Eton Mess. One of the best summer puds going. You might disagree with me, but you would be wrong. There’s nothing quite like strawberries and meringue where this person is concerned. I’ll even put down my chocolate for it. Though, most likely, if I’m at a barbecue, I’m just skipping the savoury to make way for the chocolate option and the Eton Mess.
Enough of my complete incapacity to avoid sweet things. Onto this week’s British favourites cupcake instead. Probably unsurprisingly given my rambling introduction it’s the recipe for Eton Mess cupcakes.
This recipe uses seven minute swiss meringue frosting. It’s the first time I’ve made it and it was pretty darn easy, so definitely give it a bash. I did notice that over a couple of days it hardens and basically becomes a meringue, and mine was a touch gritty. I think the best thing to do is make them and allow to sit out for a couple of hours so the outside hardens a little but the inside is still fluffy and smooth. A make on the day jobby if you can I reckon.
*Any association to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
You will need
For the cake:
185g/6.5 oz self raising flour
185g/6.5 oz butter/margarine (I use Stork)
185g/6.5 oz caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
For the centre:
Strawberry jam (yeah, I cheated. feel 100% free to make your own, I tip my hat to you)
For the frosting/icing:
2 egg whites
225g/8oz caster sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
75ml/2.5 fl oz water
If you’re fancy like me then some freeze dried strawberries to sprinkle wouldn’t go amiss.
(makes 12)
Step one
Whisk together the margarine and caster sugar until the mix is light and fluffy. If you are using butter then make sure it’s room temperature else the sugar will fly everywhere and you will just have a block of butter stuck in the middle of your whisk.
I used some strange hybrid which was Stork in a block form. Curious.
Step two
Add the eggs and whisk again until combined. Don’t worry if the mixture looks split, there’s just too much liquid at this stage. Time to add the flour.
Step three
Add the vanilla, flour and bicarbonate of soda and beat with your electric whisk until smooth as above.
Step four
Distribute the mixture evenly between 12 cupcake cases. Usually about two rounded dessert spoons into each case does the trick.
Bake on 180C/gas mark 4/350F for 25 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.
Step five
It’s seven minute frosting time.
Don’t get scared, I’ve been meaning to try this for ages but kept putting it off because I thought it looked like a pain. In fact, the hardest part was separating the eggs, and it’s so satisfying to pipe. I think I’m maybe a bit too into baking…
Anyway. Put the water, sugar, cream of tartar and egg whites into a heatproof bowl. This should be placed over a pan of simmering water. Don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.
Whisk, for, you guessed it, seven minutes. It should be able to hold its own shape and not fall off the whisk when you lift it. If it’s not stiff enough just keep whisking for another minute or two.
I wouldn’t really recommend this if you don’t have an electric whisk.
Step six
Cut a hole in the middle of your cupcakes with a small sharp knife. Remove the pointy bit, just keeping the top. Place excess cake in mouth.
Fill the hole with jam and place the lid back on.
Fill a piping bag with the swiss meringue frosting and pipe on in your preferred way. I used a fairly standard star shaped nozzle for this.
Sprinkle with freeze dried strawberries, or maybe pop a fresh one on there if you have some going.
Week two of the British favourites series. One of the most heavily contested treats in GB, it had to go to court in 1991 to establish once and for all if it were a cake or a biscuit to make sure McVitie’s (its creators) were in the right tax category.
This version is 100% a cake and I dare say my favourite of this series, though there are a few still to be baked, so we’ll see.
Though this recipe contains an orange curd and a chocolate ganache it’s actually pretty easy to make, and has been met with universal approval by all who have consumed, so please don’t be put off.
You will need
For the cake:
185g/6.5 oz self raising flour
185g/6.5 oz butter/margarine (I use Stork)
185g/6.5 oz caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
For the orange curd:
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
85g/3 oz caster sugar
60g/2 oz butter
90ml/3 fl oz freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges should do)
Zest of one orange
For the ganache:
150ml/5 fl oz double cream
200g/7 oz dark chocolate
(makes 12)
Step one
Zest one of the oranges on the smallest setting of your grater. If you don’t have a small setting don’t worry, we’re going to sieve it later. If you don’t have a small setting or a sieve then you’re stuffed, and a little odd.
Step two
Roll the oranges around to release the juices a little more. I also give them 10-20 seconds in the microwave.
Juice them using a juicer or a fork until you have the required 90ml.
Step three
Combine the eggs and yolk, sugar, butter and the orange related ingredients into a heatproof bowl.
Set aside a little bit of zest aside to decorate with later.
Step four
Place the bowl on top of a pan of simmering water. Stir regularly with a whisk until the mixture thickens. It should coat the back of a metal spoon without sliding off and will be fairly opaque and lighter in colour too.
Step five
Sieve the mixture to remove the zest. Stir with a dessert spoon to get as much of the mixture through the sieve as possible.
Step six
It’s time to make the cakes! This is a basic sponge recipe as the base of a jaffa cake is not flavoured per se. If you want an extra boost of flavour you could zest the second orange and add it to the cake batter. I’ve not actually tried this (though I expect it would be nice) and they are good without so not to worry if you don’t fancy it.
Combine the butter/margarine and the caster sugar. Using an electric whisk beat until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs and whisk again.
Step seven
Beat in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and vanilla until fully combined.
Step eight
Spoon the mixture evenly into 12 cupcake cases. It’s about two dessert spoons per case, but just keep topping up until you run out.
Bake on gas mark 4/180C/350F for 20-25 minutes. Take care not to open the oven halfway through or your cakes will sink.
Step nine
While the cakes are cooling make the ganache.
Finely chop the chocolate (or grate it if you’re super keen) and place in a clean bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan. Do this slowly on a low heat, it burns quite easily.
The cream only needs to barely simmer before being poured over the chocolate and stirred until smooth.
The ganache won’t take long until it’s ready to pipe so only prepare it when the cakes and orange curd are nearly cooled.
You will know it’s ready when you drop a spoonful back into the bowl and it holds it’s shape.
Step ten
Cut a section of sponge out the middle with a small veg knife, and chop off the pointy bit, saving the lid.
Fill with curd and place the sponge lid back on.
Point a piping bag full of ganache straight down and squeeze. You may need to use the tip of the back to spread it out a little as you go.
Hullo again. I’ve decided to start a small series. I know, I can smell your excitement from here.
I will probably break it up a little every so often because it has one main theme (cupcakes) and I don’t want to bore. Not that cupcakes could ever be boring right?
The other day I was handed a Bakewell tart on the street (by a man in a co-op uniform, don’t worry, I’m not taking sweets from strangers). It’s been a while since I had a Bakewell tart, and you know what? I actually quite enjoyed it.
Then the thought struck me…a series of British sweets/puds baked into cupcakes is just what this blog needs.
For anyone who doesn’t know, a Bakewell tart has a pastry case, full of frangipane (almond), cherry jam and is topped with a thick layer of icing and half a glacé cherry.
So without further ado let’s kick off with an easy peasy Bakewell tart cupcake, which are also handily dairy free for our lactose intolerant friends.
Things you need
200g/7 oz plain flour
200g/7 oz caster sugar
50g/1.75 oz ground almonds
5 tbsp vegetable oil
250ml/6.5 fl oz cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp white vinegar (I won’t lie…I actually used cider vinegar, because I wasn’t about to buy a whole bottle for a single teaspoon)
To decorate:
Icing sugar (royal icing works well if you have it)
6 glacé cherries
Cherry jam
Silver foil cupcake cases (to add that authentic touch)
(Makes 12 cupcakes)
Step one
Mix together the flour, almonds and baking powder.
Step two
Add the caster sugar and stir again until combined. Yup, this is SUCH an easy recipe that I gave that its own step.
Step three
Make a well in the middle and add the water, oil, vinegar and extracts.
Using a hand whisk make small circular motions until all the flour mix is gradually incorporated. Doing it that way will reduce the number of lumps.
Step four
Using a jug distribute the mixture evenly between 12 cupcake cases. Trust me. You will want a jug.
Bake on gas mark 4/180C/350F for 20-25 minutes until they spring back when touched.
Step five
Cut a circular section out of the middle with a small knife and fill with cherry jam. Remove excess sponge from the bit you removed and put the lid back on.
Step six
Mix some icing sugar with water until you have quite a thick consistency. Royal icing is good for this because it’s thicker and more opaque generally.
Pipe onto the cupcake, try to get it as round as you can.
Another week another birthday. This time round it’s my lovely housemate who is bravely entering her mid-twenties; just another excuse for me to get in the kitchen.
Earlier in the week Vicky (the birthday girl in question), Matt (the fiance) and I, had sat down to watch The Princess Bride (a hilarious farce of a film), and we cracked open some Crabbie’s. It was such a lovely little evening, and I thought I would bake the experience into a cake to commemorate the little one’s birth.
Crabbie’s, for anyone who doesn’t know (more fool you), is alcoholic ginger beer. This particular batch was raspberry flavoured, and nobody was more surprised than me to discover how nicely ginger and raspberry complement each other. Add to that a honey and vanilla icing and you’ve got a birthday cake fit for any 24 year old.
You will need
For the cake:
255g/9 oz self raising flour
255g/9 oz caster sugar
255g/9 oz margarine/butter (I use stork for cakes)
4 eggs
2 tsp ground ginger (add a bit more if you want a really strong ginger taste, 2 tsp is nice and subtle)
1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g/7 oz raspberries
For the icing/decoration:
350g/12 oz icing sugar
150g/5 oz softened butter
170g/6 oz honey
1-2 tsp vanilla extract/paste (or even a pod if you have one so you get the lovely flecks)
100g/3.5 oz raspberries
Step one
Using an electric whisk beat together the margarine and sugar until well blended and fluffy.
Step two
Add the eggs and beat again until combined. It looks a little split at this stage (see those little lumps at the sides) but you don’t need to worry, the flour never fails to sort that out.
Step three
Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger and whisk again until smooth.
I also added the vanilla at this point which is in the form great paste my friend brought me back from Vanuatu, tastes delicious and has the beans in it. If you aren’t swinging by the South Pacific any time soon and don’t fancy the investment in a pod or some paste then extract will do the trick.
Step four
Add the raspberries and stir them in with a wooden spoon. I crushed some of them with the back of the spoon against the side of the bowl to help distribute them a little better.
Step five
Spoon into a greased and lined tin, or two tins. Bake on 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
If you are just using a single tin you need about 45-55 minutes and make sure you line the sides so that the greaseproof protects the sides and top of the cake from burning. If you are using two separate tins 35-40 minutes should do the trick, and you only need to line the bottoms of the tins.
Step six
Whisk together the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and honey for the icing. Cover the bowl with a tea towel before turning on the whisk so you don’t get covered in icing sugar.
Step seven
Once the cake has completely cooled assemble it. Use just under half the icing in the middle and the rest on top.
I then decorated with the remaining raspberries, but feel free to get creative!
This week I went on my merry travels to visit some rather beloved friends. They’ve taken themselves off to Iceland to live for a while. Though I miss them a fair bit, it’s not such a terrible holiday destination for a person who loves photography, walking and general landscape (that’s me by the way).
We had ourselves a little road trip while I was there, naturally my stomach is my priority in all circumstances so we stocked up nicely in the snacks department. Having the luxury of doing none of the driving (Iceland is kinda wild, and my driving leaves a little to be desired), meant that I had plenty of time to consume, and became totally addicted to Hraun. Pronounced something along the lines of hhhhruin, these little guys are something I might have passed by if shopping alone, but are pretty darn yummy. I also saw a box at the airport called ‘Icelandic Mountain Bars’, which is significantly easier to say.
So to give you (me) a break from all that two tiered chocolate cake making you’ve (I’ve) been doing, here’s my recreation of my new favourite treat.
You will need
2 cups rice puff cereal
200g/7 oz milk chocolate
8 chocolate covered wafers (I used Blue Ribands)
Step one
Cut the wafers in half.
Not entirely necessary, you could just make bigger ones, but this way you get to eat a higher number.
Step two
Melt the chocolate in the microwave, start off with about 40 seconds and then use 10-20 second intervals to avoid burning it.
Step three
Add the rice crispies/rice puffs to the chocolate
Step four
Coat the wafers in puffs. Some of them took a bit of convincing for the mixture to stick, I’d imagine laying them on greaseproof paper and spoon the rice puffs and chocolate over the top would work too.
Step five
Pop onto greaseproof paper and leave to set. Place in the fridge after about 20 minutes.
A couple of weeks ago one of my favourite colleagues had a special birthday, so for a special birthday we needed a special cake.
I had only attempted one two tier cake before and had never made the chocolate collar you’ll see below. Sure this cake was a bit more effort than your average victoria sponge, but if you’ve got a few hours and a bit of patience and determination this is very much possible.
I present to you a full step-by-step recipe for a two tiered chocolate fudge cake with salted caramel buttercream, decorated with a dark chocolate collar and chocolate dipped berries. I just wanted to say that out loud. Look away if you don’t like chocolate. This won’t please you.
Happy birthday Jane!
You will need
For the cake:
380g/13.5 oz caster sugar
380g/13.5 oz unsalted butter or margarine (I use stork)
325g/11.5 oz self raising flour
6 eggs
55g/2 oz cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the salted caramel buttercream:
400g/14 oz icing sugar
250g/9 oz butter
80g/3 oz soft brown sugar
100ml/3.5 fl oz double cream
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tsp salt
For the chocolate fudge icing:
225g/8 oz unsalted butter
200g/7 oz plain chocolate
100g/3.5 oz milk chocolate
2 tbsp golden syrup
200ml/6.5 fl oz double cream
For the decorations:
1 packet strawberries (sorry I didn’t look at weight)
2 packets of raspberries (about 500g)
200g/7 oz plain chocolate
200g/7 oz milk chocolate
100g/3.5 oz white chocolate
(for the chocolate amounts are the best approximates I can make, I bought a LOT of chocolate. I strongly recommend Sainbury’s Belgian cooking chocolate if you are in the UK, definitely do not buy that scot block stuff)
Other:
Cake tin bottom tier – 1 x 7 inch (3.5 inches deep)
Cake tin top tier – 2 x 5 inch (1.5 inches deep)
Cake boards – 1 x 8 inch, 1 x 5 inch
Sticks/straws for support. I used cake pop sticks, but wooden dowling or special cake making supports would be fine. Make sure they are at least 4 inches so you can cut them to size.
Palette knife
Sugar thermometer (not 100% essential but I recommend tempering the chocolate)
Cellophane
Piping bags
Step one
Grease and line the tins.
Note how I created a bit of a collar on the larger tin from greaseproof. This is to help stop the sides of the cake catching while the inside bakes as it’s essentially double the thickness.
Step two
Whisk together the butter and sugar with an electric whisk, or a wooden spoon and some elbow grease, until smooth.
I used a block of stork for this, but I prefer the softer version you can get in a tub, you don’t have to wait for it to come to room temperature first that way. Margarine works just fine for cakes, I think it makes them fluffier.
You might want to use a tea towel over the bowl to avoid everything getting covered in sugar and butter.
Step three
Add all the eggs and whisk until combined.
Step four
In go the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder.
Stir gently to start mixing the dry ingredients in first before turning the whisk on, you don’t want to choke on flour, that’s not a good way to go. It also means you will never get to eat this cake.
Step five
Divide into the tins.
Bake in the oven on 180C/350F/gas mark 4. This is where it’s a little tricky as the little cakes need a lot less time but you don’t want to open the oven much or your big cake will sink.
I say give the big cake about 30 minutes on its own, and then opening the door as little as possible add the smaller ones for the next 20 minutes. You will then need to test the cakes by sticking a sharp knife, or a cake tester if you have one. If this comes out clean (or with the odd crumb) you’re all good. If not give them another 5-10 minutes.
Step six
While the cakes are in the oven make the icing as both, but particularly the chocolate, need time to cool.
Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Add the butter (real butter this time), chocolate and golden syrup. Melt until smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in the cream quickly. Take the bowl off the pan and place somewhere cool and dry.
I don’t really suggest the fridge because you might forget it (like I did) and then you have to wait for it to warm up enough to spread. But that being said, the fridge is a viable option, just keep an eye on it.
Step seven
For the salted caramel buttercream melt together 100g of the butter, the brown sugar, golden syrup and salt. Do this slowly and then bring the heat up to a simmer.
Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir regularly so that it doesn’t catch and burn. Leave to cool down for about half an hour or so.
Step eight
Stir in the 100ml cream and leave to cool further.
Step nine
Whisk the icing sugar and 150g of butter together with the salt. Definitely cover the bowl with the tea towel this time. I find if my butter is not quite soft enough it helps to rub it in a bit with clean hands first. There is NOwhere icing sugar won’t go when you use an electric whisk.
Step ten
Add the caramel and whisk again until smooth. Don’t worry if the caramel is still a little warm, just leave your buttercream to cool in the fridge for a bit. But again, don’t forget about it or it won’t be spreadable.
Step eleven
When your cakes have completely cooled prepare them for icing. You need to lop the top off the large one until it’s as flat as possible on top. So much of this cake is covered in decoration that you can get away with a little bit of wonky though so don’t panic if it’s not prefect. Having said that the flatter the better so the top tier sits straight. NO PRESSURE.
Step twelve
Cut the cake in the middle. Try to do this evenly by scoring it the whole way round first. Just keep going round in circles, getting further in each time until you’re all the way through.
Step thirteen
Level out the tops of the small cakes. I would be lying if I said I didn’t spread some icing on the offcuts and eat them.
Step fourteen
Using a palette knife ice the cakes.
First place a bit of buttercream on the cake base to stick the cake to it. Start with the caramel buttercream and ice the middle and the top. Don’t worry if bits splurge out the sides.
Smooth these out around the sides with the palette knife, gradually adding buttercream here and there to create the sharpest sides you can. Some parts will have a thicker coating than others, this layer is made to contain all the crumbs (hence the name crumb layer) and to even out the shape a bit. It’s not going to be pretty.
Place in the fridge for about an hour before starting the chocolate.
Ice the chocolate on in the same way, neatening as you go. For the most part it will be covered up, so it really doesn’t need to be too smooth.
Step fifteen
Cover the small cake in the same way.
Place both in the fridge while you prepare the decorations.
Step sixteen
Using the tins as a guide cut a strip of the cellophane for both the top and bottom layer. You want these to be quite close to the size of the chocolate collar, so tall enough that you will have about 5cm/two inches taller than the cake, and wide enough to match the circumference. You can quickly check this against the cake to ensure it will fit.
Don’t forget to cut one for the top tier and one for the bottom, bearing in mind your top tier cake is twice as tall as the tin.
Step seventeen
Temper 200g dark chocolate. Don’t look at me like that…you are really going to want to do this so you have shiny chocolate on the collar.
First melt 125g of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Let it get to 55C/131F before removing from the heat.
Chop the remaining chocolate and stir into the melted mix to aid the cool down process. Stir continually until it cools to 28C/82F. I found a good way to speed this up a bit. Put cold water in a large saucepan and the bowl on top. You’re welcome.
Place the bowl back on the heat and bring it to 31C/88F. Your chocolate is tempered.
Be warned – if you’re doing a different type of chocolate the temperatures are different:
Milk – 45C/113F original melt, 27C/81F cool down, 29C/84F
White – 45C/113F original melt, 26C/79F cool down, 28C/82F
Step eighteen
Place chocolate in a piping bag and using circular motions cover the cellophane with swirls. Go over the bottom edge onto the work surface but ensure the top stays on the cellophane so it’s ‘whirly’.
Step nineteen
When it has started to dry pull the cellophane away so the bottom is clear of the extra overlap bits.
Step twenty
Melt (preferably temper) the milk chocolate. Dip the strawberries in half way and leave to set on some more cellophane.
Melt the white chocolate (no real need to temper this) and place in a piping bag. swing the bag back and forth to drizzle the white chocolate over the top.
Step twenty one
Drizzle the raspberries with white and milk chocolate. You can dip them if you want to, but, really? I know this is taking a while, but do you have that kind of time??
Step twenty two
Get the cakes out of the fridge to assemble.
Cut the sticks to size and push through the bottom layer where the top tier will sit.
Place it on top.
I then secured this a bit further with the remaining dark chocolate I had. It will be covered up so no big deal if it’s messy.
Step twenty three
When the collars become touch dry, (meaning if you gently touch the surface you shouldn’t get chocolate on your finger, but what’s underneath is still not set) wrap them around the cake.
LEAVE THE CELLOPHANE ON. Sorry for shouting. But please. Walk away and don’t touch it for a while. Maybe leave a window open if it’s a cool day to help the process along.
Step twenty four
When you’re feeling brave slowly peel off the cellophane to reveal your beautiful shiny chocolate collar. I was pretty excited at this point I must confess.
Step twenty five
Fill with the fruit and make someone’s occasion that bit happier.
Hullo again, with Easter well and truly around the corner, here’s another cute bunny-themed bake for you.
I found an adorable mould for tiny carrots online when browsing for chocolate moulds, as you do on payday…right? I couldn’t resist pairing them with the gorgeous little flowerpot shaped cupcake cases my lovely pal Taylor bought me for my birthday a couple of years back.
Anyhoo, there was an obvious flavour choice for these and I pried myself away from my usual chocolate bakes to bring you carrot muffins/cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
This makes 6 cupcakes, so you will want to double it for more or for a single cake.
You will need
100g/3.5 oz self-raising flour
100g/3.5 oz carrot
80g/2.5 oz soft light brown sugar
75ml/2.5 fl oz sunflower/vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Zest of an orange
For the icing:
75g/2.5 oz soft cream cheese (full fat)
25g/1 oz unsalted butter
100g/3.5 oz icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Green food colouring
Other:
Candy coating chips in orange (or yellow and red like me) and green
Grate the carrot on the largest setting and the skin of the orange on the smallest setting on your grater.
Step two
Using a fork combine the oil and the egg in a small dish.
Step three
Combine the flour, sugar, spices and bicarb in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and stir in the egg and oil mix. Do this in small circles to avoid lumps.
Add the carrot and orange zest (some raisins wouldn’t go amiss if you have some).
Let’s be honest. Not the most appetising looking mixture.
Step four
Distribute the mixture evenly between the pots.
Bake on gas mark 4/180C/350F for 20-25 minutes.
Step five
While the cakes are in the oven melt your candy chips in the microwave and fill the moulds using a piping bag. Make sure to look underneath your mould to check there’s no bubbles.
If mixing the orange from red and yellow like me I advise you to start with yellow and gradually add red to get the colour you want rather than the other way round.
Step six
Make the icing by combining the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter and food colouring. Now, I won’t lie, you may need to add a little more icing sugar to the recipe, I’ve adjusted the quantities based on a slightly runny mix that I had, but they might not be totally perfect. My apologies chaps.
Add food colouring until you have a colour you like, I didn’t want to overdo it and overshadow the carrots.
Step seven
When the cakes are completely cool ice them just using a spoon. You can get more fancy if you want but personally I didn’t see the need to faff about.
I’ve had these little bunny pops in my mind’s eye for a while now. I’ll precursor this post with saying they don’t look exactly how I imagined. Sure, they do look a bit like Pikachu, but they are scrummy, so I vote worth the time if you’ve a free afternoon and a healthy dose of patience in your arsenal.
You will need
9 gelatine sheets
300g/10.5 oz granulated sugar
2 egg whites
1 tbsp liquid glucose (you can find this in a squeezy toothpaste type tube in the baking section)
2-3 tsp extract of your choice (but I HIGHLY recommend ‘buttery caramel’ from the natural professional flavours range – bought at Lakeland)
600-800g/1lb 5 oz – 1lb 12 oz chocolate for dipping (having sampled milk and white, I’d go white)
Sugar confetti for faces
Edible ink pen (or melted dark chocolate and a cocktail stick)
Icing sugar for dusting
A sugar thermometer
A bunny cutter (I got this from Amazon)
A handful of mini marshmallows (for fluffy bunny tails)
Cake pop sticks
Step one
In a cereal bowl, soak the gelatine in 150ml/5 fl oz cold water. Set aside.
Step two
Combine the sugar, 150ml/5 fl oz water (different to the gelatine water) and the liquid glucose in a smallish saucepan. Allow the sugar to dissolve on a low heat, and then turn it up to medium-high. Be careful not to burn the sugar or any of your extremities.
The temperature you want this to get to is 118 C. It will feel like it will never get there, but stay strong.
Step three
While the sugar is bubbling away take the opportunity to dust a brownie tin with icing sugar. Use a really small amount of olive oil before dusting to hold the icing sugar to the pan.
Step four
Place the egg whites in a metal or glass bowl, never plastic. Or you know, if you want to wreck your lovely Mason Cash bowl by using an electric whisk on it, by all means do. Those handsome grey marks? You could have those too.
When the sugar gets to somewhere around 112-115C whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks.
Step five
When the sugar reaches 118C take it off the heat.
Squeeze the gelatine out a bit and add it to the sugar mix. It will bubble right up so don’t panic. It should settle pretty quickly.
Step six
Pour the hot sugar into the eggs, but make sure you’re whisking continually to avoid a big lump of sugar at the bottom of the bowl.
Whisk until the mixture holds its shape well and is quite thick. This can take up to ten minutes.
Somewhere during the whisking (probably when you need to give your arm a rest) add the flavouring. Vanilla extract is lovely in these but they will take basically anything you fancy. Like I said in the ingredients list I really recommend ‘Buttery Caramel’ from the Natural Professional Flavours brand.
Step seven
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth out as much as possible.
Dust with icing sugar and leave to set for about an hour.
Step eight
Turn the marshmallow out onto a clean surface.
Cut as many bunnies as you can out of the sheet of marshmallow. This will vary depending on your tin and cutter size. I got nine out of mine.
Step nine
Melt a couple of pieces of chocolate in the microwave.
Dip the cake pop sticks in and push them into the bottom of the bunnies. I put mine in up to the head to increase stability. Leave to set.
Step ten
I recommend tempering the chocolate. Then you will get a nice snap when you bite into the pops and you can use the remaining chocolate to do something like this. Don’t feel you have to though, it will work without.
To temper, melt two thirds of the chocolate over a pan of boiling water and allow it to reach 45C. Remove it from the heat and add the rest of the chocolate. This should melt in and cool it down quicker. Stir it to cool down to 25C. Place it back on the heat to get it back up to 28C.
Step eleven
Place the chocolate into a small deep bowl (or I actually found with the milk chocolate that a glass works really well).
Dip the bunnies in and make sure to coat well. Allow excess chocolate to drip off, twirl it round to get an even, smooth coating.
This is where I ran into a spot of difficulty and filled my left hand with bunny pops that were covered in melted chocolate. I suggest you a) get a spare pair of willing hands, b) get a block of florist’s oasis/cake pop stand to stick them in, c) accept the back of them won’t be beautiful and lay them down on cellophane or greaseproof paper.
Step twelve
Once dry, add their little faces and tails. I used a cocktail stick with a small amount of melted chocolate to stick on sugar decorations. I got the little hearts I used for the noses from Tiger, and I can’t be sure about the circles for the cheeks.
I drew the faces on with an edible ink pen I bought online. You could use a cocktail stick and some dark chocolate if you prefer.
Step thirteen
Tie a piece of twine or ribbon around the stick and make a day a little bit happier.
I used to make a cheat’s version of this recipe with two packet mixes, and recently I just thought to myself, ‘I wonder if this would taste better if I made the batters from scratch’. Oh boy does it.
You just have to find an excuse to make this and eat it warm from the oven with some ice cream. It’s very easy and quite a bit more impressive than regular brownies.
You will need
For the brownie batter:
300g/10.5 oz Caster sugar (golden if you have it)
170g/6 oz Unsalted butter
170g/6 oz Plain flour
45g/1.5 oz Cocoa powder
3 Eggs
1/2 tsp Baking powder
For the cookie dough:
170g/6 oz Plain flour
100g/3.5 oz Soft light brown sugar
100g/3.5 oz Milk chocolate chips
60g/2 oz Unsalted butter
1 Egg
1 tbsp Golden syrup
1/2 tsp Baking powder
Extra
45g/1.5 oz Dark chocolate
Step one
Starting with the brownie batter, mix together the baking powder, sugar, flour and cocoa powder.
Step two
Make a well in the middle of your dry ingredients and add the eggs. Using a hand whisk, combine gradually using small circles in the centre of the batter.
Step three
Melt the butter in the microwave. Only until it has just about dissolved mind, or it will cook the eggs and this is not intended to be a recipe for scrambled egg brownie.
Step four
Add the butter into the mixture and continue with your little circles until most of the flour is combined, then use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the rest.
Step five
Pour into a greased and lined brownie tray and gently spread into the corners.
Get a teaspoon and eat a bit. You know you want to.
Moving on to the cookie dough…
Step six
Beat together the butter, soft brown sugar and golden syrup. You might find it easier/quicker to use an electric whisk.
Step seven
Beat in the egg until pale, light and fluffy.
Step eight
Fold in the flour and baking powder until you have a smooth dough.
Step nine
Add the chocolate chips.
Time for another little taste.
Step ten
Using a pair of teaspoons drop blobs of the batter onto the surface of the brownie mixture.
Step eleven
Push the cookie dough blobs down a bit with the back of a spoon and use a butter knife to make a marbled effect on top.
Step twelve
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes on 180C/350F/gas mark 4. You want there to still be a bit of fudgey chocolate between the brownie and cookie so be careful not to over do it.
Step thirteen
Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave and drizzle over with a spoon.
Apparently when I think Mother’s Day blogging I think fudge. It’s a good thing my mum likes fudge. What’s that? You didn’t realise Mother’s day was so soon? I know, right? Me neither. It’s this Sunday for those of you in GB, the rest of you should check your calendars, this is the sneakiest holiday of the year.
This is a super super easy way to make a treat for your Ma. It’s not like the last fudge recipe I posted, which while being totally delicious I’d wager none of you actually made. Well there’s no boiling sugar or a thermometer required for this one, and barely any cooking at all.
You might need to cut this recipe by half or even more, it makes quite a large batch for just one mummy to eat. It can be frozen.
You will need
600g/1 lb 3 oz White chocolate (yeah, this is serious stuff)
397g Condensed milk (1 can basically)
125g/4.5 oz Cranberries
85g/3 oz Mini marshmallows
25g/1 oz Dark chocolate
Other decorations (I used silver balls and freeze dried raspberries because that’s what I had, but any manner of nuts and dried fruits would be acceptable, even as a substitute for the marshmallows and cranberries)
Step one
Break the white chocolate into chunks and place in a pan with the tin of condensed milk.
Melt together on a low heat. Once you have a smooth fudge-like mixture, remove from the hob.
Step two
Add two thirds of the cranberries and marshmallows, stir to combine.
Step three
Drop the mixture into a brownie tin lined with greaseproof paper. Push into the corners with the back of a spoon and even the top out a bit.
Step four
Sprinkle the remaining cranberries, the silver balls and freeze-dried raspberries on top and push down slightly so they stick.
The alternative would be to swap this step with the next one so they stick to the chocolate (this would probably also look nicer because you would actually be able to see them rather than hiding them with a load of dark chocolate…). I make the mistakes so you don’t have to.
Step five
Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave and drizzle over the fudge. Sprinkle the remaining marshmallows on top. I had a bit of dark chocolate left so did another layer on top of the marshmallows.
Place in the fridge to allow the whole thing to set.
Step six
Using a cutter of your choice (this heart-shaped one was from Lakeland), cut the fudge into pieces. If you don’t have a cutter, then bars or chunks would look nice too.
