Saturday 11 October 2014

Triple Chocolate Mini Cakes

 
It's been such a long time since I've posted here. Living alone means baking and then eating. That's a whole load of buttery goodness. So I decided to return with a bang! The final of Great British Bake off and treats to accompany! 
I've also been asked to bake a friend's wedding cake. I need one that tastes good and keeps well. 
Super moist because of the sour cream, it lasted well (un-iced)for 4 days. 

Ingredients:

250g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbinate soda
1/2 tsp salt
300g sugar
3 eggs
230g sour cream

125g butter
125g super dark chocolate
30ml strong coffee
glug Frangelico

100g butter
125g white/milk chocolate
tsp vanilla

Method:

Make the cakes! Line a loose bottom round tin (23cm)or a deep baking sheet
- heat oven to gas 3/140C
- you need two bowls. Place half the flour, raising agents and sugar in to each one. Stir.
- Make two chocolate marbles. Two pans. White chocolate and butter in one, dark in the other. Heat gently until melted, then stir. Leave to cool a little.
- Beat the eggs in to the sour cream.
- Tip the dark chocolate in to one bowl, the white in the other and mix well.
- divide the eggy mixture between the two bowls and mix till smooth.
- spoon in to the cake tin - some dark, some white, in a scattered pattern. Once all the batter is used up, use a teaspoon handle to make a quick swirl to marble.

- bake for 35 mins, check with a skewer. Once it comes out clean, it's done!
- leave to cool in the tin


- Once cool, slice the cake in to either three or two (depending on how deep the cake is)
- use a bisuit cutter to make mini cakes. Fill with a chocolate butter cream.

- heat 150ml double cream until nearly boiling. Pour over 250g 75% broken chocolate. Add a few tablespoons of frangelico and stir till glossy and smooth

-beat 400g soft butter till fluffy, add in 200g icing sugar. Add in the cooled gancheand beat.

- decorate the cakes with the buttercream and top with cherries!




Friday 10 October 2014

Caraway Thins


Tasty crackers, tasty hummous


It came to my attention that I hardly ever make biscuits - let alone savoury ones. After a craving for beetroot, mackerel and horseradish, I thought about dips and things to dip them. Caraway 'thins' it was. 

Adapted from a few recipes and research, I came up with a flour blend and a few spices.

Ingredients:

125g wholewheat flour
125g white flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 Nigella seeds
4 tblsp Olive oil
100ml cold water




Method:

- Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour in the oil and stir with a butter knife
- Add in half the waterand continue to mix with the knife, add a little more until a ball starts to form. Not too much though.
- Scrunch together with your hands, lightly knead, wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge.
-Set the oven to gas mark 4 and line a baking tray with paper.
- cut the dough in half, working with one and placing the other back in the fridge.
- Roll the dough out to 1mmthick (easiest between 2 sheets of clingfilm).
- Prick with a fork and then slice in to long rectangles. Bake for 18 mins until just browning at the edges.
- Cool on a wire rack. 
- Dip in to beetroot hummous and mackerel pate. Eat. Enjoy!