RECIPE | CHOCOLATE ORANGE LOAF CAKE

Requested to make some cake for some ex-office buddies when visiting them last week I asked them what they would like in advance. A chocolate orange cake was the order and I set to work to make a delightfully moist but easily transportable cake as it would be venturing round in my handbag all day through various meetings and train journeys... et voila, the handbag proof cake of choice, the chocolate orange loaf cake!

Ingredients:

Cake:

150g Butter

160g Caster Sugar

Zest of 2 Oranges

2 Eggs

3tbsp Golden Syrup

40g Cocoa Powder

3tbsp Boiling Water

150g Plain Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

100g Chopped Milk Chocolate or Chocolate Chips

Juice of 1 Orange

Icing:

100g Milk Chocolate

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (or two 1lb loaf tins) with baking paper.

2. Cream the butter and the sugar together until fluffy and light in colour. Add the orange zest, eggs and golden syrup and continue to beat until combined.

3. In a separate bowl or mug, add the hot water to the cocoa powder and mix until a smooth paste is formed. Add this to the other wet ingredients and then fold in the flour and baking powder.

4. Carefully fold in the milk chocolate or chocolate chips and loosen with the juice of the orange.

5. Pour into the baking tin and place in the centre of your oven to bake for 40-50 minutes.

6. Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

7. Once cooled, melt the chocolate for the icing and drizzle it over the cake and leave to set.

RECIPE | CHOCOLATE, HAZELNUT AND BANANA MARBLE CAKE

After receiving some lovely goodies from Whynut in the post last week I just couldn't resist sampling them out in some baking this weekend. I decided to use their hazelnut paste in a marble cake to really test the strength of the flavour.

 What goes well with hazelnuts? Chocolate! What goes well with chocolate? Bananas!

Sorted... we have the Chocolate, Hazelnut and Banana Marble Cake.

Ingredients:

Plain Cake Batter:

225g Caster Sugar

225g Butter

4 Eggs

2tsp Vanilla Essence

225g Self-Raising Flour

1 1/2tsp Baking Powder

Banana Mix:

1 Banana

3tbsp Milk

Chocolate Hazelnut Mix:

50g Dark Chocolate

2tbsp Hazelnut Paste

2tbsp Cocoa Powder

4tbsp Milk

Topping:

100g Dark Chocolate
15g Butter

1tbsp Hazelnut Paste

3tbsp Chopped Hazelnuts

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180C and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (or two 1lb loaf tins).

2. Cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy in colour, then add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix until combined.

3. Add the flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients and fold until it is fully mixed. Divide this mixture into two separate mixing bowls.

4. For the banana cake mix - mash the banana and add to one of the mixing bowls along with the milk and mix until you have a smooth cake batter.

5. For the chocolate hazelnut cake mix - add the hazelnut paste, cocoa powder and milk. Melt the dark chocolate and fold these ingredients into the mixture until smooth.

6. Spoon alternate dollops of each mixture into the loaf tin, then use a skewer or sharp knife to create a marble pattern by swirling it through the mixture.

7. Bake in the centre shelf of your oven for 40-50 minutes or until it springs when touched in the centre and leaves a clean skewer when poked into the cake.

8. Leave the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then remove. Melt the dark chocolate and the butter together with the hazelnut paste. Drizzle over the cake and sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts on top.

RECIPE | CHRISTMAS BISCOTTI

Looking for rock hard biscuits that have a 70% chance of breaking your teeth?

Look no further...

The wonderfully crunchy Italian biscotti are perfect for adding to Christmas hampers.

Meant to be dunked in a good strong coffee (definitely advised to avoid dental costs), these biscuits are special in their own right, yet surprisingly easy to make.

I made two variations for hampers this Christmas using my usual biscotti recipe.

Chocolate and Pistachio Biscotti

Add 15g of Cocoa Powder, 100g of good quality chopped Dark Chocolate and 50g of Pistachio Nuts to this recipe.

Winter Spiced Fruit and Nut Biscotti

Add 1tsp of Mixed Spice, 1tsp of Cinnamon, 1tsp of Ginger, 60g of Dried Fruit (I used Cranberries and Raisins) and 40g of Chopped Nuts to this recipe.

RECIPE | SLUTTY BROWNIES

Are you ready for an even MORE naughty and indulgent brownie than the Cheesecake Brownie?

Well here you go... say HELLO to the SLUTTY BROWNIE.

Layer #1 = Cookie Dough

Layer #2 - Your favourite biscuit, cookie or chocolate bar!

Layer #3 = Ooey gooey BROWNIE!

Ingredients:

For the Cookie Dough base:

100g Butter (or Margarine)

120g Sugar

1 Egg

240g Plain Flour

1/2tsp Vanilla Essence

1/2tsp Baking Powder

100g of Chocolate Chips

Middle Layer:

A pack of cookies/biscuits/chocolate bars that will cover the cookie dough surface.

Brownie Topping:

175g Dark Chocolate

130g Butter (or Margarine)

230g Sugar

2 Eggs

75g Plain Flour

1/2tsp Vanilla Essence

Instructions:

1.  Grease and line a traybake/brownie tin with butter and baking paper. Preheat your oven to 180.

2.  First up is the cookie dough base... cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric whisk or a stern arm and a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat until mixed.

3.  Sieve the flour and baking powder into the mix and combine with the chocolate chips until the mixture is well folded.

4.  Spread the cookie dough to form a smooth layer in the bottom of the cake tin, followed by a topping of your chosen biscuity/chocolately middle layer!

5.  To make the brownie mix, melt the chocolate and the butter together on a low heat on the hob or in the microwave. Set aside and leave to cool.

6.  In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, vanilla essence and the eggs until their size has increased around three times in volume.

7.  Sieve the flour into the brownie mix, followed by the melted butter and chocolate and stir all ingredients together.

8.  Top the two layers in your cake tin with a generous serving of brownie mix (there are no raising agents so it will not rise) and then place the cake tin in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 40-50 minutes.

RECIPE | CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

Cheesecake vs. Brownie.

A brilliantly dense and fudgey, gooey, oozey, creamy combo.

Decadently rich chocolate brownies complimented by a generous swirling of cheesecake mix.

Ingredients:

125g Butter (or Margarine)

250g Dark Chocolate

200g Sugar

3 Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Essence

75g Plain Flour

1/2tsp Baking Powder

200g Cream Cheese

50g Caster Sugar

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 180 and grease and line a baking tin with baking paper.

2.  Place the butter, sugar and 150g of the chocolate into a pan and melt on a low heat. Leave the mixture to cool for 5 minutes and then whisk in the eggs and vanilla essence.

3.  Add the flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients, along with the rest of the left over dark chocolate chopped up into small chunks. Fold together until it is is mixed well. Pour 3/4s of the mixture into the baking tin.

4.  In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and the caster sugar together and then dollop the mixture into the baking tin on top of the brownie mix.

5.  Pour the rest of the brownie mixture into the baking tin and then using a skewer or a sharp knife swirl the mixture around so the brownie mixture combines with the cream cheese mixture to create a marbling effect.

6.  Place in the centre shelf of your oven and bake for 35 minutes.

LIFESTYLE | EASTER MUSINGS

I've been back at home the past few weeks on my Easter break. I've successfully managed to finish my dissertation (almost three weeks early...) and had quite a productive bought of baking!

Below is my attempt at the infamous Pinata Cake which I made with my Auntie for my cousin's 18th birthday. Pretty impressive right?



I had lots of left over sponge from making the Pinata Cake so I thought I would attempt to make some Cake Pops too! Easy peasy... crumble up the cake and mix with melted chocolate then roll into balls and place in the fridge for a few hours. Once they have set then you can get creative! I dipped mine in melted dark chocolate and then rolled them in dessicated coconut and hundreds and thousands.

The Easter Bunny also came this morning bearing gifts in the form of a hand mixer, mixing bowl, my very own apron (probably a little bit too excited about this and should really get out more) and a silicone pastry brush - Thanks Mama and Papa Wood!

...oh and CHOCOLATE of course!

H A P P Y    E A S T E R !

RECIPE | BISCOTTI

BISCOTTI

Perfect for dunking in a cup of hot milk or coffee. This is a fairly simple biscotti that can be easily adapted.

For this recipe I used a mixture of dark chocolate chips, chopped dates and chopped walnuts.

Ingredients:

1 Egg

100g Caster Sugar

125g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

125g of Dried Fruit / Nuts / Seeds / Chocolate... get creative!

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 180 celcius and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2.  Whisk the egg, vamilla essence and sugar together until you have a mousse-like consistency.

3.  Fold in the flour and baking powder, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients (fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc).

4.  Flour a clean surface well and also flour your hands. Carefully scoop the (very loose) dough into your hands and keep working flour into it on the surface until it is no longer sticky.

5.  Roll the dough into a long oblong log shape and place on the baking tray.

6.  Place in the oven for 20 minutes and then remove and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

7.  Using a bread knife, cut the semi-cooked dough into 1-2" thick slices and then spread them out on the baking tray.

8.  Place the biscotti slices back in the oven for a further 5 minutes then remove and cool.

RECIPE | COURGETTE BROWNIES

A healthy(ish) twist on the indulgent classic.

These brownies keep well and stay delightfully moist.

* To make these even HEALTHIER you can replace the oil with half a cup of over ripe mashed banana and leave out the chocolate pieces and nuts.

COURGETTE BROWNIES

Ingredients:

125ml Vegetable Oil

300g Caster Sugar

250g Grated Courgette

2tsp Vanilla Essence

40g Cocoa Powder

250g Plain Flour
1tsp Salt

1tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

80g Chopped Walnuts

100g Dark Chocolate (chopped into small pieces)

50g Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease a 22x33cm baking tin.

2.  Get a large mixing bowl and combine the oil, sugar and vanilla essence, mixing until it is blended.

3.  Sift the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbanate of soda, baking powder and salt into the mixture and get mixing!

4.  Add the grated courgette, along with most of the walnuts, dark chocolate pieces and chocolate chips (make sure to leave enough for a generous sprinkling of each to go on top of the mixture) and MIX.

5.  Pour the mixture into the baking tin and then sprinkle with the rest of the dark chocolate, chocolate chips and walnuts.

6.  Place the tin in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven).

RECIPE | HAZELNUT HOT CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM FLOATS

One of my favourite things to have in the evening before bed is a nice frothy mug of hot chocolate.

The other evening, myself and David had a crazy idea to make hot chocolate ice cream floats!

For the HAZELNUT HOT CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM FLOATS you will need:

Your favourite mug.

1 serving of your hot chocolate of choice (we used Options Belgian Hot Chocolate).

Milk (we used Alpro Hazelnut Milk).

Good quality vanilla ice cream.

Make the hot chocolate as per instructions and then froth it up in the microwave (be careful to make sure it doesn't froth too much and cause a chocolatey volcanic eruption!).

Add a good few glugs of milk and stir.

The hazelnut milk complemented the hot chocolate so well. 

Add a generous scoop or two of ice cream and DEVOUR your frothy indulgent concoction!