This time, I would be working with the new Microplane Limited Edition Neon Yellow Premium Classic Zester and the new Microplane Adjustable V-Blade Slicer with Julienne Feature. As soon as I saw them I knew I wanted to do something with root vegetables and freshly grated nutmeg and so the idea came to me for a Parsnip & Pecan Loaf. Beautifully warming, packed with parsnip and chopped pecans, nutmeg and maple syrup. This recipe is a sure winner this winter.

I’ve always been a little weary of Julienne slicers, mainly because I’m sometimes a little clumsy, but I was so pleased to also receive a Microplane Cut-Resistant Glove to keep me safe. It felt like chain mail! I will also say, the V-Blade Slicer felt incredibly safe. The blade is tucked away nicely and the cutting plate on top (that can be easily switched around to give you normal slices and Julienne slices) was very sturdy and I felt very safe using it. The sharp blades made easy work of the tough parsnips, slicing them swiftly and elegantly into thin pieces, perfect for this loaf recipe.

The Zester as well, has a quality weight to it, with a bright eye catching neon yellow handle and long, sleek features, it made grating fresh nutmeg effortless. I much prefer to grate nutmeg myself as I find it has a deeper flavour and the smell is just incredible and this Zester was perfect for the job.

Check out the bottom of the page for details on how you can win your own Microplane Limited Edition Neon Yellow Premium Classic Zester and Microplane Adjustable V-Blade Slicer with Julienne Feature!

So! Let’s get baking!

Ingredients;

• 200g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 200g parsnips
• 75g pecans (with a little extra for the topping)
• Fresh nutmeg
• 50ml maple syrup
• 2 medium free range eggs
• 150ml sunflower oil
• 150g light brown sugar

Method;

• Firstly, using a zester or fine grater, grate the fresh nutmeg until you have about ½ a teaspoon of it. Put this to one side.
• Next, top and tail the parsnips, peel them and then using the Julienne blade, slice into rough small pieces.
• Mix together the light brown sugar, sunflower oil and eggs.
• Add in the grated parsnips and maple syrup and mix.
• Add in the plain flour, baking powder and fresh grated nutmeg and mix again.
• Finally mix in the chopped pecans.
• Pour this into a bottom-lined and greased 1lb loaf tin and bake at 140C (fan assisted) for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
• Leave to cool completely before decorating.

I’ve made a maple buttercream to top my loaf but feel free to use any topping you like. A cream cheese frosting would also go well and you can find my recipe for that here.

Maple Syrup Buttercream

Ingredients;

• 100g unsalted butter
• 200g icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Method;

• Cream the butter on it’s own for a few minutes.
• Add in the icing sugar and mix well.
• Add in the maple syrup and mix on a high speed until soft and creamy.

To decorate;

Once the loaf has cooled, spread on a layer of maple syrup buttercream. Top with chopped pecans and a little more freshly grated nutmeg.

Once your cake is made, store in an airtight container. This bake will last 3-4 days. 

I’ve loved partnering with Microplane again. The V-Blade Slicer and Neon Zester are so brilliant to bake with. Super sharp while also being very safe. They feel well made, great quality and would make a wonderful addition to any kitchen.

For more about Microplane, check out their website here – http://microplaneintl.com

Happy baking!

Britt xo

Competition Details

For your chance to win your very own Microplane Limited Edition Neon Yellow Premium Classic Zester and Microplane Adjustable V-Blade Slicer with Julienne Feature simply follow the instructions below.

The Instagram winner will be chosen at random from someone who follows my Instagram page instagram.com/brittmariebox and Microplane’s Instagram page www.instagram.com/microplaneintl and tags a friend on my Instagram post. 

You may only enter once on Instagram.

Best of luck!

Britt xo

And now for the terms & conditions:

– The competition starts at 6:30pm on Monday 7th December 2020

– The competition closes at 9pm on Wednesday 9th December 2020

– The competition is only open to UK mainland entrants.

– The winners can not transfer the prizes and there is no cash alternative.

– The competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook or Instagram.

– The winners will be chosen at random and the decision is final.

– The winners will be notified within the week after the competition ends.

– The prizes must be claimed within a month after the winners’ announcement. After that time the prizes will be reallocated if unclaimed.

– The prizes will be posted out directly from Microplane International in January of 2021.

The post Parsnip & Pecan Loaf appeared first on She Who Bakes.

To create this loaf, I’ve used with Microplane Master Series Zester and Microplane Professional Peeler and they made baking a breeze! The super sharp blades made light work of peeling the carrots, getting it done fast and effectively with minimal effort. Meanwhile the zester was by far, the easiest I’ve ever used. The oranges and lemon rinds were precisely cut meaning I got all of the tasty zest and none of the sharp, bitter pith that can really affect your baking. 

You can really feel the quality using these products and it’s east to see why Microplane are the grating specialist! I also love the backstory of Microplane;

“The big moment came in 1994, when a Canadian housewife was making an orange cake. Out of frustration that her grater was tearing and shredding, she commandeered one of her husband’s favourite woodworking tools from his workshop. The blade slid effortlessly across the orange and the zest fell from its surface like snowflakes. The discovery laid the foundation for the creation of Microplane® kitchen graters and an entire line of revolutionary graters was born.”

What can I say, as a Canadian myself, I can really get behind a Canadian idea. Haha! 

Check out the bottom of the page for details on how you can win your own Microplane Master Series Zester and Microplane Professional Peeler!

So now we have the right tools, let’s get baking!

Ingredients;

• 150ml sunflower oil
• 225g self raising flour
• 150g light brown sugar
• 200g grated carrots
• 2 eggs
• 60g chopped walnuts
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsps cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• Zest of 2 oranges
• Zest of 1 lemon

Method;

1. Beat the eggs briefly until mixed well.
2. Add in the sunflower oil and light brown sugar and mix until combined.
3. Mix in the grated carrots and the zests.
4. Add in the self raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and mixed spice.
5. Finally mix in the chopped walnuts.
6. Pour into a lined and greased loaf tin and bake at 140C (fan assisted) for 1 hour 20 minutes.
7. Leave to cool completely before frosting.

I think a cream cheese frosting compliments this bake perfectly but feel free to use any topping you wish. Buttercream would also work well.

Cream cheese frosting

Ingredients;

• 180g full fat cream cheese
• 50g unsalted butter
• 500g icing sugar

Method;

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese until soft.
2. Add in the icing sugar and mix well.
3. Once smooth, spread onto your loaf.
4. Top with jelly orange and lemon slices (optional).

Once your cake is made, store in an airtight container. This bake will last 3-4 days. 

I’ve loved working with Microplane on this recipe. The peeler and zester are the best I’ve ever used. So sharp, making them so easy to work with but expertly designed so I never felt I was going to slice off my hand (which, I’d like to point out I’ve done MANY times when using generic graters for baking, maybe not sliced off my hand but hurt myself that’s for sure!).

For more about Microplane, check out their website here – http://microplaneintl.com

Happy baking!

Britt xo

COMPETITION DETAILS

For you chance to win your very own Microplane Master Series Zester and Microplane Professional Peeler 

The Facebook winner will be chosen at random from someone who likes my Facebook page http://facebook.com/shewhobakes and Microplane’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Microplane/ and answers the competition question on my Facebook page. 

You may only enter once on Facebook.

Best of luck!

Britt xo

And now for the terms & conditions:

– The competition starts at 6pm on 22nd November 2019

– The competition closes at 9pm on 24th November 2019

– The competition is only open to UK mainland entrants.

– The winners can not transfer the prizes and there is no cash alternative.

– The competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook or Instagram.

– The winners will be chosen at random and the decision is final.

– The winners will be notified within the week after the competition ends.

– The prizes must be claimed within a month after the winners’ announcement. After that time the prizes will be reallocated if unclaimed.

– The prizes will be posted out directly from Microplane International.

This is a paid partnership with Microplane. All views and opinions are my own.

The post Carrot, Cinnamon & Citrus Loaf appeared first on She Who Bakes.

This year, I went for slightly less traditional pumpkin carvings going for a few of my favourite things; a unicorn, a cupcake and the Deathly Hallows (shout out to all the Harry Potter fans).

With all of these lovely pumpkins I had lots of lovely pumpkin seeds hanging around. I usually just roast them but this time I wanted to get a little experimental, so I divided them into two bowls and flavoured one sweet with pumpkin spices and brown sugar and one savoury with salt, pepper and paprika and I tell you now, they were delicious!

As they were an experiment they weren’t going to get an official write up but it’s been requested of me by a few people on social media so here it is! Enjoy!

Sweet Pumpkin Seeds

• 250g pumpkin seeds (from 2 medium pumpkins)
• 50g melted butter
• 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Spice
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar

Savoury Pumpkin Seeds

• 250g pumpkin seeds (from 2 medium pumpkins)
• 50g melted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Method;

1. Detangle the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkins
2. Wash them well and dry them on kitchen towel
3. If making both flavours, split into two bowls (or put in one bowl for the one flavour)
4. Pour in the melted butter and mix well
5. Add in the dry ingredients depending on your flavour
6. Spread into a single layer on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper or foil
7. Bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes
8. Leave to cool slightly and enjoy!

The savoury ones are great warm on a salad and the sweet ones are delicious on their own or in a flapjack recipe or to top granola! Get creative with your flavours. The possibilities are endless!

Give it a try and let me know how you get on either on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram.

Happy Halloween and happy baking!

Britt xo

The post Roasted Pumpkin Seeds appeared first on She Who Bakes.