or slice of bread for one of these Butternut Squash, Cheddar and Sage Scones!

Once baked and you slice the scones in half, you’ll see the gorgeously vibrant orange interior.

These scones taste amazing, fresh from the oven and spread with soft butter. I found the flavour intensified the next day and I enjoyed the scones even more.

Butternut Squash, Cheddar and Sage Scones

Cheese scones are a British tea room favourite, put an autumn spin on the classic with the addition of sweet butternut squash and sage.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings 6

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

275 g butternut squash or pumpkin (peeled and deseeded)
225 g self-raising flour plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons dried sage
50 g butter (salted or unsalted) fridge cold and cut into small cubes
125 g mature Cheddar cheese coarsely grated
2-3 tablespoons milk plus extra for brushing

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7. Chop the butternut squash/pumpkin into rough 2cm pieces and wrap the butternut squash/pumpkin pieces in tin foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until tender.
Mash the pumpkin/squash until smooth and place in a sieve over a bowl to drain off any excess water and allow to cool slightly.
Sift the flour, baking powder and dried sage into a mixing bowl and season. Rub in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in half of the cheese.
Tip the butternut squash/pumpkin purée into the mixing bowl and use a table knife to start to blend it into the flour mixture. Add just enough milk to bring it together as a soft, but not sticky dough.
Turn the scone dough out onto a floured surface and pat out until roughly 2.5cm in thickness. Use a 6cm cutter to stamp out scones and transfer them to a baking tray lined with baking paper. I got about 6 scones from this mixture, but you might make more depending on your cutter.
Re-form the remaining dough to stamp out further rounds until all of it is used up. Top Tip: When cutting the scones from the dough, press down and, lift up, don't twist as this will cause an uneven rise.
Brush each scone with a little milk and top with the remaining cheese. Bake the scones 12-15 minutes until risen and golden. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
The scones will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

The scones were inspired by this recipe.

Try these Cheesy Buttermilk Scones next!

Lemonade Scones (3 Ingredient Recipe)

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Travel

Nerja, Spain

October 5, 2022September 22, 2023 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

A fortnight exploring Andalusia. White buildings, idyllic towns and stunning coastal views. Here are some favourite snapshots from my holiday.

Buenos días or buenas noches!

A few weeks ago, I got back from a fortnight away in Spain, holidaying on the Costa del Sol.

I’ve visited Spanish islands (Ibiza and Mallorca), but this was my first visit to mainland Spain. This trip I took my camera and phone along to capture the sights I explored in this part of Andalusia.

My last travel blog post was posted in September 2019, before the pandemic hit, and little did I know it would be three years before I’d go abroad again.

During that time I’m grateful to have experienced a few lovely UK staycations. Getting back on a plane and having the chance to explore further afield has been absolutely amazing and something I hope I can continue doing.

Our travel day started off pretty early. It wouldn’t be a holiday abroad if you’re not up in the early hours and it’s still pitch black outside!

Once we arrived at the airport, it was goodbye to the UK and a few hours later, hola Spain!

We stayed in Nerja, which is a popular seaside town on the Costa del Sol, located halfway between Granada and Málaga.

I really enjoyed travelling to a new destination as finally going abroad after so long, we were tempted to head back somewhere familiar, but I’m actually glad we didn’t and we tried somewhere new.

We spent every evening, apart from the day we arrived, out in Nerja. We’d have dinner cooked at the villa and then head out for a walk around the town, enjoying views and watching sunsets from the Balcon de Europa and devouring delicious ice creams. I recommend Heladeria Valenciano and Albi for brilliant ice cream in Nerja.

As this is a food blog, I have to write about the food! The pictures below are ice creams from Heladeria Valenciano – I picked quite a few different flavours while away. Two of them were traditional Spanish desserts. On the left is Crema Catalana (like crème brûlée and on the right, Miguelitos (a puff pastry cream-filled dessert), I also had another Spanish-style flavoured ice cream which was nata nueces (wet walnut ice cream).

My other favourites were Tarta de Fresa (strawberry cheesecake ice cream), chocolate blanco (white chocolate), and watermelon.

As I mentioned earlier, we cooked all our meals at the villa where we stayed. Cooking on holiday doesn’t feel like a chore to me, I can pick fresh produce and create tasty dishes. We cooked up some vegetable paella and various vegetarian tapas dishes during our stay. Though, lots of the restaurants in Nerja smelt amazing walking past with the aroma of food on the tables.

You can also enjoy paella directly on the beach and sit beside the beach at a chiringuito and order a drink and tapas. I liked the idea enjoying a morning swim in the sea and then grabbing some breakfast of pan con tomate (tomatoes on toast).

Fruit stalls in Frigilana

Aside from the food, we visited many gorgeous places on this fortnight trip. Driving around, we found some stunning little towns and many coastal areas.

Frigiliana was another beautiful town we were keen on visiting and heard a lot about prior to coming to this region of Spain.

We could see Frigiliana in the distance from where we stayed and visited the town a couple of times. The narrow streets are full of shops and fruit stalls; it was idyllic and a lovely place to take a leisurely stroll around.

Views in Frigilana

A destination that topped my list, was Málaga. This has become one of my new favourite cities. The sunshine, blue sea, the vibe and amazing views are all reasons I’ll definitely be planning a city break here! We kept coming back to Málaga and that gave us the chance to explore more of the city. As with most cities, one day is not usually enough to see it all.

Views of Málaga from the walk up to Gibralfaro Castle – it is a very long walk up to see this view. As always, I recommend if you do attempt this steep walk, then do it early before it reaches the hottest part of the day and take lots of water with you too.

The walk was uphill for a long time, but the panoramic views of the city made it all worth it in the end!

We also took a look around Málaga Cathedral which was simply stunning and gave me a sense of calmness and tranquility in an otherwise vibrant city.

Centre Pompidou Málaga

Paseo del Parque – this park in Málaga is just like being in a jungle. If you’re lucky, you might spot the parakeets. I love the sheer amount of palm trees in this park! We have a massive castle park in the city I’m from in the UK, but unfortunately not as many palm trees (if any) compared to Málaga!

The Alhambra was absolutely stunning. I’m so happy I got to experience a visit here. The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada. It’s one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture.

I found the gardens extremely beautiful and provided some much needed shade at times during the hot sunny days.

We discovered this gem of a beach on our last full day in Almuñécar. If I come back, this beach is somewhere I will plan a visit to. The crystal clear waters are ever so inviting…

Torrox Costa – this beach is lovely too and you can have a relaxing coastal stroll

I loved my time in Nerja, I brought many souvenirs home with me and I’ll have treasured memories of this holiday. Now I can only dream of my next travel destination…

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Baking · Dips and Sides · Light Lunches · Vegan · Vegetarian Recipes

Sriracha Glazed Roasted Potatoes

August 22, 2022August 22, 2022 What Jessica Baked Next3 Comments

Roasted potatoes in a sriracha glaze – the potatoes are soft on the inside, crisp on the outside with a spicy sticky glaze.

This recipe is inspired by So Vegan, I saw a blog post/recipe video of these potatoes being made and instantly saved the recipe to try myself.

Asian food is always super flavourful and this sriracha glaze is sweet, sticky and adds a delicious spicy kick of heat to each mouthful.

Slice your potatoes and place in a large baking tray. Drizzle over a tablespoon of oil and season with a smallish pinch of salt before roasting for 30-35 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and have turned golden in colour.

When the potatoes are a few minutes away from being ready, start preparing your glaze.

Take all the glaze ingredients, whisk together in a bowl, then pop in a saucepan and then heat for a few minutes until thickened. Toss the potatoes in the glaze and mix together in the pan until the sauce is coating the potatoes.

Serve right away with a sesame seed and chive or spring onion garnish.

Sriracha Glazed Roasted Potatoes

Roasted potatoes in a sriracha glaze - the potatoes are soft on the inside, crisp on the outside with a spicy sticky glaze.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings 4 people

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

800 g baby potatoes quartered
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt

Sriracha Glaze:

3 tablespoons agave nectar, honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce I use dark soy sauce
1 and 1/2 tablespoons sriracha adjust to taste
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7. Place the potatoes on a large baking tray. Drizzle with the oil and season with a generous sprinkle of salt. Roast the potatoes for 30-35 minutes until soft and they're lightly golden in colour.
When the potatoes are nearly ready, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the agave nectar/honey or maple syrup with soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha and the chopped garlic.
Heat the glaze in a large saucepan (I recommend a deep frying pan/wok to do this) and allow the glaze to gently bubble for 2-3 minutes, or until it's thickened slightly. Add the roasted potatoes to the pan and mix to coat the potatoes in the glaze. Serve garnished with sesame seeds and chives/spring onion.

Baking · Biscuits and Cookies

Easy Oat Biscuits (Homemade Hobnobs)

August 5, 2022February 25, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next8 Comments

Homemade Hobnob-style biscuits. These oat biscuits are slightly chewy and perfectly sweet.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a new recipe, but during that time I’ve been busy updating some older recipes including this Biscoff Chocolate Tart and this Creamy Homemade Hummus.

I’ve shared quite a few biscuit recipes on this blog: Jammy Dodgers, Shortbread and Gingernuts are a few of my personal favourites. The biscuit recipe I have for you today is similar to my gingernut biscuits recipe, as you don’t need to chill the biscuit dough before baking and they don’t take long to bake either.

If you’re from the UK like me or have lived/been to the UK, then you might well be familiar with Hobnobs?

They’re a British brand of biscuit and make a yummy biscuit base for a banoffee pie or cheesecake, or simply devoured straight from the packet…

Though readymade Hobnobs are totally addictive, homemade Hobnobs are definitely superior.

This recipe starts with mixing together self-raising flour, brown sugar, porridge oats, bicarbonate of soda, and a smallish pinch of salt. Then, adding melted butter and golden syrup, then folding this mixture into the dry ingredients to combine.

Divide the biscuit dough into 16 portions and roll into balls. Spread out evenly on a couple of large baking trays, then flatten slightly and bake until golden.

If you want a softer biscuit, check the biscuits after 12 minutes of baking then continue baking longer for a crispier biscuit.

Ready to eat in only 30 minutes and they taste incredible still warm from the oven!

The oat biscuit dough before baking is easy to roll, not too sticky and bakes into delicious, crunchy biscuits

Once the biscuits are baked you can serve them up right away. A drizzle of melted chocolate isn’t needed as these biscuits taste amazing without it, but the chocolate adds that extra touch of indulgence.

Easy Oat Biscuits (Homemade Hobnobs)

Homemade Hobnob-style biscuits. These oat biscuits are slightly chewy and perfectly sweet.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

125 g self-raising flour
125 g dark or light brown sugar
125 g porridge oats
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
125 g dairy-free baking block (you can use regular butter)
1 tablespoon golden syrup
125 g dark or milk chocolate (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, oats, bicarbonate of soda and salt until thoroughly mixed.
Now gently heat the dairy-free baking block/butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and stir until melted.
Add the melted butter/syrup mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix to combine.
Divide the mixture into 16 equally sized portions and roll into balls. Spread the balls of dough out onto the baking trays, leaving some space between each to allow for spreading and with the palm of your hand, flatten each ball of biscuit dough down slightly. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. If you like a slightly crispier biscuit, then bake the biscuits for nearer to 15 minutes.
Allow the biscuits to cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes, then transport to a wire rack to finish cooling to room temperature.
Serve or if you want to decorate, dip or drizzle each biscuit with melted chocolate of your choice and allow to set before serving. The biscuits will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Love biscuits/cookies? Try these recipes below next!

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Shortbread

Jammy Dodgers

Gingernut Biscuits

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Gluten-Free · Main Meals · Rice Dishes · Vegan

Red Lentil Curry with Pilau Rice

May 30, 2022October 5, 2022 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Red lentil curry is a quick and cheap homemade vegan meal. Packed with the perfect balance of spice and sweetness, this curry makes a filling lunch or dinner served with fragrant, golden pilau rice.

I’m serving you up not just one recipe, but two with my Red Lentil Curry and Pilau Rice recipes.

I absolutely love Indian food. My friend, Niketa, is from India and, as you’d guess, she makes the most incredible, traditional Indian food. On my visits to her house, she’s cooked me homemade samosas and fried pea kachori, lots of amazing curries and also vegan biryani.

Her food has a beautiful blend of spices and tastes out of this world!

When Niketa isn’t making me her tasty Indian recipes, we love to get into the kitchen and create some of our Indian favourites at home.

We make this Chickpea Tikka Masala recipe very often. Now I’ve turned my attention to perfecting a red lentil curry/dahl. You can’t beat a good curry, whether it be for a quick weekday dinner or a homemade takeaway-style meal at the weekend.

Lentils are a fantastic source of protein for anyone following a vegan lifestyle. I always have a big pack of lentils in my kitchen cupboard and there’s numerous ways to incorporate them into recipes. I make many vegan dishes using red lentils, including pastistio (an amazing Greek pasta bake), vegan bolognese and curries.

Vegan food certainly isn’t boring or repetitive, it’s every bit as tasty and exciting! Lots of vegan recipes are also super affordable and make filling and satisfying meals you’ll want to make again and again.

This lentil curry goes with many different sides. Bombay potatoes, onion bhaji, samosas and rice. We often eat this curry with basmati rice, but make it extra special and serve with pilau rice.

Pilau rice is rice that’s flavoured with bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin and turmeric. The last ingredient gives the rice its glorious golden colour. I braise my rice in the oven. This is the method I was taught at culinary school and I’ve stuck to preparing it that way ever since.

Serve the curry with Bombay potatoes, poppadoms or naan bread. I make my homemade naan bread using this recipe

This curry tastes amazing on the day you make it, but if you do happen to have any leftovers, taste the curry the next day – it’s even better!

The amount of times, I’ve made a bigger batch and we’ve had leftovers, all I need is a bit of bread to tear and scoop this curry up with! We’ve even been known to eat this straight from the fridge and spread it in a sandwich!

Serve the curry hot or cold, sprinkle with extra nigella seeds or some chilli or coriander.

Red Lentil Curry with Pilau Rice

Red lentil curry is a quick and cheap homemade vegan meal. Packed with the perfect balance of spice and sweetness, this curry makes a filling lunch or dinner served with fragrant, golden pilau rice.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings 4

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Red Lentil Curry:

200 g (1 cup) dried red lentils washed and drained
1 vegetable stock cube or pot
2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
1 medium brown or red onion diced
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped ginger I use frozen ginger for ease
Salt and pepper to taste
3 teaspoons curry powder I use medium curry powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin (ground or seeds)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch of cayenne pepper optional
3 tablespoons tomato purée
400ml can coconut milk I use full-fat
1 tablespoon mango chutney
2 very generous pinches of nigella seeds (roughly one teaspoon) optional

Pilau Rice:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cardamom pods
5 whole cloves
2-3 bay leaves tear to release even more flavour
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
300 g long grain rice
600 ml boiling water
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon baking block or dairy-free spread optional

Instructions

To Make The Red Lentil Curry:

Take the rinsed lentils and add them to a medium saucepan. Add the vegetable stock cube/pot and cover the lentils with boiling water - add enough to just cover and go above the lentils by about 1 cm. Bring up to the boil, cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat down to low and gently simmer the lentils for 10 minutes. When the water is absorbed, take the lentils off the heat.
Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger along with salt and pepper for 5 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
Add the spices to the pan and toast for a minute until fragrant. Now add the tomato purée and cook for a further minute. Add the coconut milk, mango chutney and nigella seeds (if using), stir to combine, then cover the pan with a lid and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes.
Now add the lentils to the pan and stir the lentils into the curry sauce. Simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the pilau rice or your choice of sides.

To Make The Pilau Rice:

Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Heat the oil in a large (oven safe) saucepan on a medium heat. Add the cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, turmeric and cumin seeds. Gently cook, just toast lightly stirring constantly for a minute until fragrant - be really careful not to overheat the spices.
Now add the rice and toast for another minute and coat thoroughly in the spices. Season with salt and pepper, then cover with the boiling water. Stir the rice, with a fork, turn the heat up to high and leave on the heat until the rice comes up to the boil. Once boiling, cover the pan with a lid and braise in the oven for 20 minutes.
Once the rice is ready, remove from the oven and if desired, discard the cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and the cinnamon stick. Using a fork, finish the rice by mixing in the tablespoon of dairy-free spread or baking block. Leave the rice on the side with the lid on for 5 minutes to allow the spices to infuse, then serve alongside the curry.
The curry and rice will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Chickpea Tikka Masala

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Baking · Light Lunches · Vegan

Vegan Sausage Rolls (Easy Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls)

May 16, 2022May 22, 2022 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Homemade sausage rolls made with vegan sausages, herbs and black pepper incased in flaky puff pastry. This easy sausage roll recipe is perfect to pack up for lunch, picnics and all kinds of gatherings.

Sausage rolls are something I’ve loved since childhood. They’re available in most bakeries and supermarkets, I used to make a lot of sausage rolls when I worked as tea room baker and nowadays in my current job role these feature on the menu rotation.

Making your own couldn’t be easier or quicker. I cheat and use ready rolled puff pastry, which saves a job rolling out a block of puff pastry.

Most supermarket puff pastry is vegan, but always check the label.

Lots of vegan sausage roll recipes use a mix of beans, vegetables or nuts to make the filling. I like to keep the recipe as easy and traditional as possible by using vegan sausages. I take a pack (8 in total) of my favourite vegan sausages, remove the outer skin layer and mash the sausage ‘meat’ with a heaped teaspoon of dried sage and lots of black pepper.

You can add whatever flavourings/spices you desire. Swap the dried sage for rosemary, oregano or leave it out entirely. I sometimes use fresh herbs from our garden. Also, if you want, then why not add a spoonful or two of caramelised onion or tomato chutney? I’ve linked my favourite onion chutney further down in this blog post…

Making these sausage rolls is pretty straight forward. Take your pastry and divide it up into 3 long slices. Evenly spread the sausage mixture down the centre of each piece of pastry and press together to form an even roll of sausage meat. Lightly brush a little water down either side of the pastry and roll the pastry up and seal the edges together.

Wrap the pastry rolls up and chill for about half an hour – this is optional but it makes slicing the sausage rolls neatly a lot easier. You can slice and bake the sausage rolls straight away if you’re pushed for time.

Trim the edges and then slice each roll in half, then each half in half again – you’ll have 4 sausage rolls and once you’ve sliced up the other two, you’ll have 12 sausage rolls in total. You can make mini sausage rolls too, if you prefer – just slice each roll in half, then each half into 3 and you’ll have 18 mini sausage rolls.

A plate of these sausage rolls goes down brilliantly at parties. My grandad was the biggest fan of sausage rolls and also homemade bacon and cheese pastry turnovers. I know he would’ve loved these and happily eaten his way through a plate of these!

Food evokes memories and this recipe certainly reminds me of good times spent enjoying food with my family.

I’ve baked these sausage rolls countless times, we serve them with lots of different condiments: recently I served these with salad and some chutney, my Caramelised Onion Chutney is a reader favourite and definitely worth making to go alongside these.

These never last long in our house, we took them to an afternoon tea recently and we came home with an empty container. That’s proof of just how good these sausage rolls taste as they impressed the non-vegans too!

Vegan Sausage Rolls

Homemade sausage rolls made with vegan sausages, herbs and black pepper incased in flaky puff pastry. This easy sausage roll recipe is perfect to pack up for lunch, summer picnics and all kinds of gatherings.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

320-375 g pack ready rolled puff pastry check the label to see if it's vegan
8 vegan sausages (I use a 336g pack of Richmond Meat Free)
1 teaspoon dried sage use your favourite herbs
Black pepper add a generous amount
1-2 tablespoons plant milk for brushing
A couple of drops of soy sauce (this helps give the sausage rolls a golden colour when baked) optional
Nigella seeds, sesame seeds or poppyseed's optional

Instructions

Take your puff pastry from the fridge and unroll on a chopping board. Leave the pastry a few minutes to warm up, whilst you prepare the sausage filling.
Remove the skins from each sausage and place the sausage meat in a small mixing bowl. Add your herbs and seasoning (I use dried sage and black pepper) and mash together to combine.
Split the puff pastry into thirds lengthways and equally distribute the sausage filling down the centre of each piece of pastry.
Brush each pastry edge with water and then roll the pastry up to cover the sausage meat filling completely and seal the edges. Cover the sausage rolls with cling film and chill in the fridge or place in the freezer for 30 minutes - this is optional, but it makes cutting them up easier.
Using a sharp knife (I find a serrated knife best for this), trim the edges and then slice each roll into four equal pieces (if you want to make 12 sausage rolls in total) or slice each roll into 6 pieces for mini sausage rolls (you'll have 18 mini sausage rolls in total).
Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Evenly spread the sausage rolls out on the baking tray. Mix the plant milk with a couple of drops of soy sauce and generously brush each sausage roll.
At this point, sprinkle the tops of each sausage roll with either nigella, sesame or poppyseed's (optional but it looks and tastes great). We love ours with nigella seeds because it works really well paired with the sage.
Bake the sausage rolls for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden. Leave to cool for a few minutes then serve. The sausage rolls taste amazing when served warm or cold.

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Baking · Cakes · Loaf Cakes · Vegan

Pistachio Lemon Drizzle Cake

April 12, 2022April 11, 2022 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Take the classic lemon drizzle cake to the next level by adding pistachio. This vegan cake is soft, fluffy and a taste of spring.

Spring has arrived, well maybe not in the UK at the moment as we’ve been experiencing a mixed bag of weather after having beautiful weather last month.

The dismal weather tends to make me crave all things spring and summer even more.

A few weeks ago, I fancied baking a lemon cake. I thought about sharing a vegan lemon drizzle cake, but I wanted something slightly different. I’ve always loved adding nuts to cake, before going vegan, this Greek-style Honey Walnut Cake was one of our favourites.

This Pistachio Lemon Drizzle Cake is a fabulous recipe from So Vegan. The recipe was straight forward to follow and the finished bake was everything I’d hoped it would be.

Fluffy, packed with gorgeous lemon flavour and with a nuttiness coming through from the pistachio.

We devoured this cake in record time. It barely lasted two days and there were only four of us in the house! We kept going back for slice after slice…

With Easter this week, this cake will be a delicious addition to your Easter menu served with fresh berries of your choice.

Pistachio Lemon Drizzle Cake

Take the classic lemon drizzle cake to the next level by adding pistachio. This vegan cake is soft, fluffy and a taste of spring.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings 8

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Pistachio Lemon Cake:

80 g shelled pistachios plus extra for decoration
200 g plain flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
150 g caster sugar
1 lemon zested and juiced
80 ml melted baking block/dairy-free spread or vegetable oil
200 ml plant milk I use oat

Lemon Syrup:

1 lemon juiced
70 g caster sugar

Lemon Icing:

100 g icing sugar
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (add more or less depending on your preferred consistency)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 900g / 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper and set aside.
In a food processor, process the shelled pistachios until they're a crumb like consistency. Set this mixture aside for later on.
Place a sieve over a large mixing bowl and sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and sugar. Give these ingredients a quick stir together to combine. Add the pistachio crumbs and lemon zest (zest of one lemon) to the bowl and mix.
In a small jug, whisk together the juice of the lemon you zested earlier, along with the melted baking block/dairy-free spread or vegetable oil and the plant milk. Add these wet ingredients to the dry and gently fold together until no lumps of flour remain - be careful not to over mix the cake batter.
Pour the cake batter into the loaf tin and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining. Test directly in the centre of the cake to ensure it's baked all the way through. Mine took about 55 minutes to bake fully, but all ovens are different so keep checking.
Once the cake has baked, prepare the lemon syrup. In a small bowl or jug, stir the lemon juice with the sugar until all the sugar has dissolved. Take a tooth pick and prick holes all over the top of the cake. Pour the syrup over the warm cake and leave it cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes, then carefully remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Now the cake is cool, prepare the lemon glacé icing. In a small bowl, stir together the icing sugar with enough lemon juice until you have a thick but slightly runny icing.
Drizzle the icing over the cake as you desire and decorate with an sprinkle of extra chopped pistachios. Allow the icing to set before slicing. Store the cake in an airtight container or a cake plate with a cover for up to 3 days.

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Cheesecake · Chocolate · No-Bake · Vegan

Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

April 4, 2022April 4, 2022 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

No-bake vegan chocolate hazelnut cheesecake. This stunning dessert has a crumbly digestive biscuit base, an ultra creamy chocolate hazelnut filling and is decorated with drizzles of melted chocolate hazelnut spread, chopped hazelnuts and dairy-free whipped cream.

I’m thoroughly enjoying creating vegan cheesecake recipes and recently, I trialled out a new cheesecake flavour. I have four vegan cheesecake recipes on the WJBN blog now, with many more planned for future posts.

Before being vegan, I ate cheesecake on a regular basis. Cheesecake was a dessert I made frequently for social gatherings. I love the ease and fun involved in making cheesecake.

I thought going vegan would mean I wouldn’t get to enjoy cheesecake anymore, but I’ve said it before, I couldn’t have been more wrong! These vegan cheesecake recipes I’m creating are just as creamy and indulgent as the cheesecakes I was making containing dairy.

I’m always disappointed going out for meals. Some restaurants cater exceptionally well to vegans, but others there’s very little choice. Don’t get me wrong, there are several amazing vegan options when eating out, but I’m rarely excited or blown away, especially with the dessert choices.

I’ve tried one or two vegan cheesecakes, but unfortunately they left me unimpressed. That’s why I decided to no longer buy, but instead make my own!

I base all my vegan cheesecakes around the same recipe I devised when sharing this Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake. The only change I made was using crushed digestive biscuits instead of Biscoff and swapping the Biscoff cookie butter spread for a vegan chocolate hazelnut spread.

The vegan chocolate hazelnut spread is every bit as addictive as Nutella. I’m guilty of devouring it by the spoonful straight out of the jar…

This cheesecake is a slice of heaven!

We polished this cheesecake off in a matter of days. It’s smooth and gorgeously mousse-like, the chocolate hazelnut flavour is light but just enough with the additional drizzle of melted chocolate hazelnut spread and sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts.

The cheesecake needs at least 6 hours to set, but I recommend you leave it overnight for the best results. The longer you leave it to chill, the more set and it’ll be easier to slice neatly.

Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

Prep Time 6 30

Total Time 6 30

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Digestive Biscuit Base:

360 g digestive biscuits finely crushed
1 tablespoon sugar (I use light brown sugar) optional
150 g baking block or dairy-free spread (salted or unsalted) melted

Nutella Cheesecake Filling:

200 g vegan cream cheese
200 g vegan chocolate hazelnut spread
50 g icing sugar
250 ml dairy-free cream

Instructions

To make the biscuit base: Mix the crushed biscuits and a tablespoon of sugar (if using) with the melted dairy-free spread until moistened. Press the biscuit crumbs into a 23cm springform tin until compact. Put to one side while you make the cheesecake filling.
To make the cheesecake filling: In a large mixing bowl whisk the vegan cream cheese, chocolate hazelnut spread and icing sugar until smooth. In another large mixing bowl, whisk the dairy-free cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the Biscoff cream cheese mixture until all the ingredients are incorporated - be careful not to over mix.
Spread the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base you prepared earlier and smooth the top with either the back of a spoon, a spatula or a palette knife. Cover the cheesecake and leave it to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the springform tin and decorate as desired. I piped extra dairy-free cream around the edge of the cheesecake, then melted some more chocolate hazelnut spread drizzling that over each slice of cheesecake and scattered over some chopped hazelnuts.
The cheesecake will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.