Fern - Author - vo.rs

Dark Hot Chocolate with Chilli and Sea Salt

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

This is hot chocolate for grown-ups: thick enough to coat the spoon, made with real dark chocolate rather than powder alone. A whisper of dried chilli builds a gentle warmth at the back of the throat, while a pinch of flaky sea salt sharpens the cocoa and stops it turning sickly. Cinnamon rounds it all off. It is rich, so small mugs are wise.

1 Ingredients

Serves 2.

400ml whole milk
100ml double cream
120g dark chocolate (70%), finely chopped
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
0.25 tsp ground cinnamon
1 small pinch of dried chilli flakes, or to taste
1 small pinch of flaky sea salt, plus extra to finish
0.5 tsp vanilla extract

2 Method

Warm the milk and cream together in a saucepan over a medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
Whisk in the cocoa powder, brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth and lump-free.
Add the finely chopped dark chocolate and whisk gently until fully melted and glossy.
Stir in the chilli flakes and a small pinch of flaky sea salt, then taste and adjust the heat and salt to your liking.
Add the vanilla and whisk well to a thick, even consistency.
Keep over a low heat for a further minute, whisking, until silky and slightly thickened. Do not let it boil.
Pour into two mugs and finish each with a tiny extra pinch of flaky sea salt.

3 The Story

Long before chocolate became a sweet, it was a drink, and a savoury, spiced one at that. The cacao tree is native to the Americas, and the peoples of Mesoamerica, including the Maya and later the Aztecs, prepared cacao as a bitter, frothy beverage. Ground cacao was whisked with water and flavoured with ingredients such as chilli, vanilla and maize, then poured from height between vessels to raise a foam. It was prized enough that cacao beans were used as a form of currency, and the drink held ceremonial and everyday importance alike.

Brown Butter Scones

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

A good scone is a quick triumph, and browning the butter first turns a familiar bake into something quietly more interesting. The toasted, nutty notes carry right through the crumb, deepening the flavour without making the scones heavy or rich. They still rise tall and pull apart in flaky layers, ready for clotted cream and jam. Best eaten warm, the day they are made.

1 Ingredients

Makes 8.

100g unsalted butter
450g self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
1 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp fine salt
50g caster sugar
175ml whole milk, cold
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp milk, to glaze

2 Method

Brown the butter in a small pan over a medium heat, swirling, until the milk solids turn golden and it smells nutty. Pour into a bowl and chill until solid.
Heat the oven to 200C fan and line a baking tray.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a large bowl.
Coarsely grate or rub the cold browned butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Beat the cold milk, whole egg and vanilla together, then stir into the dry mixture with a knife to form a soft, shaggy dough. Do not knead it.
Tip onto a floured surface and pat out to about 3cm thick, then fold in half and pat out again; this builds the layers.
Cut straight down with a 6cm cutter, pressing without twisting so the scones rise evenly.
Place them close together on the tray, almost touching, which helps them rise tall.
Brush the tops only with the egg-yolk glaze, keeping it off the sides so the layers can lift.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until well risen and deeply golden. Cool slightly before splitting and serving.

3 The Story

The scone is one of Britain’s most argued-over baked goods, from how to pronounce its name to the proper order of cream and jam. Its origins are usually placed in Scotland, where early versions were large, flat griddle cakes cut into wedges and cooked on a hot stone or pan rather than in an oven. The word itself is often linked to the Stone of Scone, the ancient coronation stone, though the connection is more poetic than proven. Over time the scone shrank, rose, and moved indoors to the oven, becoming the small, light bake that anchors an afternoon tea.

Orange Tiramisu (Eggless)

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Tiramisu is built on coffee and cream, and this version brightens both with orange. Zest stirred through the mascarpone and a splash of juice in the coffee soak lift the whole pudding, cutting the richness with a clean citrus note. It is also eggless, so the cream is whipped rather than built on raw yolks, making it safe for everyone and reliably silky. Make it the day before; it only improves overnight.

Salted-Caramel Apple Crumble with an Oat-Almond Topping

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

A proper apple crumble is hard to beat, but a layer of salted caramel poured over the fruit takes it somewhere special. The caramel melts into the apples as they soften, turning the juices glossy and rich, while the flaky sea salt keeps it from cloying. Up top, oats and flaked almonds give the crumble a deeper crunch than flour and butter alone. Serve it hot with cold custard or vanilla ice cream.

Basque Burnt Cheesecake

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

This is the cheesecake that broke all the rules and won everyone over. No biscuit base, no water bath, no anxious checking for cracks; instead it is baked fierce and fast until the top scorches to a deep mahogany. The reward is a molten, almost custardy centre under a bittersweet, caramelised crown. It is genuinely one of the easiest impressive puddings going.

1 Ingredients

Serves 10.

900g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
300g caster sugar
5 large eggs
400ml double cream
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
0.25 tsp fine salt

2 Method

Heat the oven to 220C fan and line a deep 23cm springform tin with two overlapping sheets of baking paper, leaving the edges standing well proud of the rim.
Beat the room-temperature cream cheese with the sugar until completely smooth, scraping down the bowl as you go.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the salt and vanilla.
Pour in the double cream and mix until silky and pourable.
Sift over the flour and fold it through gently until no streaks remain.
Pour the batter into the lined tin and tap it firmly on the worktop a few times to release trapped air.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is deeply browned, almost burnt, and the centre still wobbles dramatically when you nudge the tin.
Leave to cool fully in the tin at room temperature; it will sink and set as it cools.
Serve at room temperature for a molten middle, or lightly chilled for a firmer slice. Peel back the paper just before cutting.

3 The Story

The burnt cheesecake takes its name and form from La Vina, a bar in the old town of San Sebastian in the Basque Country of northern Spain. There, a crustless, deeply caramelised cheesecake has been served by the slice for decades, baked tall in paper-lined tins and browned far beyond what most cooks would dare. For years it was a regional speciality, known to those who passed through the pintxos bars of the city but little discussed elsewhere.

Carrot Cake with Browned-Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Carrot cake is comfort baking at its best: damp, deeply spiced and forgiving. The twist here is in the frosting. Instead of plain cream cheese, the butter is browned first, lending a toasty, almost butterscotch note that flatters the cinnamon in the sponge. A scatter of candied walnuts on top adds glassy crunch against the soft crumb.

1 Ingredients

Serves 12.

250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
0.5 tsp fine salt
300g soft light brown sugar
4 medium eggs
300ml sunflower oil
300g carrots, finely grated
100g walnuts, roughly chopped
100g caster sugar (for the candied walnuts)
100g unsalted butter (for the frosting)
300g full-fat cream cheese, cold
150g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Method

Heat the oven to 170C fan and line two 20cm sandwich tins.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt in a large bowl.
In a second bowl, whisk the brown sugar, eggs and oil until smooth, then fold in the grated carrots and chopped walnuts.
Combine the wet and dry mixtures gently, divide between the tins and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely in the tins, then turn out.
For the candied walnuts, melt the caster sugar in a dry pan over a medium heat until amber. Stir through a handful of walnut halves, tip onto baking paper and leave to set, then break into shards.
Brown the butter in a small pan over a medium heat, swirling, until it smells nutty and the milk solids turn golden. Pour into a bowl and chill until solid but still soft.
Beat the browned butter with the icing sugar and vanilla until pale, then add the cold cream cheese and beat just until smooth. Do not overwork it or it will loosen.
Sandwich the cooled sponges with a third of the frosting, then cover the top and sides with the rest. Crown with the candied walnut shards before serving.

3 The Story

Carrot cake belongs to a long tradition of using vegetables to sweeten and moisten baked goods, a practical habit that stretches back to medieval European cooks who prized carrots for their natural sugar when other sweeteners were scarce and expensive. The cake as it is known today, plush with oil and warm spices, became a fixture in American home baking through the twentieth century and travelled comfortably across the Atlantic, where it sits happily alongside the British love of a moist, spiced tray bake.

Olive Oil Lemon Drizzle Cake with Thyme

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Lemon drizzle is a teatime classic, but this loaf swaps butter for fruity extra-virgin olive oil, giving a remarkably moist, tender crumb that stays fresh for days. The twist beyond the oil is a whisper of fresh thyme rubbed into the sugar, which adds a subtle, savoury, herbal note that flatters the lemon rather than overpowering it. A tart sugar drizzle soaked into the warm cake provides that signature crunchy, zingy top. It is elegant enough for guests yet simple enough for a quiet afternoon.

Herby Falafel with Tahini Sauce

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

A great falafel is crisp and deeply browned on the outside but vividly green and fluffy within, and the secret to that lies in a generous quantity of fresh herbs blitzed right into the mixture. Parsley, coriander and dill keep the centre fragrant and almost springlike. Alongside comes a lemony tahini sauce, nutty and tangy, for drizzling and dipping. Made from soaked dried chickpeas rather than tinned, these fry up light and shatteringly crisp every time.

Tahini-Swirl Espresso Brownies

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

These brownies are unashamedly fudgy, glossy on top and deeply chocolatey, with two grown-up touches that lift them well beyond the usual tray bake. A spoonful of espresso powder in the batter sharpens and amplifies the chocolate without tasting of coffee, while a marbled swirl of tahini ribbons through with a nutty, faintly bitter richness. The contrast is what makes them moreish. Bake until only just set, then chill for the dense, truffle-like centre that defines a proper brownie.

Miso and Dark Chocolate Banana Bread

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Banana bread is the loaf everyone reaches for when the fruit bowl turns spotty, but this one has a secret in the crumb. A couple of spoonfuls of white miso melt into the batter, deepening the sweetness with a gentle, savoury, almost caramel saltiness that makes people ask what is in it. Add dark chocolate chunks that turn molten in the oven and you have a loaf that is moist, rich and quietly sophisticated. It keeps brilliantly, and is arguably even better on the second day.