I took a little unintentional break from my newsletter over August and spent most of the month locked in the kitchen, squirreling away on projects and developing and testing loads of new recipes that I can’t share just yet. Normal recipe content on here will resume in September, which if I’m honest, is the best time of year for a mini reset, fresh notebook and all. Heavy on the ‘back to school vibes’.

I hope you’ve all had the most wonderful summer? We even got a cheeky solar eclipse! The back to back heatwaves did feel a little brutal, especially as I spent most of it in a hot stuffy kitchen and was just about surviving with my John Lewis hand fan and cups of ice. Outside of that, I’ve squeezed in as much fun as possible with lots of hiking, plenty of bbq’s, salsa dancing, alfresco dining and just enjoying how special London can be when the sun is shining.

I wanted to drop in to give you some baking inspiration for this bank holiday weekend. Depending on your plans or energy levels, you may want something sweet and speedy like my crunchy hobnobs, or something a bit more involved like my lemon & early grey buns. I’ve pulled out some faves from the archives for you to revisit and enjoy and don’t forget that there are even more of my recipes over on The Guardian. This week was all about these rum punch ice lollies, perfect if your’e gearing up for Notting Hill Carnival.

Very much looking forward to being back on here properly but in the meantime, happy baking!

Benjamina x

THINGS TO BAKE THIS WEEKEND

A casual cake with big impact

Burnt Honey Cream & Orange Cake

A project bake

Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Something cool to drink

Horchata, Three Ways

Afternoon Tea Vibes

Clotted Cream Cake

We all scream for ice cream

Malted Milk Choc Chip Ice Cream

Ready for Autumn

Maple Butter Glazed Loaf Cake & Brown Sugar Custard

Pick and Mix Vibes

Brown Butter Flapjacks, Tahini Caramel Krispies and Cornflake Clusters

Fried dough really is that girl. I’ve been fortunate enough to have enjoyed all manor of doughnuts over the last couple of weeks, all of them delightfully squidgy and just sweet enough and doughy enough without being sickly.

There were trays of hot puff puff at my mum’s 60th birthday party - bouncy, yeasted balls with the perfect level of chew and ever so lightly sweetened, allowing you to eat at least 6 in a row without realising. Also present on the table were Nigerian buns, the denser, more cakey cousins to puff puff. Equally as moreish and more similar to an old fashioned sour cream doughnut, texture wise.

Continuing on in my doughnut explorations, I made a quick trip to Ayres Bakery in Nunhead. It’s a traditional, old school British bakery that’s been going since the 50’s. The glass cases hold everything from gingerbread men, flapjacks and hot sausage rolls, to carrot cake, Chelsea buns and of course, fresh doughnuts. All the classics were present - sugared rings, raspberry jam, custard and sprinkles. No matcha, miso or cardamom in sight. Are they the best doughnuts you’ll ever eat? No…but they’re not trying to be. They are simple and honest and joyful to eat. Incredibly light and gently fried to a pale golden brown that tricky to replicate at home. The jam wasn’t fancy but exactly what I wanted at that moment; sweet, gooey and a little artificial. And at just under £2 each, you really can’t go wrong.

Given all my doughnut love, it only felt right to share a recipe for one this week. I’ve gone for the quickest, easiest ones you can make - little fluffy ricotta doughnuts that don’t require any yeast or kneading and come together from start to finish in about 45 minutes. If however, you’re after something more traditional, my sugar ring doughnuts would be a great option as well as these strawberry and custard guys.

Enjoy!

Benjamina x

FETA & RICOTTA DOUGHNUTS WITH LEMON SUGAR

At first glance, the feta might sound out of place, but stay with me! Feta in desserts isn’t that uncommon and makes lots of sense. It brings a creamy saltiness that works rather well with sweeter things. Georgina Haydens’ feta, cherry & white chocolate cookies are a delight, as is the feta and honey cheesecake by Honey & Co.

RECIPE

serves 6-8

200g ricotta
2 large eggs
110g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
65g caster sugar
70g feta cheese, patted dry
1L oil for frying

to coat:
70g caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon

METHOD

1. Add the ricotta, eggs, vanilla bean paste and sugar to a bowl and whisk gently util smooth.

2. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir until you have a thickened batter. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth, a few lumps are fine.

3. Crumble the feta on top and gently fold it in into the batter and set to one side.

4. Add the oil to a heavy based saucepan, making sure it comes up at least 2 inches high. Heat to about 170c.

5. Use two teaspoons to scoop small balls of batter into the hot oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they’re puffy and well browned. Keep an eye on the temperature of the oil and turn it down if the doughnuts brown too quickly.

6. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate.

7. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

8. Add the sugar and lemon zest to a shallow bowl and use your fingertips to rub in the zest until fragrant.

9. Toss the doughnuts in the sugar well to coat before serving.

10. Serve them plain or with some lightly whipped cream drizzled with honey.

Hi friends,

Don’t be like me and bake this cake on one of the hottest days of the year. You’ll be sweaty and overstimulated, with sticky fingers (and a stickier phone) trying to catch the drips of ganache and jam so you can take a half decent picture.

Perhaps wait until it’s ever so slightly cooler to enjoy this strawberry, chamomile & salted white chocolate cake to its fullest potential. This is a version of the cake I took to Cake Picnic last weekend and as always, it was a very sweet afternoon in Greenwich Park surrounded by hundreds of other cakes and bakers.

Last year, I went down the chocolate route but this year, I decided to go full on summer mode with layers of soft chamomile sponge drizzled with chamomile syrup, strawberry jam, a whipped & salted white chocolate ganache and the silkiest vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream to bring it all together.

If you’ve been a here a little while, you’ll know that layer cakes aren’t really my go to. I appreciate the time and effort that goes into them and love how they give you the space to incorporate lots more flavours and textures within each cake layer. But give me a single layer cake any day of the week and I’m a happy girl.

So, instead of recreating the exact same cake, three layers and all, I’ve turned into a more approachable one layer cake, with all of the same flavours.

Enjoy!

Benjamina x

STRAWBERRY, CHAMOMILE & SALTED WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE

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Hi friends,

I’ll keep this newsletter short and sweet because this heatwave has my brain operating at less than optimal levels. All I want to do is stick my feet in a paddling pool filled with cold water and have ice cold drinks on tap. And by ice cold drinks, I mean horchata.

Horchata is a drink made from rice (or tiger nuts in Spain) and I drank it almost daily when I was in Mexico, ordering cups from street vendors who ladled it generously from giant tubs. The rice is soaked with cinnamon sticks and then blitzed up and strained. It’s then sweetened with condensed milk and topped up with more water or milk and plenty of ice. I’m addicted to the stuff and find it so incredibly refreshing, it’s been the only thing on my mind during this very hot week so I had to bring it to Sweet Things.

I’ve given you three ways to enjoy it; classic, strawberry and with a shot of espresso. I think you’ll love them all. Get some rice soaking and make a big batch for the weekend.

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

CAKE PICNIC 2026!

Some of you might remember the incredible event that took place last summer called Cake Picnic where over 400 people (and 400 cakes!) came together in Greenwich park for an afternoon of cake filled joy.

Well, it’s back again next week on the 5th July and I can’t wait to be surrounded by literally hundreds of cakes again. I’m also very excited to be giving away 5 tickets for the morning session (10am - 12pm). To be in with a chance of winning, simply comment on this post (scroll to the bottom for the comment button) and tell me what cake you’d take along. Paid subscribers will automatically get double entries and the draw will close on Monday 29th June at 6pm. Winners will be notified by email.

I’ll be at the afternoon session so if any of you will be there, please come and say hi!

HORCHATA THREE WAYS

If you’d like this a little less sweet, you can use about three quarters of the condensed milk tin instead of the whole thing. It’s also very easy to veganise this with dairy free condensed milk.

RECIPE

250g jasmine rice
2 small sticks of cinnamon
800ml water
x1 397 tin condensed milk
400ml almond milk
pinch of salt
lots of ice

Strawberry Sauce:
300g fresh strawberries
35g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Classic Horchata

1. Add the rice to a large frying with the cinnamon sticks and toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until mixture smells fragrant and some grains of rice darken a little.

2. Pour everything into a bowl and let it cool down before pouring in the water.

3. Cover and let it soak for at least 4 hours but ideally in the fridge overnight.

4. The next day, pour everything, including the cinnamon, into a blender. Blend on medium high speed until there are no more whole pieces of rice.

5. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth and into a large jug or bowl. You can use a fine sieve but you’ll get a much grainier texture as it’s not able to filter out all of the ground rice. Cheesecloth is by far the best method!

6. Stir in the condensed milk, almond milk and an extra 400ml of water along with a pinch of salt and place in the fridge to chill.

7. Serve in glasses with lots of ice and a dusting of ground cinnamon.

Strawberry Horchata

1. Wash and hull the strawberries. Roughly chop them up and add to a pan with the sugar along with 3 tablespoons of water and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

2. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for a few minutes until the strawberries are softened and syrupy. Remove from the heat and pour everything into a small blender or food processor. Blitz until smooth before chilling it in the fridge.

3. To make the drinks, add 2 - 3 tablespoons of strawberry sauce to the bottom of a glass and top up with ice. Pour the horchata on top and serve.

Iced Horchata Latte

1. Add ice to a glass and fill with your horchata.

2. Prepare a double shot of espresso and pour it on top.

3. For added indulgence, top with a dollop of lightly whipped cream and some flaky sea salt.

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Hello friends,

I’ve been such a busy bee lately, spinning all the plates and trying not to drop any. Having something to look forward to in these periods, no matter how small, is always ideal, and for me, dessert seems to help. I’ve been itching to be able to spend a whole day making a fancy layer cake filled with curds and ganache and flowers or an enriched dough that requires my attention for hours and hours. Alas, time is not on my side right now, so finding something fairly low effort and still delicious is what I’m leaning towards.

If you’re in a similar boat, and need something sweet without sacrificing a whole day, or even half a day in the kitchen then these shortcakes just might be your answer. They’re appropriately summery and would work just as well for a little weekend brunch as they would for a solo treat - you can freeze unbaked shortcakes and bake one at a time when needed. Dreamy.

So what exactly is a shortcake. Truthfully, I’m not 100% sure. Ordering one will get you different results depending on where you are in the world. In Japan, it’s a super light chiffon sponge cake, filled and covered with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. In parts of the US, you’ll either get a more butter forward, cream layered cake or something that looks more like a scone; split and filled with fruit and cream. The latter is what we’ll be making today.

It’s a very similar vibe to British scone but less sweet and more crumbly. The techniques also differ slightly; we keep the butter more rough and chunky, resulting in something a bit more layered.

I’ve added some cornmeal to mine for extra texture and flavour, creating something slightly resembling a cornbread. My friend Aku makes the most delicious blueberry cornmeal cobbler and it’s a combination that works so well that I’ve used them here instead of the more traditional strawberries.

I hope you’ll be able to steal a bit of time to make these!

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

BLUEBERRY & GINGER SHORTCAKES

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London is at its very best with blue skies and a temperature above 20 degrees. Thankfully, we’ve been blessed with both this bank holiday weekend and I already know the vibes in the city will be immaculate. Parks will be full, bbq’s will be lit, there’ll be endless chat about how good the weather is, and copious amounts of ice cream will be consumed.

Making your own ice cream might seem like too much hassle to go through but I promise you, it’s always worth it. Being able to customise it to your own taste, add in your favourite mix-ins and have a freezer full of your favourite flavours is a 10/10 experience. Whilst there is a time and place for a quick no churn ice cream recipe that uses condensed milk and minimal equipment, sometimes only a proper, custard based scoop will do. I use a Magimix Gelato machine and I mostly love it because you don’t need to pre freeze the bowl beforehand and it churns a batch pretty quickly. If you’ll be making ice cream even semi regularly, I’d say it’s a worthwhile investment. I’ve also owned the KitchenAid attachment and this is a much more affordable option that creates great ice cream too.

Today, I come to you with a malted coffee choc chip ice cream. A flavour that combines some of my favourite things in desserts. We infuse our custard with whole roasted coffee beans for a flavour that is pronounced but not too harsh. We then add some malted milk powder, aka Horlicks, for a creamy, slightly toasty and nostalgic edge. I absolutely adore a little crunch in my ice cream and find the snap of cold chocolate intensely satisfying so I had to include this too.

If however, the thought of making ice cream from scratch is still completely unappealing, then do check out the Vittles Ice Cream Guide on where to get the best scoops in London. That version is from 2024 but Ruby Tandoh has very recently written an updated version, exclusively in print that’s available to pre-order now. I’ve already ordered mine!

Whatever you get up to this weekend, enjoy!

Benjamina x

COFFEE & MALT CHOC CHIP ICE CREAM

The skimmed milk powder might seem redundant here but it works to improve the final texture of the ice cream, absorbing excess water and preventing iciness. So it’s definitely worth buying a tub if you can and it’ll keep for a while once opened.

RECIPE

serves 6-8

450ml whole milk
300ml double cream
60g whole roasted coffee beans
3 tbsp skimmed milk powder
4 tbsp malted milk powder
1/4 tsp salt
100g egg yolks (from approx 5 large eggs)
130g caster sugar
40g milk chocolate
40g dark chocolate

Amarena cherries, optional serving suggestion

METHOD

1. Add the milk, cream and coffee beans to a saucepan. Heat gently until steaming and then remove from the heat. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the beans to infuse.

2. Strain the beans from the milk and keep them to one side - we’ll add them back again later. Pour the strained milk back into the pan and reheat until hot to the touch, but not boiling. Whisk in the milk powder, malted milk powder and salt until dissolved.

3. In a separate bowl, add the yolks and sugar. Whisk straight away until well combined.

4. Pour a big ladle of the hot milk onto the eggs, whisking while you pour. Slowly add in the rest of the milk and then pour everything back into the saucepan.

5. Cook the custard gently over medium low heat, stirring constantly to make sure the bottom doesn’t catch. Once the custard has thickened a little, just enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and pour through a sieve into a shallow container. To get the custard to cool quicker, you can pour the mixture into a bowl sitting in another bowl filled with ice water.

6. Once cooled down, add the coffee beans back into the custard, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 - 6 hours but ideally overnight. If you’re using an ice cream machine with a removable bowl, be sure to freeze it overnight.

7. The next day, strain the coffee beans out of the custard and pour the mixture into your ice cream machine. Churn according to the manufacturers instructions. In the last 5-7 minutes of churning, gently melt the milk and dark chocolate together. Let it cool down a little before pouring it into the ice cream whilst still churning. It will harden as it hits the cold ice cream and then break up into smaller pieces.

8. Scoop the ice cream into a loaf tin and wrap well with cling film. You could also use a shallow plastic container. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm enough to scoop.

9. Serve in a coupe or glass, alongside some Amarena cherries if using.

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The tubs of mini bites by Marks and Spencer were the height of luxury growing up. If there were people coming round, a birthday, or any special occasion, heading to M&S to pick up some of their chocolate cake rolls and mini flapjacks was a must. These days, the range has expanded and they’ve now got tubs of everything from popcorn clusters, pretzel fudge and coconut snowballs. These treats firmly fall into their own category. They’re not quite biscuits or cake…they’re just sweet picky bits. Something moreish to graze on when needed, to be brought to all sorts of gatherings or just enjoyed at home.

It’s feels quite fitting to be making my own little box of picky bits as I finally pick up the keys to my new flat this weekend (!!) and celebrate the exciting start of a new chapter after months and months of waiting and endless legal stuff. Baking has always been a welcome distraction so instead of making another trip to the dump or trawling through facebook marketplace, I figured my time would be best spent making sure I had enough snacks to power me through.

The recipes in this box are all pretty easy. It’s mostly just melting and mixing and everything can easily be made in one afternoon. They’re the sort of things you would have made as a child but I’ve introduced a couple of tweaks to make sure they’re not too sickly sweet. My dream box contains brown butter flapjacks, tahini caramel crispies and cornflake clusters. Make them all for the perfect mix of chewy, crispy and crunchy.

This tub will most definitely get me through a weekend of changing locks, pulling up carpet and multiple Ikea trips. I just need to find the kettle.

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

Brown Butter Flapjacks

There are few things as comforting or as British as a flapjack. I don’t believe there is a better use for your tin of golden syrup than these. There are lots of ways you could jazz these up but I’ve always been a bit of purist with flapjacks. I don’t want any nuts, raisins or chocolate thank you! All I’ve done here that’s slightly different from what’s traditional is to brown the butter for a deeper, more caramel like buttery vibe.

My main tip for great flapjack is to not use jumbo oats as they’re more likely to fall apart. Regular rolled oats are perfect.

RECIPE

makes 25-30 mini flapjacks

250g salted butter
175g golden syrup
175g light brown sugar
360g rolled oats

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160c fan/180c. Line an 8 x 8 inch square tin with baking paper, leaving enough overhang to help you pull it out later.

2. Add the oats to large bowl and set aside.

3. Add the butter to a saucepan and heat until melted. Continue to cook the butter until it gets foamy and fragrant and you see some of the milk solids start to brown.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and golden syrup, stirring well until combined.

5. Bring the pan back to a low heat and stir until the sugar is completely melted, making sure it doesn’t come to a boil.

6. Pour the mixture onto the oats and stir well until everything looks well coated.

7. Tip the mixture into the tin, pressing it down firmly and evenly with the back of a spoon.

8. Bake for 22-25 minutes until the edges looked browned. It will still look quite soft and not set but it will firm up when it cools.

9. Set aside to cool completely for a few hours before using a sharp knife to slice into squares.

Tahini Caramel Crispy Bites

I recently tried one of the newer M&S flavours, the caramel crispy bites. It’s a mix of rice cereal and caramel covered in chocolate. I wasn’t a fan, and my main issue was that they were just far too sweet and desperately needed a salty element balance it out. I’ve recreated them but have added some tahini to the caramel for a subtle savoury nuttiness and opted for a dark chocolate coating instead of milk. But if you like things a bit sweeter, you could do a mix of dark and milk chocolate instead.

RECIPE

For the caramel:
75g caster sugar
15g unsalted butter
110ml double cream
20g tahini
big pinch of flaky sea salt

100g puffed rice cereal
55g marshmallow
25g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate
1/2 tsp coconut oil, optional (just makes the chocolate easier to pour and gives a softer set)

METHOD

1. To make the caramel, add the sugar to a pan and heat gently until it starts to melt. Swirl the pan around often to help it melt evenly. Once the sugar turns a light amber colour, whisk in the butter. It will bubble up but keep stirring to combine.

2. Slowly pour in the cream, whisking well. Let the caramel bubble for about 20 seconds before removing from the heat. Stir in the salt and the tahini, whisking it in well to combine. Set aside to cool.

3. Add the rice cereal to a large bowl and set aside.

4. Add the marshmallow and butter to a pan and melt gently over medium heat, stirring often until you have a smooth mixture.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the tahini caramel.

6. Pour the mixture over the cereal and stir well to make sure everything is evenly coated. Add in the rest of the caramel, stirring it in.

7. Lightly grease the palms of your hands with a bit of butter or neutral oil and shape the mixture into 4 logs. They don’t need to be tightly packed, they just need to hold their shape. Place them on a lined tray and chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up.

8. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in short bursts in the microwave or in a bowl set over simmering water.

9. Place the logs on a wire rack set over the baking tray. Once the chocolate is fully melted, pour it evenly over the logs. Use a spoon to help the chocolate cover the sides, reusing any chocolate thats collected at the bottom. (Alternatively, you could pour the melted chocolate into a narrow jug and dip the logs inside to coat.) Place the tray in the fridge for the logs to set.

10. Use a sharp knife to slice them to into smaller pieces.

Chocolate Cornflake Clusters

These are a real throwback to primary school days and are so simple they almost don’t need a recipe. There are versions of cornflake clusters that use butter and golden syrup instead of just chocolate but I don’t think it’s necessary. I did some very light research to check the ingredients list on supermarket versions and they all pretty much only use chocolate and cornflakes. Which then begs the question, why are we paying £4 for a tub when they are so easy and significantly cheaper to make yourself!

RECIPE

makes 16- 20 clusters

150g milk chocolate
60g dark chocolate
130g cornflakes

METHOD

1. Add the cornflakes to a bowl and set aside.

2. Add the milk and dark chocolate to a heatproof bowl and melt it in short bursts in the microwave or set it over a pan of simmering water. Stir well until melted.

3. Pour the chocolate onto the cornflakes and give it a good stir until the cornflakes are fully coated.

4. Line a large baking tray and use a small ice cream scoop to portion out small mounds of cornflakes. You can also just spoon out portions, they don’t need to be perfect!

5. Place the tray in the fridge to chill until firm.

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Half the fun of baking and recipe creation is being able to create a near infinite number of new things by making a few tweaks to a solid base recipe. Let’s say you’ve got a chocolate chip recipe you already love, making small changes like subbing in some wholewheat flour, browning the butter or toasting the flour is an easy to way to create something new without completely starting from scratch. who writes ‘Bake Chats’ perfectly describes this as ‘recipe riffing’. Using what you already know works and having fun making it yours.

I love my milk bread recipe. It gives the softest, squishiest buns that make for perfect diner rolls, breakfast sandwiches or a vehicle for butter and jam. Last year I recipe riffed it to turn it into my milk bread cinnamon rolls that so many of you really loved. Today we’ll be riffing again to make these earl grey & lemon buns.

Instead of a brown sugar cinnamon filling, I sub in a fragrant lemony, tea infused sugar for something that feels lighter and fresher. Very appropriate for Spring. I also sub in a bit of plain flour for something slightly more tender with a bit less bready chew, something that fits well with the cinnamon rolls but less so here. They then get a light brush of earl grey syrup and a swoop of cream cheese frosting to finish. Which as always, is optional.

As with my original milk bread and cinnamon rolls, this isn’t a quick recipe that you can whip up in a pinch. The dough needs plenty of time to prove and chill so start them in the morning if you want them on the same day.

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

EARL GREY & LEMON BUNS

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After a fairly indulgent and restful bank holiday weekend (I still have so much Easter chocolate leftover), I really didn’t know what recipe to make and share with you this week. I wanted something that felt appropriate for the warmer, brighter Spring days but wasn’t too labour intensive or technical. Something pretty straightforward and low key. And nothing that used chocolate.

When my creative juices are running a little low, it’s always best to go back to basics and keep things easy and light. And that’s exactly what we’ve got today, just good and simple cake. It can be served on its own with a dusting of icing sugar, with a quick fruit coulis or a splash of custard. Win win.

Instead of butter, we use clotted cream as our fat source. It might come as a surprise to some that clotted cream has other uses besides just being spread on scones. I’m pretty sure I saw some TikTok videos at Christmas where people used it to roast their potatoes. I can understand the reasoning behind this but can’t say it’s something I’ll be trying. So if you don’t want to use a tub of clotted cream as part of your Sunday roast or with scones and jam, then this cake is a very good alternative.

Everything is mixed by hand in one bowl and you get a gorgeous, close textured crumb that’s super rich and velvety. It stays soft for days and is the kind of cake you keep on the counter, cutting yourself another little slice every time you walk past.

If you fancy something low key but delicious this weekend, then give this a try. Serving with an extra dollop of clotted cream is definitely optional but highly recommended.

Benjamina x

CLOTTED CREAM CAKE

I had a slice of this with a quick raspberry sauce (just mash the raspberries with some sugar and lemon juice) but the beauty of it is that you can use whatever you’ve got to hand, or nothing at all. Custard is always a good idea too.

RECIPE

serves: 8-10
equipment: 8inch/20cm cake tin

1 tub (227g) clotted cream
220g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 large eggs
245g plain flour
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
40ml whole milk

icing sugar, to serve

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160c fan/180c. Grease and line an 8 inch/20cm cake tin.

2. Add the clotted cream, sugar and vanilla to a bowl and beat briefly to combine.

3. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well until you have a smooth batter.

4. Pour in the flour, baking powder and salt, stirring until just combined.

5. Mix in the milk and pour the batter into the prepared tin.

6. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

7. Let the cake cool completely before dusting with icing sugar to serve.

8. Serve with custard, fresh fruits or an extra dollop of clotted cream.

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Few people might enjoy baking with chocolate more than and he’s back with his 8th (!) cookbook, Chocolate Baking to show you all the wonderful things you can do with it. If you’ve ever baked one of Edd’s recipes, you’ll know that they always just work. It’s not often I get the time to bake other peoples recipes for fun but when I do, Edd’s Instagram, Substack or cookbooks are ones that I’d turn to.

Edd has kindly shared one of his new recipes with us here at Sweet Things. It’s a real classic that I think you’ll all enjoy, chocolate lover or not.

Benjamina x

CHOCOLATE BAKING BY EDD KIMBER

I caught up with Edd to ask him a few questions about his latest book!

What led you to write a whole book on chocolate?

I actually wanted to write this book for many years. I even pitched it around town a few years ago but it was rejected, one publisher even told me told me ‘baking is over’ but I always believed the concept had legs so I put the idea to the back of my head and knew I’d revisit it one day. Chocolate is my all time favourite ingredient to work with and I wanted to share that love and obsession with a bigger audience. I’ve also thought of my books as answering a question or helping with a problem and so with chocolate I didn’t want to simply write some delicious recipes I wanted home bakers to understand chocolate and learn to use it with confidence.

How did working on this book differ from your previous books?

From a purely technical point of view this was different because I wrote it over a longer period of time and unlike my last few books I decided not to photograph or style it myself but to work with a brilliantly creative team. Because the subject of the book is a single ingredient I tried extremely hard to make sure the balance of flavours is interesting and varied but also covers everything that makes chocolate special. I think a lot of times when people heard I was working on a chocolate book they expected recipes that were simply dark chocolate, like a chocolate cake, a chocolate cookie, a brownie etc but I wanted to show chocolate is a broad and expansive topic. Like with all of my books I also try to include recipes of all skill level so that you can enjoy it no matter your experience level.

What should people be looking out for when they’re buying chocolate for baking?

Firstly, it is important you are actually buying real chocolate and not a ‘coating’ or a ‘melt’. These products are often made with ingredients not found in chocolate like oils and flavourings that will affect how a recipe works but most importantly how it tastes. Unfortunately, in some countries, there is confusion in the market and these products are considered to be actual chocolate.

Dark chocolate should only ever include a few basic ingredients; cocoa (cocoa mass/cocoa liquor/cocoa butter) and sugar. Additionally, many larger chocolate manufacturers use an emulsification ingredient such as soy or sunflower lecithin. When it comes to milk chocolate you’ll also see milk powder listed. White chocolate is different in that there is no cocoa solids just cocoa butter mixed with sugar, milk powder and very commonly vanilla. If your chocolate is made with ingredients like palm oil or hydrogenated oils this is not actually chocolate and shouldn’t really be a part of your baking arsenal.

My preferred way to buy chocolate for baking is to buy it in bulk either direct from a chocolate company or from a chocolate wholesaler. Generally you get a much higher quality product and it is cheaper than buying bars of chocolate in the supermarket.

But, most important is that you enjoy the taste of the chocolate. Adding it to a cake batter wont magically transform the flavour; if it tastes good going in it’ll taste good baked into a cake. This is especially true when the chocolate is a ‘mix-in’ and the flavour is pure, like in a cookie or in a ganache. In these cases you really want to use a chocolate you absolutely adore. We are lucky that any supermarkets now have pretty decent bars of chocolate on their shelves and have leaped ahead of the baking brands you might once have favoured.

In terms of brands that you’ll most commonly find in my kitchen;

Guittard - this is my go to chocolate brand for baking, especially their wafers which I bake with extensively

Pump St Chocolate - a brilliant British bean to bar chocolate maker. Their pastilles are brilliant in all manner of baking recipes.

Islands Chocolate - another British chocolate maker, the chocolate spread they make is particularly good and a great alternative to to Nutella

Valrhona - the go-to French chocolate brand, it’s expensive but they make some amazing chocolates, I’m a big fan of their caramelised white chocolate Dulcey

Quickfire Questions:

Milk, Dark or White Chocolate? All of the above!

Favourite Bakery? That’s like asking me to choose a favourite child. I just did a pop-up at Lannan Bakery in Edinurgh so that beautiful bakery is front of mind right now. If you’re asking for London bakeries then the list would include Quince, Populations Bakery, Dusty Knuckle, Toad, Finks (and the list goes on and on)

Go to chocolate bar? If we are talking just to eat, I would say the 43% milk chocolate with cocoa nibs and smoked salt from Duffy’s Chocolate is a definite favourite. If it’s to bake with one of my favourite milk chocolate’s is Soleil D’Or from Guittard.

Favourite ingredient to pair with chocolate? Milk chocolate and tonka bean is a favourite as is milk chocolate and passion fruit.

If you had to eat one recipe from Chocolate Baking everyday for a year, what would it be? Probably the chocolate and whipped caramel cake, it’s an absolute favourite to make and to eat.

Chocolate Baking by Edd Kimber (Quadrille, £28) is out now.

DOUBLE MARBLE LOAF CAKE

A marble cake with a bonus marble glaze, as beautiful in flavour as it is in appearance. The cake itself is very straightforward, a one-bowl batter that is then split in two so that cocoa powder can be added to half. Once baked, it needs nothing more than melted chocolate, mixed with a little oil, poured randomly over to create an almost zebra-like effect.

serves 10

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (dutched or black)
2 tablespoons boiling water
170 g (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
175 g (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar
2 large eggs, lightly whisked
220 g (1¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1+ ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon) buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Marble Chocolate Glaze:

125 g dark chocolate (65–75% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
100 g white chocolate, roughly chopped
30 ml (2 tablespoons) vegetable oil, divided equally

(Note: I often bake this in a 23 x 10 x 10 cm (9 x 4 x 4 in) pullman loaf tin (pan), which has straight sides, which gives the cake an even more polished look.)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan. Lightly grease a 450 g (1 lb) loaf tin and line with a single long strip of parchment so that the excess paper hangs over the long sides of the pan, securing in place with a couple of metal binder clips.

2. To make the cake, in a small bowl whisk together the cocoa powder and boiling water until a smooth paste is formed. Set aside. Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs to the butter mixture a little at a time, beating until fully combined before adding more. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

3. With the mixer on low/medium speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla – starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Divide the batter evenly into two bowls and to one mixture, briefly beat in the cocoa paste.

4. Spoon both batters into the loaf tin, in a random pattern, then use a skewer to briefly swirl to create a marble effect. When swirling together, less is always more, too much swirling creates a less defined marbled pattern.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before using the parchment to lift the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cake is at room temperature wrap in cling film and freeze for 30–60 minutes.

6. For the glaze, place the chocolates in separate small heatproof jugs and melt, using a microwave, then stir half the vegetable oil into each chocolate. Remove the cake from the freezer, unwrap, and place on a cooling rack set over a baking tray. Pour over about three-quarters of the dark chocolate glaze, covering as much of the cake as possible. Before it has a chance to set, drizzle over the white chocolate glaze, trying to create a marbled effect. Use the reserved dark chocolate glaze to create extra definition in the marbling and to fill in any uncoated spots on the cake. Lift the cake from the rack and set onto a platter. Allow the glaze to set and the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

7. Kept covered, the cake will keep for 3–4 days.

*This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a small commission when you purchase something, at no extra cost to you.

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Biscuits are taken very seriously here in the UK and rightly so. They’re deeply embedded into the culture and are an important staple in most households. Once it hits about 3pm, almost like clockwork, I find myself making a cup of tea and rummaging through the biscuit tin to see what’s available. My usual rotation includes chocolate bourbons, digestives or a ginger snap for day to day snacking. But every now and then, especially if I’ve got friends round, you might find an M&S white chocolate round, a viennese finger or a Bahlsen Choco Leibniz. And for really special occasions and special people, I whack out the Fortnum & Mason Toffolossus. At £27 a pack, these are most certainly not for everyday eating but my goodness, they are incredibly good.

This week I’ve conveniently combined the tea and biscuits and come up with these earl grey custard creams. Two buttery, fragrant biscuits sandwiched together with a simple buttercream that gets its yellow hue from some Birds custard powder. They’re delicious as is, but if you want something a bit more indulgent then I’ve given you the option to dip them in white chocolate, an idea that’s unashamedly inspired by the M&S versions.

Top up your biscuit tin this weekend with a batch of these and thank me later.

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

EARL GREY CUSTARD CREAMS

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I’m often asked about how I come up with new recipes all the time and what my process is like in developing them. Honestly, I can’t quite give you a straightforward answer to the first question. Eating out a lot and travelling often helps; I get endless inspiration when eating other peoples food and observing how ingredients are used and manipulated in different cultures. Sometimes though, ideas are sparked through everyday life and everyday meals. This weeks recipe took form after I made myself some toast and marmalade. I’ve already created recipes like this marmalade breadcrumb cake, but this time, I wanted something less on the nose but still also spoke to the citrus, bitterness and buttery-ness of that very simple breakfast.

When it comes to actually developing and bringing an idea to life, it’s pretty much just trial and error. Boring but true. Using buttered toast and marmalade as a springboard, I found myself wanting to incorporate a burnt honey element to mirror the bitter sweet flavours. I tried a burnt honey caramel but it came across too heavy handed, moved onto a super light genoise sponge but it didn’t carry enough cozy vibes. Then I worked on a Victoria sponge style sandwich cake but it felt like way too much cake and not enough of the filling that I had quickly fallen in love with and wanted to highlight.

Many eggs and bottles of honey later, (recipe testing is so expensive but that’s another conversation) eventually I landed on this. A buttery orange and almond cake as the base. Not too thick but thick enough. The topping is made with a burnt honey syrup that gets folded into whipped cream, stabilised with a bit of cream cheese and a good pinch of flaky salt. It strongly reminds me of the top of a creme brulee. It’s so good I had no choice but to really pile it on.

So if you appreciate a ratio of more cream than cake, this one is for you.

Enjoy!

Benjamina x

BURNT HONEY CREAM AND ORANGE CAKE

I wouldn’t use a particularly fancy honey for this as we’re going to be deeply caramelising it and you’ll lose a lot of the delicate layers. You can make the cake a day ahead but once you’ve made and assembled the topping, it’s best eaten on the same day.

If you really want to amp up the burnt honey flavours or switch up the aesthetic, you could keep back a couple of tablespoons of the syrup and drizzle it on top of the cream.

RECIPE

serves : 8 - 10
equipment: 20cm/8inch round cake tin

For the cake:
190g caster sugar
1 orange, zest only
150g unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs, room temp
150g plain flour
70g ground almonds
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
70ml milk, lukewarm

For the cream:
100g honey
50ml water
90g cream cheese
30g icing sugar
big pinch flaky sea salt
320ml double cream

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160c fan/180c. Grease and line a 20cm/8 inch round cake tin.

2. Add the sugar and zest to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until it looks like wet sand.

3. Add in the butter and beat the mixture on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until it’s a bit paler and softer. It doesn’t need to be super fluffy.

4. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Make sure to scrape down the bowl often to get any bits of butter hiding at the bottom. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled.

5. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt.

6. Add half of this to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined.

7. Stir in the milk followed by the rest of the flour mix.

8. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, smooth the surface with a palette knife and then bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

9. Let it cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the tin to cool completely.

10. To make the topping, add the honey to a saucepan (use something that isn’t too shallow) and heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Keep an eye on it as things will move fast!

11. After about 2-3 minutes, the honey will darken a bit and start to smell a little smokey. At this point, remove from the heat and let it sit for a minute. Pour in the water - it will spit and bubble up rapidly so be careful. Give it a stir until smooth and pour it into a bowl or jug to cool completely. Chill in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

12. Add the cream cheese, icing sugar and salt to a bowl and mix until smooth. Pour in the cream and whisk until it thickens a little but still has very soft peaks. Pour in the cooled burnt honey and whisk gently until you have a soft, scoopable consistency. Be careful not to over whisk it, it’s better to stop sooner than you think as it will firm up as it sits. Chill it in the fridge until you’re ready to use.

13. Pile the cream up high on on the cake and slice to serve.

    Due to the fresh cream, this cake is best made and eaten on the day it’s assembled.

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There are some things that are just permanent fixtures in your kitchen. You can count on them to always be in the cupboards and just before they have enough time to completely run out, a fresh one magically takes its place. In my kitchen, rice is one of those things. Having at least two different types on the go at once is very normal, (jasmine and basmati in case you wondered) ready to be thrown in the rice cooker for most weeknight meals. On the sweet side of things, I always, always have a tin of Milo.

If you’re not familiar, Milo is a malty cocoa drink that you can have hot or cold and is quite popular in large parts of Africa and Asia. Growing up, summertime meant tablespoons of Milo mixed with ice cubes, and condensed milk for something refreshing with an extra scoop dusted on top for a bit of crunch. For the rest of year, it was our hot chocolate equivalent, despite not actually being super chocolatey or very sweet.

In the spirit of all things chocolate this Valentines and Galentines weekend, I’ve incorporated some of my beloved Milo into a silky smooth basque cheesecake that’s not overwhelmingly chocolate heavy. And I’m sending this out a day earlier than normal so you have enough time to make it!

I don’t normally use a biscuit base for my basque cheesecakes but I think the thin layer of bourbon biscuits works really well here to mimic the crunch you get from Milo granules.

Baking this cheesecake hot and fast gives that signature browned top and just cooked middle. If you’ve never made one before, it will look ridiculously wobbly when you take it out of the oven but don’t panic! I promise, as it cools and chills in the fridge, you’ll be rewarded with a smooth, just set middle.

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

CHOCOLATE MILO BASQUE CHEESECAKE

I discovered last week that not all Milo is created equally. If you’re in the UK, you’ll be able to find it in the African section of the world food aisle in most big supermarkets; more often than not, these tins are made in Ghana. But if you go to the regular hot chocolate aisle, the Milo on the shelves is the Singapore made version. Both will work perfectly fine in this recipe but I do prefer the Ghanaian tins as that’s the flavour I’m used to (it has also has nearly double the amount of malt extract too).

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This time last year, I was in Mexico City, eating tacos, tortas, guavas and churros, strolling through the leafy streets of Condesa and avoiding a very grey, cold London. I’m pleased to report that this year is no different! I couldn’t resist coming back for a few weeks to switch off, give my skin some Vitamin D and dive back into the incredibly colourful food scene.

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There’s something particularly comforting about revisiting a city. In my early twenties, the goal of travel was to tick off as many new destinations as possible, barely soaking it in and always thinking about where was next. Now, as a repeat visitor, (it’s my third time here), I truly appreciate the opportunity to explore somewhere more slowly, not feeling the pressure of ticking off all the major tourist sites, and being a bit more spontaneous with my time. Walking around and recognising streets you’ve been down before and remembering stands where you ate some of the best tacos is a great feeling.

I put up a little CDMX (ciudad de Mexico) guide last year and have just updated it with lots of new favourites. If you’re planning a trip, it should be a helpful start in navigating this vibrant city. This place is VAST, and even on my third time here, there’s still so much I didn’t get to eat. So don’t feel overwhelmed if you can’t try as much as you’d like! You’ll just have to come back ;)

You can read and come back to that post but here’s a snippet of some new (to me) places I loved this time around:

• Trinidad Ritual de Sabores : Eating in one of the many mercados around the city is a must. Head down to Coyoacan for the afternoon (or tag it onto a trip to Frida Kahlo’s house) and have lunch at Trinidad. Their juicy pork belly taco topped with crispy crackling might be one of my favourite tacos of the trip. The horchata was very good too, served in a traditional cup with a crushed peanut rim.

• If you’re looking for a fun bar with a great jazz & hip hop playlist, head to Espantoso. They lean into the old school vibes with chunky analog tv’s dotted around.

• Tlecan : Ranked at #23 in the World’s 50 Best bars in 2025 and #3 in North America (#2 in the world is also in Mexico City - Handshake Speakeasy, but it’s unsurprisingly very difficult to get a reservation). Tlecan is a beautiful intimate space with stunning cocktails showcasing a range of small batch Mezcals made in Mexico. It’s walk in only so there may be a short queue at busy times.

• Tacos Atarantados : A fun, neon lit taco restaurant that has a similar vibe to Tacos Orinocos and also serves Northern style tacos. If you prefer flour tortillas to corn then this is one to visit.

• Rumor : Matcha bar meets cool girl boutique. One half of the store has y2k inspired clothing and jewellery and the other side serves matcha lattes. I don’t normally go for flavoured matcha as they more often than not use overly sweet syrups. However, the guava matcha here was clearly made with fresh fruit and made all the difference. I went back twice!

CAKE PICNIC MEXICO CITY

Some of you might remember the incredible cake fuelled event that came to London last summer. Cake Picnic brings bakers together and tours all around the world for a sugar filled afternoon. The only rule is ‘No Cake, No Entry!’ When Elisa, the founder, said she was going to take make a stop in Mexico City, I had to make sure my dates aligned! And it proved to be a delicious, colourful day.

Cake flavours leaned into all things Mexican from guava cakes, fresh corn cakes, chocolate & chilli cakes, tres leches and plenty of cinnamon.

You can sign up to the Cake Picnic mailing list to see if they’re coming to a city near you! Rumour has it , they might be back in London in the summer, hopefully I’ll see some of you there!

RECENT RECIPES

I’ll be back to regular programming and recipe sharing in the next newsletter but here’s a little round up of recent recipes over on The Guardian to keep you going until then:

• Viennese fingers

• Yoghurt panna cotta with banana & tahini crumble

• Citrus almond cake

And here are a few recipes from this time last year that will still be just as good this time round. Just like revisiting a city, let’s remember to revisit older recipes too!

• Rhubarb & Custard French Toast

• Lemon cornmeal cake

I’m very excited to get back in the kitchen and over the next few weeks you can look forward to things like Milo basque cheesecake, burnt honey & orange cake and some fun matcha biscuits.

Until next time!

Benjamina x

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The long month of January is consistently made better for me by a few things: new episodes of The Traitors, a winter holiday (I’m heading to Mexico City as you read this), lots of cosy puddings and seeing bright pink sticks of rhubarb start to appear on the shelves. I love coming up with new ways to enjoy rhubarb every year; it won't come as a surprise to know that my favourite pairing is with some form of custard. Previous years have included roasted rhubarb & custard pots, rhubarb pavlova and rhubarb and custard french toast stuffed with rhubarb jam.

This year, I’m keeping it simple with a good old fruit crumble. Fewer things bring as much comfort than this classic, homely dessert. It’s a proper crowd pleaser that works in nearly every setting and is ridiculously easy to knock up. If you’re ever unsure of what dessert to make for a crowd, you’ll never go wrong with crumble.

Everyone has their preferences on what makes it perfect for them but personally, I like a 60/40 topping to fruit ratio and I have to have some oats thrown in for good measure. I can’t bear a sandy textured crumble, it needs to be knobbly and uneven in chunkiness. Recently, I’ve started using melted butter instead of the traditional method of rubbing cold butter into flour. Not only is it much quicker, you get a better crunch too. Win win.

If your week or month needs brightening up a bit, go and hunt down some rhubarb and make yourself this crumble. Serve with hot custard for maximum pleasure (my brown sugar custard would be excellent here) and any leftovers work well for an indulgent breakfast with a splash of cold cream.

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

RHUBARB, APPLE & GINGER CRUMBLE

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Happy New Year and welcome back to Sweet Things! We’ve had quite a number of you join over the last month or so and it’s a pleasure to have you here. As we jump into 2026, you can expect plenty more cakes, pies, puddings and cookies, more round ups of my favourite London bakeries and restaurants and a few hints of a new project I’m working on. All very exciting!

2026 feels momentous on many fronts. It marks 10 years since being on The Great British Bake Off and forging a career in the world of food. In that time, I’ve written three cookbooks, developed hundreds and hundreds of recipes, hosted supperclubs and events, taught classes, spent countless hours creating content for social media, worked with dream brands, launched this newsletter and connected with so many of you from around the world. There’s lots to look back on and even more to look forward to; I’ve started thinking about fun ways to mark this milestone, suggestions welcome!

Until then, I’m easing us in with a simple, low key recipe to start the year. Whilst January is typically a month of restraint for many, I’m firmly in the camp that believes cake is still very much necessary. January is a long month! And I don’t think we should make it more difficult than it needs to be so lets make the first few weeks of the year just that little bit sweeter.

These lemon crumble muffins are a breeze to put together and require very little effort. It’s a classic method of wet ingredients into dry and then they’re topped generously with some buttery crumble that stays beautifully crunchy after baking. Lemon muffins often aren’t lemony enough so to amp up the citrus vibes, I pipe some curd in the middle; you can make your own like me but a jar of shop bought would also be great.

As always, it’s such a joy to have you all here and I’m excited to create more delicious things in 2026. If there are any recipes in particular you’d like to see this year, leave a comment below or drop a message in the Substack chat.

Enjoy!

Benjamina x

LEMON CRUMBLE MUFFINS

I typically only make muffins in small batches as it’s rare I’ll ever need 12. This recipe makes five which might feel like a random number, but I found it gives the perfect amount of batter per muffin to get that overflowing domed top that we all love. If you need to work in even numbers, by all means go ahead, they’ll just be a little more conservative.

The curd recipe will a bit more than you need but if I’m going to go to the trouble of making it myself, I always want some extra to use for yoghurts and porridge.

These are best eaten on the day they’re made.

RECIPE

makes 5
equipment: 6 or 12 hole muffin tray

For the lemon curd:
zest of 2 lemons
90ml fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
100g caster sugar
20g unsalted butter

For the crumble:
65g plain flour
35g caster sugar
pinch of salt
45g unsalted butter, melted

For the muffins:
100g caster sugar
zest of 2 lemons
165g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
80g sour cream
1 large egg
80g melted butter
1 1/2 tbsp oil
icing sugar, to dust, optional

METHOD

1. To make the curd, add the eggs, sugar, zest and lemon juice to a bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Pour the mixture into a saucepan along with the butter and heat gently whilst stirring constantly. Cook the curd for about 5-8 minutes until it thickens to the consistency of custard.

3. Pour the mixture through a sieve and into a clean jar or airtight container.

4. Let the curd cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge until you’re ready to use.

5. Preheat the oven to 190c fan/200c.

6. To make the crumble, mix the flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Pour in melted butter and mix until you have a thick dough. Place it in the fridge to chill.

7. For the muffins, add the sugar and zest to a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until it looks like wet sand.

8. Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well to combine.

9. In a separate jug, whisk together the sour cream, egg and oil.

10. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the sour cream mix and the melted butter.

11. Stir gently until there are no more dry bits of flour. The batter will be very thick but be careful not to over mix. Set the batter aside to rest for 5 minutes.

12. Line a muffin tin with 5 paper cases. If you’re using a 12-hole tin, leave spaces between each muffin to give room for them to spread.

13. Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to split the mixture evenly between the cases - they will be quite full! Top generously with the crumble mix.

14. Bake for 10 minutes and then turn the temperature down to 160c. Bake for another 12-15 minutes until the tops are well risen and lightly browned.

15. Set them aside to cool completely.

16. Once cool, use a small sharp knife to make a slit in the top of the muffins. Fill a small piping bag with curd and pipe some inside. You won’t need to use all of the curd.

17. Dust with icing sugar if you like and serve.

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I’ve had about three Christmas roasts in the past week, with another booked on Sunday and one more the week after that. ‘Tis the season, right? Thankfully, I haven’t had to cook them all but I’m not sure how much more I can fit in. I love a roast potato, pig in blanket and sage & onion stuffing as much as the next girl but even I have limits.

One thing I know I won’t get sick of though, is dessert. Leave enough time after a big meal and I’m always looking forward to what’s to come by way of something sweet. For s Christmas dessert, you’ve got the option to go hot or cold, fruity or chocolately, or keep it traditional with a steamed pudding set alight with brandy. Most years, I’ll make a big pavlova as well as something rich and hot. For balance. This year, I’ve decided it will be this sticky chocolate Guinness pudding.

My favourite place to get a slice of Guinness cake is at Chatsworth Bakehouse in Crystal Palace. It’s one of, if not the best in London. Dense and moist, deeply dark, and topped with a barely sweetened cream cheese frosting, often rippled with blackcurrant jam. It lives rent free in my brain and I wanted to recreate something along those lines but more dessert leaning, and definitely something warm and sticky.

Nigella Lawson likely holds the record for the most used chocolate Guinness cake recipe. It’s very very good and a lot of recipes you’ll come across, including this one, use hers as a starting point. The differences here are that I use a mix of caster and light brown sugar, and I tried to make it all a bit more airy, so eating it after a big meal doesn’t feel too insane.

I also really lean into the Guinness vibes with a buttery, stout forward caramel sauce poured generously on top. And as a nod to the traditional cream cheese topping, I dollop on some slightly salted whipped sour cream to finish, letting it melt a little on the warm cakes. You could also spike this with a splash of Baileys or whiskey for some extra oopmh if you fancy (I will be).

OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT WANT TO MAKE

If a chocolatey, stout dessert isn’t quite what you’re in the mood for, then there’s plenty of other inspiration in the archives of this newsletter. Everything from a muscovado sugar creme brulee, classic pavlova, miso banana cake, to a white chocolate pannacotta or simple olive oil almond cake. There are no rules at Christmas so go with whatever your heart desires.

There are also some recent recipes over on my Guardian column including my cover girl of coffee caramel choux buns and a pistachio and cherry meringue cake going out this weekend.

I would love to see what you bake over this season so please tag me in any photos online or send them in the chat!

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

STICKY CHOCOLATE GUINNESS PUDDING

These are the exact moulds that I use which are 200ml capacity. You can use slightly larger ones, it’ll just make fewer puddings and will need a couple more minutes in the oven.

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Welcome back to Sweet Things and our first ever gift guide! I was completely disorganised last year and didn’t put one together in time but this year, I’m excited to share a bumper guide filled with gift inspo for all of your food loving friends and family. Or for some ideas on what to buy for yourself.

The vast majority of these gifts are from smaller brands and independent makers with a large proportion coming in at under £50. These are all things I would either buy for myself, already own and love or would be very very happy to receive. And not an Amazon link in sight.

Enjoy!

Benjamina x

Before we jump in, did you know you can gift a subscription to Sweet Things? If you’ve enjoyed the newsletter and know someone who might, share the love and gift a monthly or annual subscription below:

Gift a subscription to Sweet Things

Edible Gifts

I, for one, am a big fan of an edible gift - homemade or otherwise. It’s a great way for the recipient to try things they perhaps wouldn’t normally buy and discover new brands.

• Anything by the London Borough of Jam will be a winner. They have the most creative flavours out there including lemon & vanilla marmalade, rhubarb and cardamom and damson & black pepper. £6.50 - £7 a jar

• Mama Yu Chilli Oil. Are you a millennial if you’ve not got at least two jars of chilli oil on the go? Lao Gan Ma Chilli Oil is a staple in my fridge but the mother and daughter duo at Mama Yu are making very delicious jars. Check out the garlic chilli oil and the curry chilli oil. £6.99

• A festive season without some chocolate isn’t very festive, is it? I always pick up bits from Chocolate Society every year (the malt balls and tea and biscuit bar are favourites) or Pump Street has a winter tasting box including a cinnamon bun bar and a panetonne bar. £6-£20

• I love a good biscuit all year round but Christmas is where I splash out. And it’s a good thing these Fortnum’s Toffolossus Biscuits come in high at £27 because if they were any cheaper, it’d be a dangerous weekly purchase. Honourable mention to the ginger version too. £26.95

• Citizens of Soil Olive Oil for small batch extra virgin olive oils. They offer a subscription membership where you can discover a new oil every month. Bottles from £19, subscriptions from £15 a month.

For the bookworm

You can’t go too wrong with a cookbook and no matter where your interests lie, there are so many to choose from, be it new releases or older classics.
*All books below are affiliate links to Bookshop where I receive a small commission if you purchase at no extra cost to you. They’re a great alternative to Amazon and support local and independent bookshops.

• It would be rude of me not to recommend my own books! There are three (!) to choose from with the most recent being I’ll Bring Dessert. For a wider mix of sweet and savoury baking, try A Good Day to Bake and for a real throwback, my first book, A New Way to Cake has 60 recipes for flavour forward cakes. £16-£22

• Weekend Recipes by Jess Elliot Dennison is such a cosy book with homely recipes that you actually want to make. It’s a follow up to Midweek Recipes, also filled with delicious, accessible cooking. £23.50

• For Caribbean flavours and essays, pick up Kin by Marie Mitchell or Caribe by Keisha Sakarah. Or both!

• Chop Chop by Ozoz Sokoh is a beautiful introduction to Nigerian cooking.

• Sweet by Alexina Anatole unlocks the secret of sweetness and shows you how to bring out the best in your desserts. Get it for the Milky Bar basque chseesecake alone.

• For the pasta lovers, Padella would be a fab gift. It’s one of my go to spots for fresh pasta in London and remains consistently delicious and affordable.

• All Consuming by Ruby Tandoh is not a cookbook but is essential reading if you’re interested in understanding how the way we eat and our tastes have changed over the years.

• The king of plant based baking is Phil Khoury and his latest book Beyond Baking is a must for anyone looking to understand and master the art of baking without dairy and eggs.

For the chef and baker

• A good knife is an essential piece of equipment and the range of knives from Katto are both stunning and great to use. They’re made in Sheffield using Japanese steel and also offer free sharpening. From £140

• For a more everyday knife, All Day Goods have the prettiest butter knives complete with butter box. £29

• My cordless electric whisk is very well used and loved. Just charge it and you can whisk anywhere your heart desires. £123

• Once you learn how to properly use a stainless steel pan, there’s no turning back. I love the range by Made In. From £99

• I have more aprons than I care to admit but it’s hard to resist when they come in patterns like these Damson Madder ones. Also worth checking out the matching oven gloves too! £36

• My most used baking tins are all by Silverwood. They’re long lasting and come in pretty much every shape and size.

• A good spatula is a small but mighty bit of kitchen equipment that I would be lost without. You can get these from lots of places but for a gift, the Le Creuset ones come in the largest range of colours and are pretty sturdy. £13

For the table and home

• Keep your dates organised and remember what’s in season with this Seasonal Eating Calendar by Emma Cantlay. Also includes a small selection of recipes too. £21

• I always get asked where my plates and platters are from and for the most part, they’re handmade by independent ceramicists. Klei Shop is my go to place to get pieces by different makers all in one place. If you’re local to Hackney you can pop in to look at pieces in person.

  • In particular, I have lots of pieces by Lily Pearmain and Skye Corewijn

• Recently purchased these beautiful dessert bowls by Stick Ceramics. £30

• For something fun, these cherry or strawberry plates are cool! Sourced via Lamp in Peckham which is full of colourful homeware, including this butter dish. £18

• These food candles by Introna are SO fun! There are loads to choose from; I particularly love the baguette, fried egg and raspberry tart. £15 - £45

• I LOVE a good jigsaw puzzle and I’ve got my eye on the butter themed puzzle by Piecework . They have the most chic puzzles you’ve ever seen! Piecework is US based so shipping to the UK is pricey but you will have access to the whole range. I’ve found and linked to a UK stockist for ease. £38

• Silverware is very much on trend at the moment and these silver coupes would make a great gift for any keen dinner party hosts you’re buying for. These are by far the most affordable out there at the moment. £3 each

• Piglet in Bed Linen Napkins will add a pretty pop of colour and texture to any dinner table. £39

For something to do together

Experience based gifts give some of the best memories. Here’s one I think you’ll love.

• I’m yet to attend but I’ve heard nothing but great things about Karla Zazueta’s Mexican Cooking Classes. I’ve cooked from her cookbook, Norteña, but you can’t beat learning from the master. Classes are in Karla’s north London home where you can learn how to make everything from mole, tamales, birria and a range of tacos. £70-£130

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This season of my Substack newsletter might as well be renamed ‘things to eat with custard’. Apologies in advance if you’re not a custard lover, (although why wouldn’t you be?!) but as soon as it’s time to think about what recipe I want to develop for you, nine times out of ten, my starting question is ‘what would go well with custard?’.

The last newsletter featured a hot chocolate sponge with chocolate chai custard, and today we’re leaning into all the shades of beige with an easy one bowl loaf cake. The batter includes a trio of wonderful things - brown butter, maple syrup and sour cream, and once out of the oven, it’s covered with a hot maple syrup butter for an addictively sticky glaze. It’s a bit of a riff on my Everyday Cake, the trusty recipe I turn to when I need simple cake, quickly. I serve this version thickly sliced and drenched in my brown sugar custard, which made its first appearance in my second cookbook, A Good Day to Bake. It’s a silky, creamy, caramel-y accompaniment and cleverly enhances all the maple syrup notes from the cake. But if you’re not in the mood to make your own, then a tin of Ambrosia’s finest or a tub of M&S Madagascan vanilla will also hit the spot.

Embrace the beige this weekend and make this.

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

COMING UP ON SWEET THINGS

I’m so excited to be putting together a big fat foodie gift guide for the festive season! It should help to give you some inspo for what to gift all of your food loving friends and family. (Or yourself).

There’ll be plenty of gems from smaller, independent brands with everything from edible gifts, tableware, ceramics, kitchen equipment and more to suit every budget. Keep your eyes peeled!

MAPLE BUTTER GLAZED LOAF CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR CUSTARD

Not all maple syrups are the same and if you look at what’s available on supermarket shelves, you may notice bottles come in 4 different categories - golden, amber, dark and very dark. For baking, dark or very dark is what I’d go for. They give the most pronounced maple flavour that doesn’t get lost in the cooking process. For things like drizzling on pancakes, I’d use amber.

Try and avoid maple flavoured syrups if you can, these are mostly topped up with artificial colours and sweeteners and pale in comparison to the real deal.

RECIPE

serves 8
equipment : one 2lb loaf tin

For the cake:
120g unsalted butter
235g plain flour
160g caster sugar
2tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
3 eggs, beaten
3 tbsp neutral oil
40ml maple syrup
100g sour cream

For the glaze:
80g maple syrup
20g unsalted butter
pinch of flaky sea salt

For the brown sugar custard:
500ml milk
200ml double (heavy) cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 egg yolks
90g light muscovado sugar
2 tbsp cornflour

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160c fan/180c. Grease a 2lb loaf tin and line with baking paper. (Using a loaf tin that isn’t not too wide and shallow will help get a lovely shape)

2. Add the butter to a small pan and heat until melted. Continue to cook and stir until the butter turns a golden amber colour and smells fragrant. Pour the butter and all the brown bits into a bowl to cool down.

3. Add the flour, caster sugar, baking powder and salt to a bowl and mix to combine.

4. Make a well in the centre and pour in the beaten egg, oil, maple syrup and cooled brown butter.

5. Give it a mix until the batter just comes together.

6. Fold in the sour cream until there are no more streaks and pour the batter into the prepared tin.

7. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

8. Once out of the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes whilst you prepare the maple butter. Add the maple syrup and butter to a small pan and heat until steaming and fully combined. Sprinkle in the flaky sea salt and pour it all straight over the cake.

9. Let the cake cool for another 10-15 minutes before slicing to serve.

For the brown sugar custard:

1. To make the custard, add the milk, cream and vanilla to a saucepan and heat gently until hot, just before the boil.

2. Add the egg yolk, sugar and cornflour to a separate bowl and whisk for a few seconds until smooth.

3. Add a big splash of the hot milk to the eggs, whisking well while you pour. Add the rest of the milk in three stages, whisking after each addition.

4. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook gently over a low heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Once the custard has thickened and is steaming hot, remove from the heat and pour into a jug to serve.

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For someone who professes to love chocolate cake, I haven’t got very many recipes for them on here. There’s my dense and fudgy chocolate cake with coffee creme fraiche for something indulgent to serve after a dinner party. Or my chocolate, toasted coconut & passionfruit layer cake, ideal for when you’ve got the time and effort for a big project bake. Both of these are wonderful in their own right but every now and then, just a good slice of plain cake is all I need.

This week, I’m bringing you something fairly simple but well loved. It’s the sort of chocolate cake you were likely served with school dinners in the UK; a big square of cake with a slightly crisp (over baked?) top, fluffy crumb and a gentle, barely there, cocoa powder flavour. It was almost mandatory for the cake to be served swimming in a river of chocolate custard, which also didn’t taste much of chocolate. The custard was always stone cold by the time you got round to eating it, thickening into a gloop with a thin skin on top. I never minded though. All cake was welcomed and despite it not being my favourite school dessert, it was still a comfort.

The version I’ve got today leans into that cosy nostalgia but with decisively more chocolatey-ness and a jazzed up silky custard infused with all the best spices - cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, ginger, clove along with some milk chocolate for sweetness. It reminds me very much of the chocolate chai you get at Dishoom and is exactly what you want on the wet and grey days we’ve been having.

Enjoy!

Benjamina x

HOT CHOCOLATE SPONGE WITH CHOCOLATE CHAI CUSTARD

I tried a version of this recipe with my usual one bowl chocolate cake method of adding wet ingredients into the dry, bolstered with sour cream and hot coffee. Whilst delicious and fudgy, it wasn’t quite what I was after. I took it back to basics and went for a creaming method; something the dinner ladies would’ve have probably used too, albeit with margarine instead of butter. I do still stir in some hot water which helps to amplify the cocoa powder for more chocolate flavour.

You could skip the spices in the custard to stay close to what this pudding would’ve have been but I think it brings such a fun twist and makes everything even more comforting and indulgent. Serve it hot and add a splash of cold cream because you deserve it. (And for the hypnotic marble effect it creates on top).

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