Rasa Pelham Baking

Cookies for chilly evenings

A selection of homemade cookies arranged in a circular tin lined with parchment paper, featuring various types of cookies including peanut butter and jam cookies.

When it comes to chilly evenings, I love dipping cookies into hot tea and enjoying them like that. I also like the idea of stocking up on homemade sweet treats so I have something ready whenever a sweet craving appears. And cookies are perfect for that!
So that’s exactly what I did today: baked cookies while experimenting with different flavours. I tried pumpkin spice, white chocolate, orange, almond and even matcha. However, my favourite combination turned out to be peanut butter with jam 🙂

A cozy setting featuring a cup of tea and three peanut butter and jam cookies on a blue decorative napkin.

PEANUT BUTTER & JAM COOKIES

  • 200g softened butter
  • 160g peanut butter
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 240g plain flour
  • strawberry jelly (for filling)

1. Gradually add all ingredients into the mixing bowl (except the jelly) and mix until everything is combined well.
2. Add the cookie mixture into the piping bag with the wide round nozzle tip. Then pipe small circles on the tray lined with the baking sheet leaving big enough gaps to expand in between.

Cookie dough being piped onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, forming small circular shapes.

3. Bake at preheated oven 180C for about 13min.

4. Cool on wire rack then spread some jam on the flat side and join two cookies together.

Enjoy!

Rasa xox

Rasa Pelham Baking

Butternut squash cupcakes

Butternut squash cupcakes topped with cinnamon icing, arranged on a black background with red berries and green leaves.

Here’s a little story. Last year at the “Canvas” event I baked autumn themed cupcakes that became everyone’s favourite.

Well… they were not a pumpkin cupcakes. They were actually butternut squash cupcakes. You see, in America pumpkin is much loved for the sweet puddings, but here in UK pumpkin is so hard to find in stores (except Halloween season of course). So I used butternut squash as a substitute! I think it worked well and in fact I grew one in my garden this year.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH CUPCAKES

Makes 12 cupcakes

(for the base)

  • 225g brown caster sugar
  • 115g butter (softened)
  • 2 eggs
  • 215g butternut squash (cored, pealed, cooked and pureed)
  • 125g flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1tsp ground ginger
  • 1tsp ground nutmeg

(for the frosting)

  • 2tsp ground cinnamon
  • 200g soft cheese
  • 50g butter (softened)
  • 400g icing sugar
Sliced butternut squash showing the vibrant orange flesh and seeds on a wooden surface.

1. Cream sugar with butter and gradually combine it with the rest of the ingredients.

2. Spoon the mixture into prepared muffin pan.

A muffin pan filled with unbaked butternut squash cupcake batter in brown paper liners.

3. Bake in preheated 180C oven for 20-25min.

Tray of freshly baked butternut squash cupcakes in brown paper liners, cooling on a black baking sheet.

4. Meanwhile make a frosting by mixing all ingredients into one (butter and cream cheese first).

5. When the cupcakes are baked and cooled, pipe out the frosting in the swirl motion so they look like roses… aww

Close-up of a butternut squash cupcake topped with creamy frosting, styled to resemble a rose, with red berries in the background.

Enjoy autumn!

Rasa 🙂

Rasa Pelham Recipes

Courgette flowers for lunch

Fresh courgette flowers and courgettes arranged on a wooden surface.

I am so blessed to have my dear friend Alex staying over at my home. He always brings the best ideas. The other day, when he saw courgettes growing in my garden, he suggested we eat their flowers.

Naturally, I replied, “Are you insane?”

But he explained that in Italy, where he is from, stuffed courgette flowers are a real delicacy. So I gave it a go, following his mum’s recipe, and I loved them.

The only problem? I only had three flowers that day. I would suggest at least 4–6 per person.

A plate with two fried stuffed courgette flowers, a lemon wedge, and a side of arugula on a wooden surface.

STUFFED COURGETTE FLOWERS

  • 6 flowers
  • 100g cream cheese (with herbs or garlic)
  • 1 egg
  • 100g flour
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • lemon wedge to serve

1. Stuff the flowers with the cream cheese.

Fresh courgette flowers with a spoonful of cream cheese on a wooden cutting board.

2. Whisk the eggs in one bowl and place some flour in another. Dip the courgette flower in the egg and then roll it in the flour.

Fresh courgette flowers on a wooden cutting board, accompanied by a bowl of beaten eggs and a bowl of flour, suggesting preparation for cooking.

3. Heat the oil in the pan and fry stuffed flowers.

Fried stuffed courgette flowers resting in a frying pan.

4. Serve still hot drizzled with lemon!

You must try this out!

Rasa 😉

Rasa Pelham Recipes

Green tea and elderflower ice-cream

A serving of green tea and elderflower ice cream in a decorative cup, garnished with a mint leaf, placed on a textured fabric.

After coming back from San Francisco, where I tasted so many interesting ice-cream flavours, I started experimenting at home. Green tea and elderflower quickly became my favourite combination.

Here is the recipe…

A bowl of green tea and elderflower ice cream with a mint leaf on top, placed on textured napkins.

GREEN TEA AND ELDERFLOWER ICE-CREAM

  • 8 egg yolks
  • 200g sugar
  • 250g full-fat milk
  • 250g double cream
  • 250g elderflower cordial
  • 2 tsp matcha green tea
  1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture becomes pale and creamy.
  2. In a saucepan, gently heat the milk and double cream. Do not let it boil. Reduce the heat and slowly add the egg yolk mixture. Cook on low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). Do not allow it to boil.
  3. Cool the mixture by placing the saucepan in cold water.
  4. Once cooled, stir in the elderflower cordial and matcha. Pour into a container and place in the freezer.
  5. After two hours, scrape down the sides with a fork and mix well. Repeat after another hour or two. Leave to freeze completely.

Have a great week!
Rasa 🙂

Rasa Pelham Baking

Elderflower and poppyseed cake

Tray of assorted baked dishes, including savory tortillas and sweet slices of elderflower and poppyseed cake, all neatly arranged with parchment paper.

As I was packing for our little Peak District road trip, I couldn’t resist baking something for the journey. Long drives somehow demand homemade cake.

This elderflower and poppyseed cake was the winner of the weekend. Light, refreshing and not too lemony, it disappeared faster than anything else. So here is the recipe.

A freshly baked elderflower and poppyseed cake, topped with a glossy glaze and decorated with delicate elderflower blossoms, resting on a wooden surface.

ELDERFLOWER AND POPPYSEED CAKE  (adopted from Peyton and Byrne “British Baking” book)

  • 165 g butter (softened)
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 30g poppyseed
  • finely grated zest of small lemon
  • 1 tbsp elderflower cordal (recipe is here)
  • 1 tsp orange essence
  • 200g flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 140 ml milk

(for decoration)

  • 50g icing sugar
  • 3-4 elderflower cordal
  • poppyseed
  • Elderflower blossoms (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Butter a 900g loaf tin and line the bottom with baking paper.
  2. Beat the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at the time, mixing well after each additions.
  3. Add the poppyseed, lemon zest, elderflower cordial and orange essence and mix through. Gently fold in half of the flour, followed by half the milk, and then the remaining flour and milk until it is all incorporated. Spoon the mixture into your prepared loaf tin.
  4. Bake in the oven for 40-45min or until the cake is firm to touch and skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave it to cool down.
  5. Make the glaze by mixing icing sugar with the Elderflower cordal and brush it on the cooled cake. Sprinkle it with poppyseed and Elderflower blossoms.
A close-up of a sliced Elderflower and Poppyseed Cake topped with elderflower blossoms, showcasing its moist texture and golden-brown crust.

I am sure you will enjoy this cake!
Rasa 😉

Rasa Pelham Preserving

Elderflower cordial

A jar of elderflower cordal with a strawberry floating inside, placed on a checkered cloth decorated with flowers.

As mentioned on last post, I made cordial from the Elderflowers I collected by the river Lea. The recipe is below.

ELDERFLOWER CORDAL

  • 20 heads freshly picked elderflowers
  • 1.30kg sugar
  • 1l water
  • 2 lemons
  • 60g citric acid or lemon salt (I bought mine in one of the Turkish shops in London)

1. Cut the flowers and place them in large bowl or saucepan.

A stainless steel pot filled with freshly picked elderflowers, sitting on a wooden surface.

2. Add sliced lemons and citric acid

A large pot filled with freshly picked elderflowers and sliced lemons arranged on top.

3. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the sugar and water until it boils and then allow to boil for about 5 minutes to form a thin syrup.

A person stirring a wooden spoon in a pot of liquid, likely syrup, on a stovetop.

4. When the syrup is ready, remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature before pouring over the flowers. Cover and leave for at least 24 hours before straining (I left it for two days).

A large bowl filled with freshly picked elderflowers and sliced lemons, resting on a wooden surface.

5. Sterilise your jars by heating them in 180C oven for 5 minutes. Pour strained cordal into the jars. This should keep for up to a year. Serve with water or anything else that you come up with. I dropped some strawberries into mine!

A bottle of elderflower cordial labeled with decorative text, placed next to a glass jar filled with the cordial and fresh strawberries, arranged on a checkered cloth.
A jar of elderflower cordal surrounded by fresh strawberries on a checkered cloth.

There are so many uses for Elderflower cordal such as jelly or poppyseed cake. I am defiantly trying baking with it sometime soon! Let me know if you tried anything interesting with it yet 😉

Rasa xo