Scones with strawberry sauce and whipped cream

Really delicious scones with home made strawberry sauce and whipped cream.
I was feeling rather British after watching the Royal wedding, so I decided to make these yummy scones and tea :)

Ingredients

Scones
1/4 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
85g butter
3 tablespoons caster sugar
175ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Squeeze of lemon juice
Beaten egg to glaze

Strawberry sauce

220g fresh strawberries
60g sugar
half a squeezed lemon
2 teaspoons of corn flour

Double cream whipped

Put the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice into a pot and place over medium heat.
Add the corn flour and simmer for 10 minutes. Use a potato masher to press the strawberries.
When starting to thicken take of heat and let it cool down.

In a large bowl put flour, salt and baking powder and mix.
Add the butter and rub through your fingers until it looks like fine crumbs, then stir in the sugar.

Heat the milk in a jug in the microwave for 30 seconds, add the vanilla and lemon juice, then set aside.

Make a well in the dry mixture and then add the liquid and stir with a spoon.
The dough will seem pretty wet at first.
Sprinkle flour onto a large surface and work the dough in your hands, adding more flour when necessary. Take the baking tray out of the oven and roll the dough into balls then patting them down.
Brush over with some beaten egg, and place in the 220C preheated oven for 10 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with whipped cream and strawberry sauce :) - and tea ;)

Dammsugare - Vacuum Cleaner

Dammsugare directly translated means Vacuum cleaner.
This desert got its name because bakeries in Sweden started collecting the day's left overs of cookies  cakes to make the filling, and of course they also look like little vacuum cleaners from a few decades ago. (See photo at the bottom of page)

Ingredients

For the coating

200g Marzipan (If you are making this yourself you can use Almonds and then the same amount of Sugar - 70g Almonds + 70g sugar, and they mix them in the blender add a few drops of water, and it will be perfect marzipan.)
100g dark chocolate

Green food colouring

For the Filling

75g Butter Room temp
1 Tablespoon Arrack punch
125g of any sponge cake + biscuits (could even be left over of any flavour)
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon Powdered vanilla sugar
1 Teaspoon Cocoa Powder

In a bowl, stir the butter until soft. Add the cake crumbs, sugar, cocoa powder and arrack punch.
Shape the mixture into two lengths, about 5cm long and 2cm thick.
Roll out the Marzipan to a rectangle shape, 3 mm thick.
Roll the Marzipan around the cake filling, and attach them by pressing the ends together.
In a bowl over a simmering pot, melt the dark chocolate.
Then dip both ends of the Dammsugare in the melted chocolate, and place on a sheet of baking paper.
Chill in the Fridge until chocolate has hardened.

Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee :)


The Vacuum Cleaner :)

Easy Toffee

This must be the quickest toffee recipe.
From start to finish it only took 15 minutes.
No dirty pots or pans! All you will need is a microwave safe container.
Magic in the microwave ;)

Ingredients

50g butter
60g flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
85g sugar
75ml syrup or invert sugar
Crushed almonds
Chocolate chips
(Experiment with any filling you like - marshmallows would be great too).

Melt the butter in a microwave safe container, I used a medium sized Tupperware box.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients and microwave for another 4 minutes stirring a few times in between.
Make sure it does not boil over, so keep checking on it and stirring if it looks like it is bubbling too much.

Take out of the microwave and stir, until it looks like a gooey batter.
Pour onto some baking paper. This should set fairly quickly.
Sprinkle the Almonds over the top, then fold the fudge over once so that the crushed almonds are in the centre.
Finally sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of that.
Cut into small squares and they are ready to eat!

I experimented with the toffee topped coconut biscuit. (This will make one cookie)
If you want to try this you will need cookie cutters, I used a heart shape.
2 digestive biscuits
1 teaspoon of melted invert sugar or a teaspoon of syrup
1 teaspoon of coconut flakes

Crumble up the 2 biscuits.
Melt the invert sugar in the microwave and mix together with the biscuit crumble and the coconut flakes. Pour the mixture into the cookie cutter and push down firmly so it can set on a plate.
Place in the fridge for a few minutes to firm.
Once the toffee is ready, gently pour the toffee on top of the biscuit base then sprinkle almond flakes on top.
Place back into the fridge until set.
Then eat!
:)

Whole Wheat Strawberry and Banana Muffins

They taste delicious, and because they are made with whole wheat flour and no butter, they are a slightly healthier alternative to other muffins.

Ingredients

2 eggs

120ml unsweetened apple sauce

60ml vegetable oil

165g brown sugar

5ml vanilla extract

3 bananas mashed

240g whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

200g strawberries chopped into small squares.

 This will make 12 big or 24 small muffins.

In a large bowl mix together the eggs, apple sauce, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract and mashed bananas.

Mix together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon into the banana mixture, and stir until all is moistened.

Make sure you don't over mix the batter, otherwise the baked end result will be solid rather than soft and fluffy.

Finally stir in the strawberries.

Pour the batter to 3/4 of the greased muffin tin or straight into the muffin cups (I sprinkled a few muffins with oatmeal or coconut flakes) and place in the 190C preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.

The tops of the muffins should spring back when pressed lightly.

Some of the best muffins I have baked :)

Enjoy!

Strawberry layered cake

A Birthday special!!
This came from a German "Erdbeertorte" recipe.
I improvised with the layers and topped everything with whipped cream and strawberries.

Cake base

90g Butter
6 Eggs
175g Sugar
150g Flour

Layers

First layer
250g cream cheese
100g butter room temperature
180g icing sugar
3 drops of vanilla extract
crushed up smarties (or any chocolate)

Second layer
2 Bananas mashed
1 teaspoon icing sugar

Topping
400ml of whipped cream
100g strawberries sliced
50g ground walnuts sprinkled


First to make the cake base. Butter the cake tin and set aside. Melt the butter for 20 seconds in the microwave.
Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites in two different mixing bowls.
Add the sugar to the egg yolks and mix whilst the mixing bowl is floating in a pan of hot water and whisk until creamy.
Take the white creamy egg yolk mixture out of the pan and gently pour in the flour.
Add the butter to the egg yolk mixture and stir.

Whisk the egg whites in a second bowl until thick (make sure the hand mixer is dry and clean, if any oil or water gets in contact with the mixer it will make it much harder to get to a thick consistency). You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out. (See photo on the right).

Add a third of the egg white mixture to the creamy egg yolk mixture, carefully fold in. |Then add the remaining egg whites.Gently stir it will together.

Pour the cake batter into the cake tin (photo on the right) and place into the 180C preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and take a knife an loosen the cake edges from the tin.
The cake can now easily be removed from the tin.

I prebaked my cake and left it in the fridge for one day and a night, and surprisingly it still tasted so fresh and soft (it may even be better than eating it straight away, plus it also makes it easier to cut into slices). But if you are going to prepare the cake straight away let it cool for at least an hour .

Cut the base into three slices of the same thickness.
To make the first layer, mix cream cheese, melted butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until smooth. Add the grated chocolate or Smarties. :) Then stir to blend in.

With a knife spread the cream cheese layer onto the bottom base. Then Place another base on top of that.
Mash up the two bananas, and spread on the next layer, sprinkle with icing sugar to keep the sweet taste.
Place the last cake slice on top.
Finally whisk the cream adding 3 drops of vanilla extract, until thick.
Starting in the middle on the top, fold out a large amount of whipped cream onto the cake (it might help if you place the whipped cream in the fridge for 10 minutes to thicken up), using the blunt side of the knife, spread whipped cream on the cake and around the edges until smooth. Place the strawberries on top. Finally sprinkle some icing sugar on top followed by some ground walnuts.

Little taste of heaven :)
Enjoy :)

Cupcake Pops

If you like cupcakes you will love these really cute cupcake pops.

Little non baked cupcakes on a stick, they are great for little party treats or even as little presents.
Inspired by http://www.bakerella.com

Ingredients

1 13x9 baked cake (any flavour) I used a simple butter cake.
Cream cheese frosting (250g cream cheese, 100g room temperature butter, 180g powdered sugar, 3 drops vanilla extract - mixed together until smooth)
200g milk chocolate
200g white milk chocolate
Bowls for dipping
Baking paper
Lollipop sticks or skewer sticks
Tablespoon dry measuring cup (see picture -> )
100's and 1000's, Smarties or M&M's



First crumble the cake, an easy way to do this is by putting it in the mixer.
Once it is completely crumbled add the cream cheese frosting and mix well, using your hands might be easier.
Then take a heaped tablespoon of the cake batter and roll it into a ball.
Place the rolled balls onto a tray with baking paper and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Take the balls out of the fridge and shape them into cupcakes using a tablespoon dry measuring cup.
Then place them back into the fridge whilst you prepare the dipping chocolate.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a simmering pot (this way the chocolate wont burn).
Take the cupcakes out of the fridge, and dip the bottoms into the milk chocolate.
Dip an end of a skewer into the melted chocolate bowl, then insert that end into the chocolate covered bottom half of the cupcake. (Only poke the skewer half way through).
Place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to completely cool.
Whilst they are cooling prepare the white chocolate, the same way as the milk chocolate in the bowl over a simmering pot.
Take the cupcakes out of the fridge and dip the tops into the melted white chocolate.
Place a Smartie or an M&M on the top, then sprinkle with 100's and 1000's.

And then they are finished! :)
Enjoy!!

Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are great if you are a peanut butter lover!

Ingredients

115g butter
130g peanut butter
220g brown sugar
100g white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons light corn syrup (I used invert sugar)
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
310g flour
1teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
300g chopped semi sweet chocolate (preferably milk chocolate)

In a large bowl mix the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth.
Then add the eggs one at a time, then add corn syrup, water and vanilla extract.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix into the peanut butter mixture.
Then mix the chocolate into the batter.
Drop tablespoon sizes onto the baking paper leaving a 3 inch gap between them, to give them space to spread.
Bake in a 190C preheated oven for 12 minutes until golden.
Let the cookies cool completely.


Then Enjoy :)

Sophie's Baked Cheesecake

I love a good cheesecake, and nothing beats a home made one.

There are two types of cheesecakes, the ones you bake and the ones you stand to chill in the fridge.
I used a mixture of a few different recipes to create this scrumptious cake!

Ingredients

Base

20 digestive biscuits
115g butter

Top

800g cream cheese
340g caster sugar
180g milk
180g sour cream
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
40g flour

Put the biscuits into a plastic bag and crumble them up.
Put the butter into the microwave, for 20 seconds until melted and mix the butter with the biscuits in a bowl. Make sure the butter is mixed well into the biscuit crumbles, because otherwise this will give you a cracked or breaking base when you take it out of the oven later.

Grease the baking tin and press the biscuit crumbles to the base of the tin. Until it is solid.

In a large bowl mix the cream cheese, then add the caster sugar and whisk well.
Then add the milk and sour cream and mix well.
Add the eggs, one at a time then add the vanilla extract.
Then add the flour and whisk until smooth.

Pour the batter over the already prepared biscuit base.
And place it in the 175C preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.
Do not open the oven whilst it is baking, otherwise it will collapse.
After it has finished baking turn off the oven and leave the cake to stand inside for 3 hours.
This will make sure that the cake can very slowly cool down.
After standing for 3 hours in the oven, take it out and let it stand at room temperature for an hour before putting in the fridge to chill.

I used a round cake tin with a 22cm diameter.

Enjoy :)

Vanilla and Walnut Fudge

One of my favourite sweet treats!

Ingredients

Oil for greasing the tin
300ml milk
350g caster sugar
100g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
75g crushed walnuts

Grease an approximately 18cm cake tin and set aside.

In a pan add the milk, sugar and butter. Slowly heat until the butter has melted and sugar has dissolved (stirring all the time).

Bring to the boil for 15-20 minutes stirring all the time.


Remove from heat once the mixture has reached the soft-ball stage. (This means you can drop a little drop of the mixture into cold water and it will form a ball or a solid straight away).
Add the walnuts and stir in the vanilla extract then leave to cool for 3 minutes.

Beat the mixture with a spoon until mixture thickens and gloss disappears. ( You don't need to put this in the fridge, infact it works better if you let it stand at room temperature).

Once it is set, cut them into squares!

And Enjoy! :)

Custard and Chocolate filled Cream Puffs

These are heavenly if I can say so myself! You will love them!

Ingredients

Custard Filling

570ml milk
55ml of single cream
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
4 eggs (yolks only)
30 g caster sugar
3 teaspoons of cornflour

Chocolate Filling

50g dark chocolate
1 teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons water
85g icing sugar

Choux Pastry

125ml water
50g butter
60g flour
2 eggs beaten

Start off by making the custard.
Pour the milk and cream into a pan and let simmer over a low heat.
Mix the yolks, sugar and cornflour together until blended.
Pour the hot milk and cream over the eggs and sugar and whisk well .
Return the mixture to the pan and add the vanilla extract and stir with a wooden spoon continuously until thickened.
Put in the fridge to cool down.
(If you find that the custard is not thickening after cooling down, then put it back into the pan add a tablespoon of flour and stir over a low heat until you can see a difference in thickness).
Then refrigerate because it needs to be cool when you fill the cream puffs.

The next step is making the choux pastry.
Pour the water and butter into a saucepan.
Over medium heat, wait until the butter melts, once it begins to boil, take off the heat and pour in all of the flour at once.
Stir until the mixture turns into a soft dough, it will look like a soft ball and shouldn't stick to the sides of the pan anymore.
(Do not over beat otherwise it will get lumpy).
Once the mixture is warm to touch, add the beaten eggs a tablespoon at a time and mix until the batter has a silky and glossy consistency.

Spoon out the batter onto the baking paper a tablespoon per puff at a time, leaving a 3cm gap between them.
Before you place them in the oven, sprinkle them with a few drops of water. (This helps them rise in the oven).

Put them into a 200C preheated oven for the first 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180C and bake for the remaining 20 minutes. (Do not open the oven whilst baking, otherwise they will sink).
They will be golden when ready.

Whilst the pastry is cooling down you can start with the chocolate filling.
Place the chocolate, water and butter into a heat safe bowl. Place the bowl over a pot with simmering water inside.
When the chocolate has melted start adding the icing sugar a tablespoon at a time. Keep stirring to avoid lumps. Once it is smooth take off the heat and let it stand for a while to cool down and also so that it becomes thicker.

Take the cooled puff pastries and cut them in half. Then with a teaspoon scoop the slightly thicker chocolate filling into the bottom half until reaches the top edge. Then fill the thick custard into a piping bag and pipe the custard over the chocolate filling. Then replace the cream puff top.

And you are finished! And made with love! :)

15 years later and still baking

Berry Valentines Day Muffins

Happy Valentines Day!

Love Love Love and Berry muffins is what it's all about!

Ingredients

150g frozen or fresh berries
100g caster sugar
100g butter
300g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
140ml milk


Icing

100g cream cheese
50g butter at room temperature
75g powdered sugar
few drops a vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of strawberry jam
Grated dark chocolate to sprinkle on top for decoration




Mix the butter and sugar until it is a fluffy and nearly creamy texture. Add one beaten egg at a time and mix well.
Then add the milk, vanilla extract then add the flour and the baking powder and mix until is it a think sort of sticky batter.
Add the berries and then spoon the batter into the muffin cases.
Place in the muffins in the 160C preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.

For the icing mix the butter and cream cheese then add the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract.
Then to give it the pink colour add the strawberry jam.

Once the muffins have cooled down, dip them head down into the icing.
Then sprinkle the chocolate on the top.

If you want the heart shape on top - take some cardboard and cut out a heart. Cover the heart in kitchen foil. One side of the heart should be flat, and on the other side you can form a handle with the foil (this will make it easier to lift off the muffin).

Mocha Squares or Mocka Rutor in Swedish

This is a yummy chocolate sponge cake with a chocolate coffee and coconut icing.

Ingredients

For the batter

150g butter
2 eggs
2 dl sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 dl milk
4 1/2 dl flour

For the icing

50g butter
3 tablespoons espresso
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespooms vanilla sugar
3 dl powder sugar
1-2 dl coconut flakes


First of all melt the butter in the microwave and let it cool down.
Whilst it is cooling down whisk the eggs and sugar together until it's creamy.
Add baking powder, vanilla sugar and cocoa powder.
Whip altogether then add the butter, milk and flour.
Slowly whisk until it is an even mixture.

Butter the baking pan - a usual rectangle oven tray (Don't worry the cake will not rise that much).
Once you have buttered the pan, you can use bread crumbs and sprinkle onto the butter, this will
help remove the cake from the pan once baked.

Place in the 225C preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Whilst it is baking you can make the icing.
Melt the butter in the pan, then add espresso, cocoa powder, vanilla sugar and powder sugar.

Once the cake has cooled down, decorate it with the icing and sprinkle the coconut flakes on the
top.

Cut into squares and you are finished!

Happy Baking :)

Kolakakor - Chewy Toffee Cookies

These delicious cookies only took 20 minutes from scratch to bake!


Ingredients

100g butter
1dl sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar or 3 drops of vanilla extract
2 tablespoon on invert sugar or syrup
2 1/2dl flour

Soften the butter in the microwave.
In a bowl mix all of the dry ingredients. Then add the butter and syrup and mix to a dough.
Split the dough into four pieces, and roll them into 2cm thick logs on a greased baking tray.
Flatten the rolled dough logs with a fork at an angle, so that they have a stripy pattern.

Bake in a 175C preheated oven for 12 minutes.

Let them cool slightly, and then cut them diagonally against the stripes to form cookie into strips as seen in the pictures.

Perfect to make when you are in a hurry or get unexpected visitors!
Even if you freeze them, the chewiness will remain!!

Fish Cakes

Quick and simple!

250g tuna
2 cups of mashed potato
1 onion finely diced
30g grated carrot
30g peas
Small handful of chopped parsley
Salt
Pepper
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water
1 cup of breadcrumbs
Spray oil for the pan

Flake the tuna into the bowl and mix in the mashed potato, onion, carrot, peas, parsley, salt and pepper.

Form this mixture into little cakes.

In a bowl whisk together an egg and a tablespoon of water.

Dip the fish cake into the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs.

Spray the pan and cook the fish cakes until golden.

Remove and drain onto paper towels - Serve with salad! :)

Chokladbiskvier

Another amazing little Scandinavian creation!

This is a Swedish cookie with an almond, macaroon-style base, topped with chocolate buttercream and glazed with dark chocolate.

Ingredients

Macaroon bottoms

450g marzipan (If you are making this from scratch you will need 225g peeled almonds and 225g sugar)
3 egg whites
1.5dl sugar

Filling

400g unsalted butter
5 egg whites
5dl icing sugar
teaspoon of cocoa powder

Icing

300g dark chocolate

If you are making the marzipan from scratch take the almonds and the sugar (this always has to be of equal weight) and mix together in a a mixing machine for a few minutes until it forms a "dough like crumble" (add a tablespoon of water if the almonds are dry), you will then be able to form this into a ball. (It should look like the image on the right).


In another bowl, take the egg whites and beat them until they are foamy, then add the sugar and whisk until smooth.
Add the almond mixture and again mix until smooth.

Lay baking paper on a baking tray and spoon out the mixture. The diameter should be roughly 6-7cm.
Place these into the 175C preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

For the filling, whisk the butter until fluffy, then put to one side.

Over a bowl of warm water beat the eggs and powder sugar, this will then become the meringue batter.
When the mixture has cooled a little, add the butter and whisk.
Then add a teaspoon of cocoa powder.

Take the cooled down biscuits and spread the filling on the bottom side. (Just like into a cone).
Then place into the freezer for a few minutes.

Whilst they are cooling down in the freezer melt the chocolate either in a bowl above boiling water or in the microwave.
Dip the biscuits filling first into the chocolate, then place again in fridge for them to cool down before serving.

Yum, enjoy!

Cinnamon Swirl Buns

Everyone will love them!

But make sure you have time on your hands, because anything which contains yeast takes a good couple of hours to make. 

These took me roughly 4 hours to make, but they were worth the wait!

Ingredients

Dough

240ml milk

45g butter

400g flour (divided)

64g sugar

1 large egg

2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast or 7g fresh yeast

1 teaspoon salt

Filling 

96g golden brown sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon (if you are weighing this is 28g)

57g butter at room temperature

pinch of salt

Icing

125g cream cheese

130g powdered sugar 

57g butter at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Put the milk and butter into a heat safe bowl and place in the microwave until the butter has just melted (30 seconds).

Add 128g of flour, sugar, egg, yeast and salt. Mix well for about 3 minutes, occasionally scraping down the dough from the sides of the bowl. 

Add 320g of flour and mix well until the dough is sticky.

If the dough is too sticky keep on adding flour by the tablespoon, until the dough begins to form a ball and does not stick to the sides of the bowl anymore.

Take the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes, keep on adding flour if the dough is still too sticky to handle. The texture should be smooth and elastic so you can form it into a ball.

Lightly butter a large bowl and place the dough inside, cover with a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm area until it has doubled its size for 2 hours.

Next step is making the filling.

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon into a medium bowl.

Punch down the dough, and transfer to the floured work surface. 

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a 38x28cm rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough leaving a 1cm edge.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the butter.

Starting at the long side roll the dough into a log.

With the seam side down, cut the dough into approximately 18 slices, each slice should be 1 1/2cm wide.

Lighty butter your baking pans and place the sliced rolls inside.

In the original recipe it said almost to leave no space between the rolls, this is so that the dough would spread into each other and the end result would give you a square cinnamon roll shape. This is probably the safer option, as it leaves no chance for the edges to burn and get hard.

I decided to leave a bigger space between my rolls, because I wanted them to look like buns.

And it worked for me.

When the rolls are in the baking pans cover them with plastic foil and a kitchen towel and leave them to rise for 45 minutes.

Until they have almost doubled in volume.

Place the rack in the 190C preheated oven, and bake the rolls until they are golden. About 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and invert immediately onto cool rack.

Let them cool for 10 minutes.

For the icing - mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. 

Mix well until it is lump free and looks silky.

Spread icing onto buns!

Best is to eat them whilst they are fresh and soft, after a day or so they may get a little chewy (but still are good of course) :)

Best cinnamon swirls around!

Inspired from http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/04/cinnamon-swirl-buns-so-much-news/

Creamy Chocolate Truffles

Truffles for a special occasion!

If you have never made Truffles before, you wouldn't believe how easy they are to make.

Ingredients

275g dark chocolate with a minimum of 60% cocoa (broken into pieces)

250ml double cream

50g unsalted butter (room temperature)

50g cocoa powder

Place the chocolate into a large bowl.

Bring the cream to the boil on the stove, then pour it over the chocolate until it melts.

Let cool for 2 minutes until adding the butter in two stages.

Once the butter has been stirred into the mixture it should look glassy and smooth.

Put the truffle mixture into the fridge for at at least 4 hours, so it can become solid.

Even better if you could leave it in the fridge over night.

Once you remove the mixture from the fridge let it stand for about 15 minutes.

Put the cocoa powder into a bowl. Ensure your hands are dry and cover the palms of your hands in the powder. This will make it easier to form the mixture into little balls.

Finish it off by rolling the ball in the powder mixture, then by tossing it in your hands to remove the access powder.

Repeat until the mixture is finished.

So easy!! - Enjoy with some strawberries! :)

Pizza Swirl

The perfect little lunch bite

Ingredients

Dough

12.5g fresh yeast
5 or 6dl flour
200ml luke warm water
50ml oil
salt
pepper

Sauce

200ml tin chopped tomatoes
1 red onion
1 yellow onion
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons sugar or 4 tablespoons ketchup
oregano
basil

Toppings of your choice

Grated cheese
Ham
Grilled chicken
Tuna
or left over bolognese

Dissolve the yeast in the luke warm water, and rest for 5 minutes.
Add the flour, salt, pepper and oil, then mix well until it forms a dough.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then leave to rise 25 minutes.

Gently fry the finely chopped onions and garlic until lightly brown.
Mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Then let cool while waiting for the dough to finish rising.

On a floured surface knead out the dough into a large rectangle.
Coat with a layer of the sauce and add the pre cooked toppings i.e chicken, ham or tuna.
(I used tuna and chicken, make sure chicken is cooked through before adding)

Roll up the dough and cut into inch thick slices, placing them on
a baking paper on an oven tray.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and
sprinkle some oregano and cheese on the top of each bun, before
baking for a further 5 minutes.

Enjoy hot and fresh, and the remaining buns make perfect packed lunches
or afternoon snacks.

Chocolate eclairs

The are delicious!! And not that difficult to make :)

There are 3 steps in making these yummy eclairs.

Ingredients

Choux pastry

125ml water

50g butter

60g plain flour

2 eggs beaten

The cream filling

300ml double cream

3 drops vanilla extract

2 teaspoons of caster sugar

Chocolate icing

50 grams dark chocolate

1 teaspoon butter

2 tablespoons water

85g icing sugar

Start by making the choux pastry, pour water and the butter into a saucepan.

Place this over a medium heat, as soon as the butter melts let it boil a little and throw in all of the flour and take it off the heat.

Stir until the mixture is is a dough and it does no longer stick to the sides of the pan, it will look like a small ball. (Do not over beat it).

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Once the mixture is warm to touch beat in the eggs a table spoon at a time, after each addition mix well.

The more you mix this the lighter the pastry will be. I used an electric mixer, which will make the beating easier for you.

Once the eggs have been beaten into the mixture, it should have a silky glossy consistency.

Now you will need a piping bag, scoop the paste into it and use a 1cm nozzle. Lightly oil and flour a baking tray, the length of the eclair should be 5cm long and a gap of 3 cm between each one.

Before you put them in the oven sprinkle them with a few drops of water. (This helps them rise well in the oven).

Bake them for 20 minutes and then turn the heat down to 180 and bake for another 10 minutes. 

They will look golden brown and will be well risen. (Try not to open the oven whilst baking otherwise they will sink).

Whilst the pastry is cooling down make the whipped cream.

In a deep bowl pour in the cream, caster sugar and the 3 drops of vanilla extract and whip the cream.

(Now you can put the cream into another piping bag to decorate the eclairs, or you can spread it on with a spoon)

I used a spoon to spread on the cream.

After that place the eclairs into the fridge to firm up.

To make the icing place the chocolate, water and butter into a heat safe bowl. 

Place the bowl over a pot with simmering water inside it.

When the chocolate has melted start adding the icing sugar, a tablespoon at a time.

Keep on stirring to avoid lumps.

Take the eclairs out of the fridge and smooth the icing on the top with a palette knife.

Leave the eclairs for the icing to set.

And Voila...Enjoy the little french cakes :)