lard cake....mmmmmm

it's actually a gloriously oozy chocolate cake with a well of dulce de leche and topped with intense dark chocolate which i made for my husband's 30th birthday. on seeing it cut into though a friend screeched in horror 'is that lard?!' now i wouldn't say we are an entirely healthy family but a cake filled with lard isn't exactly our style.

i suppose that this was inspired by c's love of millionaire shortcake and my distinctly sweet tooth that is fairly uncontrollable at the moment.

the cake is a basic chocolate sponge, baked in a single layer star shaped mould. when cooled i hollowed out a 1cm deep well in the centre, leaving a border of about 1.5cm round the edge to retain the flow of caramel.

the dulce de leche is simple to make but a bit time consuming; several techniques are available to follow here - i used the 'in the can' method very effectively. carnation do a ready made version, available at most supermarkets, which is apparently good.

pour the caramel into the well, allow it a little time to flow into the nooks and crannies and begin to firm on top a little. mix a 100g of melted dark chocolate (a real bitter one holds up well here to counter the incredible sweetness underneath) with 25g butter and drizzle over the cake until a layer is formed. be delicate and patient with this dribbling it thinly over the dulce de leche; too much in one go will cause caramel displacement! allow the chocolate to set, decorate as you see fit - we went for very flamboyant silver ball designs and mini sparklers- and indulge!

suntanned snowmen

me and lola have a thing for this meringue recipe - i can't remember where it came from so sadly i can't credit the genius who first gave me it. in the summer we make huge pillows of it slathered with cream, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries but wanting to find a more seasonally appropriate reason for eating it we invented these little snowmen. lola's initial plans involved hundreds-and-thousands adorned chocolate biscuit hats but i was too hasty in trying to prise them off the foil cases i'd shaped them round while baking and was left with just a delicious pile of cookie crumble. the meringue loses it's glorious snowy whiteness in the oven hence their suntannedness but they are a fairly easy and impressive little winter project. i'd love to hear your ideas for decorating them too. can you manage hats and scarves?

makes approx 5 snowmen

for the bodies and heads

4 egg whites

8 oz caster sugar

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp cornflour

few drops of vanilla extract

1. in a very clean glass bowl whisk the egg whites on a slow speed until very bubbly and then increase the speed until the whites form stiff peaks. (lola loved the test where you have to hold the bowl upside down your head to make sure they are whisked enough).

2. continuing to whisk add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until combined with the egg whites.

3. mix the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla together in a small bowl and then add to the sugar and egg white mixture and whisk until the mixture turns glossy.

4. spoon out 5 big heaps and 5 smaller heaps onto a couple of lined or well oiled baking trays and bake in a preheated oven (140c), you'll probably need to remove the heads (very gently) after about 20 mins and the bodies 10 mins later.

5. leave to cool.

for the adornments

30g white chocolate buttons

few drops orange food colouring (or a mix of red and yellow)

dark chocolate buttons

tube of black icing

icing sugar

1. melt the white chocolate, very gently, either in the microwave or in a bain marie. add the food colouring to turn it orange. this will make it form a sort of malleable orange coloured chocolate putty. mould into carrot or tangerine shapes and cool briefly in the fridge.

2. draw little smiles on the cooled heads using the tube of black icing.

3. add water to the icing sugar to form a very thick paste and use it to stick the heads to the bodies, the noses to the faces and the dark chocolate buttons for the buttons and eyes.

stilton and chocolate

we had a fabulous night at knightsbridge harvey nichols on tuesday where champagne was flowing freely and artisans were handing out the best of their festive food. the mood was cheery and christmassy! i love meeting the customers who already eat our bars and delighting the ones who haven't yet tasted them. everyone has their favourite and seem willing to passionately fight their corner across the tasting table with strangers: sea salt against chilli; lime and black pepper against gin and tonic!

i bought the harvey nichols jasmine leaf tea, some balsamic vinegar, a small bunch of red grapes and a wedge of highly recommended coltson basset stilton. when aidan and i were eating the stilton for lunch yesterday, surrounded by my preparations for the WI demonstration - aidan discovered dark chocolate drops and stilton are a heavenly combination. i have had a delicious stilton and white chocolate truffle before but this 60% was moreish. try it...

turkish delight cocoa bean style!

emily mentioned our nightmares working with hot sugar in her last blog. but these are so worth the effort!

this limerick market recipe was the only one we could find at the time that was made with no animal products (important in aidan's vegan days!). the lack of gelatin means it is a bit softer and stickier than shop bought turkish delight and so works best dipped generously in dark chocolate. shame! it is very delicious - don't be put off by our stress warnings!

you will need a sugar thermometer unless you are a genius. use the chunk tempering method emily described in 'temper, temper'

4 cups caster sugar

4 cups water

1 tsp lemon juice

1 cup cornflour

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 tbsp rosewater

red food colouring (if you want it pink)

1. combine caster sugar, 1 1/2 cups of water and the lemon juice in a medium pot. stir over a low heat, without boiling, until the sugar dissolves brush the sugar crystals off the side of the pot with a brush dipped in water. simmer, uncovered, until the temperature reaches 116 C on a sugar thermometer ( a teaspoon of the mixture will form a soft ball when dropped into a glass of cold water.) remove from the heat.

2. meanwhile, in a separate pot blend the cornflour and cream of tartar with enough of the remaining water to form a smooth paste. stir in the remaining water and stir constantly over heat until the mixture boils and thickens.

3. gradually pour the hot syrup, in a thin stream, into the cornflour mixture, whisking constantly. simmer gently, uncovered, for about 1 hour or until it is translucent and pale straw coloured; stir occassionally.

4. stir in rosewater and tint with food colouring if you want pink turkish delight.

5. line a square cake tin with greased clingfilm. pour and spread in the tin. stand, uncovered for at least 3 hours.

6. cut jelly into squares with an oiled knife. dust with icing sugar and coat in 2 layers of tempered dark chocolate and store in an airtight container.

serve with strong black coffee or take to the woods and eat after a long, wintry walk.

100g of dark chocolate

we are all aware that dark chocolate has many virtues but even we were surprised to find out that the protein in 100g of dark chocolate (approx 8g) is MORE than in 100g of baked beans (approx 5g).

i'll be the first to admit that the other nutritional aspects don't lean as favourably towards chocolate. saturated fat, for example, not so good. however compared to a cheddar cheese chocolate suddenly doesn't seem so very unholy.

for all the bad press that tinned beans get for their sugar content chocolate beats them hands down. though if you can stomach a jacket potato with 100g of virtually sugar free 99% cocoa solids chocolate next time good on you! i think cheese and beans may stay a more popular topping for now though....

early morning cookies or the perfect thing for unexpected guests

me and lola felt particularly productive this morning and whipped up a batch of chocolate chip shortbread. these are really, really delicious, quick and easy. it makes them perfect if you have unexpected guests as within about 15 minutes you can be serving freshly bakes cookies and they don't even generate a lot of washing up!

basic shortbread recipe

makes about 20 small cookies

115g plain flour

115g butter

60g caster sugar + a little extra for sprinkling

75g 70% chocolate drops

preheat oven to 220c

1. rub all the ingredients, except the chocolate, together to form breadcrumbs

2. knead together to form a dough, add the chocolate and mix to distribute evenly throught the dough.

3. roll to form a sausage about 2" thick and cut into 1cm slices, or pick small clumps of dough and roll into a ball.

4. flatten the slices or balls slightly and place, nicely spaced out, on an ungreased baking tray.

5. bake for approx 7 mins (or until golden brown at the edge)

6. leave to cool on the tray.

biscuits from corfu

we have just got back from an idyllic week in corfu. feeling a bit sad and missing the sun, the sea, the feta cheese, sardines, olives, sausages, aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes and chicken kebabs, elsie and i decided to cheer ourselves up by trying a recipe for biscuits that the woman from our favourite bakery had given us on our last day. so thanks to rosie near the town of gastouri. efharisto!

35g butter

30g caster sugar - i used sugar that has a vanilla pod stored in it or you could add a drop of vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

85g sifted self raising flour

a few handfuls of dark chocolate chips or broken pieces

25g chopped brazil nuts

pinch of salt

preheat the oven at 180 c/ 350 f gas mark 4

grease a large baking tray

cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and then beat in the egg. fold the sifted flour into the mixture and beat well. use a teaspoon to spoon small heaps onto the tray, spaced well apart. bake for 10-15 minutes and enjoy hot while the chocolate is still melted or leave to cool and eat at the end of a long greek breakfast with a really strong coffee.

fantastic flapjacks

these chocolate chip and raisin flapjacks make a great snack with coffee and are a perfect balance between oaty goodness and buttery, syrupy wickedness to make them very popular in lunchboxes.

ingredients

125g butter + a little extra for greasing
125g golden caster sugar
90g golden syrup
210g porridge oats
25g toated sliced almonds
50g dark chocolate chips
25g raisins

method

1. heat oven to 180c and butter the lower half of a 8" square cake tin
2. in a pan melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup over a medium heat, stirring continuously. take off the heat and add the oats, almonds, chocolate and raisins.
3. spoon the mixture into the tin and level off. bake for about 25 minutes until the edges are golden brown. remove from the oven, and while still warm, mark into 16 pieces.
4. leave to cool and break along premarked lines. can be stored for several days in an airtight container