On the eighth day of Christmas (White Rocky Road)

Okay so apologies in advance, there is a total lack of photos for this recipe - but it couldn't be helped! For one thing it was a very gray day so the lighting was not so good. Then Zoe didn't exactly want me to do any baking (picture tears, tantrums and a whole lot of carry on), so it was all very rushed. But hey I made it and it is delicious! Sweet white chocolate, chewy marshmallows, tasty almond nougat and crunchy almonds = awesome!

This is another treat that would be perfect to package up and give as a gift at Christmas time (or any time really). It will keep for up to 2 weeks in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

So you know what to do, get in the kitchen and get baking :)



White Rocky Road (from Better Homes and Gardens - December 2007)
Makes about 20 pieces

2/3 cup slivered almonds
1 cup white marshmallows, roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded coconut
150g vanilla almond nougat, roughly chopped
375g white chocolate, melted

1. Line bottom and sides of 2 bar tins with baking paper.
2. Combine almonds, marshmallows, coconut and nougat.
3. Add the melted chocolate and stir to combine.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared tins, cover with glad wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until firm.
5. Turn out rocky road and cut each bar into pieces.
   

Rating?
5 out of 5 reindeers!

On the sixth day of Christmas (Florentines)

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me six geese a laying... or in my case a successful batch of Florentines. These are so simple and easy to make, it really is just a case of mixing all the ingredients together, baking them and finally spreading on some melted chocolate. The best part is that the florentines look very festive and they taste really good. Nice and sweet, with a bit of chew and a bit of crunch. Just what the doctor ordered, well actually a doctor would probably not order this due to the sweetened condensed milk - what a silly saying! Or perhaps just not the correct saying for this situation. Anyways that is besides the point, these florentines are easy and yummy, and they keep for a month in an air-tight container in the fridge - so they are great for Christmas presents. So what are you waiting for? Go make some :)


Florentines (from The Australian Women's Weekly - The Christmas Book)
Makes about 35

60g cornflakes
80g sultanas
35g dried currants
60g red glace cherries, chopped
60g green glace cherries, chopped
105g slivered almonds, toasted
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
200g dark chocolate, melted

1. Combine cornflakes, fruit, nuts and condensed milk in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Drop level tablespoons of mixture about 4cm apart on oven trays covered with baking paper.
3. Bake at 180C for 8 minutes, or until browned lightly. Cool on trays.
4. Spread bases of florentines with chocolate; make wavy lines in chocolate with fork just before chocolate sets.

Spread the bases with chocolate...


Make a swirly pattern on the bases with a fork...


Then try not to eat them all...


Oh and if you have some left over chocolate why not make some chocolate freckles. Just spread little circles of chocolate on baking paper then cover with 100s and 1000s and allow to set. Yummy...


Rating?
5 out of 5 reindeers!

Baking Mondays - N is for Nougat Cupcakes

Honey, orange and almond syrup cake topped with nougat cream and chunks of almond nougat.

We had a very clear winner this week, nougat absolutely smashed the nuts (no pun intended) and the neapolitan in the polls, and why wouldn't it? Nougat is delicious - sometimes chewy, sometimes crunchy, full of nuts and always good. But how do you incorporate nougat into a cupcake? Well first of all I thought of the nougat flavours that I particularly like - and I came up with almonds and honey. So of course it was only natural to make a lovely almond and honey syrup cake. Then what do you top said syrup cake with? I decided not to go down the SMBC (swiss meringue buttercream) route this week and instead went for a whipped cream topping instead, with just a taste of almond, orange and honey.

So shall we get started....

Honey and Orange Almond Cupcakes (taken from Chef 2 Chef, I halved the recipe)
Makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup sugar (I used caster sugar)
1 cup almond, ground (110g almond meal)
1 cup plain flour, sifted
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground all spice (I used mixed spice)
4 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp orange zest
1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey
1/6 cup icing sugar
1/8 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a 12-hole muffin tray with cupcake papers.
   
2. Combine the almond meal, flour, cinnamon and mixed spice in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl mix eggs with sugar until very thick, approximately 10 minutes.
4. Beat in the melted butter and orange zest and then fold in the almond mixture.
5. Divide the batter among the cupcake papers and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. To make the syrup combine the orange juice, icing sugar, honey and water in a saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot.
7. Once cupcakes are baked spoon over the syrup.
   

Nougat Cream

300ml thickened cream
3 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp orange essence
1/4 tsp almond essence

Beat all ingredients until you reach a piping consistency - don't overbeat the cream!!

Assembling the cupcakes

1. Pipe the nougat cream onto each cupcake.
2. Top each cupcake with some almond nougat. Go crazy - you know you want to!

The ratings?

Me - 9/10, this is cake is lovely - nice and light and I love the spices in the mix - tasty stuff! The cream is good for something different, but I don't think I would use the almond essence again.
Mat - 8/10, cake was dense but still awesome!

Baking Mondays - A is for Chocolate Almond Cupcakes

This is the first batch of cupcakes as part of my A... B... Cupcakes project and I must say it was a lot of fun! We had to choose from apple, almond, apricot or angel food, and almond was the hands down winner. So I decided to make a chocolate and almond cake, with a chocolate easter egg hidden inside of it, topped with almond swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) and a chocolate covered almond. All in all a winning combination I think. Here is one of the cupcakes in all its glory:


Oh and you read right, I made my first ever batch of SMBC! I am happy to report that it was really easy - and I am now in love with both SMBC and my KitchenAid. The only thing is I probably should of mixed it for longer to get rid of those air bubbles - but unfortunately little Zoe needed some attention ;)

Now for the ratings:

Me - 5/10, I know that doesn't sound very good but I used almond essence in the SMBC, and I must say that I am really not fan of that at all! Apart from that strange flavour the texture of the SMBC is amazing - I love SMBC!! The cake had a strange texture - it was slightly dense and I am guessing that is because of the almond meal. The cake was pretty moist, but unfortunately the flavour was a bit so-so, nothing amazing really.

Mat - he really liked this cupcake and especially the SMBC - a big fan of the texture and the fact that it isn't overly sweet. In regards to the cake I think he pretty much agreed with my points.

Dad and friends - they tell me that this is one of my best cupcakes yet and that I should have to pay for their dentist bills :P

Chocolate Almond Cupcakes (from Better Homes and Gardens Easter Issue 2009)
Makes 12

100g butter
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup almond meal
1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
12 chocolate eggs (the recipe called for caramel filled Easter eggs, but I wanted to keep things simple)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Put the butter, sugar, water and cocoa in a saucepan and cook, stirring over a low heat, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Here we go in to the pan:


And stirring...


Let the chocolate mixture cool for 10 minutes, then add the beaten eggs and stir until combined. Stir in the almond meal and flour until combined, then transfer the mixture into a jug.

Remove foil from Easter eggs and put 1 egg in each cupcake liner...


Pour the cupcake batter into each liner until three quarters full...


Bake for 15 minutes (or until firm to the touch). Note: my oven is crazy so you may have a different baking time. Cool the cupcakes in their tin for 30 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool...


Almond Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Made more than enough for 12 cupcakes - probably enough for 18.

4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
250g butter
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond essence

Combine the egg whites and sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk over a saucepan of simmering water until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is as hot as you can get it without the egg whites cooking.

With the whisk attachment on your mixer whisk the egg white and sugar mixture on high speed until a stiff meringue is formed and the mix has cooled down to room temperature. Look at the KitchenAid going...


Now put the paddle attachment on your mixer and with the mixer on a low speed add a tablespoon or two of butter at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix until the mixture is light and fluffy again.

Add the vanilla extract and almond essence and mix on medium speed until the SMBC is a good piping texture.

Pipe the SMBC onto the cupcakes and then top each cupcake with a chocolate covered almond.


Stand back and marvel at their beauty.

And the winner is...

Almonds!

Almond cupcakes are on their way! Check back in on Monday to see the results.

Nesting and Muffins

This weekend I have been nesting like crazy. Washing all of bub's towels, blankets, sheets, wraps and clothes. Ironing all the tiny little body suits (soooo cute) - and tidying up the nursery. I've also gone on a mad cleaning spree, which has made me incredibly happy. Nothing like a lovely clean and tidy house - especially the kitchen, I love having a super organised kitchen. Unfortunately the weekend is over now - back to work tomorrow. But for now enjoy the recipe for yummy carrot and almond muffins...

Carrot and Almond Muffins

Makes 12

5 eggs, separated

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

2 tsp orange rind, finely grated

5 small carrots, peeled, finely grated

200g almond meal

1/2 cup self raising flour, sifted

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and put muffin cases into a 12 muffin tray. Use an electric beater to beat the yolks, sugar and orange rind until thick and creamy. Add the carrot, almond meal and self raising flour and stir until well combined. Beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Fold through half of the egg whites into the carrot mixture until just combined. Fold the remaining egg whites into the carrot mixture. Divide the mixture amongst the 12 muffin cases and bake for 25 minutes - or until a skewer comes out clean. Enjoy!!