Brunching and Lunching

With the sudden realisation of how quickly my time in Newcastle is going, I promised myself that I would make the most of this year. 

Until recently I've always thought that Newcastle only really has the generic, chain cafes and restaurants. Admittedly, the unique places are well hidden, however they're definitely worth the search. 

This week I've had my fair share of brunching and lunching, starting at Olive and Bean. 

'Olive and Bean is a coffee shop, bespoke sandwich bar and delicatessen all rolled into one'

Escaping from the library, Becca and I went to Olive and Bean for lunch. With an extensive menu, we were spoilt for choice and the decision was hard. I settled for the homemade humous, falafel and sun-blushed tomato salad and it did not disappoint.

The selection of sweet treats was too much. Cakes, tiffin, brownies, cheesecake - they had it all. As always, our eyes were far bigger than our stomachs. Not letting anything go to waste, we resorted to taking doggy bags home!

Next was birthday brunch at Jam Jar in Jesmond. Having been for dinner before, I had no doubt that brunch would be equally as good. Serving full english, pancakes and eggs florentine, Jam Jar is the perfect wake up call. 

Last up was lunch at ARLO, also in Jesmond. This bistro and cafe is a real hidden beauty. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, ARLO is decorated in a quirky yet quaint way. 

This was the perfect way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon. Catering for all, the lunch menu offers soup, sandwiches, quiche, salads and more. Make sure you leave room for the amazing cakes!

The Sloppy Lola 

Toulouse sausage Bolognese, toasted ciabatta, melted cheddar, salad & crisps

Crumbled Feta, Hummus, Sun blushed Tomato and Roast Vegetable Soft Open Tortilla

Afternoon Tea

If all had gone to plan I'd be in Budapest right now. Instead, I am in rainy cold England for my last week of 'summer' before heading back to uni. 

Unfortunately, my friend Becca got severe fest flu post Bestival so we couldn't go on our mini break. We were obviously both very disappointed so decided to plan some fun days out to make up for it.

Thorpe Park was first on the agenda taking us back to our childhood days. 

Following the adrenalin filled day, we then headed to the Spa for a day of relaxation and pampering. We managed to get a great deal for the Harte & Garter Spa in Windsor. Having never been before we weren't sure what to expect as the deal seemed too good to be true! 

We made full use of the Thermal Suite, detoxing in the Sauna, Steam room and Hydropool. Both of us also had a neck, back and shoulder massage which was amazing.

On top of all of this, we were treated to afternoon tea and champagne in The Tower Brasserie. Just what we needed to complete a lovely day leaving us feeling very full!

Courgette, Walnut and Cinnamon Layer Cake

The sun has officially disappeared and winter is approaching, fast. 

All this depressing weather calls for one thing only - comfort food. With this in mind, I figured that this cake would be the ultimate cure for my summertime sadness. 

At the beginning of the year my friend Beanie set herself the a challenge - to bake the entire Hummingbird Bakery 'Cake Days' recipe book. With 110 recipes and 52 weeks in a year, it is quite a task but you can't exactly complain when you're baking cakes as good as this one... 

You will need:

For the sponge:

- 3 large eggs

- 300ml sunflower oil

- 300g soft light brown sugar

- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 

- 300g plain flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 300g peeled and grated courgettes

- 100g walnuts, roughly chopped (plus extra halves to decorate)

For the frosting:

- 160g unsalted butter, softened 

- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

- 500g icing sugar

- 50g plain Greek yoghurt

(We reduced the quantities for the frosting as the original recipe makes quite a lot)

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C and line three 20cm diameter loose-bottomed sandwich tins with baking parchment.

Mix together the eggs, sunflower oil, sugar and vanilla essence until the are all combined.

Sift together the flour, baking power, bicarbonate of soda and the ground spices. Gradually add this to the wet mixture, beating well. 

Lastly, add the courgettes and chopped walnuts to the batter, mixing them in thoroughly.The courgettes are definitely the secret ingredient to this cake, they add great moisture, texture and colour. 

Divide the cake batter evenly between the three prepared cake tins and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden. 

 Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Whilst the cakes are cooling, you can make the frosting. Mix together the butter, cinnamon and icing sugar. Add the yoghurt and mix on a low speed until all the ingredients are combined then increase the speed and beat until the icing is light and fluffy.

Once fully cooled, spread the frosting on each layer sandwiching the three cakes together. Use the remaining icing for the top and sides of the cake. 

To finish, dust with cinnamon and decorate with walnut halves. 

Follow Beanie's bakes and the rest of her baking challenge on http://beaniesbakes.blogspot.co.uk

Enjoy!

Nutella Banana Bread

Simply delicious.

Banana bread has always been a favourite of mine, it's so simple yet so yummy. 

But, the addition of Nutella takes your average banana bread to the next level. 

Take my word for it, I promise it won't let you down.

Before you start-

Make sure you use very ripe bananas, green bananas don't work.

I doubled the recipe to make two large loafs, however you can making mini loaves works well and is a good way to keep the cake perfectly moist.

Ready, set, cook.

Recipe adapted from hungrybrownie

You will need:

- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

- 3/4 cups sugar

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed

- 1/4 cup plain yogurt

- 2 large eggs, beaten

- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

- 1 cup chocolate chips, milk/white 

- 1/2 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan or 4 mini loaf pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine mashed bananas with the yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla extract. 

Slowly add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until well incorporated. 

Once mixed, stir in the chocolate chips to the mixture. 

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the Nutella for about 20 seconds or until softened.

Divide half of the banana batter among the prepared loaf pans. 

Spoon some Nutella batter over the banana batter, swirling them together with a knife. 

Repeat the process by evenly dividing the banana batter and nutella batter among the loaf pans. Add more Nutella on top if necessary.

Bake for about 60 minutes if baking in a large rectangular tin. Mini loaves will only need half the time. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, excluding the hot melted nutella.

Cool completely before slicing and serving - enjoy!