Maryland Cookie's and Cream Cake

Maryland cookies are by far the best packaged chocolate chip cookies you can find in the UK (even though they're not even made or sold in Maryland, or for that matter, the US), so why not make a cake out of them? If you haven't got buttermilk, you can just mix half plain natural yoghurt with half milk.

            Ingredients

For the Cake:

110g Unsalted Butter,Softened

380g Caster Sugar

320g Plain Flour

4tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Salt

320ml Buttermilk

3 Large Eggs

135g Maryland Cookies (or any other chocolate chip cookies)

For the Icing:

500g Icing Sugar, Sifted

160g Unsalted Butter, Softened

250g Mascarpone

3 Maryland/Chocolate Chip cookies, crumbled

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150C fan/170C/Gas 3, and line the bottom three 20cm (8inch) cake tins, and grease the sides. If you only have one, don't worry, it will just mean it will take longer, and you'll have more trips to the oven.

2. In a freestanding electric mixer or a handheld whisk, cream the butter and sugar until light and pale (it won't have the regular consistency of creamed butter and sugar as the ratio of butter to sugar is different). 

3. In a large jug, mix the buttermilk and the eggs. Very gradually, in a slow but steady stream, add about half of the jug while the mixture is being whisked, making sure it all stays well combined. Once half is added, sieve in the dry ingredients, and continue to mix on a slower speed. Then again, very gradually add the rest of the jug into the mix. 

4. Break the cookies into pieces by hand, no more than about 2cm in length, and fold into the batter. Divide into three cake tins, and place into the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown, springs back to the touch, and a skewer comes out clean. Once the cakes are cool to the touch, go around the edges of the cakes with a small palette knife to loosen it a bit, and remove from the tins, transferring them to a wire rack.

5. For the icing, use a free standing mixer or handheld whisk to cream the butter and sugar together until very light and pale, starting on a low speed so that icing sugar doesn't go everywhere. Add about a third of the mascarpone and beat until smooth, then add the rest, and mix for a few minutes on a high speed until much lighter in texture and colour. 

6. Once cakes are completely cool, you can start assembling. Take one cake, and add about 4 or 5 tablespoons of icing on top, smoothing out with a palette knife, and liberally sprinkling cookie crumbs on top. Top with the next cake and repeat. Add the last layer, and frost the top and sides of the cake, trying to ensure there are no gaps. Top with either leftover crumbs, broken up cookie pieces, or just leave plain. 

Enjoy :)

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 :)

Vanilla and Double Chocolate Chess Cake

Originally from 'The Great British Bake Off: How to turn everyday bakes into showstoppers' by Linda Collister, this cake is a great twist to the marble cake. Originally three layers, I compressed it down to two, and it was still quite tall. It is essential though, that you have two relatively large piping bags with 1.5cm tubes, otherwise you will not get the chessboard effect.

Ingredients

The Sponge

233g Butter,Softened

233g Caster Sugar

233g Self-Raising Flour

40ml Milk

                             33g Cocoa Powder

4 Large Eggs, Beaten

2/3 tsp Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

White Chocolate Ganache

87g White Chocolate, finely chopped

63ml Whipping Cream

25g Unsalted Butter

Dark Chocolate Ganache

150g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids), finely chopped

150ml Whipping Cream

To Finish

A slab of white chocolate (not much will be used)

8 Boozy Chocolate Truffles (click link for recipe)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Grease 2 x 20.5 sandwich tins, and line the bases with baking paper. Put the butter into a large mixing bowl, and beat with a free standing mixer until very creamy. Gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla. Keep beating (scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time) until the mixture is very pale and fluffy in texture.

2. Gradually add the eggs, a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 tablespoon of the flour with each of the last 2 portions of egg to prevent curdling.

3. Sift the remaining flour and the salt into the bowl, and gently fold in using a large metal spoon until thoroughly combined. Transfer half of the mixture into another large bowl.

4. Sift the cocoa into one bowl, and add half of the milk; fold in until completely blended. Fold the rest of the milk into the second bowl of mix. Fit two piping bags with 1.5cm plain tubes, and place each in two large glasses, folding the top of the piping bags over the rim of the glasses.

5. Fill the piping bags 2/3 of the way up, one with the vanilla mix, and one with the chocolate mix. Take one sandwich tin, and pipe a chocolate ring around the inside edge. Then pipe a vanilla ring inside the chocolate ring. Repeat with alternate piping bags until the tin is filled. In the next tin, start with the vanilla mix on the inside edge, and again, alternate piping bags until the tin is full. Make sure all of the rings are even the whole way round before baking.

6. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until browned/ a skewer will come out clean. Run a knife around the inside of each tin, and turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely before icing.

7. For either/both ganaches, put the chocolate (and butter for the white chocolate ganache)into a heatproof bowl. Heat up the corresponding quantity of cream until right before it starts boiling, and pour over the chocolate. Slowly stir with a spoon until all the chocolate has melted, and leave in the fridge to set.

8. Once the ganaches have become much thicker, but still spreadable and glossy, take them out of the fridge and evenly spread one cake, browned side uppermost, with the white chocolate ganache, and place the other cake on top. Wipe away any trickling ganache. Next, cover the top and sides of the cake with the dark chocolate ganache, scooping away any excess. If the ganache has set too much that you cant spread it properly, hold a palette knife under hot water, dry, and then use to spread the ganache. Leave to set.

9. Take the block of white chocolate, and scrape a large knife across it, to create a bunch curls or shavings. Then take a small round cookie cutter and place in the middle of your cake. Place the chocolate curls in the ring, and lift the ring away, letting the curls cascade down. Place the truffles around the edges, and you are finished! Consume within 4 days.

                       

Millefeuille (Layer Cake)

Sometimes I find the best recipes come from the old, traditional books. In one of my grandma's dusty, ancient book of bakes, I found a recipe for this treasure: Millefeuille (more commonly known as cream slices). You can make it out of puff pastry; I'm going to put the recipe for rough puff (a more simple and faster type) but there is still nothing wrong with just buying frozen puff pastry.

               Ingredients

For the Rough Puff:

A squeeze of lemon juice

9 oz. Plain Flour (sifted)

6 oz. Cold, Cubed Butter/Lard

Cold Water

For the Filling:

1 Medium-Sized Carton Whipping Cream/Double Cream (or just a can of whipping cream)

Sugar

1/2 Jar of Raspberry/Strawberry Jam

For the Glace Icing:

Icing Sugar

Water

Cocoa Powder (optional)

Recipe

1. Line a baking tray, and heat oven to 220C/Fan 200c/Gas 7. Mix the butter with the plain flour well, but being careful not to break the cubes of butter. Add the lemon juice while stirring, still not breaking the butter, then slowly, bit by bit add some cold water, all the time mixing, yet still not breaking up the butter, until you get a stiff dough. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.

2. While handling the dough as little as possible, roll the dough out on a floured surface into an oblong shape three times it's width. If you see the lumps of butter really melting, or if it's sticking too much, refrigerate wrapped in cling film for half an hour. 

3. Fold the top third of the dough down, and the bottom third over it, and rotate 90 degrees. Roll out to the oblong shape again, and repeat at least 3 more times. Leave aside wrapped in grease proof paper for half an hour before the next step.

4. Roll dough out on floured surface into a rectangle about 1cm thick, 6'' across, and the length of your tray (you may have to cut your dough so it fits). Place your dough on the tray and cut into 2'' strips across, and keeping them together, and put in the oven until golden brown, and bubbles can be seen on the surface. Leave to cool.

5. If using cream from a carton, add some sugar (but not too much - taste as you are doing it) and whisk until stiff. Then, once the pastry is completely cooled half each strip. Gather the strips in groups of three, and spread two of each group with jam (only on one side). Then spoon some cream onto the two, and sandwich together with the third.

6. Once finished arranging your Millefeuille, mix some icing sugar with a few drops of cold water to form a thick paste. Spread over the tops of your Millefeuille, and if needed make more. You can also make a small batch of chocolate icing, by adding some cocoa powder, and then to make a little motif, spread it in lines over the white icing, then cut through it with a toothpick.