Rocky Road

This is a very quick and simple recipe that can be adapted to suit different tastes and dietary requirements. The only cooking required is the melting of the chocolate, making it the perfect recipe to make with children.

You will need:

  – half a packet of digestive biscuits
– dessicated coconut

  – a bar of dark chocolate

  – glacé cherries

  – mini marshmallows

 NB. This list of ingredients is purely a guideline, as the recipe can be adapted to include most things. Why not try milk or white chocolate? Ginger snaps or shortbread? Raisins or nuts?

To prepare: line a baking tray with clingfilm or greaseproof paper.

• Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir slowly until all the chocolate is smooth and melted. Then remove from the heat.
• Tightly wrap half the biscuits in clingfilm so there are no gaps and hit them with a rolling pin until they are broken into small pieces. Add the broken biscuit pieces to the melted chocolate and stir.
• Chop the glacé cherries into chunks and add to the melted chocolate mix along with a generous sprinkling of dessicated coconut. Mix until the ingredients are well combined.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the lined baking tray and compress it with the back of a spoon so that it is tightly packed together. Then sprinkle the marshmallows on the top – I’ve left half without marshmallow topping, so that it is suitable for vegetarians.

Then leave to set on a shelf in the fridge for approximately 45 minutes.

Once the Rocky Road is set, simply remove and chop into manageable chunks. Then it’s ready to enjoy with a cup of tea.

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

 

I’ve baked these cakes twice in the past week because they are simply delicious and very very easy to make.The recipe comes from a cupcake book purchased from Next (www.next.co.uk)  a couple of years ago.

 

You will need:

 140g butter

115g golden caster sugar

1 orange

2 eggs

115g self raising flour

140g plain chocolate

golden syrup

(plus optional decoration, eg.orange chocolate flutes)

 To prepare: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases.

• Grate the rind of the orange and put in a large mixing bowl along with the sugar and 115g of the butter and mix together until smooth and creamy.  I find it easier to mix if the butter has been softened in a microwave for 30 seconds or so first, but if not, it just takes extra muscle power.

• Crack your eggs into a separate bowl and beat lightly before adding to the butter and sugar mix and then sift in the flour. When combining these ingredients, do not beat the mixture, but instead use folding motions to keep in the air and ensure a light and moist sponge.

• Finally, grate 25g of the plain chocolate and add, along with the juice of one orange (keep your eyes peeled for pips!) then spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes in the middle of the oven. After 20 minutes, use a fork or knife to gently pierce and middle of the cake- if it comes out clean, the cakes are fully baked. Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack or dinner plate.

To make the icing:

• Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water, then break the remaining chocolate into the bowl along with 25g butter and a tablespoon (two teaspoons) of golden syrup. Stir gently until the chocolate and butter are melted and the ingredients are well combined.

• Leave the chocolate mixture to cool and thicken slightly then spoon onto the cooled cupcakes. Store the iced cakes in an airtight tin in a cool place and leave the topping to harden (do not refrigerate or the butter in the sponge will set and make a hard, dense sponge).

If you want to add decoration to the top of the cupcakes, here are a few ideas:

• Orange chocolate flutes (pictured) broken into pieces and arranged in a cross pattern.
• Orange Smarties in clusters of three or four.
• A segment of Terry’s chocolate orange.

You can see I’ve kept with a chocolate orange theme in my decoration choices, but with cupcake decoration- anything goes! It’s the most fun part, in my opinion, so get creative and go wild.

And there you have it: a zesty orange sponge, topped with a rich chocolate icing. Scrumptious!

Introduction to Kate and her bakes

Hello Cake-lovers!

I’ve been making sweet creations since I was small, but thanks to television shows such as the BBC’s Great British Bake Off, I’ve caught the baking bug stronger than ever before.

Every week I’ll be sharing my latest bakes, including ingredients and photos , as well as step by step instructions for you to recreate the recipes yourself at home.

But for now, let’s get baking!