Lavender and White Chocolate Macarons, and a Review of Sainsbury's New Infused Sugar Range

Lavender and White Chocolate Macarons

Ever since seeing them at the Cake and Bake Show in Manchester earlier in April, I have been keep to test Sainsbury's new range of infused sugars. Sainsbury's have really got on board with the ongoing baking trend that is running through the country, and have updated, revamped and expanded their home baking ranges for Spring with some fantastic new products, the focal point for me being these Taste the Difference Lavender, Vanilla and Cinnamon infused sugars. You can read more about their full range revamp here.

The infused sugars are pots of granulated white sugar, which actually have their flavour elements embedded in the sugar, so the vanilla sugar contains vanilla pods, and the lavender sugar is flecked with  lavender flowers. I really like this touch, it would have been easy I am sure to have created an essence or flavouring, but the presence of the ingredients is really great, especially in the lavender sugar, as the flecks of flowers will be present throughout whatever you bake. If I had one niggle, I would have preferred to see Sainsbury's use a caster sugar, as it would have been better for us bakers, however it is only a little niggle!

I decided to try the lavender sugar first, and as I am hosting this month's Classic French challenge, I thought it would be an ideal flavour to incorporate into the theme of macarons, as the delicate flavour and dainty patisserie treats should go hand in hand. I took my basic macaron recipe, and replaced the normal caster sugar with the lavender sugar. Simple! Despite only having two tablespoons in the recipe, the lavender taste really comes through strong, and although not overpowering, you certainly wouldn't need any more. If you are using the lavender sugar in another recipe, you would only need to substitute a few tablespoons of normal sugar with this to get the flavour through really well, and with 250g in a pot, it will last quite a long time making it a reasonably priced investment to add the wow factor to your bakes. I can't wait to get creative with the Vanilla and Cinnamon versions!

Anyway, onto my macarons. I use quite a simple recipe, which I have found works well for me every time. The quantities are quite big, and make around 24 full macarons (48 halves) or 40 mini macarons (80 halves), you could happily halve it if you can find a way to split the eggs, or use a ready made egg white liquid such as Two Chicks. 

Ingredients

• 125g ground almonds
• 200g icing sugar
• 3 free-range egg whites
• 2 tbsp Taste the Difference Lavender Infused Sugar
• ½ tsp cream of tartar 
• violet food colouring gel

For the white chocolate filling

• 200g white chocolate
• 160ml double cream
• 40g unsalted butter

Method

• Blend the ground almonds and icing sugar together in a food processor until well combined. Set aside. This is to make sure that the mixture is as smooth as possible. I actually don't have a food processor, so I don't do this step, it doesn't make any difference to the flavour, you will just notice from my pictures that my macarons have a little bit of a bumpy finish...
• In a large mixing bowl, slowly whisk the egg whites in a large bowl at a low speed until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. This will take about 5 minutes on the slowest setting, just keep going gently until you get there. Whisk in the cream of tartar and lavender sugar until the mixture is smooth and glossy, increasing the speed of the whisk as the mixture stiffens. I just scoped two teaspoons of the lavender sugar in, taking some of the lavender flowers at the same time, as I wanted them to be scattered through my finished macarons. 
• Add the food colouring and the ground almonds and icing sugar, and stir through gently until the mixture resembles shaving foam, do not mix too much, as you will lose some of the structure. I added quite a bit of the violet food colouring, but didn't worry too much about getting it spread evenly through the mixture as I wanted a more marbled affect on my finished macarons. 
• Spoon the macaroon mixture into a piping bag, and snip off the end. Pipe onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, making sure to pipe even sized circles, and leave at least an inch between each macaron as they will spread. I cheat a little here, as I use a double sided macaron mat I bought from Baked by Me, it's brilliant, and has both normal and mini sized ridges on, which means that you can pipe more macarons on a sheet without fear of the spread...

• Once you have piped out all of the macarons, drop the tray a couple of times to flatten them out, and then set aside for around 60 minutes before baking. This is to allow the surface of the macaron to set its hard shell, they will be ready to bake when you can touch the surface of the shell and it is no longer sticky. 

• Whilst the shells are setting, make the white chocolate ganache. Melt the butter and cream together in a saucepan, and bring to a low boil. Once little bubbles are starting to appear, turn the heat down as low as it will go, and add the white chocolate a couple of pieces at a time, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has all been melted into the mixture.
• Transfer the chocolate ganache into a bowl, and set aside to cool. I try and stir mine every 5 minutes or so, to prevent a skin forming, and once it is cool, place the bowl in the fridge to let it solidify enough to be piped easily without it running out the sides. 
• Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees.
• Bake the macaron shells for 10-15 minutes, until cooked. The top of the shell will rise up, and little 'feet' will appear at the base of the macaron. If you take them out of the oven too soon, they will split when you try and take them off the baking sheet, however if you bake too long, you won't keep the chewy middle of the macaron. After 10 minutes, test one shell to see if it lifts off the sheet easily or not, and keep checking until they are ready. 

• Remove the shells from the oven, and transfer them carefully from the baking sheet to a cooling rack.
• Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes, then turn over half of the shells. 
• Pipe the ganache onto the upturned half of the shells, then sandwich one empty shell onto one with ganache. Press them genlty together, so that the ganache pushes out to the edges. 

• Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set, and then tuck in! 

I made some mini and some full sized of these macarons, and in this instance, the mini ones are perfect for the flavour combination. The lavender taste comes through strong, and therefore the sweet white chocolate ganache balances the floral tones perfectly, and as both flavours are quite pronounced, the mini macaron is the perfect mouthful.

These are my entry into this month's Classic French challenge, you can see the full challenge and add your macarons to the linky here.

Valentine's Day Black Forest Chocolate Cherry Cake

I am so excited to share this recipe and cake creation with you all, as I have had it mentally drawn up in the back of my mind for Valentine's Day for the last few weeks! It was actually baked for Valentine's Day, however I have had to wait until today to post it, as there is a hidden surprise inside and of course, it needed to be photographed! 

This is my Black Forest Chocolate Cherry Cake, with Cherry Brandy Ganache, Buttercream Roses and Dark Chocolate Hearts - an absolute feast for the eyes and the taste buds for Valentine's Day...

'Black Forest' Chocolate Cherry Cake ...

... and it hides it's own little secret - a bright pink Cherry heart!!

... with a hidden pink heart!

The flavours in this cake are inspired by the great classic Black Forest Gateaux, but with a few changes and twists in order to meet the design I had in mind. This cake is best made the day before needed as the ganache needs time to set before the remainder of the decorations are added. To recreate this gorgeous cake, you will need the following ingredients;

For the Pink Cherry Heart

• 100g butter
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 2 free range eggs
• 1 teaspoon either cherry brandy or cherry extract
• 100g self raising flour
• Pink or red food colouring (I used Sugarflair gel in Ruby)

For the Chocolate Sponge

• 150g butter
• 150g golden caster sugar
• 3 free range eggs
• 100g self raising flour
• 20g good quality cocoa powder (I used Green & Blacks here)

For the Cherry Brandy Ganache

• 200g good quality dark chocolate
• 200g double cream
• 1 teaspoon cherry brandy

For the Buttercream

• 70g icing sugar
• 50g butter, softened

To Decorate

• Glacé cherries
• 30g melted chocolate

Method

Start by making the pink cherry heart centre. Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees. Line an 8 inch square cake tin with baking parchment leaving an overhang to make removing the sponge easier. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Lightly beat the eggs, and add to the mixture along with the cherry brandy. Beat together until combined. Sift in the self raising flour, and fold into the mixture. Finally add two to three drops of the food colouring, and mix well until you achieve a bright pink colour throughout the mixture.

Transfer the mixture to the lined tin, and take time to spread evenly into the corners of the tin. You want to avoid any uneven rise in the sponge. The mixture will spread thinly across the pan, we are aiming for a large flat surface of cake to cut shapes from. Place in the oven. The low temperature should allow the mixture to cook without colouring it too much on the crust. Bake for around 10 - 15 minutes until firm to touch, then remove from the oven. 

Whilst the sponge is still warm, use the baking parchment to lift it from the tin. Turn the sponge upside down on a chopping board, and peel away the baking parchment, revealing the soft underside of the cake. Use heart shaped cookie cutter to cut away 8 - 10 hearts from the sponge. Set aside on a cooling rack. (Make sure that the shape and size of the cookie cutter fits comfortably inside the loaf tin for the overall cake.)

Next step is to make the chocolate outside of the cake. Line a loaf tine with baking parchment and grease well. Turn the oven temperature up to 180 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugar, then add in the beaten eggs. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and combine well. 

Spoon a few spoonfuls of the mixture into the bottom of the lined loaf tin. Then take the pink hearts, and line then up upside down in the tin. Work from the middle outwards and gently press them together to prevent the chocolate mixture spreading between them when baking. 

Fill the tin with the remainder of the chocolate mixture, being careful not to knock the hearts out of position. Make sure that you cover the tops of the hearts completely. Flatten the mixture over the tin evenly, as the top of the tin will become the bottom of the cake when served. 

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove the tin from the oven, and place on a cooking rack. 

Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache. Heat the double cream in a saucepan just until it starts to bubble. Turn down the heat, and add the chocolate pieces a little at a time, stirring throughout. The mixture should turn smooth and glossy. Add the cherry brandy and stir well. Set the mixture aside in a bowl until cool, and then place in the fridge to allow the mixture to firm up. It needs to be smooth enough to spread easily, but firm enough to hold shape and not run down the cake. 

Turn the cake out of the loaf tin, using the baking parchment to lift it out. Turn the cake upside down. You may need to use a knife to level off the top of the cake for it to sit flat, if so, be careful not to cut too deep as you don't want to cut any chunks out of the inner heart shape. 

Once the cake is cooled completely, and the ganache is the correct consistency, place the cake on a serving plate, and cover the cake completely with the ganache. Don't worry too much about getting a perfectly smooth finish, I deliberately wanted a more homely 'rough around the edges' look, just make sure that all of the surface of the cake is covered. Return the covered cake to the fridge to allow the ganache to set. 

Finally, it is time to decorate the cake. 

Start by melting the dark chocolate, either in the microwave carefully, or by tempering it over a bowl of hot water. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a number 2 nozzle. On a sheet of greaseproof paper draw a range of hearts to decorate the top of the cake. Again, I made these quite messy and rough. Set aside to cool and set. 

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients to make the buttercream. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a star nozzle fitted. Roughly pipe a row of roses along the top of the cake by placing the nozzle onto the cake and then spiraling outwards. Allow the roses to overlap each other. 

Finally, arrange the set chocolate hearts along the top of the cake, pressing them into the buttercream to stand upright. Alternate the hearts with glacé cherries. 

Now all that is left is to serve your cake, and enjoy the look of surprise on the face of your beloved when the inner pink heart is revealed! 

I am entering this cake into Calender Cakes, run by Laura at Laura Loves Cakes and Rachel at Dolly Bakes, where the theme is 'My Achey Cakey Heart', and Classic French hosted by Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes, where the theme this month is Ganache.