Slow Saturday mornings are perfect for baking—a little respite from the ups and downs of the week—and a moment for self-care and solitude in the kitchen. Despite our two clockwork kids waking up at 6 a.m., weekends still affect differently. Without the hustle and bustle of the demanding workday, it’s time to set in motion intentions for the pleasure of a food-filled weekend—or so I hope!
A good starting point is to choose something easy to bake. The process of weighing the ingredients, pulling out the stand mixer, and setting up the oven can be meditative in itself, especially paired with the right podcasts and coffee.
One of the easiest cakes I make comes from Sweden. It is kladdkaka, almost every Swedish child learns to make a cake because it relies on pantry baking ingredients and it is very hard to mess up. The result is a batter that’s something you’d find in a cake-mix box, but results in a surprisingly sticky and soggy interior.
You can find it in most cafes in Sweden sprinkled with icing sugar and served with a dollop of whipped cream. This is the ideal cut-and-again cake for the weekend and will stay moist for a few days. I make this a layered cake too, and it works surprisingly well with cream-cheese frosting to take away the sweetness. Take this recipe and make it your own.
Another adaptable recipe I revisit on my weekend baking mornings is the one I use for muffins. The eggs and sugar are whipped until frothy before adding the melted butter, milk, and dry ingredients, giving you a basic mix that can have a variety of flavor combinations.
The version I’m sharing here roasts strawberries with a little white chocolate in the oven, giving you an irresistible, sticky, syrupy mixture that’s delicious over ice cream, but what makes this basic muffin recipe something special. gives. Pour oat streusel crumble mix over them and drizzle with white chocolate to make them even more appealing.
Lastly, should your baking expertise reach the lofty heights of mere rice crunchy buns (no judgment here), you may want to try the Peanut Butter Caramel Bar I shared this week.
Swedish Kladdkaka
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Swedish Kladka. Pictured: Donal Skehan
Serves: 8 Time: 40 mins
Component
100 g butter, plus extra for greasing
200 grams castor sugar
2 large free-range eggs
70 grams plain flour, plus extra for dusting
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
icing sugar, for dusting
Whipped Cream, for serving
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a 10-inch cake tin with a removable base, dust with flour and keep aside.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat, add sugar and eggs and mix well. Add flour, cocoa and vanilla and mix.
3. Pour into the prepared cake tin and place in the oven for 20 minutes. The cake won’t rise as dramatically but you should be left with a set top and a gooey middle.
4. Serve in slices with icing sugar and a little whipped cream.
Roasted Strawberry and White Chocolate Streusel Muffins
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Roasted Strawberry and White Chocolate Streusel Muffins. Pictured: Donal Skehan
Makes: 12 muffins Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
100 g butter, melted
200 min. Li.) Milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 large free-range eggs
150 grams castor sugar
250 grams plain flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
For the Roasted Strawberries and White Chocolate:
500 g strawberries, halved and peeled
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
100 g white chocolate, roughly chopped
For Topping:
75 grams plain flour
75 g jumbo oat flakes
75 grams light-brown sugar
100 g cold butter, cut into pieces
100 g white chocolate, chopped
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
2. Place strawberries in roasting tin and sprinkle with dark brown sugar. Scatter white chocolate over strawberries. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes until the strawberries are reduced and syrupy and the white chocolate is golden. Remove from oven and leave to cool completely.
3. To make the crumb topping, in a large bowl, take all purpose flour, oats, light brown sugar and butter. Using your fingers, rub all the ingredients together until it resembles chunky breadcrumbs. Cover and keep in the fridge while making muffins.
4. Line a muffin tray with paper cases.
5. In a measuring jug, whisk the butter, milk and vanilla bean paste and set aside.
6. In a standalone mixer, beat eggs with sugar until light and fluffy.
7. Pour in liquid mixture and whisk until combined.
8. Fold the flour until lightly combined. Stir through cooled, roasted strawberries and white chocolate until just combined. Be sure not to overmix the batter to allow for a nice swirl of strawberries in the finished muffins.
9. Carefully spoon the mixture into the paper cases all the way up to the top. Sprinkle liberally with the crumble topping and place in the oven to cook for 15–20 minutes and until lightly browned on top.
10. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. When cool, place the white chocolate in a bowl over a small simmering saucepan of water and allow to melt gently. Drizzle over cold muffins and let set before serving.
Peanut Butter Caramel Bars
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Peanut Butter Caramel Bars. Pictured: Donal Skehan
Makes: 12 Bars Time: 35 minutes + Chilling time
To fill:
250 g smooth peanut butter
150 grams castor sugar
250 ml Golden syrup
150 g Special K Flakes
50 grams Rice Krispies
100 grams coconut flakes
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the Caramel Layer:
1 x 397 g tin can of condensed milk
200 g butter
3 tablespoons castor sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
For Topping:
200 grams milk chocolate
100 grams white chocolate
50 g salted peanuts, finely chopped
Method
1. In a saucepan, over low heat, melt the peanut butter, sugar, and golden syrup together until smooth and smooth.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine Special K Flakes, Rice Krispies, Flaked Coconut and Vanilla Bean Paste. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir using a wooden spoon until everything is well combined.
3. Invert mixture into 2-inch-deep baking dish and spread evenly, pressing with back of spoon.
4. For the caramel layer, put the condensed milk, butter, castor sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and melt over medium heat until the castor sugar dissolves. Shake frequently to prevent anything from catching on.
5. After the sugar dissolves, increase the flame to high and let the mixture come to a boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes, again stirring continuously so that it does not get stuck.
6. The mixture will be ready when it has turned slightly dark golden in color and has become thick in soft fudge texture.
7. Pour caramel over the Rice Krispies layer and cool in the fridge.
8. Once set, place the white chocolate in a bowl over a small, simmering saucepan of water and allow to melt gently. Do the same with the milk chocolates, keep them aside. Pour over the melted milk chocolate and whisk in the white chocolate. Sprinkle on top of some peanuts and put in the fridge for a few hours until solid.
9. Once ready, cut the bar into pieces and serve.
