New Video! Hyper Japan Christmas Market Haul 2015

Happy Friday! Check out the latest video. Just watching for the kawaii-ness is enough for me! I hope you enjoy it and have a great weekend!

Another Event?! Chimes Pop Up!

Last Saturday, myself and two good friends of mine were selling sweets to the general public at the Mrs H Vintage Event at Warsash. We got quite a few photos of the yumminess. The other girls and I had such a great day meeting and greeting people and selling sweets. Feedback was all positive and people loved enjoyed their sugar rush.

Did you see the event on facebook? Don't worry if you missed it because on Thursday Cake by Chloe and Cupcakes, Cake and Passion will be hosting a pop up event at Chimes Restaurant in Highbury College Portsmouth. We will be selling more sweet treats. Check out the link here from more information and we hope to see you Thursday!

See you on Fat Friday!

Mrs H Vintage Fair

Just a quick post to let you folks know that, this Saturday (21st Saturday 2015), I'm going to be in a vintage style dress selling you beautiful folks, fudge, toffee, meringues and chocolate for you to consume and enjoy. Yups, you'll have the opportunity to met the gal behind Cupcakes, Cake and Passion BUT not only that you'll be supporting a really amazing cake business run by a lovely friend of mine. The business is called Cake by Chloe. I'll be with the mastermind behind the business, Chloe herself (ekk!) and our friend Evan.

Oh I forgot to mention by the way that we made everything. All of the sweets will be homemade, fresh and so mouth-wateringly good. We snagged some of the maple pecan fudge and erg... so good!! Definitely grab that because, wow, it is so creamy and sweet. Ok enough about fudge! Even though it might be the best fudge ever (just saying...). Also, if she will allow me, I'll try to update on social media as much as I can including twitter and instagram on the day.

You will be supporting a great business run by very talented cake baker and decorator, so why not pop over and say hello? Entry is £1.50 and you get a tea or coffee. We all hope to see you there. Here is the link to the event and don't forget to give Chloe's business page visit as well as the Mrs H Vintage event page too.
Hope to see you there!

Event Information Page
Cake by Chloe
Mrs H Vintage Event

Pastry Class: Creme Caramel, Tiramisu and Lemon Syllabub/Posset

Sometimes a recipe can have an air of arrogance about them.
They sound too hard or too posh to make. Which is why I have added another baking rule- Never be discouraged!

In this pastry class, I'm going to be focusing on classic cold desserts, that have stood the test of time and can be used to impress at a dinner party.  

Creme Caramel will always be an old school dessert which, frankly never thought would never grace my plate. I think its the jiggy-wiggly of it or maybe the overdose of cream but it's not my favourite dessert but I'm happy to give anything a go. It wasn't as bad as I thought but I'd much prefer a cupcake.
However, I think there are still people in the world who have a soft spot for this dessert.
Essentially, this recipe is similar to a French creme brulee which is egg custard with a burnt sugar top. The difference is that the egg custard is turned out onto a plate with a layer of caramel on top. But see for yourself, do you think this traditional dessert deserves to be in spot light? Or has it had it's day? You be the judge! (I had to make Creme carmel for my pastry assessment. Read about it in my Matcha Diary Day 7 ) 

Creme Caramel

Recipe: Crème Caramel (Recipe inspired by my pastry tutor Faye)

Ingredients: Caramel

·       100g sugar

·       125ml water

Ingredients: Cream

·       ½ litre of double cream

·       4 eggs

·       50g sugar

·       3 drops of vanilla

Equipment

·       Saucepan x2

·       Measuring jug x 2

·       Dario moulds/Christmas pudding moulds x 4

·       Whisk

·       Bowl

·       Roasting tin filled with half-filled with warm water

1.    Get your Dario moulds near where you are making the caramel. This makes life a lot more easier.

Step 2. Boil the water and sugar together

Step 2. It will turn a golden brown to brown colour

2.    Place ¾ of the water into a saucepan with sugar on a medium heat. Don’t be tempted to stir. Let the liquid bubble from a clear colour until it turns to a golden brown colour. At this point add the remaining water. The sauce will sizzle and make a lot of noise. Reboil the liquid.

Step 3. Move as quickly as possible. 

Step 3. Leave to set.

3.    As quickly as you can, pour the caramel into the moulds. Once all the moulds have a good layer of caramel in set aside to set. (A little tip, once you’ve finished with the saucepan, put some warm water into it so it doesn't stick to the saucepan)

4.    Place the double cream into another saucepan, on a medium heat.

5.    While the cream is heating, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla into a bowl until combined.

6.    Once the cream is just heated, pour the cream slowly into the egg mixture whilst whisking until the mixture is completely combined.

7.    Make sure that your caramel is set before pouring the cream into the moulds.

8.    Place moulds into the roasting tray filled with warm water and cook in the oven at 160c/325f/ Gas Mark 3 for 40 minutes.

9.    When cool remove from moulds by loosen with fingers and turn out on plate.  

Tiramisu translates as "Make me happy", which I think is appropriate for something which has coffee and booze in it. There are many variations on this Italian dessert but the main ingredients are cream, coffee, eggs and savoiardi biscuits or Lady fingers.

Classic tiramisu to the left of the picture 

Ingredients: Tiramisu (Recipe inspired by my pastry tutor Faye)

·       125g mascarpone cheese

·       250g whipping cream, plus a little extra to garnish

·       50g/ 2 egg yolks (or pasteurised egg if you can get it)

·       1 tsp vanilla extract

·       60g caster sugar

·       1 tsp Ameretto liquor/ marsala wine

·       A packet of Savoiardi Biscuits

·       2 tsp instant coffee

·       Chocolate, chopped as finely as you can (I used milk chocolate but dark is just as good.)

·       Cocoa powder, to garnish

Equipment:

·       Small bowl

·       Serving glass/(aka Coupe in the business-thanks Faye!)

·       Whisk

·       Bowl

·       Chopping board

·       Knife

·       Palette knife

·       Sieve

1.    Mix the coffee and liquor with a little water. Dip the biscuits into the liquid. Just enough to make a thick biscuit base into a serving glass.

2.    In a large bowl whisk all of the other ingredients, apart from the chopped chocolate, until the whole thing is holding its shape.

3.    Spoon a layer of the creamy mixture into the glass on top of the biscuit layer.

4.    Sprinkle a thick layer of chopped chocolate into the creamy mixture.

5.    Spoon a little whipped cream on top of the chocolate layer and even out using a palette knife.

6.    Chill in the fridge until set.

7.    Dust a little cocoa powder on top to garnish.

Syllabub (pronouned Silla-bub) is cream and sugar based English dessert which has routes in the Tudor period. It can often be called a posset It's often made with fruit such as raspberry and in this case, lemon. 

Lemon syllabub to the right of the picture

Recipe: Lemom Syllabub/Posset (Recipe inspired by my pastry tutor Faye)
Ingredients:

·       550ml double cream

·       225g caster sugar

·       The juice and zest of 2 lemons

Equipment:

·       Saucepan

·       Grater

·       Measuring jug

·       Wooden spoon

·       Serving glasses/(aka Coupe in the business)

Step 1.  Boil the ingredients

1.    Boil the double cream, sugar, juice and zest together in a saucepan on a low heat.

Step 2. Stir occasionally.

2.    Stir occasionally until reduced by about 1/3.

3.    Once reduced, let the cream cool down a little.

4.    Spoon a little into a serving glass.

5.    Chill in the fridge until set.

Have an excellent weekend.
Bake On!

Decadent Chocolate and Cola Cake

Cola and chocolate cake is not one of cakes that come to mind when I think of when I fancy an afternoon sweet treat. But I thought, what the hell, it's Friday after all.

I baked it, iced it and tried it. 

Oh my cakey kitchen goddess, this is one smexy cake!

I had a little bite for my lunch break and was in such a blissful chocolate state that I was late afterwards! It's got all the best ingredients. Cola, chocolate and marshmallows! I would suggest that you bake it for a birthday treat, or a catch up with friends. Or you can do what I did. Take it in for some very hungry office workers and watch it disappear! 

Recipe: The Cake

·       250g self-raising flour, sieved

·       225g butter, at room temperature

·       290g brown soft sugar

·       2 eggs

·       2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·       250ml cola

·       125ml natural yogurt

·       30g cocoa powder, sieved

·       1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sieved

·       200g mini marshmallows

Recipe: The Cola Icing

·       90ml cola

·       110g butter

·       3 tablespoons cocoa powder

·       250g icing sugar

·       A bag of cola sweets to decorate

Equipment:

·       Bowl x 2

·       Electric hand-held whisk

·       Sieve

·       Scraper

·       Saucepan

·       Wooden spoon

·       Deep baking tray lined with silicone paper

Step 2. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, and bicarbonate of soda together in one bowl.

     1. Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 4/350f/180c. Grease and line a big tray.

     2. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, and bicarbonate of soda together in one bowl.

     

Step 3. Creamed sugar and butter mixture.

 3. Cream sugar and butter together in a separate, until creamy. Add the eggs one at the time and then add the vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

Step 4. the cola and yoghurt mixture

    4.  Mix the cola and natural yoghurt together in a smaller bowl. Until it looks foamy and gross. (I know it looks awful but trust me it works.)

    5. Pour 1/3 of the cola and yoghurt mix into the creamed butter and sugar, then mix in 1/3 flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda mix. Add another 1/3 of the liquid mixture, mix again and then add an additional 1/3 flour mixture. Do this a third and final time so that all of the flour and cola mixture is incorporated into one bowl.

Step 6. Add the marshmallows

   6. Add the mini marshmallows and stir in with a scraper.

Step 7. Into the tray it goes.

Step 8. Cool on a wire rack

   7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared tray and bake for 35-40 minutes. Once baked leave in the tray for about 15 minutes and transfer carefully, to a wire rack.

Step 8. Add the cola, cocoa and butter in a saucepan.

 

Step 8. Bring to the boil and keep stirring

   8.To make the icing, put the cola, butter and cocoa powder into a saucepan, until the butter is melted. Bring to boil, stirring constantly.

   9. Sieve the icing sugar into a big bowl and pour the chocolate butter mixture into it.

Step 10. Spread that icing!

  10. Whisk until all of the icing sugar has been incorporated.  Leave the icing to thicken in the fridge. Once the cake and the icing have both cooled spread the icing over the cake and decorate with cola bottle sweets.

Bake on!

Penny

Yeti Cupcakes with a Snow Capped Marshmallow Frosting

It's only 3 more days until Christmas! 

I'm hoping that all of you have finished all of your Christmas shopping. No last minute panics. 

Because the big day is nearly here!

I'm still hoping for a snowy white Christmas, I think I may be dreaming only. So once again thanks to this idea I thought I would make some Yeti Cupcakes.

I think most people know the story of the huge snow coloured ape like creature, that lives on cold snowy mountains, that's what these cupcakes are named after. 

Recipe: Cupcakes makes around 18

•       300g plain flour
•        2 teaspoons baking powder
•        1 teaspoon salt, plus a little for egg whites
•        125g unsalted butter, room temperature
•        250g caster sugar
•        160ml milk
•        1 teaspoon vanilla extract (peppermint, lemon or almond extract works well)
•        3 egg whites
•        100g mini-marshmallows

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Electric hand mixer/mixer
•        Saucepan
•        Bowl x 3
•        12 hole Muffin tray  x 2 filled with 18 cupcake cases

1.    Preheat oven to 180c/350f/ gas mark 4.

2.    Mix flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

3.    Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mix and beat until the batter is really smooth. Add the flavouring at this stage.

4.    Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry. It should still be shiny but stiff enough to tip the bowl upside down without the contents spilling. (Also avoid tapping the bowl or doing any unnecessary bowl banging, or you’ll lose the air in the egg whites.)

5.    Fold in the egg whites into the batter and fold the marshmallows.

6.    Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases, filling about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool. The cakes may look a bit lumpy and strange but that’s because of the marshmallows.

Recipe: Marshmallow Snow Frosting (Should mask 12 cupcakes generously or 18 if your sparing) 

•        3 egg whites
•        150g caster sugar
•        60ml golden syrup
•        Pinch of salt
•        1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment:

•        Heat proof bowl
•        Whisk
•        Electric hand mixer
•        Saucepan filled with water
•        Timer
•        Spoon
•       Christmas Themed Decorations. (The edible snowflakes are from the lovely: SugarRobot)

      1. In a large heat proof bowl mix the egg whites, sugar, salt and golden syrup until combined.

      2. Place the bowl over simmering water and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot. This should take about 3 minutes.

     3. Remove from heat (be careful as there is a burn risk here!) and beat for 7 minutes until the frosting is cool stiff peaks form. Beat in the vanilla extract.

    4.Spread using a spoon as this frosting doesn't hold its shape. 

  Have a very Merry Christmas and Bake On!

  Penny