Easter Malteser Bunny Cake!

As Easter is only a week away now I decided it was time to start making some Easter themed bakes!  I've seen so many ideas on other blogs I want to try, especially the adorable Creme Egg lambs from The Pink Whisk, sooooo cute!  Definitely going to be giving those a go with my daughter as we'll most likely be snowed in this weekend!

This is a very simple cake as the bunnies are shop bought (on offer at Tesco at the moment!)  and the cake batter is a 'one bowl, chuck it all in and whisk' recipe. It's also super quick to make and decorate but still looks impressive.

Personally I love layer cakes but  you could easily scale down the recipe and bake it as little cupcakes which would be even quicker.  This cake will serve 10 people generously and stay fresh for a good few days so it's a great one to bake for the upcoming bank holiday weekend if you'll have friends and family over.  Plus who doesn't love Malteser bunnies!!!!

For the Cake :
300g plain flour
225g caster sugar
60g cocoa powder
3 large eggs
200ml vegetable oil
200ml milk
50ml black coffee
tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp golden syrup
3 large eggs
1.5tsp bicarbonate of soda
1.5 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
Grease and line two 20cm round cake tins.
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, bicarb and baking powder.  Make a well in the centre.
Crack the eggs into the well, followed by the oil, milk, coffee, vanilla and golden syrup.
Whisk together using an electric hand whisk until you have a shiny smooth batter.
Divide equally between the tins and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until the top springs back when pressed lightly.
Cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Malt Buttercream:
 60g soft unsalted butter
150g icing sugar
2 - 3 tbsp malt powder (Horlicks, Ovaltine, etc)
2 - 3 tbsp milk

Beat the butter and icing sugar together using a wooden spoon (this stops icing sugar flying everywhere and covering everything in your kitchen!)
Beat in the malt powder and enough milk to make a soft pipeable icing.  Use 2 tbsp malt powder for a subtle flavour or add the extra spoonful if you want it stronger.
Whisk the icing using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.  Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.

To Assemble the Cake:
10 Malteser mini bunnies (2 packets)
Handful of Smarties (or Mini Eggs, jelly beans, etc

 Place 1 cake layer onto your cake stand / plate.
Pipe an even layer of buttercream on top going around the edge in a circle, the star tip gives a nice neat edge.
Place the second cake on top and pipe 10 stars around the edge.
 Pipe any remaining buttercream into the centre of the cake and spread out with the back of a spoon.  Sprinkle over the Smarties and top each star with a bunny, facing outwards.

Almond Macaroon Cake

This is another recipe from my absolute favourite book at the moment, Home Sweet Home by Hummingbird Bakery.  I followed the recipe exactly so I won't reprint it but I totally recommend everyone should rush out and buy this book if they haven't already!

  The only slight addition I made was to add the roses on top to use up some of the extra marzipan (and to disguise the cracked top!)  I've only ever made roses using sugarpaste before which is less sticky so these ended up very rustic looking and a bit chunky but prettied the cake up nonetheless.

This cake caught my eye as I've tried several times to make French macarons but have failed miserably every single time so far.  The almond macaroon topping on this cake has the same taste and chewy texture but is much easier and quicker to make.  Next time I think I would add some food colouring to the mixture before baking and also leave it in the tin longer to allow it to cool fully which would stop the top cracking so much.

I'm still determined to master proper macarons though so look out for them on here when I finally manage it!

Giant White Chocolate and Raspberry Cookies

My other half is a massive fan of Tesco Finest White Chocolate and Raspberry Cookies, often devouring all 5 in the packet before anyone else gets a look in!     In an attempt to recreate them i've tried several recipes but they've always come out slightly too dry and cakey or so underbaked they're raw in the middle .  With this recipe I've finally cracked it, these cookies are soft and chewy without that raw doughiness.  You can add whatever you like to the basic cookie dough, I'm going to try salted caramel and pecan nuts next!

For the Cookie Dough :
 125g soft butter
100g baking spread (I always use Stork)
100g caster sugar
125g brown sugar
200g condensed milk
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp strawberry flavouring (optional)
325g plain flour
15g cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
100g white chocolate, roughly chopped
75g raspberry dried fruit pieces (I used Fruit Flakes or you could also use raspberry flavoured cranberries although these are harder to find!)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
Cream together the butter, baking spread and both types of sugar til just combined.  You don't need to beat in lots of air as you do when making a cake as these cookies don't need to rise, overbeating can give a more cakey texture rather than chewiness.
Beat in the condensed milk, vanilla extract and strawberry flavouring (if using) followed by the flour, cornflour and baking powder.
Gently fold in the white chocolate chunks and raspberry pieces so they are evenly distributed.
Divide the dough into 12 equal balls and place 6 on each baking sheet.  I used an ice cream scoop to do this as it makes it very easy to ensure each cookie is the same size.  You don't need to flatten them as they will spread during baking, just ensure they are spaced well apart.
Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until baked to your liking.  10 minutes gives very soft, doughy cookies.  15 minutes will give you much firmer cookies with crispy edges and just a little bit of chewiness in the centre.  My personal preference is 13 minutes, just cooked enough to not fall apart but still super gooey and yummy in the middle!
Allow the cookies to cool on the tray before removing by sliding a palette knife underneath them.
                                   

Mini Baker

Last week I saw a post on a lovely blog, The Pink Whisk featuring a recipe and tutorial for beautiful Mother's Day rose biscuits.  On Saturday morning myself and my little Ella decided to bake up a batch for her Nana as we knew she'd love them!  Ella made all the roses and leaves herself and was so proud giving them as a gift on Sunday.  They are a great way to make beautiful decorated biscuits that aren't too sweet as they aren't covered in lots of icing but still taste absolutely delicious.  We followed the recipe on Ruth's blog, except we added lemon flavouring instead of vanilla.
Ella enjoyed making these so much I think she will be coming up with lots of different designs in the future!

Custard Cream Cake

Can't decide between a slice of cake or a biscuit?  Try this!!

As a kid my favourite biscuits were always Custard Creams so when I saw the recipe for Custard Cream Cupcakes in the new Hummingbird Bakery cookbook 'Home Sweet Home' I was inspired to make this cake.  Most recipes use custard powder which I find gives a weird chalky flavour and texture that I really don't like.  This one however uses a creme pattissiere flavoured with vanilla pods so you don't get any of that nasty cornfloury-ness (yes it's a word!?!)
I have changed the recipe quite a bit but the original can be found in 'Home Sweet Home'. There are lots of stages but none of them take too long, the biscuits and creme pattissiere can be made a day in advance.

For the Biscuits:
100g soft unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
200g plain flour
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Beat the butter and sugar til combined then mix in the egg and vanilla paste.
Stir in the flour and cream of tartar to form a soft dough.  Wrap in clingfilm and chill for around 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C / 325 degrees F / Gas mark 3.
Line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
Roll out the dough fairly thinly (3-4mm).  I always roll the dough out between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper or clingfilm to avoid it sticking without adding any extra flour as this can make the biscuits tough.  Cut out as many biscuits as you can, I used a 5cm round cutter but you can use whatever shape you prefer.  Keep re-rolling and cutting until all the dough is used up.
Transfer the biscuits to the lined trays and bake for 8-10 minutes til lightly golden at the edges.  If you have cut much larger biscuits they may take a little longer.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Vanilla Creme Patissiere:
120ml milk
100ml single cream
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
2 egg yolks
40g caster sugar
15g cornflour
15g plain flour

Heat the milk, cream and vanilla pod til boiling, do this slowly and stir regularly to avoid scorching.
Mix the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and flour to a smooth paste in a large bowl.  Add 1-2 tbsp of the hot milk if needed.
Remove the vanilla pod then pour the boiling milk mixture over the paste, whisking all the time then quickly pour back into the pan.
Keep whisking over a low heat until the mixture thickens, this should take 4-5 minutes.
Pour the thick custard into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to cool completely.

For the Cake:
225g soft butter / margarine
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F / Gas 4
Grease and line two 20cm round cake tins.
Whisk all the ingredients together using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer til pale and fluffy.
Divide equally between the tins and smooth the tops using a spatula.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown and springy to touch.  Cool on a wire rack.

For the Buttercream:

50g soft unsalted butter
150g icing sugar
2 tbsp vanilla creme patissiere
1 - 2 tbsp milk if needed.

Cream together the butter and icing sugar.  Beat in the creme patissiere and enough milk to get a smooth spreadable consistency.

To assemble:

Place one cake layer flat side up on your serving plate.  Spread over the vanilla creme patissiere then top with the second cake layer, flat side down.
Spread a small amount of buttercream over half the biscuits and sandwich with the other half.  Stick the biscuits around the edge of the cake using a tiny dab of buttercream.
Spread the remaining buttercream over the top of the cake and crumble over any extra biscuits (or just eat them yourself!)

Chocolate Coconut Cake for a Brand New Blog!

I've been reading other peoples' baking blogs for a while now and thought it was about time I started one of my own!  For my first ever blog post I made this Chocolate Coconut cake topped with homemade coconut sweets that taste an awful lot like a popular chocolate bar.....not naming any names of course!  The sweets are super quick and easy to make, I only made a small batch but you can easily multiply the recipe if you want more.  They'd make great gifts wrapped up in pretty jars or bags!

For the Chocolate Cake :

100g soft butter or margarine
200g caster sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
50g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g plain flour (or use self-raising and omit the baking powder)
120ml milk
40ml black coffee ( you can't taste the coffee it just makes the chocolate flavour stronger!)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degree F / gas 3.
Grease and line two 8in / 20cm round cake tins.
Cream together the butter and sugar for around 5 mins til pale and fluffy.  You can use a stand mixer if you're lucky enough to have one, an electric whisk or just a wooden spoon and lots of effort!
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking the mixture really  well in between additions to avoid curdling.
Sift together the cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and flour then whisk half into the butter, sugar and egg mixture.
Whisk in the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients followed lastly by the black coffee.
Use a spatula to divide the batter equally between the tins and bake for 20 - 25 mins til springy on top and cooked through.  Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack and peeling off the baking paper.  Cool completely while you make the sweets.

For the Coconut Sweets:

50g dessicated coconut plus extra for sprinkling
60g icing sugar
60g condensed milk
50g - 100g chocolate

Simply mix all the ingredients together until they form a thick dough.  You may need to add a little more coconut if the mix is too wet or condensed milk if it won't come together.
Sprinkle a little coconut over the base of a baking tray or square container (I used a little plastic tub as all my baking trays are too large) to stop the sweets sticking.
Place the dough into the tray and press down really well to ensure it holds together.   Leave to
set for 2-3 hours while your cake cools.
Once the coconut has set, tip it out of the container and cut into pieces (I got 12)
Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 20 second bursts until smooth.  You can then either dip the sweets to completely coat them or just drizzle them like I did.  Leave to set while you make the coconut buttercream.

For the Buttercream:

75g  soft unsalted butter
175g icing sugar, sifted
50g dessicated coconut (you can add more or less depending on how coconutty you want it)
tbsp milk (if needed)

Beat the butter, sugar and coconut til fluffy and smooth.  Add the milk if needed to get a spreadable consistency.

To assemble the cake:

Place one of the cakes on your serving plate, flat side up.
Spread or pipe on the coconut buttercream.
Sandwich the second cake on top, flat side down 
Arrange the coconut sweets around the edge of the cake and drizzle over any leftover melted chocolate.  (If you  ate the leftovers  haven't got any left  just sprinkle with more coconut or dust with cocoa powder)

Thanks for reading, please leave me a comment if you try the recipe!
xxx