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