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!

Snow Day Cupcakes!

Snow is a beautiful sight. Its fun to build snowmen, get into a snowball fight and generally have a day off. Sadly I still had to go into work. No snowball fights for me boo. (I did take a couple of photos but haven't got my camera with me. I'm on my nans iPad)
I am lucky because I've got more then half the week off to see my Portsmouth hospitality crew (Big it up for the Portsmouth crew!!!) 
I seriously miss you guys! Its going to be one amazing catch up!
And I get to see my lovely boyfriend, who I'm making a very special cake for. (Can't post what it is cause he'll guess and that ruins the surprise). More on that when its finished. 

In the mean time, I've been busy making some snowy cupcakes. I got this from a random recipe book. To be honest they didn't turn out the way I wanted them to. They taste so chocolately and moist but don't look so hot (or cool since there snow cupcakes). My suggestion is that you try the cupcake sponge with the icing from here. The yeti marshmallow icing is amazing and would go well with the chocolate sponge in this recipe. (Pictures soon to follow. Edit: Pictures added.)

Recipe: Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes.

•        2 Eggs
•        90g/ tbsp diced unsalted butter, room temperature
•        170g/ ¾ cup of caster sugar
•        140g/ 1 cup plus 2 tbsp of plain flour
•        1 teaspoon baking powder
•        30g/ ¼ cup cocoa powder
•        ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
•        125ml/ ½ cup milk
•        35g/ ½ cup mini marshmallow, plus extra to decorate
•        Store-bought chocolate sauce to drizzle

Recipe: Marshmallow frosting

•        180g/ 1 scant cup of caster sugar
•        ¼ teaspoon cream of tartare
•        3 egg whites
•        1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•        100ml/ 1/3 cup water

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Bowlx2
•        Mixer
•        Measuring jug
•        Scraper
•        12 hole muffin tin filled with cupcake cases
•        Saucepan
•        Sugar thermometer  
• 
  

1.    Preheat oven to 180c/350c/Gas Mark 4. Line the muffin tin with cupcake cases.

2.    Sieve together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder in a bowl.

3.    Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy using a mixer. Stop occasionally to scrape down the bowl.

4.    Crack all the eggs into a jug.

5.    Add the eggs a little at a time with the mixer on a higher speed. (if the mixture splits add a little bit of flour)

6.    Add the sifted dry ingredients and milk in alternate batches and beat on a low speed until combined. Fold in the marshmallows.

7.    Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted in the middles comes out clean.

8.    Place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool.

9.    To make the frosting, put the sugar, cream of tar tar and water into a saucepan and mix well.

10.  Heat until the sugar has dissolved and a sugar thermometer in the mixture reads 115c/242f.

11.Meanwhile, in a separate, grease-free heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks forms.

12. Pour a thin, slow stream of the sugar syrup into the egg whites and doesn't hit the beaters otherwise sugar crystals will form. Stir in the vanilla and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

13.Spread the frosting over the cold cupcakes using a spatula. Top with mini marshmallows and chocolate sauce. 

Bake On!
Penny 

The After Christmas Shock and January Blues

Happy 2013 Everyone! I hope you all had a fab New Year! 2012 was a truly exceptional year for me (and the rest of Great Britain. See the Olympics last year? That was us. *Cool shades on* Just saying.)
Sadly its that time of year again. The hype after Christmas is going down. Resolution's are getting us down. Going back to work is getting us down.

BUT NOT ME! I'VE GOT A NEW JOB! WOO! 
So January, do your worst!

What I'm hearing lately is all about diets.  
In my opinion. Diets are bad. You'd only get me on a diet if it was a dessert diet.
But if that's what you want to achieve then by all means go for it and I wish you the best of luck.
In fact, your'e more likely to lose weight if you start your diet during Spring months like March. As during the colder months like January, you still crave warm comforting food rather then diet food. Remember though no matter what shape you are, everyone is beautiful. 
I'm sick of hearing about stupid bloody diets. So enough of diets and onto some yummy foods.

My first pastry class of 2013 was based on my second assessment which will be next week which is so scary. But it has to be done and so I thought that I would put these recipes up. There ridiculously easy and simply tasty. 

These biscuits come up so lovely and soft. There easy to make and the flavour isn't overpowering. 

From the top, hazelnut biscuits, plain cupcakes and Jammie Dodgers made by me in pastry class

Recipe: Hazelnut Biscuits

•       115g butter, room temperature
•        75g icing sugar, sieved (plus extra for dusting)
•        115g Plain flour, sieved
•        75g Ground hazelnuts
•        1 egg yolk
•        Hazelnuts to decorate

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Scraper
•        Bowlx2
•        Mixer
•        Baking sheet lined with silicone paper
•        Knife

    1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

    2. Beat in the flour, ground hazelnuts and egg yolk until evenly mixed.

    3. Roll into a sausage shape. Cut the sausage in half and then quarters. Then cut the quarters into 3 shapes.

    4. Place on tray. Bake for 10 minutes, 180c/350f/ Gas Mark 4

Sable (sab-lay) is French for sand. Not really for the texture but for the colour of the raw dough. Once again this recipe is easy and may look familiar. They bare a resemblance to Jammie Dodgers, which are sweet jam filled biscuits. But I always say, home-made is way better.

Jammie Dodgers packet from
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammie_Dodgers

From the bottom: Jammie Dodgers aka Sable biscuits, Plain cupcakes and Hazel biscuits

Recipe: Sable Biscuits aka Home-made Jammie Dodgers. 

•        250g plain flour, sieved
•        200g butter, room temperature cut into cubes
•        100g icing sugar
•        Pinch of salt
•        2 egg yolks
•        Raspberry jam

Equipment:

•        Bowl
•        Baking tray lined with silicone paper
•        Various cutters
•        Rolling pin
•        Knife

    1. Place dry ingredients into bowl. Using fingertips, rub the ingredients together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

    2. Make a well in the centre and mix until the dough forms. Turn out onto a light floured work surface and roll out to a thickness of about 0.5cm.

    3. Cut with various cutters so that you have a base and a top like a sandwich, and place on a baking tray.

    4. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown, 180c/350f/ Gas Mark 4.

    5. Place on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled spread jam on bases with a knife and place another biscuit on top. 

   

   If you'd like the basic cupcake recipe go to here.

   Bake on! and Happy New Year

   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 

Cheese and Tomato Quiche

With Christmas coming just around the corner, many people are getting their baking sheets ready for Yuletide baking and forgetting the savoury treats for those that don't have a sweet tooth. 

Recently I was 'told off' for not making savoury dishes. So, luckily in my pastry class we ended up making short pastry which can be used in both sweet and savoury tarts.

This recipe is super easy and is so tasty. The custard filling can be made with onions, peppers, or whatever vegetable you like! Also if you like a little heat, try some cajun seasoning or chopping up a little chilli and mixing it into the custard (but don't go nuts with the chilli!). 

Cheese and Tomato Quiche

Recipe: Short Pastry

•        200g Soft Flour (plus extra for greasing tray)
•        50g Marg/Butter (plus extra for greasing tray)
•        50g Lard
•        50 ml water
•        Pinch of salt

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Wooden Spoon
•        Bowl
•        Measuring Jug
•        7 inch ring
•        Baking sheet
•        Rolling pin
•        Pastry brush
•        Ruler
•        Knife
• Baking beans
• Silicone paper

1.    Rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs

2.    Make a well and pour in water.

3.    Mix ingredients to a smooth paste.

4.    Rest in fridge for 10-15 minutes.

5.    Warm the dough a little by rolling out the dough to 3-4 mm thick.

6.    Butter and flour the ring and tray. Don't use the silicone paper at this stage. Got that? NO PAPER!

7.    With finger push around the edges of the ring. Use a piece of dough to push it in even further.

8.    Trim the dough so that there is a little edge around the tart and let it rest in fridge for 10 minutes. You dont want to trim the tart so you have a neat edge yet. This type of pastry has a reputation of shrinking whilst cooking.  

9.    After resting put in oven at 160c/ 325f/ Gas Mark 3 for 15 mins with silicone paper and baking beans in. If the pastry is still soft it's underdone, so take the paper and beans out and let it cook for a further 5 mins in oven. It shouls be pale but dry. The dryer the better.
10. Trim the tart of any excess pastry, so that it has a nice neat edge. Do this as soon as the tart comes out of the oven because its easier to cut and cut with a serrated knife as it makes the job tons easier. 
11. Make the custard filling (see below) and fill the tart until it's almost full. Cook for 15 mins or until the top is slightly golden. When the tart comes out of the oven it should wobble a little but not liquidy or super stiff. It will set as it comes to room temperature. Thats it! Enjoy hot or cold. :D

Recipe: Savoury Custard

•        225g Milk
•        11/2 Eggs
•        100g Cheese
•        Half of a tomato
•        Pinch of salt
•        Pinch of pepper
•        Pinch of paprika

Equipment:

•        Measuring Jug
•        Fork
•        Grater
• Knife
• Chopping board

1.    Whisk the egg and milk together.
2.    Add the seasonings and mix again.
3.Chop the vegetables and grate the cheese
4.    Put the cheese and tomato into the short paste case
5.    Pour on the milk mix when near the oven to avoid spillage.

Bake On!
Penny