Banana Boston Cream Cake

A fantastic recipe; this chocolate covered banana cake is filled with homemade custard - and tastes amazing. A nice fruity, indulgent version of the traditional Boston Cream Pie. Takes a good few hours, but is definately worth it!

 Ingredients

For the Sponge

100g Unsalted Butter, Softened

150g Caster Sugar

2 Large Eggs, Beaten and at room temperature

2 Very Ripe Bananas, Mashed

125g Soured Cream

1tsp Vanilla Extract

300g Plain Flour

1/2tsp Salt

3/4tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

For the Custard

250ml Whole Milk

1tsp Vanilla Extract

3 Egg Yolks

50g Caster Sugar

15g Plain Flour

15g Cornflour

For the Dark Chocolate Ganache

150g Good Quality Dark Cooking Chocolate, Chopped

150ml Whipping/Double Cream

To Decorate (Optional)

20g White Cooking Chocolate

20g Dark Cooking Chocolate

5g Margarine

1 Digestive Biscuit, Crushed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/Gas 3, and line or grease two 20cm sandwich tins.

2. Using a free-standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it turns a cream colour. Slowly add a bit of the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition.

3. In a jug, mix the mashed bananas, soured cream and vanilla, and then slowly add to the mixer on a low speed, making sure everything is incorporated. At this point it may curdle, but don't worry.

4. Sieve in all of the dry ingredients, and fold in with a spatula until even and smooth. Split between the two tins, and bake for about 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, take them out of the tins after 10 minutes of cooling time, and then leave on a wire rack to cool fully.

5. Whilst the cakes are baking, prepare the custard. Heat the milk and vanilla extract in a saucepan and a medium-low heat until it boils. Meanwhile mix the yolks, sugar and flours to form a paste. Pour a bit of the warmed milk onto the paste and mix. Place paste into the saucepan, and put on a medium heat. Whisk for about 4-5 minutes, or until it properly thickens up and is smooth - but no longer or the eggs will scramble. Pour onto a baking tray and cover with cling film - this will stop a skin from forming. Leave to cool.

6. As the cakes are cooling, prepare the ganache. Do this by heating the cream in a saucepan until it's almost boiling and then pour on top of the chocolate, mixing until its all melted, and a smooth and glossy ganache is formed. Set aside to cool. 

7. Once the cakes are cool, using a hand mixer, whisk the custard until smooth. Then spread the custard on top of one of the cakes with a palette knife, and place the other cake on top. Wrap the sides tightly with cling film, and place in the fridge for 40 minutes so the custard sets.

8. Whilst the cake is setting, make the chocolate curls. Melt the two chocolates separately, the dark with 3g of margarine, and the white with 2g. Pour into a lined ramekin, and swirl with a toothpick. Place in the fridge until completely set, and then remove the block of chocolate, and (with cold hands) use a swivel bladed vegetable peeler to peel off curls. This step may take a few attempts, and a few times you might have to put the block in the fridge for a bit before carrying on. Place the finished curls in the fridge until needed. 

9. Once the cake has set, take off the cling film, and place on a wire rack with a plate underneath. Pour the ganache on top and smooth out with a palette knife around the sides. Leave for a while, and then before the ganache has completely set, place your biscuit crumbs and curls however you want.

Enjoy :)

Foolproof Chocolate Fondants

One of my favourite, rich recipes of all time, this mouth watering chocolate sauce-filled sponge dessert awesome. Make sure you use good quality chocolate. 

Makes 4. 

Ingredients

100g Dark Cooking Chocolate

120g Caster Sugar 

!00g Plain Flour, Sifted

100g Unsalted Butter

2 Eggs

2 Egg Yolks 

2tsp Tia Maria Liqueur (optional) 

Some Cocoa Powder

Strawberries and Ice Cream (To Serve)

Method

1. Grease 4 ramekins and dust with cocoa powder, spreading evenly and letting the excess fall into the next one. Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan. 

2. Melt the butter and the chocolate over a bain-marie, and leave to cool slightly

3. Whisk the eggs, yolks and the sugar until pale and thick, and then add the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour and liqueur, and distribute between the 4 ramekins.

4. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops of all of them don't look glossy. Leave for 3 minutes. 

5. Carefully go around the outside of each fondant with a small palette knife - if you muck this up, it won't turn out properly. Carefully turn onto plates, and serve immediately. 

Enjoy :) 

Chocolate Milk Cupcakes

Exam season is over! Time for summer holidays! A recipe trying to imitate the refreshing cold chocolate drink, it's originally from the 'Lola's Cupcakes' recipe book, but with a few alterations. I decided to experiment with the decoration, instead of the chocolate sprinkles suggested by the recipe, I decided to do a range of toppings; cake crumbs, chocolate shards and chocolate leaves. It's up to you which one you choose, but each method is in the instructions. Makes 12 Muffins or 24 Mini Muffins.

 Ingredients

For the Cake

2 Eggs, Beaten

50g Dark Cooking Chocolate, Chopped

87g Butter

112g Caster Sugar

50g Self-Raising Flour

                      1 1/4 tbsp Cocoa Powder

A Pinch of Salt 

For the Vanilla Buttercream

60g Butter, Softened

250g Icing Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 tbsp Milk

For the Chocolate Leaves/Shards

50g Dark Cooking Chocolate 

Small, edible, non-toxic leaves with deep veins, such as bay leaves, mint leaves or rose leaves - Thoroughly Washed and Dried 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4, and grease a 12 hole muffin tin, or a 24 hole mini muffin tin.

2. Melt the chocolate and the butter together in a bain-marie, remove from heat, and stir in the sugar. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes, and transfer into a mixing bowl.

3. Beat with an electric hand mixer for about 3 minutes, then gradually pour in the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition. Sieve in the flour, cocoa and salt, and fold in with a metal spoon until incorporated. 

4. Pour the mixture into the tin, filling the holes up around just over 3/4 of the way, and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until well risen, and if a skewer is placed inside, it comes out clean. Leave for 10 minutes to cool, then with a small palette knife, gently ease the cupcakes out by going around the edges of the holes, and leave to cool on a wire rack. If you want to decorate your cakes with crumbs, scrape the residue left on the tin, and reserve for later.

5. While they're cooling, for the chocolate leaves, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. With a pastry brush, or a small palette knife paint the underside of the leaves, and gently place on a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking tray. Place in the fridge to set. Once completely set (around 20 minutes), gently peel the leaves away, and place the chocolate back onto the greaseproof paper, and chill until use.

6. Alternatively, for the chocolate shards, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie, and using a palette knife, quickly spread the chocolate onto a sheet of greaseproof paper into a layer around 2mm thick, and roll the sheet into a cylinder. Place the cylinder in the fridge until the chocolate is completely set (around 20 minutes), and remove from the fridge. Unroll the cylinder, and the chocolate should break into shards. Make them smaller if needed by breaking the pieces apart with your hands. Chill until use.

7. For the Buttercream, beat the butter in a mixing bowl until very smooth and creamy, and then sieve in half of the icing sugar. Using a spoon first, slowly mix the butter and sugar together, and then once most is incorporated, use a hand whisk. Repeat for the rest of the icing sugar, and then add the milk and vanilla extract. 

8. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, using either a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, or a palette knife, apply the icing to the cupcake. Add your desired decoration - be very gentle with the leaves as they are extremely delicate. 

Enjoy :)

The Ultimate Banoffee Pie

For this one, I only have one person to thank; Ruth Davis, for providing me with the base recipe for this incredible dessert. Incredibly simple and no-bake, this rich and crumbly dessert will please anyone!

 

 Ingredients

For the Biscuit Base

250g Chocolate Digestives

85g Butter

For the Filling

3 or 4 Bananas

397g Can of Caramel Condensed Milk

300ml Double/Whipping Cream

Caster Sugar, to Taste

For the Dark Chocolate Curls

50g Dark Cooking Chocolate

2tsp Butter

Method

1. For the chocolate curls, line a ramekin and place in the freezer while melting the chocolate and the butter together in a bain-marie. Pour melted mix into the ramekin, and place in the fridge for about 1 hour, or until you're sure it's completely set.

2. Meanwhile, place the biscuits in a plastic bag and close it. Use a rolling pin to bash them into fine crumbs, or alternatively, place the biscuits in a food processor and whizz until fine crumbs. Place crumbs into a bowl. 

3. Melt the butter (for the biscuit base) in a small saucepan, and pour into the the biscuit crumbs, and mix. Pour mix into a 23cm loose bottom flan tin, and using the back of a spoon, spread evenly along the bottom and sides, compacting it to create a pie shell. 

4. Chop up the bananas into slices, and line the pie shell evenly with them. Pour the condensed milk on top, and spread evenly with a palette knife. Place pie in the fridge.

5. Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl, and add a few spoons of sugar. Taste it, and if not sweet enough, add more. Using a hand whisk, beat it until thick, and holds a solid trail. Place in the fridge.

6. Take the ramekin out of the fridge, and carefully remove your chocolate block. [Wash your hands with cold water to ensure your body heat doesn't melt the chocolate while doing the next part] Using a swivel-edged peeler along the edge of the block, peel curls out of the block and place into a bowl. Place in the fridge.

7. Remove pie from the fridge, and fill a piping bag with a 1.5cm plain nozzle with the cream. Pipe lines across like I did, or any other design you want onto the pie. Take the curls out of the fridge, and place them all in the middle, or in lines onto your cream, and break up the excess ones and sprinkle them on top, or use them to fill in the gaps where the condensed milk is showing.

8. Place pie in the fridge until it's time to serve. If you want, you can take it out of the tin, but if you do, be extremely careful, as the biscuit base is incredibly delicate (thats why I say to use a loose bottomed tin).

Enjoy :)

Spicy Gingerbread Custard Creams

It's coming to the end of my academic year, and I wanted to make something for my teachers as a sort of 'thank you'. Inspired by an idea of lots of spice going into gingerbread, I thought - how about spicy gingerbread? It turned out very well, and I embossed the tops with a special tool used to emboss letters. Makes about 30 sandwich biscuits. 

Ingredients

For the Biscuits 

113g Softened Butter

75g Granulated Sugar

165g Dark Brown Muscavado Sugar

1/4tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2tsp Salt

3tsp Ground Cinnamon

3/4tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/2tsp Ground Ginger

1/4tsp Ground White Pepper

1/4tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 1/2tsp Vanilla Extract 

235g Plain Flour

1 Egg, Beaten

Chilli Powder

For the Filling

25g Softened Butter

1.5tbsp Instead Custard Powder

100g Icing Sugar, sieved

1/2tsp Vanilla Extract 

2tsp Milk

Method 

1. Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add all the other dry ingredients except the flour, and mix until properly incorporated.

2. Slowly add the beaten egg, mixing between each addition, then add the flour, and fold in. Collect up all the dough and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for 20 mins. Preheat oven to 190C/fan 170C.

3. Take a lump of dough, and roll out on a floured surface to about 1/2cm in thickness and using a cookie cutter, cut out cookies, and using a palette knife, transfer onto a lined baking tray. Rub a little chilli powder into each biscuit, and place batch in the oven for 9-10 mins. In the meantime, roll out and cut another batch. Once cooked, leave for 2 mins, then place on a wire rack. They will be soft and will harden when cool, so be careful.

4. To make the filling, cream the butter until light, and slowly add the custard powder and sugar. Add the vanilla and mix until well combined. Add more milk/icing sugar until you achieve a thick paste texture. Spread a dollop on one, leaving a bit on the edges without, and place another on top, wiggling it to spread the filling around the entire biscuit. 

Enjoy :)

Simple Artisan Macaroons

Since it's Passover, I decided to include a flourless recipe for my blog. I am no expert in macaroons, but these turned out pretty good, and are really much easier than they seem. Try to use aged egg whites, you can fill them with whatever you want, but I have included a recipe for buttercream. Makes about 15.




























                       Ingredients

For the Macaroons

230g Icing Sugar

60g Caster Sugar

4 Large Egg Whites

120g Ground Almonds

Pinch Of Salt

                 Food Colouring (Optional)

               For the Buttercream Filling

                    150g Icing Sugar

              50g Butter/Margarine, Softened

                      Milk or Water

                 1/2tsp Vanilla Extract

Method

1. Pass the ground almonds, icing sugar and salt through a sieve twice, and throw away any bits or lumps that don't pass easily. Preheat the oven to 150C/Fan 130C, and line two baking trays with non stick paper. 

2. Whisk the egg whites and caster sugar to form stiff peaks, and then add your desired food colouring. Be quite liberal with it, as the colour fades while baking. Whisk for about 1 minute. 

3. Fold the almond and sugar mix in with a spatula, but be careful not to overmix; it should be quite thick yet smooth, and shouldn't easily run off the spatula if held above the bowl. 

4. Fill a piping bag with the mix, and pipe small circles onto the trays, letting the little end flick go over the circle. Once finished, rap the trays against the worktop a few times to prevent cracking. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.

5. Place in the oven for around 22 mintues, or until they come off the tray cleanly, and leave to cool.

6. Beat the butter in a mixer until creamy, then sieve in the icing sugar and pour in 2tsp water/milk and vanilla. Let it mix for around 5 minutes until completely smooth and pale in colour. You want a fairly thick paste consistency, so add more icing sugar/liquid if needed. 

7. Pair the macaroons with ones that fit together well, and spread a large dollop of buttercream on one half with a palette knife, leaving a bit of room by the edge. Place the other half on top, pressing down gently while moving it in a circle to spread the buttercream around to the edges.

Enjoy :)

Grandma's Gingerbread

Sometimes it's better to go back in time for the best recipes. Originally my grandma's, this bake is simple and delicious, but it can get messy with the golden syrup! I decided to add the topping though, to give a crunch, and really bring through the flavour of the ginger. Serve with butter. 

Ingredients

330g Plain Flour

50g Caster Sugar

210ml Golden Syrup

2tsp Mixed Spice 

1tsp Ground Ginger

3/4 tsp Baking Powder

230g Butter

2 Eggs, Beaten

1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

For the Topping

25g Light Muscavado Sugar

25g Flour

25g Oatmeal

1tsp Ground Ginger

35g Cold Butter, Diced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C, and line a standard size loaf tin. Place the butter and the syrup in a small saucepan on a low heat until all the butter has melted. Leave for a minute to cool.

2. While the butter is melting, sift the flour, sugar, mixed spice, ginger and baking powder into a bowl, and set aside.

3. Add the syrup mix into the sieved ones and mix together. Then gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Mix the bicarb and 1tsp boiling water, then add to the cake mix.

4. Place in the oven, and set the timer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile make the topping by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl, and rubbing it between your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. After 20 minutes sprinkle a thin layer on top of the loaf.

5. Put back in the oven for another 25-30 mins, or until a darkish brown, and a skewer comes out clean. Serve with butter and enjoy :)

Chocolate and Almond Cake Pops

A product of hours of testing, experimental bakes and developments, these cake pops were the subject of my GCSE coursework final practical, the theme of which was winter. Again, these need to be made with a cake pop mould, which are easily available on the internet. But beware - they are not for beginners, and be sure to lay down some newspaper before making the spun sugar.

Ingredients

For the Sponge

125g Butter, Softened

125g Caster Sugar

125 Self-Raising Flour

2 Eggs, Beaten

2tsp Cocoa Powder

1/2tsp Almond Essence

12g Ground Almonds

For the White Chocolate Ganache

175g White Cooking Chocolate, broken up into small pieces

175ml Whipping Cream

For the Spun Sugar

3g Liquid Glucose

Pinch Cream of Tartar

33g Caster Sugar

15ml Water

25g Dark Cooking Chocolate

12 Wooden Skewers

Cake Pop Mould

Polystyrene Block

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C/180C fan/Gas mark 3. Grease the mould well. Cream the butter and sugar together until a very light off-white (this will take at least 10 minutes), and very slowly add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Sift and fold in the flour with a metal spoon.

2. Divide the mixture in half, and in one add the cocoa powder, and to the other add the almond essence and ground almonds. Fill up one half of the mould; half with each mix, and marble with a cocktail stick. Place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until a cocktail stick comes out clean when placed through the hole at the top.

3. While the cakes are cooking, heat the cream until bubbling, and pour on top of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, and mix until all the chocolate has melted. Whisk with for a few minutes and then place in the fridge. Leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack before taking them out of the mould. 

4. Once the cakes have cooled, melt the dark chocolate, and coat the tip of a wooden skewer. Carefully push it through one of the balls about halfway, making sure a small amount of chocolate leaks out. This will be the glue for the skewer. Place in a dish with an edge, such as a cake tin (image above), and repeat for all the cake pops. Place in the fridge until the chocolate is completely set. 

5. Take the ganache out of the fridge, and whisk until its a thick liquid. Try dipping a cake pop into it, and if it easily enrobes the cake without being translucent or too stiff, its the right consistency. To loosen it, put it in the microwave for a few seconds. Dip each pop by the skewer into the ganache, letting any excess drip off, and push the bottom part of the skewer into a polystyrene block. Leave to set completely.

6. Lay out over the edge of your work surface three metal handles. To make the spun sugar, place all ingredients into a saucepan. Place the pan on a low heat, and stir continuously until all the sugar has dissolved. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, make sure all the sugar near the surface of the liquid stuck to the side of the saucepan is brushed away, or into the liquid to prevent recrystallisation. Turn up the heat slightly, so it gently bubbles. Heat until you see the very slightest change in colour to a slight caramel colour, and dip quickly the base of the saucepan in a bowl of water to stop it cooking. Using give it a second or two to thicken slightly, and using two forks back to back, dip them in, and flick them back and forth across the handles, to create thin, hair-like strands. Collect a few straight after you created them, and bend them with your hands into a slightly more circular shape, and place on top of a cake pop. If the liquid sets, place on a low heat, and wait for it to loosen again.

Enjoy :)