Boston Cream Pie
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Boston Cream Pie
A childhood favourite of mine, a Boston cream pie often comes as a donut, but it’s also fantastic in cake form. It starts with two layers of vanilla sponge, which are filled with a thick layer of smooth vanilla crème pâtissière. The cake is then finished with a thin chocolate glaze.The beauty in the cake lies in how it is layered in the tin, and using acetate really helps to get a smooth, clean finish.
7"
CAKE
Ingredients
Vanilla Sponge
245g Caster Sugar
245g All Purpose/Plain or Cake Flour
15g Baking Powder
2g Fine Sea Salt
245g Whole Eggs
100g Vegetable Oil
85g Whole Milk
145g Unsalted Butter
1 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Crème Pâtissiére
500g Whole Milk
1 Fresh Vanilla Pod
75g Caster/White Sugar
120g Egg Yolks
40g Cornstarch
1g Fine Sea Salt
45g Unsalted Butter, Cold & Cubed
Chocolate Glaze
100g Chocolate (55% Cocoa Solids)
50g Unsalted Butter
80g Double/Heavy Cream, Slightly Warm
Special equipment
2 x 7″ springform/removable base cake tins
Acetate
Hand blender (optional)
Stand mixer (optional)
Vanilla Sponge
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/355F non-fan assisted.
2. Lightly grease the bottom of two 7” cake tins, and place a circle of parchment on the base. Lightly grease the sides and coat them with flour, tipping out any excess.
3. Place the butter & vanilla into a saucepan and melt it over a low heat. Once it has just melted, set it to one side to cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl, sieve together the dry ingredients – sugar, flour, salt & baking powder. Whisk until they are evenly combined.
5. In a separate jug, whisk together the eggs, oil & milk.
6. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry bowl, whisking to combine until you have a smooth batter with no more streaks of flour.
7. Finally, pour in the melted butter and mix the batter slowly until everything is evenly combined and you have a smooth batter.
8. Pour 500g of batter into each cake tin.
9. Place the cakes in the oven and bake for around 30-35 minutes, at which time the cake should be golden and a skewer should come out clean.
10. Once baked, remove them from the oven and run a knife around the outer edge of the cake tin to ensure it releases. Then carefully flip it onto a wire rack.
11. Let the sponges cool for a few minutes, then flip them onto a sheet of cling film and wrap them, before refrigerating. 3-4 hours will be enough but overnight works great too!
Crème Pâtissiére
1. In a medium saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, add the milk and the scraped vanilla pod just until it is steaming.
2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt until smooth and thickened.
3. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over the sugar and eggs mixture, whisking constantly.
4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium heat until it begins to bubble, then cook for 1 minute.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pass the mixture through a sieve placed over a large bowl.
6. Blend (or whisk) in the butter until the mixture is smooth. Cover the surface with cling film and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Assembly
1. Once the cakes have chilled, use a serrated knife (or cake leveller) just to trim the top of the cakes off – don’t cut off too much!
2. Take a 7” cake tin with a removable bottom/springform tin/cake ring and line the inside with acetate. Place this onto a tray.
3. Take one of the sponges, and lift it into the tin/ring mold. Ensure the acetate is tight around the cake – if you need to, adjust the acetate and re-tape it so that there are no gaps between the acetate and the cake.
4. Remove the créme pâtissiére from the fridge and add it into a stand mixer (or whisk by hand) and whisk for around 2 minutes until the mixture becomes much smoother in texture. It might initially look slightly lumpy/gelatinous but as you whisk it will smooth itself out.
5. Scoop the créme pâtissiére on top of the sponge and use a spoon to spread it to the edges, creating an even layer.
6. Next, take the second layer of cake and flip it upside down so that the side you cut is now facing down. Lift this on top of the créme pâtissiére and carefully press it in with your hands.
7. To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate and butter to a bowl and place this over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir it until it has completely melted.
8. Take some slightly warm cream and pour this in, and then stir with a spatula until smooth.
9. Working quickly, immediately pour the ganache on top of the sponge, and then tilt the tin/ring mold so that it spreads evenly to the edges.
10. Place the entire cake in the fridge for 2-3 hours to set (or overnight) then remove it from the fridge.
11. Lift it out of the tin/ring mold and peel off the acetate. If any of the créme pâtissiére has stuck, simply smooth the edge of the cake with an offset spatula so that it is neat.
12. It is best served, left at room temperature for 30m-1 hours so that the chocolate can soften slightly.
13. To give it a nice finish as you serve it, gently blow torch the chocolate to give it a quick shine!
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Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
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Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Unlike a traditional dense cheesecake, this one has a light, mousse-like texture (Triple Chocolate… Choussecake?!). The process is simple as we start by making a ganache with cream cheese, then fold in whipped cream to create that incredible texture. Each layer is easy to replicate since the measurements are nearly identical, with just a few small tweaks. The only tricky part is waiting for each layer to set! But once it’s ready to serve, you’re left with a beautiful ombré effect.
1
8" CHEESECAKE
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie Base
120g Oreos
20g-40g Unsalted Butter
Milk Mixture
275g Whole Milk
30g Honey
White Chocolate Layer
75g Milk Mixture (Above)
60g White Chocolate, Chopped
75g Double/Heavy cream
90g Cream Cheese, Full Fat
60g Double/Heavy cream
Milk Chocolate Layer
75g Milk Mixture (Above)
60g Milk Chocolate, Chopped
6g Cocoa Powder
75g Double/Heavy cream
90g Cream Cheese, Full Fat
60g Double/Heavy cream
Dark Chocolate Layer
75g Milk Mixture (Above)
65g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids), Chopped
75g Double/Heavy cream
90g Cream Cheese, Full Fat
60g Double/Heavy cream
Special equipment
Food processor
8×2.75” ring mold
Acetate (optional)
Hand blender
Stand mixer
Chocolate Cookie Base
1. Add the Oreos into a food processor and blend to a fine crumb. If you want, you can remove the white filling and just use 120g of Oreo biscuits.
2. Pour these into a medium bowl and set it to one side.
3. Add the butter into a small saucepan and place it on a low heat until melted.
4. Slowly pour about half of the butter mixture into the Oreos and stir to combine. Keep adding butter until the mixture resembles slightly wet sand. Oreos don’t require as much butter to pull together unlike a traditional biscuit base so add it slowly to avoid a very wet biscuit mixture.
5. Take an 8×2.75” ring mold and place a piece of acetate along the inside. Acetate isn’t completely necessary as we are freezing the mousse. If you don’t have acetate you can simply heat the outside of the ring mold with a hair dryer/heat gun when you need to demold it. Acetate just makes this process much easier and you end up with a slightly cleaner finish. Place the ring onto a baking tray.
6. Pour the Oreo mixture into the base of the ring and use the back of a measuring cup or something flat, to smooth the base out so that it is even. Place the tray into the freezer.
Milk Mixture
1. Add the milk and honey into a small saucepan, and place it over a medium-low heat until it is steaming – stirring occasionally. We are going to split this mixture between all three cheesecake bases.
The process for making the layers is identical, so it is easiest to set up three measuring jugs at once, each with the chopped chocolate in, then pour in the weighed milk mixture.
White Chocolate Layer
1. Into a tall jug, add the chopped chocolate, and pour over 75g of the hot milk mixture. The mixture needs to be hot so that the chocolate melts. Let it sit for 2 minutes before blending until smooth.
2. Add in the cream cheese, and the 75g of double/heavy cream. Blend again until smooth and there are no lumps of cream cheese. Cover the surface with clingfilm and refrigerate for 3 hours (or longer if needed).
Milk Chocolate Layer
1. Into a tall jug, add the chopped chocolate, and cocoa powder, and pour over 75g of the hot milk mixture. The mixture needs to be hot so that the chocolate melts. Let it sit for 2 minutes before blending until smooth.
2. Add in the cream cheese, and the 75g of double/heavy cream. Blend again until smooth and there are no lumps of cream cheese. Cover the surface with clingfilm and refrigerate for 3 hours (or longer if needed).
Dark Chocolate Layer
1. Into a tall jug, add the chopped chocolate, and pour over 75g of the hot milk mixture. The mixture needs to be hot so that the chocolate melts. Let it sit for 2 minutes before blending until smooth.
2. Add in the cream cheese, and the 75g of double/heavy cream. Blend again until smooth and there are no lumps of cream cheese. Cover the surface with clingfilm and refrigerate for 3 hours (or longer if needed).
Assembly
The assembly process is slightly tedious, as you have to wait for each layer to set before you can add the next one!
1. Remove the white chocolate layer from the fridge and place it into a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on a medium speed, until the mixture thickens and holds a medium peak. Set this to one side.
2. Into a bowl, add the remaining 60g of double/heavy cream and whisk until it holds a medium peak. Note – 60g can actually be quite tough to whisk if you are using an electric stand mixer so it is worth mixing 100g so that the whisk attachment can actually catch it, then just weigh the required 60g of cream.
3. Take the 60g of whipped cream, and fold this through the white chocolate layer, until smooth and combined. The final texture of the mixture should be thick, but still soft and slightly runny. We want a texture where we can pour the mousse into the tin and it will almost settle itself without too much assistance!
4. Remove the chilled chocolate base from the freezer and pour the white chocolate layer in. It should spread to the edges and settle, but if not just use a palette knife or a spoon to gently spread it, so that it is even. You can even give the tray a bit of a tap on the work surface to help it settle. Place the tray into the freezer for 30-60 minutes, or until the white chocolate layer feels firm enough to the touch to support another layer of mousse.
5. Repeat this exact same process with the milk chocolate and dark chocolate layers, freezing the mousse in between the milk and dark chocolate each layer. Note that because these layers have more cocoa solids, they will become thicker more quickly as you whisk them, so be careful not to over-whisk them and let them become too thick.
6. Once you have added the dark chocolate layer, place the entire cheesecake into the freezer. If you need to serve this quickly, 2-3 hours in the freezer will be absolutely fine, but you can also freeze it overnight too.
7. When you are ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the freezer, and lift it onto your serving dish. Carefully pull off the ring mold and then peel away the acetate, to reveal a smooth cheesecake. The cheesecake now needs 2 hours to defrost before you can eat it (maybe slightly less if you only freeze it for 2-3 hours). Or, you can defrost it for 2 hours then get it straight into the fridge.
8. Just a note that the longer you leave it at room temperature, you will begin to see the base ‘weep’. This is just because the sugar draws moisture from the cheesecake mixture. Nothing has gone wrong, it’s just a natural scientific occurrence of the ingredients of the hygroscopic properties of sugar!
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Chocolate Orange Swirl Cookies
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Chocolate Orange Swirl Cookies
These stunning cookies use the same base dough, one flavoured with orange and the other flavoured with cocoa powder. The doughs are laid on top of each other and carefully rolled into a tight log to create the spiral effect. You can get creative and colour one of the doughs, or even make a quick ganache and sandwich the cookies together!
18-20
COOKIES
Ingredients
Chocolate Dough
170g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
2g Fine Sea Salt
30g Cocoa Powder
80g Icing/Powdered Sugar
30g Ground Almonds
110g Unsalted Butter, Cold & Cubed
40g Whole Eggs
Orange Dough
200g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
2g Fine Sea Salt
80g Icing/Powdered Sugar
30g Ground Almonds
110g Unsalted Butter, Cold & Cubed
Zest 1 Medium Orange
40g Whole Eggs
Egg Wash
1 whole egg, whisked
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Silicon mats (optional)
Rolling pin
Chocolate Cookie Dough
1. Add all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer, along with the cubed butter.
2. Mix on a medium low speed for 2-4 minutes, until the butter has broken down, and the mixture has a breadcrumb/sandy-like texture.
3. Pour in the egg mixture and mix for about 20 seconds, the dough will not pull together however, so remove the bowl from the mixer and squeeze the dough with your hands, until it forms a dough.
4. Place the dough in between two silicon mats or pieces of parchment paper and roll it to about 3-5mm thick – the thinner the better really. You want to roll it as best as possible into a neat rectangle shape as that will reduce the wastage later on.
5. Place the dough into the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours.
Orange Cookie Dough
1. Add all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer, along with the cubed butter.
2. Mix on a medium low speed for 2-4 minutes, until the butter has broken down, and the mixture has a breadcrumb/sandy-like texture.
3. Pour in the egg mixture and mix for about 20 seconds, the dough will not pull together however, so remove the bowl from the mixer and squeeze the dough with your hands, until it forms a dough.
4. Place the dough in between two silicon mats or pieces of parchment paper and roll it to about 3-5mm thick – the thinner the better really. You want to roll it as best as possible into a neat rectangle shape as that will reduce the wastage later on.
5. Place the dough into the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours.
Assembly
1. Once the doughs have chilled remove them from the fridge, and apply a light egg wash to the chocolate dough. Then, lift the orange dough on top, gluing it in place.
2. Leave them at room temperature to soften for just a few minutes – this will make them easier to roll.
3. Once softer, with the chocolate dough on the bottom, carefully roll the dough, lengthways (with the short side of the rectangle of dough facing you), into a tight log. Wrap this in clingfilm and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour
4. Before they are done chilling, preheat the oven to 150C/300F, non-fan assisted.
5. Once chilled, use a very sharp knife to cut the log into discs of equal thickness – about 5mm, then lift the biscuits onto a tray lined with a silicon baking mat.
6. Immediately place the tray into the oven and bake until lightly golden around the edges – about 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool then serve.
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Kugelhopf
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Kugelhopf
This bread has ties to Germany, Austria and France and is a popular bread served around the holidays. Think of it like giant hot cross bun in a bundt tin! The dough is a soft, buttery brioche flavoured with soaked raisins that have been steeped in orange, lemon and vanilla. When the cake is finished it is soaked in melted butter and then coated in sugar. I have to say, this is one of the most delicious recipes I’ve made ALL year! I’ve used a Kugelhopf tin, but the dough can also be made in a classic bundt tin.
2
400G LOAVES
Ingredients
Soaked Raisins
100g Sultanas
20g Sugar
150g Water
Peels of 1/2 Lemon
Peels of 1 Medium Orange
Brioche Dough
425g Strong White Bread Flour (13-14% Protein)
10g Salt
50g Sugar
17g Fresh Yeast or 8.5g Instant Dry Yeast
190g Eggs
65g Whole Milk
Zest of 1 Lemon
Zest of 1 Orange
210g Unsalted Butter, Slightly Cold & Cubed
To Finish
Melted Butter
Caster/White Sugar
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Dough scraper
Kugelhopf tin/Bundt tin
Digital thermometer
Soaked Raisins
1. Into a small saucepan, add all the ingredients for the soaked raisins. Bring it to a boil and then pour the mixture into a tupperware. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours, ideally overnight.
Brioche Dough
1. For the brioche dough, add all the ingredients, except the butter, to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
2. Mix for 10 minutes on a medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
3. After 10 minutes, add the butter slowly, a few cubes at a time. It helps to squeeze the cold butter in between your fingers gently just before you add it into the mixer.
4. Once all the butter has been added, continue to mix the dough until it is pulling away from the sides of the mixer and the dough passes the windowpane test.
5. Right at the end, drain the soaked raisins and briefly mix these in. We don’t want to knead them for too long or it will discolour the dough.
6. Scoop the dough out of the bowl, and shape it into a round ball using a dough scraper before lifting it into a lightly oiled bowl.
7. Allow the dough to proof for 2 hours at room temperature. It should double in size.
8. While it is proofing, lightly butter your Kugelhopf tin and coat the inside with flour, before tipping out the excess.
9. Once the dough has proofed, remove it from the bowl, knocking out the air.
10. Cut it into two equal 400g pieces of dough.
11. Carefully shape each piece into a ball, then with one of the dough balls, use your fingers to press a hole in the middle, creating a donut shape.
12. Confidently lift it into the greased tin and cover the tin with cling film.
13. With the other piece of dough, simply shape it into a ball and place it back into the bowl. Cover the surface of the dough and the bowl with cling film. Place both the tin and the bowl in the fridge overnight.
14. The next day, leave the tin at room temperature and proof for 2-3 hours, while leaving the other dough in the fridge.
15. Before baking, preheat the oven to 170C/355F Non-Fan Assisted.
16. Once proofed, the dough should have doubled, to just below the top edge of the tin. Bake the dough for around 35 minutes, it should be a golden colour and register 95C/203F when a digital thermometer is inserted in the middle.
17. Allow it to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then flip it out and use a pastry brush to cover the entire dough in melted butter, before rolling in sugar.
18. Allow to cool before serving.
19. You can now remove the second dough from the fridge, and re-use the tin. Shape it into a donut again by piercing a hole in the centre and lift it into a the lightly greased tin.
20. Cover the tin with a tea towel and allow it to rise again until doubled – about 2-3 hours at room temperature. Bake as per step 16/17.
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Sablé Viennois
TIER 1
Sablé Viennois
In Tier 1 we tackle a simple Sablé biscuit, and learn the foundations of a Sablé dough. A spin on the recipe I share in my book, the biscuits are elevated by piping the dough into a zigzag pattern! Although the piping can be a little bit tricky, it’s worth the effort as it holds its shape really well, resulting in a stunning biscuit. To finish, I’ve dipped mine in a little dark chocolate, but you can get creative here with the toppings.
12-14COOKIES
Ingredients
140g Unsalted Butter, Soft
80g Icing/Powdered Sugar
2g Fine Sea Salt
20g Egg White
120g Plain Flour
40g White Bread Flour
20g Cornflour (Cornstarch)
Chocolate Variation:
140g Unsalted Butter, Soft
80g Icing/Powdered Sugar
2g Fine Sea Salt
20g Egg White
115g Plain Flour
30g Bread Flour
20g Cornflour (Cornstarch)
15g Cocoa Powder
To decorate:
200g Dark Chocolate (50-60% Cocoa Solids), Melted
Special equipment
Basket Weave Piping Nozzle
Stand Mixer
Piping Bags
Silicon Baking Mat
1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl), add the soft butter, sugar and salt.
2. Beat this on a medium-low speed for 2 minutes until lighter and fluffier in consistency. If doing this by hand, simply use a rubber spatula to beat the ingredients together.
3. Add in the egg white and beat again to combine. The egg white, won’t fully incorporate so don’t worry if the butter is slightly lumpy/separated.
4. Finally, sift in the flours & cornflour. Mix this until the dough is soft and slightly sticky. We need the dough to be quite soft otherwise it will be very difficult to pipe. Add this mixture into a piping bag fitted with a basket weave piping nozzle (or any other nozzle you prefer!). Massage the dough in the bag to soften it further.
Note: If you want to make chocolate cookies, simply follow the same steps, but add the cocoa powder in with the flours.
5. If you want to be accurate, draw a stencil on some parchment paper, with pairs of lines, about an inch apart, and place this under your silicone mat.
6. With firm pressure, pipe tight zig zags, roughly 3-4” long. Then, use a bench scraper or sharp knife, neaten the top and bottoms of the biscuits by trimming off the shaggy ends.
7. Place the tray of cookies into the freezer, while you preheat your oven to 175C/350F Non-Fan Assisted.
8. After the cookies have chilled for 20 minutes, place the tray into the middle shelf of the oven and bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.
9. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the tray for 5 minutes.
10. To decorate, melt some dark chocolate, and dip the edges of the biscuits before placing them carefully on a silicon mat. Let the chocolate set before serving.
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Raspberry & Strawberry Jam
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Raspberry & Strawberry Jam
In these recipes we learn the basics of making jams. I walk you through the recipe for raspberry and strawberry jam. The techniques are very similar but I’ll take you through each step, and discuss crucially, the jam setting point, which is a really important temperature to hit to make sure your jam sets! I’ve also included a bonus recipe in the PDF – my dad’s homemade marmalade (thanks Dad!). This was something I grew up eating, so I hope you guys love it as much as me!
4
JAM JARS
Ingredients
Raspberry Jam
500g Fresh Raspberries
50g Honey
300g Caster/White Sugar
3g Pectin NH + 50g Caster/White Sugar
5g Lemon Juice
Strawberry Jam
750g Fresh Strawberries
450g Caster/White Sugar
225g Water
4.5g Pectin NH + 70g Caster/White Sugar
8g Lemon Juice
BONUS RECIPE
Seville Orange Marmalade (makes 8 jars)
1kg Seville Oranges
Juices of 2 Lemons
2500g Water
2000g Caster/White Sugar
Special equipment
4 x 100g jam jars, sterilised
Digital thermometer
Pectin
Before starting your jam-making, you want to make sure you have cleaned, dried and sterilised your jam jars. Simply wash them in soapy water, dry them, then place them into the oven for 10 minutes at 140C.
Raspberry Jam
1. Into a small bowl, add the pectin and sugar (50g) mixture. Stir the mixture together and set this to one side.
2. Add the fresh raspberries, honey, and remaining sugar into a medium saucepan. Place the pan onto a medium heat and stir it together.
3. Keep cooking the mixture until it reaches 80C on a digital thermometer, and stir in the sugar/pectin mixture.
4. Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches 104C – this can take a little while, between 5-10 minutes so keep a close eye on the thermometer, stirring it pretty continuously.
5. 104C is an important temperature as this is the setting temperature for jams. The closer it gets to this temperature, the thicker and darker the jam will become, and the bubbles will become heavier.
6. As you are cooking it, use a spoon to skim off any foam/impurities that rise to the top.
7. Remove it from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and then distribute it between your jam jars. You should get 2 jars.
8. Leave them to cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
Strawberry Jam
1. Into a small bowl, add the pectin and sugar (70g) mixture. Stir the mixture together and set this to one side.
2. Hull the fresh strawberries and slice them in half. If the strawberries are smaller, then you can leave them whole.
3. Add the sugar and water into a saucepan, and cook it until it reaches 120C.
4. Once at temperature, immediately tip in the strawberries, stir them through the sugar mixture, then add the pectin sugar mixture.
5. Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches 104C – this can take a little while, between 5-10 minutes so keep a close eye on the thermometer, stirring it pretty continuously. 104C is an important temperature as this is the setting temperature for jams. The closer it gets to this temperature, the thicker and darker the jam will become, and the bubbles will become heavier.
5. As you are cooking it, use a spoon to skim off any foam/impurities that rise to the top.
6. Remove it from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and then distribute it between your jam jars. You should get 2 jars (or maybe slightly more)
7. Allow them to cool to room temperature before refrigerating/storing.
Seville Orange Marmalade (My Dad’s Recipe)
1. Wash the Seville oranges if they are dirty.
2. Cut the oranges in half and juice them. Pour the juice into a medium saucepan.
3. Scoop out the flesh from the inside of the oranges and place these into a muslin cloth.
4. Take the remaining peels of the oranges, and cut them into thin strips (or thicker strips if you prefer slightly chunkier strips in your marmelade). Add these to the pan.
5. Add the juice of the lemons into the pan, and place the juiced lemons into the muslin cloth too. Tie thie up so the orange flesh and lemons are secured.
6. Place the muslin into the saucepan, along with the water.
7. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower it to a simmer, and continue to cook the mixture until the orange peels are very soft. Anywhere from 1-2 hours!
8. Remove the muslin and squeeze out the juices from it, into the pan.
9. Add in the sugar and boil the mixture, cooking it until it reaches the jam-setting point of 104C.
10. Once it has reached the setting point, remove it from the heat for 15 minutes, and during this time a lot of froth/impurities will rise. Skim these off. The resting time will also help to distribute the orange peels.
11. Scoop the marmalade into your sterilised jam jars (it will make 7-8 jars!). Allow them to cool to room temperature and then place the lids on and refrigerate/store.
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Chausson Aux Pommes
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Chausson Aux Pommes
Ok these are essentially apple turnovers, but I felt the name didn’t do them justice and it sounds much more fancy in French! In this recipe I take you through how to make rough puff pastry in detail, so make sure you watch the video to master those folds! Then we cut it into a classic turnover shape and fill it with a sweet apple compote. It’s the perfect buttery, fruity, flakey dessert!
4-6
TURNOVERS
Ingredients
Rough Puff Pastry
500g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
10g Fine Sea Salt
240g Ice Cold Water
10g White Vinegar
400g Unsalted Butter, Very Cold & Cubed
Apple Compote
500g Apples (Braeburn/Pink Lady/Golden Delicious – about 5-6 large apples)
60g Dark Brown Sugar
25g Unsalted Butter
1 Vanilla Bean/1 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Pinch of Sea Salt Flakes
Bowl of ice water with the juice of 1 lemon
Egg Wash
25g Egg Whites
60g Egg Yolks
15g Double/Heavy Cream
Glaze
60g Water
60g Caster/White Sugar
Or
65g Water
125g Sugar
30g Liquid Glucose
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Rolling pin
Hand blender
Digital calipers (optional)
Oval template (see PDF)
Fluted pastry wheel
Rough Puff Pastry
1. Pour the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer along with the salt.
2. Pour in the cold water and vinegar.
3. Tip the cubed butter into the centre, then with the paddle attachment, mix on a low speed, just until the dry bits of flour have been absorbed. This should only take 15-20 seconds. The lumps of butter will still be there!
4. Scoop the mixture out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a long rectangle. You need to work quickly here especially if it is a warm day as the butter will start to soften too much.
5. Once you’ve rolled it out, you might need to use a lightly floured bench scraper to loosen it from the work surface.
6. Perform a single turn, by folding one-third of the dough up on itself, and then folding the remaining third of dough over the top as seen in the PDF.
7. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it. If it is a warm day, I prefer to do 10 minutes in the freezer then 15 minutes in the fridge. But on a ‘normal day’, 20 minutes in the fridge will be enough.
8. Unwrap the dough and with the open seam facing you, turn the dough 90 degrees so it is now adjacent to you. Roll the dough slightly to give it a little bit of width, then rotate it 90 degrees again so the open seam is facing you again. Roll the dough into a long rectangle again, flouring as needed to ensure it doesn’t stick.
9. Use a bench scraper to get underneath the dough if it feels like it is sticking, then perform a double turn, by folding ¼ of the dough up on itself, then the remaining ¾ of the dough to meet. Fold the dough in half, then wrap in cling film to chill again.
10. Repeat steps 9&10, 2 more times (performing two more double turns) and chill the dough.
11. Unwrap the dough again, and roll it out, performing one final single turn (as seen in step 7). In total you will have done 1x single turn, 3x double turn, 1 x single turn. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours (or overnight).
Apple Compote
1. Peel and core the apples, then dice them into small cubes (‘brunoise’ as they would say in French!). As you are chopping them, add them to the bowl of cold water with the lemon juice to prevent them from oxidising.
2. Once chopped, drain them and add them into a medium saucepan. Cook them over a medium heat until the juices start to come out of the apples – about 3 minutes. Strain them to remove the excess liquid, then add in the light brown sugar, butter and vanilla.
3. Continue to cook them, stirring frequently, until you have a golden caramelised mixture, this should take about 6-10 minutes. Once cooked, stir through the sea salt flakes.
4. Add the mixture into a jug and blend until you have a thick compote texture.
5. Add this mixture into a bowl and set it to one side in the fridge to cool completely.
Assembly
1. To create the classic chausson aux pommes shape, we need a fluted oval shape which is then folded in half. You can buy special cutters for this but they are expensive, so I created a little hack so that we can do it at home!
2. At the bottom of the PDF there is an oval template you can print off (ideally on some thick card). This will give you an oval that is 6.7”x4.8”.
3. Print this off and then to get the fluted edge, we use a fluted pastry wheel and cut around the template while it is on top of the puff pastry. If you do not have a fluted cutter don’t worry you can just cut around it with a knife. But this template will give you the perfect size!
4. Remove the chilled puff pastry from the fridge and place it onto a floured work surface. Note – it can be easier to work with the pastry in two batches so that it doesn’t get too warm, in this case, just cut the chilled dough in half, and reserve one in the fridge while you roll the other. For the following steps I will assume you are working with a half batch and you just need to repeat the steps to make the remaining pastries.
5. With the open seam facing you, turn the dough 90 degrees so it is now adjacent to you. Roll the dough slightly to give it a bit of width – it needs to be around around 7.5” tall so that it is taller than the oval template.
6. Rotate it 90 degrees again so the open seam is facing you again. Roll the dough into a long rectangle, flouring as needed to ensure it doesn’t stick.
7. Don’t worry about the length of the rectangle, we are more concerned about the thickness – it needs to be around 0.2”/5mm thick. If it is too thick, when it bakes, it will puff up too much! If the dough feels too soft at this point, get it straight into the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up a little. It is much easier to work with when it is cold.
8. Assuming you are working with a half batch of the dough, use the oval template to cut out 2-3 ovals (the number you get will depend on how efficiently you were rolling it and how thick it is!)
9. Lift the fluted ovals onto a tray lined with a silicon mat, and place them in the fridge for 15 minutes.
10. At any point during the process, if you find the dough is getting too warm, place it back into the freezer for 5/10 minutes to chill it down then carry on.
11. Prepare the egg wash by whisking together all the ingredients until you have a homogenous mixture.
12. To ensure you get the same amount of filling, I like to decant my chilled compote into little dishes, each weighing 50g. Then I can just scoop it straight into the pastry knowing I’ve got the correct amount.
13. Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and, working quickly, scoop 50g of compote into the centre. Refer to the drawing below, we want to make sure we keep the compote away from the edges so it doesn’t leak out later so use your fingers to keep it nice and centred.
14. Brush an egg wash around the edge of the pastry surrounding the compote and fold the bottom half of the pastry over. Use your fingers to seal the dough together, being careful not to warm the dough too much with your hands and ‘smoosh’ it.
15. Use a knife to poke 4 holes in the back of the pastry and then flip it over so this side is now touching the baking tray lined with a silicon mat. Brush the top of the pastry with an egg wash then refrigerate it for 20 minutes. At this point, preheat your oven to 175C/345F non-fan assisted.
16. Remove the pastry from the fridge and apply a second egg wash, then using a sharp knife, lightly score a decorative pattern into the pastry, I just do a series of vertical lines!
17. Place the pastries straight into the oven on the middle shelf and bake for around 45-50 minutes. The apple compote is already cooked so all we are looking for is a nice golden puff pastry.
18. About 10 minutes before you can prepare the glaze so that it is still slightly warm. Add the sugar and water into a saucepan, and simply bring it to a boil. Continue to cook it until it has thickened slightly but is still runny. Slightly looser than the consistency of honey.
19. I’ve given you two options for the glaze, the second one is just slightly shinier from the addition of glucose but is prepared with the exact same method! Just boil the ingredients together.
20. Once the pastries are baked, lift them onto a wire rack and brush them lightly with the glaze. They can be eaten warm or served once cooled, but they are best eaten the same day so that the pastry is as fresh as possible.
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Chocolate and Raspberry Soufflé
TIER 1
Chocolate and Raspberry Soufflé
I’ve cheated a bit in Tier 1 and used the chocolate soufflé recipe from my book, because you honestly can’t beat it! But I tried adding a frozen raspberry insert in the middle, which oozes out once baked, and it really takes the dessert to the next level from both a flavour and a wow factor perspective. Make sure you use good quality chocolate with 50-60% cocoa solids to ensure the right consistency.
4-5
SOUFFLÉS
Ingredients
Raspberry Insert
50g Raspberry Jam
50g Fresh Raspberries
Splash of Water
Chocolate Soufflé
– Beurre Manie
50g Unsalted Butter, Softened
50g Plain Flour
Pinch of sea salt
– Chocolate Base
270g Whole Milk
50g Granulated/Caster Sugar
200g Chopped Dark Chocolate, 50-60% Cocoa Solids
110g Egg Yolks
French Meringue
180g Egg Whites
70g Granulated/Caster Sugar
Special equipment
3.8cm x 1.9cm silicone half-sphere mould (15 hole) OR a small silicone ice cube tray
Stand mixer
Piping bags
Ramekins
Raspberry Insert
1. Into a medium saucepan, add the fresh raspberries, raspberry jam and just a little splash of water (3 tsp roughly).
2. Place it over a medium low heat, and stir it together until the raspberries have broken down, and it is bubbling and has thickened just slightly.
3. Into a silicone half sphere mould, or a silicone ice cube tray, pour the raspberry mixture in, spread it out so it is even, and then freeze for 3 hours or until it is solid.
Chocolate Soufflé
– Beurre Manie
1. Into a small bowl, add the butter, flour and salt and use a spatula to form it into a paste. Sometimes it is actually easier just to use your hands and mix it together as the quantities are so small.
2. Set this bowl to one side.
– Chocolate Base
1. Into a medium saucepan, add the milk and sugar. Place it over a medium heat and stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is steaming.
2. Remove it from the heat and add in the beurre manie from above. Whisk this through until it has dissolved, then place the pan back on the heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened and holds a slightly more elastic consistency.
3. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the chocolate until the chocolate has completely dissolved. Don’t worry if it looks slightly greasy or split here. Scoop this mixture into a medium bowl.
4. Add the egg yolks on top and immediately whisk this (to make sure the eggs don’t cook from the heat), until you have a smooth, glossy mixture.
5. Cover the surface with cling film and let it rest for 30 minutes.
French Meringue & Assembly
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F Fan Assisted.
2. Lightly grease the ramekins with soft butter, using an upwards stroking motion.
3. Tip in a few tablespoons of sugar and swirl this around, tipping out the excess. Place these on a tray and set to one side.
4. Meanwhile, add the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk on a medium low speed until the mixture is frothy and thick bubbles have formed.
5. With the speed on medium, slowly add in the sugar a tablespoon at a time, waiting about 15 seconds in between each addition.
6. Once you’ve added all the sugar, keep whisking until you have a stiff meringue.
7. Fold the meringue in thirds, into the chocolate base, until you have a homogenous mixture with no streaks of meringue.
8. Remove your frozen raspberry inserts from the freezer.
9. Add the soufflé mixture into a piping bag, and pipe the mixture into the ramekins, filling them about 3⁄4 of the way. Then press your raspberry into the middle and cover it up, filling the ramekin to the top with the remaining soufflé mixture.
10. Use a palette knife to smooth the top and create a flush edge, then quickly run your thumb around the outside of the soufflé to create a rim.
11. Place them into the oven immediately and bake for 18 minutes.
12. Remove them from the oven and serve immediately. They should be well risen!
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Vanilla Glazed Donuts
TIER 1
Vanilla Glazed Donuts
In Tier 1 we start with a classic glazed donut. I walk you through my (new) favourite donut dough, how to create the iconic donut shape, and how to fry your donuts to perfection. Then we smother them in an insane vanilla glaze for that classic Krispy Kreme finish. The end result is the lightest, fluffiest donuts – it’s a struggle just to eat one!
6-7
DONUTS
Ingredients
Donut Dough
550g Strong White Bread Flour
125g Whole Milk
7g Instant Dry Yeast
200g Whole Eggs
12g Fine Sea Salt
125g Unsalted Butter, Cold + Small Cubes
75g Caster/Granulated Sugar
20g Powdered Milk (Full Fat)
10g Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Glaze
500g Icing/Powdered Sugar
20g Glucose (or Golden Syrup)
80g Whole Milk
25g Water
15g Double/Heavy Cream
1 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or 1 Fresh Vanilla Pods
Zest ¼ Lemon
Pinch of Fine Sea Salt
3 Litres of Vegetable Oil For Frying
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Oil spray (optional)
80mm cookie cutter
30mm cookie cutter
Piping bag
Deep fat fryer (optional but recommended)
Donut Dough
1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the wet ingredients, followed by the dry. Attach the dough hook and mix it on a medium speed for 10 minutes, scraping down the bowl every 3-4 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes, turn the mixer off and let the dough rest for 5 minutes. This will relax the gluten and make the next part of the mixing easier!
3. Turn the mixer back on, and knead for a further 10-12 minutes. The dough should start to come away from the sides of the bowl, but there will still be a little bit stuck to the edges.
4. Remove it from the mixer and lift the dough onto your work surface. Give it a quick knead and shape it into a nice tight ball. The dough should feel smooth and pass the windowpane test when you stretch a small piece of the dough.
5. Lift it into a lightly oiled bowl, then lightly spray the top of the dough with an oil spray and cover the surface directly with cling film. Cover the bowl with a sheet of cling film too and refrigerate the dough overnight (12-18 hours). This will make it much easier to work with.
6. Before you are ready to work with the dough, prep a baking tray by cutting 6-7 squares of parchment paper and lightly oiling them before placing them on the tray. This will make it easier to transfer the donuts to the fryer.
7. The next day remove the chilled dough from the fridge. Very lightly flour your work surface and lift the dough on. Lightly flour the top of the dough and a rolling pin, and roll the dough out, the shape doesn’t matter, but you want it to be around 12-15mm thick (0.5”).
8. Take an 80mm cookie cutter and dip it in a bowl of flour to make sure it doesn’t stick to the dough. Press the cookie cutter into the dough. Then take your 30mm cookie cutter, dip it into the bowl of flour and press this into the centre of your donut to create a hole. Lift your donut onto a sheet of parchment paper, then repeat with the remaining dough.
9. Very lightly oil the top of the donuts with an oil spray, and then cover the entire tray with a sheet of cling film and allow the donuts to rise for 2-3 hours at room temperature. In warmer weather, 2 hours should be fine, but when it is colder it will be closer to 3 hours. The donuts should look puffier and will have increased in volume when they are done.
Vanilla Glaze
1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, sift in the icing sugar then add the remaining ingredients, starting with 80g of milk.
2. Beat the ingredients together with the paddle attachment. You want the consistency to resemble a runny glue, so add more milk if needed. Once you have the desired consistency, beat for a further 30 seconds on a medium-low speed, ensuring all the ingredients are combined.
3. Pour this into a piping bag, tie the end (so that the glaze doesn’t dry out) and set this to one side while you fry the donuts.
Frying
1. When the donuts are close to being proofed, add the oil to your deep fat fryer (or a large pan) and heat it to 170C/340F. A deep-fat fryer is ideal here as it is able to regulate the temperature at a much more consistent level vs frying in a pan.
2. When the donuts are ready, drop 1 at a time into the oil, and slowly peel off the sheet of parchment paper.
3. Fry for 90 seconds, flip, fry for 60 seconds, flip, fry for 15 seconds, flip, fry for 15 seconds.
4. Remove your donut and place it on a wire rack, allowing any excess oil to drip off. After a minute, coat the donut in your vanilla glaze. Repeat with the remaining donuts.
5. Best served the same day (I can’t not eat mine immediately!)
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Basic Lemon Sorbet
TIER 1
Basic Lemon Sorbet
In Tier 1 we walk through the fundamentals of a sorbet, and make a basic sorbet without getting too technical! This is the perfect palate cleanser – quite a tart lemon flavour that’s so refreshing. As we don’t add any stabiliser in this recipe, this sorbet is best served within 24 hours to prevent the sugar from recrystallising. It’s a simple and delicious recipe to get you warmed up for Tier 2!
1
TUB (APPROX. 300G)
Ingredients
145g Caster Sugar
55g Dextrose
435g Water
345g Fresh Lemon Juice
Special equipment
Hand blender
Ice-cream machine
1. Pour the cold water into a saucepan and add the sugar and dextrose. Place over a medium heat and bring it to the boil whilst whisking. Boil for a minute then take the sugar syrup off the heat and leave to cool for approximately 15 minutes (until cool to the touch).
2. Add the mixture to a bowl and pour in the lemon juice (it’s a good idea to sieve this to avoid adding any pips/pulp). Blend with a hand blender to combine. Cover the surface with cling film then put the mixture in the fridge for 4 hours. You can leave this in the fridge for longer, but 4 hours is the ideal maturation time.
3. After 4 hours, pour the mixture into your ice cream machine and churn for 20-30 minutes until it’s a thick, sorbet-like consistency (yours may take longer depending on your machine).
4. Transfer the sorbet into a container and freeze for 1-2 hours before serving.
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Chocolate Mousse Cake
TIER 1
Chocolate Mousse Cake
There are only two elements to this cake – the sponge and the mousse. I show you how to master each one, then it’s just a case of building your cake! I recommend using a ring mould for the most professional finish, and running a warm palette knife over the top of your mousse to create a smooth top. This is such a simple recipe but it looks amazing, the texture is divine, and it’s so full of flavour.
1
6-INCH CAKE
Ingredients
Chocolate Sponge
80g Egg Yolks
20g Caster Sugar (A)
60g Caster Sugar (B)
150g Egg Whites
40g Plain Flour
28g Cocoa Powder
50g Vegetable Oil
30g Whole Milk
Chocolate Mousse
170g Whole Milk
120g Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids), Finely Chopped
120g Chocolate (30% Cocoa Solids), Finely Chopped
300g Double/Heavy Cream
Pinch Sea Salt Flakes
Special equipment
39cm x 27cm baking tray
Electric hand whisk (or stand mixer)
Hand blender
16cm ring mould (4.5cm high)
Chocolate Sponge
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/356F Non-Fan Assisted (160C Fan Assisted) and then lightly grease a medium-sized baking tray (this recipe uses a 39cm x 27cm tray). Cut a rectangle of parchment paper so that it fits neatly inside the tray, and press it in firmly with your hands.
2. Into a medium bowl, add the egg yolks and sugar (A). Whisk the mixture with an electric hand mixer (or in a stand mixer) until it is thicker in volume and pale in colour. About 1-2 minutes. Set this to one side.
3. Into a medium bowl, add the egg whites and using an electric hand whisk (or a stand mixer) whisk on a medium-low speed. Once the mixture is frothy, increase the speed to medium and slowly add the sugar (B), about 1 tablespoon at a time. Whisk until you have a medium-stiff peak to the meringue.
4. Pour the egg yolk mixture on top of the meringue and gently fold it through using a spatula until well combined.
5. Next, sift in the plain flour & cocoa powder, and fold it in carefully until it is fully incorporated.
6. Finally, pour in the vegetable oil and whole milk. Use a spatula to fold this in, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
7. Pour the batter onto the lined tray, and then using a spatula, spread the batter out evenly. Try to ensure the batter is relatively even.
8. Bake the sponge for 12 minutes then allow it to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Chocolate Mousse
1. Add the milk to a small saucepan and place it onto a medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, add the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl.
3. Once the milk is simmering, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes with a plate on top.
4. Then, remove the plate and use a hand blender to blend the milk and chocolate until smooth and set it to one side.
5. Into a medium bowl, add the cream and use an electric hand whisk to whisk it to a soft-medium peak.
6. Then, whisk the cream through the chocolate mixture in three parts until smooth. It’s important to whisk it through, as if you try to fold it, the cream will not incorporate properly and remain lumpy.
7. Lastly, fold in the salt.
Assembly
1. Take your cooled sponge and tip it out onto a silicon mat/piece of parchment paper.
2. Use your cake ring to cut 2 circles out of the chocolate sponge.
You will have enough remaining sponge to make the Tier 2 recipe, so make sure to save this if you’re moving straight onto Tier 2!
3. Take one of the sponges and place it on a tray lined with a silicon mat/piece of parchment paper. Place your cake ring over the top and gently push the sponge to the sides of the cake ring to make sure it’s even and there are no gaps.
4. Pour your chocolate mousse over the sponge until it reaches halfway up the cake ring. Then add your second layer of chocolate sponge and pour the remaining chocolate mousse over the top until it reaches the top of the cake ring.
You may have a little mousse left over but you can pour this into ramekins to have little pots of delicious chocolate mousse!
5. If you have a slightly uneven top to your mousse cake, heat the edge of a palette knife or scraper and run it evenly over the top of the cake to smooth out the top.
6. Place the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours until set and ready to serve.
7. To remove the ring, simply gently heat the sides with a blowtorch and it should lift off smoothly. Finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt just before serving.
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Chocolate Praline Mousse Cakes
TIER 2
Chocolate Praline Mousse Cakes
In Tier 2 we add two extra elements to really level up the cake – a hazelnut praline filling and a cocoa gavotte decoration. I’ve turned these into individual plated desserts by using smaller ring moulds, but you can make one large mousse cake if you’d prefer. I’ve adjusted the mousse recipe slightly here and only used 70% cocoa solids, but if you prefer a sweeter flavour then follow the same 50/50 split as Tier 1.
5
7CM MOUSSE CAKES
Ingredients
Hazelnut Praline
165g Caster Sugar
50g Water
250g Whole Roasted Hazelnuts, Without Skins
Pinch of Flaked Sea Salt
Chocolate Sponge
40g Egg Yolks
10g Caster Sugar (A)
30g Caster Sugar (B)
75g Egg Whites
20g Plain Flour
12g Cocoa Powder
25g Vegetable Oil
15g Whole Milk
Chocolate Mousse
130g Whole Milk
10g Honey
175g Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids), Finely Chopped
220g Double/Heavy Cream
Pinch Sea Salt Flakes
Cocoa Gavotte
150g Water
15g Unsalted Butter
1g Salt
11g Plain Flour
30g Icing/Powdered Sugar
3g Cornstarch/Cornflour
35g Egg Whites
4g Cocoa Powder
Special equipment
Digital thermometer
Hand blender
Silicon mat
Food processor
Electric whisk
Small baking tray (16cm x 26cm)
5 7cm mousse rings (3.5cm high)
Heat gun/Blow torch
Hazelnut Praline
1. Into a medium saucepan, add the sugar & water. Place it on a medium heat, and cook the mixture until it reaches 110C/230F on a digital thermometer.
2. Once at 110C/230F, pour in the hazelnuts. Stir constantly with a spatula. The mixture will initially look quite clumpy, then the sugar will crystallise, but eventually, as you keep stirring, the sugars will caramelise and you should have a deep golden caramel surrounding the nuts. It will take 3-5 minutes.
3. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, and tip the caramelised nuts onto a baking tray lined with a silicon mat. Sprinkle some sea salt flakes on top and let it set completely at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. The praline should then be completely cool and solid to the touch. Break it into pieces and add it into a high-powered food processor. Blend for 3-4 minutes, scraping it down every so often, until you have a smooth, nutty paste. Store in an airtight container.
Chocolate Sponge
1. Preheat the oven to 180C Non-Fan Assisted (160C Fan Assisted) and then lightly grease a small baking tray (this recipe uses a cm x cm baking tray). Cut a rectangle of parchment paper so that it fits neatly inside the tray, and press it in firmly with your hands.
2. Into a medium bowl, add the egg yolks, and sugar (A). Whisk the mixture with an electric hand mixer until it is thicker in volume and pale in colour. About 1-2 minutes. Set this to one side.
3. Into a medium bowl, add the egg whites and using an electric hand whisk, whisk on a medium-low speed. Once the mixture is frothy, increase the speed to medium and slowly add the sugar (B), about 1 tablespoon at a time. Whisk until you have a medium-stiff peak to the meringue.
4. Pour the egg yolk mixture on top of the meringue and gently fold it through using a spatula until well combined.
5. Next, sift in the plain flour & cocoa powder, and fold it in carefully until it is fully incorporated.
6. Finally, pour in the vegetable oil and whole milk. Use a spatula to fold this in, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
7. Pour the batter onto the lined tray, and then using a spatula, spread the batter out evenly. Try to ensure the batter is relatively even.
8. Bake the sponge for 10-12 minutes, until dry to the touch, then allow it to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Chocolate Mousse
1. Into a small saucepan, add the milk and honey and place it onto a medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, add the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl.
3. Once the milk is simmering and the honey has dissolved, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes.
4. Then, use a hand blender to blend until smooth and set it to one side.
5. Into a medium bowl, add the cream and use an electric hand whisk to whisk it to a medium-soft peak.
6. Then, whisk the cream through the chocolate mixture in three parts until smooth. It’s important to whisk it through, as if you try to fold it, the cream will not incorporate properly and remain lumpy.
7. Lastly, fold in the salt.
Assembly
1. Take your cooled sponge and tip it out onto a silicon mat/piece of parchment paper.
2. Use one of your mousse rings to cut 5 circles out of the chocolate sponge and place them inside of your mousse rings. Gently push the sponge to the sides of the mousse rings to make sure there are no gaps.
3. Next, add a dollop of hazelnut praline to the centre of each sponge (I like to use a piping bag). You want it to cover about ⅔ of the sponge, not go all the way to the sides.
4. Then, add the chocolate mousse until it reaches the top of the mousse ring (again, I like to use a piping bag).
5. If your mousse is slightly thicker then use a palette knife to press the mousse to the edges and ensure there are no gaps. Then, heat your palette knife in some hot water, dry it with a tea towel and smooth the top of your mousse rings to ensure a nice even finish.
6. Place the cakes in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours until set and ready to serve.
Cocoa Gavotte
1. Into a medium saucepan, add the water, salt & butter. Place it over a medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, into a medium bowl, add all of the remaining ingredients and whisk them together till smooth.
3. Once the water is boiling, slowly pour it over the bowl of ingredients, whisking constantly to ensure that the mixture is tempered.
4. Once you’ve added all the water, pour the mixture back into the pan, and whisk constantly over a medium heat until it thickens to a custard-like consistency.
5. Place a sheet of cling film over a small baking tray and pour your gavotte mixture on top. Place another sheet of cling film over the top and refrigerate it for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 175C/345F.
7. Onto a tray lined with a silicon mat, take a dollop of the gavotte mixture and create a line of it at the top of your tray. Do the same about half way down your tray. Then, using a palette knife, spread it nice and thin. It needs to be thin (almost opaque) otherwise the texture won’t be correct.
8. Place it into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until crispy (the top might be slightly cracked).
9. Repeat this with a second tray of mixture.
10. Once baked, allow them to cool for 5 minutes, then snap them into shards ready to decorate. It is best to make these fresh as they will soften the longer they are left. If you make them ahead of time, you can place them back into the oven for 2-3 minutes, to crisp up again.
11. When ready to serve, remove your mousse cakes from the fridge and use a heat gun/blow torch to gently warm the sides of your mousses and lift off the cake rings.
12. Place your chocolate gavotte shards on top/around the sides of your mousses in whatever design you would like!
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Rhubarb Pavlova
TIER 1
Rhubarb Pavlova
We start by mastering the meringue. This is a French-Swiss meringue, which involves whisking egg whites and sugar over a bain-marie (the Swiss element), then folding through icing sugar once cooled (the French element). This makes a gorgeous soft meringue that doesn’t start to weep. We fill it with tart poached rhubarb and a sweet vanilla chantilly cream – I love this flavour combination!
4
INDIVIDUAL PAVLOVAS
Ingredients
French-Swiss Meringue
200g Egg Whites
200g Caster Sugar
150g Icing Sugar / Powdered Sugar
Poached Rhubarb
2 Rhubarb Stalks, Washed + Woody Stalks Removed
Peel & Juice of ½ Orange
½ Vanilla Bean, Cut in half and scraped
135g Water
15g Grenadine
135g Sugar
Vanilla Chantilly Cream
300g Double/Heavy Cream
5g Icing/Powdered Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
To Decorate
Icing Sugar/Powdered Sugar
Raspberry Powder (optional)
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Digital thermometer
Flexible dough scraper/large metal serving spoon
Silicon mat
French-Swiss Meringue
1. Preheat the oven to 80C/175F Non-Fan Assisted
2. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites and sugar. Place this over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk constantly until it reaches a temperature of 55C/130F on a digital thermometer.
3. Once at temperature, remove it from the heat and place it onto a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk for 6-7 minutes on a medium speed, until the bowl feels cool to the touch and the meringue is thick.
4. Remove it from the stand mixer and place a sieve over the top. Sieve in the icing/powdered sugar, and use a whisk to gently fold this in. We use a whisk because we want the icing sugar to incorporate easily, but we also want to knock some of the stiffness out of the meringue, just slightly, so that we get a softer texture for the design of the pavlova.
5. Using a flexible dough scraper or a large metal serving spoon, scoop up the meringue, then wipe it on the edge of the bowl. Scoop that bit of meringue up again, and wipe it on the edge of the bowl one more time, before scooping it up for a final time. This scooping/scraping action will help to smooth the meringue.
6. Wipe off any excess meringue on the dough scraper/spoon with your finger and then swiftly but gently, dollop the meringue onto a baking tray lined with a silicon mat/parchment paper. As you are pulling up, and dolloping the final bit of meringue, do it slowly to create a slight ‘flick’ to the pavlova. This is all best seen in the video!
7. Repeat this to create 4 pavlovas in total.
8. Place these in the centre of the oven and bake them for 3 hours without opening the door. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. These can then be used straight away, or stored in an airtight container to use the next day.
Poached Rhubarb
1. Remove the woody ends from the rhubarb, then chop it into small pieces, really whatever size you prefer. Place these into a shallow dish.
2. Into a saucepan, add all the remaining ingredients. Bring it to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Remove it from the heat to let it sit for a minute before pouring it over the rhubarb.
3. Place a lid on top of the dish or a large tray and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender but still has a slight bite. Drain the rhubarb from the liquid and set it to one side.
4. You can keep the sugar syrup to drizzle over the top of your finished pavlovas. If you want a slightly thicker syrup, place it back on the heat and boil until it has reduced and thickened. Then leave to one side.
Vanilla Chantilly Cream
1. Place the ingredients into a medium bowl and using a hand whisk/electric whisk/stand mixer, whisk it to a medium peak.
Assembly
1. Take a meringue and tip it upside down in your hands so the bottom is facing upwards. Holding it very gently to prevent it cracking, use a knife to carefully score a hole in the bottom of the meringue. You want quite a large hole, the same shape as the meringue, but don’t go too close to the edges. Keep going over the score lines until the meringue breaks free, then carve out the centre of the meringue with a spoon. If you want, you can keep the bottom of the meringue to add back once you have filled the meringue.
2. Scoop a little bit of chantilly cream into the shell, then add a few pieces of the poached rhubarb then top it up with more cream so that it is filled just to the top of the hole you created.
3. Lift it up, place a plate on the meringue, and quickly and carefully flip it over so the meringue is now on the plate. Repeat with all four meringues.
4. Dust the meringues with icing sugar & raspberry powder (and add some of the rhubarb liquid drizzled over the top if desired).
5. This needs to be served immediately once filled.
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Bagels
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Bagels
This dough starts with a poolish, which is a type of pre-ferment – a little like a sourdough starter – that adds a real depth to the flavour of the bread. The dough is then shaped and poached to get that iconic bagel texture. You can go to town on the toppings here, my favourite is Everything Bagel seasoning, which you can either buy online or make yourself!
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BAGELS
Ingredients
Poolish
290g Water
3.5g Instant Dry Yeast/7g Fresh Yeast
185g Strong White Bread Flour
Dough
315g Strong White Bread Flour
10g Fine Sea Salt
20g Diastatic Malt Powder (Optional)
Poaching Liquid
3 Litres Water
1 ½ Tbsp Barley Malt Extract
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
Pinch of Salt
Bagel Seasoning To Finish
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Poolish
1. Into a small bowl, add the yeast and water. Stir it together to dissolve, then add in the flour. Whisk this through with a hand whisk to create a wet batter with no lumps of flour.
2. Cover the bowl with a sheet of cling film and leave it at room temperature for 3 hours. After 3 hours you should see lots of bubbles on the surface and the mixture will have puffed up.
Dough
1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the poolish that has bubbled up, and the remaining ingredients. It is ideal to use diastatic malt powder here to help with the flavour and the colouring of the bagels. You can leave it out, or add a little bit of barley malt syrup instead (2 tsp) as a replacement.
2. Attach the dough hook and mix on a medium speed for 10-12 minutes, until the dough is smooth and when you take a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers, it passes the window pane test.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, and then place it into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes in the fridge.
4. Once chilled, cut the dough into 100g pieces, and roll them into tight balls.
5. Place them onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and lightly spray the top with cooking oil. If you don’t have cooking spray you can very lightly brush them with any type of neutral oil.
6. Cover the surface with cling film and refrigerate again for 30 minutes.
7. Take the chilled dough, and use your finger to press a hold in the centre. Then place both index fingers in the hole and spin them around, to create a large hole in the centre of the bagel. The hole needs to be bigger than you think as it will shrink as it proofs and bakes.
8. Place the donuts back onto a tray, lightly oil and cover them with cling film again. Proof for 30 minutes at room temperature, before placing them in the fridge overnight or for 12 hours.
9. The next day, prepare a large baking tray with your chosen bagel toppings. Preheat the oven to 220C/430F Non-Fan assisted.
10. Take a large pot and add the water, malt extract, baking soda and salt. Bring this to a gentle simmer.
11. Working in batches, poach the bagels in the liquid, for 60 seconds on each side (I do two batches of 3 bagels, then a final batch of 2 bagels).
12. Immediately remove them from the liquid using a slotted spoon, and lift them directly onto a wire rack to drain briefly.
13. Next, working quickly, lift them into your bagel seasoning. Flip the bagels to ensure they are evenly coated in the seasoning. Lift the coated bagels onto a baking tray lined with a sheet of parchment paper.
14. Bake the bagels for 20-22 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown colour. Note – you’ll probably only be able to fit 6 bagels on your baking tray at a time, so I bake 6 bagels first, leaving the remaining 2 bagels in the fridge, before poaching and baking them. Alternatively, you can bake all 8 at once on two separate trays, ensuring you swap the trays over halfway through the bake.
15. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool or serve slightly warm. These are best stored in an airtight container and eaten within 48 hours but may need to be heated up slightly if left for over a day.
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Tiramisu Cake
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Tiramisu Cake
This is a subtle coffee flavoured cake, filled and decorated with vanilla and chocolate mascarpone swiss meringue buttercream, and topped with a chocolate ganache. I’ve used a scalloped edged scraper to create a funky texture as the design to this cake – relatively simple but so effective! Just make sure not to keep going over the cake. Have confidence in yourself! And remember, no one can see the back 😉
LARGE 7-INCH
CAKE
Ingredients
Coffee Cake
455g Caster Sugar
495g Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
405g Whole Eggs
21g Baking Powder
485g Cake Flour (or Plain/All-Purpose Flour)
2g Salt
5g Instant Coffee
45g Boiling Water
Coffee Sugar Syrup
100g Sugar
100g Water
2g Instant Coffee
Mascarpone Swiss Meringue Buttercream
400g Egg Whites
700g Caster Sugar
7g Fine Sea Salt
1kg Unsalted Butter, cubed
2 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
200g Mascarpone
Chocolate Mascarpone Swiss Meringue Buttercream
300g Mascarpone Swiss Meringue Buttercream
100g Dark Chocolate, 70% Cocoa Solids
Chocolate Ganache
50g Dark Chocolate, Finely Chopped
140g Double/Heavy Cream
Cocoa Powder To Decorate
Special equipment
4 7-inch cake tins
Stand mixer
Digital thermometer
Rotating cake stand
Flat edged scraper
Scalloped edged scraper
Heat gun (or a hair dryer)
St Honore piping nozzle
Hand blender
Coffee Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F Non-Fan Assisted. Lightly grease 4×7” tins with soft butter, and place a circle of parchment in the bottom. Tip in a tablespoon of flour and shake this around to coat the tin and then tip out any excess.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt & baking powder, then whisk to combine. Set this to one side.
3. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Beat it with the paddle attachment for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
4. Scrape the bowl, then back on a medium low speed, slowly add the eggs in about 6 additions, leaving about 10-15 seconds between each addition. Don’t worry if the batter looks slightly curdled at this stage.
5. Tip in the flour mixture and mix on a low speed until there are no more dry ingredients visible. Scrape down the bowl, really ensuring to scrape the bottom so that there are streaks of butter.
6. Finally, stir together the boiling water and the instant coffee powder. Pour this coffee mixture into the cake batter and mix on a low speed until combined. If you feel your batter is still a little too thick, just add a little more boiling water to loosen it.
7. Weigh 440g of batter into each tin. The batter will be quite thick so use the back of a hot spoon to spread it out roughly to the edges of the tin.
8. Bake the cakes for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean and the cakes have an even golden colour.
9. While still warm, gently loosen the edges of the cake from the cake tin with a palette knife, and then flip them out onto a wire rack. Let them cool for a few minutes before wrapping them tightly in clingfilm and refrigerating. Ideally you would chill them overnight but 4 hours is enough time too.
Mascarpone Swiss Meringue Buttercream
1. In a stand mixer bowl over a pan of simmering water, whisk together the egg whites, caster sugar and sea salt until the mixture reaches 65C on a digital thermometer.
2. Once the mixture comes to temperature, immediately add the bowl to your stand mixer and mix on a medium speed for 10-15 minutes, until the bottom of the bowl is tepid to touch.
3. Next, with your stand mixer on a medium speed, add the butter a little at a time, leaving 5-10 seconds between each addition. Once it’s all been added, continue mixing for another 5 minutes.
4. Finally, add the mascarpone and vanilla and, using the paddle attachment, mix on a low speed for 5 more minutes.
5. To make the chocolate mascarpone swiss meringue buttercream, melt the chocolate over a bain marie, let it cool for 3 minutes then whisk through 300g of the plain mascarpone swiss meringue buttercream. If the buttercream seems too soft when you’ve whisked throught the chocolate, just pop it in the fridge for a few minutes so it can thicken slightly.
6. When you’re ready to start decorating your cakes, add the buttercreams to piping bags.
Coffee Sugar Syrup
1. In a saucepan over a medium heat, mix the sugar, water and coffee together until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to one side to cool.
Crumb Coat
1. Using a serrated knife, evenly cut the top off your cake layers to make them level.
2. Put a cake board on top of a rotating cake stand. Secure the cake board down with some wet kitchen paper.
3. Add a small dollop of buttercream to your cake board and place your first layer on top, cut side up. Using a spoon, add some sugar syrup to the top of the cake layer.
4. Next, pipe a dollop of chocolate buttercream in the centre of the cake layer. Then, add a circle of the vanilla buttercream around the chocolate buttercream. Follow this with a circle of chocolate, and finish it with a circle of vanilla. Make sure you end with the vanilla buttercream round the outside.
5. Repeat this with the second and third cake layers, so you have three layers of buttercream in total. Place your final layer on top, making sure the cut side is facing down.
6. Next it’s time to crumb coat the cake. Add more vanilla buttercream to the outside of the cake – you can be messy here! Then, using a palette knife, spread the buttercream out over the entire outside of the cake, making sure all the gaps between the layers are filled.
7. Next, hold a flat edge scraper against the outside of the cake at about a 30 degree angle. In one swift motion, spin the cake whilst keeping a straight hold of the scraper. Repeat this a few times, filling in any gaps with extra buttercream. You should be left with an even crumb coat around the cake. Then, take your palette knife and smooth the top of the cake.
8. Chill the cake until the buttercream feels firm to touch. About 20 minutes in the freezer or 30-40 minutes in the fridge.
Decoration
1. Once your buttercream has chilled, take a palette knife and spread a thick layer of your vanilla buttercream over the outside of the cake (don’t worry about the top). You want to make sure this buttercream is quite soft with few air bubbles, so I like to add it back into the stand mixer and use a heat gun or hair dryer to just loosen it a little before using. Melting it slightly will give you a soft, bubble free buttercream,
2. Then, using a scalloped edged cake scraper, use the same technique as the crumb coat. Heat the edge of the scraper with a heat gun or hair dryer, then hold it at a 30 degree angle against the side of the cake, and in one swift motion spin your cake, holding the scraper steady.
3. You’ll likely be left with a few gaps/air pockets. Fill these in with some buttercream and repeat the process, making sure you heat your scraper slightly before attempting the scrape. I wouldn’t recommend doing this more than 3 times or you will scrape off too much buttercream.
4. Once you’re happy with the design of the cake, use a palette knife to scrape off any excess buttercream from the top of the cake.
5. Next, add your remaining vanilla buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a St. Honore nozzle. Holding the piping bag firmly, at the edge of the top of the cake pipe in a zigzag motion whilst spinning your cake stand. Try and do this in one spin until you have covered the entire edge of the cake.
6. Finally, make your chocolate ganache. In a saucepan, heat the double cream over a medium heat until it’s simmering. Add the chopped chocolate to a narrow tall jug, then pour over the heated cream. Use a hand blender to blend the mixture until smooth. Try to avoid vigorously moving the blender to ensure you don’t add too many air bubbles to the ganache. Let it sit for 2 minutes.
7. Add a dusting of cocoa powder over the piped edges of your cake. Then slowly pour the ganache over the top of the cake until you’ve covered about ⅔ of the cake top. Gently tilt the cake to fill the entire top.
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Chocolate Babka
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Chocolate Babka
I love the design of this Babka! It’s such a showstopper and so unbelievably tasty. This recipe teaches you the foundations of enriched dough, which we fill with a super easy chocolate filling. It’s just the braiding that requires a bit more brain power, but watch the video and I’ll walk you through it step by step – I promise it’s easier than it looks!
2
BABKAS
Ingredients
For the dough
750g White Bread Flour
150g Caster Sugar
15g Instant Dry Yeast
225g Whole Milk
165g Whole Eggs
9g Salt
1 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
150g Unsalted Butter, Cold + Cubed
For the chocolate filling
240g Unsalted Butter
160g Caster Sugar
80g Cocoa Powder
Pinch of sea salt flakes
For the egg wash
2 Egg Yolks (35g)
Splash of Water
For the sugar syrup
100g Caster Sugar
100g Water
Special equipment
Stand mixer
2 x 2lb loaf tins
1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk and eggs followed by the strong white bread flour, the sugar, salt and yeast. Lastly, add the vanilla bean paste. Knead together on a medium-low speed (speed 3 on a KitchenAid) for 8 minutes.
2. Next, slowly add the butter a few pieces at a time (waiting 20-30 seconds between each addition), and keep kneading until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated. This will take about 10-12 minutes.
3. Once your dough is ready, lift it out of the bowl and shape it into a tight ball. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and lightly grease the top of the dough (I use an oil spray but alternatively, you can put some oil on your hands and gently rub the dough). Cover the surface of the dough directly with cling film, and the top of the bowl. Chill in the fridge overnight (minimum 12 hours).
4. Just before you’re ready to roll your dough, make the chocolate filling.
5. In a saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat
6. In a separate bowl, add the sugar, cocoa powder and salt
7. Once your butter has melted, pour it over the dry ingredients and whisk until combined
8. Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes, stirring with a spatula occasionally until it becomes the consistency of soft butter. It may take longer if your room temperature is a little warmer. To speed it up, just pop it in the fridge and stir every few minutes.
9. Once your Babka dough has chilled, lightly flour your surface and place the dough on top. Flour the dough and roll it out to roughly 18”x24” (roughly the width of your two loaf tins placed side by side). The dough should be nice and thin.
10. Next, spread your chocolate filling all over the top of the dough, right to the edges.
11. Using your hands, starting with the edge closest to you, roll the dough into a tight log, then place it in the freezer for 10 minutes (you can bend it slightly to make sure it fits!).
12. Once your dough has chilled, cut off any rough ends and then cut the dough lengthways directly down the centre. Next, place one half of the log over the top of the other half in a cross shape. Starting with one side of the cross, braid the dough into a tight plait, then repeat with the other side.
13. Line the bottom of your loaf tins with a piece of parchment paper. Place one of your tins next to the dough, cut the dough to the same length as the tin, then place it in your tin. Repeat with the other tin. You’ll likely have a little dough remaining.
14. Cover the tins with a tea towel and leave to proof for 2 hours. If you’re in a particularly cold kitchen, you can put your tins in the oven and add a small cup of boiling water to the bottom of the oven. Replace this every 30 minutes or so to speed up the proofing process slightly.
15. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F Non- Fan Assisted just before the time is up.
16. Once your Babkas have proofed, mix together the egg wash ingredients and paint it over the Babkas.
17. Just before adding your Babkas to the oven, add some boiling water to a tray and place this on the bottom shelf of your oven. Add the Babkas to the middle shelf and bake for 60-70 minutes. To check they are cooked in the middle, probe the centre of the Babkas with a digital thermometer – they should be over 90C/195F.
18. Whilst the Babkas are baking, make your sugar syrup. Add the water and sugar to a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until it’s gently simmering and all the sugar has dissolved.
19. Once baked, remove the Babkas from the oven and lightly run a knife around the outside of the tins to loosen them. Tip them onto a wire rack and use a pastry brush to soak them in the sugar syrup. Wrap the Babkas in cling film and leave to cool for 1 hour. It’s important to leave them for an hour to allow the middle of the Babkas to completely set.
20. Once cooled, your Babka’s are ready to serve! They’re best eaten straight away (or within a few hours) as they have the tendency to dry out a little, but if you want to serve them later I’d pop them in the oven for 5-7 minutes before serving.
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Lemon ‘Babka’ Bundt Cakes
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Lemon ‘Babka’ Bundt Cakes
This recipe is my take on a non-yeasted Polish Babka Bundt. It’s a simple lemon cake recipe that’s super soft, covered in a lemon syrup and finished with a lemon sugar. I’ve gone for these beautiful miniature bundts, but if you don’t have a similar tin you can use a muffin tin!
6
INDIVIDUAL BUNDT CAKES
Ingredients
For the lemon sugar
Peel of 4 Large Lemons (60g)
200g Caster/Granulated Sugar
*This will make more than you need but it can be stored in an airtight container – this will ensure the lemon peel doesn’t go bad.
For the lemon cake
Zest 1 Lemon (2g)
125g Caster/Granulated Sugar
100g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
5g Baking Powder
2g Salt
100g Ground Almonds
200g Whole Eggs
50g Vegetable Oil
30g Lemon Juice
Soft Unsalted Butter + Flour To Coat
For the lemon syrup
100g Sugar
50g Lemon Juice
50g Water
Special equipment
Stand Mixer
Blender
4 Cup – 6 Cavity Mini Bundt Tin
Lemon Sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 80C/175F Non- Fan Assisted.
2. Peel the lemons using a vegetable peeler – you should get roughly 60g of lemon peel.
3. Place the lemon peels onto a baking tray lined with a silicon mat.
4. Place the lemon peel in the oven to dry them out, it will take 1-1.5 hours. They should look shrivelled once done.
5. Once completely dry to the touch, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 30 minutes.
6. Into a blender, add the sugar and dried lemon peels. Blend on high speed for 15-20 seconds, or until you have a fine, fragrant powder with no large lumps of lemon skin.
7. Add the mixture into an airtight container and set it to one side.
Lemon Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F Non-Fan Assisted. Take soft butter (not melted), and use a pastry brush to brush the inside of the bundt tin cavities to ensure an even coating. Over the top of the tins, sieve over a few tablespoons of plain/all-purpose flour in each cavity, and shake it around the tin to coat. Tap out the excess and set the tin to one side.
2. In a medium bowl, add the sugar and the lemon zest. Massage the zest with your fingertips into the sugar to release the citrus oils.
3. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk it together to combine, then whisk in the ground almonds. Set this mixture aside.
4. In a large bowl, add the eggs and lemon sugar. Using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer), whisk on a medium speed for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is thick, pale and fluffy.
5. Pour in the oil, along with the lemon juice and whisk by hand to incorporate it, ensuring to catch any ingredients that may be at the bottom of the bowl.
6. Tip in the sifted dry ingredients and use a hand whisk again to combine until there are no more dry bits.
7. Scoop the batter into the cavities of the bundt tin, filling them up about ⅘ (75g per cavity if you’re using the same sized Bundt tin as me).
8. Bake the cakes for 18-20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Whilst baking, make the Lemon Syrup.
9. In a medium saucepan over a medium heat, mix together the sugar, water and lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, take off the heat and leave to cool whilst the cakes continue to bake.
10. Once the cakes have baked and a skewer comes out clean, let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then place a wire rack on top before carefully flipping them over to release the cakes. Pour over the lemon syrup.
11. The cakes can be eaten warm or allowed to cool. Before serving, take the lemon sugar you made earlier and place it into a fine mesh sieve, and gently dust it over the top of the cake. The extra sweetness elevates the flavour of the cake!
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Maritozzi
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Maritozzi
Here we learn the fundamentals of Maritozzi dough, and how to shape it into the traditional Maritozzi style. I show you how to make the dough by hand, but you can stick it in a stand mixer if you have one. After a lot of messages on Instagram I found out a traditional Maritozzi has a little bit of crème pâtissière hidden inside – this adds an extra bit of sweetness which is divine! Filled with whipped cream, they’re a mouthful to eat but absolutely delicious.
7
MARITOZZI
Ingredients
For the dough
315g White Bread Flour
25g Caster/Granulated Sugar
6g Instant Dry Yeast
5.5g Sea Salt
55g Whole Eggs
160g Whole Milk
Zest ½ Lemon
2g Vanilla Bean Paste (1 Tsp)
55g Unsalted Butter, Cold + Cubed
For the egg wash
50g Whole Egg
5g Whole Milk
For the crème pâtissière
250ml Whole Milk
38g Caster/Granulated Sugar
20g Cornflour/Cornstarch
Pinch of Salt
60g Egg Yolk
2g Vanilla Bean Paste (1 Tsp)
20g Unsalted Butter, Cold + Cubed
For the whipped cream
450g Double/Heavy Cream
10g Icing/Powdered Sugar
Special equipment
Stand mixer with whisk attachment
Dough scraper
Piping bag
Palette knife
For the Dough
1. In a bowl, mix together the milk, eggs and yeast.
2. On top of that, pour the flour, sugar & finally the salt. Add in the lemon zest & vanilla.
3. Using a dough scraper, combine all the ingredients until there is no liquid left over. You’ll be left with a rough dough.
4. On a clean surface, knead the dough together. To do this, hold the edge of the dough with your non-dominant hand, then with the heel of your dominant hand push the dough away from you, and then pull it over back towards you. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat for 10 minutes. (Alternatively knead in a stand mixer for 10 minutes on a medium low speed, scraping down the sides halfway through to make sure everything is incorporated). You should be left with a smoother dough, but not very elastic.
5. Add the cubed cold butter into the centre of your dough and continue to knead. If kneading by hand, you’ll want to move a little faster and can push with the heel of your hand a few times before rotating. If using a stand mixer, increase the speed to medium. Once all the butter has been incorporated, knead for a further 3 minutes by which point the dough should be nice and smooth.
6. Lift the dough out of the bowl and onto your work surface. Gently shape it into a smooth round ball and lift it into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and proof the dough for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size. *You can make the Crème Pâtissière during this time.
7. Once proofed, remove the dough from the bowl and cut it into 85g pieces. You should get 7 pieces of dough in total.
8. Take a piece of dough rough side up and pinch around the edges, bringing the dough into the centre (this creates tension to help create a more smooth ball). Then turn the dough smooth side up and, with your hand in a C shape, circle your hand repeatedly around the dough to make a nice even ball.
9. Carefully lift the dough ball onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and repeat with the remaining dough.
10. Cover the dough loosely with a tea towel and allow it to proof again for another 1-1.5 hours until the dough has increased in size about 1.5x.
11. Just before the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 180C/355F (non-fan assisted).
12. Prepare the egg wash by whisking together the egg and milk.
13. Use a pastry brush to paint an even coating over the dough and then place the dough into the oven and bake for around 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
14. Remove from the oven and lift them onto a wire cooling rack, to cool completely.
For the Crème Pâtissière
1. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolk, sugar, salt and cornflour for 30 seconds until thick.
2. To a saucepan over a medium heat, add the whole milk and vanilla bean paste. Gently whisk until the milk is steaming (but not boiling).
3. Once steaming, slowly pour the hot milk over the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the combined mixture back into the pan and cook on a medium heat. Keep whisking and then once it starts to bubble, cook for a further minute.
4. Next, pass the mixture through a sieve over a bowl with the cold butter in. Whisk to combine.
5. Cover the surface of the mixture directly with cling film, then chill until you’re ready to assemble your buns.
For the cream
1. In a stand mixer (or by hand if you wish!), whisk together the double cream and icing sugar until you have a medium peak.
Assembly
1. Whisk the crème pâtissière for about 30 seconds by hand, to loosen it, then add it to a piping bag.
2. Once your buns are cooled, starting slightly off-centre, cut through the bun with a knife at 45 degree angle. Don’t cut all the way through the bun (watch the video!).
3. Pipe some crème pâtissière into the corner of the bun, filling it about ⅕ full.
4. Fill the rest of the bun with the whipped cream. Then, using a warm palette knife, scrape across the edge of the bun to smooth the cream and create a nice clean finish. You’ll be left with a little cream across the edges, so I tend to use my (clean!) finger to remove this.
5. Repeat with all the buns, then dust with icing sugar to finish.
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Decadent Baked Chocolate Tart
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Decadent Baked Chocolate Tart
This recipe teaches you how to master the perfect chocolate pastry, and create the smoothest chocolate filling. Decadent really is the only way to describe it! It’s light but rich, and is best served with a nice dollop of Vanilla Chantilly.
1
TART
Ingredients
For the chocolate pastry
70g powdered/icing sugar
100g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
20g cocoa powder
50g egg yolks
180g all purpose/plain flour, plus a pinch of sea salt
For the cocoa egg wash
40g egg yolks, plus 5g cocoa powder
10g heavy/double cream
For the filling
155g whole eggs
85g granulated/caster sugar
pinch of sea salt
180g heavy/double cream
325g whole milk
130g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, melted
Special equipment
Stand mixer with paddle attachment
9-inch (22.8cm) fluted tart tin
Chocolate pastry and egg wash
- Into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sift in the sugar. Add the butter and the cocoa powder.
- Beat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture forms a smooth paste, pausing to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add in the egg yolks, scrape down the sides and beat for 30 seconds, or until incorporated.
- Scrape down the bowl once again to ensure no butter is stuck to the sides. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed for about 20 to 30 seconds, or until the mixture pulls together into a dough.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and gently work it into a disc shape. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap/cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and gently squeeze it, using your hands to test the firmness. You want the dough to be slightly pliable but still cold. If the dough is too soft it will get sticky as you roll, but if it is too cold it will crack. It might need a minute or two at room temperature to get it to the right consistency.
- Lightly flour the dough and your rolling pin, and working quickly, roll the dough into a rough circle until the pastry is relatively thin, about 0.15 to 0.20-inch (4mm to 5mm) thick. Lift the dough up occasionally and lightly flour underneath to prevent it from sticking. If the dough is tearing or feels too warm, place it on a baking tray and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes, then try again.
- Place your rolling pin at the top of the circle and fold the top edge of the dough over the rolling pin. Pull the rolling pin back towards you, which will wrap the dough around the rolling pin.
- Starting at the bottom edge of your fluted tart tin, carefully unroll the dough from the rolling pin, to cover the entire tin.
- Use your fingers to gently press the dough into the edges of the fluted indents. If the dough is tearing, simply take any excess pastry and patch the holes.
- Take the rolling pin, and pressing firmly against the top of the tin, roll it over the entire tin to trim away the excess dough. Place the tin on a tray and pop it into the freezer for 30 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Cut a large circle of parchment/baking paper, and scrunch this up a few times so that it is flexible. Remove the tray from the freezer and use a fork to poke holes evenly across the base of the pastry.
- Place the parchment/baking paper on the inside of the pastry and press it into the edges. Pour your baking beans or rice into the base and spread them out. Place the tray with the tin on in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, remove the tray from the oven and carefully lift out the parchment paper with the baking beans on. Return the tray to the oven and continue to bake until the pastry is an even golden color—about 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven and allow the pastry to cool for 10 minutes.
- Very carefully remove the pastry from the tin, keeping the removable base on the bottom. Really thoroughly mix together the ingredients for the egg wash to make sure the cocoa powder is incorporated.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly egg wash the inside and outside of the tart shell. Place it onto the tray and back into the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the egg wash has completely set
- Remove the tart from the oven, allowing it to cool slightly. It is now ready to add your filling.
Filling
- Lower the oven temperature to 285°F/140°C.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, and salt for 1 minute.
- In a small saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, combine the cream and milk. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then slowly pour it over the egg mixture and whisk constantly until combined.
- Place the melted chocolate in a medium bowl and slowly pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate, using a spatula to stir in small circles in the center of the bowl (ensure the melted chocolate is warm for this step). Use a spoon to scoop off any foam from the top.
Assembly
- Place the baked tart case, still in the pan, on a baking tray in the center of the oven. Carefully pour the chocolate filling into the tart shell, filling it just below the lip of the tart shell. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until there’s a wobble about 3” (7.5cm) big in the center of the tart.
- Remove the tray from the oven and allow the tart to cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Remove the tart from the fridge and pop it out of the pan and onto your serving plate. oven. Decorate the tart with a dusting of cocoa powder around the edges.
Shop the Equipment
Tier 1
Baileys Yule Log
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Roasted Hazelnut Tablet
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Berries & Cream Cake
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Tier 1 Yuzu Petit Choux
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Tier 1 Thick Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Tier 1 Pain De Campagne
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Tier 1 Tiramisu
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Tier 1 Pain Au Chocolat
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Tier 1 Passion Fruit Slice
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Tier 1 Strawberry Meringue Tart
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Tier 1 Oreo & Vanilla Cheesecake
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Tier 1 Sacher Torte
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Tier 1 Lemon Cake
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Tier 1 Classic Donut
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Tier 1 Strawberry Roll Cake
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Tier 1 Sourdough Starter
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Tier 1 Vanilla Panna Cotta
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Tier 1 Chocolate Parfait
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Tier 1 Puff Pastry
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Scones
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Tempering Chocolate
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Choux Au Craquelin
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Lemon Citrus Crunch
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Chocolate Pot De Creme
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Frangipane Tart
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