Category Archives: Desserts

Chocolate Buttercream

Chocolate, Desserts

Covers a 20cm round cake. Make a smaller batch just for filling.

Ingredients

  • 150g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 0.5tsp vanilla extract
  • 375g icing sugar
  • 75g white/milk chocolate

Method

  • Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl over a saucepan of water.
  • Cream the butter, vanilla and sugar together.
  • Mix in the melted chocolate and leave to cool.

No-Bake Chocolate Strawberry Tart with an Oreo Base

Cakes, Chocolate, Desserts, Fruit

Chef’s tip: Serve with ice cream or clotted cream. If you’re feeling fancy, you could melt some extra chocolate and drizzle it on baking paper to make pretty patterns. Once it’s dry, you can use these as toppers to the cake.

Original recipe video can be found here so you can follow along: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4fbOGxiFDc

Ingredients (makes 10-12 slices, or halve the ingredients to make 6 slices)

  • 32 (330g) Oreo cookies, whole
  • 110g butter, melted
  • 7 oz/200g milk chocolate
  • 3.5 oz/100g plain/dark chocolate (I use 85%)
  • 200 ml heavy cream
  • 300g fresh strawberries
  • OPTIONAL: chopped nuts

Method

  • Place Oreo cookies (with filling) into a food processor and blend until it turns to crumbs.
  • Pour the melted butter into the crushed Oreos. Process until evenly moistened, or you could mix them with a spoon if you haven’t used a blender.
  • Press cookie mixture with the back of the spoon and your fingers where necessary, into the bottom and edges of a rectangular 5×14 inch (12 x 36 cm) tart pan.
  • Really press it in and up the sides to make a nice edge.
  • Freeze the base while you prepare the filling, just for few minutes.
  • Prepare your strawberries by removing the greenery.
  • Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat on medium-low for a few minutes. No boiling or simmering needed. This doesn’t take very long so keep an eye on it!
  • Remove the cream from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until it has all melted and is smooth. 
  • Pour the chocolate filling into the Oreo crust and make sure it’s level, then get your strawberries and press them gently into the chocolate so that they are half submerged.
  • If you imagine the slices you’ll cut, you can arrange the strawberries alternately in the large part of the slice.
  • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Custard

Desserts

Ingredients

  • 575ml of milk
  • 1-2tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 2tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornflour

Method

  • Pour the milk into a saucepan and put on a low heat so that it comes to a gentle simmer
  • In the mean time, beat the eggs, sugar and cornflour together in a large heatproof bowl.
  • When the milk is hot and simmering, take it off the heat and add the vanilla essence.
  • Pour the milk onto the egg mixture and make sure you keep stirring it (or whisking)
  • Put the mixture back into the saucepan and back on a low heat.
  • Keep stirring until it thickens.

Apple Crumble

Desserts, Fruit

Serves 4-6 people

Chef’s Tip: Try my custard recipe which goes perfectly with this crumble!

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 3-4 cooking apples
  • 75g golden caster sugar
  • A small knob of butter
  • Ground cinnamon

For the crumble:

  • 50g golden caster sugar 
  • 100g plain flour
  • 80g butter
  • Optional: 1tbsp soft brown sugar
  • Optional: 2tbsp ground almonds

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6
  • Peel and chop the apples into small cubes.
  • Put them in a large saucepan with a little bit of butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon and 75g of sugar, on a low-medium heat.
  • Cook until the apples are soft, remove from the heat and transfer to your oven dish.
  • Now to make the topping. Mix together 50g caster sugar, the flour and butter. 
  • At this point you can also add the optional ingredients which I highly recommend!
  • Use your hands to combine the ingredients until they are crumbly. 
  • Sprinkle the topping over your apples and bake for 10mins or until golden and crunchy on top.

 

Chocolate Ganache (smooth frosting)

Chocolate, Desserts

This recipe covers a 20cm cake.

Ingredients

  • 200ml double cream
  • 200g plain chocolate

Method

  • Heat the double cream in a saucepan until it’s boiling.
  • Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate has all melted and it’s smooth.
  • Leave it to cool.
  • For a rougher textured finish, you can whip the mixture slightly once it’s cooled down.

Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake

Cakes, Chocolate, Desserts

Ingredients

  • 225g/8oz plain flour
  • 350g/12½oz caster sugar
  • 85g/3oz cocoa powder
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp instant coffee
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 250ml/9fl oz milk
  • 125ml/4½fl oz vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200ml/9fl oz boiling water
  • 1x dark chocolate ganache

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins. If you only have springform tins, make sure you line the bases with a double layer of baking paper which is too big so comes out the sides. The mixture is very liquidy so will spill out otherwise.
  • Place all of the cake ingredients, except the boiling water, into a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, or electric whisk, beat the mixture until smooth and well combined.
  • Add the boiling water to the mixture, a little at a time, until smooth. (The cake mixture will now be very liquid.)
  • Divide the cake batter between the sandwich tins and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
  • While the cakes are in the oven, make your ganache so that it can sit and cool alongside the cakes.
  • Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool completely, still in their tins, before icing.
  • Spread a thin layer of the frosting on top of one cake and sandwich the other one on top.
  • Transfer to a plate or a board and top the cake with the remaining ganache.

Upside Down Toffee Apple Cake

Cakes, Desserts, Fruit

I use a 23cm round tin for this but you could squeeze it into 20cm. It makes enough cake for about 8 people. You can easily make a half batch if you need a smaller version.

Ingredients

For the topping:

  • 3 gala or granny smith apples
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 3tbsp water

For the cake:

  • 225g/8oz salted butter, softened
  • 225g/8oz golden caster sugar
  • 225g/8oz self-raising flour
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 4 free-range eggs, at room temperature
  • 60ml/4 tbsp whole milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

  • Grease your tin with butter and preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
  • Peel, core and slice your apples. Keep them in a bowl of cold water to stop them from browning.
  • I like to mix up the cake batter at this point. So, beat the butter and sugar until smooth.
  • Combine the flour and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl, and add it spoonfuls at a time with one egg at a time.
  • Mix each time until all 4 eggs are in and all the flour is gone.
  • Stir in the milk and vanilla.
  • Leave this to one side.
  • Put your 200g sugar and 3tbsp of water in a saucepan and get it on a medium to high heat. Let the sugar melt and watch it bubble until it turns a nice amber/golden colour. DO NOT STIR IT AT ANY POINT. If you’ve used golden caster sugar, you are looking for a slightly darker colour.
  • Place the apples in  pretty pattern in the bottom of your tin and pour the caramel mixture over them. You will need to do this quite quickly as it will start to solidify soon after it’s taken off the heat. Be very careful because it will be dangerously hot.
  • Now pour the cake mixture over the top and smooth it out.
  • Bake for 40-50mins, checking occasionally with a toothpick until it comes out dry and clean from the centre of the cake.
  • Take it out the oven once it’s done. Using oven gloves, place a cooling rack or a plate over the tin and quickly flip over, taking care not to burn yourself on any hot caramel that may leak from the tin. Remove from the tin and set aside to cool.