JW Recipes

Archive for the ‘Cakes & pastries’ Category

What you need:

2 2/3 cups  icing sugar

5 cups unsweetened dried coconut

5 large egg whites

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

Green food coloring

Red M&M’s Minis

What you do:

preheat the oven to  190 C /375 F / gas mark 5

Line 2 large baking sheets with grease proof paper.

Mix together the confectioners’ sugar, coconut, egg whites, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl and mix with a rubber spatula. Add green food colouring and stir in completely until the dough is desired colour. Dough will be sticky.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets. Moisten your fingers with water. Using your index finger, make a 1/2-inch hole in centre of each cookie. Carefully flatten dough with your fingers into a 3-inch wreath shape. Re-moisten fingertips with water as needed. (Cookies don’t spread as they cook, so leave about 1 inch between them on the baking sheet.) Repeat with remaining dough. Press a few M&M’s Minis or other decorations into each cookie.

Bake cookies until firm and light brown around edges, 8 to 10 minutes. (Cookies will firm as they cool; they are very soft coming out of oven.) Let cool on baking sheets on wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough and candies.

What you need:

125g plain flour

45g ground almond

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

a pinch each of cloves, nutmeg and black pepper

100ml runny clear honey

40g butter

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F/ gas mark 4

Put the honey and butter in a pan over a low heat and leave to melt.

Put all the other ingredients in a bowl.

When the butter has melted, pour into the bowl and mix well.   It should all form one ball of fairly solid dough and come away from the sides of the bowl.

Cover and leave to cool.  Ideally leave overnight.  I waited 24 hours before moving onto making the biscuits.

Roll the dough into about 15 balls about 3cm wide.  Squash so they are a little flatter.  Put them on a tray covered in baking parchment.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes . Leave to cool on a wire rack.

What you need:

150g caster sugar

150g butter

140 self-raising flour

10g cornflour

3 medium eggs

30ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Gold chocolate curls

Edible gold stars ( or similar)

For the reduced-sugar butter cream:

240ml milk

60g plain flour

Pinch of salt

110g vegetable fat such as Trex

110g unsalted butter

220g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

You will also need: 

12 black  (or any dark) cupcake cases

Piping bag

1M nozzle

What you do:

Preheat your oven to 160°C/320°F/Gas Mark 3.

Line the baking tray with cases. Beat the sugar, butter and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

Add 1 egg, 1/3 of the flour and a splash of milk and beat until just combined. Repeat until all the ingredients are combined. Divide the batter between the 12 cases (try using an ice cream scoop to get even amounts) and bake for 25-30 minutes depending on your oven. Remove and cool in the tins for 10 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the reduced-sugar butter cream heat the milk in a small saucepan, over a gentle heat, Whisk the flour and salt into the milk and continue to heat gently while whisking continuously (to avoid lumps), until the mixture takes on a thick pudding-like consistency. Leave to cool for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, cream the vegetable fat, sugar, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.

When the pudding has cooled add it to the creamed vegetable fat and butter mix one spoon at a time, beating with an electric whisk until all the pudding has been added. It will be very light in texture and quite white when it’s ready. Cool in the fridge for 15 minutes, this helps stiffen it slightly so it’s ready to pipe.

When the cakes are cool add a  1M nozzle to a large piping bag and place it in a large glass (pint glasses or picnic tall glasses are great).

Pull the bag down around the glass and fill the bag by pushing the butter cream down into the bag as you fill. Then lift the bag up from around the glass and, from where the butter cream stops, push all the air up out of the bag and twist the bag right at the top of the butter cream. Hold the twist between your thumb and forefinger, apply pressure and pipe using your other hand as a guide.

To pipe a swirl, apply pressure to the top of the bag and, starting in the middle of the cake, first pipe a star by squeezing a star shape then releasing the pressure and pulling up quickly. Then, start at the outside edge of the paper case and, using this as a guide, pipe around the star and build up into a swirl. When you reach the end of the swirl press down slightly, release the pressure and pull up quickly

After you have piped a cupcake, twist the bag again so the twist is always at the top of the butter cream.

Sprinkle the gold chocolate curls and stars over each cake.

What you need:

100g/4oz softened butter or soft margarine

100g/4oz golden caster sugar

2 eggs

100g /4oz self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Icing sugar for dusting

150g/5oz ready-to-roll white icing

3 tbsp apricot jam

Marshmallows

Red fizzy lances for the scarves

Tubes of coloured writing icing

Sugar baubles (for cake decoration) and edible silver baubles

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/300ºF/gas mark 4.

Place the softened butter or margarine, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and vanilla essence into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat for a  few minutes until the mixture is light in colour and fluffy.

Line a bun tin with eight paper cases and divide the mixture between them, filling the  cases to about two-thirds of the way up. Bake for about 20 minutes until the fairy cakes have risen and are lightly golden. Lift the cakes (still in their paper cases) out of the tins and leave them to cool on a wire rack.

Dust a clean work surface with icing sugar and roll out the icing to about 5mm/¼in thick. Cut out eight circles using a small pastry cutter that is the same size as the top of your cakes. Put the apricot jam into a small dish and stir in one tablespoon of hot water. Brush this over the surface of the cakes and stick the circles of icing on top.

To decorate the cakes, use marshmallows for the snowmen’s heads, black writing icing for the eyes, red writing icing for the smiles and sugar baubles for noses (stick them on with a blob of writing icing). Stick the heads on the cakes using a little apricot jam, then stick on the edible silver baubles for buttons.

Wrap fizzy lances around the snowmen’s necks for scarves.

What you need:

5 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
MOCHA CREAM FILLING:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
MOCHA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup baking cocoa
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brewed coffee
2 to 3 tablespoons milk

What you do:

Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with grease proof paper; grease the paper. Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to egg yolk mixture until blended.
Beat egg whites on medium until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Stir a fourth into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites until no streaks remain.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until cake springs back (do not overbake). Cool for 5 minutes; invert onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Peel off parchment paper. Roll up in the towel, starting with a short side. Cool on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and coffee granules. Beat until stiff peaks form; chill. Unroll cooled cake; spread filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up again. Place on serving platter; chill.
In a large bowl, beat frosting ingredients until smooth. Frost cake. Using a fork, make lines resembling tree bark.

What you need:

150g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
150g self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk

For the frosting

200g butter, at room temperature
250g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk
green food colouring

To decorate:

silver balls, sugar stars or hundreds and thousands

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180C /350F / gas mark 4.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale.

Gradually mix in the beaten egg alternating with the flour to stop the mix from curdling. Finally, stir through the vanilla extract and milk.

Place 12 paper cupcake cases into a muffin tin and divide the mixture between them.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

For the frosting: In a mixing bowl beat the butter with a spoon or spatula until smooth, then start to sift in the icing sugar, stirring regularly. Add the vanilla extract and milk. The frosting should be light and creamy.

Mix your green food colouring into the icing to give an even green colour.

Once the cupcakes are totally cool, pipe the icing onto them starting from the outside of the cake and working into the centre to create tall Christmas trees. Decorate with silver balls, stars or hundreds and thousands then allow to set for at least 30 minutes so that the icing has a slightly crispy finish

What you need:

2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup  Pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:

2 cups sifted icing sugar

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp butter , melted

1tsp vanilla extract

What you do:

Pre heat oven to 180C /350° F/ gas mark 4

Line a tin with grease proof paper

Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

To make the glaze:

In a small bowl, mix together the icing sugar, milk, butter & vanilla extract until smooth.

Drizzle the  glaze over the cookies.

What you need:

Chocolate cake
115g slightly salted butter, softened
115g  Caster Sugar
1 tbsp Golden Syrup
2 medium Eggs
115g self- raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Frosting
75g full-fat cream cheese
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
125g  Icing Sugar
Cake pop sticks
Decoration
200g plain chocolate, melted
200g white chocolate, melted
Sprinkles of your choice

What you do:

For the cake pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F /gas 4.

Grease and base line a 20cm round cake tin.
Put all of the ingredients for the cake in to a large bowl and beat until smooth. Transfer to the cake tin and level, then bake for 20-25 minutes until springy to touch and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.

Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes then turn our and cool completely. Best left for a day before making the cake pops.

Mix the frosting ingredients together until smooth. Crumble the cake into fine crumbs into a bowl, add the frosting and mix together to make a moist textured mixture that sticks together. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until firm about 1 hour. (you can leave this mixture in the fridge for up to 3 days at this stage).

Take rounded tsps of mixture, and roll into a firm balls with your hands. Place on a sheet of greaseproof paper on a flat plate or tray. Makes about 20 balls. Put into the freezer for about half an hour to firm.

Have ready a polystyrene block or a florist block (oasis). Take a pop stick and dip into one of the cooled melted chocolates, about 2cm deep. Insert immediately into a cake ball, about halfway through. Now dip into the chocolate, making sure the cake ball is coated all over then gently tap the cake pop over the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Place in the block and scatter sprinkles before the chocolate sets, which will be quite quick as the cake is cold from the freezer.

Repeat with the rest of the cake balls using both of the melted chocolates. The pops will keep for a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

What you need:

1 cup old-fashioned oats (not quick-cooking)
1 cup buttermilk (1% or fat-free)
1 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup bananas (mased and ripe, 2 or 3 bananas)
1/2 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)

What you do:

Preheat oven to  200 C /400 F / gas mark 6.

Drop foil liners into a 12-cavity muffin tin with 3-inch cups.

In large mixing bowl, combine oats and buttermilk and set aside for 1 hour.

Coat inside of liners generously with cooking spray and set aside. Or, spray muffin tin without using liners; this produces muffins with a chewier crust.

In small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Break egg into bowl with soaked oats and beat it lightly with fork, then mix it in. Add applesauce, banana and sugar, and whisk until wet ingredients are well blended. Add dry ingredients, whisking just until they are combined: over mixing makes muffins tough.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle walnuts over top of muffins.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until bamboo skewer inserted into centre of the  muffin comes out clean. Let sit for 3 minutes, then turn the muffins out onto wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Note: If not using liners, run a thin knife around between muffins and pan before turning them out.

What you need:

1/2 cup Shortening
1 1/4 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Pumpkin puree
2 Eggs
2 cup All-purpose flour
2 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Ginger
1 ts Cinnamon
1 ts Nutmeg
1 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Chopped nuts

What you do:

Pre heat the oven to  190C /375F / gas mark 5

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
In a second bowl, cream the shortening and work in the brown sugar and eggs.

Mix well. Stir in the pureed pumpkin. Add the nuts and raisins. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, mixing well.

Drop spoonfuls of the batter on a sheet of  grease proof paper.

Bake at 375F for 10 to 15 minutes.