How Does My Garden Grow Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes !

English Muffins

ENGLISH MUFFINS

Tarte Tatin !     A Classic Upside-Down Cake, served warm with cream or créme fraîche.



What do we need:

For the Pastry:  (Which is a sweet crust pastry)


100 gr. self-raising flour
 50 gr. diced butter
1 level tablespoon sifted icing sugar  (poedersuiker)
1 large egg yolk
scant tablespoon cold water



For the topping:

900 gr. dessert apples ( I used Jazz but Pink Lady is also a very good apple)
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 Lemon
75 gr. butter
75 gr. demerara sugar (rietsuiker)

To finish:
75 gr. demerara sugar (optional)


1. First prepare the pastry. Measure the flour, butter and icing sugar into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and enough water to bring the mixture together to a firm but not sticky dough. Knead lightly, wrap in clingfilm and chill for about 30 minutes.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C.   Peel, core and slice the apples and sprinkle with the lemon juice and rind. (Well, i didn't peel the slices as I know Mary leaves them on).
Measure the butter and sugar into a small pan ( Not a non-stick pan ) and heat gently until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Pour into the base of a 23 cm  sandwich tin.
Arrange a single layer of the best apple slices in a circular pattern over the mixture.
( I did so anti clockwise as it is an upside-down cake, so mirror image).
Cover with the remainder of the slices.

3. Roll out the chilled dough on to a lightly floured work surface and use to cover the apples.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.  ( It will have shrunk a little when cooked).

4. Tip the juices from the cake tin into a small pan. Turn the tart out on to a plate, with the pastry on the bottom.  Boil the juices to reduce to a syrupy caramel and pour over the apple.
If there is very little juice (depends on the apples used) add 2 tablespoons of  demerara sugar, dissolved in the pan with the juices and cook until syrupy. Serve warm, with cream, créme fraîche or Yoghurt.

I heard of a story that two French Sisters invented this tart........


                                                                 Enjoy !!!
                                                           Bon Appetit !!!

Bishops' Fingers

Bishops'  Fingers

Lavender Biscuits

LAVENDER Biscuits






                                                        Enjoy!!!

Fork Biscuits

FORK BISCUITS





                                                             Enjoy!

Chocolate and Orange Fairy Cakes !!!

Coffee and Walnut Traybake

Coffee and Walnut Traybake

 

Autumn Traybake

  
Mary says: Coffee and walnuts go very well together, but you can use other nuts if you prefer.
An ideal bake to feed large numbers.

 

Photo by David

 

 

What do we need?

 

225 gr. softened butter

225 gr. light muscovado sugar (or just light brown caster sugar)

275 gr. self-raising flour

2 level teaspoons baking powder (backing, Dr. Oetker)

4 Large eggs

2 tablespoons of milk

2 tablespoons coffee essence

75 gr. chopped walnuts

 

 

 

For the icing:

75 gr. softened butter

225 gr. icing sugar

2 teaspoons milk

2 teaspoons coffee essence

Walnut halves.

 

 

With Pecans and Coffee essence 

 

 

 

                                                                   Enjoy!!!

Chocolate & Blueberry Fairy Cakes

                                            Chocolate & Blueberry Fairy Cakes!




                                                            (Darkly Delicious)



 

All the ingredients that we need are:

 

 

125 gr. self-raising flour (they say sifted but i think that is to see if there aren't any mice in it)

25  gr. cocoa powder ( Cadbury's Mmmm)

125 gr. margerine softened, but i used butter.

125 gr. golden caster sugar

and 2 Large Eggs

 

For the topping:

100 gr. milk chocolate, roughly chopped. I had some chocolate left over from my Death by Chocolate cake so i used that.

100 gr. Icing sugar

250 gr. unsalted butter it says, but i find 150 gr. is really enough.

100 gr. blueberries (but i only used a few, plus some other berries you can use)

1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting

1 tsp multicoloured sugar balls. Or a little box of Bunte Crispies from Ruf.

 

 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 C.  Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cup/fairy cake cases. Combine all the ingredients for the batter in a large mixing bowl. Beat using an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes untill smooth. I find that a wooden spoon also works.

 

2. Divide the batter evenly between the cases. For this i use an ice-cream scooper. Bake for 15 minutes until risen and a toothpick comes out clean from their centres.  Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

 

3. Prepare the icing by melting the milk chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until smooth. Call Marie to jump in the bath again! :-)

Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and beat again until smooth and even.

 

4. Once the cakes are cool, spread their tops with the icing and dot each cake with a few blueberries or other berries if you want. Decorate the tops with a light dusting of icing sugar through a tea strainer and a sprinkle of coloured sugar balls.

 

Makes: 12             Preparation:  30 minutes + Cooling         Cooking: 20 minutes.

 

 

 

                                                                Enjoy!!!

 

 



Nusskuchen

Nusskuchen !




As it was a baking sort of day i decided to give it a go!

What do we need:

40 gr shelled hazelnuts (no skin)
100 gr softened butter
100 gr caster sugar
2 large "seperated" eggs
1 level teaspoon instant coffee granules         (I used very strong espresso)
1 table spoon warm milk for the coffee granules
100 gr self-raising flour

For the filling:
450 gr dessert apples
2 tabelspoons of Apricot Jam
Grated rind and juice of half of a lemon

To finish:
50 gr plain chocolate (39 % cocoa solids)


It may look a lot of work but actually it isn't at all!



Nusskuchen is a German Cake and translates as Nut Cake, not to be mistaken as Nut Case.

Enjoy !!!!

Iced Fairy Cakes

Iced Fairy Cakes

These Fairy Cakes i made are Blueberry and Lavender.

"Death by Chocolate"

What do we need for a two tier cake:  ( I have used half of all this for a single tier, but i did cut the cake horizontally for the icing layer.)

275 gr. plain flour
3 level tabelspoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 level teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 level teaspoons of baking powder
215 gr caster sugar
3 tabelspoons golden syrup
3 large eggs, beaten
225 ml sunflower oil
225 ml milk

For the icing: 450 gr. plain chocolate (39 % cocoa solids)
                       200 gr. unsalted butter

To finish: 50 gr. (Belgian) white chocolate and plain chocolate, each coarsely grated.

Brugge. That's what the house smells like. The chocolate factory in Brugge.

Parkin

Traditional Parkin or Yorkshire Parkin

  "This is old-fashinoned parkin, using black treacle. A favourite from the North of England. Parkin definitely improves with keeping, so try to store it for a week before cutting."

Lady Arundel's Manchet

Lady Arundel's Manchet
Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal (mayzena)
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup melted butter or oil
1 egg
1 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients in bowl, mix well. Mix togethe egg, milk and butter. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, and mix just until blended. Pour into a buttered tin (20cm) 8 inch square pan. Bake in a hot oven 400 Fah- 200 C. 25 mins or untill done. Serve warm with butter and honey.
But i use margerine and light Agave sirop.

Madeira Cake by the WI

Madeira Cake

Serves 8

What do we need:

110 gr butter softened
110 gr caster sugar
a pinch of salt
3 eggs, it says lightly beaten but in the recipe it says add the eggs one by one?
140 gr self-raising flour
finely grated zest of 1 lemon




Tip: This mixture can be used as a base for a fruit cake- just add 110 gr of currants, 60 gr of sultanas and a little mixed peel.

 

 

 

 

"Enjoy"

 

Madeira Cake

Madeira Cake


This is a rich, densely textured sponge cake. It is essential that the butter is a creamy consistency before mixing the ingredients together, says Mary.

I say: My first ever cake baked from Mary Berry's bible, and it's a winner everytime!




What do we need:

175 gr. softened butter
175 gr. caster sugar
225 gr. self-raising flour
50 gr. ground Almonds
3 large eggs
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
a thin slice of citron peel



Serve with a glass of Madeira wine. Or a cuppa. Which is a far better idea. Enough calories in the cake i reckon. ;-)



                                                       "Enjoy"