{Recipe} Apple Cinnamon Speculoos Loaf // Crunchy Chocolate or Matcha Green Tea Brownies // Lemon Curd

 Apple Cinnamon Loaf with Speculoos Filling

Ingredients:

225g sugar
230g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1.5 cups cake flour

2 tsp cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
3 medium apples, chopped into slices/chunks (I used Granny Smith)

100g speculoos spread

30g butter

Method:

1. Melt speculoos spread and butter, mix well. 

2. Chill in the fridge for it to harden.

3. Preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease and flour a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
4. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and pale in color.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Then add in the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate.
6. Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt evenly. Alternately add the milk and dry ingredients into the butter mixture, stopping to scrape the bowl as necessary. Fold in chopped apples.
7. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, add the hardened speculoos before pouring the rest of the batter. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula. You can put some apple slices on top and sprinkle cinnamon sugar.

6. Bake for 45minutes or until tooth inserted near center comes out clean.

Crunchy Brownies (Chocolate/Matcha)

Chocolate Brownies

Modified from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet

Ingredients:

140g unsalted butter
180g sugar
65g Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt 

 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
65g all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (75 grams) walnut or pecan or chocolate chips (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 165°C.  Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. 

2. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water.  

3. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

4. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

5. Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, about 18-20 minutes.

6. Let cool completely on a rack.

Matcha Green Tea Brownies

Modified from here

Ingredients:

   113g unsalted butter
    1 cup white chocolate chips
    2 eggs
    1 cup flour
    ¼ cup matcha green tea powder

Method:

   1. Preheat oven to 170C. Grease and line a 8x8 baking pan.

2. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and white chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Let cool.

   3. Add eggs and matcha powder to the bowl and stir on low until combined.

    4. Add flour and keep mixing until just incorporated.

    5. Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.

   6. Bake until edges are lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.

7. Cool pan on a wire rack.

 

For the crunchy top,

Simply melt Nutella/Speculoos/Peanut Butter/your favourite spread and stir in crushed cornflakes or rice krispies. Then spread it on the brownies and let it set in the fridge :)

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
80g sugar
3 egg yolks
1 egg
a pinch of salt
50g unsalted butter

Method:

1. Whisk yolks, egg and sugar together in a stove until combined

2. Whisk in lemon juice.

3. Heat stove under low heat and whisk constantly for 8 - 10 mins or until curd starts to coat the back of a wooden spatula/spoon. 

4. Remove stove from the heat and whisk in butter. Transfer curd to a bowl and let cool.

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