Valentine’s Day Special Victoria Sponge Cake With Silky Butter Cream Icing- Lusciously Rich Cake For The Romantic Occasion

This lusciously rich, heart-shaped Victoria Sponge cake, filled with creamy butter icing and homemade strawberry jam, is an ideal romantic creation, just right for celebrating your Valentine’s day in a very stylish way. Hurry, gather the necessary ingredients and whip it up now!

Victoria Sponge, named after the Queen Victoria, who was known to enjoy a slice of this cake with her afternoon tea, is now a classic teatime favourite in England. Traditionally, this cake is round in shape and the top is dusted with icing sugar. However, I chose to make the same in a heart shape and smeared butter icing generously on the top to suit the occasion. No reservations for the yummy tastebuds when love is in the air!

Now that the strawberries are in season, it will take less than half an hour to make fresh and juicy jam at home to fill this sponge. Please click on the link below for my easy jam recipe. I must emphasise that the enticing flavours in this homemade strawberry jam complements hugely to the delicious taste of this cake. If the time doesn’t permit to make the jam or you are in a region where straw are hard to come by, then opt for the best brand of strawberry jam in the shop shelves.

http://happyrecipes.co.uk/strawberry-jam-a-very-british-strawberry-jam-recipe-with-white-sugar/

Also, the butter icing should be smooth and creamy to enhance the overall taste. I used Stork spread for this purpose and am quite happy with the outcome. However, you can opt for any soft butter of your choice, but remember to stick to the right proportions and whisk it until silky and smooth.

-51%

Price: £98.44

Was: £199.00

Hotpoint DD2540IX Built-In Double Oven Electric Fan A Energy Inox

Price: £299.00

Ingredients needed to make the sponge :

Self Raising flour / Cake flour	250 g
Margerine or melted butter under room tempreture	250 g
Caster sugar	250 g
Eggs under room temp	4
Milk	3 tbsp
Lemon juice and Vanilla essence	1 tsp each
Salt	2 pinches
Baking powder	1 tsp

Let’s start :

Let’s make it: Set the oven to 180 C .

http://happyrecipes.co.uk/oven-temperature-conversion/

Cream it

Cream butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy, using an electric hand mixer. Go clockwise (3 – 4 mins)
Add eggs, one at a time. Make sure you beat after each addition ( Beat 15 seconds after each egg)
Add vanilla essence, lemon juice, salt, milk and whisk two rounds (1 min)
Mix baking powder to flour and sieve onto the cake batter
Fold the flour gently with a wooden spoon until everything comes together as a creamy batter

Tray it

Divide the batter equally into two parts ( If you have two similar trays, both cakes could go to the oven at the same time. Otherwise, bake one and use the same tray to bake the other)
Line up the bottom of the baking tray with a parchment paper cut according to the shape and rub butter and dust flour on the sides
Spoon one part of the batter into the baking tray and flatten with a spatula.
Lift up the tray and drop it twice onto your kitchen-top gently, allowing the batter to spread and settle evenly on the try

Oven it

Place the tray in middle/bottom shelf of the oven (If you oven heats up too soon, set the temp. for 160 C degrees and bake the cake in the lower shelf)
Bake for 20 mins or the top turns golden yellow (Never open the oven door in the initial 10 mins. If the top is browned and the middle is not baked, do not worry, just cover the top with a parchment paper and continue to bake for further 10 mins)

Take out / Bake the next

After 20 mins, insert a skewer into the middle of the cake and if it comes clean, your cake is ready

Take it out from the oven and let it rest for 10 mins
Slowly remove from the tray and place the cake on a cooling rack
Now bake the rest of the batter in the same tray and let both cakes cool off completely

Let’s make the butter icing now

You will need the following ingredients :

Icing sugar	300 g
Butter or Margarine	125 g
Lemon juice	1/2 tsp
Milk	2 tbsp
Vanilla	1/2 tsp

Let’s make the icing:

Cream butter/spread until smooth
Sieve icing sugar onto butter
Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla essence
Cream up all together using an electric hand mixer until smooth
Your butter cream icing is ready now

Let’s ice the cake now

Scrape the tops gently off

Smear strawberry jam generously on the bottom layer

Then spread butter cream icing on the jam layer
Place the other cake on top and sandwich the cakes
Spread a layer of butter cream icing on the top and decorate with strawberries or rasphberries
Leave in the fridge for 1/2 hr before serving
Dip a long knife in boiling water, wipe clean and gently cut dainty pieces
Serve with more strawberries on the side
Enjoy!

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February 12, 2019March 4, 2019

ManoriLeave a comment

Sticky Date Cake – Soaked With Delicious Toffee Sauce To Celebrate The New Year 2019!

Happy New Year 2019!

The perfect combination of the richness of dates and the sticky sweetness of the toffee sauce will make you fall in love with this cake instantly! Make this juicy cake to celebrate any occassion and you will never fail to disappoint your guests.

Rustle this up just the day before, allowing all the flavours and juices to infuse properly. Serve the daintily-cut, traingle cake pieces with a pool of toffee sauce all around it. Heavenly!

With its rich flavours, dense sponginess and the thick toffee sauce that melted through all the layers, make this cake a comfort and a joy to taste during cold winter months. You can even serve this to your family and friends at family gatherings during Christmas time. Incredibly, to make the cake batter, you don’t even have to take the electric cake mixer out as the batter is cooked on the stove, resulting a very dense and flavourful texure! So, make it today and enjoy the luxury taste of this exotic cake!

Ingredients needed :

Dates – (de stoned)	250 g
Self raising flour	150 g
Brown sugar	150 g
Eggs	2
Margerine or Cake spread (For cakes, I follow Marry Berry’s tip to use spread in place of butter for a lighter texture)	65 g
Bicarb powder	1 tsp
Water	1 cup
Salt	3 pinches
For the Toffee sauce
Brown sugar	5 tbsp
Margerine or butter	3 tbsp
Milk	3 tbsp
Salt	1 pinch

Let’s make it :

Cut the dates into small pieces
Place the date pieces and water into a deep pan and bring to boil – (3-4 mins) Do not over boil as the dates will become a sticky pulp.

Switch the flame off and add 1tsp of bicarb and mix well

Add Sugar and stir until dissolved
Next add margerine and give a good mix
Beat the 2 eggs lightly and add to the mixture

Add the flour little by little while mixing gradually

Finally, add a drop of lemon juice and vanilla and mix until everything combines properly
Pour the batter onto a round cake tray (line up the tray with parchment paper or rub butter and dust with flour)
Keep aside for 15 mins for all the flavours to incorporate properly

Bake in the lower rack of the oven for 20 mins under 180C degrees
After 20 mins stab a skewer and check if it comes clean. If not, keep in the oven for a little longer
Keep the cake to cool off completely in the tray itself
Once cooled off, take the cake out slowly and remove the linning and stab with a skewer in several places

Now make the Toffee sauce

Add 5 tbsp of sugar into a thick bottom pan and switch the flame on to medium

Let the sugar turn golden
Add butter immediately and give a good stir

Then add milk and a pinch of salt and stir under low flame until the sugar crystals melt and turn into a thick sauce

Take off the flame and keep to cool
Pour half of it over the cake letting the sauce run through the holes

Smear more sauce all over the top
Leave the cake overnight for the best taste!

Drizzle the rest of the sauce over cake slices and serve

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January 1, 2019March 4, 2019

Manori2 Comments

Yule Log Cake – Christmas Yule Log Filled With Butter Icing

Yule Log 🎄is a very special part of Christmas celebrations dating back to medieval times. In the yester years, around Europe, this tradition was one of the highlights during Christmas time. An entire tree was carefully chosen and cut down, cleared of all branches and brought to the house. Then one side of it would be placed in the fire hearth while the the rest of the log would be lying in the room. Then the tree would be lit up by the remains of the last year’s log and slowly fed into the fire through the Twelve Days of Christmas bringing such cosy warmth and festive spirit to the family.

Making this chocolate Yule Log cake, which is filled with buttery chocolate icing, is easy and fun! I particularly loved decorating it, giving it a real Christmacy appearance; fixing a few holly leaves on the top with red berries and dusting it with icing sugar to make it look like snow flakes made my heart swell with glee!

So, lets gather the following ingredients and get on with making this delicious cake before the Christmas day dawns.

For the cake you will need;

Plain Flour	50 g
Sugar (white caster or soft brown sugar)	120 g
Eggs	3
Baking Powder	1 tsp
Corn Flour	2 tbsp
Cocoa Powder	1 & 1/2 tbsp
Salt	pinch
Vanilla	1/2 tsp

For the butter icing

Icing Sugar	200 g
Margarine or spread	100 g
Vanilla and a few drops of lemon juice
Cocoa Powder	1 & 1/2 tbsp
Fresh Milk	1 tbsp

Let’s make the cake

Set the Oven to 180 C

Beat it

Seperate the egg whites and yolks carefully (not even a drop of yolk should be in the whites)

(

-5%

Joseph Joseph Yolkcatcher, Egg yolk Separator- Yellow

Price: £9.50

Was: £10.00

edealing(TM) 5X Kitchen Egg White Yolk Separator Holder Divider Seperater Tool Utensil Strainer

Price: Out of stock

Beat the egg whites using an electric hand mixer, in high speed for 2 mins until peaks appear

Brand New KENWOOD HM520 WHITE ELECTRIC 3 SPEED 280W COMPACT STYLISH HAND FOOD MIXER

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Kenwood HMX750RD kMix Hand Mixer, Red, 350W

Price: Out of stock

Add sugar in three times while beating in high speed for 1 min (Never drop all the sugar at once)

Add egg yolks and beat for 2 mins

Add chocolate powder, baking powder, corn flour and plain flour together and sieve on to the batter
Add salt and vanilla

Do not use the electric mixer at this point. Fold the flour using a spatula until the batter becomes creamy.

Prepare the tin

12″ x 10″ size swiss cake tin is the right size for the sponge

Lakeland Bakeware Swiss Roll Oven Tray Baking Tin Rectangular 32.5 x 22.5cm

Price: £10.99

Line up with a parchment paper

Prepare the parchment paper for rolling the cake

Lay a wide parchment paper on a kitchen towel
Sprinkle granulated sugar and keep it ready for rolling out the cake

Bake

Spread the sponge batter on the tray
Lift and drop the tray twice on the kitchen top for the batter to settle evenly
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 mins

Take the cake out of the oven

Lay the cake face down on the sugar sprinkled parchment paper
Sprinkle some water on to the linining parchement paper, so that it comes out easily. Peel it off gently

Roll out

While the cake is still very warm, roll out the cake with the parchment paper

Leave it to cool off completely for 1 hr.

Let’s make the butter icing

Mix 200g of icing sugar and 1 & 1/2 tbsp of cocoa powder and seive on to 100g of margerine/spread and beat it in high speed for 2 mins
Add 1 tbsp of fresh milk, vanilla and a few drops of lemon juice
Beat altogether until creamy
Chocolate butter icing is ready to use!

(You can make an extra batch of butter icing and keep it in an air tight plastic box in the fridge for future use. For the next cake, place the box of icing in the microwave and heat up for 15 seconds to melt it and spread on the cake)

Ice it

Open the cake flat on a tray
Spread a thick layer of butter icing

Roll it gently

Smear a generous amount of chocolate butter icing on top
Run a fork across the surface, making it look like a real log!
Dust with icing sugar
Decorate to your heart’s content and bring your inner Christmas spirit out!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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December 22, 2018March 4, 2019

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No Mixer Chocolate Cupcakes – Easy Peasy Glorious Cupcakes

Making cupcakes cannot be easier than this! And, getting the utmost sponginess, the intensly chocolaty flavour and the eye popping beautiful glazed chocolate icing are all a great big bonus!

Try this out today and you are sure to get addicted to both the taste as well as the easy method of making it!

The best part of making these glorious cakes is that you don’t even have to take your electric hand mixer out. Hence, no extra washing up and storing all back! Just by mixing all the ingredients, you get the right consistancy, tempting colour and the most satisfying taste of a luxury cake!

Let’s make them with a smile!

You will need:

Self Raising Flour	250 g
Margerine or Baking spread (I used Stork baking spread)	250 g
Caster sugar	250 g
Eggs (large)	2
Milk	1/2 cup
Cocoa Powder	3 tbsp
Baking powder	1 tsp
Salt	4 pinches

For the icing
Icing sugar	150 g
Margerine	75 g
Cocoa Powder	2 tbsp
Milk	2 tbsp
Vanilla essence	1 tsp

Let’s make :

Pre heat the Oven at 180 C Gas mark 4

Easy to follow oven tempreture conversion chart :

http://happyrecipes.co.uk/oven-temperature-conversion/

In a heavy bottom pan, place milk, margerine, sugar, cocoa powder and salt
Heat until all melt into a chocolaty sauce, being careful not to let it boil. When everything comes together as a sauce take out from the flame.

Mix baking powder and flour together and sieve on to a bowl
Using a fork, whisk the eggs until frothy
Now slowly pour the chocolate sauce on to the eggs and mix well

Add the liquidy chocolaty mixture on to the flour while rapidly mixing
Mix with a wooden spoon or a spatula until no lumpy bits remaining
The mixture will be very watery. Keep aside for 15 mins until it turns into a thick sauce

Pour on to silicon cupcake cases, paper cupcake cases or just rub butter and dust flour the muffin tray and carefully pour the batter leaving a little space from the top allowing the cake to rise

Bake in the pre- heated oven for 15-20 mins (Important : never open the door of the oven in the initial 10 mins)

Take out the cupcakes and place on a tray to cool off completely

Now make the chocolate icing

Melt all the ingredients mentioned under ‘Icing’ in a heavy bottom pan until everything comes to a runny liquid. This is a very quick task. do not boil or over heat
Leave to cool

Pour over cupcakes

Decorate with white chocolate and milk chocolate shavings
Place all the cupcakes in a tray and stick in the fridge for the icing to settle
After 1/2 hr your cupcakes are ready to devour!
Store in an plastic box in the fridge

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October 30, 2018March 4, 2019

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Banana And Walnut Cake – Better Than Starbucks’s

This beautiful cake with delicious fruity twist is a classic treat that you would love to make again and again to share with your friends and family. The taste and scent of bananas and the crunchiness of walnuts is a real temptation!

While trying to make something similar to Starbucks’s banana and walnut cake, I ended up creating something far better and simply irressistable, much to my delight and utter surprise – and of my friends. Adding golden syrup, milk and lemon juice on impulse didn’t disappoint me, as they all nicely blended into a fountain of flavours, highlighting the taste of bananas.

Over-riped bananas with black patches on the skin are the best for this cake, as they are high in flavour and moisture, which in turn gives a delicious scent and taste to this cake. Also, do not forget to add brown sugar as it gives a beautiful broze browen colour to the cake

Let’s gather the necessary ingredients to make it:

Over riped bananas	2 large
Soft brown sugar	170 g
Margerine or butter (under room temp)	150 g
Self raising flour	225 g
Eggs	2
Fresh milk	2 tbsp
Golden syrup	1 tbsp
Salt	3 pinches
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Bicarbonate of soda	1 & 1/2 tsp
Walnuts crushed (extra handful for sprinkling on the top)	60 g
Golden syrup	1 tbsp

Let’s make :

Set the Oven to 180 C

Mash the bananas

Using a fork gently mash the bananas and keep aside

Cream the batter

Kitchen Essentials

Perfect appliance for the job! Reliable, durable and the best kitchen-mate!

Cream margerine with sugar using the electric hand or stand mixer
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition
Beat for 2 mins until creamy
Add the mashed banana and beat just one round
Add salt and bicarb to flour and sieve on to the batter
Add lemon juice and vanilla
Add golden syrup
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix all into a smooth batter
Add crushed walnuts and give a good mix with the spoon

Tray it

Best choice is the classic loaf tray for this cake

-20%

Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick Bakeware 2 lb Loaf Tin

Price: £20.80

Was: £26.00

Rub butter inside walls of the tray and sprinkle flour until all sides are coated or lay a parchment paper
Spoon the batter into a loaf tin
Sprinkle a handful of crushed walnuts on the top

Bake it

Place in the bottom shelf of the oven as this is a very wet cake
Bake for 30 – 40 mins or when stabbed with a skewer, it should come clean
After 1/2 hr, if the top of the cake is browned but the middle is still soggy, cover the top with a foil paper or baking sheet and bake further more
After 40 mins stab a skewer into the middle and check if it comes clean
Take out of the oven
Let the cake rest in the tray itself for 10 mins
Take out and wrap with a foil paper and keep until it cools down completely (This will evenly distribute the warmth and make the cake moist)

Serve it

Take a long bread knife and dip it in boiling water for 2 mins. Wipe the water (This will prevent the cake from crumbling while cutting)
Now cut the cake into dainty slices very gently as the walnuts can come between the knife
Serve with a hot cup of coffee or tea
Enjoy!

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May 15, 2018March 4, 2019

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Red Nose Day Cup Cakes – Pretty cupcakes with facial expressions

Creating these pretty cupcakes for the Red Nose Day charity cake sale held by my little son’s school gave both of us unlimited fun. The delight in my sons’s eyes told me that all the time and energy spent on those never gone wasted.

You can see the moods created on top of the iced cupcake to imply that expressions are unique to us, humans : Cool faces, mild faces, wild faces, glamours faces with pouting lips and guys with cool glasses and some sad faces with a single tear dropping. You can set your creative ideas to take over and enjoy doing something unique and beautiful. After all, it’s all for a good cause.

I used ready to roll icing in different colours to make the features of the faces. You can simply kneed the icing and roll it out to make any shape, just like the playing clay. You can even cover the whole surface of the cupcake with a layer of this icing, cut into shape which is quicker and easier but the cake won’t taste good. Delicious home-made butter icing (recipe given below) spreaded liberally on top could taste the cake heavenly! After all, the cakes should not only look pretty but also taste delicious in every bite.

You can even decorate similar type of cakes for any party or just to amuse your little ones. They will love to join in making them too.

I normally bake the cupcakes on the previous day and let them cool completely. Next day, you have all the time and energy to spare for decorating them elaborately. If you couple both on the same day, you could be too tired to launch yourself in decorating them at ease.

So, let’s start,

You will need the following items:

Self Raising flour	250 g
Margarine or butter softened (30 secs in the microwave )	250 g
Caster sugar	250 g
Eggs	4
Milk	1/4 cup
Lemon juice and Vanilla essence	1 tsp each
Salt	3 pinches

Let’s make them: Set the oven to 180 C . (Temperature conversion is given under Tips)

Beat butter and sugar together until creamy, using an electric hand mixer (3 mins)
Add eggs, one at a time. Make sure you beat well after each addition for 1/2 min
Add vanilla essence, lemon juice and beat for two rounds.
Mix baking powder to flour and salt and sieve onto the cake batter, holding the sieve well above it, allowing the air to escape.
Do not use the electric mixer at this point. Fold the flour gently with a wooden spoon until everything turns into a creamy batter.
Add milk and mix well.
Your cake batter is ready now.

Fill the cupcake cases and bake now:

Fill the paper cupcake cases 3/4 th with the batter, leaving space for cakes to rise.
Place the cakes in the cupcake tray.

Pop it in to the oven.
Bake for 13-20 min.
Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake and if it comes clean, your cake is ready.
Take the tray out of the oven and let it rest for 10 mins.
Slowly remove the cupcakes from the tray and place them on a cooling rack.
Let the cakes cool off completely !!!

Let’s make the butter icing now :

Icing sugar (seived)	300 g
Butter or Margarine	125 g
Lemon juice	1/2 tsp
Milk	1 tbsp
Vanilla a few drops

Let’s make the icing:

Cream up all together using an electric hand mixer
Spread a layer of icing flat on the top
To decorate you can opt for any kind of sweets ; smarties, m&m, jelly babies, sprinkles
To set features like those below, roll out different coloured royal icing and arrange on the top
Your pretty cup cakes are ready
Have a happy Red Nose Day!

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March 2, 2018March 13, 2019

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Classic Swiss roll – Valentine’s day special

-34%

Kenwood KM240 Stand Mixer, 900 W

Price: £119.00

Was: £179.99

Gorgeous as it looks, this Swiss sponge roll is a real beauty that should win the crown !

As the Valentine’s day is around the corner, I painted a few hearts on the sponge to display a festive notion relevant to the occassion; you need some liquid food colouring and a good quality paint brush to paint a simple design on the cake. Quite an easy tip but the enhanced appearence is a real winner of hearts!

So, let’s make this beauty and bring a special glow of love to this Valentine’s day!

Get ready with the following ingredients ;

For the cake

Plain Flour	50 g
Sugar (white caster is best)	120 g
Eggs	3 whites and yellows seperated
Baking Powder	1 tsp
Corn Flour	1 tbsp
Yellow food colour	3 drops (optional)
Salt	3 pinches ( this is a must to take the blandness of egg whites away)
Vanilla	1 tsp

Let’s make the sponge roll first

Set the Oven to 180 C

Beat it

Seperate the egg whites and yolks carefully
Beat the egg whites using an electric hand mixer, in high speed for 2 mins until it gives peaks

Add sugar in three times while beating in high speed. 1 min

Add egg yolks and beat for 2 mins

Add baking powder, corn flour and flour together and seive on to the cake
Add salt, yellow food colouring and vanilla
Do not use the electric mixer at this point. Fold flour using a spatula until the batter comes creamy.

Prepare the tin

12″ x 10″ size square tine will be the right size for the sponge
line up with a parchment paper
Grease with butter for easy peeling off

Bake it

Spread the sponge batter in the tray
Lift and drop the tray twice on the kitchen top to evenly settle the batter
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 mins or a skewer comes out clean when stabbed in the middle of the cake

Prepare for rolling the cake

Lay a wide parchment paper on a kitchen towel
Sprinkle granulated sugar and keep it ready for rolling out the cake

Take the cake out of the oven

As soon as the cake is out of the oven, let it cool enough to touch and carefully lay it face down on the sugar sprinkled parchment paper
Sprinkle some water on to the linining parchement paper, so that it comes out easily. Peel it off gently

Roll out

Now, while the cake is still very warm, roll out with the parchment paper

Leave it to cool off completely for 1 hr.

Filling

Once the cake is cooled off, open it flat on a tray

Options for filling the sponge roll

Option 1 – Simple but delicious

Strawberry jam – homemade or good quality supermarket brand

I have used here my delicious homemade strawberry jam. Recipe, given below:

http://happyrecipes.co.uk/tag/strawberry-jam/

Spread a generous amount of strawberry or raspberry jam as a thick layer and roll the sponge, wrap with a foil and refrigirate for 1/2 hr before serving.

Option 2 – beautiful and yummy

50g butter or margarine, softened
1150g icing sugar
A little milk
A drop of vanilla
Red food colouring

Seive icing sugar and whisk all together using an electric mixer until creamy. Spread a thick layer and roll the sponge and refrigirate for 1 hr before serving.

Option 3 – Creamy and delicate

1 cup full cream
1/8 cup icing sugar

Beat cream using an electric mixer while adding sugar gradually. Spread a thick layer and on top of it a layer of strawberry jam and roll the sponge. Cover with a foil and refrigirate for 1 hr before serving.

Serve

Take out 30 mins before serving
Slice with a sharp knife
Enjoy!

-34%

Kenwood KM240 Stand Mixer, 900 W

Price: £119.00

Was: £179.99

-21%

Kenwood Chefette HM680 Hand Mixer with Bowl - White

Price: £55.00

Was: £69.99

Brand New KENWOOD HM520 WHITE ELECTRIC 3 SPEED 280W COMPACT STYLISH HAND FOOD MIXER

Price: £27.53

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February 13, 2018March 4, 2019

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Chocolate Swiss Roll -A Dream Come True Cake!

This is, indeed, a dream come true chocolaty treat!

The super soft sponge, smeared with sweet chocolate butter icing, is simply a divine treat that would melt into your mouth!

Try out the recipe today and you will be amazed at the simplicity of the whole process of making it.

No need of more words, as the mouthwatering picture above, says it all!

So, good luck with your baking!

Get ready with the following ingredients ;

For the cake

Plain Flour	50 g
Sugar (white caster or soft brown sugar)	120 g
Eggs	3
Baking Powder	1 tsp
Corn Flour	2 tbsp
Cocoa Powder	1 & 1/2 tbsp
Salt	pinch
Vanilla	1/2 tsp

For the butter icing

Icing Sugar	200 g
Margerine or Spread	100 g
Vanilla and a few drops of lemon juice
Cocoa Powder	1 & 1/2 tbsp
Fresh Milk	1 tbsp

Let’s make the cake

Set the Oven to 180 C

Beat it

Seperate the egg whites and yolks carefully. (not even a drop of yolk should be in the whites)
Beat the egg whites using an electric hand mixer, in high speed for 2 mins until the egg whites give peaks

Brand New KENWOOD HM520 WHITE ELECTRIC 3 SPEED 280W COMPACT STYLISH HAND FOOD MIXER

Price: £27.53

Kenwood HMX750RD kMix Hand Mixer, Red, 350W

Price: Out of stock

Add sugar in three times while beating in high speed for 1 min (Never drop all the sugar at once)

Add egg yolks and beat for 2 mins

Add chocolate powder, baking powder, corn flour and plain flour together and sieve on to the batter
Add salt and vanilla

Do not use the electric mixer at this point. Fold flour using a spatula until the batter comes creamy.

Prepare the tin

12″ x 10″ size swiss roll oven tray is the right size for the sponge

Lakeland Bakeware Swiss Roll Oven Tray Baking Tin Rectangular 32.5 x 22.5cm

Price: £10.99

line up with a parchment paper

Prepare the parchment paper for rolling the cake

Lay a wide parchment paper on a kitchen towel
Sprinkle granulated sugar and keep it ready for rolling out the cake

Bake it

Spread the sponge batter in the tray
Lift and drop the tray twice on the kitchen top to evenly settle the batter
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 mins or a skewer comes out clean when stabbed in the middle of the cake

Take the cake out of the oven

Lay the cake face down on the sugar sprinkled parchment paper
Sprinkle some water on to the linining parchement paper, so that it comes out easily. Peel it off gently

Roll out

Now, while the cake is still very warm, roll out with the parchment paper

Leave it to cool off completely for 1 hr.

Let’s make the butter icing

Mix 200g of icing sugar and 1 & 1/2 tbsp of cocoa powder and seive on to 100g of margerine/spread and beat in high speed for 2 mins
Add 1 tbsp of fresh milk, vanilla and a few drops of lemon juice
Beat all together until creamy
Chocolate butter icing is ready to use!

(The excess butter icing could be kept in an air tight plastic box in the fridge for future use. For the next cake, place the icing in the microwave and heat up for 15 seconds to melt it and spread on the cake)

Ice it

Once the cake is cooled off, open it flat on a tray
Spread a thick layer of butter icing

Roll out gently
Dust with icing sugar

Roll in a foil and squeeze the ends just like a toffee and leave it in the fridge to set for at least an hour

Take out 30 mins before serving
Slice with a sharp knife
Enjoy!

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January 25, 2018March 4, 2019

ManoriLeave a comment

Chocolate Log – Spongy, Divinely Chocolaty with fudge icing

Devinely rich in taste, yet light and spongy in texture, this beautiful chocolate sponge roll is dangerously addictive!

Gurenteed to be light and spongy and at the same time rich with delicious, chocolate fudge icing that would melt sweetly in your mouth; this is an instant hit in the tea time treats.

It is unbelievably easier to make this than any other cake, as it takes less than 5 mins to fix the sponge batter. Also, the ingredients used in this cake are very simple and could be found in your kitchen cupboard at anytime.

Top tip : If you make the icing in advance and store in the fridge in an air tight plastic box, you can save even more time.

To make this cake you will need the following ingredients:

Plain flour	220 g
Soft brown sugar (you can use normal white caster sugar in place of this)	225 g
Eggs	3
Chocolate powder	2 tbsp
Baking powder	1/2 tsp

Set the Oven

Pre heat the oven to 180 C

Beat it

Seperate the egg whites and yolks
Beat egg whites for 2 mins using an electric hand mixer, high speed, until it gives peaks

Add sugar in three times while beating in high speed for 1 min (Never drop all the sugar at once)

Now add the egg yolks. Beat for 1 min

Add Vanilla, two pinches of salt
Add chocolate powder, baking powder and flour together and seive on to the cake

Do not use the electric mixer at this point. Fold flour using a spatula until the batter comes creamy.

Prepare the tin

12″ x 10″ size square tine will be the right size for the sponge
line up with a parchment paper
Grease with butter for easy peeling off

Bake it

Spread the batter in the tray
Lift and drop the tray twice on the kitchen top to set the batter even
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 mins or a skewer comes out clean when stabbed in the middle of the cake

Prepare the parchment paper for rolling the cake

Lay a wide parchment paper on a kitchen towel
Sprinkle granulated sugar and keep it ready for rolling out the cake

Take the cake out of the oven

As soon as the cake is out of the oven, lay it face down on the sugar sprinkled parchment paper
Sprinkle some water on to the linining parchement paper, so that it comes out easily. Peel it off gently

Roll out

Now, while the cake is still very warm, roll out with the parchment paper

Leave it to cool off completely for 1 hr.

Ice it (Recipe for Fudge icing is given below)

Once the cake is cooled off, open it flat on a tray
Spread a thick layer of fudge icing
Sprinkle some icing sugar on top
Roll out gently

Spread a generous amout of fudge icing on the top using a spatula

Scrape horizontical lines using a fork
Cut the sides off
Refrigirate for 2 hrs

Decorate with Strawberries or chocolate chips
Place in the fridge to set at least an hour
Take out from the fridge before 1/2 hr of serving.
Ready to devour with delight!

To make chocolate fudge icing you will need

Icing sugar	1/2 cup
Double cream	1/4 cup
Margerine or spread	50 g
Milk chocolate buttons	110 g
Cocoa powder	3 tbsp

In a small glass bowl place chocolate drops, butter and double cream.
Place a wider pan on stove and fill it with hot water.
Dip the glass bowl into the wide pan.
Stir slowly until chocolates melt along with butter and cream.
If the chocolates are hard, heat up the pan with water under very light flame.
Add sieved icing sugar and cocoa powder.
Take out from the pan and stir until you are left with a creamy chocolaty melt.
Leave to cool.
If the consistancy is too thick, heat up in the microwave for 5 seconds.
Ready to ice any cake

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January 24, 2018March 4, 2019

Manori2 Comments

Delicious Banana Cake – Rich in banana scent and dotted with chocolate chips and raisins

You will love this heartwarming banana cake that is deliciously moist and rich in banana scent.

Overripe bananas in your fruit bowl are ideal for this recipe as they are the most moist and juiciest in taste. You can use both chocolate chips or raisins or omit either of them in this recipe. However, If you desire a plain banana taste, omit both and just add the rest of the ingredients. I personally prefer both in balanced propotions as they enhance the taste in a great deal.

Any left-overs could be stored in the fridge in an air tight cake box up to 3 days.

So, let’s make this super easy, delicious banana cake today!

What you will need:

Self Raising flour	250 g
Bananas	4
Light soft brown sugar	250 g
Margarine/butter under room temp. (Stork brand spread is best in UK)	140 g
Eggs	2
Milk Chocolate chips or broken pieces and raisins	2 tbsp each or a bit more
Salt	3 pinches
Banana essence (optional)	four drops
Lemon juice	1 tsp each

Let’s make them:

Preheat the oven to 160 C . Gas mark 3. Oven temperature conversion :

http://happyrecipes.co.uk/oven-temperature-conversion/

Cream it

Cream butter and sugar together using an electric hand mixer.
Add eggs, one at a time. Make sure you beat two rounds after each addition.
Add banana essence, lemon juice, and cream for two rounds.

Mash it

Using a fork scrape the bananas into a bowl and mash them

Flour it

Mix salt and self raising flour and sieve onto the cake batter, holding the sieve well above it, allowing the air to escape
Do not use the electric mixer at this point. Fold the flour gently with a wooden spoon until everything turns into a creamy batter
Now add the mashed bananas, chocolate chips and raisins
Give a thorough mix and combine all together

Tray it

Line up a 9in tray and pour the cake batter into it
Gently lift the tray and drop on to the pantry top to make the surface even

Oven it

Stick the tray in the oven and bake for 25 min or until the top turns golden brown.
Check by stabbing a skewer. If the skewer comes out clean, your cake is ready.
Take out from the oven and leave in the tray for 10 mins to cool off.
Gently take the cake out and let it rest on a cooling rack
Enjoy a delicious piece from your cake with a steaming cup of tea

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November 7, 2017March 4, 2019

ManoriLeave a comment

Ingredients needed to make the sponge :

Let’s start :

Let’s make the butter icing now

Happy New Year 2019!

For the Toffee sauce

Let’s make it :

Now make the Toffee sauce

Let’s make the cake

Let’s make the butter icing

You will need:

Let’s make :

Now make the chocolate icing

Let’s gather the necessary ingredients to make it:

Let’s make :

Mash the bananas

Cream the batter

Kitchen Essentials

Tray it

Bake it

Serve it

For the cake

Let’s make the sponge roll first

Options for filling the sponge roll

Option 1 – Simple but delicious

Option 2 – beautiful and yummy

Option 3 – Creamy and delicate

Let’s make the cake

Let’s make the butter icing

To make chocolate fudge icing you will need