Forever Baking . . .

Oreo Layer Cake

Posted on September 30, 2014 in Cakes

Try this for that special occasion. Delicious and not as sweet as it looks.

Ingredients for the Chocolate Cake:

100g plain flour

40g cocoa

200g granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

60ml buttermilk

60ml vegetable oil

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

60ml hot water

10 quartered Oreos

For the Vanilla Cake:

180g plain flour

200g granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

110g butter, chopped into 1″ cubes

2 eggs

120ml milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

10 quartered Oreos

For the Oreo Filling:

230g softened cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

200g icing sugar

480g double cream

Garnish:

crumbled Oreos (about 10)

Halved Oreos

Chocolate ganache

Star piping tip

Chocolate Ganache:

1 tablespoon butter

160ml double cream

225g dark chocolate chips/dark chocolate broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line two 8″ cake pans.

Chocolate cake:

In a stand or electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and mix until combined.

Add the two eggs and mix.

While the mixer is beating, slowly add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla.

Then add the hot water slowly.

Once the batter is combined, add quartered Oreo’s and gently stir using a wooed spoon or spatula until the Oreos are evenly dispersed.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to sit on a wire rack before removing from pan and allow to cool completely.

Vanilla cake:
In a stand or electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.

While mixer is turning, add the cubes of butter one at a time and mix until the butter has broken up into tiny pieces and the mixture resembles sand.

Add eggs and continue to mix.

While mixer is turning, slowly add milk and vanilla.

Mix until batter is smooth. Once batter is combined, add quartered Oreo’s and stir a couple of times, being careful not to break up the Oreo’s.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to sit on a wire rack before removing from pan and allow to cool completely.

While cakes are cooling, prepare filling. In a stand or electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the double cream until stiff peaks form.

Set aside in the fridge. In a clean bowl switch to a paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese until soft.

Add the icing sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Next add the whipped double cream to the cream cheese mixture, and mix until smooth.

Ensure that both cake layers are even and level by trimming the tops if they are domed. Place the chocolate cake on a cake board and smooth about 100g of filling onto it in an even layer.

Next place the vanilla cake layer on top and repeat with another thin layer of filling (crumb coat).

At this point, I place the cake in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes, which helps to set the icing. Then once removed from the freezer apply a second coat to the cake with the filling. Place remaining filling into a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip and place in the fridge for later.

Chop up about 10 oreos or more if needed and place around the bottom of the cake.

To prepare the chocolate ganache heat the double cream in the microwave for about 1 minute. Then while the cream is still hot add the butter and chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate and leave for another minute.

Then start to stir the cream with the chocolate. It may look like the cream and chocolate has split but keep going until you have a thick dark ganache.

Using a spoon pour the chocolate ganache onto the edge of cake, a small amount at a time.

Place some crumbled Oreos in the centre of the cake, and using remaining cream cheese filling, pipe large open stars in a circle. Place a half Oreo between every star.

Chocolate Splodge

Posted on June 24, 2014 in Traybakes

This is such a simple and quick recipe which results in the most amazing fridge cake! Fantastic for summer BBQs, kids parties or even just for tea. So easy, stress free and can be done far in advance. Make sure you grab a piece as once the family know about it, it will be gone in a jiffy.

550g digestive biscuits

275g unsalted butter

275g good quality dark chocolate

275g raisins

300g condensed milk

500g good quality milk chocolate

Line the base and sides of a 24cm x 34cm baking tin with greaseproof paper. Place the digestive biscuits in a large bowl and break them up into small pieces with the end of a rolling pin.

Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally.

Once melted remove the bowl from the pan and stir in the raisins and condensed milk.

Fold in until the broken biscuit pieces are incorporated.

Press the mixture into the tin, making sure to press it into all the sides and corners. Try to get it as flat and even as possible. Place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to set.

Melt the milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.

Then pour it over the ‘splodge’, spreading it evenly and neatly.

Put it back in the fridge for 20-30 minutes until set. Cut the splodge into bars.

Chocolate Chip Raspberry Layer Cake

Posted on May 9, 2014 in Cakes

This super moist chocolate chip layer cake infused with fresh juicy raspberries is just perfect for afternoon tea this spring. The buttermilk gives the cake a lovely creamy and moist texture.

Ingredients:

405g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
230g unsalted butter, melted
350g granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
480ml buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
150g raspberries
135g milk chocolate chips

Milk Chcolate Frosting Ingredients:
230g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
400g icing sugar
95g cocoa powder
4 tablespoons double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
chocolate chips and raspberries for decoration, optional

Preheat oven to 180C degrees. Grease three 20cm round baking pans with butter. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.

In a free standing mixer whisk the granulated sugar the the melted butter slowly adding the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until hardly any lumps remain. Try not to over mix the batter.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake pans. Then place the raspberries and gently press them down into the batter. Doing this rather than folding them in with the chocolate chips avoids breaking the raspberries and making them bleed within the batter.

Bake for 22-25 minutes. You can loosely cover the cakes with foil halfway through cooking to prevent the tops from getting too brown. Cakes should be done when a toothpick is inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans then transfer to a wire rack.

While the cakes are cooling, you can start to make the frosting. Cream the butter in a free standing mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add the icing sugar and the coco powder to the creamed butter. Mix on a low speed.

Add the double cream and vanilla extract.

If the frosting is too thick add a little more double cream however if the frosting is too thin add some icing sugar until you obtain your desired consistency.

Place the 1st layer on your cake stand or plate. Evenly cover the top with the chocolate frosting. Top with the 2nd layer, add more frosting, then the third layer. Cover the entire cake with the leftover frosting. Top with chocolate chips and raspberries.

Mini Cadbury Cream Egg Brownies

Posted on April 1, 2014 in Brownies

If I had to pick one thing I’m most looking forward to at Easter it’s definitely the Cadbury Creme Eggs. I love the creaminess inside the chocolate shell. I wish they make this ginormous egg so I can eat the filling with the spoon.

As you’d expect, these brownies are incredibly sweet, but if you’re a fan of creme eggs that probably won’t worry you. They are very fudge, rich and gooey – possibly the naughtiest brownies I have ever made.

Ingredients

185g unsalted butter

185g dark chocolate

85g plain flour

40g cocoa powder

100g cadburys mini creme eggs (100g bag)

3 large eggs

275g golden caster sugar

Preheat oven to 160C.

Melt the butter and dark chocolate together either in the microwave or in a bowl over boiling water.

Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in the golden caster sugar.

With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar until they look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes, You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume.

Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula.

Hold a sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and sift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly. Gently fold in to the mixture.

Then cut the cadburys mini creme eggs in half then just add them into mixture making sure they are evenly spread!

Pour the chocolate mixture into a square 20cm baking tin and level the mixture so its flat.

Place in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. ( I like mine to still be slightly gooey and fudgy in the middle so tend to bake for 20 minutes maximum.)

Remove from over and leave in tin to cool.

Once the tin feels cool, gently remove and place onto a wire rack to cool further. Cut into squares and serve.

Hot Cross Buns

Posted on March 26, 2014 in Breakfast Recipes

For as long as I can remember, Easter has always been celebrated with some hot cross buns in my family. Hot cross buns are small, spiced, sticky, glazed fruit buns with pastry crosses, which are traditionally eaten on Good Friday. Served as a classic Easter treat, the buns can also be enjoyed at any time of year.

Ingredients for the buns:
300ml full-fat milk, plus 2 tbsp more
50g butter
500g strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
75g caster sugar
1 tbsp sunflower oil
7g sachet fast-action or easy-blend yeast
1 egg, beaten
75g sultanas
50g mixed peel ( I left this out as I’m not keen on peel)
zest 1 orange
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Ingredients for the cross:
75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

Ingredients for the glaze:
3 tbsp apricot jam

Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature.

Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a free standing mixer bowl.

Make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg.

Mix well using a dough hook attachment until everything comes together and you have a sticky dough.

With the dough still in the bowl, tip in the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest and cinnamon. Mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed.

Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 mins until smooth and elastic.

Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.

Divide the dough into 15 even pieces (about 75g per piece) Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface.

Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover (but don’t wrap) with more oiled cling film, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for 1 hr more.

Heat oven to 200C. Mix the 75g of flour with about 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross – add the water 1 tbsp at a time, so you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses.

Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.

Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks.

While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

American Pancakes

Posted on March 2, 2014 in Breakfast Recipes

I am a big fan of English pancakes (crepes), but not for me the once-a-year treat, I eat them often usually with lemon & sugar, but this year I fancied making American Pancakes ready for Shrove Tuesday. You know the ones, those thick, spongy American pancakes that are eaten with warm maple syrup and crispy fried bacon. You can easily cook these pancakes by dolloping the batter onto a hot griddle (smooth or ridged) or in a heavy based pan.

The pancakes are light and fluffy and great to make for this coming Shrove Tuesday or even just for a weekend brunch. Try adding a large handful of fresh blueberries or chocolate chips to the batter before cooking.

Ingredients

135g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp caster sugar

130 ml milk

1 egg

2 tbsp melted butter

To Serve

Maple syrup (ideally the real stuff)

Butter

Blueberries

Bananas

Chocolate Chips

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a whisk beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing. Then let the batter stand for a few minutes.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When it’s melted, add a ladle of batter. It will seem very thick but this is how it should be.

Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen a little.

Repeat until all the batter is used up. You can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven, but they taste best fresh out the pan.

Serve with lashings of real maple syrup, crispy bacon and extra butter if you like. You can experiment by adding bananas and chocolate chips or some fresh blueberries.