Raspberry filled chocolates

Smooth and creamy raspberry filling covered in intensely dark chocolate… delicious present for your Valentine!


Ingredients (makes about 45):

For the filling:

• 1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 150g white chocolate
• 4tbsp mascarpone cheese
• 1tbsp black raspberry liqueur 

Additionally:

• 250g-300g dark chocolate

To make the filling place raspberries in a small saucepan and cook until all the fruit has broken down.  Pass through a sieve to get rid of the seeds and place the puree back in the pan.  

Add broken white chocolate and mascarpone and place over a low heat.  Stir constantly, until the mixture is smooth and all ingredients are well combined.  Stir in the liqueur and pour into a container.  

Leave the mixture in the fridge to thicken.

Melt dark chocolate over a bain-marie or in a microwave and using a brush or a small spoon, spread the chocolate around the sides of the moulds, place in the fridge to harden, for about 15 minutes.

Spread the moulds with a second layer of chocolate (the layer should be quite thick, so the chocolates won't  break when you are removing them from the moulds).  Place back in the fridge for further 10-15 minutes unitl the chocolate has set.

Fill the chocolate cases with raspberry filling, leaving a little space to cover with chocolate.

Spread some chocolate on top, to cover the filling and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Valentine's raspberry and vanilla cake

Well… I was supposed to make a chocolate cake. And I had no cocoa powder.  And this is how I have made the best vanilla sponge cake ever. It is light and fluffy and has the perfect texture. You can make it plain or add any fruit you like, I used frozen raspberries and it was delicious!


Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 cup + 4tbsp caster sugar
• 140g soft, unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup plain flour 
• 2 rounded tsp baking powder
• 150ml milk
• 2tsp vanilla paste or vanilla pod
• handful of raspberries

For the cream:

• 300ml double cream
• 2tbsp icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla paste or pod
• 1 tbsp Baileys (additional)

For the chocolate drizzle:

• 40g dark chocolate

To decorate:

• sugar hearts (see here)

To make the cake beat the butter with sugar until pale and fluffy, then add eggs, one at a time and vanilla and whisk.  

Add flour and baking powder and mix until well combined.

Mix in the milk.

Divide the mixture into two greased heart-shaped tins and sprinkle over a small handful of raspberries.

Bake at 175C for about 20mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Leave the cakes on a cooling rack until cooled completely.

To make the cream whisk double cream, then add icing sugar and vanilla and beat.  Stir in Baileys.

Spread 2/3 of the cream on the first cake, then cover and spread remaining cream on top and around the sides of the cake.

Decorate with sugar hearts, then drizzle over melted dark chocolate.

Enjoy!

Salted caramel and chocolate mini-tartlets

Very pretty looking and delicious chocolate tartlets filled with caramel and chocolate ganache with a sprinkle of sea salt.. Special treat, perfect for dinner parties or oncoming Valentine's Day!


Ingredients (makes 24 mini-tartlets):

For the crust:

• 100g flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 40g icing sugar
• 65g butter
• about 3tbsp cold water

For the filling:

• 100g dulce de leche

To decorate:

• 120ml double cream
• 120g dark chocolate
• sea salt flakes

To make the crust add all of the ingredients into a bowl and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs, then knead quickly just to bring the dough together.  If the mixture is very dry add a little bit more water. Wrap in foil and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile bring double cream to the boil, then quickly pour onto the chopped dark chocolate, stir.  Leave to cool in the fridge.

Roll out the dough and cut out small flowers (I used a 6cm cutter) , press into a mini-muffin tin, prick with a fork, cover each pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190C for about 8 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and bake for further 5-7 minutes, until the pastry feels dry to the touch and is baked through. Set aside.

When pastry cases are completely cooled pipe a small dollop of  dulce de leche onto each one.  Leave in the fridge to set, for about 30 minutes.

When the ganache is well set, beat it in the mixer for couple of minutes, until it is soft enough to pipe.

Pipe on top of each tart, decorate with sea salt.

Enjoy!

Valentine's lemon and poppy seed cake pops

Cute and delicious valentine cake pops- perfect present for your Valentine!

Ingredients:

For the cake pops (makes about 15):

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 30g soft, unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp yoghurt (I used peach flavoured)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
• 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

To decorate:

• 100g white chocolate
• pink food colouring
• sugar hearts (see here) or other valentine sprinkles 

Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then add an egg and mix well. Add all remaining ingredients and mix until just combined.

Pour into heart-shaped cake pop moulds and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about 10 minutes. 

Take out the mould and leave to cool completely.

Melt white chocolate in a bain-marie or in a microwave, add pink food colouring.

Dip cake pop sticks in melted chocolate, then insert into each cake pop.  Leave in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Dip each cake pop in chocolate (or brush with pastry brush), decorate with valentine sprinkles and leave in the fridge to set. 

Enjoy!

Valentine's biscuits with rose marmalade

This is an old recipe from my notebook and my whole family loves those biscuits.  Crumbly and buttery with sweet and sticky rose marmalade (you can use jam instead but it must be very thick).  There is no need to chill the dough before cutting out biscuits and they always hold their shape well!


Ingredients (makes 30-40 biscuits):

For the biscuits:

• 200g cold, unsalted butter
• pinch of salt
• 100g caster sugar
• 500g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 egg yolks
• 2tbsp soured cream or creme fraiche
• 1tsp vanilla paste or vanilla pod

Additionally:

• 350g rose marmalade

In a large bowl mix sugar, butter and egg yolks. Add salt, flour, vanilla, baking powder and soured cream and mix until combined.  Knead the dough quickly to bring it together. 

Roll out on a floured surface and cut out biscuits, you will need two cutters, one slightly smaller than other.  

Cut out hearts with the bigger cutter, then cut out the middle of half of the biscuits with the smaller cutter. 

Place the hearts without the middle on top of the full hearts, then spoon the marmalade onto the middle of each biscuit.  

Place on a lined baking sheet, biscuits can be quite close to each other, as they don't rise a lot in the oven, but they should not be touching.  

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown, then take out the oven and leave on a cooling rack.  

You will need to bake few batches as there are too many biscuits to fit on the tray at once.

Enjoy!

Chocolate truffles with Baileys

After making Baileys and chocolate cheesecake I had to make those truffles… Smooth and chocolatey  with irish cream flavour coming through, dusted with cocoa powder, those truffles are so easy but very delicious too!


Ingredients (makes 20 truffles):

For the truffles:

• 100ml double cream
• 75ml Baileys
• 175g dark chocolate

Additionally:

• cocoa powder

Chop the chocolate into small chunks and place in a bowl.  In a small saucepan warm up the cream and Baileys, until hot, but don't let it boil.  Pour the hot mixture onto the chocolate and leave for couple of minutes, for the chocolate to melt, then stir.  

Wrap the bowl with cling film or foil and leave in the fridge over-night to set, it will be well set but not hard.

Take spoonfuls of the mixture and roll in your hands to shape the truffles into balls.  Roll in cocoa powder. 

Enjoy!

Almond and amaretto heart-shaped buns

Soft and fluffy dough with the best almond and amaretto filling- so easy to make and if you want fresh buns for breakfast you can make the dough the night before and leave in the fridge for the next morning.  Delicious autumn-must-bake!

Recipe inspired by THIS website (changed slightly).


Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 160ml milk
• 2,5 tbsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 2,5 cup plain flour
• 30g melted butter
• 7g dried fast-action yeast

For the filling:

• 200g ground almonds
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 80g double cream
• 40ml Amaretto
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract

Additionally:

• lightly beaten egg for brushing

To make the dough mix all of the 'dough' ingredients in a large bowl, then turn onto a floured surface and knead for about 10-15 minutes until soft, smooth and stretchy.  The dough might be sticky, but do not add any more flour, just knead until the dough stops sticking to your hands.

Place back in a large, oiled bowl and leave to rise, until doubled in size (about 1 hour), or leave in the fridge over night.

To make the filling simply place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined.

When the dough has doubled in size, knead quickly and divide into 65g balls (about 9-10).  

 Roll out each ball into a circle and spread the filling on top.

 Roll.

   Fold over.

   Cut about 3/4 way.

 



Turn both sides out and shape a heart.

  Place the buns on a lined baking sheet, you will need two trays as the buns have to be spread well apart.

Leave the buns to rise again for about 30-40 minutes, then brush with an egg wash.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about 15-17 minutes.

Leave to cool.

Enjoy!

Chocolate cake with amaretto cream

Very chocolatey, a little brownie- like, but not too heavy cake with vanilla and amaretto cream.  Decorated with chocolate macaroons and raspberries makes a perfect birthday gateaux or cake for any occasion.

If you are going to make the chocolate decoration around the edges, it is best to leave it in the fridge over night to set before serving.


Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarb. of soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (mixed with 1/2 cup water)
• 50g cocoa powder (dissolved in 1/2 cup lukewarm water)
• 2 eggs
• 115g soft, unsalted butter
• 160g caster sugar
• 150g dark muscovado sugar

For the cream:

• about 350ml double cream 
• 2-3 tbsp icing sugar
• 3 tbsp Amaretto 
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla pod

To decorate:

• raspberries (about 150g)
• macaroons (made from THIS recipe, you can make from half the ingredients, it will be more than enough) you can sprinkle those with edible glitter if you like- I used silver
• handful of toasted, flaked almonds
• 130g dark chocolate (to make the chocolate 'wall' around the cake) + 7cm x 26cm acetate foil (roughly, you will then need to measure your cake to know how much exactly to use)

Combine the buttermilk with water and set aside.  

Dissolve the cocoa powder in warm water and leave to cool.

Beat the butter until pale and fluffy, then add both sugars and mix well. 

Add the eggs and whisk, then add cocoa powder (dissolved in water) and keep whisking until smooth.

In a bowl combine flour, salt and bicarb. of soda, then mix a third of it into the cake mixture.  

Add a third of buttermilk (and water), then a third of flour, then buttermilk etc. until all ingredients are combined together, do not over mix the batter.

Divide the mixture into two lined 22-23cm sandwich tins and bake in a pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes at 180C.  The cake is ready when skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  

Take out the oven ale leave to cool for 10-15 minutes, then take out the tins and place on a cooling rack.

To make the icing whisk double cream and when it starts holding peaks add the sugar, vanilla and amaretto.  

When the cake is cooled completely, spread 3/4 of the cream on the base of the cake (it should go right to the edges as it will help the chocolate stick to the cake later on) and cover.  Spread remaining cream over the top.  

Measure your cake to make sure how much acetate foil you need to use for the chocolate decoration. If the foil it too long and one end covers the other, you won't be able to take the plastic off, so it should be just about long enough to go all the way around the cake.  Melt the chocolate and spread a thick layer onto the acetate stripe, then stick to the edges of the cake, it should go right from the bottom and be about 2-3cm higher than the cake.  Place in the fridge  over night to set.

Before serving remove the acetate from around the cake,  you need to do it carefully, not to break the chocolate.  Decorate with raspberries, almond flakes and macaroons.

Enjoy!

Chocolate and vanilla cake with raspberries and macaroons

My favourite chocolate cake.  Easy to make, quick and delicious.   Tastes great with chocolate or vanilla icing, or used as a base for something more special.  The recipe for chocolate cake comes from Mary Berry's Baking Bible.  I decorated it with delicate and sweet vanilla cream, macaroons (see 'vanilla macaroons' recipe) and raspberries.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 50g  sifted cocoa powder
• 6 tbsp boiling water
• 3 large eggs
• 50ml milk
• 175g self-rising flour
• 1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
• 100g softened butter
• 275g caster sugar

For the cream:

• 300ml double cream
• vanilla pod
• icing sugar (couple of table spoons- to your taste)

Also:

• 200g raspberries
• macaroons form the 'vanilla macaroons' recipe (with pink food colouring)

Make the macaroons ('vanilla macaroons' recipe with additional pink food colouring) and set them aside to cool.

Pre- heat the oven to 180 C and line two 20cm sandwich tins.

Blend the cocoa powder and boiling water in a large bowl then add the remaining cake ingredients and beat until the mixture has become a smooth, thickish butter.  Divide the cake mix equally between the prepared tins and level the surface.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 25-30 minutes, until well risen and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.  Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
If you are making whole cake in one tin it will take about 40 minutes in the oven.  Cut the cake when cooled.
To make the vanilla cream whisk double cream with icing sugar and vanilla pod.
Decorate the cake with macaroons and raspberries, when cooled completely.
Enjoy!