Fat Friday #26 Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

This recipe has been a long time coming. I was asked back in 2014 for a decent recipe for a salted caramel hot chocolate. I've been testing and tasting various different combos and I found one that finally works. Its thick, creamy, on the right side of salty and with an intense hit of chocolate. If this hot chocolate recipe screams FAT FRIDAY!!! 

Recipe: Makes 2 large servings (Caramel recipe loosely adapted from Primrose Celebrations by Lisa Stuart and Martha Swift and the Hot Chocolate Recipe very loosely adapted from Boutique Baking by Peggy Porschen)

Caramel:
·110g granulated sugar
·3 tablespoons water
·125ml double cream
·1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

Hot Chocolate Mix:

· 125g plain chocolate, broken into pieces
· 2 teaspoons cocoa powder, (plus a little extra for dusting on top)
· 125ml whipping cream
· 300ml whole milk
· 2 tablespoons of the above salted caramel sauce

Equipment:

·Saucepan x 3
·Fine sieve
·Serving glasses or mugs
·Heatproof bowl
·Measuring jug
·Whisk
·Wooden Spoon

Caramel Method

1. Place the granulated sugar and water in a saucepan on a medium heat. Do not stir the mixture but just swirl it once and a while.
2.While the granulated sugar is boiling, pour the cream and salt in a small bowl to heat gently.
3.Once the granulated sugar has turned an amber colour, remove from heat and immediately add a little cream.
4. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine, be careful as it may spit.
5. Add the remaining cream in small amounts, stirring constantly. Once all the cream has been incorporated, transfer into a separate bowl to cool.

Hot Chocolate Method

1. Place the cream, milk, salted caramel sauce in a saucepan and simmer.

2. Place the chocolate into a mixing bowl and sift the cocoa powder.
3.Once the cream mixture is hot, pour over the chocolate and cocoa powder and whisk until fully incorporated.
4. Return the mixture to the saucepan again, just to heat again. Taste to see if you like the amount of salted caramel. Add a tablespoon at a time if needed.
5. Pour into mugs or heatproof glasses. Consume and enjoy the chocolate hit.
6. (Sieve a little cocoa powder on top of each glass using a stencil and sieve. To add optional cuteness)

Have an amazing weekend!

Fat Friday #19 Hazelnut Cake with Pistachio Ice-Cream & Cream Toasted Almond Cream

December. You know what that means right? Its shopping time! Lucky enough for me, I've finished all my Christmas shopping now which is a big relief. In the next couple of weeks there will be a some Christmas recipes coming up soon. Maybe on Fat Friday or who knows. Its my most busy time of year but I hope your not too busy enough to make this restaurant dessert.

Its a nut themed dessert with a sweet hazelnut cake, savoury pistachio ice cream and a luxury almond cream. Its a fairly simple dessert which takes minimal effort with maximum 'wow' reaction at all that 'effort'.

Recipe: Makes 8 servings 

Cake:

·       225g ground hazelnuts, sieved

·       50g plain flour, sieved

·       1 teaspoon baking, sieved

·       3 eggs

·       200g castor sugar

·       200g butter, melted and cooled

·       Juice of 1 lemon

Pistachio ice-cream:

·       200g pistachio’s

·       300ml milk

·       7g milk powder

·       200ml double cream

·       6 egg yolks

·       60g castor sugar

·       10ml glucose

Toasted almond cream:

·       700ml double cream

·       100ml milk

·       75g toasted sliced almonds

·       110g sugar

·       3 gelatine leaves

Equipment:

·       Mixing bowl x 2

·       Sieve

·       Saucepan x 3

·       23 inch cake tin lined with silicone paper

·       Baking sheet

·       Whisk

·       Fine sieve

·       Ice cream machine

·       Small bowl

·       Small mould

·       Liquidizer

·       Sugar thermometer

For the pistachio ice cream:

1.    Bake pistachios in an oven 170c/Gas Mark 3/ 325f for a few minutes to release some of the nuts oils.

2.    Place the milk, milk powder, and cream into a pan. Bring gently to the boil, add the pistachios. Wait until cooled and then liquidize until smooth.

3.    Return to the plan and bring back to the boil.

4.    Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, glucose and sugar.

5. Pour half the pistachio mix into the eggs, whisking constantly.

6.    Return the pan to the heat. Heat to 84c using a sugar thermometer.

7.    Strain immediately through a fine sieve and cool.

8.    Place into an ice cream machine.

For the cake:

1.    Pre-heat oven to 170c/Gas Mark 3/ 325f.

2.    Melt the butter in a pan and allow to cool before using.

3.    Mix the ground hazelnuts, flour and baking powder together.

4.    Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale, then slowly whisk in the melted butter.

5.    Fold in the hazelnut mixture followed by the lemon juice.

6.    Pour the mixture into the lined cake tine and bake for 40 minutes.

7.    Remove from oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the Almond cream

1.    Toast the almonds like the pistachios as above. Put cream, milk, almonds and sugar into a pan and bring to the boil.

2.    Remove and infuse the almonds for 40 minutes.
3.    Place the gelatine in cold water until gooey.
4.    Bring the cream mixture back to the boil and remove again from the heat.
5.    Add the gelatine and sieve to remove the almonds.
6.    Pour into small moulds of your choice and set for 4 hours.

To complete:

1.    Cut the cake into 8 pieces.
2.    Dip the mould into a little hot water to realise the almond cream.
3.    Scoop a little of the ice cream on top of the cake.  

Are you nuts over this dessert? Would you order it at a restaurant?

Fat Friday #16 White Treacle Tart

*In cockney accent* "Alright treacle? Its Fat Friday. Fancy a bit of treacle for my treacle?" ... Ok lets just get on with it. Happy Fat Friday and happy baking! (Again sorry about the lack of pictures, its pastry class moment again...)

 

Ingredients:

For the pate sucre

·260g plain flour, plus a little extra
·100g icing sugar, plus a little extra
·30g ground almonds
·125g unsalted butter
·3 eggs, 1 egg yolk to wash the bottom of the tart
·1 tsp milk

For the white treacle filling:

·60g unsalted butter
·1 egg
·1 egg yolk
·3 tbsp double cream
·6g salt
·450g golden syrup
·120g white bread crumbs

Equipment:
·Saucepan
·Whisk
·Mixing bowl
·Fork
·Wooden spoon
·Sieve
·Rolling pin
·Knife
·9 inch baking ring
·Baking sheet
·Baking beans
·Cling film

For the pate sucre:

1.Place the flour, icing sugar, almonds and butter in a mixing bowl, rub the mixture together.
2.Add the 2 eggs and mix well. Cover and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3.Preheat oven to 180c/350f/ Gas Mark 4.
4.Dust the work surface with icing sugar. Roll out the pastry to about 2mm thick.
5.Line the tart ring with the pastry, letting it hand over the sides. Cover with cling film and fill the tart base with baking beans.
6.Bake blind for 20 minutes or until the case is cooked through and lightly golden. Remove the baking beans and cling film.
7.Brush the bottom of the tart with a little egg yolk to crisp up the bottom.
8.Place the tart back in the oven for 5 minutes to crispy up the base.

For the filling:

1.Melt the butter, cream and golden syrup in a saucepan until liquid.
2.Once melted put in a separate bowl to cool. Whisk in the eggs a little at a time.
3.Mix in the breadcrumbs into the liquid ingredients.

To Finish:

1.Pour the treacle mixture into the tart case and bake for 20 minutes on Gas Mark 4/180c/350f.

 

Baking Basics 101 Infusing Milk or Cream

Welcome to another Baking Basics, this week we're looking at infusing milk or cream.

Why do this? Well its a simple natural way of infusing a flavour of a herbs, tea or spices without subjecting your biscuits and cakes to small grainy bits, which some people find unpleasant.

I will say that my Nana taught me the recipe how to do this and it went something like this:
1. Shove the milk/cream in the pan with the herbs or whatever and bring it almost to the boil. Done
2. Make a cup of tea.

However, I am one of those people who likes to have a recipe. I'm using the recipe provided in The Cake Book as its a simple recipe and its the closest recipe to what my nan uses. So here it is:

Ingredients:

• 200ml whole milk/ double cream
• 2-3 tablespoons of your chosen flavouring. Ideas can include mint, lavender, loose leaf tea, rosemary, thyme.

Equipment:

• Small pan
• Wooden pan
• Strainer
• Airtight container

1. Boil the milk on medium heat and bring almost to the boil.
2. Place the flavouring into the milk, stir and turn the heat down to low to simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Drain into an airtight container and leave to cool, then place in the fridge. Or use straight away in a recipe.

You don't have to limit this just cakes and bakes. I use this to make infused milk for smoothies. Instead of whole milk I use soy milk for my smoothies.

If there's a method you'd like to learn and want me to write about, please comment below or let me know on facebook or twitter with the hashtag #bakingbasics101

Baking Basics 101 Creaming Butter and Sugar

Hello and welcome to the first Baking Basics 101! This week we're focusing on the method of creaming.

Creaming is used in most cupcake and cake recipes. It's the method of mixing a fat and sugar together until the the mixture turns really light and fluffy. Nowadays everyone uses electric hand whisks, but it can be achieved with a classic wooden spoon. 

Unsalted butter and caster sugar are the most commonly used in cakes. But other types of fat can be used such as margarine, or lard. The same goes for sugar, sweetener, and other varieties of sugar can be used.

Equipment Needed:

• Bowl
• Wooden Spoon/Electric Hand-Whisk
• Micro-wave

Step by Step Example: Caster Sugar and Unsalted butter

Step 1. Warm Unsalted Butter

 Step 1. Place your unsalted butter in a microwavable bowl. If the butter is still fridge cold, pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds. It should be warm because this way it's easier to work with. 

Step 2. Caster Sugar in the same bowl as the Unsalted Butter

Step 2. Next place the caster sugar in the same bowl and begin to beat with a wooden spoon or an electric whisk until the mixture changes to a light yellow. 

Step 3. Your looking for  a colour change and a fluffy texture.

Step 3. When all the sugar and butter has been thoroughly combined. Your looking for a lighter colour and for a fluffy texture. 

That's all there is to creaming! There are so many recipes that this can be used in. Go over to the Recipe Index to see them all but here are some of my favourites that use the creaming method:
50 Cupcakes for a 50th Birthday (Chocolate and Lemon Cupcakes)
Valentine Heart Biscuits
Red Velvet Cake with Blue Lacy Butterflies

Join us next time for Baking Basics 101
If there's a method you'd like to learn and want me to write about, please comment below or let me know on facebook or twitter with the hashtag #bakingbasics101

Summer Raspberry Roulade

Hello and Happy Friday! Or should I say Happy Fat Friday! I love Fat Friday's its sort of like TGIF, but about gorging yourself on food purely because its Friday. Or is that just me? Maybe its just be who goes "Yeah! Its Friday! Stuff my face with food!". Anyway, its recipe time.  

Nothing says summer like a roulade, and what works better with sweet sticky meringue and smooth cream? Tart summery raspberries, of course. I had this recipe written up and ready to publish but had a serious lack of pictures. There wasn't even a picture of the end product... So it sat in the drafts for about, oh I don't know, 2 years?

I remember making this for the first time in my pastry class, this was when the blog first started my gosh! Its a good dessert to use up any leftover egg whites and cream. Lots of different fruit can also be used, try a tropical version with pineapple chunks or try mixing a little cocoa powder in the whipped cream for a taste of chocolate.  

Recipe: Meringue (My own recipe)
4 egg whites
275g caster sugar
Lots of Whipped Cream (I whip about 500ml double or whipping cream.)
200g Raspberries

Equipment:
Bowl
Electric mixer with the whisk attachment/Handheld whisk
Baking sheet lined with baking paper
Large palette knife
Clean teat-towel
 

1. Preheat the oven to 220c/200f/Gas Mark 7. Line the baking sheet with baking paper and set aside. 
 2. Whisk eggs whites to a soft peak. This should be white, foamy but still holding a peak.
3. Put your mixer on a low/medium speed and add the sugar gradually one tablespoon at a time every 10-15 seconds. This gives the time for the sugar to dissolve.

4 Once all the sugar has been incorporated, whisk for a further 2-3 minutes at a lower speed. The meringue should be stiff.

5. Spread onto a baking sheet using a palette knife and bake for 8 minutes until a pale golden colour. The reduce the heat to 160c/140f/Gas Mark 3 and bake for a further 15 minutes. 

6.Remove from the oven, the meringue should be firm to touch, not wet or soggy. Place on clean teatowl and remove from the baking paper. Set aside to cool

7.Meanwhile, whip the cream until it stands in stiff peaks. 

8. Once the meringue is cool, spread the cream over the meringue. Sprinkle some raspberries liberally.

9. The next part is a little tricky. Roll the meringue with the tea-towel to support the roll. This will keep you're fingers clean and will prevent it breaking.

 

What type of fruit would you put in your roulade? Want to share your Fat Friday foodie moment? Use the hashtag #fatfridays on Instagram and twitter or whatever the cool kids are using nowadays.

Have a good weekend and Happy Baking!