Gingerbread Cookies

Deciding which treat to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve was always a big deal in our house. My brothers insisted on a can of Guinness whereas l loved to pick the special sweet treat. We went from mince pies to Lemon drizzle cake but my favourite has to be gingerbread cookies. If you happen to have a little time on your hands this year, why not try these super easy gingerbread stars. They're delicious dipped into a mug of hot chocolate or dunked into a glass of ice cold milk. 

Ingredients

100g Light Muscavado sugar 

125g Butter (softened)

1 Egg yolk 

125ml Golden Syrup

1.5 tbsp Ground ginger 

1 tsp Mixed Spice 

1 tsp Baking powder 

375g Plain flour 

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/ Gas 4 and line your flat baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2) Cream the butter and sugar together in the electric mixer. Once pale in colour, add the egg yolk and golden syrup and beat again. 

3) Sieve the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger into a separate bowl and combine. Add this to the wet mixture and beat again. 

4) Empty the moisture onto a lightly floured worktop and knead the dough until combined (add more flour if needs be). Roll the dough out and using cookie cutters of your choice, cut the dough and bake for approximately 10 mins until golden brown in colour. 

5) Allow the cookies to cool while you prepare the icing by combining ten tbsp of icing sugar with three tbsp of water. Pipe the icing onto the cool cookies on a pattern of your choice. To colour the icing, add a few drops of food colouring to the mix. 

Spiced Christmas Hot Chocolate

I love nothing more than curling up in front of the fire with a great big mug of hot chocolate at Christmas time. To make my hot chocolate that little bit extra special, I add a few surprises to give it a delicious festive kick. Go on, throw on that onesie and pick your favourite festive flick.

- Image via Tumblr -

For four large mugs you will need...

3 mugs of milk 

1 cup of whipping cream

6 tbsp Cadbury's drinking chocolate 

50g dark chocolate 

Half tsp nutmeg 

Half tsp of hot chilli powder 

1 cinnamon stick 

Large Marshmallows (to serve) 

To make the hot chocolate...

In a saucepan heat your milk, cream and cinnamon stick. Add the drinking chocolate and dark chocolate and stir until combined. Once at the desired temperature, add the nutmeg and chilli powder. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve with heaps of large marshmallows (not the crappy small kind!). 

Mince Meat

Seens as December is upon us, I thought I'd make the mince meat for my Christmas Eve batch of mince pies. It's good to make your mince meat early to allow it to rest for a few weeks, but, if you run out of time in the lead up to Christmas - don't panic - leave it to sit for a couple of hours and it'll still taste delicious. Making it early did give me an excuse to indulge in that festive buzz without feeling too guilty about it so go on whip out your wooden spoon! 

I love my mince meat to be nutty, full of fruit and to have a real boozy kick so I have carefully chosen the following set of ingredients... 

250g Flaked Almonds

300g Raisins

400g Sultanas 

250g Currants

2 large cooking apples (grated)

Zest of one orange 

Zest of half a lemon 

Juice of half an orange 

1 250g box of shredded beef suet 

200g Dark Muscovado Sugar 

150g Demerara sugar 

1 tsp mixed spice 

1 tsp cinnamon 

200ml Brandy  

100ml Cointreau 

You can substitute and other flavoured liquore for Cointreau - disaronno works well, or, you can simply add a further 100ml of brandy. 

To make the mince meat, simply empty all of your ingredients into a large bowl and mix. Leave the bowl sitting for approx six hours - giving it a little stir each time you pass by. After the six hours have passed, fill your sterilised or dishwashed jars with the mix. 

The meat will last for upto six months at it's best.

American Style Banana Pancakes

The weekend certainly calls for a breakfast that's that little bit special. I don't know about you, but come Saturday, I've had a serious bellyful of porridge. I usually turn to eggs or fresh fruit smoothies but this weekend I decided to go all out and make American style banana pancakes. They're super easy to make - you can even prepare them the evening before and leave the mix chilling in the fridge overnight. For me there's nothing better than sitting around enjoying a delicious breakfast together on a lazy Sunday morning.

Ingredients 

260ml Milk
2 Large Eggs
4 tbsp Butter (melted)
270g Plain Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
4 tbsp Caster Sugar
2 bananas (sliced)

TO SERVE...
Fresh Berry Compote
Pecan Nuts
Natural Greek Yogurt
Maple Syrup

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Method

1) Using your electric mixer, whisk the eggs, melted butter and milk until combined. 
2) Sieve the baking powder into the mixing bowl, add the flour and the sugar and whisk again until combined. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 15 minutes before making the pancakes.
3) To cook the pancakes, heat your pan with half a teaspoon of butter and coconut oil. Put three ladelfuls of the mix into the pan to form three separate pancakes and place the sliced banana on top like so...

Once ready, flip to ensure that both sides are cooked

 - they should be golden brown in colour.

Enjoy as you wish. I like to serve a portion of three pancakes with a dollop of natural greek yogurt, a spoon of mixed berry compote, crushed pecan nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup on top - yum!

TO MAKE THE MIXED BERRY COMPOTE, FOLLOW MY SIMPLE RECIPE 

BY CLICKING ON THE LINK ABOVE.

Quick and Easy Eton Mess

Eton mess is one of my all time favourite desserts. It's one of the absolute easiest to throw together and it always looks incredible! You can either make your own meringues or if you want to cheat a little, buy a pack in the supermarket. I had a couple of crushed meringues left over from an order this weekend and didn't want them to go to waste so I bought a few frozen berries and went for it.

To make your own meringues...

YOU WILL NEED...

3 Egg Whites 

150g Caster Sugar 

1 tsp Lemon Juice 

METHOD... 

1) Preheat your oven to 100C/ 225F/ gas mark .25, and line a flat baking tray with grease proof paper

2) Put the lemon juice into your mixing bowl and, using a piece of kitchen towl wipe the inside of the bowl

3) Empty your egg whites into the bowl and whisk on high speed until the mixture becomes white in colour and forms a peak when the whisk is lifted

4) Next add half the caster sugar and again beat on high speed until combined and the moisture forms a peak when the beater is lifted. Add the remaining sugar and beat once again on high speed. You should be able to hold the bowl upside down without any of the mix budging. 

5) Pipe the mix into your baking tray and place in the oven for 1 hour 30 mins. When ready, leave to cool fully on the tray and then store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

For The Berry Compote...

YOU WILL NEED... 

A bag of frozen Summer berries

3 tbsp of Brown Sugar 

Juice of half  a lime

METHOD... 

1) Simply empty the bag of frozen berries into a pot with the sugar and lime juice

2) Stir and allow the mixture to come go the boil and then to simmer for 4-5 minutes. 

3) Allow the mixture to cool fully before storing in an airtight container. The compote can last for up to a week in the fridge. 

To Assemble... 

YOU WILL NEED... 

100ml Fresh Cream (whipped) 

Handful of fresh berries 

The compote you made earlier 

The meringues you made earlier (or the pack you bought in the shop!)

Simply layer each of the ingredients in a glass and top with fresh berries - enjoy!

Pavlova Gateaux with Chocolate Mousse, Fresh Cream & Berries

Dad's favourite dessert is pavlova loaded with fresh cream and strawberries but he also loves dark chocolate. For his birthday this year, to combine his two favourites, I decided to make a meringue gateaux filled with dark chocolate mousse and strawberries, topped with fresh cream, berries and dark chocolate shavings. 

Ingredients

FOR THE MERINGUE

9 Egg Whites

450g Caster Sugar

Lemon Juice or white vinegar (to wipe bowl)

FOR THE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

200g Dark Chocolate 

2 tbsp Water

6 Eggs (separate and keep 6 whites but only 3 yolks)

Pinch of Salt

EXTRAS

250ml Cream (whipped)

Handful Dark Chocolate Shavings

Punnet of Fresh Strawberries (washed and sliced)

Method

FOR THE MERINGUE

1) Preheat your oven to 100C/225F/Gas Mark .25, and line two flat bakng trays with greaseproof paper. Trace around a small plate (approx 8 inches round) with a pencil to give yourself piping guidelines when the mixture is ready.

2) Whisk the egg whites on high in your electric mixer until they rise, become glossy and form a peak when the whisk is lifted.

3) Add  half your sugar and again, beat on high until the mixture forms a peak when the beater is lifted. When this occurs, add the remaining sugar and whisk on high for the final time until, once again, the mixture forms a peak when the beater is lifted.

4) Fill your piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle with the mix and pipe onto your baking tray filling the two circles you traced earlier. If you have some mix left over after this, pipe small meringe shapes, as you would icing on top of a cupcake - you can use these to decorate or to simply eat when they come out of the oven instead of having to wait for your masterpiece ! 

5) Bake the small meringues for 45 minutes and the two large for 1 hour 30 mins. Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool fully before assembling.


FOR THE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

1) Using your electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and salt on high, like you did for the meringue, until the mixture becomes glossy and peaks when the whisk is lifted.

2) In a separate bowl, melt the chocolate over a pot of simmering water. Once melted, add the egg yolks and mix. Then set the mixture aside to cool for 10 minutes.

3) After the 10 minutes are up, add the egg white mixture to the chocolate mixture, one spoon and a time and stir -always in the same direction.

4) Pour half the mixture into a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours before serving. You can pour the remaining mix into glasses to chill. You can serve these separatly to the cake.

TO ASSEMBLE...

Make a gateaux with the meringues, using the chocolate mousse as the filling. Spread the whipped cream on top and decorate with the mini meringues, berries and chocolate shavings.

Apple & Autumn Berry Crumble

Crumble is one of my all time favourite desserts - if it's on the menu I'll most definitely be ordering it. This seasonal apple and Autumn berry crumble is a must try. Once you experience the smell of it baking in the oven you won't be able to resist !After all everybody needs a little comfort food at this time of year.

Ingredients

(Makes 6 portions)

FOR THE FILLING

6 Cooking Apples (peeled, cored and sliced)

3 Cups of Frozen Berries (blackberries, raspberries, blackcurrants work best)

6-7 tbsps Caster Sugar

FOR THE CRUMBLE

2 cups Plain Flour

1.5 cups Brown Sugar

Half tsp Cinnamon or Mixed Spice (sieved)

1.5 Cups Butter (softened)

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Method

FOR THE FILLING

1) Peel, core and slice the apple. Add it to your pot with 3 tbsp of sugar and 3 tbsp of tap water. Stew the apple by bringing to the boil and allowing to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir constantly. Leave to one side.

2) In a separate pot, add the berries and the remaining caster sugar. Again, stew by bringing to the boil and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Leave to one side and, once cool, combine the apple and the berry mixtures.

3) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4.

4) To make the crumble, add the flour, sugar and cinnamon/ mixed spice to a bowl and combine. Cut the softened butter into cubes and, using your fingertips rub together until the mixture takes on the consistancy of breadcrumbs.

5) To assemble, fill each ramekin with the fruit and top with crumble. Place on a flat baking tray and stick in the oven for approx. 8 minutes until the crumble is golden brown in colour.

*You can store the fruit in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also store the crumble in a separate sealed container in a cool dry place for 4 -5 days before baking.*

These gorgeous mini ramekins from Viking Direct are ideal for making individual crumbles. There's something that bit nicer about tucking into your own little ramekin of deliciousness !Viking Direct have a massive selection of kitchenware and bakeware on their site - you'll be sure to find something you love.

The crumble is delicious served with a scoop of Carte D'or Vanilla Icecream on top, a dollop of Chantilly Cream or a spoon or two of Creme Anglaise -serious comfort food!

Blackberry Scones

I've become blackberry crazy over the past few weeks. I use them in everything - when they grow right outside the door surely it would be a sin not to use them up! I fancied fresh scones this morning but when I realised I had no raisins I didn't know what to throw in. I went for a few blackberries I had picked with my little godson the day before.They  worked a treat. The delicious smell of these bad boys baking will be sure to have the troops out of bed and at the breakfast table in no time. 

Ingredients 

MAKES 8 SMALL SCONES 

Plain Flour

100g Caster Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

Butter 

1 cup Milk and Water to bind 

Handful Blackberries 

Method 

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4 and line a flat baking tray with grease proof paper. 

2) Add all of the dry ingredients along with the butter (cut into cubes), to the bowl. Using your fingertips rub the butter into the floury mixture until combined. 

3) Add half the milk and water to the bowl and stir - continue to add until the mix binds like a dough. 

4) Empty the bowl onto your flour dusted work surface and fold in the blackberries. Roll until the dough is about an inch thick and cut with your scone cutter. 

6) Place the scones onto your lined baking tray and bake for 15- 20 minutes until golden brown. Leave the scones to cool on a wire rack or enjoy hot with melted butter - yum!!!

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*Store the scones in an airtight container

 (if they happen to last past the cooling rack that is!) *

Mixed Berry Compote

Kids are heading back to school which means that Summer is coming to an end but that Autumn is just around the corner. Colourful walks through the leaf-strewn woods, fresh seasonal berries and fruits to bake with, wrapping up because its getting that little bit nippy - what's not to love? 

 

 There are so many baking possibilties with what Autumn has to offer. One of my favourites, although its not really baking, has to be fresh Autumn berry compote. I for one never thought that making berry compote could be so easy. Who knew it could be ready to eat in a matter of minutes! 

Ingredients

FOR 2  JARS

350g Frozen Berries 

Fresh Blackberries (throw in whatever you have harvested)

6-7 heaped tbsp Light Brown Sugar

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

Method

1) Add the berries, lemon juice and sugar to a large pan and stir.

2) Allow the mixture to come to the boil and then to simmer for 4-5 minutes.

3) You can serve the compote warm or hot but, before storing allow it to cool. Store the compote in the fridge once cool. It keeps for up to a week days although it never lasts quite that long in my house! 

I used my gorgeous preserve jars from Viking Direct to store the compote. They're perfect for keeping the compote fresh and they look that bit nicer than a regular jam jar!Viking Direct have a great range of bakeware and kitchenware - you'll be sure to find something you'd love on their site.

My favourite way to enjoy berry compote is to stir it into my bowl of porridge along with Linwoods Milled Organic Flaxseed. I mean who wouldn't love healthy pink porridge? 

Serving Suggestions

ENJOY BERRY COMPOTE WITH...

yogurt

pancakes

ice-cream 

sponge cake 

toast 

sweet bread

Autumn Berry Smoothie

It's that time of year again which means that blackberries are everywhere! I picked a bucketful last week and knew instantly that I had to make something seriously purple with my find and this autumn berry smoothie was it! It's super easy to make - simply blend all of the ingredients below together and enjoy!

Ingredients

MAKES & SMALL GLASSES

2 bananas

2 apples 

2 pears

2 cups blackberries

1 cup apple juice

6 tbsp yogurt (Glenisk Pure Original Blueberry Yogurt is great!)

Half a cup of crushed ice

Chocolate Meringue Feast

I was invited for Sunday lunch last week so thought that I better whip up something special for dessert. I considered a sundae or something small but felt creative and went all out instead. I had never combined meringue with sponge cake before but had always thought that it looked pretty good. I whipped up a sticky chocolate fudge sauce to pour over the top and used Chantilly Cream for the filling - yum! 

Ingredients

FOR THE MERRINGUE

6 Egg Whites
150g Caster Sugar

FOR THE CHOCOLATE FUDGE SAUCE

2 Egg Yolks
150g Sugar
50g Plain Chocolate
3  tbsp Water
50g Butter

FOR THE CHOCOLATE SPONGE

250g Caster Sugar
250g Butter (softened)
4 Eggs
250g Self Raising Flour
6 tbsp Cocoa Powder

FOR THE CHANTILLY CREAM

250ml Whipping Cream
2 tbsp Icing Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method

FOR THE MERRINGUE

1) Preheat your oven to 110C/ 230F/ Gas Mark 1/4 and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
On one of the sheets, draw a circle around an 8 inch round baking tin and leave both to one side.

2) Whisk the egg whites in the electric mixer until when lifted, the beater forms a peak in the mixture. Add the sugar, a few spoons at a time and continue to whisk again until the mixture forms a peak when the beater is lifted.

3) On one tray, using a piping bag and star nozzle, pipe the mixture into small shapes like you would icing on top of a cupcake. On the other tray, pipe the mixture so it fills the 8 inch circle shape you drew earlier.

6) Place both trays in the oven and bake undisturbed for 1 and 3/4 hours.

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FOR THE CHOCOLATE FUGDE SAUCE

1) To make a syrup, dissolve the sugar in the water in a saucepan and bring to the boil until it has reached 110 degrees on your sugar thermometer.

2) Whisk the syrup and the egg yolks until the mixture is thick and mousse-like and leave to one side while you melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water.

3) Leave the chocolate to cool slightly for 5 minutes. Then beat the butter and chocolate together and add the syrup mixture and continue to beat.

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FOR THE CHOCOLATE SPONGE

1) Preheat the oven to 180c/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4 and grease and line an 8 inch round baking tin.

2) Cream the butter and sugar together in your mixing bowl until creamy and pale in colour. Add the eggs and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Then add the flour and cocoa powder, one spoon at a time and beat further until of light and fluffy consistancy again.

3) Pour the mixture into your tin and bake for approx. 40 minutes until firm to touch.

Easy Peasy Pavlova Bites

If you're looking for something easy to whip up for dessert this Summer, you should definitely try these easy peasy pavlova bites. You can make the base up to a week and a half before the day you plan to serve them which leaves only the assembling for the busy day - super! 

Ingredients 

3 egg whites 

100g caster sugar 

50g icing sugar

For Decoration

250ml fresh whipping cream 

Fresh berries of your choice 

Grated or melted chocolate 

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Method

1) Preheat your oven to 110C / 230F / Gas Mark 1/2, and line a flat baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2) Whisk your egg whites using an electric mixer until the mixture forms a peak when the beater is lifted. 

3) Add half the caster sugar to the mixing bowl and mix again until the mixture forms a peak again when the beater is lifted. 

4) Add the remaining caster sugar to the bowl and once again beat for aprox 5 minutes until the mixture forms a peak again once the beater is lifted. 

5) Fold the icing sugar into the mix using a metal spoon, then fill you piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle with the mix and pipe small amounts of the mix onto your baking tray. 

6) Bake the mini pavlovas for 1.75 hours, then leave to cool before storing in an airtight container. 

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When Decorating...

Whip the fresh cream with a small drop of vanilla extract and again fill your piping bag fitted with the star shaped nozzle with the mix. Pipe the cream onto each of the mini pavlovas and top with berries of your choice. Sprinkle with grated chocolate or drizzle melted chocolate over the pavlovas and dust with icing sugar. 

You can easily use any left over meringues to top a chocolate and fresh cream cake or any cake for that matter! 

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I recently attempted my first ever red velvet cake that was, much to my concern, for an order!  I decided to try a few recipes to figure out the best. They were up to their ears in red velvet and cream cheese frosting at home - I doubt they ever want me to bake another again! I used a brilliant recipe which I found in a gorgeous cookbook given to me by my mam at Christmas time. It was extremely easy to follow and the results were perfect. 

Red velvet is an interesting cake to bake. The deep reddish brown colour is a result of a chemical reaction between baking soda, buttermilk and cocoa powder. Many add more red food colouring for a much brighter shade of red that serves as a brilliant contrast colour to the white cream cheese frosting. 

Ingredients 

FOR THE RED VELVET SPONGE

280g Plain Flour (sieved)

55g Cornflour

1.5 tsp Baking Powder (sieved) 

280g Caster Sugar 

225g Butter (softened)

4 tbsp water

55g Cocoa Powder 

3 Eggs (lightly beaten) 

250ml Buttermilk

2 tsp Vanilla Extract 

3-4 tbsp Red Food Colouring 

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 

50g Cream Chesse 

50g Butter (softened)

200g Icing Sugar 

1tsp Vanilla Extract 

1-2 tbsp Boiling Water 

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Method

FOR THE RED VELVET SPONGE 

1) Preheat the oven to 190C / 400F / Gas Mark 5, grease 2x 6 inch round cake tins with melted butter and line with grease proof paper. 

2) In a small pot, melt the butter and cocoa powder. When combined, take off the heat and leave to sit and cool slightly. 

3) In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla extract, buttermilk and red food colouring until the mixture forms bubble or a froth. 

4) In another separate bowl, add the sieved flour and baking powder followed by the sugar. Mix and leave to one side. 

5) Add the butter mixture to the whisked mixture and stir. Once combined, fold in the dry ingredients using a metal spoon. Only add 3-4 spoonfuls at a time.

6) Once combined, divide the mix between the two tins and bake for approx. 35 minutes. The cakes should e firm to touch. Once baked, leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 3-4 minutes. Then remove them from the tins and leave to cool fully on a wire wrack. 

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FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 

1) Using your electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and the softened butter. Once combined, add the icing sugar and beat. 

2) When the mixture has reached a paste like consistency, add the vanilla extract followed by the boiling water and beat continuously for 5-6 minutes. If the frosting is still quite heavy and thick add another  tsp of boiling water. 

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For a sandwich style red velvet cake, simply place one cool sponge on your plate or cake board, spread a layer of your cream cheese frosting, place the other sponge on top and completely cover the cake in the remaining frosting using your pallet knife, I piped the icing for effect but either will work well. I also used a red velvet ribbon to decorate. 

If you'd rather make red velvet cupcakes simply follow the same recipe but, instead of using the two cake tins, use a muffin tray lined with bun cases. Bake the cupcakes for 15- 20 minutes until firm to touch and leave to cool on a wore wrack before icing. For something a little different, I say one bun on top of the other to form a sandwich. 

Sesame Brown Soda Loaf

Bread is one of my favourite things to bake. I used to shy away from it as I thought working with yeast and kneading dough would be too tough for an amateur, but, with this simple soda bread recipe my mind changed completely. Bread doesn't need to be complicated in the slightest.

 Ingredients 

225g Brown Flour

225g Plain Flour 

1 handful porridge oats 

4 tbsp Bran 

6 tbsp sesame seeds 

2 tbsp brown sugar 

1 pinch of salt 

1 tbsp Bread Soda

500ml Buttermilk 

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350f/ Gas Mark 4, grease a loaf tin with oil and line the bottom with grease proof paper 

2) Sift the flour and bread soda into your bowl, then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix with wooden spoon 

3) Make a hole in the centre of the bowl and pour in roughly half the buttermilk and mix

4) Add the remaining buttermilk and stir (be careful that the mixture is not too wet- it should be firm but still 'plop' off the spoon - if it's too wet simply add a little more flour) 

5) Empty the mixture into your tin, sprinkle some seeds on top and bake for 35-40 minutes until firm to touch

6) Leave to cool on a wire wrack, slice and enjoy - I love to eat it with thick slices of vintage cheddar or real butter and raspberry jam.

Summer Strawberry and Orange Smoothie

Why not start your day with a vitamin packed summer smoothie? 

Smoothies are extremely easy to make and are also a great way to use up fruit that's starting to go that little bit too ripe. I always use a banana, natural yogurt and orange juice base for any smoothie that I make and pretty much add whatever fruit I can get my hands on.

This Strawberry Kiss Summer Smoothie is made up of strawberries, passion fruit, apple, orange juice, banana and natural yogurt.

MAKES 2 LARGE GLASSES

1.5 cups Orange Juice

Half cup of Natural Yogurt

2-3 cups Strawberries (either frozen or fresh)

2 Bananas

3 Apples (peeled and cored)

2 Passion fruit

1 cup of Ice

Simply blend all fruit with the juice and yogurt followed by the ice and enjoy !

Coffee Lover's Dream Cake

So last weekend I baked something a little over the top for mam's birthday. After being away for the past month what could you expect?! I was raring to get back into my apron and whip up a storm. I baked a two tier coffee lovers dream cake. The bottom tier was made up of a rich mocha sponge with a chocolate and coffee ganache filling and mocha butter cream. The top was more of a traditional coffee cake made up of a light coffee and walnut sponge, a chocolate walnut ganache filling and a smooth coffee butter cream. Coffee is one of mam's all time favourites so I had to go all out for the occasion. 

THE MOCHA BOTTOM TIER

Ingredients

FOR THE MOCHA SPONGE

400g Butter (softened)

200g Caster Sugar

200g Brown Sugar

400g Self Raising flour (sieved) 

7 Eggs 

4 tbsp Cocoa Powder 

50g Dark chocolate (grated) 

4-5 tbsp Irel Coffee Essense 

FOR THE MOCHA GANACHE FILLING

280ml Double cream

200g Dark Chocolate 

2 tsp Instant Coffee Granules 

2 tbsp Golden Caster Sugar

FOR THE MOCHA BUTTERCREAM

160g Butter (softened)

300g Icing Sugar 

50g Plain chocolate 

4 tbsp Irel coffee essence 

1-2 tbsp of boiling water 

____________________________________

* If you are unable to find Irel coffee essence simply use 1tsp of instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp of boiling water instead for the same results * 

Method 

FOR THE MOCHA SPONGE

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F / Gas Mark 4, grease an 8 inch round baking tin with melted butter and line with greaseproof paper. 

2) Cream the butter and sugar together using your electric mixer 

3) Once combined and white in colour add in the eggs, two at a time and beat. Allow one to two minutes of mixing between each. 

4) Once all the eggs have been added to the mixture, add the Irel coffee essence.

5) Once the essence is combined, add the flour, one spoon at a time until all is added.

6) Allow the mixer to beat for 3-4 minutes and add the cocoa powder followed by the grated chocolate and once again allow the mix to beat for a further 4 minutes. 

7) Fill your line cake tin with the mix and bake for approv 40 minutes until the sponge springs up once touched. 

* You may have a little extra mix leftover for some yummmmyy mocha cupcakes. Simply fill your muffin cases with 1-2 tsp of the mix and bake for 15- 20 mins *

FOR THE CHOCOLATE COFFEE GANACHE

1) Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water

2) Add the whipping cream followed by the instant coffee and sugar and combine 

3) Leave to sit until you are ready to spread 

FOR THE MOCHA BUTTERCREAM

1) Cream the butter and sugar together using the electric mixer until white in colour 

2) Add the Irel coffee essence and the cocoa powder and beat again

3) While beating on a high speed add the boiling water- this allows the buttercream to become lighter 

4) Add the melted chocolate, one tsp at a time while mixing on high speed 

5) Leave to one side until the cake is cool. 

THE TRADITIONAL COFFEE & WALNUT TOP TIER

Ingredients

FOR THE SPONGE

225g Butter (softened)

225g Soft light brown sugar 

225g Self Raising Flour (sieved) 

4 large eggs 

4 tbsp Irel Coffee Essence 

4 tbsp Crushed Walnuts 

FOR THE WALNUT CHOCOLATE GANACHE 

250ml Double Cream 

185g Dark Chocolate

4tbsp crushed walnuts 

2 tbsp Golden Caster Sugar

FOR THE COFFEE BUTTERCREAM

150g Butter (softened) 

300g Icing Sugar 

5-6 tbsp of Irel coffee 

1-2 tbsp boiling water 

____________________________________________________

Method 

FOR THE COFFEE SPONGE 

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F / Gas Mark 4, grease an 6 inch round baking tin with melted butter and line with greaseproof paper. 

2) Cream the butter and sugar together using your electric mixer 

3) Once combined and white in colour add in the eggs, two at a time and beat. Allow one to two minutes of mixing between each. 

4) Once all the eggs have been added to the mixture, add the Irel coffee essence.

5) Once the essence is combined, add the flour, one spoon at a time until all is added.

6) Add the chopped walnuts and allow the mixer to beat for a further 3-4 minutes. 

7) Filll your line cake tin with the mix and bake for approv 40 minutes until the sponge springs up once touched. 

FOR THE COFFEE & WALNUT GANACHE 

1) Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water

2) Add the whipping cream followed by the chopped walnuts and combine 

3) Leave to sit until you are ready to spread 

FOR THE COFFEE BUTTERCREAM

1) Cream the butter and sugar together using the electric mixer until white in colour 

2) Add the Irel coffee essence and beat again

3) While beating on a high speed add the boiling water- this allows the buttercream to become lighter 

4) Leave to one side until the cake is cool.