'It's obvious, but in autumn I love cooking with pumpkins - I like to show people that pumpkin is both for sweet and savoury,' says Annie Mae Herring. 'And basically anything apple-y - squash it down to make an apple butter and add it to pancakes and waffles.' We've only been chatting for a few minutes, but already I'm starting to feel hungry.
But that wouldn't come as a surprise to her 131,000-plus followers on Instagram, where she's known as @theculinarybee. Annie, who lives in Sprowston with her husband and two children, trained with the prestigious Leiths school of cookery online during lockdown.
Food is her absolute passion, which she shares through her gorgeous recipes. Recently on her (aptly named) feed she's been taking a virtual tour of the British isles, where she's cooked steamed apple and golden syrup pudding inspired by the orchards where she grew up and Paddington's bread and butter pudding, which, as you might expect, involves marmalade.
Food has always been important to her. 'My family are of Portuguese, Danish, Austrian and Irish heritage, big food cultures,' she says. 'Sitting down with people and eating and talking and sharing stories is so important to me, and I want to share that. And food is memory too - if I eat a schnitzel or a strudel, I think of my Austrian nan.'
Annie first moved to Norwich for university - where she would whip up pasta dishes for her friends after a night out.
'Norwich is so historical and whimsical and the food is so brilliant - you've got the asparagus, the Cromer crab, vineyards. Cafe 33 in Norwich which does an amazing nanwich and savoury French toast...'
Annie loves giving dishes her own twist. You might think of focaccia bread as being savoury, but recently Annie has been developing sweet versions, including cinnamon roll and cherry bakewell.
Alongside her family, her other food heroes include Delia Smith and Nigel Slater.
Her dream is to write a cookbook, one that is 'used, not just sitting on a shelf. I want the pages to be covered in butter.'
'If I do a cookbook, there's definitely going to be a "drunk pasta" in there, which you can whip up for a crowd in 15 minutes,' she says.
Annie's autumn bakes
Here, Annie shares two recipes, which are bursting with her favourite flavours of the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.
Blackberry, Apple and Cardamom Cake
There is something special to me about sitting outside in the crisp October air with a steaming cup of tea and slice of cake. With the vibrant hues of autumn finally hitting my Norwich garden, there is no better way to celebrate the season than with my Blackberry, Apple & Cardamom Cake.
It captures the essences of autumn for me, blending the deep, rich sweetness of the ripe blackberries with the comforting and familiar warmth of spiced apples. What elevates this dish is the fragrant touch of cardamom. With each bite, you’ll experience all the cosiness of the season making it the most perfect centrepiece for any tea party or, quite simply, a cosy afternoon by the fire or taken outside to watch the leaves change.
Serves 14
Ingredients
For the cake
300g salted butter, room temperature
280g golden caster sugar
325g self raising flour
6 eggs
2 tbsp sour cream
250g Bramley apples, peeled and chopped
250g blackberries
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
Zest of 2 lemons
4g flaked salt
For the buttercream
260g salted butter- room temperature
530g icing sugar
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
To garnish
A few extra blackberries
Orange zest
Method
1. Start by pre-heating your oven to 180C/160 fan. Line two 8 inch/20cm loose bottomed tins and grease with melted butter. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of golden caster or granulated sugar into each tin, turning the sugar around the pan so it coats the melted butter. This will form a gorgeously crunchy crust around your cakes.
2. Peel and core the apples and cube into 2cm chunks. Place into a bowl with the cornflour, lemon zest and 2 tsp of the golden caster sugar. Stir to evenly coat and set aside.
3. Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer (or good old-fashioned elbow grease and a wooden spoon), beat the softened butter and remaining sugar together until light and fluffy in appearance. If using a stand mixer have the setting on a medium speed. Add one heaped tablespoon of flour into the beaten butter mixture. Beat to combine.
4. Add one egg at a time, making sure it has been fully incorporated before adding another egg.
5. Gently fold in the remaining dry ingredients and beat together again until smooth and creamy in appearance. This can take up to 3 minutes on a stand mixer, longer if beating this by hand.
6. Switching to a spatula now, gently fold the apple chunks and blackberries through the batter. Divide the batter between the two prepared baking tins. Place the tins in the middle of your oven.
7. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until when a wooden skewer is inserted into the middle of the cake, it comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.
8. To make the buttercream, beat the salted butter in a stand-mixer on a medium/high speed or large wooden bowl until very light and fluffy in appearance. Slowly adding ¼ of the icing sugar at a time until fully incorporated. Add the sour cream, orange and lemon zest and vanilla. Beat again to combine. Add to a piping bag fitted with your favourite nozzle. I went for a circular one.
9. Add one of the cake halves onto a flat plate or cake stand. Flip it so the flat side is facing up. Pipe half of the buttercream onto the surface, then sandwich with the other cake half. Pipe more of the buttercream on top and garnish with extra blackberries and a little extra orange zest. Pop this into the fridge to set for 2-3 hours.
10. The cake will keep for four days in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Pumpkin Chai Tres Leches Traybake
Warm up your autumnal celebrations with my Pumpkin Chai Tres Leches Cake, a delicious twist on the classic Latin American dessert. This cake marries together the creamy richness of three different milks with the cosy, spiced flavours of pumpkin and chai, creating a dessert that’s irresistibly moist and full of autumnal charm. This is the perfect sweet treat for chilly October evenings or as a non-spooky addition to a Halloween party! Whether served after a hearty meal or alongside a cup of chai, this cake is sure to become your new seasonal favourite.
Serves 20-24
Ingredients (serves 20-24)
For the cake
240g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp sweet cinnamon
1/3 tsp nutmeg
1/3 tsp allspice
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cardamom
165g golden caster sugar
175ml vegetable oil
450g pumpkin puree
1 tbsp Vanilla bean paste
354ml tin of evaporated milk
400g tin of sweetened condensed milk
180ml whole milk and 1 teabag
4g flaked salt
For the whipped cream
500ml double cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
Pinch of salt
(optional) a dusting of sweet cinnamon
Method
1.Preheat your oven to 190C/170 fan. Grease a 33cm by 23cm (13 by 9 inch) deep baking dish.
2. Add the tea bag and 170ml milk together and gently heat in a saucepan until warm to the touch. Allow to infuse for 5 minutes then discard the teabag. Leave the infused milk to cool.
3. In a bowl add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and the spices. Whisk until combined and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl combine the sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla and pumpkin puree. Whiski in the eggs one at a time, beating well after every egg.
5. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet, taking time to make sure there aren’t any lumps of flour through the batter. Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until when a wooden skewer or toothpick is inserted it comes out clean.
6. Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 minutes then poke with a fork across the entire surface of the cake.
7. Add the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and tea infused milk into a jug and whisk to combine. Pour this slowly over your cake allowing it to seep in. This part takes a little time, so have patience.
8. Cover in cling film and pop into the fridge for a minimum of five hours, but for best results leave overnight.
9. Finally, prepare the cinnamon whipped cream. Beat together the double cream, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar and salt with an electric hand whisk until near stiff peaks form. Spread this over the top of the cake with an off-set spatula. This is optional but I like to dust mine with a little sweet cinnamon. Cut into squares and remove with a spatula. Serve and enjoy.
