If summer desserts are all about being light, spongy, and delicate, fall desserts are a little heftier and more substantial. If you’re looking to please a crowd, whip out one of these desserts.
Chocolate And Cherry Sponge
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of plain flour
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ¾ cup of butter
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
- 1 cup of cherries, pitted
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon of cherry liqueur
- 1 cup of fresh cream, whipped
Instructions:
- Make the sponge first. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, mix, and then add in the eggs. Whisk until it forms a smooth batter. Pour into a lined cake tin, and bake for 25 minutes in an oven heated to 350°F.
- Meanwhile, chop the cherries into small pieces. Heat them in a pan, once they release some liquid, add the maple syrup. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the cherries start to break down. Add the cherry liqueur to the pan, stir through and then remove from the heat.
- Top the cooked sponge with the cream, followed by the cherry mix. Slice and serve straight away.
Pear and Apple Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of plain flour
- ½ cup of butter, diced
- 3 tablespoons milk
- Pinch of salt
- 2 apples
- 2 pears
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
Instructions:
- First, make the pastry. In a large bowl, rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips. It should resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the salt.
- Gradually add the milk, beginning with 1 tablespoon. Form a dough with the mix, and shape it into a disc. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- While the pastry is chilling, chop the apples and pears into chunks. Heat them in a heavy-based saucepan, until the fruit starts to soften. In a separate pan, heat the butter and stir the maple syrup through it. Once the fruit is cooked, pour the maple butter over the fruit.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge, cut out a circle for the top of the pie. Place the remainder of the pastry in a pie tin. Blind bake it for 7 minutes, in an oven heated to 350°F. Add the fruit mix, cover with the pastry circle, brush this with milk, and then bake in the oven for a further 20 minutes. The pastry should be golden when it comes out of the oven.
