Cherry Bakewell Slice

These slices are great for serving a big crowd of cherry Bakewell lovers!

I am a huge cherry Bakewell lover which is exactly why I made these slices. Purely so that I could make a bigger version, those little Mr Kipling tarts just aren't enough for me, they only leave me wanting more! With these slices you get a little extra of that soft almond sponge, and they are a lot easier to make than trying to make individual tarts. I'll never understand those people who dislike glacé cherries and almond extract. My sister is one of those people, so I always have to warn her when I'm making recipes like these so that she avoids the kitchen, missing out on those beautiful aromas! Anyway, if you're here then it means you're like me so sharing these cherry bakewell slices may be as difficult as I found it! I hope you like this recipe, it does take a little longer because of the pastry element but thats key to a cherry Bakewell. So have fun with it! 

If you love cherries and almond....

Check out my other recipes for more inspiration!

• Cherry Lattice Pie
• Cherry Bakewell Flapjacks
• Cherry Crumble Bars

Recipe

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 35 minutes

Serves: 16

Notes:

• It's easier to spread the icing on top of the cake whilst the cake is still in the tin so that it doesn't pour over the sides and creates neater edges. 
• You can always make your own shortcrust pastry, but the ready-rolled one saves on time. 

Ingredients

Base

• 375g ready-rolled shortcrust pastry 
• 6 tbsp cherry jam

Sponge

• 150g ground almonds
• 150g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 200ml soya milk + 1tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 60g vegan butter, melted
• 120g caster sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract

Icing

• 70g icing sugar
• 1-2 tsp cold water
• 20g flaked almonds
• Glacé cherry halves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan and grease an 8x8 inch square cake tin.
2. Roll out the ready-rolled shortcrust pastry and lift into the tin. Press the pastry into the sides and base so its flat and even, then prick with a fork all over.
3. Chill the pastry for about 20 minutes in the fridge.
4. Add a sheet of baking paper on top of the pastry base and fill with baking beans or dried rice. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
5. Then removed the beans and bake the base for another 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
6. Make the sponge. Place all of the ingredients for the sponge into a large bowl and use an electric hand whisk to beat them together until combined. 
7. Spread the cherry jam over the shortcrust base.
8. Spoon the sponge batter on top of the jam and spread out evenly.
9. Place into the oven to bake for about 35 minutes until a knife inserted comes out clean.
10. Once baked, leave to cool in the tin - do not remove the cake from the cake tin.
11. Make the icing. Mix the icing sugar with the cold water till you have a thick mixture. You may need to add more water. The icing needs to be thick but spreadable.
12. Spread the icing over the cake and work quickly to move it all over the top and into the sides and corners. Scatter over flaked almonds and the glacé cherries whilst the icing is still wet.
13. Leave to firm and set before slicing into 16 squares. Serve and enjoy!
14. These cherry bakewell slices are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. 

Christina

xx

Cadbury's Caramilk Brownies

Fudgy brownies filled with Cadbury's Caramilk gold chocolate!

Hidden Bunny Loaf Cake

 A buttery vanilla loaf cake hides a cute chocolate bunny in the centre for a delicious Easter cake!

Hot Cross Bun Blondies

 Hot Cross buns are the epitome of Easter and I've used all the flavours for these gooey blondies!

Chocolate Guinness Tart with Coffee Whipped Cream

 A shortcrust pastry with a chocolate Guinness

filling and a coffee whipped cream top for a light but decadent dessert

My Guinness recipes have grown as I present this wonderful tart. I'm not sure where the idea came from to feature Guinness in a chocolate tart, but I'm enjoying more ideas of ways to use it. And it's funny that the flavour isn't directly Guinness, only that it enhances the chocolate flavour which I'm a big fan of. Along with the buttery shortcrust base, and the light whipped cream on top it doesn't feel like an indulgent dessert but it's a step up from your average chocolate bar. I added coffee to the whipped cream as my research suggests that along with chocolate, coffee and stout marry well together and I love coffee. This tart is perfect to add to a table of celebrations especially for St Patrick's Day or any other day which might need a special dessert.

If you love chocolate and tarts....

Check out my other recipes for more inspiration!

• Vegan Chocolate Guinness Loaf Cake
• Chocolate Guinness Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
• Blueberry Vanilla Tart

Recipe

Prep: 3 hours

Cook: 30 minutes

Serves: 8

Notes:

• If you're short on time, store-bought shortcrust pastry will work just fine though I always recommend making your own as I think it tastes better!
• You could swap the Guinness for the non-alcoholic version. 
• Usually I would say most desserts can be frozen but I wouldn't freeze this tart because of the whipped cream topping, the freezer can alter the texture of the cream. 

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry

• 125g butter, cold
• 220g plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 2-3 tbsp ice cold water

Filling

• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g light soft brown sugar
• 150ml Guinness 
• 100ml double cream
• 200g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Coffee whipped cream

• 150ml double cream
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 30g icing sugar

Method

1. Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch tart tin and set aside.
2. Make the pastry base first. In a large bowl add the butter, salt and flour. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles a bread crumb consistency. Then add the water 1 tbsp at a time. Mix together until a firm dough is formed. 
3. Flatten out into a disc shape on to clingfilm then wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for 10 minutes so it is not too hard when you try to roll it out, otherwise the pastry will crack.
5. Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the pastry to about 3mm thick into a rough circle - bigger than the tart tin.
6. Roll the pastry up with your rolling pin so that you can easily transfer it over the tart tin to drape over. 
7. Use your fingers to push the pastry down into the sides of the tin for a sharp edge. Use a sharp knife to trim the excess from around the top of the tart. If you have any spots of the base that look thinner you can use the excess pastry to press into it to make the base thicker. 
8. Place the tart base back into the fridge for about an hour.
9. Preheat the oven to 180℃. Once the pastry is chilled, use a fork to prick the base all over.
10. Line the base with greaseproof paper on the bottom and the sides and use baking beans or dried rice to sit on top of the paper - this is blind baking.
11. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and baking beans and bake for another 5 minutes.
12. Leave the tart base to cool.
13. Meanwhile make the filling. 
14. Put the sugar in a saucepan with the butter and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Simmer for 2 minutes, then stir in the Guinness and 100ml of cream and simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
15. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk gently until the chocolate has melted and everything is combined. 
16. Pour the filling into the tin on top of the cooked pastry and chill in the fridge for about 6 hours, until set. You can speed this up by placing it into the fridge for about 2 hours first, then transfer to the freezer for an hour and it should be set.
17. Once the tart is set make the cream topping. Add the double cream to a large bowl along with the icing sugar and instant coffee and whip to medium stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.
18. Spread on top of the set chocolate filling.
19. Grate some chocolate on top to finish, then serve.
20. Best stored in the fridge up to 3 days. Enjoy!

Christina

xx

Chocolate Guinness Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Using Guinness is the key ingredient for fluffy and soft sponge cake layers!

When I made my Vegan Chocolate Guinness Loaf Cake a few years ago, it was such a success that I thought it would be nice to do a non-vegan one and make it bigger. Bigger cake is always better right? I wanted to see how the Guinness reacted with other emulsions such as the eggs and the buttermilk which help to leaven the sponges and it worked beautifully. I could tell just by looking at the silky cake batter how the blend of liquids really helped to keep the moisture within the cake. It's essential that chocolate cake is not dry, that would not be good. 

Sometimes I become wary when I need to make two sponges, I want them to be the same depth and it's always a pain when one comes out thicker than the other, but this time was perfectly even! Having two layers means you get double the helping of the cream cheese icing which creates a beautiful tang against the stout and slightly bitter chocolate flavours. The icing has a velvety texture which balances nicely with the fluffy sponge. I use to think chocolate cake always had to have a chocolate fudge icing, but cream cheese is such a game changer. If you're looking for a smaller chocolate Guinness cake then definitely use my vegan recipe here, but if you need to feed a few more mouths, this is definitely the cake recipe you need. And it's not just for St Patrick's day, chocolate Guinness cake can be enjoyed all year round!

If you love chocolate cake....

Check out my other recipes for more inspiration!

• Vegan Chocolate Guinness Loaf Cake
• German Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Coffee Layer Cake

Recipe

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Serves: 10

Notes:

• If you can't get buttermilk, sour cream could also work as a replacement but I prefer buttermilk flavour. 
• Guinness also have a non-alcoholic beverage which work just the same. 

Ingredients

Cake

• 175g butter, melted
• 150ml Guinness
• 250g plain flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• 150g dark brown sugar
• 100g caster sugar
• 150ml buttermilk
• 3 medium eggs
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt

Icing

• 150g butter, room temp
• 300g full fat cream cheese, room temp
• 150g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 20g chocolate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160℃ and grease and line x2 8-inch cake tins with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter, then add to a large bowl along with the sugars, buttermilk, cocoa powder, eggs and Guinness. 
3. Whisk together till well combined.
4. Sift in the plain flour and bicarbonate of soda and whisk in till you have a smooth batter.
5. Divide the batter into the cake tins and bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. 
6. Meanwhile make the icing. Cube the butter and place into a large bowl. Use an electric hand whisk or standing mixer to beat the butter till smooth.
7. Add the icing sugar in stages and mix in till combined and there aren't any lumps of sugar or butter.
8. Add the cream cheese and vanilla and mix in. Scrape around the bowl to make sure everything is mixed well. Set aside.
9. Once the cakes are baked leave them to cool in their tins for about 15 minutes, then remove and leave to cool completely. 
10. To assemble, place one cake layer onto a cake board or plate. Spread half of the cream cheese icing on top, then place the other cake layer on top. 
11. Spread the remaining icing on top evenly. You could always pipe if you wanted a neater decoration.
12. Use a microplane tool to grate small shavings of the chocolate on the top layer of cake to decorate. 
13. Store in the fridge till ready to serve or can also be kept at room temperature in a container. Will keep up to 5 days. Enjoy!

Christina 

xx

Smarties Valentines Day Cookies

Spread love this Valentine's Day by making a batch of these pink, red and white cookies made with Smarties!

Nutella Ferrero Rocher Cookie Pie

 A chocolate chip cookie pie filled with Nutella and Ferrero Rocher for an indulgent dessert!

S'mores Brownies

Fudgy brownies with a broiled marshmallow topping, biscuits and chocolate chips!

I can't say I have ever had the pleasure of tasting an authentic s'more, though I find its history and origin interesting. The first mention of the s'more was recorded in a 1927 edition of a Girl Scout manual called "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts" but by the sounds of it was named because the treat was so addictive so they called it "Some More". For those not from America, I believe Girl Scouts originated in the States much like the UK's Brownies or Girl Guides, a group organisation where they do activities and learn valuable life lessons. it wasn't;t till a few years later that the mention of "s'mores" came at a summer camp in 1938. it looks quite simply that people naturally abbreviated the earlier version "Some More" bringing the two words together to easily create "s'more".  The recipe mentioned in the Girl Scouts guide instructed them to toast the marshmallow till gooey, then place the marshmallow on top of a chocolate bar and then sandwich between two graham crackers. The UK doesn't sell graham crackers so I've used the next best thing with digestive biscuits. I find it fascinating how this concoction came about and though I've not yet had one, I can appreciate each element for a sticky chocolatey crispy goodness. 

So with this in mind, I've gained inspiration from the s'more and created these brownies. They've got the "graham cracker" base under the brownie batter and then a pillowy marshmallow topping which you broil under the grill for a toasted effect. One day I'll sit around a campfire and make a proper s'more but until then I'm rather satisfied with the brownie edition. 

If you like brownies and marshmallows....

Check out my other recipes for more inspiration!!

• Custard Cream Rocky Road
• Vegan Terry's Chocolate Orange Brownies
• Vegan Biscoff Cookie Pie

Recipe

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 30-35 minutes

Serves: 16

Notes:

• Try not to overtake these brownies as they lose that fudgy texture. If a knife inserted comes out with a few crumbs they are done. 
• if you can't get mini marshmallows, large ones will also work you could cut them into smaller pieces, but the broiling time might vary. 

Ingredients

Biscuit crust

• 180g digestive biscuits
• 115g butter, melted

Brownies

• 90g dark chocolate
• 115g butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 200g caster sugar
• 95g plain flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp salt
• 200g mini marshmallows 
• 70g chocolate chips
• x3 digestives biscuits

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a metal 9x9 pan with baking paper. 
2. Crush the digestives in a food processor or place in a ziplock bag and bash with a rolling pin. 
3. Pour over the melted butter and mix together.
4. Spoon the mixture into the lined tin then press into an even layer. Set aside.
5. Make the brownies. Melt the butter then pour into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar. Whisk together.
6. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix.
7. Whisk in the melted chocolate until combined and smooth.
8. Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt until just combined.
9. Pour over the biscuit crust and smooth out.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the brownies are cooked through.
11. Break up the 2 digestive biscuits into smaller pieces.
12. Remove from the oven and change the setting to the grill mode.
13. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the baked brownies. Then add the broken biscuit pieces and chocolate chips on top.
14. Return the brownies to the oven under the grill, not too close as the marshmallows could burn. Broil the top until the marshmallows are browned (about 2 minutes). It will happen quicker than you think so keep watch.
15. Remove and leave to cool for 20 minutes.
16. Then slice and serve. 
17. These brownies are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Enjoy!

• 
  Christina xx