Baking with Elliott

Banoffee Cupcakes

You’ve probably heard of the classic banoffee pie, right? It’s an easy dessert. Starting with a digestive biscuit case, filled with sliced banana and caramel/dulce de leche and finished with freshly whipped cream and chocolate – it’s probably one of the best desserts you can make if you’re short on time.

I’m not showing you how to make that pie today but rather a reinvented version of it in cupcake form. Trust me when I say these cupcakes are super easy and can be enjoyed by almost all cake lovers – even those who don’t really like cake!

I haven’t yet got around to sharing my banoffee pie recipe but its coming up at some point in the next 6 weeks… Anyway, starting with a banana sponge cupcake, which is lusciously filled dulce de leche and then topped with a slightly sweetened whipped cream and a dashing of greeted dark chocolate – nothing overly sweet and all of the flavours just work in harmony – sounds good right?

Things are slowly getting back to whatever sort of normal we are approaching, so as you go out and see friends and family, why not take a batch of these cupcakes along with you – you won’t regret it. I promise you that!

Anyway, lets get started, shall we?

Ingredients (for 12 cupcakes):

175g butter, room temperature.

175g granulated sugar.

2 eggs.

2 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste, if you prefer).

3 bananas, large and ripe.

175g plain flour.

1 tsp baking powder.

Filling:

1 can of dulce de leche.

Topping:

300ml double cream.

75g icing sugar.

1 tsp vanilla extract.

Finishing:

Banana chips (as many or as few as you’d like)

Grated dark chocolate.

Methods:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f, weighing up all of your ingredients and getting any equipment you may need such as a stand mixer and spatula.

To start on the cupcakes, take a mixing bowl and place in the butter and sugar. Beat the two together over a medium-high speed until they are well combined and the mixture has become much lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency.

You can then give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully incorporated from earlier on.

Now add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well in-between each addition – doing it this way will prevent the mixture from splitting or scrambling.

Once all of the eggs have been added, you can go ahead and add in all of the banana – mix to incorporate. You’ll notice the mixture look as if it has split or curdled, don’t worry. Adding the banana in adds a lot of moisture, which is a lot.

Give the mixing bowl another good scraping down, again just to incorporate any bits that didn’t get fully incorporated earlier on.

Take a sieve and place it on top of the mixing bowl, pass the dry ingredients through it and then incorporate them into the mixture over a medium speed, until a cake batter forms. If you find the mixtures a little stiff, feel free to add a dash of milk to help achieve the perfect consistency.

Now grab a muffin pan and line it with cupcake cases, then transfer the cake batter into the cases, ensuring you’re filling them around 2/3 (or 3/.4) the way full – this will guarantee the perfect rise on the cupcakes – trust me I’m a master baker!

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 20-22 minutes (or until, a tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre).

If you intend on serving the cupcakes on the day you’re making them, then make the whipped cream topping. As you are aware, cream has a shortened shelf life and has to be eaten within 1 day of being whipped up.

Into a clean mixing bowl, pour in the double cream, add in the icing sugar and vanilla extract and whisk everything together on a medium-high speed – not forgetting to keep your eye on it. Cream thickens very quickly and can go from under whipped to over whipped in seconds. You’re looking for stiff peaks.

Once your cupcakes are baked and fully cool, you can start the decorating process. Take the whipped cream and place into a piping bag, fitted with a nozzle of your choice and also place the dulce de leche into a piping bag, this will make the process so much easier.

Core out the centres of your cupcakes, then replace the missing cake with the dulce de leche – pipe a fair amount in there. You’ll want to pipe right up to the top of the crevice you created.

Then top the cupcakes with the whipped cream, which has been put into a piping bag fitted with your nozzle of choice and pipe on as much or as little as you’d like.

Finish the cupcakes with a grating of dark chocolate and 2 banana chips per cupcake and then enjoy!

That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

This is probably one of the simplest things to make and hands down, it’s one of the best cakes you can make… It’s the humble lemon drizzle loaf cake.

I know, you’ve probably had this a lot and they all taste somewhat similar but you cannot beat a classic, especially when its as zesty as this one. A basic sponge cake with added lemon zest, a tangy lemon drizzle brushed over and finished with a simple glaze – what’s not to like?

Personally, a loaf is always a good idea. It doesn’t require all the decorating a round cake demands and it doesn’t have any super sweet buttercream coating, just a simple lemon drizzle and glace icing – it’s super simple, no wonder this remains a classic.

This cake along with a coffee and walnut cake (or these coffee and walnut cupcakes) are here to stay, in one way, shape or form.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Cake:

225g butter, at room temperature.

225g granulated sugar.

225g plain flour.

1/2 tsp salt.

2 tsp baking powder.

4 eggs.

zest of 2-3 lemons.

Lemon Drizzle:

150ml lemon juice.

150g granulated sugar.

Glace Icing:

70-100g icing sugar.

small amount of water

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f and line your loaf pan with a loaf liner or a strip of parchment paper.

To start on the recipe, grab a bowl and place in the butter and sugar and beat the two together until they are lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency (around 5-7 minutes should be the perfect amount of time).

Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well in-between each addition. If the mixture starts to scramble or separate – don’t worry. This happens due to the amount of moisture you’re adding into the mix, slowly add the eggs and mix well in-between each addition, allowing each egg to fully incorporate.

Go ahead and give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on.

Then add in the dry ingredients, passing them through a sieve first, just to remove any lumps that may be in the dry mixture – don’t forget to add in the lemon zest as well.

Mix everything together over a medium-low speed to start with, working your way up to a medium-high speed, adding a small amount of milk (only if needed).

Once your cake batter is made, you can go ahead and grab your loaf pan – lining it with a loaf case or a strip of parchment paper. Now fill the loaf tin with your cake better and level it out to ensure consistent baking – transfer into your preheated oven and bake for around 40-45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre.

When there its about 5 minutes left to the baking time, make the lemon drizzle. Into a mixing bowl place granulated sugar and lemon juice, whisk together until the sugar is dissolved in the mixture, set aside until needed.

As soon as the cake is baked, take a pastry brush and generously brush it all over the top of the loaf – this will soak into the cake and bake it taste even more delicious. Allow the cake to cool down fully before you attempt to finish the cake.

Just before you want to decorate the cake, you’ll want to make the simple glaze. Take the icing sugar and add a small amount of water and mix together until you have a thick but spreadable consistency.

Take your loaf and remove the loaf case/parchment paper. However you’d like, drizzle over the icing and allow to set then enjoy.

Raspberry Bakewell Tart

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

A Bakewell tart is a classic, so this raspberry version is the perfect addition to any summer party.

Life is going back to ‘normal’ (whatever that may be now), so why not make this and share it with those you like the most – it’s a fairly quick and easy dessert to make.

It’s the combination of butter rich flaky pastry, filled with homemade raspberry jam and delicate almond sponge, studded with raspberries and finished with a generous dashing of flaked almonds – what’s not to like? Like seriously…

This is a classic, well in my eyes it is. I have been making these ever since I was in college back in the mid 2010s – I have been there when it comes to messing up any part of this recipe, especially the frangipane… Embarrassingly, my frangipane rose so much while baking and wasn’t stable and just spilled all over the oven… It wasn’t pretty scene (nor the smell).

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

For the pastry case, don’t forget to check out my perfect shortcrust pastry.

Frangipane:

150g butter.

150g granulated sugar.

150g ground almonds.

20g plain flour.

2 eggs.

1-2 tsp almond extract (this is optional).

Filling & toppings:

60-80g raspberry jam.

75-100g fresh raspberries.

Flaked almonds (generously scattered on top of the frangipane and raspberries).

Method:

Before you get started on any element of the recipe, you’re best to so some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, preheating the oven to 180˚c/350˚f and getting any equipment you may need, such as a mixing bowl and spatula.

To start on the recipe, you’ll want to make the pastry. As mentioned above I have a blog post showing you how to make the perfect shortcrust pastry. Follow the recipe all the way through and then proceed with his recipe.

Once your pastry has had around an hour to chill in the fridge, you can gently flour your work surface and place the dough on to it. Then roll the pastry out until it achieved around 5mm in thickness (give or take, this is the perfect thickness for me to work with).

Drape the pastry over your rolling pin and then place over the top of your pie dish and press it down into all of the crevices, then you can trim away the excess using a small knife.

Transport the pie into the fridge to firm up, while you make the frangipane.

Making the frangipane is super straight forward. Take a food processor (or mixing bowl) and place in the butter, granulated sugar, ground almonds, plain flour, egg and almond extract. Mix everything together until all of the ingredients have been fully combined – you may find mixture to be a little ‘off’ smooth, this is normal (the ground almonds prevent the mixture from being completely smooth).

Give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on.

Take the chilled pastry case from the fridge and line with a piece of parchment paper and fill with baking beans or rice and then place into your preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then remove the paper and baking beans/rice and bake for a further 10 minutes.

The final assembly of this tart is really easy to do. Simply take your blind baked pastry case and add in the jam, spreading it out, ensuring a even and level layer of jam is across the base of the case.

Top this with the frangipane, spreading it out, ensuring its well spread and level. You can then go ahead and scatter (or place) over your raspberries, trying your best to get an even coverage across. Then finally, generously scatter over the flaked almonds – this is where you can control how much or little almonds you have for the topping.

Place into your preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is well risen as well as being a beautiful golden brown colour.

Once baked, allow to cool down fully before you try and slice it up. For a tart this size, I went with 8 generous portions but you can slice yours up however you like – the choice is really yours.

Raspberry Brownies

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

This week I’m showing you how to make the best ever raspberry brownies – dense and fudgey with a slightly truffle like texture, what’s not to like?

These brownies are honestly so good – they contain 3 different types of chocolate, unsweetened, dark and milk chocolate. The combination of the different chocolates really helps to make these brownies so decadent – the way a brownie should be. Dark, indulgent and decadent, these brownies are perfect alone but when partnered with raspberry, let me tell you.

Raspberry and chocolate work so well together, granted its not quite strawberry BUT it works so well together. The tartness from from the raspberries really compliments the chocolate and works really together. It’s not the well known combination you may like but trust me, it may become your new favourite!

For the chocolate elements of this recipe, I used products from Cocoa Runners Don’t forget to check them out, if you’re interested!

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

200g Butter.

50g Milk chocolate.

50g Dark chocolate

100g Unsweetened chocolate.

100g Plain flour.

50g Cocoa powder.

3 Eggs.

300g Granulated sugar.

150-200g raspberries, fresh or frozen.

Method:

Before you get into the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work first. Start by preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f, place a saucepan with a small amount of water onto the hob over a medium heat, weigh up your ingredients, line a 8 inch square tin with parchment paper and get any other equipment you may need, such as a stand mixer and a silicon spatula.

To start, take a heatproof bowl (one thats big enough to fit on top of the saucepan of simmering water) and place in the butter, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Place the bowl over the heat and allow to melt, once you can see it melting, you will then want to stir the mixture until it’s smooth and no traces of a single ingredient can be seen. Once you’ve achieved this, set aside, allowing it to cool down bit before you use it.

Now you can go ahead and take a medium sized bowl and sift in the plain flour and cocoa powder. Once sifted into the bowl, you can take a whisk and just combine them a little further – set aside until needed later on.

Into a large mixing bowl (I sued my stand mixer and mixing bowl), place the eggs and sugar. Whisk them together until they are lighter in colour and consistency- it should be a pale yellow-ish colour and is smooth in texture.

Turn the speed to a medium and gently pour in the melted chocolate butter mixture, then once it’s incorporated, mix for a short while afterwards, just until it’s fully incorporated.

Next you can add in the sieved dry mix, then fold it in using a spatula or metal spoon, just until the dry ingredients and raspberries have been incorporated. Try your best not to over-mix at this stage.

Add the brownie batter into your lined cake tin and bake in your preheated oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or a tester comes out with a few crumbs on.

Then cool in the tin until they are fully cooled. To make the texture and flavour even better, place in the fridge for as long as possible – this is probably the best recommendation I have when making good brownies even better

Now they are cooled and ready, slice up into 8 bars or 16 bitesize portions, whichever is best for you!

Almond flapjacks

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

Well, I’m keeping things as simple as can be this week with a batch of my almond flapjacks. They’re not like the other recipes that you find online, they have the dense and chewy consistency you know and love but packed with natural almond flavour.

I have literally taken my simple flapjack recipe and adapted it to make this almond version, which is perfect for those who like or love almond. I have incorporated the almond flavour through almond butter from Pip & Nut and ground almonds (almond flour), I opted against almond extract as it always tastes a little artificial (even the best brands taste artificial when used in the wrong quantity). If you really want to elevate the almond flavour, feel free to add a small amount into the recipe.

I’ll be honest with you, these flapjacks aren’t overly healthy. They contain brown sugar, golden syrup and butter – all of which aren’t great for you but of course, all treats can be enjoyed guilt free. Indulging once in a while won’t hurt, even if you think so – it’s okay to eat and enjoy your food.

As mentioned above, I have used plain almond butter, which helps to add a natural almond flavour and creaminess to the flapjacks, which is not something you’d associate with them usually. It’s not an overwhelming creaminess, it’s subtle but there enough to make a noticeable different. Traditionally, they don’t. have any sort of coating or topping but these ones have a cheeky almond butter and white chocolate spread topping – this is just to further enhance the almond flavour and add another flavour profile.

If you’d like to check out what Pip & Nut have available check out your local supermarket or the website.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Flapjacks:

350g Oats.

50g Ground almonds

75-100g Blanched almonds, roughly chopped.

175g Butter.

175g Light brown sugar.

175g Golden syrup.

50g Almond butter.

Topping:

150g Almond butter.

75-100g White chocolate spread.

50g Blanched almonds, roughly chopped.

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. I like to start by weighing up all of my ingredients, lining my 8×8 inch square cake tin with parchment paper and grab any other equipment you may need such as a mixing bowl, spatula and saucepan. You may also want to preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f.

To start on the recipe, you’ll want to grab a large mixing bowl. You can go ahead and add in all of your oats, the the ground almond and blanched almonds, mixing everything together until they are well combined.

Take a medium saucepan and place in the butter, golden syrup, light brown sugar and almond butter. Place the saucepan on the hob over a low-medium heat and just leave it for around 60 seconds, then you can start to stir it constantly until everything has melted together and become smooth. The mixture should be clear, meaning you can see a single trace of a single ingredient.

Now you can go ahead and pour the melted mix over the dry mix, giving it all a very good stir together. You want all of the oats to be coated in the melted mixture, this will only help to make them taste as yummy as possible.

Grab your lined cake tin from earlier on and add in all of the oaty flapjack mixture. Spread and level out the mixture as best you possibly can.

Place the tray into your preheated oven and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a nice golden brown colour all over with slightly darker edges.

Once out of the oven allow to cool down fully before you attempt to finish them off.

This is optional but I’ll be adding a layer of almond white chocolate to finish the cooled traybake.

For the topping, gently warm together almond butter and white chocolate spread, stirring together until they are fully combined.

Pour over the top of the flapjacks, spreading to all of the corners, ensuring theres a good coating all over the flapjacks – you shouldn’t be able to see any off the flapjacks from the top. Chill in the fridge until the topping has firmed up to the touch.

Whenever you’re ready, you can slice them up. How you do this is completely up to you – I went with 8 rectangular bars but you can go with 9 more square portions, it’s really up to you.

Millionaires Rice Krispie Treats

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

Keeping things super simple this week with this batch Rice Krispies millionaires shortbread – a twist on the classic millionaires shortbread.

This was an accidental creation, coming about after having a sort out and seeing which bits and pieces I had that needed to be used up and finished off, resulting in the Rice Krispie layer.

Initially, I was going to keep it even more simple just by coating the treats in chocolate with a pinch of salt but though I’d elevate it by adding a layer of thick caramel and a white chocolate layer with a salted caramel swirl – what’s not to like?

So, this bake has 3 simple layers, starting with a classic vanilla rice Krispy treat layer, which is topped with a luscious caramel and finished with a white chocolate, swirled with a homemade salted caramel and sprinkled with a dashing of white chocolate chips. It’s not overly sweet, which you’d expect but the balance is all worked out.

The best thing about this traybake is that it is a no bake traybake – which makes this even better, especially considering the UK is going through a mini heatwave.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Rice Krispy layer:

45g butter.

300g marshmallows.

180g Rice Krispies.

1 tsp vanila extract.

Caramel layer:

175g butter.

115g light brown sugar.

45ml golden syrup.

400g condensed milk.

1 tsp vanilla extract.

White chocolate layer:

150g white chocolate.

100g white chocolate spread.

50-80g salted caramel.

White chocolate chips.

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients and get any equipment you need, such as a saucepan, a 8 inch square cake tin (which has been lined with parchment paper).

To start in true recipe, you’ll want to make the Rice Krispie base. This is really easy, so start with a large saucepan and place in the butter and marshmallows – place onto the hob over a medium-low heat, allowing them to melt a little before stirring constantly until everything has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Take your large mixing bowl with the Rice Krispies in and pour over the marshmallow mixture over – getting as much of the marshmallow mixture from the saucepan into the other mixing bowl.

While the s mixture is still liquid like, combine the marshmallow mixture and cereal together until they are fully combined – its a sticky mess but its delicious!

Grab the lined cake tin and transfer all of the rice Krispy mixture into it. Spreading it out and pressing it into place, ensuring its as level as possibly can be. Once you have a even layer, you can go ahead and place it into the fridge to firm up while you make the caramel layer.

For the caramel layer, it’s probably easier than the rice Krispy layer (I’m not even kidding). Take a medium-large saucepan and place in all of the ingredients, giving them all a brief mix before placing the saucepan on the hob over a medium heat and allow everything to melt a little before stirring non-stop until the caramel has thickened. You will notice the caramel seems thin for sometime but it will thicken quickly, so keep an eye out – don’t allow the mixture to catch on the bottom of the saucepan.

Once the caramel has thickened significantly, you can pour that over the rice Krispy base, spreading out to ensure you have a consistent layer then allow to cool down, just enough for you to place into the fridge and allow the caramel to firm up on its own.

Whenever you’re ready, you can make the white chocolate layer. Into a bowl place the white chocolate and white chocolate spread, gently heat in the microwave on 10 second increments, stirring well, ensuring you only heat it up until its fairly liquidy and then pour on top of your chilled caramel layer.

While the white chocolate topping is still liquid, operationally swirl small amounts of salted caramel on top and sprinkle over white chocolate chips.

Allow to firm up and then cut up into 9 equal pieces and enjoy!

Orange Bundt Cake

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

If you like citrus and would normally use lemon, give orange a try – I promise you won’t regret it! This orange bundt cake may become your new favourite very soon!

I was having a sort out and found my bundt pans, which I hadn’t used in more than 6 months, so thought I might as well use them, considering I had them out of storage.

I wasn’t sure which flavour of cake to make and considering the weather was actually nice at the time, I thought lemon but only had oranges in, so I came up with this orange bundt cake. I wasn’t 100% how it would turn out, but used the same recipe would for my lemon bundt and it turned out amazingly!

This cake is slightly different as I don’t really decorate it, I prefer to allow the flavours to speak for the cake. As the cake don’t have any filling or topping, I used a simple syrup made with fresh orange juice, which is generously brushed all over the cake. This adds more flavour, a preservative and keeps the cake fresh – which is always good.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Cake:

250g butter, room temperature.

250g granulated sugar.

Zest of 3 oranges.

5-6 eggs.

1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

250g plain flour.

1 1/2 tsp baking powder.

1/4 tsp salt.

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all your ingredients, buttering and flouring a standard bundt pan and preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f.

You can also make the orange syrup which will be brushed all over the cake once it’s baked. To start into a saucepan, place the granulated sugar and orange juice and give them a mix. Then place on the hob over a medium-high heat until it almost reaches a boil, remove from the heat and allow to cool fully before you intend on using it.

To start on the cake, take a mixing bowl and place in the butter, granulated sugar and orange zest, then beat them all together until they are lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency.

After 5-7 minutes later, give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on. Now you can go ahead and add in your eggs, one at a time, beating well in-between each addition. Don’t worry too much if the mixture separates a little, this is because of the amount of liquid that has been added.

Once all of the eggs have been added, add the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Then give your bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on.

Then you can add in the flour, baking powder and salt – passing them through a sieve first to remove any lumps that may be in the dry mixture (if theres a few little clumps, just discard them). Mix on a low speed to start with – working your way up top a medium-high, just until the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Try your best not to over-mix the cake batter at this stage as it will result in a tough textured cake.

If you notice the cake batter is a little stiff, add a small amount of milk to help loosen up the mixture and perfect the consistency.

Take the cake batter and transfer into the bundt pan (which is has been buttered and floured). Carefully transfer the cake batter into the pan, spread and levelling out as best as you possibly – this will help everything bake consistently.

Bake in your preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Once the cake has baked, allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in the tin, then transfer onto a cooling rack and allow cool for a further 5-10 minutes at which point you can generously brush over the cake with the orange syrup you made earlier on. You’ll want to get as much of this orange syrup over the cake as possible, as it helps add more flavour and keep the cake fresh.

Then allow to cool fully before you start to slice the cake up and enjoy it. So, that’s how I make my take on an orange bundt cake, which is light and flavourful without being too much, what’s not to like?

Lemon Meringue Pie

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

This week I’m keeping things real simple with my take on a classic lemon meringue pie – a real classic but all-round crowd pleaser. Whats not to like?

If for some reason you’re not sure what a lemon meringue is, I’ll tell you. You start with a sweet pastry case, which is filled with a luscious zesty lemon filling and topped with toasted meringue – sounds good right?

This is the perfect dessert to enjoy on a warm day as it’s not heavy or stodgy, it light and airy, which makes this perfect to enjoy any time of day! If you’re a fan of lemon, this pie may just be the one for you as the lemon filling certain packs a lemony punch.

To achieve the toasted marshmallow, I used a chefs blowtorch but if you don’t have one, don’t worry – you can just place it back into the oven until its golden brown (just don’t leave it in there for too long, otherwise it’ll ruin the pie).

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Lemon filling –

100g granulated sugar.

2 tbsp cornflour.

Zest of 3 large lemons.

125ml lemon Juice

100-150ml water.

85g butter.

3 egg yolks.

1 whole egg.

Meringue topping –

4 egg whites.

200g granulated sugar.

2 tsp cornflour.

1 tsp vanilla extract.

Method:

Before you get started on this recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by making your pastry, I already have a recipe for shortcrust pastry, weighing up all of your ingredients and get any other bits of equipment such as a saucepan and a whisk. Preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f.

Start by rolling out the pastry and draping it over your pie dish, pressing into place, then you can trim away the excess, not forgetting to dock the base of the pastry case, so it doesn’t rise while baking.

Place a sheet of parchment paper into the case and fill with rice or baking beans.

Now you can place this into your preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes before removing from the oven and removing the rice/baking bean and then place back into the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes – by the end the case should be golden brown.

Allow the pastry case to chill completely and then make a start on your lemon filling.

Take a saucepan and place in the lemon zest, cornflour and sugar, mixing them together until they are combined. You can then add in the lemon juice and whisk until fully incorporated ad repeat the same process when you add in the water.

Place this onto the hob over a medium heat and whisk until everything is combined and the mixture is hot – the mixture may have thickened ever so slightly. Once you reach this stage, remove from the heat and add in your butter, whisking until its fully incorporated.

You will notice the mixture thickens up and becomes glossy – this is normal and what you’re looking for.

Once you achieve this consistency, you can go ahead and remove it from the heat and add in the egg yolks and egg and whisk profusely until they are fully incorporated. Place back on the heat and mix together until the mixture thickens a little more and the eggs are cooked out.

Now take the baked pastry case and pour the lemon filling. Then allow this to cool, cool enough to place into the fridge and allow to set.

Whenever that is ready, you can make the meringue (which is super easy). Take a sparkling clean mixing bowl and add in the egg whites, whisk them on a medium-high speed until they reach a frothy consistency.

Gradually add your sugar, roughly a tablespoon at a time, whisking well in-between each addition. Once all of the sugar has been added, feel the meringue mixture and if you feel any granules of sugar, continue to whisk until its smooth.

Add in the cornflour and whisk until its fully incorporated, then repeat the process with the vanilla extract.

Top your lemon pastry case with the meringue and create a rounded dome with some peaks. You can then use a blowtorch and lightly scorch the meringue and if you don’t have one, simply place it back into the oven until the meringue has coloured all over.

Leave for a short while, then slice up and enjoy. There is my take on a simple lemon meringues which always hits the sweet spot – so if you’re a fan of lemon, this is the treat for you!

Black Forest Cupcakes

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

Imagine, taking one of your favourite cake flavours and re-making it in cupcake form… That’s what I have done with these Black Forest cupcakes!

I’ll be honest, I have made a cake version of this every year since 2013 and other baked goods variations, such as Black Forest cookies or mini Black Forest pavlovas. This year is no different, I have simply remade it into a sharing friendly recipe – perfect for the current situation.

This recipe is slightly different, as the cake is made with a different recipe than I’d usually use on my cakes – mostly as it bakes differently and the recipes are best suited for each recipe.

I have been fortunate enough to be sent some products from the lovely people over at Olive Nation. If you haven’t heard of them before, you’re missing out! They have a vast and wide selection of products which are all ideally suited for bakers, both on a home and professional level. I was able to test out 4 different products in this recipe – Blommer jet black cocoa powder, chocolate extract, vanilla extract and 50% dark chocolate bars.

If you notice, the cupcakes are extra dark, which is perfect as it stands out against the white whipped cream and red cherry on top – it makes all the difference, especially the flavour. When you use and combine all of the ingredients, you can be sure that you’re going to have a batch of tasty cupcakes – thats a fact!

These cupcakes start with a light and moist chocolate cupcake, generously filled with a cherry jam, topped with freshly whipped cream and finished with grated dark chocolate and a cocktail maraschino style cherry – what’s not to love?

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

230g granulated sugar.

135g plain flour.

35g Jet black cocoa powder.

1 tsp baking powder.

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda.

135ml whole milk.

30ml vegetable oil.

1 tsp vanilla extract.

1 tsp chocolate extract.

125ml Boiling water.

Whipped cream:

300ml double cream.

30-50g icing sugar.

1 tsp vanilla extract.

Decoration & Filling:

Jar of cherry jam (homemade or store bought).

20-30g dark chocolate, grated.

Cherries, whichever you can get your hands on.

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Starting by weighing up all of your ingredients, preheating your oven to 180˚/350˚f and get any equipment you may need ready, such a mixing bowl and whisk. Don’t forget to line a cupcake/muffin pan with cases.

To start on the recipe, you’ll want to start by placing the granulate sugar, plain flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl, passing though a sieve first to remove any lumps that may be in the dry mix. Once they have been sifted, whisk together with a whisk – set aside until needed later on.

Into another mixing bowl you’ll want to combine the wet ingredients, which are the milk, vegetable oil, chocolate and vanilla extract, whisk them together until everything is fully combined.

You can then add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until everything is combined and you have a semi thick cake batter – it should look slightly granular, this is normal.

Now you can take the boiling water and add it into the cake batter – this may sound unconventional but for this recipe it works and makes the best chocolate cake recipe.

For ease, you can transfer the cake batter into a jug. This is optional and can be poured from a bowl if preferred.

Grab your muffin/cupcake pan that has been lined with cases and pour the batter into them – filling them about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way full as these raise the perfect amount once baked. Once all of your cases have been filled, you can transfer the pan into your preheated oven and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre.

While the cupcakes are in the oven baking, you ca go ahead and whip up the cream. Into a clean mixing bowl add in the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract – whisk everything together until the whipped cream reaches a stiff peak (where it holds its shape well). This will happen all of a sudden, so make sure you keep your eye on the mixture, otherwise it will become over whipped and have an unpleasant mouthfeel. Transfer the cream into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle of your choice

Once the cupcakes are baked, allow to cool down fully as they will be filled and if the cupcake isn’t cooled completely, it will ruin the end product. Now that the cupcakes are cooled, you can use a cupcake or even an apple corer and core the centre out, then fill generously fill with the cherry jam.

Top the cupcakes with the freshly whipped cream and finish them with a generous grating of dark chocolate and top with a cherry of your choice.

That’s it – a super simple recipe for a batch of black forest cupcakes. So whether you’re looking for something new or an old favourite – these cupcakes will go down a treat!

Lemon Blueberry Cookies

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

If you didn’t already know, lemon and blueberry is one of my favourite flavour combinations, so throw it into a cookie dough and you’ll have some right tasty cookies in no time.

Keeping things relatively spring/summer oriented, these lemon and blueberry cookies will surely go down a treat with whoever is lucky enough to try them! You have the burst of fruit goodness from the blueberries and the tangy zestiness from the lemon zest – a real good combo, right?

I know you wouldn’t associate fruit and cookies but these work really well, I highly recommend giving these a go, they are a little different but a totally good different. You have the brightly flavoured fillings of lemon, blueberry and white chocolate, which when entwined into a cookie dough, mwah *chefs kiss* – you basically have to try it for yourself.

If these sound like your sort of cookie, why not give them a go? You won’t regret it… The only thing you’ll regret is not trying them sooner!

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

75g butter.

75g granulated sugar.

75g light brown sugar.

1-2 lemons, zested

1 egg.

1 tsp vanilla extract.

175g plain flour.

1/2 tsp baking powder.

1/4 tsp salt.

150g blueberries, frozen (use fresh if needed).

100g white chocolate chips.

Method:

Before you get start on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Weigh up all of the ingredients, line a baking tray with parchment paper and grab any equipment you may need such a hand mixer (and bowl) or a stand mixer and spatula. Preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f.

Take a mixing bowl and place in the butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar and lemon zest and beat them all together until they are lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency.

Then you can add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until they have been fully incorporated. You will notice the mixture changes very quickly in consistency and this is because of the amount of moisture you’ve added, if it looks a little scrambled, don’t worry.

Take a sieve and pass through the flour, salt and baking powder. This is just to remove any lumps that may be in the dry mix as sometimes dry ingredients can be prolific for clumping together.

Add in the blueberries and chocolate chips, folding everything together until you have a clear cookie dough formed. Then you can transfer the cookie dough into a small bowl cover with clingfilm and place into the fridge to firm up and enhance the flavours (you can use the dough straight away if you’d like to).

Grab your bowl of cookie dough, a cookie scoop and your lined baking tray. Start to scoop up your dough for the cookie, I personally use 2 scoops of dough per cookie (this gives the perfect size cookie). Round the two scoops of dough together into a smooth ball, flatten a little, then place on the baking tray, allowing space around each ball of dough as they spread while baking.

Now you have a tray of cookie dough, you can then place it into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until they have spread out and have become golden brown with a slightly darker brown edge.

Remove from the oven and finish the cookies off. I like to add more of the fillings onto the top fo the cookies, so you get even more decorative flavour in each bite.

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