One serious dessert down and it seems I am unable to resist returning to my baking staple; the humble cupcake. A couple of hours in the kitchen today resulted in these rather informal creations! Here, spiced ginger sponges are laced with syrupy goodness and topped with a dollop of refreshing lemon cream cheese frosting. If you would like the recipe just ask, but be warned; you might just find yourself going back for more!

So it’s not quite ice cream, but you wouldn’t know. This indulgent looking treat is known as Semi Freddo (semi frozen) and it’s an Italian classic. I have made it a couple of times now and this particular flavour concoction is by far the most luxurious one I’ve come up with; chocolate brownie and fudge. If you’re after a cool hit of chocolatey sweetness I urge you to whip this recipe up- it’s truly delicious. Here’s the recipe!

You’ll need 500ml cream, 4 eggs, 50g caster sugar, a pinch salt and some vanilla extract (I use pods) for the base mixture.

1) Whip up your cream in one bowl until soft peaks form.

2) Whip the egg whites and salt in another bowl until stiff peaks form.

3) In your last and biggest bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until pale and thick.

4) Fold the cream and whites into your egg yolk mixture, then you’re ready to get experimental!

5) I melt milk chocolate and fold it into the mix, then chop up fudge, homemade brownies and chopped hazelnuts and add that too.

6) Pour into a plastic container and freeze for four hours. Let it soften up for a few minutes before you dig in. Enjoy!

Peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven, so I’ve devised not one but two recipes which make the most of this classic flavour combination. Both recipes are simple, delicious and most importantly, real crowd pleasers; so give them a go!

First up are these deliciously soft and nutty peanut butter and white chocolate chunk cookies (Makes about 12 big cookies)

To make them, you’ll need: 250g plain flour, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 140g unsalted butter, 3tbsp peanut butter (I used crunchy but smooth would work too), 200g dark brown sugar, 100g caster sugar, 1tsp vanilla, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk and 250g white chocolate (cut into rough chunks)

Firstly, line a couple of baking trays with baking paper and preheat the oven to 190c (fan).

Now, sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl then melt together the butter and peanut butter in the microwave. Pour the melted butters into the flour mix and add the sugars- give it a good mix.

The dough will a little dry at this stage, so add the vanilla, egg and egg yolk and mix thoroughly to form a stiff dough. You might need to bring it together with your hands.

Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips and roll the dough into smallish (about a tablespoon) balls. Place the balls in lines on the prepared baking trays and press them down slightly.

Bake for 10-15 minutes and keep an eye on them. They will still be soft when you take them out of the oven but they should harden a little- this short baking time is what gives them that classic gooey cookie texture.

Serve to kids with a glass of milk or just enjoy as a little treat.

Next are these milk chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes (makes about 12 smallish cupcakes).

To make them, you’ll need: 100g plain flour, 150g caster sugar, 40g cocoa,1tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 egg, 125ml milk, 60ml vegetable oil, 1tsp vanilla, a pinch salt, 80ml boiling water

Preheat the oven to 190c (fan) and line a little cupcake tin with cases (I used small cases).

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda, then add the sugar.

Pour the milk, egg, oil and vanilla into a jug and whisk, then add to the dry mix in three additions, mixing well between each.

Add the boiling water and carefully stir until the mix is thoroughly combined- it is a very liquid mixture so don’t be alarmed!

Fill the cupcake cases 2/3 full with the mix and bake for 15-20 minutes until risen and spongey.

Remove from the tin and leave to cool; now you’re ready for the icing!

For the peanut butter frosting, you will need: 500g icing sugar, 60g butter (very soft), 3tbsp peanut butter and a splash milk.

To make this, simply mix the butter into the icing sugar until a breadcrumb- like consistency is formed, then melt the peanut butter and add, stirring thoroughly.

Finally, add a splash of milk to loosen the mix and whisk until smooth. Add as much milk as you like until it has reached a consistency you are happy with but do so gradually.

Pipe each cake with a little pile of peanut butter icing and serve.

Enjoy!

These simple little biscuits, made up of melt in the mouth shortbread and flavoured buttercream, would make a great addition to an afternoon tea or children’s party. I’m going to share my chocolate and coffee variety and a simple vanilla and raspberry flavour, but feel free to experiment with more ingredients to customise this very easy recipe!

For the vanilla shortbread biscuits (makes about 12), you will need: 220g butter, 200g plain flour, 40g cornflour, 1tsp vanilla extract, 50g icing sugar, few drops milk

Preheat the oven to 190c (fan) and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

With a food processor, whizz up the butter (which should be soft and cubed), flours, vanilla, icing sugar and milk.

Pulse the ingredients until they come together in a very soft dough-like ball.

Put the dough in a piping bag with a star nozzle attached ( I also put a few rows of red food dye in the bag to make a ripple effect in the biscuits). Pipe rows of little whirls (about 24, to make 12 biscuits) onto the baking trays until the mix is all used up then bake for 12-15 minutes. Leave to cool on the trays.

For the filling: 50g butter, 250g icing sugar, 3tsp milk, 1 punnet raspberries

Beat together the butter, icing sugar and milk until smooth.

Take two biscuits and sandwich a raspberry and teaspoon of buttercream between them. Repeat this step until the ingredients are used up.

For the chocolate flavour (makes about 12), you will need: 220g butter, 170g plain flour, 30g cocoa powder, 40g cornflour, 50g icing sugar, few drops milk

Whizz together the above ingredients (as with the vanilla variety) until they come together in a soft doughy ball.

Repeat the same piping technique you used with the vanilla biscuits (minus the food colouring). Bake for 12-15 minutes.

For the filling and chocolate coating, you will need: 50g butter, 200g icing sugar, 2tsp espresso coffee with a few drops boiling water, 100g milk chocolate

Mix together the butter, icing sugar and espresso until smooth. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Sandwich some coffee buttercream between two biscuits then dip each side in the melted chocolate. Repeat then leave the chocolate to set.

Enjoy!

If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, you may well have noticed that my recipes tend to be a little chocolate heavy (it is my vice- I can’t help it). With this in mind, I thought it would be interesting to team up with quality chocolate makers Willie’s Cacao to create a few recipes using different ‘single estate’ bars. By doing this I want to show how different beans create different flavours in chocolate, which in turn taste best when paired with specific ingredients and foods- as with grapes in fine wines.

Willie Harcourt Cooze, founder of Willie’s Cacao, focuses on ‘single estate’ cacao; what this means is that each bar is made from beans grown in one very carefully selected location (whether that be Peru, Venezuela or Cuba etc), instead of beans of various origins going into the same chocolate. The company work in this way to highlight how growing beans in varying climates and soils result in contrasting flavoured bars.

Having experimented with three of their chocolates, I have created three recipes in which the taste of the specific cacao is (hopefully)  highlighted by my choice of flavour pairings. This experimentation has made me realise how important it is to do your research when it comes to chocolate (and any ingredients really), as these bakes have a great depth of flavour I have never achieved before with chocolate based baking.

My first recipe is for these orange blossom and chocolate melting moments. For these I used the Colombian Los Llanos single estate bar- it has fruity and floral notes so really works with the orange centre. They are made up of two buttery chocolate biscuits, a delicious chocolate ganache and an orange blossom and fresh zest buttercream.

INGREDIENTS (makes 8-10 sandwich biscuits)

For the biscuits: 175g soft butter, 60g icing sugar, 60g corn flour, 20g cocoa, 150g plain flour

For the ganache: 50g 70% Colombian Los Llanos chocolate (or another good quality dark chocolate), 50g double cream

For the orange blossom centre: zest 1 orange, 1tsp orange blossom extract, 65g soft butter, 150g icing sugar

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 160c (fan) and line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper.

For the biscuits, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift in the cornflour, cocoa and plain flour then very briefly mix until smooth and combined. The less handling the biscuits have, the more buttery and crumbly they will be.

Once the dough is combined, take 1tbsp pieces and roll into balls, then line onto the prepared trays (with a little space between each). When all the dough has been used, press down on the balls with the back of a fork to create the line pattern. Chill for 10 minutes in the fridge.

Once chilled, bake for 10-12 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the fillings. For the ganache, grate the chocolate into a bowl. Heat the cream until almost bubbling then pour over the chocolate. Leave to melt for a couple of minutes then stir to combine. Set aside to cool.

For the orange buttercream, beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy then add the zest and extract. Stir to combine.

Fill two piping bags- one with the ganache and the other with the buttercream.

Once the biscuits are cool pipe a ring of ganache around the outer edge then fill the centre with the orange buttercream. Place another biscuit on top to create a sandwich and repeat the process until all the biscuits have been used up.

Enjoy!

I hope you like these biscuits and find cacao as interesting as I do. Look out for two more chocolate recipes this week and do give them a try, I’m really pleased with the results!

Chocolate seems to be dominating my blog recently, so before I break from that theme to enter other territories I thought I would share my Oreo chocolate cake recipe. It’s made up of three chocolate fudge cake layers which are sandwiched between chocolate ganache, slathered in Oreo cookie frosting and topped with chocolate drips and Oreo cookies. Make it for your next special occasion and your guests will be forever grateful (if a little heavier…).

Ingredients (the quantities might sound like a lot- but this is a big old cake!):

• For the cake: 400g plain flour, 450g caster sugar, 125g cocoa powder, 3tsp baking powder, 3tsp bicarbonate of soda, 4 eggs, 350ml milk, 225ml vegetable oil, large pinch salt, 300ml boiling water
• For the ganache: 300g milk chocolate, 200ml double cream
• For the Oreo frosting: 300g butter, 800g icing sugar, 3tbsp milk, 1 pack oreos (crushed into crumbs)
• For the drips: 100g dark chocolate, 120ml double cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c then grease and line three 8 inch cake tins.
2. Place your plain flour, caster sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir briefly to combine.
3. In a jug, mix together the eggs, milk and oil. Make a well in the bowl of dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Whisk together until smooth, then measure out your boiling water. Add the boiling water in a few additions, carefully mixing to distribute it through the cake mix. It will be very runny, but this is what makes the cake so moist. Once smooth, pour the batter into the three cake tins and bake for 30-35 minutes. Once baked, leave to cool completely.

1. While the cakes are cooling make the chocolate ganache. Finely chop the milk chocolate and place in a bowl. Heat the cream until nearly boiling then pour straight over the chopped chocolate and allow to melt. Stir until smooth then set aside to cool.
2. Now make the buttercream. Place the butter in a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and whisk (using electric beaters) until pale and thick. Add the icing sugar in additions and keep beating until it becomes white, light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Now add the Oreo crumbs and milk. Whisk again to combine then adjust the consistency by adding a drop more milk if necessary. Set aside.
3. Make the chocolate ganache for the drips now, to allow cooling/ thickening time. This ganache should be runnier than your filling you’ve already made.  As before, heat the cream and pour all over the chopped dark chocolate. Mix until smooth then set aside until it reaches a thick but still pourable consistency.
4. Now it’s time to assemble your cake! Layer up the chocolate sponges with milk chocolate ganache (and a little Oreo frosting too, if you like!) then coat the whole cake in a thin layer of the Oreo frosting (a crumb coating). Chill for 10 minutes, then use the remaining frosting to create a thick outer layer. Smooth down with a palette knife and cake scraper. Chill again to firm the edges, then pour the runny dark chocolate ganache over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides.
5. Now you can garnish with more Oreos and serve!

This bake pairs perfectly with a strong coffee and would round up a cosy dinner party really well; the cinnamon spiced filling studded with ripe figs and the nutty pecan base make a nice change from your regular vanilla cheesecake and definitely bring Autumnal vibes to the table.

Ingredients:
Base
200g pecans
300g digestives
150g butter

Filling
4 eggs
125g caster sugar
600g ricotta cheese
150g mascarpone cheese
45g plain flour
1tsp cinnamon
5 figs

Extras
more figs, honey, mint

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
2. Blitz together the pecans and digestives in a food processor. Add the melted butter and blitz again until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Tip into a 12inch spring form tin (with a lined bottom) and pat down over the base and up the sides. Chill for 15 minutes.
3. Bake the base for 10 minutes then set aside to cool completely. Turn the oven down to 160c.
   In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and caster sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add the ricotta, mascarpone, flour and cinnamon and whisk again until combined.
4. Pile the filling on top of the pecan base. Slice the figs in half and arrange, flesh side up, on top of the cheesecake.
5. Bake for 40-50 minutes (there should be a slight wobble in the middle). Leave to cool completely before removing it from the tin.
6. Serve with a drizzle of honey and some toasted pecans.

Enjoy!

These Snickers cookies sandwiched together with peanut buttercream and caramel sauce are the ultimate indulgence- you must try them!

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

• 225g soft butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 175g dark brown soft sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 300g plain flour
• pinch salt
• 4 chopped Snickers bars
• 100g dark chocolate chips

For the caramel filling: 40g butter, 40g dark brown sugar, 40g golden syrup, 50ml double cream

For the peanut butter filling: 300g icing sugar, 50g butter, 50g peanut butter, few drops of milk

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c and line 2 large baking trays with greaseproof paper.
2. Cream together the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar with an electric whisk or stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and some of the flour then whisk again to incorporate them into the mix. Add the remaining flour and bicarbonate of soda. Mix again.
3. Add the chopped snickers bars and chocolate chips then fold in with a wooden spoon.
4. Roll the cookie dough into small even balls (slightly smaller than a ping pong ball) and line onto the baking trays (allowing space for spreading).
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked allow to cool on the trays while you make the fillings.
6. For the caramel, melt together the butter, sugar and syrup. Once melted, bring to the boil then add the cream off the heat. Stir and allow to cool and thicken.
7. To make the peanut butter buttercream, whisk the butter until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and briefly whisk together, then add the icing sugar gradually, whisking constantly until you have a light buttercream. Add some milk if the frosting is too stiff to achieve the desired pipe-able consistency.
8. Now it’s time to assemble your cookie sandwiches! Just take a cookie, pipe a ring of peanut buttercream around the edge, fill it with caramel and pair up with another cookie to form a sandwich.

These gingerbread biscuits are super easy to make and are really fun to shape and decorate with children. Pierce holes in the tops and thread through festive ribbons for great homemade tree decorations (or just eat them straight away, they’re delicious!).

Ingredients (makes about 20 large biscuits depending on the shapes you choose- you can always half it if you only want a few or double it if it’s for a big gingerbread house!):

• 150g soft light brown sugar
• 60g golden syrup
• 30g black treacle
• 40ml water
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 2tsp ginger
• pinch mixed spice
• 190g butter, cubed
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 450g plain flour
• Optional: white icing for decorating, silver balls, edible glitter, ribbon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
2. Place the sugar, syrup, black treacle, water and spices in a saucepan. Melt together over a medium heat and stir to combine. Take off the heat and add the butter. Allow the butter to melt then stir again. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
3. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl. Stir into the liquid until you have a manageable dough. Add a little more flour if it feels too soft. Cover and set aside for half an hour to firm up.
4. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper. Take your dough and roll out to about 3mm on a well floured surface. Cut out shapes with your desired cutters or templates and transfer to the prepped trays. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.
5. Once cooked, cool the biscuits on a wire rack and decorate as you wish.

I’ve made a chocolate and orange blossom variation of these biscuits before and they were so popular I thought I’d experiment with another flavour. This time I’ve gone for lightly flavoured lemon biscuits (which are super crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth) sandwiched together with lemon buttercream and a really zingy lemon curd; the end result is (unsurprisingly) zesty and really delicious- give them a try.

Ingredients (makes 8-10 sandwiches):

• 175g soft butter
• 60g icing sugar
• 60g corn flour
• 185g plain flour
• zest 1 lemon

For the lemon curd: 100g caster sugar, 2 lemons (juice and zest), 50g butter, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk

For the lemon buttercream: 65g soft butter, 175g icing sugar, juice and zest 1 lemon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160c. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper.
2. Cream together the butter, icing sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Sift in the corn flour and plain flour then briefly mix until a dough forms (don’t over mix or you won’t achieve that melty texture you’re after in the final biscuit).
3. Take the dough a tablespoon at a time and roll into balls. Line onto the prepared baking trays and press down with the back of a fork to create a lined texture. Chill for half an hour.
4. While the biscuits are chilling make the lemon curd. To do this place the sugar, lemon juice, zest and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir occasionally, allowing the butter to melt. Once the butter has melted allow to cool slightly then add in the egg and egg yolk. Whisk together.
5. Set the bowl back over the pan and gently mix for about 10 minutes until the heat thickens the curd. Remove from the heat and cool.
6. Once your biscuits have chilled and are firm, bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on the trays.
7. While the biscuits are cooling, make the buttercream. Whisk the butter up to lighten then gradually add the icing sugar and beat until you have a fluffy texture. Add in the lemon juice and zest then briefly whisk to combine.
8. When the biscuits are cooled, pair them up. Pipe a ring of buttercream on one and spoon some lemon curd into the middle. Sandwich together with the other biscuit.

Enjoy!

Tahini, a thick sesame paste commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking, is my go to ingredient for when I want to  add a deep, nutty and slightly bitter flavour to a dish. I don’t usually think of incorporating tahini into my baking (for some unknown reason), and more often than not I’ll just pop it into baba ganoush, add it into a yoghurt dressing or drizzle it neat over slow cooked lamb and roasted roots to balance out a sweet date syrup glaze. This being said, yesterday I fancied making some cookies (someone put a stop to my wild and spontaneous lifestyle please…) and decided to bring tahini into the mix alongside sea salt and rich dark chocolate- the major players in my cookie game. The resulting cookies are absolutely delicious with a good balance of sweet, savoury, nutty and salty flavours; one hundred percent give the recipe a go, it’s a real winner.

Ingredients

• 115g tahini
• 110g unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 150g dark brown soft sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2tsp sea salt
• 300g plain flour
• 300g coarsely chopped dark chocolate, plus 50g extra for decoration (optional)
• 2tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Line 3 large baking trays with greaseproof paper.
2. Place the butter, tahini and both sugars in a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. If the mix curdles or you’re worried about curdling, add 2tbsp of the flour with each egg.
3. Once the eggs are well incorporated add the bicarbonate of soda, salt and flour then mix to combine. Finally, add in the coarsely chopped chocolate and very briefly mix once more just to distribute through the dough.
4. Pop the dough in the fridge for half an hour to firm up a little, then line even balls onto the prepared trays leaving room for spreading (I like to use an ice cream scoop for this). Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are turning a light golden colour but the middles are still very soft (they will firm up during cooling).
5. To finish the cookies melt the additional dark chocolate and drizzle over the tops, then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

I’ve tweaked and tested this recipe at least four times over the past month *woe is me*, and am at last at the point where I’m completely happy with the outcome. Technique-wise I’ve actually harked back to one of my original cookie recipes which I posted about four years ago- it’s so simple and calls for a good old mixing bowl and wooden spoon, but delivers that chewy, crinkly texture which just can’t be rivalled. In terms of ingredients I’ve used a combination of rye and plain flour, three types of chocolate (duh), walnuts and a good dose of espresso; the resulting flavour is well balanced and borderline addictive, so proceed with caution (not actually, definitely give them a go).

Ingredients

• 150g plain flour
• 100g rye flour
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch salt
• 1tbsp instant coffee (ground to a very fine powder)
• 160g unsalted butter
• 150g dark brown soft sugar
• 150g golden caster sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 75g walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 100g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 100g milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 100g white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Line two large trays with baking paper.
2. Place the plain flour, rye flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl and roughly mix together with a wooden spoon. Add the instant coffee, butter and sugars to a saucepan and gently melt over a medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the ingredients have melted together, set aside to cool slightly then add in the egg and egg yolk and whisk briefly to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together with a wooden spoon to form a soft cookie dough. Tip in the chocolate and walnuts into the bowl and mix to evenly distribute them through the dough. Chill the dough for 15 minutes.
5. Using an ice cream scoop, form balls of cookie dough and line onto the baking trays (leaving lots of space for spreading). You will need to do this in batches (unless you have a huge oven and lots of trays!).
6. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes then set aside. They will be very soft when you get them out of the oven, but don’t worry, they’ll set up a little. Leave to cool and serve.

Enjoy!

These buttery shortbreads, dipped in white chocolate and flavoured with warming cardamom and citrus, have got me feeling (dare I say it) pretty festive. The format might be a bit retro but there’s something comforting and nostalgic about bedding in with a batch of homemade biscuits and a cup of builder’s tea at this time of year. Give them a try for a quick and easy twist on a classic.

Ingredients (makes 20-24 biscuits)

• 225g soft butter
• 100g caster sugar
• zest 1 orange
• 150g plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 75g rye flour
• 100g cornflour
• Pinch of salt
• 100g white chocolate
• 50g pistachios, finely chopped (optional)

Method

1. Place the butter, sugar and orange zest in a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment) and beat until very light and fluffy. Add in the flours, salt and ground cardamom and beat briefly until the flour is just incorporated and the mix starts to come together in large clumps (it’s important not to over-mix here as beating for too long could result in a tough biscuit which isn’t buttery and short!).
2. Bring the mix together with your hands and roll out on a floured surface to about 1cm thick. Stamp out biscuits using a cookie cutter (or just slice the dough into squares with a knife) and line up on a lined baking tray. Chill for at least 30 minutes, or until firm. Preheat the oven to 180c.
3. Once your biscuits have firmed up, bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
4. Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (or melt in the microwave at 30 second increments, stirring between each) then dip each biscuit in, about half way up. Place the dipped biscuits on a piece of greaseproof paper for the chocolate to set and sprinkle with pistachios.

Enjoy!