Baking with Elliott

Baking the world a sweeter place

School Recipes

Chocolate Hedgehogs

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If you remember these chocolatey cornflake mounds from school, this recipe is going to give you a throwback!I have seen people call these ‘chocolate hedgehogs’ and ‘Chocolate cracknell’ but I have always known them as chocolate hedgehogs.

I have seen these chocolate hedgehogs and other old school bakes rise in popularity, especially over on social media. People have been posting asking for recipes and I’ve even seen people start making these from home and selling them, which is great but some of them are a bit hit and miss, if I’m honest. If you remember these, this will sure take you back to your school days.

Anyway, if you’re not sure exactly what these are, I’ll tell you. They are a really simple, no bake dessert that use to be served in schools in and around England. As always with these old school recipes, I’m never sure if they are local or national, I know they can have several names for the same bake. So basically they are cornflakes coated with a chocolatey syrupy mixture which is then scooped up into a large ice cream scoop, compressed, then placed in the fridge to chill for a short while, easy enough right? This is the perfect recipe if you’re looking for something chocolatey, crunch and sweet this might just hit the spot.

There isn’t really a whole lot to do when making these, so these would be ideal to make with kids. Anyway, melt the butter and syrup together, either in a microwave or in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted, allow to cool for a few minutes while you mix together your cornflakes, sugar and cocoa powder, then pour over your liquid mixture on top of the cornflake mixture and mix very well until its all well combined. You will notice a change in the colour of the cornflakes, this is due to the cocoa powder. Once it’s all well combined, get your ice cream scooped scoop up a good amount and then compress them down using either a spoon or a smaller cup measurement, either will work well.You will then want to transfer each your compressed mounds of the chocolate cornflakes onto a lined baking tray and once you’ve filled your tray, place in the fridge for around 30-45 minutes, then enjoy. These are quick and easy and best of all are no-bake and don’t require any baking (which is ideal as the UK is currently experiencing a heatwave and just the thought of being in a warm kitchen makes me not want to bake). These are best enjoyed on the day you make them but can be enjoyed the following day if you have left overs or are making them in advance.

 

Ingredients:

180g Cornflakes.

65g Granulated sugar.

25g Cocoa powder.

128g Butter.

110g Golden syrup.

Method:

  • Start by weighing up all your ingredients and lining your baking tray with grease proof/parchment.
  • Melt your butter and golden syrup together, you can do this one of two ways. Either in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted or in the saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until melted. Allow to cool slightly before using it.
  • Place your cornflakes, sugar and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl and stir them until well combined.
  • Next you’ll want to pour over the syrup mixture and give it a really good mix, you’ll want all of the cornflakes to be coated roughly the same, take your time and get them well covered.
  • Once it’s all well combined, using your ice cream scoop you’ll want to scoop up a generous amount and then compress that using either the back of a spoon or a smaller cup measurement will work well. Apply enough pressure so it holds its shape once out of the ice cream scoop.
  • Transfer the mounds onto your prepared baking tray and once you’ve got a tray full, place it into the fridge and allow them to chill until they are firm. I find that around 30-45 minute works perfectly but remember yours may need more or less time, it all depends on your fridge.
  • After they’ve done chilling in the fridge, remove them and enjoy them on their own. They are perfect chocolatey, crispy and can be made in under an hour… What’s not to like about these?

Don’t forget, if you make anything using my recipes, feel free to share your creations with me over on Twitter and Instagram!

Cornflake Tart Recipe

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If you’re looking for the perfect recipe for a cornflake tart, look no further, I’ve got your back.

Now I’m not sure if this is a local thing or national but if you went to school in the UK, you might recognise this. This recipe has been around for quite some time, a lot of people who went to school in the 70s, 80s, 90s or 00s should remember this! It’s super simple to make and doesn’t take that long either – what’s not to like?

This recipe is my take on the traditional version of a cornflake tart, it’s a really quick, easy and cheap recipe to make and will go down well with many who get to try it. If you’re not sure what a cornflake tart is, I’ll give you a quick run down of what exactly it is. It’s a pastry case which is topped with jam (I opted for strawberry, which is what i remember but feel free to use any berry jam) and then topped with cornflakes that have a sugary sweet syrup stirred throughout them. So, it’s 3 simple layers of shortcrust pastry, jam and sweetened cornflakes, you might even have the stuff in to make it!

If you haven’t made your own pastry before, don’t worry. I have a great recipe for my own shortcrust pastry that I use for all of my pie and tart crusts, it’s yet to fail me! Don’t be intimidated by the thought of making pastry, it’s simpler than you’d think. Here is a link to my recipe, it’s got all the information you need to know, along with tips and tricks on how to make this turn out perfect for you each and every time!

Once you’ve made your pastry and allowed it to chill in the fridge, you’ll want to take roughly about half of it and roll it out until it’s about an inch bigger than the tin you’re using, I opted for a disposable 6 inch/15cm tray but feel free to use whatever you have. Once the pastry is rolled out, I then place it in the tray and press it down so it’s in place and then trim away the excess from around the edge, then dock the bottom of the pastry using a fork, this is just to stop the pastry from having air pockets while baking. The final stage before we bake this is to place it in the fridge for around 1 hour, then bake it off at the required temperature. *I only chilled mine for a short period, so the longer you chill it for, the less it will shrink*.

While your pastry case is baking in the oven, it’s best to make the filling. Place the all the ingredients (except for the cornflakes and jam) into a small saucepan and melt them together over a medium heat, stirring well. Once it’s all melted and well combined, the mixture will be a deep orange colour. Pour this mixture over your cornflakes and stir the two together until they are well coat, it doesn’t take very long at all.

Once the pastry case is out the oven, spread a good amount of your jam on top of it, then spoon on your cornflake mixture. I like to add mine gradually so I don’t make a mess, but feel free to do it your own way. once you’ve added all the cornflakes on top of the jam, I like to gently push them down a little, so its more compact. Pop this back in the oven for a few more minutes, just so the cornflakes become more golden brown, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before enjoying.

Ingredients:

Cornflake Filling :
115g Golden syrup.
55g Butter.
20g Granulated sugar.
20g Demerara sugar.
A pinch of salt.
85g Cornflakes.
100-150g Jam (I used strawberry but feel free to use any red berry jam).

Method:

  • Make your pastry (using my recipe, if you’d like) and allow that to chill in the fridge for 1 hour before use.
  • After 1 hour, roll out half of the pastry, just until its about 1 inch/2.5cm bigger than the 6 inch tin/tray you’re using.
  • Press down the pastry into the tin and trim away the excess from the sides. (If your pastry has ripped or torn, fix it at this stage).
  • Dock the bottom of the pastry, using a fork.  This prevents pockets of air forming while the pastry is baking.
  • Chill in the fridge for around an hour, then bake in your preheated oven at 200˚c/400˚f for 15-20 minutes.
  • While the pastry is baking, make your cornflake filling. Place the golden syrup, butter, granulated sugar, demerara sugar and a pinch of salt into a small saucepan and place that over a medium heat until everything has melted and come together, stirring well.
  • Remove the liquid mix from the heat and pour over the cornflakes, stirring well until the cornflakes are all well coated in the syrup mixture.
  • Once the pastry case has been removed from the oven, spread over a generous amount of jam (I opted for strawberry but feel free to use your preferred flavour) and then spoon on your cornflake mix, pressing it down slightly once all the mix is in the case. Place back in the oven for a following 5-7 minutes (or until the cornflakes are starting to turn a golden brown colour).
  • Allow to cool completely before you enjoy it, to serve enjoy it on its own or with custard, cream or ice cream.

Don’t forget, if you make anything using my recipes, feel free to share your creations with me over on Twitter and Instagram!

Chocolate Concrete

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If you’re looking for a nostalgic recipe for chocolate concrete, you have come to the right place. I have the recipe that’ll hit the spot!

As mentioned above, this recipe is another recipe that has been around for many years and enjoyed by many people. If you were at school any time between the 1970s and the 2000s, then you should remember this being served at lunch times every now and again. If you remember this, do you remember pink custard? Chocolate concrete and pink custard are a match made in heaven.

I’m not sure if this is a local or national thing, people from (and around) the West Midlands know it as chocolate concrete and others know it as chocolate crunch, whichever you know it as, here is the perfect recipe for you to make at home. If you’re not sure exactly what it is, well… It’s a traybake biscuit x cake, it’s not one or the other, it is it’s own thing. You can enjoy it on it’s own or with a serving of pink custard.

This is probably one of the simplest things to make, like ever. It only requires a few ingredients, minimal mixing and a short time in the oven… Why don’t you make a batch? So, to make the chocolate concrete dough, place all of your ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix until a clear dough has formed. That’s it, seriously it’s that simple. You place that into your 8 inch/20cm square cake tin, bake in the oven at 175˚c/350˚f for 25-30 minutes. While your concrete is cooling down, you can make your custard. It doesn’t take that long to make, you will want to make it just before you intend to serve it. I’ll leave the full method down below, if you’re interested in making them.

Once fully baked and out the oven, you’ll want to scatter a generous amount of sugar on top and allow it to cool completely before you serve it. This is best served either on it’s own or with a generous serving of the pink custard.

Ingredients – 

Chocolate Concrete:

445g Plain flour.
1 tsp Baking powder.
50g Cocoa powder.
250g Granulated sugar.
370g Butter.
1 Egg.

Bake at 175˚c/350˚f for 25-30 minutes.

Pink Custard:

200ml Whole milk.
2 Egg yolks.
20-30g Granulated sugar.
1 tsp Vanilla extract/bean paste.
1 tsp Plain flour.
Food gel (to colour).

 

Method: 

Chocolate concrete:

  • Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, preheating your oven to 175˚c/350˚f and preparing your 8 inch/20cm square tin with greaseproof paper/parchment paper.
  • Place the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, sugar, butter and egg into your mixing bowl and mix them all together until a clear dough forms.
  • Once your dough is ready, transfer it from your mixing bowl to your lined tin and press it into all the corners and try and get it as level as possible by pressing it down using a spatula or cup measurement.
  • Place the tin in your preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and scatter over some granulated sugar and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Pink Custard: 

  • Start by weighing up all the ingredients you will be using to make the custard.
  • Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and place it onto the hob over a medium heat until it reaches a boil.
  • In a medium sized bowl, place the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract/bean paste and flour and mix until it’s well combined and become one consistent colour.
  • Once your milk has come to a boil, add a small amount of the milk to your egg mixture and whisk constantly. This is to temper the egg mixture so it doesn’t scramble when you add the remaining milk.
  • Add the remaining milk and whisk to combine. Once combined transfer the mixture back to the sauce pan.
  • Add a small amount of colour paste and whisk that in until combined, then return to the heat and stir is with a spatula constantly until the mixture thickens. *please note the custard doesn’t thicken very much, this is because it’s a pouring custard*.

Serving:

  • Slice your chocolate concrete up into squares or rectangles and enjoy it either on it’s own or with a generous amount of the freshly made pink custard on top and tuck in straight away.

Don’t forget, if you make anything using my recipes, feel free to share your creations with me over on Twitter and Instagram!

Sprinkle Sponge Cake | School Sponge Cake | Old School Traybake

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If you remember having this cake at school, you must make this as soon as possible. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Now I’m not sure if this is a local thing or national but if you went to school in the UK, you might recognise this. This recipe has been around for quite some time, a lot of people who went to school in the 70s, 80s, 90s or 00s should remember this! It’s super simple to make and doesn’t take that long either – what’s not to like?

This cake is just one of the few old school favourites I remember being offered when I was back in primary school – others include chocolate concrete & pink custard, cornflake tart and chocolate hedgehogs.

This recipe is my take on the traditional version of the old school traybake, it’s a really quick, easy and cheap recipe to make and will go down well with many who get to try it. If you’re not sure what this cake is, I’ll give you a quick run down. This cake is a basic sponge cake which is topped with a even simpler glacé icing and best of all, it can be made and finished within 60 minutes – what’s not to love?

For the cake, I used the all in one method (which isn’t as preferred as the creaming method), this is where you place all of your ingredients into a bowl and mix them until a cake batter has formed compared to the creaming method, which starts with you creaming the butter and sugar together, then gradually adding the egg then the dry ingredients. You can use either method, they will both work well and usually I would use the creaming method for cakes.

The icing is a simple glacé icing or water icing, which is just icing sugar and water. It makes for a sweet and crisp icing the works remarkably well with this cake in particular. You pour this in the centre of your fully baked and cooled cake, then spread it out using a cranked/offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread and level the icing as best you can and finish it with the sprinkles – this cake is so simple, you don’t need to be a master baker or anything.

At school this cake would be served with custard, which is a welcome addition.

Ingredients:

220g Plain flour

1 tsp Baking powder

Pinch of salt.

220g Granulated sugar.

4 Eggs.

220g Butter.

2 tbsp Milk.

1 tsp Vanilla extract.

Icing:

400g Icing sugar.

Water (work a teaspoon at a time, until its perfectly spreadable).

Rainbow sprinkles.

 

Method:

Cake:

  • Start by doing some prep work. Preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f, weighing up all your ingredients and preparing your tray with butter and flour, which is either 8×12 inches or 9×13 inches would work well (if you’re not using a disposable tray which is roughly 8×12″. These can be found in the supermarket 6 trays for £3 or so).
  • Start by placing all your ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix together on a low-medium speed to start with, then working your way up to a medium-high speed until everything is combined and a clear dough has formed (there shouldn’t be a trace of a single ingredient).

  • If you find that your cake batter is a little too thick, add in your milk, a little a time until the cake batter is slightly more spreadable.

  • Give the bowl a good scraping down, then mix in any ingredients that haven’t been fully worked in – trying your best not to over-mix the mixture (otherwise the cake will be tougher in texture).
  • Add the cake batter into the tray and level it out as best you possibly can using a small offset/cranked palette knife and then place into the oven and allow to bake for around 25-30 minutes (or until a tester comes out clean).
  • Once out the oven, allow to cool completely before finishing.

Icing:

  • Into a medium size bowl, place in the icing sugar and a teaspoon of water, mixing well. Keep adding a teaspoon at a time until you get to a thick but loose enough to spread.

Finishing:

  • Take your cooled down cake and place the icing into the middle of the cake then spread it out as evenly as possible using a offset/cranked palette knife. Try to give the cake as level coating as possible.

  • Once you’ve got your icing spread out, sprinkle a generous amount of rainbow sprinkles onto the top.

That’s all you need to do to make this cake, its quick, easy and cheap – what’s not to love? I hope you get to make this soon!

(Video tutorial if you’d like that over reading or want to read and watch, haha).