Easter Cookies

I've got to say these guys have nearly taken me over the edge. I've been so pleased with myself not eating any chocolate for Lent but as I sit here my mouth is watering.

I am imaging the mini eggs soft molten centres all gooey from the heat of the oven and I know that the cookies are just that right mix of crispy on the edges but soft and moist in the middle. Then with an amazing stroke of luck Sainsbury had this popping candy chocolate spread in the store to take these to a whole different level. 

The boys will be fighting over who gets to take these to work or school tomorrow. Luckily there is enough to share, I've just ate some dried apricots and it truly hasn't helped............

200g unsalted butter

300g soft light brown sugar

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

360g plain flour

pinch of salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp baking powder

350g mini eggs (freeze before using)

about a third of a jar of chocolate popping candy spread

Preheat oven 170˚c  

Mix the butter and sugars together in a freestanding machine until light and fluffy. 

Add eggs a little at a time. Scrape down the sides and add vanilla extract.  

Sift in flour, bicarb, salt and baking powder. Mix until it reaches a clay like dough.

With an ice-cream scoop or spoon put 15 cookie dough mounds onto prepared trays. 

Make an indentation in each cookie dough with a teaspoon then fill with half a teaspoon of chocolate popping candy spread.

Stud the cookie dough with the mini eggs.

Bake for about 15 minutes, taking them out halfway through and giving a sharp bang

on a work surface.

Cool cookies slightly before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Collar Celebration Cake

One of my oldest friends Lisa asked me if I could make a 50th wedding anniversary cake for her in-laws. The only specification she gave was it needed to feed 10-12 and could it be vanilla. So bearing that in mind and that Sofia one of my favourite little people (Lisa's youngest) favourite cake is cream and strawberry I thought this would be the way to go.

It actually looks like it should be a hard cake to make but I promise it isn't. The only thing you do need, is time and a little patients, if you get to excited and peel the collar before it's set it flops or the other side of the coin if you try and wrap before that crucial wrapping time you get a chocolatey mess, but if you leave to long the chocolate is too brittle to wrap.

What you're looking for is that just setting texture to the chocolate, then wrap and pop into the freezer to set completely.

250g caster sugar
250g stork or softened butter
250g S/R flour
1 tbsp vanilla essence
4 large/medium eggs

Mix all of the above in a free standing machine until light and fluffy.

Divide between four 7inch greased sandwich tins (I used Dr Oketer)

Bake in a preheated oven @170 for about 18-22 minutes until firm when the top is gently pressed

Turn out onto wire racks to cool completely

6 tbsp strawberry jam

800g fresh strawberries, chopped into tiny pieces, saving enough to create a ring around the top

600ml double cream

3 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

Whip the above together until forming soft peaks, fold through half of the chopped strawberries

To start to build your cake, place a sponge onto the bottom, cover with a layer of the strawberry cream, some strawberries.





On the next sponge cover the underside with strawberry jam then place onto the cream, continue until you have used all 4 sponges, cover the top sponge with the remaining cream and a ring of strawberries, pop into the fridge to chill.

To make your collar
300g Good dark chocolate

In a bowl set over a saucepan of water melt your chocolate.

Cool slightly then pour a little at a time into a piping bag,
I made about 4 parchment ones which I found worked really well, you can find great tutorials on You tube how to make them. 

Then snip off the bottom and just let the chocolate fall in lines up and down the paper.

I used to frozen pizza boxes to lay my collar on to chill, as if the kitchens to warm it won't set and my fridge wasn't wide enough to lay it in flat, once the collar starts to set, retrieve your cake and wrap it around gently smoothing into place, pop into the freezer until the chocolate feels snappy, the unpeel the parchment.

I made a 50, by drawing the numbers onto a piece of parchment and leaving to set, then popped them in the middle.

My Black Forest Cuppies from You Mag

From tortes and tartlets to cookies and cupcakes, this year’s Great British Bake Off champ Jo Wheatley shares her favourite recipes

Makes 10 

INGREDIENTS

• 100g (3½oz) plain flour
• 40g (1½oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 140g (5oz) caster sugar
• 1tsp baking powder
• 150g (5½oz) dark chocolate (use half for the buttercream)
• 125ml (4fl oz) full-fat milk
• 50g (1¾oz) dried cherries (from Tesco or Waitrose), finely chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 5tbsp of cherry liqueur (such as Heering, £21.49 for 70cl)
• Grated chocolate, to decorate
• 10 whole cherries (glacé or fresh), to decorate
• 
  

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 500g (1lb 2oz) icing sugar
• 125g (4½oz) unsalted butter, softened
•  2tbsp milk
• 
  

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/gas 3. Combine the flour, butter, sugar and baking powder in a food processor or mixer until it’s a sandy consistency.

Gently melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan. Pour half the chocolate into another bowl and whisk in the milk. Stir in the chopped cherries and egg, then add the flour and combine. Spoon into 10 muffin cases and bake 20-25 minutes.

Remove and cool on a wire rack, then brush with liqueur. For the buttercream, blend the icing sugar, butter, milk and remaining melted chocolate for 10 minutes until fluffy. Spread over the cakes and top each with a cherry and grated chocolate.

Spread the icing over the cakes and top with a cherry and grated chocolate

Mini Chocolate, Coffee and Walnut Cakes for Mac

I've got to say these aren't my normal straight forward no nonsense kind of bake, but I've been promising Mac who helps look after everything for me along with Fiona and Ali, a coffee and walnut cake for ages, so I thought I needed to pull out all the stops.

Then I started to think about how to make something special and got slightly swept away. These little treats have 2 layers of coffee and walnut cake, a layer of walnut shortbread, coffee buttercream all finished with a crisp coating of Belgium chocolate.

There will be quite a lot of leftover edges and I know it's really wasteful, unless like me you eat them, but this is a special occasion bake not one for everyday.

Preheat the oven to 170

Coffee and Walnut Sponge

200g S/R flour

200g stork

200g caster sugar

1 shot of expresso or 2 tsp instant coffee mixed with 2 tbsp boiling water

50g finely chopped walnuts

2 eggs

Mix all of the above together, in either a free standing machine or with a hand whisk until light and fluffy, spoon into a 8 inch greased sandwich tin.

Bake @ 170 for 25 mins or until springs back in the centre when gently pushed, turn out and chill completely

Walnut shortbread

100g plain flour

100g unsalted softened butter

50g chopped walnuts

50g caster sugar

In a food processor blend all of the above ingredients together.

Turn out into a small baking tray spread out using your hands

Bake @ 170 for 25-30 minutes, cut out 6 circles using a 3 inch cutter whilst still hot, leave to cool completely.

Over a pan half filled with water set a bowl with 450g of good dark chocolate in it, heat and stir gently until totally melted.

Buttercream

200g Icing sugar

100g unsalted softened butter

1 shot of expresso or 2 tsp instant mixed with 1 tbsp hot water

Mix together in a freestanding machine until really light and fluffy

You will also need 50g chopped walnuts

Line a baking tray with parchment, cut the sponge into 6 circles using a 3 inch cutter, then cut the sponge circles through the middle, Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag and snip of the end,  pipe swirls onto half of the sponge circles, sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts.

Brush the shortbread with melted chocolate, this will help keep the biscuit crisp. Then place onto  the buttercream.

Pipe with another ring of buttercream and top with walnuts.

Add another disc of sponge and a swirl of buttercream, try to create a little dome shape. Place all of the stacks into the freezer and chill until solid to the touch, about 45-60 minute

Place the sponge stacks onto wire racks with a baking tray placed under it, Pour melted chocolate over each cake until all enclosed, pop back onto the parchment lined trays and chill until set. Serve at room temp.

Mini Empanadas

Well Friday evening I was driving home after dropping Dylan off and decided I'd quite like to try my hand at making Empanada's. I'd had these in Barcelona once in with some Tapas but only got to try one. 

A slight detour, ok quite a big one to Sainsbury's to buy all I'd needed, and these are the ones I came up with, I'm not sure if they are real Empanada but I've got to say it was worth the detour and has given me the urge to try all sorts of flavour combinations, I'll keep you posted of any new ones I come up with.

Chicken and mango chutney (makes about 10)
1 chicken breast chopped really small
2 tsbp olive oil
1 spring onion sliced into slivers
1-2 tsp mango chutney
shortcrust pastry (either a pkt of all butter ready rolled) or make some up and roll (350g)

1. In a frying pan gently fry the chicken and spring onion until just golden

2. Add 1-2 tsp mango chutney, leave to cool

3. Cut out 10-12, 3inch circles using a large cutter

4. Spoon a teaspoon of the mix into one half of each circle

5.Brush round the empty half of the pastry circles with some water and fold over the chicken filling, crimp like a cornish pasty. Brush wit a little egg wash

6. Place on a baking tray and cook at 210 for about 15-18 minutes

Minced beef, onion and horseradish
100g mince steak
1/4 of a chopped onion 
1-2 tsp of creamy horseradish

shortcrust pastry (either a pkt of all butter ready rolled) or make some up and roll (350g)

1. Put the onion, beef and horseradish in a food processor and pulse until well combined

2. Cut out 10-12, 3inch circles using a large cutter

3. Spoon a teaspoon of the mix into one half of each circle

4.Brush round the empty half of the pastry circles with some water and fold over the beef filling, crimp like a cornish pasty. Brush with a little egg wash

5. Place on a baking tray and cook at 210 for about 20-22 minutes

Steak, cheese and red pepper 
1 piece of nice steak (I used a small piece of fillet)
3 tbsp gruyere cheese grated
1 piece of roasted red pepper (from a jar or the chiller cabinet) 

shortcrust pastry (either a pkt of all butter ready rolled) or make some up and roll (350g)

1. Chop the steak and pepper into tiny pieces

2. Flash fry in a little oil then leave to cool, then stir in the grated cheese

3. Cut out 10-12, 3inch circles using a large cutter

4. Spoon a teaspoon of the mix into one half of each circle

5.Brush round the empty half of the pastry circles with some water and fold over the beef filling, crimp like a cornish pasty. Brush with a little egg wash

6. Place on a baking tray and cook at 210 for about 13-18 minutes

Mothering Sunday Cake

Well it's that time of the year when everyone gets to say thanks to the person that brought you into the world. THAT INCLUDES YOU; BILLY, JESSE & DYLAN!

So I got to thinking, what better way than to show that special person than with a lovingly prepared cake. It will go some way to thank her for all those sleepless nights (I'm not just talking about the teething stages).

I'm still pacing the floorboards now at 3am while my lot are out partying!!! Give me the baby days anytime at least you know where your little darling is at 3am, even if you're routing around for the elusive dummy at that ungodly hour. And when they look at you it's with love not just as a big cash point machine.

All that a side they are my proudest moments and there is nothing I wouldn't do for them. I feel truly blessed to have my 3 gorgeous strapping men that are my babies.

Mothering Sunday Dome Cake
250g S/R flour
250g stork
250g caster sugar
50ml milk
5 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract         preheat oven to 160

1. In a freestanding machine whisk together all the above ingredients until light and fluffy
2. Grease a 3 pint pudding bowl (I use Dr Oetker release spray)
3. Spoon a third of the cake batter into the bowl
4. Add a touch of pink food colouring to the cake mixture and fold, spoon another third into the basin
5.Add a little more food colour to deepen the colour, spoon the remainder into the basin
6. Bake in a preheated oven for about 1 hour if still not baked cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Leave to cool for 20 minutes in the basin
8. Turn out on to a wire rack and cool completely
9. Slice into 3 sections where the colours change

2 tbsp Raspberry jam

Buttercream
750g icing sugar
250g unsalted softened butter
5 tbsp sieved Raspberry puree

1. Mix all the above together until very light and fluffy, colour half with a little pink food colour for a deeper pink
2. Sandwich the cake together with the buttercream and raspberry jam cover with a crumb coat and then chill in the freezer for half an hour.
3. Fill 2 piping bags fitted with an open star nozzles with the rest of the buttercream and pipe little alternate stars all over the cake.
4. Sprinkle with little sliver balls.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY xxxxx