Posh jaffa cakes & a bottomless thirst for podcasts

A weekly roundup of my best things

Hello everyone!

Welcome to another bitesize weekly roundup!

I’ve been finding so much joy in the mundane, hamster-wheel of life this week. I’ve been busy doing sweet eff-all in the grand scheme of things, with a growing energy & inspiration in the kitchen (lots more on this in the coming weeks!!)

So let’s tuck right into it!

Best thing I’ve eaten this week…

As a serious jaffa cake addict from as early as I can remember, I didn’t think my horizons could broaden much past the standard offering; McVitie’s delivering a decent, reliable product, and M&S providing the more deluxe, grownup version. However, I learnt this week of Bahlsen who have also given it a whirl. Safe to say I find myself in a predicament come 8pm every evening. Very tangy and delicious indeed.

Best thing I’ve read, watched or heard…

If you consume audio-media (podcasts/radio/audiobooks) at an alarming rate like me, then I highly recommend I’m Glad my Mom Died - a memoir by Jeanette McCurdy, young actress known for her role in iClarly, and her struggles that come with being a young child tv actor. I didn’t know much about her, nor had I ever watched iCarly, but it’s a brilliantly witty & honest window into someone’s life which had me hooked.

Food news bite of the week…

Jamie Oliver HQ, the bottomless pit of cookbook concepts & insightful homecooking tips & tricks, published the newest rendition this week - ‘Easy Air Fryer’.

I’ve always loved Jamie and I’m constantly amazed at how continuously creative he (and his team) is when it comes to recipes and kitchen shortcuts. They prove that there really is a million ways to skin a cat.

BUT I still don’t own an air fryer myself and I’m experiencing an increasing level of FOMO. Should I get one? And why?

MY RECIPE OF THE WEEK…

Peanut Butter Tiramisu

While not traditional in any sense of the word, this is my “shortcut” version with a nutty twist. I originally developed a vegan recipe using silken tofu as part of the cream mixture - the texture worked so well that I’ve included it in this recipe, too!

You could easily vegan-ise this recipe by sourcing (or making) vegan sponge fingers and subbing the other dairy ingredients with dairy-free options (I find oat equivalents work well).

This is one to make if you’re having your friends over & want to impress with minimal time, stress or effort required.

Ingredients (makes 4-6 portions)

10 sponge fingers (shop bought)

300g silken tofu

150g golden caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g cream cheese

200ml double cream

2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

200ml strong coffee

50g cocoa powder - for dusting

1 handful salted peanuts - roughly chopped

Method:

Start by bringing together the cream mixture - blitz the silken tofu, sugar & vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream cheese & cream until forming very soft peaks then fold through the silken tofu mixture. Set aside.

In a small pan, warm through the crunchy peanut butter very gently to loosen the texture to make it easier to spread through later

Pour the coffee into a tray then soak the sponge fingers one by one and line up in a row into the bottom of a glass dish.

Spoon or pipe a layer of the cream mixture then dot the crunchy peanut butter all over. Use a cutlery knife to ripple it through.

Add another layer of coffee soaked sponge fingers then the rest of the cream mixture. Dust with the cocoa powder and sprinkle over the crushed peanuts and leave to set in the fridge for 4-6 hours or ideally overnight.

Spoon generously into bowls & enjoy!