Nutella + Banana Cake & Dark Chocolate + Orange Cookies ♥

My all time favourite activity is baking, purely because there is nothing more therapeutic and satisfying than creating your own delicious treats from scratch – something you could never get with store bought goods. There’s nothing better than whipping up a delicious batch of chocolate and orange cookies or super simple cakes and sharing the warm fuzziness of baked goods with friends and family. Here are some incredibly easy recipes to get you in the mood for baking!

Nutella Banana Cake:

2 ripe bananas (perfect opportunity to use up any overripe stuff)
170g caster sugar
170g self raising flour
170g butter
3 large eggs
A few drops of vanilla essence
2 large tablespoons of Nutella
5 Toblerone triangles broken into small chunks

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius/gas mark 3

2. Mash bananas and mix with other ingredients until well combined

3. Pour into a lined loaf tin

4. Bake for an hour

5. Tip out when cool and enjoy!

Dark chocolate and Orange Cookies:

125g dark chocolate (use a good quality Fairtrade chocolate)
125g white chocolate (use a good quality Fairtrade chocolate)
150g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1 tsp bi-carb
125g butter, cut into cubes and softened
75g light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
1 egg
Zest of 1 orange
Optional: A few drops of orange flavouring

1.   Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3 and line a large baking sheet. Melt the dark chocolate in a microwave in 30 second blasts or over a pan of barely simmering water until melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool

2. Place the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda, orange flavouring and salt into a bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the cooled melted chocolate and beat to combine.

3. Beat in the orange zest and egg, followed by the flour mixture. Once combined stir in the chocolate chunks

4. Roll the dough into small or large balls, depending on what size you want your cookies, and place on the baking tray. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of a cookie comes out clean

5. Once baked, remove from the oven and leave the cookies to cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool

Happy Baking!!! 

LAB Bar, Old Compton Street

Opened in 1999, LAB (London Academy of Bartenders) has been the place to go for well priced and good quality cocktails. With an extensive cocktail list, there’s an abundance of choice.

We kicked off with a Jack Bauer Sour and the Bon Bon – unfortunately, the Jack Bauer was pretty disappointing – I was expecting a potent mix of Beefeater 24 Gin, Suze and Chartreuse Herbal Liqueurs, egg white and green tea syrup but instead, was presented with something that tasted weak and oddly soapy. Luckily, the Bon Bon saved the day – deliciously sweet and creamy, the Limoncello and tangy lemon juice cut across the warmth of the vanilla vodka, butterscotch schnapps and vanilla sugar, creating a perfectly balanced cocktail. Other favourites included the Tiramisu cocktail – a creation from the LAB kitchens, it was a delectably rich mix of flavours of the Patrón XO Café Tequila, Mozart white and dark liqueurs and mascarpone cheese all topped with an invigorating shot of espresso and dusted with super rich dark chocolate powder.

For those who don’t fancy an alcoholic tipple, there are a few delicious creations in their ‘Hall of Shame.’ We sampled the Melonie, a refreshing blend of watermelon, apple and cranberry juices shaken with lemon juice and elderflower cordial and also the fantastically flamboyant Parade which consisted of a passion fruit and raspberry puree mixed with fresh apple, orange and lime juices.

The only downsides are the fact that bartenders can take quite a while to concoct your drinks – but this is small price to pay for the excellently crafted drinks they come up with. I’ve also heard complaints that the cocktails are too sweet so if you like a cocktail that packs a punch, it might be a good idea to ask the bartenders to tone down the sugariness.

Overall, LAB is a great place to hang out  – there's a good vibe, an excellent cocktail menu and friendly service.



Details, details:

12 Old Compton Street

London W1D 4TQ

020 7437 7820