Thank You Teacher Smarties and Kit Kat Cake

We are on the final count down to turning off the alarm clock...woo hoo!! Yep as of the close of business on Wednesday school is out for summer. I personally can't wait, no school lunches, ironing uniforms and above all falling outta bed in what seems like the middle of the night :)

I imagine that the teachers are relieved too. We were very lucky to have two brilliant teachers again this year, so with that in mind, I couldn't resist making these choc-a-holic cakes!

The concept is fairly straightforward, take a cake, slather it in chocolate buttercream and then decorate it with even more chocolaty delights. (Clock against you? I suggest you cheat and buy a ready made sponge, ready made chocolate buttercream and decorate).
If you would prefer just one large cake, then make this cake, but substitute 3 tbsp of self raising flour with cocoa powder, bake and cover with the quantity chocolate buttercream stated below.

Whatever you decide, the finished cake will wow the recipient (even if that's you) and impress all those looking on. Enjoy!!    

Makes 2 Cakes

Ingredients
Chocolate Buttercream
250g Butter at room temperature
500g Icing Sugar
4 tbsp Cocoa Powder
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp Water

Chocolate Sponges
255g Self raising flour
45g or 3 tbsp Cocoa powder
300g Soft margarine

300g Caster sugar
1½ tsp Baking powder
6 Eggs

Decorations
40-44 Kit Kat 2 finger bars
750g  Smarties (or M&M's)
3m Ribbon of your choice
Cake board (optional)

Method
Preheat the oven to 190º/375ºF/Gas Mark 5. Grease and line the base and sides of two 20cm sandwich tins with baking paper. Set aside.

Chocolate Buttercream:

In a large bowl beat the butter with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer, until smooth. Add the icing sugar, salt and cocoa powder, beat in slowly at first.

Mix on high until the ingredients are combined, add the water and mix again until the buttercream is soft and creamy. Set aside (if refrigerating, allow to come to room temperature before using).

Chocolate Sponges:

Place all the chocolate sponge ingredients into a large bowl, combine using either a wooden spoon or on high speed in an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes.

Divide the sponge mixture between the two sandwich pans, level off. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the centre of the sponge springs back when gently pressed with your finger.

Allow the sponges to cool slightly before turning out on a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.

I decided to split the sponges, if that puts the fear of God in you then leave it, they will be just as tasty left whole.

Although not necessary, I flipped the sponges so that the completely level base is facing upwards, handy tip for decorating any cake. Smear a generous amount of the buttercream onto the bottom of your serving plate and position the cake centrally. Cover the entire cake with half of the buttercream.

Cover the sides of the cake with a thick layer of the buttercream (so as to give the Kit Kat fingers something to dig into!). Level off the top and straighten the sides.

Stick 20 of Kit Kat bars to the outside of the cake, secure with the ribbon.

Tip 375g of the Smarties (or M&M's) into the center on the cake and you're done! Repeat with the other sponge.

I baked this cake some weeks later and it was my Classic Victoria Sponge with 3 tbsp of self raising flour substituted for 3tbsp of cocoa powder and with half the stated amount of the chocolate buttercream above.

How I transported all my cakes, very handy!

This is the second cake. I ran out to buy 1 meter of ribbon thinking that would be enough, it wasn't! If you want a more lavish bow then I suggest you purchase 1½ meters of ribbon per cake.

Both cakes were presented to teacher in semi-disposable cake carriers. The built in handle in each lid made carrying much easier for little hands!

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Okay I'm on a roll, my ice-cream machine is on overtime these days!! I hoping that if I make enough ice-cream and frozen yogurt, the sunny weather will feel obliged to return forthwith.
I bought my ice-cream maker this time last year, thinking that if I used it five or six times throughout the year it would worth buying.  Little did I know that it would get so much use. I make David Lebovitz's Vanilla Frozen Yogurt most weeks, it has replaced tubs of shop bought ice-cream in this house. I think that if you can knock up a recipe with little or no effort, you will be far more likely to make it. This recipe is very similar. Make the blueberry coulis (which would be perfect as it is poured over ice-cream or pancakes), add it to the Greek yogurt, chill and hey presto you are good to go.
Now if you are brand new to making frozen yogurt at home, then this is as good a recipe as any to start with.  Blueberries are in season and good value at the moment, so go on impress your family and friends with this tasty (and healthy!?!) treat.

*Recipe translated and adapted from Gingerbread without Pepper Blog 

Serves 4-5

Ingredients
250g Fresh or frozen Blueberries
100g Caster sugar
2 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
500g Greek yogurt

Method
Place the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer 24 hours prior to making this recipe.

Place the blueberries, sugar and the lemon juice in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve, simmer gently for 5-8 minutes until the berries begin to burst. Remove from the heat, mash the blueberries with the back of a fork. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add the cooled blueberry coulis to the greek yogurt. Stir until combined.

Chill the mixture for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible.

Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and leave it to do it's magic for 20-30 minutes or as per your machines instructions. It should look something like this when it is finished. Transfer to a shallow container and continue to freeze for another 1-2 hours. Serve with fresh blueberries or in a wafer cone.

Now if you don't possess an ice cream maker (this method applies to all ice cream recipes if you don't have an ice cream maker), make as above then pour the blueberry coulis and yogurt mixture into a shallow airtight container. Freeze as normal, taking it out of the freezer every 2-3 hours and whisk with fork, do this a couple of times until all the hard lumps and crystals are gone, then leave to freeze. This will break up the ice crystals and should give you a smooth finish.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

There is nothing nicer than cycling through the Irish countryside on a warm summer's day, especially through the drumlins of Cavan. This is how I spent yesterday, the weather was just perfect (for someone who hasn't been on the back of her racer for oh ...about 3 years!) not too hot and just breezy enough to keep me cool. I took an enforced sabbatical from my beloved bike, but now I am back with a vengeance. We took in the beautiful sights as only one can from the back of a bicycle, the lazy river Annalee meandering through fields of grazing cows, the lakes which were graced with swans and the hum of dragonflies, the smell of wild garlic mingled with freshly cut silage and the drone of hard working tractors ringing in our ears. It was a day to remember and one I hope to repeat very soon (when the sun shows it's face again!!!)

Now with all that activity one needs some refreshment, this is my preferred choice :) I've watched Ina Garten make this on the Food Network a couple of times and decided that boiling sugar (for the caramel) wasn't for me so I cheated (nothing new here for some of my regular readers!!) and bought ready made stuff in a can. It is much quicker and avoids scrubbing saucepans until your fingers are numb, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

*Inspired by  Ina Garten's Summertime Easy,  Barefoot Contessa TV series with Rori Trovato 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
Ice Cream Base:
250ml Full fat milk
4 large Egg yolks
165g Caster sugar
500ml Double cream

Salted caramel:
200g Carnation Caramel (roughly ½ a can )
1tbsp Sea salt

Method
Gently heat the milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan, do not allow the milk to boil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until pale and the sugar has dissolved.

Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture, whisking all the time to prevent the eggs from curdling. Then pour this mixture back into into the saucepan and heat over a gentle heat until the mixture thickens (coats the back of a wooden spoon) stirring all the time. This may seem like a lot of effort pouring from one into another, however it will prevent your eggs becoming scrambled in the heat of the saucepan, yuck!!

Strain the custard back into the large bowl, stir in the double cream and chill in the fridge overnight. The ice cream base needs to be completely chilled before you continue to the next stage, if it isn't completely chilled, the ice cream machine won't act as effectively.

The following day, stir the sea salt into the carnation caramel then add the salted caramel to your now completely chilled ice cream base. Mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine, make as per your manufacturer's instructions. Mine usually takes about 30 minutes.

Because this ice cream has so much sugar in it, it might not firm up as much as other ice creams recipes you've tried, don't worry it will be fine once it spends 1-2 hours in your freezer. Pour into an airtight container and freeze.

Heaven in a ice cream scoop!!

Two Super Simple Salads

These are two really simple salads that can be thrown together in a matter of minutes. The first is my warm garlic mushroom salad, heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add some garlic butter or garlic infused oil onto the pan. Fry off quartered button mushrooms until they are golden brown. Add a tablespoon or two of breadcrumbs to the pan, this will ensure that all the lovely juices are soaked up. Serve straight away either as a really quick warm salad or as a side dish.

The second is one you often see on salad bars, it is an apple, pineapple and celery salad. I just love the sweetness of the apple and pineapple against the crunch of the celery. The dressing consists of half mayonnaise and half crème fraîche mixed together until smooth. All done!!

Sausage Plait

It's that time of year when I live in hope of a spell of fine weather (just a spell would do at this stage!) and dare I say it picnics....finding just he right spot at the local park to throw down the blanket and relax in the sun....bliss. The idea of absorbing Vitamin D naturally without the aid of handfuls of vitamin pills is somewhat unbelievable, we have had truly awful summers these past few years, so my advice for what it is worth is, if the day presents itself, grab the chance and go have that picnic!
This is a very handy recipe for just such an occasion, it is very tasty and can be served cold, I can also recommend the quiche or if is a little chilly, some  pea soup in a flask. I hope against hope that we will have a dry summer, especially after such a long cold winter. I trust I haven't jinxed the whole thing now by saying it out loud!?!

Recipe adapted from BBC Twos'  The Hairy Bikers Mum's Knows Best Season One 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
For the Pastry:
500g Shop bought puff pastry
or
454g Plain Flour
142g Lard
142g Margarine
2 Pinches salt
As Required cold water

For Sausage Mix:
454g Sausage meat or sausages with the casings removed
100g Fresh breadcrumbs
2 Medium onions
Seasoning to taste
2 tbsp Mixed herbs

Glaze:
1 Egg, beaten
1 tbsp Milk

Note on the recipe:
I have made this pastry a few times and it is truly scrumptious, however I didn't have the blogger bug then so I have no photographic evidence of my efforts, suffice it to say that it takes a bit longer to make than shortcrust but well worth the effort, however if you are in a hurry and watching the dark clouds to roll in, go for shop bought!!

Method
Make the pastry as follows:
Mix flour and salt and add lard and margarine, cut into small pieces. Stir in with a knife (do not rub in) and mix to a stiff dough with water. Roll out on a floured surface to a narrow strip. Fold into three, and give a quarter turn so that one of the open ends is towards you. Roll out again. Do this three times in all. Cover pastry and leave to rest (15 minutes approx). Roll into rectangular shape ready for sausage mix filling. In hot weather allow pastry to rest for 20 – 30 minutes in a refrigerator or a cool place before use. Preheat the oven to 230ºC/450ºF/Gas Mark 8, line a large baking tray with baking paper.

If you are unable to get sausage meat then remove the casing (skin) from sausages as follows, score the sausages with a sharp knife, gently remove the casing and discard.

Grate or finely chop the onions, mix everything together in a medium sized bowl. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle roughly 35cm x 25cm.  

Lay the pastry onto the prepared baking tray. Place the sausage filling into the centre of the pastry, leave a 5cm border all the way round.

Down each side of the boarder, cut strips every 2½ cms from the filling to the edge at 45º angle. I like to flour the knife first to prevent it from sticking to the pastry. Start with folding the very top of the pastry towards yourself onto the sausage filling, then plait the pastry strips alternately left to right, left to right, across the sausage mixture.

Continue the whole way down the length of the filling.

Tuck the bottom of the pastry up over the filling before finishing the plait.

Mix the glaze together, brush the whole plait with the egg wash.

Place in centre of the pre-heated oven, cook for 20 minutes approx or until golden brown.

Serve straight from the oven in slices or allow to cool room temperature then serve. If you are feeling inspired here are a few more of my picnic recipes...Enjoy!

That's Just Cheating Baked Eggs!

To all foodie pinners out there this is a familiar sight, Pinterest is absolutely full of knacky recipes like this one, I must have pinned (or salivated) over twenty of these recipes since I joined Pinterest. I gotta tell you this one was hard to resist, it's so easy to make, quick to prepare and a real crowd pleaser. It's the type of recipe you can pull out for breakfast, lunch or at tea time, actually when I come to think of it anytime you're feeling peckish this is a winner (wouldn't this make a nice alternative to quiche as finger food at a party). I would consider this as the basic recipe, you could jazz this up any way you please....Enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients
8 Slices of cooked ham
8 Medium eggs
1 tbsp Dried parsley
50g  Grated cheddar, grated (optional)
Seasoning

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Grease or oil eight holes of a muffin tray, place a slice of ham in each of the holes. Gently ease the ham into the base of the muffin tray, crack an egg into each of the ham pockets.

Season each egg with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Sprinkle with the dried parsley or if you prefer ......

...top with a grated cheddar cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until the egg is cooked to your liking.

I think that two baked eggs per person is a fair portion once served toast and a large comforting mug of steaming coffee.