Category: Baking

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Odlums chocolate biscuit cake recipe


odlums_ireland
Who doesn’t love chocolate biscuit cake? This recipe is perfect to make a few days before Christmas Day to give you more time to enjoy the festivities.✨

You will need:
275g/10 oz Butter
150ml/¼pt Golden Syrup
225g/8oz Chocolate (good quality, at least 60% cocoa)
½ x 400g packet of Digestive Biscuits, roughly crushed
½ x 400g packet of Rich Tea Biscuits, roughly crushed
1 packet of Maltesers
125g/4oz Shamrock Walnuts, Brazil Nuts and/or Almonds (optional)
Add the biscuits, Maltesers and fruit and nuts, if used. Stir well.

Method:
✔️Line a 15cms/6″ round cake tin or a 2lb loaf tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper.
✔️Melt the butter, syrup and chocolate in a pan over a low heat. Stir to make sure all the ingredients are well mixed together.
✔️Add the biscuits, Maltesers, fruit and nuts, if used. Stir well.
✔️Transfer to the prepared tin. Level it on top and press down well to avoid air gaps. ✔️Allow to cool and harden. Wrap completely in greaseproof paper and store in a fridge.

#odlums #behindeverybake #chocolatebiscuitcake #christmasbaking
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Rachel Allen’s lavender sponge cake with rhubarb curd

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A lovely lavender flavoured cake with a hint of rhubarb from Rachel’s TV series “All Things Sweet” proudly sponsored by Connacht Gold.

Ingredients

For the lavender sponge

  • 6 eggs
  • 175 g (6 oz) caster or granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 150 g (5 oz) plain flour
  • 2 tsp lavender buds, finely chopped (off the stems)
  • 125 g (4½ oz) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

For the rhubarb curd

  • 550 g (1 lb 3 oz) rhubarb, cut in to 1cm (½in) slices (weigh when sliced and trimmed)
  • 200 g (7 oz) caster or granulated sugar
  • 75g (3 oz) butter
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • To decorate
  • icing sugar

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Line the base of three 18cm (7in) cake tins and butter the sides.
  2. To make the sponge, place the eggs, the sugar and the salt in the bowl and, using an electric whisk, beat for 5–8 minutes until tripled in volume, light and fluffy. Sift in the flour and fold into the light mousse-like mixture with the lavender and the melted butter, working quickly so that too much air does not escape.
  3. Divide the cake mixture into the three tins and place in the oven. Bake for 22–25 minutes until light golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let sit in the tin for a few minutes before taking out and cooling on a wire rack.
  4. Next, make the curd. Place the rhubarb and 50g (2oz) of the sugar in a saucepan on a medium heat, stirring every so often. Cook for about 5–6 minutes until the rhubarb has softened, broken up completely and the mixture has thickened to a pulp.
  5. Pour into a sieve sitting over a bowl and push the mixture through the sieve into the bowl, making sure to scrape the underside of the sieve to get every last bit.
  6. Next, place the butter in the cleaned saucepan on a low-medium heat and allow to melt. Take off the heat just while you add in the eggs, rest of the sugar and the rhubarb purée. Put back on a low heat and stir all the time for about 2–3 minutes until thickened. Take off the heat, tip into a bowl and allow to cool.
  7. When ready to assemble, place one cake (save the cake with the best-looking top for the top) upside down on a plate or cake stand. Place half of the curd on top and spread it out (I like to allow the curd to drip slightly over the edges). Put the next cake, right side up, on top, then cover with the second half of the curd, as before. Finally, top with the third (and best-looking) cake. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with some more lavender if you’d like.

http://www.connachtgold.ie/recipes/rachel-allen-lavenderspongecake/

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Pecan and Salted Caramel Butter Cookies

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Recipe by Sharon Hearne-Smith

  • Ready Time : 20 min
  • Serves: 24

Ingredients

  • 225g Avonmore Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 200g icing sugar
  • 300g plain flour
  • 125g cornflour
  • 100g pecans, finely chopped
  • 1tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2tbsp whole milk
  • 150g Avonmore Salted Butter, softened
  • 200g icing sugar
  • 100g caramel (from a can or jar)
  • 1/4 tsp roughlycrushed sea salt flakes
  • 1tsp vanilla extract

Directions

The melt in the mouth, buttery cookies can be enjoyed as they are. However, when combined with the sweet but salty caramel buttercream filling, there will be no going back for you!

Enjoy these as an afternoon treat with a tea or coffee, include them on a party table or make for a school bake sale

First, to make the cookie dough, beat the butter and icing sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add the flour, cornflour, pecans, cinnamon and milk and beat until well blended to give a smooth dough.

Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a 25cm sausage shape. Wrap each one in a piece of parchment paper, twisting the ends to secure. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm. This can be made up to a few days in advance or longer if frozen.

Meanwhile make the salted caramel filling. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer or processor until smooth. Add the caramel, salt and vanilla and beat until well combined. Spoon into a piping bag which has been snipped to a 1-2cm opening and refrigerate until needed.

When ready to cook the cookies, preheat the oven to 160C (fan 140C), 325F, Gas Mark 3.  Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper. Unroll the cookie logs, trim the ends and cut each one into 24 x 1cm wide slices, arranging them spaced apart on the tray as you go. Bake for 20 minutes until just firm to the touch and just beginning to catch colour.

Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack, arranging half of them underside up. Once cool, pipe about a tablespoon of the filling into the centre of each of the upturned cookies. Top each one with another cookie, pretty side up, pressing it down gently to allow the filling to ooze to the edge. If the filling is quite soft them pop them into the fridge for about 20-30 minutes until firm.

These will last for about 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

 

TIPS

Use walnuts, almonds or roasted hazelnuts instead of the pecans if preferred.

Try out different cookie flavours by replacing the cinnamon and pecans with dried cranberry and white chocolate chip or lemon zest and poppy seeds. In which case replace the caramel sauce in the filling with melted and cooled white chocolate or lemon curd respectively.

Make minature versions by simply rolling the dough into longer and thinner rolls.

If you only need 12 cookies at a time, then freeze one dough roll and make half of the filling with each bake.

    
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http://cookwithavonmore.ie/recipe/pecan-salted-caramel-butter-cookies/

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Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

 

 
Retweeted

3h3 hours ago

 
 

This is not a drill! is Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

Makes: 10-12 slices

Metric Cups

For the Base

  • 125 grams digestive biscuits
  • 60 grams butter
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

For the Filling

  • 175 grams dark chocolate (chopped small)
  • 500 grams cream cheese
  • 150 grams caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon custard powder
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 150 millilitres sour cream (or just use a 142ml pot)
  • ½ teaspoon cocoa powder (dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water)

For the Glaze (Optional)

  • 75 grams dark chocolate (finely chopped)
  • 125 millilitres double cream
  • 1 teaspoon golden syrup

Method

  1. To make the base, process the biscuits to make rough crumbs and then add the butter and cocoa.
  2. Process again until it makes damp, clumping crumbs and then tip them into a 23cm / 9 inch springform tin. Press the biscuit crumbs into the bottom of the tin to make an even base and put into the freezer while you make the filling.
  3. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180ºC/160°C Fan/350ºF. Put a kettle on to boil. Melt the chocolate either in a microwave or double boiler, and set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Beat the cream cheese to soften it, and then add the sugar and custard powder, beating again to combine. Beat in the whole eggs and then the yolks, and the sour cream. Finally add the cocoa dissolved in hot water and the melted chocolate, and mix to a smooth batter.
  5. Take the springform tin out of the freezer and line the outside of the tin with a good layer of clingfilm, and then another layer of strong foil over that. This will protect it from the water bath.
  6. Sit the springform tin in a roasting pan and pour in the cheesecake filling. Fill the roasting pan with just-boiled water to come about halfway up the cake tin, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. The top of the cheesecake should be set, but the underneath should still have a wobble to it.
  7. Peel away the foil and clingfilm wrapping and sit the cheesecake in its tin on a rack to cool. Put in the fridge once it’s no longer hot, and leave to set, covered with clingfilm, overnight. Let it lose its chill before unspringing the cheesecake to serve.
  8. To make the chocolate glaze, very gently melt the chopped chocolate, cream and syrup. When the chocolate has nearly melted, take off the heat and whisk it to a smooth sauce. Let it cool a little, and then Jackson Pollock it over the chocolate cheesecake on its serving plate. Use the remaining glaze as an accompanying sauce.