A Sausage Roll Guinness Cake

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I’m sorry my blog has been a bit bare lately.

I may have told you… we got a kitten.

A sweet little black one from the SPCA, whom we named Lorenzo.

He’s adorable, and therefore I want to spend every second minute cuddling him, dangling pieces of string for him, and watching him wriggle his bum in order to pounce on a plastic clothes peg.

The minutes in between are spent cleaning his litter box, taking him off the bench (on which he annoyingly jumps back up again), and filling his bowl with warmed kitten milk. Yes, he has us wrapped around his little finger (or paw).

And then there’s work. That eight-hours-a-day, five-hours-a-week thing that gets in the way of baking, and blogging.

But it’s okay, because I love my job. And really love my workplace – where there seems to be an endless supply of sausage rolls, Havana coffee and red wine. And we celebrate whenever we have an excuse.

It just happens to be, that last week we had a really good excuse – the CEO’s 45th birthday.

I was put in charge of the cake making and, because of the sausage roll office tradition, I was asked to make a sausage roll cake.

And when someone asks you to make a sausage roll cake for the CEO’s birthday… you make a sausage roll cake for the CEO’s birthday.

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I made Nigella’s Guinness chocolate cake, because it’s delicious, and added pecans to look like onions (gross, right?).

I split the cake batter into two bread loaf tins, and when they had finished baking I sandwiched them together with chocolate ganache.

After a little shaping round the edges with a knife, I then covered the outside of the cake in chocolate ganache too.

I wrapped it in Pettinice fondant, and used pastry brushes to paint a mixture of yellow food colouring, cocoa powder, and vanilla essence onto the icing to make it look like pastry.

Oh, and I made a strawberry coulis as the “tomato sauce”.

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In case you ever need to make a sausage roll cake, the recipe is below. Or, you can just make Nigella’s chocolate Guinness cake in a normal cake pan. Because, like I said, it’s delicious.

Here’s the recipe I used for the strawberry coulis.

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Nigella’s Guinness Cake with Pecans and Chocolate Ganache
 

Ingredients
  • Cake:
  • 250 ml guinness
  • 250 grams unsalted butter
  • 75 grams cocoa powder
  • 400 grams caster sugar
  • 142 ml sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 275 grams plain flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 114g bag of pecan pieces (optional)
  • Chocolate ganache:
  • 250g good quality dark cooking chocolate (I used Whittaker’s)
  • ⅓ cup fresh cream

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C/350ºF, and butter and line the bottom of two loaf pans.
  2. Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter – in spoons or slices – and heat until the butter’s melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and whisk in the flour and bicarb. Pour in the bag of pecan pieces (if using) and gently stir to combine.
  3. Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tins and bake for 40 minutes – or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it is quite a moist cake.
  4. Make the ganache by melting cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon until smooth. Remove bowl from heat. Set aside until cooled, and thick and spreadable.

Chocolate Crackle Easter Nests

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Chocolate Crackle Easter Nests – the final installment in our Easter recipes series!

Easter Nests

This recipe requires just five ingredients and I love that it’s easy enough to make with the kids – perfect to keep ‘em busy over Easter weekend – but delicious enough to satisfy the adults.

I used Whittaker’s new 5 roll refined chocolate (I had to buy 2 blocks, so one could be reserved for eating) and M&M’s speckled eggs.

Easter Nests

The recipe was created for the Whittaker’s Chocolate Lovers Easter Creation Competiton on Facebook.

If you also want to go in the draw to win a YEAR’S SUPPLY of Whittaker’s chocolate, you can enter your Easter creations here: http://www.whittakerscreation.co.nz/

Enjoy!x

Easter Nests

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Ingredients
  • 200g Whittaker’s 5 roll refined chocolate
  • 2 cups of cocoa puffs
  • 2 cups of coconut
  • Food colouring
  • 1 bag of M&M’s speckled eggs

Instructions
  1. Line 2 mini muffin pans with mini cupcake cases OR lightly grease them.
  2. Melt the chocolate on a medium heat in the microwave.
  3. Stir in 2 cups of cocoa puffs and 1 cup of coconut.
  4. Fill the cupcake cases with the mixture, pushing it up the sides to leave a small hole in the middle – in the shape of a nest.
  5. Dye the remaining cup of coconut with your choice, or choices, of food colouring.
  6. Fill the nests with the coloured coconut and top each nest with two of the speckled eggs.
  7. Refrigerate until set.

Easter Nests

 

Easter Weekend French Toast

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When I was five years old I sat at the top of our long driveway with my little brother and waited for the Easter bunny.

I made sure he couldn’t sneak past us from the right, and my brother was keeping an eye out for him on the left. We had the whole area under surveillance.

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Two hours later we gave up and went inside.

“Mum, the Easter bunny didn’t come! Do you think he forgot about us?”

“Go and see if he left anything in your bedrooms. Maybe he got in while you weren’t looking.”

We raced into our rooms and sure enough there was a chocolate egg on each of our beds. We were dumbfounded. How could he have possibly got past us?

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“He must have come over the back fence”, I said to my little brother.

That sneaky, sneaky bunny.

We were a little disappointed that we never got to meet him, but were pleased that he hadn’t forgotten to deliver our eggs.

And Mum was probably grateful for some quiet time on a Sunday morning.

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If you get a quiet morning over Easter weekend you should treat yourself to this Raisin French Toast with Cinnamon Greek Yoghurt and Orange Compote.

It’s perfect for Good Friday or Saturday morning while you’re patiently waiting for your chocolate eggs to arrive on Sunday. Serves 2.

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Ingredients
  • 4 slices of thick raisin toast (I used Tip Top)
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup plain Greek yoghurt (I used Cyclops)
  • 4 oranges
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbs butter
  • Maple syrup

Instructions
  1. Cut the rind off the oranges and cut the oranges into skinless segments, making sure all the pith has been removed. Sprinkle with ½ tsp cinnamon and ¼ cup brown sugar.
  2. Place in a saucepan and grill on a high heat until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has thickened and caramelized.Remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl. Dip each piece of raisin toast in and allow each one to soak up plenty of liquid.
  4. Melt 1 tbs butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 slices of bread and cook for about 2 minutes, or until golden, on each side. Repeat with the other tbs of butter and the 2 remaining slices of bread.
  5. To make the cinnamon yogurt, mix ½ tsp cinnamon with 1 cup of Greek yoghurt.
  6. Serve the yoghurt alongside the French toast and orange compote. Drizzle with maple syrup.

Throwback Thursday: Hot Cross Buns

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Hot Cross Buns

The thing is, as many of you probably know, Supermarket hot cross buns just don’t cut it any more (especially when they contain palm oil – Woolworth’s I’m lookin’ at you).

Some bakeries do a good job, but they’re not cheap.

Homemade ones are just easier, cheaper and yummier.

This recipe is courtesy of the March issue of Good Food mag but I’ve changed it up a little to suit my own tastes, and it’s my version that you’ll find listed below (I’ve eliminated the “mixed peel” as I’m not of a fan of the bitter taste it adds to the traditional hot cross buns. I’ve gone with orange juice and zest instead).

They’re a little time consuming to make, but if you read the recipe and plan it out in advance you’ll be okay. Other than that, they’re fairly simple to make and they came out perfect on my first go. They’re packed full of sultanas, diced apple and cinnamon and the apricot glaze just gives them that extra little bit of somethin’ somethin’.

One of these lightly toasted under an oven grill with a little (okay, a lot) of cinnamon butter (cinnamon mixed with softened butter), and a cup of coffee… what more could you want on a chilly March morning?

Recipe makes 16 regular sized hot cross buns . If you don’t think your house could get through 16 in one go, you could freeze  half of them for another time.

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Ingredients
  • For the buns:
  • - 300ml full-fat milk
  • - 50g butter
  • - 500g strong bread flour (this is essential – avoid using your usual baking flour)
  • - 1 teaspoon salt
  • - 75g caster sugar
  • - 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
  • - 7g sachet fast-action yeast
  • - 1 egg, whisked or beaten
  • - 100g sultanas
  • - Grated zest of one whole orange, and its juices
  • - 1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
  • - 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
  • For the cross:
  • - 75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • For the glaze:
  • - 3 tablespoons apricot jam

Instructions
  1. Heat milk in the microwave until piping hot, then remove and stir in the butter until it is fully melted. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature.
  2. Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a large bowl. Push to the sides, making a large opening (a “well”) in the centre. Pour in the warm milk mixture, then add the egg. Use a large spoon (preferably wooden) to mix well, until you have a sticky dough.
  3. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for five minutes, until smooth. Lightly oil the large bowl and place the yeast back into it and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm place for one hour, until the mixture has doubled in size (if the house is cold, I turn the oven on in advance and then, turning the oven back off, I leave the door of it open and rest the bowl on that for an hour).
  4. (Don’t throw the cling film away just yet) Add the sultanas, orange zest, orange juice, apple and cinnamon to the bowl. Use your hands to knead the ingredients into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Cover the bowl with the cling film again and leave in a warm place to rise for one hour more, until doubled in size again.
  5. Divide the dough into 16 roughly even pieces and roll each ball on a lightly floured surface. Arrange the buns on baking trays lined with baking paper, leaving enough room between each one for them to expand.
  6. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside for another 40 minutes to one hour. In the meantime, make the crosses by mixing the flour with five tablespoons of water – adding one tablespoon at a time until you achieve a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe lines along each row of buns, and then in the other direction, to create the crosses.
  7. Bake for 20min on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.
  8. Gently heat the apricot jam in the microwave, to melt and use a pastry brush to spread it over the top of the warm buns. Leave them to cool slightly before eating them.

Creme Egg Brownie

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Creme Egg Brownie

A few weeks ago I fell in love with a dining table from Early Settlers.

A beautiful, rustic table made of recycled NZ pine, that also happened to be half price. Not super cheap, but still half price.

Since we’ve just moved back from overseas we barely own anything, and I thought this table might be a good place to start.

So we thought about it.

We measured our dining area and decided it would fit fine.

We measured it again, and wondered if the table might be a bit big.

We asked some family and friends. They decided it would fit fine. And they loved the table as much as we did.

So we agreed we’d buy it.

Debit card in hand, we excitedly returned to Early Settlers and told the ladies we’d like to buy the beautiful recycled NZ pine table and its six matching chairs.

Creme Egg Brownie

Only to be told it was gone. Sold, just 24 hours ago.

Our indecisiveness was to blame.

I don’t know why I’m such an indecisive person, but I am.

If you give me ten restaurant options for dinner, I’ll spend all night just trying to decide where to go.

And if you ask me if I prefer dense, fudgey, chocolaty brownies or crumbly and cakey brownies then you’ll be waiting for my answer forever. I just cannot decide.

So, I’ve combined both.

Creme Egg Brownie

This recipe is my own creation and I love that it’s dense and fudgey in the middle, and crumbly and cakey on top.

Oh, and this particular version just happens to be filled with CREME EGGS! I almost forgot to mention that.

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I hope you all have the most wonderful Easter weekend, filled with plenty of delicious treats xx

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Creme Egg Brownie
 

Ingredients
  • 200g unsalted butter
  • 1.5 cups caster sugar
  • 250g dark chocolate (I use Whittaker’s)
  • 3 eggs, lightly whisked
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ⅓ cup cocoa
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • Approx 1 125g bag of mini Cadbury Creme Eggs (optional, at Easter time!)

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 Celcius and line the bottom of a baking dish and grease the sides (I also grease the paper to smooth it out).
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once melted, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the chocolate and stir until completely melted and the mixture is well combined.
  3. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
  4. Once cooled, add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
  5. Sift in the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Gently fold until well combined.
  6. Pour mixture into the baking dish and gently push mini creme eggs evenly throughout the mixture.
  7. Bake for 35-40 minutes in the middle of the oven.

Mexican Lamb Soft Tacos with Jalapeno Lime Mayo

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I’m sorry I haven’t been blogging as much as usual lately.

I’m busy trying to get back into the swing of this 9-5 workday thing, have re-joined the gym (much needed) and am going to the aerobics classes again, and then Si and I just had a weekend away in Auckland. It’s all go.

And now I’m sick with some kind of throaty thing, which is the result of it all, I guess.

So there hasn’t been much time for baking, and we’ve been sticking with the usual easy dinner recipes (yawn).

But tonight I tried out a soft taco with lamb and jalapeno lime mayonnaise concoction, and they reminded me why it’s so good to create new recipes.

They were delicious. And don’t be fooled – they taste, look and sound far more sophisticated than the time they took to prepare… I whipped these up in less than 30 minutes.

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They were inspired by the lamb soft tacos at Mexico Restaurant in Auckland.

This trendy wee place near Britomart Station was recommended to us by a friend, and so we went along on Sunday night before we flew out. There wasn’t a single thing on the recipe we didn’t like the sound of, and the price was well below what you’d expect it to be – just $6 for a soft taco, and $6 for many of the side dishes like patatas bravas.

We loved it so much that we left a little sad about the fact that there’s no Mexico Restaurant in Wellington. And so I decided to make our own lamb soft tacos at home.

For the Jalapeno Lime Mayo, I used Best Foods Mayonnaise. The quantities in the recipe pack just a small punch, but you can add more mayonnaise if it’s too spicy for your taste.

Jalapeno Lime Mayo

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All Things Kai: Mexican Lamb Soft Tacos with Jalapeno Lime Mayo
 

Ingredients
  • 1 tbs paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin, ground
  • 1 tbs onion salt
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 2 tbs flour
  • 400g diced lamb
  • ¼ cup pepitas
  • 2 tbs oil, for frying
  • Approx 1.5 cups of red cabbage, finely sliced
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
  • Handful fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 6 soft tacos
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbs roughly chopped jalapenos
  • 1 tbs lime juice

Instructions
  1. Mix all of the spices and flour together in a large bowl. Add the diced lamb and pepitas and shake or mix well to cover them in the spices. Set aside.
  2. Make the jalapeno lime mayo by whizzing the three ingredients together in a food processor or chopper until the jalapenos are very finely chopped.
  3. Heat approx 2 tbs of oil in a medium sized fry pan and add the spiced lamb and pepitas. Fry for 4-5 minutes, until just cooked. Add more oil if the lamb starts to stick to the pan while frying.
  4. Spread the cooked lamb across 6 tacos and top each one with red cabbage, carrot and fresh mint. And top with dollops of the jalapeno lime mayo

Snickers Cupcakes

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Si is one year closer to 30. Actually, he’s one year away from 30 because he just turned 29.

We went out for dinner to his favourite Thai restaurant and I gave him tickets to Auckland, for a weekend away in a few weeks time.

We kept it pretty casual – after all, he’s not quite 30 – but I’m sure we’ll do something extra special next year.

And I guess I’ll have to make a fancy cake.

For this year though, he got Snickers cupcakes. He’s a big fan of peanut butter and I’d been wanting to try out the recipe idea – perfect, really.

Snickers cupcakes

In order to Snicker-fy them, I filled chocolate cupcakes with caramel sauce and topped them with two-tone peanut butter and chocolate icing.

Your icing is going to come out darker than mine, because I didn’t have any real chocolate to hand and settled for using cocoa. You should use real chocolate though… it just tastes so much better! You can achieve the two-tone look that I have done, by following this great tutorial from Grin and Bake It.

And you can choose to make your own caramel sauce for the filling (this is a good recipe), or you can use store-bought stuff like I did.

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Ingredients
  • For the cupcakes: 100g plain flour
  • 20g cocoa powder
  • 140g caster sugar
  • 1½tsp baking powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • 40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 120ml whole milk
  • 1 egg
  • ¼tsp vanilla extract
  • Caramel sauce (for the filling)
  • For the buttercream: ½ cup margerine (or vegetable shortening, if you can find it)
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 3 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 4 cups icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 4 squares of good quality dark chocolate (I like to use Whittaker’s) melted and cooled
  • 2 Snickers’ bars (optional, for decorating)

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F).
  2. Put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a large bowl and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy, bread-crumb consistency and everything is combined.
  3. Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla extract together in a jug, then slowly pour about half into the flour mixture, beat to combine and turn the mixer up to high speed to get rid of any lumps.
  4. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed and slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture. Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. Cool on a wire rack.
  6. To make the buttercream, place the butter and margarine in a bowl and cream together. Split the mixture in half, putting one half in another bowl.
  7. To one bowl add the melted dark chocolate, to the other bowl add the peanut butter.
  8. Sift two cups of icing sugar into one bowl, and two cups of icing sugar into the other. Beat until the sugar is completely combined. The mixture will appear dry and crumbly.
  9. Add one tablespoon of milk to one bowl, and one tablespoon of milk to the other bowl. Beat until the mixtures are light and fluffy.
  10. When your cupcakes have cooled completely, pour one cup of caramel sauce into an icing bag, and use a long, thin nozzle to pipe approximately one teaspoon of the sauce into each cupcake’s centre.
  11. Ice the cupcakes, using the two-tone technique.
  12. Decorate with slices of Snickers’ bars.

 

 

Lemon Curd Cheesecake Cupcakes

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I haven’t had a job since Si and I left London five months ago, in September. September!

There was the three months of travel on the way home, and then more summer holidaying in NZ when we got here, and then there were the nail-biting, “oh my god what have we done“, drawn-out weeks of job applications and interviews. And rejections. Those god awful rejections.

And then one day we didn’t get rejections. We both got jobs.

Pretty awesome jobs actually. Si has gone to Statistics NZ (he gets to play with Excel, and lots of numbers, so he’s happy) and I’m the new Community Manager for Powershop (I’ll be doing all of their social media stuff, so if you can’t get enough of me here, then do come join me on their Facebook page).

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My first “official” day was yesterday. But I actually started at 4:30pm on Friday afternoon… Powershop was nice enough to invite me along to their 4th birthday celebrations, and so my induction consisted of wine, cheese, party poppers and five hours of hilarious stories from my new colleagues (that counts as an induction right?).

Everyone was incredibly nice and welcoming (they’re probably going to read this, but it’s still all true!) and so it meant I was feeling a little less nervous by the time Monday morning rolled around.

And a little less nervous about the dumb questions I’m guaranteed to ask in my first few weeks. Or months. Because I don’t know a lot about electricity, and it’s a pretty complicated industry.

But I bought myself some extra security, just in case, and buttered ‘em up with cupcakes on my first day.

Lemon Curd Cheesecake Cupcakes.

I think everyone liked them.

And I think I’m really going to like it here.

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I use the Hummingbird Bakery Vanilla Cupcake recipe for my base, because they’re my favourite, but you can use any good vanilla cupcake recipe.

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Ingredients
  • For the vanilla cupcakes: 120g plain flour
  • 140g caster sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • 40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 120ml whole milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • For the lemon curd: 50g butter
  • 2 eggs, lightly whisked
  • ½ cup (100g) caster sugar
  • 2 Tablepsoons lemon juice
  • For the cream cheese icing:  2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • ¼ cup cream cheese
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • ½ teaspoon grated lemon rind

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F).
  2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a large bowl and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Whisk together the egg, lemon juice and milk until well combined.
  3. Pour one-third into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Repeat two more times, ensuring the mixture is smooth and well combined. Do not overmix.
  4. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until light golden and the sponge bounces back when touched.
  5. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
  6. While the cupcakes are cooking, make your lemon curd by placing all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook on a low heat, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
  7. Once both the cupcakes and the curd are completely cool, pour the curd into an icing bag. Using a long, skinny icing tip,  insert into into the top of the cupcake and squeeze approximately one tablespoon of curd into the middle of each cupcake.
  8. To make the cream cheese frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add icing sugar and lemon rind and beat well to combine.
  9. Spread over the cupcakes. Decorate with dollops of leftover lemon curd and crushed biscuits, such as digestives.

Throwback Thursday – Melting Moments

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Today’s Throwback Thursday is a real treat… because you get two recipes for the price of one!

Remember when I blogged about the wonderful Annabel Langbein and her delicious Mini Passionfruit Melting Moments?

Well, here’s that recipe again.

I’ve made these delightful wee things many times, but I’ve made them even more often than usual recently as I’ve had so many people to thank. People who’ve… housed us while we were looking for a new flat, let us use their garage for storing things like fridges, filled our new home with furniture, and lent us trailers to move it all.

So many wonderful people who’ve helped us in our big move back to NZ… and I’ve been a little biscuit fairy dropping parcels of biscuits on their doorsteps this week.

While I was busy baking several batches of these biscuits, I got thinking… what other flavours would work?

And that’s how these dark chocolate and hazelnut melting moments were created.

I really, really like them. I think you will too xx

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Throwback Thursday – Melting Moments
 

Ingredients
  • To make the biscuits; 175g unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup icing sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1¼ cups high grade flour
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ½ cup custard powder
  • To make the filling: 50g unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoons custard powder
  • 2 tablespoons hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
  • For dipping: 100g melted dark chocolate

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
  2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla essence and beat to combine.
  3. Sift the flour, custard powder and cocoa powder into the bowl and mix well to combine.
  4. Using a tablespoon sized measuring spoon (or a teaspoon if you want smaller biscuits), scoop out the dough and roll them into smooth balls using the palms of your hands.
  5. Place on a lined or greased baking tray and use the back of a fork to lightly flatten the balls (the biscuits should still be quite thick – as you can see in my picture).
  6. Bake for 15 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.
  7. While the biscuits are baking, make the filling by combining all ingredients in a bowl and beating together until well combined and smooth.
  8. To assemble – melt the dark chocolate in a plastic heat-proof bowl in the microwave (avoid the ceramic bowls as they quicken the burning time). Take care not to burn the chocolate – microwave it on a medium heat and make sure you stir it every 20-30 seconds or so.
  9. Dip one half of the biscuits into the melted chocolate and place on a lined tray or plate to set (you can re-use the baking paper from the cooking process). You can pop the plate/tray of biscuits into the fridge to set the chocolate quicker if you like.
  10. Once the chocolate has set, spread butter filling onto one biscuit and sandwich together with a second biscuit.
  11. I like to store my biscuits in a fridge, in an airtight container, to keep the filling and chocolate hard.

White Chocolate and Cranberry Scones

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We’ve just moved into a new house.

It may only be a rental, but I love it. It has a nice kitchen and an established vege garden. It’s so cute and homely.

Oh, and one of the neighbours dropped by with a lemon cake the other night.

I think we’ll be happy here.

Everyone else thinks we will be too – if only because they love the European bakery on the corner of our street.

I went in on Saturday, early because they sell out of bread before 11am on the weekends, and bought one of their 5 grain loafs for our poached eggs.

It was packed full of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and it was good.

This is coming from someone who isn’t a die-hard bread lover. I can easily pass on croissants, ciabatta, focaccia, you name it (I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, but it’s all true!).

Scones – I can definitely pass on scones. Which is a shame, because they are such a good weekend lunch idea, and Simon loves them.

So, in a conscientious bid to become friends with scones over the weekend, I decided to incorporate some white chocolate and cranberry into them. Because chocolate never fails to get my tastebuds tingling.

And I LOVED them! Success!

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They’re dense, and sweet with the white chocolate, which is perfectly complimented by the tangy dried cranberry. Scones may become a regular weekend occurrence in our house after all.

White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

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Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 100g white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
  • 55g butter, diced
  • ½ cup full fat milk
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
  • ⅔ cup dried cranberries
  • 80g white chocolate, broken into bite size chunks

Instructions
  1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the melted white chocolate and the butter and cut or rub into the mixture until the mixture is coarse and crumbly and no large pieces of butter remain.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, cream and vanilla essence. Add to the dry mixture in three parts, gently folding it into the mixture between each addition. Add the cranberries and chocolate pieces and use your hands to incorporate them into the mixture, until you form a large ball of dough.
  3. Shape the ball into a round, in inch thick disk and place on a lined baking tray. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes (this will set the dough and make it is easy to slice before baking).
  4. After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 170º celcius. Remove the scones from the fridge and slice the disk into 8 slices – just as you could slice a pizza. Space them out on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.