Gingerbread Latte

The days are getting shorter and colder, and at this time of the year people need a pic-me-up. Overpriced coffee shops love to bring out winter ranges, and this is a staple whom's taste is incomparable, and can easily and cheaply be made at home, as it really is just coffee and the special gingerbread syrup. This recipe will make a small jug of syrup, of which not much is needed for each cup, so will probably last long enough for even the most keen coffee-holic.

Ingredients

For the Gingerbread Syrup

2 Cups Water

1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar

2 1/2tsp Ground Ginger

1/2tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2tsp Vanilla Extract

A Pinch Ground Nutmeg

Strong Coffee

Milk

To Finish (optional)

Whipped Cream

Cocoa Powder

Ground Cinnamon

Ground Nutmeg

Mini Marshmallows

Method

1. Place all of the gingerbread syrup ingredients into a medium saucepan, and bring to the boil, mixing every so often

2. Reduce heat to a medium and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered. This is to boil of some of the water, and reduce the syrup, making it thick and with a more concentrated flavour. Once done, it should be thicker than before, yet not as thick as something like golden syrup.

3. Remove from heat and pour into a jug or a resealable container. Make your coffee, and then add around 1/4 cup of syrup (less or more if desired) and add milk (frothed milk is nice with this recipe).

4. To finish, add whipped cream, and then possibly cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, or whatever you want and enjoy :)

To store, seal the container, or cover the jug with cling film in a cool, dry place.

Marbled Cake Pops

A recipe I am planning to make in school and wanted to try out at home, these cake pops are so good, but you do need the cake pop tin. The actual cake is very simple, and this is really not too hard to make - you just need time.

Ingredients

The Cake
125g Self-Raising Flour
125g Soft Unsalted Butter
125g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2tsp Cocoa Powder

The Finish
200g Dark/Milk COOKING chocolate
100g White Chocolate
Ground Almonds or Dessicated Coconut

Wooden Skewers/Cake Pop Sticks

Method
1. Grease the mould and preheat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, then beat the eggs together in a jug, and gradually pour them in, beating well after each addition.

3. Fold in the flour, and then put half the mix in a separate bowl, and add the cocoa powder to one of them.

4. Place a bit of both of the mixes in each pod, and then marble with a toothpick. Make sure it only reaches a small dome above the lip of each pod. Place in the oven for about 15, but place a cake tester in the hole before taking them out.

5. While the cakes are cooling, melt the dark/milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, and pour into a ramekin.

6. Once the cakes have cooled, pop them out. Dip one end of the skewer about 1cm into the chocolate, and then push into one side of the cake about 3/4 of the way, and place on a sheet of greaseproof paper, stick up.

7. To stop the chocolate in the ramekin from hardening, place the ramekin into a larger bowl with hot water. Once the chocolate around the sticks have hardened and the sticks are held in place, dip each pop into the chocolate in the ramekin until its completely enrobed in chocolate, letting excess drip back into the ramekin. Place one end of the skewer into a colander, as in the picture to let the chocolate harden.

8. Once all the dark/milk chocolate has hardened, melt the white chocolate like the dark/milk and while turning the skewer of a cake pop, pick up a small amount of white chocolate on a teaspoon, and let it drip onto the cake pop, creating swirls.

9. Before you return the pops to the colander, sprinkle with a some ground almonds or dessicated coconut so it sticks to the white chocolate, and shake off the excess. Return to the colander and leave to set. 

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.

                       

Simple Boozy Chocolate Truffles

Perfect as decorations for cakes, gifts, or an indulgent dessert, these are great! For a non-adult version, remove the Cognac (they still taste as good). Can be quite tricky to get the ganache right, but the rest is simple. Makes approx. 18 (depends on how big you want them)

Ingredients

100g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids Minimum)

100ml Whipping Cream

2tbsp Cognac

Cocoa Powder

Method

1. Make sure the chocolate is at room temperature, then chop the chocolate into very small pieces, and place into a heatproof bowl.

2. Heat up the cream in a saucepan right its about to boil, and pour over the chocolate. Stir a little (but not too much, or it will separate) until the chocolate is completely melted. Be patient with this, as it might take a while (if the mix goes cold and the chocolate still hasn't melted, pour a few centimeters of very hot water into a larger heatproof bowl, and place the smaller one inside for a bit).

3. Stir in the cognac, and place the bowl in the fridge. Leave to set until the consistency resembles a thick chocolate mousse.

4. Cover a large chopping board with a thin layer of cocoa powder, and take a small scoop of the chocolate mix, and roll into a ball in your hands. Next, roll it in the cocoa powder until completely covered, then place on a dish

5. Repeat until all the mix is used up. Store in the fridge and enjoy :)

Cookies 'n' Cream Muffins with Homemade Marshmallow Fluff Icing

I don't think I have met one person who doesn't like oreos; so this recipe will suit everyone! Minus my tweaks, the original recipe was from the 'Primrose Bakery', and is the best cookies n cream cupcake/muffin recipe I have found yet, and it works great with the marshmallow fluff icing! It makes around 18 muffins(use a muffin tin, not a cupcake tin). The Marshmallow Fluff recipe makes a lot, so once you've finished icing, store the remaining fluff in the fridge to eat with toast, or use in cakes, drinks etc.                                                             

Ingredients

Cupcake Mix (the 'Cookie')

115g Dark Chocolate

85g Butter

175g Light Muscavado Sugar

2 Eggs (separated)

185g Plain Flour

3/4tsp Baking Powder

3/4tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

Pinch of Salt

250ml Semi-Skimmed Milk

1tsp Vanilla Extract

Marshmallow Fluff Icing(the 'Cream')

120g Granulated Sugar

80g Golden Syrup

1.5tbsp Water

2 Egg Whites

1/2tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Pack of Oreos 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas mark 5. Line a 2 12 hole muffin tins with about 18 muffin cases (if you only have one tin, you can bake them in batches).

2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave. Leave to cool for about 2 minutes.

3. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until pale and smooth, then slowly add the egg yolks bit by bit and beat well. Once combined, add the melted chocolate and beat well again.

4. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a medium mixing bowl and mix together until combined. Measure the milk into a jug and stir in the vanilla extract.

5. Gradually add alternate amounts of the dry floury mix and the milk mix into the creamed butter/sugar/chocolate mix, beating well between each addition.

6. In a clean bowl, using a handheld electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks have formed. Then, using a spatula or a metal spoon, fold in the egg whites into the batter until thoroughly combined.

7. Using two spoons, spoon the batter into the cases, filling them about 2/3 of the way up, and bake for around 20 minutes (you'll know if you put the right amount of mix in if it's ready in exactly 20 minutes), or until when you stick a skewer in one, it comes out clean. If you don't have two muffin tins like me, cooking in batches might take a while, so start on the icing once the first batch is done.

8. For the marshmallow fluff icing, put the sugar, golden syrup and water into a pan, and cook on a high heat for about two minutes until the mixture thickens and turns golden (it will resemble caramel).

9. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then keep beating while slowly adding the hot sugar mixture. Don't worry if your whites lose their stiffness.

10. Continue beating at a higher speed until the mixture becomes thick, glossy and cool. Towards the end, add the vanilla extract. 

11. Wait about 10 minutes for the muffins to cool a bit before adding the icing, then spoon on a small dollop onto each muffin, and smoothen out with a small palette knife, or a round-ended knife.

12. Chop your oreos into quarters, and save the crumbs. Place two quarters on each cake, and sprinkle the remaining crumbs around them. 

And as always, enjoy! :)

Double Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Summer has finally come to England, and there's no better way to celebrate it than strawberries. This delicious and indulgent dessert looks as good as it tastes, and is much easier than you may think. For the adults out there, add some liqueur to the melted dark chocolate for an extra boozy kick. Also, i recommend cutting the stalks off, and chilling the strawberries before starting. I've written approx. for the chocolate, as it depends how much you use per strawberry. If you don't want to have the dark chocolate, skip to halfway step 3.

 Ingredients

1 punnet strawberries

Approx. 50g Dark/Plain Chocolate
Approx. 25g White Chocolate

Method

1. Wash and dry the strawberries, and melt the dark chocolate. Once melted, pour into a ramekin.

2. Dip each strawberry into the chocolate about 1/2-3/4 of the way, and let all the excess chocolate drip off into the ramekin. Place with the chocolate facing up onto a sheet of greaseproof paper.

3. Let the chocolate set completely (if in a rush, put them in the fridge to set), and melt the white chocolate.

4. Hold a strawberry from the bottom over the pan/bowl of white chocolate. Take a small spoon of white chocolate, and let some drip off until the stream is thin. 

5. While moving the spoon around the strawberry, let the chocolate drip onto it, and enrobe the strawberry. WARNING: do not try to scrape off failed attempts of white chocolate from the dark base layer; the liquid white chocolate will melt some of the chocolate below, and you'll end up with a smudged mess.

5. Again, let the chocolate set, and let them come to room temp. before serving.

Halloumi Pasta

One of my absolute favorite recipes, originally found on the bbc food website, and originally created by Tony Tobin, and changed a bit by me. Every time I say I am making it, my sister goes crazy! It's a fantastic dish, though I would say to leave some time for chopping up and preparing the ingredients. Serves 4.

      Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil

1 and ½ red onions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

A pinch of dried chilli flakes

250g halloumi, cut into cubes (make them not too small - they'll melt)

4 tomatoes, seeds removed and finely chopped

425g penne pasta 

4 tbsp chopped fresh basil

A squeeze of tomato puree

Method
1. Boil some water in a big pan and add the pasta, cooking it for as long as the packet says

2. While this is happening, heat the olive oil in a frying pan until you can feel the heat when placing your fingers near. Add the onion, garlic and chilli flakes and fry until the onions have softened.

3. Add the halloumi and fry until golden (don't worry if it melts, just chop it up and separate it with a wooden spoon in the pan). Add the tomato puree.

4. Add the finely chopped tomato and basil, and mix on a low heat for a few minutes.

5.Add the sauce-thing to the pasta, season and serve.

The Ultimate Bakewell Tart

One of my favorite recipes, devoured within a week in my house, the 'Ultimate' Bakewell Tart. Pinched from 'The Best of British Cookbook' with a few of my tweaks, this summer recipe is incredible. A Bakewell Tart is basically sweet shortcrust pastry, jam, and then an almond sponge. In this recipe things like lemon icing and a mixture of jams are added.

Ingredients

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

175g Plain Flour

A Pinch of Salt

2tbsp Caster Sugar

115g Butter, Chilled and Diced

1 Egg Yolk, mixed with

2tbsp ice-cold Water

4tbsp Raspberry or Strawberry Jam (or a mix of both)

Almond Sponge

65g Softened Butter

65g Caster Sugar

1 Egg, At Room Temp

35g Self-Raising Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

55g Ground Almonds (if you don't have, just put 50g blanched almonds in mortar + pestle and grind, or put in a food processor)

A Few Drops of Almond Essence


Lemon Icing
50g Icing Sugar
1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Cold Water


Some Blanched Almonds (to sprinkle on top)

Method

1. For the pastry, sift the flour, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the diced butter and rub in, until the consistency is as fine as breadcrumbs.

2. Add the egg yolk bit by bit while mixing with a palette knife to form a dough. You're looking for a slightly sticky dough, maybe a bit crumbly. If it's looking too crumbly and dry, add water, and if too sticky, add flour.

3. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 20 mins, heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Take out a 22cm flan tin.

4. While the dough is chilling, put all the ingredients for the sponge in a bowl, and mix with an electric whisk for as long as possible until thoroughly combined, and much lighter than it started. 

5. Take out the dough, and roll out on a floured surface to a circle about 28cm across (it doesn't matter if it's not perfect) and line tin with the dough. If there is any dough hanging off the edges, roll your rolling pin along the edges of the tin, taking off any excess dough. Use this excess dough to cover any gaps in the tin.

6. Prick the base with a fork, spread with jam (it may not look enough, but if you put too much, the sponge will get ruined), and evenly spread the sponge mix on top (it's not the end of the world if some jam mixes with the sponge, but try to keep that to a minimum).

7. Bake in the heated oven for 30 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean from the sponge. Leave to cool completely and take out of the tin.  


8. For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and mix in the lemon juice and water. You want the consistency of a thick paste, so add icing sugar and water when appropriate.


9. Pipe/Spread the icing on however you want! I like to do it in lines, but you could do a lattice, swirls, or just spread it on.


10. Sprinkle some blanched almonds on, and enjoy :).

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.

Apple Swan

Whether you need a center piece for your fruit platter, or just want to make fruit fun, the Apple Swan does the job. It's really simple, yet looks complicated. I recommend using big apples for this, as you can get the wings as far back as is did. Also, you should brush lemon juice onto every part without skin to prevent browning.



Ingredients



All you need is a preferably big apple, washed.

Method
1.Make two slices, each equal thickness, from the top of the apple down, leaving about 1cm from the core. Discard/eat the end slice, and put the other aside.

2.Place the apple with the now flat side down, and cut along the apple horizontally until just before the core. Then cut straight down from the curved side until it meets the end of your first cut, producing a segment. Repeat with the other side, so it looks like the picture. Both these segments are now called 'segment A'.

3. Take the first 'segment A', leave 1/2cm gap, and cut down and across like before to create another segment. This is now called 'segment B'. Repeat on the other side so it looks like the picture.












 4.Repeat as many times as possible. On a big apple you should manage to create 3 segments, but 2 is fine. Align the segments with a small space inbetween to create the look of layered feathers.

 5.Cut out a small rectangle from the top of the apple, around 1cm deep.

6.Take the slice of apple you put aside, and cut a head and neck out of it, using the apple's curvature to create the curved neck. 












7.After a little carving and chipping away, push the base of the neck into the hole on the top and your swan is ready.

Egg Separator

'Gone are the days of egg yolk being passed over eggshells'

Today I would like to share something that has made my life so easy. Don't be fooled by the simplicity, it's an incredible kitchen gadget. You crack an egg into it, and it leaves the yolk on top, letting the white drain into a bowl. It saves time and effort, and is really worth the cheap price tag. I recommend getting a stainless steel one, because the others are hard to wash. 
I don't know what brand my one is, but this one looks similar.

Double Chocolate Gateau with Lime Cream and Chocolate Ganache

This recipe is originally by Gordon Ramsey found in the BBC Good Food magazine (which my mum has old copies of stashed away - my goldmine), which I have altered in certain places such as the topping. My recipe for the chocolate curls was found in my trusty Chocolate Bible by Christine McFadden and Christine France. For a teenager like myself it takes a lot of stress - you may have to try out the ganache a few times as it separates easily. Keep clear of your mother for this one - the mess caused mine a bit of a head ache.

Ingredients:

120g Dark Chocolate

5 Eggs, Separated

220g Caster Sugar

200g Butter, Softened

90g Plain Flour, Sifted

Filling:

284ml Pot of Double Cream

200g Pot of Half Fat Creme Fraiche

Grated Zest of 2 Limes

Ganache:

150g Dark Chocolate

142ml Pot of Double Cream

25g Grated Dark and White Chocolate

Curls:

100g Dark Chocolate

4tsp White Vegetable Fat (Margarine)

Recipe:

1. Grease and dust a 24cm cake tin. Heat oven to 160C/gas 3. Melt 120g dark chocolate. Cool for 5 mins. Beat in yolks. In a bowl, beat the butter and 100g sugar until soft and creamy. Mix in the melted chocolate and yolks.

2. Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks then beat in remaining 120g of sugar in 3 batches and continue whisking until stiff. Beat a third of the meringue into the chocolate mix. Then gently fold in alternate spoonfulls of flour and remaining meringue.

3. Spoon into tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. Test center with metal skewer, it should come out clean. Remove, cool for 10 minutes, before turning it out of the tin. When cooled completely, cut in half carefully with large serrated knife.

4. To make filling: in a bowl beat the double cream until thickened, then mix in the creme fraiche and zest. 

5. Spread one half of the cake with all the zesty cream and sandwich together with the other half.

6. To make the ganache icing: break up the chocolate into a pan and add the double cream. Melt over the lowest heat, stir continuously until smooth. Then cool and pour over cake. 

7. Spread icing evenly over the top of the cake and around the sides using a palette knife. While the icing sets, sprinkle the grated chocolate on top and around the sides. 

8. Making the curls: Melt 100g of chocolate with 4 tsps of white vegetable fat and pour into a lined ramekin. Put in fridge to set.

9. Remove chocolate from ramekin and use a swivel-bladed peeler to produce short, chunky curls.

10. Once the icing has set, place a large ring cutter in the center of the cake and fill with chocolate curls. Carefully remove the ring and allow the curls to cascade gently out.