CHOCOLATE MACARONS WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING

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If you’re a chocolate addict (as am I…), then you are definitely going to want to make these! They are NO joke…chocolate in the shell, chocolate in the filling and chocolate on top! Why not?? It’s not like you’re going to eat ALL of them or bake them every week…!! Just trust me, they’re too good not to try! They’re great for all occasions too as they’ll be a hit with anyone & everyone!!

PREPARATION TIME: 1 HOUR – RESTING TIME: 3-24 HOURS – BAKING TIME: 25 MINUTES – MAKES 40 MACARONS

INGREDIENTS

  • FOR THE MACARONS SHELLS:
    • 200g Powdered Sugar
    • 110g Almond Flour/Ground Almonds
    • 95g / 3 Egg Whites
    • 30g Sugar
    • 2 teaspoons Cocoa Powder
  • FOR THE GANACHE FILLING:
    • 90ml Fresh Cream
    • 120g Milk Chocolate

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE MACARONS

Prepare your baking trays by lining them with baking paper or a silicone mat and prepare your piping bag, fitted with a small round tip.

Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour together and sift it one more time to get rid of any big pieces of almonds or almond skins that are left behind. Add the cocoa powder and mix together with a whisk. Set aside and get started on the french meringue.

In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, add the egg whites and start whisking them on medium speed. Once they reach ‘soft peak’ stage, gradually add the sugar a little at a time while continuing to whisk. The meringue will start to become glossy and thicker. Your meringue is ready once it reaches stiff peaks.

Add half of the meringue mixture into the dry ingredients and mix them until all combined. Add the remaining meringue and fold together, while also pressing the batter against the sides of the bowl. If you want to see how I achieve this mixing method, then watch my French Macaron tutorial here.

Pour the macaron batter into the piping bag and pipe your macaron shells evenly onto your baking trays. Tap them onto a flat surface to release any air bubbles and pop them with a toothpick or skewer.

Set your macarons aside to dry. This takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on where you live and what the weather is on the day you are baking these.

You can preheat your oven to 160°C/320°F.

Once you can slide your finger over the shells and they are dry and no better sticks to your finger, they are ready to be baked. Bake your macarons for 12-15 minutes. The time will vary depending on your oven, but for me the sweet spot was 14 minutes. You will know if they are done, when they release easily from the paper or mat.

Immediately remove the shells from the baking tray to stop them from cooking further and allow them to cool completely before adding the filling. The shells will be hard at this stage and this is normal as there is no moisture in the shells at this point. That is why they need a filling and are best eaten after a day so that they can have time to absorb the moisture from the filling and soften the inside of the shell, while leaving a crispy outer shell. MMMMMM……… I promise you that it’s worth leaving them for at least a few hours before eating them.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

There are two ways to make a ganache and one is by heating up the cream in the microwave and pouring it over the chocolate after it has been finely chopped up and mix until all the chocolate pieces have melted. The other option is over a pot on the stove with a little water. You can add the chocolate and cream to a bowl that will fit on top/inside of your pot, but make sure not to let it touch the water, as it can burn the chocolate. Mix, mix, mix until the cream & chocolate have combined.

Place your ganache in the fridge to chill and stir every now and then to check on the consistency. Once it has cooled completely, but is not too thick, pour the ganache into a piping bag and you can pipe it onto your macaron shells.

The best time to make the ganache would be while your macaron shells are drying, before baking them. This way, they should all be ready at the same time!!

CARROT CAKE

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This is a fool-proof recipe that is always a favorite in any household! As you might or might not know, I live in France and the french don’t really know about carrot cake…so when I mention that a cake has carrots in, you can imagine the looks I get! BUT, once they taste it, they understand what all the fuss is about! So, without keeping you waiting any longer, let’s get to How to make this scrumptious Carrot Cake!!

INGREDIENTS

  • FOR THE CAKE BATTER:
    • 2 Carrots
    • 1 Apple
    • 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
    • 1¼ cups Sugar
    • ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 1½ teaspoon Baking Powder
    • ½ a teaspoon Salt
    • 1½ teaspoons Cinnamon
    • 1 cup Desiccated Coconut
    • ½ cup Pecan or Walnuts (optional)
    • 3 Large Eggs
    • ¾ cup Oil (not flavored)
    • 1½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • FOR THE CREAM CHEESE:
    • 100g Cream Cheese (Philadelphia or kiri works well)
    • 250g Mascarpone Cheese
    • 2 cups Powdered / Icing Sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Cream Cheese Frosting

HOW TO MAKE THE CARROT CAKE

First step is to grease and line two cake tins and preheat your oven to 180°C/355°F.

Grate the carrots and apple together, with the skin on. So give them a good wash before using them.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, sift all of the dry ingredients together, including the nuts.

In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla extract and add it to the dry ingredients. Next, add the grated carrots and apple.

Pour the batter evenly between your cake tins and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

This recipe can also be used for muffins, so in this case, evenly divide your batter into your muffin tin. You will need to bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes, so check them with a skewer.

HOW TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

In a medium to large bowl, or in the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together, the cream cheese and mascarpone until they are smooth and well combined.

Add the powdered sugar a half a cup at a time and mix well after each addition.

Finally, add the vanilla extract and beat well for another 2 minutes.

Once your cakes are done baking, transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. Do not add the frosting on before it has cooled as it will melt right off!

OAT COOKIES

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Who doesn’t need a good oat cookie recipe in their back pocket?? I have just that for you with this tasty & versatile recipe. You can add almost anything you feel like to this recipe. The main ingredients always remain the same and then you can add other ingredients like, chocolate, nuts or raisins! Great, right? So, whatever you are feeling like on the day or it could depend on what you have in the cupboard, as I usually do, you can mix and match this recipe as you wish!!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes – Baking time: 12-15 minutes – Makes about 40 cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g Cake Flour
  • 125g White Sugar
  • 125g Brown Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 150g Oats
  • 150g Butter, softened
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

HOW TO MAKE OATS COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 180°C/355°F

Start by adding the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and with an electric or stand mixer, cream these ingredients together. Mix until the butter and sugar are well combined.

Next, add the vanilla and egg.

Sift the cake flour, salt and baking powder into the other ingredients and mix until well combined. Add the oats and mix again.

Now you can add any other ingredients you wish, as long as they do not exceed 300g.

  • Some good options to add would be:
    • Dark or Milk Chocolate chips and hazelnuts or roughly chopped
    • White Chocolate and nuts of your choice
    • 100 – 200g of raisins
    • White Chocolate, cranberries and nuts
    • Any mix of nuts, roughly chopped
    • You could even add lemon zest, ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg spices

Line some baking trays with baking paper and evenly divide the cookie batter by rolling balls, just smaller than a golf ball. Space the cookies about 5 cm apart and press them down slightly.

Bake them for 12 – 15 minutes. They will be soft when you remove them from the oven, so transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely until they harden.

HOT CROSS BUNS

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Around the month of April you will start to see these buns in stores and all over the internet. That is because they are traditionally associated with Easter and are specifically eaten on Good Friday. The bun represents different things, such as the cross and the spices, but if you are interested to know more than feel free to research this subject more.

A Hot Cross Bun is basically a dinner roll and to it you add spices, such as cinnamon, all spice and even orange can be added. You can also add ingredients like sultanas, raisins or chocolate chips. The tops of these traditional buns are crossed with a paste and brushed with a delicious glaze. They can be eaten as is or cut in half and spread some butter on each side.

  • INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH:
    • 600g All Purpose Flour
    • 14g Dried Yeast
    • 55g White Sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 3 teaspoons Allspice
    • 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
    • 375ml Milk
    • 60g Butter
    • 1 Egg
    • 120g Sultanas/Raisins
  • INGREDIENTS FOR THE FLOUR PASTE CROSSES:
    • 75g Flour
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • 70ml Water
  • INGREDIENTS FOR THE GLAZE:
    • 40ml White Sugar
    • 40ml Water

HOW TO MAKE HOT CROSS BUNS:

In a small bowl, melt the butter, sugar and milk in the microwave (or on the stove top if you don’t have a microwave) and let cool down.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt, yeast and spices. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Whisk the egg and add to the bowl.

Mix all the ingredients together and add in the sultanas or raisins and combine. The dough will be soft and sticky. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and set it in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth. Divide the dough into 15 pieces and roll into balls.

Grease and line a baking dish and place the balls of dough evenly, leaving some place for them to rise. Cover with cling wrap or a tea towel and leave to rise again until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 210°C / 410°F (lower if fan forced).

To make the flour paste, combine the flour, sugar and water in a bowl to form a smooth paste. Add the water gradually until you form a good consistency, you don’t need to add it all if it seems too much. You want the paste to be thick enough to stay on the bun, but not too liquid that it runs off.

Using a piping bag with a small round tip, pipe the crosses onto the buns. If you don’t have a piping bag with tip, you can easily use a zip lock bag and cut a small opening at the bottom point of the bag.

Bake the buns for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. To make the glaze, combine the sugar and water in a pot and heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Transfer the buns to a wire rack and brush the tops with the hot glaze.

NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

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Calling all Nutella, Hazelnut Lovers!!! This one’s for you! Easily the yummiest buttercream frosting out there. I am yet to meet a person that does not like the taste of Nutella and if you have a sweet tooth (like me!!), then you will absolutely go crazy for this recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 100g Unsalted Butter (softened, so remove from the fridge about 1 hour, this will depend on your climate, before using)
  • 150g Nutella
  • 225g Icing/Powdered Sugar
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons Milk (Whole milk is best, but any will do)

HOW TO MAKE NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this recipe. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.

Start by measuring out the butter, cut it into cubes and add to your mixing bowl. Beat for about 5 minutes or until the butter has lightened in color and doubles in amount. It will be light and creamy.

Add the nutella and mix again for about 2-3 minutes to combine the butter and nutella.

Add half of the sifted icing/powdered sugar to the bowl and mix really well after each addition. You want the sugar to fully incorporate with the butter so that it isn’t grainy and becomes thick and fluffy.

Then add the milk a tablespoon at a time until you achieve the consistency that you would like.

Using a frosting knife or piping bag with tip attached, you are now ready to use your delicious Nutella Buttercream Frosting.

PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

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If you like the taste of Peanut Butter in general, then you are going to love this frosting!! I expected peanut butter mixed with butter, mixed with a whole lot of icing sugar to be so overly sweet, but honestly, it isn’t! It’s so delicious that I think this might be one of my all time favorite buttercream frostings.

It’s best to use a smooth peanut butter, not crunchy and add it to the butter to incorporate well. You can use a stand mixer of a hand mixer to make this recipe. You will also need a spatula and your frosting knife or piping bag and tips.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 100g Butter (unsalted & softened at room temperature)
  • 100g Smooth Peanut Butter
  • 225g Icing/Powdered Sugar (sifted)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons Milk

HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING:

Start by adding the butter to a large mixing bowl or to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the butter for about 5 minutes or until it is lighter in color and doubled in amount.

Add the peanut butter to the butter and mix well to combine the two.

Add half of the sifted icing sugar and mix for about 3-5 minutes, as you want the sugar to incorporate really well before adding the rest of the sugar. Add the remaining icing sugar and repeat as before.

Finally, add the milk to obtain the required consistency that you would like. More milk will make it looser and less milk will make it stiffer so it depends on you.

Your Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting is now ready to frost your delicious cakes or cupcakes. Thus frosting goes really well with either Vanilla or Chocolate cakes and cupcakes.

VANILLA (AMERICAN) BUTTERCREAM

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American Buttercream is made from butter, icing/powdered sugar and any flavors you wish to add. It is a sweet buttercream frosting as there is a lot more sugar than butter and it is a great consistency for frosting or piping onto cakes and cupcakes. This recipe is also so versatile as you can add coloring, flavors, jams or spreads to it to create a range of yummy frostings.

BUTTER – I use a good quality butter for my buttercream and I do not use any shortening or other types of butter or margarine. There are many recipes that substitute butter for shortening or replace half of it, but not for this recipe. The best way to soften your butter is to remove it from the refrigerator an hour before you want to use it. You can soften it in the microwave, but it is not recommended as you can’t control the melting and you can risk it being too soft and you definitely don’t want to use a melted butter in your buttercream. It will just be runny and not have a good consistency to use.

SUGAR – American Buttercream uses a lot of Icing/Powdered Sugar and this is what gives it it’s yummy sweetness. You cannot, unfortunately, use less sugar than what the recipe uses as it will definitely change the taste and consistency. But, if you prefer or want to try a less sweet Buttercream/Frosting, than I recommend trying my Ermine (also known as Cooked Flour) Buttercream Frosting. It is so soft and velvety, but is not as stable as an american buttercream. If you want to pipe with your buttercream, then I would advise using an american buttercream.

LIQUID – I prefer to use milk in my recipes. The best would be whole/full cream milk, but you can also use water or cream. There is no secret or special recipe for this, but it’s about your personal taste and preference. So taste and add more or next time add less or try another ingredient until you’re happy with it. You will add more or less for not only the taste, but for the consistency too. If you want to frost your cake, then you can add about 3 tablespoons, but if you’re piping, then I would only add 1 or maybe 2 tablespoons of milk for a thicker consistency. That’s the joy of baking, it’s so versatile and easy to change or adjust.

VANILLA EXTRACT – If you are making a vanilla buttercream and not adding any other flavors to it, then you can add and taste again like before. Start by adding 1 and if you want a stronger vanilla taste then add 1/2 a teaspoon at a time, mix and taste again.

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g Butter (unsalted & softened)
  • 500g Icing/Powdered Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons Milk (other options to add are water or cream)

This recipe makes about 2 cups, but it can be halved or doubled depending on how much you need.

HOW TO MAKE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat the butter for about 5 minutes, until it is lighter in color, creamy and seems to have doubled. You can do this with a whisk, but I highly recommend using a hand or stand mixer.

Sift in half of the icing/powdered sugar and mix well before adding in the rest. Mix for about 5 minutes to fully incorporate the butter and sugar. You don’t want a ‘grainy’ texture and you can avoid this by sifting your sugar, adding it in in parts and mixing really well so that it dissolves into the butter.

Then add the milk and vanilla extract and give a final mix for 1 to 2 minutes. The milk will thin out the consistency of the buttercream so add more or less depending on what you want or prefer.

Some other buttercream frostings to try:

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ermine Cooked Flour Buttercream Frosting

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

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Very similar to vanilla cupcakes, these chocolate cupcakes are super simple to make. Add some cocoa powder and you’re good to go. Just like the vanilla cupcakes, they come out light and fluffy and paired with a delicious frosting, they will not be gobbled up in no time!!

Chocolate Cupcakes with a caramel centre & Nutella Buttercream

INGREDIENTS:

  • 100g Self-Raising Flour
  • 25g Cocoa Powder
  • 125 White Sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 140g Butter (unsalted & softened at room temperature)
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 1½ tablespoons Milk (at room temperature)
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES:

Preheat your oven to 170°C/340°F and grease a cupcake tin with butter or non-stick spray.

In a large bowl (mixing bowl or bowl of your stand mixer), mix the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each egg.

Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cocoa powder and mix on low speed or fold into the butter mixture.

Finally add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until all combined. You do not need to mix this for long, just until it is all mixed together.

Evenly divide the batter into your cupcake tin and bake for 22 minutes or until a skewer (toothpick) comes out clean.

Once they are done baking, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can frost these yummy cupcakes with any flavored buttercream, a ganache or even fill the centres with ganache or caramel. Check out my recipes for buttercream or fillings here!

PEPPERMINT CRISP TART (South African Dessert)

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A classic South African dessert that is loved by many, this carmel peppermint chocolate dessert is always a crowd pleaser! There are two options to this dessert, the individual servings or one big tart! I love the individual portions if you’re having guests over. I think it’s always nice when each person can have their own dessert.

Makes 10 – 12 mini desserts OR 1 Large Dessert – Preparation Time: 20 Minutes – Refrigeration Time: Minimum 1 Hour

INGREDIENTS:

  • 200g Digestive Biscuits
  • 100g Butter (melted)
  • 250 ml Fresh Cream
  • 1 can/375g of Caramel (this needs to be a thick consistency)
  • Peppermint Crisp Chocolate (any peppermint chocolate substitute you can find)

METHOD:

Grate or chop the chocolate into small chunks and set aside.

Crush the biscuits in a food processor or you can put them in a zip lock bag and crush them with a heavy object, such as a rolling pin. Melt the butter and add it to the crushed biscuits (this step is optional for the individual tarts).

Whip the fresh cream until it is quite stiff and set aside.

Next, put the caramel into a bowl and give it a whisk to loosen it up so that it can mix easier into the cream.

Now fold the cream and caramel together. Add half of your chopped chocolate into the cream caramel mixture and keep the other half aside.

To assemble, you are going to layer the biscuits and cream caramel mixture until you finish all the ingredients. Top with the rest of the chocolate.

To Make a Large Tart follow these steps:

1. For a large tart, layer the biscuits without any butter or for mini desserts, crush the biscuits and mix with melted butter

2. Whip cream and caramel separately (just enough to loosen up the caramel and stiff peaks for cream)

3. Fold caramel into whipped cream (for a large tart, mix 3/4 of chocolate into cream mixture and layer with biscuits)

4. For mini desserts, layer the chocolate after the biscuits and then the cream mixture

5. Sprinkle remaining chocolate on top of tart.

DINNER ROLLS

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There is not much more satisfying than making your own homemade soft, fluffy dinner rolls! Lather on some good old butter while they’re still warm and fresh out of the oven. Mmm…it’s the little pleasures in life! So I’m here to share my Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe with you and I hope you enjoy making AND eating them!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/3 cup Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
  • 250ml (1 cup) Lukewarm Water (43°C/110°F)

METHOD:

  1. In a bowl or jug, place the water, yeast and sugar and set aside for about 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
  2. Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add in the yeast mixture, egg and oil and start combining. You can do this by hand or with your stand mixer and the dough hook attachment.
  3. Once the dough has come together, transfer it to a floured surface and knead until it becomes smooth, yet slightly stocky. In a stand mixer, mix until the dough looks smooth and pulls away cleanly from the edges.
  4. Form a ball with the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
  5. When your dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. You can put some flour on your hands so that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands too much and it makes it easier to work with.
  6. Divide your dough into 12 equal sizes and roll into balls. Grease and line a baking dish and place your dough balls into the dish, covering it with tea towel or plastic wrap.
  7. Let the rolls rise again for another hour, or until doubled in size.
  8. Preheat your oven to 190°C/375°F.
  9. Now, they are ready to be baked! Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the tops. As soon as they come out of the oven, brush the tops with some melted butter.