This week a cheap and cheerful bake was on the cards for everyone out there cutting costs this January. The perfect pudding to blast away those winter blues. I apologise in advance for laughing in the face of all your 2015 diets, but if you’re going to break them, this is a great way to do so.
This recipe is ideal for people who doubt their skills in the kitchen, I’ll be seriously impressed if you managed to mess this one up. Send me photos if you do.
You will need
For the pudding:
500ml/17 fl oz Double cream
100ml/3.5 fl oz Condensed milk
2 Eggs
Vanilla pod/2 tsp Vanilla extract
100g/3.5 oz Dark/Milk chocolate
50g/2 oz Soft brown sugar
6 – 8 Slices white bread (let’s be honest, you will need to get a loaf anyway, and I wasn’t counting properly)
3 Bananas
Butter for spreading
Ramekins if you’re feeling a bit posh.
For the salted caramel:
100g/3.5 oz Salted butter
80g/3 oz Soft brown sugar
100ml/3.5 fl oz Double cream
2 tbsp Golden syrup
2 tsp Salt
(Makes 6)
Step one
Whisk together the cream, condensed milk, vanilla and eggs. Set aside, and try not to think about how much cream that was.
Step two
Butter the bread slices generously. I just used regular spreadable butter for this, but if you’re a purest you could buy unsalted.
Using a cutter that’s the same diameter as your ramekins, cut circles out of the bread. Chop the offcuts into small pieces and leave to one side.
Step three
Slice the banana into thin pieces and chop the chocolate into small chunks (as if I haven’t said it enough – a bread knife is the best way to do this).
Step four
Assemble!
Butter the ramekins and layer up the puddings. Bread, banana, chocolate, sugar, repeat. Finish the last layer with bread using the offcuts and sprinkle some caster sugar on top, this will make a lovely crisp topping.
Step five
Once all the ramekins are layered up, pour the custard mixture on top, try to fill them evenly.
Leave to sit for 20 minutes to let the custard soak into the bread.
Step six
Bake in a pre-heated oven for 35 minutes on 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Step seven
While you are baking the puddings, place all the ingredients for the salted caramel into a saucepan (minus the cream).
Heat gently until melted and then bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir regularly so that it doesn’t catch and burn. Leave to cool for about half an hour.
Step eight
Once cooled, stir in the 100ml double cream.
Not the prettiest things but they aren’t too shabby to eat. Bon apetit!
In England we tend to leave Santa a sherry or a brandy and a mince pie. I’ve heard that in some Scandinavian countries he gets ‘treated’ to porridge…lucky guy. Well this post is a nod to our North American friends from whom Santa receives milk and cookies. I decided to jazz up the traditional a little, after all, you hard working parents deserve a little more than a glass of milk on the 24th.
I should start off by saying that the recipe leans more towards a sort of whoopie pie consistency than a cookie, a whookie if you’d like. Perhaps if you wanted to commit to whoopie pies you could sandwich them with the salted caramel buttercream I made a couple of months back.
Without further ado here’s an easy Bailey’s (Irish cream) cocktail (which is more like a pudding really) and triple chocolate Mars Bar whookies.
You will need
260g/9 oz Plain flour
150g/5.5 oz Soft dark brown sugar
100g/3.5 oz Unsalted butted
100g/3.5 oz White chocolate chips
40g/1.5 oz Cocoa powder
50-100g/2-3.5 oz Dark chocolate
3 Eggs
3 Mars Bars
1.5 tsp Baking powder
1 tbsp Full fat milk
For the Bailey’s cocktail
Bailey’s Irish Cream
Chocolate milk
50g/2 oz Dark chocolate
Rum/Brandy if you have some (I went without)
A sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg
Step one
Chop the Mars bars into small chunks.
If you, like me, can’t control yourself around chocolate, you might want to add an extra one to the mix. There’s just something about chopped up Mars bar that is excessively moorish.
Step two
Combine all the dry ingredients (minus the chocolate) in a large bowl.
Step three
Make a well in the middle and add the eggs, milk and butter. Stir to combine. Ideally your butter will be room temperature, otherwise you’ll be mixing for a while.
Step four
Add the white chocolate and Mars bar and mix again until the chips and chunks are evenly distributed.
Step five
Drop dessert spoonfuls of the mixture onto baking trays lined with greaseproof paper. They won’t spread too much so flatten down a bit.
Step six
Bake on 180C/gas mark 4/350 F for about 15-20 minutes.
Step seven
Leave to cool and then melt the dark chocolate and drizzle over the top.
Step eight
Melt the remaining dark chocolate in a small bowl and dip your glasses in to coat the rim.
Step nine
Add a shot of Baileys (and a dash of rum if you have it). A sprinkle of both cinnamon and nutmeg. Top up with approx 150ml of chocolate milk.
As you can probably tell, I didn’t exactly measure this one out, so go with your taste as a measure.
You might notice there’s a different pair of disembodied hands in the post this week. That’s because my lovely housemate was on half term, and ever since we watched this year’s GBBO we have wanted to make our own doughnuts (I’ve been informed donut is the wrong way to spell it). Thanks for your help Vicky and for very patiently allowing me to photograph the occasion.
We’re having a little get together for bonfire/fireworks night on Wednesday and we thought we would make some appropriately themed treats. We bring to you a doughnut double whammy, flavoured with toffee apple and cinder toffee.
Disclaimer – these aren’t quick to make, but they are IN-credible, I was very sad to put them into the freezer, and I hope they emerge as delicious as they went in.
You will need
Please note: doughnut recipe makes 30, so the extra flavourings recipes are for 15 of each. If you want to make just one of the versions you will need to double the quantities of the fillings and toppings or halve the doughnut mix.
For the doughnuts:
350ml/12 fl oz Warm full fat milk
700g/1lb 8 oz Strong white bread flour
2 Eggs
70g/2.5 oz Unsalted butter
100g/3.5 oz Caster sugar
1 tsp Salt
14g/0.5 oz Dried yeast
50ml Warm water
For the toffee apple version:
2 Bramley (cooking) apples
3 tbsp Soft light brown sugar
1 tbsp Water
300g/10.5 oz Granulated sugar
6 tbsp Water
For the cinder toffee version:
200g/7 oz White chocolate
2 Crunchie bars/some cinder toffee
1.5-2 tbsp Golden syrup
1.5-2 tbsp Full fat milk
150g/5.5 oz Icing sugar
50g/3.5 oz Unsalted butter
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Extras:
1.5 litres/50 fl oz Vegetable oil for frying
15 Cake pop sticks for the ‘toffee apples’
Flavour injector (if you don’t have one of these, a long thin piping nozzle should also work)
Step one
Put the yeast in the warm water and wait until frothy.
Step two
Combine half the flour with the rest of the dough ingredients (including the yeast froth). Remember to put the yeast and the salt on opposite sides of the bowl, they don’t get on.
Step three
When the batter is smooth, gradually add the rest of the flour and stir. The dough should be sticky but not impossible to work with. Vicky and I found we had to add a lot of flour in kneading so I’ve adjusted the recipe for y’all.
Step four
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. It’ll still be quite sticky, don’t sweat it.
Step five
Place in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rise for an hour or until doubled in size. While that’s going on you can prepare your toppings and fillings.
Step six
For the puree which will fill the toffee apple doughnuts, peel and chop the apples into small chunks.
Step seven
Place the apples in a saucepan with the 3 tablespoons of soft brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Heat on medium until the apples have reduced.
Step eight
If you have one, use a food processor to liquidise the apple mixture. If you don’t, do what we did and use a potato masher and then pass the mix through a sieve.
Step nine
To make the filling for the cinder toffee donuts combine the butter, icing sugar, milk, golden syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
Step ten
Tip the risen dough onto a floured work surface. Squeeze into a long sausage shape and chop into 30 pieces.
Step eleven
Roll into balls and leave on a tray to prove for another hour. Make sure you leave plenty of space. The picture above was before these rose, and they almost filled the tray after.
Step twelve
About 20 minutes before the doughnuts have finished their second rise, begin to heat the oil.
It’s beyond important that you heat the oil really slowly on a low heat to avoid risking a pan fire. There’s no reason to worry as long as you heat this gradually.
Test your oil heat with little pieces of a doughnut. When the sample floats and bubbles straight away you’re good to go.
Step thirteen
Fry the doughnuts in batches, you will get a good idea when to turn them pretty quickly, it only takes a few minutes for them to get golden.
Leave your doughnuts to rest on a few sheets of kitchen roll which will soak up any excess oil.
Step fourteen
When the doughnuts are completely cooled inject 15 of them with the apple puree and 15 with the cinder toffee filling.
We went in at the top because we knew we were going to cover the holes, otherwise you would use the side. For those of you with a flavour injector (and of course that will be most of you…) we did 10 ml per doughnut.
Step fifteen
For the cinder toffee doughnuts you need to crush up the crunchie bars (easily done when they’re in their wrappers) and melt the white chocolate. Do this slowly in the microwave to avoid burning it.
Dip the doughnuts in the chocolate to coat the upside down top, and sprinkle with crunchie pieces. Leave to one side for the chocolate to set.
Step fifteen
Make a hard caramel by combining the 300g of granulated sugar and 6 tbsp water in a saucepan.
Heat on a low-medium heat until the mixture takes on a dark honey colour. Do not stir it as the sugar will crystallise. I’m afraid I did this by eye so I don’t have a temperature, but use the pictures above for a reference point for the colour and you’ll be fine, it’s not an exact science.
Remove from heat and cool by dipping the bottom of the saucepan in a mixing bowl full of cold water.
Spoon over the top of the doughnuts. I did one layer on each and popped the sticks in, then went back once the caramel got a little thicker (this happens as it cools) to do another and to secure the sticks in place.
This week we found ourselves in a bit of a fix. The plan was fondue, but somebody (Peter) forgot to book it. I was a bit sad when I discovered this (months of over eating to stretch my stomach for the big occasion) still, I couldn’t stay grumpy for long, as the gentleman concerned got himself to John Lewis and bought a fondue set. Sometimes it really pays off to have housemates with ridiculous boyfriends.
When I got word that fondue was back on, I figured I would contribute a little something to the dipping pot. So here’s a double whammy post. My seeded granary wonder bread, Pete’s (mainly Nigella’s) cheese fondue.
You will need
For the bread:
300g/10.5 oz Wholemeal bread flour
200g/7 oz Strong white bread flour
150g/5 oz Mixed seeds
300ml/10 fl oz Cold water
7g Dried yeast
7g Salt
For the fondue:
400g/14 oz Gruyere cheese
400g/14 oz Camembert (although after doing this, P and I think you’re safer with Emmental as it has a more similar melting point to Gruyere)
400ml/13.5 fl oz White wine (just buy the one that is most reduced from the highest price)
4 Tablespoons Kirsch
3 Teaspoons cornflour
Clove of garlic
Some charcuterie, just because.
(Serves 6)
Step one
Combine the two bread flours salt and yeast in a bowl. Keep the yeast and salt as far apart as you can. The salt has a nasty track record for bullying the yeast.
Step two
Add the water and mix with your hand until combined. You don’t need the water to be warm, at least that’s what Paul Hollywood says on EVERY EPISODE OF BAKE OFF. Something about the protein structure. I’m inclined to bow to his superior knowledge.
You may need to add a tiny splash more water if your dough isn’t coming together.
Step three
Lightly cover your work surface with olive oil so that you don’t add loads more flour to the dough as you go. Another Hollywood gem.
Knead the dough by pushing it forward as far as it will go and then folding it back. Turn and stretch again. Repeat repeat repeat.
At first the dough will be fairly brittle and will break as you do this. Don’t worry, it will get softer and more stretchy as you go. It will also merge back together more easily (you’ll know what I mean when you get there)
As it’s wholemeal flour you need to keep going on this for about 15 minutes, it should form a much smoother ball that the one you started with when you’re done.
Step four
Lightly oil a bowl and place dough in. Cover with clingfilm and leave for an hour to rise.
Step five
Turn dough back out onto the work surface (it’s ok if you have an overwhelming urge to put your face in it – I mean, don’t actually do it, but thinking it doesn’t make you weird).
Flatten out with your fingers (or your fist if you need a small moment of therapy). Add the mixed seeds evenly over the surface of the mix. You will feel like you have a lot, but they disappear quite quickly.
Fold the corners and sides back into the middle and knead for a minute or so until the seeds are distributed throughout.
Scoop your hands around the edges to form the dough into a ball.
Step six
Dust a large baking tray with flour and place the dough on top. Slash the top in a criss cross pattern and sprinkle the top with a bit more flour.
Leave for another hour to prove.
Step seven
Bake on 200C/gas mark 6/400F for 40-45 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it bakes incase any of the edge starts to catch.
Turn the bread over when you think it’s done and tap on the bottom. If it sounds quite hollow then you’re good.
Step eight
Try to resist biting right into the loaf. It’s time to make the fondue.
Step nine
Make sure your fondue set is ready to go and the table is set. You’re going to want to eat straight away when you see a pot of melted cheese.
Step ten
Grate the Gruyere and chop up the Camembert (although I really do recommend you use Emmental instead, the Camembert took a loooooong time to melt and was insanely rich). You will have MOUNTAINS of the stuff. Pete’s actually 6’3″…
Step eleven
Put a the wine into a saucepan on a medium heat. Bring this to a point just before it starts to simmer and start adding the cheese, stirring with a whisk and allowing it to melt in stages.
Step twelve
Once all the cheese has melted pop in the garlic and season to taste. Bring the heat up to a bubble and keep whisking until it is combined with the wine (though again – Camembert wasn’t co-operating fully with us on this one). Finally add the Kirsch and cornflour (probably best to mix the two beforehand so the cornflour doesn’t clump up).
Turn the heat down and allow to thicken for a few minutes before removing from the hob and pouring into the fondue pot. Light the burner/candle underneath.
Step thirteen
Sink into a very well deserved and rather disgusting cheese coma.
Winter is fast approaching and it’s time to get cosy. Cosy equals candles. At least it does this week, because I had left over spray paint from my mat making, and I really like spray painting things. Like really like it. In an unhealthy way.
This is a pretty easy quick make, and is satisfyingly effective. I recommend it for adding a bit of pizazz at a dinner party or even for sticking a couple of flower stems in rather than candles.
You will need
Clear glass bottles
White or cream dinner candles
Spray paint of your desired colour(s)
Newspaper and masking/washi tape
Step one
If your bottles have labels like mine did then you need to pour boiling water over them to soak alla that off.
They drink a lot of posh juice at work so I got these bad boys for free. You could also buy some from the home brew section of a Lakeland/Wilko’s; if that’s you, advance to step three and collect £200 as you pass Go.
Step two
If you’re using recycled juice/wine bottles then stick a little screwdriver or a knife in the metal bit and prise it off. It’s worth not being lazy and skipping this step.
Step three
Wrap the tops or bottoms of your bottles in newspaper, securing it with wash tape or masking tape which would be a lot cheaper if you have it to hand. As you can see, I didn’t.
The more care you take over this the better as you want the lines to be as straight as possible. Otherwise your OCD friends won’t enjoy your company at your dinner party; they will be too distracted by your wonky candle holders. They will be totally justified in this.
Step four
Go outside and put down some newspaper. Obviously the best time to do this is on a dry day, but let’s just see how well the British weather co-operates with you…
Shake the can of spray paint and hold about 20cm/8 inches away. Spray thoroughly until the bottle has an even, opaque colour.
Leave to dry.
Step four – bonus tip
If you’ve wrapped the top of the bottle rather than the bottom, I found the easiest way was to hold the neck in my hand and spray while holding it.
In order to dry it you need to find something to wedge between so it’s sides/the bottom won’t touch anything else. You could just hold it as they don’t take long to dry at all, but I found this storage chest/bench in the garden was just the ticket.
Step five
Whilst your bottles are drying you might need to do a little candle whittling. Mine had really handy grooves in them already but unfortunately were still a little on the large side, so I had to trim them down.
Just for the sake of everyone who knows how clumsy I am and would reel in horror at this picture, I still have all ten digits.
Given that I’m doing a little afternoon tea series I thought I would share a recipe that I adapted for a lovely lady’s bridal shower recently. It’s a little less traditional than your average, but nice and light, definitely a worthwhile addition to any afternoon tea table. In honour of said bride-to-be I made these marshmallows maple flavoured as she hails from a distant land (Canada).
Some speculation as to whether or not marshmallows are easy enough to make trickled around the bridal shower. My answer in case you are wondering, is that they aren’t the most straightforward, but definitely do-able, and very satisfying. These guys make your house smell incredible too, so if you’re tempted, give it a go!
Disclaimer: don’t make these for vegetarians or you will be met with narrowed eyes. On the upside, they are great for the gluten free. Unless they are vegetarian.
You will need
9 Gelatine sheets
300g/10.5 oz Granulated sugar
100g/3.5 oz Maple syrup
100g/3.5 oz Milk chocolate
2 Egg whites
1 tbsp Liquid glucose (you can find this in a squeeze toothpaste type tube in the baking section)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Icing sugar
A sugar thermometer
Step one
Lightly oil a deep baking tray/brownie tin. Dust with icing sugar and set aside.
Step two
Put the gelatine sheets in 150ml/3.5 fl oz cold water and leave to soak. I snapped mine in half, but don’t break them up any more than that.
Step three
Put the sugar, glucose and maple syrup in a saucepan (the heavier the better). Add 150ml/3.5 fl oz water and put on a low heat.
Patience is key here as you will feel like eternity is passing you by while you’re waiting for it to get to the right temperature. It’s worth doing this stage slowly so you don’t burn the sugar etc etc. Make sure you have some snacks to hand.
It will smell so good you will want to put your face in it. Don’t.
Step four
When the thermometer reaches about 115C/230F start beating the egg whites. Do this in a glass/metal bowl, as plastic ones tend to be a bit oily, no matter how hard you scrub them.
Step five
When the thermometer reaches 127C/260F turn the heat off and add the soaked gelatine. Don’t add the excess water though, just fish it out and give it a little squeeze. When you do this you will forgive me for not having a photo of it; the mixture fizzes and bubbles in quite an intimidating fashion.
Step six
Get the whisk going in the eggs again, and slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into them as you go. Move the beaters continually so that you don’t end up with a lump of hard sugar at the bottom of the bowl.
Step seven
Add vanilla extract and keep whisking.
Step eight
Whisk some more.
Step nine
Have someone come and support your arm if you need to, but keep on whisking my friend.
Step ten
When the mixture (about 10 minutes later) becomes really thick and gloopy it’s time to stop. Hallelujah. A good measure for this is when bottom of the bowl (on the outside) has cooled down.
Step eleven
Pour the marshmallow into the brownie tin you prepared earlier.
Step twelve
Dust the top with icing sugar and leave to set for a few hours. This is your opportunity to go and see the doctor about the muscle death in your right arm. (Kidding).
Step thirteen
Turn the marshmallow out onto a clean surface with a satisfying flump.
Use a bread knife to cut it into long strips and then cubes. The trick is to make your strips as wide as your mallows are deep to get square(ish) shapes. Dust all the sides in icing sugar as you go.
Generally I find I don’t need any extra icing sugar for this, as a lot comes off the top when you turn it out.
Step fourteen
Place the cubes on a sheet of greaseproof paper. Melt the milk chocolate (slowly in a microwave) and using a piping bag drizzle them lightly. Leave to dry and you’re done!
There we have it. Maple marshmallows. Nowhere near as difficult to make as I made them sound, I promise.
I have been remiss. Apologies, in all my gallivanting around the country and generally doing life I’ve not updated the blog in a few weeks.
Some of this gallivanting found me in Cambridge with my buddies Rachel and David recently. Last time I saw them they were making focaccia and traversing numerous counties; prepping in one, letting it rise on the car journey and baking in another.
This time round Dave and I kept all stages in one location, and photographed it for your viewing pleasure.
Focaccia is kind of nuts, so don’t be surprised that it looks wrong basically right up until it’s baked, those of you who watch the Great British Bake Off will know that it’s all in the name of getting an uneven crumb structure.
Combine flour and yeast in a bowl with 300mls of the water and two tbsp of olive oil.
Step two
Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. This is the first of many ‘don’t worry’ assurances I will give, because at this stage it really doesn’t look too hot.
Step three
Add the salt.
Top tip from Davey-boy here: don’t add it any earlier like some recipes will tell you, because yeast hates salt and will go on strike if you do. Those weren’t Dave’s exact words, but essentially, it’s better to mix them in separately.
Step four
Bring together the dough by kneading in the bowl.
Gradually add the remaining 100mls of water as you do this. Keep pulling and stretching for 5 minutes, it will get disgusting, but don’t be tempted to leave any out. Remember, it’s all about those uneven crumbs.
See?! Ew. But it’s ok. Honest.
Step five
Cover your work surface in olive oil and slop that mess out onto it.
Carry on kneading for another 5 to 10 minutes until the dough begins to smooth out a bit, a dough scraper really helps here if you have one handy, as the mix is quite stringy and prone to sticking.
Resist the urge to add any flour to your surface; while it would make it a bit easier and would help it to look more like something that you’d want to eat, it won’t do that crumb structure any favours.
Step six
If yours looks as good as Dave’s take a bow.
Step seven
Transfer dough back into the mixing bowl and cover in cling film.
Wait for it to double in size, usually it takes about an hour, but this might vary depending on the temperature of the day/your house.
p.s. It’s still pretty sloppy and weird at this stage, so don’t panic.
Step eight
Divide the mix in half and place on two baking trays covered in greaseproof paper/baking parchment.
You will have to adopt a weird stretching-stroking technique to get the dough to fill the space; it’s quite elasticy. The loaves should be about 2-3cm/1″ thick once you’re done. Persevere.
Step eight
Leave to prove for another hour.
Drizzle in olive oil, push in some sprigs of rosemary and sprinkle with sea salt.
Step nine
Bake in the oven on Gas mark 7/220 C/425 F for about 20-30 minutes until golden on top.
I’m in Germany at the moment, so unfortunately there won’t be a blog post on Monday, but there is a little one now, so I hope that eases the heartache.
Those of you who knew me as a child may remember my penchant for mayonnaise and sugar sandwiches (separate at least), and most of you will now be questioning my taste. I gladly inform you that my palette has improved. A little bit at least.
I present to you my most recent ‘digusting-but-really-works’ brainchild. The bacon hot cross bun Easter brunch. Yes. You heard.
It’s such a lovely time of year, the sun is shining and the shops are full of mini eggs. What’s not to love?
This little idea popped into my head when I was putting out the snacks for an open day (I sort of swing by a university law school and do admissions in my spare time/to get paid). Anyway, after opening the rice crispy bites, and popping one in my mouth (it’s good manners to make sure everything is in order for the guests) I moved on to unpacking the rocky road. BINGO. Rocky road Easter nests were born!
As if that hasn’t sold it well enough to you, these look far more realistic than your regular festive treat, and you will never touch a box of shredded wheat again once you’ve tried them. Just as easy to make with kiddies and more ingredients so more fun to be had.
You will need
200g/7 oz Dark chocolate
100g/3.5 oz Milk chocolate
125g/4.5 oz Unsalted butter
3 tbsp Golden syrup
200g/7 0z Digestive biscuits
100g/3.5 oz Mini marshmallows
Generous handful of seedless raisins
15 Glace cherries (cut into quarters)
Bag of mini eggs
Fairy cake cases
Icing sugar to dust
Makes 15
Step one
Melt the dark chocolate, milk chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a sauce pan.
Go slowly, burning chocolate is one of life’s saddest occurrences.
Step two
While the chocolate is melting, but without getting too distracted, crush up the digestive biscuits with the end of a rolling pin.
Or your fist if you’re having a particularly bad day.
Step three
Stir the biscuit, cherries and raisins into the chocolate. Leave the marshmallows alone for the moment.
In case you weren’t gifted with common sense, this should be off the heat by now.
Set to one side.
Step four
This is the clever bit, or at least I like to think so.
I figured nests aren’t the strange conical shape of cupcake cases, and I didn’t want to end up mail ordering some weird and wonderful baking cases that met my specifications, so I just adapted the regular ones.
I say regular, but I’m not convinced these are actually universal. Before America convinced us that muffin-sized cakes covered in mountains of buttercream (the cupcake we know and love) were the way forward, us Brits had a more modest little bun – the fairy cake. Do other countries have these too? Answers on a post card please.
Anyway, my dear ma has been chastising me about using up the many a fairy cake case we have gathering dust in the cupboard while I burn through the muffin cases to make my cupcakes. They just aren’t cool anymore mum.
Until now.
The fairy cake cases are the perfect size for this, although, of course, whatever size you have should work the same way (you will just have a slightly different number of nests at the end).
Basically you just run your finger around the inside edge of the case in circles until it opens out and has short straight walls as pictured.
Step four
Repeat x 15
Step five
The chocolate mix should now have cooled sufficiently to not melt your marshmallows to mush.
Stir them in…you will still have to work fairly quickly.
Step six
Spoon mixture into cases and stick eggs in the nests. Don’t be tight, give at least three to each one.
Step seven
Put in the fridge to set.
Dust in icing sugar before serving, you can afford to be a bit more liberal than I was. After I’d taken the pictures I dropped the spoon on one and it actually looked a lot better with a heavier dusting.
Step eight
Get chubby.
Have a great week guys!
Oh, and you may have noticed I’ve moved my site – I’m trying to figure out what impact that has on the people who were already following me, I’ll keep you posted!
This is by far the best bit, and your opportunity to hide any blemishes. For me, that was a whacking great crack down the front, the odd broken window pane and some darker than attractive edges. So fill your piping bags, stick on a Christmas film, or phone a good friend using hands-free and enjoy!
There are no steps in this post, just some ideas to get you going.
Things you need:
Royal icing of course (you can use regular but I find royal dries quicker and looks whiter)
Piping bags
Sweets Sweets Sweets
A little tip
When you’re buying your sweets you should have a think about roughly what will go where, specifically in terms of the roof. Make sure you overestimate how much you think you will need, it’s always surprising how quickly everything disappears. Particularly if you adopt a ‘one for the house, one for me’ approach, which is the correct way to do this in case you were wondering.
I chose button tiles for my roof. The key is to make sure there is some overhang on your first layer, and then just keep going in lines, overlapping slightly, until you hit the top. Chocolate fingers or matchmakers work for a sort of log cabin look, or I’ve seen shredded wheat for a thatched roof (not sure who would want to eat that though!).
Once I had finished I dusted my roof with some icing sugar snow for a wintery look.
The last couple of years I’ve done normal houses, but I’ve decided to start theming them more now I’ve got the hang of it a little bit. So this year’s effort is designed to be an old fashioned sweet shop (it seemed apt given the sugar coma it put me in). Obviously it needed an awning or two! I just coloured some of my icing red and alternated between the two colours until I reached the end. If you want straight lines then the trick is to hover away from the biscuit a bit so you have more control over the direction.
What cosy winter hideaway is complete without some snow caught in the window panes? The idea here is to fill one of the corners a little more than the other, which I realised after piping the window in the centre…
And now ladies and gents…the finished article! Complete with flickering fire light (an LED tea light candle pushed through the doorway)
As you can see I bought mainly different coloured and sized circles: chocolate drops, silver balls, smarties and chocolate buttons. I like little dots of icing to decorate with too, but you need to decide what works best for you, it should be fun! I don’t really pre-plan, but buying lots of similar shaped things helps I think.
Oh wait!
That’s not all… remember this little guy?
Well I decorated him too. The base he was sitting on is actually the lid of a gift box, I won’t show you what’s inside though, incase the recipient is reading this (there needs to be some element of surprise!) This adds a lovely personal touch to any present, or can just be the present in itself!
The front and back are A6 size (A4 paper folded into quarters) and then measure everything else out based on that. You can get at least four of these guys out of one batch of mixture.
Before you go…just one more little idea…
A homemade festive gift without the fuss for someone you like, but not an ‘I made you a gingerbread house’ level of like.
To make a tree the easiest thing to do is to get your hands on star shaped biscuit cutters of at least three or four different sizes. You want around 16 or so stars for each tree, then just stack them with icing to stick each layer together. If you don’t have cutters then make some templates to cut round instead (you can do this using auto shapes on the computer). One batch of mixture should make at least 8 I reckon.
Pipe lots of blobs of icing and add silver balls, chocolate drops and smarties for decoration.
I used a candle holder turned upside down for the base, but a disc of cardboard covered in tinfoil would work just fine too. Remember, whatever you use, you aren’t going to get back!
The cellophane I used to wrap it was bought from a florist supplies shop online and was about £3 for the roll, which I’ve been using for various projects for about 2 years!
Cut a big square (bigger than you think), I made one as large as my roll would allow. Place tree on the middle and bring all the corners to meet in the middle. scrunch the remaining edges together and call for help (this will save your little finger aerobics when you’re tying the ribbon). With someone else holding it all together, double knot a few pieces of gift ribbon and curl the ends with scissors. Chop off the messy bits of plastic.
Step two
You will need
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There we have it. Maple marshmallows. Nowhere near as difficult to make as I made them sound, I promise.
