Chocolate and Aero Bundt Cake!

As a surprise for my brother's birthday I thought I would make him a Chocolate cake, he loves chocolate cake and could probably eat a whole cake to himself! When he was little he used to eat the chocolate fudge cakes basically to himself so I'm sure this cake will be no problem for him! 

I followed a recipe I found online at all recipes. I amended the recipe a little bit and it seemed to work, all I changed really was the amount of milk I added, as the mixture seemed to be very runny anyways before I added the milk so I added 200ml instead of 250ml. 

Ingredients: 

• 375g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 60g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 225g butter, softened
• 110g margarine

• 600g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 medium sized eggs
• 200ml milk

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C / Gas 3. 
2. Grease and flour a Bundt cake tin. 
3. Sift plain flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder together. Set aside for the time being.
4. In a large bowl, cream the butter, margarine, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. 
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. 
6. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Mix well.
7. Pour into the prepared Bundt tin. 
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 70 minutes or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean. My cake took almost 90 minutes to fully cook as mine was in a giant bundt tin. I just turned the oven down slighty and moved it down in the oven. 
9. Let cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

The cake took a looooooong time to cool! I left it on the side for about 1 hour and it was still warm in the centre. So I had to wait a long time before I could ice it and put the aero balls on top. 

The icing on top is chocolate butter icing, and is made up of cocoa, icing sugar and butter. To make just cream the butter till it is light and fluffy and slowly add the icing sugar and cocoa to the butter. Keep creaming the butter so it is still light and fluffy. Then just decorate as you like, I just added mint aero balls because my brother loves mint too. 

Also to note that the cake is absolutely massive! It serves about 15 people with generous servings! So this cake would be excellent for birthdays or parties! :)

Hope you enjoy the recipe and it is definitely easier to make if you have a magi mixer or kitchen aid. 

Here is the mixture in the bundt cake tin before cooking, it was so delicious and rich! 

The cake is yummy before putting icing on it too, the cake is definitely sweet enough without the icing sugar on too. 

If I was going to make the cake again I think I would decorate the cake with even more chocolate! :) 

Saturday treats: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.

I was in the mood to do some baking today and I have been craving cinnamon rolls all week so figured I would spend my afternoon baking. I found the recipe online and thought I would give them a try. The recipe makes 8 rolls. 

Ingredients:

Rolls: 

350g Self Raising flour (with some extra to dust the worktop surface)

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp (heaped) ground cinnamon 

100g melted butter, extra for greasing

2 egg yolks 

200ml of milk, extra for glazing. 

Filling:

1tsp (heaped) ground cinnamon

55g brown sugar

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

Icing:

125g icing sugar

2 tbsp cream cheese

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp boiling water

1 tsp vanilla essence

You will also need: Mixing bowls, rolling pin, baking tin. 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Grease a round baking tin with plenty of butter and line the bottom with baking paper.

3. Mix the flour, salt, caster sugar and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. 

4. Whisk the butter, egg yolks and milk together (ensure the butter is melted beforehand). 

5. Combine the dry and wet ingredients together to make a soft dough. 

6. Knead the dough to form a smooth dough. Roll the dough out onto a surface which has been lightly sprinkled with flour. Roll the dough into a large rectangle.

7. To make the filling mix the ingredients together, spread evenly over the dough and roll up (like you would for a Swiss-roll) to form a log. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 even-sized slices and place into the prepared tin. Glaze the rolls with the extra milk. 

8. Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. 

9. Remove the rolls from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before removing the rolls from the tin. 

10. For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Place the cream cheese and butter in the centre, pour over the hot water and stir the mixture to form a paste. Add extra water, a few drops at a time, until the icing is a slightly runny consistency. Stir in the vanilla essence, then drizzle the icing over the rolls. 

11. Serve the rolls warm or wait for them to cool. 

I would give the rolls a bit longer time to bake in the oven, more like 40 minutes to ensure that they are cooked all the way through so keep your eye on them whilst they are in the oven. 

One other thing to note with this recipe is that the rolls are also very doughy and are more like a cake than a roll. So one roll is definitely enough and is extremely filling! 

I also found that there was a lot of icing left over, so reduce the amounts for the icing if you would prefer less icing on the top of the rolls. Though the icing is super delicious and compliments the rolls very well! In fact the icing is that yummy I had to stop my boyfriend from eating it all on its on.  

I found the recipe online here, and adapted the recipe a little bit for example adding a bit more sugar/butter. I am sure you can make the recipe a little less fattening by exchanging the sugar for sweetener or by using less. This recipe is definitely not good for anyone on a diet! 

Hope you enjoy the recipe too! 

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies! The Perfect Recipe! (Gluten Free)

A friend of mine posted some photos of some delicious cookies that she had made, and they looked so amazing! I got her to share the recipe with me as I just had to make some myself. I posted a photo of them on Instagram and Facebook and everyone told me how delicious they looked, so I had to share the recipe. 

The recipe is really so simple and easy and does not take long at all, in fact I made mine yesterday morning in no time at all. The recipe doesn't require a lot of ingredients, and is also gluten free (there is no flour involved). Once again this recipe is perfect for any peanut butter lovers out there! The cookies also have chocolate chunks in them but you can leave the chocolate out if you'd prefer a slightly healthier alternative.  

This has definitely become one of my favourite cookie recipes!

Ingredients: 

- 250g peanut butter (I used chunky but you can use smooth too).

- 150g sugar 

- 1 large egg, lightly beaten

- 1 tsp baking powder/soda

- 100g dark chocolate (chopped into small chunks, or use chocolate chips)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, line two baking trays with parchment paper or baking foil. 

2. Beat the peanut butter, sugar, egg and baking soda until well combined. 

3. Chop up the chocolate bar into small chunks.

4. Add chocolate chunks to the peanut butter mixture.

5. With lightly floured hands, roll tablespoon amounts of the dough into balls. 

6. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

7. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to another plate and let them cool. 

The cookies are also perfect whilst they are still slightly warm as the chocolate is all gooey and melted. 

Also, I aimed to get the chocolate chunks into the middle of the cookies so when they are bitten into the chocolate is all gooey and soft on the inside of the cookie. 

The recipe made about 14 cookies, and go perfectly with a cup of tea!  

Here is the original recipe if you'd prefer to follow this instead. The ingredients are slightly different to the ones I used. 

If anyone has any questions about the recipe please don't hesitate to ask! 

Banana & Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe

I was in the mood for baking but didn't want to spend too much on ingredients, then I came across this brilliant two ingredient recipe for banana peanut butter ice cream. The Two Peas and Their Pod website has many fantastic recipes and are definitely worth checking out! I know I will be trying some more of their amazing recipes! 

All the ice cream needs is bananas and peanut butter (however I decided to use a small amount of single cream in mine too). So it can't really get much cheaper! The recipe is so simple and easy, and is definitely a must if you're a huge fan of bananas and peanut butter like myself! 

I was a little skeptical at first as I didn't think it was possible to make ice cream with so little ingredients but it definitely works! It is even possible to just make Banana ice cream using only bananas. This recipe has definitely opened my eyes to a new way to make various different ice creams! 

All you need is:

- 4 ripe bananas (or more if you want more ice cream).

- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (up to you how much you use, and also its up to you whether you use crunchy or smooth).

- 1 tablespoon of single cream (this is optional! You can also add more if you want the ice cream to be creamier). 

1. Slice the bananas into small chunks/slices and place on to a freezable plate/dish.

2. Freeze the bananas for approximately 2 hours. 

3. Once the bananas are frozen place them all in a mixer/blender and blend until the bananas form a smooth, creamy puree consistency. This may take a while but they will turn to a smooth puree. I found this easier to achieve with a hand held electronic mixer than my blender, however this may just be due to my blender being old.

4. Once the bananas have turned into a smooth puree then add  the peanut butter. I added 2 tablespoons worth but it is completely up to you how much you add. If you want just a small hint of peanut butter then only had a small amount, or if you want a strong taste add more. 

5. Blend/mix the peanut butter evenly into the bananas.  

6. I then added a small amount of single cream to the banana and peanut butter mixture, but this is optional and can be done without for a more healthy alternative. 

7. Blend/mix the cream evenly through the mixture. 

8. Pour the mixture into a tupperware tub or and old ice cream container and place back in the freezer. 

9. Freeze the ice cream for approximately 4 hours before serving. 

10. Wait until the ice cream is frozen to your desired consistency. Then enjoy! 

What is also great about this recipe is that you can change the ingredients to achieve different tastes. For instance this recipe would also work fantastically with nutella instead of peanut butter, I will definitely be trying that alternative in future! Another fantastic point about this simple recipe is that it doesn't even require an ice cream maker! Also this recipe is pretty healthy too which is always a plus!

The original recipe I used can be found here. 

I hope you all enjoyed the recipe! 

Please let me know if you have any questions! 

Homemade Delicious Banoffee Pie! (Recipe with Photos)

The other day I made a scrumptious homemade banoffee pie, and thought it would be great to share the recipe with everyone! I love making this dessert as it really is so simple and easy to make! It also lasts a couple of days after making it which is a bonus because I usually make so much that it still needs eating a few days later. But this also means the recipe is great to make for parties/BBQs etc. However, if you don't wish to make one so big it is really easy to just half the ingredients being used to make a smaller version. Also the pie doesn't cost too much to make, as I sometimes find that it costs so much to make your own desserts as opposed to buying them, but this isn't the case with the banoffee pie recipe; the recipe doesn't have too many ingredients. 

Ingredients;

For the biscuit base:

400g digestive biscuits

200g butter (unsalted)

For the middle:

6 bananas (I like lots of bananas! It's up to you whether you want to add more or less)

397g tin of Carnation Caramel

For the topping:

300ml double cream (or whipping cream)

A few chunks of dark chocolate (grated)

Start making the buttery biscuit base by crushing the digestive biscuits into smaller crumbs. I find it best to put the biscuits into a plastic bag then use a rolling pin to crush the biscuits (great for stress relief too...), turning them into small biscuit crumbs. If the bag splits (which it often does when being bashed with a rolling pin) then place the biscuits into a mixing bowl and continue to crush the biscuits into small crumbs. 

Measure out the butter and melt it, I tend to do this by just putting it into a microwavable bowl and putting it in the microwave, I find this easier then using the hob. Then stir the melted butter with the biscuit crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Keep mixing until the butter is evenly distributed and the biscuits are all buttery and moist. 

Pour the buttery biscuit base into a large flat dish. Even out the biscuit base using a flat wooden spoon to cover the whole of the dish base. Flatten down the biscuit base by pressing down using the flat side of the wooden spoon. Chill the biscuit base in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. 

Whilst the biscuit base is chilling prepare the caramel filling and the chopped bananas. Chop the bananas into small chunks. As I stated in the ingredients; I like lots of bananas in my banoffee pie, but it is up to you how many bananas you choose to use. Just ensure there is enough bananas to cover the caramel layer.

Take the chilled biscuit base out of the fridge and pour/spoon out the caramel filling from the tin. Spread the caramel all over the biscuit base, making sure the caramel is evenly distributed. 

Place the banana chunks all over the caramel, again trying to evenly distribute them.

Then pour your double cream into a large mixing bowl and using an electric whisk (if you are fortunate enough to own one, but a normal whisk will do; they just take longer) begin to whisk the cream until it resembles whipped cream. 

Then spoon out the whipped cream on top of the layer of banana. It is up to you how you decorate the top of the pie but I always go for a simple topping just evenly spreading out the cream. 

Then once all the cream is on, begin to grate the dark chocolate on top of the cream, forming a thin layer of sprinkled chocolate.

Chill until ready to serve (or devour...).