Chocolate Construction Cake!

This cake can be personalised to suit your needs!

Orders welcome :)

Carrot, Coconut and Chocolate Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting

150ml coconut oil

100g light brown sugar

2 eggs

75g honey

125g self raising flour

50g oat flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp bicarb

200g grated carrots

50g desiccated coconut

50g dark chocolate

 

200g coconut cream

 

Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3. Whisk all wet ingredients well. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients then add the wet mix. Bake in a lined tin for 30 minutes then test with a skewer, if it comes out clean remover from the oven. If not, continue to bake in five minute intervals until ready. Leave to cool. For the frosting, simply whisk the coconut cream until light and fluffy. Spread on the cake and enjoy!

 

To make this cake vegan, swap honey for maple syrup and eggs for flax eggs. To make gluten free, use 175g of oat flour.

Hazelnut Nutella Cupcakes #yum

This is a really tasty little recipe, great for a special treat!

 

100g plain flour

20g cocoa powder

140g caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

40g unsalted butter

120ml milk

1 egg

1/4 vanilla extract

 

100g soft unsalted butter
150g Nutella
225g sieved icing sugar
3 tbsp whole milk

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas 3. Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl, then add the butter and mix to incorporate.

Whisk in the remaining cake ingredients until smooth.

Divide evenly between eight cupcake cases.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, check with a skewer.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

 

For the buttercream, whisk the butter on high speed for five minutes. Slowly add the icing sugar then whisk on a high speed for a further five minutes.

Finally whisk in the Nutella and milk. Pipe on to the cooled cakes and decorate. I chose to decorate mine with chopped hazelnuts and sprinkles!

Millionaires Cheesecake

packet of hobnobs

50g butter

300ml double cream

200g cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract

can of carnation caramel

mini millionaires shortbread

 

Crush the hobnobs into crumbs and melt the butter. Then combine and press into a loose bottom circular tin. Leave to chill in the fridge.

Whip up the cream cheese then add the vanilla, double cream and caramel until thick and fully combined. Pour the mixture over the base.

Chop the mini millionaires shortbread into chunks then sprinkle over the top then leave to chill in the fridge until serving.

Gastrosteria Ai Mercanti, Venice, Italy

This was the final meal of my lovely trip to Italy recently. Ai Mercanti is tucked away down one of the many pathways in Venice. My friend and I sat outside in the little courtyard and thoroughly enjoyed the sophisticated dining experience. The Italian prosecco was spectacular and was the perfect compliment to silky, garlic and chilli spaghetti with parmigano fondue.

We also shared two desserts. Crème brulee and 'Chocolate interpretations'. The chocolate dessert was nothing like I had ever tasted before. The chocolate mouse and ice cream discs contrasted a bitter, dark cocoa crumble. There were flavours of chocolate I never knew existed. It was a truly stunning dessert.

What a fantastic restaurant in the city of contrasts that is Venice.

FERRERO ROCHER CHEESECAKE

So this was an epic cheesecake.

I crushed a whole packet of hobnobs. Then mixed this with 75g of melted butter. I firmly pressed this mixture into a large tin.

For the cheese filling, I whisked 300g of double cream until it forms soft peeks. Then I added 500g of mascarpone cheese and a splosh of vanilla extract. Whisk the cheese and vanilla in, being careful not to over whisk at this point. Pour the mixture onto the biscuit base.

Smooth over the top of the cheesecake before topping with ferrero rocher and galaxy ripple! Chill until required.

Happy Birthday!

200g caster sugar

200g room temperature unsalted butter

4 eggs

200g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp milk

 

150g raspberry jam

 

300g sieved icing sugar

150g room temperature unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp milk

 

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and pale. Whisk in the eggs then fold in remaining ingredients. Pour into lined sandwich tins and bake for twenty minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool.

Spread the jam onto the top of one of the cakes then sandwich together.

For the butter icing, whisk the soft butter on a high speed for at least five minutes until fluffy. Add in the remaining ingredients and whisk for a further five minutes until almost white. Spread thoroughly over the sandwiched cakes then decorate with the birthday girls/boys favourite sweets and biscuits!

The Nottingham Doughnut Co.

If you are ever in Nottingham, this place should definitely be part of your itinerary. Down some narrow stairs in the city centre, you enter a small doughnut heaven. There is limited seating but doughnuts can be taken away. New flavours are regularly added to the menu.
This is a recent selection. From top left: Galaxy Caramel, Oreo, Red Velvet, Cream Egg, Milky Way, Peanut Butter and Jam, Reece's, Mini Egg, Death by Chocolate. It is very hard to choose a favourite but I would say the Milky Way and Galaxy Caramel were my favourites.

This one definitely should not be missed.

 

https://www.facebook.com/TheNottinghamDoughnutCo

Nutella Doughnuts!

225 g self raising Flour

5 tbsp caster sugar

2 tsp baking powder

150ml milk

 

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

 

4 tbsp Nutella

 

Mix all the doughnut ingredients together well and leave to rise for five minutes. With wet hands roll into small balls and fry in oil until golden brown. This should take about four minutes. The oil should ideally be about 180C if you have a thermometer, or you can use a deep fat fryer.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. As you remove the doughnuts from the fryer, roll them into the cinnamon sugar mixture.

For the filling, heat the Nutella for ten seconds in a microwave and pour into a piping bag. Stick the nozzle of the bag into the top of each doughnut and fill until the Nutella comes to the surface. 

Enjoy!

Valentines Cupcakes

110g self raising flour

100g dark/plain chocolate chips

110g butter

110g sugar

2 eggs

splosh of milk

splash of vanilla extract

 

150g butter

300g icing sugar

about 10 strawberries

 

Cream the butter and sugar together for about three minutes until light and fluffy. Add the milk, vanilla, eggs and a spoonful of flour then whisk together well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and chocolate chips and mix until all the chips are covered fully with the flour. Then mix this into the batter. Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases and bake at 180C/gas 4 for about eight minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool.

 

For the butter cream, blitz or mash the strawberries and pass through a sieve. When you buy the butter for this recipe, leave it out of the fridge. This is essential for good butter cream. So, whisk the room temperature butter on high for a good five minutes, if not more. Add the icing sugar and whisk on slow until combined. Add the strawberry juice then turn the mixture up to high for a couple of minutes. Pipe the icing onto the cooled cupcakes. I added some chocolate hearts for decoration.

Enjoy!

Cheesecake Brownies

 

Great recipe on the Philadelphia website, they came out really well. I topped with mini chocolate chip cookies. Yummmm! 

 

https://www.philadelphia.co.uk/recipes/Philly%20Cheesecake%20Brownies?r=52

 

White Chocolate Cheesecake

150g crushed bourbon biscuits

50g butter

 

1 tub of cream cheese

1 small carton of double cream

200g white chocolate

1 tbsp vanilla

 

Melt the butter and add to the crushed biscuits. Press this into your tin. Melt the chocolate and leave to cool slightly. Whip the double cream until soft peeks form then add the cream cheese. Whip this just until it has all combined. Fold in the chocolate and vanilla. Pour your cheesecake mixture onto the base and chill in the fridge.

Decorate with whatever chocolate or fruit you fancy!

Rafferty's Pizzeria, St Merryn, Cornwall

 I've been meaning to blog this for a couple of weeks. My friends and I went to Rafferty's Pizzeria for their three course Christmas menu. It was great value at £19.

 

I had the butternut squash ravioli, the Bianca pizza with red onion, mozzarella, parmesan, olive oil and thyme and the cinnamon churros with chocolate dipping sauce. The pizza was very thin, so if you prefer the thicker base this might not be the place for you. The churros were definitely the highlight of the meal. Hot cinnamon goodness with a thick, rich chocolate sauce. They were delightful! They are on the main menu too, so you can still go and try the little beauties.

 

Being in a village, I think it's quite a quiet place. Overall, the food was pleasant but maybe try out their takeaway first to see if it's to your taste! 

 

http://www.raffertyspizzeria.co.uk/contact.php#.VpJcQmbnnIU

Edible Christmas Gifts

Chocolate Vodka

240g chocolate (I used Galaxy)

150 ml cream

400 ml vodka   

Heat the chocolate and cream together on a low heat until the chocolate has melted. Pour into the vodka bottle and shake for two minutes.

 

Chocolate Fudge

525g milk chocolate

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

 

Heat all the ingredients together until the chocolate has just melted. Do not overheat. Pour into a lined tin and leave to set in the fridge for at least four hours. I added nuts and dried fruit to half the mix to give more texture and flavour.

 

Chocolate Oat Cookies

150g unsalted butter

150g plain flour

150g light brown sugar

150g oats

Glug of golden syrup

100g chocolate chips

 

Beat all the ingredients together until well combined. Use your hands to shape into golf ball size balls. Press the cookies down slightly before baking at 180C/gas 4 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Chocolatey Chocolate Cake

I decorated this cake with as much chocolate as I could squeeze on! I went for white chocolate and milk chocolate buttons, chocolate orange, white chocolate and milk chocolate fingers and chocolate curls!

Chocolate Cheesecake

 Really simple but effective recipe for this one.

 

300g digestive biscuits

140g butter

500g cream cheese

300ml double cream

150g milk chocolate

 

Melt the butter, crush the biscuits then combine. Press the base mix into a tin. Melt the chocolate and leave to cool slightly. Whip up the cream until thickened then whisk in the cream cheese. Add the chocolate to the cream mix and combine. Pour mix onto the base and leave to chill for as long as you can resist!

 

Decorate with any fruit or chocolate you fancy.

The Waterfront, Plymouth

This was a perfect dessert. It was described as a chocolate budino, which I'd never heard of before. The thick Italian custard was coupled with a cardamom cream, mango salsa and mango sorbet. Every element complemented the next. Completely delightful.

 

http://www.waterfront-plymouth.co.uk/

Surf Board Cake!

I made a simple chocolate sandwich cake for my brother and sister in law's birthday.

 

50g cocoa powder

6 tbsp boiling water

3 eggs

4 tbsp milk

175g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

100g butter

300g caster sugar

 

Make a paste with the cocoa powder and boiling water. Beat in with all the remaining ingredients.  Divide the cake mixture between two greased sandwich tins. Bake for about 25-30 minutes at 180C/Gas 4.

I decorated the cake with caramel icing and a fondant surfboard, using my biscuit stamps for the lettering. 

Nutella Brownies!

I made these for World Nutella Day!

185g butter

185g dark chocolate
85g plain flour
120g chopped hazelnuts
40g cocoa powder
250g sugar
3 eggs
Nutella 

Preheat the oven at 180C/gas 4. Melt the butter and chocolate together. Whisk the eggs, then add to the melted mix. Fold in the flour, sugar and cocoa powder. Pour the mix into a square tin, or I used my individual loaf tin. Spoon over blobs of Nutella then sprinkle over hazelnuts. Back for 10-15 minutes.

Chocolate Coconut Cake

I cheated slightly with this cake, using Betty Crocker's Devil Food Cake mix, and the Chocolate Fudge Icing for the middle of the cake. I've used the cake mix before and it is fail-safe for a tasty, moist  bake. 

I did make some coconut butter icing. Beating 170g of icing sugar together with 85g of unsalted butter, a splash of water and 50g of ground coconut until really fluffy. Finally, I decorated the top with chopped Bounty bars and chocolate drops.