Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until it forms medium peaks. Add the sugar gradually, a spoonful at a time, until all has been incorporated. Mix the flour and chopped nuts, sprinkle it over the whites and fold in with a metal spoon. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle and pipe 6cm long logs onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before gently removing from the baking sheet. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt. Sandwich the cookies together and place them back on the cooled baking sheet to set. Dip the ends of the cookies in the chocolate and then in the vermicelli. Allow to set completely. Store the finger cookies in an airtight container.
200g plain sweet biscuits 125g butter, melted 395g can condensed milk 290g dark chocolate, chopped
Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Add the biscuits to a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Drizzle in the melted butter and add 80ml of the condensed milk. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Spoon into the prepared tin, smooth the surface and set aside. Add the rest of the condensed milk to a heatproof bowl and add the chopped chocolate. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate has melted. Stir the mixture well and pour over the biscuit base. Spread it out into an even, smooth layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Remove from the tin and slice into squares.
250ml sugar 250g butter, cubed 2 eggs a pinch of salt 10ml baking powder 750ml flour 125ml apricot jam
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a swissroll pan (32cm x 22cm) with cooking spray. Add the sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on high speed until creamy. Add the eggs and beat on high speed for 1 minute. Scrape the mixture down and mix again. Add the salt, baking powder and flour to a mixing bowl and stir to mix. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add a few spoons of flour at a time, allowing time for it to integrate into the mixture before adding more flour. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and divide in two portions. Press the one portion of dough into the swissroll pan and even it out with your hands. Spoon the apricot jam on top and spread it evenly over the dough layer. Push the other portion of dough through a coarse grater, as though you are grating it. The dough is very soft and you will have to push it through with the heel of your hand and then spread it evenly over the jam layer. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes and cool completely on a cooling rack. Slice into squares or fingers once cold and store in an airtight container.
This may not be the best looking fudge but on boy, it delivers on taste…!
100g butter 750g caster sugar 1 x 385g can condensed milk 150ml milk 2,5ml vanilla
Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper and set aside. Add the butter, caster sugar and condensed milk to a medium-large saucepan and place over a medium to low heat. Allow the butter to melt. Turn the heat up to medium-high and simmer for 25 minutes while stirring regularly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the saucepan. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the vanilla and whisk for 5 minutes with an electric whisk. You are cooling the mixture down and want it to be really thick. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and level the top. Set aside to cool for an hour and cut into squares.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a cupcake baking tin with paper cups. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix to combine. Add the sugar and mix at high speed for 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add the cocoa powder and coffee. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a separate bowl and stir to mix. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add spoonfuls of the flour mixture, waiting for it to be incorporated before adding more. Spoon the batter in the paper cups, filling each three-quarter-full. Bake the cupcakes for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of one, comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack.
For the frosting: Add the butter, vanilla and coffee granules to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on high speed. Add the sifted icing sugar in three batches and then drizzle in the milk. Mix at high speed for 2 minutes. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and pipe on to the cupcakes.
45ml butter, cubed 3 eggs 180ml flour 180ml milk, warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds 15ml sugar 10ml vanilla a pinch of salt 125ml lemon curd 125g cream cheese, room temperature 2 blood oranges, peeled and cut into segments icing sugar for dusting
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Add the cubed butter to a 23cm ovenproof frying pan and place it in the oven to heat up. Add the eggs, flour, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt to a blender and blitz until smooth. Remove the hot pan from the oven and swirl the butter around so that it covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the pan and stand on a cooling rack. Add the lemon curd and cream cheese to a small bowl and mix. Spoon the mixture onto the warm pancake and spread it out. Scatter the orange segments over the curd and sift with icing sugar to serve.
It is best not to attempt making Turkish delight when rainy – the moisture in the air prevents the sweets from setting properly.
50ml water 45ml powdered gelatine 300ml water 100ml red grape juice, store bought 450g sugar 1ml citric acid (you will find it in the baking isle) 5ml rose water 50ml cornstarch 25ml icing sugar
Line a 28cm x 18cm container with plastic wrap. Leave an overhang of the plastic so that you can lift the Turkish delight out of the tin once it has set. (2 x 14cmx9cm Tupperware containers also work well) Pour the 50ml water in to a small heatproof bowl and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Set aside for 5 minutes. Pour the 300ml water and grape juice in to a small saucepan and set it over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and citric acid and stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring it to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Melt the gelatine by placing it in the microwave for 5 second bursts at a time – it should be liquid. Remove the grape juice mixture from the heat and drizzle in the melted gelatine . Mix well and set aside until the mixture is at room temperature. Add the rose water, mix through and pour in to the prepared container. Refrigerate for 8 hours.
Lift the Turkish delight from its container, pull off the plastic wrap and slice into even-sized squares. Sift the cornstarch and icing sugar together and roll the Turkish delight in it. Place it on a pretty serving dish and be the star of the show!!
12 shortbread biscuits 250ml cream 5ml rose water 12 squares of Turkish delight, chopped into small pieces 1 punnet fresh raspberries a small bunch of mint leaves, finely chopped icing sugar
Line up 6 small glasses. Crush the shortbread biscuits roughly and place in a bowl. Pour the cream in to a mixing bowl and add the rose water. Whisk until medium-stiff peaks. Spoon some of the biscuit into the glasses and add 2 spoonful of cream. Top with a few raspberries and scatter some of the chopped Turkish delight and mint leaves over. Repeat the layers once more. Sift the icing sugar over the cups to serve.
For the filling: Add the corn flour to a large mixing bowl and pour in 50ml milk. Add the egg yolks and 50g sugar and whisk together. Set aside. Pour the 450ml milk and 50g sugar into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to just before boiling point and take off the heat. Drizzle the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium-high heat. Stir until very thick and then cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and stir through. Pour the custard onto a dinner plate and cover with plastic wrap. Push the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Your should make TWO batches of filling, separately.
For the cake: Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray two loose-bottom cake tins and line the base and sides with baking paper. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl and whisk to mix. Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the sugar while the mixer is running. Now beat on high speed until the mixture is three times its original volume – about 7 minutes or so. Scatter a third of the flour on the surface and mix on the lowest speed. Add another third, mix and then the remaining flour and mix again. Add the butter and milk to a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm when you put your finger in it. NB: YOU WANT THE BUTTER TO MELT, YOU DONT WANT TO BOIL THE MILK! Pour the milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and vegetable oil and whisk through with a hand whisk. Add about 250ml of the egg and flour mixture and vigorously whisk to combine. The batter must be smooth. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and very slowly, pour in the milk. Scrape down the sides and the base of the bowl. Beat on low speed for 20 seconds. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake tins. Lift each tin 5cm from the work surface and then drop it – repeat a few times to knock out the large air bubbles. Place the cake tins in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning the cakes out on cooling racks and removing the baking paper. Leave to cool completely.
Assembling the cake: Slice the cake horizontally so that you have 4 cake discs. Spread the custard evenly on to each cake layer and stack them on a serving platter. Roast the flaked almonds in a dry pan, allow to cool and scatter over the cake to serve.
125ml warm/tepid water 2,5ml sugar 15ml instant yeast 4 x 250ml flour 60ml sugar 2 eggs, beaten together 500ml milk, warm/tepid 5ml salt 125ml raisins vegetable oil for frying icing sugar for dusting
Add the warm water and sugar to a bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over and stir again. Leave to stand for 10 – 15 minutes. Add the flour and 60ml sugar to a very large bowl. Add the eggs and yeast mixture and whisk together. Now pour in the warm milk a little at a time, in between whisking. Keep adding milk and whisking until you have a smooth batter. Cover the batter with a damp tea towel and set aside to rest for 1 hour 30 minutes. Sprinkle the salt and raisins over the batter and fold it through with a spatula. Cover the bowl again and rest for another hour. Heat your oil in a saucepan – about 5cm deep. Dip two tablespoons in the oil, shape a dough ball and slip it into the oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes, turning as they cook. Do this in batches so that you don’t crowd the saucepan. Dust the warm doughnuts with icing sugar and serve warm.
My Whisk and I 