Black Forest Cupcakes

I'm off to Brussels for a few days for work this week, which means three bake-free days (boo) and a lot of networking (boo again). In the interest of making sure that Gary doesn't suffer too much from cake-withdrawal in my absence, I offered to bake him something to keep his sugar levels up, to which he replied that he wanted a Black Forest Gateaux. After explaining that this might not be the best bake, considering the fresh cream would prevent it from keeping well, we compromised on a "black forest flavoured" alternative. Basically, as long as it had cherries and chocolate I was onto a winner! 

Black Forest Cupcake

I started with my absolute go-to chocolate cake recipe as a base for these cupcakes, and started to raid the cupboards for additions to make up the Black Forest elements. The flavourings here might be a little unconventional for any fresh cream and cherry purists out there, but I can promise that this recipe makes 12 sweet, fruity and yet chocolaty, perfect little cupcakes.

I have used maraschino, or glace cherries in this recipe over fresh ones, firstly because that happens to be what I had to hand, but secondly as I wanted the sweetness of the cherry syrup to cut through my dense rich chocolate cake. I have further enhanced the fruit flavour by adding Grenadine, a non-alcoholic fruit flavoured syrup mostly used in cocktails. Whilst not necessarily made from cherries, (my bottle has raspberries and strawberries on the label, although traditionally Grenadine is made from pomegranate or blackcurrants) the sweet syrup complements the flavours of the maraschino cherries and works well in these cupcakes. You could omit the Grenadine from this recipe if you didn't have any, and use the syrup from the jar of maraschino cherries instead. 

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes;

50 grams dark muscovado sugar

25 grams good quality cocoa powder (I use Green and Black's)

125 ml boiling water

1 tablespoon Grenadine

65 grams unsalted butter

75 grams caster sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

115 grams plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarb of soda

12 maraschino cherries

For the vanilla buttercream frosting;

250 grams unsalted good quality butter

500 grams icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

To decorate;

cocoa powder

12 maraschino cherries

Grenadine

Method:

Sift the cocoa powder into a mixing bowl, and add the dark muscovado sugar. Pour over the boiling water, and whisk to form a syrup. Add the tablespoon of Grenadine, mix again, and set aside. 

In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy, then add the caster sugar and beat again until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla extract, and mix well. Gradually pour in the cocoa mixture, whisking continuously, and stir until all the ingredients are well combined. Use a spatula, and make sure there is no butter left on the bottom of the bowl. 

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, and add the baking powder and bicarb of soda. Mix well. Add the flour mixture to the batter, and fold in. You will have quite a loose runny mixture once it is all combined. 

Divide the mixture between 12 cupcake cases. Take the 12 maraschino cherries, and chop each one roughly into quarters, sprinkling the pieces across the top of each of the cupcakes. 

Bake the cakes at 180 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes, until they are springy to the touch. Remove from the oven, and cool completely on a cooling rack. 

To make the buttercream frosting, beat the butter in a large bowl until creamy, then gradually add the icing sugar, a little at a time. Add the vanilla extract and the milk around halfway through, then continue until all the icing sugar has been incorporated. The mixture should have a whipped cream-like consistency. 

Finally, to decorate the cupcakes when cool, transfer the buttercream to a piping bag, and pipe swirls onto of each of the cupcakes.

Dust the top of each with a little cocoa powder, place a whole maraschino cherry on the top, and drizzle a little of the Grenadine over. (I did this by pouring a bit at a time into a 1/4 teaspoon measure and then drizzling from there in order to not pour too much at once). 

The finished cupcakes are rich and chocolaty on the bottom, with a hint of cherry, and then topped with a light buttercream, and a sweet drizzle of fruit from the Grenadine running through... mmmm...

I am entering these cupcakes into this month's Tea Time Treats, hosted by Lavender and Lovage, and What Kate Baked, where the theme this month is Fairy Cakes, Cupcakes and Muffins. 

Cheese and Tomato filled Bread Rolls

I have a lot of work to be doing, a lot of blog posts to finish, some guest articles to write, and a few cakes to plan and prep for. I should absolutely, definitely not be making cheese filled bread rolls... So, here are my cheese filled bread rolls!

Cheese and Sun-dried Tomato filled Rolls

I hadn't made any bread yet this week, and I'm going to be honest, I've been missing it a little bit! After studiously watching 'Bread' for the last three weeks, and then attempting to recreate the loaves each week, I feel like I'm about to hit a stumbling block in the shape of sourdough starters! Watching the latest episode, the process of create the starter, feeding it, allowing it to grow for a week, is somewhat daunting, and I'm not even going to try and attempt it until the weekend. 

Meanwhile however today, I decided to get a little bit creative with some dough. I have seen a few recipes out there for these tasty looking filled rolls, it seems to be something of a trend at the moment to bake fillings into bread, creating flavoursome ready to eat sandwiches. I love the concept, it's basically lunch on the run, no slicing or buttering required! 

Using what I could find in the house, here's how I made them...

Ingredients

For the dough;

- 580 grams strong bread flour

- 5 grams salt

- 7 grams yeast

- 100 ml olive oil

- 300 ml warm water

- 1 egg, beaten

- handful of sesame seeds

For the filling;

Anything you want!!!! I used 100g cheddar cut into cubes, some chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of rosemary, but you could use any cheeses, cooked meats, vegetables and herbs you wanted. 

Method

• Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl, add the salt, and mix well. 
• Add the yeast to the warm water and stir. 
• Pour the olive oil over the flour. Add a third of the water and yeast mixture, and start to mix the dough together. 
• Add another third of the water, mix again, and then as much more of the water as needed to bring the dough together.
• Turn the dough out onto an oiled work surface, and knead for around 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm, and put in a warm place for at least an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. 
• Meanwhile, prepare your filling, by chopping all of the ingredients and mixing together in a bowl. 
• Once the dough has proved, tip it back out of the bowl, and knock it back by kneading it for a couple of minutes.
• Divide the dough into eight equal parts, and cover with clingfilm to keep the dough from developing a crust. 
• Take each of the eight pieces in turn, roll them up into a ball, then pat down to make a flat round. Place some of the filling in the centre of the dough, then fold the edges up into the centre to seal the filling inside. Turn the rolled up dough over, and place on a greased baking tray, with the seam on the bottom. 
• Repeat with all eight pieces, then cover with the clingfilm, and place the tray into a large plastic bag, ensuring no air can get to the dough. 
• Set aside for a further 45 minutes to prove again.
• Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. 
• Once the second prove is completed, remove the plastic bag and the clingfilm. Brush the tops of the rolls with the beaten egg, and then sprinkle the sesame seeds over the buns.
• Place in the oven, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until golden brown, and the rolls make a hollow sound when tapped lightly on the base.
• Remove from the oven, and serve hot, or leave to cool and take them for your lunch, it's your choice! 

Book Review: 'Freeze' by Justine Pattison

When I agreed to review 'Freeze', I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting. A cookbook dedicated to freezer friendly recipes, obviously, but this filled my mind with images of 1970's cooking, casseroles, stews, and awful vol-au-vents. I remember dusty tombs of freezer recipes in my Mum's cookbook collection, and in the age of super-foods, organic produce, and multi-cultural cuisines, I feared that freezer cooking was a thing of the past.

'Freeze' by Justine Pattison

My first thumb through 'Freeze' immediately put my mind at rest. When I pick up a recipe book, I always leaf through the pages first, eager to see which pictures and recipes leap out at me and grab my taste-buds and imagination. Thai Chicken and Coconut Curry, Moroccan Chicken with Apricots and Almonds, Toad in the Hole, Burritos and a mouth-watering Chocolate Truffle Cake jostled on the pages for my attention, and it is easy to see that this is freezer cooking for the 21st century. 

Stage two then is to sit down, with a cup of tea and a biscuit, and read the introduction. I like to understand the motivation behind the author for writing the book, and know what they are trying to achieve within its pages. It doesn't take long to realise that this book has been a labour of love for Justine, and the book is not just a collection of recipes, but an education. Justine has spent two years researching and developing this book, and in the process has had not one, not two, but four large freezers in her dining room and garage, and even had to serve Christmas dinner in the kitchen!

The resulting book is jam packed with useful hints and tips, storage solutions, freezer maintenance and how to handle different food types. Each of the recipes comes with instructions on how to prepare, freeze and defrost each dish, along with a guide on how long each will keep when frozen. Each dish however can equally be made and served fresh, which makes it an incredibly versatile book, and one that you can pick up and use day to day, not just on a weekend when you want to bulk prepare freezer meals. The content and detail given to each recipe shows that each dish has been tried and tested over and over by Justine and her family. 

Each recipe has a side bar of handy hints and tips for freezing and serving

In terms of recipe content, the book is divided into eight sections of recipes, based on purpose; Quick Fixes, Meals for One, Family Meals, Entertaining, Puddings, Cakes and Cookies, Food on the Move, and Vegetables. The contents of each of these sections really opened my eyes to the unlimited possibilities when it comes to freezing foods, I'm all in when it comes to freezing the core produce, or making batches of soups, lasagnes and curries to save for a busy day, but some of the sumptuous tarts, cakes and even brownies I would never have thought to freeze (although I'm still not convinced they'd last long enough in our house! 

And so onto the recipe testing! Whilst reading through the book cover to cover, I noted and bookmarked several recipes to try out, and decided to start with the Chicken in Creamy Tarragon Sauce. The key thing that I was looking for in the dish was flavour, as freezing food tends to numb the flavour, and therefore can risk being a little bland when reheated. I didn't need to worry in this instance, these recipes have been well road tested, and this dish was beautiful, fragrant with the tarragon, with a strong flavour coming through from the white wine, onions and garlic, and the sauce has a great creamy texture. There is a great twist in the recipe where the chicken breasts are stuffed with a leek and sun dried tomato filling, and this fills the chicken again with a great flavour that carries itself well with the sauce. We enjoyed it so much in fact that I will be making it again this weekend for my Mum's birthday dinner.

You can find this recipe on the By Book or By Cook blog here.

My attempt at the Chicken with Tarragon Sauce! Delicious! 

In summary, this book is packed full of tasty, flavoursome recipes that thoroughly reflect the trends and tastes of modern day cooking. If you are looking for a really good guide to making the most of your freezer, this is the place to come, but equally if you are looking for a great recipe for a family meal you will not leave disappointed. I certainly will be 'revolutionising' my freezer and my habits after reading this book, and heartily recommend you do the same. 

'Freeze' is written by Justine Pattison, and published by Orion Books. You can order the book from their site here. 

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of 'Freeze' by Orion Publishing to review, however all the views and opinions expressed here are my own and are not sponsored. 

Sweet and Sour King Prawns

Recently my blog seems to have been concentrating on cakes, bread and general baking, which is pretty reflective of my current obsessions and determination to have a go at making literally everything. However, I don't want to lose sight of the reason that I started writing about my recipes, which was to show that great home cooked food doesn't have to be difficult, and doesn't require fancy ingredients in order to taste amazing. 

A few weeks ago, I had a group of girlfriends over for a homemade Chinese feast, and I have been slowly posting up the recipes I used ever since. I have developed these recipes so that they have an easy to find list of ingredients, and are as simple as possible to make. Every one of these dishes was well received, and tasted so much fresher than if we had ordered it in (plus it was much cheaper!) 

A selection of Chinese dishes served... 

I have already shared with you all Chicken Satay Skewers, Chinese BBQ Ribs, Chicken with Cashew Nuts, Pineapple Sorbet and Coconut Ice Cream, and homemade Fortune Cookies. This is my quick and easy recipe for Sweet and Sour King Prawns, although you can easily swap the king prawns for chicken, beef or any other meat you wish to have with the sauce. 

Ingredients;

- 150g King Prawns (or other preferred meat)

- 1 small red pepper, diced

- 1 small green pepper, diced

- 100g fresh pineapple, diced (or tinned is fresh is not available)

- 125g caster sugar

- 50ml balsamic vinegar

- 200ml water

- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

- pinch of salt

- 1 tablespoon cornflour

To make the sauce, mix together the sugar, vinegar, water, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and the salt in a saucepan. Heat the sauce until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Mix the cornflour with a little water to form a smooth paste, then add to the sauce, stirring until it starts to thicken. Take off the heat and set aside.

Heat a little oil in a wok or a large frying pan, and add the prawns, fry for one minute, then add the peppers and pineapple. (If you have substituted a different meat, it will need to be cooked for longer before adding the veg) Cook for a further two - three minutes, then add the prepared sauce. Stir through, then serve! And there you are, fresh, easy and very tasty Sweet and Sour in minutes! 

I am entering this recipe into this week's Made With Love Monday hosted by Javelin Warrior, as it made completely from scratch, with fresh ingredients, and because everyone should try making their Chinese Takeaway at home! 

Definitely NOT A Cornish Pasty

Disclaimer: This may look like a Cornish Pasty, it may even taste like a Cornish Pasty, but it is definitely NOT a Cornish Pasty... I think! I say this because, a) it's my own recipe, and I am not Cornish, b) it was made in my kitchen in Chesterfield, and therefore under the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status it cannot claim to be a Cornish Pasty, and most importantly c) my partner and in-laws are from Devon, and due to the Devon/Cornwall rivalry, I fear I would be disowned for making something 'Cornish'. I have even had to change the way I eat my scones... 

So this is my Northern, hybrid, slightly less than proper way of making a C*****h Pasty. From here on in we will refer to it simply as 'pasty'. 

Ingredients - makes 6 - 8 medium sized pasties. 

For the pastry

- 225 grams strong white flour

- 225 grams plain flour

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 teaspoon sea salt

- 125 grams butter

- 2 free range egg yolks

- 100 ml cold water

- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze the finished pasties

For the filling

- 300g rump steak

- 1 small onion

- 1 small swede

- 2 large potatoes

This is the 'totally-by-hand' method to make the pastry, although if you are blessed with a food processor you can use it to mix up the pastry also. Start by sifting the flours, salt and baking powder together, and mix well. Cube the butter, and rub into the flour to create a breadcrumb like texture. Add the eggs yolks, and mix through using a fork until well combined. Now, add a third of the water, and mix through using the fork, repeat with another third of the water. A dough should now be forming, slowly add a little more of the water until the dough comes together into one piece. Knead the dough briefly so that it holds together, then roll up into a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for an hour. 

Meanwhile, chop the onions, potatoes, swede and beef. Ideally, all the ingredients should be in equal sized pieces. Put a little oil in a frying pan, and shallow fry the onions until soft. Add the swede and potato and flash fry for just a minute, and then take off the heat and set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to around 170 degrees Once the pastry has chilled, remove it from the cling film, and roll it out to about 3 - 5 mm thick. Using a dinner plate or similar, cut out circles from the pastry. I used the inside of an 8 inch tart tin, to make some smaller sized pasties, it depends how big you want them to be. Bring the offcuts back together and roll out again to cut out more circles. Try to avoid doing this too many times, as you don't want to overwork the pastry. 

Now, add the vegetables to the beef, season generously with salt and pepper, and mix well.

Now, to make the pasties, divide the filling evenly between the pastry circles. Take the beaten egg, and brush around the edge of half the circle. Fold the pastry in half, and press the edges together. 

Starting from the left hand side, twist over a small amount of the pastry edge, pressing it back into itself. Holding the fold in place, move along the edge, and repeat the action, creating a crimped edge. Continue all the way around the pasty, when you get to the other end, tuck the final piece of pastry under itself to finish the edge. 

Place the crimped pasties on a lightly greased baking tray, and brush all over with the remaining egg wash. Bake for approximately 30 - 40 minutes, depending on their size. When they are cooked, they should be a deep golden brown all over, and make a hollow sound when tapped.They should also be firm on the base. If needed, for the last 5 minutes of cooking, remove them from the baking tray, and place back onto the oven shelf to allow the heat to get directly to the base. We don't want any soggy bottoms!

Once golden all over, remove from the oven, and place on a cooling rack. Serve hot or cold, for lunch, tea or dinner, or as a mid afternoon snack. Pasties will keep well for a couple of days in the fridge, and can be reheated. 

The classic Cornish pasty is made from potato, swede, beef and onion, however, as these are not Cornish, you could also use carrots, sweet potatoes, any ingredient really, and are a great way to use up leftovers. Which is of course, what the Cornish pasty was originally used for. As these are made from cheap and ready ingredients, I am entering them into this month's Credit Crunch Munch, run by Camilla at Fab Food 4 All, and Helen at Fuss Free Flavours. 

This month's Credit Crunch Munch is a blog hop... here are some of the other entries.

Chocolate, Orange and Almond Biscotti and Episode Three Of 'Bread'

It's becoming something of a mini-tradition (ok, so it's happened exactly three times so far) for me to sit and watch the latest episode of Bread, notebook in hand, gazing in awe as Mr Hollywood finds yet more ways to turn flour, yeast, salt and water into all manner of different shapes, colours and textures, whilst Gary taps away at the computer on the other side of the room, trying to humour me. At the end of each episode, I turn to him, and ask his opinion on which of the breads shown in the episode I should attempt to make next, and we have one of those great conversations where I think out loud, and he mumbles agreement with whatever I am saying, and then I happily toddle off to find the bread flour.

I knew that this week was going to be different however as soon as the camera panned over a shot of Paul dunking crisp biscotti into his Chocolate Mocha dipping sauce, and the typing from the corner of the room stopped... "I want those please" was pretty much all I heard for the next 10 minutes.

So this week I made the Chocolate, Orange and Almond variation of biscotti from Paul's book (complete of course with the accompanying dipping sauce!) The full recipe can be found here along with two other variations, Pistachio and Cranberry, and Hazelnut and Date. 

Chocolate, Orange and Almond Biscotti

I found this recipe easy to follow, everything came together as described, but it does involve getting your hands dirty to bring the biscotti dough together at the beginning. My only issue really is that I didn't get a strong chocolate taste from my biscotti, and they are no way near as dark and rich in colour as Paul's. I can only think that maybe my chocolate wasn't as high in quality, as I used exactly the right quantity from the recipe? The orange flavours came through really well however, and the almonds added a great texture. 

All in all though, I would thoroughly recommend this recipe, it's quick in terms of bringing the dough together, and the longer bake times are more forgiving than a normal biscuit, where an extra 30 seconds can be all it takes to take a bake over the cliff. Plus, they look really impressive when you serve them to guests with their cup of tea! 

In terms of my 'bread-ucation' project, I did feel like I cheated a little bit this week, as although Paul says that the biscotti are made from a bread dough, I still feel like they don't really count. To counter this, I did make some Naan breads to accompany a homemade curry tonight, using a recipe for Curried Naan breads from 'Bread' although I omitted the sultanas and mango. They turned out really well!

Curried Naan Breads

I've also tried my hand at a white bread loaf, and some homemade pizza this week, and have been really pleased with the results... I think I might finally be getting somewhere!

Sausage, Mushroom and Pepper Pizza

Traditional White Bread Loaf

Chicken with Cashew Nuts

As promised, here is another recipe from the Girl's Night feast of a few weeks ago. I know that these posts are a little bit of a deviation from my usual cakes and bakes, however I really wanted to share how easy and delicious homemade Chinese food really can be, and give you a selection of recipes that do not need a cupboard full of exotic, hard to find ingredients.

Of the main courses served last Saturday, this Chicken and Cashew dish is one of my absolute favourites, and the one that was eaten up the quickest. This is a really quick and easy dish, and on it's own would make a really good mid-week meal served with fluffy rice. (You'll have to forgive some of the photography on these posts, people were already eating before I had chance to get the camera out!)

Here's how I made it...

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons Cornflour

- 500 ml Chicken Stock

- 3 tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce

- 1 teaspoon crushed Ginger, or 1/2 an inch grated

- 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or similar hot chilli sauce)

- 2 large Chicken Breasts, diced

- 1/2 an Onion, diced

- 1 large Green Pepper, chopped

- 150 grams Cashew Nuts

- 100 grams Water Chestnuts (optional)

Step One: Make the Sauce

In a saucepan, heat the chicken stock. Add the cornflour, and mix well making sure that all the cornflour has been absorbed by the stock, and there are no lumps. Add the soy sauce, ginger, and tabasco sauce, and set aside. Tip: you can even make the sauce element ahead of time, leave it to cool, and put in a sealed container in the fridge, then it is ready to add to the chicken and vegetables whenever you need it! I found this useful for the feast night, as I made three main dishes at the same time, so having the sauces pre-made made the whole process much easier.

Step Two: Cook the Meat

In a wok, or a large frying pan, heat a little cooking oil, then fry the diced chicken breasts until slightly golden on the outside, and cooked all the way through. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Step Three: Assemble the Dish

Add the onion and pepper to the wok, and lightly fry for 2-3 minutes until they start to colour. Add the cashew nuts and the water chestnuts (optional) and cook for a further minute. Finally, add the chicken and the sauce, and stir well. Cook for a minute longer, or until the sauce has warmed through if you have pre-made it, then serve.