Winter Berry Tart

As I walked through the supermarket the other day, I couldn't resist picking up some punnets of strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. There are so many berries available in the UK at this time of year, I thought I should make a dessert to put them to good use....rather than eat them all myself! I decided to prepare a quick tart which serves 6 people. You could use any type of berries or fruit as the topping - whatever takes your fancy! I have previously made it with cranberries and dark cherries which was delicious. Here's how to make a mixed berry version:

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh berries
• Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• 125g golden caster sugar
• ½ tbsp arrowroot
• 250g mascarpone
• 200ml fresh vanilla custard (you can either make this yourself ahead of time or use a store-bought variety if you are in a hurry)
• Cooked shortcrust pastry case (8 inches - again you can either make this yourself or buy a pre-made case)

Method

Tip the berries (or other fruit) into a pan with the orange zest, orange juice and sugar, and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the berries are just softened and the syrup has reduced slightly. Note, if you are using blueberries, add them a few minutes after the strawberries, or other larger berries as they soften faster.

Using a slotted spoon, strain off the berries and set them aside in a bowl, leaving the syrup in the pan.

Next, mix the arrowroot with 1 tablespoon of cold water, then add it to the pan and cook for about 1 minute while continuously stirring until the syrup has thickened. Pour over the berries and leave to cool.

To prepare the tart filling, put mascarpone and vanilla custard into a bowl and whisk with electric beaters until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the pastry case (note: a shop bought pastry case can save you time!).

Lastly top the tart with the berry mixture. Yum!!!

I made a bit too much syrup so you can see it running down the edges a bit - it still tasted really good though! Make sure you store the tart in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.

Happy baking!

Cookie Cake

I am officially in love with my new cake pans. The idea of making a sandwich cake shaped as an oreo cookie is just too cute for words. As soon as I saw them on the Williams-Sonoma website I began a hunt to find someone who would post them to the UK. Three weeks later and they have finally arrived!

The box they came in had a recipe for the chocolate cake so I decided to try it out. I'd read mixed reviews online about the pans, and it seemed many people had problems turning the cakes cleanly out of the pans once they were baked. I made sure I greased up the pans well before adding the batter, so I was able to easily take them out. Unfortunately though, I had a lot of air bubbles in the mixture which left holes in the cake. Despite this, I was pretty happy with my first attempt. Even with the bubbles, the cake still looks good......

......................and tastes even better!!

Penguin Cake

I don't usually make large cakes, as I prefer to make cupcakes and bite-sized treats, but recently I decided to be brave and make a birthday cake. I didn't have a lot of time (2 hours only!) so I decided to keep it relatively simple and made a single tier of white chocolate mudcake, layered with passionfruit and white chocolate ganache, then topped with marshmallow frosting. It might sound a little complicated, but it is actually really easy to prepare. Here's what the cake looked like before I topped it with frosting:

Yum- I love passionfruit......you could serve the cake just like this, but I decided to top it with marshmallow frosting:

The frosting was really quick to make and was a perfect substitute for snow. My friend really likes penguins so I made some out of sugarpaste to decorate the top of the cake. I had a bit of paste left over so I also made some snow balls, cupcakes and presents to make a party scene. Aren't they cute????


To finish the cake I made a 'Happy Birthday' plaque out of sugarpaste. Here's how the cake turned out:

If you want to try making the cake, or simply fancy making the white chocolate mudcake without the decorations, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

White Chocolate Cake
220g white chocolate, chopped
180g unsalted butter, chopped
185ml (3/4 cup) cold water
155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly whisked
150g (1 cup) plain flour, sifted
115g (3/4 cup) self-raising flour, sifted

Passionfruit Sauce
185ml (3/4 cup) passionfruit pulp
55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar

White Chocolate Ganache
375g white chocolate, chopped
125ml (1/2 cup) thickened cream

Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. Brush a round 20cm cake pan with melted butter to grease. Line base and side with non-stick baking paper.

Place chocolate, butter and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Add sugar and egg and stir until just combined. Add flours and stir until well combined. Pour mixture into lined pan and bake in oven for 1 hour or until moist crumbs cling to a skewer inserted into cake. Set aside for 30 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the passionfruit sauce, place passionfruit and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to boil. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens. Set aside to cool completely.

To make ganache, place chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water (make sure bowl doesn't touch the water) and stir with a metal spoon until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or until mixture is thick and spreadable.

Use a serrated knife to cut cake into 3 layers. Place bottom layer on a plate. Spread with half of ganache and top with half the passionfruit sauce. Repeat with second cake layer, half the remaining ganache and remaining sauce. Top with remaining cake.

To make the marshmallow frosting, dissolve 1/3 cup water and 1 cup of caster sugar in a saucepan, then bring the mixture to boil for 5 minutes. The syrup should be slightly thickened but still colourless. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Beat 2 egg whites until soft peaks form, then slowly add the sugar syrup while still beating. Mix for about 10 minutes, then spread the frosting onto the cake.

I hope you enjoy making this cake!

Ironcupcake London: Perfect Pairs

On Monday night I entered the March round of Ironcupcake London, and this month the theme was 'Perfect Pairs'. Bakers had to make cupcakes which combine two flavours and I have to admit the standard of entries was amazing. Some people came up with really imaginative combinations and all of the cakes I sampled were delicious. Here are some photos from the night:

So many cupcakes to choose from - this is just a selection of some of them.

The strawberry cupcakes in the photo above were made by my friend who has hardly baked before and was entering ironcupcake for the first time. I was so proud of her - she did an amazing job and her cupcakes were perfect. She even made little strawberries out of sugarpaste - such an awesome effort.

I chose to make Vodka and Cranberry Cupcakes with a marshmallow frosting. Here they are straight out of the oven:

....and here's how they turned out:

I'm a massive fan of marshmallow frosting at the moment. It is so much lighter than buttercream and is easy to make. It was a perfect way to finish off these cupcakes.

If you want to have a go at making these cupcakes, here's the recipe:

Ingredients

Vodka and Cranberry Cupcakes (makes 24)

• 250g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups dried cranberries
• 1 1/3 cup plain flour
• 2/3 cup self raising flour
• 1/2 cup vodka

Marshmallow frosting

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 egg whites
• 4 tbsp vodka (or to taste)
• Food colouring (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C (or 150C fan-forced). Beat butter, vanilla essence and sugar in a bowl with electric beaters until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in cranberries, then sift in the flours and mix well. Lastly stir through the vodka. Divide the mixture into 24 cupcake cases and bake them for approximately 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into their middle comes out clean. Once they are baked, cool them completely on a wire rack before icing.

In the meantime, to make the frosting, combine water and caster sugar in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar is melted. Allow the syrup to simmer for about 5 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, the temperature should reach 116C). The syrup will thicken but should remain clear (if it turns brown - into toffee - then it is overdone). Remove from heat and allow it to cool slightly. Next, beat eggwhites with an electric beater until soft peaks form. Add the warm syrup in a continuous stream to the eggwhites while still beating. Continue mixing for another 7-10 minutes until the frosting is light and glossy. Finally, stir in vodka and food colouring if desired. Decorate the cupcakes with the frosting then top with decorations.

Happy baking!

Ironcupcake Earth: Passion

The next round of Ironcupcake Earth is on and this month the theme is PASSION. My entry this month is chocolate and bailey cupcakes topped with chocolate coated marshmallow frosting. Here's what they look like:

And here's a little peek at what they look like inside:

YUM!!!!

If you want to have a go at making these, here's what you need:

Ingredients

Cupcakes (makes 18)

• 375g unsalted butter
• 350g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 250g plain flour (sifted)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 50g cocoa
• 180ml skim milk
• 1/4 cup baileys (or to taste)

Marshmallow frosting covered in dark chocolate

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 eggwhites
• 250g dark chocolate

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190C. To make the cupcakes, beat butter and sugar together with electric beaters until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Sift the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl then fold them into the mixture. Finally, stir in the milk and baileys. Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove the cupcake tray from the oven and allow the cupcakes to rest for about 10 minutes before turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

In the meantime, prepare the marshmallow frosting by heating the water and caster sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is melted. Bring the syrup to the boil and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes (to 116C if you have a thermometer) before leaving it to cool slightly. The syrup should be a clear colour. Whisk the eggwhites until soft peaks form. Slowly add the syrup to the eggwhites while still mixing, then continue to whisk for about 10 minutes until the mixture is thick and glossy. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto the cupcakes once they are cool.

Finally, dip the marshmallow swirls into the melted dark chocolate and allow it to set before serving. These cupcakes are light and absolutely delicious! I hope you enjoy making them.


If you want to check out the other entries, voting will be held from 28th February to noon on the 4th March at http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com/. We're all competing to win some fantastic prizes, including:

The Demy™ by Key Ingredient
Hello Cupcake by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson
Bella Cupcake Couture
Cupcake Stackers by Gourmac
The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! by Anne Byrne
Sweet Cuppin' Cakes and Bakery and Cupcakey Supply

Thanks for your support!

Ironcupcake London - Love Month

The first round of Ironcupcake London for 2010 was held on Monday and the theme was 'love'.......a perfect excuse to practice making sweet treats for our valentines. There were so many amazing entries on the night - and even though this month there were separate categories for professionals and amateurs, all of the cupcakes on display were fabulous. As I looked at all of the cupcakes before the eating frenzy started, I felt like I was in a bakery. The standard of entries is growing from strength to strength. Here are some shots from the night:

You can see my cupcakes in the picture above (the second plate of cupcakes from the front). I decided to create simple cupcakes this month and made rose flavoured sponge cakes decorated with an assortment of handmade sugarpaste decorations. Here's a close up of some of them:


If you want to make some for yourself, here's the recipe:

Cupcakes
110g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 medium eggs
150g self raising flour
125g plain flour
225g caster sugar
1/2 tsp rosewater
125ml skim milk

Buttercream
150g unsalted butter at room temperature
5 tbsp skim milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
500g icing sugar (sifted)
1 tsp rosewater
pink food colouring (optional)

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 180C. Mix butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until the mixture is pale in colour and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure they are mixed in well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, sift in the flours then put the bowl to one side. Next mix the rosewater and milk in a jug. Feel free to add more or less rosewater, depending on your taste preference. By the way, if you can't find rosewater in the supermarket (or specialty baking store), you can easily make your own by boiling washed rose petals (I used about 15) in 1 cup of water in a saucepan until the petals disintegrate. Strain the liquid and allow to cool before adding it to the milk (as mentioned previously). Right, getting back to the cupcakes, add 1/3 of the flours to the butter mixture and mix well before adding 1/3 of the flavoured milk. Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk has been added and mixed together well. Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases (about half full) then bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into their middle comes out clean. Try not to peek in the oven too many times while the cupcakes are baking otherwise they may sink. Once the cupcakes are cooked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire tray completely before icing.

In the meantime prepare the buttercream frosting by beating butter, milk, vanilla and 1/2 of the icing sugar together until the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and mix well again. Lastly, add the rose water and pink food colouring (if desired) and mix thoroughly. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag and pipe swirls onto the cupcakes. I also applied the buttercream to some cupcakes with a palette knife to create a variety of different textures which I could then decorate with sugarpaste flowers and hearts.

Hope you enjoy baking these cupcakes x

National Cookie Competition - Last Round

The final round of the National Cookie Competition was last week and the theme was 'lemon'. I spent a while trying out ideas, but eventually settled for lemon shortbread cookies with chocolate and basil buttercream.

I know the combination of basil with chocolate sounds a bit strange, but it actually tastes divine. Try it out for yourself:

Cookies
350g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
140g unsalted butter at room temperature (and cut into small pieces)
175g caster sugar
Juice from 1 lemon
2 eggs (lightly beaten)

Buttercream
250g unsalted butter
1 cupsifted icing sugar
2 tbsp skim milk
50g dark chocolate (melted and allowed to cool)
50g milk chocolate (melted and allowed to cool)
1/2 tbsp finely ground basil
1 tsp vanilla essence

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 200C. Sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder into a bowl. Next, add the butter and use your fingers to combine the mixture together until it ressembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and eggs until the mixture becomes a soft dough. Shape dough into really small balls and place them onto lined baking trays, making sure that there is space between each cookie to allow for spreading during baking. Flatten the balls into discs once on the tray using your fingers or a spoon. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Allow them to cool completely on a wire tray before icing.

To make the buttercream, beat the butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (normally takes about 5 minutes). Next add the milk and vanilla essence and beat until well combined. Mix in the melted chocolate, then add the icing sugar slowly, being sure to mix it in well after each addition. Lastly add the basil and give it a final mix. Pipe the buttercream onto one cookie then sandwich it onto another cookie of equal size. Dust the tops of the cookies with cocoa powder if desired. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

I've really enjoyed being part of the national cookie network over the last 5 months. Thanks to everyone who has provided such nice comments on my monthly creations.

Happy baking x