Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

January 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I love cupcakes occasionally, when I fancy making pretty patterns on the top. This is a really easy recipe to “make and bake”. I prefer to replace half, occasionally all, of the plain white flour with wholemeal self raising flour, omitting half of the baking powder.

125 grams plain white flour
30 grams Green and Blacks organic cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
125 grams unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
125 grams light muscovado sugar or soft brown sugar
2 medium sized fresh eggs
2 tbsp milk
Topping
15 grams Green and Blacks organic cocoa, sifted
30 grams unsalted butter
Pinch sea salt flakes
55 grams golden syrup (or 30 grams golden syrup and 25 grams Miel de Cana or black treacle)
125 grams unrefined icing sugar, sifted
30 grams full-fat cream cheese
45 grams Cadbury´s large chocolate buttons or Cadbury´s original flake

  1. Preheat oven to 180ºC, 355ºF, gas mark 4 and line 18 bun tray cups with fairy cake cases.
  2. Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt into a bowl.
  3. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs – one at a time – with one tbsp dry ingredients, beating well between each addition.
  5. Mix wet ingredients into the dry, along with milk.
  6. Divide between liners, bake for 15 minutes – test with a fine skewer in the centre of the cupcakes, if it emerges clean, the cupcakes are ready.
  7. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before adding frosting.

Topping

  1. Mix the sifted cocoa with the butter and sea salt flakes in a small saucepan – add the syrup and place over a low heat – warm while stirring continuously until all the ingredients are blended, remove from the hob and allow to cool.
  2. Whisk in icing sugar, continue whisking until thickened then beat in the cream cheese.
  3. Spread (or pipe) the frosting over the cupcakes, top with a chocolate button or piece of Cadbury´s flake.
Filed Under: Cakes and buns, Filling, Frosting and Icing Tagged With: , , ,

Rocky Road Cheesecake

January 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I admit to being a little nervous about adding this recipe – it is rather rich, very very naughty and only for the serious chocoholics among us. The ingredients are not set in stone, have fun and change them if you prefer other things, but be warned it is high in calories! My daughter says it makes her teeth ache just looking at the recipe, can feel her bum getting larger with each mouthful and should come with a health warning. Small portions are definitely in order for this one.

Update – I decided to edit the recipe and remove some of the ingredients and replace with others. When we made this recipe, we scaled it down and just made an individual portion. I would advise others to do the same.

Crust
200 grams vanilla shortbread (or chocolate shortbread/chocolate chip cookies if you dare)
40 grams unsalted butter, melted
100 grams Green and Blacks dark milk chocolate, melted
Filling
200 grams Green and Black dark milk chocolate
600 grams cream cheese
150 ml double cream
150 ml Kendal Farms crème fraîche
Seeds of 1 vanilla pod
50 grams raisins – snipped in half
50 grams mini marshmallows, snipped in half
50 grams marzipan – snipped into small pieces
75 gram Cadbury´s Crunchie bar – chopped
50 gram natural glacé cherries – sliced
100 grams total – white and milk/dark chocolate buttons
50 grams hazelnut slivers
Decoration
60 grams Green and Blacks vanilla white chocolate – melted

  1. 22 cm spring form cake tin – line with clingfilm

Crust

  1. Put the shortbread into a strong plastic bag, crush with a rolling pin until fine. Transfer to a bowl, add the melted butter and mix until combined. Tip into the prepared tin, press down into the base and up the sides. Cover with clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, pour evenly over the crust, tilting the tin (or use a brush to spread out the chocolate), until the biscuits are evenly covered.
  3. Cover with the clingfilm, return to the fridge to set.

Filling

  1. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan containing 3 cm of barely simmering water, leave to melt then remove from the heat and stir until smooth; leave to cool a little.
  2. Stir the mascarpone and cream cheese until smooth, fold in the melted chocolate.
  3. Whisk the cream and crème fraîche with the vanilla seeds (or vanilla extract/bean paste) until soft peaks form, stir into the chocolate mixture.
  4. Add the raisins, marshmallow, marzipan, Crunchie pieces, cherries, chocolate buttons and nuts – these ingredients are not “set in stone”, if you prefer other ingredients, just replace them.
  5. Spoon evenly over the base, smooth out the top with a palette knife, cover the tin with clingfilm and chill overnight.
  6. When ready to serve, melt the white chocolate and drizzle in a lattice pattern over the cheesecake.
Filed Under: Cheesecakes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Whipped Chocolate Cheesecake

January 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This is a lovely light cheesecake, you might like to stir in a few raisins that have been soaked in a couple of tablespoons of hot brandy or aged dark rum, covered and allowed to cool. Add at step 6 with the melted chocolate. Green and Blacks also have a fantastic milk cooking chocolate and dark cooking chocolate that would be good in this recipe, perhaps half of each!

Biscuit Base 
230 grams digestive biscuit crumbs
30 grams finely grated Green and Blacks dark milk chocolate*
115 grams unsalted butter – melted
Filling 
230 grams Green and Blacks dark milk chocolate*
800 grams full fat cream cheese
1 vanilla pod – split lengthways, seeds scraped out
284 ml double cream
284 ml crème fraîche
1 tbsp unrefined icing sugar, sifted (or amount to taste)
Decoration – 2 original Cadbury flake – crumbled

Biscuit Base 

  1. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper (24 cm in diameter) over the base of a 20 cm spring form cake tin with a 2 cm overhang all around the tin, fit the sides (the base only should be covered); lightly brush the base (paper) with melted butter.
  2. Mix the melted butter with the biscuit crumbs and grated chocolate.
  3. Press the mixture into the base of the prepared tin, bake in a preheated oven set to 180ºC, 355ºF or gas mark 4 for about ten to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and set. Transfer tin to a wire rack and leave to cool before filling.

Filling 

  1. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, when melted stir until smooth.
  2. Put the cream cheese and vanilla seeds into a baking bowl, mix until smooth (the vanilla seeds should be evenly distributed).
  3. Stir in the melted chocolate.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the cream, crème fraîche and icing sugar until soft peaks form; fold into the chocolate, one third at a time.
  5. Spread the filling evenly over the base.
  6. Cover the tin with clingfilm and chill until ready to serve.
  7. When ready to serve, remove the spring form sides, carefully slide the cheesecake off the clingfilm onto a serving plate and scatter the crumbled Cadbury´s flakes evenly over the cheesecake.
Filed Under: Cheesecakes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mini Chocolate Cakes with White Chocolate Frosting

March 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

These are quite popular with children at birthday parties, for adults, you could replace some of the milk with a good quality chocolate liqueur, about one tablespoon (or more if you wish). I like to replace half of the white flour with wholemeal self raising flour – it adds a lovely nutty flavour and texture to the finished cakes.

Cakes
9 oz unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
9 oz unrefined caster sugar
4 large fresh eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or natural vanilla extract
8 oz self raising flour
1 oz Green and Blacks organic cocoa powder (or any other good quality cocoa, i.e. Hotel Chocolat)
Pinch sea salt
6 and 1/2 fl oz milk
White Chocolate Frosting
9 oz Green and Blacks white cooks chocolate (chopped) or Hotel Chocolat white chocolate drops
10 fl oz crème fraîche or soured cream
Crushed Cadbury´s flake

  1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC, 347ºF, gas mark 4.
  2. Line one 12 hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
  3. Place the butter and sugar into a large mixer bowl and beat until pale and smooth, add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, beat until well combined
  4. Sift the flour and salt into the bowl and fold into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, mix until smooth.
  5. Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin to cool for about 5 minutes, turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
  7. Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, when melted remove from the heat and stir until smooth, allow to cool a little.
  8. Gently whisk in the crème fraîche or soured cream until the icing is thick and creamy, spread over the cakes and decorate with a little crushed Cadbury´s flake, if liked.
Filed Under: Cakes and buns Tagged With: , , , , ,
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