Triple Chocolate Cookies (V)

Go Big or Go Home should be applied to these delights. Three type of chocolate in one cookie, so bad, its good.

Makes 22-24

175g Unsalted Butter, cubed at room temperature
175g Light Brown Caster Sugar
150g Dark Chocolate, in cubes/chunks
200g Milk Chocolate, roughly chopped
200g White Chocolate, roughly chopped
25g Cocoa Powder
1 Egg
200g Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract/Essence/Vanilla Bean Paste (I used paste)

1. Preheat oven to 180c/160c fan assisted. Combine sugar and the butter in a mixer or in a mixing bowl. Add the egg and mix.

2. Melt the dark chocolate in a Bain Marie or microwave. Once melted allow to cool slightly then add to the mixture and mix. Then add the cocoa powder, plain flour, baking powder and vanilla.

3. It should stiffen up slightly once you start to combine the flour. Once the mixture starts to stiffen add the roughly chopped chocolate to the dough and continue mixing until combined. Then you have the cookie dough (as difficult it was for me, don't eat the cookie dough, it would mean less cookies!)

4. Take an ice cream scoop or tablespoon if you don't have a scoop. Scoop a spoonful of cookie dough and place on the lined baking tray and press down lightly with the spoon. Don't put them too close. On my 14" x 10" tray I put 6 on the tray, you could get away with 8 as they don't spread out.

5. Put them in the oven for 12 minutes. When they are finished baking leave on the tray for 10 minutes to cool then transfer to wire rack. Eat warm or wait till they are cool to store in a tin for later.

With these the white chocolate is melted in the centre and are sooo goey.  Enjoy!

Proof in the pudding is in the eating and they deliver 

I am guilty at Oven Staring

Chocolate Orange Cake Explosion

Made this for my friends as a collective birthday cake. Went down a treat. Plus dark chocolate is good and it has an orange in it which is one of your 5 a day, so must be good for you (not a doctor).

125g Dark Chocolate, broken into pieces
1 ½ tbsp Cocoa Powder, sifted
1 tsp Baking Powder, sifted
250g Plain Flour, shifted
3 Large Eggs
250ml Sunflower Oil
275g Golden Caster Sugar
1 Juice and Zest of a Large Orange

Topping (Ganache)
200g Dark Chocolate
200ml Double Cream
25g Dark Chocolate, grated (optional)
Chocolate Orange Wedges (Popular Branded ones)

1.  Line a 8 inch cake tin with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan assisted.

2. In a bowl mix, mix the sugar, oil and eggs together. Then add the orange juice and zest to the bowl and give another mix.

3. In either a bain marie or a microwave, melt the dark chocolate. In a ban marie continue to stir so it doesn't burn. If you choose to melt the chocolate in the microwave, heat for a minute, give a stir and heat for a further minute, continue the process until the dark chocolate is melted.

4. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly and add this to the mixture. When combined add the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. 

5. This should thicken the cake mixture. Pour into the cake tin and put in the oven for 45-55 minutes. Check the centre of the cake with a skewer to see if it's baked all the way through. Put on a rack to cool. 

6. While the cake is cooling make the Chocolate Ganache. To do this heat the cream in the pan. When it starts to boil take off the heat. Put the chocolate in a heat proof dish and pour over the heated cream and begin to stir until fully combined. Leave to cool slightly.

7. Decorate the cake by pouring the ganache over the cake (make sure you have a plate underneath the rack to catch the chocolate). Place chocolate orange wedges on the cake. Grate with chocolate. Place in container (on a cake board or plate). Place in fridge to allow ganache to harden. Serve

Strawberry, White Chocolate & Vanilla Cake

So it was my sister's birthday and she loves strawberries. She wanted a healthy strawberry cake. I delivered on one of these. 


Makes 1 Cake

175g Golden Caster Sugar

175g Butter, cubed at room temperature
3 Eggs
225g Self Raising Flour
1½ tsp Baking Powder
50g White Chocolate
125g Strawberries, pureed

Filling/Topping/Decorations
1 Punnet of Strawberries, topped and cut in half
3/4 tbsp Strawberry Jam
2 Boxes of White Chocolate Fingers
250g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature and cubed
500g Icing Sugar, sifted
1tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Red Food Colouring

1. Line an 8 inch cake tin with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan assisted.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together. Then add the eggs gradually. It should resemble scrambled eggs.

3. Then shift self raising flour and baking powder in the bowl and stir. Microwave the white chocolate so it's melted. Leave to cool slightly then add the white chocolate and strawberries.

4. Pour into the greased cake tin and put in the oven for 50-55 minutes. Check with a skewer through the centre to see if it's done (skewer should come out clear if its done). Allow to cool on wire rack.

5. While the cake is cooling make the vanilla buttercream icing. Mix the butter and icing sugar together until smooth and then add the vanilla and give another mix. Add the red food colouring (see below for colour grading).

Colour of Buttercream Icing: If you are looking for a more red colour you will need more food colouring. For a pinker colour use less red food colouring. Add a tsp at a time and mix to see if its the colour you want and add more if needed.

6. Cut the cake in half horizontally, so you have 2 pieces. To assemble the cake take the bottom half and smoother the top of the cake with some of the buttercream. Then add strawberry jam. Then layer with the other piece of cake. Then cover the whole cake with buttercream icing. Use a spatula to get the side and get an even cover.

7. To decorate add the chocolate fingers around the side of the cake. Then dab the cut side of the strawberry with kitchen roll to remove excess juice then place on top of the take. Put in a container. Place in the fridge for when its needed. Keeps the strawberries fresh and sets the icing a bit.

Serve a piece of fabulous cake.

Reviews;

'It's so moist'

'Going in for another piece'

'That's food porn'

Lemon and Mint Cake

When life gives you lemons, ask where are all these lemons coming from. Then make a cake with them.


Makes 1 Cake

1 Lemon, juice and zest
200g Caster Sugar
200g Butter, cubed at room temperature
200g Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
3 Large Eggs
8 - 10 Mint Leaves, finely chopped
3-4 tbsp Lemon Curd

Topping
50g Icing Sugar
3-4 tbsp Lemon Juice
Zest 1 lemon (Optional)
3 Mint Leaves (Optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan assisted. Grease and line 2 x 20cm Cake Tins

2. You can do this with either a food mixer/processor or manually. Beat the caster sugar and butter together. Then add the eggs, juice and zest of a lemon and mint. Give a good mix. Then add the flour and baking powder.

3. Then divide the mixture between the two cake tins. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Check the centre of each cake to see if its done.

4. Allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack. Lather on lemon curd on top of one of the cakes. Then top with the other.

5. For the topping mix the icing sugar and lemon juice and spread on top of the cake. You can garnish with optional lemon rind and mint leaves.