Simple Victoria Sponge

I love watching food programmes,they're really the only thing I watch on tv anymore.One of my all time favourties has to be The Great British Bake Off which is unfortunately now finished.When I saw that a book had been realeased to accompany the series I knew I had to get it.I ordered it on Amazon and within a few days I was leafing through the hundreds of recipes choosing which to make first.

The book is packed full of recipes many of which are detailed and long.I normally love to challange myself with a more difficult recipe,but when I saw that the first recipe was for the perfect Victoria Sponge,I changed my mind.There is something about a Victoria Sponge that is so appealing.If made correctly,it's light,moist and most importantly declicious.

I followed the method exactly for this recipe,taking my time beating the butter and sugar and when folding in the flour.Even with taking extra care to do everything to the letter,this cake still comes together in no time.Before I knew it,the smell of a freshly baked sponge was wafting through my kitchen.Once cooled,I whipped some double cream until stiff.I spread one sponge with a generous amount of raspberry jam and then topped with the thick cream,and finally the second sponge.Dusted with icing sugar and the cake was complete.I couldn't wait to dig in and thankfully I wasn't dissapointed.The sponge combined with the cream and jam was just perfect.

Sponge

225g butter,softened

225g caster sugar

4 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

225g self raising flour,sifted

1 tbsp milk

Filling

300ml double cream

30g icing sugar

Raspberry/Strawberry jam

Icing sugar,to finish

1.Preheat the oven to 180C.Grease and line the bases of two 20cm(8in)sandwich tins.

2.Beat the softened butter for a couple of minutes,until creamy and light in colour.Gradually add in the sugar and continue beating for 3 to 4 minutes until fluffy and light in colour.

3.Break the 4 eggs into a bowl with the vanilla extract.Beat briefly with a fork just to break the eggs up.Gradually beat the eggs into the butter and sugar mixture.If the mixture begins to look curdled add a tablespoon of the sifted flour and continue as before.

4.Take the previously sifted flour and sift again,this time over the sponge.Add the tablespoon of milk and fold these through the mixture,taking care not to knock out any air you have incorporated.

5.Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes.The sponges are cooked when they are a good golden brown and spring back lightly when pressed.Insert a skewer into the middle cakes and make sure it comes out clean.

6.Allow to cool for a minute or two and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.Beat the cream with the icing sugar until quite stiff.

7.Once the sponges are cold,place one onto a serving plate.Spread with a generous amount of jam and then top with the stiffly whipped cream.Place the other sponge on top and finish with a dusting of icing sugar.

Chocolate Cake

I usually make it my business to never let it go any longer than one week before I post but unfortunately last weekend between one thing and another I just ran out of time.So this post is a little later than usual but trust me this cake is worth the wait ;)With the evenings getting shorter by the minute and the weather getting noticeably colder,this cake is comfort food personified.Three layers of moist,chocolaty sponge covered in a silky smooth chocolate ganache.

I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't easy to please when it comes to desserts,or anything sweet now that I come to think of it.But I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that this really is one of the nicest chocolate cakes I have tried so far.And believe me I've tried many.This sponge is so moist,with a slight fudgy texture and it offers a full on chocolate flavour.The ganache is thick and smooth and pairs wonderfully with the cake.One slice of this cake and I knew it was my new go to recipe for when I'm craving something chocolate.

This was the third recipe I've tried from Edd Kimber's new book The Boy Who Bakes and once again the book has delivered.I seriously recommend this book to anyone with an interest in baking-his recipes all look to die for and I'm sure I'll be trying out many more in the coming weeks.Although this cake may look like it took a long time,it was actually surprisingly easy.The ganache is also so simple to apply,I wouldn't say it took me more than 15 minutes to assemble the cooled cakes.

Sponge

110 g unsalted butter,room temp.

110g plain chocolate(60-70%)

280ml boiling water

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

140 ml buttermilk

280g plain flour

2 Tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

340g soft brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs,lightly beaten

Ganache

225g butter

285g plain chocolate(60-70%)

2 Tbsp golden syrup

240ml double cream

1.Preheat the oven to 180C(160C fan)gas mark 4.Grease and line three 20cm round cake tins with baking parchment,then grease the parchment too.Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water,making sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water.Set aside to cool slightly.Whisk the cocoa powder with the boiling water in a separate bowl.Whisk in the buttermilk and set aside.

2.Sift the flour,bicarbonate of soda and salt together into a bowl.In a separate bowl use an electric hand mixer to beat the butter,sugar,eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy,about 5 minutes.Beat in the eggs,a little at a time,beating until fully combined.With the mixer on low,pour the cooled chocolate down the side of the bowl and once fully combined,add a third of the flour mixture followed by half the buttermilk mixture.Repeat and then add the final third of the flour mixture.Divide equally among the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.Cool in the tins for 10 minutes before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely.

3.To make the ganache,melt the butter,chocolate and golden syrup in the microwave or heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water.Once melted and smooth,add the cream and mix to combine.Remove from the heat and allow to set until spreadable,about 15-20 minutes.If the ganache is not setting at room temperature you can refrigerate it,but watch carefully that it stays spreadable.

4.To assemble the cake,put the first layer of cake on a serving plate and spread the top with a layer of ganache.Then place the second layer of cake on top and spread this with a layer of ganache.Finally place the third cake layer on top and cover the whole top and sides of the cake with the remaining ganache.

Streusel Apple Pie

I don't know about you but I really feel Winter has arrived.I know that technically it's still Autumn but I'm a cold person by nature so I'm already really feeling the cold.There's so many things about Winter that I hate:the bitter cold,the dull,dark sky,the constant rain,the shorter days,the fact that one is almost completely confined to the house...the list is endless!But then again there are many things I love about Winter but the main one has to be Winter baking.I can't think of anything more inviting than spending my weekends trapped in my cosy kitchen working on an exciting new recipe.Personally I think Winter baking allows you to experiment with trickier recipes as I always seem to have a whole day to complete a recipe.

Apples are in season at the moment so for that reason I was searching around for an interesting recipe involving apples this week.I recently got Edd Kimber's new book The Boy Who Bakes and I spotted an interesting recipe comprised of a pastry base a cinnamon flavoured apple filling and a crumbly streusel topping.I spent most of my day working on this recipe from making the shortcrust pastry right down to the streusel topping.This by no means came together in a matter of minutes and if your looking for something quick to satisfy your sweet craving then this certainly isn't what you're looking for.But if your looking for something to spend your day slowly working through with a delicious rewarding result then this certainly fits the bill.The shortcrust base is just he right crumbly texture and isn't overly sweet.The apple filling is flavoured with cinnamon,ginger and nutmeg giving it that little extra something and the streusel topping is a lovely sweet finish to the pie.I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking to make an apple inspired recipe this week.

Shortcrust Pastry
125g unsalted butter,diced and chilled
200g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
35-60ml ice cold water

Streusel Topping
140g plain flour
100g caster sugar
110g butter

For The Filling
1.3kg eating apples(granny smith)
1 tsp lemon juice
15g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsps flour
pinch of salt
15g butter,small pieces

1.Begin with the shortcrust pastry.In a large bowl rub the butter into the flour and salt with your fingertips or using a pastry blender,until you have irregular breadcrumbs.Add half the water and mix until the mixture starts to come together,adding more water if the mixture is too dry.Place onto a work surface and using the heel of your hand,press and smear the dough across the work surface a few times,then gather it together and form into a flat round.Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.Alternatively this can be done using a food processor and then smearing across the work surface as mentioned above.
2.While the pastry is chilling make the streusel topping.Sieve the flour and sugar into a bowl and then rub in the butter using your fingertips.Gather the dough together then chill until needed.
3.Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin,and roll out the chilled shortcrust pastry to fit a 23cm(9in) pie dish.Line with the dough and trim any excess leaving a 2.5cm overhang.Roll the excess pastry under itself to form the pie's edge.Crimp the pie's edge using your fingertips.Chill for 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 200C(180C Fan)gas mark 6.
3.Line the prepared pastry shell with baking parchment and fill with a layer of baking beans or rice.Bake for 20 minutes.Remove the baking beans and baking parchment,then bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pie begins to turn golden.
4.To make the filling,peel,core and slice the apples,then put them in a large bowl with the lemon juice,sugar,cinnamon,nutmeg,ginger,flour and salt.Mix well.
5.Add the filling to the pastry shell and dot with the butter.Bake for 15 minutes,then open the oven reduce the temperature to 180C(160 Fan)gas mark 4.Break the streusel topping into little pieces and spread it across the top of the pie.Bake for another 45-50 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the pastry golden.Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.

Chocolate Fondant & A Long Weekend

If you have work or school tomorrow then I would advise you to stop reading now.I'd hate to make you jealous.Luckily for me I have the pleasure of a rare long weekend this week.For no apparent reason my school is closed tomorrow and as a result my weekend actually began today .Honestly,I could do a four day week every week.Anyway to kick start my weekend,I decided to whip up something easy yet deliciously decadent.And this chocolate fondant from Lorraine Pascale's book Baking Made Easy is decadence personified.

This recipe is so simple.It contains very few ingredients,most of which you will definitely have on hand.The butter is melted and the finely chopped chocolate is added,melted by the residual heat from the butter.In the meantime the eggs are whipped with the sugar to a mousse like texture.The melted butter and chocolate is then stirred through followed by the flour.The mixture is then divided up between the individual ramekins and popped into the oven to bake.

Looking back now,choosing black plates was a disastrous decision seen as condensation can clearly be seen because of how hot the fondants were,but at the time my mind was probably more preoccupied with getting my teeth into them,than choosing suitable serving plates.

Lorraine's book states that these little babies only take about 10-12 minutes.Now usually I take everything out about 2 minutes earlier then what a recipe states as my oven is like a super oven and cooks everything in about half the time.However,these were different.These actually ended up taking more like 15 minutes to cook but trust me,the wait was worth it.If you don't believe me,feast your eyes on the mouth watering molten centre of the fondant below!

Just look at that volcano of melted chocolate!
Overall,these were delicious and I really couldn't fault the flavour.My only slight alteration for the next time I make them would be to use a darker chocolate with a higher cocoa content,purely just to achieve a darker colour on the sponge.But really it's what's on the inside that counts ;)

Chocolate Fondants
110g(4oz)butter,plus 40g(1 1/2 oz)extra,melted for greasing
1 tbsp cocoa
110g(4oz)caster sugar,plus 1 tbsp extra for coating
110g(4oz)good quality chocolate finely chopped
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
110g(4oz)plain flour

1.Grease 4 dariole mould or ramekins with the 40g melted butter.Mix the cocoa powder and tbsp of caster sugar in a bowl then put this mixture in the mould,tilting and turning them so the mixture sticks to the butter.Tip out any excess.
2.Melt the rest of the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat.Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and leave to melt.
3.Preheat the oven to 180C(350F)Gas mark 4.Whisk the eggs and yolks in a large bowl until they start to thicken.Then gradually add the sugar in 2-3 additions,whisking all the time.The mixture should become thick,pale and mousse-like.
4.Stir the melted chocolate and butter mixture then gradually pour it into the whisked eggs,whisking all the time.The chocolate is heavy and sinks to the bottom so check none is hiding!Sift in the flour and whisk briefly.
5.Divide the mixture among the prepared moulds and bake for 10-12 minutes(mine took 15).The tops should be firm and the middle should remain molten.
6.Once the fondants are ready,leave to cool for a minute or two,then use oven gloves to place a serving plate upside down on top of the mould.Hold everything together and turn the whole lot over so the plate is now on the bottom.Put the plate on the work surface and gently shake the mould until the fondant plops out.If you find it refuses to come out take a small knife and run it between the mould and the fondant to loosen it a little.
7.Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

TGIF:Chocolate Peanut Butter Tobelerone Cheesecake

Friday,finally.Seriously my favourite day of the week.My usual Friday would go something like this:

Watch clock impatiently as the last few minutes of class go on forever.Bell rings.Bolt out of classroom and fight off the melee of students who crowd around lockers.Get home,fling schoolbag into a corner,bulging with books for a weekends homework.Roll up sleeves,and launch into my chosen recipe.

Nothing sounds better to me frankly than the above statement.This week I had my mind set on making a cheesecake.I toyed with many different flavours,vanilla,lemon,chocolate hazelnut,baileys but just couldn't find a recipe that really called out to me.So I decided to improvise and came up with my own combination for the filling,and boy am I glad I did!Scroll down for a luscious recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Tobelerone Cheesecake(unless of course your on a diet...in that case you should probably stop reading.Like now.)

I know when some of you read the combination it will sound overly sweet and chocolaty.But I found that that just wasn't the case.Yes the cheesecake filling itself had quite a rich chocolaty filling but the added peanut butter cut through the chocolate so that it wasn't tooth achingly sweet.The tobelerone was a delicious add in,the little chewy bits of nougat a pleasant surprise  in an otherwise mousse like filling.So if your looking to make a cheesecake with a difference this weekend,give this recipe a second thought before you make your final decision.I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed ;)

For The Base

100g Butter

200g Biscuits(Digestives,Rich Tea,feel free to play around)

For The Filling

300g chocolate

100g peanut butter

250g full fat cream cheese

250g mascarpone cheese

250ml double cream

250g tobelerone,chopped

1.Start by making the base.In a food processor or using a rolling pin,blitz or crush the biscuits until you have fine crumbs.Melt the butter in the microwave and then add this to the biscuits.Stir to distribute the butter thoroughly.Press the biscuit mixture into an 20cm(8") round springform tin.Place in the fridge to set while you make the filling.

2.Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water.Melt the peanut butter in the microwave in 20 second bursts until runny.Allow both to cool.

3.While these are cooling,place the mascarpone,double cream and cream cheese and beat using a wooden spoon until creamy and combined.

4.Add the melted chocolate and about three quarters of the melted peanut butter,reserving some to create the swirled effect on the top.Stir to combine making sure the mixture is uniform and the one colour.Add the chopped tobelerone and fold through.

5.Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top off with a spatula.Pour the reserved peanut butter over the top in a swirled pattern.Place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.

6.Once ready to serve,remove the cheesecake from the fridge for about 15 minutes before serving to make it easier to cut.

Chewy Speculaas Blondies

Ah Friday,finally!I was having one of those weeks where it just seems to drag by and when Friday feels like it's never going to come.As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of school today I bolted out of the door and headed for home.I love weekends.Weekends allow you to do the things which you want to do during the week but never have the time or energy for.One such example is baking.As is probably quite obvious to anyone who has ever even glanced at this blog.I'm unable to pin point just exactly what it is,but I find nothing more relaxing than getting stuck into an exciting new recipe.Therefore,when the weekend finally rolls around I discard my schoolbag and homework and get out my eggs and flour.

As I mentioned in my last post,I recently recieved Edd Kimber's new book,The Boy Who Bakes,in the post.After perusing the book quite thoroughly,I decided to choose a nice simple recipe for a relaxed Friday evening.I chose the Chewy Speculaas Blondies,as I have been wanting to make blondies for quite a while now and the recipe seemed pretty easy.

The recipe comes together very quick.The butter is melted in a pot,the spices are added and then the sugar.I was unfortunately unable to find ground cloves or cardamom anywhere in my area,so I just had to omit them from the recipe(I'm sure they probably would make quite a difference if added).This mixture is allowed to cool before the eggs are whisked in.The flour,baking powder and salt are folded in.Finally the chocolate chunks and hazelnuts are added.The mixture(which I found to be quite stiff)is tipped into the tin and baked in the oven for about 30 minutes(mine baked in about 23-25 minutes).One cooked the blondies are left to cool in the tin for a couple of hours so that they can set and firm up.Now I'm usually one of those people who can't stand waiting around for something to cool or set but luckily today I had to go out for dinner first.This acted as a nice distraction and meant the blondies had time to cool and set properly.

By the time I arrived home the blondies had set perfectly.I removed them from the tin and snapped a few pictures on my(useless) camera with the little natural light still left.I was glad to see the blondies had a beautifully fudgy interior once I cut into them.They really were like a blonde brownie.I decided to dress the blondies up a bit for a dessert and so I attempted to make the salted caramel sauce which was also included in the book.Now I'm not sure exactly what went wrong but once the sauce was cooked it began to harden and became like a chewy toffee more than a sauce.I could also taste very little salt,which is probably down to the extremely small pinch I put in to the sauce but at least I'll no better next time.If anyone had any suggestions as to why the sauce went hard when it began to cool I would be glad to hear them as this is one sauce I'd really like to try again.

I first tried these blondies after I gave them about 30 seconds in the microwave to heat up.I served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and dug in.I found the taste of these to be quite unusual.The spice present really came through in the blondies and worked nicely with the chocolate.Later on,I tried a small piece of the blondies cold on their own,and found that I actually preferred the blondies like this.Room temperature,unadourned yet still delicious.

I was pleased with how my first batch of blondies turned out and will definitely make these again when I can get my hands on ground cloves and cardamom.In the meantime however,I may just have to make some of the other recipes in this great new book!

Chewy Speculaas Blondies

225g unsalted butter

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg(I used dried and reduced the amount)

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground cardamom pods

400g light brown sugar

2 eggs

250g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

80g chocolate,chopped

80g hazelnuts chopped

1.Preheat the oven to 180C(160C fan)gas mark 4.Grease and line a 23 x 33 cm baking tin and line with a strip of baking parchment,leaving a 5cm overhang along the edges to make removing the blondies easier.

2.Melt the butter in a pan over a medium high heat,add the spices and cook for a couple of minutes.Next add the sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes,stirring constantly before taking the pan off the heat.

3.Leave to cool for 5 minutes.Next whisk in the eggs and fold in the flour ,baking powder and salt.Stir in the chopped chocolate and hazelnuts,then pour the batter into the prepared tin.Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

4.Once cooked,allow to cool in the tin completely and to set for a few hours in the tin.

Butterscotch Pecan Cheesecake

Today I have a quick post for you with a recipe for Butterscotch Pecan Cheesecake.It's hard trying to find time to update the blog with recipes during the week when I have school and homework,so at the moment I'm really just posting whenever I can.I made this cheesecake last weekend for a relative who was coming to visit.I knew they had a particular soft spot for cheesecake and there was a bunch of cheesecakes I'd been wanting to try.I have made many cheesecakes before but this was the first time I made a baked one.Im delighted I finally decided to make a baked one as I love the texture of a baked cheesecake.This recipe caught my eye,butterscotch and pecans-what's not to like?

I read the recipe and realised that although a simple enough cheesecake to make,it was time consuming.To be honest this cheesecake would really have to be made the day before you actually want to eat it,or at least very early that morning.But if you keep that in mind then this really is a very easy cheesecake to make.

The cheesecake begins with a regular biscuit crumb crust.The filling is a combination of cream cheese,sugar,egges and chopped pecans.The glaze combines butter,light brown sugar,milk,vanilla essence and icing sugar to create that delicious butterscotch flavour.

I thought this cheesecake wasy quite tasty.The pecans were a nice crunchy contrast to the smooth creamy filling and the glaze delivered with a real butterscotch flavour.One thing which I noted is that I think I may have baked the cheesecake for slightly too long.The recipe stated the the middle should have a slight wobble when it was cooked and looking back now I'm pretty sure there was no wobble in the centre of mine when I took it out of the oven.Overbaking the cheesecake made the filling suffer slighly I think,making it more dense and less creamy than I would have liked.Also I think I should have whisked the glaze for slightly longer to make it smoother.If it was smoother I think it would have set nicer on the cheesecake and gave it a more polished finish(So if your being put off by my rather useless photography skills,please don't be-I promise it looks better in the picture in the book!).

For The Biscuit Base

220g(8oz)digestive biscuits

100g(3 1/2oz)melted unsalted butter

Cheesecake Filling

700g(1 1/2 lb)full fat cream cheese e.g.Philadelphia

120g(4oz)caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 large eggs

80g(3 oz)pecans,finely chopped plus 10-12 pecan halves to decorate

Butterscotch Glaze

60g(2oz)unsalted butter

45g(1 1/2 oz)soft light brown sugar

2 tbsp whole milk(I used skimmed)

120g(4oz)icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

One 20cm(8in)diameter spring form cake tin

1.Line the base of the cake tin with baking parchment then,in a food processor,whiz the digestive biscuits into fine crumbs using the blade attachment.This could also be done by placing the digestive biscuits in a bag and bashing with a rolling pin.

2.Place the biscuit crumbs in a bowl,add the melted butter and mix together with a spoon.Pour the buttery crumbs into the lined cake tin and press them into the base of the tin.Place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to cool and set.

3.Meanwhile,preheat the oven to 160(320F) Gas mark 3 and prepare the cheesecake topping.

4.Using a hand held electric whisk or a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment,mix together the cream cheese,sugar and vanilla essence on medium speed until smooth.Add the eggs one at a time,mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.Stir in the chopped pecans by hand and then pour the cheesecake mix onto the chilled biscuit base.

5.Wrap the cake tin in foil(I did a couple of layers)this prevents water from the water bath getting into the cheesecake.Place the wrapped cake tin in the roasting tin and fill the tin with water to about 5mm(1/4 in)from the top of the cake tin.This creates a water bath for the cheesecake to bake in,which will prevent the top from cracking while it bakes.Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cheesecake is a light golden colour,especially around the edges,firm to the touch and with only a slight wobble in the middle.

6.Allow the cheesecake to cool down at room temperature while still in the tin,and then place in the fridge to set for a few hours.

7.When the cheesecake is fully chilled make the butterscotch glaze.Put the butter,sugar and milk in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil.Remove from the heat,stir in the icing sugar and vanilla essence,then whisk until the glaze is smooth.

8.Pour the glaze on top of the cheesecake and decorate using the pecan halves.Place in the fridge to set for a few hours or overnight if possible.Remove from the cake tin before serving.

P.s. The winner of last years Great British Bake Off,Edd Kimber,has just released his new book.I got it delivered the other day and it looks great!Expect to be seeing a few of his recipes being tried here in the next few weeks :)