Chocolate

Valentine’s Day Cake

Left it last minute? Don’t worry about it, I have you covered. Today I’m sharing my recipe for the perfect Valentine’s Day cake.

This cake is the perfect treat as it’s quick and easy, you could easily make this on the day and still have it ready in time. Starting with a chocolate velvet cake, a milk chocolate ganache and strawberry filling – what’s not to like?

The combination of chocolate and strawberry marry one another so perfectly well, regardless of the chocolate and luckily for you, I used milk, dark and unsweetened. The balance of sweetness and tartness all balances so well, so if you’re a chocolate fan, you’ll love this cake!

For quality chocolate, don’t forget to check out Cocoarunners. For this recipe, I used their milk chocolate, dark chocolate and unsweetened chocolate – what’s not to love?

Regardless of how you are spending Valentine’s day this year, why not treat yourself?

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Chocolate velvet cake:

120g butter.

300g granulated sugar.

2 eggs.

120ml buttermilk.

120g plain flour.

30g cocoa powder.

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda.

1 1/2 tsp white vinegar.

Ganache:

230g milk chocolate.

460ml double cream.

For the strawberry filling, use a good quality strawberry jam or other jam/preserve.

Decoration:

Grated dark chocolate.

Strawberries, halved.

unsweetened chocolate buttons.

Methods:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, lining your 8 inch heart cake tin with parchment and get any other bits you may need, such as a stand mixer and spatulas ready. Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 170˚c/325˚f.

To start, I recommend with the cake. Into a large mixing bowl, place the butter and sugar and beat them together until they are well combined.

Once combined, you can add your eggs, one at a time beating well in-between each addition.

Then go ahead and give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully incorporated earlier on.

Add around 1/3 of the dry mix into the bowl and beat that in until its fully incorporated, follow that by adding in around half the buttermilk and mix until fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining ingredients – remember, you should start and finish with the dry mix.

Give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits of dry mix or buttermilk that may be around the edge of the bowl.

Onto the cake batter, sprinkle over the bicarbonate of soda and then top that with the the vinegar and allow to fizzle. Fold them into the cake batter until everything is fully incorporated.

You can then transfer the cake batter from the bowl straight into your lined cake tin. Then you can spread and level out the mixture to ensure consistent baking while in the oven.

Place the cake into the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes (or until a tester comes out clean, when inserted into the centre).

While your cake is in the oven, you can clean down and make the ganache.

For the ganache, simply grab a small saucepan and pour in the cream. Place it on the hob over a medium heat and stir until it a reaches a boil, ensuring the cream doesn’t catch on the bottom of the saucepan (if it does, just restart).

Into a small bowl, add the chocolate. Then carefully pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes, then stir continuously until you have a smooth and glossy mixture.

Leave the ganache to cool and start to firm up, this doesn’t take very long – you’re only looking for the mixture to become a spreadable consistency.

Once ganache has come to a spreadable consistency, you can go ahead and transfer it into a large mixing bowl and beat it over a medium-high speed until it’s lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency.

Keep the ganache at room temperature, to ensure it stays spreadable and easy to work with.

Now the cake has baked and cooled fully, you can go ahead and level the cake (don’t throw away the excess cake, it’s great for cake pops or with custard). Then you can slice the cake in half, so you have two even layers.

Take your board/plate/stand you intend on using and place a blob of chocolate ganache into the centre and spread it out, then place the first layer of cake on top and press it down to secure it in place.

Then place a good amount of ganache and spread it out until you have a consistent layer of ganache, generously spoon on the strawberry filling and spread it out. Sandwich the second layer of cake on top and press down, just to secure it in place.

Using the remaining ganache, coat the sides and top of the cake, trying to get it as smooth as possible (it doesn’t have to be perfect).

While the ganache is still tacky, take the grated dark chocolate and scatter on top and spread it all around to ensure even coverage (this is optional but it helps to cut through the sweetness).

Then to decorate, its really up to you but I kept it simple with just some halved strawberries and unsweetened chocolate buttons. That’s all I did, kept it simple but impressive enough to show someone you care!

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.

Opera Cake

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

Today I’m sharing my take on a opera cake – this is a classic French bake which is known for its many layers.

I won’t lie, this is a recipe I thought I’d never make again, especially after the nightmare I had with it at college. I found my old college recipe book and it has a few different recipe, including some patisserie – so this month I’ll be sharing some of the recipe I learnt and made at college, including this one.

This cake is a little different as it has multiple layers which are consistent and level – not always easy but when done right, it looks perfect. The flavours that this cake is composed of are chocolate and coffee, which compliment each other perfectly!

If you have never heard of this cake before, I’ll give you a quick run down. It had layers of jaconde sponge (almond based sponge cake), soaked with a coffee simple syrup, sandwiched with coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache. Then finished with a chocolate glaze – what’s not to like about this? Especially if you’re a fan of both coffee and chocolate.

In this recipe, I used dark chocolate from the lovely people over at Cocoarunners. Here are a few more products they offer as part of their baking and cooking range – cocoa powder, milk chocolate, unsweetened, nibs and make your own chocolate bar.

If this sounds like your sort of recipe, then why don’t you give this a go… You’ll like it. It’s well worth the time.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Jaconde sponge:

6 eggs, separated.

250g granulated sugar.

125g ground almonds.

125g plain flour.

Coffee buttercream:

250g granulated sugar.

75ml water.

2 tbsp instant coffee.

75g egg yolks.

1 whole egg.

Coffee simple syrup:

250g sugar.

250ml water.

1 tbsp instant coffee.

Chocolate ganache:

100g dark chocolate.

100ml double cream.

Chocolate glaze:

75g dark chocolate.

45ml double cream.

1 tbsp instant coffee.

6g granulated sugar.

5ml liquid glucose.

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Weigh up all of your ingredients, line a your 8 inch baking tin with parchment paper and get any equipment you need, such as a stand mixer and mixing bowls. Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 200˚c/390˚f

To start on the recipe, you’ll want to begin by starting on the layers of sponge. I used the same cake tin 4 times over, as I don’t have 4x 8 inch cake tins, but work with what you have.

Into a mixing bowl, place the egg yolks with half of the granulated sugar and whisk until its lighter, fluffier and doubled in volume. This probably takes the longest, so you will want to get this started and you can continue with the other elements.

Grab another clean mixing bowl, place in the egg whites and whisk until they reach a frothy consistency, then slowly add in the granulated sugar. By the time the sugar has been fully incorporated, the meringue should be smooth, glossy and hold its shape.

Now take the ground almonds and plain flour and soft them together, discarding any bits thats get left in the sieve – repeat this a further 2 times, so you have sieved the dry mixture a total of 3 times. This helps to remove as many of the lumps in the dry mixture as possible.

Now you had the egg yolk mixture, meringue and dry mixture, you’re good to finish up the jaconde sponge. Start by taking the meringue by adding around a 1/3 of the mixture and gently folding it in, being careful not to knock out too much of the air. Repeat with the remaining mixture, only adding 1/3 at a time and incorporating until fully incorporated.

It’s the same process with the dry mixture, so add around 1/3 of the dry into the other mixture and gently fold it in, until its fully incorporated. Try your best not to knock the air from the batter, otherwise your cake will have no rise and not bake correctly.

Place the layers of cake into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Repeat this process with the other remaining layers of sponge.

Once all your layers of cake have been made, you can make the buttercream (which is super easy to do).

Into a saucepan, place the sugar, water and instant coffee and place on the hob and bring to 121˚c/250˚f.

While you wait for your liquid mix to come to temperature, into a mixing bowl place the egg yolks and whole egg, then whisk until lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency.

Once your liquid mix reaches the required temperature and your egg mixture has achieved the required consistency, you can go ahead and add the boiling liquid mixture into the egg mix over a low speed, then crank the speed up to high once it’s been added. Keep whisking until you’re able to touch the bottom of the bowl with the back of your hand.

Whenever you reach that point, you can then start adding the butter, just few chunks at a time, until incorporated. Repeat this process with the remaining butter until you have none left – if you notice the buttercream starts to look loose, don’t worry, this can happy. Continue to whisk on a high speed and add the butter, this will fix itself as its worked.

Whisk until you have a smooth beige coloured buttercream. Once made, transfer into a suitably sized bowl and place into the fridge until needed.

While you have a little spare time, it’s the perfect time to make the coffee simple syrup. Into a small saucepan, place the water, granulated sugar and instant coffee, give it all a mix and then place on the hob over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, remove from the heat and allow to cool fully before you use it.

The ganache is the second from last element you will need to make, which is perfect and super easy. Into a bowl, place your chocolate and set aside until needed a little late on. Then into a saucepan place your cream into a small saucepan and place on the hob over a medium head and allow to almost reach a boil.

Once your cream reaches a boil, pour over your chocolate, ensuring the chocolate is fully submerged in the hot cream. Allow it to sit for 60-90 seconds, then stir until you have a smooth and glossy ganache. This can be made in advance and gently reheated, if it’s not spreadable.

The final element to make is the chocolate glaze – which is just as easy as any other component. You will want to make the just as you’re finished assembling the cake.

To make the glaze, melt the chocolate and allow to cool a little, until it’s thickened slightly. Into a small saucepan place the double cream, granulated sugar, glucose and coffee, mix together and place on the hob until it almost reaches the boil.

Once it reaches a boil, add in the chocolate and mix together until you have a smooth and glossy chocolate mixture.

Assembly:

The first stage is to ensure you have your cake, buttercream and ganache made, ready to do the main assembly – ensure you have your palette knives ready.

The stage I missed out of the recipe that you would see on a more standard version. of the recipe is brushing the bottom of the bottom layer with melted chocolate.

Brush the first layer of cake with a generous coating of the coffee simple syrup, then top with a generous amount of buttercream, roughly the same thickness of the sponge.

Then place into a cake tin and get ready to finish the assembly.

Take the next layer of sponge and brush generously with the coffee simple syrup – top this with the ganache (which should be perfectly spreadable, not too thick or runny). Spread it out until you have a level layer of chocolate ganache. Place this into the cake tin, on top of the cake topped with buttercream, pressing down a little to secure it in place.

Take the next layer of cake and repeat the process of generously brushing over the coffee simple syrup. Top this with another generous amount of buttercream and place on top of the cake with chocolate ganache.

Then take the final layer of cake and brush one side of the cake generously with the coffee simple syrup and then flip this, so the coffee side is on the underside. Press down a little to secure it in place, then place in the fridge and allow to firm up for around 30-45 minutes.

Once your cake has had time to chill in the fridge, make the chocolate glaze and then pour it directly over the top of cake and then spread it out and level it out until you have a smooth and level layer of chocolate glaze.

Place back in the fridge just to firm up – it will make it easy to trim later on. When ready, trim the sides, to get rid of the rough looking sides. Slice up and as an optional finish, pipe the word ‘Opera’ on top of each slice.

Vegan Brownies

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

It’s almost the end of Veganuary 2020, can you believe that?

Today I’m sharing my recipe for a batch of perfect vegan brownies! They’re dense, fudgy and studded with chocolate – what more could you ask for?

A lot of people think vegan baked goods are bland and boring but they aren’t. That may apply for the treats you can buy in the supermarket but you can expect so much more when you make the treats from scratch – honestly.

Due to the rise in popularity of veganism in the last few years, there are plenty of vegan ingredients readily available at most supermarkets – which is ideal if you’re looking to enjoy a plant based diet.

These brownies aren’t as thick as my traditional version but they are just as chocolatey, rich and decadent. If you were to make them for someone and not tell them they were vegan, they wouldn’t even notice!

Want the best tasting brownies? I have used a selection of products from the lovely people over Cocoarunners – I used the cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

140g vegan spread.

225g granulated white sugar.

4 tbsp ground flaxseeds + 12 tbsp water.

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

90g cocoa powder.

200g plain flour.

100g unsweetened chocolate.

Method:

Before you start making anything, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up your ingredients, preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f and getting any equipment you need ready such as a mixing bowl and a whisk. Don’t forget to line your 9×13 inch cake pan with parchment paper.

To start on the brownies, you’ll want to sort the egg replacement. Start by grabbing a small mixing bowl and place in the ground flaxseeds and the water, then mix together until they are well combined – set aside (it will become a little more gelatinous, the same consistency as standard eggs).

Into a large mixing bowl, add in your butter until its melted, then go ahead and add the cocoa powder and whisk the two together until well combined.

Then go ahead and add in the granulated sugar and mix it in until it’s fully incorporated.

Give the bowl a good scrape down, this is just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in.

Add your flaxseed egg replacement all in one go and incorporate until everything has been fully incorporated. As the flaxseed eggs are incorporated, the mixture will become smoother and glossier – this is normal.

After that you can add in the plain flour and chocolate, fold those in using a spatula (this will lower the chances of over mixing the brownie batter. Once your brownie batter is ‘clear’ from any single ingredient, stop mixing).

Go ahead and grab your lined cake pan and transfer the brownie batter directly into it. Spread and level it out as you need – then place into the preheated oven on the middle level and bake for around 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean or with only a few crumbs on.

Once the brownies are baked, leave them in the tin and let them cool fully. Then place in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight, this helps to make the brownies extra fudgy and easier to cut up – perfect, honestly.

When you’re ready to slice the brownies up, you can cut them into squares/rectangles or whatever else you’d like to, whichever suits you best.

Terry’s Chocolate Orange Muffins

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

It’s bakemas 2020!

If it’s your first bakemas here, welcome. It is my annual mini-series in which I show you how to make a various Christmas themed baked goods – perfect if you want to impress your family and/or friends or if you’re hosting a festive get together.

It wouldn’t quite be Christmas if there wasn’t a Terry’s chocolate orange recipe, would it? Well, today I’m sharing the best ever muffin recipe! These Terry’s chocolate orange muffins are the must bake for this Christmas.

These muffins aren’t short of any flavour, you get a chocolate rush in each mouthful and a calming amount of orange – the balance works really well. There’s no need for orange extract, you get the orange flavour form the chocolate and the added zest (the best and only way to add flavour).

The added trick that makes these muffins so much better, is adding a chocolate orange ganache into the centre of the muffins, that way you get added chocolate and orange flavour – what’s not to love, honestly!

If these sound like your sort of treat, why not give them a try – just in time for Christmas!

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

ganache:

75g Terry’s milk chocolate orange.

40ml double cream.

muffins:

110ml double cream.

50ml milk (use your preference, I went with whole).

75ml butter, melted.

50g dark brown sugar.

2 eggs.

175g plain flour.

1 tbsp baking powder.

30g cocoa powder

zest of 1 orange.

100g Terry’s chocolate orange, chopped.

100g milk chocolate chips.

method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Weigh up all of your ingredients, grab a muffin tray and line it with tulip cases, preheat your oven to 200˚c/390˚f and grab any equipment you may need such as a mixing bowl, whisk and spatula.

To start on the recipe, make the ganache. Into a small bowl place in the chocolate orange, which has been chopped small – add in the cream and mix. Place into the microwave for 15-30 seconds at a time, stirring well in between each time in the microwave.

Once the mixture is melted, it should be smooth and glossy. Place this aside until needed a little later on – you may find placing it in the fridge better.

To start on the muffin batter, combine the chopped chocolate orange with the chocolate chips. Into another bowl whisk together the cream, milk, dark brown sugar, melted butter and egg until they are fully combined.

Over the liquid mix, sift in the plain flour, baking powder and cocoa powder – add in the chocolate and the zest of 1/3 of an orange.

Fold everything together until its fully combined, there shouldn’t be a trace of a single ingredients once you’re done mixing.

Transfer the muffin batter into the tulip cases, filling them half the way and reserving the remaining until later on. Once you have half filled all of your cases, you can take the ganache out of the fridge and scoop a generous amount out and place it directly into the centre of the muffin batter and then cover with the remaining (this is what makes these muffins that bit more special.

Now they’re done, place the muffin tray into your preheated oven and bake for 20-22 minutes – they should be well rise and smell gorgeous once ready.

Remove form the oven nd allow to cool almost fully and enjoy… The melted chocolate and orange flavour will partner together really well, trust me on that.

Easiest Chocolate Cake

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

It’s bakemas 2020!

I’m sharing the easiest chocolate cake recipe, like ever. Seriously, this is my go-to recipe whenever I’m making a chocolate cake.

Whenever I get the chance to make a chocolate cake, this is my go to recipe. It’s a simple and straightforward recipe, that only requires very simple ingredients and is the very recipe I have been using for the past 8 years – so I know it works well!

When it comes to making a basic cake, using the best quality products make the cake even better… That’s a fact! That’s why I’m using Cocoa Runners cocoa powder (it is now my favourite cocoa powder).

Anyway, lets get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Cake:

250g butter, room temp.

250g granulated sugar.

4 eggs.

1 tsp vanilla extract.

220g plain flour.

30g cocoa powder.

1 tsp baking pwoder.

up to 50ml milk.

Buttercream:

225g butter, room temp.

450g icing sugar.

30g cocoa powder.

boiling water.

1 tsp vanilla extract.

Simple syrup:

100ml water.

100g granulated sugar.

1/2 – 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Filling (optional):

caramel.

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, lining your 6 inch cake tins with parchment paper, preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f and grab any equipment you may need, such as a stand mixer and spatulas.

To start, I like making the cake (as this takes the longest). Grab a large mixing bowl and place in the butter and sugar, beating the two together until they are lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency – I find around 7-10 minutes on a high speed works well.

Give the bowl a good scraping down and then add in your eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition. You will notice the mixture change in consistency – this is normal.

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

Into a sift, add the plain flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Then sift directly into the bowl and mix on a low speed until the ingredients start to incorporate, then you can add in some milk – this is just to help achieve the perfect consistency. Try your best just to mix all of the ingredients in without over mixing the cake batter.

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

Then transfer into your line 6 inch cake tins, split it equally (or as equally as possible) and level it out. This is to ensure even baking while in the oven – place into your preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes to until tester when inserted into the centre.

While the cakes are in the oven baking, its the perfect time to make make the buttercream and simple syrup.

The simple syrup is super simple to make. Into a pan, place the water, sugar and vanilla extract and whisk together. Then you can place on the hob, over a high heat and allow to come to a boil and then remove from the heat and transfer into a smaller jar/container and allow to cool fully before using.

To make the buttercream, start on the chocolate mixture. Place cocoa powder and and boiling water into a bowl and whisk until a liquid mixture forms, then leave to cool while you continue with the next stage.

Grab a mixing bowl and place in the butter. Then beat the butter on its own until it reaches a lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency – this is usually achieved in around 7-10 minutes (depending on the speed and softness of the butter).

Once you’ve achieved the right consistency, you can go ahead and add in half of the icing sugar and mix on a low speed to start, working your way up to a medium-high speed until the sugar has been fully incorporated – then give the bowl a good scraping down and repeat the process with the remaining icing sugar.

Then go ahead over a low speed, you can continue to add the cocoa mixture you made at the start. Mix until everything has been incorporated and the mixture looks fantastically chocolatey.

Give the bowl one final scrape down and then set aside until you need it later on.

Whenever you want to assemble, take the cakes and remove them from the tins and level them off using a knife or a cake leveller (keep the scraps, we’ll need them later on).

For this cake, I halved my cake layers so I had 4 layers in total.

With the cake layers, you’ll want to generously brush them over with the simple syrup.

Take your board/stand/plate and smear a small amount of buttercream into the centre and place down your first layer of cake (pressing down to secure) and add a small amount of buttercream and spread it out until you have a consistent level – don’t forget, as an optional filling, you can add and spread a small amount of caramel into the centre. Repeat this with the remaining layers of cake.

Then apply a crumb coat of buttercream, this is just a thin layer of buttercream to lock in those pesky crumbs. Smooth it out as best you can, then place in the fridge for 30-45 minutes or until the buttercream is firm to the touch.

Whenever you’re ready, apply the final layer of icing and smooth out the sides as best you can, leaving it a little more untidy on top. Using a small cranked palette knife, you can go ahead and make the swirl on top. To do this, slightly dig the palette knife into the buttercream on the outer edge, swirling the cake around on the turntable, taking the swirl into the centre.

Then to finish, simply take some chocolate sprinkles and apply them around the bottom edge, to add a flair of colour and to hide any imperfections. Then to the out edge on top of the cake, you can sprinkle some of the cake crumbs (which have been crumbled into a fine consistency) – use as much or as little as you’d like.

Then place back into the fridge until the buttercream has firmed up.

Whenever you need the cake, you can slice it up and enjoy!

Mini Black Forest Pavlovas

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

Today I’m sharing the recipe for a batch of these mini black forest pavlovas.

It’s now officially September, so we are on the tail end of summer and the start of autumn. This dessert is certainly on the summer feeling but hey, its perfect to enjoy on a mild afternoon.

The only thing that is different with these pavlovas is the size of them, you still get the cream filling and the fruit topping, just with with some chocolate. A surprise little twist on a classic treat – you can’t go wrong, right?

The fruit I used was a bag of frozen summer berries from a supermarket but feel free to use fresh berries if you can get them – that way you can pick and choose which fruit you have and how much of it.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Pavlovas:

3 Egg whites.

145g Granulated sugar.

1 tsp Cornflour.

1/2 tsp White vinegar.

Filling:

200ml Double cream.

30g Icing sugar.

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract.

Topping:

Summer berry mix (or whatever berries you choose to use).

Small amount of grated chocolate.

Milk chocolate spread, just a small amount.

Methods:

Before you get started on any element of the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Make sure you weigh up all of your ingredients, line a baking tray with a piece of parchment, ensure that all of your equipment for the meringue is sparkling clean and grab any other equipment you may need such as a spatula and mixing bowl. I also recommend preheating your oven to 140˚c/285˚f.

To start, you’ll want to make the meringue. Grab yourself a small/medium mixing bowl and place in the granulated sugar and cornflour – give them a good mix together. Set aside until it’s needed later on.

Into your large mixing bowl, you’ll want to add the egg whites into it along with the white vinegar and whisk on a high speed just until the mixture has become frothy.

Once you have achieved a frothy consistency, you can go ahead add the sugar mix a table spoon at a time, beating well in-between each addition. Continue to add the sugar mix until it has all been fully incorporated.

Now the mixture should be done but to check and ensure you’ve got it perfect, you’ll want to do some quick checks. Take a little of the meringue mixture and rub it between your finger and thumb, if you don’t feel any granules of the sugar, thats perfect. The other check is to put the whisk attachment back into the meringue and pull it out, if the mixture is smooth, glossy and holds its shape – thats perfect.

Now you can process the meringue mixture. Take a large ice cream scoop and scoop directly onto your lined baking tray – onto a standard baking tray you should be able to fit them all on, just give each of them a little space to expand as they will a little while baking. You’ll also want to make an indentation using a spoon.

Take the tray and place into the preheated oven and bake for around 45-50 minutes (you should be able to remove the pavlova from the tray cleanly, laving behind no traces it was on the baking paper – if you can’t, then you may need to bake them for a little longer.

While the meringues are baking in the oven, its the perfect time to get the cream filling and fruit ready as well as cleaning down and getting tidied up.

For the whipped cream take a bowl and place in the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk them all together until the mixture reaches a consistency where it holds its shape, once you have achieved that, you can place it all into a piping bag fitted with your nozzle of choice – place in the fridge until needed later on (use within 24 hours).

Once everything is ready, you can assemble the mini pavlovas. Take the meringue nest and pipe in the whipped cream, use as much or as little as you’d like, you’ll know when you have go the balance right. Then you can go ahead and place the fruit directly on top, in whichever formation you’d like. As an optional finish, I take some milk chocolate spread and drizzle it over the pavlova – then sprinkle over some grated chocolate, just to add to the chocolate element of the recipe.

There you go, that’s how you make a batch of mini black forest pavlovas. They are pretty quick and very easy to make, so why don’t you give them a try sometime soon – you won’t regret it. Remember, if you’re making these, they are best enjoyed within 24 hours of assembling them.

Square Black Forest Gateau

by bakingwithelliott 5 Comments

This Black Forest gateau is sure to be the perfect addition to whatever celebration you have planned in the coming months.

If you have been following me for a while, you may be aware this isn’t my first ever Black Forest gateau. I’ve actually made this cake every year on my blog with a twist making it different every year and well, this year is no different. I thought I’d add this version, it’s a simple square cake, which won’t fail to impress at your next celebration.

If you haven’t had a Black Forest gateau before, you’re missing out. It starts with a layers of chocolate sponge, filled with freshly whipped cream and cherry jam, then finished with more of the cream, grated dark chocolate and cherries. The combination of the chocolate cake and cherry jam is amazing but chuck in the cream and it’s a dream – don’t believe me? Give it a try for yourself.

This cake was a slightly special cake as it was made for my moms birthday and she asks for this cake every year but to keep it interesting I’ve finally got around to making a square cake – something I haven’t really done before (is it me or are round cakes more popular?)

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

Cake:

470g Butter.

470g Granulated sugar.

6 Eggs.

410g Plain flour.

65g Cocoa powder

18g Baking powder.

Milk (optional, only use if needed).

Cream:

750ml Double cream.

125g Icing sugar.

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract.

Simple Syrup:

150ml Water.

150g Granulated sugar.

5ml Vanilla extract.

Coating & Finishing:

300-450g Dark chocolate, grated.

Maraschino cherries.

Cherry jam.

Methods:

Before you get into making this cake, you’ll want to do some prep work. I personally like to start by weighing up all of the ingredients, lining the 8 inch square tin with some parchment paper, preheating the oven to 180˚c/350˚f and preparing any equipment such as a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and a spatula.

To start on the cake, you’ll want to grab your mixing bowl and place in the butter and granulated sugar. Beat the two together until they are lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency – this should take around 7-9 minutes but may take more time, depending on how you’re mixing them together.

You can then go ahead and give the bowl a good scraping down, this is just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on.

Now you can go ahead and add in the eggs, roughly one at a time, beating well in between each addition. You may notice as the egg is added, that the mixture starts to curdle slightly and this is normal (you will be able to fix it at the next stage).

Don’t forget to give the bowl another scraping down, again just to incorporate any bits that haven’t been fully incorporated.

You can now go ahead and add in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, passing them through a sieve first (this is to remove any lumps that may be in the mix).

Start the mixture on a medium-low speed, working your way up to a medium-high speed, just until the flour has been incorporated. You may need to add some milk to help with the consistency (I find a tablespoon at a time works really well).

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

You can then transfer the cake batter into your lined square 8 inch cake tin, spread and level it out and then place into the preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre.

While the cake is baking, its the perfect time to get cleaned up and prepare for the next stages. At this stage I recommend you also make the simple syrup.

To make the simple syrup, it’s honestly super easy. Simply place the water, sugar and vanilla extract into the saucepan and mix together. Then place over a high heat and bring it to a boil, then you can allow it to simmer for a minute or so, just until, the mixture is thicker than water. Allow to cool fully, then its ready to use – if you’re making this in advance, store in an airtight jar and refrigerate until needed.

I leave everything I have done for the cake so far and leave it until tomorrow but if you only have one day to do everything, don’t worry, just ignore me on leaving everything overnight.

I start by levelling the cake, so you have two layers and then generously brush over the simple syrup. Leave the cake layers on a cooling rack while you make the whipped cream.

For the whipped cream, grab a clean mixing bowl and pour in all of the double cream and then add the icing sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk over a medium-high speed until the cream changes in consistency – it should be thick enough to hold its shape but still spreadable. If you have over-whipped the double cream, simply start over – the grainy mouthfeel will ruin it.

Now you have all of the elements ready, you can finish the cake. Take the cake stand/plate/cake board you intend on using and use a small blob of the freshly whipped cream, then place a layer of cake on top, pressing down to secure in place. Then on top of the layer of cake, you can spread a good amount of the whipped cream, spreading out to the edge of the cake, then spread as much or as little cherry jam as you’d like then sandwich the second layer of cake on top. Pressing down slightly, just to secure in place.

Then you can go ahead and give the cake a good coating with the remaining cream, reserving a piping bags worth. Spread and level the cream all over the cake, ensuring a level amount all over the cake.

Take the cake and coat the sides and top with the grated chocolate, making sure you get a good coverage all over the cake. You may need to go over some patches a few times to ensure a good coverage.

Place into the fridge and allow everything to firm up.

After the cake has been in the fridge for a short while, you can then remove it from the fridge and finish the cake off. Place the cake on to a turntable and pipe rosettes all around the outer edge of the cake – you will then want to add the maraschino cherries, how many you add is up to you – I went with what looked right but you can add more or less – you’re the judge here!

Place the cake back into the fridge and allow to firm up, I recommend eating this cake with 24/36 hours.

Cut up and slice this cake however you like, unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the inside as this was my moms birthday cake and we weren’t celebrating together, you know, with coronavirus and the other commitments I had going on in my life at that time.

Chocolate Sprinkle Cake | School Sponge Cake | Old School Traybake

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

Today I’m sharing my recipe for a chocolate sprinkle cake. This is honestly such a simple and easy cake – it’ll be added to your list of things to make on the regular.

Now I know this cake isn’t anything special but the simplicity makes this cake so much more special. This cake was requested by a a commenter over on my YouTube channel, so I took that and worked around with it. This is a chocolate version of my sprinkle cake but if you’re looking for other old school favourites, check out these recipes chocolate concrete & pink custard, cornflake tart and chocolate hedgehogs.

This isn’t the version you remember from school, thats the standard sprinkle cake but this with some chocolate or mint custard, you’ll be well away. It’s a light and chocolatey sponge cake, topped with a simple chocolate icing and finished with rainbow sprinkles… Simple, straightforward and downright yummy!

Regardless of whether you’re a beginner or a skilled baker, this recipe is the perfect one to make with super simple ingredients and minimal time, you can easily have a cake baked and decorated in no time at all.

Anyway, let’s get starts, shall we?

Ingredients:

Cake:

220g Butter.

220g Granulated sugar.

4 Eggs.

1 tsp Vanilla extract.

180g Plain flour.

40g Cocoa powder.

1 tsp Baking powder.

Pinch of salt.

Optional – 30ml whole milk (dairy free milks work just as well).

Icing:

25g Cocoa powder.

400g Icing sugar.

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract.

Whole milk (the amount will vary depending).

Methods:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all your ingredients, lining a 9×13 inch cake pan with some parchment paper and grab any equipment you may need, such as a stand mixer (hand mixers and spatulas will work equally as well) and silicon spatula. Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f

To start on the cake, you’ll want to grab a large mixing bowl and place the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract into it. Then go ahead and add the dry ingredients, passing through a sieve first to remove any lumps that may be in the dry mix.

Start to incorporate the ingredients on a low speed, working your way up to a medium-high speed until the batter is smooth and glossy.

If needed, you can go ahead and add some milk. This is to help with achieving the perfect consistency, this is optional as you may not need it.

Give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that haven’t been fully worked in beforehand.

You can then go ahead and transfer the cake batter into your lined 9×13 inch cake tin, spreading it out to level and smooth it out.

Once the cake batter is smooth and level in the cake tin, you can place it into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester come out clean, when inserted into the centre.

Now that the cake has baked, you will want to allow it to cool down fully before you use it. I recommend leaving it in the cake tin as it’ll help when you add the icing, later on.

To make the icing, you’ll want to take medium-large mixing bowl and place the icing sugar and cocoa powder, giving a brief mix just to incorporate. Then slowly add in the milk and vanilla, then whisk until you have a thick but easily spreadable consistency.

When you’re ready, pour over the chocolate icing over the top of the baked and fully cooled cake, then spread it out until the whole cake has been coated and it is all level and consistent.

While the icing is still wet/tacky, take your rainbow sprinkles and scatter them all over the top of the cake, ensuring there is a consistent amount all over.

Allow the icing to firm up, I like to place my cake into the fridge as this allows for the optimum setting potential. A couple of hours will make all the difference, trust me on that one.

When it comes to cutting the cake up, its really up to you. I went with 12 very generously portioned squares but you could easily get 24 smaller rectangular slices – play around when it comes to slicing up the cake to suit you.

Black Forest Cookies

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

If you like Black Forest, these cookies will hit the sweet spot just right.

For the past few years over on my blog and YouTube channel, you may have noticed I’ve shared a Black Forest recipe, mostly being cakes but this year I’ve taken it one step further and came up with these cookie.

These cookies start with my basic chocolate cookie studded with white chocolate for the cream element, then it has been filled with a homemade cherry jam. Topped and finished with a cocktail cherry, milk and dark chocolate, what more could you ask for?

If you make these, they make a great addition to the Black Forest gateau. That’s what I have done this year, so you may see a few more black forest themed blog post and videos yeah – but they are worth it, trust me.

Anyway, lets get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

150g Butter.

150g Granulated sugar.

150g Light brown sugar.

2 Eggs.

1 tsp Vanilla extract.

300g Plain flour.

50g Cocoa powder.

1 tsp Baking powder.

100g White chocolate, roughly chopped.

Filling:

Cherry jam (homemade or store bought).

Decoration:

Cocktail cherries/maraschino style cherries.

White chocolate, roughly chopped.

Dark chocolate, roughly chopped.

Methods:

Before you get started on the cookies, you should do a little prep work. I recommend starting by weighing up your ingredients, preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f, line a couple of baking trays with some parchment paper and get any equipment you intend on using ready, such as a stand mixer and a silicon spatula.

Grab your stand mixer bowl (or any other large bowl) and place the butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar and beat them all together until they are lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency.

Once the mixture is lighter and fluffier, give the bowl a good scraping down to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in.

Add in your eggs and vanilla, one at a time, beating well in-between each addition.

Give the bowl another scraping down, again just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in.

Directly over the bowl, sift in the plain flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. I recommend sifting the dry mix as cocoa powder can be prolific for having lump. You can also add the white chocolate in at this stage.

Fold the ingredients in using a silicon spatula, just until the ingredients have been incorporated, the dough should be clear. You can then go ahead and give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in.

For each cookie, take two scoops of dough, flattening them slightly. Pipe or scoop a small amount of the cherry jam onto one of the halves and use the other ball of dough to cover the jam and give it a quick roll so its rounded.

Repeat for the remainder of the dough, then place onto a baking lined baking tray. Flatten them slightly and round them off using a big enough cookie cutter and place into a preheated oven and bake 12-15 minutes or until well spread and sightly darker around the edges of the cookies.

Once baked, remove from the oven and finish the cookies off.

For each cookie, I like to use half a cocktail cherry in the centre and a couple of pieces of both dark and white chocolate around the edges.

Leave to cool (if you can resist) and enjoy them on their own or with a glass of milk.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

by bakingwithelliott Leave a Comment

Do you know somebody who loves chocolate? This is the recipe for them. Today I’ll be showing you how to make a batch of triple chocolate brownies!

Let’s be honest, are brownies ever a bad idea? No matter whatever your mood may be, why not have a brownie?

These brownies are how I like them, dense and fudgey. Personally, brownies shouldn’t be cake, if I wanted cake, I’d have made cake. If you’re not a fan of the dense sort of brownie, this recipe may not be for you!

You may have noticed from the picture that theres a lot of chocolate, you are able to see all 3 different types of chocolate, which is how a brownie should be. Don’t be stingy with the chocolate. The only question here is, is it possible to have too much chocolate in a brownie?

Anyway, lets’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

140g Butter, melted.

225g Granulated white sugar.

2 Eggs.

1 tsp Vanilla extract.

45g Cocoa powder.

75g Milk chocolate chips.

100g Plain flour

80g White chocolate, roughly chopped.

80g Milk chocolate, roughly chopped.

80g Dark chocolate roughly chopped.

Method:

To start on the brownie batter, you’ll want to add your melted butter and cocoa powder sugar into large mixing bowl and whisk the two together until well combined.

Then go ahead and add in the granulated sugar and mix it in until it’s fully incorporated. Give the bowl a good scrape down, this is just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in.

Add your eggs, one at a time beating well in-between each addition. As the eggs are incorporated, the mixture will become smoother and glossier.

After that you can add in the plain flour and chocolate, fold those in using a spatula, this will lower the chances of over mixing the brownie batter. Once your brownie batter is ‘clear’ from any single ingredient, stop mixing.

Go ahead and grab your lined cake tin and transfer the brownie batter directly into it. Spread and level it out as you need – then place into the preheated oven on the middle level and bake for around 20-25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean or with only a few crumbs on.

Once the brownies are baked, leave them in the tin and let them cool fully. Then place in the fridge overnight, this helps to make the brownies extra dense and easier to cut up – perfect, honestly.

When you’re ready to slice the brownies up, you can go with either 8 larger rectangular pieces or 16 smaller squares, whichever suits you best.

Chocolate

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