Strawberry and Chocolate Ganache Mini Cucakes

Ingredients
(makes about 50)

Chocolate Ganache
150ml whipping cream
150g dark chcoclate
50g jam
60g butter
30ml Creme de Cassis

Strawberry Sponge
200g self raising flour
200g sugar
200g soft butter
1egg
1tsp vanilla essence
60g of strawberries finely chopped

Slices of strawberries to decorate

Method

1.     First make the chocolate ganache, heat up the cream to a boil

2.     Add the boiling cream to chocolate, honey and butter and mix until everything is melted

3.     Allow to cool then add the crème de cassis

4.     Scrape down the sides of the bowl and refrigerate.

5.     Next make the cupcakes, pre-heat the oven to 180 C

6.     Cream the butter and sugar

7.     Add the egg and vaniila

8.     Mix in the dry ingredients.

9.     Mix in the chopped straberries

10. Spoon the cupcake mix into mini cupcake cases

11. Bake for about 15 mins then allow to cool.

12. Fill a piping bag with a star tip with ganache

13. Pipe onto each cupcake

14. Decorate with a sliced strawberry

Strawberry and Raspberry mini Mogadors

Ingredients (makes 8)

Chocolate Genoise Sponge
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
120g sugar
100g plain flour
20g cadbury's hot chocolate powder

Chocolate Mousse
75g egg yolks
35g sugar
35ml water
150g chocolate
300g cream

Assembly
Creme de Cassis
75g rasberries
60g strawberries

Strawberry halves to decorate

1.     Start with the genoise sponge, blanche the eggs and yolk in a bowl with the sugar

2.     Warm the eggs and sugar mix in a bain marie until they feel warm

3.     Take off the heat and whist until the mix is cool the eggs have a ribbon like texture

4.     In a separate bowl sift the flour and hot chcolate powder and work together with a whisk

5.     Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mix with a rubber spatula whilst turning the bowl. ½ then ½

N.B. When folding in the dry ingredients cut into the centre of the mix while turning the bowl.

6.     Ladle the mix into 8 small mould so they are½ full. Smooth with a rubber spatula

N.B. The mould is not greased so the genoise keeps its diameter

7.     Bake at 180C for  10-15 mins then transfer onto a rack to cool in its mould

8.     Now prepare the ingredients for the mousse. Whip the cream and refrigerate

9.     Separate the eggs and beat the egg yolks in a small bowl.

10. Put he chocolate over a bain marie to melt

11. Make the sugar syrup, in a pan put the water in first then the sugar and bring to the boil

12. Whip the syrup and eggs together until cool and you have a smooth ribbon texture

13. Fold the cream into the eggs and syrup mix with a spatula

14. Fold 1/3 of the mix into the chocolate with a whisk then fold in the rest with a whisk

N.B. Once the mix is ¾ mixed finish wit a spatula

15. Leave the mix out whilst you prepare the sponge

16. Scrape round the mould with a knife to un-mould the sponge. Clean the mould well.

17. Put the genoise back in the mould

18. Imbibe the sponge generously with the crème de cassis

19. Cut  the strawbeeris  and rasberries into small pieces an place a small heap on each sponge

20. fill the cake with the chocolate mousse using the scraper.

N.B. Fill the sides first then smooth then fill the centre

21. Use a flat spatula to smooth off the top of the cake keeping it slightly higher in the centre

22. But the cake in the freezer

23. Once the cake has set pop a strawberry half on each

24. Remove the mould and serve on a pretty saucer

Pink Vanilla and Rose Cupakes

I love these because they're so pretty!

Ingredients

(makes 6)

For the cupcakes:

50g self-rasing flour

50g caster sugar

50g margarine

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 egg

a few drops of red food colouring

For the rose butter-cream topping:

200g unsalted butter

50g icing sugar

1 1/2 tsp rose essence

a few drops of red food colouring

6 sugared rose petals

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C

Whisk together all the ingredients of the cupcakes in a large bowl until smooth

Spoon the cupcake mix into cupcake cases

Bake for about 15 mins then allow to cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling make the topping

Cream the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl

Whip in rose essence and food colouring

Pipe the butter-cream topping onto the cooled cupcakes.

Decorate each cupcake with a sugared rose petal

Lemon and Ginger Tea Meringues

This recipe was inspired by the egg foams part of Dr Heve This's lecture I wrote about in my Science of Cooking post . It makes an amazing amount of the most beautiful melt-in-your-mouth meringues from very little ingredients.

Ingredients:

(Makes about 50)

For the meringue:

100g caster sugar

2 egg whites
75ml hot water
1 lemon and ginger tea bag

2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 120 C
Make the tea buy putting tea bag in the hot water.

While the tea cools, whisk the egg whites, sugar and lemon into soft peaks.

Then slowly add the tea and whisk until very stiff.

Pipe small whirls of meringue mix (about 6cm diameter) onto a non-stick baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 1 1/4 mins until the meringue in completely dry.

The Science Of Cooking

Something that I have become interested in recently is finding out about the science of cooking and why ingredients react the way they do to different conditions and processes. I feel that the more I understand this, the more experimental I can be with my recipes, and the greater chance that they will work.

I have just finished reading The science of cooking by Dr. Peter Barham. Dr Barham is at the forefront of scientific understanding of  molecular gastronomy (essentially the science of cooking), yet the science of cooking is a fantastic book that explains the science behind cookery in an engaging understandable way. It also contains great simple recipes to demonstrate the concepts that are explained.

I also just watched this brilliant lecture given by Dr Herve This, another giant of molecular gastronomy given at Imperial College. It is both amusing and enlightening an well worth any hour of anyones time.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Hearts

I had a little of the raspberry and dark chocolate coating left over from  my dark chocolate and raspberry mini meringues so I decided to make some heart shaped chocolates. I simply spooned the left over coating into a silicone chocolate mold and popped in the freezer for about an hour to set.

Mini Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Meringues

This recipe is relatively easy but looks very impressive when served to your guests.

Ingredients:

(Makes 25)

For the meringue:

100g caster sugar

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

For the raspberry and dark chocolate coating:

60g raspberries

200g dark chocolate

Method:

First make the meringues:

Pre-heat the oven to 120 C

Whisk the egg whites and vanilla into soft peaks.

Then slowly add the sugar and whisk until stiff.

Using a star piping nozzle pipe small stars of meringue mix (about 4cm diameter) onto a non-stick baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 45 mins

 

Once the meringues are baked and cooled make the chocolate coating:

Melt the chocolate over a bain marie until runny.

While the chocolate is melting cut up the raspberries into small pieces.

Add the raspberries to the melted chocolate while it is still over the heat an stir until you have a smooth runny mix.

Holding them by their tops, dip bottom of the meringues into the chocolate coating and place on a non-stick sheet.

Pop the finished meringues in the fridge so the chocolate can cool and set.