Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate ganache is so versatile, you can use it as a frosting, to crumb coat a cake, whipped for piping or even make them into chocolate truffles.
 

For Dark chocolate:

220g dark chocolate 

200ml double cream

50g diced butter

For Milk chocolate:
 300g milk chocolate
200ml double cream
30g butter

Method:

In a heat proof bowl, break your dark chocolate into small pieces.

(I heat the chocolate in the microwave for 2 x 30 seconds burst so it is soft)

Heat up cream in a saucepan until just to the boil. 

Pour the cream into the bowl of chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes, then stir gently until smooth then added the butter stirring until it is all mixed together. 

Your ganache should be smooth & silky.

Wait for it to cool before pouring onto a cake, if you want to whip it up to frost then chill in fridge until slightly firm. To make truffles, chill at least 4 hours and scoop into small balls then coat with cocoa powder. 

This is what Milk chocolate ganache will look like after being whipped.
you can see it is much lighter and fluffier.

 

Banana chocolate chip sponge cake

 

 

This recipe is shared by Sweet tooth  chef, Kevin Tan.

He wanted me to try this as he said it was very moist and soft.

I only ever made a banana loaf and cupcakes but never made a whole banana sponge in a cake tin.

So I was excited to test out this recipe.

I have made a few adjustment to suit my taste and added chocolate chips for my children.

The cake baked beautifully and it was very soft and moist as Kevin have promised.

 



 

Simple chocolate mousse

My version of the chocolate mousse is very easy and I don't use raw eggs.
 

All you need is:

300ml of whipping cream

Half the batch of chocolate ganache from this recipe here.

Method:
 

Whisk cream until mousse state and add 2. Tbsp of icing sugar to sweeten
(adjust the amount of icing sugar to suit your taste as the ganache is quite sweet.) 

Whisk chocolate ganache until light and fluffy. 

Add the cream and ganache together and fold until combined. 

Chill the mousse in the fridge or use immediately if you are making a mousse cake. 

Nutella Palmiers with Hazelnuts

 

These are very simple to make and a very tasty treat.

 

You only need:

Ready rolled puff pastry

Nutella spread

Chopped hazelnuts

Demerara sugar

Egg wash

 

 

Roll out the puff pastry and spread a thin layer of nutella spread all over the top and sprinkle hazelnuts covering the spread evenly, using a flat knife to push the nuts down to stick.

 

 

Turn over and cut into 2cm thick.

 

 

 

 Hot Tip

When you rolling up the sides, make sure it is rolled up tightly wrapped otherwise it will pop out in the centre when baking.

 

 

 

Brush the sides with some egg wash and place into the demerara sugar

 coating all the way round and some more egg wash on the top of the palmier before baking.

 

Bake in a preheated oven at 200c for 15-20 minutes.

 

 

 

Leave to cool of a wire rack & tuck in!

 

It is really that simple, I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did.

 

 



Chocolate Swiss roll

 

 

 Recipe: 

2 eggs 

40g caster sugar

40g self raising flour

10g cocoa powder 

30ml of corn oil 

Sweet whipped cream and raspberries

Chocolate  rice to cover the Swiss roll

I used a 9x9 square baking tin, line the tin with parchment paper to cover bottom & sides of the tray.

Sift the flour & cocoa powder together, set aside. 

Preheat the oven at 200c.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until ribbon stage. 

Fold in the flour with cocoa powder til combines.

Add some batter mix with the oil and mix, transfer back into the chocolate batter. 

Fold and combine the oil well with the chocolate batter. 

Pour into tin and bake for 8-10 minutes. 

Leave to cool for 5 minutes before removing it from the parchment paper. Use a fresh piece of parchment paper to roll the sponge. 

Once cooled, spread thin layer of cream over the top of the Swiss roll add raspberries and roll. 

Add extra cream over the rolled Swiss roll and sprinkle with chocolate rice. 

Chill for 20 minutes and its ready to eat. 

 

Non bake mango cheesecake

This is very simple to make, I love this mango cheesecake. It's refreshing and full of flavour. 

For the base:

100g digestive biscuits crushed

50g melted butter

For the filling:

250g Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

100g caster sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp gelatine 

200g mango purée

200g whipping cream

Method: 

Combine biscuits crumbs with melted butter and press into the base of a 7 inch 8 inch  loose base cake pan. 

Chill for 30mins in the fridge. 

Dissolve gelatine in lemon juice over hot water bath.

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. 

Add gelatine mixture, beat until well combined. 

Beat in mango purée.

Fold in whipped cream and pour over prepared biscuit base.

Jelly topping: 

150g mango purée

1 tbsp gelatine

4 tbsp water

 Method:

Place gelatine with water in a bowl for few minutes. 

Dissolve over hot water then mix into mango purée. 

Pour on to the mango cheesecake and decorate with strawberries. 

Chill until set. 

Oreo Bundt cake

 

 

If you are looking for something a little different then you should try this.

Buttery, thick and sweet. 

Bundt cake have got the name from the bundt tin it is baked in.

The hole in the centre helps the cake cook evenly.

 

I have made this for the kids, they prefer a denser cake and anything with their favourite biscuits in it.

I don't make this very often as it is quite a large cake.

But if you have a party or a large family then try this recipe out.

 

 

White chocolate Berry-Misu (Raspberry tiramisu)

 

 

My daughter have been asking for me to make a Tiramisu for her, it's one of her favourite desserts (though she's only been allowed a small serving when I make it.)

There's 2 ingredients that I don't like to give to my children, coffee and alcohol.

 

So I told her that, Mummy's going to make a Raspberry tiramisu.

She's not keen, I promised her it would taste yummy!

Still, she don't like the idea until I mixed white chocolate in with the mascarpone cream....

Mmmm...... the kids were fighting to lick the spoons after they tasted it.

 

Though there's no baking involved, this still took a while to put together.

If you want to have a go at making this then you need a ring mould to hold the ladies fingers.

I cut off the bottom of the sponge fingers so it would stand around the mould.

You can use a spring form tin but take out the bottom of the tin.

 

This is a 7 inch Berrymisu cake.

 

Strawberry Kit Kat cake

 

 

 

It's Easter holidays and I have the kids off school for TWO whole weeks!

Which means planning for activities for them to do!

Well, as it's all about the kids so I decided to bake with them and make a cake that is fun but healthy at the same time. I used mascarpone cheese with cream so it is nice and thick to hold the Kit Kats

 

I've seen many Kit Kat cakes but most of them are topped with more sweets or chocolates.

I always made my cakes with fruit so strawberries would go well with chocolates.

2 for £4 these small strawberries cost as they are not in season yet.

Though it was a little expensive, I rather spend my £4 on fruits than more sweets to go on the top.

 

I bought a packet of Kit Kats that was a big pack of 28 fingers.

Thinking there be more than enough, I manage to get caught short of 7 sticks and had to drop everything and head down the shops to get more!!

 

So if you are planning to make this then be prepared for buying 35 sticks of Kit Kats!!

 

 

Ingredients:

Make a 7 inch chocolate sponge cake:

 

3 eggs

1 yolk

90g caster sugar

25g oil

15g cocoa powder

80g plain flour

1/4 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

15ml milk

 

Method:

 

Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt together and set aside.

Warm the oil and add cocoa powder, mix until a smooth paste and set aside.

 

Using a hand held electric whisk, whisk the eggs and yolk together with sugar until light and fluffy (to the ribbon stage).

Add all the flour mixture straight into the fluffy whisked eggs and loosen with the hand held whisk (turned off).

Then turn on the electric whisk and whisk around for 10 seconds to combine the flour until the batter becomes thick.

In a separate bowl, take 1/3 of the batter and add the cocoa paste and fold until combined.

Pour this chocolate batter back into the rest of the white batter mix and fold adding the milk gradually.

 

Pour into a lined 7 inch baking tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 25 minutes or test with a toothpick.

Release from the tin after 15 minutes and cool on wire rack.

 

Let's move onto the mascarpone cream.

 

Ingredients:

250g Mascarpone cheese

80g icing sugar

250g whipped cream

 

Method:

Whisk the mascarpone with icing sugar until smooth.

In a separate bowl whisk the cream until stiff peaks.

Fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture until all combined.

  

You also need:

35 Kit Kat finger if you are making an 7 inch cake.

Two tubs of fresh strawberries

 

Assembling the cake:

Below are my very simple picture tutorial to show you how this is done.

The chocolate sponge have been cut into 3 layers equally.

 



 

There it's done! 

Hope you like this recipe and post me a picture if you have tried this.

https://www.facebook.com/mandysbakingjourney

 

 



Coconut Agar Agar with Raspberry

 

 

What is Agar Agar?

Agar Agar is a strong natural jelling agent made from seaweed also as known as kanten.

It doesn't give the same texture as gelatine, it is actually firmer.

As it is a vegetarian gelatin substitute this makes it suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets.

It has no calories, no carbohydrates, no sugar and no fat! Conatins 80-percent fiber.

Great stuff which we should eat more of.

Or shall I say I should eat more of it as it helps weight loss!

It swells in the stomach as it absorbs water, making you feel full.

I shall be using this amazing stuff more now that I discovered the health benefits.

You can find the powdered form in health shops or in chinese supermarkets.

They also sell these in large strips like foam.

 You can find prepacked ones in different flavours and colours.